Life of the Optina Elder Macarius

The life of the Optina elder Macarius was not published during the author’s lifetime. This wonderful hagiographical work of Schema-Archimandrite Agapit (Belovidov; † 1922), an eyewitness and fellow Optina elders, is presented in a monastic manner modestly, simply and honestly and allows the reader to directly experience the spiritual atmosphere of one of the best monasteries of a bygone era. We live in times that abound in religious literature like no other. Artistic works of Christian classics and the pastoral words of famous preachers, textbooks for theological schools and scientific works on theological and church-historical topics, fascinating memoirs and brochures covering pressing spiritual problems of modern times - all this is widely published today, accessible to believers and able to satisfy any reader's taste. But we must admit that with all the abundance, with all the diversity of the book assortment, there are stories that will never lose their meaning, beneficial power and novelty. Ever-young, read every time for the first time, as Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) calls in his introduction to the Fatherland, texts about the life and exploits of ascetics and their wise teachings. Another thing is that the modern reader, accustomed to existing in conditions of high speed and information oversaturation, gradually loses interest in working on a book, in unhurried and thoughtful entry into its material, which is sometimes difficult, requiring time and moral effort. In pursuit of the topical and fascinating, content with bright, but often superficial and hasty understandings, we risk not only passing by, but not even noticing those cherished paths that can bring us closer to the subtle and beautiful world of Orthodoxy and enrich our hearts. The Life of the Optina Elder Macarius, offered by our publishing house, is a book that can not only point out these hidden paths, but also guide them along them. Possessing undeniable literary merits, this hagiographical work is at the same time a reliable historical source of its era. The Optina residents prepared the first biography of their great Abba during the life of the elder: even then it was quite obvious that testimonies about the exploits and talents of the saint and his extensive correspondence, striking in its ascetic depth, would rightfully take a place in the world treasury of the patristic heritage. Since 1859, Hieromonk Leonid (Kavelin), one of the elder’s closest students, a historian and hagiographer, the future governor of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, began serious work on the biography and the selection of necessary materials. Already in 1861, “The Legend of the Life and Deeds of the Elder of Optina Monastery, Hieroschemamonk Macarius, of blessed memory” was published, which subsequently formed the basis of the work of Schema-Archimandrite Agapit (Belovidov), the author of this book, which will be discussed below. What was Optina Hermitage like in the nineteenth century and what role did Elder Macarius play in its unprecedented spiritual rise? The time of his eldership is called the golden age of Optina: the monk raised a whole galaxy of disciples who made up the glory of Russian monasticism. We can safely assume that if there had not been an equally great ascetic next to the pioneer - the Monk Lev (Nagolkin), the tradition of caring for the elderly might not have developed. The visionary founder of the Optina spiritual tradition faced hard work in overcoming external obstacles and considerable sorrow from persecution and slander, inevitable with all great undertakings, but everything could end as in many other monasteries: from time to time, individual outstanding monks appeared in one or another monastery, but there was no talk of any spiritual succession or flourishing of the monastery. The Monks Leo and Macarius, successors to the ascetic school of the spiritual genius, the Monk Paisius (Velichkovsky), mastered the “science of sciences” under the guidance of his direct students, and for the Optina residents, among whom not everyone fully understood the meaning of eldership, the coming of Father Macarius to Optina had a decisive influence on a positive change in their consciousness. The Monk Macarius entered Optina as an already established ascetic. Before this, he labored in the Ploshchansk Hermitage for more than twenty-three years, fulfilled the duties of a dean and was respected as being perfectly knowledgeable of the liturgical rules and versed in the patristic writings. In addition, the elder was the confessor of the Sevsk women's monastery for a long time. His name was already known, and both monastics and laity turned to him, as an experienced mentor, for spiritual guidance. Father Macarius, as a true ascetic, was above all distinguished by deep humility. The transfer of the elder from the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage to Optina itself took place in the spirit of patient and meek expectation of the will of God, and when the request for the transfer was granted, the monk accepted it with the calm hope with which he would have accepted a refusal. His desire to spend the rest of his life in obedience to Elder Leo is evidence of how much the ascetic valued that spiritual purchase that is accomplished in an ascetic only through a mentor. Need I mention that the example of such self-denial turned out to be more convincing for the Optina residents than any words? Elder Leo himself highly revered the Monk Macarius, sometimes directly pointing out his holiness and, of course, did not consider him a disciple. The biography truthfully mentions several cases of Elder Leo’s rather harsh treatment of the Monk Macarius, but since this was of a public nature and was the well-known humbling manner of the Monk Leo, it is clear that such treatment pursued didactic goals not so much in relation to the meek old man, but in relation to those around him. Even during the life of Elder Leo, his companion the Monk Macarius began to serve as an elder, served as a fraternal confessor, and in 1839 he was appointed head of the monastery. After the death of the Monk Leo, which followed in 1841, the burden of caring for the elderly of the monastery, monastery and many pilgrims fell entirely on the shoulders of his successor, and just as the great Leo did not spare himself for the sake of helping people, so did the Monk Macarius subsequently not spare himself. Along with monks and common people, the nobility and Russian intelligentsia went to Optina Pustyn for spiritual edification: writers and politicians, philosophers and theologians; they all found spiritual benefit here and, coming into contact with the gracious elder, discovered the beauty of Orthodoxy. It was during the period of the senile service of the Monk Macarius that the spiritual and educational activities of the monastery began. Outstanding minds of their time, such as I.V. Kireevsky, placed the spiritual wisdom of Father Macarius above the wisdom of the brilliant sons of this century and, as a result, became apologists for the faith among compatriots infected with man-theism - the humanistic ideal of the West. Educated people began to flock to Optina, joining the monastery's inhabitants, and over time they formed the core of remarkable translators, historians and hagiographers. The Monk Ambrose (Grenkov), the future Archbishop Iuvenaliy (Polovtsev), Archimandrite Leonid (Kavelin), monk Porfiry (Grigorov) and many other talented monks - they all worked a lot under the leadership of Elder Macarius in the matter of spiritual enlightenment. The biography says that the Optina translators “did not lack zeal, but... if anyone felt exhausted at times, it was not the elder - the elder was tireless”: he worked without sparing his strength and was tremblingly afraid of missing the subtlest shade of the spiritual meaning of the texts he was translating. As a result, Optina introduced the Russian reader to the name of St. Paisius (Velichkovsky), made available many of the works of outstanding ascetics of antiquity, and enriched Russian Christian literature not only with famous lives of saints translated from Slavic, but also with the works of its own hagiographers. But no matter how great the volume of book publishing work was, no matter how much energy it took to spiritually nourish the pilgrims who came to him, the elder’s main concern remained the education of monks. Perhaps some of the most interesting chapters are devoted to this aspect of his activity in the Life, which, on the one hand, provide moral lessons that are classic for hagiographic texts, and on the other hand, are truthful, unadorned historical evidence. The brothers opened their hearts to the perspicacious mentor, and he, as someone who knows the subtlest movements of the soul and deviations of thoughts, applied the necessary plaster to the internal ulcers of his charges. The biography tells how the elder publicly “sneaked through” the future glory of Optina, the Monk Anatoly, then a young novice Alexei Zertsalov. The novice ascetic told the elder about the praise he had received from Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) himself, and, protecting the novice from arrogance, Elder Macarius returned him to the path of saving humility through his severity. However, the wise old man condescended to human weakness when it was really necessary. Very indicative in this regard is the story of Hieroschemamonk Plato (Pokrovsky), told in detail and with love in his biography. Father Plato, at that time still a cassock monk, was distinguished by indecisiveness and weak will towards monastic life, and the elder, like a “kind, God-fearing nanny,” entered into his needs and experiences, supporting his brother either with affection or kind admonition. Needless to say, the hearts of his charges were filled with gratitude and love for their sensitive elder! The very moral atmosphere in the monastery under Elder Macarius was so harmonious, natural and healthy that even secular visitors to the monastery noted this with admiration. Thus, the well-known spiritual writer, theologian and historian A.N. Muravyov at that time wrote in his essay “Optina Pustyn”: “I did not see an intense expression of monastic obedience in front of his (Reverend Macarius) face in frequent prostrations to the ground, not always sincere... on the contrary, everyone openly looked into his eyes, because they had nothing secret in their hearts for him, expressing, however, deep respect for him in every word and action... but all this was completely simple, so it seemed that he was speaking in the circle of his family...” In this open, lively and devoid of servility atmosphere, the Optina monks created their spiritual churches. When the monk became seriously ill before his death, his suffering showed to the brethren another evidence of the holiness of the elder, who continued, while experiencing severe torment, to diligently listen to the prescribed prayer rule and praise God. Particularly revealing in connection with the dying sufferings of the Monk Macarius are the memoirs of his long-term physician, Ivan Lvovich Pletner, a man who did not belong to Orthodoxy and, apparently, throughout the eighteen years of his acquaintance with the elder, perceived him as an ordinary patient. His medical error significantly aggravated the patient’s suffering. And so, shocked by the meekness of the monk, who did not displease him in the least, shocked by the fact that for many years he did not even suspect what inner courage and patience his patient was filled with, the doctor concludes: “Only now can I say that I saw a person, spoke with a person. I don’t know why I haven’t seen it before... That’s how difficult it is to see perfection, and to achieve perfection, I thought, is not in human nature.” The elder died in 1860 on the eve of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and was buried near the grave of his companion and mentor, Elder Leo. In 1996, both elders were glorified as locally revered saints of the Kaluga diocese, and in 2000 - for church-wide veneration. The relics of the saints were found in 1998 and now rest nearby in the Vladimir Church of Optina Hermitage. Andrei Ivanovich Belovidov, the future hagiographer Schema-Archimandrite Agapit, entered Optina in 1867, after the death of St. Macarius. Little biographical information about Father Agapit has been preserved. It is only known that he came from the family of a clerk of the Lebedyansky spiritual board, completed a full course at the Tambov Seminary, and in Optina had an uncle, Hieroschemamonk Platon (Pokrovsky), a close seminary friend of Elder Ambrose himself. We can assume that Andrei Ivanovich came to Optina with a serious internal attitude; judging by the absence of any personal memories conveyed orally, he was not eager to talk about himself and had an ascetic and self-absorbed mood. It is no coincidence that after a short time he was appointed clerk to the Monk Ambrose, and soon the young monk received the elder’s blessing to compile a biography of the recluse Hilarion of Troekurovsky... Later, other works of Father Agapit and, of course, the biography of Elder Ambrose himself would be published - one of the best hagiographic works of that time, and perhaps the best. Nurtured by the successor and disciple of Elder Macarius, Venerable Ambrose, and nourished by the spirit of good monastic traditions, Father Agapit in the special Optina atmosphere developed his innate literary intuition. His pen is distinguished by simplicity, modesty, spiritual reasoning, deep knowledge of the patristic heritage and at the same time a close interest in the human soul, respect for his individual characteristics, condescension and tolerance, which distinguish generous, courageous and experienced people. In 2010, the publishing house of Optina Pustyn published another work by Schema-Archimandrite Agapit - “Biographies of the Departed Sketes” - capacious and spiritually meaningful portraits of the deceased brethren. Compiled at the beginning of the 20th century with the blessing of the Optina monastery elder Barsanuphius, today these records represent a reliable historical source that allows us to better understand the internal way of life of the inhabitants of the St. John the Baptist monastery and conveys the amazing spiritual aroma of long-gone Optina. Schema-Archimandrite Agapit lived a long, labor-filled life. He held the position of rector at the Likhvinsky Pokrovsky Good Monastery, after that at the Meshchovsky Georgievsky Monastery, was the dean of half the monasteries of the Kaluga diocese, had disciples, and during the years of his retirement in his native Optina he was a confessor for many brethren. Father Agapit settled in the Optina monastery again in 1897, when, due to illness, he left the post of diocesan dean and returned to his native monastery. Those who knew him during these years will remember him as a tall, white-bearded old man, dressed in a white cassock and leaning on a white crutch. However, a leg disease did not allow Father Agapit to do without constant medical supervision, and in 1906 he was forced to leave the monastery, where he once created his first hagiographical essays, and move to the monastery hospital. After the well-known dramatic events in Optina at the beginning of the twentieth century and the departure of Elder Barsanuphius to the Staro-Golutvin Monastery in 1912, the choice of the elder brethren fell on Schema-Archimandrite Agapit: it was he who was to become the next monastery commander and elder. However, Father Agapit refused to become an elder - just as he had repeatedly refused to become a bishop: apparently, he considered the burden of public service to be beyond his strength. Around the beginning of the century, Father Agapit began painstaking work on the collected materials for a detailed biography of Elder Macarius. In the skete chronicle on September 11, 1901, by the hand of Elder Barsanuphius, it is written that in order to compile “a new, more complete biography of Elder Father Macarius... the materials were transferred to Father Archimandrite Agapit.” The author of the “Life” had at his disposal the entire abundance of materials collected by the monastery, of which, as evidenced by the archives of Optina Pustyn, he did not use all of them. The study of unused materials shows how strictly the Optina people approached such work, which can serve as an example for many modern authors. The language of the biography, with all the restraint, rigor and lack of unctuous stylization characteristic of the monk author, allows you to fully feel the spirit of the living, fertile atmosphere of the golden age of Optina Hermitage, this Russian monastery of exceptional spiritual significance. When preparing the publication, we used the “Biography of the Optina Elder Hieroschemamonk Macarius” - a joint publication of the Optina Monastery, the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and the publishing house “Father's House” in 1997; “The Life of the Optina Elder Macarius” by Hieromonk Leonid (Kavelin), published by the Optina Hermitage in 1995; archival materials stored in the Manuscripts Department of the Russian State Library: “Handwritten notes of the monastery leader of the Optina Monastery, Hieroschemamonk Anatoly” (OR RSL. F. 214. Opt. - 298), skete chronicle (OR RSL. F. 213. Opt. - 359, 360, 361, 367) and others, as well as materials from the State Archive of the Kaluga Region. The text is slightly adapted and, as far as possible, as close to modern spelling as possible and provided with editorial comments. In the preface of the first edition of the biography of the Optina elder Hieroschemamonk Macarius († 1860), who died in the Lord, its most venerable author, Hieromonk (later Archimandrite) Leonid (Kavelin), among other things, wrote the following: “Having taken upon himself the work, at the general request of numerous disciples and persons who benefited from the spiritual instructions of the elder, to compose an outline of it a life pleasing to God, of which the Lord has vouchsafed me, a great sinner, to be a close witness—I dared to do this only in the hope that the elder’s letters, filled with spiritual wisdom, placed in the collection prepared for publication, would complement the spiritual poverty of my story. I think it is not superfluous to note that all the information I have collected here about the late elder has been verified by the testimony of close disciples of our common father, mentor and benefactor.” Thus, the main source for compiling the biography of Elder Macarius again is accepted: 1) published in 1861 with the following title: “The Legend of the Life and Deeds of the Elder of Optina Monastery, Hieroschemamonk Macarius, of blessed memory,” in its entirety without changes. Further additions to the proposed biography were: 2) long-published letters from Elder Macarius; 4) handwritten notes of the late head of the monastery, Hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Zertsalov), the former closest student of Elder Macarius; 5) notes from nuns of some women’s monasteries, mainly Belevsky; 6) finally, oral stories of the old-time Optina monks, who have now all passed on to eternal life. All-merciful Lord! Help, through the prayers of the deceased elder, the ever-remembered Hieroschemamonk Macarius, who labored for You for the sake of this temporary life, to accomplish the work undertaken to glorify Your most holy name and Your faithful servant described here! Chapter 1. The origin of Mikhail Nikolaevich Ivanov, later the elder hieroschemamonk Macarius, and his worldly life After the death of the first great Optina elder, Hieromonk Leonid, in the schema of Leo, who laid the foundation for eldership in Optina Hermitage, his successor and second great Optina elder was Hieroschemamonk Macarius. He came from the nobility of the Oryol province, by the name of the Ivanovs. Both his parents and their ancestors were distinguished by their special piety. The great-grandfather of Elder Macarius, John, was a monk of the Karachevsky St. Nicholas Odrina Monastery and in monasticism was renamed Joseph; was memorable for his strict fasting life. They said that every year during the entire Holy Pentecost he ate boiled food only on Saturdays and Sundays, and on Wednesdays and Fridays he ate one prosphora; The remaining days of fasting were spent without food at all. Elder Macarius’s grandfather and grandmother, whom he knew about from the stories of his relatives, also had their own good qualities. Grandma was primarily distinguished by her charitable deeds. Following the words of the Holy Scripture to the one asking you, give (Matthew 5:42), she did not refuse anyone alms within her power, and, moreover, on Saturdays she herself went secretly to serve pies and crumpets of homemade cookies to prisoners in the city prison. This act of kindness once saved her and her husband’s lives. According to the story of Elder Macarius himself, it was like this. His grandfather and grandmother were traveling somewhere in the winter and were stopped on the road by a gang of robbers. One of them, looking into the cart, recognized the woman sitting inside as the very one from whose hands he had received alms more than once while in prison, and therefore persuaded his comrades to spare them. The robbers took their horses and most of their luggage, but left them the clothes they needed in winter, a cart and one horse so that they had something to get to the nearest village. So alms, according to Scripture, redeeming the soul from many sins (Dan. 4:24), this time delivered those who loved it from bodily death. The parents of Elder Macarius, Nikolai Mikhailovich Ivanov, with the rank of collegiate assessor, and Elizaveta Alekseevna, nee Emelyanova, in addition to the family estate of the gentlemen Ivanovs - the village of Shchepyatin, Oryol province, Dmitrov district - owned populated estates in other provinces, including Kaluga. In the vicinity of the city of Kaluga, near the Laurentian Monastery 1, they owned the small village of Zhelezniki 2, where they lived. In this village in 1788, on November 20, their first-born son (the future elder Macarius) 3 was born and was named Michael in holy baptism, in honor of St. Michael, Prince of Tver, whose memory is on November 22. It is not superfluous to note that the village of Zhelezniki is located in an extremely picturesque area. It is separated from the Laurentian Monastery and the sub-monastery settlement Podzavalye by a deep meadow valley, along which the radiating river Yachenka flows on completely flat banks, flowing into the Oka, and Zhelezniki is spread out along the slope of a forested hill, which, bordering the meadow valley, stretches along the right bank of this river. At the very tip of the village village, opposite the northern side of the Laurentian Monastery, there was a cozy rural house in which Mikhail’s parents lived. This house, as usual, was surrounded by the necessary services and a garden. Nearby, along the slope of the same mountain, a birch grove grew. From the windows of the house, from the yard, from the garden and grove, incredible views opened up. Below the mountain is the radiating river Yachenka, flowing on smooth banks and bordered by meadows. On the opposite hill is a men's monastery in the name of the righteous Lawrence, Christ for the Fool's sake, the Kaluga Wonderworker, where his holy relics rest under cover. The entire monastery is surrounded by a shady garden, which is why the tops of its white buildings emerge from the clump of trees, like a snow-white lily in a basket of greenery. Further, to the right, at the same height as the monastery, one could see the Krestovskaya Chapel on Borovskaya Road (now there is a church and an almshouse for the diocesan department), a city cemetery dotted with numerous monuments, and the southern tip of Kaluga with buildings and gardens. Finally, in the distance, at the very edge of the horizon, the mirror of the abounding Oka shines - where the Yachenka flows into it and where traces of an ancient settlement are shown. Behind the house with economic establishments, threshing floors and barns, the forest continued, and behind it the cultivated fields began. Among the impressions of these views of rural nature, pleasing to the eye and gratifyingly peaceful to the heart, having before his eyes a quiet monastic monastery, from which the inhabitants of Zhelezniki heard the ringing of bells every day, calling the monks to prayer, little Michael, the future monk and prayer book, grew up. The rector of the Laurentian Monastery at the time when Michael’s parents lived near it was Archimandrite Theophan 4, a reverent, affectionate and courteous husband. Being in close spiritual communion with the gentlemen Ivanovs, he received their children from the holy font, but it is impossible to say for sure whether they were all of them. And that Archimandrite Theophan was the adoptive father of Elder Macarius’ sister Varvara, the Elder himself said this. With personal memories of the monastery of the righteous Lawrence, Father Macarius recounted such a wonderful incident from his childhood life. One day, being there with his parents at mass, he, it seems, during the reading of the Apostle, seeing Archimandrite Theophan, whom he loved very much, sitting in the altar, quickly ran into the altar through the open Royal Doors. The gentlemen Ivanovs, in addition to their first-born Mikhail, had three more sons: Alexey, Pavel, Peter - and a daughter, Varvara 5. According to the testimony of a survivor of a certain peer of Mikhail, his mother, Elizaveta Alekseevna, a humble and God-fearing woman, of all her children, especially unaccountably loved her first-born. In explanation of this, she told her loved ones this way: “My heart feels that something extraordinary will come out of this child.” At the same time, from early childhood, Mikhail involuntarily attracted the general attention of everyone who knew him with his kind qualities: quietness, meekness and silence. He did not even participate in the games of his brothers and peers, but was constantly at home and almost never left the lap of his beloved mother, as if in a premonition that they all would not have long to enjoy her caresses. This is exactly what happened. Soon, Elizaveta Alekseevna’s poor health became so frustrating that Nikolai Mikhailovich had to leave his quiet rural shelter and move with the whole family to Moscow for the benefit of the patient. Their eldest son, Mikhail, was then five years old. Three years after that (in 1797, January 21), Elizaveta Alekseevna died of consumption and was buried in the Androniyev Monastery 6. And Nikolai Mikhailovich with his children, Mikhail, Alexei and Pavel, moved to Dmitrovsky district to his family estate - the village of Shchepyatino. His daughter, Varvara Nikolaevna 7, having remained for several months after the death of her mother, was taken into care by her own aunt O.P. Goldobina, whose estate was located in the Kostroma province, Kineshma district, near Sudislavsky Posad. In the same 1797, Nikolai Mikhailovich moved from the village of Shchepyatina to the city of Karachev 8 to live together with his sister Daria Mikhailovna, whose husband, Semyon Feodorovich Peredelsky, then served by choice of the nobility as a member of the Karachevsky district court. The children of Nikolai Mikhailovich, Mikhail, Alexei and Pavel, together with their cousin Alexei, the son of Peredelsky, were then placed in the city parish school. Mikhail was then nine years old. It was here that the youth Mikhail, the future spiritual leader and mentor, began and completed his school education. When Nikolai Mikhailovich in the summer, at the request of the farm, left for his village, the village of Shchepyatino, his children, in order not to interrupt their studies, remained in Karachev in the care of their closest relatives, Daria Mikhailovna Peredelskaya and Avdotya Ivanovna Sandulova 9 . Around 1801, when the Peredelskys moved to their village, they took in a home teacher to continue raising their son. According to the latter’s recollection, “the teacher’s name was Artemon Petrovich... (I don’t remember the last name, he writes) from the noble family, a pious man with knowledge of the sciences.” Then Mikhail and his two brothers moved to the house of his own aunt, where they continued to study penmanship, grammar and arithmetic together with her son. Mikhail lived in the Peredelsky village for no more than a year. In 1802, he became an accountant in the district treasury in the city of Lgov, Kursk province, where the position of treasurer was then occupied by S. Ya. Sandulov, a relative of Mikhail, and the positions of accounting assistants were taken by Mikhail’s brother Alexey and cousin, also Alexey, Peredelsky. “Three of us youngsters,” said the latter, “managed the treasury office with particular efficiency.” Subsequently, Elder Macarius, in conversations with his loved ones, added to this: “It happened that because of one penny, due to a shortage, I had to sit up the whole night in order to balance the income with the expenses.” The position of an accountant was very difficult, but the fourteen-year-old boy performed this position with rare diligence and with such accuracy and service that he attracted the attention of the provincial authorities. On the occasion of the death of the head of the counting expedition desk in the treasury chamber, Mikhail Nikolaevich Tsitsurin was summoned to Kursk to take up this position in 1805 and in the same year received the first class rank 10. Advisor to the Treasury Chamber Nikolai Mikhailovich Lenivtsev fell in love with the gifted and at the same time modest young man so much that he offered him space in his house. This, obviously, providentially arranged rapprochement with the family of an enlightened boss, protecting the young man from any useless acquaintances and friendly companies, at the same time contributed to the maintenance of moral education, which is especially important during the period of youth, when, as is known, the environment into which the young man enters after completing his upbringing at home or school has such a strong and almost irresistible influence. Thus, for the God-protected young man, his service time in the Kursk Chamber passed quietly and profitably. From official activities, loved by him out of a sense of duty, he moved on to activities loved by the inclination of his heart - music and reading. But in reading, despite his young years, he sought not only a pleasant pastime, but mainly the acquisition of new knowledge and the resolution of the most important questions of the mind and heart. Three years of Mikhail Nikolaevich’s service passed unnoticed in these studies. In 1806, on March 17, Mikhail Nikolaevich lost his parent. Nikolai Mikhailovich Ivanov died after a long illness of a peaceful Christian death with the parting words of the Holy Sacraments and was buried in the village of Turishchevo near his parish church. Meanwhile, Mikhail Nikolaevich’s other brothers grew up, and his sister Varvara Nikolaevna was already thirteen years old. At a family council of brothers who were friendly with each other, it was decided to take her sister home from Aunt Goldobina, with whom she had previously been raised. For this purpose, one of the brothers, Alexei Nikolaevich, went to pick her up at her aunt’s estate and brought her to the village of Shchepyatino, where she remained, living with her brothers and cousin, Pelageya Tikhonovna Makarova, until her marriage in 1814 to the Oryol landowner, collegiate assessor Nikolai V. Glebov. The Glebovs had several sons and daughters, of whom the eldest son, Actual State Councilor P. N. Glebov, at one time held the position of Auditor General of the Naval Ministry, and one of the daughters, Alexandra Nikolaevna, in the twenty-third year from birth, devoted herself to monastic life in the Sevsky Convent, taking monastic vows as a Rasophore 11 with the name of Athanasius. It is also known that Elder Macarius had another niece and cousin in the same Sevsky Monastery. But there is no exact information about this cousin. Maybe it was the same Makarova who was just mentioned above. Another dear niece was the daughter of Elder Macarius’s brother, Pavel Nikolaevich Ivanov, Varvara Pavlovna, who was called Melania in the cassock. We will see further what close participation Elder Macarius took in these nieces of his. And now let's continue the story about his early years. The unanimity of the Ivanov brothers was exemplary. Everything they did was done with common consent. According to the general fraternal advice, it was decided not to split up the estate they had inherited from their parents, but to accept it only to one, the elder brother Mikhail, so that the other two brothers, Alexei and Pavel, could be satisfied with the money that was meant in the claim from Mr. Senyavin, which amounted to over twenty thousand rubles in banknotes. Without hesitation at all, Mikhail Nikolaevich accepted this offer from his brothers and retired in 1808, receiving the rank of provincial secretary as a reward. It can be assumed that, having unquestioningly accepted the brothers’ request, Mikhail looked at this, completely unexpected for him, circumstance as the satisfaction of his secret desire, which he hardly dared to dream about - this desire for a solitary life, which temptingly pictured to his young imagination the opportunity to indulge in his favorite activities in freedom - music and reading. Mikhail Nikolaevich lived in the village as a master for only two years. According to the story of his cousin Pelageya Tikhonovna Makarova, who lived in their family at that time, the farm was going very poorly. For it required vigilant personal supervision, and sometimes punishment for omission of the case, and Mikhail Nikolaevich, out of his kindness, could not and did not want to follow the generally accepted procedure. One day the peasants, seeing that there was no proper supervision over them, stole a large amount of buckwheat. “Mikhail Nikolaevich called them to him and for a long time persuaded and admonished them with the words of the Divine Scripture, and we, the family,” said Pelageya Tikhonovna, “we secretly laughed at him. But, to our surprise and shame, the admonition ended with the perpetrators falling to their knees before Mikhail Nikolaevich, confessing sincerely to their offense, asking for forgiveness and, of course, being forgiven.” The neighbors soon learned about the kindness of the young landowner and often sent him to ask for various household items or some seeds. No one was refused. “We,” Pelageya Tikhonovna recalled, “used to say: “What are you doing, Misha? We’ll have to do it ourselves.” There was only one answer: “God will send. How can I say that no, when I have? It’s your will; but I can’t do it. I’m telling you that, having tested myself, I see that I can’t be the master.” Taking an active part in Mikhail Nikolaevich, his brothers, having arrived in his village, began to persuade him to marry and offered him many brides; but upon closer examination of the properties of each, they had to admit that not a single one of the girls they knew possessed quite the properties that could have pleased their brother. When they finally pointed out one neighbor, who really was a modest and virtuous girl, Mikhail Nikolaevich said: “Should I marry this one?” The brothers were delighted and, without notifying Mikhail, hurried to go to her parents with an offer. But those, not being prepared for this either by prior acquaintance with the groom, or by the forms of matchmaking strictly observed at that time in the provinces, responded to the proposal: “We thank you for the honor, but it’s impossible so soon; we need to think about it, take a closer look” – and so on. Hearing about this failure of his brothers, Mikhail Nikolaevich joyfully ran to the sisters and said: “Thank God! They said: we need to think about it. Let them think. I couldn’t talk my way out of it, I obeyed my brothers, but now no one will persuade me.” From these words it is obvious that the pious young man, accustomed to subordinating himself and everything concerning him to the will of God, bowed to the conviction of his brothers solely in order to see what the Lord was saying about him (cf. Ps. 84:9). He took the hesitant answer that followed as a clear indication of the Providence of God to enter a different, higher path of life, to which his pure soul strove from youth, like trees to springs of water (Ps. 41:2). In a hurry to satisfy this saving thirst, Mikhail Nikolaevich went to the Root Fair 12, bought himself books, mainly of spiritual content, and, returning home, delved into reading them, feeding his soul with food akin to it. Sometimes he went to the carpenter's shop and worked until he was tired at the workbench, thus wanting to accustom his young flesh to submit to the spirit. In conclusion of all that has been said, we present evidence of the properties of Mikhail Nikolaevich, his childhood friend, Alexei Semenovich Peredelsky. “Having spent my childhood and part of my service with Mikhail Nikolaevich,” he wrote at one time, I will explain about his properties and morals that he was always characterized by piety, piety, chastity, meekness and moral purity. For the most part, he shied away from our children's games and amusements, and instead loved to read and do handicrafts - I mean, children making houses out of cardboard, cutting out various figures - or sawing something out. Having come of age, during his worldly life he did not shy away from secular decent pleasures, but did not show any particular inclination towards them. He loved music and played the violin quite well. He also loved singing. Although his voice was weak, this deficiency was made up for by his knowledge and understanding of music.” Mikhail Nikolaevich showed poor health from an early age. He was very thin and suffered from insomnia from a young age. Many acquaintances, due to Mikhail Nikolaevich’s modesty and modesty, jokingly called him a monk even before he entered the monastery. Chapter 2. Entry of Mikhail Nikolaevich into the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage. Contemporary to his entry were the ascetic elders and the meaning of eldership. Location of the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage Subsequently, when Mikhail Nikolaevich Ivanov was an elder-mentor, he used to express himself, on occasion, about secular and monastic life like this: “Until then a person resists - he does not part with the world and does not go to the monastery, until the world crushes his leg.” In the world this is called disappointment. And Mikhail Nikolaevich, it seems, first of all experienced this truth himself. In fact, poor housekeeping, a perceived inability to be a master, dissatisfaction with his family for all this, and also a failed matchmaking - all this, naturally, should have weakened his attachment to worldly life, if it had been quite strong in him. At the same time, other, higher, spiritual needs became more and more stronger in the soul of the pious young man, which forced him to constantly delve into reading spiritual books, so that he probably forgot about music. So what could he do now? Even for simple human reasons, there was only one thing left to do: go to the monastery. Mikhail Nikolaevich did just that. In 1810, on October 6, when he was almost twenty-two years old, he went on pilgrimage to the Ploshchanskaya Bogoroditsk Hermitage, which was forty miles from his estate, the village of Shchepyatin, but never returned. “Whether this visit to the Desert was intentional or accidental,” wrote Alexei Semenovich Peredelsky, his peer and cousin, “remained unknown to us. But only Mikhail Nikolaevich wrote home that he was staying in the Hermitage, and was providing the estate to his brothers, not wanting anything for himself, except that he obliged them, when a stone church was built in the village of Turishchevo (where their parent was buried), to give 1000 rubles in banknotes for its construction, which was done in a timely manner by his brother Alexei Nikolaevich, when he became the owner of the village Shchepyatina." We do not undertake to positively resolve the question of whether Mikhail Nikolaevich’s visit to the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage was intentional or not. Rather, it can be assumed that it was deliberate, as a consequence of a secret attraction to monastic life, formed imperceptibly under the influence of a grace-filled calling, the action of which the pious young man not only did not resist, but also contributed in every possible way, reverently preserving in his heart the fire of jealousy, cast into him by the grace of God, according to what was said: “... even the things of God come from ourselves, we do not feel, but if there is a place (heart - Note. auth.) it will be clean, not bad” 13. On the other hand, it can be assumed with reasonable probability that the idea of ​​staying forever in this particular place and not in another place finally matured only under the influence of grace-filled impressions on the piously-minded soul of the young man at the sight of the monastic order and the deserted and silent monastery itself. For both of them were fully consistent with the way of life that was formed in the thoughts of Mikhail Nikolaevich from reading legends about the exploits of the venerable fathers who shone in monastic life. This assumption is partly justified by his own words. Being an elder-mentor in the Optina monastery, he, remembering the circumstances of his entry into the monastery, said that when he arrived for the first time in the Ploshchanskaya hermitage, he had the feeling that he did not know where he was, “on earth or in heaven; and all the monastics seemed to him like Angels of God.” And such a pure look was, of course, a special action of God’s grace, clearly showing the way to those who with faith ask about it in the words of the Psalmist: tell me, O Lord, the way, where I will go, for I have taken my soul to You (Ps. 142:8). In response to this, the path of salvation was announced to Michael, a place conducive to it was indicated, and useful means and methods were taught. But in order to show which spiritual family Elder Macarius belonged to and who exactly had influence on his spiritual upbringing, it is necessary to at least briefly point out the elders of spiritual life contemporary with his entry into the monastery. At that time, several remarkable elders and ascetics were placed in some Russian monasteries, who established in them the statutes and traditions of the holy fathers. It happened this way. After the abolition of many small monasteries and deserts in our fatherland as a result of the establishment of spiritual states in 1764, many of the monks and laity who renounced for the sake of the spiritual salvation of the world and those in the world (1 John 2:15) went to wander to Palestine, to Mount Athos and to the Moldo-Vlachian principalities. Collecting, like bees from flowers, the honey of saving teachings from the ascetics who lived in those places, they found, especially in the monastery of the great elder Paisius 14, abbot of the Moldova-Vlakhian Nyametsky monastery (our compatriot by origin), the greatest spiritual benefit, learning from the example of his lofty life and his honey-bearing instructions in monastic deeds and inner spiritual work. Elder Paisios died in 1794, on November 15, at the seventy-second year of birth. His disciples and Russian monks who were in spiritual communion with him, some during the life of the elder, due to political circumstances favorable for returning to their homeland, and others after the death of their mentor and spiritual father, having lost material and moral support with him, returned at different times to their fatherland and settled in Russian monastic monasteries, where they passed on to others seeking salvation the spiritual treasure they had unenviably acquired, some - commanding over the monasteries, and others being among the brotherhood. Most of these elders of blessed memory, upon returning to Russia, settled in the monasteries of the Kursk and Oryol dioceses. Thus, before others, the Sophronie Hermitage flourished through them in the Kursk diocese, receiving as rector Father Theodosius, one of the disciples of Hieroschemamonk Vasily, the wise elder of the Polyanomerulsky monastery in Wallachia 16, whose student and tonsure was Elder Paisius (Velichkovsky). Father Theodosius was called to Russia by his students back in 1787, during the war with Turkey under the leadership of Prince Potemkin. Throughout his life he was a friend of Elder Paisius and was in spiritual correspondence with him. The Glinskaya Hermitage, located in the same diocese, subsequently took over from the Sophronii Hermitage, which flourished under the leadership of one of Theodosius’ students, Abbot Philaret (1817–1841). Of the disciples of this latter, we will mention Hieromonk Samuel, who, as we will see below, was in spiritual friendship with Father Macarius. In the Oryol diocese at the beginning of the nineteenth century, also giving shelter to the newcomer elders, the deserted Beloberezh monastery and the Cholsky and Svensky monasteries improved and flourished. And subsequently, along with the external order, the Ploshchanskaya hermitage also borrowed from them the spiritual light, in which the elder Macarius described here laid the foundation for monastic life. The Beloberezhskaya hermitage was inhabited and built around 1801 by the elder of spiritual life Vasily, in the world Vasily Timofeevich Kishkin, from the nobles of the Kursk province. Initially (from 1780) he lived with his disciples for several years on Mount Athos and in Moldavia. At the same time, Hieroschemamonk Cleopas and schemamonk Theodore left the Nyametsky monastery from Elder Paisius, tonsured into monasticism and thoroughly instructed by him in spiritual life. Father Cleopas directly settled in the Beloberezhskaya Hermitage, and Father Theodore first lived in the Cholna Trubchevsky Monastery. Then, when the place of rector and elder Vasily in the White Beach in 1804 was taken by his student and tonsured hieromonk Leonid 17, then Father Theodore moved to the Beloberezh Hermitage. Reassured by the love and care of the abbot, the elders Cleopas and Theodore lived at the monastery in a secluded and silent cell in the forest, first together, and then, in 1808, the lover of silence, Father Leonid, joined them, voluntarily for this reason he laid down the burden of abbotship. All of them were collectively engaged in smart work, at the same time bringing benefit to their neighbors, who flocked to the doors of their cells, with spiritual advice and instructions, glorifying them to God. Subsequently, Father Leonid, having become an Optina elder, was a mentor and spiritual friend of Father Macarius. In 1806, the disciple of Elder Paisius, schemamonk Afanasy (Zakharov) 18, settled in the Beloberezh Hermitage, who in 1815 moved to live in the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage and was an elder of Father Macarius until his blessed death. It will be discussed further. The above-mentioned Elder Vasily, having left his abbotship in the Beloberezh Hermitage, moved to live in the Svensky Monastery, where around 1818 one of his favorite disciples, Hieromonk Seraphim, was treasurer, who was later the abbot first of the Beloberezh Hermitage, and from 1818 of the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage, which owes a lot to him for its improvement both externally and internally, where his father Macarius lived. Another schemamonk, Athanasius, also a disciple of Elder Paisius, one of the Senate secretaries, 19 who is known, among other things, for bringing the manuscript of the “Philokalia” translated by Elder Paisius from Moldavia to St. Petersburg to Metropolitan Gabriel, also found shelter in the Svensky Monastery. He died in 1811 in the arms of the aforementioned elder schemamonk Afanasy (Zakharov). All these spiritual warriors of Christ worked and labored in this temporary life under the guidance of spiritually experienced elders in unquestioning obedience to them, and therefore in their time they achieved possible spiritual perfection and themselves became leaders and mentors in spiritual life for seekers of eternal salvation who sincerely treated them. There is no other reliable way to salvation. “If,” note the venerable monks Callistus and Ignatius, “some of the venerable fathers happened, even without such a feat of obedience, to achieve God-created silence and perfection according to God, then this happened and happens (if only it happens in our weak times) by a special revelation of God, and, moreover, very rarely. But you,” the same monks further say, “believing that true obedience is, as it were, a kind of preparatory training for the kindest silence, leave behind what, according to a special dispensation, happened rarely, and conform to what was decreed common to all by the all-honorable fathers. Thus you will be worthy of the reward prescribed for those living legally” 20. About the importance of spiritual guidance, which in the monasteries is called eldership, the same Reverends Callistus and Ignatius say this: “If hardly anyone dares to set out on a random road, unknown in practice, without a faithful guide, if no one sets off at sea without a skilled helmsman, if no one takes up any science or art without a teacher who knows the matter, then who dares to begin to study the art of arts and the science of sciences, to enter the mysterious the path leading to God, and set off into the boundless mental sea, that is, into a monastic life, similar to the life of Angels, with self-confidence to reach the end without a leader, without a helmsman and teacher, experienced and true? Truly, such a person, whoever it is, deceives himself and, before entering the path, has already gone astray, like one who labors illegally; how, on the contrary, without even taking a step, the one who subordinates himself to his father’s rules has reached the end. For how else can we know how to take up arms against the flesh or how to arm ourselves against passions and demons? How can you learn to distinguish good from bad without them (without mentors), when bad passions attach themselves to virtues and always stand, as it were, at their doors? Without them, how will we manage to curb our bodily feelings and, like strings on a harp, tune our spiritual forces in harmony? Especially how, without them, will it be possible for us to distinguish between voices, revelations, suggestions, visions of the Divine and the intrigues, charms and ghosts of demons? In a word, how can we be worthy to achieve unity with God and learn divine rites and sacraments without initiation into them by a true and enlightened master? There’s no way this is impossible, no way...” 21 Mikhail Nikolaevich, guided by the Providence of God, entered this safe and trustworthy path of monastic life from the very first time and adhered to it throughout the subsequent time, himself in every possible way, with fervent prayer to God, trying to find spiritual mentors for himself and voluntarily surrendering himself to them in complete obedience. The Ploshchanskaya Mother of God hermitage, which the twenty-two-year-old young man Mikhail entered, generally corresponded to his spiritual aspirations, so he always treated it with love. Located almost at an equal distance from the cities of Dmitrovsk and Sevsk (forty-five versts), this monastery, according to its description, although it does not contain either huge buildings or great wealth, does not amaze visitors with wildness or the special grandeur of nature, but everything in it is simple, modest and attractive with its modest simplicity. Remote from any living place, surrounded on all sides by forests, this Hermitage fully corresponds to the nature of the solitary monastic life that the pure soul of the young Christ-lover Mikhail Nikolaevich desired and sought. Chapter 3. The state of the Ploshchanskaya hermitage when Mikhail Nikolaevich entered it and his residence under the leadership of the elders: first Hieromonk Jonah, and then Schemamonk Afanasy (Zakharov) At the time when Mikhail Nikolaevich arrived to live in the Ploshchansk Hermitage, it was ruled by Hieromonk Ioannikiy, a simple and kind man, but inexperienced in the spiritual leadership of the brethren and ignorant of economic orders. During his administration, the Ploshchanskaya hermitage, rich in land 22, was abundant in grain and other products of rural life, for which a sufficient number of cattle and horses were kept in the monastery, but due to a lack of funds, and partly prudent management, it suffered from a need for everything that was purchased by purchase from the outside. The brethren needed linen and necessary clothing: outside the church they wore multi-stitched 23 rags and wore bast shoes instead of boots. Characterizing the then state of the Ploshchanskaya hermitage, Hierodeacon Palladius 24, a contemporary of Father Macarius, who lived at the same monastery with him at that time, used to say: “You could even bathe in oil, but there was nothing to wear.” The Brotherhood of the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage when Mikhail Nikolaevich joined it, despite the limited staff, consisted of fifty people. Among them, although there were elders of a strict life, and in general all the brethren led a strict and hardworking life, but, according to the testimony of the elder Macarius himself and the aforementioned hierodeacon Palladius, this severity was expressed only in outward action: the brethren usually attended church services without neglect, observed fasting and fulfilled the prayer rule, and themselves corrected all monastic general and private obediences. So, in addition to obedience to church and meals and preparing firewood for themselves in the forest, they were also engaged in harvesting hay, bread and garden vegetables. Almost no attention was paid to internal work, namely to the eradication of passions: pride, vanity - very subtle and almost invisible to the inattentive eye, as well as anger, condemnation of neighbors, subtle lies and hypocrisy in words and deeds and other dishonest passions that destroy souls. While observing the external side of the monastic charter, that is, regarding the time and order of church services, common meals and monastic obediences, there was no special order in the internal administration in the monastery, which, as is known, depends not so much on the literal observance of the charter, but on the spiritual experience of those in charge of the leadership of the souls entrusted to them by God. Most importantly, the monastery did not establish a rule about the brethren revealing their thoughts to spiritually experienced and prudent elders, who at any time could give useful and saving advice to the inexperienced in their restless struggle with invisible and cunning enemies and their passions. For the preservation of conscience through the possible frequent revelation, or confession, of one’s thoughts and deeds as a result of completely dedicating oneself to the leadership of a spiritually experienced and prudent elder is the basis, guarantee and intercessor of monastic prosperity, as the testimonies of all the holy ascetic fathers show, is the reason for the prosperity of the monasteries 25 and monasteries on Holy Mount Athos and some desert monasteries here in Russia. But no matter how great and soul-saving this holy work is (that is, the humble, with due attention to oneself, revelation of thoughts to considerate elders), just as much our enemy and adversary the devil opposes it. According to Abba Dorotheus, “not only does the evil one hate the instruction itself, but he cannot even hear the very voice pronouncing it... And can I say why? He knows that his villainy will be revealed immediately as soon as they begin to ask and talk about useful things. And he hates and fears nothing more than being recognized, because then he can no longer be cunning as he wants” 26. But let's continue talking about the young ascetic Mikhail. His zeal for monastic life was not afraid of the hardships and labors he encountered at the very beginning of his monastic feat. On the contrary, as a result of the same jealousy, they seemed to him not only easy, but also amiable. Already living in the Optina monastery and being an old man, Father Macarius fondly recalled how he laid the foundation for monastic life in the Ploshchanskaya hermitage, telling how, with his sincere desire, deprivations in food and clothing seemed easy to him, and the very bast shoes were sweet, like the humble shoes of our humble peasants, especially Christians. “However,” he said, “as a nobleman, I was given not rough bast shoes, but a kind of shoes made of bast, but neatly made, called bakhirs.” A month after Mikhail Nikolaevich entered the monastery, namely on November 16, 1810, he was designated by decree of the Oryol Spiritual Consistory 27 as a novice of the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage, and on December 24 of the same year he was tonsured by the builder Father Ioannikius into the ryasophore and named Melchizedek. In November 1811, he accompanied his builder father on his trip to collect alms for the monastery in the Bryansk district and Kaluga province. Moreover, as noted in the handwritten notes of Father Melchizedek who accompanied him, a little over three hundred rubles were collected. And after this, Father Melchizedek was constantly engaged in writing at the monastery 28. When Father Melchizedek entered the monastery, he was entrusted by the abbot to the special care of the fraternal confessor, the venerable elder Hieromonk Jonah. This elder was from the Bolkhov townsfolk. In the manner of his ascetic life and tireless diligence, which was helped by the extraordinary strength of his bodily strength, in the stern outward severity towards himself and others and in the directness of his character, he was one from the ancients. Guided by faith in the Providence of God and in the mentor indicated to him, the young ascetic monk Melchizedek, despite his poor health and gentle upbringing, gave himself over to him in complete obedience like iron to a forge 29 . And the simple elder fell in love with the novice entrusted to him by the abbot for his quietness and unquestioning obedience. He diligently began to teach Father Melchizedek, as a novice, church singing and, in general, order and monastic decorum. With knowledge of the basic laws of music and singing, the novice easily learned church singing, the tone and order of the daily church readings. Subsequently, from his father Jonah, he began to study the church charter, first as a canonarch, and then as a charter member of the left choir. At the same time, it is impossible not to notice that all this knowledge, so necessary in the monastery, which, however, does not come easily and not to everyone, having been acquired in good time by Father Melchizedek, served as a preparation for his future activity as a mentor of monks. All this, of course, is commendable. But since the attention of Elder Jonah was mainly drawn to external exploits and external deanery, the soul of the young ascetic, striving for cleansing from sinful thoughts and desires inflicted by primordial invisible enemies, naturally could not be satisfied with the external side of monasticism alone. Protected by the fear of God from all vicious actions, Father Melchizedek could not, however, avoid mental warfare and demonic battles 30, inevitable for a spiritual warrior. And the more he succeeded in external work, the more he realized the lack of a leader with the gift of reasoning thoughts for success in internal work, without which, according to what was said above, it is impossible to achieve the fruit of monastic life, or success. Father Melchizedek grieved over this all the more because the rumor about the elders of spiritual life, who had instilled 31 in the forests of Bryansk and in some monasteries of the Kursk and Oryol dioceses, and the echo of their teaching reached the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage, kindling the heart of the young monk with a thirst for seeing them and having a soulful conversation with them. In 1813, the former rector of the Ploshchansk Hermitage, Father Ioannikiy, was retired to the Svensky Monastery. His successor, Hieromonk Callistus, originally from the Oryol merchants, having encountered obstacles to correcting the omissions that had taken root over time in the internal order, resigned from his leadership, having served in the rank of rector for less than a year. His place was taken by Hieromonk Pavel, one of the Rostov merchants, tonsured on Mount Athos. Returning from there, he lived in the Beloberezh Hermitage and then in the Svensky Monastery, being in spiritual communion with the elders who lived there, then he was appointed treasurer of the Oryol Monastery, and from here at the end of 1813 he was appointed builder of the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage, which he ruled until 1818. This good change for Father Melchizedek was as much desired as it was useful. In 1814, he decided to go to Kyiv to venerate the relics of the holy saints of God resting there. With a staff in his hand, a knapsack over his shoulders and in the most wretched clothing of a wanderer, he set out on foot, also intending to get acquainted with some spiritual men. And therefore, on the way, he went to various desert monasteries, found out about the elders of spiritual life and entered into conversation with them, with the sole intention of finding the priceless beads - Christ. Upon the return of Father Melchizedek from a trip to his monastery, the new abbot, Father Paul, as a man of spiritual intelligence, noticing in him a saving zeal for monastic life, forcing himself to all monastic virtues, and especially to humility and silence, and ardent zeal for completing the obediences assigned to him, hastened to ordain him as a monk of the monastery entrusted to him. In 1815, on March 7, he tonsured Father Melchizedek into the mantle and named him Macarius, in the name of St. Macarius the Great, thereby encouraging the young monk to imitate this lamp of Eastern monasticism. The young monk was only twenty-six years old. In the same year, on March 12, Father Macarius, on the recommendation of the father rector, was ordained a hierodeacon by His Grace Dosifei, Bishop of Oryol and Sevsk, and in June of the same year, by resolution of the Right Reverend, he was appointed sacristan. In the very year of Father Macarius’s tonsure as a monk, one of the disciples of Elder Paisius (Velichkovsky), Schemamonk Afanasy, an elder of spiritual life, came to live in the Ploshchansk Hermitage. Immediately, Father Macarius entered into spiritual communion with him and, after living the first six years in the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage under the leadership of Elder Jonah, in 1817, with the blessing of the abbot, he moved to Father Afanasy’s cell. Father Macarius loved, cherished and revered this elder as his father and mentor and was honored to serve him until his very blessed death. According to Father Macarius’s own testimony, his elder, Schemamonk Athanasius, had the closest influence on his spiritual upbringing. Therefore, to explain what exactly this upbringing consisted of, we consider it not superfluous to enter into some details about the life of this remarkable student Paisiev, conveying them in the form and in almost the same words as they were written down in one handwritten notebook, found in the papers after the death of Elder Macarius. “Schimonk Afanasy, whose last name was Zakharov, was a nobleman, and served in military service as a captain in a hussar regiment. At the age of thirty he entered the Moldavian Nyametsky Monastery, where he was tonsured a monk by Elder Paisius, and lived there for seven years. After which he came to Russia according to his needs, but from here he was unable to return back, for which he suffered many sorrows. Then he was assigned to the Florishcheva Hermitage in the Vladimir province and was treasurer there for some time. He lived in the Gorokhovsky Monastery, and in both of these monasteries he had many sorrowful temptations. In 1806 he went on a pilgrimage to Kyiv and on his way back due to illness he remained in the Beloberezh desert. In 1815, with the blessing of the Right Reverend Dosifei, he came to the Ploshchansk Hermitage and in December of the same year he broke his right leg and already remained here permanently 32. The ten-year stay of this elder in the Ploshchanskaya hermitage served as an example for all the brethren. Many took advantage of his life, instruction and love, for this elder was meek, forgiving, humble, merciful, compassionate and loving to everyone. When he heard that someone was sick or in need of something, he tried in every possible way to help and comfort him. He was also strange-loving. Rarely did a strange person pass by without him comforting him with something or giving him something to help him along the way. It happened more than once to see how, without eating himself, he gave the last thing he had to his brother, saying: “Thank God! They send it to us, but they are weak people; where will they get it?” How merciful this old man was to those who sinned against him, let us give one of many examples of this. A certain brother, overcome by the envy of the devil, slandered the elder, as if he went to the hotel in order to rob those who came to the monastery, meaning by this tea, sugar and other inexpensive things given to him out of zeal by visitors who received spiritual benefit from his edifications and advice. This brother not only grumbled himself, but also provoked some of the brethren to do so. But the brethren did not so much believe his words as they were tempted by them, knowing the virtuous life of the elder. I am a witness to this (says the biography writer), with what intention and with what sorrow the elder went to the hotel. For many, both monastics and lay people, had great faith in the elder and asked the abbot to allow them to visit him or to allow him to visit them at the inn. And what they gave him out of diligence, he distributed to the brethren and the poor, not keeping even half of it for himself. Father Athanasius, hearing the slander and slander of this brother against him, pleased him in every possible way and told many about him that this brother was very kind. When he left the monastery, Father Afanasy regretted him a lot; and not only did he love this brother, who hated him, but also many others. He was also merciful to the dumb creature. It happened more than once to see that in winter, out of sympathy for the birds that do not eat ordinary human food, the elder took care of what to feed them. Despite all his weakness, he never abandoned the rule of his cell and the church. His rule, according to the tradition of Elder Paisius, was this: having gone to Matins, he read an akathist to the Savior and the Mother of God, a prayerful remembrance of the passion of Christ and from the canons of the akathist, kontakion and troparia, two chapters from the Apostle and one chapter from the Gospel. And then he prayerfully remembered the Mother of God and the saints who would come to mind, remembering, moreover, the health and repose of his fathers and brothers, relatives, known people and benefactors. The elder performed this rule in the evening and in the morning, making hundreds of two bows. At church services he always stood until dismissal and, despite the fact that he was very weak, he never sat down, not only during church singing and the reading of the Apostle and kathismas, but even during the reading of the explanatory Gospel and reading from the Prologue according to the sixth song of the canon. At this time, on the contrary, he intensified his attention and for this, leaving his usual place, approached the reader himself. Leaning his chest on his crutch and lowering his head, the elder thoughtfully listened to the reading; and often, when it ended, forgetting everything around him, he exclaimed with tears in his eyes: “Oh, a word filled with great benefit! It must be written down.” And having returned to the cell, he hurried to write down what he had read, as if he had heard it for the first time. From the intense standing, a swelling formed in his leg joints, like some kind of growth. Instead of medicine, the elder anointed her with oil from the lamp from the icon of the Mother of God. He had great faith in the Queen of Heaven, so that when he performed a rule or someone happened to remember the name of the Mother of God in front of him, he magnified Her name with joy and tears and prayed. When I anointed my feet from the lamp against the fire, then I remembered the future torment and the unquenchable fire, praying to our Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother for deliverance from it. The brothers who came to him for the sake of benefit and spiritual advice were received with love. His conversation was simple. He talked little from books. And when he did speak, it was with extreme humility, as if he knew nothing; and spoke more about virtuous elders and good monastic regulations (customs). He especially loved to tell us (his disciples) about his elder Paisius, archimandrite of the Moldova-Vlachian Nyametsky monastery, that he was a virtuous and wise man in word and spiritual reason, that he had the gift of tears; and when it happened that a brother came to him for the sake of benefit, he would begin to console him - he himself would cry and bring his brother to tears. And he spoke about other virtuous elders. When worldly people came, he spoke about the Kingdom of Heaven, about future torment and about mercy for the poor, and that this life was given to seek the future, and with such humility and love he spoke that it was touching to look at his face, and his words touched many hearts, and especially those who came with faith. He also sympathized a lot about the schismatics; He prayed and persuaded many of them to leave their delusion; and by the grace of God some came to their senses and turned to the Orthodox Church. In his free time from prayer and receiving visitors, he was engaged in copying out spiritual instructions from his father’s books with the intention of subsequently collecting and arranging them according to the subjects of their content, as, for example, a set of texts about a well-known subject is written, but after his death he did not have time to complete this undertaking” 33. Having interrupted here the outline of the life of Elder Athanasius, which further speaks of his death, let us add in addition the following important circumstance. While studying in the Nyametsky monastery, with the blessing of Elder Paisius, extracts from paternal and church teaching books - on prayer, humility, patience, obedience, love and other Christian virtues, the acquisition of which he had constant care for, Elder Father Afanasy had in his possession the correct lists of all the written works of his ever-memorable Elder Paisius, the book of the high teacher of the inner life of Saint Isaac the Syrian, corrected Elder Paisius ancient Slavic translations of the writings: St. Macarius the Great, St. John Climacus, St. Barsanuphius, Thalassius and St. Simeon the New Theologian (twelve Homilies) and verse book 34 - and the scriptures translated by him: Maximus the Confessor's Word on Question and Answer, Catechetical Words 35 of Theodore the Studite, Life of Gregory Sinaita, Words of Gregory Palamas and some others. This written about the elder Schemamonk Athanasius is enough to show how useful his almost ten years of cohabitation with such an elder was for Father Macarius. This is a good branch of a good root, one, as said above, from the host of disciples of the great elder Paisius. His meekness, humility, childish kindness and simplicity served as a living example for the young hierodeacon Father Macarius to imitate, taught without words, and a simple word, dissolved with love and humility, edified during times of spiritual peace and consoled during the sorrows that were found. The paternal writings in the manuscripts of Elder Athanasius truly constituted food for the God-loving soul of his disciple. With the blessing of his elder and curiosity, he with ardent zeal began to quench his spiritual hunger and thirst by attentive reading and hardworking copying of these manuscripts, having deliberately learned the statutory letter for this purpose. The words of the patristic writings, over which he spent many sleepless nights, were deeply imprinted on the pure heart and memory of the young monk. All this, as time has shown, was providential. The acquisition of correct copies from the translations of Elder Paisius subsequently served to publish these translations for the common benefit; and the assimilation and preservation by the receptive memory of Father Macarius of sayings and thoughts from the paternal writings brought a hundredfold fruit when the Providence of God called his chosen one to serve the spiritual benefit of many. But the more the wise young monk delved into reading the patristic writings, the more zeal flared up in him to achieve the desires of the region - spiritual work, to learn the mental Jesus Prayer. This is the name of prayer, constantly performed by the mind in the heart. His elder, schemamonk Athanasius, having a prohibition from his great elder Paisius to touch this lofty work, according to his instructions, went through only the oral Jesus Prayer, and, moreover, as was noted above, due to his deep humility, he did not like to speak from books. Consequently, the curiosity of Father Macarius could not be satisfied from this side. The same scriptures showed that it is dangerous to engage in this work alone, without a mentor, because you can easily harm yourself. All that remained was to wait for a favorable opportunity to get closer to the elders, who had acquired this gift through succession from other experienced mentors. In 1817, on May 27, Father Macarius was ordained as a hieromonk by His Grace Dosifei. He was then twenty-seven years old. In 1818, a change followed in the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage. The place of the kind and sickly abbot Father Paul, dismissed at his own request to retire to the Kaluga Bishop's House, was taken by the disciple of Elder Vasily Kishkin, the builder of the Beloberezh Hermitage, also kind, Hieromonk Seraphim. He was allowed to take about ten brethren from this Hermitage to Ploshchanskaya to improve church affairs and overall order in the monastery. Father Seraphim, as a man of spiritual life, was a kind mentor and father to the brethren. He changed the pillar, or znamenny, singing that had existed before him in the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage during church services to the Kiev style, introduced in the White Beach by Schemamonk Theodore, and established greater improvement in the monastery and the meal. During his time, up to a hundred brethren gathered in the Desert. He led a sober life, was friendly in conversations, and had a meek and quiet disposition. These good changes in the monastery and the introduction of better improvements in all its parts met with great sympathy from all well-meaning brethren, including Father Macarius. Having resigned his position as sacristan due to poor health on August 5, 1818, Father Macarius continued to help with writing and generally worked tirelessly for the benefit of the monastery, helping either with advice or with personal labor. In the church of God during church services, he constantly participated in singing and reading, and as an expert in church singing, he took an active part in introducing the Kyiv melody into the monastery, finding it completely consistent with the mood of his desert-loving spirit. Both for these works, and in general for the diligent completion of various obediences, Father Macarius, at the recommendation of the new father abbot, in 1819, on June 8, during a visit to the monastery by the new Oryol archpastor Jonah, was awarded a gait. At the same time, the newly awarded hieromonk asked His Grace for permission and blessing to still go to worship the Kyiv shrine. According to the story of his surviving companion (who later lived out his life in the Optina Hermitage), Hierodeacon Palladius, Father Macarius made this round trip on foot, with a wanderer’s staff and in the most wretched clothes. He stayed in Kyiv for ten days, was consoled by the friendliness of the governor of the Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony 36, and served the liturgy in the Far Caves. On the way back from Kyiv, together with Father Palladius, they went to the Glinsk Hermitage. Here Father Macarius met and entered into close spiritual communication with one of the students of the rector of this monastery, Abbot Philaret, Hierodeacon Samuel, who was a practitioner of mental prayer, undergoing it under the guidance of a certain elder, a student of Theodosius (Archimandrite of the Sophronius Hermitage). Three days, said Father Palladius, they spent reading the book of Saint Isaac the Syrian, talking in sweetness about the inner workings of spiritual life. But, judging by some subsequent hints from Father Macarius, one can reliably believe that undergoing mental prayer, according to the degree of his spiritual age at that time, was premature and almost harmed him. Having subsequently acquired the mother of spiritual gifts - humility and having protected with it the high work of mental prayer, the elder warned everyone who related to him from engaging in this high work before purification from passions, pointing out to everyone as a sure weapon against invisible enemies and their own passions and sinful thoughts to the Jesus Prayer, only pronounced with the lips with attention and zeal, or, in the words of Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov, with the participation of the heart. This warning, justified by many experiences during the long spiritual activity of Elder Macarius on people who had damaged themselves by unauthorized (without an experienced leader) and premature exercise in mental prayer, the fruits of which, according to the word of Saint Isaac the Syrian, and those who practice it correctly, reach only one in a thousand, prompted the elder, shortly before his death, to compose an instruction based on the teachings of the holy fathers and personally known to him experiences for those reading spiritual patristic books and those who wish to undergo the smart Jesus prayer. In 1824, Hieromonk Macarius traveled to Rostov, Yaroslavl province, to venerate the relics of St. Demetrius, the Wonderworker of Rostov. On the same trip, he visited Optina Pustyn for the first time and the newly built desert monastery, which subsequently sheltered him within its walls and, in turn, owed him a lot. In 1825, Elder Father Afanasy died, in whom Father Macarius saw a living example of all Christian virtues. “For such a life of his,” let us now continue the outline of his life with the words of an unknown author, “and even more so, by His goodness, the merciful God honored the elder with a blessed death. On October 11, 1825, he fell ill and during this illness he received the Holy Mysteries three times. On the sixteenth he was given oil and communion, and the last time he was informed was on the very day of his death, the seventeenth. His illness was chest water. The accumulation of sputum increased the suffering, but before death it stopped. And the elder, at the end of Sunday Vespers, after reading the funeral service, peacefully gave up his righteous soul in the hands of God, dying in the arms of his close disciple, Hieromonk Macarius, who lived with him and, by his faith, benefited greatly from the example of his godly life, full of love and humility.” The following year, 1826, the rector of the Hermitage, Father Seraphim, also died. In his place, His Eminence Gabriel of Orlov appointed his steward (taken to the bishop's house from the brotherhood of the same Hermitage), Hieromonk Markellin, to the post of builder of the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage. But even after this, the appointed new abbot lived in Orel for more than two years, holding an economic position, and the Hermitage was ruled by the treasurer, Hieromonk Anatoly. By the way, in the year of the death of the builder Father Seraphim on June 10, Hieromonk Macarius was appointed dean of his monastery. And in this position, he diligently helped the new father, the builder Markellin, in managing the monastery almost until his dying illness, which began in December 1831. In 1827, on January 30, Hieromonk Macarius was given another position. He was appointed confessor of the Sevsky Trinity Convent. This appointment was the beginning of a new period of his spiritual activity, which ended along with his difficult life. From this same time, his spiritual correspondence began, which also continued until the onset of his dying illness. So, it was not he himself who recognized himself as having to undergo the arduous duty of a spiritual mentor, but, being called to this by the will of his archpastor, he could not help but see in this circumstance God’s calling. With the thought of this calling from above, he strengthened himself in the manifold sorrows associated with this duty. How highly the elder understood this duty and with what skill and patience, wise condescension and unwavering firmness, his spiritual letters testify better than any words both to his spiritual children and to all those who sought help and support in his spiritual advice. The merits of these letters will be discussed below. Chapter 4. Arrival of the spiritual elder Father Leonid in the Ploshchanskaya hermitage. Father Macarius's rapprochement with him. The activity of this latter in the Ploshchanskaya hermitage and his transition to the Optina monastery We have seen that Father Macarius, due to his zeal for monastic life, even at the beginning of this saving path, became sufficiently familiar with the writings of the holy ascetic fathers and fully took advantage of the edifying example of the pious life of the late elder schema-monk 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, Father 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, a long-known elder of high spiritual life arrived in the Ploshchanskaya hermitage - hieromonk of the Alexander-Svirsky Monastery Leonid, in the schema of Leo. Upon leaving his monastery with the intention of settling in the Optina Monastery of the Kaluga diocese, he first went for a pilgrimage to the Kiev Lavra, but on the way back, first, perhaps even in passing, he arrived at the Ploshchansky monastery. The arrival of this great elder, without a doubt, was an answer to the fervent prayer of Hieromonk Macarius. This is exactly how Father Macarius himself viewed it. 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, for that very reason, could help those who were tempted. This rapprochement had an important influence on the entire subsequent life of Father Macarius. In Father Leonid, he found exactly what his soul had been yearning for so long - a man of that spiritual intelligence, which, according to the word of Saint Isaac the Syrian, is the product of temptations, 38 a man with the gift of spiritual reasoning, by the power of which he conveniently and easily solved perplexities and taught useful advice to everyone who turned to him with faith and humility. No less than that, Father Leonid was glad to meet such a gifted monk and so well prepared to receive special grace-filled gifts in the person of Father 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. It was probably at this very time that Father Macarius, as already prepared by active virtues for a highly spiritual life, was taught the sacrament of high divine mental-heart prayer by Father Leonid. 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, which forced him in April 1829 with all his disciples to move to the newly built secluded monastery in Optina. One can also think that Father 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 Father Leonid, the above-mentioned elder Vasily Kishkin arrived from the Glinsk Hermitage to Ploshchanskaya and, on the conviction of his disciples, 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. 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 Father Macarius, who had lost his personal presence with Elder Leonid, towards whom he was disposed with all his loving soul. The activities of Father Macarius now expanded 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 the mind of Father Macarius and how thorough his advice was, let us give the following example. A young man from the nobility, Nikolai Petrovich Demoutier, 39, who served for some time in military service, arriving in the Ploshchanskaya hermitage, immediately met Father Macarius and was so disposed to this old man, experienced in spiritual life, that he gave himself to him in complete obedience. Father Macarius placed the new novice near his cell. His obedience consisted of cell service to the elder and canonry 40 . 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. The experienced elder Father Macarius and other monks, who saw the enemy’s temptation here, spent a long time persuading 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 his small belongings in a travel bag, not excluding the certificate of retirement from military service, Nikolai Petrovich hit the road. 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, Father Macarius, and other monks to stay in the monastery. By midnight he reached the monastery and spent the night in 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. The kind and truly child-loving elders, together with Father 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. Due to extraneous economic affairs, in which Father Macarius necessarily 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 Nikodim of Oryol as a member of the committee for the construction of the Sevsky school building, and by virtue of 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 in letters to Elder Leonid that he “got caught up in committees.” Boredom, or spiritual sorrow, soon increased even more for Father Macarius when a new assignment followed for him. In October of the same 1831, the Right Reverend Nicodemus, going to the Holy Synod, unexpectedly summoned Father Macarius to Oryol and took him with him to St. Petersburg as treasurer and housekeeper 41 . On the way from Orel to St. Petersburg, Father Macarius stopped at Optina Pustyn, located half a mile from the large 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 letter written to him by Father Macarius, dated October 23, 1831, two days after his arrival in the capital: “Your Reverence! Most venerable and dear Father Leo with his beloved brethren 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 in the future you will 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 drove around us in Tver, which we did not know then, but later learned on the road. We stayed in Moscow for a day; were in cathedrals near the holy relics. Upon arrival here, the next day we were at the Nevsky Lavra, and was honored to venerate the holy relics of St. Alexander Nevsky. Was with I-iya's father; 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 Elder Leonid, Father 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. – 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 towards prayer and zeal for permission - all this brings sorrow and burden to the soul 42 . 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, Father Macarius even more strongly expresses feelings of involuntary sorrow, on the one hand, and deep humility, on the other. “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 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 doing this last thing, 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 43 . 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 please...” 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 by 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. On October 21, 1832, Father Macarius was dismissed from the treasury post, having served in it for about a year. On his way back from St. Petersburg, he had the consolation of visiting the Novospassky Monastery while passing through Moscow with the elder Hieromonk Philaret. 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 Father Macarius. And driving past the Optina Hermitage, he again tried to see Father Leonid, from whom he now asked for a blessing, as well as the consent of the father of the builder Moses 44 to accept him into the monastery located near the Optina Hermitage. Father Macarius submitted a petition about this to the father of the builder, asking him to give him a move when he found it convenient, and he himself departed for the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage and, surrendering to the will of God, calmly waited for what the Lord would speak about him. Meanwhile, the humble Father Macarius, who ran for human glory, was presented as one of three candidates for the position of builder of the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage. For Father Markellin, having fallen ill in December 1831, remained ill for almost three years, until his death, which followed in 1834. But Father Macarius, having experienced the full brunt of the tribulations of his official duties, did not want this appointment, for in his thoughts he had already decided to live and labor together with his elder Leonid in the same 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 regret 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. Moreover, our father 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, Father Macarius received a notification from Elder Leonid that his case about moving from the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage to Optina was underway. In response to this news, Father 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.” The case of Father Macarius dragged on for almost a whole year, and only on January 14, 1834, he received the decree that he so desired for him about his movement from Ploshchanskaya to Optina Hermitage. He tearfully said goodbye to the monastery, under the shadow of which he had lived for twenty-three 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 monastery, Father Macarius, until his death, retained reverent memories 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 surrendering to the Providence of God and wanting to use my soul through Father Leonid, and, thanking God, I am satisfied with the life here; and what will happen next, only God knows.” Chapter 5. Mutual relations between Elder Leonid and Father Macarius Father Macarius arrived from the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage to the Optina monastery on February 5, 1834, the head of which at that time was Hieromonk Anthony (Putilov), 45, the brother of the abbot of the Optina Hermitage, builder (later Archimandrite) Moses. Father Macarius was forty-five years old. We saw above that since 1826, the Oryol diocesan authorities entrusted him with the position of confessor of the Sevsky Convent, and therefore many had long had him as their mentor and used his spiritual advice. And he, humbled and imputing himself to nothing, ran away from human glory, seeking as a special honor and distinction to be in the footsteps of another elder, and having obtained what he wanted, he showed in himself the traits of true obedience. From the very moment he arrived at the monastery, Father Macarius lived here very modestly, no different from the other brethren: he went with them to Elder Leonid for the evening rules, was content with a common fraternal meal and the usual clothing for all hermits. At first, he helped the elder only in his extensive correspondence with people who asked him for spiritual advice and edification; but over time, his activities began to expand more and more. In 1836, by the will of the Kaluga diocesan authorities, due to complicated circumstances, Elder Leonid was transferred from the monastery to the monastery. The monastery brethren saw him off with great sorrow and tears, like a unanimous family whose own father had been taken away. It is only unknown how Father Macarius looked at this circumstance. Perhaps he was less saddened by this than others, since in all circumstances, both his own and those of others, he had long been accustomed to seeing the will of God and unquestioningly obeying the Providence of the Almighty, which cares for all of us. Moreover, the monastery is not far from the monastery - only about a quarter of a mile; and therefore Father Macarius could see Elder Leonid at any time. In the same 1836, in October, Father Macarius, by decree of the Holy Synod, was appointed fraternal confessor in Optina Hermitage. His attitude towards Elder Leonid did not change at all through this. As before, he was in complete unquestioning obedience to the elder: every day he went to his monastery - either he brought for signature letters he had prepared for the post office, which the elder humbly signed with him, or he asked for advice and resolution of any perplexed questions regarding spiritual duties. This went on for a little over three years. After this, the position of Father Macarius in appearance changed somewhat. The head of the Optina monastery, Hieromonk Anthony, by order of the highest authorities, was appointed rector of the Maloyaroslavets Nikolaevsky Monastery in the Kaluga diocese with his elevation to the rank of abbot. And the responsibility to manage the Optina monastery from November 30, 1839 was assigned to Father Macarius. But this honor bestowed upon him by his superiors, together with his increased efforts, did not in the least change his attitude towards Elder Leonid. The word “chief” was not heard in the mouth of the humble ascetic. Filled with faith and love for the elder, Father Macarius did nothing without his request and blessing, and in his humility he attributed all the success of his undertakings and deeds secretly and openly to the prayers, advice and blessings of his spiritual father and mentor. And therefore the Lord, who looks upon the humble, blessed his labors. Generally speaking, until the very blessed death of Elder Leonid, Father Macarius remained one of his most zealous disciples, invariably faithful to the good of those who chose the yoke of obedience. For his part, Elder Leonid, after his involuntary transfer to the monastery, until his dying illness, did not interrupt communication with his beloved monastery and with the new monastery leader, Father Macarius. Every week on Saturdays and Sundays, as long as his strength allowed him, he continued to go to the monastery church to listen to the Divine Liturgy, and after mass he usually went to the cell of Father Macarius. Other skete elders also gathered there for a spiritual conversation with their spiritual mentor. And sometimes the secular persons from the nobles and merchants who were at the mass, going for a cup of tea with the head of the monastery and finding him having a spiritual conversation, became listeners and participants in it, to their spiritual benefit. And not only did Elder Leonid not interrupt communication with the monastery and the monastery leader, Father Macarius, but in relation to the latter he himself showed humility. Having met Father Macarius in the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage, Elder Leonid, as noted above, was glad to become close to such a gifted and skillful monk, and upon his transfer to the Optina monastery, he looked at him not as a student, but as his collaborator, fast-taker and spiritual friend. And only by yielding to his unhypocritical humility and constancy, I decided to treat him as a close friend 46 and beloved son and disciple in the Lord. Most of all, Elder Leonid revealed his humility and his respect and love for Father Macarius in that he brought him closer to himself and made him his assistant, sharing with him the work of spiritually caring for his brothers and visitors. In the last five years of his life, Elder Leonid mostly blessed those who wanted to use his guidance to contact Father Macarius and reveal to him everything that was revealed to Father Leonid himself. For his part, Father Macarius, when he learned from his spiritual children something important that concerned them, always asked whether they had explained this to Elder Leonid, and if they had not explained it, then he sent him to him for an explanation. Thus, the soul of each of those related to them was equally open to both elders, and both of them equally knew all the circumstances of their spiritual children. If someone, having confessed to Father Macarius, came to receive a blessing from Elder Leonid, then the elder, who had the gift of revealing and recalling forgotten sins, asked if this or that had been said to Father Macarius. And if they didn’t say it, due to oblivion or for some other reason, then they sent it back to him to explain what was unspoken. When Father Macarius was asked about anything, he did not give any solution without Elder Leonid. Likewise, the elder did not decide anything without his father Macarius, and in such cases he used to say: “Let’s wait; Father Macarius will come, we’ll talk together.” It was touching to see such unanimity and mutual love between the two elders. “It used to be,” said the spiritual daughter of Father Leonid and Father Macarius, who later was the abbess of the Belevsky convent, Abbess Pavlina, “it used to be that you were talking with Father Leonid, and Father Macarius would come in. Father Leonid tells him: “Father, talk to her, she needs to explain something to you.” Or, it happened, they sit, like Angels of God, next to each other, and we stand on our knees before them and open our souls to the two, as if to one. And they never separated them or made any distinction between them. Truly, the heart and soul are one in them 47. Therefore,” the narrator added, “when Father Leonid died, although we grieved for him, our grief was moderate, since we lost one half, and the other remained with us.” Thus, the elders, inspired by unanimity and bound by mutual spiritual love and unanimity, taught their spiritual children these most important Christian virtues not only by word, but most of all by their own example and did not allow any division to arise between them, to which disciples, due to human weakness, are often prone. There were no such divisions or parties between the spiritual children of Father Leonid and Father Macarius. The unanimity and like-mindedness of the elders was reflected in their children. Thus, in one monastery there were two elders, but there was no division and the unity of elder care was not lost. All this shows that Father Macarius, being a fraternal confessor and monastery leader, was now recognized as Father Leonid and the elder leader of others seeking salvation. Despite this, Father Leonid, as noted above, yielding to the unhypocritical request and humility of Father Macarius, continued to treat him as a disciple and, following the instructions of St. John Climacus, did not miss opportunities to deliver crowns to the skilled ascetic through testing his patience. For this purpose, Father Leonid often subjected him to reprimands and remarks in front of others, so that they too could take advantage of his humility. Here are examples. In the fall of 1837, His Eminence Nikolai of Kaluga, while in the Optina Hermitage, appointed one of the disciples of Elder Leonid, Hieromonk Gerontius 48, as rector of the Kaluga Tikhon Hermitage, who, of course, with the blessing of the Elder and the consent of the abbot, took with him six brethren from Optina, among whom was Elder Leonid’s close disciple, novice Alexander, who later hieroschemamonk, confessor at the Kiev Pechersk Lavra 49. Tikhonova Hermitage was in an extremely sad situation at that time. The monastery was small, there were shortcomings in everything, all the buildings had fallen into disrepair, and therefore it was already decided to close this monastery. To top off these inconveniences, the new abbot appointed to it had a quick-tempered and abrupt character. All this resonated heavily in the soul of novice Alexander, who, by the way, was Father Gerontius’s cell attendant, which means he was the closest person. Having escorted the Optina residents to the wretched Tikhonova hermitage, the loving elder Leonid could not help but sympathize with their plight and take an active part in them. Every year in the summer until his death, he visited Tikhonov Hermitage and lived there for several periods of time. The first summer he stayed there for six weeks. Having been deprived of close communication with the elder for such a long period of time, Father Macarius, who was not used to this, became very bored with his bleak situation. And so, when Father Leonid, accompanied by the novice Alexander, returned to Optina and entered only his cell, Father Macarius, along with the other brethren, hastened to see him after a long separation. Meanwhile, upon entering the elder’s cell, he accidentally met Alexander and said to him with grief: “You and your elder (Father Gerontius) are ready to appropriate the priest there.” “With a tight heart (as Alexander later said) I answered him: “Father! I would not want to hear such injustice from you. It is according to your and Father Leonid’s appointment that I am subordinated to the eldership of Father Gerontius..." - and I could no longer speak - tears flowed from my eyes in a stream... So we both entered Father’s cell. Father Macarius bowed to Father’s feet. We greeted each other. But instead of a brotherly greeting, Elder Leonid turned to Father Macarius with displeasure: “And you, brother, are here Are you cutting your hair 50?!