Hieroconfessor Sergius (Pravdolyubov) - archpriest in the Solovetsky concentration camp

Hieroconfessor Sergius (Pravdolyubov) - archpriest in the Solovetsky concentration camp

Testament of the Solovetsky prisoner and confessor

“The blows of life mentioned in the will of Archpriest Sergius Pravdolyubov were experienced by him to the fullest. It began in the terrible year of 1918, when Father Sergius, together with other priests driven into the forest, dug a ditch, being sure that he was digging his own grave. Then death passed by, but struck the most dear and beloved - the little son, baby Vladimir, died. Father Sergius experienced the death of two more sons during the war. Victor and Sergei were killed at the front. Father Sergius saw them in a dream, joyful, shining, in white clothes. That is why he speaks so confidently about meeting them in the Kingdom of Heaven.

If you go back to his life ten years ago, you can see how these life blows overtook him one after another and were accepted by him as the will of God, all-good and all-perfect. In 1930 - imprisonment in Kasimov, in 1935 - arrest again, together with his brother Nikolai and son Anatoly.

Icon and photographs of Sergius Kasimovsky, prisoner of Solovetsky

The most difficult five years of the Solovetsky special purpose camp and logging on the mainland. Constant anxiety about the fate of family and friends. The hardest thing to experience was the inability to serve at the throne of God. And when life began to slowly get better and the opportunity to serve arose - an unexpected call to the military registration and enlistment office and sending to the labor front, to the quarries of the village of Maleevo (ten kilometers from Kasimov).

After all these trials, knowing that his sick heart will soon bring him to the grave, without communication with his family, Father Sergius decides to write something very important to his children and grandchildren, a kind of testament - a spiritual testament. This is an ancient genre, examples of which are scattered in the lives of saints, in Byzantine and Russian literature. And the very word quarries, and the sight of the Maleevsky quarries, and the trials experienced, probably more than once turned the mind’s eye of Father Sergius to the times of early Christianity, to the experience of standing up for the faith of the ancient ascetics. The style involuntarily rises, the words are condensed, phrases are minted, the suffering and sorrow of the experience gives the words extraordinary power, confessional energy. There is no desire to say anything new, original, no regard for the outside reader. It is written only by its own people, persistently, anxiously, with strict love and decisive demand. With fanaticism in the best sense of the word, for fanatos is death, and the word of a suicide bomber always has special power.

There are sudden and strong shocks – blows – in a person’s life. Life is going well, there are no signs of misfortune. Suddenly a stunning, unexpected blow overtakes a person - and his whole life is turned upside down: the person loses balance from severe suffering... These sufferings are difficult to bear, but when they pass, they leave a clear trace in the person’s soul, indicating that these life blows have the power to cleanse the soul a person, to bring her closer to God, and therefore to make her better, purer, more sublime. Archpriest Sergius Pravdolyubov. Maleevo quarries. 11.1944.

After release, you are prohibited from serving in your hometown. The last city that sheltered and provided a grave was Lebedyan. Until the last breath - oppression, persecution, misunderstanding. Death was liberation - on December 18, 1950, the confessor rested.

The will, according to grandfather Sergius, was rewritten, read every year, and carefully kept. We, the grandchildren, have always heard it. We knew the first half of it almost by heart, the second half was both read and perceived more difficult in childhood.

We knew the Will of Grandfather Sergius from copies, and the original returned to our family only about ten years ago. We were unable to establish with complete certainty its history and path of advancement, and this is hardly possible now.

Being confident that the manuscript had been copied several times, I, having examined it, did not compare it with existing copies. It was a mistake. The text copies were missing about eight pages! Someone, perhaps children, corrected and heavily edited the text. All this has been corrected in the current edition and the text has been returned to its original form with the most necessary amendments and editing.

The text, previously published in the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate (1985. No. 12), was not verified with the manuscript. The current publication is complete. (Archpriest Sergius Pravdolyubov , grandson of the priest Sergius, rector of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Trinity Golenishchev. Moscow. 2007)

We received a letter

"Hello! I will be happy to send you the necessary materials. Use what you need. The Akathist and Testament were kindly provided to me by the son of Sergius Pravdolyubov (Kasimovsky) Vladimir Pravdolyubov. Until the Lord protects you. Sincerely, Alexey Safronov."

The editors of Solovka Encyclopedia express deep gratitude to Vladimir Pravdolyubov and Alexey Safronov for their help in creating pages dedicated to the unique dynasty of Orthodox priests, the Pravdolyubovs.

Priest confessor Archpriest Sergius Pravdolyubov (1890-1950), memorial day (death):

December 5/18. Finding St. relics: September 21 / October 4, 2001, Lebedyan. 1st Transfer of St. relics: September 22/October 5, 2001, from Lebedyan to Syntul (village Makkaveevo). 2nd Transfer of St. relics: January 23 / February 5, 2002, from Syntul to Kasimov. 3rd Transfer of St. relics: September 2/15, 2002, from St. Nicholas Church to the newly consecrated Trinity Church in Kasimov.

Place of service - Solovki

The priest Sergius was from Kasimov. Lived and served in Syntul (village Makkaveevo), Kyiv, Sloboda Kukarka, Solovki, Maleevo, Spassk and Lebedyan.

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Confessor Sergius Pravdolyubov, Kasimovsky, presbyter

Hieroconfessor Archpriest Sergius Pravdolyubov was born in 1890 in the village of Makkaveevo in the Ryazan province into the family of a teacher at the Kasimov Theological School (later archpriest of the Assumption Church in Kasimov, hieromartyr) Anatoly Pravdolyubov. The Pravdolyubov family has been a priestly family since the mid-17th century. Sergiy Pravdolyubov graduated from the Ryazan Theological Seminary and the Kyiv Theological Academy, got married and in 1915 was ordained a priest to the Savior Church in the settlement of Kukarka in the Vyatka province (later the city of Sovetsk). In 1919 he was appointed rector of the Trinity Cathedral in Kukarka. Here he immediately faced a difficult test. A punitive detachment of Latvian riflemen came to the city; at night they raided the city, arresting and shooting the most influential people in the city as they went. They approached the Trinity Cathedral and, waking up the watchman, demanded to know in which house the “chief priest” lived. The watchman pointed not to the house of the dean and rector of the cathedral, Father Sergius, but to the house of the former rector, who was elderly and retired, but for the watchman, out of many years of habit, was the “chief priest.” They woke up the old priest, took him out of the house and immediately shot him. Father Sergius always remembered this incident and always prayed for the old priest who was shot in his place. Once again that same year, Father Sergius escaped death. All the priests of the city of Kasimov, including Father Sergius, were arrested, taken to the forest and ordered to dig a large ditch not far from the railway line. All the clergy were sure that they were digging a grave for themselves. They cried and prayed. Then a freight train arrived, and the boss shouted: “You priests are no strangers to the stench of a dead body! So we brought you here to unload and bury 4 wagons of rotten fish. After that, on my command, you can be free.” While Father Sergius was digging a ditch, thinking that he was digging his own grave, his son, baby Vladimir, died. In 1923, Father Sergius and his family (wife and five children) moved to his homeland, to Kasimov, where he was appointed rector of the Trinity Church. In 1929, he was arrested along with many other clergy of the city and region and sentenced to two years in prison. The parishioners did not abandon him, they constantly worked for the release of their pastor, and by Easter 1930, Father Sergius was released. The next arrest followed in 1935, together with his brother, priest Nikolai Pravdolyubov, and son Anatoly, father Sergius was arrested in the “Case of Matrona Anemnyasevskaya”. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison and, together with his son, was sent to the Solovetsky special purpose camp, and after 2 years to Medvezhyegorsklag in Karelia. Father Sergius was released in 1943, he returned to Kasimov, but the Trinity Church was closed, and there were no other priestly places. Father Sergius and his family subsisted on occasional duties and temporary service in one church or another during the illness of the regular priests. Mother Lidia Dmitrievna worked and helped feed the family. In December 1943, Archpriest Sergiy Pravdolyubov was mobilized to the labor front in a quarry in the village of Maleevo in the Ryazan region. For 3 years he worked there as a watchman. These white stone quarries were previously a place where prisoners worked. The health of Father Sergius was torn, he did not see his family for a long time, and in 1944 he wrote a spiritual will, which was called “To my children and grandchildren. About how to fast and prepare for confession and communion of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.” In 1946, Father Sergius was appointed rector of the Spasskaya Church in the city of Spassk in the Ryazan region. The following year, his son Anatoly was ordained a deacon to this church, and soon became a priest and its new rector, and his father went to live in the village of Lebedyan, and served in the local church until the end of his days. Archpriest Sergius Pravdolyubov died in 1950 at the age of 60. He was buried in Kasimov, in the Trinity Church.

