Глава 8. Подробности старчествования, или учительства, старца иеромонаха Леонида в рассказах живших при нем учеников его

Above was a general view of the eldership, or teaching, of the first Optina elder, hieromonk Fr. Leonida. Now we will try to present some details, partly in the written stories of his spiritual children, and partly in the oral stories of the surviving old-time monks. Since pride and self-justification are the main roots of all evils and disorder in the human race, all the elder Fr.’s instructions were mainly directed against them. Leonid and all his techniques. The previous chapter has already shown how he humbled his closest and beloved disciple, the ascetic elder and collaborator of Hieromonk Macarius. He treated the other Optina elders in a similar way, from which even the head of the Skete, Hieromonk Anthony, was not excluded. To give a severe reprimand or to somehow shame any of the senior monks and, in general, whoever came across the occasion was a common thing for the elder mentor. - So one day the previously mentioned hieromonk came to him, and then the abbot of the Valaam monastery, who lived out his life under the elder Leonid in the Optina monastery, abbot Varlaam. It should be noted that this man was a strict ascetic, a man of prayer and a complete non-possessor, who had nothing in his cell and therefore never locked it. This time he wanted lemon, which, of course, he didn’t have. Elder Fr. Leonid, as usual, was surrounded by visitors in his cell. Fr. who came to him. The abbot, due to human weakness, was embarrassed to ask him for a lemon in front of people, and therefore said quietly: “I need to tell you a few words.” “The Elder had a small screen in his cell, behind which he took some people for secret conversations. Immediately o. Leonid stood up and took Fr.'s hand. Varlaam, leads him behind the screen, and, slightly pushing him from behind with his foot, says: “Well, go, go! You are the abbot, but what am I?...” Having opened the screen, the Elder asked: “Well, what do you say?” Father Abbot quietly: “Do you have any lemon?” The elder loudly said: “What a secret! Is there any lemon?” He makes a noise to the cell attendant: “Yasha, give him a lemon.” About the new novices, who were predominantly prone to vanity, the Elder used to say this: “He who has a voice and a hair has an extra demon” (the demon of vanity). And again: “Beginner and in the most ordinary cases everything is vain.” “Some of the novices, wanting to evade the labors of obedience, told themselves to justify themselves that during their work they were overcome by thoughts of vanity. To these the Elder answered: “Well, then? At least be vain and work.” Let us note here that the above-mentioned surprises in Fr. Leonidas and the old monks, sometimes even reprimands and reproaches, were always accepted by them complacently, and perhaps even with joy and gratitude; for the elders, who were experienced in spiritual life, understood the good purpose of the Elder’s reprimands and reproaches, in order to confirm and improve them in patience and humility. It was a different matter with beginners, still inexperienced in spiritual life. These latter did not even know how to speak out with spiritual benefit and either fell into severe embarrassment and bewilderment, or were indifferent, reproaching others and only justifying themselves in everything. The elder of all of them, Fr. Leonidas instructed and admonished, as noted above, with long-suffering and fatherly condescension. - Let's read the stories. The story of brother Alexander Medvedev, a novice of the Optina monastery, later Kiev-Pechersk hieroschemamonk Anthony “During our cohabitation with Father (Fr. Leonid), we never saw such a case when he showed compliance to anyone if he noticed in someone who came to him an inclination towards pride, vanity or any other vice covered by the guise of virtue. At this time he was adamant and implacable. But when she achieves her goal, that is, she sees an inclination towards the consciousness of her guilt and humility, then she turns into the most tender, child-loving mother. And this is what rash natures experienced most. For example, if you cut someone’s hair, you will be convinced that I, on my part, am innocent. But conscience still prompts me to explain myself to Father. You go and explain yourself. Father listens and sometimes agrees. Then you can justify yourself more freely without embarrassment. “Well, okay,” the Elder will finally say, “that means you are right, and he is wrong; that means we are even, you are now righteous, and now you have nothing to do with me; go with God, you are now saved. But leave me, for my business is to use labor and time for sinners. Go, go with your righteousness, and do not disturb us sinners.” In order to correct the matter and regain the favor of the Elder, you will begin to say something else to justify yourself: “No, Father, this is how it happened.” “So you are even more right,” the Elder will note, “go, go, because sinners are waiting outside the doors, and you are disturbing them.” You leave the Elder as if bound hand and foot. You go to your cell to calm yourself down. But no, one hour spent in a cell seems like a year. You go again to the Elder to explain this apparently innocent suffering, and this will confuse yourself even more. - And the Elder, for his part, confirms this innocence, which leads along the same road - out of the cell. This is repeated until a sincere consciousness of one’s guilt is established in the soul. You come to the Elder and do not dare turn around. Then Father turns from an unyielding judge into a tender mother. – Such excerpts happened several times to me, a sinner. But this matter is unimportant, because my uncouth nature demanded it. Father Fr. had to endure similar operations. Macarius, and Fr. John (hieroschemamonk) often. I saw how Fr. Anthony, being the head of the Skete, was subordinate to the elder Fr. Leonid is on par with others. But after these incidents, not only was there no discord between the Elder and his disciples and between the latter, but, on the contrary, the unity of spirit increased. There was another such case with me. One brother stood at the evening rule, which, as mentioned above, always went to the Elder’s cells. I had to unintentionally stand in front of this brother. He pulled me by the robe and said indignantly: “Where are you going, newbie, past the older brethren? Such a guy!” Even though I nodded my head to him and said, “Forgive me for God’s sake,” I felt feverish. - After the rule, according to custom, I remained to explain to the Elder my unintentional insolence, with which I could offend my brother, and with his