«Воин Христов Иларион»

It is important to note that the good spirits that are always inherent in Father Hilarion do not leave him even in these difficult circumstances: “Only from my narrative you do not draw conclusions about my misadventures. I accept everything with joy. This is exactly what I was going for, and I meet, so to speak, something already familiar” 176. In his letters one can only find grief about the lack of actual monastic activity in his life: “Soon it will be a year for my monasticism. Monasticism is a good thing, but it passed me by almost in passing. My whole problem is that I don’t have loneliness, and without loneliness it’s difficult for me to live, I lose peace.” 177 Mixed with this is the sadness of moving away from scientific work: “When my monastic year was one year old, I summed up the result, which was rather deplorable. There is stagnation in science, ... all sorts of sins are a little less than before, and peace of mind is completely unnoticeable” 178. Although the routine of administrative affairs associated with the inspector position soon brought Father Hilarion many sorrowful feelings, later, even in Soviet concentration camps and casemates, until the last days of his life he did not lose his bright gaiety, that inner joy that he experienced during his tonsure. This constancy is a sign of immersion in the spiritual unchanging reality, the Kingdom of Heaven, which is the Church. In the words of St. Theophan the Recluse: “All science is cold. Even theological science is not excluded from this” 179. Archimandrite Hilarion was able to avoid these “side effects” of scientific activity and, due to his natural liveliness and deep knowledge of the writings of the holy fathers, managed to preserve and increase the warmth of faith and sincerity in his relationships with others. His integrity, good-heartedness, simplicity and purposefulness could captivate many, and combined with a deep and unpretentious mind, made him very popular among students. This is how one of the former MDA students S.A. Volkov recalled about the young archimandrite: “Tall and slender, with a very moderate and proportional stature, with clear and beautiful blue eyes (he was a little short-sighted, but never used glasses), always looking confident and straight, with a high forehead and a small thick brown beard, a sonorous voice and a clear pronunciation, he made a charming impression. It was impossible not to admire him... Perhaps integrity was the main feature of his personality. This brave, exceptionally talented man perceived everything creatively... Hilarion graciously influenced me with his personality - directness, authority in defending his convictions, the enthusiasm of his worship, energy and cheerfulness... He himself had an amazing enthusiasm and love for everything that was dear and close to him - the Church, Russia, the academy, and with this cheerfulness he infected, encouraged and strengthened those around him" 180. Broad knowledge, deep intelligence, high feelings, strong will could not help but attract people to him, and the good qualities of his soul, one can assume, led to the fact that Father Hilarion not only understood with his mind the meaning of the essential properties of the Church, but also experienced it with his heart. Confirmation in the patristic teachings, in addition to the general impression of his personality, was sometimes manifested in the statements of Father Hilarion. “Hilarion loved to say that as much as a Christian should be aware of his sins and grieve for them, he should rejoice in the endless mercy and grace of God and never doubt or despair about his life’s feat” 181 In the above statement one can see one of the most important thoughts of patristic asceticism about salvation through the virtue of humility, which is to “put yourself below the dumb and know that they are not subject to condemnation” (Abba Pimen) 182. It also recalls the Divine advice heard in his heart by Archimandrite Hilarion’s contemporary, inhabitant of Mount Athos, the Monk Silouan: “Keep your mind in hell and do not despair” 183. The mentioned phrase somewhat reveals to us the spiritual foundations of the visible virtues of Archimandrite Hilarion. His own. Letter from the priest Leonid and Lydia Arkhangelsky dated April 1914 (in the copy is the second part of the letter, erroneously dated April 1913, the first part of this composite letter is another letter sent by V. Troitsky to L.P. Arkhangelskaya in January 1913) - Archive of A. V. Nikitsky. His own. Letter from L.P. Arkhangelskaya dated March 1914 – Archive of A.V. Nikitsky. His own. Letter from L.P. Arkhangelskaya dated April 6. 1914 – Archive of A.V. Nikitsky. Quote by: Novoselov M.A. Dogma and mysticism in Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism. – M.: Lepta-Press, 2003. P. 43. Volkov Sergey. Near the monastery walls: Memoirs. Diaries. Letters. – M.: Publishing House of Humanitarian Literature, 2000. P. 119–122. Memorable tales about the asceticism of the holy and blessed fathers. Rep. ed. – B. m.: Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, 1993. P. 140. Sophrony (Sakharov), archimandrite. Elder Silouan: Life and Teachings. – M.: Orthodox community. P. 41.