Source: https://www.grad-petrov.ru

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Why is it so important to overcome yourself for a correct spiritual life? And what exactly do you need to overcome in yourself? Is success in salvation related to a person’s temperament and character traits? Is it worth “fitting” yourself into some templates? How to tune in to the “right wave” in self-development and how not to fall into delusion? With these questions we came to Archpriest Sergius Pravdolyubov.

– Good afternoon, this is the “Candlemas” program. Today we are visiting Archpriest Sergius Pravdolyubov, rector of the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Troitsky-Golenischev. Hello, Father Sergius.

- Christ is Risen!

- He is truly risen! Thank you very much for agreeing to answer questions from the Pravoslavie.ru portal. The topic we would like to discuss today is “Overcoming Yourself.” Father Sergius, where should the work of overcoming oneself begin?

– Overcoming oneself in all cases is necessary, because “if anyone wants to come after Me,” says the Lord, “let him take up his cross and follow Me” (cf. Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34). This is what overcoming oneself is. And the cross... well, we treat this very complacently and somehow calmly. And in Ancient Rome the word “crucifixus” was a terrible word; people shuddered when they heard it. Taking up your cross is very difficult. Therefore, overcoming yourself means not flinching when they tell you: “That’s it, you’re leaving home, we’re arresting you. You’ll go to a camp... to prison... maybe to be shot.” At this moment you need to overcome yourself. This is the same cross that the Lord spoke about.

Overcoming yourself can happen in the simplest cases, when you don’t want something. I know one priest who was so tired during Holy Week that when he had to get up for Easter Matins, he couldn’t - he was brought to tears. How can he leave the temple on Easter? No way. And he got up. And this is overcoming oneself. And similar things happen in life.

Any person, and a priest too, can relax, maybe, when he needs to read a rule or pray, say to himself: “Today I can’t, it’s hard,” but overcome himself and do what is required - in order to fulfill the blessing of the confessor . And in order to fulfill the blessing of your father or mother, you have to overcome yourself. It seems to me that this is a completely natural and permanent human condition. And not only an ordinary person, but even an ascetic: he, too, must overcome himself.

– Father, is it possible to overcome yourself, become better, but at the same time without God?

We somehow live surprisingly autonomously, even believers. For us God is far away. And God is very close!

– You can, of course, engage in auto-training, train yourself in some other faith or in another philosophical system. People are doing this. For example, the ancient Stoics practiced this. There are very clear examples of how people overcame themselves very well. But without God, without the Lord Jesus Christ, all our efforts remain in vain, that is, empty, they do not give a person the fullness of life that God intended for a person. We somehow live surprisingly autonomously, even believers. For us God is far away. I’ll go to church, pray, but I’ll leave the church and do whatever I want. And God is very close. This is very clearly seen from the biography of Elder Silouan. When he prayed and became desperate, the Lord appeared to him - and not in the same way as in the Old Testament, these were not some strange phenomena, but he simply saw the Lord Jesus Christ next to him. When Saint Anthony the Great fought with demons and was beaten by them to a half-dead state, then, lying on the ground in the cave in which he labored, he saw the Lord Jesus Christ standing over him. He didn’t come from somewhere far away, He stood nearby. This is the memory of God, which our wonderful and not yet glorified “martyr” Pavel Florensky spoke about. I love and respect him very much, because his books instructed me in life and in faith, and “The Pillar and Ground of Truth” and “Philosophy of Cult” gave me the opportunity to look at everything around me with an open face. He gave such strong words and thought through a lot of things! So, Father Pavel Florensky wrote to his children from Solovki instead of a will: “Children, always walk with God,” and then said a significant phrase: “All my other words will be simply a commentary on these.” This is the most important thing - to walk before God, to feel the presence of God.

– How to get out of this autonomy that you talked about? How can you arrange your life in such a way that you always feel like you are walking before God?

– To do this, you need to perceive the world more carefully, and not succumb to the general reluctance to focus on God. All earthly history, all earthly music, poetry and philosophy talk about God. And on Easter, all nature talks about God. This was felt by the ancient Russian people in the villages and villages and is felt by those who carefully look at the world around them. I am already an old man, but, unfortunately, only this Easter I felt it especially strongly. As it was said long ago by one illiterate ascetic: “Everything around is changing.” He, being illiterate, not knowing how to count calendars and days, went into the desert and labored there for a very long time, and then, completely unerringly, came from the desert to the monastery for a holiday. They asked him: “You don’t have a calendar, you’re illiterate, how did you understand that it’s a holiday?” - and he answered: “I don’t count by the calendar, I’m a simple person. But when I see that everything around is changing, I take my staff and go to the monastery: apparently there will be some kind of holiday.” And he came just in time for the holiday.

The lack of perception of God is a completely later development. Ancient people, medieval people, ancient Russian people felt God and felt God.

Archpriest Sergius Pravdolyubov. Photo: Pravoslavie.Ru

- Well, you give examples of saints and ascetics...

– You know, simple Russian rural people never considered themselves either ascetics or prayer warriors, but they felt God. My father said: “On the holiday of Trinity, Pentecost, when you read the kneeling prayers to the Holy Trinity, simple women, simple grandmothers, who have no idea about Orthodox theology, come up - and their faces, like theologians, are saturated with the grace of the Holy Spirit.” We treat the generations that have passed away too easily. In fact, the real Russian peasantry was the bearer of the Orthodox faith.

– Do I understand correctly that overcoming oneself is achieved through simplicity? In ordinary life, people who don’t think much about themselves are simple?

The main thing is immediate life: in church since childhood, prayer, worship... And science is a film on top

– Psychoanalysis is not worth doing. It's not the same anymore. Every science, even theology, builds a certain system of ideas that can fence a person off from living contact with God. Therefore, on the holy Mount Athos, real ascetic monks are afraid of overly learned people, this is a well-known story. They don't even trust them. If they saw me, they would say: “Oh, he learned it.” I feel this well, and when someone asks me about something, I first of all remember what my father told me about my grandfather in such situations, what Father John (Krestyankin) said. This little film on top is what I learned at the Theological Academy. The main thing is direct life. In church from childhood, in the parish, prayer, worship - all this is more important, and science floats a little on top.

– Here are the words of the Savior: “...whoever wants to save his soul will destroy it” - “whoever wants to save his soul will destroy it” (Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24). I never understood these words. What do they mean?