“ Humbling before the elder, Father Macarius said: “Forgive me, father! This is true. But what should I do? They left me alone for such a long time.” The old man reproachfully: “Yes, you are right, as weak; and these people (pointing at me) have a reserve. In your opinion, they could be left completely. Eh, what pride!” “Forgive me, father,” Father Macarius repeated, “that’s why I say so, because I recognize my weakness.” This dry reception from Father Leonid ended the meeting of the elders for the first time after a six-week separation. Also: despite the fact that Father Macarius was a brotherly confessor and shared the work of eldership with Father Leonid, the brethren confessed to Father Macarius, and to reveal their thoughts they went to Father Leonid. Along with others, the cell attendant of Father Macarius, the ryasophore monk Herodion Ponomarev (later the monk of the monastery, Hieroschemamonk Hilarion) 51 came to see him from the monastery. “When I went to Father Leonid for revelation,” Father Hilarion himself reported, “it would also happen that I would complain to him about Father Macarius, and Father Leonid would reprimand him in front of me, so that, of course, the meekness and humility of Father Macarius would serve as an example for me when I grow out of my spiritual childhood. And I, due to my little spiritual experience at that time, could not yet understand the meaning of this and was pleased that Father Leonid accused Father Macarius and justified me. So, one day during my cell service with Father Macarius, I arbitrarily gave away all the bagels. Father Macarius asks: “Where are the bagels?” “I gave it away,” I say. "How dare you? Who allowed you to give it away?" And he scolded me a lot for that. I complained to Father Leonid, and in front of me he began to reproach Father Macarius for me.” Repeatedly, Elder Leonid assumed the appearance of being angry with Father Macarius and then showered him with abusive words, such as: “Oh, you nobleman, so and so!” Or otherwise somehow dishonored him in the presence of others. Here is one of many examples of this. Father the builder called Father Macarius to him and asked him to accept some of the brethren who were preparing for tonsure into the mantle. Turning the boss's request into an order, Father Macarius responded with permission and humble worship. Having then come to Elder Leonid, he found this spiritual leader, as usual, surrounded by many people asking about their spiritual needs and perplexities. Father Macarius briefly told him why the abbot had called him. Taking this opportunity to give the ascetic monk the crown of patience, and others to take advantage of his humility, the spiritually experienced elder with an air of severity asked Father Macarius: “Well, did you agree?” “Yes, I almost agreed, or, better said, I didn’t dare refuse,” answered Father Macarius. “Yes, this is typical of your pride!” - said the elder, raising his voice, and, pretending to be angry, reproached Father Macarius for quite a long time. And he stood before the elder with his head bowed, humbly bowing to him and repeating from time to time: “I’m sorry! Forgive me for God’s sake, father!” All those present, accustomed to respecting Father Macarius on an equal basis with Elder Leonid, looked at this, some with bewilderment, others with reverent surprise. When the elder fell silent, Father Macarius, bowing at his feet, meekly asked: “Forgive me, father! Would you bless me to refuse? - “How to refuse? You asked for it yourself, and why not refuse? No, now you can’t refuse, the job is done!” - said Father Leonid, who did not at all mean to deprive those who were entrusted to the spiritual guidance of an experienced mentor of spiritual benefit. The purpose of the reprimand was different: to tempt the humility of the elder disciple who had succeeded in it and, as noted above, to take advantage of others through this. And it was completely achieved. Father Macarius did not remain indifferent to all such and similar reprimands and remarks of Elder Leonid, but tried in every possible way to turn them to the benefit of his soul. He was not cowardly in front of them, was not in the least embarrassed, did not take offense at his accuser and did not resort to self-justification, but on the contrary, adhering to the true path of spiritual life, he humbled himself and reproached himself for his inability to please his beloved elder, denigrating his talents and merits, and through this, invisibly to himself, he succeeded in God-loving and saving humility, without which he could not do any labors and deeds. it is impossible to escape. Meanwhile, the loving elder Leonid not only deeply loved as a father, but also sincerely respected Father Macarius as his friend and co-secretary, and, when he found it necessary, expressed his feelings to such an extent that he amazed those present and Father Macarius himself, who, out of humility, considered himself unworthy of this, attributing this more to the elder’s humility or to that violence for Christ’s sake, with which he usually covered his spiritual wisdom. And what love and reverence, and at the same time deep humility, Father Macarius showed towards Elder Leonid, when in the last years of his life the elder was persecuted by his ill-wishers! Very convincingly in one letter he proved that Elder Leonidas was right and showed fear that slander might result in God’s punishment for those who slandered. With the deepest humility, he asked the elder for permission and blessing to write to another person a letter of petition to intercede with higher officials in order to protect him from the danger that threatened him. And upon receiving permission, he immediately took care to fulfill what his loving and humble soul diligently desired. And so the student constantly competed in humility with the teacher. Yet they clearly saw that both of them were worthy of each other. The seven years that Father Macarius spent with Elder Leonid passed quickly. On October 11, 1841, Father Leonid reposed in the Lord with a peaceful and blessed death. Father Macarius mourned his loss no less than his first spiritual mentor, Schemamonk Athanasius, for the first planted and the second strengthened in him the seeds of spiritual knowledge. Even after the death of his teacher, the grateful student did not cease to love him and revere his memory. He himself compiled a short obituary for Elder Leonid, written in his own hand in the 1840 calendar. We place it here: “On October 11, 1841, in the afternoon at 7 o’clock and 20 minutes, the elder Hieromonk Leonid, respected by many spiritual and secular persons, died in the Optina Monastery, and in the schema Leo, 72 years old. Before his death, he was ill for five weeks, during which time he was given special oil and was vouchsafed to receive the Holy Mysteries many times, and on the very day of his death he was vouchsafed this gift. He suffered for several days before his death, but ended his life calmly, with hope in God’s mercy; Until his death he was in full memory and sound mind. And his entire life after leaving the world was 46 years. Originally from Karachev citizens, he first entered this Optina Pustyn; After staying for two years, he moved to White Beach, where he was tonsured; went out for a while to the Cholsky monastery; then he was a builder in White Beach for four years. Having abandoned this position, he retired and moved to Valaam, then to the Svirsky monastery with the famous Father Theodore, where he died. In 1828, leaving the Svirsky Monastery, he lived for six months in the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage, from where in 1829 he moved to the Optina Hermitage - to a monastery; in 1836 he was taken to the monastery. He endured many persecutions and false blasphemous reproaches, with which he was tempted, like gold in a furnace; We hope that he will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. He was a mentor to many brothers and left behind a good memory.” Below in the same calendar it is noted: “This same month, on the 17th day of 1825, Schemamonk Afanasy died in the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage.” This is the former elder of Father Macarius, the aforementioned schemamonk Afanasy (Zakharov). During the life of Elder Leonid, some curious people wanted to know from him about the spiritual structure of the abbot of the monastery, Father Moses, his brother, the former monastery leader, Father Anthony, and the hieromonk Macarius described here. The elder answered briefly: “Father Moses and Father Anthony are great people, and Macarius is holy.” Chapter 6. The spiritual properties of Elder Macarius, acquired with the help of God through his labors and exploits, and spiritual gifts of grace, which soon brought him great fame among right-thinking people After the death of Elder Leonid, the chief elder in the Optina Hermitage became the head of the monastery and fraternal confessor, Hieromonk Macarius, heir to all the virtues and spiritual gifts of his predecessor. Faith, according to the Apostle James, is manifested by works (cf. James 2:18, 26), right, living and unshakable faith in the Lord God and His all-good providence for all people in general and in particular for each person was inherent in the elder all his life. This has already been partly discussed before and will be discussed further. Rightly understanding the dogmas of our Orthodox faith, depicted in the Creed, as well as the Gospel commandments, promises and prohibitions, the Rules of the holy apostles, the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, the great church teachers and saints with their interpretations, as well as the teachings and instructions of our reverend and God-bearing fathers, Father Macarius firmly defended them and intelligibly explained the truths of faith and salvation, teaching to observe all this and all those who related to him spiritually. Combined with such faith, firm hope in the ineffable mercy of God and complete devotion to the holy will of the most good Lord constantly accompanied him in all the joyful and sorrowful circumstances of his life. Of the other God-loving qualities of the soul of Elder Macarius, his deep humility was especially outstanding. And truly he himself could be called humility incarnate. This God-loving trait of his character is visible in all his numerous handwritten letters. For everywhere in them he in the full sense considers himself to be nothing. For example, he wrote to one person: “You entrust the responsibility (of spiritual guidance) to me. But no matter how laudable your desire is, it is so difficult on my part to fulfill it. Having no ability for such work and not seeing spiritual fruits in myself, what can I teach others? This very often exposes me and, contained within the boundaries of my unreason, makes me see my insignificance. The words of our Savior: to the doctor, heal yourself (Luke 4:23) and if a blind man leads a blind man, they will both fall into a pit (Matthew 15:14) - they frighten me a lot. My habit of engaging in unnecessary conversations and judgments, which may often be incorrect, but not understood by many, gives reason to think about me what I do not have, and to seek spiritual benefit through me. Even though I should deny this, but, being so weak in my character, I cannot refuse and, with a feeling of my unreasonableness, I enter into their position, I offer from the word of God and from the teachings of the holy fathers; and when someone receives spiritual benefit, this happens through the action of God’s grace, not according to my dignity, but according to their faith, bestowed upon them. I wrote this to you, although to show my insignificance, however in a completely small form, and the reason why some people think something about me, and so that you know that I cannot do anything on my own. Your verbal and written request convinces me to look not for my own people, but for my neighbor 52; and, forgetting my thinness, due to the weakness of my character, I do not dare refuse you your request. I do not rely on my own reason, but on God, who admonishes the dumb, for the benefit of His rational creation and His Son, redeemed by the Blood, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who, according to your faith, through the prayers of my spiritual father, is able to enlighten the blind, show the path or warn those who find themselves on the way. I just ask you to add your prayers to your assistance in this high and important undertaking. Due to the poverty of my mind, do not seek eloquence; and if I write or say anything, not from my deeds and not from my mind, but from Scripture and the teachings of the holy fathers, what the Lord will give to my darkened mind for your benefit, offering, in the words of St. John Climacus: “That some, having walked the path and fallen into the mud, warn others so that they are afraid and do not become dirty with the same mud and dirt; and through this they will be delivered and they will receive remission of their sins" (Degree 26, chapter 14)" 53. Or in a letter to another person, the elder expresses himself even more forcefully: “Woe is me, poor man! I talk about people, but I myself will fall among all the evil ones; and is not a stranger to pride. I accept satisfaction from blind people like myself for my condemnation. And if you opened your eyes and saw at least some of my evil deeds, you would not look at such a monster. And I should have kept quiet and listened to myself. But I don’t know whether my custom is crafty or vain, under the guise of supposedly benefiting my neighbors, which does not allow me to remain silent. I leave concern for my soul and reach out to others; and I only know that I am writing, although this is very difficult for me. I don’t know what will happen” 54. And in general, in all his letters, Elder Macarius exposes his supposed badness and ignorance, attributing all his good deeds, as befits, solely to the power and glory of God. His humility was also expressed in words and deeds, as well as in his entire appearance: appearance, clothing and in every movement. It was the alpha and omega of his entire teaching. One can often find in his letters the words of St. Isaac the Syrian quoted by him about the great importance of the virtue of humility. “Humility,” he says, “even without action forgives many sins; how, on the contrary, all our deeds and all virtues without humility are vain - they will not save us” 55. Protecting one of his spiritual daughters from arrogance, the elder wrote to her: “You write: it seems to you that you are humble and patient. What is our humility? – wolf; and patience is rotten.” Elder Macarius, in his humility, was not ashamed to express to people his apparent cowardice and fear of demonic power. He was once, as often happened, with Elder Leonid, when the latter was still alive. So they brought a demon-possessed woman to them both. Father Leonid approached her boldly and sternly. The demoniac immediately began to scream furiously. And Elder Macarius, as if out of fear, showing an appearance of timidity and hiding behind Father Leonid, said: “I’m afraid, I’m afraid!...” The demoniac, or, more accurately, the demon in the woman, hearing this, shouts: “You’re lying, you’re lying! Don't be afraid! You won’t deceive me!” According to the words of Saint Isaac the Syrian, “there is no one who is humble, but one who is peaceful: but one who is not peaceful is lower than one who is humble” 56 . Therefore, the humble elder Macarius was always at peace with everyone and never grieved for anyone, even if he suffered something from someone. With what, for example, humble disposition of heart did he accept the news that someone spoke ill of him! “Thank God,” he used to say to his disciples, “he alone understood correctly about me. It was God who told him about me. You are seduced, considering me to be something. Don’t you remember what was said: Woe, when all men speak good things to you (Luke 6:26)? And woe to him whose glory is greater than his works! And these are spiritual brushes that erase our spiritual impurity.” Or this is what he wrote in a letter to his Sevsk relatives: “We must also feel sorry for the nun R. And she is also in a feat: not having conquered her passions, she has a cold and sees herself offended. And in this I praise her, thank her and give honor that she, who was blind and enchanted, received her sight and saw me as I am - a sinner. She turned the praise that she brought me into reproach and thus, although a little, lightened my burden, which I am burdened by, accepting false glory and having a name above my deeds” 57. In a word, as one who had succeeded in the virtue of humility, he not only did not grieve, but even more rejoiced when he heard slander, reproach and reproaches, and, according to the Savior’s commandment, he prayed for such. Condemnation of someone ran away like snake venom. This deep humility of Elder Macarius, as the root and foundation of all good, led to him the entire luminous council of the gospel virtues. The love of the elder, with which he loved with all his soul more than all his Lord and his neighbor as himself, was truly fiery and active. It contained within itself those properties of true love about which the holy Apostle Paul speaks: It is patient with love, it is merciful, it does not envy love, it does not boast of love, it is not proud, it does not act outrageously, it does not seek its own, it is not irritated, it does not think evil, it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but it rejoices in the truth: it loves everything, it has faith in everything, it trusts everything, it endures everything. Love no longer disappears (1 Cor. 13:4-8). Filled with such love, the elder shed his mercy abundantly, first of all, on all his spiritual children, embracing them with his soul and gently containing them in his heart. Following the example of our most merciful Savior and Redeemer, he did not turn away from anyone who came to him and asked for spiritual or physical alms, and did not let anyone go from him without paying as much attention to his need as possible. With what, for example, fatherly love, at one time he accepted into the monastery and calmed until his death one brother, who for some time, at the instigation of the enemy, slandered him and annoyed him! It also happened that another brother in the monastery was infirm in some way, but by his appearance one could not consider him sick. The other brethren usually said to the elder: “How sick is he? He pretends, doesn’t want to work, and nothing more.” But the loving old man in such cases answered: “Well, I can’t help but believe” 58. Thus, love has faith in all things (1 Cor. 13:7). Optina old-timer Abbot Mark 59 told about himself: “Soon after I arrived in Optina, I fell ill with a fever. My illness lasted about two years. At that time there was no hospital in the monastery, and the sick from the brethren lay in their cells. Then I was fully convinced of what great, truly paternal love the heart of Elder Father Macarius was imbued with towards the brethren of the skete and monastery, and especially the sick. Despite the fact that many visitors of different sexes and classes came to him every day, he always found time to go around all the sick brothers and caress each of them, reassure and console them.” The same abbot Mark said that, being already a hierodeacon, he began to be embarrassed by thoughts of leaving the Optina Hermitage; but at the same time, knowing the holiness of Elder Macarius, he was afraid of losing his prayerful intercession before God and spiritual nourishment. And then one day he explained this to the elder. He replied: “If you remain in this place and remain here until death, I will intercede for you before God; and if you go out somewhere, see for yourself!” So Father Mark remained in Optina. Another story from Abbot Mark about how Elder Macarius was condescending to the weak and fallen: “During the time of Father Macarius’ eldership, the hieromonk Melchizedek lived in Optina 60 . In general, he was very serviceable, but sometimes he was subject to the passion of drinking wine. Despite this, the elder supported him fatherly and covered him with his love. It even happened once that while drinking, Father Melchizedek fell into an offense inappropriate for the monastic order, which could have served as a reason for the elder’s irritation. But instead of threats and denunciations, the elder himself brought him tea and sugar, encouraged him, calmed him down and, having spiritually restored him, thus did not allow him to fall into despondency and despair. Father Melchizedek personally told me about this with tears.” Elder Macarius, although in his humility did not like to show off his good qualities to others, his clerk, Father Andrei Glushkov, 61 sometimes heard the following words from his lips: “I love everyone: I love birds, and I love cows, and I love horses.” Having once received a complaint from the monastery steward that the brother 62 sent by him for some business had greatly tired the horses with rapid riding, the elder severely reprimanded the culprit, declaring all indecency for a monk to satisfy his personal whim or, out of vanity, to treat dumb animals with cruelty, contrary to the Holy Scripture, which calls blessed those who have mercy on animals. In general, like his former elder of the Ploshchansk Hermitage, Schemamonk Athanasius, Father Macarius showed great compassion for every dumb creature. So, in the winter, regretting the birds left without food, the elder, as was his custom, ordered his cell attendants to sprinkle hemp seeds for them every day on a shelf of hemp seeds attached to the outside window of his cell. And a fair number of titmice, linnets and small gray woodpeckers flocked to take advantage of the elder’s beneficence. Noticing that large birds, jays, began to offend small defenseless birds, at once eating what they would have had for the whole day, the old man, writing the necessary letters, himself from time to time got up from his chair to knock on the window to drive away the predators. But seeing that this did not help, he ordered the grains to be poured into a jar, from which small birds could easily get them by flying into it, but it became inconvenient for the jays to offend them. The same elder Glushkov, the elder’s scribe mentioned here, said: “Seeing one day that the elder was especially in good spirits, I turned to him with the following words: “Father! How happy I would be if the Lord led me to be, after death, even in the last corner, only in the place where you will be.” Lowering his hands and turning to face me, the elder looked at me rather seriously through his glasses and finally said: “Oh! Do you want to? Good!”" It is remarkable that the dying illness of Father Anthony (the former father of Andrei Glushkov) was similar, although perhaps somewhat similar, to the dying illness of the elder Macarius. So, it seems, according to the law of God’s truth, in order to enjoy in eternal life the same benefits as Elder Macarius, Father Anthony had to suffer at least partially the same illness as him. Let us continue our conversation about the spiritual properties of Elder Macarius. He was meek and long-suffering. He was never embarrassed or carried away by the passion of anger, except sometimes he was offended for violating the commandments of God, remembering the words of the prophet king: When you are angry, do not sin (Ps. 4:5). When reproaching someone, he forbade with quietness, instructed and taught with love, and was long-suffering with the hope of correcting those who sinned. The elder did not like praise, especially if he heard that he was considered a saint. He treated such people strictly, even showing an appearance of anger. So, one day the monk Serapion 63 was walking through the monastery. But then some wanderer stopped him and began to tell him that he was seriously ill, but some old man who appeared to him in a dream healed him and ordered him to go to Optina Pustyn to pray. When asked what species he was, the wanderer began to explain. At this very time, Elder Macarius appeared from behind the Vladimir Church, heading from the monastery to the abbot’s building. Seeing him, the wanderer joyfully exclaimed: “Here he is! This is the one!” And with these words I wanted to approach him. But Father Serapion, having stopped the wanderer, himself wanted to tell the old man his story, wanting, for his part, to honor him. While they were talking about the wanderer’s severe illness, the elder listened with attention. But as soon as it came to his miraculous healing, the elder changed his gaze and, not allowing the narrator to finish the story, burst out at him with a blow with a stick, did not listen any longer, turned away and left. Another similar story. One day Elder Macarius was walking through the guest courtyard for his usual visit to the arriving pilgrims. Some simple old woman who happened to be here, who considered him to be a holy man, put her wand on the ground, knelt down and began to pray to him. Seeing this, the old man - this kind, benevolent and condescending old man - menacingly grabbed a stick and hit the old woman on the back with it several times. She, forgetting her prayer and the holiness of the elder, barely dragged herself away from him. But after that the same old woman received admonition and consolation from the kind old man. The elder even called praise for himself slander. So, he wrote to his nieces in Sevsk: “I did not expect from you, mother Melania, such slander as you slander me. Where did you get such offensive and false slander against me? Consider me a life-giving source, draining I don’t know what it is, and the last remaining pillar of monasticism? Oh, woe to me, a sinner! On the contrary, not only is it not a pillar, but the weakest blade of grass, withered from the sinful heat; and not a life-giving spring, but a sinful well, oozing stinking water. This is what I truly see in myself; and it should not be false to say and think: I know my iniquities, and I will take away my sin before me (Ps. 50:5). Whenever I look at the past and the present, there is only sinful sleepiness and negligence. No, human judgment is unjust, but God’s judgment is true. If you see anything in my letters, then it is not mine, but according to your faith, admonition is given from God” 64. Elder Macarius was merciful. He showed great mercy to the poor. Many poor and weak nuns were almost supported at his expense. He helped them with money, linen, and other necessary things. Talking about Elder Macarius, his cell attendant, the aforementioned Father Herodion, said among other things: “Father Macarius behaved differently than Father Leonid (his elder predecessor). The latter acted openly, in front of everyone, and did not try to hide his good charitable actions, while Father Macarius hid himself. He never gave money or generally provided help in front of everyone, openly, but he always did it alone, walking, for example, through the forest or in some other way, eye to eye with the poor man.” Thus, the former skete sexton, monk (later hieroschemamonk) Savvaty 65 conveyed the following. “I was busy,” he said, “with one thing outside the monastery gates. At that time, some poor girl was standing near the monastery with strawberries she had picked for sale. Suddenly Father Macarius comes out of the monastery. Seeing a poor berry, he begins to bargain with it: “What are you asking for? What are you asking for?” She says: “A ten-kopeck piece, please, father.” But the priest, noticing that I am here not far from him in order to hide his good deeds from me, replies: “Dear, dear! A nickel, take a nickel! I won’t give you any more, I won’t give you any more!” And he puts a silver ruble in her hand.” The elder’s gentleness and simplicity were truly childlike. Possessing such God-loving qualities and, as a result, always being in a peaceful spiritual disposition, Elder Macarius wanted to see and maintain peace between his spiritual children and tried in every possible way to eradicate unpeacefulness if he noticed in anyone. So, for example, he wrote to his Sevsk nuns: “It’s nice that things are peaceful between you now. A completely different life - peaceful versus confused. This is why the Lord's coming was to give us peace. But we destroy it with our passions, acting against nature. And we know that we must strive against them, but on occasion, everything is aside; and the mind is darkened, and the strength is weakened, I outrage the enemy; and God’s help does not work for our pride and exaltation. Let us flow, brothers and sisters; Let us not waste the time given to us in acquiring eternal bliss; How long will we be carried away by passions? I'm not even talking about bodily needs and weaknesses in service. This is bodily weakness, although it should humble us; but about spiritual passions - pride, vanity, from which rage, anger, envy, confusion, disorder and destruction of all order and good order are born. This is what this devil's disease is like! How much do we have against this medicine? But alas! We leave Tune and do not apply it in time to our wounds” 66. To one nun who visited Elder Macarius, it is not known which one and on what occasion, he said: “May the Lord bless you with the peace with which He blessed His holy apostles!” “After that,” the nun reported, “I felt such an undisturbed peace and such spiritual sweetness in my heart that for a whole week I did not know where I was - on earth or in heaven. This unearthly peace continued after that for another month, but only to a lesser extent” 67. With these main virtues described here, Elder Macarius was also a performer of all other gospel virtues. And the prayer that always accompanied them strengthened and improved them. The elder had it incessantly. Exclamations of “Merciful God!”, “Mother of God!”, “My Jesus!” etc., accompanied by sighs, often flowed from his lips in his cell rule, in conversation with visitors, at his desk, on the way, during rest, even, as his cell attendants testified at one time, and during sleep itself, according to the word of Scripture: I sleep, but my heart watches (Song. 5:2). Sometimes suffering from insomnia, the elder remained completely awake at night or woke up frequently. Moreover, it was noticed that as soon as he woke up, he immediately resorted to thanksgiving and glorification of the name of God, until he forgot himself again. And in general, his mind, as a doer of mental-heart prayer, was always united with God, from which work his face bloomed with spiritual joy and shone with love for God and his neighbors. At times the elder came into a state of spiritual delight, especially when thinking or talking about the ineffable destinies of God's Providence, about its great and everlasting power and Divinity. Then, if he was alone in his cell, he would sing one of his favorite church songs, such as, for example, “Cover Your most exalted waters, set the sea as a limit of sand and support everything, The sun sings of You, the moon glorifies You, All creation brings song to You, as the Maker and Creator forever” (three hymns on Maundy Thursday at Compline, the eighth canto), or a song in which the mystery of the Holy Trinity is expressed with particular force and at the same time brevity: “Come, O people, let us worship the Trinitarian Divinity...” (the singer of the Lord cried out to the Lord on the feast of Pentecost), or one of the dogmatists, in which the ineffable and bewildered mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God and the pure Mother of Emmanuel, who served this sacrament, is sung, such as, for example, “Who is not You please the Most Holy Virgin...", "King of Heaven..." and so on. And sometimes in the summer, leaving his cell with a crutch in his hands, despite the people surrounding him, he walked along the monastery’s flower-lined paths and, moving from flower to flower, immersed in the contemplation of the wisdom of the Creator, knowable from the creations, quietly humming something to himself. Also, at the time when a cloud of sadness came over his soul or a feeling of languor appeared in the spirit - for, as is known, even men who are perfect in spiritual life cannot always be in an unchanged spiritual state - the elder loved to console himself during this spiritual battle by singing church songs. The elder also had the habit, when it was possible and convenient for him, during Holy Week at matins to sing in the middle of the church, as is customary in the Optina Hermitage, the luminary “I see Your palace, my Savior, adorned...”. And how he sang! It seemed that the word “I see” had its true meaning in his mouth and that his singing expressed what his spiritual eyes actually saw. The old man's voice trembled from the excitement of spiritual feelings, tears rolled down his pale cheeks; the hearts of those listening were filled with tenderness. Involuntarily, the admirers of the elder who were present in the church of God at that time could have thought: “Do you, earthly angel and heavenly man, clothed in the robe of humility, cry to the Lord: I have no robe, but let me enter into it?” But the elder himself fully felt his sinfulness before Him, before Whom heaven itself is unclean (cf. Job 15:15). For, as it is said, even a righteous man falls seven times a day (cf. Proverbs 24:16). The elder expressed such humble feelings in a letter to his Sevsk nuns: “April 13 (1853). The current tender singing of “Behold the Bridegroom comes at midnight” and “I see your chamber, my Savior, adorned, and I have no clothes, so that I may enter into it” should soften our stony hearts, or, [better] to say, my stony heart. I don’t know what to say about whom, but I clearly see my poverty, and although with one voice I dare to cry out to the Lord: “Illuminate the robe of my soul, O Light-Giver, and save me!” (luminous). I know that consoling feelings are bestowed on those who have suffered for the fulfillment of God’s commandments from people, from the flesh and from demons, and who have corrected their hearts by resisting passions and who have achieved love. But on the stained and torn charter of our heart, grace does not write its laws and does not bestow consolation. And when grace visits, even with a small spark of its action, we cannot preserve it in humility, but require fire that burns the passion of pride and vanity either by a previous or subsequent temptation 68 - so that we humble ourselves and realize how weak our strength is. That’s how I understand myself, and that’s partly, darkened by passions. And if you see something similar in yourself according to this reasoning, then try to correct yourself - each supporting yourself and each other with advice and deeds, and it will come to you: brother from brother we help, like a strong and high city (Proverbs 18:19).” With the transfer to the Optina monastery, Elder Macarius abandoned the priestly service, because due to tongue-tiedness and suffering at the same time from the occupation of the spirit 69 he could not clearly pronounce exclamations, much less pronounce a whole litany or proper commemoration at the great entrance of the liturgy of all members of the imperial family 70 . Instead, he always received Holy Communion at the altar of the Holy Mysteries once a month with deep and touching emotion. Upon receiving the Most Holy Body and Blood of the Lord, he, as the monks of his time told him, literally shed tears. Let us also note that spiritual men, adorned with high virtues, with unceasing prayer of the mind and heart, always experience the memory of death, followed by circumstances that are threatening for sinners and gratifying for the righteous. How vividly Elder Macarius remembered death can be seen from his letter to his uncle on the occasion of the death of his uncle’s mother, and his, the elder’s, grandmother. Here it is: “Dear sir and most honorable uncle Pavel Joakimovich! On January 20 (year unknown) a letter reached my hand, announcing the sad news - the death of the most venerable grandmother A.P. Glory to the merciful Lord, who granted her to move from this life to such an advanced age and in white clothes of sincere repentance and confession of her sins, bearing the seal of holy oil and Christ within herself by the communion of His Holy and Life-giving Mysteries! Thank you for the details of her death; for they unanimously reassure me of her eternal welfare. Thank you for not hiding the feelings of your sad heart from me; for I love to grieve with those who grieve. All possible compassion is an indispensable duty, which I owe to your love, which found me in this remote, silent and unknown corner. Having lost a person, we give him the real price, dear P.I., perhaps we increase it. With my conception, the law of destruction was written within me; Death imposed its formidable mark on each newly formed member, saying: “He is mine!” The chain of my days is a chain of greater or lesser suffering; Every new day of my life is a new step that brings me closer to incorruption. Illnesses come, and a trembling heart asks them: are you only the harbingers of my death, or have you already been given the power to separate the body from the soul through a bitter and terrible separation? Sometimes my mental eye, distracted by vanity, abandons the contemplation of my sad fate; but as soon as any sudden sorrowful adventure occurs, it quickly flows again to my favorite teaching, like a baby to its mother’s breasts - to the teaching about death; for true consolation is hidden in true sorrow, and prudent remembrance of death dissolves mortal bonds! You, of whose ineffable goodness we are a creature! Tell us: why have You dissolved our life with sorrows? Is Your mercy not touched by our suffering? Why do you give me existence and then delight it with a painful death? “I do not delight,” says God, “in your illnesses, O man! But from the seed of your sorrows and your sorrows I wish to grow for you the fruits of eternal and greatest pleasure. It was not in your body alone that I imprinted the law of death and destruction - I imprinted it in every object of this visible world. I commanded the whole world to cry out to you, along with your body, that this life is not life true and real, that there is nothing permanent in this world to which your heart could be attached with a love that is not reprehensible. When you do not heed the terrible voice of the entire universe, then My fatherly compassion, constantly desiring unlimited benefits for you, forces Me to lift the rod of punishment; the shadows that you are chasing fell at the feet of truth and at the same time at the feet of salvation. My ineffable goodness and unimaginable love for mankind forced me to accept flesh. By my humiliation I revealed to the human race the greatness of the Divine (cf. John 14:9). Having endured the Cross for the sake of human salvation, whomever I want to attract to Myself, I first strike him with sorrows and with the arrows of sorrows I kill his heart for temporary sweets. The rod of punishment is the banner of My love for man. Thus, even before, I wounded the heart of My servant David with suffering; and when a stream of temptations cut him off from the world, then some wondrous reflection, some extraordinary thoughts appeared in his mind and occupied it. “I thought,” he writes, “I remembered and learned the first days of eternal summer” 71: that is, I looked at the passing days of my life, and they seemed to me like an instant dream, a quickly disappeared phenomenon, a dead life; then I remembered eternity, began to compare it with the brevity of my past life and, comparing the infinite with the shortest time, deduced the result. What is this result? For a man walks in this way, but he fusses in vain (Ps. 38:7), that is, no matter how much a person fusses, no matter how much he worries about various temporary acquisitions, but all this is in vain, for he does not cease to be on earth some brief appearance, a guest, a wanderer. Such feelings and reflections removed him from the world of passions. He began to study the law of the Lord day and night and strive to know himself and God, like a thirsty tree for springs of cool waters 72 . As a king, he had the opportunity of all temporary pleasures; but when I tasted the sweetness of inner blessings, then I forgot to take my own bread.” I wrote to you, dear uncle, my feelings, if contrary to secular reason, then at least sincere, and sincerity can be comforting in times of sadness. Your deceased parent bequeathed you before her death to be a good Christian. And I wish this for you with all my heart. Then death will lose its menacing appearance in your eyes and will become only some most pleasant transition from temporary sorrows to endless pleasure. She will bring you to the palace in which, as we guess with some certainty, your venerable parent now lives. The very sadness for the dead, illuminated by the light of true reason, melts away, and in its place good hope begins to vegetate, comforting and cheering the soul. Fanaticism constrains a person's way of thinking; true faith gives him freedom. This freedom is revealed by the firmness of a person in all possible happy and unhappy cases. The sword that cuts our chains is a purified mind that sees in any case its true, hidden, mysterious cause. Anyone who strives towards it by looking at their insignificance with a reverent request for Divine protection and help achieves this goal. ... For all, glory to the most merciful God, who in any case pours out untold blessings upon us, for the Source of goodness cannot emit from Himself any other waves except the good ones, without understanding which man often grumbles against the All-Good. I. M.” 73 In his letters to his Sevsky nieces, Elder Macarius often waxes philosophical about the transience of present life and about future eternity and the Last Judgment of God. For example, he wrote on November 2, 1854: “Time flows insensitively; and we don’t see how it flies, measured in seconds, minutes, hours, days and beyond; and every second brings us closer to eternity. Knowing this, we are not very concerned about how to appear and give an account to the impartial Judge. Sensuality darkens our mind. All our care and thought is to bring peace to the body; but we care little about the soul - we do not eradicate passions and do not even resist them; and therefore we are deprived of peace and peace of mind...” Or on November 19 of the same year: “... We are restless, hesitant, confused; and everything flows like a river, and carries away everything that has passed, as if it never happened; history and private narratives leave very little as a memory of the past. Today marks the end of the 66th year in my life, and tomorrow the 67th will begin. But what does this have to do with eternity? Less than a drop in the sea. But what eternity will be like, we must now think about this and ask our merciful Creator and Redeemer, may he be merciful to us on the day of judgment and make us worthy to stand on the right hand. But somehow we think badly about this, as if there will be no eternity. This is how we spend our lives – we break the commandments and have no true repentance. Lord, have mercy!” Or January 1, 1857: “What are we looking for, what do we want? Of course, salvation, the Kingdom of God. How is it purchased? You are quite aware. How long is our age? Who told us that we will live to see tomorrow? In these poor times, many expect great upheavals, and perhaps those preceding a worldwide fiery flood, then it is even more necessary for us to draw closer to each other through love and humility, so that the word of God does not come true on us: the love of many will dry up (Matthew 24:12). Think about this better and do not each look for your own, but for your neighbor to create.” Or in January 1859: “I lived 71 years for two months. We should think with the prophet: I thought about the first days, and remembered eternal years, and learned (Ps. 76:6). What's the past? Like yesterday; and eternity is endless. How do I live? Woe to me, a sinner! Have mercy, Lord, and grant that we may end the rest of our life in peace and repentance; receive a Christian death, shameless, peaceful and a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ" 74. And in many other places in these letters, the elder wrote about the same thing and the same thing. All the virtues of Elder Macarius counted here, not excluding the memory of death, are, of course, gifts of God, according to the word of the Lord: without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5). They are given by God to those who fulfill His holy commandments, set out in the Holy Gospel; and such was Elder Macarius. But the all-good Lord also rewarded His faithful servant with other high spiritual gifts, one of which is the gift of spiritual reasoning. To explain how essential this reasoning is for those seeking salvation, the elder himself usually pointed to the legend about the gift of reasoning by one of the ancient monastery fathers, Abba Moses, borrowed by the latter from the words of St. Anthony the Great. This legend is found in the Slavic Philokalia, in the Word of Saint Cassian to Abbot Leontinus about the holy fathers of the monastery and about reasoning. The late elder Macarius especially loved this Word and, already in his dying illness, was strengthened spiritually by it, asking one of his disciples to read it. This was his last reading from the paternal writings, in which, according to the word of the Venerable Nile of Sora, he placed his life and breath. In order for the reader to more clearly judge the meaning of this gift of reasoning, the following passage is copied from the Slavic Philokalia, but only in the Russian translation. “Discerning,” said Abba Moses, “is not some small virtue, but one of the significant gifts of the Holy Spirit, about which the Apostle speaks: to one the word of wisdom is given 75 by the Spirit, and to another the word of understanding, by the same Spirit: to another faith, by the same Spirit: to another the gift of healing... to another spiritual reasoning... (1 Cor. 12:8-10). Then, having completed the calculation of spiritual gifts, (the apostle) added: all this is acted by one and the same Spirit. So, reasoning is not an earthly or small gift, but the greatest gift of God’s grace, which if a monk does not follow with all his might with diligence and does not become accustomed to reasoning with the firm thought of the spirits entering into him, then of necessity he, like one lost in the night, will have to fall not only into the pits of the most cruel evil, but also to stumble on straight paths and level places” 76 . And further... And Saint John Climacus defines reasoning as follows: “Reasoning is an undefiled conscience and a pure feeling. It is found only in those who are pure in heart, body and lips” 77. The Lord also communicated this lofty gift to the blessed elder Macarius for the common good. With the help of this gift, he gave each of the monks and laity who came to him for the revelation of their consciences appropriate healing for illness, offering everyone who asked him spiritual advice and instructions that were right and true, according to the teachings of our holy and God-bearing fathers. Finally, it was clear to everyone that the Lord had communicated to Elder Macarius the gifts of healing and insight into the future and, in general, the hidden. Which gifts, according to the remark of the Vyshensky Recluse Bishop Theophan 78, are apostolic gifts, higher than which there is nothing on earth. Readers will see examples of these high talents further in their place. Thus, the described elder, according to the remark of the aforementioned Abbot Mark, in his spiritual maturity fully corresponded to the high service he inherited from his predecessor, Elder Leonid, and was an abvoy in the full and true sense of the word. Although his humble word was not always eloquent, it was nevertheless a strong, powerful and effective word, so that it involuntarily conquered the hearts of all those who sincerely desired and sought spiritual success and salvation. All prudent people, young and old, involuntarily bowed before him. Even during the life of Elder Leonid, as was said, everyone who related to him became accustomed to looking at Father Macarius as his spiritual friend and co-secretary, although out of humility this latter considered himself one of his disciples; They were accustomed to receiving letters written by the hand of Father Macarius and sealed with the common signature of both elders as a sign of their complete unanimity and like-mindedness. All those who belonged to Elder Leonid were at the same time spiritual children of Father Macarius as the confessor of the monastery. Finally, during his dying illness, which lasted more than five months, Elder Leonid directly pointed to Father Macarius as his successor in eldership to all who used his spiritual advice, monastics and laymen. And therefore, everyone who related to Elder Leonid after his death, without any hesitation, began to turn to Father Macarius for spiritual advice and, seeing in him the same spiritual gifts, and most importantly, the same fatherly love, compassionate participation in their spiritual needs, the ability to rejoice with those who rejoice and cry with those who cry, a quick solution to perplexities and art in healing mental ailments, they joyfully informed their others about this acquaintances And therefore, the fame of Elder Macarius quickly spread throughout all parts of Orthodox Russia and attracted to him many who wanted to use his wise advice orally and in writing. Chapter 7. The natural abilities of Elder Macarius, his reasonable external environment, appearance, cell and order of daily activities Just as when studying external sciences, external education and multiplicity of knowledge are more successfully acquired by gifted people, so when studying the science of sciences - spiritual life - the same order is noticed, of course, with the good will and zeal of those who strive 79 . Thus, one might think, the acquisition of the God-loving qualities of the soul and high spiritual gifts of Elder Macarius was greatly facilitated by his natural abilities, directed through his diligence by the Providence of God towards a good goal. The elder by nature had a bright and inquisitive mind. Having completed his school education in a parish school and entered the civil service in the county treasury from the age of fourteen, he obviously was not sufficiently trained in external sciences, but upon entering the holy monastery - this is a school of spiritual life - doing the commandments of Christ with the deep humility that was always inherent in him and diligent reading of the Divine and paternal writings and the lives of the holy saints of God soon reached the high perfection of spiritual life. So, it seems that if he had to study secular sciences for a long time, he would have lost a lot of valuable time, which he used to achieve his main goal - the salvation of his soul. Through long labor, the Lord enlightened the mind of the humble ascetic to the knowledge of all the Divine Scriptures, so that one can see in him the fulfillment of the words of Saint Isaac the Syrian: “To the humble the sacraments are revealed” 80 . Elder Macarius had an amazing memory and, obviously, providentially given to him to help him in serving his neighbors. His contemporaries, the monks, said that when he suggested to any brother, for the benefit of his soul, to read any place from the works of the holy fathers, he even indicated from memory the page of the book where this place could be found. Also: if someone was once with him for confession or revelation, then for a long time he remembered all the main circumstances that concerned him. One can imagine the joy of some poor old woman who, after many years of her first personal meeting with the elder, came to him again only once in her life, and was greeted by him with a greeting like the following: “Ah, hello, Daria! What's up kids? Are you healthy? How is your Irina doing? After all, it seems that she will have been given in marriage to you for three years already?..” And so, amazed by such unexpected attention and remembrance of the holy father about her, the old woman had already forgotten half the grief that brought her to the monastery, and at the same time the timidity with which she went to the elder disappeared, thinking: “Somehow I, a sinner, will show myself to him, how will I tell him what is in my soul?” And she easily and freely pours out her soul to him, at the same time drawing consolation from the words of his gracious lips. Until his very death, the elder retained his innate liveliness of character, which made him extremely mobile and quickly prepared for any good deed. This liveliness was manifested in all his actions, in reading, conversation, gait, in all his activities and even in some body movements. The tongue-tiedness mentioned above was the result of quickly pronouncing words, which caused his tongue to be interrupted 81. Due to the same liveliness of character, he did not like slowness and lethargy in others, long preparations, etc. So, for example, if someone happened to go on the road with him, it was necessary to get ready quickly or in advance, because as soon as the horses were ready, he was already ready to leave and went to mount. In matters of obedience, he also loved for the brothers to do everything quickly, or, more accurately, with diligence and diligence, for what is done diligently and carefully is done quickly and quickly. He could not tolerate negligence even in unimportant matters. For example, if someone, having picked up a book, due to haste or simply without paying attention, puts it down with the bottom side up, seeing this, the elder will not fail to remark: “You put the book down carelessly - this is not good” - and he himself will correct it. Having a mind overshadowed by the grace of God and imbued with humility, the elder disposed of his entire external environment wisely. In all bodily activities, he adhered to the average, non-fallen path, so-called by the holy fathers of the royal path, avoiding in every possible way extremes, which they also call demonic. Thus, regarding the use of food, following the advice of St. John Climacus, and at the same time covering his abstinence with humility, at certain times he ate a little of everything that was offered, not forbidden to the monks; to the extent that one could notice, he adhered to the rule of the holy fathers - to get up from the table with a feeling of incomplete satisfaction of hunger. But whoever wanted to know how much food the elder ate at one time, by looking, for example, at the bread left on his set after dinner, could make sure that he did not eat even one third of the usual portion of it, which is allotted to each brother for the meal, consisting of a medium-sized slice of bread. The same can be said about other food, whether it was at a fraternal meal, in someone’s house or in one’s cell. It is worth noting that the refectory monks always saved the bread remaining on the elder’s set and then distributed it little by little to the admirers of Father Macarius for blessing. Receiving in the evenings the monastery and monastery brethren who came to him for revelation of their thoughts, the elder did not always have the opportunity to participate in a timely manner in the common fraternal meal. Then the cell attendants brought him to his cell the usual refectory food - cabbage soup and porridge in two small clay pots, which they placed in the oven for a while so that the food would not get cold. Having finished the reception of the brothers, which lasted an hour or more, the tired old man refreshed himself with heated food, simply from the same pots. This was generally the order of Elder Macarius regarding the consumption of food. In preparation for communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, he aggravated his fast by eating food without oil, and sometimes limiting himself to dry eating. Likewise, during Lent, especially during Great Lent, and mainly during the first and Holy Weeks, he sometimes fasted until his bodily strength was exhausted. Instead of tea, once a day after Vespers, he drank one or maybe two cups of hot water infused with dill and was content with the austere skete meal in the most moderate quantities, which is why in one letter to his nieces he complained half-jokingly that “the food is bad” 82 . The clothes of Elder Macarius were simple and most modest. He usually went to his cell in a white linen or cordon 83 robe, sometimes with patches, which he did not change often and which was therefore quite worn out over time; had a black knitted cap on his head; for cell prayer rules he used a short robe; For reading and writing, he wore old-style steel-framed glasses. He went to the Church of God, like other monks, according to the order established in the Optina Monastery - in a simple fly 84 robe. When going anywhere from his cell, in the summer the elder put on a black fly-fly cassock on top of his light calico black cassock, and had shoes on his feet; I didn’t wear galoshes either in winter or summer. In winter, over his cassock, he put on a very worn, light fur coat covered with a dark green draped 85, leaning on an old man’s staff or crutch, with a rosary in his hands, of which his favorite was the coral one, given to him by the venerable elder, Metropolitan Philaret 86, when he was in Moscow in 1852. The appearance of Elder Macarius was extremely attractive. The hair on his head and beard was short and gray, and he had a full beard. His hands were distinguished by softness and flexibility, as well as his entire figure - by slenderness. The face is white and clean, however, nothing striking at first glance and, due to the lack of eyes, it is somewhat irregular, even, according to ordinary concepts of physical beauty, not at all beautiful, moreover, with the stamp of constant self-deepening, therefore, in appearance, more strict than affectionate. But such is the power of God’s grace that this face, serving as a mirror of the elder’s pure, humble and loving soul, shone with some kind of unearthly beauty, reflecting one or another of the properties of the inner man - the fruits of the Spirit, counted by the Apostle (cf. Gal. 5:22-23). The gaze is quiet, the word is humble and devoid of insolence. In general, he had a rare combination of intelligence and childish simplicity, greatness and at the same time quietness and humility, which made him accessible to everyone. According to the rank of skete commander, the elder occupied the body of the cell, located on the left side of the Holy skete gates at the entrance to the skete from the outside, in which the skete leaders were always located (except for only one, who was the head - Elder Joseph (Litovkin, † 1911) 87). This building, like other monastery buildings, is small, since 1858 the outside has been lined with brick, whitewashed and covered with iron, and inside it is divided into two halves by a warm corridor. The southern half was occupied by the elder himself, and the northern half by his two cell attendants 88 . The half that the elder occupied consisted of two rooms - both with front rooms and with exits to the corridor. The first hallway led to the reception room, the walls of which, except for the south-eastern corner, occupied by holy icons, were hung with views of Russian monastic monasteries and portraits of our most famous archpastors and men who shone with deeds of piety. On the western side above the sofa there were picturesque portraits of the bishops: Nicephorus of Astrakhan (Feotoki), Innokenty of Penza, Lazarus of Chernigov (Baranovich); lithographed images: Patriarch of Alexandria Hierotheus and All-Russian Patriarch Nikon; His Eminence Metropolitans: Philaret of Moscow 89, Philaret of Kyiv 90, Nikanor, Gregory and Isidor of Novgorod and St. Petersburg; Archbishops of Voronezh Anthony and Ignatius; bishops: Belgorod Joasaph (Gorlenko) (now glorified by the Holy Church) and Kaluga - Gregory II. In addition, on the other walls of the cell there were also portraits of elders famous for their high life: Hilarion (Nefedievich, or rather Methodievich) 91, who labored in fasting and prayer in the village of Troekurov, Lebedyansky district, Tambov province for more than thirty years at the church of St. Demetrius of Thessalonica; John, the Recluse of Sezenovsky, of the same province and district; Seraphim, the Elder of Sarov (now glorified by the Holy Church as a saint of God); Kiev-Pechersk Lavra of Hieroschemamonk Parthenius, confessor of His Eminence Philaret, Metropolitan of Kyiv; Archimandrite Macarius (Glukharev) 92, a former Altai missionary, and then abbot of the Bolkhov Optina Monastery, who died in 1847; the founder of the Beloberezh Hermitage, Schemamonk Simeon; Abbot of the Valaam Monastery, Father Nazarius; Sarov Hieromonk Hilarion; Zadonsk recluse Georgy (Mashurin); the Optina elder Hieroschemamonk John, known for his writings against schismatics; the Optina elder Hieroschemamonk Leonid; Sarov schemamonk Mark; Zadonsk schemamonk Mitrofan. And also portraits of worldly persons: Ivan Vasilyevich Kireevsky, lying in a coffin, and Ivan Akimovich Maltsov. Next to this reception room, which served the elder for receiving mainly honored guests, there was actually the so-called elder’s cell, in which he spent twenty years of his hidden life with Christ in God. This is a small oblong room, six arshins 93 in length and four and a half in width, with one window to the south - on the path running from the Holy Skete Gate to the Baptist Church. In front of the window, curtained with a green curtain, stood a simple wooden table, painted with white oil paint and upholstered in old oilcloth. In the side drawers below were kept letters and writing materials, as well as icons, crosses, rosaries and belts for distribution to visitors. On the table stood a writing instrument: on a wooden tray, a simple glass inkwell and a wooden sandbox, carved by the hands of the elder himself. Opposite the device in the middle of the table, on top of other papers, there was always a letter that had been started. On its sides are piles of letters, divided into those requiring a speedy response and those suffering a delay, read and, due to lack of time, not yet read. Closer to the window are newly received spiritual journals or some newly received book, which the elder looked through in fits and starts and mostly as a substitute for afternoon rest, and, finally, one or two of the patristic books, in the reading of which, as noted above, the elder devoted his life and breath. At the desk stood an armchair upholstered in green draped leather with an oval back. There was a small embroidered pillow on the chair. Below, under the table, stood a copper candlestick with a green tin umbrella. The south-eastern corner of this room, as in the reception room, and most of the southern wall above the window were decorated with holy icons. Among them was the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, especially revered by Elder Macarius, before which an unquenchable lamp 94 glowed. Near it are various icons: the Mother of God and the saints of God, who were sent to the elder from various Russian monasteries and holy places in the East, icons of various sizes, framed and without frames, painted on boards, on glass, in enamel and mother-of-pearl; crosses also of different sizes, wooden, painted, carved from cypress, mother-of-pearl, unicorn and ivory; some of them with holy relics. Under the icons in the same corner there is a wooden square. Opposite the square, on a special lectern for reading the usual cell rules, lay the Followed Psalter; on the sides are the Gospel and the Apostle, the Canon of the Theotokos of the Kyiv edition, in which there are only the daily Theotokos canons in all eight voices, a confession book. Along the western wall, with its head facing the window, stood a narrow wooden bed, on which the old man gave his weary body a short rest. Above the headboard is a crucifix, above it is the image of the Savior, lifting a dead sheep on a frame 95 . The western wall above the crib was decorated with portraits. In the middle are two picturesque images: the Optina rector Archimandrite Moses and his brother in flesh and spirit, Abbot Anthony. Around them are photographic portraits of some of the disciples of Elder Macarius and a painting of the long-deceased father of Archpriest Theodore Aleksandrovich Golubinsky, a professor at the Moscow Academy, who at one time, as will be said below, took part in the publication of patristic books in the Optina Hermitage. Above the door, on the north side, is a row of picturesque portraits of several men of blessed memory and close to the elder’s heart: St. Tikhon of Zadonsk, currently glorified by the Holy Church as a saint of God; Schemamonk Simeon, founder of the Beloberezh Hermitage; Moscow Novospassky Monastery of Hieromonk Philaret; Ploshchanskaya hermitage of schemamonk Athanasius (Zakharov), who was the elder of the elder Macarius described here; Ploshchanskaya Hermitage of Hieroschemamonk Joseph; Schemamonk Theodore, a disciple of Elder Paisius (Velichkovsky); the Optina elder Hieromonk Leonid (in the schema of Leo), a student of the mentioned schemamonk Theodore; and the Optina monastery of the centenarian monk Hilarion 96. This is the cramped cell in which Elder Macarius offered up his prayers to the Lord, in which over the course of many years he wrote many soul-helping letters to resolve various spiritual needs, where every day from morning to evening the thoughts of many hearts were opened, doubts were resolved, perplexities were abolished, the Sacrament of Repentance was celebrated, saving tears of tenderness and repentance were shed abundantly lawlessness, vows were made to correct life; from where those who entered sad came out rejoicing, the mourners - consoled, the desperate - raised to repentance in the hope of salvation, the arrogant - humbled. But speaking about the benefits that those who came to him received from the elder - which was in plain sight - we cannot describe in detail those hidden labors and illnesses that the humble ascetic suffered, jealous of his spiritual success. One can only believe that he, constantly keeping the name of God in his memory, clung more and more to the Lord with faith, hope and love burning in his heart, seeking and pressing with humility, fasting and unceasing prayer with tears at all times. By the grace of God, he found in his heart, according to the word of the Lord, a source of living water, from which he drank to quench his thirst to the point of satiety, at the same time giving it unenviably to all who sought it. Now let's talk about the order of the daily activities of Elder Father Macarius. Every day he got up for the morning rule at the ringing of the monastery bell for matins, that is, at about two o’clock in the morning. And if in the evening he sat longer than usual writing letters or felt unwell (because he suffered from insomnia since childhood), then no later than three hours. He himself went out into the corridor and woke up his cell attendants. His morning rule consisted of reading morning prayers, twelve selected psalms, the first hour, the daily Theotokos canon according to the voice of the week and an akathist to the Mother of God; and he sang irmos himself. Then the cell attendants dispersed to their cells, and the elder remained alone with God. At six o'clock, when early mass usually begins in the monastery, the elder again called his cell attendants to read the liturgical hours with pictorial ones. After this, he drank a cup or two (and never more than three) of tea and began to write a letter to someone or read his father’s book. From that time on, the elder began a common reception for everyone who had any need before him, spiritual or material. The early mass in the monastery has ended, and the ringing of the gate bell begins from time to time. At first there was no shack at Startseva’s cell for female acceptance. “Father! - the cell attendant reports. “There, at the gate, the Bolkhov women are on their way back and want to accept your blessing. Yes, they gave me two bottles: one asks for butter, and the other for holy water.” The elder leaves the letter he just started, goes out to the gate, gives a blessing to those leaving, decorates them on the road with signs of his fatherly attention: crosses, icons, belts... He barely managed to return to his cell when the bell rang again: “Father! Nun N. of the monastery is completely ready to leave, she is only waiting for the response letters that you wanted to send with her.” The letters are prepared, sealed, and the elder himself goes to the gate to hand over the letters; At the same time, he gives the departing woman prosphora and several portions of skete bread... Having returned, the elder again writes a letter or reads a book, constantly breaking off to talk with the visiting brethren. Again they call to the porch: “Some sick person with Christ God conjures to come out to him, even for a minute, - he trudged several hundred miles away to receive the blessing...” - etc. These elders came out onto the porch and further to the gate not only in the summer, but also in the winter. The elder hastily, dressed lightly and wearing shoes on his bare feet, went out to the visitors. At this time, snow sometimes fell into his shoes. And he calmly, at the right opportunity, immediately threw them off his feet and shook out the snow. Despite the weakness of his physical strength, the elder, as the old-time monks of the monastery reported, was not afraid of colds. At about eleven o'clock in the afternoon, after the end of late mass in the monastery, when the bell in the monastery, as usual, was struck for the meal, the elder, together with other hermits, went to lunch. After the meal, he locked himself in his cell for half an hour or many hours. And this was the only free time he had during the whole day for rest, unentertained reading, writing, thinking... But as soon as the door creaked, the elder immediately came out of his retreat or asked: “Who is there?” And the same activity began again. After an hour or two, he walked, occasionally due to weakness, and went to the hotel, where many dozens were waiting for him, and on great holidays and fasts, whole hundreds of people of all classes, both sexes and all ages from different cities and villages with their spiritual and everyday needs. Returning from the hotel, the elder, instead of resting, listened to a short prayer rule, which his cell attendants read. It consisted of the ninth hour, kathisma with prayers and a canon to the holy Guardian Angel. Then, before the evening meal, and sometimes during it, he received the monastery brethren who came to him for the daily revelation of their thoughts, as well as some of the monastic brethren who did not have time to visit him during the day. Having finished receiving the brethren and refreshed himself with meager food, the elder listened to the evening rule, to which, in addition to his cell attendants, one or two more disciples closest to him came. His rule consisted of Little Compline, prayers for those coming to bed, two chapters from the Apostolic Epistles and one chapter of the Gospel. Then the end of the evening prayers was read, starting with the prayer “Lord, Lover of Mankind, will this coffin really be my bed...”, “Weaken, leave...”, “Forgive those who hate and offend us, Lord...”, “I confess to Thee, my Lord God...” (a brief confession of sins before God), and dismissal. After this, the elder’s disciples, who participated with him in administering the rule, having received his blessing, dispersed to their cells, and the elder was left alone for a short rest, preceded by a feat of prayer. And when it happened that the lights in the hermitage cells had long gone out, the window of his cell was still illuminated by the light of a candle burning on his desk or next to his crib. But finally this light went out. All that remained was the faint flickering of the unquenchable lamp in front of the holy icon of the One Who is called the Never-ending Representative and Intercessor in prayers before Her Son and the Lord for the entire Christian race. Chapter 8. External structure of the Optina monastery and church order under Elder Macarius Elder Macarius was appointed head of the monastery when the latter entered the eighteenth year of its existence. The construction there was the same as that which was originally built when it was founded in 1821. But through the efforts of the elder during his twenty years in the monastery with the help of benefactors, the monastery was not only provided with the necessary maintenance, but also helped the abbot in the maintenance of the monastery, since these benefactors, using the elder’s instructions, without exaggerating one can say, considered it happiness for themselves to show their love and zeal for him and for the place of his stay in any way they could. According to the rule established at the beginning of the foundation of the monastery, everything that remained with the monastery during the year, after expenses for the maintenance of the monastery brotherhood, was given to the abbot of the monastery. And there were so many offerings to Elder Macarius from benefactors that he was able to annually deliver 97 different materials to the monastery’s junk store - plain cloth, mukhoyar, linen and other things - in half the amount of the monastery’s annual supply. The subject of the special care of the monastery leader and Elder Macarius was the monastery church in the name of St. John, the Prophet and Forerunner of the Lord, standing among the cells as if as a sign that it was appointed to unite those living in the monastery in the unity of faith, love and prayer. It can be unmistakably said that every decoration in this church of God occupied one place and not another according to the special thought of the elder and his personal instructions. That is why, at first sight, it has always attracted and continues to attract the attention of visitors by combining splendor with simplicity. Subsequently, half a century after the death of Elder Macarius, some changes followed in this monastery church; but the wall paintings remained almost all the same, and the general appearance of the Church of the Baptist was almost the same. Most of the church decorations in the Church of the Baptist were the fruit of the zeal of those devoted to Elder Macarius. Such are, for example, a bronze chandelier with a crystal set, illuminated on special holidays, according to Palestinian custom, not with candles, but with oil in lamps arranged in two rows; a descending crystal lamp in the shape of a candle in front of the celibate icon of the Sign of the Mother of God, which is above the Royal Doors (long ago, however, replaced by an ordinary lamp). Above the Royal Doors was placed an icon depicting the truncated head of St. John, the Forerunner of the Lord, lying on a platter, beautifully made by the Italian school, in a crown and frame on silver-gilded fields. On the occasion of the newly built Royal Doors, this icon was transferred to the side-chapel church in the name of St. Macarius of Egypt, the spiritual patron of Elder Macarius. Beaded covers for stand-up candles in polycandiles 98 (long ago replaced by candlesticks) in front of local icons. Wreaths of artificial flowers placed on the crowns of local icons. Stacked enamel icons in frames in the form of a parallelogram, into which are inserted: in one - a round small icon case with particles of the holy relics of various saints of God, donated by the retired headquarters captain S.K. Naryshkin, who temporarily lived in Optina Pustyn, from his hereditary, by former relationship with the reigning house, shrine; in another frame there is a silver-gilded cross, also with holy relics. These frames were located on the northern and southern sides of the church behind the choirs, and are currently stored in the sacristy. In their place, large icons were placed in decent icon cases: on the south side - the icon of the Mother of God “Quick to Hear”, and on the north - the holy great martyr and healer Panteleimon. The latter was taken from the cell of Elder Ambrose after his death. In the altar, on a high place, there is placed in an icon case a large Tikhvin icon of the Mother of God in a rich silver-gilded robe, reminiscent of the zeal for the skete church of the first great Optina elder, Hieromonk Leonid, in the schema of Leo, and on the sides, in proportion to its size, are placed the so-called stylist images 99. During festive services, special candles are lit in front of these icons, which, together with the three-candlestick altarpiece, enhances the illumination of the altar, and has a pleasant effect on the eyes and senses. Behind the glass in the icon case of the altarpiece of the Mother of God, the relics of the holy new martyrs of Mount Athos - Ignatius, Akakios and John - were kept and are being kept in a special silver casket. On the throne, on the right side of the ark, placed in a stand, decorated with multi-colored stones, a cross with particles of various holy relics is a gift to the monastery of the former father of the vicar of the Holy Trinity Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony 100, which will be discussed later, and on the left side is a small, in a silver-gilded frame, the Gospel with the image in the middle of the “Prayer for the Chalice” - a gift from Tula leader of the nobility Feodor Zakharovich Klyucharyov, who died in the monastery as a schema-monk. Both shrines are under glass convex cases. In the rear, so-called house, part of the church 101 on the eastern wall there was a special iconostasis, composed, according to Elder Macarius, of several rows of icons, between which were icons made by the skete brother-painters, and others were sent by outsiders. Thanks to the diligence of benefactors, this iconostasis was replaced with a new one in the seventies of the 19th century, and the old icons - which are kept in the sacristy, and which are placed in the monastery meal. In the last years of Elder Macarius, the described skete church was completely transformed, and also thanks to his care. The entire iconostasis was gilded again, and the columns that decorated it were also gilded. The ceiling and walls both in the altar and in the church were again painted according to the elder’s thoughts. To this end, the Lord, who apparently favored all his undertakings, sent, quite unexpectedly, a knowledgeable and zealous executor 102 . While taking care of the external decoration of the church, the elder at the same time paid special attention to the conduct of church services. Being himself an expert in church rules, having undergone considerable obedience to the canonarch and ustavnik back in the Ploshchansky hermitage, loving and firmly knowing the notated church singing, even in the Optina monastery with his personal guidance, work and patience, he gradually introduced order and accuracy into the conduct of church services, established smooth reading, without false sensitivity in order to avoid the vanity of the readers. He also introduced the position of canonarch in the monastery and the singing of stichera on similar lines, which singing then passed from the monastery to the monastery. The elder drew the attention of the capable monastery brethren to the study of church music and introduced the singing of the 104 dogmatists, verse Sunday hymns and antiphons on Sundays set before the reading of the Gospel. During Lenten services, and especially during the first and Holy Weeks, when usually all the monastery brethren prepare for communion of the Holy Mysteries, it is established by the elder to offer during the service, at the sixth hour, reading from the book of St. John the Climacus, with such supervision that the entire “Ladder” is read during Great Lent. For this purpose, he himself marked it and assigned how much to read on what day. But even after the introduction of the above-mentioned order in the church, Elder Macarius constantly monitored its maintenance, never leaving without comment regarding the church charter, reading and singing, not only an important mistake, but also the slightest omission. Whether the canonarch divided the words of the stichera in the wrong place during the canonization with a violation of the meaning, whether the singers or the next reader made a mistake in anything - the elder did not leave them without comments. If it was necessary to change or correct the tone of singing or remind the singers of a forgotten melody, the elder himself came to the choir and sang the stichera or irmos, and also showed the reader where he was wrong and how to correct himself. And at the end of the singing of the stichera, the canonarch called to him with a book and indicated how to correctly divide this or that stichera. And all this was done with love, meekly, quietly, intelligibly. Instead of making any excuses, the one who made a mistake, according to monastic custom, bowed at the elder’s feet and said: “Forgive me, father!” To this the elder replied: “God will forgive!” - and the matter of admonition ended with a blessing. The elder also observed that all the hermits came to the liturgy with the ringing of the bell, or half an hour before it began, to read the synodics, in which the names of benefactors and their monks were written about health and repose. For this reason, the serving hieromonk, after the end of the ringing, hesitated for a long time to start the clock. This custom is still observed in the monastery. According to the order established from the foundation of the monastery and continued under Elder Macarius and now continuing, all the monastery brethren, for the sake of spiritual communion with the monastic ones, on all the twelve holidays and on the first day of Holy Pascha, went and go to church services - to the all-night vigil or instead to matins and liturgy in the monastery. On the second day of the great holidays - the Nativity of Christ and the Bright Resurrection of Christ - there was, as it happens now, a full service in the monastery. In addition, church services were sent (as they are now) to the skete in three full weeks of the year: the first of Great Lent, Passion and Easter, also on some day during each Lenten week and certainly on all Saturdays and Sundays of the whole year. Also honored (as they are now) with church services were all days dedicated to the memory of the great holy Prophet and Forerunner of the Lord John, to whose name the monastery is dedicated, holidays in honor of some of the Mother of God miraculous icons, days of some holy saints of God, Eastern and Russian, namesake days of certain clergy, such as, for example, December 1 - the memory of St. Philaret the Merciful, namesake two venerable unforgettable elders: Metropolitans Philaret of Kyiv and Philaret of Moscow; the days of the venerables - Moses Murin, Anthony the Great and Macarius the Great, whose names were borne by three great elders who simultaneously lived in the Optina Hermitage: Archimandrite Moses, his brother Abbot Anthony and the described elder Macarius 105. For all these holidays, the skete church was cleaned with special care. During the all-night vigil at the glorification of the saints of God, a chandelier was lit and candles were given to those present. On the skete's main church holiday - January 7, the Cathedral of St. John, the Prophet and Forerunner of the Lord - just as on the second day of Easter and the Nativity of Christ, the rector of the monastery, Archimandrite Moses himself, or his brother Abbot Anthony, served in the skete church. Elder Macarius, as mentioned above, did not participate in the priestly service, partly due to tongue-tiedness, and partly, one can assume, due to his deep humility, and during church services he usually stood in the corridor (which was on the right side), where the day and night reading of the Psalter by the hermits was performed for the sake of remembrance of the health and repose of their brothers, their relatives and benefactors. When the elder was exhausted in strength, he retired to the so-called bishop's cell 106 and rested there. However, in the first years of his stay at the Optina monastery, he participated in the cathedral service only once a year, on the first day of Holy Easter. He also sometimes wore clothes for the burial of some of the brethren or, for some reason, laymen especially revered by him. But let’s continue talking about the external structure of the monastery. Through the efforts of Elder Macarius, who was a sacristan in the Ploshchanskaya hermitage, the skete sacristy was brought into excellent condition. He passed on the art of storing and handling sacred robes and vestments to one of his close disciples, the sexton monk Flavian, 107 who was always an accurate and diligent executor of his will, and therefore enjoyed the elder’s special favor. It is known that the art of gold embroidery has always flourished and continues to flourish in our women's abodes. And so the nuns who treated Elder Macarius, knowing his love for church splendor and wanting to somehow express their zeal for him for the spiritual benefits they received from his advice, asked him as a special favor for permission to participate with their labors in decorating his beloved skete church. Some - those who had money - donated various things to their work: airs, mantles for chasubles and surplices, lapels for cassocks, orari, armbands, shrouds; other hardworking but poor sisters asked to be given work. Lay persons, who treated the elder with their spiritual needs, also wishing to express their zeal, some donated material for embroidery, and some also material for vestments, scarves for the altar cover and similar things that served for church decoration or were suitable for use for them. The number of zealous offerings far exceeded the needs of the monastery church. As a result, by order of Elder Macarius, the monastery sacristy was also increased 108. And this gave the monastery the opportunity at different times to share vestments with the churches of the suffering East and our western region. Having been born in a village and spending his childhood among the pleasant views of rural nature, Elder Macarius always showed deep sympathy for nature. By the way, he loved flowers. But when he became the head of the skete, cutting off this innocent inclination, he did not bother with the flower gardens, even before him, which had been started in the skete by his predecessor, hieromonk (later abbot) Anthony. He paid attention to them only when he heard that visitors to the monastery were reproaching him for missing something that the former head of the skete before him did not consider unworthy of his attention. First, the elder enlarged a small flower garden in front of the windows of his cell. And then, in time, flowers appeared around the entire Church of the Baptist, in front of the windows of some cells and along the main monastery paths. Here one could see tall-growing but odorless dahlias of various colors, as well as peonies, fragrant airy jasmine bushes, lupins, mignonette and other small flowers. Floriculture lovers had something to admire when they approached, for example, the elder’s cell, so to speak, showered with flowers. And it was hard to believe, having learned that all this was the work of the diligence of one person, the elder cell attendant of the monk Hilarion, the unfading fruit of obedience and especially his sincere love for his elder mentor. The entire interior of the monastery was turned into an orchard by its founder, Hieromonk Moses 109. But through the diligence of the same elder’s cell attendant, monk Hilarion, this garden was brought into the best condition. The products of this garden were never sold even in productive years, and therefore the monastery brethren, almost until new fruits, had the consolation of the fruits of their garden at their modest meal. After removal, some of those who were not used for future use were distributed to the monastery brethren and outside visitors. Nearby city and rural residents often came to the monastery even in winter to ask for fresh and soaked apples for their sick people, and when they had something to give, they were not refused. The skete under Elder Macarius also had greenhouses for growing cucumbers. These greenhouses, as well as the flowers and the garden, were under the care of the same cell attendant, Father Hilarion. “At first,” he said, “I was reluctant to approach the greenhouses. To make me want to go to them, Father Macarius used to say: let’s go and see, are the greenhouses full there, or what? And he will take me to see. Three times he took me to see them. Well, I started working on greenhouses, and not without success.” The beekeeping facility located at the monastery under Elder Macarius was multiplied by the care and efforts of the hermits, and all the improvements known at that time in terms of beekeeping according to the Prokopovich system were applied 110 . Protecting the monastery's silence, Elder Macarius had special care about preserving the forest surrounding the monastery on all sides. Thanks to the good impressions of childhood, he retained his love of nature until the end of his life, but especially loved the forest, rightly considering it the living fence of every monastic monastery, its best decoration. “A person,” he reasoned, “gets peace and spiritual benefit in the forest. We see how in former times people retired into the thicket of forests and there, in the silence of the world and its vanities, they sought their salvation in prayer and monastic labors. One view of the evergreen coniferous trees of our homeland amuses the eyes, serving as a symbol of hope for everlasting life, for which they retire to the desert. The forests surrounding our desert abodes must be protected by all means, so that through their destruction the name “deserts” does not finally become an idle word.” A strong storm in 1849 felled many huge trees, hundred-year-old pines and firs, especially in the area separating the monastery from the monastery. Grieving over the deprivation of this living fence, the elder made special efforts to overgrow this area. Every year, under the leadership of one of the monastery brothers, the novices worked in the spring to clear this area of ​​unnecessary bushes, and in the fall they sowed it with seeds of coniferous trees, mainly pine. God blessed the elder’s labors and care. Now, after a long time, a tall forest has formed from the pine seeds. Thus, the silent monastery again became closed with a continuous living fence. A lover of the forest and nature in general, Elder Macarius also had the desire to plant and planted cedar trees inside the monastery, near the eastern fence, from which over time a cedar grove was formed. In this grove in former times, in good summer weather, on the twelve holidays, in the afternoon, all the hermits, led by the skete leader Hieromonk Hilarion, who had previously been the cell attendant of Elder Macarius, ate tea. The overgrown large cedar trees bore and still bear fruit – beautiful nuts. Only in recent years have squirrels coming from the forest begun to eat them. The large planter 111 adjacent to the cedar grove was annually cleared of silt and foliage falling into it from the surrounding trees under Elder Macarius. In this planter there were, as they are now, crucian carp, which are occasionally caught for the hermitage meal. Speaking about the love of Elder Macarius for visible nature, it would not be sinless to keep silent about the fact that the elder was always transferred in thought from objects of visible nature to spiritual objects. So, for example, he wrote to his Sevsk nieces: “The weather is beautiful; spring flaunts, dresses the trees in their splendid beauty; and the singers sing, praise the Creator and sing about their freedom. And we, passionate ones, how can we sing the song of the Lord in a foreign land full of thorns and thistles? Even though we eat; but one can say: I sing and do not understand (cf. Ps. 100:2). Glory to God’s long-suffering!” Or again: “We planted dahlias on the 18th (May), and now a variety of tulips, gillyflowers and small margaritas are blooming. All this is God’s creation, given for the service of man and for consolation. Glory to His mercy and all-wise Providence for us in everything!” Or: “It’s raining with thunder, and the sun is shining again. The weather is favorable. Jasmines are in full bloom and dahlias are blooming. How could we try to decorate our spiritual garden with the flowers of virtues, fragrant with humility!” Also: “Every day I have many feathered guests. There is a shelf attached to the window, and various grains are poured in. Various kinds of birds arrive: titmice, sparrows, fireweeds (small gray woodpeckers), jays and others. And each one feeds in its own way. Natural science is in nature, and creative power and wisdom are visible.” Written in winter, in December. Or here’s another: “After three days of inclement weather, clear and good weather has now arrived; and at night there was a slight frost. The plants will come to life. We have a beautiful green carpet spread across our monastery, and the trees are getting ready to bloom. Just let God save them from the frost; and the kidney is strong. The greenery in the field is beautiful and makes the farmer happy. Glory and thanksgiving to the Lord! Oh, that our hearts would bear spiritual fruit, and even more befitting our calling, and would look for that pearl for which we left the world! Be like the Kingdom of God to a merchant looking for good beads, and so on (Matthew 13:45). Is this what we are looking for? ABOUT! Woe to our age and our meager monasticism! “You are the light of the world,” said the Lord (Matthew 5:14). But if this light is darkened, then how much more is the darkness (Matthew 6:23). What will happen? What sedition, rebellion, quarrels, acquisitions and other temptations we have! The world, seeing this, is not only tempted, but also pleases itself. Of course, there is no need to despair and regret leaving the world. God is able to save by inducing involuntary sorrows, as it was said to Pachomius the Great that God is able to extract from the pit and save through sorrows. And how John of Carpathia pleases the monks more than the laity. However, there is no need to be daring and indulge in carelessness.” May 3: “The weather is cloudy and there will be a little rain. The poor bee is declining; no matter how much they fed her, it would have been better to find everything herself, but she couldn’t fly out. I feel sorry for her; but what to do? All this, apparently, is for our sins. I look at myself and at the past time of my life, I see that I have done nothing good for myself, but I have accumulated a lot of sins. One should complain, grieve and cry about the wrath of the Lord; but instead I indulge in teaching others: I write and speak without having done this myself. But the Lord commanded to create first, and then teach (cf. Acts 1:1). And the apostle writes: Do not have many teachers (James 3:1). And these words also befit me: to the sinner God said: forever will you tell My justifications and accept My covenant with your lips (Ps. 49:16)? What should I do? There is little time left. The hour of death is unknown; and I am careless. Pray for me, the worst, so that the rest of my life may end in peace and repentance, and I will be honored with a Christian end of my life, painless, peaceful, shameless, and a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ. Everyone should have constant care about this; Yes, our passions darken our meaning and lead us to empty dreams, which instead of joy cause sorrow and instead of benefit - spiritual harm. Whoever of us has anything from such people, let him strive from now on to make a beginning for correction with self-reproach and God’s help” 112. But let us return to the main subject and continue our conversation about the external improvement of the monastery and, in general, the entire monastery through the efforts and assistance of Elder Macarius. In the last years of the life of Elder Macarius, as a result of his diligence and the diligence of benefactors who were disposed towards him, some buildings were built in the monastery: a wooden fence was built around the monastery on a stone foundation and with intermediate stone pillars. Laid in 1857, instead of the dilapidated wooden ones, the new stone Holy Gates with a stone bell tower above them were completed the following year, 1858; a large bell weighing thirty pounds was hung. Until that time, there was no bell tower, and small bells hung on wooden poles near the church porch 113. The buildings with cells located on both sides of the Holy Gate are lined on the outside with brick, plastered and covered with sheet iron. The other fraternal buildings at that time were covered partly with planks, and partly with tiles, but now they are all covered with iron. The main benefactor was the famous breeder Maltsov. In the same 1858, also with the help of benefactors who were kind to the elder, a new wooden fraternal meal with adjacent services was built instead of the dilapidated one. And the meal itself was arranged at the expense of Maltsov’s managing breeder, Iustin Andreevich Andreev. At the same time, it was covered with iron, and everything else with tiles. It is worth noting that this manager had such zeal for Elder Macarius that he often came to him. And one day he gave the elder three thousand rubles in credit notes, asking him to accept this money as a donation to the monastery. But the elder convinced this God-lover to take them back, saying that he himself would need them. Indeed, this money soon came in handy for the manager, because he was dismissed from his position for something and remained without a job for a long time, supported by this money. During the last year in the life of Elder Macarius, in 1860, on the eastern side of the monastery, opposite the altar of the Church of the Baptist, a stone foundation was laid in his presence for a new wooden building with fraternal cells and a mezzanine for placing a skete library, in favor of which the elder, before his death, bequeathed his cell library of selected spiritual books and manuscripts and a collection of portraits of holy men and shepherds located in his cell and archpastors who shone with their exploits and teachings 114. In the same year, the new bell tower and the Holy Gates, according to the thoughts and instructions of Elder Macarius, were painted on the outside and inside with sacred images. And this was the last fruit of his constant concern for the external improvement and splendor of his beloved monastery. This monastery, having owed so much to Elder Macarius for its external improvements, owes mainly to his care for the addition of full-time monastic vacancies in the monastery. This event, important for the skete in its significance and consequences, took place due to the benevolent attention paid to the elder of Moscow Metropolitan Philaret, with his direct participation. According to the highest resolution of the Holy Synod, approved on the ninth day of February 1857, it is allowed: “To add 12 monastic and 12 novice vacancies to the monastic staff, so that with this additional number the lack of brethren in the Baptist Skete existing in this Hermitage will be replenished.” This act is important, firstly, because through it the highest spiritual authorities confirmed the existence of the monastery at Optina Hermitage, which was originally built with the blessing of the diocesan bishop; and secondly, by the fact that from that time on the monastery brethren could no longer be subjected to blessed reproaches from the monastery brotherhood for filling staff vacancies, for which there were always enough applicants due to the comfortable state of the monastery. These states, however, as is known, were destroyed soon after this event. Through the prayers of Elder Macarius, the Lord showed another great benefit to the Optina monastery. It is known that during his lifetime Elder Macarius tried to provide for the monastery financially, so that he would not burden the monastery with his frequent demands. At the same time, according to the late abbot Mark, Father Macarius was far from the idea of ​​making the monastery completely independent of the monastery, recognizing at the same time the primacy of the abbot of the monastery over it and the legality of his orders, which were not to the detriment of the monastery. But in his humility, the elder could hardly imagine that his efforts to provide for the monastery would ever come true. The merciful Lord, always ready to fulfill the good desires of His faithful servants, deigned to fulfill the desires and efforts of the elder Macarius. One of the lovers of Christ in general and personally towards the elder, the landowner Ilya Ivanovich Polugarsky, dying in 1858, according to his spiritual will, refused for his commemoration in favor of the Optina Hermitage monastery a sufficient amount of money so that it could be used to purchase a plot of land, the annual income from which would be used for the maintenance of the monastery. They entrusted the execution of this to their wife, Maria Pavlovna Polugarskaya. Soon a grove was bought in the name of the monastery, about ten versts from it, which the monastery uses to this day. Chapter 9. A general view of the great significance of Elder Macarius as an elder. About the revelation of thoughts to the elders (in women's monasteries - to the elders). Mutual spiritual relations between Elder Macarius and the Optina brethren, both skete and monastic, headed by the abbot, and their good consequences All external improvements to the monastery, with the diligent assistance of the blessed memory of Elder Macarius, of course, have their price, are commendable, and even necessary. For monks are not disembodied angels, and therefore, while actively caring for the salvation of their souls, they also need external modest amenities befitting the monastic rank. By the way, they do not deny themselves care and better external amenities, if they have the opportunity, especially with the help of God-loving benefactors, who have not all been transferred to Orthodox Russia. And this mainly in all monastic monasteries relates to the decoration of the churches of God, which decoration is desirable and undertaken by the monks not so much for themselves as for the sake of visitors, on whose souls church decoration has a beneficial effect. And this is also what all Orthodox Christians should remember and never forget: to whom should we dedicate the treasures of nature if not to their Creator and Lord? With all this, as we know, no brilliant external environment is sufficient to eradicate passions from a heart infected by them and to improve a person in spiritual life. And just as a sick body needs a doctor and physical healing, so a soul suffering from sinful habits needs a doctor and spiritual healing. Or in other words: we need a leader in spiritual life, wise with life experience, who can apply grace-filled healing to sinful wounds and heal them. Elder Macarius fit this high calling perfectly. This is how his contemporary the hermit Hieromonk Leonid (Kavelin) writes about him: “Where can I find words to describe the influence of the elder on each individual person - his ability to lead everyone to the same goal in different ways, depending on the difference in characters, abilities and spiritual structure, his pastoral and fatherly love for everyone in general and for everyone in particular, condescension towards the weak and repentant, severity towards the self-indulgent and contradictory, the ability to console with a single word, to please with a glance or blessing, to encourage a small but precious (because it was given on time) attention, to encourage the worker to greater work, cutting off harmful vanity, to restore the lazy to work without reproach and anger, to support the despondent, to keep the ardent from jealousy beyond reason, from seeking spiritual gifts before cleansing from passions, vision before action, mental prayer before action on passions and thoughts? Who among those who treated the elder did not experience for himself that, according to the Apostle, he knew how to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (Rom. 12:15), knew how to be all things, that he might save everyone (1 Cor. 9:22), leading to Christ the Chief Shepherd? About him, without hesitation, we can say the same thing that was said about the great ascetic of the same name, Abba Macarius of Egypt: “He, like God, covers everyone with love.” 116 As a result of these God-loving qualities of Elder Macarius, all his spiritual children, and above all the skits closest to him at their place of residence, had complete faith and deep filial devotion to him. The above-mentioned contemporary of Elder Macarius testifies to this as follows: “The power of his love attracted everyone’s hearts to him so much that we were ready not to leave him in order to enjoy his bright sight and the sweet conversation of his gracious lips.” And all this disposed each brother to a sincere, according to the tradition of the holy fathers, revelation of conscience to him, consisting in frequent and, if possible, even daily and at the same time pure confession to the elder not only of all deeds and actions, but also of the subtlest thoughts and mental attacks, 118 receiving from him advice and instructions on how to resist that restless internal battle waged by invisible enemies with the soldiers of Christ. For, according to the Scripture, our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, and against the powers, and against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12). Due to this attitude of Elder Macarius towards his closest disciples, the doors of his cell were open to them at all times. Each of them could freely enter to see him without the report of his cell attendants, without fear of arriving at the wrong time or disturbing the elder with his arrival. His cell attendant, who lived with Elder Macarius for twenty years, once said that he never saw the elder express displeasure at any of the brethren for untimely arrival, not even excluding the hour that he, tired from his work, used for a short afternoon rest. As a child-loving father, he was only worried about one thing - if for a long time he did not see one of those who constantly treated him. Opening the door, everyone who came, according to the generally accepted custom in the monasteries, had to say the Jesus Prayer. The door leading from the corridor to the old man's hallway, when it opened, creaked on its rusty hinges. It was only by this creaking that the elder learned about the arrival of a visitor and immediately went out to him, leaving his cell work. But one day the cell attendants, bored with the creaking of the door, decided to grease it with oil in the absence of the elder. The next day, the elder, not hearing the usual creaking, became alarmed: “Who ruined my door?” – he asked the cell attendants. They admitted that they did it intentionally. “Fix it! Fix it now! Let it be the same." There was nothing to be done, I had to remove the door from its hinges. They carefully wiped off the oil, and the door began to creak again, announcing to the old man that they were coming and thereby replacing the speakers. Having touched on the revelation of thoughts, it would not be out of place to say how Elder Macarius looked at this very important matter 119. Namely: A. How can one reveal one’s thoughts to an elder (or in women’s monasteries, to elders) for spiritual benefit? So he wrote to one nun: “If the sister about whom you are writing agrees to accept your thoughts, then I advise you to explain it to her, but not with a simple story, but in the form of repentance. And the Lord is able to prosper you.” In another place: “Having arranged, with the help of God, for herself to reveal her thoughts to Mother G, she must observe this with faith and humility and the fear of God, speaking not in simple conversation, but with shame and self-consciousness. And God, according to your faith, will give a word that will serve to strengthen you and liberate you from passions and calm your