reproach I myself was offended to the point of rage. And since I was an official, a cook, Father sometimes allowed such people to explain themselves before the elders. So it was now with me. After my explanation, Father, raising his voice, called that brother by his last name. - “Will you bless me?” - the take responded. - Father: “Here’s what I want to tell you: this little darling,” pointing at me, “looks like a wet crow, but he insulted you in the first place?” - “Yes, Father, he keeps pushing forward as if on purpose.” “The elder turns to me: “Do you hear, pop-eyed?” “And he strictly commands: “Ask his forgiveness, bow at his feet.” - I bow. And the Elder orders at this time to repeat after him the words: “Forgive me, future Father in ten years, new me, who entered the Skete a few months after you.” “That brother realized that the Elder was justifying me by this, fell on his knees before him and began to defend his supposed rightness. “Well?” said the Elder, “after all, your brother, as a guilty person, asked you for forgiveness, and you still remain like an innocent soul.” “Yes, Father,” the brother continued, “he didn’t explain it to you that way.” “Meanwhile, I’ve already gone to the cookhouse.” “Go, call him here,” said the Elder, “and come yourself, and you will see how I will deal with him.” He came and called: "Brother Alexander! Father is calling you." We go, and on the way he says to me: “How is it not a sin for you? You told Father about me. For this, Father got angry, so now you’ll suffer.” They arrived, and Father ordered me to repeat the explanation. I repeated. - "Well? – the Elder turns to his brother, “that’s how it was?” “Yes, yes,” the brother answers. “Well, go,” the Elder continues, “and ask your conscience, “which of you is right and which is wrong. Yes, you should know this, having recognized yourself as an old-timer. And he is a newcomer, and now bribes from him are smooth.” To shorten this story, we will only add that the discord between these two brothers dragged on somewhat. And the Elder was in no hurry to forcibly reconcile them, since he knew that only through a sincere consciousness of his guilt and self-reproach can a person acquire lasting peace of mind, as the venerable man says. Abba Dorotheos 76. And indeed, after spending some time in great confusion and having suffered greatly, both of them, through the prayers of the Elder, humbled themselves, were reconciled and forever remained sincere friends. The story of the monk of the Tikhon Hermitage of the Kaluga Diocese S. Monk S., a former student of the elder Fr. Leonida, told the following about himself: “When I lived at home, many from our village came to Optina Pustyn and, having been honored to hear from Father Fr. Leonidas' wise Christian instructions glorified him in conversations with each other. I also wanted to see Father, and if he was accepted into the monastery, then to stay with him. I found a friend from our own village, a man who knew a little literacy, but thought a lot about himself. Walking with him along the way, I often reminded him of Fr. Leonida, saying: “Will the Elder advise us something: should we go to the monastery or not?” To which my comrade answered proudly: “What is his advice? I myself can “literate.” – Finally, we come to Fr. Leonid, who greeted us jokingly and affectionately. After living for several days, we began to ask Father for his blessing so that we could stay in the monastery. But the Elder blessed me to stay, and told my friend to go to the village. “I don’t advise him,” he said, “to go to a monastery.” Offended by this, my companion began to grumble at the Elder, saying: “What an Elder he is!” I don’t advise you, brother, to listen to him." - But I, despite his proud advice, with my father’s blessing, remained in the monastery, and my friend went to the village and, not listening to the advice of the Elder, still went to the monastery. He lived in one monastery for a while, saw his weakness, how passions war and attack a lonely fighter who has no help from the spiritual advice of an experienced elder; he moved to another monastery - he hoped to find himself there the best. But our passions are with us everywhere. Finally, he left the monastery, having lost his zeal for the monastic life. Afterwards, I heard that he got married. This is what his stupid pride brought him to: “What is it, the elder? I myself know the ‘literacy’.” “Now I will talk about myself. – Every day I went to the Elder, talked about my evil thoughts and passions; but soon he lost this vigilance about his soul. At first I began to hide from the Elder the most unimportant, in my opinion, thoughts, then I lost faith in the Elder and my zeal to live in the holy monastery, and began to think about rural life and marriage. Finally, I come to the Elder with hypocritical devotion and ask him to go home for a short time. But my hypocrisy did not hide from the perspicacious Elder. With a grinning face and wagging his finger, he says: “Look, brother, aren’t you deceiving me?” “I began to justify myself: “No, Father, I’ll just see my brother and return immediately.” - Finally, the Elder said: “Go, brother, with God; you will run here when you don’t want to stay now.” – I happily left Optina Pustyn with the intention that I would never return. So I got bored with the initial tediousness about saving my soul. But the opposite of my thought happened, according to the Elder’s prediction. I came home to my village and began to do ordinary rural work. At this time, in our village, a peasant’s horse disappeared. He began to suspect the peasant, who had previously been noticed in horse stealing, and was not mistaken in his guess, but there was no clear evidence - the horse was resold from hand to hand. So he couldn’t do anything with the guilty one. “One day this peasant was driving from another village from a holiday, quite drunk; I accidentally met the thief of my horse in a copse and, in a fit of anger, rushed at him, began to beat him cruelly and killed the unfortunate man. That night I happened to be guarding the horses in the field. The next day, the villagers informed the police officer that a peasant from our village was lying on the road, killed by someone unknown. The official has arrived. The interrogations began: who was where at that time. One woman pointed out to me that at that time at night I was grazing horses in the field. They started interrogating me. I just said the words that I don’t know. But our peasants asked the chief to lock me up and starve me. They locked me in a closet and didn’t let me drink or eat anything for three days. How during these three days I repented that I had not listened to the good