Глава 5. Келейная жизнь старца о. Леонида и общий взгляд на его старчествование, или учительство, с благими последствиями

Having outlined, as far as possible, the distinctive properties and high spiritual gifts of the elder Hieromonk Leonid, or rather, a certain part of them, we will further touch on his cell life and then take a general look at his eldership in Optina Pustyn, or teaching, with its good consequences. The life of the elder Fr. Leonida’s life was correct and impeccable, and if it differed from ordinary monastic life, it was only due to excessive work in serving others. This is his cell life. At two o'clock after midnight the Elder and his disciples began their morning rule. The morning prayers were read, then the entire Midnight Office, twelve selected psalms, the canon to the daily saint, with the teaching from the Prologue, and the first hour. – The day’s canon was invariably read by the Elder’s cell attendant, Fr. Macarius (Gruzinov). The third and sixth hours with the pictorial ones were read separately during early mass. The evening rule, consisting of the ninth hour and twelve selected psalms with three canons - the Savior, the Mother of God and St. The Guardian Angel, and one akathist every day, were served at the same hours as Vespers in the monastery. The elder listened to this rule in his cell. Finally, after the evening meal at the monastery, Compline, evening prayers, two chapters from the Apostle and one chapter from the Gospel were read. – During the holidays of his cell prayers, the Elder always remembered the name of the Venerable. Alexander Svirsky, in whose monastery he lived for about 12 years and for whom he had great reverence. In the Elder’s cell there was also a large icon of this saint of God, painted on a life-size canvas, before which the cell rules were performed. There was another icon of St. similar to this one in the Elder’s cell. Guardian Angel; and between these icons stood the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God - the blessing of Schemamonk Theodore. For the last evening rule, before going to bed, and by the way, for the revelation of thoughts, the monastery brethren gathered in the Elder’s cell. Those who came from summer work, having refreshed themselves with a simple evening meal, sat on the floor and rested in the hope of spiritual food. When the lesson hour arrived, the reading began with the blessing of the Elder. The reader had to read without drawling or struggling, without false sensitivity, without being vain about his reading. Moreover, the Elder stopped him from time to time with his remarks. As a result, excellent readers were formed. Among the worshipers there was exemplary deanery. Before reading, hunters had to admit in front of everyone that they wanted to read, raising their hand up, through which they learned to recognize their weakness. The Gospel was read by the Elder himself in a high voice, according to the Moldavian method, which was borrowed from the Great Lavra of Elder Paisius 51. Among the readers, mainly morning ones, was for some time Alexey Polikarpovich Bochkov 52 . This is how he conveyed what kind of attention to himself and diligence the Elder demanded from his disciples: “You had to get up at night before 2 o’clock in a quarter of an hour. One day, the Elder, having risen for the morning rule, did not find me in the hallway, and when I arrived, although before the beginning of the rule, but only one minute, he reprimanded me: “You boast of your zeal for me; why don’t you devote a quarter of an hour to the Lord God before the midnight office? At this time, you could prepare with mental prayer for verbal prayer, that is, for reading.” Every two weeks the Elder partook of the Holy Mysteries of Christ in the skete church, where he, having subsequently been transferred to a monastery, first went, and in recent years, due to weakness and powerlessness, went for this purpose. “Once upon a time, as someone close to the elder, Fr. Leonid, his student, an eyewitness, the mentioned Alexey Polikarpovich, when the Elder walked from the monastery along the skete path to communion, I noticed tears of spiritual tenderness flashing in his eyes. But not wanting to be noticed, he restrained himself, and instantly these drops of heartfelt feeling hid in his eyes.” The time of prayer rules was the only free time during the day for the elder Fr. Leonida. The rest, with the exception of a short afternoon rest, and then not at the appointed hours of the day, but when it happened, was always devoted to them for the service of their neighbors. The Elder's light night sleep, together with daytime rest, lasted no more than three hours during the day; but often the very night’s rest was interrupted by the brothers who came