“We will follow the path of humility” (letters to Lev Kavelin)

The letters of Elder Macarius that we publish date back to the years 1846–1852. Lev Aleksandrovich Kavelin, then still a young St. Petersburg officer, under the spiritual guidance of the Optina Elder, goes through that segment of his life’s path during which he will have to finally confirm his decision to leave the world and “settle in the desert.” In unhurried prudence, the priest examines Kavelin’s intentions, gradually revealing to him the full significance and originality of the upcoming feat, calling God’s chosen one to “bloodless martyrdom.” For this is exactly how the Holy Fathers defined the essence of monasticism. But the Optina elders also had their own definition, derived from many years of intimate experience: “Monasticism is bliss.” The elder’s twelve letters to Lev Kavelin, the future Optina monk, and even later - the archimandrite, the vicar of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, church historian and spiritual writer - this is invaluable evidence of the truly Christian relationship between mentor and student: the experienced wisdom, caring trusteeship of one and the novice obedience, sons and trust of the other are the basis of their highly spiritual union. “His letters,” wrote one of the contemporaries of Elder Macarius, “can be called a clock, according to which, in the morning, at noon, and at night, one can trust everyone’s life... Both young, mature, and old can resort at any time to this indicator, which itself walked steadily along the path of the Sun of Truth.” May we not deviate from the right path through the holy prayers of St. Macarius of Optina! Optina Pustyn, January 1, 1846 Most Honorable Lev Alexandrovich! Having read your letter, I clearly see the Fatherly Providence of God, which saved you like a bird from the snare of fowlers. The net was broken and you were delivered (see Ps. 124:7). The merciful Lord did not allow you to be seduced by the charms of Delilah, who prepared for you the blinding of not your physical, but your spiritual eyes, so as not to see the true Sun of truth, Christ, our Savior, and rest for hearing the Word of God and His saving teachings. Simply put, you would be bound hand and foot with insoluble bonds that would prevent you from fulfilling the will of God and walking along the path of His commandments. How did this happen? Apparently, how could one get rid of the undertaken beginning: the world, the flesh and the devil were ready with their services to involve you in these networks. Of course, God’s mercy preserved you through the prayers of your parents and gave you reason and strength to resist these attacks, and the patron of your regiment helped deliver you from these adversaries. Give glory and thanks to the Most Merciful Lord, who has preserved you, and not only in words, but also in deeds, trying to fulfill His holy will with humility. Otherwise, sometimes it happens that we fulfill our duty in one or two parts and are exalted, while we blame others; We don’t even think about the same thing, that even if we have done everything commanded, we must consider ourselves unbreakable slaves (see Luke 17:10). Entering into your conscience, it doesn’t hurt to consider whether something similar happened to us, and whether it was for this reason that such a temptation was allowed to happen? But when you reproached yourself and exposed many things that were previously hidden under the plausible clothing of imaginary truth, then the Lord showed mercy to you, for he looks upon humility! May this be a lesson to you for the further course of your life. Congratulations on the New Year; may the Lord send His blessing upon you, I earnestly wish and with my respect remain your unworthy pilgrim, many sinners Optina Pustyn, April 13, 1846 Thanks to you for congratulating me on the feast of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, I congratulate you in return on meeting him; May the Lord grant you to enjoy the fruits of the Lord’s indescribable care for us, in simplicity and humility of heart! I received your letter, sent on March 29, on April 9, during this sacred celebration. Thank you also for your contribution from your zeal, for which may the Lord reward you with His mercy! Glory to God that you have fulfilled the duty of a Christian and have been honored to be a partaker of the Most Pure Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ: may this Sacrament be to strengthen your spiritual strength on the slippery path of life, on which you are shaken by various confusing thoughts, cowardice and fear. You, who were in our monastery, were honored to taste the gift of grace-filled sensations. This shows you what the grace of God is, and so that you can distinguish lies from truth and worldly goods from spiritual goods. But it was shown to you and was hidden, for you cannot bear it without being tested in the battle with passions and without acquiring humility. Even if you lived here permanently, you still wouldn’t be able to keep her; for here too there is a struggle with passions - until a person humbles himself, he can neither conquer passions nor acquire spiritual gifts. But the very search for talents is not safe, it is subject to conceit, and, on the contrary, sometimes deprivation of them reduces us to the abyss of humility. It is our will to do good or evil; and the reward lies in the will of God. You are in the midst of the world and its temptations. Out of necessity or out of duty, being placed in this field, without being able to evade it, you must keep in mind the commandments of God and humility; and, although you cannot rise to the heights of virtues, try not to descend into the abyss of vices: cleanse constant, albeit small, offenses with constant repentance and humility, mentally considering yourself the last of all. Humility alone will save you from all the snares and snares of the enemy. And, as I see, with the lack of your corrections in virtue, while grieving, you are enslaved by embarrassment and deprived of peace of mind, and this is a sign of self-love and pride. You want to see yourself as righteous and, not achieving this, are embarrassed; and if they had achieved it, they would also have been carried away into pride - they would have become a strict judge of other vicious people and would have sinned more before God. The Holy Church commands us to pray: “Hey, Lord the King, grant me to see my sins and not condemn my brother.” Why not pray: “Grant me to see my virtues”? Because this would lead us to pride and self-delusion, otherwise it leads us to humility. The great saints, with all their virtues, had themselves under all creation, which strengthened their virtues. You are frightened at the thought of the narrow path: you are afraid of the false shame of peace-loving people, ridicule, persecution and anger. But all this comes from pride, pride and lack of faith - as you have faith and humility, this fear will disappear. If you believe that without God’s will not even a hair from our head will perish, then even more so that which concerns the feelings of the heart cannot happen without His will, and when something happens, it will surely be allowed to our temptation and for our benefit according to His will; What is needed here is faith and humility, submission to the will of God and prayer for strengthening. May the Lord give you true reason and save you from confusion and from all the snares and snares of the opposite, but calm you in your journey. Asking for you the peace and blessing of God, I remain with my respect, your unworthy pilgrim, many sinners Optina Pustyn, November 26, 1846 I