Who are the elders
There are moments in every person’s life when it is necessary to make a certain decision (make a choice). And Christians are no exception. For example, whether to get married or enter a monastery, whether to change place of residence, whether to accept a new job or not. It becomes important for the believer that the decision made is consistent with God's will. It is often difficult to make a choice; the advice of the parish priest does not always help. Therefore, in this case, the elders of our time can give the necessary advice.
Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov)
But who are the elders?
In Orthodoxy, the authority of the elders is based on the authority of holiness. A Christian is considered close to holiness when his soul is cleansed from sin by the action of the Holy Spirit. At the same time, a person treats this gift of God with care, keeping the Commandments of the Lord. Then a “spirit-bearing” Christian teaches other people “not from his own mind,” but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Elderhood is an exceptional phenomenon.
The word “elder” itself is not a degree of clergy. This means that an elder can be not only a monk, priest or bishop, but also a layman. Also, there is no need to put an equal sign between “elder” and “old man”. This is not an indication of old age, but evidence of special grace from God.
Elders are not only men, but also women. For example, the elder Pelageya Ivanovna Diveevskaya (1809-1884), who was canonized (glorified) in the ranks of the blessed in 2004.
Great Elder
Archpriest Mikhail Kirillovich Prudnikov (1850-1928), one of the remarkable St. Petersburg pastors of the first third of the 20th century, widely known and revered by the people as an elder for his righteousness and gift of foresight, was born in St. Petersburg on December 31, 1850 and came from the officers' children. In 1868, he entered the Naval Engineering School of Emperor Nicholas I in Kronstadt, from which he graduated five years later with the rank of midshipman. Upon successfully passing the exams, in 1874 he received the rank of midshipman and was assigned to the artillery training team. Since 1875, he was transferred to the Black Sea Fleet, where in 1877-78. on the ship "Vesta" participates in the war with Turkey. Awarded a bronze medal for his participation in the capture of the Turkish landing ship Mersin on December 13, 1877. Since 1878, he has been actively involved in the work of the committee for the creation of the Voluntary Fleet. In 1882 he was transferred to the Baltic Fleet, and from 1883 he served on commercial ships. In 1886-88. continues to be involved in the organization of the Voluntary Fleet, now in the Baltic, and since 1888 it has been put into reserve. In 1897 he was enlisted as a staff captain in the Admiralty, in 1902 he was discharged as a colonel with a uniform (by this time he had awards: the Order of Stanislav, 3rd and 2nd degrees, and the Order of Anna, 3rd and 2nd degrees).
In 1906, under the spiritual influence of St. right John of Kronstadt decides to be ordained (at the age of 57). By the decree of July 22, 1907, Archbishop Sergius of Finland on the ordination and appointment to ministry, St. Sergius of Radonezh at the summer cottage of the shelter for epileptic children, without the obligation to marry. On August 26, 1907, he was ordained a deacon by Archbishop Sergius, and a priest on September 2, 1907. July 28, 1907 - assigned to the Church of the Brotherhood of St. Innocent of Irkutsk at the summer dacha of the First Real School on the Sergievka estate near the Perkiyarvi station of the Finnish Railway. In 1905-1906 not far from there on the Karelian Isthmus, near the Kanneljärvi station according to the project of Fr. Mikhail Prudnikov and M. Dekhterev built the wooden Church of the Holy Trinity.
On April 4, 1910, he was appointed without pay as a supernumerary priest of the Church of the Mother of God of Mercy in Galernaya Harbor. January 29, 1911 - appointed to the Nikolo-Bargradsky metochion, from July 21, 1911 he served as rector, and from September 16, 1911 to 1916 he served as supernumerary priest of the Church of the Savior on Water - a monument to Russian sailors who died in the war with Japan.
In 1917 - archpriest. Serves as supernumerary priest of the Ioannovsky Convent, at the church-tomb of St. right John of Kronstadt. Even before taking the episcopal rank, the future Archbishop of Gdov Dimitry (Lyubimov), at that time a priest of the Church of the Intercession, visited him several times. After the closure of the monastery in 1923, Fr. Mikhail continues to serve at one of the house churches on the Petrograd Side. He died on September 3, 1928. He was buried behind the altar of the Sergius Church of the Trinity-Sergius Primorsky Hermitage in Strelna.
Mikhail Kirillovich Prudnikov was born in 1850 in the family of a naval officer. He came from a military family. After graduating from the Marine Engineering School Imp. Nicholas I in Kronstadt, served in the navy. Traveled around the world twice.
From childhood he was a believer and, already at the rank of colonel, retained a strong and sincere faith. He often went on foot to venerate the miraculous image of the Mother of God in Tsarskoe Selo, 25 miles from St. Petersburg.
He was not in good health at all. He suffered from severe lobar pneumonia and was sentenced to death by doctors.
During his illness, he had a dream, which he did not tell anyone, but only announced to his family that as soon as he felt better, he would go from St. Petersburg to Moscow to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, to the relics of St. Sergius of Radonezh, on foot. His relatives were incredulous, knowing in general about his poor health. But he, as soon as he got to his feet, immediately set off, as he said, to the Lavra on foot with a kit over his shoulders and in a naval uniform. His journey lasted three weeks. Returning from St. Sergius, Fr. Mikhail soon set off on a second journey, also on foot, to Novgorod to venerate the relics of St. Mikhail Klopsky, whose name he bore and greatly revered.
From the stories of one of his friends, such a case is known. On the name day of Fr. John of Kronstadt, October 19, Fr. Mikhail, being then still a military man, went to Kronstadt and went to his father’s apartment. There were a lot of people waiting for Fr.'s return. John from the church and crowded into a small hallway. When the priest arrived, it became even more crowded. At that moment, all orders fell from Mikhail Kirillovich’s chest. He wanted to pick them up, but oh. John stopped him and said: “Don’t bother, you won’t need them soon.”
Indeed, exactly a year after this incident, he left military service and accepted the priesthood. Served Fr. Mikhail first in the churches of the Finnish diocese (on the Karelian Isthmus), then as a supernumerary priest in the Church of the Merciful Mother of God in Galernaya Harbor, and from 1911 in the Church of the Savior on Water. Afterwards he moved to the Ioannovsky Monastery, where, as a supernumerary priest, he served at the tomb of Fr. John early mass. Spiritual closeness with the Kronstadt ascetic Fr. Mikhail experienced this all his life.
As a shepherd, Fr. Michael did not abandon his pilgrimages and also went on foot to Tsarskoe Selo and Kolpino, where the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas was located. For the most part about. Mikhail did not walk alone, his admirers joined him. Father considered pilgrimages to be a wonderful school of piety, “where every morning dawn, every kind human glance, every ladle of water given for the sake of Christ is a living lesson of God’s mercy, His boundless and generous love. And how I want to thank the Lord for all this, from here prayer will be born - living, miraculous.”
Among those spiritually close to him were: Bishop Stefan (Bekh), Schemabishop Macarius (Vasiliev), rector of the Macarius Hermitage and many of the Petrograd clergy. In addition, there were other persons, for example, Professor Smirnov, the director of the Nobel plant - spiritual children and admirers of the priest. Among them was nun Antonia, housekeeper of the Ioannovsky Monastery, about whom Fr. Mikhail said that the entire monastery rests on it. She was a real ascetic in life. In difficult times, she went to benefactors and collected donations from them for the monastery. After the oppression of the monastery began, visiting pilgrims often spent the night in her cell, and she happily gave up her bed to them, while she slept in the storeroom on sacks. She often invited her cell attendant to rest, while she herself did her work.
Not much time passed and different people began to look for Fr. Michael's wise words and prayerful help. A lot came to Fr. Michael the sick, asking for his prayers. And through the priest’s prayers, many recovered, and when they came to thank him, he, in his modesty, answered everyone that he had nothing to do with it - he was the same sinful person as they were. “Go to the Mother of God and thank Her,” he asked them.
Many who needed an operation also came to him for a blessing, but he did not bless everyone and, indeed, those who did not receive a blessing for the operation recovered without it.