– When I was 15 years old, I heard these words while reading the Gospel by Father John (Krestyankin) in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery. He, knowing that there were people around who did not understand everything, read: “Whoever wants a soul...” added in parentheses: “to save his life,” he will destroy it. Whoever loses his soul and his life for Christ and the Gospel will gain it.” Very simple logic. If you want it for yourself, for comfort, so that I can live and everything else, then it will be: you will destroy your soul. And if you don’t spare your soul, you will save it. After the seminary, I received one young archimandrite - but he was sickly and as the elder said, I am still grateful to him... so, he told me: “Sergius, you will be a priest. Don’t make the standard mistake of modern priests.” - “What mistake is this?” - I ask. “There are the words of the Gospel: “Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and its righteousness, and everything else will be added to you.” They do the opposite. They are looking for convenience, comfort and everything else, but somehow the Kingdom of Heaven does not work out, and housing does not work out, and the church is not very good.” I remembered these words, and when I came to the parish, I said: “Our dear parishioners! One young archimandrite told me these words of instruction. Let's do that." You know, and this is in practice. Yes, our church doesn’t sparkle, and it’s not that everything is very beautiful and bright, but the church exists, prayer goes on, services go on, and the Lord doesn’t leave, and somehow our whole parish holds on.

– Probably, overcoming oneself is also connected with temperament. People have different temperaments: some have a quick temper, others, on the contrary, are very flexible. Does this mean that saving yourself, and therefore overcoming yourself, is easier for some, and more difficult for others?

The Lord allows the uniqueness of each person to manifest itself. He doesn't make everyone the same

– I don’t see any pattern here. I don’t think that only calm, self-possessed people with a Nordic character can be saved. No. Every person is unique. Everyone is a unique individual. Furthermore. As I recently read on the website “Pravoslavie.ru” in an article by Pyotr Yuryevich Malkov (a strong impression, there was such joy when reading this article!): The Lord does not suppress a person, nor his personality, as Maxim the Confessor writes. He protects this personality; this personality, on the contrary, blossoms in all possible manifestations with its individuality and character. And we see this in the Gospel. For some reason, the Apostle Thomas speaks completely separately, the Apostle Peter speaks differently, the Apostle Luke... They are completely different. The Lord allows the uniqueness of each person to manifest itself. Therefore, there is no definite framework that this is the only way and not another. Yes, in asceticism and monasticism there are rules that apply to everyone. You have to work, work, but still one has one soul, the other has a different soul. The Lord does not level this out in any way and does not make everyone the same.

– If a person is assertive and stubborn in his own way, then this can also serve for good? Are any innate qualities of a person revealed in the right way with the right spiritual life?

– Within the framework outlined by the Holy Scriptures, the Gospel and the works of the venerable fathers. They have such a grandiose experience, and, relying on them, you need to build your character, try to overcome yourself so as not to go beyond these limits. I think this is understandable. How can I make a temperamental and fiery person calm and indifferent? Nothing will work out. But it is only necessary that this does not interfere with his life or the lives of the people around him. As one monk wrote: “I went into the temple and did not see another person standing there. And while I was praying, I suddenly sighed. It turned out that there was another person there...” And then he turned and said: “Abba, forgive me, I didn’t know you were here.” Your personal attitude towards God has every right to exist when you are alone, but when a person is standing next to you, refrain.

If you can create a miracle, have pity on your neighbor, don’t show yourself, don’t

One more small detail: experienced Athonite monks, even in our time - Elder Silouan wrote about this - try to restrain themselves in everything when they meet and communicate. Do you know why? This is also from the book about Elder Silouan that Archimandrite Sophrony wrote. One person labors for 30 years, and another man labors for 30 years—both here and there for 30 years. This one works miracles, but that one doesn’t, he hasn’t even started anything like that. So: if you can create a miracle, have pity on your neighbor, don’t, don’t show yourself. By the way, Father John (Krestyankin) could work such miracles! He didn’t show this on purpose, so that there wouldn’t be an experience: why can’t I do this? After all, Cain killed Abel because of what? Because of my relationship with God. God accepted Abel’s sacrifice, but not his. “Why, Lord?! I, too, made a sacrifice for You!..” Restraint and overcoming oneself also affects this. Don't hurt some painful and sad feelings! "Why can't I do it?" There is a great deal of delicacy among monks.

– Father, it would be very great if you shared with us your invaluable experience: for 40 years you communicated with Father John (Krestyankin). Through the prism of our topic - overcoming oneself - what could you tell our readers and our viewers?

– I want to say with bitterness: my experience of communicating with Father John showed that you can communicate for 40 years and miss the opportunity to transform yourself. This is the saddest thing. Anyone else in my place would have become a saint himself, but I would not. Father John knew this well. He knew it was useless with me. “Well, what can we take from him?!” Anyone else would... I see the priests around me - there are wonderful priests in the parish... Other priests would have received a powerful flowering of their spiritual life from such communication, but I did not. It's sad, mournful. And I apologize to Father John. He knew this well from the very beginning. And therefore I can only remember some moments, a small part... But my sad experience suggests that everyone has their own measure.

Archimandrite John (Peasant)

We're looking in the wrong place. We need emotions. Leave this earthly, think about the spiritual! It's not about emotions

But I can share something comforting, such a reflection. It was my diaconal ordination. Do you know that when a lay person is ordained as a deacon or priest, you confess to your confessor, the Lord has forgiven you all your sins, you approach the Throne, the bishop lays his hands on you - and the Holy Spirit descends on you. I had an expectation: what is this? How is it? And I was somewhat disappointed that I did not experience any feeling after the consecration. And only two days later, I would say, out of the corner of my eye, I felt that I was simply overwhelmed with grace. But I was looking for sensation in the earthly, emotional. Not where this grace is available. You know, it’s like there used to be receivers like this, and you had to catch the wave by turning the knob... and so you look for the wave, you look - oh! so... you tune in to it, but it’s not the same wave. You wanted to listen to something here, but there is no program here. It's on a different wavelength. That's how it was for me. And I saw with peripheral vision that I was filled with grace. I felt this firmly and clearly. It was overflowing, but like a thimble into which you poured and it overflowed. I was such a thimble of grace pouring over its edge. A person next to you is like a huge tank or barrel, but his overflowing, and yours overflowing, but the grace is the same. He is the source of grace - and you have a small, small thimble, but grace also overflows. This is what I felt and understood. It turns out that we are looking in the wrong place. We need emotions. Leave earthly things and all worldly concerns and think about the spiritual, and this is a completely different area.

– Father Sergius, you said that we need to tune our “receiver” to the desired wavelength. Maybe this explains the popularity of all kinds of trainings that offer quick changes in oneself, quick achievement of some results in terms of personal growth? People get some kind of effect, but at the same time the wave is different...

– Mostly, don’t make mistakes. There are a lot of phenomena of spiritual charm. A person thinks that this is genuine, but it is far from genuine. Here a confessor is always required, and not necessarily Father John (Krestyankin). You can also contact the confessor to whom you go to confession. We have a wonderful confessor, Father George... My confessor often reminds me of a referee in the ring. There’s a fight between boxers, and when one of them gets hit in the eye well, he stands there and doesn’t think a little, then the referee comes up, takes him by the hands and looks him in the eyes, and then says: “Go on and fight.” So are we. We come to confession, the confessor looks at us attentively, does not take our hand, he has an epitrachelion, but: “That’s it, go on and fight.” You have not yet gone far and have not delved deep into spiritual delusion - this is self-deception. Terrible thing! No one is immune, even wonderful great ascetics. The entire first volume of the works of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) “Ascetic Experiences” is about spiritual delusion. When Bishop Tikhon (Shevkunov) said that this is the best manual for those who are going to be a clergyman, I was so happy! Because this is my father's favorite book. He spoke about the first volume of the works of Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov): “This is very instructive and always relevant in all cases.”