conscience.” B. What fruit is sought through proper revelation of thoughts and what is useless revelation? “Your revelation, written to me, is as it should be. But I asked you, are you getting any benefit? Do you have contrition of heart, pain about it, and do you come to humility? Do you also feel the silence from these storms? This is the essential benefit of revelation; as it is written in the word of Saint Cassian to Leontin the abbot: “The very thing that shows and reveals evil thoughts to the father, they wither and the weakest creates.” This is what we have learned from many experiments. It is possible to open it uselessly, if it is equal, painless and instead of a simple story, which does not bring shame or benefit, but can still harm another passionate woman. That’s why I asked you about the benefits, whether you feel them” 120. Q. “But which thoughts to reveal and which to keep silent about? – Elder Macarius wrote to another person. – In the discourse on the revelation of thoughts that one should reveal to one’s fathers, they teach that one should reveal all sorts of chilling thoughts, but those that pass by and are insignificant should not be spoken about and time should be wasted in vain. Yes, this is already cowardice. And you won’t have time for anything, but only talk about your thoughts. This is also a network of enemy. Don't obey her. Time of battle, experience and instruction will show you what you should do in such a case.” D. With all this, neither a solitary life, nor the very revelation of thoughts without other benefits is strong enough to save a person from the passions of dishonor. The elder wrote to the same person: “You think you will find peace in your cell, but you are deceived. Read about this John's answer to question 313 in the book of Barsanuphius, page 292 121. Do you want to find peace without sorrow? Passions will not give you peace. And you still have no idea how to fight and resist them. You just think that you will write to me about all your thoughts and thereby calm down. No, that's not enough. And it is necessary, in the event of a rebellion of passions, to have a closer means of healing. And your main passion is spiritual pride. It’s from her that all the trouble comes—both the confusion and the charm.” D. What kind of medicine are these? “Try to live with the cutting off of your will and reason, as the holy fathers teach us: Saint John Climacus (Degrees 1 and 4), Saint Abba Dorotheos, Saint Simeon the New Theologian, Saint Theodore of Edessa and others. Accepting their teaching in your mind, try to implement it in action. But even here, beware of the opinion about yourself that you are already doing as you should. This is sowing, and the fruit sought is humility. From obedience comes humility, writes Saint John Climacus. However, we must know that the enemies of our salvation hate those who are in obedience and try to turn them away from it. They try either to destroy the fruit of obedience with their opinion of themselves, or to completely turn them away from it. And if you feel these within yourself, do not become stubborn in revealing and exposing the machinations of the enemy. Convicted, they run away, writes Saint Cassian to Abbot Leontinus.” E. When cutting off one’s will and reason, the elder offers other remedies against pride: “Monastic life,” he writes, “requires temptation in order for us to know our weakness and our structure. We are shown the way by the Savior Himself - a good yoke and a light burden - rejection of one’s will and mind (but, in your opinion, these leaders are bad!). You are crying that your sister is being assigned to N. and will not live with you; and yet you and her do not agree on anything in morals and actions. And you, in my opinion, need to renounce your will and reason to overcome your passions... I’m not saying that in front of M., but even in front of my sister, that’s good. And you think to be content only with the revelation of the mother abbess. This alone is not enough. If you open your wounds, you need medicine for them: reproach, annoyance, reproach, ridicule and other troubles for pride and pride-medicine, which you will not have; but you will deceive yourself that you live with revelation.” G. To cleanse oneself from passions, the Jesus Prayer is also needed, but only verbally and at the direction of experienced ones, for with an opinion about oneself, prayer itself cannot have the proper direction without the instructions of an elder. The words of the elder to the same person: “You ask for blessings to pray more often. I do not forbid anyone to pray: prayer brings us many benefits. But I am afraid to betray high prayer, so as not to fall into delusion, but to call upon the name of Jesus verbally, and during the deepening of passions one must pray to the Lord. And with the opinion that the enemy puts into the minds of the inexperienced, the thought says that you prayed little, so humble yourself. And when you pray a lot, he will tell you that you are doing well. You ask about the end of prayer and cite the words of John Climacus that night prayer sanctifies our daytime activities. Is it going to suit you? And to whom is this said? As in everything, so in this too, ask Mother M. to instruct you: she sees your structure and will tell you something useful. You will pray at night, but you will judge her for not getting up to pray, and you will make yourself feel better about her.” Z. The elder still talks about the inadequacy of prayer and reading books (of course, the patristic books) in the matter of spiritual improvement and again reduces his thought to the need to endure sorrows: “You keep getting carried away with your prayer corrections, but what benefit have you found? I read a lot, and then my mind became dark, but I need to divide my time between everything. We are made up of spirit and flesh and must give each our own work. And you do nothing; That’s why you fall into such a confused state. You definitely need to do something, that is, handicrafts and some kind of obedience, so that you can get some push from the outside to recognize your weakness and to humility. A good rule is fasting and studying in the scriptures; but this is cultivating the land and sowing; and when will the fruit of patience, humility, love and other things come to fruition? And how will you acquire them without communicating with anyone?” The soul of an inexperienced ascetic is blind. And therefore the elder writes to his disciple explanations on certain subjects relating to spiritual life. Since these explanations are very useful and interesting for those striving for salvation, it seems appropriate to acquaint readers with them. So he wrote to the same person: “You ask how to purify passions? And what is passion? And how should you look more often into the depths of your heart? What kind of passions will you purify when you don’t even know what passion is? And how to enter into the depths of your heart? This is a tall question! There are many passions in us, but there are three main ones: love of fame, love of voluptuousness and love of money; and from these there are five more, about which Saints Cassian and Nile of Sora write in detail and how to resist them. Saint Isaac also wrote a lot about the passions and other fathers. How do you want to enter the depths of your heart when it is littered with logs, stones, brushwood, rubbish, cobwebs and dust? To enter into the depths of the heart means that there will not be a speck of dust. First, throw away the large things: logs, stones, brushwood, and then remove the cobwebs, and then you will also sweep away the dust 122. And you, having read that you need to go into the depths of your heart, already go there. The Holy Fathers write: “There is a fierce betrayal of the novice.” I’ll also tell you a simpler example: our heart is the earth; and the thorns are the passions with which it is overgrown. So it is necessary to pluck up the thorns every day, although little by little you try to clear the ground and then sow good seeds. They will also bear fruit. Otherwise the thorns will crush them and they will perish. The holy prophet David also teaches: turn away from evil and do good 123. And by not avoiding evil, it is clear that he will not take advantage of good. You start by rejecting your will and mind, and you will find the true path. You want spiritual work; and it consists in the rejection of will and reason. You say: I have no reasoning. However, you soon decided to acquire such a high talent. Read in the 7th Degree of Cassian, in his letter to Abbot Leontinus, how it is acquired: “True reasoning does not come unless from true humility.” You do not have humility, but with pride you want to have reasoning. You write about your doubt about eating a meal once and not eating in the evening, and you think by this refinement of the flesh your thoughts will be refined and that you will have more attention to your salvation. And if you are wrong, what happens? You keep climbing to heights, but do not condescend to humility. If you eat a small meal in the evening, your mind will not be darkened, but will be more humble. And in this, surrender to the will of the old woman, who sees your dispensation. You want to suddenly ascend to heaven, but the elders say: “If you see a young man flowing to heaven, stop his foot.” You are not young in years, but in mind. Read from Saint John Climacus in the 4th Degree the 118th chapter about those who untimely seek great corrections - what he writes. And read this entire Degree more carefully - and you will find the benefits of obedience. To your question about the bathhouse, you don’t go to the bathhouse. Little virtue. But if you are arrogant and judge others, then there is no benefit. Beware of dreaming about your chastity. Remember that even the virgins did not enter the Palace of Heaven without oil in their lamps. Passions possess you to the fullest extent, and even more so the passion of pride. You lived in the world, based your salvation on one fulfillment of the rule and on fasting; but you didn’t think at all about morality, and the passions in you slept; and when you went out on a quest, they became excited and rebelled against you. Although the right way of fighting passions and winning over them helps you - rejection of your will and mind and true obedience; but the enemy, on the contrary, arms you against these saving actions, as it is written by Saint Theodore of Edessa in chapter 40 and further, about which I have written to you many times and personally suggested them. You, having accepted his evil advice, see the opposite in M.; and when you resisted (this evil advice), you write that you received peace. From this you must henceforth be experienced” 124. Speaking about the proper revelation of thoughts, Elder Macarius, as we see, tried in every possible way to incline his disciple to humility. Let us note at the same time that correct revelation should naturally lead a person who follows this path to self-knowledge, or a correct view of his great sinfulness and worthlessness, and through this to humility. In fact, with careful attention to himself, a person sees that his entire previous life was spent in sins, that yesterday he sinned before the Lord in this and that, and now again the same and the same, and tomorrow nothing better can be expected, and so on and so forth. Involuntarily, he must come to a humble opinion about himself, expressed in the fourth sacramental prayer: “I am the abyss of sin and am not worthy, I am content to look and see the heights of heaven from the multitude of my sins, of which there is no number.” This is why Elder Macarius tried to guide all his spiritual children, citing in his letters and, no doubt, in personal interviews the words of St. Peter of Damascus: “Then the mind begins to see its sins - like the sand of the sea, and this is the beginning of the enlightenment of the soul and a sign of its health” 125. From all of the above, one can see that the relationship of the spiritual children to Elder Macarius, as well as his to them, was correct, in agreement with the teaching of the holy fathers on this matter. It was precisely because of the God-loving qualities of his soul that all his conscientious spiritual children had complete faith in him, which forced them to be true to him in words, deeds and revelation of thoughts, or to express them purely and without concealment. And the elder, for his part, taught them to cut off their will and reason, and naturally all contradictions and disputes should have been rejected. Nevertheless, this was directed towards one saving goal - the acquisition of spiritual fruits: patience, humility and others. There were also those who, having entrusted themselves to the spiritual guidance of the elder, at the same time wanted to live and act according to their own will and often contradicted him. The elder left such people to walk according to the will of his heart, so that their very apostasy would punish them (cf. Jer. 2:19). To a novice who asked the elder about something slyly, with the desire to fulfill his will, the latter answered: “As you wish.” And they repeated this with patience in response to all subsequent excuses from the culprit until the culprit sincerely recognized his guilt and, repenting, asked the elder sincerely: “What do you advise me, father? I leave it to your will: as God tells you to say, I will try to fulfill it with the help of your holy prayers.” Then the elder taught the necessary advice. Using the gift of foresight given to him by God, he sometimes warned unauthorized people against the dangers that threatened them. “Do as you know,” he said to another, “but just make sure that something like this doesn’t happen to you.” And the elder’s words were always justified in practice. In general, in relation to all those who temporarily deviated from the path of revelation due to the influence of the enemy, the long-suffering elder wisely waited until any temptation, external or internal, befell one of them. Then, having listened, he admonished and consoled the one who came to him, saying: “Behold, this has befallen you because you turned aside in the shueya. Ah, brother, brother! Judge, do I need your revelation? The enemy does not like this path as the correct and shortest path to salvation. According to the testimony of the holy fathers - Abba Dorotheus, Theodore of Edessa and many others, he not only does not like the revelation of thoughts, but even cannot stand the very voice with which it is pronounced. That is why he is trying in every possible way to distract you from this. Although I am sinful, unreasonable and weak mentally and physically, I do not deny to those who seek with faith consolation (in sorrows) and spiritual benefit, to say what God will give to my darkened mind for their benefit, and to be in this an instrument of His merciful Fatherly Providence, even though I am unworthy. If you seek and accept my words with faith, then you will receive benefit through the sinner. But if without faith or with doubt and testing, analysis of words and actions, then, even if he were righteous, there can be no benefit. You know this from the writings of your fathers, and have experienced it in practice. I say this not reproaching you, but confirming what was before” 126. With such and similar words, the elder would comfort and encourage the guilty person, so that he would leave his cell, not remembering himself with joy, thanking God that he had returned to the right path, and at the same time reproaching himself and repenting that he had temporarily departed from this path under the influence of the enemy’s treachery. However, Elder Macarius did not always treat the brethren so quietly and meekly. There were cases when he acted not only strictly, but also threateningly with some of them. And this was especially true when he noticed in someone close to him and who sincerely treated him that he was argumentative, disobedient, and generally proud, at least in a subtle form, and sometimes even as a test. Examples of this will follow. And now let us mention that the gracious elder Macarius not only cared about satisfying the spiritual needs of the brothers who cohabited with him, but also tried, if possible, to alleviate their external predicament. The skete novice Ilya Silaev (later the rector of Optina Pustyn, Archimandrite Dosifei) 127 told about himself to the elder about himself: “Coming from a peasant rank and having entered the monastery at a young age, I soon had to leave the monastery to serve the terrible military service in those old days. Having learned about my hopeless situation, the elder asked: “Do you want to leave the monastery?” With great sorrow, I answered him: “It would be better, father, for me to agree to die than to leave the monastery.” Then the elder took care of finding benefactors who donated a sufficient amount of money in order to pay off the soldiery.” The elder provided the same help to other novices if he saw in them a sincere desire for monastic life. As a monastery leader, Elder Macarius strictly observed both himself and the brotherhood entrusted to him with the power of his influence and supported the observance of the monastery rules. He himself was always present in the church of God during church services and went to meals with the brethren. In order not to be separated in any way from the other brethren and not to show special feats and his superiority over them, Elder Macarius, together with the brethren, went to the bathhouse to wash. But how did he wash? As soon as he enters, he rinses himself with water and is already on his way out. They will say to him: “Father, father! Why are you coming so soon?” “That’s enough, that’s enough,” he will answer. Then he will spit on his body, for example on his hand, and rub it with the other. “Nothing, nothing,” he will say, “okay, that’s enough.” That was the end of his ablution. Thus, by deed, the elder instructed his disciples to despise their own flesh, but he passed away 128. With the skill acquired by long-term experience, the elder himself distributed private obediences among the brethren and assigned cell classes to each according to his strength, abilities and spiritual disposition. He himself went into all the details of each case; resolved the perplexities, unpleasant clashes and embarrassments that arose during the passage of this or that obedience; admonished, instructed, encouraged, helping each brother both in word and deed. Each brother therefore saw and felt that the burden of his labors and sorrows was compassionately shared with him by his loving father and wise mentor. This made difficult obedience seem easy to those passing through. The elder himself often visited the cells of his disciples, and, as they noted, he always came at the right time, with a spiritual goal in mind - to console one, encourage another, support the discouraged, enlighten the foolish. Therefore, these visits shed peace and spiritual joy into the souls of those visited. After the departure of such a longed-for guest, it seemed that the brother’s very cell was filled with the fragrance of humility, which imprinted all the deeds and words of this truly wondrous man. As a spiritual mentor, Elder Macarius charged each of those related to him with the essential duty of explaining and confirming the spiritual advice received from him to engage in the reading of patristic books in his cell in his free time from obedience, and he himself assigned to each brother what to read, in accordance with the measure of his spiritual age, by no means allowing him to take up reading books on his own, according to everyone’s own choice. Novices, or novices who had newly entered the monastery, were first and foremost assigned to read the book of teachings of the Venerable Abba Dorotheos, calling it the “monastic alphabet,” since without mastering the rules contained in it, it is impossible to lay a solid foundation for monastic life. Then the elder taught and observed that none of his disciples was ever idle. And for this, he inspired them that, in addition to the monastic obedience determined for him, in order to get rid of despondency, he should engage in some kind of handicraft, which the holy fathers usually call “sharing,” pointing out the fatherly word that a monk busy with work fights only one demon, and an idle one fights many. Therefore, he brought into the monastery and supported various handicrafts with personal participation and encouragement: turning, bookbinding, case-making and spoon-making. Of these, the elder himself knew the first three. Those skilled in red writing were engaged in copying the patristic books according to the rules, in which the elder, as stated above, was also skilled. The elder supplied those who wanted to do handicrafts with materials, and those who worked brought him their products. Meanwhile, Father Macarius here, as elsewhere, had a spiritual goal, for through such a turn the love of material things was imperceptibly cut off among the brethren and carelessness was implanted. Those who brought their work to the elder received from him the so-called “consolation” in the monastic way as encouragement: some would have an octam or four of tea and a pound or two of sugar, some would sometimes have a handkerchief, a rosary, a book or something else. To understand the meaning of the word “consolation”, attached to such apparently unimportant things, one had to see how highly these gifts from the beloved and loving old man were valued even by gray-haired old men as a sign of his fatherly love and merciful attention. Meanwhile, through these small consolations, the brethren imperceptibly got used to being content with little and got used to self-restraint, which is of great importance in spiritual life. The elder usually gave the products brought by the brethren to the benefactors of the monastery, and sometimes he presented them to honorable persons who visited Optina Pustyn, both secular and spiritual. The attitude of Elder Macarius towards the monastery, as well as towards the monastery, was determined mainly by the arduous duty of a confessor and mentor. This responsibility was entrusted to him, as mentioned above, in 1836, during the lifetime of Elder Leonid, a man of ever-memorable spiritual gifts, experience and spiritual intelligence. As a result, Elder Macarius received from the Gospel all the brethren who were tonsured by the abbot, both skete and monastic. The elder accepted the monastic vows in the Optina Hermitage from 1839 to 1860, at the end of which he reposed in the Lord, sixty people 129 . Gifted by the Lord with spiritual intelligence, the elder instructed all his disciples with the words of the Holy Scriptures and fatherly teachings, deeply rooted in his pure mind and heart. Until his most blessed death, he tried mainly to maintain in the brotherhood the revelation of thoughts established by his predecessor, Elder Leonid, from which stems the preservation of conscience, rightly recognizing this work, as said above, as the basis for the internal improvement and order, and, consequently, the prosperity of the monastery 130. The humble Optina rector Archimandrite Moses himself was the first to set an example in this for the entire brotherhood. He treated Elder Macarius with deep respect and sincere love, being in unconditional spontaneous obedience to him, considering his every word as a law for himself, being at the same time deeply revered and loved by the elder. Father Macarius also observed that outward reverence and decency were preserved in the brotherhood, especially that the younger brothers pay due respect to the elders in fulfillment of the Lord’s commandment to honor parents, who should be considered in general all our elder neighbors, fathers and brothers, since the internal disposition of the soul is consistent with the external actions of those who have not cleansed their hearts of passions. Thus entering into all the circumstances of all the brethren, not excluding the abbot, the elder tried in every possible way to maintain peace, love and unanimity in all of them. Whenever the opportunity arises, following the example of his predecessor Elder Leonidas, he reminded everyone and everyone separately of the words of the Savior: of this all understand that you are My disciples, if you have love among one another (John 13:35). Of course, Father Macarius meant pure, spiritual love here. For he pursued every passionate movement in his disciples and female disciples in every possible way, as we will see below from the stories of some of the nuns who treated him. So he wrote to one of his nieces: “We are obliged to love everyone, but with the purest love, which calms us and does not cause embarrassment. Otherwise, it will be that we love the creature more than the Creator; whereas we must love our neighbor for the sake of God’s love. And you were carried away by partial, and not true love, which Saint Simeon the New Theologian prohibits in the 125th chapter and other fathers. Ask God to grant you to have access to them... equal love; and the difference and partiality from the enemy, which cannot hide, bothers you and them. Pray to God and give Him your heart; be filled with love for Him; and have peace with M.P. The Lord is able to protect you from the wiles of the enemy. Be peaceful and calm" 131. Teaching his disciples to observe all the commandments of the Lord set out in the Holy Gospel, Elder Macarius especially instructed them to take care of prioritizing self-reproach and humility, to bear the infirmities of their neighbors and to lay down their souls for their brothers, to valiantly endure the temptations that happen, that is, insults, reproaches, reproaches, annoyances; and also courageously endure with thanksgiving the various temptations found in the body: ailments, illnesses, cruel and bitter temporary sufferings for the sake of the eternal salvation of their souls. As a result of such mutual relations between the elder and the brethren, the time of Father Macarius’s eldership in the Optina Hermitage, especially towards the end of his life (1854–1860), according to the stories of the aforementioned abbot Mark, was truly a blessed time, a golden age for the monastery due to the established internal order among the fraternity through the senile and specifically paternal influence of the elder on the external and internal life of the brethren, despite their apparent disunity according to their rank and condition. All this God-gathered brotherhood truly represented one like-minded family, rising from strength to strength in relation to monastic perfection. If one of those entering the monastery began to deviate from the rules established by the elders, which have just been mentioned, he could no longer get along among the Optina unanimous brotherhood and moved to another monastery according to his taste. Remembering this blessed time, Elder Macarius’s successor, Elder Ambrose, during a personal meeting with Abbot Mark, repeatedly said: “We should consider it a blessing that we lived under such great elders as Father Archimandrite Moses, his brother Father Abbot Anthony, and Elder Father Macarius.” About the future and significance of the eldership in the Optina Hermitage, Father Macarius expressed himself as follows: “The eldership in the Optina Hermitage will be more or less supported until the powers are revealed in it.” But whose relics are known only to the Lord alone. Chapter 10. The relationship of Elder Macarius, in particular, to some of the Optina brethren - skete and monastery It should be said that the humble and loving elder Father Macarius treated all the brethren, both skete and monastic, both senior and junior, with the same fatherly love and caring. But he showed special favor to those of the brothers who led a more attentive life. The elder distinguished such people from the rest of the brothers. According to the stories of old-time monks, he showed some preference to the hermits over those who lived in the monastery, no doubt because he saw in them a greater inclination towards spiritual life. The elder also had great affection for some of his spiritual children who were devoted to him, but who were in some way weak. Thus, a mother’s heart is usually more inclined to love and pity in relation to her small, sickly children. Of the skete ascetics contemporary to Elder Macarius, Hieromonk Ambrose is known, his successor in eldership, whom Father Macarius, according to Abbot Mark, treated as his dearest son in Christ and his confidante. It happened more than once that Elder Macarius, due to circumstances, left the skete somewhere for a while. In this case, he entrusted the spiritual care of the brotherhood to no other person than Father Ambrose. The aforementioned abbot Mark told about himself: “I arrived in Optina Pustyn in 1854, when Father Macarius was an elder there. Having explained to him the reasons for my desire to enter the monastery, I told him all the circumstances of my life and asked for his holy blessing for my monastic feat. Having blessed me and pointing to the cell of Father Ambrose, the elder said: “Go to him; there is his cell!” From then on, I began to regard Father Ambrose as an elder.” The same abbot Mark also said: “You used to enter a monastery and meet Elder Macarius with a bunch of letters addressed to him; and he used to take this heap to Father Ambrose too.” Without a doubt, Father Macarius was fully confident that Father Ambrose, due to his spiritual experience, would be able to answer these letters and give useful advice to those in need, despite the fact that he was still in middle age at that time. “I once had to,” said nun Tatiana (Ivanova) of the Belevsky convent, “to complain to Father Elder Macarius about Father Ambrose. The elder answered impressively: “Be silent, be silent! If you knew who Ambrose would be!...” The mentioned Father Mark once complained about the fear that with the death of Elder Macarius, the eldership in Optina Hermitage would become scarce and might even cease altogether. Consoling him, the elder said: “Nothing. There will be others better than me." Of course, he had in mind his successor, Father Ambrose, who, with his weak physical strength, spent more than thirty years as an elder in the Optina Hermitage and whose fame at one time spread throughout Orthodox Rus'. With all this, following the words of the Holy Scripture: punish your son, and he will love you (cf. Proverbs 29:17), as well as the instructions of the holy ascetic fathers, Elder Macarius, on opportune occasions, dealt with his beloved spiritual son, his father Ambrose, in a threatening and demanding manner. One day he simply, without ceremony, kicked him out of his cell for an unmerciful lady, whom, however, he himself had not accepted for a long time. There have been other cases similar to this many times. During the life of Elder Macarius, there were many in the monastery and other ascetics, old monks, to whom he had special favor. Such, for example, was Hieromonk Innocent (in schema Job) 132, the confessor of Elder Macarius himself, a worker and lover of silence, who during his eighteen-year stay in the monastery never entered into idle conversations with anyone and generally avoided conversations. Next to him in a special cell lived the sick monk Macarius (Gruzinov) 133 . It was with this sick monk that Father Innocent had an interview in the evenings, and only about spiritual subjects. Whatever edifying things he read from spiritual books during the day, he sometimes retold to the sick Father Macarius. As the hieromonk and confessor of Elder Macarius, Father Innocent occupied a prominent position in the monastery, but out of his humility and love for his neighbors, he himself expressed a desire to serve the sick Father Macarius instead of a cell attendant and performed this duty with great zeal until his very death, which caused the sick man he left behind inexpressible grief. Just before his death, when Father Innocent was already in extreme exhaustion, to the question of one of the older brothers: “Would you like anything, father?” - he, having gathered the last remnant of his strength, answered with emphasis: “I wish... to be resolved... and to be with Christ” 134. After which he died soon after. Also especially remarkable in the monastery was the former Valaam abbot Varlaam 135, a solitary man, a doer of the noetic Jesus Prayer, who shed copious tears, as evidenced by the eyelids of his eyes, swollen and devoid of eyelashes, and, moreover, an extreme non-possessor. There was absolutely nothing in his cell, and the cell door was never locked. Regarding the death of this ascetic and several other elderly Optina monks, Elder Macarius wrote with regret to one person: “I feel sorry for the old people, especially Father Varlaam. It feels empty without them. Young people are good with old people.” Of the younger skete monks, Father Macarius was especially attentive to those who had received a good education in secondary or higher educational institutions, who, however, humbled themselves and were in unquestioning obedience to him. Of these, mention can be made of the monk Juvenalia (later Archbishop of Vilna) 136. In the world he was called Ivan Andreevich Polovtsev. He received his education at the Artillery School and served briefly in military service. In March 1849, he entered the Optina monastery as a novice under the care of Elder Macarius, who at that time was widely known for his high moral qualities and holiness of life. It would not be out of place, I think, to place here an interesting story by Bishop Juvenaly about his first stay in the monastery. “Some relatives,” he told his nephew A.V. Polovtsev, “persuaded my second brother, Alexander, to come to me in order to extract me from Optina Pustyn. He came to me and said: “Brother Mikhail lost money at cards. But his estate, Staraya Moyna, is a goldmine. I sold the house and could pay off my brother’s debts; but for this it is necessary for Moyna to have an honest manager who would conduct business there for three years. Then I would get my money back, and Brother Mikhail would have a decent fortune left.” Listening to this, I thought: the devil has come up with some trick, but it won’t work. I said that without the elder’s blessing I would not dare to do anything. We went to Father Macarius, who received us in a small room that served as his reception room. Alexander spoke eloquently about the benefits that I could bring to my family, about the need for a manager in Moina, and so on. “Yes, look for it,” said Father Macarius. “We found him,” he answered, pointing at me. - No. You want to take a part from God. This is not possible. You have other brothers. And then the elder asked me: “Why are you silent, Ivan Andreevich? How do you think about this?” I don't literally remember what I answered; but the meaning was that I refuse. Alexander was very upset. Hegumen Moses fed him a decent dinner and kept him busy. We agreed that I would come to his hotel after rest. But Alexander was so upset that he left without waiting for me and even forgot to give me the bookbinding tool that my mother sent me.” “Alexander Andreevich (adds the author-nephew), repeatedly conveying this story to me, reported at the same time an interesting detail concerning Elder Macarius. Before seeing his brother Ivan, who was working somewhere in the garden, Alexander Andreevich sat for some time in the cell of Father Macarius, to whom he only told that he had come to see his brother, without mentioning the real purpose of his visit. To the surprise of Alexander Andreevich, Elder Macarius began to talk to him about Louis Blanc and about all sorts of events that were taking place in France at that time. In a conversation with his brother Ivan, Alexander Andreevich later asked: - Do you make newspapers? - Why do you think? - Ivan Andreevich objected. - Well, Macarius talked to me about the latest events in France. - Yes, you probably read the newspaper when you came here? - Read. So what? “So Elder Macarius told you exactly what you were thinking about.” He read your thoughts. We're used to it. He very often does not ask those who come to him why they came, but directly says what needs to be done to help the grief. I recorded the following story about this gift of Elder Macarius from the words of Archbishop Juvenal: a man brought to him his demon-possessed son, who fell to the ground in convulsions. “Why did you curse him?” - said Macarius without any questions about the illness. “Yes, that was a long time ago,” the man objected. “A long time ago,” answered Father Macarius” (A.V. Polovtsev) 137. Living for a considerable time under Elder Macarius, Father Juvenaly was always in strict, unconditional obedience to him. Here is an example of one, apparently unimportant, but still typical case. One day, Father Yuvenaly was drinking tea at the elder’s teahouse with his cell attendants. But then the door opens, an old man appears and calls: “Juvenaliy!” Father Yuvenaly had a little unfinished tea left on his saucer, maybe two or three sips, but he, without thinking at all, immediately left his tea drinking and was about to go to the elder. Noticing this, the elder smiled and told him to finish his tea first. Eight years after entering the monastery, Father Juvenaly, elevated to the rank of hieromonk, together with another hieromonk, Father Leonid (Kavelin), by the will of the highest authorities, was assigned to go to Palestine to the Jerusalem mission. And so, when the time came for him to leave the monastery, Father Macarius brought him to church and ordered him to venerate the holy icons, and at that time he himself sang in his old, but pleasant voice: “Now do You let Your servant go, Master, according to Your word, in peace...”. Father Isaac 138 began to play the skete bass for him. Their singing was so pleasant that it deeply touched the nomads who had gathered and stood here, whose hearts were already predisposed to sad feelings due to separation from a brother who was separated from his family. Afterwards, bidding farewell to Father Juvenaly, the elder said: “Here we now see each other for the last time.” In Palestine, Father Yuvenaly, due to unexpected circumstances, wanted to return back to the Optina monastery a year later and began to ask Father Macarius for blessings for this, but the elder convinced him to serve as long as he had the strength. That's why he stayed there for another two years. Finally, at his urgent request, the elder allowed him to return, but he no longer found the elder alive. Among the younger hermits, Elder Macarius was also especially favored by the aforementioned monk Leonid, who traveled with Father Juvenaly to the Jerusalem mission (later archimandrite, vicar of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra) 139 . In the world he was called Lev Alexandrovich Kavelin, descended from pious and noble parents; He was educated in the cadet corps and served for some time in military service, and then retired and entered the brotherhood at the Optina monastery. Lev Alexandrovich had a natural flaw - strong temper. As a result, he sometimes insulted some of the brothers against their will. For this, the Optina monks did not like him. So, once, when the Belev nun Tatiana (Ivanova), a former serf of the Kavelins, in Optina Hermitage, some hierodeacon, in a conversation with her, even called him the swear word “Siberian”. Tatiana’s mother was under this impression in her hotel room. But a quarter of an hour after her conversation with the hierodeacon, Father Macarius comes to her and, turning to her, denounces her thoughts and says: “Tanya! So Leonid is Siberian? Well, don't be embarrassed. Here's a gingerbread for you." The elder denounced, and at the same time consoled. However, to the credit of Lev Alexandrovich it must be said that he had excellent spiritual qualities. He was a straightforward, kind-hearted and benevolent man. If sometimes he accidentally offended someone, then immediately after that he went to the offended person and asked him for forgiveness with earthly worship. The former estate of the Kavelins, the village of Griva, is located about ten versts from Optina Pustyn, and Elder Macarius went there every year. He had the habit, according to the aforementioned mother Tatiana, from Mrs. Kavelina, the mother of Father Leonid, to always stop by her sisters-in-law, about three miles away. Once in the summer, he went to them, accompanied by Father Leonid, on foot. A servant was sent with them from the Kavelins, who carried their clothes. Afterwards, this servant said that they talked all the way. He could not hear what their conversation was about, since he was ordered to walk away from them, but the faces of both of them at that time were so unusual that he followed them in some kind of fear. Subsequently, according to the testimony of the deceased Optina rector Archimandrite Dosifei, probably shortly before the death of Elder Macarius, Father Leonid, being in the rank of hieromonk, was his confessor for some time. These three persons - Hieromonk Ambrose and the monks Juvenaly and Leonid - under the direct supervision of Elder Macarius in his cell, were at one time engaged in the preparation for printing of some patristic books translated from Greek into Slavic by the famous elder, abbot of the Moldavian Neamets Monastery Paisius Velichkovsky. Another monk of the monastery, Pavel Stepanovich Pokrovsky (later Hieroschemamonk Platon), was added to this learned society. We also consider it useful to say a few words about this latter. Pavel Stepanovich, the son of a priest, graduated from a course of science at the Tambov Theological Seminary, where Elder Ambrose, who followed the course after him, was also educated. At the same time, Pavel Stepanovich was also a teacher at the Lipetsk Theological School. He was an intelligent man and a good Latinist 140 and therefore was a good assistant to others who worked under Elder Macarius in their book studies, but - not to say this as a condemnation - he was cowardly and addicted to worldly pleasures. In particular, while living in the world, he was fond of the violin, which he played very skillfully, and the game of cards, in which he was very happy. Although he sometimes thought about monasticism, he put it off day after day. And only cholera drove him into the monastery, almost, one might say, against his will. Therefore, the spiritually experienced and loving elder Macarius, who very well understood the position and spiritual disposition of Pavel Stepanovich, took all possible care of him and showed him great condescension in many ways. Arriving from the world to Optina Pustyn, Pavel Stepanovich first entered the monastery, where he served his obedience as an assistant to the monastery clerk; but, having lived here for two years, with the blessing of Elder Macarius, he moved to the monastery. For a long time he could not get used to monastic life. More than once he was embarrassed by the thought of even leaving the monastery completely. Therefore, almost every year in the summer, he asked the abbot for leave to his homeland to meet with his relatives, intending to leave and never return to the monastery. But the abbot, Archimandrite Moses, a wise man and ascetic, despite the fact that he kept the brotherhood in strictness, not allowing anyone to travel to their homeland unless absolutely necessary, always let Pavel Stepanovich go freely, so that some of the brothers envied him for this. The reason for such leniency was that the abbot saw in Pavel Stepanovich indecision and weak will towards monastic life. Thus, a skilled fisherman does not suddenly pull a large fish caught on the line to the shore, but gives it a certain weakening until it becomes weak. Pavel Stepanovich did not ride horses home, but always walked. And so, as soon as he would ask the abbot to go see his relatives, the abbot would even approve of his desire. He would say something like this: “Yes, it’s good to take a walk and get some air.” Having once approved of his desire to go to his relatives, the abbot said: “Yes, it seems that we should also give peas for the path.” “What kind of peas does he want to give me?” – thought Pavel Stepanovich. But the matter was soon clarified. Going to his cash drawer, the father abbot took out two rubles in small silver coins - in heels and, pouring them into his hand, said: “Well, brother, you can take some tea with sugar from here; and on the road you’ll ask where to put the samovar and you’ll pay a penny.” After each of these wanderings, Pavel Stepanovich, despite the thoughts that confused him at times to leave the Optina Hermitage, returned to Optina, where he was drawn especially by the love of the abbot and elder Macarius. And if the abbot always showed him kindred attention, like a father to his son, then the elder, in fairness, one can say, treated him like a wise, loving mother or a kind, God-fearing nanny. He watched every step of his spiritual son and knew when and what to advise him, encourage him, console him, and when to punish him for something. Pavel Stepanovich, as a gifted person, was often embarrassed by his thoughts of entering the academy to continue his education with the goal of eventually occupying the highest hierarchical position. But the wise and caring old man was always against this. Knowing the unstable character of Pavel Stepanovich, and at the same time the will of God for him, he did not want to let the fledgling chick out from under his wing, fearing harm to his morality 141. In addition, Pavel Stepanovich was troubled for a long time by memories of his former life. And the violin in particular bothered him for a long time. Whether he was going somewhere, whether he was standing in the church of God, whether he was fulfilling the obedience entrusted to him - this unbearable violin would sound above his ear with its endless magical tints. Mozart's, Beethoven's fantasies, polkas, mazurkas haunted him. Even in his sleep, he often pulled off such desperate plays that, upon waking up, he himself was surprised at his art, since in reality he had never played so skillfully. By the way, due to his inexperience, he considered all this a natural matter and was not too worried about these thoughts and ideas, not even counting them as a sin, and therefore did not reveal them to the elder. “At one time,” Father Platon (formerly Pavel Stepanovich) later said, “when I went to the elder, the violin music in particular overwhelmed me. All the way, with my imagination, I played various overtures, variations, etc. When I entered my father’s cell, he, like a perspicacious old man, greeted me with these words: “Why are you still playing?” What kind of polkas, waltzes, mazurkas are there? But in our opinion, here’s how...” And since the elder himself was a violinist in the world, he immediately began to imagine playing the violin with his hands, copying Pavel Stepanovich and at the same time saying: “Mistress, mistress...” The elder acted with his hands with the agility and art of an artist and assumed such a pose as a desperate violin player that Pavel Stepanovich, surprised by this phenomenon, laughed and was completely confused. “That’s how it is in our way!” added the priest, quickly straightening up and taking his usual, but cheerful position. “And what is there in French... howls, howls.” “Having made me laugh to the extreme,” said Father Platon, “and having completely consoled me, the priest let me go. But at that very time it did not even occur to me why the elder did this; and later, when I had already left him, I realized that by this the priest had exposed my inner ailment. And what was even more surprising for me was that I have been living in a monastery for more than ten years now - and my old violin dreams no longer bother me.” It is worth noting that the described case, perhaps, will seem to some uncharacteristic of a strict ascetic and tempting; but the holy life of Elder Macarius assured one and all that he had acquired a pure heart, filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, and therefore he always spoke and acted unerringly, according to the needs of each for his spiritual benefit. Father Plato’s love for secular instrumental music, which had thus cooled down, now began to manifest itself with force in him for musical partes! spiritual singing, often in Italian taste. He himself sang in the choir, and led others as regent until the last days of his life. But since his voice was very light, and there were few singers in the monastery, and at first he was placed in the left choir, his singing did not go well for a long time. Something unfortunate will start - some don’t say enough, some don’t say enough, or even get completely confused, and it only happens that there is only grief for those who serve, and those who pray, and those who sing. It even happened that some of the serving hieromonks complained about him to Elder Macarius, that during the service they were embarrassed by his singing. But since Father Plato always hurried to the elder after an unsuccessful singing, humbly asking for forgiveness for his failure, the elder, who sought humility from everyone mainly and loved those who humbled themselves, always defended him from the attacks of others and encouraged him himself, saying: “Nothing, nothing, they sang in the skete way.” There have been such cases. Father Plato will get a brand new piece from somewhere, then he will see an old man walking along the path somewhere in the monastery, he will come up, begin to show it to him and ask for blessings to sing it in church. The elder will stop with his usual condescension. They’ll both try it right there on the path, humming like bees in their quiet voices and both waving their arms - they give the measure. Painting! If Father Platon (at that time still Pavel Stepanovich) sometimes begins to think and feel embarrassed, then the elder himself will, on occasion, thrust a brand new score into his hand and say: “Paul, Pavel! Here you go, sign it up and learn it for the holiday.” Pavel takes it, writes it down, learns it. Subsequently, when remembering this, Father Plato used to say: “It used to be that I had work for a whole week and entertainment.” So, with the help of God, with the participation of the benevolent elder, little by little the cowardly novice became accustomed to monastic life. There was a particularly remarkable incident, which Father Plato recounted in this way: “I once came to the priest to ask for his blessing to sing in church, instead of the sacramental verse, the dogmatic dogma of the sixth tone, again arranged according to the notes: “Who will not please You, Most Holy Virgin.” At that time, Father was sitting in his cell alone with letters. At my request, he put the pen on the table and began to examine the notes I had brought. Finally, having listened to the dogmatist’s melody from me and, no doubt, wanting to teach the proper concept of church singing, and reasonable one at that, he said to me: “Well, why are you learning all the new partes? Well, what’s special about it? How can it be compared with our church singing? This is how we sang this dogmatist.” And the elder sang it according to the church melody. His strictly churchly note singing was imbued with the most sincere feeling of the chant that he fully understood. He sang to the Virgin Queen of Heaven, as if standing before Her and contemplating Her glory. I forgot my notes and looked in amazement at the singing old man and could not marvel: how can such a venerable old man, a strict ascetic, a wise teacher, have such a childishly tender feeling, such a fiery, infantilely believing love for the Mother of God! The more Father sang, the more deeply he became imbued with the feeling of chanting. His voice had already begun to tremble. And as soon as he sang: “... became a Man for our sake,” his singing was interrupted. Tears flowed freely from him. Bowing his head, he cried harder and harder and finally began to sob like a child torn away from his loving mother - his only consolation. I stood there for a long time, amazed at this phenomenon. Half an hour passed, and the priest’s sobs did not stop. At the same time, I saw in him such a deep sense of humility and fiery love for the Lord and the Most Pure Mother of God that I even felt ashamed to look at him. So I did not wait for the end of the elder’s sobbing and, deeply moved, I went with my notes to my cell.” However, Elder Macarius did not always stroke the head of his spiritual son. It also happened the other way around. The Optina monastery, as stated above, is surrounded on the outside by trees of enormous size, and on the inside is planted with various fruit trees, berry bushes and many different kinds of flowers, so that all its buildings in the summer are buried in greenery and flowers. And it is known that luxurious vegetation is a favorite place for birds. Small birds of various breeds flutter and chirp here. But of all of them, the nightingales stand out, as they have always stood out, for their pleasant singing. Some of the monks loved (and still probably love) listening to these feathered singers in the cool summer evenings. But here’s the misfortune: the nightingales gradually began to disappear. The reason for this turned out to be cats, who diligently caught them for their own needs, not distinguishing nightingales from mice. By the way, Elder Macarius loved to keep cats in his cells as useful domestic animals capable of exterminating known harmful rodents, but he did not at all like to pet them. Pavel Stepanovich, as a lover of nightingale singing, became jealous of these indiscriminate fighters. Annoyed with them and, probably, hoping for the elder’s usual condescension, he came to him and unceremoniously began to say: “Bless, father, to beat the cats.” Puzzled by such an unexpected request and seeing in the petitioner persistence and an unhumble disposition of spirit (which in monasticism is considered an intolerable evil), the elder, for his part, asks: “Why, why should we beat them?” “But of course,” he answers, “they ate all the nightingales.” - “Well, so what? – the old man continued. “This is their natural property.” Yes, he will stomp his feet and make a noise at Pavel Stepanovich: “Oh, you so-and-so! What the hell are you up to!” Pavel Stepanovich turned to the door to leave, when the elder began to slap him on the back of the head. And it knocks, and makes noise, and gives in to the back of the head. Pavel Stepanovich wanted to run out as quickly as possible, but he was so confused that he felt the door with his hands and could not find it; and the elder continues to storm. Finally, he somehow got out onto the path and, out of great grief, immediately vowed to himself that he would definitely leave the Optina Pustyn at least somewhere, saying that life here was hard labor. Having formed such a thought, he already shrank away from the elder: for two or three days he walked past the elder, did not bow to him, did not approach him for blessing and did not even look at him. The elder sees that Paul is extremely upset. One day he came to his cell and said a prayer according to monastic custom. A response “Amen” was heard inside the cell. “Bless me, brother, to enter,” said the elder. The answer was: “God bless.” The elder entered, prayed at the holy icons and then addressed Pavel Stepanovich with a short speech: “Paul, Pavel! Are you offended by me? Offended? Well, forgive me." And suddenly she bows at his feet. When remembering this, Father Platon said: “This deepest humility of the great elder, whose name at one time was famous not only throughout Russia, but also beyond its borders, struck me to the depths of my soul. Full of tears, I instantly threw myself at the elder’s feet, asking him to forgive me, a cowardly, unreasonable sinner. And the loving old man quietly continued his speech: “Why don’t you want to suffer anything from me? And if you can’t tolerate anything from me, then who can you tolerate anything from?” Further, the elder said that it is necessary to endure sorrows, that we need mental turmoil for our own salvation. Having taught me this way, he left my cell. Hitherto overwhelmed by various resistant thoughts, I felt undisturbed peace and silence in my soul. And after such an incident,” added Father Platon, “you would love the elder even more, and you would completely forget about leaving the monastery.” However, this was perhaps the only incident during the entire stay of Father Plato in the monastery under Elder Macarius for ten years. In general, the elder always treated him with love and condescension. Of the monastic brethren, whom Elder Macarius distinguished from others, bypassing the abbot of the monastery, Abbot Moses, for whom he had great love and respect as a good-minded ruler of the monastic brethren, one can point first of all to the abbot’s own brother, Abbot Anthony, who since 1853 lived in Optina Pustyn in retirement. The elder also treated him with great respect and love as a man full of spiritual wisdom and a great ascetic 142. Then, Hieromonk Pimen enjoyed the special love of Elder Macarius. He was of Little Russian origin; He lived in the monastery for forty-nine years, and all of them were seventy-six years old. He was so meek and humble that Elder Macarius called him an angel in the flesh. Whoever reprimanded him for anything, he did not have the habit of making excuses, but, folding his hands crosswise on his chest, asked everyone for forgiveness. Already in the rank of hieromonk, if anywhere, even in front of the people, he met his spiritual father, even his junior in years 143, he always bowed at his feet and, along with the common people, accepted a blessing from him, as from a bishop. He was a great ascetic, a faster, and, as the monks of his time noted, he did not go to bed to sleep. This could be concluded from the fact that his bed was always littered with a pile of various things. There were books, linen, and other miscellaneous things lying in disarray, which, apparently, had never been cleaned up. Therefore, the monks at one time said that Father Pimen, without a doubt, indulged in a short sleep, sitting on a chair. He attended all church services regularly and loved to often serve the Divine Liturgy, saying: “I live by this.” For the last twenty years of his life he was a confessor and performed this duty with great zeal. It often happened that he kept another confessor in confession for an hour or even more, asking in detail about all the circumstances of his life, sympathizing with him in everything and instructing him on the path of goodness and piety. Many praying peasant women loved him so much for his compassionate attitude towards them that when he died, they would come to Optina, fall on his grave and cry. Throughout his spiritual career, as long as his strength allowed him, every day, after listening to Matins, he went out in front of the Royal Doors and first read the prayers for confession for those pilgrims who had to confess during the day, and then for those who were already preparing to receive the Holy Mysteries at the liturgy, he himself read the rule for Holy Communion. If for some reason one of the confessors was somewhat late to the rule, Father Pimen, having already read several prayers, immediately stopped reading and began reading the rule all over again, although some of the impatient ones were dissatisfied with him for this. Just before his death, Father Pimen was tonsured into the schema 144. According to some signs, one could think that he had the gift of clairvoyance from the Lord. Elder Macarius especially honored the schema-monk Father Karp, a blind man, in the monastery, considering him a great ascetic. The predecessor of Elder Macarius, Elder Father Leonid (in the schema Leo), spoke of this blind man as follows: “Although Father Karp is blind, he sees the light.” In turn, Father Karp, like other prominent ascetics in the monastery at that time, treated Elder Macarius with great reverence and filial love. The above-mentioned abbot Varlaam, who was living in retirement in the monastery, once decided to inquire how Father Karp felt about his blindness. “Father Karp! - he said. – It would be good for you to go to Moscow to see the doctors. They say that the doctors there have become so skillful that they can make the blind see.” Hearing this, Father Karp seemed to be frightened and spoke with spiritual anxiety: “For what? What do I need my eyesight for? I save myself by blindness!” It turned out that the humble blind man not only was not burdened by his blindness, but also did not want to have bodily eyes, so as not to see the corrupting vanity and temptations of the world 145. Of the younger monastic brethren, the young novice Feodor Popov (later abbot of the Przemysl Trinity Lyutikov Monastery of the Kaluga Diocese, Hegumen Theodosius) enjoyed special attention from Elder Macarius. He was originally from the city of Balashov, Saratov province. His admission to Optina Pustyn was remarkable. He came to the monastery on foot, at a young age and with a fake annual passport, because out of jealousy for monastic life, he left home secretly, against the will of his parents. In the monastery, as well as in the monastery located not far from it, a vigil was held at this time. Theodore needed to see Elder Macarius, which is why he came to the monastery. When they reported to the elder about his arrival, that, they say, some stranger wanted to see him and talk to him, the elder, who had never known or seen the stranger, said: “Yes, it’s Theodore who has come.” And he ordered his cell attendant to take him to the refectory, feed him and put him to bed. Theodore, however, according to his desire, despite the fatigue from the journey, stayed until the end of the vigil and asked the elder cell attendant Father Herodion to wake him up for mass, which in the monastery before, as now, began at six o’clock. The elder did not order to wake him up. The tired traveler, as one might expect, fell into a dead sleep and slept through the liturgy. In the morning, the same Father Herodion came to the refectory, woke up Theodore and said that Father Macarius had sent for him to come and drink tea with him. Distressed by his malfunction, Theodore, however, at the call of the elder, immediately came to him. “When I entered the elder’s hallway,” Father Theodosius later said, “and saw him sitting there in a simple white thin robe with a rosary in his hands and bowed to him to the ground, he, blessing me, said, smiling: “What, did you oversleep?” “Sorry, father,” I answered, “I overslept.” - “Well, was your dream pleasant?” - “Yes, I didn’t wake up all night; I slept soundly.” - “Well, did you thank the Lord for a pleasant and healthy dream?” - “No, father.” - "So go with cell father Herodion and drink tea there with father Ambrose, and after drinking tea, then make fifty prostrations in the cell and thank the good Lord for a pleasant and healthy sleep. Do you know to whom the good Lord gives a pleasant dream? " - “I don’t know, father.” “He gives such a dream to those who love Him: if you sleep, sleep sweetly (Proverbs 3:24).” Having treated the wanderer to tea, the elder ordered Father Ambrose, who was a hierodeacon at that time, to take him to his cell, and three days later the elder himself took him to the monastery to Abbot Moses. Here, in the abbot’s cells, Theodore saw the famous Optina abbot for the first time, bowed at his feet and received his blessing. And Elder Macarius, turning to the abbot, said: “Here, Father Abbot, I have brought you a new ascetic, Theodore; he wants to enter a monastery to test himself in monastic life: bless him to accept him?” - “Blessed is the Lord, sending His servants to us!” – came the abbot’s answer. And immediately the new ascetic was dressed by both elders in a humble, patched monastic cassock, and an equally humble, wretched cell was assigned to him. “With tears, I threw myself at the feet of the elders,” Father Theodosius later said, “I kissed them in delight of joy that I was accepted into the monastery, and, then kissing the hands that blessed them, I went for the abbot’s cell attendant and settled into the cell assigned to me.” Theodore lived only a year in Optina Hermitage. He could not stay here any longer, since his fake passport had expired and he needed to notify his parents of his whereabouts, who demanded that he immediately return to them. After this, due to circumstances, he remained in the world for a long time and finally entered the monastery another time, this time finally, and after several years of monastic life, under the name of Theodosius, he served as abbot for a considerable time 146. Another of the younger monastic brethren, the novice Alexei Zertsalov (later the monastery leader, fraternal confessor and elder Hieroschemamonk Anatoly) enjoyed the special favor of Elder Macarius. From time to time Father Macarius called him by the gentle name Alyoshenka. However, this favor did not go beyond the bounds of modesty and even severity in the old man. Being himself, as noted above, the embodiment of humility, the elder and all his disciples most of all protected them from the harmful infatuation with human praise and from exaltation. He sought and demanded the same from his beloved Alyoshenka. In the summer of 1856, the rector of the Sergius Hermitage of the Petrograd province, Archimandrite, later a famous bishop, Ignatius (Brianchaninov) 148 visited Optina Hermitage, who believed it to be the beginning of monastic life. He was assigned cells in the same building as the novice Alexei. One day this honored guest invited his brother Alexei to tea, at which he praised him very, very much, calling him Joseph the Beautiful and attributing great virtues to him. The young novice, due to his inexperience in spiritual life, was carried away by these praises and, greatly consoled by them, leaving the archimandrite, immediately went to the monastery to tell Father Macarius his great joy. “Halfway,” Father Anatoly himself said, “the priest meets me, surrounded in front and behind by many different people - nuns, noble women and peasants of both sexes. Seeing me very cheerful, and with a cheerful look he greets me with affectionate words: “Alyoshenka, Alyoshenka! Where are you going?” - “To you, father,” I answered. “I am now from the St. Petersburg archimandrite. What did he tell me, father! That I am definitely Joseph the Beautiful, that he is glad to see me and is very comforted by me...” Before I had time to finish my story, the priest jumped away from me and, changing the appearance and tone of his speech, stamped his foot. “How?” he cried out menacingly. “You are like that!... So that’s what you are like!... That’s who you are...” And he himself, in an attacking pose, comes closer and closer to me: “How dare you think like that? Eh?” How dare you?“ Then the priest raised his stick (and this time his stick was not the usual black one, but some kind of long yellow one) straight at me and swung it at full swing. Those accompanying the elder jumped into the distance and, standing about thirty steps from me, looked at me with horror, as if at a great criminal. And the priest continued to swing his stick at me at full swing. That's all I see - he'll break my head. I myself didn’t understand what was happening to me... Then, turning to the spectators standing at a distance, the priest said: “Look, how big!... (My brother was tall). Wow! How big! Oh, what!... Come on, come on, let’s measure me..." And he began to measure me with his stick. At the same time, the spectators calmed down, seeing that I was not a criminal, but this did not make it any easier for me, and it was difficult for them to restrain themselves from laughing. Having measured me in this way from front and back, the priest finally came close to me and began quietly and convincingly, in a truly fatherly manner, to admonish me, and at the same time, according to custom, to humble me: “Well, aren’t you a fool? After all, he (the archimandrite) is a nobleman of St. Petersburg. He is day and night with the nobility, and with some kind of nobility! Praise is needed there. He is used to praising. And you really thought that you were a great man. You're a long man - that's all there is to it. Spit. Forget it all. Go. God bless you! Go and tell Father Ambrose how I got through to you.’ And I modestly trudged off to the monastery to Father Ambrose to ease my soul by complaining about my defeat for my arrogance.” This brother once expressed to Elder Macarius his desire to move from the monastery to the skete in order to live closer to his dear priest. The elder only said: “You will also live in a monastery.” This prediction came true fifteen years later, or perhaps more. In 1873, after the death of the monastery’s leader, Hieroschemamonk Hilarion, when Brother Alexei was already the venerable Hieromonk Anatoly and dean of the monastery, he was transferred by the monastery authorities to the monastery to the position of head of the monastery. Through such formidable struggles, which, however, were always timely and always ended with the paternal condescension and admonition of Elder Macarius, many worthy men were brought up and grew in spiritual life, such as: his successor in eldership, the famous Elder Ambrosy, the skete leaders Hieroschemamonks Hilarion and Anatoly, the confessors of lay visitors to the Optina Monastery and for some time Elder Ambrosy Hieroschemamonks Pimen and Platon, then monk Juvenaly, who reached the rank of archbishop, Archimandrite Leonid - vicar of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archimandrites Isaac and Dositheus - rector of the Optina Hermitage, Archimandrite Moses - rector of the Tikhonova Kaluga Hermitage, Archimandrite Paphnutius - rector of Maloyaroslavets Nicholas Monastery and its predecessor, Archimandrite Nikodim 149, Abbot Mark - abbot of the Meshchovsky St. George Monastery, Abbot Theodosius - abbot of the Przemysl Trinity Lyutikov Monastery, on whom Elder Macarius also had considerable influence. And how many more ascetic monks he raised, who lived modestly and died in the monastery, whose names remained unknown to the world! How many nuns there are in different women’s monasteries, among which there were worthy abbess of monasteries, and experienced in the life of a spiritual elder - the leader of virgins who disgraced themselves to Christ! Chapter 11. Elder Macarius is the successor of the literary works of the Moldavian elder Paisius Velichkovsky in publishing patristic writings. Having mentioned in the previous chapter about some skete monks who at one time received a good school education, who, under the direct supervision of Elder Macarius of blessed memory, were engaged in preparing for printing the manuscripts of the famous great Elder Paisius Velichkovsky, it would be appropriate here to talk about these book studies themselves, since they have their own interesting history. We saw above that Elder Macarius, while still living in the Ploshchanskaya hermitage near his elder schema-monk Father Athanasius, a disciple of Paisius, found from him faithful copies of all the translations of the patristic books of Elder Paisius, both newly made and corrected by the latter, and that copying them had long been his favorite cell pastime. Thus, in the cell library of Elder Macarius, correct copies have long been found: a) from the ancient Slavic translations of the writings of the venerable fathers Macarius the Great, John Climacus and Barsanuphius and John, corrected by Elder Paisius, and b) from the books of the venerables translated by him himself: Maximus the Confessor word on question and answer, Theodore the Studite from the modern Greek language, the life of Gregory the Sinaite, words Gregory Palamas and some other works of the holy ascetic fathers. Elder Macarius always used all these treasures of spiritual intelligence both himself and unselfishly shared them with everyone who sincerely desired and sought spiritual edification and salvation, not at all daring, by his own admission, to think about publishing them. He was pleased and always thanked God for deigning him to acquire such treasures - some through his own labors, that is, correspondence, and others as reward for his filial love for Elder Athanasius after his death. Father Macarius’ diligent reading and study of these patristic writings, as well as conversations about spiritual life with spiritually experienced men with a strictly attentive, humble life, were the reason that the all-good Lord, seeing his good zeal for salvation and purity of heart, enlightened his mind to the knowledge of the Divine and patristic writings. When Father Macarius moved to the Optina monastery and labored in community with Elder Leonid, who was a disciple of Schemamonk Theodore, also a close disciple of Paisius, he became even more successful in this endeavor. And thus the Lord prepared him to be the continuer of the book works begun by Elder Paisius. It should also be taken into account that in the rector of the Optina Hermitage, Abbot Moses, and in his brother, Abbot Anthony, who until the end of 1839 was the head of the Optina monastery, Father Macarius’s activity in reading and studying patristic writings met the most worthy connoisseurs and supporters, for they themselves, being good branches of a good root, long before entering Optina deserts in 1821, they lived a silent, solitary life under the guidance of the elders of spiritual life, who labored in the Roslavl forests of the Smolensk province. While staying here, both brothers' main occupation in their free time from prayer was teaching in the patristic writings, for which purpose they copied translations of Elder Paisius from manuscripts that were in the possession of one of the Roslavl hermit-dwellers, Hieroschemamonk Athanasius 150. So, according to the special dispensation and providence of the all-good Lord, at the time when He was pleased to send ways and indicate a favorable time for publishing for the common benefit the spiritual treasures that had remained hidden for more than fifty years - the written works of the blessed elder Paisius, people capable of this appeared in the Optina Hermitage and the most faithful copies from Paisius' manuscripts were found. Among them were even several manuscripts of the original edition that belonged to Elder Paisius himself, copied with his blessing from rough notebooks by his closest students, corrected and signed in his own hand. Such, for example, is the manuscript of the words of the great teacher of the inner life of Saint Isaac the Syrian 151. The printing of spiritual books by the Optina Monastery began in 1845, in small sizes and as if by accident. In this case, the admirers of Elder Macarius, the Kireevskys, who were close to Elder Macarius, took an active part - the famous Christian philosopher and at one time the editor of the Moscow scientific-literary magazine “Moskvityanin” Ivan Vasilyevich and his wife Natalya Petrovna, who initially initiated this case 152. Since 1838, she was the spiritual daughter of Elder Macarius. Through her, Ivan Vasilyevich first suggested to him whether it would be good for him to publish articles of spiritual content in the magazine he published. The elder responded to this proposal with gratitude, notifying Ivan Vasilyevich that if this is possible and convenient, then he offers to publish his “Life of Elder Paisius Velichkovsky” in the journal. If for some reason this is inconvenient, he will send an article to the Mayak magazine, published at one time by the famous Burachk 153 . Sharing the opinion of Elder Macarius about the services rendered by Blessed Elder Paisius to all Orthodox monasticism and Slavic literature by establishing ascetic terminology in it, Ivan Vasilyevich gladly agreed to the elder’s proposal to decorate the pages of the magazine he published with this article. This article is in the Slavic dialect and was published in the twelfth book of “Moskvityanin” for 1845 and is decorated with a portrait of Elder Paisius. The following year, 1846, Elder Macarius, when he visited the Kireyevsky gentlemen in their estate - the village of Dolbina (Belevsky district of the Tula province), located forty miles from the Optina Hermitage, in a cordial and sincere conversation with the hospitable hosts, speaking about various spiritual subjects, touched upon the lack of spiritual books that guide zealots of piety in their activities. Christian life. At the end of the conversation, he mentioned that he had quite a few manuscripts of the works of the Holy Fathers, translated by Elder Paisius, filled with spiritual wisdom and usefulness. It turned out that Natalya Petrovna, who was formerly the spiritual daughter of the elder hieromonk of the Moscow Novospassky Monastery Philaret 154, also preserved several similar manuscripts that she inherited from the blessed elder. Ivan Vasilyevich and his wife had a question about this: “What is preventing these spiritual treasures from being revealed to the world?” The humble elder, according to his custom, answered that he considered himself incapable of doing this, had never done this and did not dare to ask anyone to print manuscripts, that, apparently, this was not yet the will of God, etc. Ivan Vasilyevich and Natalya Petrovna said that they would try to ask the Moscow Bishop, Metropolitan Philaret 155 about this. If there is no luck, then they will be ready to agree that there is no will of God for this good deed. And since it was intended first of all to publish “The Life of Elder Paisius with His Creations” as a separate book, it was then necessary at the general council to write at least a short preface to the book. Paper was brought with other accessories for this. They prayed to God, and the owners left the old man alone in the room. An hour later he called them to his place. The first page written by the elder was read. The Kireevskys, who personally and closely knew Elder Philaret of Novospassky, added to this information about his life. Elder Macarius took the piece of paper they had written with him to show to his abbot, Abbot Moses. Father Superior, for his part, added a story about the elder of spiritual life, Arzamas Archimandrite Alexander 156. Then, in the hope of the success of the undertaking, they began to rewrite the writings of Elder Paisius, which were in the manuscripts of Elder Macarius and Mrs. Kireyevskaya, in order to prepare them for printing. Meanwhile, the Kireyevskys wrote to Moscow University professor Stepan Petrovich Shevyrev asking him to ask on their behalf for the blessing of the Metropolitan to print translations of Elder Paisius. The Lord was so merciful that along with his blessing he promised his patronage to this good cause. Copied completely, the required manuscripts were sent to the censor for the first time to the professor of the Moscow Academy, Feodor Aleksandrovich Golubinsky. And before the arrival of the Kireyevsky gentlemen in Moscow in September 1846, Shevyrev had already printed eight sheets of the life and writings of Elder Paisius. This book, also in the Slavic dialect, was published at the beginning of 1847 under the title “The Life and Writings of the Moldavian Elder Paisius Velichkovsky (with a portrait of the elder)”, with the addition to what was published in “Moskvityanin”: a) a preface containing a brief story about the life and monastic exploits of the disciples of Elder Paisius and some contemporary elders of spiritual life who lived in Russia, with whom he was in spiritual like-minded communion, and b) all the known writings of Elder Paisius. With this first edition, a letter from Elder Paisius to the former head of the Arzamas Alekseevskaya women's community, Marya Petrovna Protasyeva, was printed as a separate brochure. And then fifty copies of this brochure were donated to this community. Such was the small beginning of the holy work, which continued almost until the death of Elder Macarius - a work which the elder looked at with the eyes of faith, always calling it the work of God and honoring it as such in the feeling of his soul. Here is a short list of all the soul-helping books published by Optina Hermitage during the life of the elder Father Macarius with his blessing and with his main assistance or guidance: The second edition of “The Life and Writings of the Blessed Elder Paisius Velichkovsky”, as well as the first, in the Slavic dialect, with the addition of articles to the first edition: 1) “On the adoration of 157 brushes forbidden to monks”: a) preface, b) a study of the elder of the Polyanomerul monastery Vasily; and 2) “The life of the former rector of the Arzamas monastery, Archimandrite Alexander and his spiritual correspondence.” This edition, like the first, was accompanied by a lithographed portrait of Elder Paisius. The book was published at the end of 1847. “Four Catechetical Words to a Nun” 158, composed and spoken in 1766 by Hieromonk Nicephorus (Theotokius), who was later Archbishop of Astrakhan, translated from Greek by Elder Paisius Velichkovsky. This brochure was printed at the end of 1848, and at the beginning of 1849 a second edition was published. In the same year, separate articles were published from the previously published writings of Elder Paisius during his “Life”: a) “Scroll on mental prayer” and b) “Interpretation of “Lord, have mercy,” translated from Greek. “Our venerable father Nil of Sorsky told his disciples about living in the monastery.” Printed in 1849 in Slavic (started on May 18, and finished on June 15) with footnotes explaining unclear passages. This edition is subsequently decorated with a lithographed image of the Monk Nile of Sorsky, which was taken from an image sent from the skete named after him to Optina Pustyn in gratitude for the copies of the published book delivered to this skete. “Enthused classes are food for the soul.” This is a collection of some patristic writings translated by Elder Paisius from Greek into Slavic. The book was printed at the end of 1849 with explanatory footnotes for difficult to understand passages. “Reverend Fathers Barsanuphius the Great and John, a guide to spiritual life, in answers to questions from students.” The book, filled with great spiritual benefit, belongs to the number of Slavic translations corrected by Elder Paisius. It was again verified with the Greek original and printed in 1852 in the Slavic dialect in Russian letters; It is also provided with footnotes that serve to explain unclear passages, and an alphabetical index. "The Announcements of St. Theodore the Studite" 159. Slavic translation of Elder Paisius from Modern Greek. This book was published at the beginning 1853 in the amount of only six hundred copies, specifically for the use of monastic monasteries 160. “Our Reverend Father Maximus the Confessor’s interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer and his word of fasting on question and answer.” Published at the end of the same year, 1853. “Our Holy Father Isaac the Syrian, Bishop of the former Nineveh, words of spiritual asceticism, translated from Greek by Elder Paisius Velichkovsky.” This is the most precious of all publications of Optina Pustyn. As early as October 21, 1852, the skete's bookworms, under the direct supervision of Elder Macarius, began to compile explanatory notes for the Slavic translation of this book and compare it with the Greek text. This work, with the help of God, was completed that same year on November 29. The manuscript was rewritten and sent to the censor, and was printed already in March 1854 in the Slavic dialect in civil letters with interlinear notes and an alphabetical index at the end of the book, which Elder Macarius himself diligently worked on. The book of the venerable fathers Barsanuphius and John “Guide to spiritual life in questions and answers” ​​with an alphabetical index in Russian translation 161. At the convincing request of many who were not familiar with the Slavic dialect, the skete's bookworms began translating this book into Russian at the end of 1852 and completed it in April of the following year, 1853; and the book was published in 1855. “Our Reverend Father Abba Thalassius chapters on love, abstinence and spiritual life.” From the Slavic translation of Elder Paisius, they were translated into Russian and both texts - Slavic and Russian - were printed in civil letters. The original of this translation, with amendments, was preserved by Elder Macarius for some particular circumstances and bequeathed to be preserved in the skete library as a treasure of enormous value. The book was also published in 1855. “Our venerable father Abba Dorotheus, soul-helping teachings and messages with the addition of his questions and answers given to them by the holy elders Barsanuphius the Great and John the Prophet,” in Russian translation. The translation from Hellenic Greek was made on behalf of Elder Macarius by one of his spiritual children, a layman, an expert in classical languages, Konstantin Karlovich Zederholm 162. When checking this translation for publication, the Optina residents took into account the first printed Slavic translation, published in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra in 1617. The first edition of this book in Russian translation was published in 1856. "The Life of our Venerable Father Simeon the New Theologian." Printed in Slavic in the same year 1856. “Moral and ascetic words of our venerable and God-bearing father Mark the Ascetic.” Published in Russian translation in 1858. From the book “Enraptured Classes” and Philokalia. “Our Reverend Father Simeon the New Theologian, abbot of the monastery of St. Mamant, twelve words.” Published in Slavic at the end of 1858. “Our Reverend Father Orsisius, Abba of Tavenisiot, on the establishment of monastic residence” 163. The literal translation of this book from Latin into Russian was made by the aforementioned Konstantin Karlovich Zederholm. The book was published in 1859. “Our Reverend Father Abba Isaiah, the Egyptian hermit, spiritual and moral words” 164. The book was published in 1860 in a Russian translation, for which, in addition to the ancient Slavic one attributed to Elder Paisius, the Russian translation, made several years earlier from the Slavic by one lover of the patristic writings of the clergy, served as a translation. To clarify some obscure passages, they used the Latin text of these words, located in the library of the Holy Fathers of Holland 165. So, from 1845 to 1860 inclusive, under the leadership of Elder Macarius, sixteen books were published, of which five were in Russian, one in Slavic and Russian, and the remaining ten in Slavic. All of them are printed in civil letters 166. The first place among these publications, undoubtedly, belongs to the work of the great teacher of monastic life, Saint Isaac the Syrian. Then follows the book of the Venerable Abba Dorotheus, which Elder Macarius rightly called the monastic alphabet, especially pointing it out to all new novices who wanted to make a solid start in an active spiritual life, which, according to the teachings of Saint John of the Climacus and the Venerable Dorotheus, is composed of obedience and humility. In addition to the listed books published by the Optina Hermitage, the God-loving Elder Macarius worked a lot on the work of the great teacher of monastic life, Saint John of the Climacus, who labored on Mount Sinai 167 . Highly ranking the work of this holy father among the writings of other holy ascetic fathers, the elder studied and compared all previously known printed editions and handwritten translations of this immortal creation. Finally, having accepted the translation of Elder Paisios as a basis, as a man filled with spiritual intelligence, who had experienced the advice set forth by Saint John, Elder Macarius made special efforts to explain the translation of Elder Paisios by comparing it with other handwritten later translations, printed editions and with the Greek text. His goal was to make the translation of “The Ladder” accessible not only for simple reading, but especially for general practical guidance of the spiritual instructions contained in this book. Thus, a translation of “The Ladder” was compiled in a simplified Slavic language, which Elder Macarius himself diligently worked on with the active help of his close student Hieromonk Ambrose, his successor in eldership. For this translation, upon completion, Elder Macarius himself compiled an alphabetical index of the items contained in the “Ladder”, and rewrote it with his own hand, forgetting both the weakness of his body and his busyness, sacrificing for this the time of his short rest. Later, from this simplified Slavic translation, with the blessing of Elder Macarius, the “Ladder” was translated into Russian, in which his other student, the aforementioned monk Juvenaly (Polovtsev), practiced under the direct supervision of the elder. But for unknown reasons, both the simplified Slavic and Russian translations of “The Ladder” were not published during the life of Elder Macarius. They were published after his death. Probably because the publication of “The Ladder” in the Slavic language belongs to the Holy Synod itself, and therefore Optina Pustyn did not have the right to publish on its own the Slavic text of the book, even if simplified by it. Later, the monastery, not seeking material benefits for itself, but solely with the spiritual benefit of pious readers in mind, asked the Holy Synod to publish this book on its own behalf, which actually came true. Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow blessed the Russian translation of “The Ladder” to be published in Optina Pustyn. But since the already published Russian translation of this book by the Moscow Academy served as some obstacle to this, the gracious saint deigned to say this: “Let the Academy publish its translation, and Optina publish hers.” Before printing, copies of both translations, Slavic and Russian, were quite common in the lists between brethren, both monastic and monastic 168. All activities, both in preparing for publication the Slavic translations of Elder Paisius with interlinear explanatory notes of incomprehensible words and expressions, and in translating some of them into Russian, were directly supervised by Elder Macarius himself. And those who worked in this matter were all his close disciples from the monastery brethren, namely: the aforementioned hieromonk Ambrose, the mantle monk Juvenaly and the cassock monks Lev (Kavelin) and Pavel (Pokrovsky). All these people gathered for book studies in the reception room of the elder, who, without stopping his usual studies with the brethren and outside visitors, also visiting the monastery hotels at certain times, nevertheless took an active part in these studies. It can be said affirmatively that not a single expression, not even a single word, was written into the manuscript sent to the censor without his personal approval. His work in this matter was truly amazing. Gifted by nature with a lively, energetic character, the elder seemed to forget himself in his book studies, often sacrificing for them, as already mentioned above, the short rest that was necessary for him. Although everyone who participated in these works did not lack zeal, one cannot help but admit that if anyone felt exhaustion at times, it was by no means the elder - he was tireless. “But,” one of them, Father Leonid (Kavelin), once said on behalf of all the participants in the book studies, “how generously we were rewarded for our small labors! Who among those who pay attention would not give several years of their lives to hear what our ears heard! These are the elder’s explanations of such passages of the fatherly writings, about which, if not for these studies, none of us would have dared to ask him. And if he had dared to do this, he would undoubtedly have received a humble answer: “I don’t know this; this is not my measure. Perhaps you have reached it, but I only know: grant me, Lord, to see my sins! Purify my heart; then you will understand.” Who among us is able to forget with what condescension he listened, endowed by the Lord with the gift of spiritual reasoning, to our childish silences and made concessions in the desire to express thoughts more gracefully or clearly where he did not see a violation of the spiritual meaning, covering them with a decent fatherly joke, for example: “So be it; I don’t know the latest literature; but you are a learned people.” If a disagreement arose between the workers in the understanding of any place or word, the elder immediately eliminated it: either he proposed his own opinion on Wednesday, or, humbling himself and humbling us, he left such a place without explanation at all, saying: “This is not our measure; whoever does it will understand. Otherwise, how not to put our rotten one in place of his (meaning Elder Paisius) high spiritual understanding.” By the providence of God, according to the remark of Elder Macarius, it was arranged in such a way that by the time the Optina Hermitage published the patristic books, there appeared high patrons who deeply sympathized and contributed to this cause, people of remarkable intelligence, both from the spiritual and secular environment. These were, in addition to the Most Reverend and at the same time highly enlightened Moscow Metropolitan Philaret: the above-mentioned professor of the Moscow Theological Academy, the most enlightened philosopher Archpriest Theodore Aleksandrovich Golubinsky, who was temporarily assisted by the former rector of the Moscow Theological Seminary Archimandrite Leonid (who died in the rank of Archbishop of Yaroslavl) 169 . Archimandrite Sergius, who at that time was an inspector of the Moscow Academy (who died in the rank of Metropolitan of Moscow), also diligently contributed to the successful progress of the Optina publications. Of the secular persons who took part in this matter, especially the aforementioned Ivan Vasilyevich Kireevsky, as can be seen from his correspondence with Elder Macarius, and then professor of Moscow University Shevyrev and others. It is clear that as a result of the efforts of the Optina brethren in publishing the patristic writings, Elder Macarius repeatedly received flattering reviews, congratulations and thanks from many people who understood the matter. But here, too, according to his custom, the elder showed his deep humility. So, for example, he wrote on January 5, 1857 to one clergyman 171 with whom he was in constant spiritual communication in writing, despite the distance of space that separated them: “You approve of our publications of fatherly books, and especially in Russian translation. But here there is nothing of ours, and everything was accomplished by God’s favor for the benefit of those who wish and seek spiritual benefit. How could we begin such an important and unusual task for us?! But God raised up well-minded people to assist in this matter. And most of all, the favor and blessing of the merciful archpastor 172 served to publish the translations that were hidden in the manuscripts of the blessed elder Paisius of Moldova. And the book of Saint Abba Dorotheus was also hidden under a bushel at the end of the book of Saint Ephraim the Syrian and, due to the antiquity of the Slavic language, was inaccessible to many; but - thanks be to the Lord! - and it now stands on the candlestick. May God grant that those who honor and listen gain spiritual benefit!..." Consoled by the treasures of the spiritual mind, which had been hidden in obscurity for more than half a century, published for the common benefit, the elders of Optina Monastery first of all remembered that these books could never have appeared if the Lord, who apparently favored this matter, had not sent his patronage, assistance and spiritual and material means for the successful implementation. In these thoughts, the rector of the monastery, Archimandrite Moses, his brother Abbot Anthony and the described elder Macarius, at a general council, decided that they could not express their gratitude to their enlightened accomplices in the publication of books in any more decent way than by making these books generally known in institutions designated for the education of spiritual youth, in these hotbeds of spiritual enlightenment of future shepherds and teachers of the Orthodox Church of Christ. For this purpose, a copy of all the above-mentioned publications was promptly sent as a gift: 1) to all academic and seminary libraries, 2) to almost all diocesan bishops, rectors and inspectors of theological academies and seminaries, 3) to the Lavra and to all Russian cenobitic monasteries, 4) to the Holy Mount Athos: to the Russian Panteleimon Monastery, the Bulgarian Zograf cenobitic monastery, to the monastery of the holy prophet Elijah, the monastery of the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called and the Bulgarian monastery of the Mother of God (Xylurgu). When the book of Saint Isaac the Syrian was published, copies of it were sent to the Moldavian Neametsky Monastery, from where this book gained its fame in Russia. In addition, the works of the skete hieroschemamonk John 173, who had been in schism for quite some time and had converted to Orthodoxy, were sent out to many parish churches in areas affected by schism, free of charge, published to expose schismatic errors. Optina publications were also distributed and sent as gifts to all familiar visitors to the Optina Pustyn in various near and far places. Let us not ignore the fact that the monastery, from which so many books were generously distributed free of charge and sent to all corners of Russia, was itself far from secure and often found it very difficult to make a living, never getting out of debts of several thousand rubles. But the lack of material resources did not in the least suppress the spirit of Archimandrite Moses, who was in charge at that time and had strong faith in the Providence of God. He even found pleasure in being useful to others in one way or another. This was the main goal of all his concerns and affairs throughout his long life. “Someday someone will read this or that book,” he used to say, “and the spiritual benefit of one person will reward all our labors. Our business is to sow. God willing, someday there will be fruits.” And the fruits were obtained through published books, and they still are abundant. For such offerings to monastic and lay lovers of God, in addition to private written expressions of gratitude from many archpastors and fathers, rectors and inspectors, the Optina rector Archimandrite Moses, according to the proposal of the seminary authorities, was honored in 1857 to receive the blessing of the Holy Synod. And Elder Macarius, for the publication of the book of St. Isaac the Syrian, received as a gift from the abbot of the Moldo-Vlachian Nyamets monastery a camelot 174 cassock of Greek cut, which, in his humility, he put on only when he began to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Where, one might ask, did the publishers get the amount required to publish such a significant number of books? Without hesitation, you can answer this with the words of Elder Macarius: “God sent for a good cause through good people.” For who, if not He, inspired sufficient people, who received spiritual benefit from one book, to help as much as possible in the publication of another? During the most bookish classes, many who sympathized with this cause asked in advance: “Will the work begun soon be ready?” And as soon as the elder said that, thank God, the matter was over, there was no shortage of those who were zealous to help publish the new book, by the grace of God. The Kireyevsky gentlemen, who were devoted to Elder Macarius, took a lot of care about the material side of the book publication, and in particular, as we will see later, the wife of Ivan Vasilyevich Kireyevsky, Natalya Petrovna. For the service rendered by both of them in this matter, only He is able to repay the one who promised not to leave without reward the one who gives his neighbor a cup of cold water in His name. Let us note here that Elder Macarius, at the end of the publication of books in his time by the Optina Hermitage, having looked at the account of the monetary costs for this work, was surprised at how it all happened and where such a large sum was spent on all publications - up to fifteen thousand rubles in banknotes. He could only express his feelings with tears of gratitude to the Generous God, exclaiming: wondrous are Your works, Lord! (cf. Ps. 138:14). Chapter 12. Temporary absences of Elder Macarius from his monastery to the Oryol and Kursk dioceses, to Kyiv and others. Visit to the Optina Hermitage by the abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony. Trip of Elder Macarius to Moscow and St. Sergius Lavra. The relationship of Moscow Metropolitan Philaret and Lavra Governor Archimandrite Anthony to Elder Macarius and him to them. Participation of Metropolitan Philaret in the book works of the Optina brethren Amid the worries and troubles of both the external improvement of the monastery and the internal spiritual nourishment of the entire numerous Optina brotherhood, not excluding book studies, Elder Macarius found the opportunity to devote time to absences from his monastery - often for a short period of time, and sometimes for quite a long time, always, however, with the good purpose of providing spiritual benefit to others, and at the same time benefiting himself. So, in 1848, on October 4, he went, accompanied by one novice on a consistory 175 passport, to the Oryol and Kursk provinces for a whole month. And an accident with the elder on the road forced him to stay outside his monastery for longer. On October 18, a letter was received in Optina from the city of Sevsk notifying that Father Macarius, before reaching the city of Dmitrovsk, injured his hand due to the fact that the cart in which he was leaving the inn early, in the dark, accidentally tipped over. The doctors - Dmitrovsky, and then Sevsky - thought that the old man had a broken bone in his right hand, which is why they used bandages and lotions on his hand. The elder even began to feel some relief. But the reality turned out to be different. The Optina rector, Father Moses, and his brethren, waiting for a long time for the elder’s return, began to doubt whether the doctors understood his illness correctly. And therefore, having corresponded with the elder, they sent his cell attendant Father Herodion to him in Sevsk with an experienced chiropractor, who found, instead of a fracture, a dislocated bone near the shoulder. The old man had to decide on a difficult operation to set the bone, which had already begun to heal. The pain was severe. But with the help of God, the operation was very successful, and the elder was able to raise and lower his sore arm that same day. And on November 20, he had the opportunity, to the general joy of the entire Optina brotherhood, to return to the monastery. Elder Macarius’s love for his Optina pets was so great that, despite his illness, he did not leave them without spiritual nourishment during his entire stay at the hotel of the Sevsky Convent. To the letters that arrived from them, with his permission, at least not in his own hand, but he sent answers, with difficulty signing his name with his sore hand. The skete chronicler notes that misfortune befell the elder due to the obsession of our primordial invisible enemy. This, by the way, was confirmed by the fact that one demon-possessed woman there, just before this misfortune, shouted threats at the elder in a man’s voice. The enemy wanted to deprive the Sevsk nuns of Sevsky, who had been waiting for their spiritual mentor for a long time, of spiritual benefit, since on the occasion of the newly chosen leader to replace the deceased, there was disorder in the monastery. But the Providence of God turned the elder’s very misfortune to the benefit of the embarrassed nuns of the monastery. For the elder, due to the late autumn time, hoping to travel to the Kursk province, thought to stay in Sevsk no more than three days. But the spiritual needs of both the newly installed abbess and the nuns - the spiritual daughters of the elder - required his stay there for more than one week in order to pacify them all. Which, with the help of God, was achieved by the elder. Another time, in 1850, Elder Macarius, also with a consistory two-month passport, traveled to Voronezh and Kyiv to venerate the holy relics of the saints of God, taking with him the skete novice Ivan Ivanovich Antimonov 176 as his guide. Setting out on the journey on May 15, the elder entrusted the spiritual care of the brethren to the confessors hieromonks Ambrose and Paisius 177, and the management of the skete, or the supervision of order, to the skete hieromonk Nikon 178. Having commanded the brethren to have peace and love among themselves, he again allowed them to write to him about their spiritual needs, appointing their stopping places and promising to answer their letters - as was in fact. On this trip, by the way, along the way the elder visited his sister, Varvara Nikolaevna Glebova, on her estate, the village of Nikolskoye, Efremovsky district, Tula province. But two years after this meeting, precisely in December 1852, this pious person died in Petrograd from cholera. Patient and at the same time loving, responsive to the sorrows of others, the elder at one time accepted the sad news of the death of his beloved sister with submission to the inscrutable destinies of God's Providence and, together with deep sorrow, intensified his fatherly attention to her children (they had lost their father earlier), and at the end of his days he had the consolation of seeing that his wise advice, and most of all his zealous prayers to the Lord for them placed some and confirmed others on the path of Christian pious life. But let's continue the interrupted thread of the main story. After meeting with his sister Varvara Nikolaevna, the elder was in Voronezh and Belgorod, Kursk province, to venerate the holy relics of St. Mitrofan and St. Joasaph (Gorlenko), who was not yet glorified at that time; also in the Borisov women's hermitage and in the city of Kursk with Archbishop Iliodor, who visited the Optina monastery several years ago, and stayed in the house of the honorary hereditary citizen Ivan Vasilyevich Antimonov, the parent of the novice Ivan Ivanovich Antimonov he took with him. They lived there for five days. The following circumstance forced the elder to do this. Ivan Ivanovich left home and entered Optina Pustyn against the will of his parent, without even telling him about it. The father was dissatisfied with his son for his self-will. It was necessary to reconcile them. Having spent a certain time in the house of Ivan Vasilyevich, the elder, with the help of God, achieved this goal. From here, through Sevsk, Elder Macarius and his guide arrived at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra on June 18 and were received with love and with special respect for the elder by the ecclesiarch of the Lavra, Hieromonk Meletius 179, the brother of Ivan Ivanovich Antimonov, and other monks who at one time began monastic life in the Optina Hermitage. In the Lavra they lived in the cells of the ecclesiarch’s father for ten days. At this time, they were repeatedly honored to venerate the holy miraculous icon of the Dormition of the Mother of God and the relics of the saints of God and the holy Great Martyr Barbara resting in the caves in the St. Michael's Monastery. We were blessed by His Eminence Metropolitan Philaret, the founder of the Optina monastery, and were received by him with fatherly favor. We visited the inspector of the Kyiv Academy, Hieromonk Daniel, and the rector of the seminary, Archimandrite Anthony (Amphiteatrov), located near the Optina Hermitage. Before leaving Kyiv, we were at the Goloseevsky monastery, where we listened to the liturgy and received a blessing on the way back from the Metropolitan Bishop who was there, who wanted to leave the guests for a few days, but due to the short validity of their passports, they could not stay longer in Kyiv. So, with a feeling of spiritual consolation and gratitude to God, the Mother of God and the holy saints, they said goodbye to their close acquaintances, the Lavra monks, who, out of love and zeal for Elder Macarius, presented him with gifts of some icons, some books or something else worthy of note. On July 4, after lunch, the travelers set off from Kyiv and through Sevsk arrived in Orel, where they introduced themselves to Archbishop Smaragd, who also received the visitors very favorably and treated them to tea and fruit. In general, throughout his long journey, wherever Elder Macarius stopped, he received a very warm welcome everywhere. Those who knew him everywhere gladly kept him for a while and treated him with deep respect and veneration. Finally, the elder and his brother accompanying him, having ridden 2040 miles round trip on horseback in seventy days, to the general joy of the entire Optina brotherhood, arrived at his monastery on July 24, thanking the Lord with all his heart for keeping him safe and healthy. Each time, upon returning from a long journey, Elder Macarius, as usual, continued to go about his business. Meanwhile, in the near future, after a trip to Kyiv, he was expected to travel to Moscow for a personal presentation to the Most Reverend Moscow Metropolitan Philaret, and then to the Holy Trinity Lavra to venerate the holy relics of the saint of God, St. Sergius. It turned out like this. Back in 1849, in October, the abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony, known for his intelligence and pious life, who at one time enjoyed the favor of the Moscow Metropolitan Philaret and the respect of the entire Moscow noble society, visited Optina Monastery, accompanied by the aforementioned abbot of the Maloyaroslavets Monastery, the venerable abbot Anthony. Both of them visited the monastery several times this time. They were also in the cells of the monastery leader, Father Macarius, who presented the father governor with several products of the monastery brethren - spoons and some chiseled items. The father governor accepted these simple gifts with love and even wanted to present some of them to Metropolitan Philaret. Then, upon returning from the monastery to the monastery, the elders spent a lot of time in spiritual conversations. And immediately it was good for the father governor to honor Elder Macarius and the monastery with a precious gift - part of the relics of the Venerable Father Sergius of Radonezh from his toe. The gift was accepted by Elder Macarius and all the hermits with great reverence and gratitude to the Lord and to the God-loving visitor to the monastery, who promised to send a cross with some shrines to the monastery. On October 24, after the early liturgy, the Optina elders - Abbot Moses and Father Macarius - said goodbye to their dear guests with tears of mutual spiritual love, giving them an honorable farewell. And this is how Elder Macarius wrote about this visit to his nieces, the nuns of the Sevsky Monastery, about this visit by the father of the Lavra abbot to the Optina Hermitage on October 31: “All these days we were in pleasant troubles. On Friday evening, that is, the 21st, respectable and kind guests consoled us with their visit - the Lavra governor, Father Archimandrite Anthony, with the Maloyaroslavets abbot, Father Anthony. How kind and pleasant his treatment was with us wretches, and even more so with me, worthless! One should have been surprised. It seems that he was breathing love, that everything was expressed by his tender feelings. Every word of his loving conversation was imprinted in our hearts; and my dull pen with the same intelligence does not have the ability to describe them. He rewarded our monastery with a shrine; and promised to send more. With what reverence I received the handicrafts of our monastery - spoons and turned things - one had to be surprised! And I wanted to present them to the Metropolitan. Well, in a word, he left us a memory and an example of unflattering love and humility. What can we give him? Just keep this feeling in a grateful heart and pray to the Lord with a simple word: save him, Lord!” 180 Soon after this, on November 10, he received by mail from the same Archimandrite Anthony the silver-gilded cross he had promised to the skete church, on the top board of which there was a silver white image of the crucified Christ the Savior, decorated along the edges with multi-colored stones. Inside the cross are placed: part of the life-giving tree of the Cross of the Lord, and below is part of the mantle of St. Sergius, and a place is left for investing the donated relics of this saint of God 181. A year after Elder Macarius visited the Kyiv shrines, for some reason he needed to go to the Maloyaroslavets Monastery. On October 11, 1851, he went there, accompanied by novice Ioann Polovtsev. From there, together with the abbot, Abbot Anthony, they traveled to the Borovsky Monastery of St. Paphnutius and after a kind meeting with the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Gennady, they went to the Zosimova Women's Hermitage, which was under the special patronage of Moscow Metropolitan Philaret and the abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony. There they unexpectedly had to meet their father and governor. Here is how Elder Macarius himself wrote about this to his Sevsky nieces: “On Monday we arrived early at Zosima Hermitage... Because of their (sisters’) excess of joy and love, they did not know what kind of peace to give us. But we were pleased; and one cannot help but be grateful to the universal joyful and zealous greeting and the dissolved frank feeling. But at the very time of our stay with them, their joy increased: they received news that tomorrow, that is, the 16th, the father governor of the Lavra, Father Archimandrite Anthony, would come to them, and the day of his former angel, Andrew of Crete, would stay with them, on the 17th, which came true. On the sixteenth, at three o'clock in the afternoon, Father Archimandrite arrived; and for us this was such an unexpected consolation, so that even if we had written off for the congress, it would have been impossible to adapt it so well. His pleasant, loving, simple address, soulful and edifying conversations served as a great consolation for one and all. And during this time, all the sisters’ work and activities were abandoned except for the necessary ones; and everyone sat down at his and our feet and ate the spiritual food coming from his mouth” 182. Here, by the way, Elder Macarius, in the presence of the father governor, explained that some inaccuracies were noticed in the recently published academic Russian translation of “The Ladder.” Upon returning from the Zosima Hermitage, the father governor did not fail to bring this to the attention of the metropolitan. The Bishop, through Elder Macarius’ spiritual daughter N.P. Kireyevskaya, expressed a desire for the Elder to put his comments on paper and deliver them to him. Hieromonk Ambrose and Father John (Polovtsev) took up this matter under the direct supervision of Elder Macarius. Having compared the academic translation with the Slavic translation of the Moldavian elder Paisius and with the Russian translation of the former abbot of the Volkhov Monastery, Archimandrite Macarius (Glukharev), they wrote out the appropriate comments. These extracts, through the same Mrs. Kireevskaya, were delivered by the elder to the Metropolitan with the following humble letter: “Forgive me, Gracious Master, that I dare to bother you with my elaborate lines. With the blessing of Your Eminence, conveyed to me through N.P. Kireyevskaya, calling for help from your archpastoral prayers, the newly published book of St. John Climacus in Russian translation with some of the brethren of our monastery, having read and compared with the translation of Elder Paisius, Archimandrite of Moldova, made comments in which, in our understanding, he found dissimilarities or words that do not express spiritual reason in Russian, which, having compiled a special register, I dare to present for your discretion Eminences. And, throwing myself at the feet of Your Eminence, I ask forgiveness for this boldness of ours; and we by no means dare to assert the justice of our opinion, it is left to your archpastoral discretion and decision; and if you deign to find anything or everything wrong, then we humbly ask you to cover it with your archpastoral love and condescension. Having repeatedly received the blessing of Your Eminence, and again I dare to ask for it and, immersing myself in your prayerful protection and archpastoral mercies, I have the honor to abide with my due high veneration...” This letter was sent in early January 1852 and was the beginning of an interesting correspondence between the elder and the metropolitan. It cannot be said for certain that before the publication of spiritual books by the Optina Hermitage (until 1845), Elder Macarius was well known to Metropolitan Philaret. When people close to the elder began to ask the bishop for his blessing to start the book business, the saint, no doubt, could not help but be curious about who would be preparing for the printing of the manuscripts. In turn, the gentlemen of Kireyevsky and other admirers of the elder, long known to the metropolitan, could not help but speak highly of him as a wise man and a highly spiritual ascetic, so the metropolitan could not help but warm up to the elder Macarius. What kind of affection the Metropolitan had for him can be seen from N.P. Kireyevskaya’s response letter to the elder, written in May 1849, which also mentions the assistance of the Moscow saint in the publication of the book of the Venerable Nile of Sorsky. “Having visited the Bishop,” Natalya Petrovna wrote casually, “I told him your gratitude for his gracious attention and read him a few lines from the beginning and end of the letter, where you mentally throw yourself at his feet and ask for holy prayers and blessings. He listened to this with feeling and said: "Write to Father Macarius that I ask the Lord, and send him God's blessing, and ask for his holy prayers. I inquired about Nile of Sorsk; they allowed me to print it without asking the Synod, and soon you will receive his book for printing." These are the bishop’s own words.” Finally, the review of Elder Macarius by Archimandrite Anthony, the governor of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, who recently became close to him, in whom the Metropolitan had complete confidence, without any doubt, made a deep impression on the soul of St. Philaret. And the intelligent comments on the academic translation of “The Ladder” delivered to him by the elder, one might think, served as a kind of confirmation of all the praiseworthy reviews about him before the Metropolitan. As a result of all this, the wise saint, who was in no hurry in matters that required caution, finally decided to express in writing to the elder his desire to see him in person. Elder Macarius was also encouraged to go to Moscow by other reasons, especially his poor health. For a long time, persons devoted to him persuaded him to go to Moscow to consult about his health with the doctors there, but to their repeated persuasion he only answered: “Let it happen as God pleases” - or more often remained silent. By the way, on the occasion of the publication of books undertaken by the Optina residents, Elder Macarius, one might say, already, out of necessity, entered into correspondence with the Metropolitan. And in response to both his previous letter with comments and another, congratulatory one, in the same 1852, on the feast of the Holy Resurrection of Christ, the elder was honored to receive from the Metropolitan the following letter: “Most Reverend Father Macarius! Christ is Risen! Accept this kiss from me for the common consolation of common faith. May the risen Lord grant you the joy He promised, fulfilled and unalienable. Sorry for the late thank you for sending me your comments on the new translation of “The Ladder.” I gave them to the translators, and I still do not have a report from them, which I expect and demand in order to talk with you about the book through your comments. Our mutual acquaintances, telling me information about you, aroused in me concern for your health, and from this the thought was born that I am telling you. You traveled far to the Kyiv miracle workers: why don’t you take a trip not so far - to the Moscow miracle workers and to St. Sergius? They would not leave your visit without blessing. By the way, you could listen to the advice of doctors, and we would take advantage of your communication. If I called you to my place, you could refuse without thinking. But as I call you to the Moscow miracle workers and to St. Sergius, I hope you will think about this not without attention. May the Lord arrange for Him what is pleasing. I ask for your prayers. Filaret m. Moskovsky. April 3, 1852." This merciful, loving and humble writing of the great saint of Moscow, with the deep respect for him of Elder Macarius, evoked a remarkably humble response from the latter. The elder wrote: “Christ is risen! Your Eminence, most gracious father and archpastor! You have deigned to pour out so much archpastoral and paternal mercy on me, honoring my thinness with your handwritten writing, that I am unable to fully express the reverence and the lowest filial gratitude I feel for the person of Your Eminence. Upon receiving such a dear sign of your favor to me, I kissed the words written by your holy right hand, mentally throwing myself at your feet. Do I dare to refuse such a gracious offer of yours and blessing for me, the worst, to bow to the great Moscow miracle workers and St. Sergius of Radonezh, our great intercessors and intercessors of salvation, which will serve as a great consolation for me? But also in reverence for the person of Your Eminence, I have long had a desire to receive personally your archpastoral blessing, which I have not been able to receive until now. Now, at the first opportunity, after the water has drained, I will consider it my happiness to fall personally at the feet of Your Eminence, with the blessing of our archpastor and father abbot. I dare, asking for your archpastoral blessing and holy prayers, with my deepest veneration and filial devotion, to fall at your feet and abide Your Eminence, most merciful father and archpastor, most humble novice, much-sinful hieromonk Macarius. April 8, 1852." Simultaneously with the letter to Elder Macarius, the Metropolitan sent a special letter to Abbot Moses, asking him to release the Elder to Moscow. But on the part of the humble and conscientious abbot, delays could not be expected, even if the metropolitan did not ask him about it. And so in May, the elder got ready to set off, inviting with him the aforementioned, now ryasophore monk, Father John (Polovtsev), as his guide. On the eighth, on the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, in the afternoon, Father Macarius invited all the monastery brethren to his place for tea and announced that, in his absence, he entrusted the supervision of the external order in the monastery to Hieromonk Paphnutius 183, and the spiritual care of the brethren, as before, to Hieromonk Ambrose. He bequeathed to preserve peace and unanimity as the main signs of the disciples of Christ and not to abandon cell studies. At the same time, he noted: “So the secular sages show us the outcome - the paternal scripture. Recently, Ivan Vasilyevich Kireevsky sent me (as you heard) his book, in which he publicly admits that, having exhausted all the wisdom of Western philosophers, he was convinced that they had no truth; and it is hidden in the writings of the fathers of the Orthodox Church.” The next day, May 9, after the liturgy at the monastery, a farewell prayer service with kneeling was served for those departing; and then there was a wonderful farewell to the elder by the brothers. After the prayer service, everyone hurried to the priest’s cell, where, as the chronicler put it, the triumph of Christ’s love took place in our love-poor time. Then all the monastery brethren and the majority of the monastery family followed the elder to the exit monastery gate. Abbot Moses also went there. Here the elders, worthy of each other, said goodbye, and the brethren saw off those who were leaving across the Zhizdra River, which flows about a hundred yards from the monastery, where the monastics, having received the blessing from the elder, obeying his desire, returned back, while the hermits escorted the elder a little further. Finally, he left his wagon, blessed each brother and set off on his deliberate journey. Perhaps such a solemn farewell to the elder was arranged as a result of rumors that had spread that he was going to Moscow at the call of the great Moscow hierarch. It seems, however, that the old man’s previous farewells, when he left for a long time, were not without interest. On May 15, in the afternoon, the skete coachman 184 returned from Maloyaroslavets with the horses on which he had taken the elder there. With this coachman, the skits received from the priest their first letter, in which, after a detailed description of the path to Maloyaroslavets, he deigned, according to his custom, to attribute his fatherly benevolence: “Abide, brothers, in self-reproach and love; and the peace of God will be with you.” Elder Macarius remained away for about a month and a half, including travel to Moscow and back. At this time, the new Bishop Gregory (Mitkevich), who took the Kaluga See on December 9, 1851, after his predecessor, Bishop Nicholas, deigned to visit Optina Pustyn. He arrived on May 31 and stayed for several days. The bishop was very attentive and kind to everyone and everything in the monastery. When I was in the monastery, I wished to visit the cell of the monastery leader and elder Macarius. Entering the hall, he asked: “This is the reception room, I think? And I want to see the elder’s cell.” Then Abbot Moses, who accompanied the Right Reverend, ordered the door of the cell to be unlocked. Entering there, the bishop prayed at the holy icons, then, looking at the closet, he said: “Ah! Books? - and, putting on glasses, began to run through the glass of the table of contents. Then he turned to another cabinet: “And there are books here too? That's how much! This means that the elder uses them. Whose is this?” Father Superior explained that the elder's own. After this, having examined the monastery and its apiary, he returned to the monastery. Having served the liturgy at the monastery on June 3, the Right Reverend wished to serve in the monastery the next day. Having listened to a vigil in the skete church in the evening and returning to the monastery for the night, in a conversation with the abbot accompanying him, he asked: “And to whom do (the brothers) have the revelation?” Father Abbot replied: “They have a revelation to Elder Macarius.” “This is the main thing,” the bishop continued. “That’s what it’s all about.” This is the source of salvation. Either a person will fall too low or rise too high. The first is bad, and the second is followed by beauty. Isn't it true? “Exactly so, Your Eminence,” answered the abbot. “Some people, by self-inflicted behavior, will fall into such a mess that it can be difficult to correct.” Further, the bishop spoke about how important he considers the revelation of thoughts, through which the heart is purified and passions fade, and concluded the conversation with the word of Scripture: the wicked are captivated by lack of advice (cf. Proverbs 11:6). This conversation, remarkable in all respects, served as the topic for the Bishop, which he delivered the next day in the skete church after the Divine Liturgy. But let’s continue the conversation about the journey of Elder Macarius. He arrived in Moscow on the morning of May 14, at nine o'clock, at the Kireevsky house, which was located at the Red Gate, where the owners were waiting for him as a blessing from God. But the elder had barely time to get out of the cart when a messenger from Metropolitan Philaret came to find out: when were they expecting the elder? Father Macarius was moved to tears by the attention of the gracious Bishop and hastened to show the Metropolitan his sincere gratitude - to appear to him in person. On this same first date, the Metropolitan deigned to invite him to his meal. How the elder then spent his time in Moscow, we borrow information from his letters to his Sevsk nieces. The next day, the fifteenth of May, he wrote: “Twelfth hour. After mass, we were honored to receive a blessing from the Bishop and were privileged to have a conversation with him. I was with him for about an hour; (the lord) spoke about various subjects, more spiritual, and above my dignity; He showed his archpastoral mercy - he ordered me to come at two o'clock for dinner, where he promised to introduce my thinness to the Right Reverend Gregory of Kazan. Well, am I worth it? I’m afraid that this will not be a condemnation for me.” (The same day.) “On the fifteenth, after my letter to you, I was honored to be a table-fellow of two hierarchs; truly, not according to my dignity, looking at my careless life, and woe to me! For my name is higher than my deeds, and I, the accursed one, catching glory, flee far from reproach; but I have no equality with both. But what to do? God! In the image of fate, save me, unworthy.” “Today (probably on the next sixteenth day) the bishop again blessed me to visit him, and I will go there at eight o’clock for mass and hope to receive his blessing.” “May 17th. God bless! We’ve been living in Moscow for four days now, and we’ve fixed a few things, and some have. I wrote to you about our successful arrival and about receiving a blessing from the Bishop; and now in the morning, having free time, I am writing these lines to you, or talking with you. Yesterday, it’s not too early, I received letters from Pustyn from you, from the brothers, all sent in my name to Pustyn.” “May 18th. Today is the Feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit; and I, a sinner, was vouchsafed beyond my dignity to be a co-servant with the Metropolitan in the Chudov Monastery. He served the liturgy, and I was among those serving. Thank the Lord!” “In memory of Metropolitan Alexei (May 20), I was in Chudov. Vladyka served, and I stood at the altar with M... Afterwards I had a snack with Vladyka; and he blessed me to go to the Lavra. I'm thinking of going there tomorrow or Friday. And you, it seems, are raving in the heat about my imaginary height, not understanding that I mean nothing. Vladyka still said almost nothing to me; and when he speaks, he will see my foolishness and lazy and careless life. He, perhaps, thought to find in me some high talents and spiritual fruit; but I am alien to all this and am alone from the sinful and weak. You can ramble as you please, but I know better in reality.” “May 26. I am writing to you from the Lavra of St. Sergius, saint of God, where we arrived on Friday the 23rd, at two o’clock in the afternoon. And on the same day the bishop came here. The next day after Matins we served a prayer service to St. Sergius, where we also remembered your names. After lunch we went to the monastery; and the father governor came there and showed us all the establishments there. We were there for the all-night vigil and mass on Sunday; there they started talking. And on the same day, Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna arrived at the Lavra. This morning we arrived at the Lavra: the Bishop will serve.” “I am writing after mass... In the church we stood in the altar, and one could quite clearly see the Grand Duchess and her son... Thank God that our sovereign Court has such zeal for the saint of God, St. Sergius: they came on purpose to worship. We just spent the night in Moscow.” “May 30th. Secondly, I am writing to you, beloved children in the Lord, from here from the Lavra, where we will stay until Sunday or Monday...” “Thank the Lord! Having been honored to stay in the Lavra of St. Sergius and venerate his holy relics, yesterday the pack returned to Moscow. That’s why I wrote to you, why now I find it unnecessary to describe to you our stay there. I will only say that through the prayers of the saint of God we had a very good time there. The Bishop graciously and fatherly received us and saw us off with a blessing and an icon of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos; and blessed the coral rosary from his holy hands.” It seems necessary to make a small insert here. In January 1859, the new head of the Optina monastery, Hieromonk Paphnutius, while in Moscow, introduced himself to Metropolitan Philaret, who received him graciously and very kindly, asked about the Optina elders, Father Macarius, Archimandrite Moses and Abbot Anthony, and in conclusion, blessing him, added: “Tell Father Macarius that the rosary with which we They changed them, I wear them, and now I have them in my hands.” These words show that the elder, out of deep humility, kept silent about the exchange of rosaries with the Metropolitan. We continue to talk about the separation of Father Macarius from the father governor of the Lavra in the elder’s own words: “And the father governor showed his great love for us and provided us with everything: images, books, tea, sugar, a samovar, money, a cassock and a kamilavka with a hood; gave his horses and a calm carriage to Moscow; He himself took us ten miles away, where we drank tea. And o. F. with o. D. was escorted until halfway along the road, that is, until he spent the night. By order of the bishop, we stayed in the Lavra and in the monastery for ten days. I presented to him that our deadline was approaching, and he said: “We can postpone it; when necessary, I will write to your bishop, but you need to get treatment in Moscow.” We only have seven days left, and no one has been here yet, what should we do? I asked Father Superior to send another extension for two weeks. Meanwhile, we will often talk by letter - which is what I do every mail: I write to my brothers and sisters, that is, to you, and you write to me and don’t be bored” 185. This ends the information provided by Elder Macarius himself about his stay in Moscow and the Lavra. You can see from them how glad he was and what love the Metropolitan and the Lavra governor showed for him, and on the other hand, how humble the elder was! On June 13, Father Macarius left Moscow. The Kireevskys accompanied their spiritual, loving father to the outpost. And on June 20, at the end of the evening rule, he returned from his trip to the monastery. The skits met their dear priest and received a blessing from him in the church. And then, until late in the evening, the elder’s cells were filled with monastic brethren who came to him to receive a blessing and express their joy at his safe return. How pleasant it was for the Metropolitan to have a personal meeting with the elder can be seen from the following letter from the Bishop to him: “Reverend Father Macarius! First of all, thank you for your kind visit. I hope that your work is fruitless. I regret that I didn’t talk enough with you. But thank God for everything! Thank you for the books 186. You are very generous, and I was ashamed to take advantage of your generosity: but they convinced me not to contradict. The benefit that those who read will gain, may the secretly working God turn into spiritual gain for you. Kissing my humility to all your brotherhood. Grace and peace of the Lord be with you! I ask you not to deprive me of the good help of your prayers. Filaret m. Moskovsky. August 13, 1852." Indeed, the work of Elder Macarius’s trip to Moscow, according to the Metropolitan, was fruitless. There he had the consolation of praying to the saints of Moscow and kissing their incorruptible relics, and then of St. Sergius in his Lavra; to see face to face the great saint of Moscow, receive a blessing from him and enjoy his humbly loving conversation; in the Lavra, to be received with brotherly love - and even, it seems, more than that - by the father of the Lavra, and then by the rector of the Theological Academy, Archimandrite Alexy, inspector Archimandrite Sergius and professor F.A. Golubinsky. In addition, the elder also took advantage of the benefits of the chief doctor of the Moscow Land Hospital, Mr. K. K. Pföl 187. Having suffered for a long time, and in recent years constantly, from the occupation of the spirit, the sufferer supported himself with the drops that this doctor prescribed to him. Metropolitan Philaret treated Elder Macarius favorably even before his personal meeting with him; and after him he began to treat him with even greater attention, goodwill and goodwill. So, for example, on February 25, 1854, the elder received a letter from the metropolitan with the following content: “Reverend Father Macarius rejoice in the Lord. As I am writing to you upon entering into fasting, it is time to ask for your forgiveness, perhaps in greater wines than the one I am now thinking about, in long silence. I hear with sympathy that your health is poor. Give yourself a break. Do not deplete your strength, which, if used in moderation, can serve you longer. I also hear that you are concerned about incorrect judgments about some people who received instructions from you. As far as I know the circumstances, they need to be advised to be patient, because the opinion of their superiors cannot suddenly be changed. However, there is no reason to fear that difficulties similar to those that happened with the late Father Leonid 188 could occur. Peace and silence to your soul. Pray for me, overwhelmed by the rumors of everyday life. Filaret m. Moskovsky. Feb. 21. 1854. Kisses to your father archimandrite and father Anthony. I also ask the first one for forgiveness in silence.” Or in a letter of the same year to Elder Macarius, Natalya Petrovna Kireevskaya wrote: “On Friday I had the good fortune to be with the Metropolitan... Despite his studies, he did a favor - he received us attentively and deigned to ask about your health; and, having learned about the weakening and occupation of the spirit that was happening to you, he was extremely sorry and said: Father Archimandrite should calm the elder; convey to the elder my wish for his health and God’s blessing. I fulfill this pleasant task with all my heart.” In the mutual relationship between the Metropolitan and Elder Macarius, even a truly childlike love for each other is visible. The Metropolitan received the elder's spiritual daughter N.P. Kireyevskaya without delay at all times - both when he was busy with business, and even when he was unwell and therefore did not receive anyone except her. On October 25 of the same 1854, Kireevskaya wrote the following to the elder: “My dear father, benefactor of the soul! On Friday, as expected, she was with the bishop. He was unwell and had not seen anyone yet. I decided to say that they would report me, and, of course, for your holy blessing, I was graciously received by the Bishop. I conveyed your earthly worship, my father, and, receiving you a holy blessing from the Bishop, I untied the bundle with gifts from you and gave first a chiseled bowl, then spoons, a ladle. The Bishop reviewed everything with attention and, holding a ladle in his hand, said: “Tell me, why are there roses inside? To drink them? After all, they will come off, so they paint them like that in my monastery too; it seems unnecessary?” I answered the bishop: “These flowers will not come off, they are carefully covered with linseed oil and held in place, which I have seen from experience using spoons painted in the same way; it is very beautiful.” Vladyka: “Okay, I’ll eat and drink from this ladle at dinner...” Then she brought me some (turned) candlesticks, which the Vladyka really liked. He said that “it’s cleaner with a hairpin.” And when I reported that the priest was ashamed to send them - they were simply decorated in tin, the bishop said: “In vain; I prefer tin; it is much better than copper.” After all, I gave the bishop the books of St. Isaac and explained why the leaves were somewhat crumpled - because of my guilt, and that for yourself you deigned to put the letters yourself for the convenience of finding the lines of the same matter, and showed how (to find), and that you were zealous for the bishop, actually thinking that this convenience would not be pleasing to the bishop. Vladyka said: “Very grateful. But why didn’t the elder leave it for himself and deprive himself?” I answered: “Father will still take the trouble to do something for himself; but you, Vladyka, he is happy to serve with everything he has, due to his deep devotion to you.” The Bishop said: “Oh, God save them! I thank them. Apparently, I still have a long time to live. They sent me so many things! They want me to live a long time.” And everyone smiled pleasantly. I answered that it was due to decency. The Bishop asked with sympathy about your health. I explained what I saw, and my soul was comforted by the Lord’s love for you, my father! Then she conveyed bows and respect from Father Archimandrite (Moses) and Father Abbot Anthony...” Being in such close relations in general with the Optina elders and especially with Elder Macarius, Vladyka Metropolitan wished to meet with him and Abbot Anthony again, for which a favorable opportunity presented itself. In the skete chronicle for September 26, 1855, we read the following note: “On this day, at four o’clock in the morning, the elders - Father Abbot Anthony and Father Macarius - went to Zosima’s maiden hermitage at the invitation of its head for the consecration of the church, which will be performed by the Bishop of Moscow, His Eminence Philaret, who also expressed the desire that the elders took advantage of this opportunity for a personal meeting and conversation with him.” But the details of this meeting, unfortunately, are unknown. Moreover, what great attentiveness the Metropolitan showed to the publication of the patristic writings by the Optina residents, led by Elder Macarius - attentiveness combined with the deep humility of the saint of Christ, especially in relation to the elder! Not only did the Metropolitan carefully read and carefully correct the explanations compiled by the Optina residents on some obscure passages of the patristic writings, he himself even translated some difficult passages of the holy fathers, comparing them with the Greek or Latin original, and encouraged the censor to quickly carry out the work entrusted to him. The saint especially took care of the publication of the book “The Rev. Fathers Barsanuphius the Great and John’s Guide to Spiritual Life,” finding it more useful than others for monastics. In her letter to Elder Macarius, N.P. Kireevskaya wrote in July 1849, among other things, that the Bishop, having learned about the desire of the Optina residents to print the teachings of the Monk Theodore the Studite and the Monks Barsanuphius and John, remarked: “My opinion: first of all, start printing Barsanuphius the Great - that would be better.” And on September 19 of the same year, Kireevskaya reported to Elder Macarius the following words of the metropolitan: “When I was in the Lavra, I was busy with the book of Saint Barsanuphius. The Greek original was also found; and we found ancient Slavic, and, strangely, Slavic is much closer and more accurate than Greek. We will put it this way: print the translation of Elder Paisius as it is. But since in some places there are missing speeches and places in it, then everything and the like from the Old Slavonic, and partly checking with the Greek (book), we will display below in the notes, as was done in the book of St. Nile.” “Having listened to these joyful words,” Kireevskaya then wrote, “I bowed at the Bishop’s feet with deepest gratitude and gratitude... I also added a few words about how I was afraid to distract Theodore Alexandrovich (Golubinsky), now otherwise occupied, from the book of Saint Barsanuphius. Vladyka said: “Well, I ordered him to deal exclusively with it.” When the book was printed and presented to the Metropolitan of Kireevsk on behalf of Elder Macarius, he was very pleased. Kireyevskaya wrote the following to Optina about this: “Vladyka received us with fatherly favor. I handed him a copy on behalf of you, father, and thanked you with a bow to the ground. The Bishop accepted the book with great pleasure and said: “The way the elders keep up with everything is amazing! I am very grateful to them.” I asked the Bishop to pay attention to the seal, to the alphabet, and the Bishop very, very approved of everything. He spoke kindly." Together with the book of the Venerable Fathers Barsanuphius and John, the Metropolitan approved the publication of the Venerable Abba Thalassius. Continuing the previous letter, Kireevskaya wrote to the elder: “I gave the bishop the third centenary of Thalassius’s translation. The Bishop asked: “What is this?” - “The rest of the centurion Thalassia. Father Macarius did not translate the very last chapters of the fourth centurion, because he was afraid of making mistakes in the presentation of these lofty subjects of theology, and left it to the will of Your Eminence, and as the Lord will tell you.” - “It’s in vain; it would be better if they transferred me - they would help me. Wait, now...” - and went to another room. The Bishop returned, holding in his hands the first centurion of Saint Thalassius: “Here is the first centurion, I read it, changed some things. In one place I thought I had guessed it, corrected it, but when I found the Greek original here in the Lavra, I saw that I was mistaken and changed the amendment. In another place it was not so, probably because one word was missing in the original. Here, give it to the elders from me and ask if they will be pleased with mine amendments. I was worried and didn’t know how I could send them this hundred. I am very glad that I can give it to you." I thanked you very much and said that you would accept the Bishop’s mercy with the deepest sense of gratitude and that your amendments are a blessing. The Bishop said: “Well, that’s how the elders find it.” Then I asked: “When the elders have copied it, will you allow me to deliver it back to you?” “You can hand it over to censorship, whatever you want.” Upon the return of the first centurion, Abba Thalassia, the Metropolitan wrote to Elder Macarius: “Peace from above to the Reverend Father Macarius! I return the translation of Abba Thalassius, which I have scribbled, perhaps as unsightly in relation to the mind as in relation to the letters. I leave it to your consideration. I don’t think it’s superfluous to say what I did and why. I compared the first hundred only with the translation of Elder Paisius. Having doubts about a few chapters, I resorted to the original. Something prompted me to constantly compare the other three centurions with the Greek original, and sometimes with the Latin translation, which was printed with the Greek original, but is not always similar to it. It turned out that for some chapters the help of the original Greek, and sometimes the Latin translation, was necessary, although in some other chapters our translation is apparently correct, and the printed Greek is obviously corrupt. In the 59th chapter of the third centenary, our translation is left inviolable; and the translation from the Greek is included in the footnote because it is somewhat doubtful which reading is correct, although, in my opinion, it is more likely that the true reading is Greek; for only by guesswork and compulsion can one give meaning to the words: “in a hardworking friend you will find protection for your eyes.” But the words “in a hardworking friend you will find a cover for your mistakes” give a clear meaning. And you can see their source in the words of the Apostle: converting a sinner from error will cover a multitude of sins 189 . A special note is attached that the 89th and 92nd chapters of the fourth hundred are out of place. I am also enclosing the last 21 chapters, specially rewritten, so that you can read better than what I am writing coherently due to lack of time, weakness, and most of all, laziness, from which help me get rid of with your prayers. Kisses of peace to you, and to Father Archimandrite, and to Father Anthony. Filaret m. Moskovsky. In Lavra. June 22, 1855." In response to the Metropolitan, Elder Macarius wrote the following: “Your Eminence, most gracious archpastor and father! Having repeatedly received the archpastoral blessing from Your Eminence through N.P. Kireyevskaya, I accepted it reverently, with a feeling of gratitude and, not daring to disturb Your Eminence with my writings to express it, I have remained silent until now. But now your newly poured-out archpastoral and paternal mercy has given me the courage to write these feeble-minded lines of mine. With all your arduous and useful studies, you deigned to take the time to consider the manuscript of Abba Thalassius of the first centenary with a Slavic text translation into Russian, presented from us to Your Eminence through Natalya Petrovna. Having received it back, with joy we saw in many places the correction of the translation made by the holy hand of Your Eminence, which clearly showed us the correctness of the Slavic text and our feeble-mindedness; and they showed so much mercy - they deigned to accept the remaining three hundred cents for your consideration. Forgive, most gracious Bishop, our insolence that we dared to bother the person of Your Eminence. We also consider it a great mercy to us and happiness for ourselves that we were worthy to accept, with our deepest zeal, copies of the book of Saints Barsanuphius and John in the Russian translation. This is not our work, but the fruit of your archpastoral favor and blessing, without which this undertaking could not have been accomplished. Continuing your archpastoral and paternal mercies, Your Eminence deigned to send 100 silver rubles to our monastery through Father Viceroy of the Lavra Father Archimandrite Anthony. Composing all this in our hearts, we dare in these weak, feeble-minded lines to bring Your Eminence our deepest gratitude and mentally fall at the feet of Your Eminence, kissing your holy right hand. Moreover, daring to ask for your archpastoral blessing and the holy prayers of all our monastery brethren who worked in the book, and to me last with boundless high veneration and filial devotion, I have the happiness of being Your Eminence, the most merciful archpastor and father, the most humble son and novice, the much-sinful hieromonk Macarius. June 25, 1855." But in particular, Vladyka Metropolitan took care of the publication of the book of St. Isaac the Syrian in the Slavic translation of Elder Paisius Velichkovsky by the Optina Hermitage. This book, however, was published a little earlier than the Monk Abba Thalassius. In the memorial note of Elder Macarius we read the following about this: “We did not dare to hope to take any measures regarding the printing of the book of Saint Isaac the Syrian (probably because the Russian academic translation of this holy father had already been published); but God arranged His destinies unexpectedly and granted us the great spiritual consolation of seeing it printed in 2400 copies. This is how it happened: in 1852, when I was in Moscow, talking with the gentlemen of the Kireyevskys about the Russian (academic) translation of this book, how good and useful it would be to print this book in the Slavic language of Elder Paisius, I suggested that, on occasion, they should propose this to the Most Reverend Metropolitan Philaret. Having been in the Trinity Lavra at the same time, he proposed this to the father governor, Archimandrite Anthony. After my departure, he took advantage of the time and at different times during the conversation reported this to His Eminence.” On this occasion, in September of the same 1852, Elder Macarius received the following letter from the Lavra governor: “Most God-loving and kind Elder Father Macarius, bless! According to your word about the publication of Isaac the Syrian, I wrote to our elder, the holy ruler. Please listen to the answer he wrote to me: "I will be glad if the fathers of Optina print the book of Isaac the Syrian in Slavic, and I don’t foresee any difficulties for censorship. It would be desirable if explanations were made for some places from the original, as was done in the edition of Barsanuphius the Great. But if this turns out to be difficult, it would be good to print it without it. And with explanations, the Slavic text, according to to me, it’s better than the Russian one, because by the nature of the language the translation is closer to the original. I trust new translations less.” Here, dear father, is the Bishop’s answer from word to word. Now all that remains is for you, calling on the Lord for help, to get down to business. Asking for your holy prayers, with heartfelt love I am forever unworthy Anthony. Give your fraternal bow to Father Abbot Moses, Father Anthony and all your monastery brethren. September 18, 1852." The next mail received was a letter from N.P. Kireyevskaya, in which she notified Elder Macarius of her conversation with the Metropolitan. "Vladyka: 'Doesn't Father Macarius write to you about the printing of the book of St. Isaac the Syrian? He wrote about this to Father Anthony, why is this?' I answered: “I don’t know anything about this, Vladyka. But if the priest wrote to Father Anthony, then, probably, based on the words you said earlier to my husband, that you will be glad to see this book printed, like the book of St. Barsanuphius, in the Slavic language with explanations. But only, Vladyka, I dare to note that if you entrust these explanations to Golubinsky, it will be very slow. Yes. It seems, Vladyka, that it will be necessary to send it to the Synod again and from there wait for permission to publish?“ Vladyka: "No, I will not send it to the Synod - after all, this is the book of the Holy Father - but I will give it to the Committee for consideration; and if he does not decide to let it pass, then I will demand it and sign it myself. Let them reprimand me alone." In his above-mentioned memorial note, Elder Macarius noted that with regard to the explanations of the dark passages of St. Isaac the Syrian, the Metropolitan “does not know who to entrust to do this. “As a result of this,” the elder continues, “we wrote to N.P. Kireyevskaya to suggest to the Bishop whether His Eminence would please allow us to do this matter. For this we received his blessing and permission to take the Greek book of St. Isaac the Syrian from the Moscow Theological Academy.” The manuscript, then prepared for printing, was presented to Metropolitan Philaret for consideration. “Vladyka,” the elder continues in his note, “received it favorably and, going to the Trinity Lavra, being there in the monastery, during the first week of Great Lent he began to look through our explanations and comments; he corrected some and with his own hand about this he honored me with a letter dated March 9, 1853, and that he handed over this manuscript to the censorship for consideration and permission to print, which was entrusted to the censor, the father inspector of the academy, Archimandrite Sergius, who lovingly began to examine it and at the end of the same year in July, signed permission to print and delivered it to Moscow to the Kireyevsky gentlemen. And they, with the blessing of the archpastor, began printing and kept up the proofreading. Meanwhile, the Lord helped us make an alphabetical index for this book, which was also approved by the censor for publication.” It is not out of place here to bring to the readers’ attention the letter of St. Philaret dated March 9, 1853, with which he honored the humble elder Macarius: “Most Reverend Father Macarius rejoice in the Lord! Pray for us, struggling with the waves of people and affairs, that we may not get bogged down, but may we touch, albeit somewhat, the shores of silence and freedom. Several months passed until I finally found time to tear myself away from the affairs of captivity in order to do what I wanted - reading the manuscript of St. Isaac the Syrian, prepared by you for printing: but even now, without finishing this, I am forced to return to the inevitable affairs of the office surrounding me. I read about half of the book continuously, listening to the teacher and your interpretations. Then I looked through some places: but, unable to continue and fearing that the matter would be stopped for a long time, I decided to send the manuscript to the censor tomorrow. Forgive me that I boldly touched some of your notes, without being able to first explain to you why I touched them. Some passages of the book are obscure in the Greek as well as in the Slavic text. Probably the reason for this, by the way, is the Greek translator from the Syrian. Some notes on such places seemed only conjectural and not quite consistent with the Greek text. In such cases, it seemed to me better to leave the dark dark, rather than run the risk of giving the reader our thought instead of the thought of Isaac the Syrian. In some cases it seemed to me that the interpretation was not in accordance with the spirit of the teaching. This is the next passage in Word 44. Text: simple silence 190 in the midst of truth is reproachful. Is it really always,” the Metropolitan wrote, “when grace-filled actions are not felt, that silence is already reproachful or worthy of condemnation? And do good ascetics immediately receive a sense of grace-filled actions? And do not those who have achieved sometimes hide these sensations, either through imperfection or carefully? Why did I change this interpretation so: without other feats and virtues. In this sense, a remark was made in the Greek book. I did not dare to change one interpretation on my own and am presenting you with a note about this. If you agree to the proposed change, then return the interpretation I propose in order to submit it to the censors for inclusion in the manuscript. The changes of lesser importance that I allowed myself to make are not worth talking about and, for quite a few of them, are inconvenient. Diligently calling on God's blessing and peace to you and your brotherhood, I entrust myself to your prayers. Especially to Father Superior, express my respect and recognition of my guilt that I did not write to him in particular and that I was silent for a long time, for which I ask forgiveness from both of you. Filaret m. Moskovsky.” The interpretation of Elder Macarius, which the Metropolitan did not dare to change, is as follows: in the 21st Word of Saint Isaac the Syrian the text: “Purity is the oblivion of the mind of those who exist through nature, acquired in the world from nature.” Interpretation: “Under the guise of knowledge here we mean the unnatural use of things found in nature” and so on. A special note from the Metropolitan regarding this interpretation: “The types of knowledge are different, and the use of things is different. And not all types of knowledge mean the unnatural use of things. There is a form of knowledge of beings through nature: and before this there is a form of knowledge of beings by nature. This type of knowledge belongs to purity, and that to the passionate state. The idea of ​​the remark is correct, but the expression is not accurate. Would you like to state the remark this way: St. Isaac distinguishes here between the type of knowledge of those who exist by nature and the type of knowledge of those who exist through nature. The first is not contrary to purity, but the second must be forgotten in order to achieve purity. The type of knowledge of beings through nature is the knowledge of things not simply by nature, but with the use of thoughts resulting from the use of things not by nature, but by passion. Thus, the idea of ​​gold in thoughts as a creation of God is knowledge of what exists by nature, and the idea of ​​gold with selfish lust is knowledge of what exists through nature.” Elder Macarius’s response to the Metropolitan’s letter: “Your Eminence, gracious father and archpastor! The high humility of Your Eminence, revealed in your handwritten writing dated the 9th of this March, with which you honored my thinness, touched me to the depths of my soul, and even more made me aware and see my poverty, and made me afraid that such condescension would not condemn me. I wrap my mind in silence and, throwing myself mentally at your saintly feet, I offer silent thanks. With the arduous and complex labors and cares of Your Eminence for the great flock of our vast fatherland, you deigned to take the time to read the manuscript of St. Isaac the Syrian, which, by the goodwill and blessing of Your Eminence, was prepared by us for publication, with interpretations or explanations of some incomprehensible passages of the Slavic text, and honored our weak work with your archpastoral attention, having examined it. This is only akin to your high person and your love for disseminating the spiritual teachings of the Holy Fathers to nourish the children of our Orthodox Church with them. Presenting this manuscript to Your Eminence, we did not dare to consider our explanations accurate and correct; but we were consoled by the hope that Your Eminence would pay merciful attention to them, and, having been made happy by this, we honor the changes made by you, just and holy. Knowing the enlightened mind and experience of Your Eminence, with love and a feeling of inexpressible gratitude we mentally kiss your holy right hand, which worked in this correction of our sins. In some dark places, although we dared to make explanations, we did not want to leave them like that; but if Your Eminence deigns to find that it is better to leave the dark dark rather than rely on conjectural thoughts, then we believe that the Lord announced this to you; and this, without a doubt, will be more reliable and useful. Regarding the two places on which you deigned to make a comment and change, we dare to report to Your Eminence, as we understood, without, however, considering our thought to be correct. In Word 44, in response to the words simple silence in the midst of truth, we reproachfully made an explanation: without the feeling of grace-filled actions. Your Eminence rightly deigned to note that an ascetic may not have these sensations, having not yet reached this point or for other reasons. But we had in mind above these lines the counted actions of the success of silence and considered the words simple silence in the midst of truth to be reproachful only in relation to these people in a high dispensation, and not in such a mind that simple silence would be reproachful or worthy of condemnation. It, of course, has its own degrees and decreases and increases according to the spiritual age of everyone. We understood this, but could not fully express our thought. Your correction: without other feats and virtues is closer to the concept of many and more accurate; for from performing deeds comes success in blessed sensations. In the 21st Word, our remark on the text, purity is the oblivion of the mind of those who exist through nature, acquired in the world by nature, does not express real reason and accuracy; and Your Eminence’s remark is very clear and correct, and we humbly ask you to replace our erroneous one with it, if it is your permission. In all our shortcomings and sins, which were made in this matter out of self-reflection or out of our misunderstanding, falling at the feet of Your Eminence, we ask, both I and my colleagues, your archpastoral and paternal forgiveness and merciful condescension. Our father abbot accepted the blessing of Your Eminence with an inexpressible feeling of gratitude and self-awareness of your high humility and considers himself happy that he was honored to receive your blessing. Through the prayers and blessing of Your Eminence, the Lord granted us help to complete the translation into Russian of the book of Saints Barsanuphius and John, which we hope to soon present to Your Eminence, and we humbly ask for your permission and blessing to submit it to the censor for consideration and approval for publication. We accept the archpastoral blessing given to us by Your Eminence in your writing with faith and love and a grateful heart, and for the future we dare to ask for it and your holy prayers to strengthen our mental and physical infirmities. And again, falling at your feet and kissing your blessing right hand, with my deepest high veneration and inexpressible filial devotion, I have the happiness to remain Your Eminence, gracious archpastor and father, the lowest novice and. Macarius. March 17, 1853." With what reverence Elder Macarius treated the great Saint Philaret can be seen from his letter to his Sevsk nieces: “Today,” he wrote, “the Lord has vouchsafed me, not according to my dignity, to receive a merciful scripture from the ruler of Moscow, Metropolitan Philaret, dated March 9, handwritten... Oh, the great humility of this lofty man! How mercifully and humbly he expresses himself before our badness! He even leads to shame and fear with his condescending humility. And with his diocesan studies so extensive, he chose time to read this book (of Saint Isaac). How great is his love for the teachings of his fathers and his desire to pass them on to the faithful sons of Russia to nourish their souls with the manna of the spiritual teachings of this holy Isaac the Syrian! It is very pleasant for us that he corrected our mistakes with his holy hand. Glory to God for this gift of His!” 192 But all this attention to the publication of the book of St. Isaac was not enough for the merciful Philaret. Through N.P. Kireyevskaya, he donated one hundred rubles for this publication itself. At the same time, he expressed concern that the publication of books, with the generosity of the Optina elders, would be repaid by selling them, so that other books could be printed with this money. “So,” Elder Macarius concludes in his note, “this divinely inspired book (of Saint Isaac), with the help of God, was printed with the blessing of the Bishop, and the first three printed copies of it (bound) were sent to us at the monastery on Bright Week, the 13th (April 1854), on the third day of the holiday, as the most suitable gift for the Bright Holiday.” In a letter to his Sevsk nieces, the elder also adds: “Ivan Vasilyevich and Natalya Petrovna (Kireevsky) made every effort to finish by Easter. It was almost impossible to do this.” Not only the God-loving elder, however, but all lovers of the patristic writings were incredibly pleased with the publication of this book. Glorifying God for this, they together blessed the high patron of this cause, Metropolitan Philaret. And how could you not be happy? For there was a time when zealots of monastic life and Christian wisdom paid for handwritten copies of this book one hundred or more rubles in banknotes; but even that was difficult to get. And although the translation of Elder Paisius was published in Moldova in the Nyametsky monastery back in 1812, due to the prohibition that still exists on the import of books of Slavic printing from abroad without any exceptions regarding their content, this book came to Russia only by accident and therefore was not sold cheaply - fifteen rubles or more in silver. The subsequent Optina editions, although they were also printed with the permission and blessing of the Metropolitan, he was no longer so sympathetic to them for the following important reason, which he expressed to I.V. Kireevsky: “I don’t know,” he said, “why print a lot. Isn't it better to limit yourself to a few that are clearly useful? Secular literature presents us with the disadvantages of printing a lot. There, the enemy of the human race tried to arrange it in such a way that good books were crushed under a pile of useless ones, so that you could not get to them. Shouldn’t we be careful lest spiritual literature suffer the same fate?” However, the saint of Christ, even after such a completely true and far-sighted remark, applicable to our time, was expressed by him, not only did not forbid the Optina people to publish soul-helping books, but also contributed to this. What kind of love Metropolitan Philaret generally had for Elder Macarius and even, if one does not boldly put it this way, respect for him, can be seen from the following lines written to Elder N.P. Kireyevskaya in March 1859. These are the lines: “About the recently published harmful book, the Metropolitan of Moscow said that he knows it, and that they are already writing a response to it, and that the bishop himself will write to you about this book, my father! This is what I hasten to warn you about and ask you, for the Lord’s sake: to answer the Bishop frankly and strongly, as if you were his spiritual elder. The Lord of this attitude towards you desires and deeply values ​​a direct, firm, unyielding word. The Lord has a feeling of special love for you, my father. Your relationship with his feelings will, of course, be made easier by your love for him. Forgive me, for the Lord’s sake, that I dare to suggest this to you; but I do this out of unlimited devotion to you in the Lord.” In the same year, 1859, on December 22, Elder Macarius, as if in confirmation of what Natalya Petrovna had written before, received a humble letter from Metropolitan Philaret through the aforementioned Father Leonid (Kavelin), who was at that time a skete hieromonk, who was with the Moscow ruler during a trip to St. Petersburg. Since the memory of the righteous Philaret the Merciful is celebrated on December 1 - the day of the Angel of the two Philaret, Metropolitans of Kyiv and Moscow, for a long time there was a service in the monastery, as it still happens now, on this day, at which these two hierarchs were remembered in their time for the health and salvation; now they remember the repose. The letter from the Moscow ruler on this matter is as follows: “Reverend Father Macarius rejoice in the Lord! I am comforted by your remembrance of me on the day of my Angel: understanding that this remembrance is prayer, in which my weakness and unworthiness have great need. May the Lord richly comfort you with His consolation and may He renew your strength from your many infirmities 193 and may He complete His power. I have read the “Warning” and I think that it is beneficial for some who boldly enter the secret path of inner spiritual activity without an experienced guide. However, I still keep the manuscript and hope to tell you a word about it 194. I earnestly invoke God’s blessing on you, and on the head of your monastery, and on your companions. Bless me with peace. Filaret m. Moskovsky. December 11, 1859." Moscow Metropolitan Philaret calls upon the elder God's blessing and at the same time asks this elder, a simple hieromonk, to bless him with peace. The metropolitan’s marvelous humility, and at the same time his marvelous understanding of spiritual life! At the end of this chapter, it is worth noting the following. The letters offered here are presented in full so that readers can see more clearly the sincere and humbly loving relationship that Metropolitan Philaret and his confessor, the vicar of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Anthony, had with Elder Macarius, as he did with them. Chapter 13. The attitude of some hierarchs and persons associated with Optina book works towards the elder Macarius and the elder towards them, as well as towards his monastery brethren The book publishing activity of the Optina brethren, led by Elder Macarius, spread the news of this soul-helping work far and wide and, as noted above, aroused in many, on the one hand, sincere sympathy for this good cause, and on the other, one way or another, assistance. In the monastery chronicle dated April 4, 1854 we read the following: “According to private information (from a letter to N.P. Kireevskaya), the Synod recently started talking about the publications of our monastery. Various, more unfavorable opinions also emerged. But Vladyka Nikanor, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg, who was once our diocesan bishop (that is, Kaluga) and was generally disposed towards the monastery (Optina), stopped these rumors with one word: “We should not,” said the Vladyka, “obstruct them in this; for it is not they from us, but we from them who must learn.” Of course, these words referred to spiritual men: Elder Macarius, Abbot Father Moses, Father Abbot Anthony and the like.” In the same chronicle dated August 15, 1857 it is written: “At the beginning of this month, the Most Reverend Filaret (Amphiteatrov), Metropolitan of Kiev (the founder of the Optina monastery when he was the Kaluga bishop), with the opportunity sent to our monastery and to the monastery a full circle of liturgical books - each with his own inscription - in gratitude for the books of our publications sent personally for him to the Lavra, Kyiv Academy and Seminary.” In general, this saint was always very disposed towards the Optina Hermitage. Just before his death, when the ecclesiarch of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, hieromonk (later archimandrite) Meletius began to ask him for the blessing of Optina Hermitage, he said: “Write my complete blessing; but I myself cannot write.” Since the good order of monastic life was established in Optina Hermitage as a result of the eldership introduced among the brethren, it was visited at different times by several hierarchs. Thus, the above-mentioned Kiev Metropolitan Philaret visited the monastery and monastery twice while traveling to Kyiv from St. Petersburg, where he stayed for some time as a member of the Holy Synod: the first time in 1837, and the second time in 1842. Further, in 1844, Vologda Archbishop Evlampy visited the Optin monastery and monastery while traveling from Orel to Vologda. He affectionately greeted all the brethren, and especially the skete hieromonk John, the compiler of several anti-schism books, for his works. Having learned that there was a church in the monastery in the name of St. John, the Baptist of the Lord, he expressed a desire to have a prayer service served for him, which was done with the proclamation of many years to the venerable visitor. Having then blessed all the hermits and asked for their prayers, the saint set off for the monastery, and then soon on the path that lay before him. In 1846, on September 18, Kursk Archbishop Iliodor visited the Optin Monastery and Skete while traveling from Kursk to St. Petersburg. He was met by Abbot Moses with all the brethren of the monastery and skete at the Holy Gates and escorted to the Vvedensky Cathedral, in which, having prayed to the Lord, he told the brethren about the monastic exploits with paternal instructions for their spiritual edification. He was also in the skete church and treated everyone very favorably. The next day at five o'clock in the morning, the distinguished guest set off from Optina on his further journey, leaving an archpastoral blessing to the entire Optina brotherhood, and thanked the abbot and the monastery leader, Father Macarius, for his diligent reception. On September 17, 1851, Kaluga Bishop Nikolai (Sokolov) died. Bishop Dimitri (later Archbishop of Odessa) came from Tula for his burial. On this occasion, the Optina abbot, Abbot Moses, and Elder Macarius were also in Kaluga. The burial was performed by Bishop Demetrius on September 21, after which the bishop deigned to visit Optina Pustyn. But the details of this visit are unknown. In the skete chronicle, the following is noted under August 31, 1852: “On Sunday, the Right Reverend Damascene (formerly of Tula) listened to early mass in the skete; after which he drank tea with Father Macarius; later I was in a monastery. Dined with Father Superior; and about four o'clock in the afternoon departed back. Among other things, he said about our monastery: “If anyone wants to hover between heaven and earth, he should live in Optina.” But especially remarkable was the visit of the Optina Monastery by His Grace Archbishop Smaragd of Oryol. He arrived at the monastery on June 13, 1853, also traveling from Orel to St. Petersburg to attend the Holy Synod. He had the usual ceremonial meeting. This Bishop had long been disposed towards Optina and expressed this in his words of greeting to the brethren when he blessed them in the Vvedensky Cathedral. “I have long wanted to see you,” he said, “and now it has come true. I'm going to St. Petersburg. Pray that the Lord will give me success in matters... spiritual and personal.” After tea with the abbot, he visited the monastery, where he was met at the Holy Gate by the entire monastery brethren, went to the church, where he prayed while singing “It is worthy to eat...”, praised the singing, and then visited the cell of the monastery leader, Elder Macarius. I dined with the abbot. In conversation he called both the abbot and the elder “father.” When saying goodbye, the saint asked the abbot in the same year of 1853, in the summer, to let Father Macarius go to the monasteries of the diocese under his jurisdiction for the edification of the monastics. But when the elder, with his characteristic humility, began to refuse, the Eminence said: “No. Please! Everyone loves you very much; visit the Sevsky Monastery, you need to maintain the spirit of monasticism. I will write to Your Eminence. The time is not set for your trip, but when it is more convenient for you.” He wished to see the ryassophore monk Father John (Polovtsev) and the novice Lev Alexandrovich Kavelin, and persuaded the first to enter the academy, and thanked the second for his description of the Optina Hermitage. He taught them both to stick with the old man, just as the Israelites stuck with Moses in the desert, and in conclusion he said to them: “Please be acquainted; Maybe when I come in handy, you never know what happens in the world; and if the need arises, I am glad to serve.” On the same day, the Right Reverend Smaragd, during Vespers, left Optina on monastic horses, which took him to the first station. He left a pleasant impression on all the Optina brethren with his simple fatherly address. At the invitation of Archbishop Smaragd, Elder Macarius decided to go to the Oryol province. In the same year, 1853, on August 23, Sunday, after the monastery mass, a farewell prayer was served, and after the meal the hermits saw off their dear elder on his journey. Departing and bidding farewell to them, the elder, according to his custom, bequeathed most of all to them to maintain peace and harmony among themselves: to bear each other’s infirmities, thereby showing in themselves an example of followers of the patristic teaching. On the road, the elder took one novice with him to serve. And besides, to the city of Belev (forty versts from Optina) and further beyond Belev, to the first station, the elder was accompanied by his cell attendant, monk Hilarion. On this trip, as on previous ones, the loving elder Macarius did not interrupt communication with his skete chicks through correspondence. And here are excerpts from some of his especially edifying letters to the hermits. From August 31st from Orel: “Not having time to write to you, beloved brethren in the Lord, I am writing to each of you separately in response to your letters that I received in Volkhov. Firstly, I ask you to pray for me, that the Lord will protect me on my journey mentally and physically and return me safely to your love in his abode. Beloved brothers! I know that you, like spiritual warriors, stand in battle; and the enemy of our salvation, like a roaring lion, walks around, looking for someone to devour, 195 then I advise and warn you, as I personally spoke, and I beg in writing: be always prepared for this battle with self-reproach, humility and love, bearing each other’s burdens with patience. Let everyone consider himself the last of all: then you will comfortably bear your brother’s weakness, and repel the arrows of the enemy that are fired at you, and crush the nets with which he tries to entangle you; May your teaching in the books of your fathers not be in vain, and may we not only boast of acquiring them, but let us also be inspired to do the work, each according to our own strength, in the battle that has happened. If someone happens to fall into contradiction with each other, into envy or enmity, etc., I beg you, do not remain in it; but, having recognized your inclination from previous pride, descend into the depths of humility and declare to each other, asking for forgiveness, put down passionate actions and be at peace. Oh, peace, peace, the rich gift of our Lord! Seek it, take care and be satisfied with it. Although I myself am poor and wretched, I wish you this wealth - peace, love and humility. Remember the covenant of our Lord Jesus Christ: if you have love among each other, then you will be My disciples 196. Let us strive for this and pray to the Lord to honor us with this name in practice. I received your letters, thank you for them; but don’t ask for special answers, but accept the answer that is common to everyone. Asking for God's blessing on all of you, I remain your prayer book and desirer of salvation, the sinful hieromonk Macarius. To our most venerable father, Archimandrite Moses, Father Abbot Anthony, I express my deepest respect and ask for their holy prayers.” From September 14 from Sevsk: “My beloved brethren in Christ! Thank God you are healthy and as peaceful as possible. May the Lord establish this great gift of His among you. I sincerely rejoice over this, but on the contrary, I grieve over the opposite. We are all imperfect and are in a struggle in our spiritual battle. And how to overcome it, the holy fathers teach us: through self-reproach and humility, until we reach the gates of love. You yourself know all this quite well. But I, although I myself have created insignificant good, remind you, although through your benefit and prayers you will raise me, a sinner, from my painful sinful bed. Thank you for accepting my advice with love and each trying to apply his strength to his own well-being, I won’t say illness. Thank you also for the notification about the events taking place in our monastery. I accept everything with love, I share both the pleasant and the sorrowful with you, our dear abode. Those who write and those who don’t write, I accept everyone equally with diligence and love.” “September 15th. Morning. Thank God that you are trying as much as possible to maintain peace and love for the Lord. But you know quite well how these are achieved and strengthened - humility and self-reproach. Try this for the Lord’s sake, I beg you. The assembly of the humble is like the assembly of the Seraphim, writes Saint Isaac.” From September 18: “Beloved brethren in Christ!... Your frank consciousnesses show me that you, being in the field of spiritual warfare, fall and rise; and the result is peaceful. I pray to the Lord that this feat will lead you to the knowledge of all weaknesses and the acquisition of humility, achieving love that endures and covers everything. You too pray to the Lord for me.” Only a small part of the letters is shown here. But from this one can also see with what kind of participation and fatherly love, with deep humility, the elder always treated his skete brethren. During this journey, he repeatedly fell ill with severe fever, and yet he did not abandon his work. As soon as he feels relief from his illness, he immediately moves from one monastery to another, visits various private individuals, talks for a long time about things for the benefit of his soul and, having absolutely no free time, as he himself put it, fitfully answers letters received from his monastery, of which quite a few were sent to him at that time. Thus, having once received forty-two letters in two mails, he managed to prepare twelve replies for one mail. From these frequent, during the bad autumn road, travel, illness and constant activities with people, the elder had already begun to exhaust himself, and therefore on September 20 he wrote to the monastery: “I ask you, my beloved brethren, to pray for me, a sinner. I miss a lot on my journey and it won’t be long until I reach my dear monastery and cozy hermitage.” After this, the elder was in his former Ploshchanskaya Hermitage, about which he wrote: “In the Hermitage, I was very kindly and lovingly received by both the builder father and the brethren. God save them! All this time, the father of the builder was in their cells... I ask you to pray for me, may the Lord help me to come to you sooner. I remain the wisher of your health, peace and salvation and the unworthy man of prayer, Hieromonk Macarius.” Finally, on October 10, the elder had the consolation of returning from his tiring journey, which lasted seven weeks, during an evening meal at the monastery. Soon after the return of Elder Macarius to his cozy skete, precisely on October 22, another hierarch, Bishop Leonid of Ekaterinoslav, visited the Optina monastery and skete, passing to his diocese from Kostroma. At the skete he was met by all the brethren at the Holy Gate and went to the church, where, having mercifully blessed all the skete, he said: “Save yourself in the Lord and pray for us, moving from place to place. Sometimes we don’t even pray because we don’t have time; and you have chosen this as the only goal of your life.” He walked through the monastery and entered the cells of the monastery leader and Elder Macarius, where he graciously accepted the brotherly-made spoons presented to him by the Elder. He dined with the abbot and that same day at four o’clock in the afternoon he set out on his intended journey. In the same 1853, Elder Macarius was presented by the rector, and then by the diocesan bishop Gregory, to the pectoral cross. His Eminence Smaragd of Oryol, who was present at that time in the Holy Synod, sincerely disposed towards the Optina monastery and the elder, diligently worked for this reward. Having received news of this, the elder sent him a humbly respectful letter with the following content: “Your Eminence, most gracious archpastor and father! The archpastoral mercies and favor of Your Eminence, shown to my thinness, deeply felt by me, still extend over me. You deigned to petition the Holy Synod and act in your own person to award me the pectoral cross. I cannot adequately express the feeling of my heartfelt gratitude to Your Eminence on this charter; but, realizing my unworthiness, I dare to fall at your holy feet, pouring it out in silent silence, and asking for your archpastoral prayers, that the Lord will vouchsafe me, upon receiving the clear sign of the Cross of the Lord on my Persian, to always remember His life-giving suffering, endured for us, and may the flame of His love be kindled in my cold and wretched heart. I accept the courage to present to Your Eminence the book of St. Isaac the Syrian out of my wretched zeal. Although you deign to have it from our father, the archimandrite, I also dare to ask for archpastoral and paternal mercy: deign to honor me with the acceptance of this offering. By the goodwill and blessing of Your Eminence, last year in the month of October I was in the monasteries of Your Eminence’s flock and in the homes of pious Christians and benefactors of our monastery. Everywhere and by everyone he was received with Christian love and cordiality. I attribute all this to the blessing and prayers of Your Eminence. And again I pour out my most humble gratitude to my merciful archpastor and father. Falling in earthly veneration at your archpastoral feet and kissing your holy right hand, asking for your holy prayers and archpastoral blessing, with my deepest veneration and devotion I have the honor to be Your Eminence, most merciful archpastor and father, most humble son and novice, much-sinful hieromonk Macarius.” There is no doubt that the elder expressed sincere feelings of deep respect, gratitude and humility before Bishop Smaragd. As if to confirm this, the following fact is recorded in the skete chronicle: “The letter of Elder Macarius, given here, was written in the month of May. And on June 27, the new Kaluga civil governor Bulgakov visited the monastery. He was very attentive to the elder and among other things said that he had heard a lot of good things about him, and now he sees that he especially likes his openness - the frankness written on his face and expressed in his every word,” etc. The petition of the Right Reverend Smaragd in the Synod to award Elder Macarius with the pectoral cross was, of course, respected, and on June 27, 1854, an order was received from the Kaluga Spiritual Consistory for the elder to arrive in Kaluga by the first of the next month to lay the cross on him. On this day, he participated in a concelebration with His Grace Gregory, who, during the Divine Liturgy, placed a pectoral cross sent from the Holy Synod on the elder, and after the liturgy invited him to the table. They dined just the two of them, and their conversation was about the monastery and the rules of monastery life. On July 3, before Matins, the elder returned from Kaluga - which means almost at midnight, since Matins in Optina Pustyn begins before two o'clock. Probably, he came at such a remote time so that he would not receive a solemn welcome from the brethren on the occasion of a rather rare award in those days. How the elder viewed the awarding of the pectoral cross to him can be seen from his previous letter of gratitude to His Eminence Smaragd. In the same humble spirit, he wrote to another close person: “When you congratulated me on the award of the cross, you truly said that we should be intimidated by all human glory and praise. For, according to the teaching of the holy fathers, “not only do you receive glory from people, but even if you hear the noise of these words with pleasure, you will be deprived of eternal glory.” Do not, Lord, allow us to be carried away by the pleasures of this vain glory! And Saint John Climacus considers demonic glory, that is, self-praise, even more dangerous than human glory. That is why many holy fathers most of all encourage us to humility and to combine all our deeds with it and give it such an advantage that humility alone can save us, except for works (St. Isaac's Word 46). But can we say that we have acquired this treasure? If we think that we have it, then this very thing reveals the poverty in it. But it seems that our ever-present infirmities, mental and physical, and various impulses when converting and colliding with brethren and society should humble us and kill all arrogance. Saint Gregory of Sinaite in the 117th chapter, at the end of it, writes: unless a person is abandoned and defeated, having become enslaved to every passion and thought, etc., he cannot be contrite and have for himself the least of all and the last and the slave of all, and so on. I just introduced you to the teaching of the Holy Fathers; but I myself am a stranger to this and I ask you to pray for me, a sinner, so that the great sign of the Cross of Christ will serve me not for vain glory, but for acquiring love for Him through the constant remembrance of His suffering, according to His ineffable mercy and love for us; and may the image of His deepest humility prompt me, a sinner, to humility. The King of Glory humbled Himself! How can we exalt ourselves and not humble ourselves?!” This is how the great elder thought and felt when he was awarded the pectoral cross. And how his spiritual children looked at this can be seen from the letter to him from Ivan Vasilyevich Kireevsky. On July 9, 1854 he wrote: “Sincerely beloved and respected father! I have now read your letter from Kaluga to N.P. and now I want to congratulate you on receiving the pectoral cross. Although I know that neither this nor any visible difference is anything significant for you and that you could not get such differences if you wanted them at all, nevertheless for some reason it is very pleasant to hear this. Maybe because it will be pleasant for everyone who loves you. We have always seen how you carry the Cross of the Lord inside your heart and sympathize with Him in love for sinners. Now that shrine that is inside your loving heart will be obvious to everyone on your chest - God grant for many, many prosperous years! May God grant many years to your pious bishop for this!” At the end of the same 1854, Bishop Smaragd of Oryol, who returned from St. Petersburg, wanted to personally see Elder Macarius in his diocese, but the elder, for good reasons, rejected this desire. He wrote about this to the Sevsky monastery to his Sevsky nieces: “Now I have received a letter from N.’s mother. He writes about his arrangement in the cell, how he treated the abbess and sisters. And the lord (Smaragd) visited her. He ordered me to write to me so that I could visit his diocese, be in Orel in their monastery and in Sevsk. “Yes, write,” he said, “that I myself want to see him; and if he does not want to ask himself, then I will write and ask their ruler to dismiss him.” Well, how to do this? Do you know how much work I will have to do on this journey? You can’t leave without visiting the benefactors. How is my health? Although I don’t lie down, I sometimes walk; and meanwhile I weaken, sometimes very much, although it passes soon. This is one impossibility. Another - you need to ask the bishop; why? He knows that I’m not well and that I’m going to hang out. Therefore, he will say: “He can take up positions again,” which is what he already told me about when I was with him. No matter how pleased it was for me and for you to have me with you, but consider everything that has been written and judge whether it would be prudent to risk both your health and cause trouble for our ruler. That's right, you don't want that." 197 Thus, the highly spiritual life of the Optina elders, with Elder Macarius among them, who strengthened the senile path of monastic life in their monastery, attracted the attention of many people who occupied high hierarchical positions to it, so that when the opportunity presented itself, they honored the Optina hermitage with their visit. Our own Kaluga archpastors, Nikolai and Gregory, were already ordinary guests at the monastery and came here on duty. In addition, Elder Macarius, when he was in Moscow and the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in 1852, had, as stated above, personally met the rector of the Moscow Academy, Archimandrite Alexy, and the censors of spiritual literature: the inspector of the same academy, Archimandrite Sergius and Professor Feodor Alexandrovich Golubinsky - and entered into close relations with them. Feodor Alexandrovich (as noted by Father Leonid Kavelin), out of his love for spiritual enlightenment and the inexhaustible kindness of his heart, rendered unforgettable and always sincerely appreciated services by Elder Macarius to the holy cause of publishing patristic books in the Optina Hermitage. When necessary, he supported this cause, explaining to Metropolitan Philaret the reasons why the Optina residents were not limited to the small number of more useful spiritual books they published. On May 2, 1853, N.P. Kireevskaya notified the elder: “Theodore Alexandrovich Golubinsky, when he was with us (in the house), said that he presented to the bishop the lives of Simeon the New Theologian and Gregory the Sinaite. He left them to look through and said that they should be sent to the Synod, for Saint Simeon the New Theologian is not recognized by our Church as a saint; and he said: “Don’t the Optina elders want to publish too much?” Feodor Alexandrovich responded to this: “They, Your Eminence, are in a hurry because they want to take advantage of the participation that you deign to take in this matter for the common good, and without which, probably, nothing would have been published.” “Yes,” said the bishop, “so I sent Saint Isaac the Syrian to the Synod - and nothing came of it.” How closely Theodore Aleksandrovich took to heart the concern for the publication of the translations of Elder Paisius by the Optina Hermitage, Kireyevskaya wrote to Father Macarius: “Count Protasov (Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod) said, at Trinity, about Feodor Aleksandrovich Golubinsky, that “the matter of censorship burdens him and is too insignificant for him.” From this, Theodore Aleksandrovich concludes that the committee should be left to him, and says: “If I leave it in a year and a half or a year, then in any case I will put the seals (that is, the censorship committee) on all Paisius’s manuscripts with me. And besides, even though I will leave the censorship, I will not abandon this work and will look through them all myself; If I die, then there will be no stop to their release, because a seal will be attached to everything.” The love and reverence with which Golubinsky treated Elder Macarius himself is evident from his next letter to him dated May 19, 1854, which also expresses his concern for Optina publications. Thus, Theodore Alexandrovich wrote: “Your Reverence, most venerable Father Macarius, a faithful guide to the Lord of His servants who labor in silence! I offer you my heartfelt gratitude for your dear visit to me last year, for your humble conversation, for the precious gift of the Word of St. Simeon the New Theologian, and for your writing of March 24 of this year, filled with Christian love. Forgive me for remaining unanswered to you for so long: this happened because I wanted to hear the opinion of our enlightened archpastor about some of the translations of the blessed elder Paisius mentioned in your letter. Last month, at the beginning of St. Thomas Week, I presented to him in Moscow: the biography of St. Simeon the New Theologian, the life of St. Gregory the Sinaite, the writing of St. Gregory Palamas to the nun Xenia, the Decalogue of the New Testament and some other messages. I began comparing these writings of St. Gregory with the original before others, because it was necessary to quickly return the Greek manuscript to the Patriarchal Library, from which I took it. His Eminence kept these translations with him for reading and this month (May) sent them here, so that the life of St. Simeon and the writings of St. Gregory of Thessalonica were examined by the censorship committee, and the first was submitted for final approval to the Holy Synod, with the exception of a few expressions in which the mentor of St. Simeon is recognized as a saint, while he is not included by the Church among the saints; and the writings of St. Gregory of Thessalonica were examined and accepted for publication by the local censorship. Together with these manuscripts, Your Eminence Metropolitan sent here your translation of Saint Barsanuphius into Russian and wrote that he was waiting for an answer from you to the comments he made on this translation. When he receives this answer, then upon his arrival at the Lavra, which we are expecting these days (after May 21), he will order the censorship committee to consider this translation. Meanwhile, the translation of Saint Isaac the Syrian that you sent is being examined by the father inspector of the academy, Archimandrite Sergius, and would have been completed in May if the father inspector had not been prevented by his illness, which, however, is now passing; so he hopes to return this manuscript with due approval next month. In the same month (June) the writings of St. Gregory Palamas and St. Maximus on question and answer will also be released from censorship. As for the verse book 198 and the life of St. Gregory of Sinaite, His Eminence the Metropolitan finds it inconvenient to publish them at this time. With this duty, I present to you the sincere respect of the father of the rector Alexy and the father of the inspector Sergius. We often remember you and your edifying conversations with gratitude. I ask you to most humbly testify to my long-standing sincere respect for his highly reverend Father Abbot Moses and fraternal zeal and respect for the meek and inquisitive Ivan Andreevich (Polovtsev), your companion. May the Lord grant him to be your faithful companion and to the Heavenly Fatherland! Breathe for me, a sinner, in your prayers to the Lord. With this desire and the most zealous respect and gratitude, I have the honor to be Your Reverence’s most humble servant, Archpriest Theodore Golubinsky.” The following letter from Theodore Alexandrovich to Elder Macarius, written in July of the same 1854 on the occasion that the elder, having sent him some two books, in gratitude to him and his assistants for their work and efforts in publishing the Optina books, put several banknotes in the books sent, shows, in addition to sincere gratitude and humility, which always distinguished the good-natured archpriest, also his closest participation in the very elder regarding funds for further publication of books. Here is the letter itself: “Your Reverence, my dearly respected Father Macarius! I would like to bring you my belated, but most zealous, gratitude for the two soulful books you sent and for the rewards included in them. I only found out about these applications in June of this year (30 rubles and 60 rubles in silver); but I didn’t know for a whole year, because they lay unopened in uncut books; and that’s why I didn’t inform you for so long. My collaborators, my father, now the rector of the Moscow Seminary, Archimandrite Leonid, and my father, the inspector of the academy, Archimandrite Sergius, and I express our deepest gratitude to you for this unexpected award that surprised us. You truly do good to others in such a way that your left hand does not know what your right hand is doing, and you let money fly out of your hands like the wind, not caring whether it has arrived as intended, but rely on the arrangement of the Almighty Providence. Let them flow and pass, as long as the heart is not attached to them. I sincerely appreciate your good intention to publish into Russian some of the conversations of St. Gregory of Thessaloniki, selected and indicated by you, translated into Russian. Let me ask you, will you have the funds necessary to publish them? You put on sale the previous books you published at such a reasonable price, and gave them away so much that you hardly have any proceeds from their sale... I am ready, as much as I can, to assist you in correcting this translation; I just don’t know if I’ll have time to complete this thing within a year. I humbly ask for your successful prayers to the Lord, so that He may still bear with my sins and greatly strengthen my weakened strength from my immoderation. Forgive me, most honorable father! I wish you the mercy of the Lord. Your most zealous servant, unworthy Archpriest Theodore Golubinsky.” Meanwhile, the days of the worthy archpriest were already numbered. In July, he asked Father Macarius to pray to the Lord to prolong his life, and the next month, August, his loving soul moved into eternity. The elder, the aforementioned inspector of the Moscow Academy, Archimandrite Sergius, was soon notified of this by Theodore Alexandrovich’s deputy for censorship of Optina publications. He wrote: “Beloved in the Lord, Father Macarius! I express my deepest gratitude for your good writing. Through your prayers I traveled safely. But now sometimes I am weak in spirit for the fear of sudden death, 199 the danger of which will again hold us sinners. Pray, father, for the novice devoted to you, but the weakest of sinners: I truly believe and indulge in your prayers... Just these days, news came from Kostroma that on August 22, Feodor Alexandrovich Golubinsky died there. On this date at night he felt a chill; by morning he was so weak that he could not get out of bed; demanded a confessor, confessed, received communion; He was blessed with oil and at two o'clock in the afternoon he went to the Lord. May our kind and hardworking mentor be eternally remembered! He went to Kostroma to meet with his relatives. He is the son of a cathedral deacon, lived for forty years in the Lavra and laid his wise head next to the ashes of his parents. In September, the Russian translation of the book of Saint Barsanuphius will come out of my hands, if, however, I find in the apartment of the late Theodore Alexandrovich the notebooks left with him by his will - from the 52nd to the 100th questions. My deepest respect to Father Archimandrite Moses. Your devoted Archimandrite Sergius. August 27, 1854." His son, Dimitri Feodorovich Golubinsky (who was a professor at the Moscow Academy after the death of his parent), wrote in more detail about the last days and the death of Archpriest Theodore Alexandrovich to Ivan Vasilyevich Kireevsky. It seems that these details will be of interest to readers: “Dearest papa Feodor Alexandrovich recently had a strong desire to be in his homeland: he went with me on August 8, stayed in the cities of Rostov and Yaroslavl, and on August 12 he arrived safely in Kostroma. There he visited relatives and friends. On August 14 I was across the Kostroma River in Ipatievskaya Sloboda; I wanted to see my parents’ house and even went into the little room; remembered how his parents blessed him to go to the academy. On August 15, he served the liturgy with His Eminence Philotheus. He spent the following days visiting with relatives and friends, visiting places familiar to him from childhood, generously doing charity to poor relatives; and what is especially remarkable is that he often served funeral services and with great feeling. During all this time he was quite healthy and cheerful, and even seemed to be more cheerful than usual. It seemed that the meeting with his family revived and consoled him. On August 20 and 21, he said goodbye to his family and friends, intending to go home (to Sergiev Posad) on the 22nd. And on the 21st there was no noticeable illness in him: he attended the all-night vigil, but only felt some nausea; however, he fell asleep, it seems, quite peacefully. But on the 22nd, early in the morning, he felt severe cholera attacks; and at the same time, it seems, he suffered a blow: his voice changed greatly. Medical benefits were no longer valid. Dad confessed and received the Holy Mysteries. Some time after this, his tongue became very confused, so that he had great difficulty pronouncing words, and then almost completely lost the use of language; was unctioned, and at the beginning of the third hour daddy died. He was buried near his parents on August 25. The funeral service was conducted by His Eminence Philotheus. It seems that daddy had some kind of secret and vague premonition of his imminent death. It was expressed in the following verses, written by him to a close relative, an old woman, on July 11, the day of her Angel: And go to school when the bell rings. How to say goodbye to a sinful world. I devoted half a century to sciences, I spent quite a lot of time at life's feast. It's time to get up and get ready to go. It's time to go home! It’s not a century to wander. Let the same path as me Follow me into the flower garden of science My dear son is approaching... And I’ve already hung up my plow. But let my strength weaken, I feel like I'm going to the grave I will not forget you in my heart." On the occasion of the death of Theodore Alexandrovich, Elder Macarius sent a response, usually humble, letter to Archimandrite Sergius, in which he wrote about his book affairs, which were close to his heart: “Your Reverence, most venerable father archimandrite! It was with a feeling of heartfelt regret that we received the news that the most venerable Father Theodore Alexandrovich Golubinsky had left us. He left a good memory of himself, having been a mentor to many who were also preparing to be mentors and shepherds of Christ’s flock. And your academy probably has monuments to many of his scientific works and studies and, of course, will honor his memory with worthy praises for unforgetfulness in future generations. But the most important thing is that he was honored with a Christian, peaceful death, with the parting words of all the Sacraments, in the faith and hope of resurrection and eternal life. This is comforting for those who remain, loving and respecting him, and gives hope that they will be worthy to receive God’s mercy in eternal life. His memory is sacred to us too. He worked a lot in examining the manuscripts of the paternal writings of the translation of Elder Paisius that we presented and gave permission to publish them, although this does not actually serve us alone, but - even more importantly - for all those who honor and listen to these spiritual teachings. These actions of his occupy several pages in the history of our monastery, which we have in manuscript. We are obliged to pray to the Lord for the repose of his soul in the Kingdom of Heaven during church services and when reading Psalms 200 to remember his name. Having received news of this, we fulfill the remembrance of his soul. May the Lord rest his soul in the Kingdom of Heaven! Thank the Lord that you completed your journey safely and returned to the Lavra. May the Lord preserve your health and deliver you from the fear of illness that has befallen the surrounding areas. Through the prayers of His saint, our venerable father Sergius, the Lord is able to preserve your monastery and all those living in it from this disease. What gratitude we will bring to you for your gracious disposition towards us and your acceptable work in reading the Russian translation of the book of St. Barsanuphius! You want to console us with the end of it in September. The Lord Himself will reward you with His mercy. Many not only secular, but also clergy want to use it in Russian translation. But so that there are no stops in case of failure to find notebooks of 52–100 questions in the apartment of the late Feodor Alexandrovich, we copied them from our draft manuscript and will try to deliver them to you by future mail. Let me ask you about the manuscript - "The Life of St. Simeon the New Theologian", which they wanted to present from the censorship to the Holy Synod, was it presented and was permission received to print it or not? And where is it? Our Father Archimandrite testifies to you his respect and expresses gratitude for your greeting to him. Entrusting myself to your holy prayers, with my true highest reverence I have the honor to remain yours Most Reverend, most humble novice