One day one of his spiritual children was very sick. Relatives turned to Fr. Mikhail, asking for his prayers for the sick man, and the priest told them that the sick man should get out of bed and go to Kolpino to the miraculous image of St. Nicholas. In horror, the relatives told the patient that he had to walk, especially in winter, from Tsarskoye Selo to Kolpino. These people were wealthy and had never made such journeys on foot before. The patient, with unexpected firmness, declared that he would go. And, indeed, despite his weak strength, he put on a fur coat and felt boots and hit the road. He returned safely, and from that day on he began to recover.
One friend Fr. Mikhail had two twin sons and both were at war (World War I was going on, 1914-1918 - Ed.). The parents were very worried. without receiving any news from them for a long time, when suddenly a message came that both of their sons had died. The mother was grieving the loss of both sons at once, but being a believer, she buried them and served requiem services for them every day. Father went to Fr. Tell Mikhail about your grief. After listening, his father replied: “Pray for health.” When he returned home with such good news and told his wife, she did not believe it and was even outraged by the priest’s words. Several months passed, the mother continued to pray for peace, and the father for health. Mikhail Dmitrievich (that was his father’s name) went to see his father again, and at the second meeting during evening tea, Father Mikhail put two large lumps of sugar into Mikhail Dmitrievich’s glass. Mikhail Dmitrievich noticed that the sugar had already been put in the glass, but the priest replied to this: “You will find out later.”
Returning home, M.D. I couldn’t stop thinking about my father’s words. After some time, one evening he was sitting sad and thoughtful, but then he heard the doorbell ring, opening it, he saw both of his sons at once. From their stories, the parents learned that both brothers were in German captivity and were together in the same camp, from where they were released at the same time.
St. Petersburg.
Among the officers of the Imperial Russian Navy. Standing on the left: Archpriest Alexy Stavrovsky († 1918), St. right John of Kronstadt († 1908), on the right in a light cassock, presumably – Priest Mikhail Prudnikov.
The priest’s prayers were considered daring. There was such a case. When Fr. Mikhail was in Tsarskoe Selo; a good friend asked him to visit a seriously ill patient, whom the doctors considered hopeless. Father went there and found him in very serious condition. Without hesitating for a moment, he immediately went to church, taking this acquaintance with him. She witnessed his bold prayer, during which he not only prayed, but, as if in reality, spoke to the Mother of God and begged Her to hear his prayer and help. It was even scary to watch and listen to how the priest begged the Most Holy Theotokos Herself to heal the sick man. His prayer was indeed heard and the patient soon recovered.
When (in February 1928 - Ed.) Metropolitan Seraphim (Chichagov), the future new martyr, was appointed to the Petrograd See, by that time he was already retired, and before going to the place of his ministry, he went for a blessing to Fr. Mikhail. Entering his room, Vladika bowed at his feet and asked for prayers. The priest was very embarrassed, he bowed at the feet of the bishop and said: “After all, I am only an archpriest, and you bow to me first.” And so they bowed to each other three times.
In 1929, on the day of the Holy Trinity, Father Mikhail served in Detskoe Selo (in 1918 Tsarskoe Selo was renamed). During Vespers, he read the prescribed prayers. His voice, generally weak, became so strong while reading these prayers that everyone was amazed and could not believe that he was reading it.
In August, the priest came again, but this was his last visit to Tsarskoye. “I won’t come to you soon,” he said. When asked:
“Why?”, he replied: “I’m going home!” Then one old woman began to cry and asked: “How will we survive without you?” To this he answered her: “You will pray for me, and I will intercede for you at the Throne of God.”
In July 1922, Fr. Mikhail unexpectedly received from Optina Hermitage from Fr. Anatoly (hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Potapov), the younger - Ed.) an invitation to visit their hermitage and him. Despite disruptions in transport (after the revolution, passenger trains did not run, people traveled in freight cars), Fr. Mikhail quickly got ready and, accompanied by several people close to him, set off. It was hard to travel. In the carriages, passengers smoked shag and o. Mikhail suffered from smoke poisoning. Twice at large stops he was carried out into the air in his arms and laid directly on the grass. Those around him thought that he would not reach the desert, but he still managed to do it. In Optina, nature and fresh air revived Fr. Michael and he, being in the desert, served Fr. Anatoly at the liturgy and talked with him. After a week Fr. Mikhail got ready to head back. After serving mass, he went to the elder for a blessing and to say goodbye, when Fr. Anatoly suddenly told him: “Live three more days, and then you’ll go!” He stayed for obedience.
On July 29, 1922, security officers arrived in Optina to arrest Father Anatoly. “But the elder, without resisting, modestly asked for a delay of a day in order to prepare. The cell attendant, the hunchbacked Father Varnava, was threateningly told to prepare the elder for departure, since they would be taken away tomorrow, and then they left. Silence reigned, and the elder began to prepare for the journey. The next day, in the morning, the commission arrives. They go out and ask the cell attendant Father Varnava: “Is the elder ready?” “Yes,” the cell attendant answers, “I am ready,” and, opening the door, he leads the elder into the chambers. What a surprise it was when such a picture appeared before their eyes. In the middle of the cell in a coffin lay a “prepared” dead elder!”
Father Mikhail was at the funeral service and took part in the burial. Having fulfilled his prayer duty to the deceased, Fr. Mikhail set off on the return journey on the third day, as the elder had predicted to him.
When Fr. Mikhail was visiting Detskoe Selo, one engineer N.N.K. He brought his five-year-old son Herman to him for a blessing and said that his son began to study German at the age of four, reads and is already beginning to speak German. To this o. Mikhail said sadly: “Why does he need German!” and began to look sadly out the window. Upon departure Fr. Mikhail I meet the boy’s father and he tells me: “I have great respect for Fr. Mikhail, I bow to him, but he still, I must say, is behind the times - he says: “Why does Herman need the German language?” After all, if Herman speaks German perfectly and is an engineer, this will be very useful to him, because now all scientific literature is published in German.” We all also found it strange that Fr. Mikhail.
However, several years passed and the war began; Herman's father had died by that time. After coming to Tsarskoye Selo, the Germans evacuated it in 1941-1942. all residents, including German and his mother. They ended up in Estonia, where Herman, knowing the language, spoke German with the Germans. After the arrival of Soviet troops, he was arrested, accused of having connections with the Germans and exiled to Magadan for 10 years. Then they remembered the words of Fr. Mikhail: “Why does he need German!” Without knowing the German language, he would not have been arrested and would have remained to live with his mother in Estonia, but he was able to return there only after 10 years of camps and exile.
Metropolitan Nikolai (Yarushevich) of Krutitsky greatly honored Fr. Michael and believed in the power of his prayers, which he repeatedly experienced himself. Here is one of his stories.
In 1941, at the very beginning of the war, it was decided to send Metropolitan Nicholas to serve in North America. He did not want to go there at all, as he felt bad - his heart was very worried, and the doctors did not advise him, but Metropolitan Sergius insisted on the trip. For obedience, Vladyka agreed, all that remained was to obtain an exit visa. At that time, the American embassy was evacuated from Moscow to the city of Kuibyshev (Samara), and Vladyka went there to obtain a visa. His arrival coincided with the day of the death of Fr. Mikhail (September 3). "All the way. - recalled Metropolitan. Nikolai, I prayed to Fr. Mikhail, so that this trip would somehow pass me by. The embassy checked my documents and said: “Everything is fine, live here for a week and get it.” Since I had to submit my cases in Moscow, they suggested that I go there and wait for a visa there. I left for Moscow and prepared to leave. I wait a week, two, three - no visa. So I never received it and didn’t even know for what reason. I attribute this to the prayers of Fr. Mikhail."
His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I (Simansky), being Archbishop of Novgorod (since 1926, Archbishop Alexy was Archbishop of Khutyn, temporarily managing the Novgorod diocese - Ed.), visited Fr. Mikhail and told him that he was leaving for Moscow1. Father Mikhail said: “When you are in Moscow, visit the village of Kolomenskoye and there venerate the Mother of God “Sovereign.”