received your letter, sent on November 7, on the 16th. And at another post office I received your parcel: the manuscript of the work of St. Dionysius the Areopagite and two views of the Pochaev Lavra, and a notebook about the commandments. For all this I thank you most earnestly and everything is distributed according to its belonging and decency. You write about your illness and take it for a visit from God. This alone serves you as a cure for mental ailments - to humbly accept His visit: as the Lord willed, so it was (Job 1:21). But since these thoughts are not always inherent in you, then, I think, you are again allowed to fall into the hands of cowardice, so that you do not become proud of the fact that you “suffer with patience and are worthy of God’s mercy,” but rather humble yourself and become accustomed to this virtue through your spiritual weaknesses. May the power of God help you: for He looks upon the humble. You are asking for your bewilderment about moving to Moscow and changing the service of my reasoning. Although I do not dare to take upon myself such boldness that I can correctly judge things that are closed from us in the future, but according to your faith, God is able to enlighten my darkened mind in your favor. I don’t dare say decisively, but I think that the Moscow service will be more convenient and useful for you, which is in accordance with the disposition of your heart. The two threads holding you back in St. Petersburg can thus be resolved; the alliance with ... must remain unbreakable even after moving to Moscow: if not through a personal meeting, then through correspondence you can use his wise advice and instructions, which, of course, he will not refuse you. And regarding your brother, entrust him to the protection of God and the Queen of Heaven and, if possible, supervision in some way... (Note - Probably a specific person is indicated) or to another pious person known to you. However, the disadvantages of the service there that you described give you the right to change it and move to Moscow. And as our Lord said: Without Me you cannot do anything (John 15:5), then pray to Him: if His holy will be, then let Him do so, confirm your thoughts and help in this undertaking. For which I, a sinner, have a duty to pray to His goodness. And about your highest intention I will say: keep this fire, cast into your heart, and let it burn all the brushwood and weeds inflicted by the enemy and acting through our passions, which are still unrefined and unexterminated; moreover, guard with humility, for love cannot exist without this. The Supreme Love itself has clothed itself in the humility of our flesh. Asking for you the peace and blessing of God, with the desire for your true good, I remain unworthy of your pilgrim, many sinners Optina Pustyn, February 15, 1847 Please accept my most humble gratitude for sending me a view of the Holy Mount Athos with its Laurels and monasteries. Just as the views of the Pochaev Lavra that you previously sent decorate the walls of my cell, so this last one also takes place and will serve as a reminder of His servants working for God at the site of the lot of the Most Pure Virgin Mary: and as much as possible, according to our strength, we will imitate them, exposing ourselves in weakness, like beggars looking at the royal treasures and more aware of their wretchedness. I sincerely congratulate you on your Angel’s Day; May the Lord comfort you with spiritual consolation! At the same post office I sent two copies of the recently published book “The Life and Writings of Elder Paisius” to ..., of which I asked him to deliver one to you; although it’s discourteous for the first time, forgive my ignorance. I ask you to accept this book and wish to use it spiritually. With my respect, I remain unworthy of your pilgrim, many sinners Optina Pustyn, April 12, 1847 For your Christian greeting about our Risen Lord Jesus Christ, I thank you and greet you: He is risen indeed! May the peace given to us by our Savior be with you forever! Your frank conversation shows me your sincere desire to bring yourself closer to God, to love Him with all your heart and to have a reward from Him - spiritual consolation! The desire to draw closer to God is His title, to which we must add our assistance in fulfilling His holy commandments: wherever we are, whether in the desert or in a community, in the world or in a monastery, everywhere we must have concern for the fulfillment of the commandments, and everywhere there is a temptation to our will, opposition from the enemy, which occurs with God’s permission. And we must bend our autocracy to fulfill the will of God. Seeing your weakness or inconvenience, as you write, you must submit yourself before the greatness of God, asking for His help and intercession from enemies visible and invisible. Having received help and corrected what is good, beware of the thought that praises you and condemns others; it is also a network of hostility that lures you into arrogance and takes away all the fruits of virtues. You are looking for spiritual consolation, and even inseparable from you. Put aside spiritual pride, acquire the deepest humility, and consolation will not be separated from you. It is a gift from God, but it is given as we progress spiritually in humility, and without it and without temptation, gifts bring destruction to those who receive them, according to the word of St. Isaac the Syrian (Homily 34, p. 168). Having accepted the Most Pure Mysteries of Christ, you felt joy; but after it was taken away, you become despondent and sad, and do not humble yourself, considering yourself unworthy of it. Read from St. John of Carpathia, chapters 70 and 71, in the 4th part of the Philokalia, on this subject, so as not to lose heart when consolation is taken away. Of course, you must always blame yourself for failures to correct and thereby acquire humility, which is what you experienced when you saw the childish simplicity with which they [the children] approach the Holy Sacrament. And when they began to expose themselves, your heart was crushed, and you felt calm. Do not think that those who go through spiritual life can always enjoy spiritual consolations. And here there is a struggle between flesh and spirit, victory and defeat, temporary consolation and its taking away to humility and learning to bear the spiritual cross instead of the desired sweet consolation. The love of God is recognized in us not when we enjoy consolations, but when we endure the spiritual cross, in which the love of God is also tested in us, that we not only love God when He comforts us, but also when He tests us by the taking away of them (the consolations) and the prolongation of sorrowful inner feelings. In the first case, as one teacher of the Church put it, we are not looking for God, but for ourselves. Achieving salvation precisely consists in acquiring a guide and cutting off one's will and reason. But now it is very difficult to find such a leader: You point to me, but I am afraid, can the blind lead the blind? (Luke 6:39). However, through the faith of those who seek benefit, the Lord is able to instruct even the dumb and will give a little youth the ability to speak a word for benefit. You expect me to say a word and drop everything, and this will be your first step in the field of obedience, but it seems that the time has not come for this yet. Pray to the Lord that He will arrange something beneficial for you; Until then, while you are in the world, take care of the commandments of God. In perplexity, run to Him, and He will not allow you to fall into the abyss of sin or into the abyss of hopelessness, but