Venerable Seraphim of Sarov in the memoirs of his contemporaries

Contents About the life and spiritual instructions of St. Seraphim of Sarov About the life and spiritual instructions of St. Seraphim of Sarov The Monk Seraphim was born on July 19, 1754 in Kursk. Father Prokhor (that was the name of the monk in the world) Isidore was a merchant, took out contracts for the construction of buildings, and at the end of his life he began the construction of a cathedral in Kursk, but died before the completion of the work. The youngest son Prokhor remained in the care of his mother, who raised a deep faith in her son. After the death of her husband, Agafia Moshnina, who continued the construction of the cathedral, took one day Prokhor went there with him, who, having stumbled, fell from the bell tower. The Lord saved the life of the future lamp of the Church: the frightened mother, going downstairs, found her son unharmed. Young Prokhor, having an excellent memory, soon learned to read and write. Since childhood, he loved to attend church services and read the Holy Scriptures and Lives of Saints to his peers, but most of all he loved to pray or read the Holy Gospel in solitude. One day Prokhor became seriously ill. In a dream, the boy saw the Mother of God, who promised to visit and heal him. Soon a religious procession with the icon of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos passed through the courtyard of the Moshnin estate; his mother carried Prokhor out in her arms, and he venerated the holy icon, after which he began to quickly recover. Even in his youth, Prokhor made the decision to completely devote his life to God and enter a monastery. The pious mother did not interfere with this and blessed him on the monastic path with a crucifix, which the monk wore on his chest all his life. Prokhor and the pilgrims set off on foot from Kursk to Kiev to worship the Pechersk saints. The schemamonk elder Dosifei, whom Prokhor visited, blessed him to go to the Sarov hermitage and save himself there. Returning briefly to his parents' house, Prokhor said goodbye to his mother and relatives forever. On November 20, 1778, he came to Sarov, where the wise old man Father Pachomius was then rector. He kindly received the young man and appointed Elder Joseph as his confessor. Under his leadership, Prokhor underwent many obediences in the monastery: he was the elder’s cell attendant, worked in the bakery, prosphora and carpentry shop, carried out the duties of a sexton and performed everything with zeal and zeal, serving as if the Lord Himself. By constant work he protected himself from boredom - this, as he later said, “is the most dangerous temptation for new monks, which is cured by prayer, abstinence from idle talk, feasible handicraft, reading the Word of God and patience, because it is born from cowardice, carelessness and idle talk.” Already in these years, Prokhor, following the example of other monks who retired into the forest to pray, asked the elder’s blessing to also go into the forest in his free time, where he prayed the Jesus Prayer in complete solitude. Two years later, novice Prokhor fell ill with dropsy, his body became swollen, and he experienced severe suffering. The mentor Father Joseph and other elders who loved Prokhor looked after him. The illness lasted about three years, and not once did anyone hear a word of grumbling from him. The elders, fearing for the life of the patient, wanted to call a doctor to him, but Prokhor asked not to do this, telling Father Pachomius: “I have given myself, Holy Father, to the True Physician of souls and bodies - our Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother...” and wanted him to receive the Holy Mysteries. Then Prokhor had a vision: the Mother of God appeared in an indescribable light, accompanied by the holy apostles Peter and John the Theologian. Pointing her hand at the sick man, the Blessed Virgin said to John: “This is from our generation.” Then she touched the patient’s side with the staff, and immediately the liquid that filled the body began to flow out through the hole formed, and he quickly recovered. Soon, on the site of the appearance of the Mother of God, a hospital church was built, one of the side chapels of which was consecrated in the name of Saints Zosima and Savvaty of Solovetsky. The altar for the chapel was built by the Monk Seraphim with his own hands from cypress wood and he always received the Holy Mysteries in this church. After spending eight years as a novice in the Sarov monastery, Prokhor took monastic vows with the name Seraphim, which so well expressed his fiery love for the Lord and desire to serve Him zealously. A year later, Seraphim was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon. Burning in spirit, he served in the church every day, constantly praying even after the service. The Lord vouchsafed the monk visions of grace during church services: he repeatedly saw holy Angels serving with the brethren. The monk was granted a special vision of grace during the Divine Liturgy on Maundy Thursday, which was performed by the rector, Father Pachomius, and Elder Joseph. When, after the troparions, the monk said, “Lord, save the pious,” and, standing at the royal doors, pointed his orar at those praying with the exclamation “and forever and ever,” suddenly a