Archbishop Alexy sent a letter from Moscow to Father Mikhail in which he wrote: “I fulfilled your obedience, Father Archpriest, and even walked 2 kilometers to the church.” Father Mikhail, having read the letter, remarked out loud: “The Mother of God will glorify him.” Indeed, this is what happened. 15 years later, in May 1944, Archbishop Alexy became the locum tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, and from February 4, 1945, the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'.
Metropolitan Manuel (Lemeshevsky), who knew Fr. Mikhail in St. Petersburg, said about him: “He was a great righteous man!”
Once, in 1928, Fr. Mikhail visited the sick Archpriest Vladimir Aleksandrovich Rybakov, who served as rector of the Church of the Savior on the Waters. Doctors believed Fr. Vladimir is hopeless. When Fr. Mikhail entered, the sick shepherd said: “Father Mikhail, I probably won’t recover, I’ll die...” To which Fr. Mikhail replied: “You will get better yet, you will not die,” adding: “when the pond dries up, then the fish will fall asleep.” The patient recovered. A year later followed the peaceful death of the elder Fr. Mikhail († 1928), and five years later, in March 1934, Fr. Vladimir Rybakov. And only then did I remember the words spoken by the elder to the sick man. The prediction came true. The pond dried up and the fish fell asleep.
My mother has had heart pain very often lately, and therefore she tried to fast and receive communion more often. One day Fr. came Michael served mass. She also fasted before his service. When they came home and were sitting at the table, Fr. Michael, looking at his mother, said: “How good it is for someone who receives communion often: if a person fails to receive communion before death, then he will be charged with frequent communion.” During these words, Fr. Mikhail looked at his mother all the time. This look pierced my heart. I thought that it seemed to concern her.
Five days passed after my father left and my mother fell ill with the flu, which was further complicated by pneumonia. The weak heart could not withstand the high temperature and the mother died.
On the 40th day Fr. arrived. Mikhail and I went with him to the Kuzminskoye cemetery in Tsarskoe Selo. He served a memorial service and on the way back said: “When there is no cemetery, this is not all for the deceased. The most precious thing is when a particle is taken from the altar for it.” I thought: “How can it happen that there will be no cemetery that has existed for more than two hundred years?” With the beginning of the war, when the Germans approached Leningrad, fighting broke out in Kuzmino. The front stood here for three years. The cemetery was destroyed to the ground, and the church did not stand. Then I remembered and understood the words spoken by Fr. Mikhail. Then he spoke about his mother: “Don’t cry, she’s fine there, you have to trust me as a priest.”
About one of our pious relatives, Fr. Mikhail said: “How easily he went through all the ordeals, there was no delay for him anywhere.”
The day of his ordination as a deacon, August 26, Fr. Michael celebrated every year. On this day, Archimandrite from the Holy Trinity Sergius Hermitage (near St. Petersburg) came to congratulate him. This was the case on August 26, 1928. The archimandrite came to congratulate Fr. Michael and served a prayer service. September 2 was the day of his ordination to the priesthood and always on this day for many years, according to tradition, Fr. Michael from the desert icon of St. Sergius of Radonezh. When leaving, the archimandrite asked the priest whether to bring the icon on September 2. Father Mikhail, already seriously ill, corrected him, asking that the icon be brought on the 3rd. This surprised the archimandrite very much and he asked the priest’s cell attendant if Fr. Mikhail, she replied: “Since the priest appointed a third, then that’s what needs to be done.”
When they brought the icon, Fr. Mikhail was already completely weak and did not get up. He was confessed and given communion, having served three prayer services at his request: to the Most Holy Trinity, to the Mother of God, and so on. Sergius. After the prayer service they brought him an icon, he kissed it and asked him to read the prayer. Sitting on the cushions, he held a lighted candle in his hand. At the end of the reading, the candle went out, and Fr. went out with it. Michael.
The funeral service was held in the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage. The funeral service was held by Fr. Michael, Metropolitan Seraphim (Chichagov) with six bishops and clergy, of whom there were so many that even despite the large number of vestments that were in the desert, there were not enough of them. There were also a lot of people.
Brothers of the Trinity-Sergius Hermitage at the grave of Archpriest Mikhail Prudnikov
One of the priests in his funeral homily, addressing the people, said: “What has brought you here in such huge numbers? After all, the priest served for only 21 years and was not particularly distinguished by his eloquence. What did he become famous for and what exactly did he become known for? Yes, he became famous for his prayer. You all experienced the power of his prayers and saw with what boldness he always prayed and what help his prayers brought us..."
Let me give you a few more examples of Fr.’s insight. Mikhail. Nadezhda Ivanovna Sokolova worked in an orphanage and talked about. Mikhail about one rootless three-year-old boy Kolya, very handsome, smart and obedient. People often came to their orphanage wanting to adopt children. Nadezhda Ivanovna felt sorry for giving Kolya away and she hid the boy from the people who came. Finally, two families took a fancy to Kolya and Nadezhda Ivanovna came to ask the priest’s advice on who to give him to: either a husband and wife, or a single woman. Father Mikhail thought and said: “It’s best to give it to your own mother!” Nadezhda Ivanovna began to prove that he was an orphan and was dropped off at the orphanage with a note that his name was Nikolai. His last name was Naydenov. Father listened to everything and repeated again, “that no one will raise him better than his own mother.”
A week and a half passed and a woman came to the orphanage and with tears began to ask for her son Kolya to be given to her. She said that she was overcome by such a longing for her son that she could not find a place for herself. She also told me when and how she left him and pointed out signs. Kolya was given to her. Nadezhda Ivanovna was amazed by the words of Fr. Mikhail: “No one will raise him better than his own mother.”
Nadezhda Ivanovna went several times and checked how the boy was doing. Indeed, he lived very well.
Soon after the revolution, Anastasia Ivanovna Lyakhova, who lived in Petrograd, wanted to visit her mother, who lived in the Yaroslavl province. First of all, she went to Fr. Mikhail received a blessing for the trip and the purchase of tickets, which at that time were given only through organizations. Fr. Mikhail gave his blessing for the trip and said: “You will go, but not with money.” She, of course, did not understand anything. Coming to me, she told the answer to Fr. Mikhail, and I, in turn, remembered that when I went on vacation, they offered me: “If you want to go somewhere, we can give you an order from the Trade Union to receive a free ticket!”
Remembering this, I decided to take a ticket and send it to Anastasia Ivanovna, providing her with my documents.
So, for the blessing of Fr. Mikhail, she safely went there and back for free.
One day Fr. Mikhail was in Trinity-Sergiev Posad for the feast of St. Sergius July 5. When mass ended and all the clergy left the Trinity Cathedral in pairs for the Refectory Church, Fr. Mikhail stood among the people and looked at those walking. Passing by the place where Fr. stood. Mikhail, one of the bishops, came out of the pair, approached him and bowed to the ground. Father Mikhail also bowed to him and the bishop moved on. Cell attendant Fr. Mikhaila asked the priest what the name of this bishop was. Father said: “I don’t know, I’m seeing him for the first time.” Then the cell attendant quickly went to the Refectory Church to find out the name of that bishop, but before she had time, all the clergy had already left. Apparently, that bishop was a seer; he saw Fr. Michael's crown, which was held over him as over a righteous person.
According to the memoirs of Maria Vasilievna Baranova, spiritual daughter of Archpriest Mikhail Prudnikov
Prophecy of Archpriest Mikhail Prudnikov about the fate of Russia
At the beginning of 1918, in the tomb of Fr. John's early mass was served by the perspicacious elder Archpriest Fr. Mikhail Prudnikov. One of the two admirers who were waiting for him told him: “Father Mikhail, Russia is perishing, and we, the nobles, are doing nothing, we need to do something!” To this o. Mikhail answered sharply: “no one can do anything until the punishment prescribed by God for the Russian people for their sins is completed; when the punishment prescribed by God for the Russian people for their sins ends, then the Queen of Heaven herself will have mercy, and what she will have mercy on, I know!”