will arrange everything for good. Summer will quickly fly by, autumn will come, and then it’s more convenient to talk about what needs to be discussed, but for now, remain in prayer and trust in the goodness of God. May He protect you from all nasty snares. May the Lord comfort you with imperishable consolation, I sincerely wish and with my respect remain your unworthy pilgrim, many sinners Optina Pustyn, July 29, 1850 My delay in responding to your most respected letter, sent on July 2, was due to my travel to Voronezh and Kyiv in the last days of June, from where I could not write to you. Now let me bring you my most humble gratitude for your attention to my request through your mother and for accepting our manuscript into your care, and at the same time I ask you to generously forgive me for sending the manuscript to you without a letter and, due to my sudden absence, I did not have time to write to you afterwards. Having read the spiritual thoughts extracted from this work, you see that you bear crosses imposed by the world, the flesh and the devil, and because of this you are saddened, not having a person who strengthens and acts on the heart, since the very name of the cross and yoke terrifies the soul. I will offer you the words of the Savior Himself: Do not let your heart be troubled (John 14:1). Based on our connections and responsibilities to each other, you have been placed by God’s Providence in your present rank: and being a warrior of the earthly King, you are also a warrior of the Heavenly King. And our struggle... is against the principalities, against the powers, against... the spirits of wickedness in high places (Eph.6:12). Fighting in this battle, in communication with your neighbors, you have an eternal, good goal, achieved by the commandments of God, and our weapons are faith, hope and love. To this and to the described St. As an apostle, resort to arms and call on the Lord for help, without at all relying on your own strength, and you will see victory. Our life is also likened to the sea: the ship of our soul sails on this stormy ocean, plunges into the waves, but does not sink. In danger, let us cry out: Lord! Save us, we are perishing! (Matthew 8:25) - and we will see salvation from drowning. The crosses sent to us by the Providence of God lead us to true wisdom, cleanse us from sins, free us from passions and lead us to humility. And as for the crosses about which you write: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1 John 2:16) - I mean the action of the passions - upon prudent examination you will see that they humble us, but if we leave them unattended, then we become captives of the passions and are only driven away from them by God's punishment. Do not be discouraged and do not be embarrassed, but, testing yourself according to the commandments of God, adhere to the true path - repentance and humility. May the Lord enlighten you and strengthen you on this path - I earnestly wish and remain unworthy of your pilgrim, many sinners Optina Pustyn, September 15, 1851 You described to me your journey after leaving us; thank you for everything. I believe that you have received considerable benefit from it; and most importantly, the prayers of the holy saints will serve as parting words for your intended departure from the world and entry into the field of spiritual warfare. A conversation with the high archpastor, although brief, and his blessing are useful to you; Your stay in the Gethsemane monastery (Note - At the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra.) will remain an impression of their life and competition. A conversation with my brother... showed you the weakness of our nature and how much caution we need to be careful from arrogance and condemnation of others who are in asceticism. And you yourself understand that in this struggle we need the special help of God and the guidance of man. How amazing it is that, being in the rough sea, he did not suffer a shipwreck or drowning, but in the pier - from this storm he was close to drowning. However, God is able to strengthen him. And we have a living example that a warrior is skilled when he is in battle, and not when he is at peace and not burdened by it. In battle, even if we accept ulcers, we must not retreat, but stand firm, calling on the Hero of Jesus, then we will not lose the crowns of victory, especially when we humbly realize our weakness. You talk about your disposition: neither warm nor cold - from the middle you inevitably have to come to terms. Struggle is inevitable for you both when starting a good deed and when choosing a place. The wise Sirach says: Child, if you begin to serve the Lord, prepare your soul for temptation (Sir.2:1). Usually we are not ready to bear people's gossip, but we need to strengthen our hearts, in the words of St. John Climacus, on the anvil of the Cross of the Lord, so that the thought, struck from all sides by hammers, would not be crushed. In all this, as I believe, there is false shame and fear, or you are afraid of fear where there is none (see Ps. 13:5). The fear of God and hope do not put you to shame (Rom.5:5). It seems to you that in an unknown place, where no one knows you, it is more convenient to start; but who cares? Does the enemy have enough networks and intrigues? He didn’t have time to overthrow one, he takes another, and so on; An example for you is brother... Being removed from the world and from relatives, what kind of abuse does it have? You don’t know what kind of abuse will greet you even at the first step: “You can’t hide anywhere from temptations except the depths of humility.” This is your word. And how often it happens that instead of the depth of humility we climb the mountain of exaltation, and without noticing it ourselves, no matter how reasonable and wise we are, and this is the machination of the enemy more dangerous than others. And whoever follows the path of rejecting his will and reason (of course, the struggle is great even among such people), sooner reaches the knowledge of his weakness and humility. Don’t think that I attracted you to my place and found salvation only here - not at all. I do not know the destinies of God and His Providence, where He is calling you, and in this I completely surrender to His holy will. But the signs by which you wanted to be here are known to you yourself. So, I repeat: may God’s will be done for your calling. Although many moved away from their places and fatherlands, we see that many received salvation close by, such as: St. Alexy, man of God, John Kushchnik and others. And the Russians: prpp. Nikola Svyatosha, Varlaam Pechersky and many more, about whom time does not allow to remember and write. On the seventh of this month, the most venerable traveler and writer Andrei Nikolaevich Muravyov visited our desert; spent the Feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary with us, and on Sunday, September 9, after early mass, he left us for Moscow. Since he wanted to hear our monastery service, we had a Liturgy for the holiday, and then on Sunday he listened to our all-night vigil; on a holiday he dined at the monastery meal - he made a very pleasant impression on us with his address and conversations; it seems that he liked it with us, loved it very much... He made us a proposal: to describe the life of contemporary Russian spiritual ascetics, who were influenced by the life, exploits, works of Elder Paisius, his writings and translations - as it is written briefly in the preface to the life of Elder Paisius, it was as if light had poured out on Russian monasticism through him. How to begin this difficult and inconvenient