No matter how much emphasis there is in development, you cannot be saved without a confessor. It is only necessary that the confessor be one who would support: “Stop, stop. Where? You're already getting carried away..."

– A very interesting comparison of a blow to the face in boxing with the state of beauty.

“It happens so unnoticed - and so dangerous.” The Lord, however, Himself turns on the stop valve that every person has. Such a stop valve. Stop. And you feel who you are. The simplest, most absurd thoughts, sins that come into your head are a stopcock that puts you in your place. But the confessor, thank God, is always on hand, vigilant. This is very joyful.

– Father Sergius, I would like you to give our viewers and readers a recommendation: how can those who have just started going to church, who have just started working on themselves, tune in to this wave that you were talking about?

– You need to read the second book recommended by Bishop Tikhon – “What is spiritual life and how to tune in to it.” This is my mother's favorite book. I am so happy when Bishop Tikhon tells us such things. This book is in the form of letters. But this is a doctoral dissertation. He is also a doctor of theology, Theophan the Recluse. And how amazingly he wrote!

Perhaps what I am about to say is not entirely correct, but still, for the modern reader, it is necessary to somehow revive some passages in terms of figures of speech, so that it is clearer for modern people, but not to violate the author’s text. You know, the books of St. Demetrius of Rostov “Lives of the Saints”, printed in Church Slavonic, read completely differently than the translation of the early 20th century. It’s absolutely as if different people wrote it! The content seems to be the same, the meaning is the same, but it’s different! The author's soul, the author's perception are so visible in the Slavic text! These are the problems that arise. And the translation of the early 20th century is far from the church spirit and dispensation. Sergei Sergeevich Averintsev spoke about this. Do you know what he said? “It was fashionable to translate Greek authors with exclamations and harsh phrases. And when I looked at ancient authors, it was very similar to our holy fathers. Completely different style. And it was fashionable to translate like that.” Therefore, perhaps in our time it is worth returning to the style that we have already overcome. The 20th century, through its suffering and torment, acquired much that was inaccessible at the beginning of the 20th century. We have our positive moments. I am glad that this is now being realized, that new cathedrals are being built in honor of the martyrs and people understand what they did not understand at the beginning of the 20th century, but now we still understand.

Living stories

Little sister's prayer

We lived poorly, and one day my five-year-old sister Sofia very earnestly asked her mother for sweets. And so mother said to Sonya: “You pray to God that He will give you something sweet.” And my sister put me, a year old, on a stool, climbed onto the same stool herself, and we began to pray to God. Already in old age, she explained with a smile: “They probably stood on a stool to be closer to God.” And soon after our prayer a woman came and said: “I have long wanted to bring sugar to your children, but only now I got out.” So Sonya and I got what we asked for.

During the war we were equal to everyone else

My mother Lydia, the daughter of Kasimov Archpriest Dimitry Fedotiev, lived a very difficult life: constantly worried about her husband, and during his imprisonment, caring about feeding her children. When Father Sergius and their eldest son Anatoly were arrested in 1935, she was not hired anywhere, so for a short time we lived on alms. One boss took pity on my mother and took her to a net-knitting factory to repair nets, so this boss was almost fired and was severely scolded. the matter was limited to a reprimand.

During the war, apart from, of course, the general grief, life became easier for us. Since everyone was starving, the authorities began to allocate land plots to the townspeople for temporary use. We got ten acres in the water meadows across the river. And although we had to sweat, lifting virgin soil with a shovel, we began to eat potatoes to our fill, which made up for our lack of bread and other products. This is how everyone lived during the war - and we were equal to everyone else.

Our father suffers for Christ, and we should not grieve, but rejoice

If we talk about God’s Providence, I consider the main miraculous manifestation of it in our family to be that we did not die of hunger when ours were in exile. As dad loved to repeat: “Thou hast prepared a table before me to resist those who suffer me.”

(Ps. 22:5). This is a great merit of my mother, her prayer and work.

Mom instilled in us that our father suffers for Christ and we should not grieve, but rejoice

When Father Sergius was arrested, I was four years old, and when he returned, I was nine years old. Later there was another arrest, and then mobilization to the labor front. So my mother raised me mainly. And the main thing that she instilled in us was that our father suffers for Christ and we should not grieve, but rejoice: if we have to endure something, then we become accomplices in his feat. The whole family's church involvement and participation in divine services were also the merit of my mother and a powerful educational factor.

Rejoice in that day and leap!

My elder brother is Anatoly, born in 1914. He graduated from a seven-year school, compulsory according to Vsevobuch (universal military training); he was not allowed to study further, since our family was deprived of many rights (“disenfranchised”), in particular, to continue education after the mandatory minimum. Anatoly became a psalm-reader for his grandfather, Archpriest Anatoly Pravdolyubov. He served as a psalm-reader until his arrest in 1935.

My brother also studied music privately and, on the recommendation of his fellow countryman, composer Alexander Olenin, took admission tests to a music school in Moscow. On instructions from a composition professor, he composed several piano pieces, one of which the professor liked, and the question of admission was resolved. Admission was supposed to take place in the fall of 1935.

Instead, in the summer of the same year, arrest and five years of exile followed. Conducting his grandson into exile, Archpriest Anatoly admonished him with these words: “Remember, Anatoly! “Rejoice in that day and leap!” (Acts 6:23).”

My brother spent a little over two years in Solovki, and the remaining time in a logging camp on Medvezhya Mountain (north of Lake Onega). Anatoly's author is the author of the short Solovetsky Stories published by his children. Their peculiarity is the absence of condemnation of the authorities, which is filled with the works of Solzhenitsyn and other “inmates”.

You are only an instrument in the hands of God

In 1941, my brother was mobilized, in 1944 he was wounded and became disabled. I would like to recall three episodes of his stay in the army.

The first is connected with a challenge to the political officer, who asked the question: “How can you defend Soviet power, since it offended you so much?” Anatoly replied: “I am a believer, I believe that everything happens according to the will of God, including my exile. You are only an instrument in the hands of God. I can’t be offended by God, and I can’t be offended by you either. I will fight not for fear, but for conscience.”

You are only an instrument in the hands of God. I can’t be offended by God, and I can’t be offended by you either

Give me some Easter cake!

Second episode. Easter night. Anatoly kept the Saturday bread ration and read the Easter canon and stichera over it at night in a secluded place (as a former psalm-reader, he knew the Easter service by heart). It turns out that the soldiers were watching him, and when he wanted to eat this bread of his, they came up and asked: “Give me some Easter cake!” - and then everyone gave him a piece of their bread so that he would not remain hungry.

Tolya, let's pray so we can stay alive

Third episode. Pushkin's places were attacked without artillery preparation in order to save them from destruction. Of course, in this “cultural” act, our army suffered unjustified losses. Before the terrible battle, the unit’s Komsomol organizer turned to Anatoly with the following words: “Tolya, let’s pray so that we can stay alive.” Somewhat surprised, the brother agreed.

They came out of the battle alive, the Komsomol organizer was wounded in the leg, and Anatoly was crushed by an explosive bullet at the bone of his left arm at the level of his heart.

Little Confessor

My sister Vera was born in 1922. Over the years of study - ten years at school and four years at KIT (our technical school) - she always received the highest grades. If I’m not mistaken, Anatoly also studied with excellent marks, so his parents and elders in general were especially sad that he didn’t have to study anywhere other than the seventh year.

In general, children from religious families, as far as I can tell, were much more developed than their peers. I think there were three factors at play here. The first is the correct worldview. After all, even meaningful knowledge of the Creed gave a great advantage over those who did not know it.