advice of the perspicacious Elder, and with all my heart I prayed to the Lord to save me from trouble for the prayers of the Elder, who had been deceived by me! Finally, tired of hunger, I was taken out for further interrogations. Our men offered the policeman an even more severe first torture - to heat a frying pan and put me on it, and they assured the policeman: “He will apologize if you do that.” I did not expect to endure this cruelty and decided to falsely slander myself. But for the prayers of the Elder, the Lord delivered me. The clerk says to the bailiff: “You will be held accountable for this if you do this, this is completely against state laws.” “They left me. They started interrogating others. They reached the culprit, who got his words mixed up and soon confessed to his crime. I, rejoicing at my deliverance, immediately hurried to go to Optina Pustyn. How soon Father Fr. saw me. Leonid then blessed with a loving smile and said: “Ah, Aryasina 77, he has come! How was it like visiting? Tell us.” “I told Father everything: my previous intentions not to live in the monastery, and the attack that happened at home for a crime. From then on, I was afraid to hide the slightest thought from the Elder.” “When I lived for a while in the monastery, the Elder began to send me to his village: “Go,” he said, “go home for a short time, and you will return here again.” I didn’t want to go, and I asked Father not to send me. But Father certainly ordered to go. I came to my homeland and found my brother insane from excessive drinking of wine. And the peasants of our village only wanted to send for me to the monastery the next day of my arrival, so that I could come and manage the farm in my brother’s place. What sorrow! I don't want to stay in the world. I don't know what to do. Finally, the idea came to me to go with my brother to St. Mitrophan of Voronezh. Our peasants did not prevent this. We arrived in Voronezh and sang a prayer service to the saint of God. My brother felt better. The next day they again asked to serve a prayer service; and after the prayer service the brother completely recovered his mind. I brought him home completely healthy. Everyone was surprised by this change. I was also surprised then by Father’s insight, how he foresaw and predicted both of my trips to my homeland. After this, I left my brother to live in peace, and I hastened to return to the Elder and was already approaching him with faith and filial devotion. I also noticed when I was living in a monastery: sometimes melancholy, despondency attacked me, and my thoughts cruelly fought me. You would go to Father to console yourself in your sorrows, and upon entering his cell, everything would instantly disappear, and you would suddenly feel peace and joy in your heart. Father will ask: “Why did you come?” - And you don’t even know what to say. Father will take oil from the lamp and bless him; and you will leave his cell with heartfelt joy and peace of mind.” “Then Father Fr. Leonid ordered me to go to Tikhonova hermitage. I didn’t want to part with Father, but I didn’t dare disobey him. It became harder for me to live here. There is a lot of work, but there is no one to console. The elder came here rarely. Finally, I decided to return again to Optina Pustyn. At this time Father Fr. came here. Leonid. I told him my intention. Father called me to Fr.’s cell. Meletia. Fr. was also here. Alexy 78. He ordered them to put their hands on my head and put them himself, and after reading the Trisagion, he said: “Live here and don’t go anywhere from here.” Since then I have not had any thoughts of leaving this monastery.” The story of Optina Hermitage by novice Alexei Ivanov Vasiliev, as used by the late elder Fr. Leonid “Once,” he said, “I felt coldness in myself with subtle embarrassment and reasoned with myself that this was a consequence of distraction and self-indulgence. Three days have already passed since I was not with my Elder, and I did not check my deeds, and did not reveal my thoughts. One thought told me that there was no need to go to him, because during this time you had done nothing against your conscience. The other, on the contrary, urged me to receive from him at least a blessing that could strengthen me against the wiles of the devil. And at the same time, I reasoned within myself that, in His goodness, the Lord might perhaps inform the Elder about my hidden infirmities, which, due to my youth, I do not notice; and if I receive reproof of these with fatherly instruction, then my former peace of mind may return to me. Obeying this suggestion, I forced myself to go to my mentor. When I entered his room, the Elder was busy with guests. Seeing me come in, he asked: “What do you need?” “I went up to him and knelt down, saying that I had come to ask for blessings and holy prayers. Having blessed me, he said: “Thank you.” He began to ask how I spend my time - am I doing the obedience given to me by my boss - am I painting the icons assigned to me? “To this I answered: “I am looking after your prayers, Father.” “After a pause, the Elder said: “Okay, but I heard that you also paint portraits.” These words completely confused me, because last evening I painted a portrait of one brother on my own. As a newcomer, I was not able to ask for proper forgiveness, but in my apology I said that I was “being naughty,” thinking to justify myself by this. The elder, looking at the guests, repeated this word several times: “He was naughty!” Taking me by the head and turning his face to the visitors, he said: “Here, gentlemen, this man is over 30 years old and already has a large beard; having been in a secular rank, he ruled thousands of people 79 - but here he came to the monastery to play pranks. After all, there will be good in this man! - and, sighing, he added: - Well, brother Alexei, so that you are more careful forward, make a few bows.” During these, he ordered me to say these words after him: “Although I am a proud man, I must humble myself. The Holy Apostle Paul says: insist, reprove, etc.” 80. “Therefore, with a cheerful spirit and affection, he blessed me and said: “Well, my child, now you will be at peace; go with God!” “One day I went to find out the difference in prayers, the categories of which can be seen in the Philokalia. I especially wanted to read the chapters of Callistus Katafigiot, but I doubted that the Elder would allow me to read them back in my new beginning. Therefore, I began to ask him for a book in front of many visitors, believing that he, being busy with noble persons, would not enter into a detailed question with me about reading. Beyond my expectations, Father Fr. Leonid, leaving the conversation with the