and pilgrim, much-sinful Hieromonk Macarius, September 4, 1854.” The Life of St. Simeon the New Theologian was published by Optina Hermitage in 1856; therefore, although not soon, the Holy Synod nevertheless allowed it to be published. Two more letters from Father Archimandrite to Elder Macarius regarding the publication of the book of the Venerable Abba Thalassius are also known. The first, dated September 9, 1855, begins like this: “Beloved and deeply respected Father Macarius! I hasten to thank you for sending the manuscript and am forwarding it back to you...” Then, having outlined his thoughts regarding the translation and publication of the book, the archimandrite adds: “In conclusion, I consider it my duty to say that every letter of yours, most honorable father, no matter what pen and what paper it was written on, I receive with great consolation and gratitude to you. I ask you most earnestly, do not forget in your prayers your most devoted servant, Archimandrite Sergius. R. 8. To Father Archimandrite Moses my deepest respect and to Father Juvenaly the wish for salvation.” Another letter, dated January 24, 1856, begins like this: “Beloved and venerable father in the Lord! I leave it to your will: whether you yourself submit the questionable passage in the book to the bishop (metropolitan) in writing for permission, or entrust it to me to do it. I don't have a list from this place, and I can't write it from memory. Therefore, it is necessary that you either send me the manuscript again, or at least a list of the section or conversation about lies where the incident was told,” etc. The letter ends like this: “I am writing all this not to teach you, father, but to sincerely open my thoughts to you. R. 8. I express my deepest gratitude to you for the good deed that you did to the soul of my late parent by recording his name among those ever remembered in your monastery. This is such a consoling reward for me from you, which will always act encouragingly on my spirit. She alone is sufficient for me to forever remain a debtor and novice to you and your holy monastery. May the Lord reward you a hundredfold for everything that you have rewarded me!” All the letters given here from the inspector of the academy, Archimandrite (future Moscow Metropolitan) Sergius, as well as the most learned professor of the academy, Archpriest Golubinsky, show their great faith, love and respect for Elder Macarius. But who was Elder Macarius? A simple hieromonk, a humble hermit, who considered himself worse and lower than all people and every creature. And, however, what honor he received from these and other noble persons who knew him, led by his contemporary Moscow Metropolitan Philaret! Truly prudent people say that the glory of man is like the shadow of a man. If a person runs after her, the shadow hurries away from him; if, on the contrary, a person runs from his shadow, the shadow chases him. This is the same property of human glory 201. And how amazingly true are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 14:11)! He will ascend not only in the next century from the One who glorifies the humble, but also in this temporary, multi-rebellious life, filled with all untruth and lawlessness. Chapter 14. The attitude of Elder Macarius towards foreign monasteries - male and female The good fame of the humble Optina ascetic, Father Macarius, spread far, far away, since his spiritual activity, or guidance to eternal life, as we saw above and will see further, was not limited to the monks of the Optina monastery. From time to time he personally visited other monasteries, the leaders of which had a special disposition towards him. Thus, from the monasteries of his Kaluga diocese, the elder sometimes visited cenobitic monasteries: the Meshchovsky St. George Monastery, while hegumen Nikodim (Demoutier) was in charge of it, who lived for six years in the Optina Hermitage, from where he was appointed abbot to Meshchovsk, and then the Maloyaroslavets Nikolaevsky Monastery, which during the life of Elder Macarius was ruled successively by abbots from Optina brothers - abbot Anthony (Putilov) and after him the above-mentioned father Nikodim, transferred from the Meshchovsky monastery and elevated to the rank of archimandrite. But the elder especially loved the Hermitage in the name of the Monk Tikhon, the Kaluga miracle worker, which owes the beginning of its improvement to the paternal care for it of the predecessor of Elder Macarius, Elder Leonid (in the schema of Leo). In the last years of the life of Elder Macarius, one of his devoted students, the hieromonk of the Optina Hermitage, Father Moses 202, was appointed rector of this Hermitage. Elder Macarius was heartily consoled by the external and internal improvement of this monastery, the simple and fatherly treatment of the abbot with the brethren, the diligence of the brethren, encouraged to do so by the example of the abbot himself and his attentiveness to their general and private needs. Living in this quiet Desert for several days, the elder used to say this: “I rest my soul here.” Contemporary to Elder Macarius, monks from remote, more communal monasteries and deserts of other dioceses, as well as some of the white clergy, knowing about his spiritual gifts, came to him for their own benefit and spiritual advice, while others, not having the time and opportunity for this, turned to him for advice in writing. Of the women's monastic monasteries, the closest to Elder Macarius was the Sevsky monastery, Oryol diocese, where, as stated above, he was a confessor for a considerable time and where at that time there were some of his most devoted students, including his cousin and two nieces. Elder Macarius took every possible care for these nieces of his. From 1848 until 1860, the last year of his life, he wrote letters to them almost every post 203, most often with answers to their questions, always inclining them to patience, self-reproach and humility, without which it is impossible to lead a life in peace and tranquility of soul and to please the Lord, and always called them with a tender fatherly name: “Beloved children in the Lord.” One of them, nun Melania, was sickly, and the elder was very sympathetic to her poor health, always regretting her, but at the same time inclining her to uncomplaining patience, which alone can replace all arbitrary monastic feats. He often informed them about his personal circumstances, and sometimes about the Optina monastery ones. In a word, he treated them like the closest compassionate and benevolent father. However, the elder always took a very close part in the destinies of the entire Sevsk monastery and, although occasionally, visited it for spiritual reinforcement and consolation of both his relatives and the other sisters of the monastery related to him. Subsequently, the Belevskaya convent adjacent to Optina Monastery enjoyed the same favor with Elder Macarius, especially since one of the most devoted students of the Optina elders Leonid and Macarius, nun Pavlina, was installed as abbess there. At the same time, the treasurer was appointed nun Magdalene, an experienced elder in spiritual life (formerly the cassophore nun Anthia), who at one time, due to the slander of the primordial invisible enemy, suffered many great sorrows for her spiritual attitude towards the mentioned elders. Mother Abbess Pavlina not only constantly used the advice of Elder Macarius in everything related to the external and internal improvement of her monastery, but also encouraged all the sisters entrusted to her care to do so, having the permission and blessing of her Tula rulers - the Right Reverend Demetrius (later Archbishop of Odessa) and his successor, the Right Reverend Alexy. The fruit of these spiritual relations between the Belev nuns and Elder Macarius was: 1) the rapid prosperity of the monastery through the improvement of those involved in spiritual life and through the multiplication of its nuns, attracted by the motherly love of the abbess and the opportunity to have in the very first steps of monastic life the guidance of an elder experienced in spiritual life; and 2) with the help of donations from the wealthy nuns themselves, the construction of new buildings in the monastery to accommodate those in need of help. Therefore, this monastery, predominantly at that time, could rightly be called, both in terms of external and internal improvement, the best of the monastic monasteries, showing by its well-being what others lack, that is, the leadership of elders or elders experienced in spiritual life, since this latter has always been one of the sure means for the improvement of monasteries. For greater clarity of the mutual relations between Elder Macarius and his disciples, the Belev nuns, oral stories of some of them who personally knew the elder are offered here to the attention of pious readers. The story of the nun Pavlina (Dobychina) Around 1849–1850, Father Macarius was traveling to Voronezh and along the way he stopped in the city of Mtsensk, Oryol province, with the merchant Foma Nikitich Kuleshov, whom he loved and even blessed the Mtsensk residents to turn to him for advice as to an elder. I, Pavlina’s mother said, was then about fourteen years old. Even earlier they took me to the priest, and therefore, when I found out about his arrival, I came to the Kuleshovs. When the priest saw me, he asked: “What, Polyusha (worldly name), has not the Lord taken away your desire to go to a monastery?” I had never thought about going to a monastery before, but in response to Father’s question I answered that I wanted to go. Then the priest crossed himself and said: “Glory to God!” Indeed, after a little time I entered the monastery in Belev. Father usually went to Belev three times a year: in January, May and August. While we didn’t have our own hotel in the monastery, he stayed in the city with Archpriest Glagolev. And when they built a hotel at the monastery, he began to stay there. Sometimes he liked to come unexpectedly and quietly go into the building to see Mother Abbess from the back porch. If the cell notices, the priest will threaten to keep silent. He lived in Belev for three or four days, and always made sure to visit all the sisters’ cells and not miss a single one. There were also nuns who did not like him. He always went to these people first. Sometimes someone will say: “Father! Why did you go to them? After all, they don’t love you.” And the priest will answer: “That’s why we need to go forward to them.” And those, like the priest, will visit them and reconcile. The sisters rejoiced at the arrival of the priest, as if it were a bright day. Everyone who could, would give up their work, dress in festive clothes and follow him throughout the monastery. In the church during services, the priest stood next to Mother Abbess. You used to go to the choir, bow to your mother, and she would point to the priest. You will receive his blessing and stand throughout the entire morning with ease and joy. From church, the priest would go to my mother’s building next to her, and we would all follow them. Once, I remember, he stopped on the porch, leaned on a crutch and said: “Abbess, abbess! Lead them to the Kingdom of Heaven." - “Will I be there, father?” - she said. “You will, you will,” answered the elder. “And lead them all with you.” Another time, a lot of us gathered in my mother’s tea room. Father came to us, looked at us all and said: “Oh, girls, girls! I feel sorry for you - we will envy the dead." As if he was warning that life would become more difficult as time went on. When Mother Superior and I came to Optina, and if it happened that we arrived late and didn’t see the priest in the evening, then in the morning, when the bell in the monastery would ring for Matins, we would go to the monastery. We’ll ring the bell at the gate (there wasn’t a single hut at that time), the cell attendant will come out, find out that it’s mother, and tell the priest about it, although she used to not tell us to tell him about it. He will come out to the gate, bless us, and in due course in the morning he will come to our hotel for tea. Sometimes he will come to dinner, send food from the monastery and bless mother to eat everything, and she ate without harm; and at home, due to pain, I couldn’t eat anything except fish soup. As a medicine, the priest blessed her to drink water from the Pafnutevsky well 204. Father behaved very simply. At dinner he did not allow him to change his plates. I once bought myself a portrait of a priest and asked the elder to bless me with it, and he said: “Why do you need such a fool?” - but still blessed. Recently, when we were preparing for communion of the Holy Mysteries in Optina, the priest sent us to confess to Father Paphnutius 205. I really didn't want to go to him. I ask the priest: should I tell him some of the sins that I had previously revealed to him myself? And he replied: “No need - they don’t talk about rain alone every day.” The last time the priest was in Belev was shortly before his death, in August. Previously, he thought of going to Vyaz after Belev. When he began to leave Belev, the cell attendant said to him: “Father! Tarantas is bad. We need to fix it before we go to Vyazma.” And the priest replied: “Now we have come not only to Vyazma, but also to Belev for the last time.” When we learned about my father’s illness, my mother and I went to Optina; but the day before his death I had to go back. They were waiting for the bishop in Belev, and the priest himself blessed mother to go, saying: “Only you won’t see me again.” - “Who are you leaving us to, father?” - asked mother. “Father Ambrose and Father Hilarion,” answered the elder. “Won’t we go our separate ways with different elders?” - "No. I believe in God that you won’t separate.” Shortly before my father’s death, permission was given to tonsure our mantle in excess of the staff. Mother presented some nuns who had already been tonsured secretly for tonsure. The priest ordered them to be warned that this second tonsure in the church would be counted towards them as schema tonsure. After the death of the priest, on the night of the fortieth day, I saw him in a dream, as if he ordered my mother to tonsure me into a mantle. Then for the second time, in a dream, he ordered me to be called Peacock. Soon after these two dreams I was given some paper to sign. Since I sometimes had to sign on different papers, I did not pay attention to this paper. Following this, I again saw the priest in a dream, who said to me: “Do you know what you signed? It was you who were presented to the robe.” Afterwards I found out that I had actually signed a petition for tonsure. My cell knows one case in which the priest’s gift of foresight was demonstrated. A peasant from the village of Naryshkina, Tula province, Andrei Kutepov, went with his daughter to the priest during his lifetime to get his blessing to marry her off. “God, deliver me! - said the priest. “She will be unhappy.” When they returned home, the mother did not want to follow father’s advice and gave her daughter in marriage, but not even a year had passed before the young woman and her husband went crazy. Among the worldly people who often visited Father Macarius, I remember the Oryol merchant Ivan Mikhailovich Nemytov and the Bolkhov merchant Vasily Kurkin 206 . The story of the nun Nikandra (Zaitseva) My relatives lived not far from Optina and had great faith in the Optina elders. Therefore, as a girl, I often visited Father Macarius and, at the age of fifteen, with his blessing, I entered the monastery. When I entered the monastery, there was a Sevsk nun in Optina who very much asked the priest to bless me to live with her. At first he seemed to agree, but suddenly he resolutely refused, although she was very offended by this refusal, and blessed me to go to Belev. Afterwards I found out that something wrong soon happened to the mentioned Sevsk nun. She seemed to fall into delusion and somehow sadly ended her life. First, the priest placed me in the building with Mother Abbess. Then I had to live in a cell where there were a lot of people. He came one day and said: “Do you see how many people are here? And you will have as many in your cell as sardines in a barrel.” Then the priest blessed me to build my own cell and bought a place for me. Indeed, sometimes I had to be so crowded in this cell of mine that I remembered his words: we will be like herrings in a barrel. The elder especially loved peace between the sisters. I remember once he came to us - and many of us lived together - he stopped on the threshold and asked: “Are you at peace? If there is peace, then I will go; and if not, I won’t go.” And only then did he enter our cell, when we assured him that our place was peaceful. I cannot forget my father’s love and attention with which he treated us. It was not a father, but the most tender mother. He resolutely paid attention to everything. It happened to me, after visiting my relatives, to stop by Optina. So he will look at everything himself: what my relatives gave and whether I have everything I need. Sometimes you come to him and you grieve and complain that your family has forgotten. And he will say: “God loves you and therefore sends sorrows. Relatives have nothing to do with it. Everything is God. He doesn’t tell them, so they don’t send them. Do you need money? Take from me as much as you need." And he himself will take the wallet out of his pocket and give it to me. I’ll refuse, but he’ll start insisting: “Take it, take it! After all, they give it to me!” So the priest consoled me that sometimes you would think: “Well, why are there sorrows? But thanks to them, the priest is so comforting.” The elder was lenient towards our weaknesses regarding fasting. When we had to be in Optina during Lent, he himself would send a cell attendant to our hotel and allow us to drink tea until o’clock; demanded only more humility and peace between the sisters. However, at first he did not bless me to drink tea with bread, and, moreover, to drink no more than three cups, and for an extra cup, if I had to drink, give five bows. And he sternly reprimanded me when I once, while in the world, drank seven cups. “This is how you’ll agree to everything when you’re out in the world,” he said. Father was very responsive to all sorrows and needs; tried in every possible way to help those in need; For the poor nuns, he paid for the hotel room himself. Father kept reproaching himself. He used to come to my cell and say: “Here I have desecrated your cell.” He didn't like to eat sweets. He would say, it happened: “Don’t prepare any food for me, I’m a peasant, I need cabbage soup and porridge.” Of the books, my father gave me the teachings of St. Abba Dorotheos and St. John Climacus to read. I wanted to read the Bible, but he did not bless me. The priest said that he loved Belevsky monasteries more than all the monasteries, but he did not bless his nieces to enter here; because jealousy could be aroused in the other sisters because he loved his relatives more than them. Once I had to tell the priest that some stranger told me something special, and he said: “I forbid you to accept strangers. If you receive a stranger into your cell, it is the same as an enemy, that is, a demon, you will receive.” One day I really didn’t want to leave Optina, since the feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Church 207 was close, and the priest said: “We have to go. Otherwise they will sing: virgins will be brought to the King after Her, and you are here with the men.” One day my brother was getting ready to go to Kyiv and found himself a fellow wanderer, but the priest decidedly did not give his blessing to go with him. “God, deliver me! - he said. “Refuse and go on alone.” The brother obeyed. And when I went later, in one place I saw that a crowd of people had gathered around something. He came up to look and saw that the wanderer with whom he was going to travel was lying dead. Whether he was killed, or perhaps he himself died, is unknown. But, in any case, if the priest had not restrained his brother, then the brother could have suffered. When my father died, I thought that everything was lost for me, and I cried for forty days almost without ceasing. Finally I saw the priest in a dream. He says to me: “Why are you crying? I feel good. I am wearing clothes like St. John the Baptist.” And he showed it to me. He was wearing something made of hair, similar to how Saint John the Baptist is depicted. A year after my father’s death, on the evening of September 7 (the day of the death of Elder Macarius), my relatives drove past the Optina Hermitage and saw two pillars of fire that, as it seemed to them, were rising - one above the monastery, and the other above the monastery. Once I had to invoke the prayers of Father Macarius on a demon who appeared in a dream. "A! He knows who to call,” he said and disappeared. I also remember this incident: a nun was dying, the natural mother of nun Magdalena (Sotnikova), she was already completely gone. At this time they showed her a portrait of the priest. His portraits had just come out then. She screamed terribly: “I didn’t repent!” And she screamed for forty days, and then died. The story of the nun Capitolina I entered the monastery with the blessing of Father Macarius. Another relative of mine was admitted with me. And the priest blessed her to dress in monastic clothes as soon as possible. She was sick. After getting dressed, she lived very little and died. My father gave me the following instruction to guide me throughout my life: “Live like this: you have not seen, you have not heard. Love God and your boss; “Don’t bother your boss with sneaky things.” Yes, he taught everyone patience: “Be patient. God will not forsake you for patience.” Sometimes he will call his cell attendant and jokingly say: “Father Sergius! Buy Vera (worldly name) patience.” - “Father! “Yes, I’ll buy it myself,” I’ll say. “No, you will pay dearly,” the elder will answer. At first, after I entered the monastery, I did little menial work around the cell - I kept saving my hands so that they would not become rough and so that I could weave lace, and the aunt with whom I lived was angry with me for this. So we came with her one day to the priest. She tells him that she intends to send me home because I don’t work. Father took me by the hand and led me to the kitchen. He stained his hands with soot and then smeared me all over - both my face and my hands, and just walked around the hotel. Everyone looks at me and laughs. From then on, I did not spare my hands - I began to do everything myself. Father didn’t like me, if you say anything about others. He will say: “It’s none of your business.” I once had to go with my aunt to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. And when we returned from there, the priest told me everything about what we did there. The Mtsensk residents loved Father very much. I remember when, on his way to Voronezh, he stopped in Mtsensk with Foma Nikitich Kuleshov, such a crowd of people gathered at the door of his house that the priest was led through the back porch, put in a carriage and taken on the road, while we chased after him for about fifteen miles. In Belev, the priest lived for three or four days, and the last time he stayed for a whole week and repeated several times: “Girls, we must go to rest.” He used to walk around the monastery, and we followed him in a whole crowd. He will see Mother Abbess and joke: “Abbess, Abbess! I'm with the convoy." When the elder visited us for the last time, I told him that I was angry with my brother, who stopped helping me, and that I would not write to him or pray for him. Father immediately ordered me to write a letter to my brother and attributed something to him. Soon I received a letter from my brother, in which it was written: “What kind of old man did you find there? He put his scripture directly into my heart.” A year before his death, Father Macarius handed me over to Father Ambrose: he covered me with a blanket, handed me over to him and said: “Here’s a fool for you, a fool!” And Father Ambrose immediately began to work with me and, for the first time, told me my whole life since I was seven. When our Mother Superior asked the dying Father Macarius what she would do now, he answered her: “God will help. And I will help." When the priest died, Mother Superior first went to Optina alone, and then sent a blessing to everyone who wanted to go. I was a little late and arrived when the priest had already been transferred from the monastery to the monastery church. His face was completely covered and sewn up, and we ripped up the blanket and looked. Father lay like an Angel of God. When they carried his coffin to lower him into the grave, the sisters and people crowded around him and tried to tear something from the coffin for blessing. Hieromonk Barsanuphius 208 walked behind us behind the coffin. He took a pair of scissors out of his pocket, tore off some of the fringed braid and cut us a piece each. The story of the nun Tatiana (Ivanova) Since childhood, I lived with the landowner Maria Mikhailovna Kavelina. Her estate was not far from the Optina Pustyn, and she constantly went to Father Macarius, and Father went to our village every year. When he would arrive, all the peasants would gather to receive his blessing. The priest will come out to them and sit down and, while he blesses them, says something to them for edification, as if not referring his words to anyone, and by the way, at this time he will expose many. Our landowner had a beekeeper - a nice quiet corner. And the priest loved to be there. My aunt looked after this beekeeper. And the priest always told her: “It’s wonderful here! Sit down and read spiritual books. And teach Tanya to this.” My lady was very devoted to her father. But there were people to whom this devotion seemed strange. The son of our village priest, a young man, often mocked the affection of my masters for the elder, but suddenly fell ill with a fever. Sick, he began to recognize his guilt and repent. “Isn’t that why,” he said, “God is punishing me because I laughed at the elder?” And he soon recovered. After that, he came to us and asked my lady: “Marya Mikhailovna! You will go to the elder, ask him for forgiveness for me; but I myself am afraid to go to him.” But the lady persuaded him to go himself, and he went immediately. Returning, he stopped by again and said: “Well, Marya Mikhailovna, I cannot tell you how I felt when I saw the priest. As soon as he said two words to me, everything in me went cold, and then caught fire. I felt that this was not an earthly, but a heavenly man, and I could only say: “Father! Forgive me in everything.” And he says: “God will forgive you! You yourself didn’t understand what you were doing.” I myself was healed three times by the priest. Since childhood, I lived with my aunt at the lady’s very quietly. They didn't let me go anywhere. But one time, when I was almost an adult, they let me go to a party with my godfather. It suddenly became very difficult for me there. I felt that my face and hands began to twitch. After a little, I began to twitch all over; and so they soon took me home, where I was met by the lady and my aunt. I was in a miserable position. I could hardly speak. The mouth was twisted, the whole face was disfigured, the body was twitching. My aunt went to my father, who, having learned about what had happened to me, was unhappy that I was allowed to go to the party. According to him, I had Witt's disease. He didn’t order me to contact the doctor, saying: “Don’t, you don’t understand - this is not a doctor’s disease, and if you treat it, you will completely mutilate it.” He gave the aunt oil from the lamp in front of the icon of the Sign of the Mother of God, which is in their skete church, and ordered it to be poured into the lamp in front of the miraculous Kaluga icon of the Mother of God, which we had at home, and light it for six weeks. Every evening he ordered to give me a spoonful of oil from this lamp, and in the morning that I bow three times and drink Epiphany water; and if I can’t make bows, then let my aunt do them for me. I started doing this. I felt better, and then I completely recovered. Four years later, my illness returned again. They brought me to the priest; and he says: “You must have become proud and condemned people; So you were allowed to get sick again.” I said that I did not judge, but laughed at others. “It doesn’t matter,” he said, “it’s still the same, that’s why I got sick again.” And this time the priest treated me the same way. The illness passed and never returned. And for the first time, after recovery, the priest blessed me to take me to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, and the second time - to Voronezh and Zadonsk. And when my aunt began to thank the priest that I had recovered through his holy prayers, he said: “Don’t attribute this to me; This is God's, not mine. So promise to go to the holy saints, the Lord will help.” And Father was always very dissatisfied when I attributed the healing to him, and was even offended. “This,” he will say, “is your enemy, that you are giving me something that is not mine. The Lord will punish for this; the disease will return again.” The third time I caught a cold was when I was traveling to Optina. I developed a fever, then a feverish state. Father did not let me go home from the hotel until the next day. Everyone left me to follow the priest to another hotel, and I sat alone by the window. It was daytime. But I suddenly felt scared. I looked around and saw that the entire room where I was sitting was filled with demons. They rode horses and fought. All the walls and everything were covered with them. Only on the icon standing in the room, on the face of the Savior, there was nothing. I was horrified and started screaming. They called my aunt, but even in her presence I continued to see the same thing. Then the priest came, read the psalm Living in the Help of the Most High, sprinkled me and everything around with Epiphany water and ordered my aunt to read this psalm over me until everything disappeared. Thus, what I saw began to become paler and finally disappeared completely. But after that I was sick for six weeks with a fever. Father himself was surprised at this vision of mine and said that this happens to a person only in the moments before his death, but, apparently, the Lord especially wanted to visit this girl with such a temptation. Father often rebuked me. He would come, take me aside and tell me directly what I did and thought. And sometimes he wants to try it - he waits until I say it myself. It was impossible to hide. Now he will say that I am lying. And if I lock myself up, he’ll say: “Why don’t you say so? You will pay for this with illness.” All my thoughts - he knew everything. My father once advised me to abstain a little from food. I came home, ate more moderately for two days, and then I thought: “Father said that to himself, after all, I need to tell him something,” and I began to eat to my heart’s content again. Then I came to Optina, and the priest denounced me - he said: “He has nothing to do, he will say so to himself.” In general, the priest was very affectionate, but there were times when he was very strict. I remember once, when sending me home alone, he strictly ordered me to immediately sit on the cart and not dare to walk. And I started talking to a monk I knew. He walked me through the ferry. At first I calmly walked and talked with him, but then his intrusiveness scared me very much, and I barely got rid of him and left. When we came to the priest the next time, he came to our hotel, but did not even look at me and never blessed me. When he began to leave, I ran after him and began to ask for his forgiveness. At first, the priest pretended that he didn’t know my guilt. And when I sincerely repented of the crime of his commandment, he told me: “Remember! I forgive you for the last time, you will never be forgiven again. If you want to treat me, listen! If you don’t want to obey, it’s better not to bother me, don’t come to me and don’t take up my time.” Once my lady did not listen to her father. Her Angel Day, July 22, fell on a fast day. Father sent her son, the wanderer Father Leonid, to her to tell her not to have anything savory at dinner. At that time, some relative was visiting her - a very important person, who had never eaten meatless food, so she ordered to serve him a modest meal. Father was so offended by this that she could hardly beg his forgiveness later. And she had never seen him as angry as this time. As a result of Father’s admonitions, people changed greatly for the better. My lady had a very hot character, and then she became very meek. Her son was a military man. In the regiment he led a wild, stormy life. Then he came to the village, began to visit the priest, and over time he changed: he left his bad habits and began to live properly. He retired from the regiment because he began to have seizures, which were so severe that sometimes in the upper floor of the house you could hear him wheezing below. One of these attacks happened to him in Optina under the priest. The priest ordered a shroud sent to him from Jerusalem to be brought from his cell and covered the sick man with it, who immediately began to calm down. The attack finally passed completely and, thanks to the priest’s prayers, never recurred. Having recovered, Kavelin married and lived a long time. Once a rabid wolf in our area bit several peasants, including two of my lady’s men. Just at this time the priest came to us. The bitten peasants were sent to the hospital, but the elder did not give his blessing to take my lady’s peasants there. They were called to the priest. He blessed them, sprinkled their wounds with holy water and consoled them with the hope of God’s mercy, since they were very worried and were afraid of going crazy. Then he ordered them to bow three times, pray to the Queen of Heaven and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and drink Epiphany water in the morning. They did this and remained alive and well; and all the others sent to the hospital died. Dissenters and non-believers came to the priest and from conversations with him they became true believers. I remember only one Old Believer, it seems, sent to the priest for admonition by the court, who did not listen to the voice of truth and did not change his errors. Father said about him that nothing could be done with him. Of the saints of God, the priest most often advised to resort to Saint John the Baptist and Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, and most of all to the Queen of Heaven Herself. The priest himself ate raw food, but he loved to treat others. The story of the nun Alevtina I remember once with my mother, while waiting for Father Macarius, we started talking about the fact that, as the rumor went, they wanted to tonsure me into a ryassophore. We’ve just talked about this, and we see the priest coming and, turning directly to me, he says: “You’re going to cut your hair, but you’re not going to humble yourself.” Father did not impose any fasts or any special rules on me, but still demanded humility from me. Another story: my sister, Maria Pavlovna Polunina, suffered from fits of demonic possession. Our mother came with her to the monastery, and my mother and I took her to Optina Pustyn. Even before that, in our church, she was very worried, and on the way she kept scolding me that I had a cursed hand, but I was wearing my father’s rosary on my hand. When we arrived in Optina, we sat down to wait for the priest on the path near the monastery. Suddenly the sister shouted: “Here comes the gray-haired man!” - and began to struggle. Indeed, the priest came out of the monastery, came up to us and wrapped some kind of belt around the sick woman. She bent over backwards, as if she had broken, and seemed to be numb. Then, as soon as I recovered, my father sent us to the grave of Father Leonid. He always covered up his healings with something. There we prayed and took sand from his grave. The sister calmed down. The next day I was at mass. Father gave her antidor 209, and she took it calmly. After that, she never had any previous seizures. The story of the nun Justina (Burtseva) I used to be a serf of the Zagryazhsky masters. With my young lady, who lived in the Zosima Monastery and wanted to move from there to the Belevsky Monastery, we came to Optina to visit Father Macarius, whom I had seen before, since he was on his way to the Maloyaroslavets Monastery to visit Abbot Anthony at the estate of my masters. Father came to our hotel, blessed my young lady and paid attention to me: “Who is this with you?” - he asked the young lady. And then he asked me: “Do you want to go to a monastery, girl?” When he was busy with my mistress, he called me to him and said so affectionately: “Well, tell me your sins, because there are two of us here,” and he strokes me on the head. I told them what was in my soul, that I wanted to enter a monastery, but I was afraid that they would not accept me for the reason that they had previously offered me to enter a monastery, but I refused. “God is merciful,” said the priest, “you will be in the monastery.” Soon he forbade me to wear a colored dress. He didn’t pay attention to the other girl who was with us at the priest’s and didn’t say anything to her. After that, both this girl and I entered the monastery, but she lived for a year and left the monastery, but I stayed. For six years they didn’t dress me in monastic dress, because I was the serf of my nun’s nephew, and he didn’t let me go at all. I was very sad for this reason, and the priest always told me: “You will be dressed when you have the will.” And so it happened. Soon the serfs were given freedom, and I got dressed. Sometimes the priest was strict with my nun-mistress, especially for some of the lord’s whims. She would come to our room and seem to be very angry with her, even stamp her feet on her. She will cry, and he will leave. He will visit all the hotels and come to us again. He will feel sorry for her and say: “Where is the teardrop? Everyone is probably crying." And he will console her. My young lady was disgusted. Once, in front of the priest, he called me to wipe off the lard that had dripped onto the table from the candle: “Ustyusha! Erase this disgusting thing." And the priest says: “Where? What disgusting? There is no nastiness." He collected this fat on his finger and anointed her face. The story of the nun Flaviana My nun, for whom I was a cell attendant, was transferred by the priest from the Velikolutsky Monastery to Belevsky: he found it prohibitive for her to live there, because her relatives were close to her. She brought me with her there too; but I began to get very bored in the new place. She felt sorry for looking at me. So she says to the elder: “Father! I want to send Annushka back: she keeps crying.” And the priest answered: “Who will you go with?” She was surprised by this, since she had no plans to go anywhere. But a few years later she was appointed abbess to another monastery. She had to go with me. And before that, the priest once again directly told her: “You will be the abbess.” - “Well, father, where should we put such fools as abbess?” – she answered his words. “Even if she’s a fool, she’s an abbess,” he confirmed. One day she said to the elder: “Father! What a happy mother Makaria Somova is to have her birthday with you!” “And you will be together,” he answered. After the death of the priest, she was tonsured into a mantle and named Macaria. Father loved simplicity in everything. One day he came into our cell and saw that we had frilly tires on our pillows. He took it and threw them on the floor. He never allowed us to make a woolen cassock or anything colored. The priest really did not like the sisters to go to their cells. Sometimes he would say with a sigh: “Oh, girls, girls! If only you knew what a sin it is to walk from cell to cell! You go to have a cup of tea, and there is idle talk and condemnation. And in one cup you can accumulate so much sin!” One day a priest came to our monastery. At this time, two nuns quarreled over the construction of a cell and asked the priest to come to judge them. When he arrived, they began to compete and accuse each other. For a long time the priest stood between them silently, leaning on his crutch. Then he suddenly began to quickly turn to this one, then to the other and quickly say: “What are you like? What are you like? What are you like? Everyone present laughed; and thus the trial ended. The priest worked more with the monastics than with the laity, but out of humility he tried very hard to hide his spiritual gifts. If you asked him something very directly, he would say: “I don’t know, I don’t know.” One day, the priest, letting me leave Optina before evening, very tired, on foot, said: “Go! There will be an opportunity for you - you’ll be home today.” And it's true. I had only walked a little way, some kind people caught up with me, sat me down and took me to the monastery. I remember one demoniac woman hit the priest on the cheek, and he gave her the other. She fell down dead. The old man was loving. He was already quite ill before his death, and he was always worried about how to console his sisters. “Send,” he will tell the cell attendants, “something to the hotel: the sisters have arrived there.” They will bring us either apples or something else. About his cell attendant, Father Hilarion, who later became the monastery’s leader and elder, the priest used to say, as if jokingly: “This elder will figure you out better than me.” He told the skete hieromonk Isaac that he should be the rector at Optina Pustyn, and Father Flavian should be the treasurer. All this came true in due time. The story of the nun Anna (Leontyeva) I was a girl of about twelve years old with the elder Father Leonid, and he sent me to confess to Father Macarius. I came to the church where he was confessing to people; and my mother, who came with me, remained on the church porch. Father asked me: “Did you say goodbye to your mother?” I answered that no, and I don’t know how to say goodbye. “Come on,” said the priest, “I’ll show you how.” He took me to the porch and made me bow at my mother’s feet three times. I really didn’t want to bow, because there were a lot of people there. And the priest laughs and says: “Our nose is pointing up, but we’ll bend it down.” He reprimanded my mother for not teaching me to ask for forgiveness before confession, and only then did he begin to confess me. I also remember how I came to Father Macarius when I was already married. My married life was so difficult that I was ready to take my own life if my father had not supported me. My mother tried to persuade me to leave my husband and go live with her, but my father didn’t want to hear about it. “What are you thinking, old man?” he told her. Turning to me, he said: “In everything else, obey your mother, Anna, but in this, do not obey. What God has joined together, let no man separate. Be patient and remember - you are not the first, you are not the last. There are many unhappy people in the world. Time will tell the outcome. And if you leave your husband, you will lose the Kingdom of Heaven.” These words encouraged me, and I became more patient. Father touchingly persuaded my husband. He placed us both in front of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God and said to him: “Remember, you will give an answer to God for it. When you were a child, you destroyed birds' nests. So you treated her like you treated the same defenseless chick. Get better! Otherwise, you will face a big punishment.” The husband did not reform and, as the priest said, received punishment here: he was exiled to Siberia. (The remaining wife eventually entered a monastery.) The story of the nun Anna (Gorbyleva) When my grandfather decided to marry my father, he first went to Father Macarius to ask for his blessing on which bride to take, since there were many brides. Father suddenly says to him: “Yes, you take your godfather for him.” Grandfather thought. At first he could not remember which godfather the elder told him about, but then he remembered that three years ago he traveled from Mtsensk to the city of Novosil, on the way he stopped in a house where there was a newborn child, at whose baptism he had to be an adoptive father; and the foster mother was a little girl there. He went to that house. The girl at that time was just a bride. Wooed. He married his son to her, and they lived happily. The story of the nun Matrona (Kostornova) I lived as a cell attendant with nun Macaria (Somova). One day the priest came to Belev and came to us for dinner. Having eaten, he prayed to God and said: “And now we must bow to the abbess,” and bowed to the feet of the nun Macaria. Embarrassed by this act of the elder, she only said: “Father! What are you doing?" And he again says: “No, no, we must bow to the abbess.” In the evening of the same day, the priest called her to go with him to Mother Superior, the abbess of the monastery, put his kamilavka on her, and gave her his crutch in her hands and led her away. He brought it and said: “Abbess! I brought Abbess Macaria to you.” Two years after this, Mother Macaria was made abbess at the Kashira Monastery. The story of the nun Maria (Dobrovolskaya) Before entering the monastery, I came to Optina Monastery to visit Father Macarius. A Sevsk nun saw me here and began calling me to her cell. Father came to her hotel. She asks him for his blessing to take me in and tells me what and how she will do for me, and the priest just says: “Pretty much!” Then, turning to me, he said: “Go, live until spring.” I went with this nun to the Sevsky Monastery, but they did not accept me as one of the sisters there, because she brought me without the blessing of the abbess. And so in the spring I actually had to return to my father, and he placed me in the Belevsky Monastery. Once I was in the Optina Hermitage, and another nun and I stopped to talk with a hieromonk. At this time, the priest drove past us to the hotel. We bowed to him and followed him. I tell my companion that it’s true that the priest didn’t like the fact that we were standing and talking. “He probably didn’t see anything,” she replied. We approach the hotel, and the priest gets out of the carriage. We began to help him climb the stairs; and he says: “Yes, yes, girls, lead me, otherwise I’m blind, I don’t see anything.” Before the death of Father Macarius, when upon arrival in Optina my friend 210 and I learned that he was dangerously ill, we went to say goodbye to him, but we were a little late. We approach the monastery, and our mother abbess, who has already visited the elder, meets us on the road and says that the priest is exhausted and does not accept anymore. We grieved, but there was nothing to do, we turned around and went to the hotel. Suddenly we hear someone calling us back; because the perspicacious father, although we were not reported to him, himself ordered us to be called to him. We came and said goodbye to him. After the death of the priest on the day of his Angel, I dreamed of the following: I saw a building of extraordinary beauty; when I went inside, I saw many windows with flowers on them, and many tables covered with white tablecloths. Sitting behind them were elders of such a magnificent appearance that I was embarrassed to come up here, and thought: at least I could see someone I knew here. And then I see the priest sitting fifth from me and looking at me. I was very happy about him. Then the elders got up from the table. And the priest came up to me and asked: “Are we doing well?” “It’s so good that I can’t even express it,” I answered. “Well, let’s go,” he said, “I’ll show you again.” And he led me into beautiful gardens where streams flowed. Again the priest asked: “Is it good here?” When I praised him, he said: “Be patient! And God will not leave you.” I was grieving at that time, and while we were walking with him, I was going to tell him everything. And he said: “I know all your spiritual sorrow,” and he gave me water to drink from one stream. I felt so good that in my sleep I shouted with joy: “Father!” – and woke up. I had a sister who, with the blessing of the elders, tried to live like a monk in the world. Her place of residence was not far from the Optina Hermitage, and the Optina monks, who had to pass through this area on business, always stopped to rest and spend the night in her house. Often they brought her, in gratitude, either a holy prosphora, or something else for a blessing; and one monk once brought his sister a portrait of Father Macarius, but forgot to give it to her and left. The next night, my sister saw in a dream that the priest was driving through their city; but I didn’t go see her. She was very upset by this, and the priest said: “I’m just passing through here now, but on the way back I’ll stop by to see you.” After some time, the monk, who forgot to give the portrait to his sister, returned to Optina, and brought it to his sister. And she honored him as a miracle worker, because in her sorrows she received consolation from him. The story of the nun Justina (Poposhina) We walked to Optina and talked on the way that it seemed we would have carried the priest away in our arms if the monks had given him to us. We come to the priest, and he says: “He’s still willing to carry me in his arms.” In the last year of his life, the priest came to us at the Belevsky Monastery with Father Ambrose and walked around the monastery. Father Ambrose followed him. At this time, one sister runs up to Father Macarius and says with tears that her father wants to forcibly take her from the monastery and marry her off, and that he has already found a groom for her. At first Father Macarius remained silent, and then said: “Contact Ambrose.” Father Ambrose sees that she is still crying, but Father Macarius does not say anything to her, he affirmatively said: “He won’t take it!” And so it happened. Her father tried to take her from the monastery, but failed. The story of the nun Cleopatra I entered the monastery without any means, so it seemed impossible to me to ever have my own cell. When my sister began to ask to join the monastery, I began to tell Father Macarius if he would bless her to enter some kind of cenobitic monastery; and what will we, both of us so poor, do in our own 211 monastery? But the priest did not bless, saying that we would have our own cell, that the abbess would need a sister. He began to try her voice himself, she began to sing in a treble, and he praised that she had a good bass. In our monastery at that time there were singers with such good voices that I thought about my father’s words: it is unlikely that they will need my sister. However, she was accepted into our monastery and assigned choir obedience. After a few years, her voice turned into a bass, and they began to really need her in the choir, because some of the singers with good voices moved to another monastery. For the prayers of the priest, the Lord sent us his cell. When the priest came to our monastery for the last time, my sister and I began to ask him to go to our homeland. He let me go, but he never wanted to let her go, although she really begged for it. I left, and my father died without me. The sister was needed here at that time, because our singers went to Optina for the priest’s funeral. When Father Macarius began to weaken in strength, he blessed us to confess to our confessor, Father Paisius; but then for some reason he forbade me to go to him and confess to him. Meanwhile, during our stay in Optina Hermitage, Father Paisiy himself came to our room, and we were embarrassed not to accept him. Suddenly a priest arrived at the Gostiny Dvor; we ran out to meet him, and he said that he would come to our room. Although we did not call Father Paisiy, we were uneasy that, contrary to the elder’s commandment not to have contact with him, Father Paisiy was in our room, and therefore we suggested that the priest take care of us somewhere downstairs, especially since our room was on the third floor and it was difficult for the priest to go up there. But the priest said that he would still go there, and in one minute he was already upstairs. He opened the door to our room, looked at Father Paisius, silently closed it and left us. And this was punishment for violating the elder’s commandment. After the several oral stories given here by the Belev nuns about Elder Macarius, a few words should be said about the Borisov Tikhvin women’s hermitage in the Kursk diocese. This monastery has long had many disciples of the first ever-memorable Optina elder, Leonid, who at the same time were also disciples of Elder Macarius. According to the Optina old-timer, Abbot Mark, Elder Macarius placed this monastery above other women’s monasteries in terms of spiritual life, since in his time old women who were remarkable in life lived and labored there. Of these, two schema-nice were especially famous - Alimpia (Sukacheva) and Lavrentia (Uskova), both of the noble landowners. Among the other sisters of this Hermitage, the schema-nice Anatoly was also known, also from the landowners, in the world of Paraskeva Feodotovna Trunova, who often came to Optina Hermitage to visit Elder Macarius and related the following remarkable incidents. “I once arrived in Optina,” she said, “and, as usual, stayed at the monastery hotel. I saw from the window of my room that Father Macarius had appeared in the hotel courtyard, and rushed to accept his blessing in a hurry, forgetting to lock my room, where some of my money was lying for travel expenses. Seeing me, the perspicacious old man immediately made a remark to me: “Why did you leave the room open? Go, go, lock it. Things don’t always go well for us here.” Having moved away from the elder, I stopped for a few minutes to look at him from afar, but he shook his finger at me so that I should go to my place, which, of course, I did. Another time, having arrived in Optina, I, together with my nun companions and one lay maiden, came to the monastery to visit Father Macarius. He received us kindly and treated us to tea. After thanking the elder for the treat, we went to the hotel. The dear laywoman, who did not understand the elder and monastic life, said with self-satisfaction: “Ah! How glad the priest was to see us! How we consoled him!” And she gasped like that all the way. But as soon as we managed to enter our room, the old man immediately came in and made an accusatory speech: “I came to thank you. How you consoled me! How glad I was to see you!” Confused by these words, we began to justify ourselves by pointing to the worldly that it was she who said so. But the priest continued his denunciation: “So that’s why I came to thank you, because you really consoled me, and I was very glad to see you.” Another case. One day I was walking along the path past the garden in my monastery. There was an apple lying on the road. The thought embarrassed me to pick up the apple and eat it. But, having come to my senses, I considered this a temptation, so I picked up the apple and threw it into the garden. Some time later, having arrived in Optina, I came to the priest, who greeted me with these words: “And I threw an apple into the garden.” I already forgot about it. “What apple, father?” – I asked. "And you walked past the garden, remember? There was an apple lying on the road, and you took it and threw it into the garden." Now this incident came to mind for me. My married sister died. When they reported this to Father Macarius, he ordered my other elder sister, who lived with me in the monastery, to return to her widowed son-in-law to manage the household affairs, saying that she would still end her life in the monastery. The elder blessed me to take one little orphan, my niece Dasha, with me to the monastery - which I did. And my sister, the nun, having lived in the world with her son-in-law for seventeen years, according to the prophecy of Elder Macarius, again returned to the Borisov hermitage, where, having lived another twelve years, she died. Several years after the death of the above-mentioned sister of my laywoman, her husband also fell seriously ill. On this occasion I was called home. At this very time, Father Macarius was passing through Kursk on his way back from Kyiv to Optina. And since Kursk was only fifty miles from our place of residence, I, with the consent of our sick son-in-law, decided to go to the elder in Kursk in order to ask him whether my son-in-law should undergo treatment or rely on the will of God. The elder replied: “What is there to be treated for? Hurry home quickly, otherwise you won’t find him alive.” At the same time, the priest ordered me to take another orphan to my monastery, Dasha’s sister, who was a little older than her. When did I begin to refuse with sorrow: “What do I need them for, father? What will I do with them?” - the elder said: “You didn’t want to follow the children, but the Lord wants you to look after them.” With this, I returned home to my son-in-law, who died on the third day after my return with Christian parting words. By the will of the elder, I took another orphan to the monastery. And soon after that, the other two, also small, sisters fell into the same herd. The five-year-old Dasha in question suffered from a high fever and an upset stomach in the monastery. She often vomited, especially after sometimes eating fried fish. One day Father Macarius came to our monastery and visited our cell. He was informed about Dasha's fever. “But we’ll take her away,” he said and took the sick girl to dinner with him. The owners noticed to him: “Why, father, are you putting a girl with you?” But he insisted on his own and ordered the girl to eat fish soup from the same plate as him. Then they served fried crucian carp. The elder cut it in half lengthwise and kept one half for himself, and ordered the girl to eat the other. She eats and cries, being sure that after this pleasure she will begin to vomit violently. The elder, despite her tears, forced her to eat the entire half of the crucian carp set aside for her. The girl obeyed. Then the priest, having said goodbye to us, went home, and Dasha turned out to be completely healthy. Neither fever nor vomiting recurred with her.” It would also be worth mentioning how Elder Macarius valued holy obedience. Mother Anatoly for a long time carried out the obedience of the sacristans in the monastery. When her strength began to weaken, she, being in Optina, explained to Father Macarius that she intended to renounce her obedience. “Don’t you know,” the elder objected, “how high the price of holy obedience is? Here is a step (at the same time he took a step for greater expressiveness), and there (pointing to the sky) a ruble. Here’s another step, and there’s another ruble.” The last words were spoken by the elder with the same signs of expressiveness. After this, Anatoly’s mother abandoned her intention and bore the good yoke of her obedience until her death. In addition to the mentioned women’s monasteries, some attentive sisters of the monasteries also benefited from the spiritual guidance and instructions of Elder Macarius: 1) Velikolutsk, whose abbess was Mother Palladiya, one of Elder Macarius’s most devoted disciples; 2) Vyazemsky Arkadievsky, in which the abbess was also one of the elder’s students, Arkady’s mother; 3) Kazan Monastery Abbess Dosifeya, a former student of Elder Leonid; 4) Kursk Monastery Abbess Alevtina and some of the sisters of this monastery; 5) Serpukhovsky; 6) Kaluga; 7) Yeletsky; 8) Bryansky; 9) Ostashkovsky; 10) Zolotonoshsky; 11) Smolensky; 12) Tula; 13) Kashirsky; 14) Zosimova Hermitage; 15) Belevsky; 16) Orlovsky; 17) Borodino and some Moscow monasteries. These nuns from time to time specially came to Optina Hermitage to meet with Elder Macarius, so that, having been spiritually strengthened by his oral advice and instructions, they would then continue to use his edifying letters. Chapter 15. Attitude of Elder Macarius to worldly visitors With the same holy love and with the same sincere benevolence as he treated the monastics, Elder Father Macarius treated secular visitors who sought spiritual benefits from him. Among such visitors there were many in intelligence, education and position in the world of very important persons. Thus, the pious Count Alexander Petrovich Tolstoy, the former chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod, and Konstantin Karlovich Zederholm, who served under him as an official of special assignments (later hieromonk of the Optina monastery Clement), often visited Elder Macarius; Senator Pyotr Ivanovich Salomon with his family; the famous writer-philosopher Ivan Vasilyevich Kireevsky, who sent another famous writer, Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, to Elder Macarius. On his first visit to Optina Monastery, in the summer, Gogol, according to the story of an Optina old-timer, the former rector of the Optina monastery, Archimandrite Dosifei 212, lived in the monastery hotel for three weeks. During all this time, he visited the elder every day and talked with him for a long time. For his part, the elder, visiting hotels almost every day in the afternoon, went into the room in which Gogol lived. It is also reliably known that Father Macarius, from a Christian point of view, did not approve of his secular literary activity and advised him to leave writing of this kind and begin a new life in Christ, according to the commandments of the Gospel. And Gogol agreed in everything, taking to heart the instructions of Elder Macarius. During the stay of this venerable guest in the Optina Hermitage, he was invited, among other things, of course, with the blessing of Elder Macarius, to read the book of St. John the Climacus. After reading it, Gogol spoke about it like this: “What deep psychology!” It was heard that upon his return from Optina to Moscow, his spiritual mood completely changed. He not only stopped writing in a ridiculous tone, but also regretted what he had previously written, and even expressed a desire, if possible, to destroy all his secular literary works. But for such a turn of Gogol’s in his outlook on life, intelligent peace-lovers declared him to have lost his mind. And since Ivan Vasilyevich Kireyevsky attracted him to Elder Macarius, the same smart people treated Kireyevsky unfavorably. After this, Gogol came to Optina two more times to visit Father Macarius, and during his stay at the monastery hotel he diligently attended church services in the monastery. In 1851, on September 8, the spiritual writer Andrei Nikolaevich Muravyov, famous for his piety, visited Optina Pustyn and stayed in the monastery for about two days, also visiting the monastery. In addition to these persons, a lot of people of all classes visited Optina and Elder Macarius: nobles, merchants, townspeople and peasants of both sexes - and at all times. But the crowd of people in the monastery was especially large during fasting, and mainly during the Dormition Fast, when the confessors barely had time to confess those who came to confession and several hundred people took communion in the monastery every day. The elder himself, as mentioned above, did not confess, but only received those who came to him to reveal their thoughts and receive the necessary advice from him. He received men in his cell at any time from early morning until late evening, and went outside the gate to see women. In the last years of his life, he received them in an external cell, which over time was attached to his building for this purpose, with access to the outside. This cell was always called, as it is now called, a hut. The elder had no partiality towards visitors. Relatives from the laity and monastics also visited him, but he treated them exactly the same as other visitors. The loving old man received everyone, as stated above, with great love and kindred sympathy; he truly listened to everyone with amazing patience and meekness, trying, if possible, to satisfy all their needs. And this - every day, and moreover, not for one year, but for more than twenty years, the deity taught 213, showing everyone the right path to salvation, so that in this way, invisible to his humble soul, the promise of God would be fulfilled over him: and whoever does and teaches, this one will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:19). But if the elder treated his visitors so sympathetically, then the visitors truly revered him, and especially the common people. A touching picture presented itself to the eyes of the observer when the humble and gracious old man walked along the path from the monastery to the hotel. “Father, dear! - this is how a sick peasant woman screamed, for example. “I’ve been sick for so many years, I can’t put my hands to anything; but our business is rural, there is a lot of work; help me for Christ’s sake!” And, hugging the old man’s feet, she shed them with tears, without leaving him, like the Canaanite wife. What did the humble old man answer her, to whom at that moment hundreds of glances of the visitors accompanying him turned? “What are you doing, mother? - he said. - The Lord is with you! For God's sake, stand up. I am a sinful person, I don’t know anything, I can’t do anything. There are doctors for this, but what about me?” - “You are my father! – the sick woman continued to scream, not retreating from the elder. - I won’t leave your side. Pray for me, a sinner. God will hear you. Order the butter and holy water to be brought out. You helped so-and-so. Do not reject me, a sinner.” The elder calls her aside, gives her spiritual instruction, blesses her, and then, if he has not yet gone far from his cell, orders the cell attendant to give her holy water or oil from the lamp that glowed unquenchably in front of his cell’s Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. And this oil always acted beneficially by the grace of Him who placed it in the heart of the sick woman to turn with such living faith to His humble servant. Or so the aforementioned skete hieromonk Leonid (Kavelin) said: “I was returning from the monastery to the skete one day. On the road, an old village woman, who had walked three hundred miles with her sick daughter, asks me: “Father, spiritual father! How can I see Father Macarius? For God’s sake, tell him, dear. I’ve been waiting for him since early mass.” The elder, as was known, walked around the hotels from two in the afternoon. “What do you need it for, mother?” – I asked her. “My daughter is sick, my father,” she answered. “This is the third year since she gave her up in marriage. God has blessed her: she got a good husband, loves, takes care of her—there’s nothing to anger God with—but she’s drying up and withering, God knows why. And they tried showing it to the doctors, and they went on pilgrimages—God doesn’t give a way... Couldn’t the breadwinner, Father Makar, help in any way? Our summers were Well, those who went with grief returned with joy, go, they tell me, Stepanida is so compassionate - he accepts everyone, and is happy to help everyone. So I trudged along, my breadwinner. Tell him, dear, about us, do such a favor.” “Yes, you should,” I say, “wait at the hotel.” “Oh, my father,” the old woman answered with sorrow, “there are tons of people there, they’ve been waiting since the morning. I’m afraid you won’t get through. Some people wait for three days.” And indeed, some lived in the hotel not only for three days, but for whole weeks, waiting for the opportunity to talk with the elder for several hours.” It is undoubtedly known that everyone who faithfully accepted and followed the advice of the elder, who had the grace-filled gift of spiritual reasoning, received through him not only spiritual benefit, but also physical health and prosperity in everyday affairs. There were a great many examples of this at one time, some of them have already been given above, and some will be discussed further. There were, however, also visitors who stumbled over the stone of unbelief and left the elder without taking advantage of his advice. Others came to him, having previously formed a kind of high concept about him. The wisdom of the earth 214 imagined, for example, that the elder was a man with extensive scientific knowledge and that as soon as one introduced himself to him, one could hear a stream of speeches from his lips. Of course, having formed such an idea about him, they remained completely unsatisfied when they saw before them a simple, humble old man, who not only did not bombard those who came to him with words, but sometimes even with those who were truly in need and mourning, suffering from a preoccupation of the spirit, was barely able to carry on a short conversation. There were also those who came to the elder out of sheer curiosity and during a conversation with him looked more like those who had come to teach him rather than wanting to hear something useful from him. The elder, who devoted himself entirely to serving his neighbors and not wanting to offend anyone, received them, although sometimes he complained to his close disciples that such visitors only took away his precious time, which did not belong to him. “Father! - they remarked to him once after the departure of such a gentleman. “He seemed to be teaching you more?” “Well,” answered the humble old man, “thanks to him.” He understood me better than you. What good can be learned from me, a sinner? And he knows a lot – he knows everything.” It happened that one of these curious people, not understanding why believers were visiting the elder, began to dispute what he said in response to the questioner. Then, except for rare and special cases (that is, if the conversation was not about objects of faith), the elder immediately stopped or, more accurately, shortened the conversation, saying: “As you know, you, of course, know this better than me, I am an unlearned person.” And then he either fell silent completely, or continued the conversation about some extraneous subjects, which he jokingly called both in oral conversation and in writing - “tryn-bryn.” In general, the humble elder, not liking contradictions and so-called cleverness in those who treated him spiritually, equally did not like to enter into disputes with anyone or about anything, and especially with educated and learned people, but contrary to the teachings of the Holy Church, based on the apostolic word: we are not imams of this custom (1 Cor. 11, 16) and on the fatherly word: in there is no humility in dispute. However, many of these, as they themselves later admitted, not having time or being unable to take advantage of the spiritual wisdom of the elder, took advantage of his vision alone, for, as noted above, he attracted everyone to himself with love, like an iron magnet, he was all filled with goodness, all overflowing with mercy. But it was necessary to hear with what enthusiasm, warmth and compassion he conducted a conversation with those who sincerely asked him about mental illnesses or their sorrows. Seeing the sincerity and real need of those who turned to him for help, the elder forgot everything: his weak bodily strength, the necessary rest, letters that required an answer, and even food. And although he often came out of such a conversation extremely exhausted, barely catching his breath, he was cheerful, saying in response to his students’ remark that he did not spare himself at all: “What should I do? Sorry for the poor thing. If you only knew how many sorrows he has! But the soul is softened by them, and there is a sincere desire to get on the true path.” Those who came to Elder Macarius, after their short stay at the monastery, in order to receive his blessing on the way back, he was in the habit of providing, especially the poor, with signs of his fatherly attention - crosses, icons, belts, several portions of monastery bread for the journey, etc. It happened more than once that the monks close to the elder, with his blessing, carried these little things out of the gates of the monastery and returned with eyes full of tears, seeing the faith with which these visible signs of fatherly love and attention of the gracious elder were received. For those around Father Macarius, it was very noticeable that the Providence of God, directing to him those who truly needed his spiritual help, also pointed out to them the closest means of receiving real help from the wise old man. Others, on the contrary, even visiting him several times, did not know how to receive spiritual benefit from him; whereas the means to this was the simplest. It was first necessary to discard the thoughts that were more than inappropriate in the context of spiritual needs: “I’m afraid to disturb the old man, I don’t know how to approach him,” etc.; and then directly tell him that, they say, I want to talk to you about my spiritual needs, but, seeing that you have so little free time, I ask you to set an hour when you can receive and listen to me. It is impossible not to notice that difficulties in having a useful conversation with the elder were incomparably less common with people of the middle class and common people, and more often with people of the so-called high society or, in today’s terms, intelligent people. The first, being led by simple faith, always reached the elder with their needs, even in the presence of a large crowd of people, waiting with amazing patience for hours at a time either on the porch of his cell, or on the path leading from the monastery to the hotel, or in the hotel itself. Seeing the elder, they bowed to the humble servant of God to the face of the earth and, seeing his fatherly love and compassion, directly, without reservations, revealed their heart wounds or sorrows to him, asking for advice and admonition, and, according to the grace of God given to the elder, they left him healed and comforted, glorifying God and His good and faithful servant. The elder did not like wanderers and wanderers who presented themselves as holy fools or blessed ones, who with vague hints predicted their future for some and thereby only led them into confusion, without delivering significant spiritual benefit. Only one blessed contemporary of the elder, a certain Vasily Petrovich Braguzin 215, enjoyed his love and even respect, since he was truly a servant of God. He sometimes visited Optina Pustyn and was in spiritual communion with all the Optina spiritual elders. The schismatics came to Elder Macarius, and were often sent by the highest spiritual authorities to admonish them. The elder received them all with usual humility, but only did not enter into debates with them, but sent them for this to his cell attendant, Father Hilarion, who, living in the world in the city of Balashov, Saratov province, among schismatics, was well acquainted with the schism and often entered into debates with them. The elder only pointed out to Father Hilarion places from the works of the holy fathers that served to refute schismatic errors. As a result, the schismatics, having learned the truth of the right faith, turned to Orthodoxy. About reasonable measures to combat schismatics, Elder Macarius wrote the following to one person: “Wanting to trust the judgment of some people and your own, you ask my opinion on how best to deal with our schismatics: with strict measures or lenient ones? It seems to me that strict measures will not bring any benefit, but will harden them more, and equally, very weak and lenient measures cannot convert them into the bowels of the Orthodox Church; but one must stick to the middle and use necessary, prudent and strong measures to persuade. In case of resistance and violence, do not extend severity to everyone, but to their main teachers and mentors. The question is: who will convince them? Parish priests are uncomfortable in their positions, and not everyone may have the gift and ability to persuade. It would seem that it is necessary to elect special people for this task, like a mission, with an official assigned to them, so that schismatics cannot complain about oppression and coercion. On the part of the government, the danger is that sometimes ill-intentioned officials, under the guise of religious tolerance, can provide patronage and protection. This can cause great harm. His Grace Jacob of Saratov acted on the schismatics with condescension and love, but also with strong conviction, so successfully that with God’s help many thousands of them turned from the schism to the Church.” Elder Macarius’s idea that special missionary priests were needed to convince schismatics of the truth of Orthodoxy was realized in practice several years after his death. Now in the Kaluga diocese there are special priests who are well acquainted with the schism, and they travel to the villages where schismatics live to convince them. Elder Macarius was sometimes visited by followers of Western Christian religions. He treated all of them condescendingly, with the desire to convert them to Orthodoxy. Let us note, by the way, that he pointed to the decline of faith and indifference to the statutes of the Holy Orthodox Church as the main moral ailment of the society contemporary to the elder. There was a case, perhaps the only one, when the elder treated an Armenian who visited him with great severity. He came to the elder, like all visitors, to ask him for advice. He was rich and well educated. The elder, as usual, received him kindly, sat down next to him on the sofa and began to talk cheerfully and affably at first about ordinary matters. But when, during a conversation of great importance, the guest asked: “Can I?..” - the elder, turning a bewildered gaze on him, asked: “Who are you?” He replied: “I am Armenian.” As if struck by lightning, the old man jumped three or four steps away from the visitor. Then, instantly stopping and sternly fixing his eyes on the stranger, he, as if frightened, spoke hastily and with anger: “Why did you come to me? What do you need from me? Out, out! I am Orthodox and have no contact with Armenians.” And the uninvited guest was immediately escorted out. It is not known what the reason was for such unfriendly treatment of Elder Macarius towards the Armenian. Perhaps this is why he acted this way because all the heterodox Christians who came to him announced in advance who they were, but this one, perhaps even with some evil thought, did not do this, which led the elder astray, arousing in his heart a feeling of grief and righteous indignation. In general, as noted above, the elder treated non-Orthodox Christians lovingly. Despite all this, he forbade commemorating the dead of them in Orthodox churches. So, for example, he wrote to one person: “German Lutherans and Catholics who died in their faith cannot be remembered at the proskomedia. They had no living communion with our Church: then how can we dare to join them to the Church after death? The rules prohibit commemorating heretics" 216. Chapter 16. About the letters of Elder Macarius Repeatedly above we had to cite excerpts from the letters of our great elder Father Macarius. Let's say a few words about them here. It is known that soon after his transition from the Ploshchanskaya hermitage to the Optina monastery, by the will of the highest spiritual authorities, he was appointed confessor of the entire Optina brotherhood. Then, a little later, he was entrusted with the responsibility of the monastery commander, and after the death of Elder Leo, he was also the main elder in the monastery. Among the arduous tasks of all these duties, Elder Macarius received with each mail many letters from those who turned to him for spiritual advice and solutions to their perplexities, in addition to those sent from different places in considerable quantities with the opportunity 217. And from 1834 to 1841, he wrote answers on behalf of his spiritual father and co-secretary, Elder Leonid, and then, when Elder Leonid died in 1841, over the next nineteen years of his life he continued to write on his own behalf or dictated answers suitable for each questioner to strengthen and console him in his sorrows. The elder wrote most of the answers to questions that required spiritual reasoning himself. His disciples helped him only in letters whose content required unimportant and brief answers, as well as answers to letters of non-spiritual content - congratulatory letters or simply expressing gratitude to someone for their love and diligence. This was done like this: first, the elder read the letters he received, putting aside those that, due to the importance of their content, were subject to his personal response, and gave others to the student who helped him in writing, immediately saying briefly that each letter needed to be answered. As was seen above, the elder did not have a specific time for letters. They were almost always written, so to speak, in fits and starts, because visitors who often came to him kept interrupting him from his writing. Only twice a week, on the days when the mail left in the morning, the elder stopped receiving outside visitors for several hours and, before sending letters, intensified his activity: he wrote himself, read what he had written to the students who helped him, corrected it, signed it, gave the addresses, and sealed it himself. During the last nineteen years of the elder’s life, they helped him in his written works at different times, alternately from the skete brothers: Hieromonk Ambrose - later the elder, hieroschemamonk; Hieromonk Gabriel - later hieromonk, with the blessing of Kaluga Bishop Gregory, established order in the newly established Belokopyt women's community, and died there 218; the ryassophore monks John, Leo and Paul - later Juvenaly, Leonidas and Plato, mentioned above; and, finally, novice Andrei Ivanovich Glushkov - later Hierodeacon Anthony, also mentioned above. The significance of the letters of Elder Macarius is very great. They contain complete instructions for the journey along the path of salvation, consolation in sorrows and solutions to perplexities on a wide variety of spiritual questions of monastics and laity of all classes, both sexes and different ages, being at the same time imbued with the deep humility of the writer himself. Thus, this is a dear treasury of spiritual advice, clearly testifying to the spiritual gifts of the elder who died in God, explaining his inner life. It can be said affirmatively that with these letters alone Elder Macarius left an eternal memory. After the publication of the first two volumes of the letters of Elder Macarius, when abbot Anthony (Bochkov) 219, who knew him well, received a copy of them as a gift from Optina Hermitage, he, in writing expressing gratitude to the Optina residents for the gift he received, wrote the following review about them: “The letters of Father Macarius can hardly be appreciated by the world: the world cannot accept the Spirit of truth (cf. John 14:17). The firm teaching, based on the adamant of the fatherly rules, is what is especially striking in the letters, filled, moreover, with the deepest humility. His letters can be called clocks, according to which, in the morning, at noon, and at night, the life of every monk and nun for whom they are assigned can be verified. Both young, mature, and old can resort at any time to this signpost, which itself walked steadily along the path of the Sun of Truth. The deepest caution in advice, with firmness and simplicity given not for a short time, but often for many years, the application of advice to the age of those asking, to their structure, to the time and their circumstances, knowledge of monastic life and the human heart - all this, hidden from the world, is a treasure of wisdom and experience that catches the eye, accustomed to distinguishing the radiance of real expensive stones from the false shine. In Father Macarius you do not see an ascetic scholastic at all: he rarely presents himself as a teacher, but only as a good adviser, who, however, knows the full value of his advice, inspired by many years of experience and tested more than once on many people. He does not hesitate to show respect for the word of truth where it should and lean on it firmly. And how many sacrifices were made to his neighbors in this correspondence, which culminated in his suffering death! Thank you very much for this precious gift. I will say one more thing about the humility of the blessed elder: he always rejected and rejected the praises and caresses of those who studied with him. And this intoxicating smoke made many teachers dizzy. Among the fathers of our time, Father Leonid and Father Macarius reached their possible heights not through exploits and fasts, but through the science of obedience and philanthropy. Forgive me that with my unskillful praises I bring little to the memory of this reverend father. His precious lines are probably still shed in tears by many who studied with him. January 19, 1864" 220. In support of such a flattering review of Abbot Anthony about the letters of Elder Macarius, we present here several excerpts from the latter’s letters. Here are some of the elder’s advice and instructions that true zealots of piety, who care about the salvation of their souls, needed and now need. So, for example, a humble elder wrote to one person seeking salvation: “You want to learn from me spiritual life, so that you can have written lines on how to go through the rank of residence, and be instructed by them. Your good desire and intention to seek salvation. But, for my part, it is not difficult to write; but it is dangerous to give an answer to teach people, while doing no good to yourself. Our mentor and teacher is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He gave us saving and life-giving commandments that lead us into eternal life, and He said to the young man who asked Him: what will I do that I may inherit eternal life? - Weigh the commandments: do these things and inherit an eternal life (cf. Mark 10:17, 19). And the holy fathers, who received salvation, received it by fulfilling the commandments of God; and they left us an example of their residence. Moved by the Holy Spirit, they presented their teaching for the benefit of us, the listeners and the readers. And what exactly commandments must be fulfilled by those who want to be saved? The main two are: love for God and love for neighbor. The whole law and the prophets hang on this commandment, said the Lord (Matthew 22:40). These commandments are explained in detail and especially in the Holy Gospel, and most of them in the fifth, sixth and seventh chapters of the Evangelist Matthew. When fulfilling the commandments of God, one must also have humility, which is also commanded: if you do all that is commanded, you say, “For we are unworthy servants, whatever we ought to do, we have done (Luke 17:10). And in another place the Lord commands: learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:29). This is the mercy of God towards us! By doing His commandments we receive peace. And what great wisdom of God! For every passion that is in us, there is a commandment that not only prohibits its action, but also completely eradicates it. So, study in the word of God; listen and try to fulfill it, asking for God’s help. For He said: without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5). Read also the words of the fathers: St. John of the Climacus, St. Abba Dorotheus, as they are most suitable for us. They teach us: why we leave the world and come to the monastery and how we must learn to fight against passions, defeat them and eradicate them; when defeated by passions, how to rebel and repent, and most of all, teach humility. It is unfallen and destructive of all passions. Just as pride is the forerunner of falls and casts those who have it into the depths of hell; so, on the contrary, humility restores and raises from the depths of sin and elevates the one who has this treasure. And the other holy fathers teach us, each according to the enlightenment of the mind given to him by the Holy Spirit. Having themselves experienced the spiritual life, they teach about denial of oneself and one’s will, about the fear of God, about obedience, about patience, about abstinence, about humility, about love, about repentance. And in general, we will find the whole face of beautiful virtues in their holy teaching and how to strive to acquire them. Saint Isaac the Syrian writes about humility that humility alone saves, except works (Homily 46). Saint John Climacus writes in the 5th Degree about repentance, on the first page of this Degree: what repentance is and what it consists of. This is appropriate for your question about this; and by the end of the book he combines repentance with humility. Saint Isaac the Syrian in Word 7 wisely leads us away from despair and leads us to repentance. From many I have collected little things for you for memory and guidance in your life. When you follow the path of truth, you will find and understand more than this. You will also meet sorrows; but they are inevitable on the path of salvation. Seek abundance and consolation in them in humility. But you can’t learn with words alone, you have to work through it; and then you recognize your weakness, you humble yourself; and in our humility the Lord will remember us and deliver us from our enemies and save us. What I earnestly wish for you and pray to the Lord for this. You are asking about the rank of residence. The word of Saint Simeon the New Theologian clearly shows this; and Saint Isaac the Syrian in the 9th Homily" 221. And here is another letter to another person from the ever-memorable Elder Macarius, which talks about the struggle of true Christians with the spirits of malice and about the indestructible weapon against them - humility - and how to achieve it: “You mentioned in your writing that God does not require more from a person than to fulfill the duties of the title in which he was born, which, in your understanding, you try to fulfill without reproach of conscience. Since this point is important, it is necessary to think about it better. This duty consists of fulfilling the commandments of God according to the vow we made in baptism, no matter what rank one may hold. But in fulfilling these, we are faced with resistance from the enemy of the human race, the devil, as the holy apostles write about. Saint Peter: Your adversary the devil, like a roaring lion, walks around looking for someone to devour. Resist him in the firmament by faith (1 Pet. 5:8-9). Saint Paul: Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12). See what an invisible war we have! He always tries to fight the Christian race by opposing actions to the commandments of God through our passions. To this end his main weapons are passions: love of fame, voluptuousness and love of money. Having been defeated by these or one of them, we give other passions free entry to act in our hearts. From your understanding it is clear that you have an imperfect understanding of this battle, or resistance, and not so much caution; but only your effort, without reproach of conscience, to fulfill your duty. But they didn’t penetrate into this as they should, what it consists of. If you fulfilled all your duty without a reproach of conscience, or better yet, without humility, then there would be no benefit. Our opponent has two means by which he brings people to the wrath of God: first, to plunge them into vices; and the second - when he does not have time to do this, then - into pride, that is, into the opinion of ourselves that we are fulfilling the will of God, and with this it approaches very subtly - it does not suddenly blind with pride, “but convinces them to impute that they are doing virtue, and plunges into their hearts the seed of a joyful opinion; from it, having matured, the inner Pharisee is raised, who, day by day, multiplying and growing, betrays such as complete pride and delusion, for which God allows one to be betrayed into the power of Satan.” This is the reasoning of one inspired man and great elder of Moldova 222. Saint John Climacus also writes that sometimes all vices leave a person, leaving one - pride, which is able to replace and complement the others (Degree 26, chapter 62). In such and such a battle, or spiritual war, you certainly need a weapon that the power of the enemy cannot resist. What kind of weapon is this? Holy humility. How to achieve it? There are different ways to acquire it. The first is the fulfillment of God’s commandments, among which is this: blessed are the poor in spirit, for of them is the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:3). When you have done all that is commanded to you, say, as we are unworthy servants: for what we ought to do, we have done (Luke 17:10). And: learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:29). The second is the knowledge of your weaknesses. Saint Isaac the Syrian writes in Homily 61: "Blessed is the man who knows his weakness; for this knowledge is the foundation and the root and the beginning of all goodness. However, no one can feel his weakness unless he is allowed to be tempted to be weary of the body and soul. And the righteous, not knowing his weakness, will have to be on the razor's edge." things (that is, is in danger), and in no way retreated from the fall, below from the corrupting lion, I say the demon of pride.” And again: “He who does not recognize his weakness becomes impoverished from humility; he who is impoverished from this is also impoverished from perfection: and he who becomes impoverished from this is ever afraid (is in fear).” In the 58th Word: “Even if some case of sin creeps in, there are obviously natural infirmities, not for the benefit God allowed the soul to accept the existence of passions: I saw that I would not set it above these before the second rebirth (resurrection). Even if you are attentive to the existence of these passions (that is, to be overcome by passions), it is useful to eat (to reproach) the conscience: and if you remain in these (passions), it is shameless to eat and shameless (disgusting, hateful)” 223. Third, the memory of our past sins crushes the heart and humbles the soul. Fourth: “From obedience comes humility,” writes Saint John Climacus in the 4th Degree, “from humility comes reasoning, from reasoning comes consideration, from this comes insight.” And Saint Cassian in his word to Leontin the Abbot: “True reasoning does not come unless from true humility, which is acquired, not just what we do, but also what we think, we reveal to our father, and let us not believe in anything of our own thoughts, but let us follow in all the words of the elder, and let us believe well, even if they tempt us” (Sermon on reasoning. Slavic Philokalia. Part 4). Fifth - careful permission from God's Providence to fall into passions, in order to more deeply feel one's vileness, to humble oneself and to have in mind that one is the worst of all creatures. About what Saint Gregory of Sinaite writes in the 117th chapter: “Unless a person is abandoned and defeated, and does not find help from works at all, neither from God nor from anyone else, as if it is not enough for one who is tempted in all to come to despair: he cannot be contrite and have himself the least of all, and the last and the slave of all, and the most incapable of the demons, as if he were tormented and overcome. And this is the watchful Providence of punitive humility, through which the highest is given from God.” Constant self-reproach also serves to acquire humility. You see from this reasoning that it is very dangerous to walk the path of virtues without humility and arrogance. There are many examples, both ancient and modern, who fell into delusion from this. From which may the Lord deliver us with His mercy. And with my meager understanding, the more I consider your mental structure, the more the pride that was there is revealed - which is confirmed by your own consciousness. How harmful and dazzling it is, you have many proofs from the writings of the Holy Fathers and from your own experience. But how do you admit that you are possessed by this ailment, and although the blindness is so great that instead of a useful medicine you take harmful and more upsetting ulcer patches: nevertheless, your good will gives hope that with the help of God you will receive healing for this ailment; which is something we shouldn’t despair of. I consider these actions harmful for you: testing the reason of the Scriptures, hidden and unknown to us. For knowing them ahead of time harms us; and before doing the first, it is not useful to know the second; and through labor and fulfillment of the commandments that we understand clearly, God will reveal other things that we do not understand. And if you learn the whole mind of the Scriptures ahead of time, then, having become proud, the mind will neglect the action and lose everything. What is quickly and easily acquired is quickly lost and lost. Not wanting to be convinced that it is necessary for us to struggle with passions, and also to consider this as oppression of humanity - obvious pride and fight against God - we dare to pass judgment on God Himself. When passions do not fight us, then we comfortably become proud, not seeing any vices behind us. And the desire to quickly conquer passions is madness that comes from pride. Demanding rewards based on duty, for one’s merits and for fighting one’s passions, and not according to the mercy of God, is an expectation more vile than Pharisaic pride. Exploits against passions are only painful when we proudly and arrogantly go through them; and when humbly, calling on God’s help and ascribing corrections to it, then they become bearable. “For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light,” said the Lord (Matthew 11:30). As we go through spiritual life and are overcome by passions, we should not become faint-hearted, but become more strengthened in faith. A warrior in war is then skilled, that is, he comes to the knowledge of military science when he makes mistakes many times and is wounded; but the first admonishes him, and for the second he receives rewards. However, he can learn military science more than once. Moreover, spiritual life requires learning and a lot of time. In the same way, someone who wants to learn art does not suddenly become an artist, but repeatedly spoils the thing he is doing, and again corrects it, and requires instruction. Do we want to learn spiritual art in an instant, and even self-righteously and arbitrarily? This is impossible! When our very attempts confuse us and bring us to cowardice, then this is a sign of pride. Yes, they are the essence of punishment for pride. Solitude is the most detrimental remedy for your well-being. It brings guilt to pride and destroys the unskilled. Saint John Climacus writes: “Those who are sick with opinion and wickedness below, let them see the trace of silence.” But since you yourself have now recognized the harm of the above-described actions, I am sure that you will turn away from them in every possible way and not allow them to enter your heart; and their place will be taken by everything that destroys pride and brings humility. Moreover, the humble awareness of one’s weaknesses before God involuntarily arouses a request for His help and a lack of reliance on oneself - and you will be convinced of what you could not be convinced of... Consider this writing of mine more carefully, consider your structure and feelings. I wanted, with God’s help, to offer you something decent and necessary for your current situation. Delve into the Divine Scripture and the teachings of the saints, Father, asking God’s help for all your deeds and undertakings, may He give you true reason, faith and humility, and strengthen you in the path of virtue and in spiritual warfare, and make you worthy to find the real path leading to salvation, and to rest on it” 224. Warning against thinking about oneself during prayer or against pride, which causes people to fall into the delusion of the enemy, Elder Macarius wrote to another person: “What kind of information are you looking for about the hope of salvation? Given your setup, this is impertinent. Perhaps you will receive an imaginary notification from the enemy’s charms and then you will go crazy. The great saints of God were honored with this (notice) before their death or shortly before their exodus. But who were they and what deep humility did they have?! Saint Theognostus writes: “Ask to give you notice, but not before death: it is most humbly possible.” But we have no humility. If we had been given notice, we would have exalted ourselves and fallen deeply. We must have faith, humility and hope in God’s mercy and not despair to the end, but always remain in repentance, heartache and humility; to avoid two extremes - excessive hope and despair, and to have yourself under all creation. For your other faults, always bring repentance and ask God to give you help. That is why we fall because we do not have humility. For, according to the word of Saint John Climacus, where the fall took place, pride preceded it. We must understand about fall of all kinds: in thoughts, words, negligence and laziness.” More about prayer and delusion to the same person: “You mention that when raising the mind to God, you feel an inappropriate movement. And this is because you, full of passions, dare to raise your mind to God. It would not have happened as happened with the one who entered the bridal chamber in dirty clothes and was cast out from there. It is more akin and fitting for us to have a contrite and humble heart, which God will not destroy, and to follow the publican’s repentance.” More about prayer to another person: “You mention that you do not have pure prayer, but floating thoughts. It is not our business to give the price to our prayer, but to the One who searches the hearts and wombs and the Giver of prayer to the one who prays. Pray, but humbly; which is what the soaring of thoughts involuntarily forces us to do. You need to force yourself not only to prayer, according to the word of Saint Macarius, but also to every virtue. You find in yourself a sin leading to death, laziness; But aren’t anger and rage in the same category?” We will offer here further other advice from the ever-memorable Elder Macarius on some frequently occurring cases. Thus, he wrote about sorrows or troubles that come from others: “I do not advise you to refuse obedience, but to endure the troubles that occur with self-reproach and humility. Those who seem to be hostile to you are your benefactors. With the help of God they show you your inner structure so that you can be healed of your passions. And try not to have pledged unworldliness towards them 225. But when it appears in you, immediately purge it through self-reproach and repentance and pray for them 226. But if you leave everything, thinking that solitude will heal you, then you are mistaken. It will only increase your conceit. Try to keep yourself in the community from idle talk and idle talk, but if you do, quickly lock yourself up, repent and humble yourself.” Again: “Many are the sorrows of the righteous and many are the wounds of the sinner,” the Holy Spirit speaks from the mouth of David 227. Who among us is without sorrow? From the beggar to the one wearing a diadem, you will not find complete peace and tranquility here. And the Lord sends all of this to everyone in due time and according to his need, in order to lead us to the Kingdom of Heaven along this sorrowful path. Through tribulations sins are cleansed, sins are prevented, and our faith is tested. Who can boast of not having sin? And therefore we are debtors to God. People who insult us do not do it on their own, but by God’s permission; and therefore they are an instrument of God... What you write about the actions of the sisters against you who want to denigrate you - let it be true: they are doing a lie; and yet their untruth makes God's righteousness in us. Do you understand this? And David did not order to kill Shimei, who blasphemed him, but said: Leave Shimei to curse David; God told him to curse David 228. And you do this, saying to yourself: “God told them to insult me ​​in order to forgive my sins.” You say that you are in a bleak state of mind. But if you do as the holy fathers teach, you will also receive consolation. And try to see yourself as worse than everyone else. This alphabet is very necessary and useful for us. Let me briefly say: when we blame ourselves, we get rid of sorrow; and if we blame others, they multiply and continue.” About blasphemous thoughts: “You write that, like a light cloud, unbelief about God and the future comes over you. This thought is considered by Saint Demetrius to be a blasphemous thought. For in them our will does not agree, but only the enemy suggests thoughts of unbelief. The person does not want this and is not to blame; but he thinks that he is guilty, he is embarrassed, and this amuses the enemy more and gives him a reason to attack. And when you despise it and do not consider it a sin, then he too will be ashamed and go away. In this, the condemnation of others also gives him a reason. Niphon’s temptation was of a different