task, according to our strength and reason? Where to get sources? We imagined the inconvenience of this as much as we could, but he remained with the desire that this flower be brought to the community from our monastery. If God calls you to our field, then you should also be a participant in this work. Is it possible for you in advance, in those 10 monasteries, to stock up on the sources that you will hear about? In your free time, write to me about your activities and intentions. I remain a wisher for your health and salvation Optina Pustyn, October 2, 1851 Do not demand much from the Scripture, but accept the short lines sent to you out of love and zeal. I wrote to you on September 15, and received from you from St. Petersburg on the 18th, and therefore you still could not receive my letter. The beginning according to your disposition is done well, and God will crown it with a good ending; just believe, be courageous and do not lose heart when waves of enemy thoughts approach your boat; cry to the One who is able to save you: “Lord, save me!” I don’t write much because my head is bad and I feel unwell; May the Lord bless you and guide your path for good. All our fathers and brothers who know you, bow to you earnestly and thank you for your memory and wish for your prosperity (Note - that is, installation in the monastery). Asking for God's blessing on you, I remain a desirer of your health and salvation, an unworthy pilgrim, the sinful hieromonk Macarius. Optina Pustyn, October 1851 May the Lord God bless you and your good intentions. In your letter of October 2, which I received, the first word is – thank God for everything. And we, agreeing with you, glorify and thank Him for giving you the desire to seek the saving path and for calling you to His sweet work. My yoke is easy and My burden is light (Matthew 11:30), He said, and we believe this without a doubt. And if He put this fire in your heart, then He will help it to burn into a great flame; Just don’t doubt His help and don’t be afraid of the enemy’s excuses that make you doubt and fear the supposed cruelty and inconvenience of this path. The enemy is ready to promise and present all the blessings of this world, just to divert him from this saving intention and path; but be courageous and strong, put on the armor of faith and trust in the Lord. Pray to Him, but do not rely on yourself, for with any reliance on ourselves, our weakness appears to us, and the knowledge of it leads to humility. While you are there, read St. Petersburg in your free time. John Climacus and St. Isaac the Syrian, but do not soar high, but strive according to your strength for the passions that come to the heart; read also Nil Sorsky. Seeing the height of life and not achieving it, do not be discouraged, but humble yourself. According to your disposition, perhaps the Lord will arrange your path to us in February, and perhaps even earlier, may it be according to His will. We are ready with love to accept you into our community; God bless you. Entrusting you to the protection of God and the intercession of the Mother of God, I remain the desirer of your health and salvation, an unworthy pilgrim, a great sinner Optina Pustyn, December 8, 1851 Having received your letter dated November 6, returning from absence on November 26, and having found a lot of letters, I could not write to you soon; and now I received the second one dated November 30 and I hasten, without missing the first mail, to answer you. In the first letter you describe how pleasant it is to talk with clergy in the Nevsky Lavra, and you hope to find a kind censor in the archimandrite... May the Lord grant everything for the benefit of people seeking spiritual benefit in explaining the Word of God and fathers experienced in spiritual life in teaching; you mention Andrei Nikolaevich Muravyov and that he intended to write about our monastery, and in another letter you say that he has already written. This is good for the glory of God, but woe to us, and especially to me, a sinner: when I look at myself, I see and grieve that my name is higher than my deeds. Save, Lord, Andrei Nikolaevich for his disposition toward us in the Lord, and even more so for his zeal for Orthodoxy and piety; although he may not please everyone with this, and even turn them against himself, God will not leave him. In your last letter, you express your firm intention to withdraw from the world and settle in our desert, seeking God, who saves us from cowardice and from the storm of passions (see Ps. 55:8, 9). May God grant you to fulfill this soon; but it is not yet visible (Note - From L.A. Kavelin’s letters) that your resignation letter has been submitted, and, it seems, the deadline is only until January. How not to miss it? Is it really not possible to equip him after submitting a petition, when the production is released for his brother? I advise you to read spiritual books and not to get carried away by soaring into heights, but by fixing your gaze on perfection, the more you become aware of your poverty and humble yourself - this will be firmer; and when it pleases God to enrich you, then accept it. But this happens through much struggle and the acquisition of humility, but to seek it intensely shows obvious pride. Let us follow the path of humility and cry out to the Lord with the publican: God, be merciful to me, a sinner! (Luke 18:13). Please let me know if you have submitted your petition or when you will submit it. See that the world does not tie you to itself. Father Abbot (Note - Father Superior of Optina Pustyn Father Moses (Putilov)) expresses his respect to you and thanks you for the memory of him, as does all our monastery brethren. May the Lord strengthen and confirm you in your good intention and help you fulfill it, I earnestly wish and remain your pilgrim, many sinners Optina Pustyn, January 20, 1852 Thank God! We are honored to enter into the field of this new year, seeing off the old year into endless centuries with the entry into the new one. I congratulate you, most venerable Lev Alexandrovich, may the Lord grant you to enter into a new race and way of life, to serve and work for the Lord, to please Him, out of love for Him, who loved us and gave Himself for us. Let us not dare to seek reward; He Himself will be the reward of those who seek Him and work for Him: I and the Father will come... and we will make our abode with him (John 14:23). However, before achieving this there is a lot of feat, labor and struggle in invisible spiritual warfare. For our enemies are cheerful, sleepless, ethereal, cunning, evil, proud, then it is best to be confined from their attacks in the stronghold of humility, inaccessible to any thieves and enemies, and while we are still far from love and humility, then the fear of God is also needed - with the fear of the Lord everyone avoids evil ( Proverbs 15:27 ); Sometimes we need opportunities to recognize our weakness, given by God for a secret and elusive exaltation; and through our falls we learn that they were preceded by pride, according to the word of St. John Climacus. I wrote this not to intimidate you, but as a preliminary warning, for St. prophet: On the way that I walked, they hid a snare for me (Ps. 142:4). But there are a lot of these snares, and those who walk outside the path of humility fall into them and become entangled. The Monk Anthony saw many outstretched nets and cried out: “Who can escape them?” To which I received the answer: “Humble wisdom!” This virtue is so high that not a single virtue can be strong without it; even love itself has a close connection with it: “Love elevates, but humility does not allow one to