From the church all three went to Fr. Mikhail should drink tea. Taking advantage of the old friendship, the same person began to argue with Archpriest Prudnikov, saying: “Excuse me, Denikin is already approaching Moscow, Kolchak, Yudenich, Miller are all operating successfully.” To this o. Mikhail again said sharply, as if even with anger: “all this is useless, they are only shedding blood in vain, absolutely nothing will come of it!”
The entire Prudnikov family was pious.
By the way, I can’t help but tell you about the death of Father Mikhail’s sister. She was a nun, and before her death she began to tell the sisters of the monastery: “Hurry, quickly clean up everything - the Queen of Heaven is coming to the monastery.” After a while she says: “The Queen of Heaven is already in the monastery, she will come here now.”
Nun Prudnikova was lying in bed sick. Having said these words, she stood up and said: “Behold, the Queen of Heaven has entered,” made a prostration and died.
Thus, the words of the prayer were fulfilled for nun Prudnikova: “Present to me the Hope of Christians at the hour of my death and strengthen my faith in the difficult hour of death.”
The phenomenon of old age
Eldership appeared in early Christian times, when monasticism began to emerge (in Egypt, Syria, Palestine). Often the elders were hermit monks who did not have priestly rank. Each of them had two or three students with him during obedience.
“Give your heart in obedience to your fathers, and the grace of God will dwell in you” (Abba Isaiah, 4th-5th century).
Having learned spiritual wisdom, the disciples eventually became elders themselves. Many of them are known as teachers of prayer and Christian life (Reverends Anthony the Great, Ephraim the Syrian, Macarius of Egypt). From Egypt and Asia Minor, eldership spread to the territory of Athos (Greece), then to Russia.
Signs of true elders
An elder is characterized by having special knowledge (insight). This ability allows him to see the souls of people who come to him. This is a special spiritual vision that reveals the passions and virtues living in a person. God's will for man is revealed to the elders, so they can give advice for the benefit of Christians who come to them.
But you should not treat the elders as fortune tellers in order to find out the future. They should be contacted only to resolve critical issues. These are decisions that can have a significant impact on the course of a Christian’s earthly life. However, what the elders say often does not have a clearly defined form and categorical tone. Basically everything is presented in the form of advice or direction.
The elders of our time do not force anyone; the voluntary consent and desire of the people themselves always remains important. Only the Creator has complete power over man. Although a person still has his free will, which is not limited by anything. Moreover, other people, even saints, do not have the right to “rape” her. As the Monk Paisiy Svyatogorets said (1924-1994):
“The elder will not force himself on you. He is extremely sensitive in his advice. But he will immediately want to do everything for you and will do everything so that you no longer suffer. Although in some cases even the elders have to work on the situation for a long time: prayer, advice, constant support of all kinds, but every time such people know how to reveal to us that the Lord is the God of good endings!
After communicating with the elders, a person should be left with a feeling of joy and peace of mind. The actions (advice) of elders are always selfless.
“The elders were unusually loving people, patient, gentle in their interactions with those who came - and very demanding of themselves. This is a very important criterion” (Metropolitan Longin of Saratov and Volsk).
Orthodox elders
In the Russian Orthodox Church, the most famous elders include St. Seraphim of Sarov (1754-1833). A large number of people (both monks and laymen) came to him for advice. But the grace of old age is not acquired immediately. Before this, like other elders, there was a period of seclusion (solitary life).
The Venerable Seraphim of Sarov accepted the feat of pillarism: for 1000 days and nights he prayed on his knees on a stone. Intense prayer and repentant reflection on his life contributed to the achievement of humility and spiritual union with the Lord, from Whom he received the gift of clairvoyance.
“Life in the desert is very useful for a monk, because there he is not distracted by external things. Life in the desert is simple, and a monk can devote himself entirely to spiritual work” (Elder Paisius the Svyatogorets).
The “classical” type of eldership, when an inextricable spiritual connection “teacher-student” can be traced, began to be observed in Russia at the end of the 18th century. Particularly famous were the elders who lived in the monasteries of Glinskaya (Sumy region, Ukraine), Optina Hermitage (Kaluga region, Russia). And in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery (Pskov region, Russia), the eldership did not stop even in Soviet times. In godless times, elders often lived outside the monastery walls.
You can learn about the “big family” of the Svyatogorsk elders from the book of Hieromonk Panteleimon Korolev “The New Athonite Patericon”. It describes in detail what eldership is, who the modern Orthodox elders are, and their teachings.
Secrets of Russian eldership
Vyacheslav Bondarenko’s book “Holy Elders” is being published in the famous series “The Life of Remarkable People” by the publishing house “Young Guard”.
When you talk about elders and eldership, a modern person usually either imagines something very distant, from the depths of centuries, or perceives it as a kind of “Orthodox esotericism”, inaccessible to “mere mortals.” He is partly right: the ancient eldership, indeed, dates back to early Christian times, and, of course, this type of Orthodox holiness (usually monastic) has its own secret. But this is only part of the truth.
Over the past centuries, the Russian Church has developed its own eldership, which in many ways is close to the early Christian one, but has its own characteristics. A new book is dedicated to these saints by a friend and author of the Tsargrad TV channel - Minsk historian, writer and screenwriter, author of a number of documentaries, best-selling film novels "Liquidation" and "Kadetstvo", nominee for the 2022 Patriarchal Literary Prize Vyacheslav Bondarenko. Our conversation today about the book “Holy Elders”, which has already been signed for publication, reveals some of the secrets of the Russian Orthodox elders.
The book “Holy Elders” reveals some of the secrets of the Russian Orthodox elders. Photo from the personal archive of V. Bondarenko
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“Tsargrad” : Vyacheslav Vasilyevich, your new book is dedicated to the saints of God, glorified as saints relatively recently, whose exploits mainly date back to the end of the 18th – 20th centuries. In church history, the eldership of the first centuries of Christianity is widely known; to what extent does the “new” eldership of the last two or three centuries go back to the early Christian one? What is the general feature of this type of holiness?
Vyacheslav Bondarenko : I’ll start by answering the second question. Elders are spiritual guides, people through whom the Lord reveals His will. Moreover, an elder can be a bishop, hieromonk, hierodeacon, or monk; coming from the nobility, peasants, bourgeoisie, priesthood; very old in age and a man slightly over forty; deeply educated and who have not received any education; a man revered by everyone, and one who is considered almost a holy fool. But all this “external” is secondary; for eldership, what is important is the gifts that the elder is endowed with from God.
Vyacheslav Bondarenko presents his book “Father John (Peasant)”. 2022 Photo from the personal archive of V. Bondarenko
Yes, we, people of the 21st century, first of all see in the elders what amazes us and cannot be easily explained - the gifts of insight and healing. However, something else is much more important and significant in the elders: reasoning, humility, love, experience in spiritual warfare, in prayer. Of course, the “new” eldership of recent centuries stands firmly on the foundation laid by the great predecessors. After all, the elder never speaks simply “from himself,” he relies on the spiritual experience of the holy fathers of antiquity. But we can still say that our Russian elders of the 18th – 20th centuries are special. It grew at a very difficult time for monasticism, a time of decline in monastic activity, loss of very important meanings.
Those elders who labored, for example, in the 1770s in the Bryansk and Roslavl forests, of course, understood that they were continuing the work of St. Anthony the Great (4th-century Egyptian saint, founder of Christian monasticism), but they could not help but know that they were laying the foundations a new, purely Russian senile tradition. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was joined by the experience of St. Paisius (Velichkovsky), brought from outside, his works, and the monastic charter he compiled. This can be considered the beginning of modern Russian eldership.
Ts .: How fair is the opinion that eldership is almost some kind of “Orthodox esotericism”? They say that if his parish confessor cannot resolve some issue, the elder can solve it, but his blessing is above any law. If he tells you to get married to the first person you meet, you need to do so, get a divorce and go to a monastery, too. Is it so? And what is “young age”, which is also often talked about today?