The second is reading the Holy Scriptures and participating in divine services, which increases clarity of thought, culture of speech, reading and singing, not to mention high experiences, for example, Easter or Lenten.

The third factor is a clash of worldviews, forcing the mind to work and the will to strain in confession. So, little Vera had to go through the following episode in elementary school. She was forced to write some anti-religious phrase, I remember: “Religion is the opium of the people.” She said: “I won’t!” The teacher brought the girl to tears, but other than these words she achieved nothing. The incident began in the morning and continued into the night. The school leadership consistently participated in it. Some city leaders were also notified and called to the school, but neither persuasion nor threats had any effect. Without food, without water, in tears, the baby withstood this pressure and was only released at night.

Right where you are!

Vera said to a communist whose mother had recently died: “We believers, although we grieve for our dead, are not hopeless - we hope to see them. Where can you find consolation for yourself? She snapped: “In the same place as you!” At home, Vera feigned indignation: “These are cunning communists! They are jumping into the Kingdom of Heaven before us!”

Unexpected joy

I don’t know for what occasion, but we ended up with two loaves of black bread. Mom left one for us, and gave the other to my brother Seryozha with the words: “Take it to the Lebedevs.” The Lebedevs - a large family of an exiled priest - although, unlike us, they lived in their rather spacious house, they needed more than us.

And Sergei conceived and implemented the following plan. I tracked them down when there was no one in their room, made my way there and placed a loaf of bread in the center of the table. Then (it was already dark) I sat down outside by the window and began to wait to see what would happen. Soon a baby appeared in the hall, saw the loaf and ran deeper into the house. And immediately the whole family gathered around this loaf. In wild delight, Seryozha ran home and, talking about the incident, did some kind of knee-jerk behavior, not knowing how to express his delight. As a child, I attributed this delight to the luck of the adventure - I, a bookworm, was beyond my strength - but later I realized that Seryozha’s joy came from the fact that he gave unexpected joy to others.

Your relatives are interesting!

Having submitted documents to Moscow State University (which said: my father is a priest, serves in Lebedyan; my brother is a priest, serves in Spassk, Ryazan region), I waited to see at what stage they would not let me through. The documents were accepted, I passed the exams - and no one asked me a question about my relatives. Passed the medical examination. And now my case lies on the table of the chairman of the medical commission - an intelligent Moscow lady.

After looking through my file, she remarked: “Your relatives are interesting!” I thought, “This is it.” And with prepared enthusiasm he answered: “Yes, interesting!” - “What do you think about their beliefs?” - “I completely agree!” And I heard the answer that stunned me: “Well done! Go and study!” She signed where necessary and gave me my file. That’s how I ended up – beyond my dreams! - in the University.

“Your relatives are interesting!” I thought, “This is it.” And with prepared enthusiasm he answered: “Yes, interesting!”

I don’t see in myself either the taste or the talent for this work.

When I was a psalm-reader, I was summoned to the passport office. From there we were taken to the KGB office. There were two people there - the chief and his assistant. The assistant's face is ordinary, but the boss's is for some reason terrifying. How did they manage to create such an appearance? There are probably some special technologies.

They asked me: “How do you feel about Soviet power?” I replied: “Best regards.” The next question: “If you notice something hostile to the Soviet regime, will you report it?” I replied: “I won’t pay attention to chatter, but if I see something serious, I’ll report it.” - “Could you do this on a regular basis?” “I don’t see in myself either the taste or the talent for this work.” - “Well, we’ll talk about this later, but now – keep in mind! – you shouldn’t say where you were! You will say that it’s at the passport office (and they called me during the evening service).” I objected: “If they ask, I will answer that I cannot tell where I was, and I will not tell a lie.” They tell me: “Go.”

Revelation of thoughts!

They didn't call again. When I told Father John (Krestyankin) about this, he said: “One monk had it even more interesting. When he was warned that he should not say where he was, he replied: “What are you talking about! We have a revelation of thoughts! In the evening I will have to not only tell where I was and what I said, but also admit what I was thinking!” They didn’t bother him anymore either.”

The world of “scientific atheism”

If we compare past times with the present, we can notice the following. Priests used to be either students of old theological schools with their high level of education, or simpletons, ordained out of necessity, so that the temple would not be left without service. Young people were more diverse than now: from those who were ready to suffer torment and death for Christ - there were few of them - to ardent atheists and fighters against the “religious dope” - there were even fewer of them, and they gradually faded away. More and more people became confused, believing that “science has proven that there is no God,” and at the same time, in times of need, turning to God in prayer. It got to the point where they started asking: “Who should I light a candle to pass the exam on scientific atheism?”

From the book “Orthodox Christians in the USSR: Voices of Witnesses”

Father Sergiy Pravdolyubov about raising children

Father Sergiy Pravdolyubov about raising children

Hello, dear visitors of the Orthodox island “Family and Faith”!
Not every one of us, or rather a minority, knows how to raise children correctly and Orthodoxy. Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of the adult generation was born into small families where lack of faith, lack of faith, or even atheism reigned.

Therefore, modern parents do not have many concepts about how to raise their child Orthodoxy, open him to God’s world and instill the necessary obedience.

In this case, it is simply necessary for mothers and fathers to read as much Orthodox information on parenting as possible, in which doctors, parents of many children and priests share their experience and knowledge, which is so necessary in our parenting business.

We offer for edifying reading an interesting conversation by F.N. Savelyeva. with priest Sergius Pravdolyubov, which touches on this important and complex topic:

— Father Sergius, what are the most significant disagreements, in your experience of communicating with parents, and how do they affect the child?

— Raising children is precisely a spiritual activity: as in every activity, it is important to correctly and consistently define tasks. There are many different debates about what and how to occupy a child, but it is necessary for him to manifest the gifts that God has endowed him with.

Although parental disagreements can arise for various reasons, the main thing is to maintain a firm defense against any of the child’s tricks and any of his attempts to exploit these differences.

The important thing here is this: there should be no division in the opinions of father and mother; both mother and father say “no.” If the father said, the mother unquestioningly does what the father said, and what the mother said, the father fully supports. Then, little by little, if the father is wrong, the mother can, separately from the children, secretly tell him: “You were wrong, you shouldn’t have talked to him so harshly.” But under no circumstances in front of a child! In no case! In front of children, mother and father must be a monolith, a single stone: like father, like mother, and like mother, like father, there must be impenetrable defense and protection. This is the key to successful parenting! Disputes over fundamental issues in the presence of a child create division in the child’s soul and, of course, can greatly harm it. Don't argue about your different views in front of your children.

A child from a very young age is a better psychologist than his parents: he will always reveal the weakness of one or another position. In any case, he will look for, especially if there are disagreements between father and mother, benefits that are simple, without any tricks, although he is not a diplomat or a politician!

— How to find a reasonable line of upbringing in a family when one of the parents is a non-church person?

- The mother raises the children more than the father, who gives the general direction in their development. And if a mother loves God, and this is the most important part of her life, then the child will feel the truth with his heart and will in no case speculate on it. If there is no fierce atheistic attack on a child, he himself will understand where disbelief is and where faith is. The main thing is not to try to force faith into the child. A child has an age when he enjoys going to church. And so we need to have time, before the child is burdened by church services, to introduce him not only to the church way of life, but at least to the holidays: Palm Sunday, Holy Trinity, Easter with the blessing of Easter cakes, to all the diversity of life that blossoms in the Church. So that the child catches this and understands that there is not inferiority there, but, on the contrary, the fullness of life. And mother conveys this faith to everyone: with her attitude, even with her appearance, and her prayer, real, turns everything around and educates more than anything else! No admonitions, no punishments give what prayer gives!