fall,” writes St. John Climacus. But why talk much about this when St. John, who built the ladder leading to heaven, said that no word can explain this treasure (fn. 25, v. 2) and has an incomprehensible inscription on it, as if coming from above: holy humility! Read about it from Climacus, from St. Isaac the Syrian and others and prepare to acquire it in practice in your place. May the Lord bless you for this! From your letter dated December 21, I see that you are still delaying your resignation and believe that you can receive it after January 1 due to illness. But it seems to me that it would be better in due time, who knows what will happen ahead! It would be good if you filed before January: You can be useful to your brother in the production and filing of the petition. It was comforting to hear from the venerable ... about you and to receive your scripture, sent on January 4. I talked to him about what I needed, thank God he is a good Christian, may the Lord help him fulfill his holy will and stay safe from all the snares and snares of the enemy. Do not be surprised that when you took care of ... you saw his ingratitude and inattention to this. Of course, he didn’t like your reproach, and his pride was offended. But this will serve as a lesson for you, and when you test yourself that perhaps you yourself were carried away by opinions and arrogance about yourself, and reproach yourself, then you will calm down, and forgive him for his foolishness; of course, he does not know what he is doing (cf. Luke 23:34), and thinks that he knows something, but he knows nothing. Thank God that you submitted your petition on time and hope to receive the freedom to change your military service - carnal to spiritual; May the Lord help you accomplish your intention. It would be good if they got freedom at the post and came to us... I return the book of music to you; It’s difficult for us to introduce singing on it, with our weak voices, and I’m afraid to keep it any longer, I’ll have to worry about sending it away. Forgive my awkward writing; time is being taken away from me, and there are a lot of letters, and I’m already writing somehow. I hope to personally talk about what needs to be discussed, but for now I remain a wisher for your health and salvation, many sinners Optina Pustyn, January 26, 1852 On January 20 I sent you a letter in response to what you wrote to me on the 8th, and soon I received your letter dated January 15. I see how much it cost you to get rid of the world: the convictions of peace lovers, based on the solid conclusions of secular prosperity, fame, honor, pleasure, family happiness, wealth, etc., and to this the internal struggle - against all this you had to withstand a great battle. But with the help of God, with your good will, for the first time you remained a winner. He threw his horse and rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my glory, He was my salvation (Ex. 15:1-2), - sing this victorious song to the Lord. Not without heart disease, you must part with ..., to whom you were disposed with heartfelt love and throughout your life imitated him in religious and moral terms. Keeping this feeling is commendable even after parting with it. And since you leave communication with him not for any reasons of worldly calculations, but solely out of love for God and for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, entering a new life, moving away from the light and escaping into the desert, seeking God, who saves us from cowardice and the storm of passions (see Ps. 55:8, 9), then therefore your departure is blessed. Entering the field of a new life, you will find a new struggle, which you never encountered there, but do not be afraid of this, for when there is no struggle, we cannot learn art and we will not receive crowns, having freed ourselves from passions. Your desire to cleave with the same love to me, the worst, I accept and submit to the will of God to dwell in you, if only it will be for your benefit and my unworthiness will not hinder this. With the assistance of God, may this desire be based on faith and fulfilled by love and humility: the former elevates, and the latter does not allow the exalted to fall. The step has been taken, may the Lord help you to go further and, having committed rejection and abandonment of the world, to enter into the feat you desire to acquire the kingdom of Christ. Entrusting you to the protection and providence of God, I remain the desirer of your health and salvation, an unworthy pilgrim, a great sinner Archimandrite Leonid (Kavelin). Gifts of Comfort. Memories of the Elder An old man of medium height, all gray-haired, dressed in a worn duckweed and boots in summer, in a very worn fur coat covered with dark green drapeds in winter, with a crutch in one hand and a rosary in the other hand. The face is nothing striking at first glance, not at all beautiful (according to ordinary concepts of physical beauty), even somewhat irregular (due to a lack of eyes), with the sadness of constant deepening into oneself, therefore, in appearance, more strict than affectionate. But such is the power of grace that this face, serving as a mirror of a pure, loving and humble soul, shone with some kind of unearthly beauty, reflecting in itself one or another of the properties of the inner man, the fruits of the spirit, counted by the apostle. In general, he had a rare combination of childlike simplicity, quietness and humility, which made him accessible to everyone. Where can I find words to depict 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; leniency towards the weak and repentant; strictness towards those who are arbitrary and controversial; the ability to console with a single word; to please with a glance or blessing; encourage with small but precious (because it was said at the right time) attention; to encourage the worker to work harder, while cutting off harmful vanity; to restore to work those who have become lazy without reproach and anger; support the discouraged; to keep the ardent from zeal not according to reason, from seeking spiritual gifts before cleansing from passions, vision before action, mental prayer before active prayer (for passions and thoughts)?.. One can say about him without hesitation what was said about his ascetic Abba Macarius of Egypt: “He, like God, covers everyone with love.” And the power of this love so attracted everyone’s hearts to him that we were ready not to leave his side in order to always enjoy his bright sight and the sweet conversation of his God-speaking lips. The elder, as a spiritual leader, did not like one thing in those who entrusted themselves to his spiritual leadership: the desire to act according to their own will and the contradiction associated with it. He left them to walk according to the will of their hearts, so that their very apostasy would punish them. To a novice who asked about something slyly, with a desire to fulfill his will, the Elder usually answered: “As you wish.” And this word was repeated with patience for all subsequent excuses, until such a person, seeing himself convicted, sincerely realizes his guilt and, repenting, asks sincerely: “What do you advise me, father? I leave it to your will; Whatever God tells you to say, I will try to fulfill it with the help of your holy prayers.” More than once, especially in the last years of his life, the elder expressed to his close disciples his spiritual sorrow that he did not know where and how to avoid the multitude of people. More than once, feeling extreme exhaustion and loss of physical strength, he decided to completely stop his spiritual correspondence, which was