V.B .: It is certainly impossible to judge eldership as some kind of “Orthodox esotericism”. Such a false idea may arise due to the external aura of “miraculous” that accompanies the elders, church and parachurch legends associated with them, and an atmosphere of unhealthy excitement.
The so-called young age is also connected with this. Patriarch Kirill once said wonderfully about him: you can walk hunched over as much as you like, frown your eyebrows, speak in a quiet voice, and still not be an old man. In fact, this phenomenon is far from new; even St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) in the 19th century called young age acting, a sad comedy. But the fact that it has become widespread right now is quite understandable: this is a consequence of the spiritual turmoil at the turn of the 1980s and 90s, which has largely not been overcome to this day.
As for the true elders, they never imposed their will. The Monk Ambrose of Optina, if they began to argue with him, would only say: “What do I say to the one who does his own will?” – and walked away from the conversation. The Venerable Seraphim of Glinsky, at the slightest hint of disagreement with him, immediately gave in and said: “Do as you know.” Father John (Krestyankin) did the same. The elders never “broke” a person over the knee. They helped him find himself. And then it’s your choice.
Ts .: And how legitimate is the judgment that the elders are almost a “parallel hierarchy” in the Russian Orthodox Church. That they are almost higher than bishops?
V.B .: I think that various factors have always played and continue to play a role here, including purely human ones. And in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries there were bishops who treated the elders strictly, if not pickily, humbled them, and there were also those who deeply revered and consulted on everything. Genuine elders have always been characterized by respect for the church hierarchy; this is natural for someone whose whole life is obedience.
Ts .: Most of your new book is dedicated to the Optina elders, and the Rev. Vasily Ploshchansky, who opened it, was spiritually close to the first of them. Why do you think this particular holy place at the border of Kaluga and Tula lands flourished with a whole constellation of Russian saints in the 19th century? And why did representatives of the Russian intelligentsia of that time so often turn to them for spiritual guidance, from the great Russian conservative thinker Konstantin Leontyev to very liberal figures?
V.B .: It is simply impossible to explain why Optina Pustyn became the spiritual center of Russia in those years. This question is not for a person, not for a historian, not for a researcher. Indeed, even before Optina there were already great, famous monasteries where the Russian elders were born - the Ploshchanskaya and Beloberezhskaya hermitages, but in the 1830s it was Optina that rose to prominence and became the undisputed center... Of course, this is the Providence of God. The choice fell on Optina, and its light illuminated the whole country, the entire Orthodox world.
As for the answer to the second question, I think it sounds more down-to-earth. The Russian intelligentsia of the second half of the 19th century simultaneously looked as if in a mirror - at itself, and at the same time tried to get to know its people, flesh of whose flesh it was, but with which it had lost contact. The appeal to the elders, in my opinion, was an attempt to solve the riddle of the ideal Russian man, to understand him with all his strengths and weaknesses, pros and cons, and at the same time to understand himself, his purpose in the history of the country.
Of course, everyone saw in the elders what they wanted to see, which is why the results were different - from Konstantin Leontyev to Leo Tolstoy. But the trend itself was characteristic of the era.
Ts .: Why did you choose four from the whole host of Optina elders: Saints Leo, Macarius, Ambrose and Nektarios? What are their characteristics and what united them, besides the place of service itself?
V.B .: Venerable Leo is the formation of the Optina eldership, its beginnings. Venerable Macarius – the elders’ first contacts with representatives of Russian culture, Gogol in Optina, Kireevsky, publishing activities. The Monk Ambrose is probably the most beloved and “people’s” of all Russian elders in general, along with Seraphim of Sarov and John of Kronstadt, this is the “golden era” of eldership. And the Monk Nektarios is the beginning of the 20th century, war, revolution, destruction of the monastery, exile, arrest, semi-underground life, and he foresaw all this.
What unites these saints is that in different eras they were the “backbone” of their monastery, elevated it, despite the difficulties, preserved the best traditions of Optina and created their own. And their characters were very different, very colorful: Leo is an old hero, Macarius is a great worker who is always fighting illness, Ambrose, an old fool Nektary... And all of them are our beloved Russian saints.
Ts .: Few people knew about the holy righteous Alexy Bortsurmansky, another “hero” of your book. But the activities of his descendants - the modern Moscow pastor and preacher Archpriest Vladimir Vigilyansky and his daughter Alexandrina - revealed this elder to many. His feat is different from the feat of the same Optina elders; he was not a monk at all. However, does he stand on the same level as them?
V.B .: Yes, there are still debates about whether representatives of the white clergy who reached great spiritual heights and enjoyed general veneration can be considered elders. In my opinion, it is possible if the main thing was present in their activities: spiritual guidance, the goal of which is salvation.
The holy righteous Alexy Bortsurmansky was an amazing saint - a real genius, a loving “father” and then “grandfather” of his spiritual children, deeply revered in the Simbirsk province. “He burns like a star on the Christian horizon,” Seraphim of Sarov said about him. In the near future, a new Life of this saint, prepared by his descendant Alexandrina Vigilyanskaya, will see the light of day (I express my deep gratitude to her for the opportunity to use the finds she made in the archives in the work on the book).
The holy righteous Alexy Bortsurmansky is an example of what a purely Russian eldership could be like, without any impurities, without any philosophizing, as they say, in practice.
Ts .: Probably the same can be said about the holy righteous Alexy of Moscow (Mechev)? Many of his spiritual children and the spiritual children of his son, Hieromartyr Sergius (Mechev), were still alive quite recently, and therefore in Moscow, one might say, the continuity of the spiritual heritage of these saints and their community is alive. He is very often associated with the legacy of the holy righteous John of Kronstadt, do you agree with this?
V.B .: Yes, the holy righteous Alexy of Moscow himself said that if it were not for communication with John of Kronstadt, he would never have become what he became. Before serving together with the Kronstadt Elder, Father Alexy, by his own admission, did not even understand the essence and meaning of what he was doing (although I think that this was said out of deep humility).
The example of Father Alexy is unique, his experience in establishing a “monastery in the world” may have been based on the ideas of Father Valentin Amfitheatrov (another famous confessor of that time, the issue of canonization of which is still being decided - ed.), but the implementation was not at all that is not similar, its own. Moscow needed such a priest at the turn of the era, at the turn of the 1910s and 1920s - and, thank God, it had one. An ardent prayer book, a seer, who fearlessly commemorated Patriarch Tikhon when it was forbidden...
The destinies of Father Alexy and his son Father Sergius are very dear to me, I can learn from them endlessly - courage, perseverance, kindness, and anything else.
Ts .: Venerable Simeon of the Pskov-Pechersky (Zhelnin) - elder of the Pskov-Pechersk Monastery - senior contemporary of Archimandrite John (Krestyankin), to whom your previous book was dedicated. What is special about this holy place and how close is the spiritual connection between these people? As with one of the elders of the Little Russian Glinsk Hermitage - Father Seraphim (Romantsov), with whom your new book ends?
V.B .: The elder traditions of the Pskov-Pechersk monastery are very interesting, since they developed, on the one hand, as if “on their own,” and on the other, they were linked to the traditions of the Glinsky and Optina eldership. The Monk Simeon of Pskov-Pechersk is an example of a purely Russian nugget, when a simple Pskov peasant became a saint, a pillar of the ancient Russian monastery. As a boy, he read about the feat of prayer of Seraphim of Sarov and began, imitating him, to pray on a stone...
When Father John (Krestyankin) first came to Pechory in 1955, the Monk Simeon called him an earthly angel and a heavenly man. He also blessed Father Nikolai Guryanov (a famous pastor and preacher of the 20th - early 21st centuries, whom many revere as an elder - ed.) to do the old man's work. So we can consider these two elders as direct successors of the work of St. Simeon of Pskov-Pechersk.
And the Monk Seraphim of Glinsky is the heir to a long chain of Glinsky saints, dating back to the beginning of the 19th century. A Kursk peasant who went through the First World War, and the White Sea Canal, and hermitage in the Caucasus, and a secret life in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, and service in Soviet Sukhumi. He survived two closures of his native monastery - one can imagine what a tragedy this is for a monk.