But as for the differences between parents in matters of faith, or when one is a believer and the other is an unbeliever, this is a problem that no matter how much you think about, you can’t come up with anything!

— Is aesthetic (musical or artistic) education of a child an integral part of spiritual life?

— I can refer to St. Basil the Great, he has an essay “To young men on how to read pagan books,” in which he called for the widespread involvement of pagan culture for Christian education. In fact, few people know him, but it would be worthwhile for parents to read this treatise, it is very short, but it perfectly sets out a clear and clear point of view on this matter. Basil the Great says that it is impossible to immediately fix your gaze on the sun - you can go blind. You must first look at the reflection of the sun in the water, and only when your eye gets used to it, you can gradually raise your gaze to the sun!

Aesthetic education is necessary for each of us, because art contains the seed of faith and reflections of the Divine. Music, painting, literature, philosophy - everything that has to do with God or the world of God, everything that is a reflection of the Divine Creation and the Divine Face, gives knowledge about Him. This wealth is that dairy food that allows a person to get closer to the Supreme Treasure and, ultimately, allows him to gain the true depth of a religious worldview - and not its scolding, everyday or folklore form.

For example, music gives such a high view, in which mathematics, harmony, and everything else is present. By the way, even in ancient ancient culture and education, music was one of the highest levels of education - before philosophy and theology. We know the example of St. Andrei Kritsky, who studied music and then theology.

If it weren’t for my father with his extreme love for music, I would never have studied music: it was hard for me, and I did it only out of respect for my father. Many children do this in the same way at the behest of their parents - but still there is no need to train them! If a child has a gift and aspiration, then this, of course, needs to be developed, but if he does not have his own aspiration, there is no need to force him!

— How can parents see the talents and inclinations of their child, what is the main thing here?

“ The main thing is that the child does not taste the heady delight of applause, so that he does not become a star, so that he does not become an idol in childhood, a little genius.” This is very dangerous, very! If parents do not understand this, they can ruin their child. At Mosfilm, across the street from which I work, there were several cases when a child was taken to star in a film, he felt like a hero, then they abandoned him - and suddenly no one needed him. These children later faced a difficult fate; they could not understand why everyone praised them, and now suddenly no one needs them - this is a disaster for a person! If we are talking about talent, then it will break through on its own; under no circumstances should you artificially inflate it. You understand, if you have talent, let him study; if you don’t have talent, don’t force it! But we must protect the child from the taste of fame, fame, loudness - on the contrary, we must restrain, restrain and restrain.

In our parish we had to say: “Try not to let your daughter constantly receive, like a drug, a dose of praise; she needs to be among other children.” And there is no need for a first prize - there is no need for the secular Soviet: “My child and I are talented.” There is no suppression of personality here, genuine talent will certainly break through and flourish, here there is concern about the premature, one-sided, vain taste of short-lived “fame”, from the deprivation of which, often suddenly, the child will fall into a severe crisis state, which is dangerous not only for his health, but also for his life . There was a case when an adult who received the second, and not the first, prize in the program “Minute of Glory”, having arrived home from Moscow, committed suicide. And the child’s psyche is even more vulnerable than that of adults.

“We often observe how in families, female leadership is most often established in matters of children’s upbringing and education.

- And you know, it is very difficult to determine who is the leader in the family: father or mother. When the leader is a woman, she herself suffers more from this than if she were in obedience. Often a woman waits for her husband to take on the work, but he doesn’t want to, and she unwittingly begins to do it instead of her husband. But still, in the Church there is no concept of leadership in the family; in the sacrament of wedding it is definitely said: “Let this husband be the head of the wife, and the wife will obey her husband in everything, so that they may live according to Your Will” - that’s all! What kind of leadership?! The wife submits to her husband, nothing can be done about it! I grew up in such a family, my father was always the leader, in all cases - and this is harmonious.

- And if not, nothing good will come of it?

“ You know, the Lord “can raise up children for Abraham from these stones,” and from such an inharmonious family, raise up a wonderful ascetic or musician, poet or mathematician - all this is possible, but with difficulties.

— There are sharp disagreements on issues: how to fast for a young child, especially during Great Lent, at what age to start fasting, confession, how to prepare for Communion (I mean the prayer rule), how often to take him to church, etc. What do you mean? , father, do you have any advice?

“I was very afraid of crushing my children under church rules. My father, an old archpriest, never taught us the Law of God, did not require us to take notes of the Holy Scriptures, biblical patriarchs: how many children each had and everything else. Perhaps there is some underdevelopment, underlearning going on here: this could have been learned from childhood, but I also know the opposite results, when a child knew everything according to the Law of God, according to the Holy Scriptures, according to the Old and New Testaments - but he himself went the other way, because that this has tormented him since childhood! In the educational process, it is necessary to take into account that a child can only be given what he is capable and ready to accept. If what you want to convey to a child is categorically rejected by him, then trying to impose it by force is completely useless.

Prayer for a small child should be attractive, which means it should be feasible, not turn into cramming, and our excessive persistence, especially aggressiveness, is completely useless, especially in relations with older children. No rules and norms of church life should dominate the child in letter. Fasting, reading prayer rules, attending services, etc. should under no circumstances become a burdensome and unpleasant duty!

In my opinion, in prayer and in the rule, there is no need to put pressure on a child under seven years old, there is no need to force him to fast, everyone knows this. But even without prayer it is impossible, even if it is small, there must be a rule.

— Father, there are mothers of “baby babies” who seriously ask: “Should I breastfeed my child on Wednesday and Friday?

- What questions can there be here?! Pregnant and breastfeeding women cannot fast at all. And a small child cannot avoid eating anything on Wednesday and Friday. Then, by the age of seven, a person is ripe for school, perhaps, but in normal church life it is often too early for him to go to confession, maybe at eight or eight and a half. There are those who develop faster, such people can even confess at five years old, it depends solely on the development of the given child. You can’t set strict rules here, but, unfortunately, we have a lot of people who are developing slowly: their minds are slowly maturing, although acceleration is taking place. Mom and dad should think and reflect together and discuss with the priest when he should go to confession.

— A special question about disagreements in upbringing between a believing grandmother and unbelieving parents - what is a reasonable line of behavior for grandmothers?

— know a grandmother who, alone in the family, tried to bring children to Church - and she successfully did this with one child, although it did not work out with the other. But if the grandmother is a believer, she will also take care not to turn the child against the parents.

There is another case when an unbelieving grandmother calls her granddaughter and says: “Do you know that your mom and dad are retarded, they believe in some kind of God, but such people no longer exist, just think about it yourself...” The granddaughter ran to her mother and began to say that there were educated non-believers around. The mother says: “Let’s count: aunt so-and-so is a believer, uncle so-and-so is a believer? Believer". She counted a lot of people, the granddaughter dialed her grandmother’s phone and said: “Grandma! You’re the one who’s mistaken, everyone around you is a believer—you’re the only nonbeliever!” The mother judiciously led the child out of these disagreements, preventing them from reaching a conflict.

I want to say this: some parents, including believers, sometimes lose contact with their child. Sunday school is filled with young children, but for some reason they stop going to church when they become teenagers. Something incomprehensible and inexplicable is happening: there is no longer a godless atheistic government, and children do not want to go to church! Their parents come up to me and ask: “Father, what should I do, my child...” It seems to me that when they come to me with this question, they are already too late...

It is necessary to have friendly relations with mom and dad. This is very difficult, it is hard spiritual and emotional work!