to him out of dire need. The Elder ate food twice a day, as God sent. Sometimes I drank a glass of wine or a glass of beer. During the meal, he had a lively conversation with his students. They were allowed modest and gentle jokes and stories that had a spiritual purpose. The elder sometimes told anecdotes from Roman history, which he knew well from ancient translations of Tacitus and other writers. One of his students, the aforementioned Fr. Anthony Bochkov, jokingly called the last Roman; perhaps because this student expressed the opinion that we are experiencing the last times of monasticism, which, according to him, is falling from the same reasons that brought the Roman Empire to its fall: from luxury, effeminacy and man-pleasing. But the Elder himself was like an island inaccessible to the worldly spirit, past which the rivers of this world flowed without shaking him in the least. On the contrary, those broken by worldly excitement were saved from spiritual drowning in his cell, as in a safe haven. The Elder wore the simplest clothes - a fly cassock, a cassock and a mantle. And in his cell he received visitors in a simple white linen robe, sometimes very worn. With his constant and laborious work with visitors, the elder Fr. Leonid also had handicrafts he could do: during the reception itself, he wove simple belts, which he distributed to some of them for a blessing. When there were no visitors, while weaving belts, he used to hum “The mercy of the world is a sacrifice of praise,” known in the Optina monastery as “Moldavian,” or quietly whisper the Jesus Prayer. When he lived in the Skete, after lunch he chopped wood for exercise and at the same time received the brethren and laity, who approached him one by one and explained to him their needs. But how and what did the Elder-Ascetic teach those who were spiritually related to him and especially his closest disciples? – Following the commandment of the Apostle: Be urgent and untimely, reprove, rebuke, entreat with all long-suffering and teaching (2 Tim. 4:2), Fr. Leonidas taught them in words how to understand the Gospel teaching, how to implement it and how to heal their spiritual infirmities; He also taught by deed, which has a greater effect on a person’s heart and convinces him; He taught by his own example or his life: and thus, for everyone who came to him for spiritual advice and instructions, he was, so to speak, a living book. What general rules the Elder followed in dealing with his spiritual children can be seen from his following instructions to his disciple, the rector of the Kaluga Tikhon Hermitage, Fr. Abbot Gerontius. “You, our most beloved Father,” the Elder wrote to him, “ask my badness, so that I, the most indecent of the indecent, may give your love useful advice on how to manage and edify the verbal sheep entrusted to you from God and manage the affairs of the monastery. Although your useful question, proposed with faith and reverence, in every possible way exceeds my meaning and strength, but to the extent of your faith, I will invite you to entrust yourself and those around you to the almighty Lord and His all-merciful will; since the Savior Himself said in the Holy Gospel: without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5). Therefore, we must heed these words of Christ in every undertaking. If we call on His all-generous help, then everything will work out well and will be invisibly pacified by the grace of God. I also ask and implore you, as I advised you before, not to be a subtle torturer, but to adhere to moderation in every possible way. What requires correction - use actions with consideration and long-suffering.” – This was the general nature of Elder Leonid’s spiritual care for his spiritual children – fervent prayer for them, prudence and patience. Now let's talk about the methods of this nurturing or aging. About the elder Fr. Leonidas and his collaborator and successor in eldership, Hieroschemamonk Macarius, Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninov in his “Ascetic Experiences” 53 says this: “Both elders were nourished by reading the fatherly writings about monastic life; They themselves were guided by these writings, and they guided others who turned to them for edifying advice. Their memory was richly decorated with the thoughts of saints. They never gave advice on their own, but always presented to the council the sayings of Holy Scripture or St. Fathers. This gave the councils their strength: those who would like to object to the word of man listened with reverence to the word of God and found it fair to submit their thinking to it.” But what gave even more strength to the advice of both elders was the fact that, as mentioned above about Elder Leonidas, they not only studied in books, but also actively lived their spiritual life correctly. Thus, possessing experienced spiritual wisdom, Elder Fr. Leonidas abundantly taught his teachings to others and, not embarrassed by any human considerations and fears, in any case, where it was necessary, he simply, directly, openly and sincerely proclaimed the word of truth, without worrying in advance about refined courtesy, softening of expressions and about who to say what to; but he spoke and acted without preparation, according to a spiritual feeling or the inspiration of God, and addressed almost everyone to you. In the Elder’s conversation, some sharp peculiarity was noticed, peculiar only to him. Combining the spiritual power of the words of Scripture with the short but expressive Russian folk dialect, he alternately dissolved one with the other, where he found it useful. Lowering and raising the tone of speech, sometimes changing the voice itself as necessary, he imparted special power to his word, so that it fell directly on the heart, producing a decent effect in everyone: he consoled one in sorrow, aroused another from sinful stupor, animated the hopeless, released him from the bonds of despair itself, forced the unbeliever to obey and believe; briefly, - it could turn a carnal person to the path of spiritual life, of course, sincerely seeking this. At times, the Elder dissolved his simple speech with his playfulness, which sometimes even seemed to reach the point of semi-ugliness, which is almost impossible to fully describe and portray and, in any case, inconvenient. So people close to the Elder, looking at his apparently inappropriate actions and listening to his seemingly indecent speeches, were sometimes carried away by the thoughts of the crafty enemy and began to have an unfavorable opinion about him. One of these, devoted to the elder Fr. Leonida, the daughter of a priest, repented before him, saying: “Forgive me, father, I sometimes look at you as a holy man; and sometimes my thought tells me that you are a sorcerer.” Not at all embarrassed by this, the Elder, smiling, answered her in a joking tone: “Yes, there must be a little of both.” Some believed that the circumstances of that time - human rumor, secret envy and, finally, as we will see below, open persecution and embarrassment - forced him to somewhat adhere to foolishness. But it can be more accurately said that the Lord Himself made him wise, under the guise of the violence of Christ, for the sake of bringing spiritual benefit to his neighbors. By doing this, he hid from human glory, which was dangerous even for great ascetics, rejected idle curiosity and freely gave spiritual help to all those who needed it and sought it. Covering his wisdom with simplicity of address and extreme simplicity of speech combined with playfulness, apparently inappropriate, but always justified by the deed itself, the Elder could often apply spiritual healing to the secret spiritual wounds of variously ailing visitors and visitors in the midst of the congregation; and on top of that he gave everyone free access to himself. Some students and disciples of the elder Fr. Leonidas confessed that in front of other elders, stern in appearance and serious in behavior, their souls involuntarily shrank, and they could not freely confess to them their innermost spiritual weaknesses. On the contrary, the simple, open, free appeal of the elder Fr. Leonid untied their souls, and they easily and freely expressed to him even what they sometimes found difficult to admit to themselves. Sometimes the Elder, depending, of course, on the offenses and spiritual dispensation, admonished the guilty person in the presence of others, according to the apostolic commandment: reprove those who sin before everyone, and others also have fear (1 Tim. 5:20), without fear of upsetting him or tempting others. Finally, we will outline, if possible, the essence of the teachings of the elder Fr. Leonida. He instilled in everyone that spiritual salvation is not easy for those who seek it. Often the Elder, in confirmation of this truth, repeated a simple saying he composed: “To save a soul is not to weave a bast shoe.” “Indeed, a proud, vain, proud, voluptuous, money-loving, substance-loving man comes from the world. His heart is a great and spacious sea; There are bastards there, they are countless. Or is it a field, all overgrown with thorns. We need to clear these thorns, plant good seeds and take care that they grow and bear good fruits, of course, with the help of the all-pervading grace of God. How much work, knowledge, and skill is required in this matter, which exceeds ordinary human strength! “Because when one of the elder’s students, Fr. Leonida wondered why he had never seen miracles from his Father, while he had often heard about this from other brothers, and when he came to the Elder with the intention of revealing this thought to him, the Elder, having given him a blessing, said: “Isn’t it a miracle to trim such a market stump (meaning the brother who came), from which something good and useful will eventually come out!” This brother's name was Alexander, later Hieroschemamonk Anthony, the confessor of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, known for his pious life, who died on October 10, 1880. He was originally from the burghers of Little Arkhangelsk, with the surname Medvedev. The main thing is the elder Fr.’s attention and care. Leonid turned to his closest students. Without being carried away by the desire for an imaginary high life and not seeking ahead of time the great gifts of God, he, both at first he himself and then led his spiritual children, along the safe path indicated in the writings of the godly mentors of monasticism, who teach that the novice ascetic of Christ should first of all take care of knowing himself and taming his passions 54 . Therefore, the Elder especially paid vigilant attention to the spiritual passions of those who related to him, and taught everyone to follow them, not to act on their suggestion and attraction, but, calling on God’s help, to resist them; first of all, do not justify them and recognize your spiritual weakness; not to mix vanity, man-pleasing or any other impure motive into good undertakings, but to serve the One Lord sincerely and with pure will, uncunning simplicity 55 and kindness, as he himself wrote in one letter. The Elder was not too careful, where necessary, to touch the pride of his spiritual children. On the contrary, his entire treatment of them was aimed at eradicating this hidden but destructive vice. While covering his spiritual wisdom and humbling himself, he at the same time knew how to humble others. He knew well how and with what to shame and admonish someone, so that the instruction would have an effect on those who should and would be sensitive to him; but at the same time he understood to the subtlety who could bear what, and how and with what to console and calm whom. Despite the apparent simplicity, and sometimes even rudeness, his address did not offend anyone and in this respect represented the complete opposite of what we see among people, on whom the psalm’s word is often fulfilled: their words fade away more than oil, and that is the essence of arrows. 56 At the elder Fr. Leonidas, on the contrary, always expressed the holy truth in forms, apparently sometimes harsh, and one could see a kindly and loving soul and fatherly concern for the salvation of his spiritual children. “It used to be,” one of the Elder’s disciples said, “Father would give me such a severe and threatening reprimand that I could barely stand on my feet; but immediately he himself will humble himself, like a child, and so pacify and console him that his soul will become light and joyful; and you will leave him peaceful and cheerful, as if Father was praising me and not reproaching me.” Elder Fr. Leonid did not like, as he put it in one letter, the learned calm of the politician and the spiritual humanity 57 artistic consideration. "Guys! “What you bought for, sell for,” he used to tell his students, teaching them to adhere to simple, open, relaxed manners, in which there would be nothing counterfeit or hidden. “If you were, like an apostle, simple-hearted,” he once said to a disciple close to him, “if you did not hide your human shortcomings, did not pretend to be especially reverent, would not walk in hypocrisy,” then this path is closest to salvation and attracts the grace of God. Unpretentiousness, lack of deceit, frankness of the soul—this is what pleases the humble-hearted Lord: Unless you are like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of God." 58 Therefore, the disciples of the elder Fr. Leonidas could not have been crafty people or politicians (hypocrites). They could not stand his gaze and, although they clung to him, they did not do so for long. Reluctantly, they soon ran away from this disciple of Christ, having seen in practice that feigned worldly politeness and false respect were unsuitable for the Elder’s cell, where spiritual simplicity and Christian infancy reigned. Everyone believed that they were deceiving Fr. Leonidas is impossible neither with the twists of clever lies, nor with feigned humility. The elder knew the price of all external manifestations. He did not like it if someone, attaching importance to something that is not particularly important, even without guile and hypocrisy, strenuously expressed his humility, zeal, and reverence in words and external actions. Father Leonid called it a chimera. One day someone asked him what he meant by this word. The elder answered: “Have you seen how cucumbers bloom? There is a real color and there is a color without an ovary, on which there is no cucumber, that is, a barren flower. This is the chimera." The elder wanted his disciples to prove their spiritual disposition towards him not by outward manifestations, but rather by fulfilling his instructions. “You want to grab my words on the fly,” he said to one of his spiritual sons, “you want to be saved in passing, to quickly learn. That’s why you are delighted, kissing your father’s shoulder or hand. And I’m with Fr. Theodore was towards him without fanaticism (Fr. Leonid often used this word); mentally I was ready to bow at his feet with filial respect.” The Elder especially exhorted his disciples to maintain mutual love, peace and unanimity among themselves. Often he repeated the touching words of Christ: Of this they understand that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:35); and these were his favorite words to his close disciples. Although the elder himself, Fr. Leonid was from a simple rank and did not receive external education, but he knew how to appreciate and distinguish people of all ranks, giving due justice to external talents with a correct and humble desire for spiritual life. The Elder always accepted complaints and denunciations of his spiritual children against anyone with great consideration and caution, repeatedly citing as an example the rector of the Glinsk Hermitage, Fr. Philaret, who was a wise and spiritual man, but suffered a lot from excessive trust in his spiritual children. This is what. Filaret, on behalf of his Kursk Bishop Eugene, in 1821 drew up a charter for the Borisov women's hermitage and established good monastic order there, which greatly contributed to the improvement of the monastery, and therefore had many spiritual daughters in it. In the same desert there were the spiritual daughters of the elder Fr. Leonida. And although the number of Leonid’s disciples was incomparably smaller, for some reason they had greater importance and advantage in the monastery over the Filaret’s disciples, occupying the highest monastic positions. The students of Fr. They became jealous of Philaret for this and began to bring him complaints about Fr. Leonidas, as if they, on the instructions of their Elder, adhere to some strange and incorrect teaching. By trust in his spiritual children, Fr. Filaret did not check their complaints, but without consideration transferred them to his Vladyka, who finally instructed the experienced archpriest with the abbot of the neighboring Khotmyzh monastery to carry out a strict inquiry. The investigation of the case ended in favor of the disciples of Elder Leonid. It turned out that the students' complaints about Fr. Filaret were unfounded and unfair. Then Fr. To Philaret, who established a well-ordered order in the Borisov Hermitage, the Kursk Eminence said indignantly: “After this, don’t let your foot set foot in this monastery!” Recalling this incident, Elder Fr. Leonid often repeated: “Trust the jealous children, they will punish you.” Regarding fasting and other bodily exploits, Elder Fr. Leonid instructed his students to do everything they should according to their conscience. And if someone arbitrarily violated the established rules, the Elder strictly rebuked him, saying that negligence even in small things is harmful to the soul and leads to disastrous consequences. But, on the other hand, he did not approve if someone concluded all spiritual perfection in observing only the external rules of monastic life and indiscriminately brought everyone, weak and strong in bodily strength, under one rule, or, abandoning prudent moderation, indulged in excessive bodily feats (for example, wearing chains), hoping to be saved as if by them alone. The godly instructions of the elder Fr. Leonida at the Optina Brotherhood. The entire internal structure of monastic life began to change. Nothing important was undertaken or done in the monastery without the blessing of the Elder. Every day, especially in the evening hours, the monastery and monastery brethren flocked to his cell with their spiritual needs. Everyone hurried to repent before the Elder of what they had sinned during the day in deed, word or thought, to ask for his advice and permission in the perplexities encountered, consolation in the sorrow that had befallen them, help and reinforcement in the internal struggle with passions and with the invisible enemies of our salvation. The elder invited everyone with fatherly love and taught everyone a word of experienced edification and consolation. – And thus, the Optina brotherhood little by little began to improve morally. This is how Fr. describes his cell. Leonidas is an eyewitness, his disciple, the aforementioned Fr. Anthony (Bochkov): “The Elder’s cell, from early morning until late at night, filled with those who came to him for spiritual help, presented a picture worthy of an artist’s brush. An old man in simple clothes, in a short robe, was visible from behind the circle of his disciples, who were kneeling before him 59, and their faces were animated by different expressions of feelings. Another brought repentance for such a sin, which someone who had not undergone obedience would not have even thought of; another confessed with tears and fear that he had unintentionally insulted his brother. On one face there was a burning shame that he could not overcome the thoughts from which he would like to run to the ends of the world; on the other, a cold-blooded smile of distrust towards everything visible was expressed - he came, along with others, to appear only to the Elder and leave unhealed; but he, too, fearing his penetrating gaze and accusatory words, lowered his eyes and softened his voice, as if wanting to soften his judge with false humility. Here one could see true obedience, ready to kiss the feet of the Elder; there, a weak, sickly young man rejected by the whole world did not leave Fr.’s knees. Leonida, like her pet from a milkmaid 60. Among other things, the gray head of a warrior 61 was visible, who had once served in the domestic battle and now took up arms under the command of such a skillful leader against invisible enemies. Here the hair of the Elder 62 also turned white, who, admitting his lack of skill in monasticism, began the spiritual alphabet when the world recognized him as a mentor. – The great Elder and spiritual leader was surrounded by such a diverse society. In this wonderful cell one could see spectacles as instructive as all events, reminiscent of the best time of Christianity. “The assembly of the humble is like the assembly of seraphim,” said St. Isaac the Syrian 63.” In particular, how beneficially the spiritual guidance of the elder Fr. Leonidas on the monastery brethren, is described by the aforementioned Optina old-timer Hieromonk Ignatius, who entered the monastery in 1830: “All the sketes then formed one spiritual family. Peace and love reigned in her. Everyone was distinguished by deep humility. Each tried to surpass the other in this regard. They were afraid to offend each other even with a glance, asking for forgiveness at the slightest insult to their brother. Everyone remained silent. They didn’t go to each other’s cells. Some only sometimes went out for solitary walks in the Skete at night. The novices were instructed not so much by words as by the example of their lives. The good example of their elder brothers had a beneficial effect on them, disposing them to imitate. Everyone was required to attend general obediences (except for some venerable elders). The firewood for fueling the cells was collected in the forest ourselves. They drank tea only on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, gathering for this with the elder Fr. Leonida in the apiary. The brethren did not keep samovars in their cells. Cooking food in cells and generally keeping food supplies in cells was prohibited. There was no mention of vodka and tobacco 64. – To reveal their thoughts, all the brothers went every day to the Elder’s apiary after the evening meal, and in his cell they listened to prayers for the future to sleep. “The Elder taught humility most of all.” The wisdom of the Elder, evidenced by the love and respect for him of the abbot and brethren, and the skillful healing of infirm souls, soon made Fr. Leonida is famous even outside the monastery. For the sake of spiritual advice, people of all kinds began to come to the door of his cell from cities and villages: nobles, merchants, townspeople and common people of both sexes. Everyone was received by the Elder with fatherly love, and none of them left his cell without being spiritually consoled by him. Men who understood spiritual life well, but labored in seclusion or silence 65, from different parts of Russia began to send Pustyn to Optina under the leadership of Fr. Leonid for training in monastic life of every class of people who were looking for a more reliable refuge for this. Monastic brethren began to flock from everywhere, zealous for their spiritual salvation, like bees in a hive, in order to water their hearts with streams of divine sweetness flowing from the honey-flowing lips of the Elder. Every year the crowd of people in Optina Pustyn increased significantly, through which it gradually began to improve outwardly. But what especially attracted Fr. to the elder. Leonid the hearts of all, monastics and laity? - This is a gift of the grace of God resting on him. As a result, everyone who treated him with faith unanimously testified that in his presence they felt inner peace, peace of mind and spiritual joy. They often came to him with great grief, and upon entering his cell, they forgot why they came and what kind of grief troubled them - it left them on the threshold. Thoughts that seemed terrible and irresistible disappeared in the presence of the Elder, as if they had never existed; but they appeared again when those who related to the Elder were too lazy to come to him. – By the grace-filled power of the elder’s instructions, Fr. Leonid, many families were pacified, those who had led a vicious life were guided to the path of truth, many schismatics were converted to the Orthodox Church. “It happened to me once,” wrote Lev Aleksandrovich Kavelin 66, “to pass from Kozelsk to the Smolensk province. On the way, in secluded villages, the villagers, having learned that I was coming from Kozelsk, vied with each other to find out something about Fr. Leonida. When asked why you know him, they answered: “For mercy, breadwinner, how can we not know Father Leonid? Yes, for us, poor, unreasonable ones, he is even better than our own father. Without him, we were almost like orphans.” “Here is a monument that is more timeless than many marbles and granites!” In addition to his usual activities with monastic and lay visitors, the Elder received many letters from various people who asked him for permission in perplexity. Out of love for his neighbors, he did not ignore them either, but either wrote himself or dictated answers suitable for everyone to strengthen and console them in sorrows, or finally, most often, he entrusted the answer to the hieromonk who lived with him, later an elder, Fr. Macarius. In previous editions it was printed: “In the Lavra of St. Paisiya." But in the manuscript it was written “St. (saint)" instead of "v. (elder)” due to a copyist’s mistake and an oversight by the compilers. It is said a little higher that Fr. Leonid read the Gospel in the Moldavian way. This expression, “according to the Moldavian way,” shows that the mentioned Lavra of St. Paisia ​​should be in Moldova. And in Moldova, in addition to the Great Lavra of Elder Paisius (Velichkovsky), another Lavra of St. Paisius never existed and does not exist. Subsequently hegumen Anthony, abbot of the Cheremenets Monastery, St. Petersburg. lips Luga district; Petersburg native who received a good upbringing. Part I, p. 535–542, first edition. See in the Appendix the letter of Elder Leonidas No. 14, edifying on this subject. Simplicity, or sincerity and kindness, is opposed to guile, or hypocrisy. St. John Climacus says: “Just as the evil one is something dual, one in appearance, and the other in his heart’s disposition (that is, he is affectionate in appearance, but harbors malice in his heart), so the simple one is not dual, but is something united (that is, he has love for all his neighbors in his heart, and is friendly and respectful in appearance).” (Sl. 4. Ch. 21). Confessing your thoughts on your knees as a sign of humility is an ancient Christian custom. (See Ladder. Sl. 4, department 62–34.) Alexey Ivanovich Zhelyabuzhsky, Volkhov landowner. “Hieromonk Father Macarius (Ivanov), successor in eldership to Father Leonid. In one periodical publication, the described picture was inserted into an essay on the life of the Optina elder Hieroschemamonk Ambrose. - But why do that? The Optina elders had their own characteristics. During his lifetime, Elder Ambrose said: “Elder Leo (Leonidas) had it simple: men, women, monks and nuns often surrounded him together and revealed their thoughts.” “It was different for Elder Ambrose. Although he taught the general blessing, he taught it especially to men and especially to women; for the revelation of thoughts he took one at a time. “They will say: this is not particularly important.” But it's still better to tell the truth. Some people think and even say with confidence that smoking and sniffing tobacco is not sinful. But this bewilderment is resolved by a very simple consideration: smoking and snorting is not a necessary natural need, but a whim; whim is sin. Also: St. The apostle said: do not please the flesh through lust. In Russian: do not turn cares for the flesh into lusts (Rom. 13:14). Is smoking and snorting anything other than satisfying one’s desire or lust? Consequently, those who smoke and snuff tobacco are transgressors of the apostolic commandment. Such are, for example, George, the recluse of Zadonsky, Hilarion Troekurovsky, etc. Subsequently, Archimandrite Leonid, governor of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, who died in the early nineties of the 19th century.