multiplying every year; but, following the example of his teacher and, of course, not without secret notification, overcome by the strength and ardor of love for those suffering from various mental illnesses, seeing the increase in social illnesses, and most of all, out of humility, he did not dare to leave the cross, to which Christ-like love had also raised him. In order to correctly judge the difficulty of this feat, it is necessary to enter into a close examination of the particular details from which it was composed. Service Fr. Macarius, as the confessor of the monastery and the Elder, adorned with gray years and spiritual intelligence, the spiritual needs of the visitors to the monastery were twofold: personal - through oral conversation with those who came to him and written - responses to letters from persons who either constantly related to the Elder (after preliminary acquaintance with him in the monastery), or who turned to him for advice only on one rumor about his spiritual wisdom. The elder received men in his cell at any time of the day, from early morning until the closing of the skete gates, and the female sex - outside the gates of the skete in the outer cell (built at its gate). In addition, after the meal, having rested for half an hour in his crib, narrow as the path of his life was, almost every day (except for extreme weakness) he walked or occasionally went to the monastery hotel. There, along the monastery path, at the gates and in living cells, often hundreds of people of all classes, both sexes and all ages, from different cities and villages were waiting for him. Whoever happened to walk with the Elder at least once from the monastery gates to the wooden inn, is, of course, unable to forget the impressions of these minutes. The elder barely had time to satisfy the desire of many to hear from him at least a few edifying words as food for the soul. How many spiritually healed people could be counted every day! Some left comforted in their sorrows, others were awakened from sinful stupor, others were released from the bonds of despair. His humble word was at the same time an effective word, a word with power, for it forced the unbeliever to obey and believe, it strengthened the hopeless and little by little made the carnal man spiritual; although it could not be called eloquent, it contained the active teaching of the elder - experienced and meek. It is undoubtedly known that all those who followed with faith the advice of the elder, who had the grace-filled gift of spiritual reasoning, received not only spiritual benefit, but also help in their everyday affairs. ...The letters did not leave his desk. Having finished the morning skete rule, he began to write, but the doors of the cell were open to everyone who came, and from time to time they announced that they were asking him to go to the gate. The elder came out; Returning, he took up his pen again. The Elder's letters contain instructions on the path of salvation, consolation in sorrows and solutions to perplexities in a wide variety of spiritual issues. 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. We can affirmatively say that with these letters alone the elder left an eternal memory!.. From the “cell notes” of Optina novice Lev Kavelin Who loved Christ from his youth, And, believing in the saving power of the Cross, He suffered, he endured, he strengthened himself: He will quietly pass into eternity, Will not be afraid of the sleep of the grave, His disembodied ones will be met by forces, January 19, 1853. Father's Angel Day. Macaria. Mass was celebrated in the monastery by alternate hieromonk Fr. Gabriel. After mass, a cathedral prayer service for the health of the priest was performed by the skete hieromonks - Fr. Paphnutius, Fr. Ambrose, Fr. Gabriel, hierodeacon Fr. Ignatius; monastery hieromonks - Fr. Tikhon (father’s confessor), Fr. Euthymius and hierodeacon Fr. Sergius. After mass, all those present in the church—the monastery and monastic brethren—were invited to tea. Everyone hurried to bring their congratulations to their beloved Elder, and those involved in handicrafts added to it something from their labors. The hotels were crowded with guests, mostly nuns of various monasteries, who had arrived from afar (one came from the Velikolutsk Monastery - 600 versts from Optina) to bring their congratulations to the one who fatherly guides them on the path of salvation, with self-forgetfulness and wondrous art, challenging the enemy every step on the field of spiritual battle, like a good shepherd, always ready to lay down his soul for his neighbors - for his children theirs. Lunch was at Fr. abbot, it was attended by families of surrounding landowners who came to congratulate the venerable Elder. Up to one hundred and fifty brethren stayed in the priest’s cells during the day. Everyone was treated to tea. How beneficial Christian love is and how the heart likes everything that is based on it! I would invite one of those who demand from their neighbors due respect to look at such a holiday today, and they would see with their own eyes what an infinite difference there is between what is done out of duty and out of love. March 14, 1853. Father Callistus, returning from Orel, brought news that F.Ya., who was fasting in our monastery. Tarasov died in the Lord on Wednesday, March 11, having received a second farewell of the Mysteries of Christ before his death. Peace be with you, man of God! Everyone who knows the deceased will sincerely regret that there is one less good person on earth, and will rejoice at the peaceful Christian death, which testifies to how good and merciful the Lord is. About the death of F.Ya. Tarasova writes to the Elder from a friend of the deceased, Vasily Vasilyevich Sotnikov. “Through the prayers of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us sinners. The separation from Theodore struck me so much that my melancholy and grief become stronger every day, my heart disease becomes more noticeable. Who will replace his deprivation here? Who will compensate my loss? Theodore separated a great part of my heart and carried it with him into eternity... But blessed is the Lord! Glory to You, Lord, who created everything by His Providence and according to His will! Theodore's illness was extremely instructive and edifying for us; his death is peaceful and blissful; The burial is light and solemn. I do not dare to penetrate into the secret of the eternal life of the deceased, but that the Lord honored him with notification of his transition to the future life, I testify to this with the following words of the blessed one: “Brother! Oh, how disgusting this life is for me, how disgusting are all earthly blessings, all the earthly differences of man!.. I am coming to You, Lord, I am coming!” So the patient cried out all the way from Optina to Orel in the most severe paroxysms of his illness. On Monday the 9th we arrived in Orel at 10 am. Three doctors appeared. The patient felt better; the paroxysms subsided, but the stomach was swollen. - Vasenka! - he tells me. “Tomorrow, if I’m alive, I want to get some butter.” Do you hear? This is my will. I'm going to the Lord! On the 10th he unctioned with oil and said goodbye to everyone. Roman the coachman and his family were released. Here, the four of us as a family, in the presence of Ivan Mikhailovich, having consulted, decided to hold another consultation and invite four doctors. Mikhail Feodorovich and I were left to make this proposal to the patient. As soon as they mentioned to him about the doctors, where the strength came from, he stood up, sat down and said in the most expressive voice: - Vasya, brother! I reject everything... I go to the Lord! “We are not holding you back, but we ask that you reassure us by obedience and, after your departure, do not leave the sadness that we offered you permitted, possible means, and you rejected them.” - To reassure you, I obey. Do with me what you want, but tomorrow, if I’m alive, I still want to partake of the Holy Mysteries... Will this be possible after the medicine? The doctors appeared. The vain work began... The 11th day arrived - the day of the departure of the righteous. At 5 o'clock in the morning they stopped giving the medicine. At the ninth hour, Theodore Yakovlevich confessed and received the Holy Mysteries. At ten o'clock he drank two cups of tea with us, walked around the room, thanked me for my participation and asked me to visit him again today. At the end of the fifth hour in the afternoon, five minutes before his death, the deceased walked from the office into the dining room, then into the living room, and asked about me whether I had arrived or not. Then he said: “I feel bad!” Mikhail Feodorovich took him by the arm, led him into the bedroom, and sat him on the bed. At that very moment the patient demanded a cross with relics. They served it to him. He crossed himself, kissed the cross, took it in his hands, blessed everyone and said: “Forgive me. I am going to my Lord!” Fixing his gaze on “mountain,” he put the cross to his forehead and peacefully and quietly went to the Lord. Three minutes later I arrived, but found his body already dead and lifeless. But, dear father, in these three minutes how can I describe my consolation to you? The thought - Theodore with Christ and with Christ now reigns forever, is blissful - filled my soul, spirit and my whole being. But what delighted my soul most of all was that the fortieth day after its end would fall on April 19 - the first day of Easter. On the third day there was a burial. The body was warm; Not the slightest smell. Provincial and district leaders, many officials - all in uniform. The bishop's singers - the whole choir - in a word, it was a triumph of Theodore's piety, and not a funeral. Whoever lives the way he lives will die the way he lives. Theodore left us great lessons in life, used his exodus to eternity, and consoled us with his burial. Pray, dear father, that Theodore’s life will be grafted onto my deadness, that his soul, flaming for the Lord, will warm my frozen soul, accursed and sinful.” June 1853. ...In a letter dated May 25, nun of the Sevsky nunnery Anastasia Nikolaevna Glebova writes: “Now Natalia’s sister (who lived with her mother Meletia), Tatyana Feodorovna, has passed away with a blessed death; She was ill for a long time and died of consumption. Three hours before her death she forgot herself, then, waking up, she laughed joyfully and told her ex-ones in front of her: “I saw the Lord. The Lord showed me my home, so beautiful that it is impossible to express. And when I asked the Lord why I had such a good home, the Lord said: “You received and cared for the poor and strange, and your alms were remembered and prepared this home for you.” She also said to her husband: “I also saw your golden house, which was prepared for you for two gold pieces, which you, at my request, gave to the needy.” And she also said that she was now completely healthy, was in a hurry to go home, and had returned here only to say how good she felt there; that she doesn’t feel sorry for anyone or anything, that everything here is bad and disgusting, but only there is good. She asked her to dress her in a good dress, otherwise there, with the Lord, you couldn’t be in bad clothes. She said that at the end of mass she would have to go. And sure enough: at the end of the early mass she quietly and calmly passed away into eternity. They say that her face was so calm and cheerful, as if she were smiling. How comforting and touching it was to hear about such a notice before his death! You can be calm about the one who has left, and, of course, she will soon take the remaining young daughter to her, for, according to the vision, she said that she was not worried about her Lyudochka, for she had already left her soul in a beautiful house with other children. She said to her husband: “Please don’t stay here long: this house is disgusting; hurry to where it is so good, where it is incomparably better than here. I will pray for you so that you can go there soon.” August 8, 1853. The wonderful poor people took communion at the monastery - a legless man and a blind man, the blind man carried the legless man on himself. Both are from Oryol. They live in a union of love, not according to fate alone, but, as we hear, according to God... The other day a certain Mr. Zederholm arrived at the monastery, intending to accept the Orthodox confession of faith. He is the son of a former German pastor who was dismissed from his post (I can’t put it any other way, because I consider a Lutheran pastor to be nothing more than a professor of theology giving public lectures in a church) for openly admonishing the Germans not to accept the Orthodox faith. Young Zederholm completed a course of science at Moscow University; He was especially interested in the Greek language and, upon accepting the Greek-Russian confession of faith, intended to go to Greece for philological studies. When asked what turned him away from the Lutheran confession, he very simply and intelligently answered the questioner (Fr. John Polovtsev): “Nothing turned me away, but nothing attracted me either. I have always been dissatisfied with the dryness and lifelessness of our religion, which gives nothing to the young heart, which naturally craves sympathy, participation, revival, and indication of the direct, true goal of the future. For example, we have two pastors in Moscow: one is a completely secular person, a phrase-monger in preaching, nothing more; another begins and ends with a scream - at first it seems to frighten him, but in the end he gets bored. And what place does reasoning have in the church? I can listen to a lot of them at university. What is desired from religion is something different, something better than dry, fruitless reasoning.” Konstantin Karlovich was sent to our monastery by Ivan Vasilyevich Kireevsky (who recommended that he first turn to one of the Moscow priests to become familiar with the dogmas of Orthodoxy, it seems to Ternovsky). His father-pastor tried for a long time to persuade him to first postpone the matter until his death, then for two years, then for a year and finally for six months, but young Zederholm refused all this, feeling an urgent need to immediately satisfy the demands of his spirit. He was also greatly struck by the coldness that he encountered in his other co-religionists when he announced his decision to them. “It seemed very natural to me,” he said, “that they would eagerly distract me from this decision, and, I admit, I even secretly wanted this; but it turned out the opposite, and this showed me even more the instability of our religious beliefs.” August 9, 1853. Today, a strangled man from Kozel, Gleb Nikolaev, was found behind the monastery in the forest. He was a single, sober man; he was thirty-five years old. For several years he was planning to join a monastery, but was embarrassed by the fact that, having given away his small capital as interest, he could not collect it. The main amount was given to their schismatic uncle, who threatened Gleb that if he did not give up the idea of ​​joining the monastery, he would not give him the money. This, it must be assumed, was what confused the heart of Gleb, who, from the passion of love of