guests, began to ask with special sympathy why I needed the Philokalia, and what passages I wanted to read. When I told him, he looked at me and said: “How dare you take on such high objects? Lump! 81 It’s not for you to read Callista Katafigiota, but it’s more useful to clean the dung! Remember Simon the Magus, how he, having risen high, sank low; so you too, if you don’t humble yourself, you will perish.” At that time I was on my knees before him, as if struck by thunder. Therefore, the Elder said to me: “Give me your cheeks here.” And after giving me a few light slaps in the face, he said: “Go with God!” “It happened to me to invite one brother to my place for tea. While putting the dishes on the table, I accidentally broke a tea cup. He came to the Elder to explain himself and found him sleeping on the bed. Father woke up from the rustling sound and, seeing me, said: “What do you want? Money?” - I answered: “I broke a tea cup.” - He immediately called the cell attendant and told him: “Congratulate Alexei Ivanovich - he took the city." - I did not understand why there was such a congratulation. The elder said to me: “Tell me, perhaps, when will you correct yourself? What kind of good can we expect from you? In the world you were a scoundrel and now you live without correction. If you had the fear of God, then you would humble yourself, and this would not have happened to you. Apparently, you were distracted, not remembering yourself, and that’s why you broke it. And what’s worse is that you came to the Elder with a proud spirit: I broke the cup. If you were a good person, you would have come with humility, saying: Father, forgive me, I accidentally broke the cup, how did you bless? Get out!” “When I approached the door, he sighed and graciously said in a gentle tone: ‘Alexey Ivanovich! Come back, I hope that you will make a start for correction and will be more humble in the future.’ And he ordered the cell attendant to give me a ruble.”82 The same brother assured that it never happened to him to leave the Elder embarrassed, but always strengthened and consoled. When he appeared dejected by some kind of sorrow, then Fr. Leonid, noticing the newcomer, greeted him with inexplicable fatherly love and, after listening to his deeds and thoughts, laid his hands on him, and sometimes, jokingly taking him by the head, pressed him to himself during the prayer he said, and thereby brought peace and consolation into the soul of the sufferer. Story by Alexander Smirnov “In the first year of my entry into the monastery, I once came with a troubled spirit to my spiritual father, the elder Fr. Leonida told him, crying, that the arrival of my mother and sister embarrassed me. Father, thinking that I was being overcome by the weakness of my carnal love for my parent and was already regretting separation from her, became so jealous of God and annoyed that, hitting me hard on the cheek, he said: “Have you chosen love for your mother over love for God? And is this how you pay Him for taking you out of the world, weak-hearted?!” Although I was not aware of my passion for my relatives, I rejoiced in spirit, seeing from the action of my father my spiritual true leader towards God, whom he apparently loved above all else, towards whom, of course, he also taught me to walk without going astray. Then, after some time, I stood in Father’s hallway and for a long time could not be allowed to see him because of the many wanderers who had come from distant places, with whom he was engaged. Having no patience, as a beginner and inexperienced, I began to get bored and finally grumble at my Elder. When his cell attendant came to me without closing the door behind him, then I said with annoyance, so that the Elder could hear the words that were most insulting to him, namely: “Father tends strange sheep, but his own are hungry.” From these words of mine, his cell officer became angry and reprimanded me for my insolence and impatience. Father, on the contrary, meekly and affectionately said to me: “Oh, Sasha, Sasha! Are you embarrassed? Yasha, give him some tea.” Then, turning to me, he continued: “Well, Alexander, have you calmed down? Well, aren’t you ashamed to worry about the fact that I accept others too. After all, you want to receive spiritual food from me, but don’t others want the same? You are always with me, and these, who annoyed you, came from distant countries to see me, reveal their needs to me and receive consolation from me, and should I not allow them to come to me? And is it good for us to love only ourselves? On the contrary, God wants us to love others and to all, like Him, to desire to be saved.“ Such truth of his words and meekness softened my heart, and with tears I asked him for forgiveness and felt completely his kindness both on this occasion and during my stay with him. Comparing this act of his with the first, I began to understand even better about my Elder; for for the personal insult made to him he did not show a trace of displeasure either in face or in word, but for preferring worldly spiritual love, or love for God, he became angry and could not leave me for this without punishment.” Stories of other Optina brothers “While still a novice,” said Hieroschemamonk Theodotos 83, “one day, kneeling with others before the elder Fr. Leonid, I got carried away with my thoughts and began to think that such and such a monk, who understood the economic part well, would be suitable to become an abbot. I had just thought this, when suddenly the Elder hit me quite hard on the cheek with the words: “You’re minding your own business! You don’t know what kind of person this is.” It should be noted that the monk about whom Father Theodotus thought so, subsequently left Optina Hermitage, changed many monasteries, but still did not become an abbot.” “One day I entered the elder Fr. Leonid, the young novice John, bowed at his feet and stood before him in a very humble position. The elder, looking at him and shaking his finger, said: “Oh, Vanyushka, you are not humbled before the good.” These words, containing a foreshadowing, at the same time could serve as a warning for John if he wanted to understand them. But as he ignored the words of the Elder without attention, the very next day he fell into an offense indecent to the monastic rank.” “The new brother insulted the old monk, and both came to complain to Fr. Leonid. It was obvious to everyone that the newcomer was entirely to blame. But the Elder did not think so. “Aren’t you ashamed to be equal to the newcomer?” he said sternly to the old monk, “he has just come from the world, his hair has not yet grown back, and you can’t strictly discipline him if he says something wrong. And you