It is known that Father John (Krestyankin), even before entering the Pskov-Pechersk monastery, in the late 1950s, when the Glinsk Hermitage existed, visited Elder Seraphim there more than once and expressed the idea of joining the Glinsk brethren himself, because that it preserves ancient traditions. But in 1961, Glinskaya was destroyed and closed. And five years later, in Sukhumi, Father John received tonsure from Elder Seraphim and a blessing to enter the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery.
That is, through Father John, the old Glinsky traditions were partly brought to Pechory. And considering that the first teacher of Father John was the priest Georgy Kossov, a student of St. Ambrose of Optina, we can say that the Optina spirit also came to Pechory. So in the 1960s–80s, when neither Glinskaya nor Optina existed, it was the Pskov-Pechersk monastery that became the real “fortress” of the Russian elders.
Ts .: Not long ago, two confessors of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, who are also often called “elders”, died: Fathers Kirill (Pavlov) and Naum (Bayborodin). Do you see in their ministry, as well as in the ministry of the now living Schema-Archimandrite Elijah (Nozdrin), continuity with the holy elders you described? Does eldership actually exist today?
V.B .: It is traditional to say that now eldership in its former, “classical” form does not exist. Father John (Krestyankin) spoke about this in the 1980s and explained why: because there are no people left who carry out the will of the elders, only “questioners” remain, that is, those who see in them some “magicians, favorites of the gods,” soothsayers , fortune teller. In many respects this, unfortunately, is true. But at the same time, it would probably be too much courage to state unequivocally that the traditions of Russian eldership were interrupted forever.
The Fathers you named Kirill (Pavlov), Naum (Bayborodin), Iliy (Nozdrin), Father Adrian (Kirsanov), who recently left us, the living Schema-Archimandrite Vlasiy (Peregontsev), Archimandrite German (Chesnokov) ... These are our contemporaries, you can see them , hear. Of course, we can say that before the grass was greener and the elders were completely different. But the main thing is that the “golden chain” of eldership is not interrupted, that such people continue to be born and become lamps of the spirit for those around them.
Besides, those who became the heroes of my book are not going anywhere. They have been gone for a long time, but they are with us, we can turn to them and ask for prayerful help. And read about their amazing destinies, where a simple human life quietly and smoothly grew into a high, eternal Life. Well, to the question of what to do if there are no elders, one of my heroes, St. Seraphim Glinsky, answered long ago:
“Everyone has sorrows. They replace the elders, as the Lord allows them, knowing the heart of everyone. No one will help or change if you don’t change yourself. We need to start with attention to language and mind. And we must constantly be careful to blame ourselves and not others.”
Eldership in modern Russia
Are there elders of our time in Russia?
In the Russian Orthodox Church, several people currently have the authority of eldership. It is not easy for “ordinary” believers to get to them. Even if you find out their place of residence, come and wait your turn, this is not enough. In order for the living elders to accept a person, the believer must have firm faith, a strong desire and fervently pray to God about it. And with all this, a meeting cannot always happen on the first try. It happens that the insightful elders of our time themselves call people to them.
Among the Orthodox there is a practice, if the need arises to resolve a serious issue, to go on a pilgrimage trip to the graves of deceased famous elders. This is a completely adequate solution due to the difficulty of receiving instruction from a living elder.
But you can take the advice of Metropolitan Longin of Saratov and Volsk:
“A modern person needs to go to church, participate in the sacraments, read spiritual literature, including books by those people who were spiritually experienced and enjoyed the favor of their flock during their lifetime. And the Lord will send in due time everything that is necessary—a good confessor, a good church community. And if this is necessary for a person, he will take him to some monastery. And there he will meet a monk, perhaps not a famous one, not one of those to whom “spiritual tourists” go in busloads, but one who can give advice - which this particular person needs, and precisely at this time. And if a person hears this advice and implements it, he will receive the greatest benefit that can be obtained.”
GREAT ELDER OF THE LAND OF AZOV - ARCHIMANDRITE MODEST
“We purchased a large prayer book.
This is a great old man
and one must turn to him with one’s requests and sorrows.”
Panteleimon - Archbishop of Rostov and Novocherkassk
O. Modest: “Come to my grave. If I earn grace from the Lord, then I will help you.”
Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Vladimir: “He was a true priest, spiritual father, a lamp of Orthodox piety and Orthodox purity... Extremely modest, he did not pretend to anything earthly, and only prayer to the Lord was the only desire of his pure heart. That is why the Lord through him poured out his grace so generously on the people of God...”
On the shore of the Sea of Azov, in the village of Pavloochakovka, Azov region, in a simple hut under a thatched roof, Mikhail Potapov, the future Archimandrite Modest, spent his childhood. He was born into the light of God on November 26, 1926, on the feast of the Archangel Michael. God-loving parents Khariton and Anna Potapov raised their children in work and the fear of God. From infancy, Mishenka was not of this world: even then the main desire of his heart was to serve God. So, it happened that he would make something like a censer out of something and walk around the house, as if he were censing. “Mishenka, what are you doing?” - they will ask, laughing, the not childishly serious blue-eyed baby. “Don’t bother me - I serve God!” And at the age of five, he himself consciously began to fast according to the Rules of the Mother Church, refusing those indulgences that adults gave him for the sake of the weakness of age.
The military unit to which Potapov was sent to do his military service was located in sunny, melodious Georgia. During his years of service, he fell in love with this land - Holy Iberia, the chosen destiny of the Mother of God, who revealed many saints to the world. And he served (not without the Providence of God) in an extraordinary position - as a cook. In the art of cooking, the main thing is love for people, the desire to do something pleasant for them. Mikhail perfectly mastered the art of cooking, which subsequently surprised his acquaintances, and then his parishioners and spiritual children.
Leaving Georgia, did the pious young man think that more than once he would have to bow to this ancient Iveron land, that it was here that the Mother of God would send him a spiritual father who would give him the wings of monasticism - this angelic order, and teach him the first lessons of heavenly life?
After the army, in 1947, Mikhail was enrolled in the Azov Naval School to become a radio operator, which was facilitated by his perfect hearing. After college, the young specialist was hired as a radio operator at the Azov Fish Factory, where he worked for 17 years.
With a special, uncontrollable force, Michael was drawn to a pilgrimage - to the shrine, to where the radiance of the Kingdom of Heaven is brighter and stronger. There are special blessed places on earth where heaven opens its arms to sinful man. The Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, the Pskov-Pechersk Monastery, the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the Glinsk Hermitage, the monastic communities of Kharkov, the Alexander Nevsky Church in Tbilisi - this is not the complete geography of Mikhail Potapov’s pilgrimage, his quest for the grace of God. And therefore, despite persecution and persecution, Michael hurried to the monastery once a month, and sometimes even twice, to fall behind the monastery fence to the treasures of the Spirit, to hear the word of edification.
In the monastery of the Most Holy Trinity, in this spirit-bearing heart of Russia, the Lord sent Michael a godly mentor - Father John (Maslov), a pupil of the great Glinsky elders. This master of theological sciences, with a penetrating and deep look, conquered the heart of man with the spirit of humility, which he taught to his flock, both in deed and in word.
Anticipating a future luminary of faith in Mikhail and wanting to give him a higher school of clergy, Father John sends him to Tbilisi - under the direct and immediate control of the great Glina elders, in particular, Metropolitan Zinovy (in the schema of Seraphim), who became his spiritual father.
In the capital of sunny Georgia, in the Russian Church of Alexander Nevsky, where Bishop Zinovy presided, a special spiritual atmosphere was created - here the eldership flourished and bore abundant fruit in the field of Christ, with the active participation of the Mother of God Herself. Metropolitan Zinovy, in the schema Seraphim, became Michael’s spiritual father. He was a wondrous old man, who apparently radiated the radiance of grace: his face seemed to glow, in his pure heart the Holy Spirit made an abode for himself.