I remember this well from my childhood: never, well, simply never, at any age, this contact was interrupted. When in a family, as in a playing quartet, ensemble or large orchestra, everyone together gives one sound in harmony, although each has its own melody. An experienced musician, experienced teacher or parent will immediately understand that this is happening. After all, children's problems only seem small; in fact, when a child cries, he cries inconsolably. Everyone thinks: “You never know why he’s crying!” But he actually has global sorrow - why? And because these are big problems in the size of his life, they need to be resolved in a timely manner. If this succeeds, then the person’s good attitude, attention, and church upbringing can be preserved.

— Father Sergius, what would you wish for the readers?

“ The main thing is to be sure to discuss minor disagreements and not be lazy about this work.” I know from experience: literally, if I kept silent, and out of embarrassment, a wall of mistrust and alienation grows. This also applies to the spiritual life of people. In the Philokalia you know what is written: “If you see that your brother has sinned against you, tell him about it.” Don’t be shy, tell me - if you remain silent, as Russian people most often do, you will explode later and say something like that! This applies to parents and children, husband and wife, and brother in the monastery. If you don’t speak, it means you’re proud! Don’t be shy, say: “Please forgive me, but I don’t like you doing this, this and that. I’m just getting excited…” And that’s it! Maybe there will be no result, but notice what an important detail: the internal tension and mistrust are gone.

One more thing is important here, of course: delicacy. You should never harshly reproach another. It seems that St. Ignatius Brianchaninov has a story about how one monk used to cross his legs in a secular manner, but the elder was embarrassed to make a remark and did not know how to do it. Then he said to another monk: “You know, you sit cross-legged in the presence of your brother, and I will scold you, I tell you about this in advance.” He crossed his legs, and the elder: “Oh, dear, what you are doing is not customary among monks!” What delicacy! Children in this sense are more resilient than monks, but nevertheless, delicacy and attention are very useful.

Even if there are difficulties in character, maybe even give an indulgence, but under no circumstances break the child - it will have the opposite result. A child should feel the fullness of life in his family. By the way, I still, perhaps, am too trusting of everyone, I see understanding in everyone or think that they understand me, and as if everyone is friendly towards me, as was the case in our family. It was so strong in the family, so organic, that I don’t feel cozy and comfortable when there is no response from others. I grieve that I don’t see around me, not so much evangelical love, not so much kindness, but at least simple goodwill!

Although parental disagreements can arise for various reasons, the main thing is to maintain a firm defense against any of the child’s tricks and any of his attempts to exploit these differences.

Pravdolyubov S., clergyman When we have been severely insulted, we will force the tongue to remain silent

Archpriest Sergiy Pravdolyubov offers readers of Pravmir a unique text - a sermon delivered on Sunday by St. John Climacus in 1928 by his grandfather, priest Sergius Pravdolyubov, a prisoner of the Solovetsky special purpose camp.

When a priest prepares a sermon, he delves deeply into what he wants to say, thinks through it, worries, and prays. Therefore, when the priests meet, they ask each other - what did you say last Sunday, what did you pay attention to? And it is so surprising that the gospel theme was one, but how differently they themselves perceived and conveyed to others their thoughts and experiences on this text.

And if the sermon turned out good, if it was written down on paper, then the memory of it, the work undertaken by the preparatory work of the preacher, remains in the priest for a long time, if not for the rest of his life.

The sermon presented to the attention of readers on Sunday, that is, the 4th Sunday of Lent, was delivered by Archpriest Sergius, rector of the Trinity Church in the city of Kasimov, Ryazan region, in 1928, and then recorded by him.

Seven years later, Archpriest Sergius, along with his 21-year-old son Anatoly and brother, priest Nikolai, was arrested and, after prison and investigation, sent to a camp for a five-year sentence. By the grace of God, they had to spend the first two years in the Solovetsky special purpose camp.

The problem of fathers and sons remains very difficult and almost the same at all times. The young man considers himself quite mature, intelligent and independent. He considers his father's instructions to be of little authority and those that can be listened to, but it is absolutely not necessary to follow them. How to talk to your son, how to keep him from being too hot and harsh in his words, how to teach him patience and restraint? In what way to influence? What kind of authority will be convincing to a young man?

Here we must pay attention to the fact that where many people gather, be it a monastery, be it military service or a camp, willy-nilly you have to curb yourself and learn patience, in monasteries - humility, in the army - discipline. And here the patristic works come to the rescue: what did they advise in difficult cases? Isn’t there something in their creations that will help you curb yourself, help you cultivate patience, silence, lack of anger, and overcome the energy of even just protest?

This is where the same sermon from seven years ago, thought out and experienced, sanctified by the authority of one of the greatest saints of antiquity and an experienced ascetic - St. John Climacus, fits perfectly! I hasten to make a reservation. From the home stories of Father Anatoly, I never heard about my father’s sermon, which helped him and became a support for his life in the camp. And its meaning became only part of the constant learning and spiritual growth of the young man, who had his own confessor in the camp and communicated not only with his father, but also with many of the holy martyrs who were there, later glorified by the Holy Church. But it is very important to look at the text of this sermon not only as a source that brings spiritual benefit to the reader in a quiet and peaceful peaceful life, but also from the point of view of a novice prisoner: as Rev. John Climacus teaches us to tame the tongue, advises us to learn silence and, as an ideal, to obtain serenity of heart in the face of confusion of thoughts.

If you pay attention to this, you can almost confidently assume that this is exactly what father and son were talking about in the camp. And then we become involuntary witnesses of what they talked about at Solovki during Lent in 1936. Spiritual experience is universal both for a novice in a monastery and for an inexperienced youth in a camp. Read this sermon with just such eyes, and you will become closer to understanding the generation that was destined to become our current support, some as new martyrs, some simply as a witness of the faithful Church of God and Its Head - our Lord Jesus Christ. And our understanding of the New Martyrs and Confessors will become closer.

In addition to this sermon, 69 more have been preserved, included in the volume of sermons of the holy confessor Sergius Kasimovsky, which is being prepared for publication in the near future.

Teaching at the All-Night Vigil on Saturday, the eve of the Resurrection,

4th Sunday of Great Lent and the memory of St. John Climacus 1928

In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit!

The Holy Church adorns the current week of Great Lent with the glorious name of the great ascetic and teacher of the Church, St. John Climacus († 602 or 629). She wants us to now focus our attention on this glorious name. For what, for what purpose?

The time of Great Lent is a special time. On these holy days, every Christian works with tenfold intensity on himself in order to heal spiritual infirmities, wash them with the tearful waters of repentance and acquire the skill of a virtuous, truly Christian life. In the days of these exploits, it is especially useful for us to remember the life and works of a person who, in the exploits of fasting, repentance and Christian perfection, reached difficult-to-achieve heights. You know, brethren, that St. John not only himself achieved holiness, but also left us a book for our edification and teaching, telling us how we need to be saved. This book is called the Ladder, or in Russian - “The Staircase”. Just as an ordinary ladder has steps, they go from bottom to top, so John’s Ladder has steps of moral improvement, into which the reverend author divided his book. These sections-steps tell how one must accomplish one’s salvation, starting from the lower levels, and, ascending to higher ones, reaching the highest levels of godlikeness and holiness. This book, as the fruit of the personal spiritual experience of one of the greatest ascetics, is of enormous value for everyone who wants to live according to the covenants of Christ.

Let us also focus our attention on this book. From her advice and instructions we will leave everything that concerns the highest stages of Christian work, and let us take, so to speak, the ABC, the initial infant steps with which anyone who wants to follow Christ must begin.

Saint John advises those who begin to live in Christ to take infants as an example. Infants are distinguished by their gentleness, they do not eat all types of food, but exclusively liquid food, so to speak, they carry out a kind of diet, and, in the language of the Church, they fast. In addition, they have a pure heart, not contaminated by sinful desires. And for infants in the Christian life, for those who begin to live in Christ, it is good, says the monk, to have a triple and three-pillar foundation: GREENNESS, FASTING AND CHASTITY. Let all who are infants in Christ begin with this, taking natural infants as an example.