have been living in a monastery for how many years and have not learned to listen to yourself!” So they left. The newcomer triumphed, considering himself completely justified. But soon after this, this brother came alone to Fr. Leonid. The elder took him by the hand and said: “What are you doing, brother? You just came from the world, your hair has not yet grown back, and you are already insulting old monks!” The unexpected admonition had a strong effect on his brother, and he began to ask for forgiveness. “God will forgive,” said the Elder, “just be careful, brother, correct yourself, otherwise your case will be bad.” “At first, after I entered the monastery,” said Monk N., “I was excessively jealous of monastic deeds. It happened that after Matins others would go to rest, and at that time I would do something according to my obedience and then, already tired, I would lie down for a short rest, mentally worrying about how I would not oversleep, but would be in time for the very beginning of early mass. Someone started waking me up. At the first ring of the bell, it was as if someone was saying a prayer at my door. I get up and look - no one is there. The next day again. They had just announced the announcement for mass, and someone’s voice seemed to be reading a prayer. I thought about our monk Fr. I. I go out, and there is no one. I explained all this to the elder Fr. Leonid. “What do you think,” he asked me, “who is it that wakes you up?” “I think, Father,” I answered, “isn’t it an Angel?” “With horns,” the Elder objected, “we’ll see what happens next.” “The next day no one woke me up, and I slept through the service. The next day and the third I slept again. So both of us were ashamed, both my unknown alarmist and I, the trusting zealot.” “I once came to Fr. Leonidas, his spiritual son, was devoted to him, and after sitting in his cell the whole evening, he then asked the Elder: “I saw how the brethren came to you, and how you received them. One brother came first, but he waited for everyone and approached you last. Others, having arrived, waited a little, then came up to you and explained what they needed. Some did not want to wait at all, and as soon as they arrived, they immediately climbed forward, asking you to accept them immediately. Is there any difference in that?” - The elder answered: “There is a difference, and a big difference. He who, having come to me, does not at all want to wait and climbs ahead of everyone, cannot retain in his memory for long what I tell him. Another time he asks and again forgets. And who, having come to explain his needs, waits for others with patience and humility and prefers them to himself, every word he hears will be firmly imprinted in his heart, and he will remember his whole life.” what was once told to him." The story of the skete ryasophore monk Peter (Ivanov) 84 “In the days of the elder Fr. Leonidas had one brother, who often expressed to him a strong desire for martyrdom. The elder repeatedly admonished him to abandon this thought, that it was unsafe to spontaneously fall into great temptations. But when he saw inflexibility in his brother, he did this: in the dead of winter, a stormy night, he calls to himself his brother who wanted martyrdom and sends him to go for some business, it seems, from the Skete to the monastery. But since the monastery and the monastery are located among a dense, huge forest, the brother begins to refuse because it is scary to go through the forest in such terrible bad weather, and even at night. - "Unfortunate! - said the Elder, - you desired martyrdom, and perhaps the Lord was already preparing a crown of martyrdom for you, because, by the will of God, in response to your desire, wolves could tear your body to pieces. And believe that this would be counted towards you as martyrdom, because you would have gone to the monastery for holy obedience. " This brother felt ashamed and bitter, who from then on never dared to remind the Elder of your desire for martyrdom.” The story of the former Optina hieromonk Fr. Moses 85 “There was one brother in Optina who often bothered the elder Fr. Leonid to allow him to wear chains. The elder, who himself removed chains from many people, for a long time did not agree with his brother’s wishes, always explaining to him that salvation did not lie in chains. Finally, wanting to teach his brother a lesson by doing this, he called the monastery blacksmith and told him this: “When such and such a brother comes to you and asks you to make chains for him, give him a good slap in the face.” “After a short time, in response to his brother’s persistent request, the Elder said: ‘Well, go to the blacksmith, ask him to make you chains.’ The brother joyfully runs into the forge, calls the blacksmith by name and says: ‘Father has blessed you to make chains for me.’ “The blacksmith, busy at this time, said quickly, “What kind of chains do you want?” - how to slap him in the face. The impatient brother, for his part, also responded with a slap in the face, and immediately both went to the Elder for trial. The blacksmith, of course, had nothing to do with it. And the brother who wanted to wear chains received a good lecture from the Elder, something like this: “Where are you going to wear chains when you couldn’t stand even one slap in the face!” Three stories of the Optina elder Hieroschemamonk Ambrose and together with other old-timer monks “The aforementioned disciple of the elder Fr. lived in the Skete. Leonida the schema-monk Fr. Diomede. He was already in his old age, led a strict monastic life and, as the old-time monks said, had a desire to teach people, but did not have spiritual experience and the art of senility; As a result, there were big blunders on his part in dealing with visitors. For example, a visitor burdened with sins will come to him, as to an old man, in order to open his life to him and receive from him good advice for correcting it. But oh. Diomede, having listened to the revelation, will begin to speak to him in horror in this tone and manner: “Oh! How dare you do this and that? Yes, there is no salvation for you. You will end up in tartar for eternal torment, and you will never be released from there.” As a result of this, the visitor became so embarrassed that he fell into complete despair. But one of the monks will direct him to the elder Fr. Leonid. Having learned what the matter is, the Elder will begin to exhort him not to despair at all, that the Lord came to earth not for the sake of the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance, that there is no limit to His mercy, and so on. Thus, it would take a month for the Elder to convince and persuade someone who had