bright ray overshadowed him. Raising his eyes, the Monk Seraphim saw the Lord Jesus Christ walking through the air from the western doors of the church, surrounded by the Heavenly Ethereal Forces. Having reached the pulpit, the Lord blessed all those praying and entered the local image to the right of the royal doors. The Monk Seraphim, looking in spiritual delight at the wondrous phenomenon, could not utter a word or leave his place. He was led arm in arm into the altar, where he stood for another three hours, his face changing from the great grace that illuminated him. After the vision, the monk intensified his exploits: during the day he worked in the monastery, and spent his nights in prayer in a deserted forest cell. In 1793, at the age of 39, St. Seraphim was ordained to the rank of hieromonk and continued serving in the church. After the death of the abbot, Father Pachomius, the Monk Seraphim, having his dying blessing for a new feat - living in the desert, also took the blessing from the new abbot - Father Isaiah - and went to a deserted cell a few kilometers from the monastery, in a dense forest. Here he began to indulge in solitary prayers, coming to the monastery only on Saturday, before the all-night vigil, and returning to his cell after the liturgy, during which he received the Holy Mysteries. The monk spent his life in severe exploits. He carried out his cell prayer rule according to the rules of the ancient desert monasteries; I never parted with the Holy Gospel, reading the entire New Testament during the week, and also read patristic and liturgical books. The monk learned many church hymns by heart and sang them during his work hours in the forest. Near his cell he planted a vegetable garden and built a beekeeper. Earning food for himself, the monk kept a very strict fast, eating once a day, and on Wednesday and Friday he completely abstained from food. In the first week of Holy Pentecost, he did not take food until Saturday, when he received Holy Communion. The holy elder, in solitude, was sometimes so immersed in inner heartfelt prayer that he remained motionless for a long time, neither hearing nor seeing anything around him. The hermits who visited him from time to time - schemamonk Mark the Silent and hierodeacon Alexander, having caught the saint in such prayer, quietly withdrew with reverence, so as not to disturb his contemplation. In the summer heat, the monk collected moss from the swamp to fertilize the garden; mosquitoes mercilessly stung him, but he complacently endured this suffering, saying: “Pasions are destroyed by suffering and sorrow, either voluntary or sent by Providence.” For about three years, the monk ate only one herb, which grew around his cell. In addition to the brethren, lay people began to come to him more and more often for advice and blessings. This violated his privacy. Having asked for the abbot’s blessing, the monk blocked women’s access to him, and then everyone else, having received a sign that the Lord approved of his idea of ​​complete silence. Through the saint’s prayer, the road to his deserted cell was blocked by huge branches of centuries-old pine trees. Now only birds, which flocked in large numbers to the saint, and wild animals visited him. The monk fed the bear bread from his hands when bread was brought to him from the monastery. Seeing the exploits of the Monk Seraphim, the enemy of the human race armed himself against him and, wanting to force the saint to leave silence, decided to frighten him, but the saint protected himself with prayer and the power of the Life-giving Cross. The devil brought “mental warfare” upon the saint—a persistent, prolonged temptation. To repel the onslaught of the enemy, the Monk Seraphim intensified his labors by taking upon himself the feat of stylite mongering. Every night he climbed a huge stone in the forest and prayed with raised hands, crying: “God, be merciful to me a sinner.” During the day, he prayed in his cell, also on a stone that he brought from the forest, leaving it only for a short rest and strengthening his body with meager food. The saint prayed like this for 1000 days and nights. The devil, disgraced by the monk, planned to kill him and sent robbers. Approaching the saint, who was working in the garden, the robbers began to demand money from him. The monk at that time had an ax in his hands, he was physically strong and could have defended himself, but he did not want to do this, remembering the words of the Lord: “Those who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). The saint, lowering the ax to the ground, said: “Do what you need.” The robbers began to beat the monk, broke his head with a butt, broke several ribs, then, having tied him up, they wanted to throw him into the river, but first they searched his cell for money. Having destroyed everything in the cell and finding nothing in it except an icon and a few potatoes, they were ashamed of their crime and left. The monk, having regained consciousness, crawled to his cell and, suffering severely, lay there all night. The next morning, with great difficulty, he reached the monastery. The brethren were horrified when they saw the wounded ascetic. The monk lay there for eight days, suffering from his wounds; Doctors were called to him, surprised that Seraphim remained alive after such beatings. But the saint did not receive healing from doctors: the Queen of Heaven appeared to him in a subtle dream with the apostles Peter and John. Touching the head of the monk, the Most Holy Virgin granted him healing. After this incident, the Monk Seraphim had to spend about five months in the monastery, and then he again went to a deserted cell. Remaining bent forever, the monk walked, leaning on a staff or hatchet, but he forgave his offenders and asked them not to punish them. After the death of the rector, Father Isaiah, who had been his friend since the saint’s youth, he took upon himself the feat of silence, completely renouncing all worldly thoughts for the purest stand before God in unceasing prayer. If the saint met a person in the forest, he fell on his face and did not get up until the passerby moved away. The elder spent about three years in such silence, stopping even from visiting the monastery on Sundays. The fruit of silence was for St. Seraphim the acquisition of peace of soul and joy in the Holy Spirit. The great ascetic subsequently spoke to one of the monks of the monastery: “...my joy, I pray you, acquire a peaceful spirit, and then thousands of souls will be saved around you.” The new abbot, Father Nifont, and the elder brethren of the monastery suggested that Father Seraphim either continue to come to the monastery on Sundays to participate in divine services and receive communion at the monastery of the Holy Mysteries, or return to the monastery. The monk chose the latter, since it became difficult for him to walk from the desert to the monastery. In the spring of 1810, he returned to the monastery after 15 years in the desert. Without breaking his silence, he added seclusion to this feat and, without going anywhere or receiving anyone, he was constantly in prayer and contemplation of God. While in retreat, the Monk Seraphim acquired high spiritual purity and was granted special grace-filled gifts from God - clairvoyance and miracle-working. Then the Lord appointed His chosen one to serve people in the highest monastic feat - eldership. On November 25, 1825, the Mother of God, together with the two saints celebrated on this day, appeared in a dream vision to the elder and commanded him to come out of seclusion and receive weak human souls in need of instruction, consolation, guidance and healing. Having been blessed by the abbot for a change in his lifestyle, the monk opened the doors of his cell to everyone. The elder saw the hearts of people and, like a spiritual doctor, healed mental and physical illnesses with prayer to God and a word of grace. Those who came to St. Seraphim felt his great love and listened with tenderness to the affectionate words with which he addressed people: “My joy, my treasure.” The elder began to visit his deserted cell and the spring called Bogoslovsky, near which a small cell was built for him. When leaving his cell, the elder always carried a knapsack with stones over his shoulders. When asked why he was doing this, the saint humbly answered: “I torment him who torments me.” In the last period of his earthly life, the Monk Seraphim took special care of his beloved brainchild - the Diveyevo women's monastery. While still in the rank of hierodeacon, he accompanied the late rector Father Pachomius to the Diveyevo community to see the abbess nun Alexandra, a great ascetic, and then Father Pachomius blessed the reverend to always take care of the “Diveyevo orphans.” He was a true father for the sisters, who turned to him in all their spiritual and everyday difficulties. Disciples and spiritual friends helped the saint to care for the Diveyevo community - Mikhail Vasilyevich Manturov, who was healed by the monk from a serious illness and, on the advice of the elder, took upon himself the feat of voluntary poverty; Elena Vasilievna Manturova, one of the Diveyevo sisters, who voluntarily agreed to die out of obedience to the elder for her brother, who was still needed in this life; Nikolai Alexandrovich Motovilov, also healed by the monk. In the last years of the life of the Monk Seraphim, one healed by him saw him standing in the air during prayer. The saint strictly forbade talking about this before his death. A year and ten months before his death, on the Feast of the Annunciation, the Monk Seraphim was once again honored with the appearance of the Queen of Heaven, accompanied by the Baptist of the Lord John, the Apostle John the Theologian and twelve virgins, holy martyrs and saints. The Most Holy Virgin talked for a long time with the monk, entrusting the Diveyevo sisters to him. Having finished the conversation, She told him: “Soon, My beloved, you will be with us.” At this appearance, during the wondrous visit of the Mother of God, one Diveyevo old woman was present, through the prayer of the monk for her. In the last year of his life, the Monk Seraphim began to noticeably weaken and spoke to many about his imminent death. At this time, he was often seen at the coffin, which stood in the entryway of his cell and which he had prepared for himself. The monk himself indicated the place where he should be buried - near the altar of the Assumption Cathedral. On January 1, 1833, the Monk Seraphim came for the last time to the hospital Zosimo-Savvatievskaya Church for the liturgy and took communion of the Holy Mysteries, after which he blessed the brethren and said goodbye, saying: “Save yourself, do not be discouraged, stay awake, today crowns are being prepared for us.” On January 2, the cell attendant of the monk, Father Pavel, left his cell at six o’clock in the morning, heading to church, and smelled the smell of burning coming from the monk’s cell; Candles were always burning in the saint’s cell, and he said: “As long as I am alive, there will be no fire, but when I die, my death will be revealed by fire.” When the doors were opened, it turned out that books and other things were smoldering, and the monk himself was kneeling before the icon of the Mother of God in a position of prayer, but already lifeless. During prayer, his pure soul was taken by the Angels and flew up to the Throne of God Almighty, whose faithful servant and servant the Monk Seraphim was all his life. Very widely revered during his lifetime, St. Seraphim becomes one of the most beloved saints of the Orthodox Russian people, just like St. Sergius of Radonezh. The spiritual path of St. Seraphim is marked by great modesty, characteristic of Russian saints. Chosen by God from childhood, the Sarov ascetic, without hesitation or doubt, ascends from strength to strength in his quest for spiritual perfection. Eight years of novice labor and eight years of church service in the ranks of hierodeacon and hieromonk, desert dwelling and pillar-dwelling, seclusion and silence succeed each other and are crowned by eldership. Feats that far exceed natural human capabilities (for example, praying on a stone for a thousand days and nights) harmoniously and simply enter into the life of a saint. The mystery of living prayerful communication determines the spiritual heritage of St. Seraphim, but he left the Church another wealth - short but beautiful instructions, written down partly by himself, and partly by those who heard them. Shortly before the glorification of the saint, “The Conversation of St. Seraphim of Sarov on the Purpose of Christian Life” was found and published in 1903, which took place at the end of November 1831, a little over a year before his repose. This conversation was the ascetic’s most precious contribution to the treasury of Russian patristic teaching. In addition to teaching about the essence of Christian life, it contains a new explanation of many of the most important passages of Holy Scripture. “Fasting, prayer, vigil and all other Christian deeds,” the monk taught, “no matter how good they are in themselves, however, the goal of our Christian life is not in doing them alone, although they serve as means to achieve it. The true goal of our Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God.” Once, being in the Spirit of God, the monk saw the entire Russian land, and it was filled and, as it were, covered with the incense of the prayers of believers praying to the Lord. In the descriptions of the life and exploits of Saint Seraphim, there is much evidence of the grace-filled gift of insight, which he used to arouse in people repentance for sins and moral correction. “The Lord revealed to me,” he said, “that there will be a time when the bishops of the Russian Land and other clergy will deviate from preserving Orthodoxy in all its purity, and for this the wrath of God will strike them. For three days I stood, asking the Lord to have mercy on them and asking it was better to deprive me, poor Seraphim, of the Kingdom of Heaven, rather than punish them. But the Lord did not bow to the request of the poor Seraphim and said that he would not have mercy on them, for they would teach the doctrines and commandments of men, but their hearts would stand far from Me.” Revealing the grace-filled gifts and power of God to people, the Monk Seraphim edified those who came to him how to walk the narrow path of salvation. He commanded obedience to his spiritual children and he himself was faithful to him until the end of his life. Having spent his entire life in feats that were beyond the strength of ordinary people, he advised to follow the patristic “royal (middle) path” and not take on overly difficult deeds: “You should not accept feats that exceed the measure; but to try so that our friend – our flesh – is faithful and capable of creating virtues.” The monk considered prayer to be the most important feat and means of acquiring the Holy Spirit. “Every virtue done for the sake of Christ gives the blessings of the Holy Spirit, but... prayer most of all brings the Spirit of God, and it is most convenient for everyone to correct it.” The Monk Seraphim advised standing in the church during the Divine Service, either with his eyes closed, or turning his gaze to an image or a burning candle, and, expressing this thought, he offered a wonderful comparison of human life with a wax candle. If they complained to the holy elder about the impossibility of fulfilling the prayer rule, then he advised them to pray constantly: during work, while walking somewhere, and even in bed. “And if anyone has time,” said the monk, “let him add other soulful prayers and readings of canons, akathists, psalms, the Gospel and the Apostle.” The saint advised to study the order of worship and keep it in memory. St. Seraphim considered long prayer rules unnecessary and gave his Diveyevo community a simple rule. The Mother of God forbade Father Seraphim to oblige novices to read long akathists, so as not to impose unnecessary burden on the weak. But at the same time, the saint strictly reminded that prayer should not be formal: “Those monks who do not connect external prayer with internal prayer are not monks, but black brands!” Seraphim’s rule has become famous for those laymen who, due to life circumstances, cannot read the usual morning and evening prayers: in the morning, before lunch and in the evening, read “Our Father” three times, “Virgo Mary, rejoice” three times, “I Believe” once; While doing necessary things, from morning until lunch say the Jesus Prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner” or simply “Lord, have mercy”, and from lunch until evening - “Most Holy Theotokos, save me a sinner” or “Lord Jesus Christ, Mother of God have mercy on me a sinner.” “In prayers, pay attention to yourself,” the ascetic advised, “that is, collect your mind and unite it with your soul. First, for a day, two or more, do this prayer with one mind, separately, listening to each particular word. Then, when the Lord warms your heart with the warmth of His grace and unites it in you into one spirit: then this prayer will flow within you incessantly and will always be with you, delighting and nourishing you...” The monk said that by fulfilling this rule with humility, one can achieve Christian perfection in worldly life. “The soul must be supplied with the Word of God. Most of all, one should practice reading the New Testament and the Psalter. From this comes enlightenment in the mind, which is changed by a Divine change,” instructed the holy ascetic of Sarov, who himself constantly read the entire New Testament during the week. Every Sunday and every holiday, unforgettably partaking of the Holy Mysteries, the Monk Seraphim, when asked how often one should begin Communion, answered: “The more often, the better.” He said to the priest of the Diveyevo community, Vasily Sadovsky: “The grace given to us by Communion is so great that no matter how unworthy and no matter how sinful a person may be, if only in the humble consciousness of his total sinfulness he approaches the Lord, who redeems us all, even if from head to toe covered with the sores of sins, and will be cleansed by the grace of Christ, become more and more bright, He will be completely enlightened and saved.” “I believe that through the great goodness of God, grace will be marked in the generation of the one who receives communion...” The saint, however, did not give everyone the same instructions regarding frequent communion. He advised many to fast during all four fasts and on all twelve holidays. It is necessary to remember his warning about the possibility of communion in condemnation: “Sometimes it happens like this: here on earth they partake; but with the Lord they remain uncommuned!” “There is nothing worse than sin and nothing more terrible and destructive than the spirit of despondency,” said Saint Seraphim. He himself shone with spiritual joy, and with this quiet, peaceful joy he abundantly filled the hearts of those around him, greeting them with the words: “My joy! Christ is risen! Every life burden became light near the ascetic, and many mourning and God-seeking people constantly crowded around his cell and hermitage, wanting to partake of the grace pouring out from the saint of God. Before everyone’s eyes, the truth expressed by the saint himself in the great angelic call was confirmed: “Get peace, and thousands around you will be saved.” This commandment about acquiring the world leads to the teaching about acquiring the Holy Spirit, but in itself it is the most important step on the path of spiritual growth. The Monk Seraphim, who experienced the entire ancient Orthodox science of ascetic feat, foresaw what the spiritual work of future generations would be like, and taught to seek spiritual peace and not to condemn anyone: “Whoever walks in a peaceful dispensation, draws up spiritual gifts as if with a spoon.” “To preserve peace of mind... In every possible way one must avoid judging others... In order to get rid of condemnation, one must pay attention to oneself, not accept extraneous thoughts from anyone, and be dead to everything.” The Monk Seraphim can rightfully be called a disciple of the Mother of God. The Most Holy Theotokos healed him three times from deadly diseases, appeared to him many times, instructed and strengthened him. Even at the beginning of his journey, he heard the Mother of God, pointing to him as he lay on his sick bed, saying to the Apostle John the Theologian: “This one is from our generation.” Upon leaving the seclusion, the monk devoted a lot of energy to the organization of the maiden monastic community in Diveevo and he himself said that he did not give a single instruction on his own, he did everything according to the will of the Queen of Heaven. St. Seraphim stands at the beginning of the amazing rise of Russian Orthodox spirituality. His reminder sounds with great power: “The Lord is looking for a heart filled with love for God and neighbor; this is the throne on which He loves to sit and appear in the fullness of His heavenly Glory. “Son, give Me your heart,” He says, “and I myself will add everything else to you,” for the Kingdom of God can be contained in the human heart.”