So, this is where Christian work should begin. It is necessary to put a three-pillar foundation under it - kindness, fasting and chastity, and, first of all, and first of all - kindness.

Why should the virtue of gentleness be the first virtue of one entering a truly Christian life? Why should we first of all learn to be kind?

Malice of the heart is the main and decisive obstacle to Christian activity. The evil that reigns in the heart hinders everything spiritual. Thus, if you have evil in your heart, you cannot pray, since prayer then becomes unnecessary, useless, and meaningless. If you bring your gift to the altar, says Christ, and then you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift before the altar and, as you go, first make peace with your brother, and then come and offer your gift (Matthew 5, 23).

Evil that has taken hold in the heart and has not been expelled from there is an insurmountable obstacle to receiving forgiveness of sins. If you do not forgive your neighbors their sins, then your Heavenly Father will not forgive you your sins, says Christ (Matthew 6:15).

Yes, in general, malice nesting in the heart is the greatest obstacle to the Holy Spirit entering such a heart. My Spirit cannot dwell in these people, for they are flesh (Gen. 6:3). And without the illumination of the Holy Spirit, Who informs the believer and those who accepted Him of Christ Himself, no Christian work is possible, according to the true word of the Savior: Without Me you can do nothing (John 15:5). If the Holy Spirit, - St. John teaches us, - is, by His action on us, spiritual peace, and anger is confusion of the heart, then nothing poses such an obstacle to the presence of the Holy Spirit in us as irritability. Do you see what a huge obstacle to the Christian life is an evil heart? And how necessary it is for us to learn kindness! Without this precondition, without this science, it is impossible to take a step after Christ!

So, learning gentleness for us who want to follow Christ, not in words, but in deeds, is as necessary as air!

How do we get started?

St. John offers us the most valuable practical rule for driving out evil from the heart. “The beginning of non-anger,” he says, “is the silence of the lips during the turmoil of the heart, the middle is the silence of thoughts during a brief turmoil of the soul, and the end is unshakable silence during the breathing of unclean winds.” When a person is irritated or insulted, especially severely, everything in him comes into confusion, he all lights up with the flame of anger, malice, and vindictiveness. The desire to take revenge, to repay the offender, acquires a force that is almost impossible to resist. The tongue is ready to present the offender with a bunch of retaliatory insults, threats, curses; the mind comes up with thousands of the most cruel executions, is sophisticated in inventing many methods of revenge, the heart burns with a complex fire of anger, offended pride, malice - in a word, the whole person becomes confused, the whole of him is engulfed in a stormy breath of uncontrollable anger.

Such a state is unchristian, it does not require proof, and therefore a Christian must fight such a state. Struggle towards the destruction of this state, in mastering non-malice, even in such exceptional conditions.

The first step towards this, according to the thoughts of St. John Climacus, should be “SILENCE OF THE MOUTH in the presence of confusion of the heart.”

When we have been greatly insulted, or we have discovered some kind of betrayal against ourselves, or have learned about vile slander that disgraces our honor, and are fired up with retaliatory anger, we must first and exclusively turn our attention to the language, forcing it to remain silent. Let the mind be clever in inventing ways of revenge, let the heart be kindled with the flame of anger - leave them to themselves, do not pay attention, and gather all your will into thoughts about the language, force it, force it at all costs - to remain silent, not to utter a word. a single word. By force of will, force him to do so.

The first time this may not succeed at all, the second, third, tenth time it may only be partially successful, but if we are persistent, then after more or less lengthy exercises we will completely master this art. And, in the end, the silence of the lips when the heart is in turmoil will become a habitual thing for us and we will succeed with habitual ease. After all, body exercises, for example, with weights, are not immediately and easily achieved. An athlete who can easily throw a two-pound weight did not achieve this without difficulty and did not immediately achieve this. If in worldly everyday life, not at all from Christian principles, they very often resort to the art of silence, especially during conversations that threaten to turn into a major quarrel (and even worldly wisdom came up with the saying: “The word is silver, silence is gold”), then Should we, Christians, who have the high task of endlessly improving ourselves, neglect this saving art?! So, let’s start studying, and let’s learn how to be silent when our hearts are in turmoil.

When, therefore, through constant persistent exercise we accustom our tongue to be silent in any confusion of the soul, we transfer our attention to the mind, and learn “SILENCE OF THOUGHTS in the confusion of the soul.” Now we will make the same demands on thoughts, on the mind, as we previously made on language. We will try to force the mind to remain silent, that is, not to invent ways of revenge, in general, not to work towards the implementation of those angry feelings and aspirations that currently dominate in the soul. This is much more difficult. Making the tongue silent is less difficult than shackling thoughts with the bonds of will!..

A person’s thought works continuously, being born and dying every moment. A complete absence of thought at any given moment in time is unthinkable. If Saint John speaks of the silence of thought, then, of course, he means certain thoughts - angry, spiteful, vengeful.

These are the thoughts we must throw out of our heads! Which way? We must, by an effort of will, direct the mind in a different direction, evoking in the mind such thoughts that will first dispel angry thoughts, and then give the mind another, opposite direction.

What are these thoughts? Yes, for example, that anger is always unfair, that we ourselves are very bad, we ourselves often give rise to insults to us, that all people, not excluding us, have weaknesses and imperfections, that Christ’s call to the scribes and Pharisees: Who among you is without sin? , throw the first stone at it (see John 8:7) and it is addressed to us; that all people have the image of God, that all people are miserable captives of the devil, and so on, and so on. Just as the above words of Christ once dispersed those who brought to Christ a woman who was in adultery, so such thoughts will drive out evil, vengeful thoughts from our minds, the mind will calm down, silence will reign in it, the silence of vengeful thoughts. And this exercise at the second stage of non-anger is not given right away! Thoughts will not immediately be obedient, not immediately there will be silence in them. But since this did not stop us in the fight against language, it should not stop us here either.

The result of a long and persistent exercise will be complete silence of thought with a brief confusion of the soul. With these two exercises we will prepare the ground for mastering the third stage in the possession of gentleness, which St. John calls UNBREAKING SILENCE, which is a consequence of working on the heart.

When we tamed our tongue and curbed our thoughts, we already did a lot for the unshakable silence of the heart, and with two previously obtained results of work, when they have already been achieved, the third stage of work on the heart is already easy work! When we tamed the tongue and conquered the silence of the lips, this influenced the heart, it burned less with revenge. When we evoked thoughts opposite to vengeful ones, these last thoughts filled the angry fire of the heart like water. Now we need a little effort and unshakable silence of the heart will become our property. This is how St. John Climacus teaches us to achieve gentleness.

Christian brothers! We are clearly and definitely told that if we do not destroy evil in our hearts and do not master innocence, then our prayers will be in vain, our hope for the forgiveness of sins and for the illumination of our souls with the grace of the Holy Spirit will be in vain!

How will we achieve gentleness if we do not work hard to expel anger from our hearts?! I’ll say more, if we don’t work hard at this, we won’t be saved! And our very highest title as Christians will be our condemnation!

So, it is absolutely necessary for us to master gentleness. Let us follow the advice of St. John and begin working on expelling evil from our souls! Let each of us, upon coming home, write down, or, if illiterate, firmly remember that we must achieve, firstly, silence of the lips, secondly, silence of thoughts, thirdly, unshakable silence of the heart. Let these short phrases be milestones in our work on ourselves, which we will now begin and successfully complete with the prayers of our Venerable Father John.

Amen.