money, came to despair in his salvation, for, as he admitted to his relatives a few days before his death, he fell into terrible blasphemy... However, a person will approach - and his heart will be deep: there is no doubt that God’s mercy does not leave a person before it has tested all measures for his salvation, compatible with Divine justice. Gleb hanged himself on a high stump, a few fathoms from the monastery, on the north side, in a border ravine, three weeks ago (the last time I was in the monastery was on July 22). Today an investigation began into this case, which, like all investigations of the Zemstvo police, never has the direct goal of revealing the truth in the shortest possible way. As a result, Gleb turned out to have died of an unknown cause and was buried in the monastery. August 13, 1853. Today Konstantin Karlovich Zederholm joined Orthodoxy. To avoid temptation for the new convert, the priest (Fr. Macarius) paid the cathedral clergy ten rubles from his own funds for joining. November 11, 1853. The new comet was seen for the first time. It is the size of a morning star and has several branches towards the end; shines very brightly, alternating from a pale green color to a pale fiery color. Visible towards the southeast... Without any superstition, looking at this heavenly sign, one cannot help but think that it, as in all historical eras, serves as an omen of terrible events to come... Saint John of Damascus directly calls comets harbingers of events... Optina elders about monasticism Monasticism is a great boundless sea. It is impossible to exhaust or swim across it. This is incomprehensible to a person who has not taken this path; practice is needed. All earthly wisdom has some meaning and purpose, mainly to provide comfort in earthly carnal life; Compared to monasticism, it is nothing, or better said, a penny compared to a billion rubles. One person I know, highly educated, who received a European education, was at Moscow University, and in London, and in Paris. Having entered the monastery, he writes to his worldly friend, fellow student, that he still did not understand anything. The meaning of monasticism is so wonderfully deep. And the purpose of a monk is even higher. The Holy Apostle Paul says that in the future life there will be different degrees of bliss: There is another glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, another glory of the stars: and star differs from star in glory (1 Cor. 15:41). There are billions of these degrees, speaking according to human understanding, an incalculable number, and the first belongs to monks. This is how great the purpose of a monk is. Therefore, how should you thank God for bringing you here to the skete. Don’t think for a minute that you yourself have come: No one can come to Me unless My Heavenly Father draws him (John 6:44). Freedom was given to you by God, and there was only free will on your part. You just didn’t resist when He took you by the hand and led you here. The Lord saves us, and we are not saved, but He, the Merciful, saves us at our desire. So, thank God. You yourself see how many people are dying in the world, now think for yourself why the Lord showed you such mercy that he brought you here to the monastery, to our secluded quiet hermitage! Yes! Only with God's help can one go through this narrow, sorrowful path. At first glance, it seems that there is some kind of contradiction: on the one hand, this path of fulfilling the commandments of the Lord is easy and good, but on the other, it is cramped and regrettable. Yes, it is cramped and regrettable only for those who enter it either under compulsion, without internal disposition, or because of any other goals other than the salvation of the soul. For such people it is difficult. And for those who join the ranks of monks with a pure desire and intention to serve the Lord God in spirit and truth, it is easy. True, there are sorrows, but these are clouds in a clear, radiant sky. Question: “I was sometimes embarrassed by the thought that monasticism had deviated from its ideal.” Answer: “Yes, yes, he evaded it, but the devil doesn’t really like it either, if he rebels against modern monasticism like that. The whole world is supported by this monasticism. When there is no monasticism, the Last Judgment will come.” These dwellings - monasteries - are not an invention of the human mind, but the Holy Spirit, through the inspired Fathers, established this residence for those who will be called by God either out of love for Him, or because of the multitude of their sins. It’s good that you realized that the peace that you relied on in the world is fragile and unreliable. And besides, know that, living in a monastery, you are in the field of battle, like a spiritual warrior, and you accept wounds and are awarded crowns, but when you leave this field, you no longer have battle, and you imagine that you have peace, but it is false, for it can soon turn into a fierce storm. So, thank God, who called you to this path and teaches you in battle. Some are saved in monasteries, sometimes they are reproached for selfishness. “Think,” they say, “so-and-so entered a monastery! He did so much good in the world, this and that, brought so much benefit and suddenly abandoned everything. It's just a sin! Don't listen to such speeches. If the Lord calls a person to serve Him in the monastic rite, then one must give up everything and follow the call of God. However, they are saved in the world, but with great difficulty. The lives of the saints tell about two sisters, one of whom went to a monastery, and the other got married, and both of them were saved. True, the one who went to the monastery received the highest reward from the Lord, but both received salvation. But how can one be saved in the world when there are so many temptations there? The Apostle says: Do not love the world, nor the things in the world (1 John 2:15). However, here it is necessary to make a reservation: the word “world” does not mean the universe, but everything base, vulgar, nasty, sinful. You can live both in the world and outside the world. What does monasticism mean? Perfect Christianity, which consists in fulfilling the commandments of God, which also includes love for God: Whoever loves Me will keep My word (John 14:23), said the Lord, and by doing the commandments a person is cleansed of passions, achieves dispassion and ascends to spiritual contemplation, and all this must be dissolved by humility, because humility crushes all the networks of the enemy. While fulfilling the commandments, the fire of temptation from people and from enemies (demons) must also pass, and without temptation we do not know ourselves and cannot humble ourselves and receive spiritual understanding. To whom is given what: to whom activity, to whom silence. There are many gifts of God. The Monk Arseny was given a life equal to the angels - to serve God in silence. Others, on the contrary, serve God in vigorous activity. But those who refuse the place to which they are placed according to the will of God are like those who bury their talent. Monasticism is external and internal. You cannot ignore the external, but you cannot be satisfied with it alone either. The external alone without the internal even brings harm. External monasticism can be likened to plowing the earth. No matter how much you plow, nothing will grow if you don’t sow anything. Inner monasticism is sowing, and millet is the Jesus Prayer. Prayer sanctifies the entire inner life of a monk and gives him strength in the struggle; it is especially necessary when enduring sorrows and temptations. You might be interested in: