Глава V. Схимонах о. Макарий и его воспитание в обители под руководс твом о. Иеронима

At the end of January the health of Fr. Macarius began to noticeably improve, although the febrile paroxysms still continued, and he “sat in his cell hopelessly.” Having sent his companion Evgraf to his homeland, who was extremely burdened by monastic life, Fr. Macarius sent a letter addressed to his mother, in which he makes him the owner of his rich and dandy wardrobe 86 and asks his mother to “intercede with the priest, according to the word given to him before and on his deathbed, to reward him with five hundred silver rubles.” “You know,” writes Fr. Macarius, in order to justify his request, “I was always disposed, and I often told you that he deserved it, and on the road he was a good companion for me and during my illness he was very necessary, especially because of the news at the monastery.” He repeats the same request in a letter dated April 3, 1852 and in almost the same words. The mother agreed 87 “to reassure him about the reward and ransom of Evgraf,” who was then truly satisfied in all respects 88 and was even redeemed from serfdom 89 . By May Fr. Macarius had already recovered significantly and with zeal began to fulfill the rules of monastic life. While visiting the church, he at the same time “went to all general obediences, and moreover to plant grapes.” On top of this, he was “given a library,” 90 in which he loved to spend time reading soul-saving books. To these obediences a little later a new one was added, which Fr. especially liked. Macarius, is to be the canonarch at every divine service 91. The young monk, devoted with all his soul to the fulfillment of his duty, was busy from deep morning until late at night, “did not see how the days went by” and only dreamed that “the Lord would not forsake him with his mercy, he would rush through the days - and quickly beyond the grave” 92 . The young enthusiastic monk liked the news of the situation, although his steps on this new path were timid and not without sorrows, in the midst of which he found consolation in his experienced confessor, Fr. Jerome. “I thank God, I don’t miss you,” writes Fr. Macarius to his kind mother, who weeps tears of joy and tenderness, and I often find comfort in my life. What God will give next, and now I am calm. There are sorrows, temptations, storms of thoughts, but the confessor consoles and resolves bewilderment. There is little benefit here for the body, but for the soul there is freedom." 93 Breaking ties with the world with which a person parted yesterday and where so much is left behind that is sweet and pleasant is not an easy task even for natures less tender than Fr. Macarius, and therefore the moral internal struggle was quite natural in the early stages of his monastic life. “You convince me to forget the world and not to miss its vain state, dear mother,” Fr. responds to his mother’s advice. Macarius, I’ll tell you this: I’m trying to forget him. If you have one foot here and the other there, what will happen? But it’s impossible without memory: everything is still so fresh in the memory! And then, the enemy of the human race seeks to overshadow a good life, delighting the thought of the past; but I don’t even think about missing the world, as I feel now. ABOUT! If only, with the help of God and your prayers, the Lord would allow us not to think about him in the future! ABOUT! His mercy would be inexpressible! This is the most beneficial thing for us" 94. But diligence is diligence, and the force of habit, the harsh harsh reality surrounding the young monk, moreover, the very often repeated feverish paroxysms that brought his already weak body to complete exhaustion, the meager unusual table 95, ascetic cell exercises, which he began to perform with the fervor of his passionate, carried away nature - all this more and more often transferred his thought to the past, although abandoned by him, but yet still close to his heart and accessible to his feelings. In the struggle with himself, with his nature, with his old habits, he was exhausted and in this exhaustion he sought consolation, either in the wise conversations of his confessor, or appealed to his tenderly loving mother for her prayers, so that with them he could stand unshakable in this struggle. “I ask you one thing,” he writes to his mother, “pray for me, may the Lord confirm me in the feat of the great angelic image, may I be worthy to justify my vows before God, may he strengthen in me the thought of paying attention to prayer, both for myself and for all of you in general, may he give me strength to bear all the temptations I encounter, may I be tempted, but not fall into them. Mother, pray for your son, may the Lord give him chastity, humility, patience, obedience and deliver him from vain thoughts and pride” 96. “Mother, pray to the Lord for me, that He may give me strength for patience and deeds. After frequent illnesses I am exhausted. When you’re sick, you get used to eating and drinking often, and even when you’re healthy you’ll start doing the same, and you get used to idle talk, and then it’s hard to get out of the habit... Sometimes it’s boring: I’ll remember about you, about the food for which I was a hunter; - and then the confessor will nourish you with spiritual food and would be glad to go to the grave now” 97. “Can a son forget his father and mother? It’s as if I made a vow to forget you,” writes Fr. Macarius to his parents, developing his previous thought - but for peace on earth, and not for peace on high, where you can be carried away, to go to the kingdom of heaven forever together, to a paradise of sweetness and live with one Father of lights and the Matter of our God. But even here I am not able to forget you. The thought of the childhood spent between you and youth under your guidance, the minutes of our meeting and the moment of your last “sorry!” will hardly be forgotten. Perhaps, if you had raised us differently, we would have been alien to religion, but everything past and present plunges us into a feeling of gratitude, and tears of tenderness involuntarily tear out a prayerful sigh for your salvation. So, dear parents, in the wretched cell of Macarius, the intergrown names of John and Theodosia are often remembered, may the Lord and the Most Holy Lady have mercy on them." 98 It is not surprising, therefore, that at this time of his monastic life Fr. was in constant correspondence with his relatives. Macarius “true consolation”, letters from his dearly beloved mother, “soaked in maternal love”, were for him “a balm that heals soul and body”, filled his eyes with tears and touched him to the depths of his soul” 99. Well aware of his filial duty towards his parents, to whose prayers and upbringing he owes both his existence and everything that he has become at this time 100, Fr. Macarius began to make every effort to actually implement his idea - “to captivate his parents into the world on high.” To this end, he relentlessly, and sometimes even to the displeasure of his readers, fills his letters to his mother with edifying lessons about the Christian life, full of complete self-denial and self-restraint. “Mother,” writes Fr. Macarius about Great Lent of 1852 - I ask you for God’s sake to join this fast twice; you will see how beneficial it is for the soul... I certainly advise you, mother, to partake of the Holy Mysteries twice during the first and Holy Weeks. Please, don’t believe the whims of the Tula people, unite closer with Christ... We will not be worthy until the end of our lives, but now everything is favorable for you” 101... “Lent again,” they say in the same year about the Assumption Fast. – You did not partake of the Holy Mysteries. I assure you by God that apart from the salvation of your soul, you will receive nothing: your conscience will be more peaceful and calm in your soul. Don't listen to worldly talk. The former Christians received communion every week. Your summers are now such that you can give up household chores. However, whatever you want, you just need to perform the Holy Mysteries” 102. “Not all bows,” Fr. gives advice to his mother. Macarius regarding Christian life in general - but take a little ladder or rosary, which is what you are supposed to walk through, in a sitting position or lie down, and don’t consider it a sin... because you can’t always do worship. If you can’t read while standing, sit down, don’t hesitate, but trust in God... Read the Jesus Prayer and the Virgin Mary, Rejoice often, wherever necessary. These two prayers elevate the grief of the soul 103, the prayer “Lord Jesus” and the Mother of God, sitting, walking, lying down - may it be with you everywhere. Don’t forget the poor, but without grumbling, give as much as you can” 104. “Prayer to God and love of one’s neighbor are all the commandments; in these two the law and the prophets hang. What to do, perhaps sometimes the enemy suggests that it is a pity to do something, or to give, or to sacrifice, but the work of God does not happen without reward, and especially if it is done without pity, internal and external. This must be guarded against. Therefore, at the time when the soul is separated from the body, these deeds will be a shield of protection. Exactly, it’s hard to pray now, it’s hard to endure rudeness, it’s unbearable to carry out the will of someone else’s orders, and what is there outside the grave, where they will give an answer for an idle word? Conquer the thought that is forbidden to reward the poor, not to do any good, but remember eternity: the kingdom of heaven or hell, there is no middle road - then you will do a good deed by force, and that means two victories: you will defeat the mental enemy and you will do good. Save yourself, my dearest and dear parents, perhaps we will meet, if not here, then there in a paradise of sweetness, and to paradise is the road spoken by the Lord himself: through many sorrows it is necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven" 105. “Hurry, hurry to sow so that later you can gather, take care of your neighbor, do not spare your wealth, be calm, do not give away, the Lord will make it a hundredfold here and in heaven” 106. In this concern for the benefits of alms for saving the souls of his parents, as well as out of genuine compassion for his neighbor, he first hesitantly, and then persistently advises his parents to set up a hospice home. “If you buy (that is, a house for yourself) and should move into it, my advice: first serve a vigil, a prayer service and call the brethren of Christ, feed them, and they will shower you with blessings and prayers. Forgive the impudent advice, but love and compassion for one’s neighbor will overcome everything” 107. “Let the poor and wretched praise your name,” writes Fr. Macarius to his parents, among other wishes regarding their transition to a new home, - may your house be filled with the grace of God, an eye to the blind, a foot to the lame, a shelter for a stranger and a cover for a homeless orphan; May truth and peace be among you, may the words of the Lord be fulfilled: The good man is generous and by giving, he will arrange his words in judgment. Blessedness of mercy, for there will be mercy” 108. “I wish you to be all members of your neighbor, not forgetting their needs and sorrows, and they will strengthen life here and there with their sighs and tears for your prosperity” 109. “I take the liberty of disturbing you,” Fr. begins his speech. Macarius about the already welcoming house. “I received a letter from Tula in which they write to me and ask me to ask you about the host Matryona Ivanovna. Forgive my misfortune, I was afraid to leave such a matter without informing you, and my confessor gave his blessing. I asked because I am now an outsider to worldly society, and received the answer: perhaps they are afraid to offer it to your priest, and if you don’t explain, you will be reproached, and therefore I begin with God’s blessing. Add a few more perfections to your home in heaven, and here too there will be a memory on earth. Forgive my poor advice. You already know that she, that is, Matryona Ivanovna, has long wanted to establish a hospice in the city, which, unfortunately, does not have one, then my damned opinion is this: gather a society and offer a subscription, how much they collect - put it in the bank and support it with interest, and meanwhile there will be private alms. At the very least, if it is impossible to support, then the shelter will be for a poor wanderer, shivering from the cold, exhausted from the heat and thirst. Oh! How difficult this path is with money, and even more so without it! Now you can propose, but they will not agree, which means there is no will of God. Meanwhile, at this terrible, unhypocritical judgment, you will hear the blessed voice of Christ: strange was you and knew me, naked and clothed me, thirsty and thirsty for me, thirsty and give me food, sick and visited me. Come, blessed child of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. How wonderful are these words of sweet Jesus! And one more thing: The blessed ones are more merciful, for there will be mercy. Oh, how good is the paradise of sweets! Of course, perhaps you will be insulted, but remember for the sake of the sweetest Jesus, Who did not spare His blood. What a memory beyond the grave! everyone will say: may the Lord rest him, as he gave us rest, and the soul from these words is brightened by the Holy Spirit. I bow my head at your feet, so that, dear parents, do not deprive yourself of sowing glory not here, but in eternity. Do not regret sowing the seeds of virtues from your property, God knows what will happen next. Forgive me, forgive my insolence. I love you with spiritual love and strive to repay you for the earthly goods I received from you, so that you may receive heavenly ones through your virtues, especially alms." 110. In a letter dated January 29, 1853, Fr. Macarius already asks Ivan Dionisievich: “Has the hospice house been approved and on what grounds?” A month and a half later, he writes a new letter to his father on the same occasion and, to convince him, presents new claims. less extensive arguments, again referring to the letter to him, allegedly written “not in ink, but in tears” 111. “I cannot,” he writes, “tell you urgently, but I ask you not to miss this opportunity. You must remember: the kingdom of God is in need and the needy are delighted 112. And the time will come and I would be glad to be in need, but now you have nothing to give, but it’s impossible. you have already lost so many prayer books. Perhaps you will laugh and say: prayer books?! What is the matter (for us to judge) their behavior. The Lord does not say: give to my good-natured little brother, but simply: do one from the lesser brothers, without discerning who he is. He is judged by his own deeds, and we by ours... He makes a special remark about those traveling, saying that if the Lord, in commanding his apostles, said: “You will enter the city, give peace to it; if it does not accept you, shake off the dust of your feet and your peace will return to you.” These words are terrible. In view of the apostles, perhaps One will pass by, but the whole world is unworthy of Him, and will not give peace to our city. How to understand this and who is to blame for taking the world away from an entire city? 113 Perhaps they would have wanted to do this too and leave. Delight in the kingdom of God while there is time. Don't worry about the future state of your family. Unless the Lord builds a house, it labors in vain to build it. Here you are, dear parents, about to buy a high-priced diamond; you will pay little, but you will get a lot of benefits” 114. Request Fr. Macaria was respected. The hospice house was set up by Ivan Dionisevich. The desire to help his mission 115, which was in dire need of material resources, to help with the help of parental capital, in which he recognized himself as a participant, and even more so to contribute to the same goal persistently pursued by him - the salvation of their soul, prompted Fr. Macarius in each of his letters asked them for alms to the monastery, or for their participation in the construction of its churches and their beautification. “Now, dear mother, I dare to write to you about this,” writes Fr. Macarius a few days after his tonsure, while still on his sick bed. - Just as the brothers got married and had mercy from you to give gifts to their brides, then I, as I have now entered monasticism and the lot of the Queen of Heaven, then my, if I dare to say, the Bride to whom I betrothed myself, will reward you too. The Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and, if necessary, cells for the Russian brethren are being built here. There are already a lot of Russians, and the monastery has a debt of 60 thousand rubles, so I fall at your feet, although not suddenly, ask the priest at a good time and in a quiet hour. I don't dare write anymore. And how the Mother of God will inspire you and when, serve a prayer service to the Bogolyubskaya Mother of God and then say, maybe the Lord will help us arrange it. I ask you, for God’s sake, do not leave me for the sake of the Mother of God. She herself will console you” 116. This request was a complete success, and in a letter dated April 24, 1852, Fr. Macarius thanks his mother “for her participation”, for “asking the priest for the Protection of the Mother of God in honor of her church under construction and for us poor cells, as well as clothes for the throne. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he adds. “May the Common Intercessor herself reward you in the future life, clothe you with the robe of incorruptibility and heavenly glory” 117. “Thank God,” exclaims the monk Macarius, enthusiastic and intoxicated with his success, “that I am now honored to hear here, among the names of creators and benefactors, the names of those close to my heart, the names of my dearest parents and brothers. Oh, how sweet it is for man to remember the virtues of his precious ones on earth! How will it be for the person himself when his life is weighed on the common path of ordeal? Oh, then how much joy, how much gratitude for the idea and to the one who submitted it! One virtue (thus) in life still gave a step towards the boundless space of heaven, closer to the Sweetest Jesus, and the prayer of the Mother of God for the unforgetfulness of Her most pure duty - all these are heavenly deeds. May the Lord and the Most Pure Mother delight you here on earth and there on high cover you with her powerful omophorion, clothe you in the robe of incorruptibility and may the crowns of heaven adorn your heads” 118. “Brother wrote,” we read in another letter, “that the Lord inspired you to make or correct the iconostasis. Thank God that such things are fertile soil on which secondary fruit will occur. I rejoice that you have a thought about eternity, in order to prepare and ease the path past the World Ruler there too. The Mother of God Herself will overshadow you with her cover” 119. But that's about it. Macarius did not stop, but went further in his persistent requests. He decided to ask his parents “to build a hospital with a church in which a bloodless sacrifice will be made for the entire family,” and thus “to make an eternal, indelible memory of himself and everyone.” As in other cases, so in this one, Fr. Macarius turns “to my dearest and dearest mother” to “take care to ask the priest”, “to work so that the bloodless sacrifice, by which our sins are cleansed, would be offered constantly, whenever possible, according to the rules of the church” 120. And this request about. Macaria, as we know 121, was respected by her parents. In the Russian Panteleimon Monastery there is paraklis 122 in honor of all Athonite saints at the fraternal hospital, built at the expense of I. D. Sushkin. “The first beautiful vessel in the monastery” 123, “candlesticks, brocade, damask material, gases, books,” etc. objects 124 - all this in the monastery or the sacrifice of Fr. Macarius or his brother Vasily Ivanovich from St. Petersburg 125. In general, since the entry of Fr. Macarius was one of the brethren of the Russian Panteleimon Monastery, as its elders put it, [he] “closely united with the spirit of Christ’s love and unity” 126 Sushkin parents with the fathers of the monastery and made them one of the main benefactors, donors and organizers of it. Father Macarius wanted Ivan Dionisievich to enter into even closer communication with the monastery, to become imbued with greater love and affection for it, for which purpose he repeatedly invited his father to visit Athos. But this plan failed. Ivan Dionisievich did not see Athos, due to the lack of time that it took him to perform various kinds of official duties for the elections of townspeople, but his children visited there more than once: Vasily and Peter Ivanovich, who did not forget the monastery with their sacrifices until recently. As for Ivan Dionisievich, in addition to the donations indicated above, until his death every year, on the day of his angel, he sent 500 rubles 128 to the monastery for the “consolation of the brethren.” So, these are the thoughts, thoughts and feelings with which the schema-monk of the Panteleimon Athos monastery, Fr. Macarius; This is what occupied his mind, soul and heart in these first steps of his monastic feat. Fulfillment of monastic obedience, prayer, cell rule, the thought of saving himself and his family, conversations with his confessor, reading ascetic and moral-edifying books - all this abundantly filled the time of his short day and he did not have enough time to think about what was happening outside the walls of his monastery. Meanwhile, a dark cloud hung over his fatherland; his compatriots were on the eve of the unprecedentedly bloody and difficult Crimean War, declared by the manifesto of Emperor Nikolai Pavlovich on October 20, 1853. For Fr. Macarius the sky is clear, cloudless, the atmosphere is well-dissolved. According to his letters, everything seems to be going well. In all his correspondence there is not the slightest shadow of fear, fear for his fate, the fate of the fatherland and the Russian monastery on Athos. And if it were not for a laconic note, which, however, is very characteristic: “We are still alive, but what is happening between the powers is unknown to us in the desert. We await the will of God, as He pleases. We pray for you with all our might” 129, then one would think that he didn’t even know about the declaration of the Crimean War 130. Whereas from other sources we know that before the start of the war there was unrest in the Russian Panteleimon Monastery among Russian monastics. “But then 1853 came,” writes biographer Fr. Seraphim of the Holy Mountain. – A war broke out between Russia and Turkey, rumors of which caused terrible confusion in the Russian brethren and throughout Mount Athos, and many of us, fearing the revenge, bloodthirstiness and treachery of Turkish fanatics, hurried to retire to Russia for the duration of the war. I thought about leaving for my fatherland and Fr. Sergius (Syatogorets Seraphim) 131, but the Most Holy Theotokos did not want to release her valiant warrior from St. Mount Athos. Three times he got ready to set off, and three times the ship landed at the wrong pier where they were eagerly awaiting him." 132 Father Seraphim took this as an order from above and returned back to the monastery, and on December 17, 1853 he died quietly and peacefully. As for the rest of the Russian monks, they were kept on the Holy Mountain by the wise advice of the elder abbot Gerasim and his closest advisers. When the elders of the monastery noticed despondency and unrest among the Russian brethren, they immediately formed a council to discuss the measures necessary to calm the agitated minds. To the question about. confessor Jerome: “due to the onset of the war, the Russian brethren began to be embarrassed, then what do you deign to do?” Archimandrite Gerasim replied: “Schema-monks must remember their vows and not be afraid of any worries, but rely on the will of God.” Father Archimandrite Ambrose, a participant in the council, added to what the abbot said: “Can monastics leave their vows?” All participants in the cathedral answered with one voice: “No, they cannot.” Then the abbot concluded: “Let the cassocks and novices be guided by the advice of the elder, and if they cannot bear it, then let them leave” 133. The conciliar decision was conveyed to the fathers and the excitement between them began to subside little by little. Only the most timid of the Russians left Athos, and all the others, relying on the will of God, remained on the Holy Mountain to courageously endure all the hardships and deprivations of difficult wartime. We, unfortunately, are deprived of any opportunity to depict the state of the Russian monastery on Athos in this difficult time, since Fr. Macarius did not touch on these aspects of her life, being busy with his inner life, and the letters of the Athonite elders, written to her parents by Fr. Macarius, unfortunately, has not survived to us. In any case, it was extremely critical, as can be concluded from the letter from the elders of the monastery sent to Tula just before the end of the Crimean campaign. “Should you depict our real situation? - write the Athonite fathers, - but we already described it to you once 134. Therefore, we will not irritate our souls and yours with the bleakness of our current state, we will only tell you that we still exist, covered by the intercession of the Mother of God. Anyone with even a cold imagination, imagining our circumstances, can clearly understand our situation. Recently, the highest Turkish government itself ordered sellers of food supplies, who had raised their prices almost unbelievably, to sell mainly bread at the price set by them. The price of the government is as follows: 4 piastres (a piastre is 16 kopecks of banknotes) per eye (3 pounds) of the lowest quality and 5 piastres per eye of the highest quality. Note that the government itself recognizes this price as moderate! But the government only sent out its instructions, but did not increase grain reserves, therefore, what will its instructions serve? 135. The lack of essential supplies of life, their terrible high cost, the cessation of almost any communication with the homeland, and at the same time the influx of donations as the only means of subsistence for the monastery, burdensome interest on debt obligations of the previous time, and finally, constant fear for their lives - all this made the life of Russian monks on Athos at this time not only difficult, but truly a “suffering feat” 136, as they themselves characterize it monks. February 22, 1853 Fr. Macarius was ordained a hierodeacon. We have a very extensive and interesting letter from him to his parents about this change in his life, which explains to a large extent his very irresistible desire for monasticism. “On sending letters, that is, to the homeland, Fr. Macarius, - I was called to our father’s confessor, whom I found in the church of the limit of St. Sergius standing before the altar of the Lord in an epitrachelion. The most honest father was already waiting for me. Upon entering, he orders me to kiss the holy icons, and after that he began to make a spiritual test of my crimes before God and the Mother of God from my youth. Having given the instruction, he orders me to go through my whole life and hand it over to him. I was confused by this circumstance. Although I heard it indirectly, you can’t believe every rumor. Go through a lifetime! How many memories tormenting the soul, how much embarrassment from the enemy’s pretexts inflicted by his malice, how much spiritual joy, how much horror and trembling from such orders! Those who have experienced it know it, but to an outside viewer it seems ordinary... You must clear the past tense in your remaining days. And the confessor announced to me the will of our father. hegumen and him, that they want to make me unworthy as a hierodeacon 137. I don’t know how to say or express those feelings to you. The thought of serving the Lord in a host of angels, touching His Most Pure Body and Blood with my accursed lips and hands, being blessed with the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, being present at the incarnation of Christ before His ascension, having the Heavenly Forces invisibly co-serving, being enveloped in Divine flame in the presence of the Holy Trinity - everything terrified me. I trembled for my unworthiness, perplexed and knowing what an honor 138 and what a terrible responsibility for every careless movement, every unclean thought. How much mercy of God, and only justice! But it still seemed like a shadow that I saw in its real form. This will be the will of the Lord: He surprised me, a sinner, with His ineffable mercies, He did not allow our enemy to insult me, the accursed one, but protected me with His ineffable mercy.” Further about. Macarius describes in detail the very rite of ordination and asks for parental prayers: “may the Lord give him the power of grace of the Holy Spirit and may the Mother of God cover him in standing before the throne of the Most High without condemnation, may he preserve the purity and integrity of his service, may he co-serve His Most Pure Body and Blood of Christ and circumambulate His divine throne, may he bestow reverence, attention and memory of the passion The Lord, fear, awe, tenderness before the majesty of His glory, invisibly seated and the heavenly ranks of the upcoming, may the Lord preserve me with His grace and the Most Holy Theotokos cover me with her honest omophorion from every deed, word, thought, so that when approaching the Holy Holy Terrible Mysteries of Christ, may I not be scorched by the fire of God’s justice, may I not be bound by the chains of sins mine, so that when I approach the Divine meal I will not bring upon myself the wrath of God, touching unworthily, but may His grace be strengthening and reminiscent of the terrible sacrament, so that in a feeling of reverence I will present myself to the Lord of Glory, co-serving in the offering of the Holy Gifts for everyone and everything... Pray, pray for me, I walk dangerously, but I pray for you in church at every opportunity due to my weakness” 139. In 1856, on June 3, Archbishop Nicodemus Fr. Macarius was ordained hieromonk and soon appointed second confessor of the Russian monastic brethren. The actual state of affairs in the monastery, however, did not require such a hasty elevation of the young hieromonk, Fr. Macarius for such an honorable post among the monastic brethren. According to the concepts of the Holy Mountainers, the confessor is considered the second person after, plays a very important role in the life of the monastery with a cenovial structure, since the daily life of each individual is revealed to the smallest detail, who therefore becomes entirely morally dependent on the confessor, who, for the same reason, enjoys universal honor and respect. It's true that Fr. Jerome, suffering from bouts of painful illness, was sometimes unable to carry out his duties; It is also true that the number of Russian brethren in the monastery has increased significantly (for example, back in 1852 there were already 80 Russian monks), but this is not where the true reasons for this seemingly incomprehensible circumstance lie; they lie much deeper. Father Jerome successfully and with full authority towards his intelligent, knowledgeable and experienced person fulfilled his former duties as a confessor and a powerful leader along the path of progress of the Russian monastery; and if, due to his weakness, he was not able to fulfill his obedience on this or that day, in this or that week, then the work itself did not suffer any damage, moreover, 80 people were far from representing an invincible force that such a giant of mind and will could not cope with, such as Fr. Jerome. We must not forget the fact that, with the appointment of Fr. Macarius as his assistant, he did not at all relieve himself of the heavy burden of leadership. As before, from morning until late at night, the doors of his cell were not closed; as before, everyone from the great schema monk to the novice with their “misunderstandings,” “thoughts,” and “temptations” went to talk to the “old priest,” as the monks called Fr. Jerome, unlike Fr. Macarius, and sought reassurance, permission, necessary funds, etc. from this latter. ABOUT. Macarius had not yet acquired the necessary authority in their eyes and, having hitherto been accustomed to conforming his will with the will of the “father,” could not decide on anything without his blessing. Father Macarius, vigorous, young, tireless, was in charge of external monastic affairs, where a keen eye, a young, steady foot, a devoted person were needed, and was an obedient and unquestioning executor of the will of the “father,” who from his cell saw everything and provided for everything. “He serves the liturgy every day,” characterizes this aspect of Fr. Makaria K. Leontyev, - he confesses from morning to evening; he is everywhere - at the all-night vigil, on a mule, on the mountains, on a boat in stormy weather, he sleeps three hours a day, he is constantly in a fever, he eats the worst Lenten dishes at meals - he, whose father and brothers are millionaires" 140. Do not place a heavy burden on the shoulders of the young Fr. Macarius, and the insightful Fr. wanted to bring him closer to himself, educate and prepare him for his future great role in the crowded monastery. Jerome. The latter, with his mind, already at that time foresaw the future destinies of the glorious Russian monastery; therefore, it was necessary to prepare worthy figures for the coming time, so that they could stand up for themselves and be able to boldly take the helm of government in a multi-tribal monastery with a skillful hand. Fr. Jerome first of all focused his attention on Fr. Macarius, in his own mind deciding to put him at the head of the monastery, but not before educating and preparing him for this role through a sufficiently long trial. From the first days of his stay in the Russian-Athos Panteleimon Monastery, the impressionable Fr. Makaria is a noble, calm, intelligent personality, an ascetic ascetic, confessor Fr. Jerome, this “first Russian man in monastic experience,” made a deep impression. Father Macarius sincerely fell in love with this “angelic man” with all the feelings of his tender soul, surrendered himself into the hands of this giant of thought and will and became his humble and obedient slave, not yet being a monk. From the correspondence of Fr. Macarius and his parents, we see that Athos itself was a paradise for him, “especially if this confessor was alive,” who “in no way advised him to go” back to Russia. In monasticism Fr. Jerome “comforts” Fr. Macarius “among sorrows and temptations”, “resolves doubts and storms of thoughts”, “feeds him spiritual food”, guides him with advice to his parents, etc. In other words, Fr. Jerome becomes the father and guardian of the monk Macarius, whom the stern ascetic in turn fell in love with and to whom he also became attached in the most sincere way. ABOUT. Jerome could not help but notice with his inquisitive eye in Fr. Macarius “his strong ideal nature, which was visible in his very appearance: in his pale elongated face, in his thoughtful eyes, and even in that strong impressionability and mobility, which neither the natural firmness of character nor the terrifying severity of the Athos discipline, under which he lived for so long, could completely destroy in him” 141, and therefore fell in love with him, brought him closer to himself and forced him for his future wide activities go through the hard school of the highest spiritual and spiritual art. Fr. Macarius, as an active, ardent man, a man of love and heartfelt passions, “needed for successful leadership and for that external struggle with people and circumstances for which he was destined to cool down somewhat and become stronger in the hands of a calm and unyielding man, but nevertheless sincere in spiritual desires” 142, which was the late Fr. Jerome. This test, this “humility of an obedient, but with the above-described traits of independent character, student under the guidance of his strong-spirited teacher was given to Fr. It was very difficult for Macarius, since the most painful strings of his impressionable nature were often touched. And to the credit of these two pillars of monastic life on Athos, it must be said that until the end of their lives they both maintained the position they occupied in relation to one another from the very beginning of their life together: Father Jerome in the role of an experienced teacher and leader, and Fr. Macarius in the role of an obedient student, at the same glance of his beloved teacher, always and at every hour of the day and night, ready for his services. These truly ideal relations of one great elder to another, greater one seemed positively amazing to outside observers. “I,” writes eyewitness K. Leontyev about Fr. Macarius, - I even often marveled, looking at him and listening to his speeches, how could this nature, so tender, it seemed, in every sense so ideal and warm-hearted, and quick, - how could she submit so selflessly, deeply, sincerely and unrequitedly to all that formalism that is inevitable in good monasticism! I will also say that it is not only inevitable, but also extremely fruitful for the spirit, for it is this general formalism, which gives so little scope for individual disposition, even often good, that, perhaps more than anything else, exercises the will of the monk with hourly compulsions and humbles his waywardness, sometimes forcing even the movement of love and mercy to prefer obedience to superiors or regulations. – Having lived, I soon realized myself all the spiritual, psychological, so to speak, importance of everything that many, due to gross misunderstanding, call “excessive appearances.” “But even having understood, I continued to marvel at how such a, to use today’s expression, “nervous” nature could submit to all this so deeply and so sincerely!” 143. And nothing violated this ideal relationship between the student and the teacher: neither the difference in their rank and position (Fr. Macarius was an archimandrite and abbot, and Fr. Jerome until his death retained the modest title of “hieroschemamonk” confessor), nor even those “cruel temptations” to which the latter subjected his student. “I,” writes the same eyewitness, “saw them together in the early seventies, saw the filial relationship of the archimandrite [i.e. e.o. Macarius] to his great elder [i.e. e.o. Jerome]; knew that even then, having been elected as a candidate for the title of abbot in the event of the death of the hundred-year-old elder Gerasim, he unconditionally obeyed Fr. Jerome and often received reprimands from him even in my presence” 144. These “reprimands” were a “heavy test” for Fr. Macarius, since for the most part his misdeeds flowed directly from the depths of his kind, impressionable heart, very sensitive to the grief and joy of his neighbor, and from an ordinary point of view not only did not deserve censure, but, on the contrary, should have been approved and rewarded. An observant and truthful biographer of Fr. Makaria, who is quoted by us many times, K. Leontiev, cites a very typical case of such a temptation. “Once,” he says, “Archimandrite Macarius, on a special occasion, had to serve (I don’t remember on what holiday) a mass outside Athos 145 on the Vatopedi tower. This tower, which once served as a fortress to protect the monastic shores, now has the meaning of a simple farm or some kind of farmstead belonging to the rich Greek monastery of Vatopedi. There is a very small and poor one in the tower the house church. It was there that Fr. Macarius celebrated the liturgy, co-served by a young Greek parish priest from the nearby village of Yerisso... He and the young priest, invited to serve together with him, not only treated him as kindly as possible, but even at parting gave him very beautiful and completely new airs of white glazet with colorful embroidery (Fr. Macarius brought them with him, knowing how much. the church on this abandoned tower is wretched.) When, at the end of the mass, we sat down - he on a mule, I on my horse and rode back to Russik, Fr. Macarius himself confessed to me this good deed of his, small, of course, in terms of material value, but very significant in moral meaning (for it was a gift from the Holy Mountain to a representative of a village hostile to the Holy Mountain). Father Macarius told me with that joy and radiant intelligence and kindness on his face that I loved so much: “I really wanted to console his poor man (that is, the young priest). Let him go home more cheerfully... - In the words of Fr. Macarius addressed to me when we set off, my heart, already so strongly disposed towards him, read so much living and subtle love that I wanted to immediately kiss his noble hand! And if we were alone, without a retinue, I probably would have done it while sitting on horseback. Yes, I was delighted by this touching movement of his heart, but the stern and great mentor we both shared did not look at the matter that way. When, having returned to Russik, I came to Jerome’s cell, he told me in front of the archimandrite himself: - Father Macarius - did you see it? He gave the air to the priest! Why on earth should monastic property be distributed so generously, and to whom - the enemy of the Athos monastery! Father Macarius was silent at first and only smiled, and then he said something, I don’t remember, that had nothing to do with this matter, and left. Left alone with me, Fr. Jerome took a deep breath and said: “I’m afraid that he will spend everything without me.” He’s so kind that if you give him free rein, he’ll turn all of Dad’s inheritance into a nut to crack! I, of course, began to defend Fr. Macarius and I were a little annoyed with the elder that, instead of sharing our small spiritual joy, he cooled it with practical considerations. Father Jerome answered my objections briefly and seriously, with one of those heavenly-bright smiles that extremely rarely lit up his powerful and stern face and acted on people with irresistible charm. He told me this: – Child of God, do not be afraid! We will not spoil his heart... he is too merciful and good. But the abbot is a hundred years old; I, too, am approaching my resolution - he will soon have to be the boss, shepherd this whole flock... And where? Here in a foreign land! In itself, it is good that he gave these airs, and you see from the lives of our monks that they themselves do not need anything. But the monastery needs funds. And Father Macarius must be constantly restrained and taught to be strict. He is a “passionate” person for us. At the sight of this unexpected and indescribable smile on his beautiful, majestic face, at the even less expected speech on “you” with me, at this fatherly appeal: “child of God” - to me, forty years old and so sinful, I no longer wanted to kiss his hand, but to fall at his feet and kiss the fallen old shoe on his foot. Even this mistake of “fascinating” instead of “carrying away” person - this small “weakness of education” in connection with so many great powers of the spirit, and it delighted me!” 146. It happened quite often. Macarius receives reprimands from Fr. Jerome and monastic punishments, in the form of a canon on the rosary, even in such cases when he was right. Fulfilling his duties as the second confessor, and later even when he was already an archimandrite, Fr. Macarius often had to come across various kinds of offenses of the monastic brethren, for which, according to the rules of the monastery, he imposed canons on the guilty, depending on the degree of each person’s offense. It often happened, especially with new monastics, who were not yet sufficiently disciplined and had a hot temper, that they remained dissatisfied with the canons that were imposed on them by Fr. Makariy. Irritated and embittered, they went with a complaint against Fr. Makaria to Fr. Jerome and expressed their displeasure to him in harsh terms. Elder Fr. Jerome silently and calmly listened to the incoherent and heated speech of the dissatisfied person, and in most cases the accused was also present, understanding all the wrongness of the complainant who had been touched to the quick, and in his soul completely sharing the opinion of Fr. Macarius, the elder confessor usually concluded in an imperturbably calm tone: “May God forgive” and, as a sign of permission from the “canon,” extended his wide, muscular hand to kiss the culprit. Then, turning slightly towards Fr. Macarius, added: “You are wrong, and therefore stretch the canon yourself into so many rosaries.” The bright color of shame and innocently offended pride spread over his pale, exhausted face, but a minute later, suppressing the feeling of displeasure in himself, with a tender smile on his lips he approached the hand of his beloved elder for a blessing, in order to immediately fulfill the canon for another in his cell. Both left the confessor's cell satisfied and happy: one with the consciousness that he had been justified before Fr. the confessor, whom everyone was afraid of in the monastery, and the other, that the Lord had sent him a new test and, perhaps, for the benefit of his neighbor. And indeed, how often it happened that the complainants, especially if they were people who were not morally corrupted and were not hardened by vices, but only hot-tempered by nature, leaving the confessor’s cell with the triumph of a defeated person, even on the way to their own cell, began to repent of the unfair insult to Fr. Macarius, who accepted this insult with meekness, and very often returned to their confessor and fell at his feet with the words: “Father, forgive me, damned one! I got excited, bless me to carry the canon.” Just as silently and calmly he listened to this repentant meek speech of the repentant Fr. the confessor, like the first incoherently ardent one, saying in a gentle voice: “God bless,” that is, carry the canon that has already been imposed. Fr. rejoiced. Jerome, seeing this sincere repentance of the culprit, rejoiced and had fun, looking at his favorite Fr. Macarius, ascending from strength to strength in the matter of his moral improvement every day and at the same time more and more, despite his comparative youth, acquiring reverence and respect among the monks of the monastery. The stories of the monks of the Panteleimon monastery are filled with similar facts of the fatherly educational relationship between the two great elders, and in them we do not even see the shadow of any accidental misunderstandings between the elders. Experienced “in monastic feat” Fr. Jerome knew his student’s nature well and never placed the lessons of “temptations” on him beyond his strength or tried to skillfully balance them with the degree of his receptivity, but was gentle and attached to him, loving with all the strength of his tender soul. Macarius was accustomed to unquestioningly obeying the will of the “father”; he learned and experienced that everything that was done or that came from him was all good and was directed towards the good of either him personally or the whole monastery. Hence, peace, love and unanimity were preserved between the elders until their final separation, which followed the death of Fr. Jerome November 14, 1885. That is why no one found this separation as bitter and sensitive as Fr. Macarius, who expressed his Christian grief in a wonderfully eloquent word 147 spoken by him over the ashes of Fr. Jerome at the last kiss. Fr. retained his ardent love for his late confessor and respect for his authority. Macarius and after this separation until his peaceful death. Every day until his death, after the morning and evening meals, Fr. Macarius bowed his senile head over his dear grave to the powerful sounds of the fraternal singing of “Rest with the Saints,” and all the wonderful days in the life of the deceased were, both for himself and for the entire brethren of the monastery, days of especially zealous and prolonged prayer for the repose of Abraham, who had died in the bowels. He liked to spend hours of rare rest or deep reflection in the cell of the deceased, in which, by order of Fr. Macarius, all the things of the deceased were left in the same form and position in which they were at the moment of their owner’s death. Here o. Macarius retired to breathe in the atmosphere that surrounded the great elder and inspired him to his high mission, here he mentally repeated his thoughts and heartaches to his “father,” as he had previously done during his life, “mouth to mouth,” always drawing from the deep well of his spiritual and practical experience approval and consolation in the difficult matter of spiritual management of such a great flock as the Russian Panteleimon a monastery with more than a thousand brethren, both Russians and Greeks. The cell notes 148 left by the deceased, and hitherto not yet printed in their entirety, were in this case for Fr. Macarius was some kind of replacement for the lost personal conversation: he learned from them and from them he drew lessons from spiritual worldly experience. “My dress: a fox fur coat - it’s already worn out - a feather bed and some little things that were left in Odessa, I,” writes Fr. Macarius, - gave it to him, as well as his overcoat. And I ask you to give me the cloth as a souvenir. I ask you, bless and do not be tempted by this, the Lord announced to me in my heart, yes, in my opinion, that I feel, if I were able, I would have done more” (Letter dated February 1852). Letter dated April 24, 1852. Letter dated October 29, 1852. Letter dated January 29, 1853. “I received a letter from Evgraf Ivanovich,” writes Fr. Macarius, he thanks you, and I, for my part, thank the Lord God for instilling this idea in you. As you freed him, may the Lord free you in your air travel.” Letter dated May 4, 1852. Letter dated October 20, 1852. Letter dated May 4, 1852; letter dated June 15, 1852. Letter dated August 1852. By autumn, attacks of fever began to recur more often, so the elders sent Fr. Macarius for correction to Fr. Seraphim of the Svyatogorets. “My health,” writes Fr. Macarius from October 20, - little by little he moves forward. I have already begun obedience again, only still church obedience, that is, canonarchy, and I live half an hour away from the monastery in a cell with Svyatogorets for air. For here in the desert, and the monastic rules have been reduced, especially for service, except for the cell canon, that is, 13 rosaries and 100 prostrations and food can be eaten lighter. I was fired for 10 days, and after that I returned to the monastery. But it’s boring here with nothing to do.” The choice of this place for the new enthusiastic monk was made successfully in all respects and, of course, not without the wise advice of Fr. Jerome. Here for the second time after Odessa. Macarius came face to face with an enthusiastic admirer of the Holy Mountain and a lover of quiet desert life. “In his free time, devoting himself to decent pursuits of ascetic life, Fr. Seraphim gave, in fascinating words and in deeds, to his random, equally enthusiastic roommate and student, quite a few lessons of higher ascesis. All my life about. Macarius kept reverent memory of Fr. Seraphim and for his edifying lessons I was very grateful to him. As for the goodness of the air, which is necessary to improve the health of the patient, there is no better place than the Kosmodemyansk cell of Fr. Seraphim, it was difficult to point out. “The area is amazing, transcendental,” Fr. describes the position of his cell. Seraphim, which from time to time spreads below my picturesque hill, separating me and my cell from the low-lying valleys of the Svyatogorsk coast... I confess - this is a real Eden, because all around the orchard is the most luxurious: in addition to desert krins, captivating roses, forget-me-nots and other country flowers, also fragrant cypresses, in addition to the vines climbing along my terraces, there are cherries, plums of two kinds, peaches, duli, pears, apples, various kinds of hazel, figs or wine berries, almonds, various products of garden fields. And the views! And far away, in its picturesque diversity and with the boundless plain of the Aegean waters! The evening here is especially enchanting, especially the moonlight evening - this is the high pleasure of the soul, with the mysterious contemplation of the wondrous Creator in the endless variety of His creations! (Letter of the Svyatogorets to his friends about the Holy Mount Athos. M., 1883. Part III. P. 56). Letter dated April 3, 1852. “The meal is Lenten. Fish does not exist except Saturday and Sunday.” Letter dated June 16, 1852. General letter to parents dated the same date and year. Letter dated April 3, 1852; letter dated 24 of the same year and month. “You write what you wrote as best you could. Oh, mother, what is politics to me? She's already boring to me. What could be more comforting than your words in a Christian spirit. You pray, bless, wish for me to be established in the monastery - what do I need? That's what I'm looking for. Can your heart and soul say the opposite. To the members of my heart, spirit and flesh, I bow my head to the face of the earth and thank you with feelings of inexpressible joy for your attention to me, unworthy, I do not regret the world, it bored me and recently almost lured me into its nets, but apparently God’s help and your prayers have merited me monasticism” (Letter dated June 15, 1852). “I am for you,” writes Fr. Macarius, mother, is obliged to pray day and night, and you ask me for an apology for insulting me when I was a child. Dear kind mother, perhaps it was this, that is, your instructions, that brought me (to the monastery)” (Letter dated April 3, 1852). “Perhaps,” he notes in another letter, “your prayers let me into the shelter of the Mother of God” (Letter dated August 1852). “Don’t cry, my dear! The Mother of God will console you also for me, a sinner, that you handed me over to Her and to her lot” (Letter dated April 3, 1852). Letters dated February 1852; October 11, 1852; October 13, 1854, etc. Letter dated February 1852. Letter dated October 11, 1852. Letter dated June 15, 1852. Letter dated November 27, 1852. Letter dated September 17, 1852. From this letter and precisely from his words: “Although I wrote to you, it seems, with the last letter, but then at my own suggestion, and now at the request of another,” it is clear that the idea of ​​​​a hospice home either belonged to him personally, or was inspired by his confessor. He forgot that in the first letter he also referred to a letter from Tula. Obviously, he wanted to disguise his own plan to establish such a house. This phrase about. Even in his declining years, Macarius likes to repeat things often. “When I happened,” writes K. Leontyev, “in difficult moments of some moral or physical exhaustion, to open my soul to this intelligent, noble and holy man, and he told me: “Force yourself, - only those who force themselves delight in the Kingdom of Heaven,” I felt that he, this hero of self-sacrifice about God, has the right to tell me so!” (Citizen. 1889 No. 191). Letter dated March 16, 1853. Here about. Macarius hints at the fact that Ivan Dionisievich, as the mayor, more than others, must care about the peace and well-being of the city entrusted to him by society. In the East, a monastery is called a monastery, in which for the first time a monk makes a bow - a throwing (metannoia) to the abbot about his acceptance into the ranks of the brotherhood. Letter dated December 19, 1851. The same request and almost the same words are repeated in letters from Fr. Macarius from April 3, 24 and May 4, 1852. The letter dated June 15 expresses the son's delight at this first sacrifice of his parents to the Russian Panteleimon Monastery and indicates, but extremely illegibly, what this donation consisted of. Letter dated October 13, 1854. Russian monastery of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon on Holy Mount Athos. M., 1886. Ed. 7. P. 107. On Mount Athos, Paraklis are small churches scattered in the corners of vast monastic buildings. They are arranged for early liturgies in order to make it easier for monastics to commemorate the numerous names of benefactors and admirers. Letter dated September 17, 1852; a letter from the elders, written by the hand of St. Seraphim, of the same year and date. “Church utensils and other precious decorations are a gift and sacrifice of the Sushkins’ benefactors” (Russian Monastery of the Holy Great Martyr and Healer Panteleimon on Holy Mount Athos. P. 82). Letter dated November 27, 1852; letter dated January 29, 1853, etc. Letter dated January 18, 1856. Letter dated January 12, 1854. To our question to Ivan Ivanovich, brother of Fr. Macarius, is there any news in the latter’s letters about the state of the monastery during our Crimean and 1877 wars? We received the following curious answer from him: “And what happened in their monastery when, he never wrote anything to us... he was very secretive about. Archimandrite Macarius, but this is how it should be for a monk. Good silence is no answer" (Letter dated January 18, 1890). “May 16, 1853. On the occasion of the rupture and the onset of war, poor me too,” writes Svyatogorets in his cell notes, “must leave and am leaving, of course, priceless Athos for a while, until the wrath of the Lord passes by. If God prolongs my life, my only desire is to die on Athos” (Letter of the Holy Mountain about the Holy Mount Athos. P. 157. Compare p. 68). We borrowed this information from the diary of events in the Panteleimon Monastery, which remained in the manuscript of Fr. Mines. Letters of this between 22 letters of Fr. We do not find Macarius sent to us by Ivan Ivanovich. “You, the Lord and your Most Pure Mother, were pleased to inform the elders about this,” Fr. writes in the same letter. Macarius, “a little later, no matter how much he objected and asked to leave me still in general obedience.” Therefore, Fr. Macarius, not without objections and convictions, decided to accept the consecration. In explaining the reasons for admission of Fr. Macarius into monasticism K. Leontyev, by the way, writes the following words, which coincide with the words of the above letter. “The love for such a solemn and so touching Orthodox service,” he says, also has a strong effect on young religious dreamers. It goes without saying that, with the most sincere humility and awareness of his sinfulness, a devout young man, entering a monk, sometimes cannot help but dream that perhaps he will eventually be worthy of becoming a hieromonk, that he himself will perform great and terrible sacraments,” as he will pronounce in the church those very exclamations that now from the outside shock him so much. People who have strayed from the Church, unaccustomed to the true “grandfather’s” unsentimental Orthodoxy, are no longer able to understand all the sweetness of such dreams, but whoever has not lost real faith or whom the Lord has had mercy on and returned to it again in any way known to Him, understands such desires, he envies the serving hieromonk such envy that no commandment can prohibit - good envy, loving, pure zeal for the Lord's sacraments and for the service of our Great and Holy Apostolic Church. I am sure that the late elder Archimandrite Macarius, while still a handsome dandy - Misha Sushkin, dreamed about this hopelessly and timidly "(Citizen. 1889 No. 192). Russian Bulletin. 1873 Book. 4. P. 682. This article is signed with the pseudonym “N. Konstantinov” and belongs to the pen of the already famous K. Leontyev. Citizen. 1890 No. 192. The border of the Holy Mountain from the “world” is considered to be a small stream flowing through the bushes, not far from the place where the low-lying isthmus ends and the first Athos steepness begins. – Note. K. Leontyev. Citizen. 1889 No. 246. We consider it very appropriate to place this little word about. Macarius is here in its entirety, since it will significantly complement the characterization of the personality of Fr. Jerome. This is the word: “And so, our most loving father and great benefactor, compassionate helper to everyone, hard-working patron of the monastery, faithful mentor to salvation and acquirer of the rare gift of mental prayer, spiritual reasoning and other gifts and virtues, you completed your course on earth by the power of Christ who strengthened and enriched you, swam the worldly sea of ​​many temptations, troubles and illnesses, We are inspired by His grace, and by the grace of God I have found undisturbed peace. But what kind of hosts surround you? See, our father and mentor: now your child has come to you, not to see your end, but from your honeyed lips to hear the words of the eternal life, and you sleep, having closed your eyes and lips. Rise and bless! Alas, he is lifeless!.. Father, your friendly words with which you greeted everyone, the words of compassion, approval and consolation with which you let everyone go from you, have fallen silent. Alas, what a sad loss! Where is our father? Where is our mentor? Who have we lost? Father, father! Wake up and be aware: poverty asks for alms, the wanderer longs for your consolation, the sick man awaits your prayers and consolation, the one who has fallen into temptation awaits consolation in his misfortune. But no, it’s true that neither my voice nor the voice of all of us is strong enough to excite you. After 33 years of your pilgrimage in your fatherland and after 50 years of monastic and spiritual life on the Holy Mountain, a life of much use and fruitfulness and at the same time much sorrowful and much pain, you lay down for a long rest and sound sleep until the sound of the Archangel trumpet. You have long desired and longed to be freed from the bonds of the flesh, and you prayed about it day and night; the love of all your children for you seemed to overpower your prayer with a common prayerful cry for the extension of your life for their benefit and benefit. And now it seems the time has come to overpower your prayer with the fervent prayer of the entire brotherhood. Calm down, unceasing worker, until there is general excitement, after which may the all-merciful Rewarder grant you eternal rest with the saints. But the Lord of life and death! You see our sorrow, hear the groaning of our hearts, see the streams of tears that water our eyes, we dare to say to you: where are the imams, mentors and advisers to our salvation? Where will we find consolation in sorrows and adversities, after You have taken this wise mentor, experienced leader and loving mentor of ours? For this reason, I fall down and pray to Thee, O most gracious Lord: accept in the hand of Thy sovereign protection those who are orphaned in the living teaching of Thy word and truth, and be for us, with Thy all-merciful Mother, the leader and leader of our salvation, life and light. Show Thy mercy to our father who departed from us: do not enter into judgment with Thy servant, who forgave everyone; If you see iniquity, O Lord, who will stand even if he lives only one day on earth? Let us therefore give our last kiss to our unforgettable father and wise mentor, water the ashes with his words, and offer warm prayers for his repose in the bosom of Abraham. But you, our father, we pray to you with our last petition: if the Lord gives you boldness to the throne of His majesty, do not forget us, your children, visiting our souls and hearts, asking for grace from our Lord Jesus Christ. Forgive us, our leader, go in peace to the heavenly abode! This verse will not be silent in our mouths and hearts: eternal is your memory, our blessed father, ever remembered! Amen" (Kovalevsky A. Hieroschemamonk Jerome. M., 1887. P. 29–30). An excerpt from these notes is published in a separate brochure under the title “From the cell notes of a Russian Athonite elder. Ed. 2nd. M., 1888. 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