kind towards his crowning 229, but this is different.” Proof of the truth of the Orthodox faith: “We see proof of our right faith in many things and actions: after confession we receive peace of conscience - why is this? And without confessing - a feeling of torment - why? We see the relics of saints and the miracles that happen from them. Who is responsible for the miracle-working icons? Who produces this? All this is done by God, who gave us His Word to know Him in the Incarnation and the redemption of us from error. Who made reading enjoyable for you when you read the book of Saint Barsanuphius? God ! The whole world is full of God's miracles. Wonderful are Your works, O Lord! “Thou hast created all things with wisdom 230.” About spiritual peace and confusion: “You see for yourself: wherever we do anything with submission to the will of God, there we feel peace; and where the world is, there is God. Our Lord Jesus Christ said to His disciples: peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you (John 14:27). This is whose world! And what you wrote at the beginning of the letter, you yourself realize that you wrote the nonsense of an upset soul, that is, an embarrassed one, and where there is confusion, there is an action of the enemy. This should be a lesson to you in the future - not to indulge yourself in such confusing thoughts, which is Babylon, where the enemy takes the soul captive by him, like Nebuchadnezzar, who led the Jewish people from Jerusalem to Babylon and oppressed them there with various kinds of enslavement.” About repentance and communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ: “You want to speak and partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ without condemnation. The most necessary preparation for this is to forgive your neighbors their sins, according to the word of the Lord: if you forgive your neighbors their sins, your Heavenly Father will forgive you your sins; If you do not forgive them their sins, then your Heavenly Father will not forgive you your sins 231; and have publican humility. This is how true repentance happens! And in our humility the Lord will remember us and send His help in our affairs, with our good will. To your question about confession, I will say in detail: the holy fathers do not advise explaining the sins of sensuality in detail, so as not to defile the feelings with the memory of the details; but to say simply an image of sin. And other sins that bring shame to self-love should be clarified in more detail, blaming oneself. When you receive peace of conscience after confession, you should see in this the mercy of God, looking upon your repentance. But the devil, who hates good, causes confusion, that “she said the wrong thing,” and so on. Reflect it with hope in God’s mercy. During confession, you need to explain all your sins, except perhaps when you forget, and not speak superficially; for sin that is not confessed is not absolved; unless you can’t explain it out of oblivion. After confession, you need to guard yourself from sinful actions. But if you happen to be offended by someone or become jealous of someone: in this, reconciling with the one who offended, be calm; and for contempt - to be contemptuous and to reproach yourself, so as not to disturb the elder. And if an opportunity arises to see him, then, according to the sin and the feeling of conscience, you can tell him about it briefly. You can write your sins in accordance with our confession; for in the course of time, after confession, we sin a lot and forget. The main thing in confession is to have a contrite and humble heart, which God will not despise. And every day we need to test ourselves and reproach ourselves; for what we have done, to bring repentance before God - which is what we read in the third prayer for those who are coming to bed. You ask to give you penance, but were swayed by my silence. What kind of penance will I give you? It must be the opposite of sins. You talk idle talk, condemn, and want punishment for that person. Here is your penance: leave these actions of yours; turn away from evil and do good. As for cases, it is not our business to enter the court. Whoever sows will also reap. We must wish everyone to repent and come to true reason” 232. The elder also wrote about confessing to another person: “You say, there is no sin that I have not committed. This word is completely indecent. There are many sins that you did not commit: you did not steal the church, did not set it on fire, did not commit riots, did not commit murder... and there are many such sins that you did not commit. Why slander yourself so much? There is no benefit; but we must grieve in our hearts for those that we have done, although we repented; but you must still consider yourself a sinner and have a contrite heart. But God will not despise a contrite and humble heart (Ps. 50:19). And even now we must see our sins, according to the words of Peter of Damascus: “like the sand of the sea”; and this is the beginning of the enlightenment of the soul and a sign of its health; and in short, the soul is contrite and the heart is humble, and least of all considers itself to be true, and does not dare to humiliate or condemn anyone.” About the communion of the Holy Mysteries to one nun, the elder wrote: “When you approach the Divine Meal and feel tenderness and tears, then, of course, this is a visit from God. That is why one must approach with fear, faith and love and be wary of accepting thoughts of vanity, and reject the fear that there will be a passionate movement at this time. From this very fear it can happen. However, even for this there is repentance with humility. When we have a guarantee of self-awareness and humility, then we cannot suffer anything like that, but when with observation (Luke 17:20) 233 we look for something high, comforting in ourselves and are carried away by vanity, then consolation and tenderness are taken away, but sanctification is not taken away. For we walk by faith, and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). You yourself understand that for vanity and arrogance of mind and pride, in any case, we are deprived of spiritual consolation. But even this is not always useful to us; and in its place comes temptation and the spiritual cross, curbing our opinion. Read St. Isaac’s Words 78 and 79.” When assessing the letters of Elder Macarius, it was not intended to make a detailed review of them, but there was a desire to show how rich in content, how edifying, and, moreover, imbued with deep humility, these writings of the great elder were. And six volumes of such letters were published, containing more than two thousand spiritual writings filled with wisdom, excluding three appendices at the end of the book to the monks. Despite all this, there are still many handwritten letters from Elder Macarius, unprinted, stored in the skete library. Such are, for example, letters to Konstantin Karlovich Zederholm (later the skete hieromonk Clement). The best assessment of the letters of Elder Macarius is given by the famous saint, the Vyshensky Recluse, the late Bishop Theophan. So, he wrote to one person: “You write that you read all the letters of the Optina elder Macarius. Blessed are his books! A deep spirit of humility emanates from them and inspires it on everyone who reads it. Re-read often. It doesn’t hurt to make extracts so that, in case of need, to warm up the spirit of humility, the most self-needing of all spirits” 234. Chapter 17. Relationship between Elder Macarius and Mr. D. L. with their family 235 No less edifying were the oral conversations of the godly elder Father Macarius. As an example, in addition to the above conversations, we offer here to God-loving readers the story of Mr. D.L., which also preliminarily talks about how the Providence of God directed this servant of God with his wife to the God-wise elder. The story is offered in the original. Its title: “Memories of the Elder of Optina Hermitage, Hieroschemamonk Macarius” 236. Here is the story itself: “Let them excuse me,” writes D.L., “if the beginning of my story seems to someone a little far from the point. I can't help but start it like that. I need to show what was the reason for me to become acquainted with one of the great elders of Orthodox Rus', who later became my mentor in Christian activities, my spiritual father, a zealous man of prayer before God, at Whose Throne he now stands as a righteous man... So, a few words about myself. I am a Russian landowner, and, by the grace of God, I am married. We both received what was then a modern education. But, raised by my late mother, I preserved in my soul a spark of the fear of God; and neither student life, nor hussar service, nor metropolitan entertainment extinguished it in me. True, like others, I rarely visited the churches of God, forgot morning and evening prayers, loved theaters and various other public entertainments; but there were moments when my conscience spoke in my soul with irresistible reproaches, and with a deep sigh of contrition about my repentance, I turned my thought to the One who said: I do not want the death of a sinner, but to be converted... and I live to be him 1. One day I happened to go on business to different places. It was in a damp and cloudy autumn. The dirt was inescapable. Moreover, the state of my affairs did not make me too happy. Naturally, that’s why I was in the worst mood. My wife, meeting me on the threshold of my house, said that several acquaintances had gathered with us. I had no time for them, but there was nothing to do, I changed clothes and went out into the hall. After greeting the guests and sitting around the hissing samovar, we started talking about hay, buckwheat and other “thought-provoking” items. Our conversation became noisier hour by hour: anecdotes and stories about various village incidents began to pour out. Suddenly they report that a monk is waiting in the hallway. After a few seconds of hesitation, it was decided to accept the unexpected guest. The monk entered and, having prayed in front of the icons, announced that he was the hierodeacon of the Optina Monastery K. 237 After the usual greetings, he explained the reason for his arrival, that, they say, he was sent from the monastery to collect voluntary alms for the needs of the monastery. It was already late. My wife and I invited him to spend the night with us. The monk agreed. Then we began to continue the interrupted conversation and soon entered into the usual rut of gossip and gossip. We were a little embarrassed by the presence of the monk, and therefore we tried to speak more in French. The monk was silent. Feeling the awkwardness of our position, we tried to somehow involve the guest in the general conversation. I don’t remember how it happened there, but our speech only touched on religious issues. At first light, and then more serious disputes arose. The monk was still silent. Finally, when I, in order to stop the inappropriate polemic, spoke in a somewhat instructive tone, the guest broke his silence. Partly out of curiosity, partly out of courtesy, our entire community stopped arguing and listened attentively to the monk’s modest and simple speech. He said enough. After taking his leave, he left us and went into the room assigned to him. We didn't stay together for long either. An hour later, each of us went to rest with thoughts far from those that we all had at the beginning of the evening. The next day, the monk, having received a feasible offering from us, left. For breakfast we gathered, as yesterday, as a whole company; but it wasn’t the same conversation we had—everything somehow didn’t fit in, didn’t go well. The awakened conscience of the monk’s simple but strong word did not give him peace. What previously seemed empty and meaningless to us now has meaning for us and stands out before our opened inner eyes. At least that's how I felt. The fight against sin was still a long way off, but the consciousness of one’s depravity had already appeared. The way of life continued as before, but the peace of mind had already been disturbed. The next year, the same father K visited us again. We were delighted with him, as if we had known him for a long time, and begged him to stay with us the whole day. We didn’t even notice how this wonderful day for us passed. There was so much sweetness in the conversation of the man, imbued with the spiritual wisdom of experienced ascetics of spiritual life! It is very natural that my wife and I wanted to visit the Optina Hermitage and get acquainted with the ascetics there, especially with the elders - Hieromonk Leonid (in schema Leo) and Hieromonk Macarius, about whom Father K. told us a lot of interesting things. However, our project this time remained just a project. The very next year, my wife and I fulfilled our heartfelt desire and arrived in Optina Pustyn, I remember at the end of September. Having stopped at the monastery hotel, we sent for our friend Father K. He did not hesitate to appear and, having seen us, went and brought Father Macarius with him. Our first meeting with the elder, contrary to our expectations, was nothing special. Recalling the stories of Father K., we thought we would meet an ascetic with a special expression on his face, with special techniques. It turned out that he was a simple, ordinary monk, extremely modest, taciturn and, moreover, tongue-tied. I was positively disappointed. But my wife, despite her social glibness, from the first time felt some kind of unaccountable fear mixed with reverence; and on his next visits she became attached to him with all her soul. Having finished my prayer and received the Holy Mysteries, we returned to the village; and after a while we left for St. Petersburg. It was the time, or as they say, the season of public entertainment. Performances, balls, masquerades, evenings did not give rest to high society people. Not every day, but, nevertheless, we visited theaters and attended balls. Just a strange thing! Somehow my conscience was already restless; and the ringing of the bell, signaling the announcement of the all-night vigil, awakened in the soul a feeling similar to shame and remorse, when we had already decided to go to the ballet or opera. Breaking the fast also ceased to seem unimportant to us. We began to understand that we were not living as the Orthodox Church required. The old man stood irresistibly before the alarmed eyes of the soul with his calm gaze, with his pleading speech... The following autumn we again visited Optina Pustyn. Father Macarius was already more courteous and frank with us. He asked us in detail about our life, talked about St. Petersburg and the temptations encountered there at every step. When I admitted the embarrassment that haunted me so relentlessly among the capital's entertainment, Father Macarius spoke as he had never spoken to us before. We greedily caught every word of the ascetic and after his departure, competing with each other, we wrote down the wonderful speech of the Elder of God: “Every man,” said Father Macarius, “was created in order to glorify God while living. He was created good, but over time, carried away by bodily passions, falls into a sinful state. However, it is never too late for any sinner to return to his primitive state. Repentance and trying to fulfill God’s commandments is the surest path to the merciful Lord for everyone. A Christian must turn to God every hour and begin to correct his spiritual existence. No one should be embarrassed by his sinful state. There is no man who can live and not sin 238. And the more sinful a person is, the stronger will be God’s help to raise him from the mire of sin. But God’s help occurs only when the sinner repents with contrition of heart, has the will to correct himself and, not seeing in himself so much spiritual strength as to turn away from sinful deeds on his own, seeks God’s help. This is where the visible mercy of the Lord often occurs, not wanting the sinner to die, but to turn and live for him 239. But in no case should one delay the beginning of one’s correction for a minute; and if the voice of conscience arouses in us a feeling of remorse or repentance, then we must earnestly pray to the Guardian Angel of human life, may he save us from pernicious falls and may he help us work for the Lord with fear and trembling 240.” How sluggish, however, is the human word when it fits into measured lines and conditioned signs, called letters! We can still feel in our hearts that inexpressible sweetness, that invincible power of the speeches of Father Macarius, with which he then shook our entire being... All the vulgarity of secular life stood before us in all its ugliness. My chest felt tight from the accumulated tears that flowed uncontrollably from my eyes. Yes, we cried, and these tears of deep repentance for sins were sweet! Father Macarius consoled us with the words of the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the fathers. And, God! how much of this healing unctuousness there was in his speeches! What a wonderful dawn of the non-evening day of Christ rose then from behind the clouds of our sinful souls!... Father Macarius advised us to speak and, having blessed us, went to other rooms of the hotel for the edification and teaching of visitors who were thirsty for his inspiring words. We ourselves saw how we met him in the hotel courtyard. They bowed at his feet, crowded in to receive the blessing, and crossed themselves with joy when they received it. Throughout our preparation for confession and Holy Communion, the elder visited us daily and edified us spiritually. We revealed all our thoughts to him. One day we started talking about fasting. Frankly, I was afraid to tell him about my guilt in this regard, fearing to hear a severe reprimand for violating the decrees of the Church. It didn't turn out that way at all. Father Macarius meekly noted to us that this is bad, not good, that in the Church there are various decrees so that we, as her children, observe them with all severity, that they are obligatory for everyone, regardless of any conditions of everyday life. And he said all this so softly and affectionately that I had the courage to ask him: “Is it possible in cases of need, for example on the road, at a party, in general where it is inconvenient to find lean food, to allow fast food?” Father Macarius, smiling, answered me: “Can I, hieromonk, permit what the Church has prohibited? No, I would ask you, even out of love for me, to begin observing fasts.” We decided to obey. At first it was difficult, but after that we got used to it, and now, thanks to God, we don’t feel any burden about it. While talking with Father Macarius, I once told him that, living and moving in the world, it happens that suddenly, out of the blue, some girl likes him. Word for word, and you will become attached to her, so much so that later you find it necessary, out of fear of jealousy, to hide it from your wife. Even during prayer and in the church of God, you keep thinking about her and her. Of course, over time this attachment passes by itself and is forgotten; but still... "Yes," said Father Macarius with a sigh, "to you, secular people, such frivolity seems empty, insignificant; and yet in it lies a terrible evil, entailing an abyss of troubles and misfortunes and stealing your spiritual treasury. The Savior directly says: everyone who looks at a wife will already committing adultery with her in your heart 241. You see: you only looked with lust, and the sin was already committed and the Lord’s commandment was broken. And from an everyday point of view, how many bitter sorrows such addictions entail! Now, as I see, you live happily and calmly in your family life: you love your wife, and she loves you, you are frank with her; You have a friend in her who sincerely participates in your sorrows and joys. And as soon as the thought of betrayal penetrates your heart, the tempter will immediately grab hold of it and drag you with such force that it will be difficult to stop and return to your sacred duty. It’s not far from the fall here, but it happened - everything was upset then! In your wife, if she is faithful to you, you will have an enemy rather than a friend; Instead of love, you will begin to harbor hatred for her; instead of consolation, you will see in her an obstacle to the satisfaction of your crude inhuman passion. You won’t even notice how you will become the lawless enemy of your lawful wife. What a bitter future for such a life! But it's still here; and what is there, beyond the grave?.. It’s scary, scary for a sinner to fall into the hands of the living God 242.” “Teach me, father,” I said, “how to protect yourself from passionate hobbies in general and from tempting thoughts at home, in prayer and even in church?” “The beginning of all these temptations,” answered the elder, “is pride. A person imagines that he lives piously, without thinking at all about his sinfulness and sometimes even condemning others. So the Lord will allow the machinations of the enemy to work on him. Be attentive to your way of life. Trust your conscience, and every time you will involuntarily come to the conviction that you have not yet fulfilled a single commandment as it should.” Thinking in this way, you will clearly see your spiritual weaknesses, which entail carnal falls. In order to get rid of these falls, you must acquire humility. As for sinful thoughts in church and at home in prayer, you should not be embarrassed by this; for this does not come from you, but from the enemy. Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Here is an example for you. When parents go for a walk with their small children, they usually let the children go ahead so as not to let them out of sight. Suddenly a dog will run out from around the corner and attack the children. What are they doing? Now they rush to their parents shouting: “Dad! Mom!” With childlike simplicity, with pure faith, they expect help from their parents. So you too, on the path of your temporary life, if our tempter the devil begins to plot, do not be embarrassed and do not at all think of defending yourself with your own means, but with childish simplicity, rush to the Heavenly Father with a cry: “Lord! I am Your creation; have mercy on me!” Finally, I will tell you this,” the elder added, “that, in my understanding, it is difficult to stay away from temptations while living in big cities. How can a person, still weak in the matter of spiritual work, resist the temptations of the modern world! Note that real secular society consists partly of people of other faiths, partly of Christians, although Orthodox, but, due to their weakness, so carried away by the customs of the world that they are Orthodox only in name, but in essence have strayed far from true Orthodoxy. It is difficult to fight passions, but it is incomparably more difficult to resist constant temptations. Finally, luxury, following fashion, the very needs of life - all this is so expensive that whatever fortune you want is not enough to satisfy all the demands of the world. You yourself say that your financial affairs are in disarray; and as you live longer in the village, your funds will improve. Is this the same thing? The human soul, as an immortal being, cannot remain in the same position: it either improves or worsens. It’s no wonder that with a quiet village life, of course with God’s help, your spiritual structure should improve at least somewhat.” And the wise old man said a lot of things that sank deep into the soul that longed for the word of truth. Never in my life have I felt such a delightful calm as in these unforgettable moments of conversation with the grace-filled ascetic. All thoughts strived towards one firm intention to begin to live as an Orthodox Christian should. The words of the elder, like heavenly dew, fell on the parched earth of the heart; and I felt how a seed of sweet hope began to vegetate inside him, that the path of salvation, the path to a blessed life, was not closed to me, that I too could be a Christian in more than one name. All my life plans took a different direction. I intended to completely abandon winter trips to cities, because after these interviews both my wife and I were decidedly disgusted with the noisy city life. It was as if for the first time we saw the logic of the simple truth that it would be much wiser to put our affairs in order away from the world and, instead of living, for example, in St. Petersburg, sometimes in half with poverty, to live comfortably and even with all the amenities in the village. In this mood of feelings and thoughts, I returned home, diligently took care of the housework and began to live, following the advice of Father Macarius as much as possible. Filippovka 243 has arrived. I began to strictly keep my fast. But alas! The flesh, lustful of the spirit, soon rebelled against the holy decree of the Church. First hesitation, then various thoughts and reflections, finally even annoyance at the Elder of God, who, as it seemed to me, disturbed the peace of my conscience, decidedly upset me. In such an irritated state of mind, I once sharply told my wife that I was tired of living in the village, that, having gathered my money, I decided to go to St. Petersburg, where my relatives really called me. My wife listened to me calmly, but then little by little began to advise me against the trip. She begged me to listen to Father Macarius at least this time, but I insisted on my own and said decisively that we were going to St. Petersburg in early December. There were five days left before departure. Something didn't go well for me. Imagining that this was from the Lenten food, I ordered the fast food to be prepared. But on the very first night after breaking the commandment, when everything in the house calmed down, I was left alone, I felt some kind of anxiety, similar to remorse. The unauthorized permission to eat fast food, and most importantly, the murmur against Father Macarius and the disobedience of his loving advice haunted me irresistibly. I didn't sleep almost all night. This morning I told my wife about this. She again began to beg me to postpone the trip, but the fear of appearing spineless did not allow me to agree to her ideas. It ended with the fact that, after much debate, we decided to send a messenger to Optina Pustyn with a letter to Father Macarius and ask for his blessing for the trip to St. Petersburg, explaining the reason for it. I started writing, but it was strange! Instead of getting straight to the point, I, due to some uncontrollable feeling of guilt, wrote something that was not at all what I thought to write when I started writing. Here's what I wrote: "For a long time I thought about how to begin my letter to you, benefactor and protector of my soul, Father Macarius! It happened to me to express myself eloquently in secular writings; but I am at a loss to express what I feel at the present moment. I beg you to accept and pay attention to my message. I am guilty before you, I am guilty before the Lord. Forgive me for the sake of Christian mercy. Your good advice is fresh in my memory; but alas! - almost none of it fulfilled. I am very sad and extremely embarrassed that I did not fulfill your orders. I decide to write to you with fear; but my letter consists of a true description of my sinful actions and thoughts. I confessed to you that I was afraid to write about you even now. failure to follow your advice; I was even burdened by them, thinking like this: after all, I am not a monk and cannot leave the world! Finally, even now the thought does not leave me that you forbade me from traveling to capitals and worldly amusements. Everything described greatly disturbs my sinful soul; but most of all I’m afraid of hiding something from you. I earnestly ask you to honor me with your answer. My wife and so on.” The letter was hastily rewritten and sent. When the messenger left, I began to re-read the brouillon (chernetka) 244 and became unusually embarrassed. I became so annoyed with myself, and with my wife, and with Father Macarius, that I was ready to send in pursuit of a messenger and turn him back; and he sent it, but the messenger returned with nothing. I was simply beside myself with frustration and only calmed down when I received a reply letter from Father Macarius. Here it is: "Most venerable of the Lord! In your letter you acknowledge in some cases the failure to fulfill what is due, calling them my orders. But what do I mean? And can I order anything to anyone? Yes, without asking, I cannot advise anyone about anything. And whoever asks me about anything, I, praying then, call on God for help, what, to whom and how should be said, but not to order, but to give advice, in accordance with the commandments of God and the decrees of the Church. For failure to fulfill this, I cannot demand an account or punishment, for I do not advise on my own behalf; You were afraid to confess to me, thinking that you are not a monk and cannot leave the world and that I forbid you from traveling to capitals and worldly amusements. How is this possible? What right do I have to prohibit you? But I must say, not as a monk, but as a Christian, the teaching of the holy apostle: even if anyone wants to be a friend of the world, he becomes an enemy of God 245. And again: do not love the world, nor those in the world; if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him, as everything in the world, carnal lust, and the lust of self, and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from this world 246. You see that there is a world that friendship puts at enmity with God - not people, but the passions to which we are subjected out of imitation of the world and the light. Do not think that by writing this to you, I am forbidding you to deal with the world, but I am only offering you the teaching of the apostles as a precaution. You have autocracy, reason and law. Can I compel autocracy, reason, reasoning and will? And you can choose what you want, good or resistant." After reading the elder’s letter several times, I did not know what to do. But when my thoughts returned to a normal state, my agitated spirit calmed down, then I weighed the truths proposed by Father Macarius on the scales of my mind. What a logically true truth that vain friendship with the world puts us at enmity with God! It is very clear that it is not people, but our passions, to which we are so easily subjected out of imitation of the light, that constantly drag us down to fall. Which of us, having trusted our conscience, does not admit that, if not completely impossible, then it is very difficult to refrain from imitating secular, not entirely Orthodox customs! Is it possible to maintain a sense of chastity in a seductively elegant ballet? Will contrition of spirit appear after a loud opera or humility after an amusing vaudeville? Thinking about all this, I felt my heart squeezing with some kind of painful tightness; The question of the hour of death arose in the agitated soul. Horror seized me, and I hoped only for God to save me from cowardice and storm 247. At these moments I remembered the words of the elder about children walking under the supervision of their parents, and, confused in spirit, I thought with childish simplicity to turn to God asking for His help. But where can we get childlike simplicity? It is alien to the corrupted human heart; she is suppressed by an arrogant mind and immense pride. There was nothing to do; I had to turn to the humble wisdom of the Elder of God for help. We did just that: instead of going to St. Petersburg, we went to Optina Pustyn. With some kind of sinking heart, I drove into the courtyard of the monastery hotel. It was about three o'clock in the afternoon. As soon as they assigned us an apartment, Father Macarius, who was at the hotel at that time, came in to see us. Having blessed and greeted us, he said in a joking tone: “You see how scary I am! You are afraid of me from a hundred miles away. And I, to tell the truth, rejoice and thank God for you. After all, you are not afraid of me, but what frightens you is that you are not living well. Do not be embarrassed, however, by this. The Lord will help you. Make the beginning of your correction. Have only a good will, and the Lord will arrange your salvation. And if I am not skillful and was not able to teach you so that you would not be embarrassed, then forgive me for God’s sake and do not complain about me. After all, I am also a sinner, like all people, even more sinful than many, very many. If you thought or said anything bad about me, then forget and do not think about it. We are Christians, each of us is obliged to bear weakness. brotherly, in the words of the Apostle: bear one another’s burdens, so that you may fulfill the law of Christ 248 . Calm down, I beg you, and be peaceful." After talking a little more, Father Macarius left. Left alone, I thought: what kind of miracles are these! For several weeks my soul was in constant excitement. Thoughts were constantly changing and gave birth in my heart to anger, annoyance, melancholy, anxiety; and suddenly, after his tender words, filled with Christian love, this whole spiritual storm passed... Was it really from imagination? Why, however, no one has another ever had such an influence on me as this simple monk? It’s not a fairy tale that several weeks ago I was unwell in spirit, I hardly slept a single night; and now I feel as if I was born into the world. No, you will inevitably come to the conviction that there is Divine grace, always healing the weak, that it healed me with the prayerful help of the elder, that with him came omnipotent help. God expelled sorrow from my soul, replaced the sinking of my heart with some kind of silence, and shed lightness, peace and tranquility into my entire being. No, Elder of God, I said decisively, now I will not leave you and, to the extent of my strength, I will carry out all your advice! During the several days we spent in Optina Pustyn, this is what mainly remains in my memory. When we started talking about the elder’s last letter, according to which I came to the monastery, Father Macarius said: “Remember, I wrote to you that you have autocracy, reason and law. Think sensibly: you have been given the will to live as you want; a law has been given to all of us, how we are obliged to live; and, finally, reason, in order to understand the law and see how we are controlled by our will. Are the deeds done according to our will consistent with the provisions of the law? What prevails over us—the firm intention to fulfill the commandments or the crafty and at the same time tempting temptation of worldly pleasures? Who is able to resist the temptations of the enemy on his own? Who, sailing on the sea of ​​life, does not know stormy misfortunes on the choppy waves? Meanwhile, each of us must strive for a quiet haven that leads us from ashes to the Lord, Who calls all those who labor and are burdened, promising to give them rest. Remember that we are all here temporary, and no one knows when we will appear before the Lord of glory. But know that what they find us doing is what they will judge us for. And if we use our autocracy for evil and do not submit our rational will to the law, I repeat - it will be scary for a sinner to fall into the hands of the living God 249! Do not think that I suggest that you run away from communication with the world or shun acquaintance with kind and good people. No. Every person must live where the Lord has determined for him to live. You are a secular person, you are a member of your society. Do not shun him, but try to live piously, not judging anyone, loving everyone, in all everyday conflicts, reproach yourself, trying to excuse others. If someone has offended you in any way, then think that this was allowed by God in order to somewhat test your Christian patience. Remember often the greatness of God and your wretched insignificance. Be attentive to your work and do not allow yourself to think about your dignity, like the Pharisee, but repeat the publican’s prayer more often; read books for old people, subscribe to spiritual journals. This will keep you busy and confirm you in spiritual work.” 250. When I settled down in the village and got to know my neighbors better, a rumor spread that they wanted to appoint me to the election service. I really didn’t want to enslave myself for several years, not foreseeing anything in this except embarrassment in life and deprivation of my freedom. Having seen Father Macarius, I turned to him with the question of what he would advise me to do in this case. “You should not seek or ask,” he answered, “to be elected to any position; but in no case should you refuse. For it is not entirely conscientious to shirk serving society, especially since if the lot of service falls on you, then this, of course, is not without the Providence of God, to which each of us must submit with humility and love. Finally, if none of the well-intentioned and capable people wants to serve, then inevitably the place it will be occupied by someone who knows little or, even worse, a person with little means of subsistence, who will sometimes be unable to resist the financial temptations that may be encountered in the service. The person you choose will begin to take bribes and judge biasedly; and you will begin to scold him, condemn him and get angry with him, and who is to blame? You yourself; because you are lazy to serve, while you have every means to refrain from any illegal income. After all, you won’t be tempted by money-grabbing 251? – he asked, fixing his kind, penetrating eyes on me. “Isn’t it true?” “Of course,” I answered, “it’s not dangerous for me personally. Having been in the military and civil service, I never had any income; I’m convinced now that I’ll never have any in the future.” - “Oh, how bad you speak!” the elder interrupted me almost with anger. “What proud thoughts you have! How can you speak so arrogantly?! Do you really not know examples of people about whom public opinion said that they were, in the strict sense of the word, honest, and this opinion was not wrong. They were indeed impeccably honest, but when large sums were entrusted to their disposal, that’s when the evil one got confused them. Prideful pride took its toll: a passionate attachment to worldly pleasures tempted their weak souls. Of course, not without difficulty and not without remorse, they decided to worship the golden calf as a means to satisfy their passions, and they fell because their honesty was based on pride alone. They were presumptuously honest and, moreover, feared only the light, not thinking about future life and responsibility before the all-righteous Judge of the living and the dead. I advise you to talk about your intentions without arrogance, but with humility. It is clear that you will not be tempted by a hundred rubles or a thousand, let’s say, even more than that, because in your condition such a sum is not so important. And if you had the opportunity to acquire a million, several millions, and acquire them with hope, perhaps they won’t recognize you; what would you do? I will answer you this way: if you turn to the Lord, He will help and save you from a shameful fall; and if you rely on yourself, then it is very no wonder that you will fall into crime; from which may the Lord God and the Queen of Heaven protect you!” Once I told Father Macarius that a monk had come to see me with a collection for the monastery, that he behaved indecently to his rank and his manners were unpleasant for me, that I got angry and could hardly restrain myself from expressing this to him. Father Macarius thought for a moment and then said: "Our brother monk came to visit you and behaved indecently of his rank. I feel sorry for him. But still, this did not happen without the Providence of God, guiding us all. How do you know - maybe Providence brought him to you in order to test how much Christian love and condescension you have for a person who has fallen into temptation? Think carefully, is it your business to condemn him? Of course not. Yours." The duty is to accept the strange one, to calm him down, and to give it to him as best you can. Do you know that if you accept someone who comes to you in the name of a righteous man, then you will also accept the reward of a righteous man? Moreover, you only see how he sins, but do you know how he repents? Perhaps the Angels of God rejoice at his repentance.” While visiting Optina Hermitage, I met one of the spiritual children of Father Macarius. An acquaintance of mine happened to stop in our direction on business. About thirty versts from my estate he became very ill. Having learned about this, I immediately visited him, took upon myself all the troubles regarding his affairs, looked after him like a nanny, in a word, I used all means to be useful to him. The patient had a hard time recovering and, according to the doctors, he hardly had to get up from his painful bed, but, to everyone’s surprise, he recovered and, when he came to me, instead of thanking me, he spoke and caused me a lot of trouble. I got terribly angry and if I didn’t say anything insolent to him, it was only out of decency and out of fear of causing some kind of scandal. Having seen Father Macarius after this, I told him everything that had happened, and complained bitterly about my acquaintance, not at all embarrassed to express my anger. Father Macarius listened to everything and remained silent. I felt annoyed; I also fell silent. "Indeed," Father Macarius said with his usual modesty, "this man is a little careless, sometimes even discourteous, but what should I do with him? You see what kind of spiritual children I have!" Sometimes I am also unkind to him and even often scold him. So? And sometimes he doesn’t listen to me. How many times have I reprimanded him for the fact that he rides uselessly and every year he either ruins or completely kills several horses. After all, this is also not good, I tell him, but he contradicts. Wait. This is how he will come to me, I will talk to him, and if the Lord helps, you will make peace. And now I advise you to pacify your anger and talk. This matter will be more beneficial for your soul.” I started fasting. And a few days later, my Optina acquaintance who insulted me came to the monastery. When I came to Father Macarius to accept his forgiveness and blessing for confession, the elder said: “But you are not yet at peace with such and such? How can you begin the Sacrament of Repentance and Communion without making peace with everyone? I ask you, prove to me in practice that you have a desire to acquire humility: humble yourself and ask for forgiveness from the one who offended you.” It was difficult to cope with the wounded pride. I hesitated for several minutes; but then he saw that there was nothing to do, he had to submit to the elder. For the first time in my life, I went to ask for forgiveness from the person who insulted me. But when I went in and bowed to him, he was so embarrassed that I felt sorry for him. We hugged and kissed the kiss of peace. With extraordinary joy in my heart, I returned to my father. “God bless you for your obedience to me!” the elder said when I told him everything that happened between us. “Now go to confession. God will bless you!” After receiving the Holy Mysteries, I remained in the Hermitage for several more days and, during a conversation with Father Macarius, I said somehow: “Why, father, at the time when I complained about so-and-so, did not reproach me, but, on the contrary, even condemned him yourself, taking my side?” “Yes,” answered the elder, “I sinned in this, that I condemned my brother. But what could I have done? If I had begun to reproach you then, it is very little wonder that you would have become unpeaceful against me. After all, fire cannot be extinguished with oil. When a person is unpeaceful, then contradiction only irritates him. It should give room to anger. And when the stormy state subsides and peace begins to settle in his soul, then you can offer advice, which is much more correct.” will act and will be accepted with more love. And in such cases, I advise you to be careful. Do not reproach the person in the anger of the present, do not reproach him or argue with him; Just be attentive to yourself so as not to fall into unworldliness; and when you feel that your heart is irritated, then mentally remember the Jesus Prayer and try to guard with your mouth.” Over the course of several years of my acquaintance with the Optina Hermitage and the guidance of Father Macarius, I quietly read and heard a lot from the Holy Scriptures and from old people’s books. The pride inherent in man gave birth to a desire in me to conduct religious conversations in the company of heterogeneous people, sometimes to enter into disputes with the desire to stand on my own. When I met resistance, I became irritated and lost my temper. One day I told Father Macarius about this; and this is what he answered to me: "If you happen to meet like-minded people, then why not talk about religion? This conversation is incomparably better and more fitting for a Christian than some idle talk and idle talk. Why not listen to the spiritually intelligent speech of a well-minded person; or why not convey what you yourself know? But if a dispute arises, then it is much wiser to avoid it, according to the teaching of the Apostle, who forbids contention of words, because it serves not for the need, but for the ruin of those who hear. In this case, it is better to stop the conversation, but then wisely, with humility, or by changing the subject of the discussion, or gradually withdraw from it, but not fall silent at once, as if suddenly. For such silence can easily give rise to the idea in those arguing that you disdain their way of thinking or that you do not want to talk to them, considering them unworthy of your conversation. In any case, we should try to pacify every person, and not draw him into angry passion. Know also that for someone who contradicts, teaching is useless, for only those who desire and seek teaching can learn.’ Many more edifying speeches and lessons in God from the deceased Elder Macarius could be told, but these are enough to see all the spiritual wisdom and experience of the man of God. I will also try, as best I can, to outline the general nature of his mentoring activities. Whatever he proposed, he always put humility at the forefront of his advice. From this virtue he derived all the other virtues that make up the characteristics of a true Christian. Trust your conscience, be in constant struggle with your passions, cleanse your soul from sins, love God in the simplicity of your heart, believe in Him without reasoning, constantly have His boundless mercy before you and with all the strength of your soul praise and thank Him; in all the troubles of life, look for guilt in ourselves and forgive all guilt of our neighbor against us, in order to thereby petition the Lord for forgiveness of our sins; try to establish love for your neighbor, maintain peace and tranquility in your family circle, wholeheartedly participate in both the joys and sorrows of your household and all your acquaintances; remember more often the commandments of God, try to fulfill them, as well as church decrees; if possible, fast and partake of the Holy Mysteries several times a year; observe all four fasts, as well as Wednesday and Friday; attend all-night vigil and mass every holiday; read morning and evening prayers and at least a few psalms every day; and if time permits, then a chapter from the Gospel and the Apostolic Epistles; in addition, morning and evening, pray for the repose of the departed and for the salvation of the living, and at the head of this prayer, pray with reverence for the Emperor and for the entire reigning house. If any of these duties, due to some circumstances, did not have to be fulfilled, then reproach yourself for this, bring sincere repentance with the firm intention not to do this in the future; pray for those towards whom we have any displeasure; since this is the surest means of reconciliation in Christ. This is the essence of the lessons that Father Macarius taught to everyone who thirsted for edification and teaching from him! 252 A distinctive character trait of Father Macarius was his inexpressible love for his neighbor. When he heard about some misfortune or sorrow of his neighbor, or about some sinful fall, or about a family quarrel, etc., no matter how hard the elder tried to hide his feelings, it was clear to everyone that he would grieve the mourners and sympathize with them with all his soul. With what pure love he rejoiced when anything worthy of spiritual joy happened to anyone! One gentleman I knew lived separately from his wife for about twenty years. The hatred between the spouses was mutual, but as a result of the elder’s admonitions, they came together and now live as God would lead everyone to live. With what delight the priest told us about this, attributing, of course, the success of the matter not to himself, but to God, who does not want the death of a sinner, and sincerely giving praise to Him! The elder’s calmness in moments of his mentoring activity was amazing. He listened with equal patience to absurd superstition and insane freethinking, to the senseless complaint of a peasant woman and the intricate inquisitiveness of an emancipated lady, to the ingenuous story of a commoner and the intricately woven phrase of a learned sage. Nothing could disturb his Christian patience, his complete peace of mind. Everything was subdued by him to the deepest humility. He was a true teacher of moral theology and spiritual work. His teachings were not flowery, but the spirit was heard in them, warmth was felt, the hardest heart softened. On the eve of the death of Father Macarius, on September 6, my family and I were honored to receive his last blessing. Our benefactor blessed us with icons. And here are his last, barely audible words to us: “Remember God and the hour of death; keep peace and love among yourself and for everyone.” Chapter 18. The miraculous story of the schema-nun of Shamordino Amvrosievskaya women's hermitage Julia (Guryeva) about the elder Macarius, as well as about another remarkable Optina ascetic - the sufferer Hierodeacon Methodius Along with the story of Mr. D.L., here is another interesting and also authentic story of the Shamordino schema-monk Mother Julia (Guryeva), who died in the first decade of the 20th century, written down by her in her own hand, about the elder Father Macarius and Hierodeacon Methodius 253. The original manuscript is entitled: “From my childhood memories of the Optina elder Father Macarius.” “Forever,” says the schema-nun, “the bright image of the late elder Father Macarius remained in my memory. When I recognized him, I was only fourteen years old. I came to Optina on a special occasion, with my now long-deceased parents. This was the year the terrible Crimean campaign began, when, due to a lack of officers, the late sovereign Nikolai Pavlovich issued a decree: all those who completed a course in classical gymnasiums and gymnasium students suitable for military service were to be released into regiments directly as officers. For this reason, exams were scheduled ahead of time. They ran out at our Kaluga gymnasium in February. My elder brother was one of those appointed to production as he had completed his high school course with excellence, and was of athletic build, despite the fact that he was only sixteen and a half years old. Such was his own irresistible desire to be a military man. All our ancestors sent their eldest sons into military service. Likewise, the parents of my eldest son intended to be a military man from childhood; and the younger brother had to remain with his parents. But God judged differently. Having completed the exams, my brother was introduced, at the request of my father, to the dragoon regiment, where my father’s nephew, our cousin D.K., to whom my father wanted to entrust the young officer, had long served. But my brother, to celebrate, while riding on Maslenitsa, caught a bad cold and went to bed. Having never been sick before and not accustomed to lying down, he did not succumb to illness for a long time and thereby deceived himself and his mother, who loved him passionately and looked after him. Meanwhile, the illness was serious - pneumonia, which, due to untimely medical assistance, turned into fleeting consumption. Two weeks later, his days were already numbered. The disease progressed quickly in the young body. A month later he was already dead and lying on the table, precisely on the day when the paper about his acceptance into the dragoon regiment arrived. The father's grief could not be described; but it’s hard to say about the mother. This son was her first-born, whom she loved so much that with him it was as if she had no other children. To tell the truth, my late brother was worthy of this love by his character. No mother's pampering could spoil this simple, kind boy. He died with remarkable presence of mind, with the full Christian farewell that he himself had wished for. Having asked everyone in the house for forgiveness and made peace with everyone, feeling himself the approach of death, on the last night he persuaded his mother to go and rest, saying that he felt very good, and without her he peacefully departed to the Lord. In the morning no one dared to tell her about her son’s death. But she herself went up to him and as soon as she saw his lifeless body, she immediately lost her mind. She laughed furiously, danced, tore her clothes and hair, tried to raise the dead man, opened his eyes, during funeral services she broke candles, threw them at the icons and God knows what she said; She even burst out in blasphemy against the Lord. After they performed the burial rite established by the Holy Church over the deceased, they transported his body to our family estate. On the advice of the doctors, they decided to move my mother to the village in order to distance her from the city and the house where my brother died, thinking that it would be easier for her at his grave. But it didn't work out that way. In the village she did not come to her senses at all; but it became even more difficult for her. Deprived of sleep, she secretly went to the grave at night, when we, exhausted from caring for her during the day and deceived by her imaginary calm, fell asleep, tearing up the frozen ground with our hands, hoping, probably, to dig up the deceased. More than once we found her there, lying on the grave, frozen, and brought her home. This continued until June. In June, before the start of field work, we used to go to visit my uncle, my father’s brother, whose estate was eight miles from Optina Pustyn. But it’s strange: despite the proximity of the monastery to my uncle’s estate, my parents never went there. This time, my father, due to my mother’s illness, did not want to go to visit my uncle, but called him to his place. My uncle arrived and, seeing my mother in an abnormal state, began to persuade my father to take her to Optina Pustyn, where he often fasted, to Father Macarius, as an elder of holy life, which was done by my father. Our whole family went, taking with us one of our neighbors, a middle-aged girl, very religious, who wanted to enter a monastery after the death of her mother and longed to see the blessed elder, about whom there had long been great fame. We arrived in Pustyn in the morning and stayed in a wooden hotel. We learned that before Vespers, the elder has a habit of coming to the hotel to those who need his spiritual help, and that he also sometimes leaves the skete gates and immediately near the skete deals with the people, mainly the female sex, who have long been prohibited from entering the skete. Thus, we went to meet the elder, and with us many people left the rooms. My mother walked mechanically with us, hanging her head, as if unaware of where she was being taken and what was happening around her. So we brought it to the place where the side path leads to the main path leading from the monastery to the monastery. We had to stop here; because the elder himself was already approaching us with many people accompanying him. With him were both monastics and laymen of both sexes. The old man was going to the hotel. Father stopped and, looking around our entire crowd, quickly walked past everyone to my mother and sharply, somehow hurriedly asked her: “What’s wrong with you?” She, beyond our expectations, raised her eyes to him and said, crying: “I have lost my son.” “Well, well?” said the elder in the same tone. “What age?” In response to her answer - sixteen and a half years old - he said cheerfully: “The boy has long been a saint.” I had to hear these same words from Elder Macarius about my brother, more than thirty years later, from Father Ambrose, to whom, while telling my life, I accidentally mentioned how in reality my brother came to me on the ninth day after his death to console me in my grief for him. But I continue my main story: then Father Macarius turned to my father and, asking what room we were staying in, looked intently at me, who was standing behind my father, and just as hastily and sharply, sternly asked: “Do you read novels?” I blushed to the root of my hair and answered: “No.” Just before leaving for Optina, having stolen the key to his library from my father, I pulled out some old novel, secretly read it from board to board and put it back to him. That’s why I blushed so hard before the elder’s searching gaze. “Look,” he continued, wagging his finger at me as if I were a child, “don’t read novels, it’s not good for you.” Standing right there with me was some Moscow young lady of about seventeen, apparently a very lively and socialite. She said: “But, father, I always read novels,” and wanted to add something. But the elder, interrupting her, said: “I know without you what you are reading, I don’t ask you, but I tell her not to read.” “And here,” said my father, “is my youngest son,” pointing to the boy standing with us. Then this brother of mine was only nine years old. He was a plump boy, white, pink, his cheeks were especially full. Father Macarius grabbed them and, shaking him slightly, said: “And you, young man, don’t get married without your mother’s blessing.” And always the next time, meeting my brother, the priest repeated the same thing to him. Of course, it seemed strange at the time. My brother was still a child. But sixteen years after that, my mother and I had to remember the words of the elder Father Macarius. My twenty-five-year-old brother married, not at the request or blessing of his mother, a girl, although educated, but not from his environment, and was unhappy with her - which, as it were, shortened his life. The old man we met on the path went with us to the hotel. Taking my mother by the hand, he took her to our room, where he remained to talk with her alone. He did this for a week, or during our entire stay in Optina, coming to us every day. At the end of the week, he forced us all to fast, appointing Father Paisius, then the monastery confessor, as confessor. Unfortunately, I remember almost nothing from the elder’s conversations. I was still so young, and it didn’t interest me much. Moreover, he was left more alone with my mother, who needed his spiritual help. The consequence of this was that she, having stayed with him for a week or perhaps ten days, left Optina completely healthy. Her inconsolable, desperate grief turned into quiet sadness. Arriving home, she began to do a little of her family affairs. The elder gave her the rule to read the Psalter (having explained what kind of book it was), the Gospel several at a time, and the Apostle. He ordered the fasts to be observed: Monday, Wednesday and Friday and all, of course, the four main fasts, which also, it seems, were not observed among us, perhaps the Great One. Then, probably telling the elder about themselves, my parents mentioned that on our estate there was a large stone church, which, due to some dissatisfaction with the clergy, was closed and stood locked for more than forty years; and the parish, probably at the same time, was included in the neighboring village. This resulted in a lot of inconvenience and sin. The landowner of the neighboring village, where our parish was assigned, was a Lutheran and did not pay any attention to the Orthodox church, which was cramped, damp and cold. They didn't even provide firewood for heating it. The people of our village, one might say, were almost without a church; and it was a long way to go to another village. Our abolished church stood in the center of the parish and was spacious; but all that remained of it were walls. The iconostasis of two altars collapsed, the images peeled off from dampness, and very few of them remained; thrones have fallen. For so many years the church was boarded up and no one entered it. All church utensils were transported to the church where the parishioners of our village were assigned; and the utensils were rare for a rural church: an altar cross with thirty or more pieces of holy relics; The Gospel, granted by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, during whose reign our church was consecrated. So Father Macarius advised my parents to petition the diocesan bishop first for the restoration of the abolished church, and then for the transfer of their parish. So they did. With his blessing, they used the entire part of my late brother’s inheritance for the church, building a new chapel in it in the name of the brother’s Angel. Through the prayers of the elder, they succeeded in all this. Soon after the consecration of the church, my father died a remarkable death, and my mother took care of the church and supported it until her death. At the same time, she fulfilled all the rules assigned to her by the elder; she was a great faster and pious. But I went a little ahead. After our first visit to the Optina Hermitage, we went to this monastery of Petrovkami for two more years in a row to prepare for receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ. On our last visit, my father, walking towards morning after a heavy rain, slipped down the stairs of the hotel porch, which was then steeper than now, and not covered by a lantern, and hit his right side hard on the railing, which was the beginning of his dying illness; and a year later he died of cancer caused by a bruise. Our departure this time from Optina, on the occasion of my father’s injury, slowed down somewhat. Both I and again the pious young lady who accompanied us, our neighbor, were very happy about this slowdown. From the first time Optina Pustyn made a deep impression on me. Something that had long been forgotten or had been dormant in me awoke. I was drawn to all the Optina services, I fell in love with my meek spiritual father Paisius, who taught me how to pray and be baptized. Then, surrounded by nuns, who then lived for a long time near the elder and to whom I ran, I had the convenience of seeing Elder Macarius with them, who often came to see them from the hotel. I don’t remember whether they were Belevsky or Sevsky, but they stood in the Shakhovsky building and then worked on clothes for the throne in the monastery. They loved me and caressed me; They talked a lot about the monastic life, inviting me to choose this life, and they even decided to tell my mother about it. To which she replied: “I don’t know about my father; but I would gladly give her to a monastery.” I was sixteen years old then. The impression the monastery made on me did not go away even after the winter I spent in Moscow with my other uncle, my mother’s brother, who tried to take me wherever possible due to my young years and make me happy. Not daring to ask Elder Father Macarius myself about my fate due to my extreme shyness, I decided to ask him a mental question. It happened like this: the priest came to our room and began to tell my parents something. I only know one thing: the story was not suitable for my thoughts. I fixed my half-childish eyes intently on him with the question: should I go to the monastery? I thought with faith that if the elder was truly perspicacious, as they said, then he would answer my mental question what I needed. By faith it was for me. The elder suddenly turned in my direction; After passing his eyes around my head, he hurriedly and rather loudly said: “We’ll get married first, and to someone we don’t expect.” Then he continued his story. No one except me noticed the words he inserted. They hit me right in the heart and turned everything in me upside down. “Well, this,” I thought, “will never happen; if I don’t love, I won’t get married; how can this be?” And I, embarrassed, left the room. This time, as if to confirm the elder’s words, a young lady of mine who came with us to Pustyn accidentally found out that in the Optina hospital, which was then located at the Vladimir Church, Hierodeacon Methodius had been lying for many years, paralyzed. People said that he predicted a good life. Some reported that during the service he became paralyzed and stopped at the words “Lord, have mercy!” Others said that it was his vow: not to say anything except the words “Lord, have mercy.” My friend relentlessly began to drag me to his hospital. The people came to him in large numbers at noon. And since this was the only time when they were allowed to see him, it became crowded around him due to the multitude of people. I - I admit my stupidity - was terribly afraid of such people. And someone else managed to scare me with his appearance. And most of all I was afraid that he would tell me something so terrible in advance. But I couldn’t get rid of my friend. She reasonably proved to me my stupidity and almost forcibly dragged me to the hospital. To the left, as you go up, there was a corridor, and the outermost cell was his. When we got up, people were standing both in the corridor and in his cell. It was difficult to squeeze through the crowd; but we still got through. I thought to myself: if I see him from afar and he seems scary to me, I’ll leave, and I was about to run. Before I had time to think this, the patient’s laughter was heard, and he rose from the felt on which he was lying on the floor. There was neither a bed nor even a bench in his cell; he had been lying on the floor for twenty-six years. Father Methodius shouted in a tearful voice: “Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!” - and, indicating with his right hand for the crowd to move apart, laughing loudly, he pointed the finger of his healthy right hand at me. His other arm and leg were paralyzed. This continued until they almost forcibly brought me, a servant of God, to him. Confused, I knelt down in front of him. He hugged my head with his right hand and, laughing, kissed my forehead. Then, saying: “Lord, have mercy!” - he sent the whole crowd of people out and ordered to lock the door, leaving me with my friend next to him. Laughing merrily, he ordered a bouquet of roses standing on his window to be served. And when my friend handed them to him, he pulled out several white roses, put them in my hand, and, taking my hand and my friend’s, covered them, I don’t remember, either with the hollow of his robe, or with a manateya, and, singing: “Lord, have mercy!” – he circled our hands three times. It was clear that he was pointing me towards a wedding. Then, laughing cheerfully, he showed me that I would be happy in family life. It's hard to convey why I understood him. Then, pretending to be serious, he showed me one of my husband’s habits when he used to think, and which only caught my eye when I got to know him closely. Involuntarily I remembered the then already deceased Father Methodius. After that, the patient was completely transformed. His face became serious and reverent. Looking at the image of the Savior that stood in the corner of his cell - its only decoration - he somehow sternly, or prayerfully, pointed to the Savior and, completely devoted to prayer, took off his rosary from his hand and put it on my left hand, singing in a completely different tone: “Lord, have mercy!” I realized that at the end of my life something different would happen to me, and I would have to end up in a monastery. Finally, slapping my hand on the head, he again, with a serious expression on his face, took his rosary back and, pointing to the door, immediately let us go. We, having kissed his hand for the first and last time, left. I never saw him again, nor did I see Father Macarius. That same autumn, their brother, who served there, unexpectedly returned to our neighbors from the Caucasus, severely ill with a fever. He was there throughout the Crimean campaign and was in action. The war was already ending, and he was given leave without any hindrance. Having become intimately acquainted with us, he soon became the favorite and friend of my father, who was already very ill and living out his last year of life. Our guest was twice my age and quite a serious person. That’s why it never occurred to me that his choice would fall on me. I attributed his constant presence in our house to my father’s friendship with him, and nothing about myself occurred to me. Ten days before his death, the father himself revealed the whole secret. Due to his illness, my mother and I did not sleep for whole nights next to him, sitting with him in turns. And it happened like this: I sat over him in the evening; then she woke up her mother and, having sat her down, immediately fell asleep in front of them. My father called to me at night, but I didn’t answer right away because I was asleep. I hear him say to his mother: “I have forgotten myself now and I see in a dream: the holy saint of God, Nicholas, has come to me. (It is remarkable that the church, renewed by my parents, was in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and his miraculous image is there.) The saint says to me: “I have prepared a narrow and long house for you; in ten days I will take you.” “I would have died calmly,” the father continued, “if she (named me) had married so-and-so; I would, I say, die calmly, leaving her and the whole family in his care.’ I froze in place and was silent. Exactly ten days after his dream, my father died. About three hours before his death, he, having blessed all of us who were crying, repeated his request to me and wished me to make him a promise of this. I agreed to rely on the will of God if it was so. Eight months after my father's death, I was already married. My mother, my relatives and his relatives were all unanimously happy about this marriage. Thus, God’s will was accomplished over me, and the prediction of the Optina elder Father Macarius 254 was fulfilled: I married someone I did not expect. Many years later, I asked another Optina elder, Father Ambrose, about this: “Why did this happen? After all, as it seemed to me, I had a calling to the monastery; and the elder (Makariy) pointed to marriage.” “No, no,” Father Ambrose answered me seriously, “the world needed you.” Two or three years after my father’s death, my mother went to Optina to visit Father Macarius with her daughter-in-law, her brother’s wife. This was not long before the death of the elder. This aunt of mine went with her mother to ask for his advice and blessing on her daughter’s divorce from her husband and her marriage to someone else. The elder said seriously, citing the text from the Gospel of Mark: if a wife lets her husband go and commits violence for another, she commits adultery (Mark 10:12). And in another place - from Matthew: whoever understands the wasteland commits adultery (Matthew 5:32). And he added: “If you don’t listen and marry someone else, a great punishment will follow - there will be no happiness; there is no blessing for this.” But my cousin did not listen, divorced her husband and married someone else. About two years after this she lost her mind. And although she was not in a mental hospital, since she had a certain point of insanity and enormous means of subsistence, and therefore her husband supported her at home, it was still clear that this was God’s great punishment for both of them. And only seventeen years later the Lord took the sufferer to Himself from this temporary life.” chapter 19 The following stories of the late head of the Optina hermitage, Hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Zertsalov), who initially lived in the monastery during the eldership of Father Macarius, will be a replenishment of the miracles of God described above, performed in his time by a humble elder, an ascetic, a true servant of God. Having from the Lord the gift of healing mental and physical illnesses, the elder himself took every possible care not to give people any reason to consider him a holy man and attribute healing from this or that illness to his prayers. When they brought to him various kinds of sick and demoniacs, he, without attaching any importance to himself, sent them to church to serve a prayer service to some saint, thus remaining himself, as it were, on the sidelines. Meanwhile, those who asked for his prayerful help received it, recovered and left him with great gratitude. At other times, as mentioned above, the elder gave consecrated oil from the unquenchable lamp that burned in his cell in front of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, the only Witness to the hidden deeds of Her faithful servant, or holy water, to those suffering from various, not always understandable diseases. And stories of healing from this simple action were numerous. Passed from one to another, they multiplied the number of visitors to the elder. In all cases, the elder tried in every possible way to conceal the grace of healing inherent in him. The nun of the Bryansk convent Makaria (formerly Apollinaria) began to struggle according to her own understanding, on her own, and fell into demonic delusion. However, by the grace of God, she could still, at least partially, see her mental damage. And therefore, when she heard about the holiness and wisdom of Elder Macarius, she decided to seek his help and for this she arrived in Optina Pustyn. After staying at the hotel, she went to the monastery. But halfway through the forest, a demon suddenly appeared before her in the most terrible and disgusting form, which she could not even imagine in her imagination. Spewing blasphemy at the elder and at the walking nun, he angrily told her: “Where are you going? To a mad old man? Turn back. Or I’ll strangle you right now on this tree.” The nun was numb with horror. However, calling on the name of God for help, she overcame her fear and quickly ran to the monastery. But when the elder came out to her, she fell unconscious in front of him. Wanting to hide from strangers the true cause of the attack of the visiting nun, the elder turned to his cell attendant: “Hilarion, Hilarion! Water, water! Cold water! - and began to spray her, pretending that she had the usual faintness. When she came to her senses, the elder began to ask her about her life and exploits. But having heard that she had given up reading the books of her fathers and even the Holy Scriptures, and was practicing the Jesus Prayer, he immediately ordered her to read one kathisma from the Psalter with her. It was in vain that the well-educated nun tried to do what was easily done by half-educated people. Confusion and fear completely confused her, and she left the Psalter, finding it absolutely impossible to read. Here Mother Macarius was finally convinced of her damage and asked the elder not to give up guiding her in her spiritual life. Upon arrival at her monastery, she considered it her duty to thank the elder in writing for his mercies and care for her and, along with other things, she wrote the following: “When I saw you for the first time, some brilliant and burning ray struck my eyes, and I fell to the ground unconscious.” So this was the true reason for the above-mentioned attack of the nun Macaria. But when Hieromonk Gabriel, who helped the elder in writing, read her letter for him, read these lines, the elder, turning it into a joke, repeated several times in a quick tongue twister: “Look, you fool woman! Believe it, believe it! Look, what nonsense he is talking about!” By the way, Macarius’s mother did not immediately get rid of the charm; and for this reason she corresponded with the elder for a long time. In the end, she completely recovered and sincerely thanked her spiritual doctor for her healing. Another mother of Makaria, Domogatskaya, a nun of the Sevsky Monastery, said the following: “Once a lot of us came to Optina for a pilgrimage from different directions. Some stranger happened between us, whom I saw several times, but all away from the priest. Noticing that she was avoiding the elder, I once said to her: “Why don’t you come with us to the priest for a blessing?” She admitted that something did not allow her to see the elder and she was afraid of him, although she would not want it. Having received such an answer, I told him about it on my first meeting with the elder. He immediately called her to him, caressed her and then said: “You and I will see each other again later and talk.” The next day, after early mass, we again came to the elder, and the wanderer was with us. It was Easter. Father took us all to the skete church. There were several nuns and secular ladies who were brought by Hierodeacon Isaiah 255. The elder showed us the sacristy and some sights, and at that time the pilgrim was sitting in the Church of the Baptist on a bench near the stove, to the left at the entrance. After that, the priest led us out of the church. But as soon as he caught up with the stranger sitting near the stove, she at the same moment hit the floor and began to thrash about in the most terrible way and scream: “Here you attacked your own! Here you attacked! For eighteen years no one has seen me. For eighteen years I lived calmly - no one knew me. And now I attacked my own! Attacked!... You are causing us trouble, Macarius! You are driving us away, Macarius!“ Avoiding the raging woman, the priest hastily turns to us: “Now to the meal! To the meal! They’ve examined everything here.” And with these words he left the church. We all followed him to the meal. The wanderer also reached out to us. When, while inspecting the meal, the priest happened to pass by the demoniac again, she again hit the floor with the same strange seizures, saying: “Woe to us from you, Macarius! You are persecuting us, Macarius!” There is no place for us from you, Macarius!“ The elder, turning again, invites us: “Would you like to now see the basement under the refectory?” And he immediately went downstairs with us, leaving the wanderer in a violent fit. When, while inspecting the reserves, we approached the kvass barrels, the priest invited those who wanted to try the monastery kvass. Then the idea came to some of us to ask the elder to bless a glass of kvass in order to give the demoniac a drink. We were firmly convinced that the elder could heal her, but he avoided this solely out of humility. Now we have decided to take advantage of such a blessing, believing that this will be enough to heal the suffering person. We whispered about this common desire of ours to Father Isaiah. He poured a glass of kvass and brought it to the priest, asking for his blessing. Having realized why Father Isaiah asked to bless the kvass, the elder simply said: “Okay; give her a drink.” But Father Isaiah asked again: “No, father, you bless the kvass.” The elder replied: “It doesn’t matter; after all, I blessed it; take it to her.” Father Isaiah continued to insist on his point. Here we also included a general request. Then the priest, as if against his will, crossed the kvass, and they immediately carried it to the sufferer. Seeing this, she began to rush around with even greater anxiety and bitterness and clenched her teeth. With difficulty they separated them and forcibly poured kvass into her mouth. The sufferer immediately came to her senses, calmed down and, having recovered, became completely healthy. Three days after that I saw her. She was no longer afraid of the elder, but, on the contrary, sought an opportunity to see him and receive blessings and guidance from him. Afterwards she confessed to me: “In my entire life I have never felt such severe torment from a seizure as when I met with the elder in the skete church and had a meal; I barely remained alive; but now I no longer feel the slightest sign of the former painful state of mind, either in the presence of the elder or without him; and I have never felt so good.” Indeed, none of us saw in her anything similar to her previous illness. She was calm in spirit and healthy." Alexey Vasilyevich Govorov, the son of the landowner of the Livensky district of the Oryol province, when he was in Optina Pustyn on September 16, 1863, in the cell of Elder Ambrose, he told the following about himself: “For a long time I have been subject to drunkenness to a very strong degree. It happened that when the time came to drink, no force could keep me from this weakness. By this I completely upset both my condition and my family. People advised my wife to turn to certain people in the hope of receiving healing from them for my illness, but for some reason things did not go well. They finally advised me to visit Father Macarius in Optina. So my wife and I went. Upon arrival, when we explained to the elder about my weakness, he only jokingly hit my head lightly three times with his hand and then ordered me to prepare for communion of the Holy Mysteries. But when I began to approach the Holy Mysteries, everything began to break down in me so much that I myself was unable to approach. He breaks and shakes himself, but his evil thought repeats: “Why are you going? What, will communion help you? All this is nonsense. Leave it!” Go away!“ And some invisible force seemed to push me away. However, my wife, with persuasion and force, helped me approach the Holy Gifts. Immediately after communion I felt a sense of relief, which grew more and more intense within me over time. When I finally calmed down completely, such a disgust was born in me for all alcoholic drinks that I could not even stand the smell of them. And for six years now I haven’t even been able to taste honey, beer, or champagne. I can’t eat bread if it was made with wine or brewer’s yeast.” To this Govorov added: “At the death of Father Macarius, at the news of this, we were very sad, and especially my wife. At night he appears to her in a dream, exactly as she saw him alive, in the same clothes, only with a much lighter appearance, and says: “Don’t mourn!” Continue driving to Optina. You will receive from my ashes the same thing that you received from me alive. I'm still the same!“ When we were perplexed whether to go and how to go, the elder again appeared in a dream and said: “Why aren’t you going to Optina?” I said that I am the same, and you will receive the same benefit from my ashes as from me alive.’ And we no longer dared to doubt.” The daughter of the Oryol landowner Matveev, Natalya, eleven years old, distinguished by a special pious attitude, received healing during sleep through the prayers of Elder Macarius from an incurable disease called Witt’s dance 256. The girl’s parents knew the elder and sometimes came to see him, although they did not understand him as well as they did later. This is how they talked about the healing of their daughter: “Natasha suffered for about two years. We tried all the district doctors, took her to Moscow and lived there for a long time, used a lot of remedies, but nothing helped. Having finally received a final decision from the best Moscow doctors about the impossibility of a cure, we went back. And the mother and the sick Natasha went straight home, and I (the father) went to Optina to ask Elder Macarius for advice on what to do with her sick daughter. He advised me to go with her on a pilgrimage to Voronezh to the relics of St. Mitrofan, and from there to visit St. Tikhon in Zadonsk. With this decision, I returned home, where my wife had already been told about some magnetizer who had been in Orel. My wife wanted to try this remedy, but I insisted on following the elder’s advice. With such mutual disagreement, we decided to ask him about this again, but he again gave us the same advice. Then we finally decided to fulfill it exactly. And that same night a miracle happened to our sick daughter. Anyone who knows Witt's dance knows how difficult it is to be ill and how pitiful it is to look at someone suffering from this troublesome disease. The patient constantly jerked her limbs day and night, then raised and lowered them, then threw them over. There was no sleep, no wakefulness. And therefore there was a separate room for her and two girls-nurses who were always with her. When we decided to go to Voronezh, Natasha felt calmer. Night came, and the patient, to the surprise of the girls who were with her, fell asleep peacefully. Noticing this, one of the nurses said to her friend: “The young lady is fast asleep, now we can both fall asleep.” But still, wanting to make sure that the patient was really asleep, they brought a burning candle to her face. At this very time, Natasha gets up, hangs her legs off the bed and holds out her right hand, as if wanting to accept something. The girls, thinking that she required their help, took her by the hand and asked: “What do you want, young lady?” And she asks them in return: “Where is Father Macarius?” They answer that there was no one here except them. Natasha affirmatively says: “How could it not be? Just now Father Macarius was here and said to me: get up, Natasha, and come to me in Optina. And I extended my hand to him so that he would bless me.” The amazed girls did not know what to think. Meanwhile, the patient got out of bed and began to walk around the room without any outside help. Delighted by this, the girls-nurses already forgot about sleep in anticipation of our awakening. Waking up at five o'clock in the morning, my wife and I saw such a miracle that we did not dare to expect. After such a joyful event, we were forced to again bother the elder with the question: “Where should we go now?” He answered again: “To Saints Mitrofan and Tikhon.” And he ordered his daughter to go to Optina. And we did both with the greatest joy. But Natasha received a complete recovery and remained as devout as before.” Retired Major General Andrei Andreevich Petrovsky, 257 the spiritual son of the late Elder Macarius, who lived in the Optina Hermitage in the last years of his life, was in the cell of Elder Ambrose in May 1862 and told the following about himself: “When I moved,” he said, “for permanent residence from your hotels to the monastery (this was around 1859), such a spiritual attack attacked me The hardship was that I lost my appetite, spent nights without sleep, could not read anything, and there was nothing to say about prayer. Day by day my thoughts more and more inspired my confused soul that I had lost hope of salvation, that I was living in a monastery without knowing why, that in my advanced years illness, infirmity and sorrow would eat me up. I didn’t know what to do or who to turn to when I couldn’t even pray. Exhausted in spirit and body, I finally cried out from the depths of my heart: “Lord! For the prayers of my spiritual father, Elder Macarius, help me.” So what? Before I had time to utter these words, something happened to me: as if an invisible hand in an instant lifted all the burden from me. I was renewed in spirit and at that very moment I decided on my first meeting with the elder Father Macarius to explain this circumstance to him. It should be noted that if the elder ever came to see me, it always happened after early mass, when I would clean up and do something for an hour. But this time, that is, the very next day after the circumstance I told him, he came to me, finding me still in bed. I barely had time to somehow accept him when, beyond all my expectations and previous custom, he asked about my health, turned and immediately left, leaving me in bewilderment and not allowing me to explain the reason for my speedy recovery, in which he always took an active part. However, I was not satisfied with this, I went to him for confession and explained the reason for my recovery. The elder somehow avoided positively understanding the meaning of my words. But when I told him clearly and definitively that I received healing precisely through the calling of his name, he only remarked: “You can do this too; the Holy Fathers do not forbid, but only as rarely as possible.” General Petrovsky also said: “For a long time I could not find books to read that suited my heart. Although I read the holy fathers, all this did not quite correspond to my desire. Assigning this or that book for me to read, the elder always said: “I have a book, you’ll probably like it, but wait.” Indeed, one day he brings me a handwritten book entitled “Stavrophilia” 258 and says: “Well, here is the book that was promised to you. This will be to your heart. God will bless you to read and copy it until your death.” When I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down. In all my life, out of all possible edifying books, I have not liked a single book as much as Staurophilia. So completely she satisfied all the subtleties of my desire. For the fourth year now, despite the infirmities of my eighty years of age and the weakness of my eyes, I have been constantly copying it, copying the eighth copy. And I can’t imagine that this matter would ever seem difficult to me. And I hope, through the prayers of the elder, to continue this activity until death without fear of boring them.” The general sent the copied copies to his lay relatives. The following stories were conveyed by the aforementioned hieromonk, later archimandrite, Leonid: “Many of us,” he wrote at one time, “remember one demon-possessed woman who, sitting on the path leading from the monastery to the monastery, reviled the elder, saying among other things: “Will this Macarius die soon? He has troubled the whole world. Oh! Woe is me,” etc. Drawn to the elder by faith her husband, this woman, who had suffered from demonic possession for several years, after drinking the consecrated oil given to her by the elder, recovered completely. Subsequently, she was delivered of a child who screamed incessantly and incessantly. When they brought him to the elder, who blessed him in the name of God, the baby calmed down, and the day-and-night cries that terrified his parents from then on, by the grace of God, ceased. There was another wonderful incident. One of the people of the educated circle had the misfortune of being subjected to fits of demonic possession. His relatives turned to the most skilled doctors for help. They treated the sick man at home for a long time; finally they sent him abroad to the waters; but there was no relief. Signs of demonic possession were obvious, for attacks of illness coincided with days of deliberate church holidays; and the convulsions intensified from the touch of sacred objects: the holy cross, the Gospel, the Epiphany water. In conclusion, the patient was not able to voluntarily begin the sacraments of Repentance and Communion of the Holy Mysteries. Despite this, his relatives were afraid or did not want to name the sufferer’s illness by his own name. Seeing the helpless state of the patient, one of the people close to him, out of compassion, took the trouble to take him to Optina Pustyn with the intention of asking for advice from Elder Macarius, whom he knew personally, on what to do with his friend’s incomprehensible illness. Whether he managed to persuade the patient or brought him to the monastery using some kind of trick is unknown. Only upon arrival, having stopped at a hotel, he immediately sent an old man to his room to ask, without mentioning the friend who had come with him and without saying anything to the friend about this. Despite this, the patient at the same time began to show strong anxiety - a sign of an approaching seizure and said: “Makarius is coming, Macarius is coming!” The elder actually came, but as soon as he entered the chambers occupied by the guests, the sick man rushed at him with fury, uttering various frantic words, and, before they could restrain him, he strangled the elder to death. The valiant warrior of Christ, knowing who controlled the hand of the unfortunate man in this matter, used the strongest weapon against him. According to the commandment of Christ, he quickly offered him the other cheek, pronouncing the words of the Gospel: if anyone strikes your cheek on the right hand, turn the other one to him (Matthew 5:39). Scorched by humility, the demon immediately left the sufferer, the patient fell unconscious at the feet of the humble elder and lay for a long time in complete stupor; then he stood up healthy, without retaining the slightest memory of his act, in which, by God’s permission, he was only an instrument.” In addition to the cases of grace-filled healings described here and similar to them through the prayers of the elder Father Macarius, there were other, so to speak, punitive and intelligible cases when some were subjected to God’s punishment for disrespecting the elder, and as a result of repentance received pardon from the most merciful Lord. Thus, one merchant, who more than once came to the elder for advice on his trading affairs, did not fulfill the elder’s instructions, which tended to reconcile his conscience with God, and seeing the increasing disorder of his condition, came again to ask the elder for advice on what to do. The merchant timed his arrival to coincide with one of the twelfth holidays, when the number of visitors to the monastery always increases significantly, and during the life of Elder Macarius it increased especially. The elder barely had time to satisfy the spiritual needs of those who approached him with various questions, giving short answers to them. Three days passed, and the old man had no opportunity to deal with the said merchant. Bored with waiting, he began to grumble, giving way to disdainful thoughts: “I’ll leave,” he thought. – And really, what am I waiting for? He is the same person as all of us, sinners. There are people all day long. It would be nice if he were such a recluse...”, etc. Having formed such thoughts, with which the enemy obviously wanted to distract him from accepting the soulful advice of the elders, he came to the monastery church for early mass. The struggle of thoughts continued here too. Suddenly he felt, as he later said, dizzy. Attributing this to the fact that he was warmly dressed, the merchant took off his fur coat. But then he imagined that the church was shaking, its vaults were collapsing and threatened to crush him with their fall. Having forgotten about his fur coat and without a hat, despite the former severe frost, the merchant quickly runs out of the church and runs without looking back to the monastery. Along the road, it seems to him that the centuries-old trees growing on both sides are falling on him. And so he ran with a loud cry, as if pursued by a ferocious beast. It was early. The above-mentioned skit Father Leonid (Kavelin) was reading the Psalter at that time for benefactors and brethren, living and deceased. Hearing unusual and frequent screams, he stopped at the thought that this was probably one of the demoniacs, who were sometimes forcibly brought to the elder by compassionate relatives. Later he learned about what had happened from the cell attendants of Elder Macarius. Running onto the porch of Startseva’s cell, the merchant fell to his knees in front of the door locked from the inside. At this time, the cell attendants read for the elder his hours prescribed by the Holy Church. One of the cell attendants, Father Hilarion, came out in response to the scream coming from the porch. Seeing a pale man trembling with all his limbs and calming him down as much as possible, he asked: “What do you want?” - “Father, Father Macarius, for God’s sake!” - he said, gasping for breath from fatigue and fear. Wondering what happened to him, Father Hilarion reported to the elder, who went out to meet the newcomer. Seeing the elder, the merchant fell at his feet and, shedding tears, said: “Forgive me, father, forgive me! For God's sake, forgive me! I thought that you are the same sinful person as we are.” “Yes, your opinion is correct,” the humble elder said, reassuring him, “I am not only the same sinful person, but also worse than all sinners, according to the word: from them I am the first 261.” Calmed by the elder’s love and having received his blessing and resolution of his perplexities, the merchant left his cell comforted and in a completely healthy state. After this, he remained in the monastery for some more time, fasted, received communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ and left, glorifying God and the humble servant of God, learning not to humiliate the humble with obvious punishment, about whom the Lord is pleased, who said: The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and the humble in spirit will save, and the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are in their prayer (Ps. 33:19, 16). Another punitive and intelligible case recorded by Hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Zertsalov). In the Beloberezh communal hermitage, a certain novice Adrian, upon entering this monastery, began to follow the path of ascetic life, although diligently, but on his own. The crafty enemy, seeking the destruction of Christian souls, instilled in him the idea, for the sake of saving his soul, to accept strangers and reassure them. Adrian labored like this in his monastery for about seven years. At this time, Elder Macarius, who is described here as having a high spiritual life, lived in the Optina Hermitage. As a true shepherd, who had experienced the benefits of the elder path, he in every possible way protected the flock of Christ entrusted to him, excommunicating those newly arrived novices who did not want to follow this path. Others of them themselves left Optina Pustyn and moved to other monasteries or turned into idle wanderers. The novice Adrian, together with other wanderers, received these Optina natives, who said a lot of slander about Elder Macarius. Thus, although Adrian had never seen the old man, he formed the most unfavorable idea about him. The elder seemed to him to be a man of a cruel disposition, who arbitrarily and biasedly disposed of the brethren. A year before the death of Elder Macarius, Adrian, along with other five novices, was presented by his abbot for tonsure as a ryasophore. But while he signed up to be tonsured), he sees in a dream at night that their abbot is entering his cell, followed by an unknown elder in a mantle, a kamilavka and with two crosses around his neck. When they approached Adrian, the unknown elder, turning to the abbot, said: “You presented Adrian, among others, to the ryassophore; and I tell you that Adrian is not worthy of this. Let others be tonsured; but he must be left - he is unworthy.” The abbot seemed to begin to justify him, explaining to the elder that Adrian had been living in the monastery for a long time, that he was correct in his obediences and generally behaved well. But the elder, with anger, again began to tell the abbot: “I’m telling you that he lives badly, he is not worthy to live in the monastery, he must be expelled, he will do this and that, and this and that... and... and if you do not expel him, the walls will expel him.” The abbot then bowed to the elder and left. At the same time, Adrian woke up and saw that the old man he had seen in his dream was actually standing next to him. At the sight of the unexpected visitor, the novice flushed with anger, jumped out of bed and, clenching his right hand into a fist, asked: “Who are you that you came to indignate the abbot against me?” The stranger replied: “I am an elder, the abbot of the Optina monastery Macarius.” At the last word, remembering everything bad the strangers had heard about him before, Adrian began to seethe with even greater anger. “What do you need? - he screamed. “You drove everyone away from your monastery and came to disturb someone else’s monastery?” Blessed are the peacemakers 262. Have you dispersed everyone and want to kick them out of here?” “I drove out from my monastery,” the elder answered, “those as worthless and unworthy as you. You are not worthy of tonsure. You will do this, and this and that... and... You must certainly be expelled from the monastery. If the abbot does not kick you out, the stones will drive you out. For three years you will be persecuted by everyone and will not find peace anywhere.” These words brought Adrian to the extreme of anger. He cursed the elder and, with the words “Here is God, and here is your threshold,” rushed at him with rage. But the old man who appeared became invisible. The next day after this, Adrian felt uneasy in his soul. Some of the older brothers rebelled against him. And no matter how much the abbot defended Adrian, they forced him to leave the monastery. Having left the Beloberezh desert, Adrian really could not find peace or shelter anywhere for three years. In some monasteries he wanted to stay, and even received permission to do so from the abbots, but suddenly he encountered an obstacle from some other side, and his desire remained unsuccessful. Sometimes the matter of assigning Adrian to the monastery came to the approval of the bishop, but the bishop, who had never seen and knew nothing about him, beyond all hope, refused the abbot’s request for his determination. During this three-year wandering, Adrian, according to the prediction of Elder Macarius, who appeared to him, actually did something, apparently reproachful, and also... and... By the way, he was so bitter against the elder that after a year and a half of his wandering, passing to the city of Kozelsk, he deliberately passed Optina Hermitage, even turning his face away from the monastery. But when the fateful third anniversary began to come to an end, Adrian's heart began to soften. And in May 1862, contrary to his intended path, he made a detour of two hundred miles just to visit Optina Pustyn. When he arrived at this monastery, almost two years had already passed since Elder Macarius died. Then he turned for advice to the successor of the deceased, Elder Ambrose: what to do and how to be and live. Elder Ambrose advised him to first go to the grave of Elder Macarius and ask for his forgiveness. Having fulfilled this advice, Adrian returned to Elder Ambrose and announced to him that after worshiping the grave of the deceased, his heart calmed down and seemed to tell him that he was forgiven. Another month remained before the end of the three-year penance appointed by Elder Macarius for the guilty person to expel him from his monastery, but on the advice of Elder Ambrose, he had already gone straight to live in his former place - the Beloberezh Hermitage. Here are examples of God's emergency help to those in need through the prayers of Elder Macarius, which were generally known in their time. And how many more were there who remained known only to the One Lord and to those people who turned to the elder for help! How many spiritually healed people could be counted every day! Some left him comforted in their sorrows, others were aroused by him from sinful stupor, others were released from the bonds of despair and the like. “I will glorify those who glorify Me,” said the Lord (1 Samuel 2:30). These words can well be attributed to the elder Macarius of blessed memory described here. The Lord was pleased to reveal to some what glory He bestowed upon the humble elder during his lifetime. Two remarkable cases recorded by Hieroschemamonk Anatoly are given here on this occasion. One pious visitor to the Optina Hermitage said the following: “Even before I met Optina, I once imagined in a dream vision the internal structure of its church, built in honor of the holy Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, exactly as it was in reality 263. It was as if I was standing in the middle of a church during some kind of solemn service. The royal doors were open, and in the altar on both sides of the holy throne stood hieromonks in full priestly vestments in two rows. I really liked their decorous standing and reverence, and I took comfort in looking at them. Only one of the hieromonks standing in the altar seemed to me an exception from this host of humble monks, and he, I must admit, embarrassed me a little. But then I hear a voice telling me: “Don’t be tempted by this monk either. He behaves this way out of simplicity, and you are in vain tempted by him. But, if you want, look over there (at the same time, as if someone was pointing me to the side altar on the south side), there is a sophisticated simplicity over there. There’s something to see there.” With these words, it was as if someone took me by the hand and led me to the southern altar in the name of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord. Entering there, I saw a humble, but very holy old man standing on the southern side of the