fallen into despair until, with the help of God, he aroused in him the hope of salvation. Similar cases were repeated several times. Tired of the Elder Fr. Diomede. I had to teach him a lesson. – It was mentioned above that in the Skete, under Elder Leonid, the brethren did not have samovars in their cells and everyone gathered to drink tea at the Elder’s only on Saturdays and Sundays, and on the twelve holidays. It happened on one great holiday, in the winter, and the skits gathered in the Elder’s cell for tea. Seeing that Fr. Diomede did not come, the Elder ordered to call him. The messenger returned and said that Fr. Diomede refused to come due to ill health. Then the Elder, knowing that Fr. Diomede did not come simply out of reluctance, since he had no habit of drinking tea, and wanting to force him to humility and obedience, and by the way, to punish him for the above unreasonable actions, he raised his voice: “Diomede!.. Go for him again and bring him in your arms, if he doesn’t go. And when you carry him,” added the Elder, “throw him into a snowdrift.” Two people set off and asked on behalf of the Elder: “Please, Father, if you are weak, we will carry you off in our arms.” Unaware of the danger, Fr. Diomede agreed: “Well, perhaps, carry it.” Taking the old man in their arms, the porters carried him, but having chosen the largest snowdrift, they would throw him there. The old man, digging and digging in the snow, somehow got out and ran as fast as he could to the Old Man, complaining that he had been offended. It is clear that nothing came of this complaint, but only tea about. They gave Diomede a drink and led him to his cell” 86. “There lived an old brother in the Skete, who came to the monastery in old age. And how in the world he used to stand before St. during services. candles for icons, and did the same in the Skete. The skete monk N. once addressed him with a remark: “Why are you lighting all the candles? In the monastery, monks don’t light candles. Be yourself a candle before God.” The old man was embarrassed, thinking: “I’ve been lighting candles for a whole century, which is considered a good deed, and then suddenly they don’t tell me to light candles.” - I went to the elder Fr. Leonid and told him his embarrassment. Knowing the simplicity of the embarrassed old man, Fr. Leonid immediately begins to encourage him: “Well, listen to him! He will tell you something. Light the candles as you did before!” - and added to this: “Teach the old to heal the dead.” - Reassured by this answer, the old man goes to his cell and, having subsequently met with Fr. N., says with self-satisfaction: “You told me, don’t light candles, but Father told me to light them. He told me: “To teach the old how to heal the dead.” “A certain gentleman, it seems, was a small landowner or something like that, came to the Skete, conscious of his advantage over others. According to custom, he began to go with the other hermits to the Elder for the evening rule. It is known that the Elder himself did not appoint readers, and whoever of the brothers wanted to read had to raise his hand, letting the Elder know about his desire to read. The new brother wanted to read, but raising his hand in front of everyone seemed very embarrassing to him. And each time at the end of the rule, leaving with the brothers from the Elder, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the order established by the Elder: “Well, what is this? Raise your hand, what is this for? This is not at all consistent with anything.” So he labored and labored, endured and endured, finally lost patience, raised his hand, although with self-compulsion and not very high. Seeing this, the Elder said: “Ah! And you wanted to read? Well, go ahead, read it. Let’s listen to how you read.” So he began to read in his own way - with feeling and sense. Graduated. And the Elder remarked: “Well, brother, you don’t read well, go.” “So the Elder, at every opportunity, used to humble the exalted pride of the brothers who lived with him.” The Kiev-Pechersk hieroschemamonk Anthony told “Our monk (Kiev-Pechersk Lavra) Fr. Nikodim, former Optina novice, disciple of the elder Fr. Leonida, having undergone the obedience of prosphora in the Lavra for a long time, did not lag behind the last novice brother in this difficult obedience, and he attributed his entire long-term feat to the power of the prayers of his beloved Elder. He could never speak about him indifferently. Father always called him by his last name - Titov. He often forced him to speak accusatory words under his dictation to those whom he found necessary to expose, and those exposed then confessed to their faults. Through this Fr. Nicodemus clearly saw and believed that the elder Fr. Leonid received the gift of clairvoyance from the Lord. Here is a verbatim story about this from Fr. Nikodima: "When I set out with my passport from my city of Belgorod, Kursk province, to enter Optina Pustyn, the house in the world was left to my share. I also had a sister who was a girl, but she was quite well off for marriage. My dear uncle, who (probably as a guardian) was supposed to marry my sister, intended to appropriate my house, for which he and the buyers already had in mind. Living temporarily in Optina Pustyn, I began to think about how I could take a leave of absence from society. To spend on this item, my uncle had one hundred rubles under my labor money. So one day I came to Father and said: “Father, bless me to go for my dismissal.” The Elder said: “God will bless me to go.” But when I returned to my cell, I became somewhat bored, and I no longer wanted to go for my dismissal, so I left this matter until the future time. The next day I told Father that I had changed my mind about going for my dismissal, and the Elder said curtly: “Well, as you wish.” - Some time passed, my concern about dismissal doubled, - go and go. I told Father about this, and he objected to me: “Why didn’t you go then?” “I realized my mistake, because I was selfish, I cried, bowed to the Elder’s feet, knelt before him, sobbed and said: “Forgive me for God’s sake, Father, I’m guilty!” - The Elder: “Well, well, get up and get ready, you’ll be better now.” So, I arrived in Belgorod and first of all went to see my sister. From a conversation with her, I learned that when marrying her off, my uncle did not spend even the provision that was left for this purpose. Then I saw my uncle and finally went to the magistrate for dismissal. There they demanded money from me and said that the dismissal could be issued right now. I hurried to my uncle for my own money. How he will shout at me: “What kind of money do you want? You still have to pay me off. I got your sister