In 1969, in the tattered and patched clothes of a hermit, Father Vitaly crossed the threshold of the Alexander Church, who later became schema-archimandrite and associate of Bishop Zinovy. Many people came to the schema-archimandrite - both secular and spiritual. But even among this sea of humanity, the servant of God Mikhail from Azov especially stood out: “He was the most tearful,” recalls Schema-nun Seraphim, “he would stand in a corner and cry.” Even then he had a great gift for tears.
The fiery passion of the Azov fish factory radio operator Mikhail, his visits to churches and monasteries, could not hide from the vigilant gaze of the competent authorities. After repeated conversations with him, threats and demands to renounce his faith, the director of the fish processing plant called him “on the carpet” and gave him an ultimatum: either work or church.
After seventeen years of working at the fish processing plant, Mikhail quit easily, because he had a presentiment - it’s time! It’s time to work for the Lord—with all your heart, with all your thoughts, with all your spiritual strength. The temple in the village of Kuleshovka, Azov region, became the place where Mikhail began his church obedience. Father John appointed him first as an altar boy, and then, seeing his zeal and extraordinary musical abilities, he made him a regent. How Mishenka loved (as the old women affectionately called him) to praise the Lord, with what tenderness and trepidation he led his village choir.
Sometimes Michael came to the Rostov Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, sang here in the choir, where Bishop Joasaph noticed him. Recognizing Mikhail as a man of God, the Bishop of Rostov brought him closer to him, and very warm, friendly relations developed between them.
On April 22, 1976, Archbishop Joasaph ordained Michael to the rank of deacon. And on August 28, on the Dormition of the Mother of God, the bishop ordained the deacon as a priest with the words: “Accept, child, this ordination, as from the hands of the Queen of Heaven herself...”.
Soon after the death of Bishop Joasaph, Priest Mikhail was appointed rector of the Shakhtinsky Pokrovsky prayer house. Here Priest Michael was to lay the foundation for his pastoral feat; here, through constant labor and prayer, the distinctive features of his pastoral appearance were formed.
The Holy Intercession prayer house in Shakhty resembled a large hut in which no one had lived for a long time - abandoned, no one needed. Father Mikhail served his first service at the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple (December 4). Only a few people came to pray. “Liudochki, such a big holiday, and there are so few of you…” the priest said his first sermon to the new flock. And he cried. And the tearful prayers of Priest Michael reached the Lord: the parish gradually grew and became stronger, and the priest had assistants and associates in his labors. An abandoned prayer house became a well-kept Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God.
His favorite service was a memorial service: he considered praying for the repose of the dead to be the first duty of a Christian: “So you come to church and ask for health for yourself, and the dead are waiting for your prayers. My dears, first of all remember the dead, and then think about yourself,” he often repeated these words in sermons. And I always read the notes about the repose on my knees, and the parishioners of the Church of the Intercession in Shakhty were convinced that the prayers of their priest were the best cure for any illness...” There are many known cases when, through the prayers of Fr. Modest people were healed.
Michael made all the most important decisions in his pastoral activities in consultation with his mentors - Schema-Metropolitan Seraphim and Schema-Archimandrite Vitaly, and did nothing without their blessing. In communication with the godly elders, he was renewed in spirit, drew strength for his pastoral feat, and acquired invaluable experience of grace-filled spirituality.
In 1985, during the priest’s next visit to Tbilisi, the elders decided that it was time to tonsure Mikhail as a monk. Schema-Metropolitan Seraphim himself tonsured the monastery, and Father Vitaly was the successor. To become a monk is a promise to God of angelic life and spiritual perfection. A monk by calling is an earthly angel and a heavenly man. That is why the elders blessed the newly tonsured monk to perform one of the most difficult feats, which is assigned only to those who have achieved perfection in monastic life - to reprimand those possessed by demons. Therefore, Metropolitan Vladimir of Rostov, less than a year after his tonsure, elevated Hieromonk Modest to the rank of hegumen - as a recognition that he, as skilled in spiritual life, could already lead others along the monastic path.
In 1986, the Bishop of Rostov transferred Abbot Modest to a new place of feat - to the Novocherkassk Ascension Military Cathedral. In the center of Novocherkassk - the capital of the glorious Don Army - the Ascension Cathedral rises into the sky with its domes. This majestic temple was erected on the repentant tears of more than one generation of Cossacks.
When Father Modest became rector of the Ascension Cathedral, the temple was in a deplorable state. And the priest, in addition to spiritually nourishing his flock, shouldered the burden of construction work. Thanks to Archimandrite Modest and his feat of prayer, many pilgrims flocked to the Ascension Cathedral - the name of Fr. Modest became known far beyond the borders of Novocherkassk and even the Rostov diocese. After all, Father Modest, with the special blessing of the Glinsky elders, read special prayers to those who were sick (physically and spiritually) - for healing and for the expulsion of evil spirits. This special feat of prayer is popularly called “readings” or “readings”; in theological literature it is called exorcism.
He did the proofreading immediately after the liturgy, without taking off his vestments and without eating anything, i.e. strictly remaining in the grace of fasting and prayer, according to the word of the Savior: “This generation is driven out by fasting and prayer” (Matthew 17.21). The parishioners of the cathedral said: “Our priest heals everyone whom doctors cannot heal.” Therefore, it is clear that there were always many people who wanted to get to the priest. There were queues of 25-50 people, waiting for days to get to the priest’s lecture. He had enough prayers and tears for everyone.
From the depths of centuries, the miraculous Iveron Icon of the Mother of God shines with its grace - one of the most beloved icons of the Orthodox people. And since then, this icon of the Queen of Heaven has been perceived as the guardian of every Orthodox village, every Orthodox home. That is why, upon entering the southern capital of Russia - Rostov-on-Don, the Iversky Monastery was founded in 1903 - may the Most Pure One protect this city from troubles and misfortunes, sending down God's blessing to its inhabitants through the prayers of the nuns.
During the years of Soviet power, what remained of the majestic monastery, with a well-groomed garden and a pond, was a wasteland overgrown with weeds and cluttered with various garbage - as an eloquent symbol of the spiritual state of the deceived people. In 1991, the Holy Iversky Monastery was established in the Rostov diocese. One can only imagine how the God-loving heart of Archimandrite Modest bled, how many bitter tears he shed, mourning this holy place, begging forgiveness from the Queen of Heaven for lawlessness and sacrilege: they did not know what they were doing. It was this monastic prayer—tearful, repentant, fiery—that Father Modest laid into the foundation of the reviving monastery. The spiritual care of the sisters of the monastery was his main task, and from the first days the priest began to teach them the ABCs of monastic life.
In December 1992, Father Modest’s spiritual mentor, Schema-Archimandrite Vitaly, passed away into eternity. Before his death, he handed over many of his spiritual children to Archimandrite Modest. So by the Providence of God on Fr. Modest was given the burden of old age. The elder is the bearer of the prophetic gift: that is, in the Holy Spirit he clearly contemplates the past and the future and reads thoughts and thoughts in human hearts, as in an open book. Only the prophetic gift in the patristic tradition is called clairvoyance, i.e. the ability of supernatural vision and cognition.
Father Modest covered the gift of insight with a robe of humility - he had his own approach to people. People guessed that the elder “sees something” from his gaze, which, like an X-ray, passed right through the soul.
And only in exceptional cases, when there was extreme need, the elder clearly revealed his insight. And then, as if apologizing, feeling awkward, acting not with the power of his spirit, his authority, but with words of love, he said almost in a whisper: “You see, the Lord is revealing it to me. When I pray, icons and walls disappear, and I see everything...”
In the blessed days of the spring of 1994, the Starocherkassk-Svyatodonsky Monastery was registered in the Rostov diocese - as a symbol of the coming spiritual resurrection of the Don region. But the question arose: who, what giant of spirit will be able to revive monastic life, raise the once glorious monastery from the ruins? It didn't take long to choose - except for Fr. Modest, there were no experienced monks in the entire Don region. Apart from this old man, weak in body but not in spirit, no one will be able to revive this ancient monastery: a special grace-filled power breathed from him, the name of which is perfect obedience.