holy throne. “This is sophisticated simplicity!” – the same voice told me. Subsequently, when God led me to visit the Optina Hermitage and the Kazan Church itself, I was extremely surprised that, having never been to this monastery before, I saw everything here completely familiar to me. What struck me in particular was the appearance of Elder Macarius, whom I had never seen before, completely similar to the one that appeared to me in a dream vision two years ago.” Elder Macarius, when he came to the monastery for mass, in fact in the Kazan Church always stood in the place where the pilgrim mentioned here saw him in a dream vision. And here is another case of the Lord God glorifying the humble elder Macarius when he was still alive. The aforementioned nun Makaria (Domogatskaya) of the Sevsky Monastery on May 27, 1862, in the presence of many people in the hut of Elder Ambrose, said the following: “It happened,” she said, “during the life of Father Makary. In June or July 1860, our monastery’s novice Elisaveta, together with two other nuns, came to Optina to visit Father Macarius. All of them, according to custom, were accommodated in the monastery hotel, designated specifically for visiting nuns. It is worth noting here that the novice Elizabeth was especially remarkable for her simplicity of character and the many sorrows she suffered due to poverty after a worldly life of contentment. From the windows of the cells of the nuns staying in them there was a view of the guest courtyard and the path that ran through the forest from the monastery to the hotel. One day, at about eight o’clock in the morning, Elizabeth was sitting in one of these cells and looking out the window at the skete path and suddenly heard the sounds of surprisingly pleasant singing coming from there. He looks: Elder Macarius is walking, and on his sides are twelve men, who were dressed in white robes and had schemas on top. On their heads were schematic dolls, also white and shiny. Some strange inner feeling told her that these were the holy apostles. Two of them led the elder by the arms, and some walked ahead and carried candlesticks with lit candles. Meanwhile, the simple-minded novice did not attach much importance to this vision. She imagined that, probably, in the Optina Hermitage a custom had been established to carry the Holy Gifts with such solemnity for the communion of the sick; and there was a sick woman in the hotel at that time. Elizabeth, in her self-forgetfulness, must have not thought about the fact that she had seen the holy apostles. The elder actually came from the monastery to the hotel at the end of early mass, but except for Elizabeth, no one saw the husbands accompanying him. When this novice went to church for late mass, she accidentally met an elder returning to the monastery in the guest courtyard. Having received his blessing as usual, she walked with him along the same path, while others accompanying the elder walked behind. After walking a few steps, the elder turned to her and asked: “Who did you see today, Lisa?” The novice could not even imagine that the elder knew about what she had seen, but, coming to her senses and still not well understanding the meaning of the elder’s question, she answered: “I saw, father, the apostles.” - “Who did they lead?” – the elder continued to ask with a smile. Struck by such an unexpected discovery of her secret - since no one knew about it before - Elizabeth cried out: “Oh, father, they led you!” At the same time, the elder strictly forbade her to reveal this to anyone until his death.” We believe this vision undoubtedly, as a real event. For if the Lord Himself, the Heavenly King, was at His time among His disciples as He served, when He washed their feet at the Last Supper, giving them through this an image of His deepest humility and at the same time putting His Divine power into their feet so that they could without stumbling go into the world with the preaching of the Gospel, then there is nothing marvelous in that if the closest disciples of the Lord are holy apostles to the example of their Teacher God, with their powerful prayers, as if with their hands, they supported and strengthened the faithful servant of God, Elder Macarius, leading him to a goal determined by God’s Providence, that is, to continue the work of the apostles, in order to thus heal various ailments in people and enlighten souls darkened by sins with the light of the teaching of Christ. Chapter 20. Elder Macarius evades the position of abbot and archimandrite rank and resigns from some duties. His love for faith and the Orthodox Church and zeal for faith and piety. A letter of gratitude to him for this from Moscow Metropolitan Philaret. The elder follows spiritual literature and takes great interest in domestic events. The grief of the elder in the last years of his life and the resolution of perplexities on this occasion The crowd of people in the Optina Hermitage under Elder Macarius was very large. But over time it increased more and more. Especially in large numbers, residents of the cities of Volkhov and Mtsensk, Oryol province, visited Optina Hermitage in general, and personally to Elder Macarius, who were distinguished by their piety. The famous former abbot of the Volkhov Monastery, the same name as Elder Macarius (a zealous Siberian missionary among foreigners), Archimandrite Macarius (Glukharev) 264 even pointed out to many the Optina Elder Macarius as his successor in their Volkhov Monastery. As a result, after the death of this ever-memorable archimandrite, which followed in 1847, a deputation of Bolkhov citizens arrived in Optina Pustyn in order to ask Elder Macarius to give his consent to occupy the rank of archimandrite as abbot in the Volkhov monastery, also called Optina 265, and for Abbot Moses to release him to them. But the humble elder resolutely refused this honor. Having learned that this had already been presented to the highest spiritual authorities without his consent, he hastened to reject it through some benefactors of the monastery through the mediation of one highest spiritual person. Meanwhile, the physical strength of the elder Father Macarius weakened more and more over time, and his work increased more and more. Often tired, exhausted by long communication with the people, barely catching his breath, not having the strength not only to speak, but also to pronounce one word clearly, he returned from the monastery hotel to the monastery from his daily feat. The monks close to him looked with sadness at his exhaustion and often tried to beg him to take care of himself for the sake of them and many others to whom his life was dear. They asked him to at least shorten the correspondence, which apparently drained his strength even more than oral conversation. “What should I do? - answered the loving old man. – It’s impossible not to write at all; but to respond to some and offend others with silence - I am not able to do this.” Sometimes the elder seemed to lose heart under the weight of his cross, but it only seemed so. For the grace of God, healing and strengthening the weak, was always inherent in his spirit, giving strength to his weakened bodily powers. In fact, taking into account the generally poor health of the old man, his daily, almost continuous labors, often visited by illness and old age, it was impossible not to admit that only the power of God could strengthen his exhausted flesh to endure such great and varied labors. More than once, however, feeling extreme exhaustion and loss of bodily strength, the elder himself decided to stop completely his spiritually edifying correspondence, which was multiplying every year, but following the example of his spiritual leader and teacher, Elder Leo and, of course, not without secret notification of the will of God, overcome by the power and fervor of love for those suffering from various mental and physical illnesses, seeing, moreover, the increase in social ailments, most of all by humility, he did not dare to step down from the cross assigned to him by God, to which the same Christ-like love had raised him, until he gave up his spirit on it. In addition, with the number of visitors increasing year by year, the elder’s deprivation of solitude became more and more noticeable. “Rumor, rumor,” he wrote to his Sevsk relatives, “and daily rumor. When will I come to my senses? When will I get rid of the darkness and enter into myself? Don't know. Have pity on me and pray that I will get rid of the deception of both myself and others. All I know is that I talk and talk, and every day I go to the living room so many times; and the outcome is not visible. Some are leaving, while others are moving in; and I, a sinner, kept up everywhere. Woe, and that’s all! The soul is smooth without food; little time to read; and even then: what kind of reading is in confusion? Well, what should I do? We must be patient; and who knows when they will call you to eternity? Summer, weakness, everything brings us closer to that; and I'm not happy. Lord, have mercy and save, according to Your ineffable mercy!” The elder especially felt the deprivation of solitude when favorable circumstances indicated the time to begin publishing the book works of the elder Paisius Velichkovsky of blessed memory. Father Macarius repeatedly expressed this to his close students and acquaintances. Once, back in 1847, while in the house of the Kireyevsky gentlemen on their estate - the village of Dolbina, the elder told them about this. This gave Ivan Vasilyevich the idea to build a secluded house for the elder on their property 266. After Father Macarius left for the monastery, Ivan Vasilyevich immediately conveyed this thought to his wife, and she told the elder about this and asked for his consent to this. The elder was so pleased with this offer that he himself came to thank the hospitable Dolbino owners for it. At the same time, he also chose a place for the house, in the depths of a birch grove, a mile from the master’s estate. The construction of the house was completed in the spring of 1848, and the elder was invited by the owners to its consecration. Entering it for the first time with his cell attendant, Father Hilarion, the elder sang: “It is worthy to eat as You are truly blessed, the Mother of God...” - and again thanked the hosts for their diligence. Since then, having asked permission from the spiritual authorities, he sometimes visited the house built for him, spending several days in it each time with one of his students for an unentertaining activity - preparing for the publication of patristic books. But this small reassurance was not enough for Elder Macarius, who was weakening in his physical strength. Wanting to eliminate from himself the economic hassle associated with the title of head of the monastery, in order to have more freedom for spiritual pursuits, the elder repeatedly asked the abbot of the monastery, Abbot Moses, to lay down the leadership burden from him, but at the request of him and his brothers, he postponed his intention. Finally, in 1852, the elder renewed his previous petition. But since the abbot knew that he would soon be honored with the rank of archimandrite, the elder received the following answer from him this time: “Just wait, I hear they want to give us a hat, so wait a little.” The hat was indeed soon given to the abbot, and the next year, 1853, Elder Macarius transferred the position of head of the skete to the skete hieromonk Paphnutius. It was November 30, the very day on which fourteen years ago he took charge of the monastery. Having gathered the monastery brethren into the church, the elder announced that, with the permission of the abbot, Archimandrite Moses, he was resigning from the title of monastery leader. After a joint prayer with a commemoration by name for the health and salvation of all the monastery brethren, the elder, with earthly worship, asked everyone for forgiveness. The brethren also said goodbye to the elder, receiving at the same time a blessing from the new leader. The elder wrote in more detail about this circumstance to his Sevsk relatives: “Glory to God! Now 14 years of my management of the monastery have ended, although I am unworthy of this name, but with the help of God, the intercession and protection of the Mother of God and the saint of God, the Baptist of Christ John, through the prayers of our father Archimandrite Moses, and Abbot Anthony, and all our fathers and brothers, time has passed quickly. Although he sinned in many ways and offended his brethren and seduced him in many ways, he was covered by their love; and through their obedience and self-force, all external works were accomplished. God Himself and every conscience know about spiritual successes and weaknesses. Save them, Lord, and have mercy on me through their prayers! So, today, after late mass, Father Paphnutius and I went to Father Archimandrite, I received a blessing for dismissal (after a preliminary meeting about this), and he received a blessing for joining the administration. We went to see Father Anthony; We received his blessing, then in our church, together with the gathered brethren, we served a prayer service to the Mother of God with an akathist and to St. John the Baptist 267, and after a short conversation appropriate to this, I asked them for forgiveness, thanked them for their love and obedience and entrusted them to the new leader, asking that they have obedience and love for him. And now, thank the Lord, I feel some peace. And you congratulate me on this long-desired disposition of mine to leave this, albeit small, boss.” The skete chronicler made the following remark on this matter: “This change (transfer of leadership over the skete), of course, is only external. But still, the thought that the priest is weakening, little by little laying down his burdens in order to march more easily to his Fatherland (Heavenly), is heavy for us, and involuntarily a tear rolls from our eyes, and our heart freezes at the thought of separation from our father and benefactor.” It is true that this change was only external; because the order of spiritual life in the monastery, as in general in the entire monastery, did not change at all as a result of this change. The new chief cared more about the external order and needs of the monastery, without in the least departing from obedience to the blessed elder, who treated him as one of the monastery brethren, even sometimes showering him with reproaches for something. Such was the power of God’s grace acting in Elder Macarius! She unwittingly won the hearts of her superiors. According to the established order in the monastery, the head of the monastery is also confirmed in the position of fraternal confessor of the entire monastery. So it was with Father Paphnutius. He usually confessed to the brethren and some laity. Perhaps from the same time, or perhaps even earlier, Elder Macarius also left his spiritual position: that is, he no longer confessed to anyone, but only served as an elder, that is, he accepted the revelation of thoughts that came to him and taught advice and instructions on how to resist the cruel and restless battle from evil demonic thoughts and how to more conveniently live according to the commandments of God set out in the Holy Gospel, teaching this in word and deed, and most importantly - by the example of one’s own humble life. Nevertheless, the elder’s attention and diligence were mainly focused on eradicating pride and the resentment that came from it in those who treated him, and on instilling humility in their souls. So, for example, he wrote to his Sevsk niece, nun Melania: “Blame yourself for not having love for M.P., for the Lord commanded to love your enemies. Love and humility, above all things, will save us. Spiritual warfare is tricky. The enemy is cunning and strong. And whoever arms himself with humility against him cannot stand against him for even a minute. But acquiring humility requires a lot of work and attention. For the enemy opposes this and brings everything contrary to it. And how destructive resentment is, read from St. John Climacus and Abba Dorotheos and Zosimas.” And in almost all his letters Elder Macarius conveys these thoughts. Therefore, the collection of all his letters can truly be called a teaching on patience, self-reproach, humility and love. The elder himself showed all these virtues in himself in practice. His love, one might say, embraced the entire Christian race and especially the dear fatherland close to his heart. As a zealot of the one true Orthodox faith of Christ, he rejoiced at its beneficial influence on the hearts of the Orthodox. "God bless! - he wrote to his friends in Sevsk. – Our Orthodox faith animates and comforts our hearts. Although we are meager in deeds, we do not lose hope in God’s mercy; and let us cry out to Him, that He may save us by the message of our destinies!” Or in another letter: “Thank the Lord that you are passing through the time of holy fasting peacefully and calmly. The Lord comforts you as you listen to church services, which the Church has so wisely ordered and organized, guided by the Holy Spirit.” On the contrary, the elder greatly mourned the increasing spread of various religious errors and moral corruption in general among Russian society even in his time. For example, this is what he wrote to the above-mentioned relatives: “Currently we are reading “On the relations of the Roman Church to other churches” by Avdiy Vostokov. And how bitter it is to see all the tricks of the pope and his army - the Jesuits and propaganda! How many tricks he made in achieving the primacy of the popes and their infallibility and in many dogmatic innovations in the church, after falling away from the Greek Church! And our Church stands in the purity of the teachings of Christ and the Apostolic and Holy Ecumenical Councils. And they introduced heresies. And our Church considers them heretics. And they are still intensifying to spread their heretical teachings to our dear and Orthodox Russia. And many of the aristocrats have already become carried away by their teaching, having converted to Catholicism, and are trying to attract their brethren there too. Religious tolerance was allowed; and now even the preaching of their false heretical teaching arises.” About the upcoming marriage of one of the elder’s relatives to a Catholic, he wrote: “K. they write and rejoice about the proposal made by M., a Catholic. But I'm not happy about it. And if (the marriage) takes place without his joining our Church, then I will greatly grieve. I wrote to them that they didn’t have my blessing. They are so indifferent to their religion, they write that “there is little difference,” and they do not understand what can happen from differences in faith both in marriage and in raising children. One thing is that they approach the Chalice of Christ with different thoughts, and many other dogmas are already separating their union of friendship and like-mindedness. And that he would later convert is doubtful. On the contrary, they have an idea in the West and in all of them to Catholicize all of Russia. And many are already starting to do this; and from our people who accepted their faith, princes Gagarin and Golitsyn write brochures and send them to Russia... What hope for a happy fate is there? Unless only cold indifference to faith will give false and imaginary peace. I don't want that." And after the marriage, against the will of the elder, he wrote: “How painful it is for me to see in the members of my family mixing with heretics! I’m not angry with them, but I worry about them; but I don’t want to write to them. Empty and vain idle talk! They did not listen and united with heretics; and now they will not listen to them joining our Church.” The elder also wrote about Catholic propaganda and the danger it poses to Orthodoxy in Russia: “What confusion and revolt against our Orthodox Church everywhere! I don’t remember if I wrote to you: a book was recently published - 158 pages of small print, in octagon, printed in Paris, written by some of our prince Golitsyn. He tries to prove from our books about the primacy of the pope and other dogmas that the Western Latin Church is true, and the Orthodox Greek Church has apostatized. Calls on the Russian Church to unite with the Western Church and with the Pope. And all this is far-fetched and false. Indeed, it was bitter and sorrowful to the heart to read such an attack on the Church - and from whom? From your children. Of course, not everyone will believe, and especially not those who are established in the faith; but those indifferent to the faith, and even more so the lame aristocrats, will probably drink this poison and turn away there. Meanwhile, quite a few books have probably already been distributed throughout Russia. Anyone traveling from abroad will bring this book like a jewel. This is how our Church suffers! The sheep have taken or are taking upon themselves the arbitrary responsibility of teaching and do not want to listen to the shepherds of the Church; they climb into the fence elsewhere and scatter the sheep. But, Lord, do not betray us to the end, for the sake of Your name, but establish Your Orthodox Church on the immovable stone of Your commandments and the teaching of the Holy Ecumenical Councils, in agreement with the Greek Church, from which we received the faith.” Also: “One zealous observer writes to me: in America some kind of society has formed under the name of Mormons, a special Christianity. Polygamy is allowed, and they are hard-working. The whole province gathered, up to half a million. It was as if an angel gave their leader a new Bible, or the Golden Book. It contains every mixture of Christian dogmas and deviations from the truth. In Germany, a semi-Christianity, similar to ancient Arianism, is clearly preached. It’s scary to say: the Divinity and miracles of our Savior Lord Jesus Christ are not recognized. And this false teaching is spread by the Lutheran pastors themselves through printed books. It creeps in everywhere. In Europe now the majority of educated youth believe in nothing but their own minds. The Pope is trying to bring everyone to Catholicism; and one of our princes and Jesuit Gagarin published a brochure: Can Russia be Catholicized? This is the calamity our Church and all believers, and especially the younger generation, are in! But the idol of our time - unheard of luxury - makes everyone desire and seek wealth. Railways, telegraphs, worldwide merchants! Nobility is ridiculed. What does all this lead to? God knows. Nowadays the words have become fashionable: antediluvian, universal... What are these words leading to? Understand and understand!... Shouldn't we draw closer to each other through love and humility? May the hour of death not befall us unprepared, and the worst of it is the darkened blindness spreading throughout the universe! How can we not thank the Lord for deigning us to separate from the world and remain in the Orthodox faith! When you frequently encounter people who are opposed to wisdom, how long will it take your mind to waver and get carried away by their opinions? Which often happens to many. So, let us thank the Lord with our hearts and lips and with good deeds - peace, love and humility.” In the same spirit and sense, the elder wrote to an unknown person: “What is happening in the world reaches us even less. But cases like these described by you deeply shake the soul. I say this not about myself, but in general about our brothers who struggle and who may still be subject to the deception of the enemy, who seeks to devour everyone who does not heed and indulges in the vanity of the world and sensuality. And the enemy is so bold that he takes up arms against our mother, the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Orthodox Church; He tries to shake it by various means, now with papism, now with Lutheranism, now with freethinking. But our Church is still preserved by the grace of God, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). Suffering disasters; but, according to the word of the holy Apostle, it is fitting for heresies to exist in you, so that skill may be revealed in you (1 Cor. 11:19). Let us watch and stand on the solid rock of faith of our Orthodox Church. Let us commit ourselves, and each other, and our whole life to Christ our God!” In another letter to the same person, the elder wrote: “You explain your comments about our time, which is in motion and excitement: they are looking for something good and new. But how do they look for it? And where do they want to find it? Civilization and progress! But they don’t pay attention to the Orthodox religion. And all our bliss, both temporary and eternal, is based on this. Smart, learned, educated people want to believe in their own way, and not as the Orthodox Church teaches us. The teaching of the Church is infallible, although among its practitioners there will be those who err. But the part is not the whole; and those who scoff at those who sin turn their tongues against the whole Church; and in the Church all our good and salvation. The sacraments of the church are guides to the Kingdom of Heaven; their servants and performers are the clergy, who are so brazenly and poisonously attacked by educated wise men and infect the weak, and even more so feed the youth with this poison...” and further. In another letter: “What should I do? Today, the dark force is firmly armed against the light of truth, and reason is trying to take over faith and is resisting the Church; but, according to the word of the Lord, the gates of hell will not prevail against her (Matthew 16:18). Although many are drawn into the net of the deceitful, and even more so, the pitiful young generation is fed with the bitter poison of opposing opinions, which also spread their destructive poison among the common people through harmful brochures released to the people for reading instead of moralizing and moral instructions. It’s a pity for our poor dear Mother Russia if, according to your word, this harvest will soon ripen under the sickle! If this inevitably must happen, then believers must pray to the merciful Lord, that He may turn His righteous anger away from us... and, Lord, do not forbid that we wait and see accidents if we have them. Beneficial Europe taught us external arts and sciences, but internal kindness takes away and shakes the Orthodox faith; they take money to themselves. I can't really judge anything. I only see that we are mentally ill and don’t see it.” About the success of Catholic propaganda among the Orthodox, the elder wrote as follows: “About the advantage of the propaganda of the Roman Church over the Orthodox and its charitable institutions, it should be noted that since the reason for its falling away from Orthodoxy was the lust for power and other human goals and calculations, then all its actions are frustrated by the same illness and the same types; and there are no enterprises in them that are pure according to God and according to conscience, as in the Orthodox Church. That is why the latter’s actions are modest and quiet. Look into the history of the times of Photius, the Greek patriarch who converted Bulgaria to Christianity, and you will see what the papists did then and why. And the same thing continues to this day. The papists do not care to convert the Turks to Christianity, but try to seduce the Orthodox Greeks and Bulgarians from the true path. Their actions have always been and are based for the most part on lies and intrigues.” And in other letters the elder wrote about the same subject with great sorrow. All this was written in the fifties of the 19th century. As a result of such zeal for faith and piety, Elder Macarius was honored to receive the following scripture from Moscow Metropolitan Philaret: “Reverend Father Macarius! I greet you and the rector of your monastery; and to all your brotherhood, peace and blessings of God and stumbling-free progress, under the shadow of God’s grace, along the path of salvation and perfection! Blessed is your compassionate sorrow for the uprising of people against the Orthodox Church, who came from us, but who were not infuriated from us (1 John 2:19). Pray that the Lord, with His invincible help, will protect her and console us, the humble, for her and with her. The Orthodox Church, always militant on earth, protected for many centuries in our fatherland, now, due to our sins, is approaching to appear persecuted again. Establishment of those who hope in Thee, establish, O Lord, the Church which Thou hast acquired through Thy venerable Blood. I ask for your prayers for my unworthiness and weakness, remaining with sincere love for you, even in the Lord. Filaret, metro station Moskovsky. May 11, 1859. I am sending you a denunciation of one of the uprisings against the Orthodox Church.” With all his almost continuous laborious studies and weakening physical strength, Elder Macarius found the time and opportunity to follow spiritual literature. He received all the spiritual magazines and periodicals published in his time, such as: the works of the holy fathers, “Christian” and “Sunday Readings”, “Orthodox Interlocutor”, “Orthodox Review”, “Wanderer”, “Spiritual” and “Home Conversations”. Of the last four, I preferred “Spiritual Conversation” and “Home Conversation.” In addition, he was interested in newly published books of spiritual content and, on occasion, wrote his own review about them. Thus, having read “Letters on Christian Life” by the famous Bishop Theophan, the Recluse of Vyshensky, soon after they came out of print, the elder wrote about them to one person: “I know the book “Letters on Christian Life” and am expecting it to be sent soon. I have read it, but not all of it yet. The book is very good; but in some places it is very boldly said about prayer, such as: to have intelligence in the heart and that anyone can do this, look for warmth in themselves and so on. Inexperienced people will try this and find nothing and will be confused; and very few people will feel it, get carried away and fall into delusion. The Holy Fathers say that this requires a lot of time, feat, labor and an indelible mentor, and that in pure prayer one only achieves from a thousand, and through it one only reaches from darkness. These are the words of Saint Isaac the Syrian. He writes in Word 2: whoever, before perfect training in the first part of the act, proceeds to the second - vision, which consists of spiritual teaching and prayer, the wrath of God finds 268 on him; there you will see why, and further: “The spirit of God,” he says, “comes of itself, without you feeling it. She, but if the place is clean and not dirty. If the apple of the eye of your soul is pure, do not dare to look at the surroundings of the sun, lest you lose even that small dawn, which is simple faith and humility, and heartfelt confession, and small deeds, even according to your strength, you will be rejected” 269 and so on. Mental prayer is the highest of all acts, according to the word of St. Gregory of Sinaite. And “whosoever, without coldness and boldness, desires to come to God, and to confess Him purely, and to acquire Him in oneself, having the need to slay, let us slay the calico from the very demons, if he is allowed to” 270 ff (St. Gregory of Sinaite, “Admonition to the Silent,” chapter 7 “On delusion”). And the holy fathers write: “Whoever undergoes prayer and abstinence, demons attack them strongly and furiously; and if we do not have a weapon against them - humility, then they conveniently overthrow them.” Now many books have been published about this act. “The Philokalia” and other fatherly books are known to you; but you need to go through it with a mentor, and not on your own. Elder Paisios in a letter to Sophronievo Elder Theodosius 271 writes that he is obsessed with both joy and fear about the publication of his father’s books, but why? Read for yourself in the life of Elder Paisius the letter to Archimandrite Theodosius on page 265 of the first edition 272. We have a written article warning against unauthorized doing of this; but there is no time to correct it, but I would like to publish it. Don’t think that I condemn this book. I find in other matters very useful and full of truth. And as you asked for my opinion, I said frankly that I found it. It needs to be simpler: everyone needs to pray the Jesus Prayer and drive away thoughts; but seek nothing but mercy. And the Lord, who gives prayer to the one who prays, will also give mental prayer, according to the words of Peter of Damascus. Otherwise, the enemy has many decoys, and deceives ascetics under the guise of truth with false actions. However, I sincerely wish that this book will be useful in everything. Save, Lord, the one who wrote it.” Every major domestic event evoked deep sympathy in the sympathetic soul of Elder Macarius. The famous unsuccessful Sevastopol campaign in the fifties of the last century attracted his attention. Despite his constant leisure time and bodily infirmities, during the siege of Sevastopol, he asked to read the news about its progress from the Moskovskie Vedomosti, and with every joyful news or hope for success, he rejoiced like a child and glorified God; and at the news of failure he grieved and grieved prayerfully. On October 16, 1854, the elder wrote this to a close person: “Satan’s war against the Cross continues, and only the Lord knows how it will end. Of course, this is a punishment for us for our sins, but with the mercy and protection of God. If it weren’t for His protection and protection, what could they have done with such a strong armada and horde of Catholicism, Protestantism, Islamism, with such an unexpected and unexpected attack?! The word of the Lord is right and true. If we did His will, then (it would be fulfilled): one will marry a thousand and two engines of darkness (Deut. 32:30)... We need to pray to the Lord and appease Him with repentance and good living. May the Lord preserve our Orthodox Church and her children, our brothers, who have fallen under the Muslim yoke and pseudo-Christian tyranny. They, the poor, are now without protection. All of Europe fell upon us and them. One God is our helper and patron; and may He be our salvation. Let us cry to Him in these sorrows, and He will hear us. He is strong even now to plunge horse and rider not into the Red Sea, but into the Black Sea, and to deliver His people from the bitter work of the clever Pharaoh, and to destroy his combined tristats. But what is our mentality? We must cast ourselves before the majesty of His glory into the abyss of humility and wait for His will to be done on us.” The elder also wrote to the same person: “I cannot talk about the affairs of Europe and the war of the present time, and for my part I do not dare to draw any big conclusions, except that this war is the finger of God and a scourge punishing us who have deviated from the right path and are walking obstinately, broadly and extensively, leading us to destruction. Many who lay down their lives in battle will surely receive remission of sins, and many will be crowned with incorruptible crowns of heavenly glory; and their remaining neighbors, and everyone in general, suffering about this in their hearts and suffering many needs, will involuntarily leave luxury and become established in the faith. The destinies of God are incomprehensible to us, and He alone knows the entire future, as well as the past and present. May His holy will be upon us; but we must pray that the world will be merciful to us sinners and have mercy.” Humbly surrendering to the will of God in the face of unfavorable news about the war for Russia, the elder, as was his custom, turned his thoughts to spiritual warfare. So, he wrote to his Sevsky relatives: “I know that you are in a struggle, and a strong war is no less than the Sevastopol one. But there are weapons: copper, iron, steel, lead, cast iron, gunpowder, fire, cunning and human strength; but we have a different kind of weapon: faith, trust in God, self-reproach, humility, patience, prayer and all-encompassing love. Leaving these weapons, we fall into the hands of the resistant, and they crush our spiritual bones, cast us down and languish in the bonds of embarrassment and resentment. And here are the tormentors: envy, zeal, reproach of what is good and the whole evil cathedral of passions - they torment without mercy. We must not abandon saving weapons and use them to overthrow those who resist, learning to fight in practice.” But soon sad domestic events followed one after another. At the height of the war, on February 18, 1855, Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich died. The unexpected news of his death brought profuse tears from the elder. Moreover, as one old monk contemporary to him once reported, he expressed the idea that Emperor Nicholas held Russia in iron hands and thereby restrained the destructive self-will of his subjects, and that the freedom expected after him, which always led and leads people to unbridled self-will, should bring great harm to Orthodox Russia. Now we actually see this. However, the elder dissolved his grief over the loss of his sovereign with a consoling reflection on his Christian death. So, he wrote in 1855 to his relatives in Sevsk: “February 24. Recently I read the manifesto of the new sovereign Alexander II. It was impossible to read about the death of Emperor Nicholas I without tears. And in such a great era for Russia! Save, Lord, our Orthodox faith and Holy Rus' from the invasion of foreigners and from their evil intent... to humble (that is, humiliate) Russia. Let us pray to the Lord to help our new emperor and Christ-loving army. The hour of death is near, but we are not ready. How will we appear before the judgment of God? Here people are dying; and many noble persons died in a short time. And above all, the father of the great family - of the whole of Russia, our Emperor, Nikolai Pavlovich, reverently went to the Lord, having fulfilled the duty of a Christian - Confession and Communion of the Most Pure Mysteries of Christ; remained in full memory until his death. He gave instructions to the heir and the family, then asked the heir for a cross with a crucifix; reverently kissed him several times and said: “Thy will be done, Lord!” - died. With the great sorrow of the deprivation of the father of the fatherland, it is comforting to hear about his Christian death, which gives hope that he will be rewarded with bliss in eternity. What the Holy Church and all of us pray to the Lord for, may he rest his soul in the Kingdom of Heaven!” Soon, another sad news reached the elder - about the capture of Sevastopol by the enemies. Hearing about this, the elder began to sob, like a loving father who had lost his only begotten son. Falling to his knees before the image of the Mother of God, he prayed for a long time before Her without words. In the first days of May 1857, Elder Macarius, accompanied by Father Leonid (Kavelin), visited the Maloyaroslavets Monastery at the request of its abbot, Archimandrite Nikodim, and on the way back through Kaluga, he visited the Right Reverend Gregory, who at that time placed on the elder the bronze cross established for clergy for the past war on the Vladimir Ribbon. Thus, by the end of his temporary life, the elder was decorated with two crosses - a gold pectoral and a bronze. Father Leonid, who accompanied the elder (who was also the skete chronicler), made the following remark in the chronicle: “By his good pleasure, the priest visited my sick brother in the Khlyustinskaya almshouse. Moreover, one patient, a Likhvin tradesman, who temporarily (according to the warden) became enraged and furious, and therefore, when we arrived, was lying tied to the wall, seeing the priest, he cried out: “Reverend Father Macarius! Pray to God for us.” Whether it was the inquisitive spirit acting in the young woman who followed the apostles (Acts 16:17–18), or whether this sick man was a fool for Christ’s sake, I don’t know. I am reporting a fact only for memory purposes. No one gave advance notice of our arrival, and the priest’s name was not spoken during his stay there. We returned home (to the monastery) safely at three o'clock. A lot of people were waiting for the priest at the hotel; and the cross placed on him was, as it were, a prototype of the spiritual crosses that awaited him upon his return and were known only to God and those close to him.” But what kind of spiritual crosses, or, simply put, sorrows, awaited the elder, readers will learn about this further. Now let's see how the elder felt about the transformations awaiting Russia - the emancipation of serfs and literacy among the common people. Thus, he wrote: “In the liberation of our fellow peasants, or simply Christians, from serfdom, we must see the paternal Providence of God, having mercy on them. And many of the owners willingly agreed with this idea and expect a revolution, are not embarrassed by the deprivation of many incomes, and some, also a considerable number, mourn, thinking that they will not have the means for their usual luxurious life, which they enjoyed from the labors of thousands of people, who themselves were often deprived of the necessary food. Luxury, of course, will diminish, which can be called the devil’s weapon for the destruction of human souls. But what will happen to the free and how they will use this freedom is still unknown to us. You are correct in your reasoning that it could be this or that... But what is unknown is what fruit this literacy, introduced to the common people, will bear. We now already see in the state-owned villagers who have learned to read and write: if one of them becomes a scribe and turns out to be incapable or for some reason loses his position, then he is no longer a plowman, and the father has no hope of supporting his old age. They object to this: if everyone is literate, then this cannot happen. OK then. They will learn to read and write, but what will they read? They will publish more books: “Laughter”, “Idle Ring” and similar ones. What impact might they have on morality? We'll see what happens then. May the will of the Lord be done on all of us!” Or again: “Your heart bleeds when you talk about our dear fatherland Russia, our mother. Where is she going? What are you looking for? What are you waiting for? Enlightenment rises, but is imaginary. It deceives itself in its hope. The young generation does not feed on the milk of the teachings of our Holy Orthodox Church, but is infected with some foreign, muddy, poisonous spirit. And how long will this continue? Of course, in the destinies of God’s Providence what should be is written, but it is hidden from us, according to His ineffable wisdom. And, it seems, that time is coming, according to the father’s prophecy: “Let him save his soul!” Elder Macarius’s view of contemporary monasticism is interesting and very edifying – which is very applicable to our time. This is what he wrote on July 5, 1860, shortly before his death, to one hierarch: “When looking at the current way of life of monasticism - how far we have deviated from the path that was shown to us in the teachings of our fathers - my heart aches! And instead of looking for the good beads hidden in the village of our hearts, we are content with appearance alone. And in order to strive for passion, little and little are found; and through our weaknesses we become a temptation to the world, instead of being the light of the world. You will notice that the desire to read the books of the fathers has begun to be exterminated among the monks. This is the reason for relaxation, since there is no incentive for an active monastic life. Perhaps there are some of the new arrivals who have zeal and a desire to be saved; but, seeing examples of weakness, they first condemn them, then they themselves are enslaved by it, not having faithful nourishment and rejection of their will and mind - which could lead them to humility as a strong weapon against all enemy networks. It is no wonder that even in religious journals of the present time something unfavorable about the life of monasticism appears. And there’s nothing to say about other literary publications! And all this spreads throughout the Christian world, which does not look at its own weaknesses, but vigilantly looks at monastic and minor shortcomings. However, we should not blame those who judge us, but find guilt in ourselves, humble ourselves, and repent; and the Lord is able to save and bring out of that pit, seen by the Monk Pachomius, sorrows, misfortunes and illnesses. Although it is sad to look at our weaknesses; but many who come to the monastery find protection from the arrows of the enemy, to which they might have been exposed in worldly life. Only, as far as I could notice, it was unhelpful and dangerous to accept those who were too young (into the monastery); for they are more exposed to the influence of the weak side and, having acquired the bad habit, cannot soon come to the true path, so that they are not capable of either the monastery or the world. The other day I happened to hear a comparative example of monastic and worldly life. One legless wanderer crawled around many monasteries and, when asked by one monk how he found monastic life in comparison with worldly life, he answered: “Not all monasteries are equal; but I think this: when a meadow is fenced in, the grass grows well on it; but outside the fence it is trampled and eaten.” A simple but striking example! We are also encouraged by the consoling word written by John of Carpathia to the Indian monks 274. We must pray to the Lord to preserve the monastic order in our beloved fatherland and give strength and strength to defeat the visible and invisible enemies of Christianity and monasticism" 275. But what kind of sorrows or spiritual crosses did the humble elder Macarius, always peaceful in the spirit of the prayer book, have? He once wrote to his Sevsky relatives: “I have no sorrows; sorrows are my sins.” However, towards the end of his life, the elder was visited by grief. They consisted in the fact that between him and the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Moses, who always lived in peace and mutual sincere love, a certain discord occurred, which, however, as we will now see, did not come from a heartfelt dislike towards each other, but from different views on matters. So, for example, the abbot loved to make buildings in the monastery, apparently even unnecessary ones, and for this, out of necessity, he reduced the monastery forest and put the monastery into debt, of which there were already a lot. Elder Macarius, on the contrary, as was said above, out of love for nature, wanted to preserve the forest, and not start unnecessary buildings, and not increase the monastic debt without special need. This was reported to the abbot himself; but he would just say: “Yes, man was not created for the tree, but the tree for man” - and then continued his work. Time, however, justified the enterprises of Archimandrite Moses. All of his seemingly superfluous buildings later turned out to be suitable and necessary, and the debts of the monastery were paid soon after his death by one benefactor, who had great affection for Archimandrite Moses and his brother Abbot Anthony and in general for the entire Optina monastery. Let us note, in addition, that while producing seemingly unnecessary buildings, the archimandrite could also be in the following conviction: if he, an honored and respected abbot, clears a certain part of the forest for the sake of monastery buildings, then all this will be forgiven to him by both the higher authorities and his brotherhood, or, at least, there will be no stoppages in his work; his successor, the new abbot, would have to suffer considerable grief over this: he might be completely prohibited from clearing the forest, despite the extreme need for it, or, at least, this matter might be greatly slowed down. Also: Archimandrite Moses, partly due to the shortcomings of the poor Optina Hermitage at that time, and partly, probably, due to his inclination towards an ascetic life, wanted to eradicate tea drinking among the brethren. It used to be that a brother would come to him to ask for tea - the abbot would greet him with these words: “Would you like some tea?” “Yes,” he will say, “you’re welcome, father.” He will answer: “The tea of ​​the resurrection of the dead” - and will not give it. And he will begin to admonish his brother, saying that this herb, called tea, is brought from a foreign country, from a pagan people, and therefore it is not sinless for Christians, especially monks, to use it. Elder Macarius, seeing a weakening of morals among people, did not sympathize with the abbot in this and, on the contrary, said that due to the more and more ingrained habit of drinking tea in people, it is no longer possible to eradicate tea drinking among monks, and salvation does not consist at all in not drinking tea. But the abbot continued to act in his own way. Then Elder Macarius tried to draw the abbot’s attention to a more important omission in the monastery, namely: that during church services, the singing monks hastily began to sing and began to behave freely in the choirs, which is why, as the elder noted, reverence for church services was lost. But it should be noted that, firstly, the singing was still not very hasty, and secondly, Archimandrite Moses was already in his old age - both old and weak. Standing through the long Optina services every day and without prolonged singing was, as one might think, burdensome for his weary legs. And besides, how difficult it was for him to manage the choristers, one can conclude from the fact that, in his own words, when dealing with the choristers, and with other brethren during his long abbotship, he suffered a lot of sorrows. Therefore, probably, now he no longer so much addressed the guilty with a word of edification, but secretly prayed for their admonition to something useful, as was always his custom, while at the same time protecting himself from mental disorder. Thus, always and in all matters unconditionally submissive to Elder Macarius and in his humility accepting his advice as if from the mouth of God Himself, Archimandrite Moses now began to act completely contrary to the elder’s advice, so that Father Macarius, who had always inclined everyone to peace and God-loving obedience and had never expected such a thing from his kind abbot, was so upset by his actions that in the presence of his loved one disciple and successor in eldership, Hieromonk Ambrose, with a tight heart said: “Eh! The Lord must be punishing me for my sins.” Yet this, as stated above, shows that the discord between Elder Macarius and Archimandrite Moses was not of significant importance, since it was not based on their ill will towards each other. This is also confirmed by the fact that, as we will see later, after the death of Elder Macarius, the abbot gave the deceased the great honor he deserved with sincere heartfelt grief over the loss of this great spiritual leader and lamp. Chapter 21. The last years and circumstances of the life of the elder Father Macarius, his dying days of suffering and blessed death The life of the elder Father Macarius was nearing the end, and his health was weakening more and more. To a congratulatory letter from Sevsk relatives in November 1859, he replied: “Thank you for congratulating me on my and Angel’s birthdays. Yes, it’s already ’71. How long the coming will take is unknown. But I don’t know how to appear before God. May the will of the Lord be upon us! You mourn my ill health, but it is changeable. I can't say I'm lying down; but sometimes I’m awake and walking, and sometimes I’m no good at all. Thank God for everything! Yes, the soul is larger than the body. The body will ache, and that will be the end of it; but mental illness extends into eternity. Deliver us, Lord, from this disease and grant us healing!” Two years before his death, precisely in 1858, Elder Macarius was tonsured into the great angelic image - the schema. The thought of this was expressed for the first time by the elder upon receiving news of the death of Kyiv Metropolitan Philaret (Amphiteatrov), the founder of the Optina monastery, tonsured before his death into the schema with the name Theodosius, who died on December 21, 1857. The elder had great love and reverence for him, as he wrote shortly after the death of the saint to his Sevsky relatives: “I think you have already heard about the death of the Most Blessed Metropolitan of Kyiv Philaret on the 21st of December. It is a pity that the Church has lost such a hierarch; but, apparently, the time has come for him to rest from his labors and receive a reward for them. Through his prayers may the Lord have mercy on us!” However, although the elder wrote about his health: “...sometimes I’m no good for anything,” he was still on his feet until his dying illness, and even in the summer of 1860, shortly before his death, he had the opportunity to go to Kaluga, to the Kaluga Laurentian Monastery - the summer residence of the Kaluga rulers, in order to say goodbye to those who were leaving for St. Petersburg to attend the Holy Synod respected archpastor Gregory. There, while waiting for the bishop to finish receiving petitioners, the elder went for a walk in the monastery garden. Stopping in front of the village of Zhelezniki that he had seen, the former estate of his parent, Nikolai Mikhailovich Ivanov, he pointed out to those accompanying him the place where their house stood and the services surrounding it, and told the impressions of his childhood that were preserved in his memory. Then, in the monastery cemetery, with the help of one full-time minister, he found the grassy grave of Hieromonk Paul, the former abbot of the Ploshchanskaya Hermitage, who had once tonsured him as a monk, and with a feeling of tenderness bowed to his grave, saying: “He was a good old man!” Then, after a pause, he said: “There is a path before us all, one earlier, another later, but it’s time for me...” That was his hint at his imminent death. Meanwhile, having finished receiving visitors, the Right Reverend invited the elder and a few others to the table and during the meal he was very merciful and attentive to the priest, caressed him and himself put food on his plate. Finally, having said goodbye to the merciful bishop, the elder first went to Tikhon’s Hermitage that same day and, after staying there for two days, returned to his monastery. There was another remarkable incident that indicated the nearness of the death of Elder Macarius. A year before this, (one) landowner very close to him, the pious old woman Maria Mikhailovna Kavelina, suffered from a severe illness, so that she was on the edge of her grave. By the way, out of her faith in the elder, she asked him to pray to the Lord so that He would extend the days of her life for the sake of a meeting with her beloved son, the Optina hieromonk, who was then away from the monastery. The elder told her affirmatively: “You will recover, but we will die together.” The elder’s words were confirmed. She was in danger of dying and recovered, but after that she told her loved ones: “Fear my death, the life of the old man is connected with it, that’s what he told me.” This prediction of the elder, together with the other above-mentioned hints about his imminent death, shows that he had a secret message from the Lord about the time of his departure from this world. In addition, he often told his students: “It’s time, it’s time to go home!” But they did not pay special attention to these words of his, perhaps partly because the thought of death as one of the spiritual deeds never left him. Some of the brothers drew attention to the following unexpected circumstance. Inside the monastery, on the south-eastern side, three century-old pines grew - two from the same root, and the third a little further away. The elder urgently saved them from the beatings that other trees that grew with them were subjected to when growing in this place of the garden. The wanderers always talked to each other like this: “These three pines are a symbol of the union of our elders; two from the same root - they resemble siblings: the father of Archimandrite Moses and the father of Abbot Anthony, and the one standing at a distance resembles our father Father Macarius.” When in the summer, for no apparent reason, this last pine tree suddenly withered, the sight of it brought an involuntary sadness to the hermits, the reason for which everyone guessed, but did not want to express, for fear of being a harbinger of general sorrow. When the elder fell ill, the brethren began to openly tell each other what thoughts the sight of this withered tree involuntarily suggested to them, which, being at first indebted to the elder for its preservation from being cut by human hands, then dried up by the will of its Creator, and became a harbinger of the death of its benefactor, Elder Macarius. Now we will monitor the old man’s health day by day. On August 23, 1860, the aforementioned old woman Kavelina died. Nothing special was noticed in the old man’s health that day, other than the usual weakness of his bodily strength at times. He was even so cheerful that he could go to the monastery hotel, where the dying old woman was, and be present at her blessed death. She died, sitting in an armchair, a quarter of an hour after receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ, saying to her confessor who was with her: “The joy and sweetness that I now feel cannot be expressed in any words.” Tearing up at this, the elder called this quiet death, like a dying candle, “the venerable”, saying: “I consider myself happy that God has vouchsafed me to see a righteous death.” On August 25, Father Macarius had the opportunity to go out in vestments along with others to the burial of the old woman. In the evening of the same day, on the eve of the celebration of the Presentation of the miraculous Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, the elder, who especially revered this icon, like his predecessor, the elder and together spiritual friend and fasting hieroschemamonk Leonid, according to his custom, as in previous years, held an all-night vigil in honor of her in his cell with several of his close disciples and went to sleep in a sound state of mind and bodies, having first given them the usual blessing. The disciples dispersed in peace to their cells, apparently having no reason to expect the sorrow that the coming day gave rise to. On the twenty-sixth, on the very holiday, on Friday, while getting ready for mass, the elder suddenly felt attacks of urinary retention and its consequences, which, however, he had sometimes complained about before. At that time, the city doctor from Belev, Mr. Bazelev, happened to be in the monastery, who, having been invited to the patient, immediately provided him with initial assistance, but, unfortunately, could not stay for some time with the elder to observe the effect of this medicine. By the evening of the same day, when the patient began to feel worse, he blessed Hieromonk Leonid (Kavelin), who was with him, according to the last proposal to go to the estate of Prince D. A. Obolensky located near Optina Hermitage and invite his family doctor, but, to extreme regret, the hieromonk did not find him with the prince: the doctor left a few days ago for his homeland. On the way back through the city of Kozelsk, having stopped by the Kozelsk city doctor, Mr. B-vu, Father Leonid received from him the necessary advice, which upon his return to the monastery was immediately carried out. Twenty seventh, Saturday. There was no particular relief from the medications. Having confessed in the evening, the elder the next day after early mass received the Holy Mysteries of Christ and surrendered himself to the will of God. The thirtieth, Tuesday. At six o'clock in the morning the elder again received Holy Communion in the cell of the Holy Mysteries of Christ during early mass. Following this, at his own request, the Sacrament of Anointing was performed on him, which was performed by Abbot Anthony with six hieromonks. Despite the fact that due to the weakness of his strength, the elder could not only stand at that time, but also sit and therefore reclined on his bed, he still ordered the singers to sing all the prescribed chants in the Lenten melody, and even he himself reminded them of this melody twice in his voice. Following the Sacrament, the patient’s farewell to his brethren, touching in its significance, began. The elder taught forgiveness to all of them, humbly at the same time asking for it from them and himself. Although he had been cheerful in spirit during the entire preceding period of illness, after the Sacrament of Holy Anointing was performed on him, he became noticeably even more strengthened in spirit and body. With amazing calm, clarity of mind and strength of will, he made the necessary orders in the event of his death, down to the smallest detail. He blessed everyone who came and, comforting his sorrowful disciples in word and deed, endowed them with icons, rosaries, books and similar visible signs of his fatherly favor towards them. The next day - August 31 - was one of the days of hope for the Optina residents. The elder was completely calm in spirit and talked with those who came to him. The only remarkable thing was that he taught them spiritual instructions briefly and expressively, so that each questioner, despite the calmness of the elder and the hope aroused by this in those around him, involuntarily felt that this was the last instruction, that the day and hour were not far off when these always benevolent lips would close forever, and therefore, leaving the always instructive cell of the elder under the influence of such a thought, he wept bitterly. His close disciples, without deceiving themselves regarding the patient’s situation, hastened to take advantage of the seeming vigor of his strength to ask for a solution to issues that for each of those who listened could be called issues of life. For example, who he will bless to treat spiritually after his death, what to do in this or that upcoming event on the monastic path. And the elder, without restraint, clearly and calmly, satisfied these questions, of course, himself realizing that his days were already numbered before the Lord. To the question of the students: “What can we do without you, father?” - the elder showed them in the Alphabetical Patericon the answer of Abba Isaac to exactly the same question from his disciples. It says: “They talked about Abba Isaac - when he was close to death, the elders gathered to him and asked: what will we do without you, father? He said: you saw how I behaved before you; if you want to imitate this, keep the commandments of God, and God will send His grace and preserve this place; if you do not keep the commandments, you will not remain in this place. And we also grieved when our fathers departed from us to the Lord; but, keeping the commandments of the Lord and the testaments of the elders, we lived as if they were with us. Do the same and you will be saved." 276 This prediction of Elder Macarius - “you will not remain in this place” - seems to have primarily concerned the new monastery leader, who, due to his still little experience in spiritual life, had the imprudence after the death of Elder Macarius to somewhat deviate from his elder covenants and therefore, in a short time, under the pretext of promotion, at the will of the higher authorities, he was removed from the monastery to another monastery with his elevation to the rank of hegumen. In addition to him, some other monks also left the monastery over time. September 1st. The sick man had the consolation of seeing in his cell the God-loving elders - the rector of the monastery, Archimandrite Moses, and his brother in flesh and spirit, Abbot Anthony; talked for a long time, especially with the first one; Moreover, they gave each other mutual forgiveness and blessing. Imbued with a feeling of grief about the impending loss, Father Archimandrite expressed this feeling to many of the visitors to the monastery with humble words: “Apparently, God is punishing me for my sins, taking away from the monastery an experienced elder, and from me a spiritual friend and wise adviser.” And Abbot Anthony, who visited the elder more than once afterwards, only cried and prayed, like many others. In the monastery churches, many people of both sexes and all classes hastily arrived from different directions, benefiting from the spiritual instructions of the elder, continuously serving prayer services and, shedding hot tears, fervently prayed to the Lord for his recovery. And during the intervals of church services, they stood at the skete gates, eager to hear from those leaving them the good news about the state of the elder’s health, ready to believe every word of hope. Throughout this day, the brethren, both skete and monastery, entered the elder without restraint to receive his blessing and final instructions. On the second of September, his nieces, the nuns of the Sevsky Convent, arrived as expected by the elder. And in the afternoon, one of the elder’s devoted spiritual daughters, 277, at the first news of his illness, arrived from Moscow and brought him a precious gift from Metropolitan Philaret - an enamel Icon of the Mother of God of Vladimir and an equally precious promise to pray for him to the Lord of Hosts. Another God-loving person sent the elder her family shrine - a cross with a particle of the Life-Giving Tree of the Cross of the Lord embedded in it. It was necessary to see with what tenderness and spiritual delight the elder accepted both of these shrines and with what joyful expression he then showed to those who visited him the gift of the archpastor, deeply respected and heartily revered by him - the icon hanging on his chest along with the mentioned cross. On September 3, after the skete mass, the elder took communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, which were brought to him from the church. The next day, September 4, feeling weakened in strength, the elder received very few. Secretary of State Prince D. A. Obolensky, who purposely came with his family and Countess Protasova to inquire about his health, sent from his figurative cell through Hieromonk Leonid an icon for blessing, which the pious prince accepted with reverence, as the last blessing of the ascetic departing from this world. After Vespers, at eight o'clock, the patient wished to receive more communion and received the Holy Mysteries while sitting in an armchair. Despite his suffering situation, the elder, as a spiritual warrior of Christ, did not abandon his monastic weapon - prayer - until the end of his life. Quiet exclamations: “Mother of God! My Savior! - accompanied almost every painful breath he took. Throughout the illness of the dying man, the brethren who followed him read out for him the timely skete prayer rules, which he listened to with deep attention and tenderness. He also asked his close disciples to read some edifying articles from the works of the holy fathers, whose spiritually anointed word constituted his daily spiritual food. The last articles read for him were: The Word of St. Cassian to Leontinus the Abbot and the chapters of St. John of Carpathus 278. By the way, the elder announced to those around him that he was tired of the medicines and would no longer take them. For many years, the elder was mainly used by the district doctor Ivan Lvovich Pletner, not Orthodox, but, it seems, either a Catholic, or perhaps a Lutheran. It was necessary to give help to the patient with urinary retention, to which the elder himself did not agree at first and, only yielding to the intense requests of his close disciples around him, could not disagree with them. However, the doctor's action was unsuccessful. Meanwhile, the elder was experiencing severe pain. However, it is impossible to say positively what date it was. September 5, Monday. On the advice of the doctor, the patient was transferred from his cramped bedchamber to the adjacent reception room and, at his own request, was laid on the floor. With this, in addition to more space for those serving and being in cleaner air, the elder also brought consolation to the brethren and outside visitors: they could at least through the windows get a last look at their loving father who was passing away from life. On the night from Monday to Tuesday, the schema-monk Hilarion, an old man of about ninety years old, died in the monastery. After Matins, according to custom, a rare ringing of the large bell three times in the monastery notified the brethren of the departure into eternity of one of their midst. This dull and drawn-out ringing, suddenly heard in the silence of the night, resonated heavily in the hearts of the multitude of disciples and disciples of the elder who filled all the monastery hotels. They thought that they were hearing news of the death of their father and benefactor, and, alarmed by this thought, they fled in disorder to the monastery gates, which turned out to be locked. This confusion, however, lasted only a few minutes and was calmed by the news from the monastery that another elder had died. Sixth, Tuesday. As morning came, the old man began to have an occupation with his spirit—his former, ever-present illness, which in itself was a bad sign. After late mass, he received the Holy Mysteries of Christ. On the morning of the same day, in addition to their own, Kozelsky, two more doctors came to the patient, brought by the abbot of the Maloyaroslavets Chernoostrog Nikolaevsky Monastery, Archimandrite Nikodim, out of his own zeal for the elder, but it was already too late. It fell to their lot, having asked about the course of the illness, to only marvel at the valiant patience of the spiritual warrior of Christ, who strengthened himself with the memory of the suffering of the holy martyrs, protecting himself with the sign of the cross; He took the most bitter medicines, suffered - and remained silent, or quietly groaned and prayed together. By the evening of the same day, the patient became much worse, and therefore he wished to partake of the Holy Mysteries a second time and received communion at eight o’clock, sitting in an armchair, after which his suffering decreased somewhat. Around midnight he asked for his confessor and after a half-hour conversation with him, having received his parting permission, he asked to read the funeral service, which he listened to while sitting. Then, at the wish and request of the patient, the canon and akathist to the Mother of God were read in the evening, and during Matins the canon and akathist to the Sweetest Jesus, and it was noticed that during the reading the suffering not only decreased, but also completely stopped. The patient often turned his tearful, touching gaze to the icon of the Savior in the crown of thorns standing opposite his bed on the table, exclaiming: “Glory to Thee, my King and my God!” - then to the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, which he especially revered, saying: “Mother of God! Help me! - or, silently stretching out his hands to the Queen of heaven and earth, he prayed for a speedy resolution from bodily bonds. The suffering from the spirit's occupation continued throughout the night. The sick man, with the help of the brothers who followed him, first rose, then lay down again, then asked to be seated in a chair, but in spirit he was completely calm and quiet, like a child at his mother’s breast, expressing gratitude for the care of him with a tender fatherly look that surrounded him, then a blessing, then a silent shake of the hand and tears. Thus came the morning of the day on which the Lord deigned to win the soul of His faithful servant to Himself. September 7, Wednesday. The day of the pre-celebration of the Nativity of the Mother of God, for whom the elder, like all Orthodox ascetics, nurtured deep heartfelt faith, expressing it constantly by invoking Her all-holy name, honoring the feasts of the Mother of God, cell all-night vigils in honor of some icons of the Most Holy Theotokos and, finally, through the entire fifty-year monastic life, reading the daily canons in honor of Her and, on the appointed days, the Akathist. At six o'clock in the morning, for the last time, the elder was honored to partake of the Holy Mysteries - the Body and Blood of Christ, which this time he received from bodily exhaustion, lying down, but in full memory and with a deep feeling of tenderness. After communion, he said three times with the raising of his hands: “Glory to Thee, our God! Glory to Thee, our God! Glory to Thee, our God!” And these were his last words. Almost an hour after this, at the end of the reading of the canon on the separation of the soul from the body, on the ninth canto, the elder gave up his righteous soul in the hands of God, surrounded by a host of his close disciples and other persons devoted to him, who spent sleepless nights with him with inexhaustible sources of tears. The death of the old man was peaceful and quiet, simple and at the same time majestic, like his whole life, which faded away like the evening dawn of a bright day, leaving a deep night of sadness in the hearts of those devoted to him. Immediately after the death of the elder, according to custom, the canon established by the Holy Church on the exodus of the soul was sung, and his body was honestly hidden by the hands of his close disciples; moreover, according to the will of the deceased, the schema consecrated on the Holy Sepulcher was entrusted to him, brought to him as a gift in 1859 from the holy city of Jerusalem by Hieromonk Leonid (Kavelin), who served for some time in the Jerusalem mission. With the news of the death of the elder ascetic, his cells were filled with all sorts of people, at whose request a continuous service of requiem services began immediately, one after another, which continued both before the body of the deceased was taken out to the church, and after it was taken out. The skete church, which was the subject of his special care during the entire time of the elder’s residence in the skete, where therefore the zeal of all those who were spiritually related to the elder was primarily directed, was cleaned with special care and diligence, as on the Bright Feast. Numerous candles burned brightly, lit by visitors who came to pray for the repose of the elder’s soul. Through the smoke of incense one could see the coffin, lined with velvet through the diligence of one Christ-lover, and covered with expensive brocade through the diligence of the elder’s other spiritual children. Immediately after the body was transferred to the church, first of all, a cathedral memorial service was performed for the deceased by Abbot Anthony with six hieromonks. Then funeral services followed one another until late at night. Everyone crowded to the expensive coffin to worship the dead man who lay magnificently in it. Funeral weeping merged with funeral singing. Tears of sincere love watered the dear remains of the dear old man. It was a holiday of faith, the fulfillment in this life of the Lord’s promise to reward everyone according to his deeds. Eighth, Thursday. Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. There was a late mass in the monastery, and an early one in the monastery, after which the funeral services continued continuously both in the skete and in the monastery until the end of the day. The ninth, Friday. Celebration of the memory of Saints Godfather Joachim and Anna. There was a vigil in the monastery (on the occasion of the church holiday in the name of the holy righteous Anna), and in the skete church there was only an early cathedral liturgy with a requiem. On the same day, to the great consolation of all those who mourned the death of the elder, a letter from Moscow Metropolitan Philaret was received. It was written by the saint when the rumor about the death of the elder had not yet reached him, and served as a response to the notification of his illness received by the bishop from a God-loving person. For all admirers of the late elder, this letter was and will be an unforgettable monument to the great favor of the metropolitan towards him, who wrote: “Peace be with you from the Lord! What will someone weak in spirit say, looking at an ascetic who suffers in body but is not weak in spirit? Be patient with the Lord, father, take courage, and let your heart be strong. But, Lord, even if those who have not struggled and are worthy of rebuke are merciful, make it easier for those who have struggled for Your sake. If it is righteous for him to desire to be allowed to be with You, but also to remain in the flesh, is it not right for him to eat for the sake of many? Look upon these and grant it to them again. Otherwise, You alone know the best and bestow the most useful. Thy will be done, and to Thee be glory forever. Amen. September 7, 1860." The same mail received a letter from the physician who treated the elder (probably Pletner) to one of the skete fathers. It is all the more remarkable in its content because the writer did not belong to the Orthodox Church. Struck by the strong-willed patience of the elder’s excruciating suffering, the doctor wrote: “Only now can I say that I saw a man, spoke to a man. I don't know why I haven't seen him before; and eighteen years of acquaintance, it seems, could open their eyes. That's how hard it is to see perfection; and to achieve perfection, I thought, is not in human nature... Imagine now my position: to see a person as he should be. I feel unwell. To suddenly see a living specimen of a human being shocked me. Oh! Why didn't you open my eyes before? Now I'm suffering. Save, Lord, the life of Father Macarius for us. But the heart says, and the mind too, that such a person is a resident of another world - we are not worthy to have him. September 6, 1860, Tuesday." This letter, as the number shown shows, was written on the eve of the death of Elder Macarius. Let us not overlook the following circumstance: the former manager of the office of the Holy Synod, Peter Ivanovich Salomon (later a member of the State Council, an actual Privy Councilor) came under the spiritual leadership of the elder Hieroschemamonk Macarius two years before his death. In the spring of 1860, Pyotr Ivanovich, on special instructions from the government, was sent abroad to Palestine, where he spent the entire summer. Returning to Russia at the beginning of September, he could not have known about the elder’s illness, since this illness was unexpected and, one might say, sudden, and when leaving Optina, when saying goodbye to the elder, Peter Ivanovich left him with normal health, and therefore could not imagine anything regarding his death. “September 7 in the morning (the day and hour of the death of Elder Macarius), - said Pyotr Ivanovich, - when we were approaching Odessa on a steamship along the Black Sea, I fell into a light sleep. And suddenly I imagined something like a solemn procession: many hierarchs passed by me, and they were all in full monastic robes. But although they were dressed in robes, the feeling of my heart told me that this endless row of monks passing by me decorously, quietly, silently and at the same time majestically, was not a row of ordinary monks, but that they were all holy hierarchs. Between them I saw Father Macarius, also in a robe, and I thought with surprise: how did Father Macarius appear in the hierarchical host of holy men? This vision was so engraved in my memory that I could not forget it, although I did not understand how and why the desert hieromonk appeared in the face of the deceased holy hierarchs.” This dream became clear to Pyotr Ivanovich when he was already approaching Optina Pustyn and was thirty miles away from it. Then, with deep heartfelt sorrow, he heard about the death of his much-loved Father Macarius and that it followed at the very hour when, in a thin dream on the ship, not yet seeing the shores of his fatherland, he saw an old man passing somewhere past him in a host of deceased hierarchs. Chapter 22. Transfer of the body of Elder Macarius, who reposed in the Lord, from the monastery to the monastery and burial. Funeral meal. Sympathetic letters from the elder's admirers about his loss The body of Elder Macarius, who reposed in the Lord, was transferred from the monastery church to the monastery on September 9 at two o’clock in the afternoon. 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, Father Builder Moses 280, conciliarly, with all the skete hieromonks. The entire church and the space from it to the Holy Gate of the monastery was occupied by people who arrived in the Hermitage, mostly from afar, out of a feeling of love and zeal for the memory of their spiritual father, mentor and benefactor. Silently, 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 the 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 gate, the funeral bed was met by the abbot of the monastery, the 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 one thousand five hundred people, 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, the last litany was celebrated by the rector with the entire numerous cathedral of hieromonks present, and the coffin was taken to the church in the name of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God. Not long before this, 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. According to custom, the coffin 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 oration, 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. So September 10th came, the day of the burial of the deceased. In the morning at four o'clock the early liturgy was celebrated in the Kazan Church by Abbot Anthony in a conciliar manner; and at half past eight 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 nine o'clock the late liturgy began in the cathedral, which was celebrated by Archimandrite Moses with six hieromonks. The mass was immediately followed by the funeral service for the deceased, also performed by Archimandrite Moses. Concelebrating with him were: fourteen hieromonks, monastic and skete, including the rector of the Kaluga Tikhon Hermitage, Father Builder Moses, two archpriests, Kozelsky and Belevsky, and four village priests. The farewell to the dear deceased then lasted for a long time. Everyone wanted to give their last kiss to the one who during his life, according to the Apostle, was everything to everyone, so that everyone could be saved (1 Cor. 9:22). After the body was removed from the cathedral, a lithium was immediately performed in front of its doors, according to custom; 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, and also honored 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 similarity between them, in the spirit of the teachings of both of them, it is remarkable that both of them ended their careers in life in the seventy-second year from birth, 282 having bore the good yoke of Christ in monasticism for almost an equal number of years (forty-six and forty-five). Having served the last litia just before the burial of the body, they lowered the coffin 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 spiritual support in their lives in the elder, for the Apostle said: “Even though many are carers of Christ, but not many are 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 the Optina Hermitage as one of the workers in the stone and graveyard 283 department, worked in the grave on the day of the funeral, laying the vault of the crypt over the coffin of the deceased. The brethren, having celebrated the burial, went to dinner as usual, 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 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 was corroded. After a while 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 brethren, such as Hieromonk Melchizedek (who died in 1870), even at the beginning of his illness advised him to ask for forgiveness for his offense to the late elder 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, otherwise what will Father Macarius help me with?” 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 learned a cruel lesson of unbelief, he went to the elder’s grave, bowed several times before it, 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 Churilin completely recovered and again, as before, worked in the Optina Hermitage. I’ll hire you, albeit with a crooked finger. But let's turn to the main story. In memory of the beloved elder, Father Macarius, from his admirers, who wished to remain anonymous, a sufficient amount of money was donated to establish a meal both for the monastery brethren and for all the visitors present at his burial, for more than a thousand people. Moreover, the poor brethren were not forgotten, of whom, in addition to the mentioned number of visitors, there were up to seven hundred people. 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 twenty years, they saw him either in the hotel or at the monastery 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 Pavel 285, who subsequently said the following: “I had the responsibility to look after the entire rector’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 helpers? 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 burial of Elder Macarius, when lunch was being prepared for the brethren and visitors, the senior baker, Father Cosmas, was ordered to prepare pies. Out of great zeal for the deceased elder, Father Cosmas tried with all his might to carry out the work entrusted to him as carefully as possible, and was so tired that, aching all over in body and spirit, he 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. From this, the tired Father Cosmas, instead of fatigue and despondency, was filled with great joy. Hotel monk Dometius 287 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 something like 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 Macarius was approaching me. At first I didn’t recognize him and thought: what kind of monk is this? But then, looking into your face, he exclaimed: “Father! Forgive me for greeting you so casually in bed; I wasn’t expecting you. Forgive me!” The priest 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 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 the great benefactor of our souls! There are no tears enough to mourn this loss of ours. Soon after the death of the elder, the aforementioned skete hieromonk Leonid (Kavelin) compiled a brochure entitled: “The last days of the life of the Optina elder hieromonk Macarius.” Thanks to the diligence of one charitable person, this brochure was printed and sent to the monastery on the fortieth day of memory of the elder. 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 Hermitage expressing one common feeling - deep sorrow for the loss of the dear old man. Of these, 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. 1. Letter from Kaluga Bishop Gregory, who was in St. Petersburg on the occasion of his presence at the Holy Synod, 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 (Rev. 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 the Wilderness, I wholeheartedly 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. Saint Petersburg". 2. Letter and. A. 288 to the skete hieromonk Leonid (Kavelin): “Yesterday, on the day of the death of our blessed elder Leo (October 11), I received notification from you about the death of Father Macarius. Thank you for your notice, Your Reverence. You have something to be sad about... Father 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 how 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 289. 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 now rises for him... Thank you again, most honest Father Leonid, for your answer. Without you, I would still be in the dark about the death of Father Macarius. Although I subsequently received two notifications, it was all just rumors. I.A. – T[ikhvin]. October 12, 1860." 3. Letter from Hieromonk Juvenaly (who was later Archbishop of Vilna), who was in the Jerusalem mission, probably to the same Hieromonk 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 our holy father. His last letter to me was dated August 23, and on the 7th of September he himself passed away!... 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" 290. 4. [Below we publish the letter mentioned in the previous footnote. – Note. ed. ] “Thank you very much, with all my heart, for sending the brochure “The Last Days of the Elder, Father Macarius, Who Reposed in the Lord.” I read it with emotional tenderness, and more than once, immediately after the news of my father’s death reached me, and after reading the brochure I offered up warm, tearful prayers to him that he would be pleased to intercede for me before the Throne of the Most High, which he now faces together with the host of Angels and Saints! From this little book it is clear (which was previously known to us from other sources) that even during his life, one of the highest gifts of God’s grace shone through in the blessed old man - clairvoyance; this involuntarily makes me remember and apply to him the words of the prayer to St. Sergius: “Even if you were so holy, more holy than God, on earth, how much are you now in heaven.” So, let all of us who revered and revered our priest be comforted by the thought that we, through his mercy and benevolence towards human infirmities, have acquired in him a new warm intercessor and representative for us before the Lord, Whom, in the person of his spiritual children and admirers, he served so zealously and carefully until the end of his difficult life. P.K. St. Petersburg, November 3, 1860.” Chapter 23. Posthumous good deeds of Elder Macarius to some of his admirers through dreams: healing, consolation, encouragement, reproof “The righteous live forever,” said the Wise One (Wis. 5:15). And we believe him undoubtedly, for we see in practice that those who depart for the heavenly world, especially the ascetics of Christ who are close to us, are only separated from us in body, but remain with us in spirit. They appear to many, mainly those who had and still have love and zeal for them, and as proof of the truth of their appearance, they benefit them in one way or another. We present here several wonderful dreams of some of his admirers after the death of Elder Macarius. The Optina monk Akaki 291 was entrusted with very difficult obedience. He lived about eight versts from the monastery at the monastery dacha 292, known as “Fishing”, where, in addition to fishing, along the Zhizdra River and adjacent lakes a lot of hay was harvested through the meadows in the summer and there were stocks of up to a hundred bees. He was entrusted with overseeing all this. And since during ordinary household chores, Father Akaki himself, along with the brothers and hired workers who lived with him, bore great labors, because of this he acquired two hernias, which, from everyday inevitable stress, and at the same time from long standing at church services, when he came on holidays or for fasting at the monastery, became more and more enlarged. One in particular, as Father Akaki himself put it, sometimes came out like a fist, filling up like glass. Then he fell to the ground, unconscious from pain. His illness was known to many, especially to the elders - Father Macarius, Father Ambrose and Father Paphnutius, the monastery commander. In the year of the death of Elder Macarius, precisely in December 1860, Father Akaki, intending to prepare to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ, arrived at the monastery and settled, as usual, in the cell of his brother, monk Callistus 293, who was at that time an assistant sexton. On the very first day of the fast, Father Akaki, although he felt severe pain from hernias, nevertheless forced himself to defend the entire morning to the end. But as soon as he waited for the dismissal, the hieromonk’s exclamation at the funeral mass followed at the same hour, which, due to the zeal of the children of the late elder, was served exclusively for him throughout the year. Due to the distance of the place and household chores, Father Akaki had never had to listen to this liturgy. Now his long-standing heartfelt desire to pray during this liturgy for the repose of the soul of his beloved father and from minute to minute the intensifying pain put him in an extremely difficult position. Up to four times he tried to go to the cell of his brother, who was resting in his own place awaiting the second early liturgy as an assistant sexton, but again and again he remained in the church of God. Finally, unbearable pain forced him to retire to his cell, where his brother met him with a reproach - why did he leave the priest’s mass. When the patient explained the reason, the brother immediately gave him his bed, and he lay down on the couch. For a long time, Father Akaki, sick in body and spirit, could not calm down, finally dozed off and saw a significant dream. “It’s like I,” he later said, “was at my “Fishing.” And then the fathers came to me from the monastery - Flavian, Juvenaly, Sergius and Andrei (Glushkov). Wanting to treat them, as if I had gone out to catch fish for them, but on the road the pain from the hernia grabbed me so tightly that I fell to the ground and began to roll on the ground from great suffering. Suddenly I see Father Macarius appear, dressed in a schema, and ask me in the usual quick manner: “What are you doing?” What hurts you?