married. Give me the bill, otherwise I won’t let you out of here.” - I was immediately lost and said: “Do what you want, just don’t keep me here.” - “Well,” he says, “let’s go to the broker.” - They came. My uncle managed to arrange it in such a way that he wrote a bill for 500 rubles. All I had to do was sign it and sign in the book. But at that very moment people began to approach, one by one, up to a dozen of them, and they took over the broker. We waited and waited for our turn, and when we saw that the broker would not be free soon, we agreed to postpone our business until another time. My uncle went home, and I went to my sister and brother-in-law, and told them what my uncle intended to do to me. Then his maliciousness was fully revealed to all of us. By the way, at that time my uncle needed to be out of town on his business, and on the same day that he and I went to the broker, buyers for the house were looking for me. Thus, I soon sold the house for cash, and two days later they received the deed of purchase. I hurried to the magistrate with the money and was immediately dismissed, but still went to say goodbye to my uncle. “Where are you going?” - asked my uncle. “Yes, back to Optina,” I answered. - “What about Optina? And the bill?” “Then I told him everything, that is, how I sold the house and got fired. He began to scold me, curse me, and tear out his hair in frustration, and I immediately walked out the door. Then I said goodbye to my sister and brother-in-law, and back to Optina to my holy and perspicacious Elder, who greeted me with these words: “Wow! Our Titov has already flown, but he grabbed it bravely.” “From then on, I could not look at my Elder otherwise, as a great saint of God.” Confessor Hieroschemamonk Ephraim told about himself to the Kaluga Tikhon Hermitage 87 “At first, when I was young, I entered the brotherhood of Optina Pustyn, in Skete, under the leadership of the elder hieromonk Leonid. Overwhelmed by jealousy for the monastic deeds, I decided not to do anything without the blessing of my Elder, even (except for the midday and evening meals, when kvass was offered to the brethren along with food for drinking) not to drink anything, but to endure thirst until the perspicacious Elder himself commanded and blessed me to get drunk. This went on for some time. But then came the mowing time, when all the free brethren of the monastery and skete were obliged to go out with rakes to rake hay. I came out too. The day was very hot, and I was very tired from work. Thirst tormented me, but I endured it - I didn’t drink anything. I came to the Skete to see the Elder, sat down on a bench and sat in great despondency and relaxation. The elder understood what was happening. Turning back to his cell for a moment, he brings out a piece of salted herring, gives it to me and says: “Eat.” - I’ll pay as soon as I can! – “Foolish!” – this is what the Elder began to say to me. - Is it possible to arbitrarily impose such a vow on yourself so as not to drink until I remind you? This could still be allowed if you and I lived together in solitude, and only with my advice and blessing. And now, you see, I am surrounded by hundreds of people. Where can I enter into all such subtleties of all my spiritual children? And you, if you want to get drunk, cross yourself with prayer, and get drunk." Then he handed me kvass, and I began to swallow it greedily. Looking at me, the Elder did not fail to remark: “Ugh! What are you doing, why are you in such a hurry? You should drink with the fear of God and with gratitude for the gift given to you from God." The last story in this chapter will show what kind of fatherly care Elder Leonid had for his disciples. “In the summer of 1833, a twenty-year-old young man, Pavel Trunov, came to Optina with his younger brother Simeon. They were originally from the nobility of the Kursk province. Shchigrovsky district. Having been brought up in the home of their pious parents in the spirit of strict piety, they began to become very burdened by worldly life. Having been assigned by their parents to serve in the Kursk State Chamber, they decided to go to a monastery secretly from their parents. More than once, therefore, Pavel asked for his resignation, but he was not dismissed from service. Finally, he turned to God with a fervent prayer that the Lord would send him illness. The prayer was answered. Pavel's eye hurt, and after that they no longer kept him in the ward. Thus, he got the opportunity, together with his younger brother, to immediately go to his cherished goal. After they left for the monastery, their parents first grieved for them, cried, and even greatly grieved for their unauthorized absence, but, having learned that they had entered the holy monastery for a feat of prayer, they forgave them for this guilt. Meanwhile, after some time, parental love prompted their father Theodotus Savvich to write a letter to the children in Optina, in which he earnestly asked that one of them come to see their parents. With the blessing of the Elder, it was decided that Paul should go. He set off immediately. – Let us note here that Theodotus Savvich, as a pious man, loved to read the Chetyi-Minea of ​​St. in his leisure hours. Demetrius of Rostov. Just before Paul's arrival he had to read the life of St. Nicholas, the Wonderworker of Myra, dedicated on the 6th of December, which, by the way, tells how a young youth, the son of Africanus, taken captive by the Persians and serving in the chambers of their prince, through the prayers of his parents, was suddenly taken out of captivity by an invisible force and presented to his parents in Persian clothes and with a cup in his hand filled with wine, just as he served the prince. In deep thought, Theodotus Savvich paused over this legend and began to reason: “How touching! If something like this had happened to me, I would not have endured it.” - But suddenly the door opens, and Pavel enters in monastic clothes, whom Theodotus Savvich, having not seen for a long time, did not recognize. Having prayed to St. icons, the stranger bowed to Theodotus Savvich’s feet and said: “Hello, father, I am your son Pavel.” As Theodotus Savvich sat, he was stupefied, and the book fell out of his hands; he could hardly recover from the joy of seeing his son before him, whom, he thought, he would no longer have to see in this temporary life. After spending some time in the house of his parents, Father Pavel returned to Optina. Having now become acquainted, albeit in absentia, with Optina Pustyn, Theodotus Savvich’s brother Ermil Savvich, whose son Hermogenes joined the brotherhood of Optina Pustyn before his cousins, wished to visit this monastery himself. And