“ And I, lying on the ground with my stomach up, answered: “Well, father, I went to catch fish for your skete monks to treat them; but now (you know my illness) I can’t even walk there, such terrible pain!” “Let me fly,” said the old man who appeared, “but if you can bear it, I’ll press seven times. But if you don’t die, there will never be a hernia.” - “Try it, father!” – I answered him, lying on my back. The elder grabbed me by the stomach and with his fingers began to press under my left rib. Each time he pressed, he counted: one, two, three and then up to seven. At this time, from the most severe, unbearable suffering, I rushed here and there, groaned and did not expect to stay alive - the spirit almost left me. But at the same time, I felt that my insides in my left side seemed to rise and become stronger, and in my soul I felt great joy and some kind of fear - which I completely cannot express. In grateful and joyful trepidation, I rushed to the priest and, hugging his stomach, kissed his schema, and he kissed my head. At this time, I was hit with a kind of warm steam, and I woke up. In the middle of my sleep, due to strong movements in bed from unbearable pain, I fell to the floor, and when I came to my senses, I saw that I was sitting on the floor with outstretched arms, as in the dream I held them, hugging the old man. Joy and awe filled my soul. At this time the alarm clock came to call his brother to go and be a sexton at the second early mass. My brother, getting up and seeing me already sitting on the bed, asked: “What’s wrong with you?” I told him what I saw. “Well, what about your hernia?” he continued to ask. “Feel it.” I feel and answer: “There is no pain, no trace of a hernia.” Then the bell rang for mass, and we went to church together. At the end of the service, coming to the cell, my brother asked me again: “What about the hernia?” Although I was afraid to fully believe my healing, I still said again that there was no trace of her. After lunch, when I needed to go to the dacha, my brother asked his same question, and I gave him my same answer. And now, thanking God, I still don’t feel any pain, although I still work. Before, when I had a hernia, I could hardly lift half a pound, but now neither lifting three or four pounds, nor long standing, nor fever, nor any kind of work at all let me know that I had a hernia before. About six months after my healing, my former obedient companion, the monk Father Pamva, 294, arrived at my dacha, who lived here with me for ten years and saw my suffering more than once and heard my groans. When I began to tell him the story of my healing, he could not believe it, no matter how much I convinced him. Finally, the disbelieving interlocutor decided to examine my former sore spot himself. He examined it, believed it, and immediately burst into tears of horror and surprise.” The monk Callistus mentioned in the above story, the brother of the monk Akakios, said that in September 1861 he had a very bad toothache. “For three days,” he said, “I did not have peace from them for a minute, and during that time I kept walking. Finally I see that walking doesn’t help either. Give it to me, I think I’ll pull it out. They pulled it out for me, but after that the pain intensified even more. Today (September 14), during Vespers, my teeth hurt so much that I was almost ready to die. I buried my head in the pillow, it got even worse. Then, getting up, I saw through the window - the monk Father Leonid 295 was walking past my cell. “Father,” I tell him, “for God’s sake, bring me some butter from the grave of Father Macarius, I’m dying!” Father Leonid soon brought it; and as soon as I drank this oil, the pain immediately stopped. I purposely shake my head and don’t feel any pain.” The nun of the Belevsky Women's Monastery of the Exaltation of the Cross, Mother Raisa, had a wonderful dream about the following incident. Shortly before the death of Elder Macarius, the wealthy landowner Feodor Zakharovich and his wife Alexandra Nikolaevna (later the mother of Ambrose as a monk) Klyucharyevs, by mutual agreement and with the blessing of the elder, decided to change their worldly, scattered life to a monastic one 296 . And Theodore Zakharovich entered the Optina monastery under the closest spiritual guidance of Elder Macarius, and Alexandra Nikolaevna entered a nunnery in the city of Belev, which is also located not far from the Optina Hermitage - about forty versts, in order to be able to also more often use the advice and instructions of the elder. And although Elder Macarius during his lifetime entrusted both Klyucharyovs to the spiritual leadership of Hieroschemamonk Ambrose, who was soon to replace Elder Macarius, Alexandra Nikolaevna, who had been related to Elder Macarius for two years already, became so attached to him in soul that after his death she began to grieve and be very embarrassed. Because of this, she became completely sick and spent nights without sleep. On one of her difficult sleepless nights, nun Raisa saw in a dream that she was walking through her monastery courtyard and met the late elder Macarius, dressed in a cassock, in a simple monastic cap and with a stick in his hands. He was walking somewhere hastily. Overjoyed beyond words at this unexpected meeting, mother Raisa bowed at the elder’s feet, asking for his blessing. But the elder, blessing her, said: “Now I have no time, I’m hurrying to Alexandra Nikolaevna; she is sick; I need to console her." After these words, mother Raisa woke up in great joy. She then went to early mass, and returning from church, went to visit Alexandra Nikolaevna, who, it turned out, was quite healthy and at peace in spirit. When mother Raisa told what she had seen in a dream, then Alexandra Nikolaevna, in turn, announced that although she did not see the elder in a dream, and could not see it, because from the clouds of her heart she could not sleep all night, but around the time that Raisa’s mother saw the elder in a dream, she, who was sick, felt relief from her mental illness and unaccountable heartfelt joy, and by the story of Raisa’s mother she was completely consoled and soon completely recovered. The famous Optina elder Hieroschemamonk Ambrose had such a dream around November 11, 1861. “I seem to be sitting,” the elder said, “on my bed, and opposite me, on the other side of the cell, stands Hieromonk Leonid (Kavelin) with an image of the Mother of God in his hands; The sample was about two and a half inches long. Both of us, as if waiting for something, were silent. Suddenly Father Macarius seems to come to us, place three prostrations before the icon and kiss it. Then he quickly began to examine the front corner and sort through the papers on the table, then again bowed three times and quietly, as if avoiding Father Leonid, he told me in an undertone: “Thank God!” Finally he went to the door and before leaving he added: “Yes, change your underwear.” Soon after this dream, Elder Ambrose became so ill that doctors lost hope for his recovery. For a long time, the doctor who was caring for the sick elder Ambrose tried to arouse even the slightest perspiration in him, but it was all in vain. Finally, on January 6 of the following year, 1862, the patient began to perspire so strongly that it wet not only the flannel shirt he was wearing, but even his blanket and pillow. And on this day, the above-mentioned novice of the Belevsky convent, Alexandra Nikolaevna Klyuchareva, who was now spiritually related to Elder Ambrose and was warmly disposed towards him, unusually clearly saw a dream, which she wrote down: “On the seventh day of January 1862,” she said, “I, oppressed by grief about the illness of Father Ambrose, could not sleep for a long time. Having taken a nap at about twelve o’clock at night, I see that the late priest (Father Macarius), dressed in a white robe, is greeting me. I fell at his feet in inexpressible joy and asked for his blessing. Father, as if hurrying somewhere, comes out the door from my cell and says with his usual liveliness: “We must thank God. Thank God for the healing.” When I stood in bewilderment, not knowing who exactly was healed, the priest added firmly and commandingly: “Thank you for being healed.” Although he didn’t say his name, I understood who he was talking about. After which he began to bless us, and first, it seemed to me, Father Ambrose, then me, and then the other persons present.” Alexandra Nikolaevna woke up in great joy due to the hope for a speedy recovery of her beloved spiritual father and elder Ambrose, who from that day really began to get better little by little and finally recovered. A novice of the Belevsky convent, former landowner Nadezhda Egorovna, in the fall of 1861, having visited Optina Monastery and going to her homeland, out of her faith, took sand from his grave to the late elder Macarius. During her stay on her estate in October, one of her servants suffered from severe toothache for about two months, especially at night, and therefore spent all nights without sleep. She was treated with some home remedies, but nothing helped. Compassionate for the sick woman, Nadezhda Egorovna thought about how to help her. And suddenly the thought came to her to apply the sand she had brought from Optina Hermitage to her sore cheek. She called the sick woman into her room, placed three prostrations with her in front of the holy icon of the Queen of Heaven, first anointed the sick cheek with oil from the lamp in front of the icon, and then sprinkled sand all over it. She gave the same sand to the sick woman to drink in the water. Immediately after that, the patient fell asleep, and the next day she got up completely healthy. Her toothache never returned. When the aforementioned courtyard woman, with the help of the Queen of Heaven, through the prayers of Elder Macarius, was healed of a severe toothache, then they reported to Nadezhda Egorovna that on her estate there was still a girl of about fifteen who was severely suffering from a sore throat. They gave the patient a little sand to drink in water and applied it to her throat - at the same time the girl received great relief. The former landowner and then novice of the Diveyevo community of the Nizhny Novgorod province, Maria Vasilievna Ananievskaya, shortly after the death of Elder Macarius, told the following about herself: “In the first days after the death of Father Macarius, I, with great sadness at his deprivation, suffered some terrible disease, similar to the one that the common people call hairy people. The pain was unrelenting. Neither day nor night I had no peace from her; and I have already spent several days without sleep. The recommended remedies did not help. Having been in the Optina Hermitage at that time, I was walking out of the monastery one day and thinking: let me go to the grave of Father Macarius and take some soil from it for my finger - maybe I’ll feel better. She came, first took some oil from the lamp that was burning over his grave, smeared it on her sore finger, and then, showering it with earth from the grave, tied it up and went to the hotel. Then I soon fell into a deep sleep, and in the morning I woke up completely healthy.” One of the sisters of the Vyazemsky convent in the Smolensk province, Evdokia Smirnova, suffered from severe vomiting for more than two weeks and felt pain and relaxation in all members. She turned to a doctor for help, they put a patch on her, gave her oral medications, but the disease did not subside. Exhausted from frequent vomiting, the patient said to her sister in the evening of March 6 (year unknown): “Now I won’t go to the doctor anymore - there’s no benefit.” In front of the sofa where she lay, on the wall between other images hung a portrait of the late elder Macarius. She didn't know him personally, but she had heard a lot of good things about him. With faith and inner prayer to the elder, she gazed at his portrait. In this position, she imperceptibly fell asleep so soundly that she did not hear her sister coming in and out. At this time, she saw in a dream that Father Macarius came to her with the mother abbess of their monastery. And the elder asks: “Do you know what kind of mother this is?” The patient replies: “I know, father, that this is our mother.” Elder: “So why are you lying there?” Patient: “I can’t get up - I’m vomiting a lot.” The elder crossed his lips, the patient’s chest and her entire chest and said: “There will be no vomiting, go, serve a prayer service for the Dormition of the Mother of God.” Patient: “And now I also have an akathist for Her.” Elder: “And serve the akathist, and then come to me, I’ll give you butter.” The patient, accustomed to doing everything with the blessing of her mother abbess, answered: “If mother blesses.” Elder: “He will bless. Mother will come to me herself.” With these words, the elder stood up and sang: “Rise up, O Lord my God, may Thy hand be lifted up, do not forget Thy poor ones to the end.” Having woken up, the patient no longer felt pain in her body, and she no longer vomited. And all that day she felt inexpressibly joyful and easy. Oryol province, Maloarkhangelsk district, village of Strelka, the son of a rich peasant Ivan Afanasyevich Dunaev, a twenty-four-year-old young man Ivan was mute and somewhat mentally insane for six years. Some acquaintances close to Ivan Afanasyevich advised him to go with his sick son to Optina Pustyn to see Elder Macarius, who was still alive. After repeated such proposals, the parent finally decided to take his son to Optina. In October 1860, they arrived at the monastery, but did not find the elder alive: the fortieth day had already ended for him. Having grieved a lot over their failure, they in due time came to the church of God to attend the vigil, which was served in memory of the late elder Macarius. And their zeal for the deceased elder was rewarded with the great mercy of God: in the midst of the vigil, the dumb son began to speak and received the former serenity of thoughts. This healing became known in Optina Pustyn in 1863. In the first half of February 1861, the wife of a stationmaster near the city of Orel, Anna Antonovna Zaitseva, a woman who, according to those who saw her, was intelligent, thorough and pious, came to Optina Hermitage for pilgrimage. Having stopped at the monastery hotel, she told the hotel keeper at that time, Father Alexei (Kalinkin) 297, about the following circumstance that prompted her to make this journey. “For about five years,” she said, “I suffered from a disease of relaxation throughout my body, so that I could not walk. Towards the end of 1860, my relaxation intensified, and my husband advised me to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. I didn’t agree for a long time; but my husband’s insistence forced me to give in to his demand. And then at night, on the eve of admonishing me with the Holy Mysteries, I saw the following dream: I was lying in bed, as if as usual, and two elders approached me - in front of me was an unknown man, and behind him, not far away, was the well-known Father Macarius. The unknown person addresses me with the following speech: "Why do you demand Christ to come to you? You yourself go to Christ." I answer: “How can I go when I can’t even get out of bed?” The unknown person continues: “You also go to Optina Pustyn, and on foot. Go and pray there, and you will receive healing.” “Father!” I ask. “Who are you?” Right behind you is Father Macarius - I know him; and who are you?” He says: “I am the Optina Hieroschemamonk Leonid” 298. At this time, Father Macarius, who was standing silently behind Elder Leonid, said in a sad voice: “Before (that is, during my life) they treated me to everything; but now they don’t care about me and don’t think about me." I seemed to jump out of bed and began to hastily set the table. Having served what I could, I asked him to eat. Father went up to the table, pinched off a few crumbs of bread with two fingers and put it in his mouth. I stand, bow and beg him to eat more, and he said: “I did this only for the blessing of the house.” When I woke up, I felt strengthening in all my limbs and got out of bed. After a few days I felt so healthy that, despite the winter time, I decided to go on foot on a pilgrimage to Optina Pustyn.” After staying for three days at the monastery, Mrs. Zaitseva set off on her way back. She was in such health that she did not take the horses offered to her to Orel and in the winter, with still severe frosts, she set off on foot to her place of residence, 135 miles away. In the Oryol province of Dmitrov district, the parish of the village of Ostrovsky, the village of Lubenets, eighteen-year-old peasant woman Evdokia Gryshaeva, around mid-November 1861, a year after her marriage, suffered a terrible illness. She became completely weak, and in particular her arms were completely paralyzed, so she couldn’t do anything with them. In addition, she felt a heaviness and anxious languor in her chest, and at times a strong painful sensation appeared, which she could not explain. About two months after this, she experienced more grief. On the night of January 7, 1862, Evdokia saw in a dream some ugly man who made a very unpleasant impression on her. It’s as if he tore off her headdress, which he took with him, and cut some things in front of her into pieces and said: “You won’t get rid of me now.” Then he disappeared. Waking up, she told her vision to her family, who, having searched, to their general surprise, did not find her headdress, and some things turned out to be cut into pieces. From that night on, the ugly man began to appear in Evdokia’s dreams quite often, with the same threat: “You won’t get rid of me now.” Sometimes he took away her scarves or anything else from her headdress, and cut up other things - sometimes a pillow or a shirt - on the spot. Having suffered like this for a month, the patient left the house of her husband and mother-in-law and went to live with her brother, but even there she did not find peace. The same dreams troubled her until the fifth week of Lent. At the beginning of this week, one day, in reality, someone hit her hard on the back of the head and said: “I don’t want to follow you.” The unfortunate woman fell to the floor without memory. When they lifted her up, it turned out that she had lost her tongue. For a whole week after that, Evdokia remained mute and in oblivion. A few days after this incident, Anna Evstafieva, who lived next door, came to visit her, and during the life of Elder Macarius, she sometimes visited him. Sympathizing with Gryshaeva’s plight, Evstafieva advised her to go to Optina Pustyn to pray to God, but the mute, mentally ill woman did not answer her. One night, this mute woman saw in a dream (as she herself put it) some gray-haired old man who told her: “Go where the old woman called you to pray to God, you will feel better. And I will find your things: they lie in your husband’s house, in the cage behind the eaves (that is, between the rafter log and the roof). Just don’t go after them yourself, but send someone.” The elder confirmed up to three times that she should go and pray to God, where the old woman called. And as the patient told him: “I’ll go,” her tongue immediately resolved from numbness and her mental state improved. Having woken up, she already began to talk to her family, which surprised them a lot. On the same day, Evdokia sent her sister to her husband’s house to look for the things that the old man who appeared to her in a dream told her about. Indeed, they found it in the cage: one handkerchief behind the eaves, and four handkerchiefs lay on the chest, although no one had seen them here before. After that, Gryshaeva with her mother-in-law and neighbor old woman Anna and with some others came to Holy Easter in Optina Pustyn to pray to God and bow to the grave of Elder Macarius, although the path was not short - up to two hundred miles. This peasant woman was already in full mental health, but she still felt some residual weakness in her body. During his lifetime, Elder Macarius predicted to the skete hieromonk Isaac that he would not escape the abbotship of the Optina Hermitage, although Father Isaac did not at all want this. Less than two years after the death of the elder, his prediction came true. In 1862, after the death of Archimandrite Moses, Father Isaac was indeed elected and confirmed as abbot. But since soon after the death of Elder Macarius and the abbot Archimandrite Moses, due to circumstances, the order of eldership in the Optina Hermitage could not be established as it should be, the new abbot, accustomed in life to being guided by the advice of Elder Macarius, despite the always disinclination to rule, was in great sorrow. Therefore, of course, it was not without the will of God that the grieving Father Isaac, more often than other brothers, was consoled through the appearance of Elder Macarius to him in sleepy visions. During the first forty days after the death of the elder, he had more than ten such dreams. But since all of them are in the nature of private consolations that specifically related to Father Isaac, they are not listed here. Only one is given as an example. “It was as if I was standing with the brethren,” Father Isaac said, “in the corridor of the hospital church, waiting for early mass. Not far from me stood Father Paisiy, the hieromonk, who was preparing to serve the early liturgy, and someone else who was talking to him. Suddenly, Father Macarius appears at the main doors of the church, dressed in a robe, and is walking somewhere very quickly. Surprised by such an accident, filled to the core with joy, I exclaimed: “Father is coming!” Father Paisiy also said with delight: “Oh! He is risen!” Trembling with joy, I ran to him and fell on my knees in order to receive his blessing. He blessed me several times and then greeted me according to the monastic custom - kissing me on the shoulder. I grabbed his hand and held it tightly, not letting go; and he blessed me several more times. From the excess of joy, tears flowed from me in a stream, and I could not hold them back. Then suddenly the black monastic robe on the priest changed into clean, white, and he became invisible. When I woke up, I trembled with an abundance of joy and spiritual consolation.” Optina Hermitage, the fraternal cook monk Father Sergius 299 recounted a dream he had in 1862 or 1863: “I imagined that I was entering a small but bright room, somewhat similar to the chapel over the grave of Father Macarius. There was a tomb ahead, but it seemed to me higher and larger than the one that stood there. On the right side of me, in front of the tomb, our new abbot, Father Builder Isaac, seems to be standing, very sad, and, looking at the tomb, he says: “How unhappy we are that our priest is not with us! We really need him now.” I answered: “Yes, father, I, too, would like to look at him now. After these words of mine, I see that the deceased Father Macarius is lying on top of the tomb, as if alive, and, looking at me, he says: “Come, come, look! Did you want to see me? Here I am! Come here!” At this appearance, the father builder Isaac fell on his knees before the elder and, hugging his legs, shed tears. And the priest, looking at me, continued: “Come, come here!” I approached. And he says: "Here! Kiss me! You wanted to see me." I did not dare to kiss him, but he repeated: “Kiss, kiss me! You wanted.” I kissed. And he continued: “Kiss, kiss again!” I kissed again. The elder ordered me to kiss him for the third time. I kissed him a third time. Finally, turning to the father of the builder, the elder began to say to him in a tone of reproach: “What are you all grieving about? What do you want? After all, I am with you, constantly with you. I never leave your side. What are you! And also the abbot!” Our father the builder was indeed very grieving at that time and tried with all his might to leave his position as rector. I, a sinner, much consoled by the dream that happened to me, woke up with a feeling of joy.” Dream of the Optina monk Matthew (Popov) 300: “Not very long after the death of Father Macarius,” he said, “such a misfortune happened to me through one father that I did not know what to do. I couldn’t find any consolation for myself anywhere - just lie down and die. But then one day I fell asleep and saw that I had come to the priest in his cell. He was sitting on the sofa in a white robe. His face is bright and cheerful. I wanted to go up to him to receive his blessing, but somehow I got my feet entangled in the bedding and fell right at his feet, and on the fly I hugged him. Then I say: “Forgive me, father, I got entangled in the bedding and fell.” He encouraged me and asked: “Why did you come?” I told him my grief. And he blessed me and said: “Nothing, nothing; it will pass; this will all pass.” Then I woke up, and in my soul I felt such joy that it is impossible to express. Where did the grief go? From that hour, the whole attack passed.” One state-owned peasant of the Krapivensky district of the Tula province, named Peter, who had a wife and children, who knew him briefly during the life of Elder Macarius, had a desire for an ascetic life for a long time. At one time he seriously intended to leave his wife and children in order to live a hermit’s life for the salvation of his soul. But then he saw in a dream a deceased elder who seemed to appear to him in the middle of the Optina monastery, dressed in a cassock, and on his head was a simple monastic cap. Approaching Peter, the elder took him firmly by the hand with both hands and, holding him like that, said: “Peter! Leave your intention. Feed your wife and children. It will be more useful for you. Look at your pride! (that is, so that he does not lose sight of the opinion about himself that he lived more piously than others). After this dream, day and night, the thoughts that troubled Peter disappeared like smoke, and he was already calmly leading his family life. The landowner of the city of Belev, Tula province, Colonel Kokhno, the spiritual daughter of the late elder Macarius, who suffered from a chronic illness for many years, had a commandment from him to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ as often as possible - if possible, then every month. At the end of 1861 she was particularly unwell. Constant physical illness, economic troubles and constant spiritual grief put her to bed. But she did not always fulfill the elder’s commandment, that is, she did not receive communion as often as she had been instructed to do. However, she did this not out of neglect of the elder’s commandment and not out of disrespect for the Holy Mysteries, but solely out of a misunderstanding. It seemed to her that in order to prepare for communion of the Holy Mysteries, according to the established order, she must go to the Church of God for several days for all church services. Not having the strength to do this, she received communion less frequently than the elder commanded her. Now, with the complete impossibility of going to the church of God, the sick woman, although she expressed a desire to receive communion at home, was still embarrassed. When they sent for the priest and she was already listening to the rule for Holy Communion, which the servant read to her, she suddenly sees in reality: the late elder Macarius enters her room, slowly approaches the holy icons, makes three bows from the waist in front of them and immediately leaves. Kokhno was so amazed by the unexpected joy that during this vision she could not utter a single word. By the way, this served as a sign for her that forced by necessity, apparently insufficient preparation for communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ is not shameful. Her misunderstanding and embarrassment disappeared, and she joined in with faith and spiritual joy. One young officer, who had little faith in Elder Macarius, had the following dream after his death. “It was as if I had come,” he said, “to the Church of God, where preparations were taking place for the bishop’s service, and I saw some handsome man waving to me from the altar and saying: “Go and see where Father Macarius, in whom you had little faith, is buried.” He led me into the altar, and I saw a rich gilded shrine, went up to it and bowed to the ground to the righteous man lying in it with tears of repentance for my lack of faith. "Here," the same man told me, pointing to a gilded sheet attached to the wall of the altar, "here will be the image of your elder. Today the bishop will serve, and there will be a magnification of the Monk Macarius. Tell the choir to read and sing the canon to the saint of God Macarius." The sister of the young officer who had the dream wrote to the monastery about this. The aforementioned monk Dometius said: “Somehow I felt out of sorts and was unwell. When I went to bed, I was very confused in my thoughts and was cowardly about my poor health. Having fallen asleep, I see that I am standing before Father Macarius and explaining to him my weaknesses and poor health. And he, having said a few words to my explanations for my edification and consolation, added: “But you should leave the tea on the side. This is not a monastic thing. You should leave it, you should leave it!” And I must admit, having become accustomed to sweet tea from an early age, I continued to drink sweet tea in the monastery out of weakness.” There were many more similar wonderful dreams to some of the admirers of Elder Macarius; but, in order not to prolong the words too much, we will limit ourselves to one more, last dream, which was to the Oryol merchant Ivan Mikhailovich Nemytov, who was in close spiritual communication with the Optina elders Leo and Macarius and, under their instructions, underwent high mental prayer. “I dreamed,” said Nemytov, “that I was in a garden of extraordinary beauty. All the trees and leaves on them shone as if they were silver. Two houses were visible here. Of these, one, standing on the right side, was majestic and indescribably beautiful, and such a wonderful ringing was heard from it that I shuddered with all my limbs and said to myself: “Oh, if only someone could tell me: whose chambers are these, where does this ringing come from!” Then I saw that Father Macarius came out of this wonderful house in extraordinary glory. I was very happy with him, bowed at his feet and asked: “Father! Forgive my insolence, satisfy my curiosity. I would like to know whose magnificent house this is?” Father, with his characteristic humility, answered: “God’s, God’s.” I bowed to him again and, pointing to another house, which was much inferior to the first in splendor, asked: “And who does this other house belong to?” The priest replied: “Go and ask the owner himself.” Looking back, I saw that the late Father Lev had come out of this house. I approached him, bowed to the ground and asked: “I would like, father, to know why this house is less glorious and majestic than that house?” Father Lev answered me: “The humility of Father Father Macarius surpassed my labors.” Here I already learned that the first house was Father Macarius’s; and, bowing to him again, said: “Now I have learned that this house belongs to you.” But Father Macarius again humbly answered: “God, God wills it so!” That’s how my dream ended.” More than thirty years have passed since the death of Elder Father Macarius, when his successor, Elder Ambrose, also died. When they were digging a grave for the newly deceased next to the grave of Elder Macarius, at the same time a brick fell off from the grave crypt above him. Some of the monks inserted a burning candle into the hole that was formed, and by its light they saw the coffin of Elder Macarius, not at all damaged by decay, and they did not even smell the rotten smell. This time, one monk dared to tear off a piece of gas 301 from the elder’s coffin and on the same day suffered God’s punishment: he felt pain in his hand, so that he stopped using his fingers. This lasted about three weeks, but when he served several requiem services at the elder’s grave, the illness passed. Application. From the instructions of the Optina elder Hieroschemamonk Macarius A warning to those who read the spiritual books of the Fathers and those who wish to undergo the mental Jesus Prayer 302 There were two reasons for writing this warning. The first and main reason was explained by the translator of the Fathers’ writings from Hellenic into the Slavic language, an experienced worker of prayer, the Moldavian Elder Paisius (Velichkovsky) in his letter to Elder Theodosius, Archimandrite of the Sophronius Hermitage, where he writes: “I spiritually notify Your Shrine that regarding the publication, through the printing of the Fathers’ books both in Hellenic Greek, so in the Slavic language, I am overwhelmed with joy and fear: joy - because they will no longer be consigned to final oblivion and zealots can more conveniently acquire them; fear, fear and trembling, that these (holy creations. - A.), like other books, as a thing for sale, will be offered not only to monks, but to all Orthodox Christians in general; and according to them, those who learned on their own, without the guidance of experienced ones, to do mental prayer, as if delusion did not follow; and delusion, as the cause, would not have resulted from the superstitious blasphemy against this holy and immaculate deed, attested by very many great holy fathers.” Having presented the former example of blasphemy against prayer, the elder continues: “So, as I said above, I fear and tremble, lest deceptions result for the self-initiators, and deceptions result in blasphemy, and blasphemy results in doubt in the truth of the teachings of our God-bearing fathers. Therefore, the God-bearing fathers, teaching about this prayer, consider true obedience, from which humility is born, to be its beginning and unshakable foundation; humility protects the one who strives in it from all the charms that follow self-initiators. And how will it be possible, without obedience, by self-indulgence, which will be followed by delusion, without any instruction, to be forced to do such a terrible and terrible thing, that is, such a prayer, and to avoid the many different charms of the enemy, with great cunning inflicted on this prayer and on those who labor in it? It’s completely impossible!” 303 Another reason for the warning was a manuscript by an unknown writer, which explains various prayerful actions and spiritual consolations, which were vouchsafed to the Siberian elder Basilisk 304. In this manuscript, the author wrote an indifferent conviction to undergo mental and heartfelt prayer, setting the main goal in this endeavor to be the search for high gifts and spiritual consolations, which can lead to very dangerous consequences in relation to the temptations of the enemy. Although this manuscript is still in a few hands and is known to few, it cannot be kept silent about it. It is written convincingly. The evidence is adapted from the books of the Fathers, and the dangerous side on this subject is kept silent, so that someone who does not fully know the teaching of the Holy Fathers can easily be carried away by such a conviction, and especially one who has not happened to see or hear from others about those who have been damaged mentally through such activities. In order to see the truth more clearly, let us cite the testimonies of the holy and God-bearing fathers about whether the mental practice of the Jesus Prayer is accessible to many and whether it is correct and safe to seek spiritual gifts and consolations through this practice. From the teaching of the holy fathers it is clear that those who practice the Jesus Prayer in a correct and lawful manner are sometimes granted by the Lord great spiritual gifts, the revelation of the sacraments, and various spiritual consolations, the grace of God providentially acting in the souls of humble and worthy prayer books, but very few achieve this. Saint Isaac the Syrian says: “Just as out of many thousands there is hardly one who has fulfilled the commandments and everything lawful with a small flaw and has achieved spiritual purity, so out of a thousand (who undergo mental work. – A.) is there really one person who, with great caution, can achieve pure prayer, break this limit and receive this sacrament; because many could not be worthy of pure prayer; Very few have been worthy, and those who have achieved that sacrament, which is already behind this prayer, can hardly, by the grace of God, be found from generation to generation” 305. From these words of Saint Isaac, it is clear that if, according to the presented conviction, everyone indifferently takes up mental prayer, with the goal of achieving high gifts and spiritual consolations, then many must inevitably fall into one of two extremes: either they will be caught in the enemy’s delusion by false sensations and seductive dreams, or, not receiving any success, they will be foolishly embarrassed, because high “spiritual prayer”, according to the word of Saint Isaac the Syrian, “one out of many thousands of people is honored” 306. The holy and God-bearing fathers wrote about great spiritual gifts not so that everyone would foolishly strive to receive them, but so that those who do not have them, hearing about such high gifts and revelations received by the worthy, would realize their deep weakness and great unworthiness and involuntarily bow to humility, which, more than all works and virtues, is needed for those seeking salvation. Saint Climacus writes: “Just as the poor, seeing the royal treasures, recognize their poverty even more, so the soul, reading the stories about the great virtues of the holy fathers, becomes more humble in its thoughts” (Degree 26, chapter 211). And in another place this saint says: “To be amazed at the works of the saints is a commendable thing; it is saving them to be jealous; and to suddenly want to become an imitator of their life is a reckless and impossible thing” (Degree 4, chapter 42). And Saint Isaac the Syrian says: “If you say that some fathers wrote about what spiritual purity is, and what health (of the soul is. - St. M.), and what dispassion is, and what vision is, then they did not write so that we would expect this ahead of time; for it is written that the kingdom of God will not come by waiting (Luke 17:20). And in those who had such an intention, they acquired pride and downfall. And we will bring the area of ​​the heart into order through works of repentance and a life pleasing to God; The Lord comes by itself if the place in the heart is clean and not defiled. What we seek with observance, I mean God’s lofty gifts, is rejected by the Church of God; and those who accepted this earned themselves pride and downfall. And this is not a sign that a person loves God, but an illness of the soul. And how can we strive for God’s high gifts, when the divine Paul boasts of sorrows and considers communion in the sufferings of Christ to be a high gift of God 307 (that is, patience with sorrows and suffering. - St. M.)” 308. Also in another place it is said by Saint Isaac: “Every person who, before perfect training in the first part (that is, the active. - St. M.) moves on to this second (that is, the speculative. - St. M.), attracted by its sweetness, not to mention his laziness, experiences the wrath (of God. - St. M.) for not having first killed his fish even on earth ( Col. 3:5), that is, he did not heal the weakness of his thoughts by patiently practicing the reproach of the cross, but dared in his mind to dream of the glory of the cross... Whoever’s mind is defiled by shameful passions and who hastens to fill his mind with dreamy thoughts, his mouth is stopped with punishment (that is, he is forbidden from this by punishment. - St. M.) for not He first cleansed his mind with sorrows and, not conquering carnal lusts, but relying on what the ear heard and what was written in ink, he rushed straight ahead 309 to follow a path full of darkness, when he himself was blind in his eyes. For even those whose sight is sound, being filled with light and having acquired for themselves leaders of grace, are in danger day and night, while their eyes are full of tears and they continue their service in prayer and weeping all day long, even night, because of the horrors that await them on the way, and the terrible rapids they encounter and images of the truth that turn out to be mixed with the deceptive ghosts of it. They say: “what comes from God comes by itself, but you won’t even feel it.” This is true, but only if the place (of the heart. - A.) is clean and not defiled. If the apple of your soul’s eye is unclean, then do not dare to direct your gaze to the surroundings of the sun (mental. - St. M.), so as not to lose this small ray, that is, simple faith and humility, and heartfelt confession, and small deeds within your power, and not to be cast out into the single region of spiritual beings, which is total darkness, that which is outside of God and is a semblance of hell, like the one who was not ashamed to come to the wedding in unclean clothes was overthrown" 310. Here Saint Isaac clearly showed that those who seek in prayer for sweet spiritual sensations with aspiration, and especially those who prematurely strive for spiritual vision and contemplation, fall into the delusion of the enemy and into the realm of darkness and darkness of meaning, being abandoned by the help of God and given over to the demons for reproach for their proud search for more than their measure and dignity. After the pitiful story about Malpata and Asina, seduced by the devil, Saint Isaac says: “It was not in vain that I said this here, but so that we may know reproach from demons thirsting for the destruction of the saints, and not desire the heights of intelligent living at the wrong time, otherwise we will be ridiculed by our crafty adversary: for even now I see that young men, filled with passions, fearlessly they talk nonsense and teach about the secrets of dispassion. Regarding people who are filled with passions and enter into the study of the relationship between the corporeal and the incorporeal 311 and do not differ from the sick who teach about health, one of the saints wrote: “Blessed Paul, when he learned about the disciples who despised the commandments and did not conquer the passions, but lusted after the bliss of contemplating the mysteries, which is possible after cleansing, he said to them: put off the old man of passions, and then desire to put on the new man, renewed by the knowledge of mysteries in the likeness of the Creator 312, do not desire that vision (gift) of mine and the other apostles. M.), perfect by grace, because God wills him and has mercy, but he wills him and hardens him (Rom. 9:18). For who can resist His face or resist His will? God sometimes gives freely; sometimes it requires works and purification and then sends a gift; and sometimes even after work and purification he does not give it here, but keeps it in order to bestow contemplation in his place." 313 Saint Gregory of Sinaite, a zealous teacher of mental work, writes in his chapters on silence: “Near and around beginners and self-initiated demons usually spread networks of thoughts and destructive dreams and prepare ditches of falls: since their city is still under the power of the barbarians. And there is nothing marvelous if one of them gets lost, or goes out of his mind, or accepts and accepts delusion... There is nothing marvelous in the fact that beginners make mistakes even after much labor... The memory of God, or mental prayer, is higher than all works... But those who shamelessly and boldly want to come to God and confess Him purely and are forced to acquire Him in themselves are conveniently put to death by demons, if allowed to do so. this... The Lord, who is merciful to us, seeing how quick we are to high things, often does not allow us to fall into temptation, so that everyone, realizing his own arrogance, turns to real action before he becomes a reproach and a mockery for demons and a cry for people... For it belongs to the strong and perfect to always fight with demons alone and to constantly turn the sword of the spiritual on them, which is the word of God (Eph. 6, 17); the weak and beginners use flight as a stronghold, with reverence and fear, refusing confrontation and not daring to enter into it ahead of time, and thus avoid death (mental. - St. M.)" 314. This saint also says that not everyone should and can be taught to practice prayer intelligently, as he wrote in fifteen chapters: “Those who do not keep up psalmody at all speak well, if they succeed. Such people have no need for psalmody, but must remain in silence, unceasing prayer and contemplation if they have achieved enlightenment. For they are united with God and should not tear their mind away from Him and plunge it into confusion (or into a crowd of thoughts. - St. F.)... It is not possible to teach others this rite. Obedient 315 simpletons and illiterate people - yes, because obedience for the sake of humility is capable of any virtue. This science is not taught to the disobedient, whether they are simpletons or scholars, lest they fall into delusion; for the self-righteous cannot avoid conceit, which is usually accompanied by delusion, as Saint Isaac says. Some, without thinking about the harm that will happen, teach everyone who happens to keep the memory of God through their efforts (that is, the Jesus Prayer. - St. M.) so that the mind gets used to this memory and loves it, which is impossible, especially for those who are accustomed to living according to their own rank. For, since their mind is unclean due to negligence and arrogance and is not cleansed with tears, they see shameful images of thoughts rather than prayer, while the unclean ones nesting in their hearts, being disturbed by the terrible name (of God - St. F.), grind, wanting to destroy the one who offends them” 316. Moreover, you should know that mental prayer requires a lot of attention, effort and work. Whoever wishes to go through this work in his mind, Saint Simeon the New Theologian prescribes the following: “After (establishing in the heart. - St. F.) perfect obedience, which, as we said, you should have to your spiritual father, do all your other affairs with a clear conscience, as if you were before the face of God: for without obedience it is impossible to have a clear conscience. You must keep your conscience clear in three respects: in relation to God, in relation to your spiritual father and in relation to other people, also to the things and objects of the world (everyday - St. F.). In relation to God, you have a duty to keep your conscience clear, not allowing yourself to do anything that you know does not give peace to God and is unpleasant to Him. In relation to your spiritual father, do only what he commands you, and do not allow yourself to do anything more or less than that, but walk according to his intention and according to his will. In relation to other people, you keep your conscience clear, not allowing yourself to do anything to them that you yourself hate and that you do not want them to do to you. And in relation to things, you have a duty to keep your conscience clear, always using them as they should - namely food, drink, clothing. And, in short, do this as if you were before the face of God, and in no matter do you allow yourself to be convicted and wounded by your conscience because you did not do it well.”317 Whoever has the opportunity and will to live according to this instruction of the Venerable Simeon the Theologian, he, without a doubt, with humility and hope for God’s help, can touch upon learning how to do heartfelt prayer, using at the same time other advice of the holy fathers, that is, dissolving prayer with the memory of death, the memory of a previous life and the recollection of one’s sins by sight (except for carnal ones, since remembering them is harmful. - St. M.), may he acquire and retain contrition of spirit, humility, and weeping by all means, “for we are at war with proud (ungrateful to God - St. F.) demons,” says St. Philotheus of Sinai 318. This doer must also keep in mind the true purpose of prayer, and not the one represented by the mentioned writer, that is, the search for spiritual gifts and consolations. Truly righteous ascetics did not seek gifts, but, on the contrary, some of them prayed to God that the gifts already given would be taken away from them. “If some of them,” says Saint Isaac the Syrian, “received gifts, they accepted them out of need (for the benefit of others. – A.) or because of its simplicity” 319. Saints Callistus and Ignatius write: “Do not seek before the time what will happen in due time” 320. And in another place, these saints, citing evidence from the book of Saint Isaac about the Divine manifestation in us and essential grace-filled enlightenment, warn the inexperienced with these words: “This is Jerusalem and the Kingdom of God, hidden within us, according to the word of the Lord (cf. Luke 17:21 - A.), this region is the cloud of God’s glory, into which only the pure in heart will enter to see the face of their Master... Only let him not seek the manifestation of God in himself, so as not to accept the one who truly is darkness and falsely presents himself as light” 321. What is the true purpose of prayer? Saint Cassian the Roman, in his letter to Abbot Leontin, speaking about his conversation with Abba Moses, writes that the saint sets purity of the heart as the goal of spiritual life, that is, cleansing it from passions. How is this goal achieved? With the help of keeping the commandments of God, and through this, when someone puts off the old man, that is, from the passions, he is vouchsafed pure and spiritual prayer, according to what was said by Saint Isaac the Syrian: “A man is vouchsafed to it (that is, spiritual prayer - St. M.), when by keeping the commandments of the Lord, which resist sin, both internally and externally he is freed from sin. Whoever loves these commandments and uses them according to order, it will become necessary for him to free himself from many human affairs, that is, to be stripped of the body and to be outside of it, so to speak, not by nature, but by necessity. He who leads life in the image of the Lawmaker (that is, according to His example - St. M.) and is guided by His commandments, it is impossible for sin to remain in him. Therefore, the Lord promised in the Gospel to the one who kept the commandments to create a monastery with him” 322. From Macarius of Egypt in the book “Seven Words” we read: “If someone, having no desire for prayer, forces himself only to pray in order to receive grace-filled prayer, but does not force himself to humility, love and observance of the other Lord’s commandments, then sometimes, at his request, grace-filled prayer is given to him, even partly in peace and joy; but in morals he resembles the same thing to which he was previously similar. For he does not have meekness, because he did not seek it with difficulty and did not prepare himself to be meek; does not have humility, because he did not ask or force himself to do so; does not have love for everyone, because he did not care about this and did not seek it intensely in prayer. For everyone who compels and forces himself, even against the desire of his heart, must also force himself to love, and to meekness, and to all patience and generosity, according to what is written, with joy; and in the same way one must force oneself to humiliation, to consider oneself the worst and lowest of all” (Homily 1, section 13) 323. In the same book and in the same Word it is also said that such a person is always close to falling: “If someone forces himself to pray until he accepts gifts from God, and to this, that is, to humility, love, meekness and other virtues, does not force himself and does not force himself to the same extent, then God’s grace comes to him according to his prayer and petition, for God is good and merciful to those who ask Him. gives what is asked. But without preparing and accustoming himself to the virtues listed above, he either loses grace, or accepts and falls, or does not succeed from arrogance, because he does not devote himself wholeheartedly to the commandments of the Lord. The abode, or resting place of the Spirit, is humility, love, meekness and other commandments of the Lord” (Homily 1, section 14) 324. And this saint also says: “If humility and love, simplicity and goodness are not closely united in us with prayer, then prayer itself, or better yet, the guise of prayer, can bring us very little benefit” (Homily 3, section 5) 325. The mentioned writer 326, urging people to undergo mental prayer, visually exposes the spiritual structure and way of life of only selected ascetics who have already cleansed themselves of passions, but how the spiritual struggle with passions is first carried out through prayer - he is silent about that. In the superscript to the book of St. Nilus of Sora it is said: “Put on one side the commandments of Christ, and on the other an unceasing prayer, so that you forgive us our debts. And give me the true word not to transgress a single commandment, that is, not to lust, not to be angry, not to judge, not to slander, not to lie, not to idle talk, to love enemies, to do good to those who hate, to pray for those who create misfortunes; also avoid lust, love of money, lustful thoughts, sadness, vanity and contempt 327 and simply all sins and evil thoughts. And with such a proposal, begin to learn how to do smart things; and pay attention diligently to how many times every day, looking at your promise, you will break the commandments and how many sins, passions and evil thoughts you will be wounded by.” 328 This place, firstly, shows how smart work should be coupled with keeping the commandments of God, which the mentioned writer nowhere affirmatively speaks of; but only narratively, at the end of his message, he mentions little. Secondly, it shows that the person doing the prayer does not suddenly enjoy the desired fruits, although the mentioned author promises quick success in this. From the teachings of the Holy Fathers it is clear that learning to do smart things requires a lot of not only labor and achievement, but also time. Saint John Chrysostom writes: “This matter requires not one or two days, but many years and time, feat and labor are required, until the enemy is driven out and Christ dwells” 329. The Monk Hesychius and Nicephorus the Monk, although many details are presented on how the training of smart work should first be carried out, but those who have not yet experienced it should primarily adhere to the instructions of the Monks Callistus and Ignatius, because they gradually lay out the guidance for undergoing smart work, setting ahead many preparations for this. Secondly, these saints say that the beginning of everything done according to God is life according to the commandments of the Savior, and that anyone who wants to live according to God must be directed towards fulfilling all the commandments of God, especially keeping peace with others and having love for everyone. Further they write that first of all one must choose a spiritual mentor and have complete obedience to him and cut off one’s will before him. Having exhibited signs of true obedience, they also explain that the worker of this, with the Orthodox faith, must be full of good deeds, avoid rumors and embarrassment, sadness and care, be silent and silent and thank God for everything, recognize his weakness and valiantly endure temptations, with hope in God and expectation of spiritual benefit from Him; during the changes that occur, do not despair, but with faith and patience expect a change for the better and especially plunge into the depths of humility, from the bottom of your heart considering yourself the most sinful and most indecent of all people, because humility covers many of our weaknesses and, more than other virtues, appeases God for us. These saints also advise being careful with spiritual consolations. They also wrote a chapter on Divine and feigned consolation, where they show how the crafty enemy cunningly and subtly tries to seduce with false consolations not only inexperienced, but also skilled ascetics, bowing them into some subtle sleep so that they cannot distinguish the false consolation from the true 330. The main sign of delusion is when a person mistakes false sensations of joy or consolation from the enemy for blessings or accepts false advice as true. Therefore, in order to avoid harm, these saints advise in this case to ask the one who can teach not only from Divine Scripture, but also from experienced Divine enlightenment. If there is none, then it is better not to accept consolation, but to humbly resort to God, sincerely considering yourself unworthy of such dignity and vision 331 . Although the Apostle Paul mentions joy among other fruits (Gal. 5:22), one must be very careful not to be carried away by a false sense of joy, as Saint Climacus writes about this, saying: “Reject the joy that comes with the hand of humility, as unworthy, lest, being deceived by it, you receive a wolf instead of a shepherd” (Degree 7, Chapter 57). True and unadulterated joy, as can be seen from the apostle’s very calculation of spiritual fruits, belongs to a great spiritual measure. Just as the gifts of the Holy Spirit begin from the lesser, that is, from the fear of God, and ascend gradually, so spiritual fruits begin not from the highest, but from the lowest, that is, abstinence in everything and meekness, which will be followed by living faith, all mercy towards one’s neighbor, then the kindness about which the prophet Habakkuk and Saint Isaac the Syrian speak: the pure eye cannot see evil (Hab. 1, 13; Isaac Sirin, Homily 21). Further, long-suffering in sorrows and temptations, internal and external, and peace from thoughts and all passion. Anyone who dissolves his prayer with these virtues, called fruits by the Apostle, and has achieved spiritual joy in due time, he can enjoy it worthily and righteously, being filled with humility and love, which, according to the word of the Apostle, never disappears (1 Cor. 13:8). By the way, let's talk about charm in general. St. Gregory of Sinaite writes: “If you are kindly silent, never accept the tea of ​​being with God, if you see anything sensual or spiritual, outside or inside, even if it is the image of Christ, or an Angel, or some saint, or if the light is dreamed and imprinted in the mind. The mind itself naturally has the power to dream and can easily construct ghostly images of what it desires for those who do not heed this, which is dangerous and thus causes harm to themselves. In the same way, the memory of good and bad things usually suddenly imprints images of them in the mind and leads it into daydreaming... Therefore, pay attention, lest you believe anything, being carried away by it, even if it were something good, before questioning the experienced and fully examining the matter, so as not to suffer harm, but be always dissatisfied with this, keep your mind colorless, formless and ugly. Often what was sent by God as a test for the crown turned out to be harmful to many. Our Lord wants to test our autocracy, where it is heading. But he who sees something mentally or sensually and accepts it easily without questioning the experienced, even though it is from God, is seduced or has the desire to be seduced, as he is quick to accept thoughts... God is not indignant with the one who carefully listens to himself if, for fear of deception, he does not accept what is from Him, without questioning and due testing, but even more praises him as wise... For it is no small task to comprehend the truth to be clear and pure from what is contrary to grace, because the devil has a custom, especially for beginners, to present his own charm under the guise of truth, transforming his evil into the spiritual” 332 . And Simeon the New Theologian says: “While standing on this path, those who see the light with their bodily eyes, smell incense with their sense of smell, hear voices with their ears, and the like, are deceived. Some of these became enraged and wandered from place to place in a frenzy. Others were deceived by accepting the devil, who was transformed and appeared to them in the form of an Angel of light, but they did not recognize him and remained incorrigible to the end, not wanting to hear advice from any brother. Some of these took their own lives, having been prompted to do so by the devil; others threw themselves into the abyss; others hanged themselves. And who can retell the various delights with which the devil deceives them, when they are innumerable? 333 This delusion is especially subject to those who, without cleansing themselves of passions, raise their minds to heaven and imagine heavenly goodness and the ranks of Angels and so on, as it is written by Simeon the New Theologian in the same chapter above: “When someone, standing in prayer and raising his hands, and his eyes, and his mind to heaven, holds Divine thoughts in his mind, imagines heavenly blessings, the ranks of Angels and the abodes saints and briefly collects everything heard in the Divine Scriptures into his mind and thinks about it, then during prayer, in vain to heaven, and thereby moves his soul to the lust and love of God and sometimes even brings out tears and cries (then this will be the first image of attention and prayer. - A.). But with this image (of prayer, if someone stops at it alone. - A.) it happens that little by little (the one praying like this. - A.) begins to boast in his heart, without realizing it; it seems to him that what he does is from the grace of God as a consolation to him; and he prays to God to grant him to always remain in such work. And this (that is, thinking about this form of prayer in this way) is a sign of delusion: for good is no longer good when it does not happen in a good way and as it should” 334. What does “does not happen in a good way” mean? Saint Simeon, in response, cites evidence from the book of Saint Climacus, who likens the images of attention and prayer to a ladder of four steps and says: “Others tame passions and humble themselves; others sing, that is, pray with their lips; others practice mental prayer, others ascend into contemplation. So, those who, Saint Simeon continues, undertake to ascend these steps, do not begin from the upper ones in order to descend to the lower ones, but from the lower ones they go to the upper ones - they step on the first, then on the second, then on the third and, finally, on the fourth... Firstly, you need to strive with your mind and tame your passions, secondly, practice psalmody, that is, pray with your lips, because when the passions diminish, then prayer naturally brings pleasure and sweetness even to the tongue and is considered acceptable before God, thirdly, to pray intelligently and, fourthly, to ascend into contemplation... So, whoever goes through all this in order, each in its own time, can, after his heart has been cleansed of passions, completely immerse himself in psalmody, and resist thoughts, and look to heaven with sensual eyes, when it is necessary, but with intelligent, spiritual ones, contemplate it and pray purely in truth, as it should be” 335. All these testimonies from the teachings of the holy and God-bearing fathers were written out for the benefit of our neighbors and to warn the inexperienced and weak, so that they do not recklessly and impudently strive beyond their measure to undergo mental work, so that they do not fall into the delusion of the enemy and there will be reproach to demons and crying among men, as stated above. But this was not written at all in order to deter and turn away from this work anyone who, in the mind and according to the teaching of the holy fathers, wants to go through it. We rejoice over those who can reasonably and worthily unite with the Lord through this blessed work; For those who have not achieved this and are forced to go through this work, we advise them to read the fatherly books with due attention, so that they will know the truth and the deception and deceptions of the enemy and keep themselves from undertakings beyond their measure. It is appropriate and useful for many to remember the word of Saint Isaac the Syrian, who advises using the image of prayer in accordance with the way of your life and according to the measure of your spiritual structure, saying: “Your prayer should be in accordance with your life” 336. And in another place: “It is difficult 337 to teach anything lofty to a beginner and an infant of (spiritual) age (spiritual - St. M.)” 338 . It is not in vain that the Apostle commands first to pray verbal prayer, as it is written in the Epistle to the Hebrews: therefore we offer a sacrifice of praise to God, the fruit of the lips of those who confess to His name (Heb. 13:15). Also, the Monk Peter of Damascus teaches us to first go through active prayer, explaining that contemplative prayer is bestowed after by the grace of God, not by the will of man, but by the will of God, when the heart and mind can accommodate it, as he says in the second book: “Give prayer to the one who prays (1 Samuel 2:9), that is: to the one who prays well with bodily prayer, God gives mental prayer, and to the one who carefully abides in it (grants. - St. M.) - formless and unformable, (originating. - St. M.) from the pure fear of God. And again, to the one who does this well (grants. - St. M.) - knowledge of creation and from it - admiration of the mind for theology and the good action of the future, God grants to the one who abstains from everything (Ps. 45:11) and learns in this by deed and word, and not by hearing only” 339. Lavrentiev Nativity Monastery. Information about the origin of the monastery dates back to the time of the death of Blessed Lawrence. On August 10/23, 1515, Blessed Lawrence reposed and was buried in his beloved church in honor of the Nativity of Christ. The relics have been lost. (Hereinafter, unattributed footnotes belong to the editor. Author's notes are indicated separately.) This village later belonged to Mr. Delyanov. Elder Macarius’s parent, out of his kindness, at one time gave this estate as guarantee for the debt of his friend, who did not pay the debt, and Mr. Ivanov’s estate went on sale. – Note. auto Here and below in parentheses in the text are notes from the author. Archimandrite Feofan (Nekrasov; † 08/25/1817), from 1786 the abbot of the Kaluga Laurentian Monastery, from 1800 - the Mozhaisk Luzhetsky Monastery, from 1803 - the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery in Moscow, where he died. In the calendar of 1840, which belonged to Elder Macarius, the following note was written in his hand: “On February 18, 1840, on Sunday, at nine o’clock in the afternoon, my brother, Alexey Nikolaevich Ivanov, died in Orel. Born 1789, December 8th day; the whole life was 50 years, 2 months and 10 days. He died a Christian death, in the faith and hope of resurrection and eternal life. Before his death it was reported on February 4 and 15; and in a few minutes he was given oil, and the waste document was read. Grant him, O Lord, the Kingdom of Heaven and create for him eternal memory! Paul died in 1831; one of his daughters, Varvara Pavlovna, since 1849 devoted herself to monastic life and is now in the Sevsky nunnery, called Melania in the cassock. Peter died as an infant in Karachev.” – Note. auto Andronikov (Spaso-Andronikov) monastery is a former monastery on the left bank of the Yauza River. Founded in 1357–1358 according to a vow by Saint Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow. Named in honor of the Image of the Savior Not Made by Hands and after the name of the first abbot - St. Andronik of Moscow, a disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh. In previous editions of the biography of Elder Macarius, the year of birth of Varvara Nikolaevna is indicated as 1793. But this must be a mistake, since according to the same biography, her mother, Elizaveta Alekseevna, died in 1797, and her daughter, Varvara mentioned here, remained after her for several months. – Note. auto Karachev is a city in the Bryansk region, one of the oldest Russian cities, first mentioned in the Ipatiev Chronicle in 1146. Avdotya Ivanovna Sandulova is the cousin of Elder Macarius, the daughter of Anna Mikhailovna Verevkina, his own aunt. Anna Mikhailovna owned part of the village of Shchepyatin and was very friendly with her brother Nikolai Mikhailovich Ivanov, the parent of Father Macarius. – Note. auto A cassock novice, sometimes a cassock monk - wearing a cassock. When tonsured into the ryassophore, vows are not taken; the name, according to the practice of the 19th century, often did not change. This fair was located in an open field, occupying an area of ​​about fifty dessiatines (a dessiatina - 1.45 hectares). It was surrounded on the northern, western and southern sides by a low rampart with a moat. The Moscow outpost was built on the northern side, and the Kursk outpost on the western side. The sloping eastern side of the field led to the Root Monastery in the form of a spacious square that could accommodate up to ten thousand people. In the original: “...they say: what is from God comes by itself, but you won’t even feel it. This is true, but only if the place is clean and not defiled” (St. Isaac the Syrian, Homily 2. pp. 13–14). (For the convenience of the modern reader, quotations from the Words of St. Isaac the Syrian are given according to the publication: St. Abba Isaac the Syrian's ascetic words. Sergiev Posad: Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, 1911; M., 1998.) Venerable Paisiy Velichkovsky († 1794). Memory 15/28 November. Kindly, abundantly, generously, without envy (church glory). Wallachia is a historical region located in the south of modern Romania, between the Carpathians and the Danube. Venerable Leo, Elder of Optina († 1841). Memory 11/24 October. Schemamonk Afanasy (Zakharov; † 10/17/1825). Senate Secretary - in the Russian Empire, a civil rank of the XIth class of the table of ranks. Philokalia: [collection: in 5 volumes] / trans. from Greek Saint Theophan the Recluse. M., 2004. T. V. P. 313. Philokalia. T.V.S. 313–314. In 1861, it was noted: the amount of monastery land has long been 2645 dessiatines and 154 fathoms, of which 240 dessiatines are arable, 325 dessiatines are for hay, 157 are for timber and 1640 are for wood. The rest of the dessiatines may be under inconvenient land, or there is an error here. – Note. auto Patched, embroidered (church glory). Hierodeacon Palladius (Ivanov; 1772–1861). From Ploshchanskaya Hermitage he entered Optina in 1813. Strict ascetic Venerable Abba Dorotheos Teaching 5th. And all this teaching contains excellent instructions about how to act in everything in spiritual life according to the advice of spiritually experienced elders. Everyone can learn a more detailed concept about spiritual leadership, or about eldership, from the biography of the Optina elder Leonid, in the schema of Leo, the planter of the eldership in the Optina Hermitage. Publication of Optina Pustyn. – Note. auto The Spiritual Consistory is the body of diocesan administration in the Russian Orthodox Church during the synodal period. That is, office work. Approaches (church - glorified). Those who stayed, who dwelt (Church Glorious). In the handwritten notes of Elder Macarius about the Ploshchansky monastery from 1815, it says this: “In this year, Elder Schemamonk Athanasius, of the Vladimir province of the Florishcheva Hermitage, who lived in the White Shores, came to this Hermitage and, while visiting the builder in his cell, fell from his couch and dislocated his leg, from which he suffered for more than a year.” From 1816: “In this year, at the request of Father Archimandrite Caesarius, Father Afanasy moved to the Cholny Monastery with him; there he recovered, but could no longer walk without a crutch.” From 1817: “In April, Schemamonk Afanasy moved from the Cholny Monastery to this Hermitage to live and lived in a cell with Hierodeacon Macarius Ivanov.” The difference in the notes of Elder Macarius with the given sketch of the life of Schemamonk Afanasy gives reason to think that the essay was written not by Elder Macarius, but by another person who knew Schemamonk Afanasy. – Note. auto The author of the biography made some corrections to the quoted manuscript, written simply and artlessly, which is kept in the Manuscripts Department of the Russian State Library (F. 213. K. 41. Unit 2). We are talking about Divine Hymns - a book by St. Simeon the New Theologian, written in verse. The catechumen word is a genre of Christian patristic literature, which is a brief summary of the main dogmas of Orthodoxy and intended for instruction in the faith of those wishing to receive Baptism (the so-called catechumens). Archimandrite Anthony († 1846), later Archbishop of Voronezh, Saint. Memory December 20 / January 2. The dean is an official called upon to oversee the preservation of external order and the moral behavior of the brethren of the monastery. Saint Isaac the Syrian. Word 74. – Note. auto Subsequently, Archimandrite Nikodim, rector of the Maloyaroslavets Nikolaevsky Monastery of the Kaluga diocese. He died on February 7, 1864 at the sixty-fifth year of his life. – Note. auto The canonarch is a clergyman who proclaims the voice and lines from the prayer book before singing, which the choir sings after the proclamation. Together with Father Macarius his disciple, who lived with him in the Ploshchanskaya hermitage for more than thirteen years, monk Ioannikiy, originally from the Moscow bourgeoisie, went. In 1844, already being a hieromonk, he moved from the Ploshchanskaya hermitage to Sergievskaya, which is near St. Petersburg, but from here he again returned to the Ploshchanskaya hermitage, where he died, tonsured into the schema with the name Ignatius. – Note. auto It is obvious that the elder expresses himself this way out of his deep humility, being distracted by external concerns of his position. This is described in detail in the biography of Elder Leonidas (in the schema of Leo). – Note. auto St. Akaki is an example of unquestioning obedience. See about him in “The Ladder,” Homily 4, chapter 110. – Note. auto Venerable Moses of Optina († 1862), schema-archimandrite. Memory 16/29 June. Venerable Anthony of Optina († 1865), schema-abbot. Memory 7/20 August. Constant, close (church-glory). Hegumen Geronty (Vasiliev; † 06/06/1857). Hieroschemamonk Anthony (Medvedev; † 10/10/1880). Venerable Hilarion (Ponomarev; † 1873), elder of Optina, hieroschemamonk. Memory September 18 / October 1. Collection of letters of the blessed memory of the Optina elder Hieroschemamonk Macarius: [Ch. 1–6]. [Kozelsk]: Publishing house. Kozelskaya Vvedenskaya Optina Hermitage, 1862–1863. Letters to monastics. Dept. 2: Letters to nuns. Part 4. Letter 1. – Note. auto (Next: Collection of letters of Elder Macarius.) Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Part 5. Letter 53. – Note. auto Saint Isaac the Syrian. Word 46. – Note. auto Saint Isaac the Syrian. Word 89. – Note. auto Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Part 3. Letter 65. – Note. auto Elder Hieroschemamonk Ambrose reported this. – Note. auto Father Abbot Mark, having reached the rank of hieromonk in Optina Hermitage, was for some time the abbot of the Meshchovsky St. George Monastery, and then returned to Optina Hermitage and lived here in retirement for a considerable time. He died in 1909 on March 18 at an old age. – Note. auto Hieromonk Melchizedek of the clergy, born in 1809. After completing the course at the Kaluga Seminary, he became a monk and first lived in the Meshchovsky St. George Monastery, and was for some time a teacher at a theological school. In 1842, due to some violations, by decree of the spiritual consistory, he was transferred under supervision to Optina Pustyn. He always showed special zeal for asceticism, but this zeal, according to the unknown fate of God, was repeatedly dissolved by a permissive, humbling weakness, which subjected him to many groans and sighs, to which the all-good Lord finally looked upon and granted him the rest of his days to spend in peace and depart from this life with good hope on October 22, 1870, at the age of sixty-one. – Note. auto Andrey Ivanovich Glushkov († 1866) – Maloyaroslavets landowner, later skete hierodeacon Anthony; due to a serious illness in the second half of the sixties of the 19th century, he retired to his relatives in the city of Maloyaroslavets and died there; buried in the Maloyaroslavets Nikolaevsky Monastery. – Note. auto Monk Korniliy (Avilov; † 1870). The elder not only reprimanded him, but kicked him out in anger. Schemamonk Serapion (Boldyrev; † 1873). Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Part 3. Letter 83. – Note. auto Hieroschemamonk Savvaty (Nekhoroshev; † 1895). Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Part 3. Letter 126. – Note. auto The skete’s cassock monk, an old-timer, Father Peter Ivanov, reported this. – Note. auto In other letters, Elder Macarius wrote words often repeated by his successor, Elder Ambrose: “Every good deed is either preceded or followed by temptation.” – Note. auto Difficulty, stopping breathing. In the first half of the nineteenth century, both at the Great and Sublime Litany and at the Great Entrance of the Holy Liturgy, all members of the imperial house were remembered by name. – Note. auto Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Letters to worldly persons. Letter 47. – Note. auto Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Part 3. Letters 103, 106, 135 and 155. – Note. auto Slavic Philokalia. Part IV – Note. auto Ladder. Word 26. Chapters 4 and 2. – Note. auto Saint Theophan the Recluse († 1894). Memory January 6/19; January 10/23; June 16/29. The great Optina elders-ascetics: Archimandrite Schemamonk Moses (Putilov), his brother Schema-Abbot Anthony, Hieroschemamonks Leo, the described Macarius and Ambrose - all had remarkable minds, although almost all of them did not receive sufficient school education. – Note. auto Saint Isaac the Syrian. Words 56 and 66. – Note. auto The author explains that the elder’s speech defect is associated with rapid pronunciation of words. The order at the monastery is this: on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of the first week of Lent, boiled food for the brethren is not provided in the meal, but instead, after the Lenten hours, which end at two in the afternoon, the brethren snack on whatever they want: bread, kvass, cucumbers, pickled mushrooms and, perhaps, something else, just not boiled. There is no dinner at all; and instead of this, after Vespers, the brethren eat some kind of herb like tea, for example, oregano, sage, or mostly mint with honey, and some weak ones eat a little something uncooked and have a snack. On Holy Week, after a long service with the reading of the Gospels, at two o'clock in the afternoon, due to the liturgies scheduled on these days, lunch is served, which in the first three days of the week consists of only two dishes: cabbage soup and prokhova (crumbly - editor's note) buckwheat porridge with the addition of a small amount of potatoes, and all this is certainly without butter. Dinner, as in the first week of fasting, is not allowed. There is no meal on Great Friday, but the weak in the evening are content with dry eating. – Note. auto Kanifas is a light, dense cotton fabric with a raised woven pattern. Mukhoyar - here: cotton fabric, could be mixed with wool. Dradedam is a type of light cloth, plain weave woolen fabric with pile. Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow († 1867). Memory November 16 / December 2. Venerable Joseph, Elder of Optina. Memory 9/22 May. In the summer of 1910, this administrative building under the monastery's superior, Abbot Barsanuphius, was slightly enlarged with an extension on the north side. – Note. auto In addition, there was one portrait of this ruler in watercolor, and another in miniature painting. The latter was constantly on the elder’s desk. – Note. auto Saint Philaret (Amphitheaters; † 1857), Metropolitan of Kyiv. Memory December 21 / January 3. In 1819–1825, he was the ruling bishop of the Kaluga and Borovsk diocese. Founder of the St. John the Baptist monastery of Optina Hermitage. This elder ended his ascetic life in 1853 on November 5 at a ripe old age. – Note. auto Venerable Macarius of Altai. Memory 18/31 May. Arshin is a Russian measure of length, equal to 0.71 meters. This wonderful locally revered miraculous icon, received for the blessing of Schemamonk Theodore upon his departure from the Moldavian Nyametsky monastery to Russia from Elder Paisius Velichkovsky and, after the death of Father Theodore, was inherited by Elder Leonid and then by Elder Macarius, was taken from the latter by the skete monk Ioannikios (in schema Leonid), a relative of the schemamonk Theodore, during his transition from the monastery to the Tikhon Hermitage. And although Father Ioannikiy eventually returned to live in the Optina monastery, the holy icon, at the request of Tikhon’s abbot, Abbot Gerontius, was left by him in the Tikhonova hermitage and placed in the church in the name of the Transfiguration of the Lord in a prominent place in a special icon case with an inscription. – Note. auto Wed: Matt. 18, 12–14; OK. 15, 3–7. Schemamonk Hilarion, in monasticism Ioannikiy (Rodionov; † 1860). He labored in Optina for more than forty years. Rukhlyadnaya, or rukholnaya, is a warehouse and workshop for sewing monastic clothes. A standing (or skinny) candle is a floor polycandilo with a high cylindrical base of large diameter, which is usually elegantly decorated with ornamental painting, etc. Polikandilo (Greek multi-candlestick) - here: a lamp with seven to twelve candles. The stylized image is an icon on which six sheets of gold leaf measuring 10 x 10 cm fit. Venerable Anthony (Medvedev; † 1877). Commemorated July 6/19 in the Cathedral of Radonezh Saints. At that time, the location of the Baptist Church was different, and there was no chapel in the name of St. Macarius. – Note. auto In 1899, this iconostasis was replaced by a new, incomparably better one. But only the holy icons in all three tiers remained the same. – Note. auto In 1787, “Abridged Use of Musical Singing” was published, intended for teaching singing. These days of service in the monastery were also supplemented by other circumstances, such as, for example, the days of the death of the elders Macarius, Ambrose, etc. - Note. auto Initially, the Church of the Baptist in the skete had the location of a house church, and in the back part of it there was a special room in case of the arrival of Kaluga Bishop Philaret (Amphiteatrov), the founder of the skete, who came to the skete every year and lived in this room during either the Cheese Week or the first week of Lent, which is why this room was called the bishop’s room. – Note. auto Father Flavian, later a hieromonk, was transferred to the monastery in the early 1860s to the position of treasurer, which he carefully fulfilled until his death on May 30, 1900. – Note. auto The magnificent altar cloth in the main monastery Church of the Presentation, embroidered on crimson velvet in gold and silver, and the large silver-gilded chalice with accessories are also the fruit of Elder Macarius’s love for the splendor of the House of the Lord. – Note. auto Subsequently, rector of Optina Pustyn, archimandrite. – Note. auto Prokopovich Petr Ivanovich is a Russian beekeeper, theorist and outstanding practitioner. A small artificial reservoir, a pond, and fisheries on the territory of the monastery. Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Part 3. Letters 89, 93, 95, 107 and 153. – Note. auto The bell tower was laid by craftsmen from the Maltsov plant, and the bell tower with the Holy Gates was painted by a painter from the city of Zubtsov, Tver province, Gavriil Ivanovich (surname unknown). The bells were later changed, and the largest bell was hung at one hundred pounds. – Note. auto In 1908, the skete library, located on the mentioned mezzanine, was moved to a new stone building as a safer place in case of fire. – Note. auto Subsequently, archimandrite, abbot of the Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, who died on October 22, 1894. – Note. auto This panegyric is quite befitting both the predecessor of Elder Macarius, Elder Leo, and his successor, Elder Ambrose. – Note. auto Attacks are sinful impressions or ideas that arise in the mind against a person’s will. Actually, the attitude towards the spiritual leader, consisting of unquestioning obedience to him, according to the consistent teaching of the holy ascetic fathers, should have the following qualities: it behooves a true novice to have: a) faith in his leader to such an extent that he looks at him as Christ Himself and obeys him as Christ, driving away all unbelief and doubt; b) truth, that is, to be true in deed and word and in the exact confession of thoughts; c) not to do one’s own will, for for a novice to do one’s own will is a great loss and great harm; d) do not contradict or argue at all, because contradiction and argumentativeness come from conceit - the cohabitant of unbelief and arrogance; finally, e) adhere to a perfect and pure confession of the secrets of the heart (thoughts and desires). For the ulcers declared will not come to a worse state, but will be healed, says Climacus (Russian Philokalia. Vol. V Callista and Ignatius. Ch. 15 and 14). – Note. auto Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Part 4. Letters 134 and 135. – Note. auto “Staying in a cell does not make you experienced, because you stay in it without sorrow... the enemy is preparing for you not peace, but rather confusion” (Reverend Fathers Barsanuphius the Great and John, a guide to spiritual life. M., 1998. P. 222). See: Rev. Fathers Barsanuphius the Great and John, a guide to spiritual life. Answer to question 378. – Note. auto Twenty-three letters from the Optina elder Macarius to Mrs. S.I. “Soulful reading,” 1908, March, April, May. – Note. auto Venerable Peter of Damascus. Creations. M., 2001. P. 40. True words of Elder Macarius. – Note. auto Died on March 31, 1900. He was buried in the Kazan Church. An allusion to the words of the troparion: “...and you taught the deed to despise the flesh, for it passes away” (General Menaion. Troparion of the 8th tone, to the one venerable one). Of these, eleven people died before 1860. Of those who remained alive in 1860, they were in the Optina Monastery - twenty-seven people in the monastery and eleven in the monastery, and eleven people who moved due to circumstances to other monasteries. – Note. auto The revelation of thoughts to the elders, as the aforementioned Archimandrite Leonid (Kavelin) conveyed in his time, is the pillar and foundation of the Athonite monasteries and monasteries. During my time, he said, on the Holy Mount Athos in 1859, in response to the question I asked one of the lamps of the Athonite monasticism: “What will I do to be saved?” – he asked me: “What monastery do you live in? And do you have elders and revelation of thoughts? I answered that I live in a communal monastery, in which, by the grace of God, there are elders experienced in spiritual life, and that those who pay attention to themselves go to them for the revelation of their thoughts. “So, go in peace and continue this right path and saving work,” he said, “remembering that for those who are in obedience to the elders, they answer to God, and the novice has no other fall than, having surrendered to the elder, to do his own will. And among us, brother,” he added, “whoever is saved is saved only through eldership, for there is no other shortest path to salvation than this. From obedience, humility is born, and this makes us sons of God.” This is how modern Athonite ascetics understand eldership, in accordance with the teachings of the holy fathers. And there not a single monastery will accept a monk who has voluntarily left his elder without his permission. Recently there was the following incident, which shows the common view of the eldership of the entire Mount Athos. The protate of Athos appointed a certain monk as the abbot of one of the Athos monasteries, without first asking the consent of his elder. The latter protested against this appointment in the name of his spiritual rights over his adopted son, saying: “I do not recognize him as capable of taking this place.” And the protat, without demanding any further explanations from the elder about this, immediately canceled his order. – Note. auto Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Part 3. Letters 197, 96. – Note. auto Hieroschemamonk Job (Vladimirov; † 1861). Buried in the monastery. Schemamonk Macarius (Gruzinov; † 05/05/1860). He came to Optina together with Elder Leo. Wed: I have a desire to be resolved and to be with Christ (Phil. 1:23). Hegumen Varlaam (Davydov; † 1849). Buried in the monastery. Archbishop Iuvenaliy (Polovtsev; † 04/12/1904). Died in Vilna. Moscow Gazette. 1904. No. 120. Extract from the article “Guardian of Orthodoxy in Lithuania.” – Note. auto Venerable Isaac (Antimonov; † 1894), schema-archimandrite. Memory August 22 / September 4. At the time described, the monk Isaac was a singer in the monastery, a bass, as they said at that time - an octavist. Archimandrite Leonid died in 1894 in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. With the blessing of Elder Macarius, he translated from Latin into Russian the “Teachings of the Venerable Abba Isaiah,” published by the Optina Monastery. – Note. auto Subsequently, when Elder Macarius had long passed into eternal life, and Pavel Stepanovich was already Father Plato and, it seems, a hierodeacon, one beneficent person familiar to him, close to the late Moscow Metropolitan Philaret, knowing Father Plato’s desire to enter the academy had not yet cooled down, brought this to the attention of the Metropolitan, who gave the following answer: “Let him come to me, I won’t ask him anything or examine him at all, I’ll just look at him.” But Father Plato was afraid and did not go. That was the end of his dreams of the academy. – Note. auto Both brothers, Father Moses in the rank of archimandrite and Abbot Anthony, are buried together in the church in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God near the southern wall behind the choir. Special biographies have been compiled about them, available in Optina Pustyn. – Note. auto Father Pimen’s last confessor was the monastery’s director, Father Anatoly, much younger than him and upon entering the monastery. – Note. auto Hieroschemamonk Pimen (Petr Yakovlevich Pashchenkov; † 09/01/1881), buried on the south side of the Vvedensky Cathedral. Schemamonk Karp (Alekseev; † 03/13/1866), buried between the Vvedensky and Kazan churches. Hegumen Theodosius was born in 1824, died in 1903 on October 20 in the Optina monastery, where he was buried. – Note. auto He died in 1894 on the night of January 25th. – Note. auto Reverend Anatoly (Zertsalov). Memory January 25 / February 7. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov; † 1867), Bishop of the Caucasus. Memory April 30/May 13. Archimandrite Moses (Krasilnikov; † 04.11.1895); Schema-Archimandrite Paphnutius (Osmolovsky; † 06/23/1891); Schema-Archimandrite Nicholas, monastic Nicodemus (Demoutier; † 02/07/1864). Hieroschemamonk Afanasy (Stepanov; † 1844). In the early 1800s, he was the confessor of Optina Pustyn for several years. He died in the Svensky Monastery of the Oryol diocese. The fate of this manuscript is especially remarkable. It was written halfway on white polished sheet paper, more than half by the close disciple of Elder Paisius, Schemamonk Theodore, and completed by his friend and cohabitant in the Moldavian and Russian monasteries, Schemamonk Nikolai. Then this manuscript was sent by Elder Paisius to Metropolitan Gabriel of St. Petersburg with the following handwritten signature in the preface (after the dedication): “Archimandrite Paisius Velichkovsky, a native of Poltava, labored in the translation of this Holy Ascension Nyametsky and Predtechev Sekul Moldovan-Vlachian monasteries.” After the death of Metropolitan Gabriel in 1801, it is unknown how the manuscript passed into the private hands of some dealer and was brought by him for sale to the Valaam Monastery, since a rumor reached him that the elders of spiritual life lived there, who would probably buy it at an expensive price. Thus, the book reached the hands who wrote it - schemamonk Theodore, who lived at that time on Valaam. One can imagine the joy, and at the same time the surprise of Father Theodore on the occasion of finding, especially for him, such a precious manuscript, which he did not hope not only to have, but also to ever see. The Lord, who arranged such a miraculous discovery of the manuscript, also granted the humble and wretched old man the means to return it from the hands of the dealer. This happened between 1811 and 1817. Father Theodore greatly valued the lost and so unexpectedly acquired treasure. In general, this elder loved the writings of Saint Isaac the Syrian so much that during the fierce sorrows that befell him, driven by malice and envy, being forced to repeatedly move from monastery to monastery, he took with him only this one book of Saint Isaac. After the blessed death of Elder Theodore in 1821, this book went to his beloved disciple and companion during his entire mournful life after leaving Moldavia - Hieromonk Leonid (in schema Leo). Father Leonid, during his lifetime, gave it to his disciple Schemamonk Antiochus, after whose death it passed to another disciple of Elder Leonidus, who then lived in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, monk Ioannikios (in schema Leonidus). And he gave it to the benefactress of the Kaluga Tikhonova Monastery, where he himself lived for a long time, the spiritual daughter of Elder Leonid, Elder E.T. Father Ephraim gave it to his spiritual son, monk Abraham. And he, leaving in 1858 to live on the Holy Mount Athos, brought this manuscript as a gift to the Optina elder Hieroschemamonk Macarius, who in his dying illness blessed it, together with the icon of St. Isaac the Syrian, to the aforementioned skete hieromonk (later archimandrite) Father Leonid (Kavelin); and he left it in the skete library of Optina Pustyn. – Note. auto Kireevsky Ivan Vasilievich († 1856) - Russian philosopher, publicist, literary critic, Slavophile. He made a great contribution to Optina book publishing, with the help of his wife Natalya Petrovna († 1900) and his brother Pyotr Vasilyevich († 1856). All of them are buried in Optina Pustyn. Burachek Stepan Anisimovich (1800–1877) – publicist, critic, prose writer, publisher; shipbuilder. In 1840–1845, he was the publisher of the magazine “Beacon of Modern Enlightenment and Education.” Hieromonk Philaret, in schema Theodore (Pulyashkin; † 1842), an experienced confessor, a strict ascetic. Metropolitan Philaret died in 1867 on November 19 and was buried in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. – Note. auto Archimandrite Alexander (Podgorchenkov; † 1845), famous confessor, ascetic. Abstinence (church - glorified). “Four catechetical words to the nun on the day on which she took on the angelic form.” “Catechetical teachings of our venerable and God-bearing father Theodore the Confessor, abbot of the Studian monastery, translated from Greek by Elder Paisius Velichkovsky.” In 1873, already under Elder Ambrose, “The Announcements of St. Theodore the Studite” was translated into Russian and published. They are read in the Optina skete according to the general cell morning rule, beginning with the Week of the Publican and the Pharisee and ending after Easter. – Note. auto “Reverend Fathers Barsanuphius the Great and John, a guide to spiritual life, in answers to questions from students.” Subsequently, hieromonk of the Optina monastery Clement. He died in 1878 on April 30. – Note. auto “Our Reverend Father Orsisius, Abba of Tavenisiot, teaching on the organization of monastic residence.” “The venerable and God-bearing father of our Abba Isaiah, the hermit of Egypt, spiritual and moral words.” Edition of the Holy Fathers by Andrew Gallandi (1709–1780) in Venice in fourteen volumes (Gallandi A. Bibliotheca veterum patrum. Venice, 1765–1781, 1788). The civil font was introduced in Russia by Peter I in 1708 for printing secular publications as a result of the first reform of the Russian alphabet (changes in the composition of the alphabet and simplification of the letters of the alphabet). "Our Venerable Father John, Abbot of Mount Sinai, Ladder and Word to the Shepherd." And now copies of the “Ladder”, beautifully written by the charter, are kept: one, written by the monastery monk Astion, in the skete library, and the other, written by the skete hierodeacon Sergius Trunov, in the monastery. During Lent, at church services there is a reading of a simplified Slavic translation of “The Ladder” in Optina Pustyn, both in the monastery and in the monastery. – Note. auto Archbishop Leonid (Krasnopevkov; † 1876). Metropolitan Sergius (Lyapidevsky; † 1898). In the subline of the first edition of the “Biography of Elder Macarius” it is marked: “A-b P-b, now a bishop.” It was probably Archimandrite Polycarp, who apparently lived and served for some time in the Jerusalem mission, was in close spiritual communion with the Optina elders, and later Bishop of Orlov. – Note. auto Bishop Polycarp (Radkevich; † 1867). Moscow Metropolitan Philaret. – Note. auto Hieroschemamonk John, in monasticism Isaac (Malinovsky; † 1849). Camlot is a fabric made from half-woolen or woolen yarn, made in a plain weave. Consistory passport is an identity document issued by the ecclesiastical consistory to persons of the clergy for the duration of the trip. Subsequently, the Optina rector was Archimandrite Isaac. Died on August 22, 1894. – Note. auto Hieroschemamonk Paisiy (Aksenov; † 1870). Assistant to Elder Macarius for clergy. Hieromonk Nikon (Ogievsky; † 1850). Archimandrite Meletius (Antimonov; † 1865). Since 1850, the ecclesiarch (responsible for church order) in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra has been a very important and responsible position. Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Part 3. Letter 17. – Note. auto This cross, five inches long, always stands on the holy altar in the skete wooden Church of the Baptist or in the new stone one under a glass case. – Note. auto Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Part 3. Letter 51. – Note. auto Hieromonk, later Schema-Archimandrite Paphnutius (Osmolovsky; † 1891). In Optina Monastery since 1827, since 1853 he has been the head of the monastery, since 1854 he has been the confessor of the monastery, since 1862 he has been the abbot of the Maloyaroslavets Nikolaevsky Monastery. This coachman lived in the monastery for a long time, about thirty years, if not more. His name was Nikita, and the loving old man always called him Nikitushka and, if possible, took care of the comforts of his position. Once, during a trip - it was unknown where - the elder stopped at midday at a certain inn to feed the horses, and then began to get ready for the journey. Going out to his cart, he, by the way, turning to the coachman, said affectionately: “Well, Nikitushka, are you full?” And he, half-starved, answered with disappointment: “What, father? The cabbage soup was naked.” This meant that the cabbage soup was not seasoned with oil. But there was nothing to be done. So we went on our way. Without a doubt, afterwards the elder did something to please his Nikitushka. – Note. auto Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Part 3. Letters 60, 61 and 62. – Note. auto Twenty-five copies of the book “The Reverend Fathers Barsanuphius the Great and John’s Guide to Spiritual Life,” just printed with his assistance, were sent to the Metropolitan. – Note. auto Karl Karlovich Pföl is the house doctor of the Kireyevsky family. Father Leonid is the first Optina elder, predecessor of Elder Macarius; Throughout his entire forty-four-year monastic life (with the exception of the first few years after entering the monastery), he endured persecution and great sorrows, which, however, he always endured complacently with faith in the Lord. – Note. auto That is, without the feeling of gracious actions (note by Elder Macarius). – Note. auto I am blocking (church - glory). Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Part 3. Letter 67. – Note. auto Physical infirmities - occupation of the spirit, frequent insomnia and generally weakening of bodily strength. – Note. auto “A warning to those who read the spiritual books of the Fathers and those who wish to undergo the mental Jesus Prayer.” But whether the Metropolitan had the last word about this manuscript to the elder is unknown. – Note. auto Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Part 3. Letter 104. – Note. auto The book, written in verse by the Monk Simeon the New Theologian, is therefore called verse; is in the skete library in manuscript. – Note. auto Probably cholera. – Note. auto In the Optina monastery, it has long been established that the brethren read the Psalter day and night with the remembrance of the health and repose of the names of their relatives and benefactors. – Note. auto Thought of Saint Isaac the Syrian in Homily 57. – Note. auto Hieromonk Moses, in the rank of archimandrite, died in his Tikhonova hermitage in 1895 on November 4. – Note. auto A whole volume of such letters to some of the elder’s nieces was subsequently compiled, and volume three to the nuns, which can be looked at as his diary. – Note. auto Not far, maybe a mile from the monastery, there is the well of St. Paphnutius, to which there is a procession of the cross from the monastery twice a year, on May 1, in memory of St. Paphnutius of Borovsk, and on September 14. – Note. auto Head of the hermitage and fraternal confessor in the Optina Hermitage, later abbot of the Maloyaroslavets Monastery and archimandrite. – Note. auto Nemytov, under the guidance of the Optina elders Hieroschemamonks Lev and Macarius, went through high mental prayer. Kurkin was also remarkable for his piety; and besides, through the prayers of the elders, God blessed him with temporary wealth. From a poor man he became a millionaire. – Note. auto Nemytov, a very rich man, as Elder Anatoly (Zertsalov) reports, “left all the care of trading affairs to his son, he himself paid all his attention only to cleansing the soul and heart from passions” (OR RSL. F. 214. Opt. - 298. L. 5). The main church holiday in Optina Hermitage. – Note. auto Probably Hieromonk Barsanuphius (Svetozarov), who in 1851 was moved from the monastery to the Maloyaroslavets Nikolaevsky Monastery. Antidor is a prosphora from which the Lamb is taken out at the proskomedia, crushed into pieces. Svoekoshtny monastery is a monastery that lives according to an idiorhythmic (not communal) charter, where monks can own personal property. He died in 1900 on March 31. – Note. auto That is, he taught actively, by doing. An allusion to the words of the Apostle: philosophize on things above, not on earth ( Col. 3:2 ). This blessed one is mentioned in the biography of the Optina elder Leonid, in the schema of Leo. – Note. auto Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Part 4. Letter 189. – Note. auto All the unanswered letters in the elder's dying illness, according to his will, were burned in his presence. – Note. auto Hieroschemamonk Gabriel (Spassky; † 1871). Former rector of the Cheremenets Monastery of the Petrograd Diocese, who began monastic life in Optina Hermitage under the elders Leonid and Macarius. – Note. auto Hegumen Anthony (Bochkov; † 1872) fell ill with typhus while performing religious services during an epidemic in Moscow; buried in the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery. From the Kaluga Diocesan Gazette, 1864, No. 2. – Note. auto Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Part 1. Letter 105. – Note. auto See “The Life of Elder Paisius Velichkovsky.” Publication of Optina Pustyn. P. 134. – Note. auto “To crawl into something sinful reveals human weakness, because God allowed the soul to be exposed to passions for the benefit of the soul. For He did not consider it useful to place it above the passions before rebirth. And the soul to be accessible to passions is useful for wounding the conscience; to remain in passions is bold and shameless” (quoted from the publication of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, 1911). Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Part 4. Letter 1. – Note. auto That is, the lack of peace towards accusers is the reason that prevents you from understanding your sinful dispensation. According to the instructions of the Venerable Abba Dorotheos, we should pray for those who hate and offend us like this: Save, Lord, and have mercy on Your servant, my brother or sister (name), and for the sake of the holy prayers, have mercy on me, a sinner or a sinner. – Note. auto See the Life of St. Niphon, Bishop of Cyprus (IV century). Memory December 23 / January 5. The saint struggled for several years with thoughts of unbelief. Excerpts taken from the first part of the letters of Elder Macarius to the nuns. – Note. auto The Kingdom of God will not come with observance (Luke 17:20). Collection of letters from Bishop Theophan. Vol. 4. M., 1899. P. 211. – Note. auto Probably Dmitry Vasilyevich Ladyzhensky, landowner of the Chern district of the Oryol province. Borrowed from “Home Conversation”, published by Viktor Ipatievich Askochensky. 1862. Issue. 12. March 24. – Note. auto The author of the memoirs most likely confused or deliberately changed the name or rank. During the life of Elder Leo, there was not a single hierodeacon or monk in the monastery with a name starting with the letter “K” who went to collections. This was probably the hierodeacon Hierotheus (Ivanov; † 1848) or the ryassophore monk Clement (Shchelkunov; † 1851). Wed. prayer 8, to our Lord Jesus Christ, from the sequence of prayers for the future sleep. Wed. also: Ezek. 33, 11. Work for the Lord with fear, and rejoice in Him with trembling (Ps. 2:11). That is, the Nativity fast, sometimes called Philippov, as it begins on the day of remembrance of the holy Apostle Philip. Brouillon (French) – draft. Whoever desires to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God (James 4:4). It is terrible to fall into the hands of the living God (Heb. 10:31). But can this be said about spiritual journals of the present time? Saint Theophan, the Recluse of Vyshensky, wrote in one letter back in 1876: “What has happened to our spiritual learning? Everything is stolen from the Germans. At least they would redo it... otherwise they often do it completely... and they don’t blink, but cut out the Protestant absurdities” (Soulful Reading. 1910. February. P. 212). – Note. auto Money-grubbing is greed, passion for things, rewards. The instructions given here by the elder regarding prayer rules, without a doubt, apply only to worldly people; and monastics, in addition to general Christian duties, have their own, longer, rules. – Note. auto Hierodeacon Methodius (Sklambovsky; † 1862). From the Polish gentry. Monastic regent, charterer, clerk. He was paralyzed for twenty-four years; buried near the Kazan Church. And together with Father Methodius. – Note. auto A monastery collector who had many acquaintances; subsequently a hieromonk who died in 1883, having been tonsured into the schema before his death. – Note. auto Hieroschemamonk Isaiah (Lunev), in Optina Monastery from 1842, from 1875 to 1882, abbot of the Likhvinsky Pokrovsky Good Monastery, then returned to his native monastery; buried on the south side of the Vvedensky Cathedral. Andrei Andreevich Petrovsky (T 1867), landowner of the Voronezh province, major general. From the age of eighteen in military service, he took part in eighty-five battles, including Borodino, and was awarded the orders of St. George IV degree, St. Vladimir III degree, St. Anna III degree and others. In 1840, he retired from his post as director of the Novgorod Cadet Corps. In 1858 he came to Optina. Shortly before his death, he was tonsured a monk with the same name. He was buried behind the altar of the Kazan Church. This was the title of the previous handwritten copies of this book. When Optina Pustyn, having carefully processed it, was about to publish it, the censor replaced the word “Stavrophilia” with the word “Stavrophila”. This is how it should be, he said, by the nature of the Russian language. – Note. auto Hit on the cheek (Church Glav.). Contemptuous (church glorified). Later, the inside walls of the Kazan Church were painted again, and a new iconostasis was erected. – Note. auto According to ancient folk legend, both the Optina Kozelskaya Hermitage and the Volkhov Optin Monastery were founded by one former robber, Opta, who, according to the stories of the Optina old-timer Hieroschemamonk Job, who died in the second half of the 19th century, was tonsured into the schema with the name Macarius and died and was buried in the Kozelskaya Optina Hermitage. – Note. auto The house built by the gentlemen of Kireevsky after the death of Elder Macarius, with the consent of the owners, was transported to the dacha of the Belevsky convent and placed there in memory of the elder. – Note. auto The Optina monastery was founded in the name of this saint. – Note. auto “Every person who, before perfect training in the first part, moves on to this second, attracted by its sweetness, not to mention its laziness, experiences the wrath of God” (St. Isaac the Syrian. Homily 2. p. 13). “They say: what comes from God comes by itself, but you won’t even feel it. This is true, but only if the place is clean and not defiled. If the apple of your soul’s eye is unclean, then do not dare to fix your gaze on the solar globe, lest you lose even a small ray, that is, simple faith, and humility, and heartfelt confession, and small feasible deeds, and not be cast out” (St. Isaac the Syrian, pp. 13–14). “But he who shamelessly and boldly desires to come to God and confess Him purely and is forced to acquire Him within himself will conveniently be put to death by demons, if this is allowed” (Philokalia. Vol. V. P. 217). Archimandrite Theodosius (Maslov; † 1802), rector of the Sophronievo Molchansk hermitage of the Kursk diocese. “It is scary for worldly people, who remain without obedience, even if only from just reading such books they were forced to this prayer... This prayer is called art from the art of the saints; and who can learn it without an artist, that is, without a skillful mentor?.. This prayer is for foreigners only” (quoted from the publication: Life of Paisius Velichkovsky. M., 1892. P. 216). Wed: Ref. 15:1,4. Tristats - in Egypt: three warriors who drove a war chariot. Blessed John of Carpathia A word of asceticism and very comforting to the monks who were in India. In the Slavic "Philokalia". Published by Optina Hermitage in Russian in a special sheet. – Note. auto Collection of letters of Elder Macarius. Letters to monks. Letter 2. – Note. auto Memorable tales about the asceticism of the holy fathers. P. 115. – Note. auto Natalya Petrovna Kireevskaya. These articles are in the Slavic “Philokalia”, in the 4th part. – Note. auto Schemamonk Hilarion, in monasticism Ioannikiy (Rodionov; † 09/06/1860). Hieromonk Moses (Krasilnikov), later archimandrite. In Optina since 1835. In 1858 he was transferred to Tikhonova Hermitage and appointed a builder. Died in 1895. The charter of the Konevsky monastery has long been introduced in Optina Hermitage. – Note. auto The elder and abbot of the Moldavian Nyametsky monastery Paisiy Velichkovsky also died in the seventy-second year of his difficult life. – Note. auto Dismissive (church-glory). Rasophore monk Pavel (Tulenkov; † 1872), later hieroschemamonk Porfiry. Transferred in 1863 to the cell attendants of Bishop Grigory (Mitkevich) of Kaluga and Borovsk. Rasophore monk Cosma (Pozhidaev), later Hierodeacon Kirill († 1872). Rasophore monk Dometius (Lisovsky; † 1865). One might think: Hieromonk Anthony (Bochkov), later abbot of the Cheremenets Monastery of the St. Petersburg Diocese, who began monastic life in the Optina monastery and was very close to the Optina elders and to the monastery. – Note. auto In the previous edition of the biography of Elder Macarius, four letters of sympathy were printed from his admirers about his death, but in the current edition one letter was omitted. This is because in it the prayer words addressed to the saint of God, St. Sergius of Radonezh, glorified by the Holy Church: “Even though you were so much holy than God on earth, so much now are you in heaven” - are also applied to Elder Macarius, although an ascetic, but not yet glorified. This application is incorrect. This is how the great saint, Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, looked at it in his time, that it is not appropriate for this to be so. – Note. auto This monk subsequently moved to the Root Hermitage in the Kursk province, where he received hieromonasticism and was a confessor there for a long time, and died there. – Note. auto Hieromonk Akaki (Sergeev; † 1891). The dacha is a remote monastic property. Monk Kallist (Sergeev), in 1863 moved to the Kursk Root Hermitage, where he was ordained hieromonk. Was treasurer. Died in the early 1900s. Monk Pamva (Panov; † 1891), later hieroschemamonk, confessor, remarkable ascetic. Rassophore monk Leonid (Migunov; † 1900), later hieroschemamonk Leonty, sacristan. In Optina since 1852. Schemamonk Theodore (Klyucharyov; 1810–1872), schemanun Ambrosia (Klyucharyeva; † 1881). They were buried on the south side of the Vvedensky Cathedral. Rasophore monk Alexey (Kalinkin; T 1873), later schemamonk Arefa. The predecessor of Elder Macarius. – Note. auto Rasophore monk Sergius (Boldyrev; † 1873), later schemamonk Serapion. Rassophore monk Matthew (Popov), later hieromonk Macarius. In 1862 he moved to the Kursk Root Hermitage, from there in 1868 to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. Gas, or gas (obsolete) - braid, braid, braid. Published according to the edition: A warning to those who read the spiritual books of the fathers and those who wish to undergo the mental prayer of Jesus and about humility. From the instructions of the Optina elder Hieroschemamonk Macarius. Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, 1908. The text is adapted for the convenience of the modern reader. Notes in the text belong to: A. – Schema-Archimandrite Agapit; St. M. - St. Macarius; St. F. - Saint Theophan the Recluse. This letter was published in the book: The Life and Writings of Elder Paisius Velichkovsky. 1847. pp. 265–267. – Note. Schema-archim. Agapita. Rev. Basilisk of Siberia (Gavrilov; † 1824). Memory December 29/January 11. The manuscript in question was compiled by the disciple of the Monk Basilisk, the Monk Zosima (Verkhovsky; † 1833), whose memory is October 24 / November 6. Saint Isaac the Syrian. Word 16. P. 62. Saint Isaac the Syrian. Word 21. P. 104. Wed: 2 Cor. 12, 9; Gal. 6, 14. Saint Isaac the Syrian. Word 55. P. 257. So in the Russian translation. And in Slavic: “flow straight to your face.” It seems that the thought here is: “I rushed according to my intelligence...”. – Note. Schema-archim. Agapita. Saint Isaac the Syrian. Word 2. pp. 13–14. In Slavic: “about words, corporeal and incorporeal.” – Note. Schema-archim. Agapita. Saint Isaac the Syrian. Word 55. pp. 274–275. Philokalia. T.V.S. 217. Not according to the simple custom of the so-called, but in obedience to those who are spiritual father, with the cutting off of their will and reason. – Note. St. Macaria. Philokalia. T.V.S. 225. Philokalia. T.V.S. 451. Saint Isaac the Syrian. Word 36. P. 154. Philokalia. T.V.S. 367. Saint Isaac the Syrian. Word 21. P. 105. Venerable Macarius of Egypt. Spiritual conversations. Quoted from the publication: [Sergiev Posad]: Trinity-Sergius Lavra, 1904; Klin, 2004. P. 348. Venerable Macarius of Egypt. Spiritual conversations. P. 349. This refers to the Venerable Basilisk of Siberia. Contempt, neglect, disobedience, obstinacy (church glory). The life and writings of the Moldavian elder Paisius Velichkovsky with additions... M.: Publishing house Kozelskaya Vvedenskaya Optina Hermitage, 1892. P. 120–121. The quoted text has been adapted for the convenience of the modern reader. A word to the monks in the book “Enraptured Classes.” – Note. Schema-archim. Agapita. Philokalia. T.V.S. 310,316, 351, 376. Philokalia. T.V.S. 218–219. Philokalia. T.V.S. 448. Philokalia. T.V.S. 454–455. Saint Isaac the Syrian. Word 5. P. 28. In Slavic: “there is a fierce betrayal of a certain high novice who exists to him and to a child of age.” Saint Isaac the Syrian. Word 74. P. 372. Venerable Peter of Damascus. Decree. Op. Word 24. P. 310.