after the visit, with what respect and reverence he remembered the elder Fr. Leonida and in general about Optina Pustyn! He often said with tears: “Oh, here is the Elder! What a seer he is! He recounted everything that happened in my life in detail to me, as if he himself was an obvious witness to all my circumstances.” - From that time on, he became especially charitable and loving of the poor, forgave all his debts to his debtors, stopped eating meat, and until his death he partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ every six weeks. Let us now turn the conversation back to o. Pavel. From the very beginning of entering the monastery, he completely devoted himself to the obedience and guidance of the elder Fr. Leonid, to whom he revealed the thoughts that always troubled him. In relation to the monastery brethren, he was so meek and gentle that not one of them ever heard from him an insulting word, or an offensive argument, or a murmur against anyone or for anything. Throughout his short stay at the monastery, despite his illness, he faithfully went through monastic obediences. It happened that some of the brethren grumbled at him and embittered him for his lack of success in business, calling him lazy, while this failure was due to his sickness and lack of strength, and Paul, like a gentle Lamb, either remained silent, or only happened to say: “It’s my fault! Forgive me for God’s sake, I’m weak.” - Meanwhile, vain reproaches resonated painfully in his heart. Often, with tears in his eyes, he came to his spiritual father and mentor, Elder Fr. Leonidas and before him poured out the sorrow of his soul. And he said to him in consolation: “Be patient, Pavel!” For it is said in Holy Scripture: through many tribulations we must enter into the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). - And this time is like this: let him offend again, and let the wicked be defiled again: and the righteous still do righteousness, and the holy one, let him still be holy (Rev. 22:11). So, let us strive with patience for the fight that is set before us (Heb. 12:1). And the Lord said: in your patience gain your souls (Luke 21:19)". And in other words from the Holy Scriptures, the Elder pacified the troubled soul of Paul, bringing him to unspeakable joy, letting him know that everything was done to him according to the will of the Lord to test his zeal, that all sorrowful cases should be accepted as ineffable mercies of God, and that the very disease was given to him from God, may he glorify the Name His sacred. The Elder thus brought him to extreme self-reproach. The pain that Pavel had long felt was the threshold of consumption. His body gradually melted like a candle, and his mind was immersed in constant prayer. It is remarkable that he knew the entire Psalter by heart. Almost a year before his death, he always said: “Ah! I will die soon; pray for me, fathers and brothers.” – And the year 836 has come. Pavel's consumption showed up in full force. Elder Leonid told his close brethren: “Paul will take his leave from us during Holy Week.” “Paul barely wandered all winter, and in the fifth week of Great Lent he no longer got out of bed and only prayed. He often called upon his father, the spiritual elder Leonid, and then he was only at peace when he talked with him. - From that time on, he confessed often. On Lazarus Sunday, Fr. builder into the holy small image of monasticism and repeatedly communicated the Holy Mysteries of Christ. On April 2, on the fourth of Bright Week, during Matins he was singled out, and after mass the Holy Mysteries of Christ were again communicated. After this, the elder Fr. Leonid told him: “Well, Pavel, you will get well soon.” “I know, Father,” answered the sufferer, “but not in this life.” – The evening of Bright Thursday was approaching. The dying man's bed was surrounded by some of his close associates. At seven o'clock in the afternoon he closed his eyes and said something incomprehensible to himself. At this time, the elder Fr. Leonid himself read the waste card to him, and Pavel looked at him in surprise and then thanked him for reading it. The elder asked: “Do you want me to come to you again?” “He replied: “I really want him to be with me until my death!” “He said this clearly and loudly, and from that moment he completely changed. Then, getting up, he sat until his very blissful death and was in full memory. Then he asked his cousin Hermogenes, who was with him, to put him on the pillow, but as soon as he tilted Paul, he sighed and gave up the ghost. It was at nine o'clock in the evening. The thrice-strike of the bell announced to the monastery brethren the transmigration of Pavlova's soul into eternity. The brethren rushed in a crowd to the cell of the newly deceased, and the elder Fr. Leonidas himself again performed on him the “Sequence of the departure of the soul from the body.” The face and entire body of the deceased turned white and was soft, like that of a living person. - The next day, Fr. the builder Moses conciliarly, in the presence of all the brethren, performed the funeral service for the body of the newly deceased. Some tears flowed quietly over separation from their unforgettable brother, but everyone thanked God for granting the deceased such a peaceful Christian death and inwardly wished that the Lord would grant him the same death. Afterwards, the cousin of the deceased asked the elder Fr. Leonidas told him about Paul’s virtues, but the Elder told him only one thing: “Paul is great with God, and the Lord will glorify him.” Lesson 7. About self-reproach. The root of this word, in our opinion, is “ar”, which, according to Dahl’s dictionary, means: the trail of an animal in the powder. Consequently, the word “aryasina” corresponds to the word “beast” or “beast”. The above-mentioned Optina novices: Mikhail Ivanovich Antimonov, Meletius in monasticism, and Alexy Polikarpovich Bochkov, with the blessing of the Elder, he moved to the Tikhon Hermitage. For some time he was the manager of some gentleman's estate. This brother had a bump on his forehead. The brethren who belonged to the Elder, if anyone had any money, did not keep it with them, but this money was always kept by the Elder, and if anyone needed to buy any thing, it was always bought with the blessing and permission of the Elder. He died in the seventies of the XIX century. Died December 12, 1867, age 73. Subsequently, Archimandrite Tikhonova Hermitage, who died in the fall of 1895. It should be noted that Elder Leonid, as a blessed man, acted this way at the inspiration of God. For other ordinary elders, the described fact cannot serve as an example. He died in the eighties of the XIX century.