Father Modest was 68 years old. Wherever God's Providence called him, he built and restored the splendor of churches. At the feet of the Good Goalkeeper - in the Iversky Monastery - the priest thought of meeting the sunset of his life. But the Mother of God called her chosen one to new obedience, to an even more difficult feat - to raise an ancient monastery from the terrifying ruins in its former splendor and, most importantly, to found monastic life.
Among the glorious Cossack families with which Starocherkassk was rich, the family of Ataman Efremov was famous for its piety and heroism. It was Ataman Daniil Efremov who founded a temple in Cherkassk in honor of the Don Icon of the Mother of God in 1837.
During the seventy years of rule of the atheistic tribe, all that remained of the former greatness and splendor of the Ephraim Monastery were old reproductions on the walls of the museum. The “abomination of desolation” that was revealed to Father Modest in the very heart of the Don Cossacks amazed every imagination. Here, in Starocherkassk, at the Don Mother of God - the patroness of the Don region - he shed more tears than over all his previous churches, which he had to restore and where he had to serve.
In two years, the Church of the Don Icon of the Mother of God was cleared of debris and put in order. A fraternal building was laid out in the monastery courtyard. How happy Fr. Modest to the revival of the monastery. But then, first in the Rostov press, and then in Moskovsky Komsomolets, persecution began against the monastery and the brethren. The abandoned Starocherkassk, which suddenly became widely known, was deigned to be visited by the Minister of Culture. He saw the building under construction, became furious and began to yell at the gray-headed old man, the venerable Archimandrite Modest, threatening to raze everything to the ground. To which Father Modest calmly replied: “If you send bulldozers, I will lie under them - and let them crush me.”
And then the decisive offensive of the main atheistic forces began. Now every Sunday and every holiday, mummer ensembles and choirs danced dashingly and performed folklore masterpieces with all their might. But if earlier this was done behind the monastery, then after the monks put the Church of the Don Icon in order and began to serve in it, for some reason the scene was moved to the territory of the monastery - right to the dug up graves of its founders and benefactors. When descendants dashingly dance on the dug up and desecrated graves of their glorious ancestors - this is perhaps the most striking and ominous symbol of the show era - the era of spectacle and animal instincts. It became a problem for monks to pray quietly on holidays. This is where Fr.’s patience ran out. Modest. They don't let me pray. The monks almost unanimously decided to leave Starocherkassk forever. And at this critical moment, Elder Nikolsky, Schema-Archimandrite Zosima, came to the aid of Father Modest and his monastic brethren and consoled the sufferers with the words: “Don’t give up, don’t retreat - you will have a monastery!” And he donated to Father Modest and his brethren the ancient altar Gospel, which before the revolution lay on the throne of the Cossack Resurrection Cathedral in Starocherkassk.
And soon, literally two or three months later, all these mass orgies: folk festivities on bones, the increased interest of the journalistic fraternity and the heightened attention of the “caring” public somehow suddenly subsided.
How many people did Fr. bring to the temple? Modest: with his love, his humility and meekness, his fiery prayer and patience with human infirmities. The priest performed each sacrament with complete dedication. What was especially impressive, or rather, shocked everyone, was the way the priest performed the sacrament of the wedding. “When the sacrament of wedding began,” recalls parishioner Vladimir, “a ray of light came out from him - and passed right through, piercing from head to toe. This light emanated from the elder himself so visibly that sometimes it was impossible to look at it.”
And after the service on Sundays, the priest was not only given a rest, but also no food to eat by special guests - a whole line of sick and suffering people lined up for his “reception” from all over our long-suffering homeland. And in his priestly guise, always at his best, he read out special prayers for the healing of soul and body. In itself an incredibly difficult feat, this prayerful service to people in the last years of Fr. Modest became his personal Calvary cross, on which he literally physically died, not knowing whether he would live to see the evening of this difficult day. And the news about a free healer who heals with prayer the sick, whom doctors had abandoned, spread throughout the world. And in the last years of the elder’s life, when he was already over seventy, almost every Sunday after the service, from thirty to fifty unfortunate people gathered around the father, who was weak in body, but not in spirit, in anticipation of a miracle. And the Lord performed great miracles through the weak, dying old man. People arrived in wheelchairs, they were led by the arm, and after several “appointments” with the doctor-monk, they themselves, on their own feet, left the temple, thanking the Lord and the priest for their wonderful help.
Bishop Panteleimon, Archbishop of Rostov and Novocherkassk, especially appreciated and honored the elder. Not a single important event in the life of the diocese took place without the personal participation of the Starocherkassk Vicar. With the blessing of the Bishop, in January 2000, Archimandrite Modest led the meeting on the Don land of the great Athonite Shrine - the Iveron miraculous icon of the Mother of God, painted on Holy Mount Athos for the Iveron Convent of Rostov. And it turned out that it was as if the Queen of Heaven Herself showed the Rostovites Her chosen one and the wondrous prayer book, who was the first to accept Her miraculous image on the Don land.
Under the influence of Elder Nikolsky, Schema-Archimandrite Zosima, Fr. Modest began to revive in Starocherkassk the ancient Orthodox folk traditions, which from time immemorial were the basis of Russian piety. So with the blessing of Fr. Zosima in 1999, at Epiphany-Epiphany, the long-standing Cossack tradition of consecrating the Don with people swimming in an ice hole was revived. Today, thousands of cars come “to the Jordan” to the Don, families of honest people gather, and after the blessing of the water everyone takes a dip - from young to old. And then, after almost a century of oblivion, everything was for the first time.
In 2001, Fr. celebrated 25 years of pastoral ministry. Modest of the Russian Orthodox Church. From this memorable anniversary, the priest began to prepare his spiritual children, his flock, for the thought of his imminent death: Heaven powerfully laid claim to him.
So that separation from his spiritual father would not seem like an inconsolable grief, he blessed many during his lifetime to come to his grave after his death and tell him everything as if he were alive. “I will die soon, but don’t be discouraged. Pray for me here, and I will pray for you there,” said Fr. Modest to his children.
On Archangel Michael (November 26), the priest turned 75 years old. And although he did not like to celebrate his birthdays, this time he made an exception. And he gathered his spiritual children four times, so as not to forget anyone, to see everyone. He mourned the upcoming separation from those whom he loved more than his own life - his spiritual children. And so, looking at the path he had traveled, on the threshold of eternity, he was surprised to discover: “I love the Iversky Monastery, I love it very much... But I love Starocherkassk more...”. It would seem: how many sorrows he drank on this land, dotted with Cossack graves, how many tears he shed, but maybe that’s why he fell in love more.
On March 8, after morning prayers, the elder suddenly fell to his knees in front of Father Abel, who was nearby, and with tears began to ask for his forgiveness. And then, running out into the street, he fell to his knees right in the yard and, raising his hands to the sky, asked for forgiveness from the Lord and the Mother of God. Tears streamed down his cheeks. He didn't see or notice anyone around. Having come to his senses, he said that he felt bad: his heart hurt very much. A cardiogram taken at the 10th city hospital in Rostov showed that he had a developing heart attack.
In the hospital on March 14, 2002 at 9 o’clock in the morning, Archimandrite Modest confessed and received Holy Communion of Christ. His voice was already very quiet. His breathing was rare, but in his hand the elder had a rosary - a spiritual monastic sword. So, with a rosary in his hands and the Jesus Prayer on his lips and in his heart, he rested peacefully in the Lord - at 11:20 a.m...." About 4 thousand people came, arrived, flew in from all over (and how many more did not have time) to pay their last debt to their beloved shepherd.
The elder's grave became a place of deep veneration. There are always flowers on it, people of different ages pray for help in various needs. The first biography of the elder, compiled just a year after his blessed death by Abbot Porfiry, says: “In the last days of his life, he said to those who were with him: “ Come to my grave, If I earn grace from the Lord, then I will help to you ". Some brothers and spiritual children had visions in which Archimandrite Modest appeared in a bright, shining vestment and with a joyful face. At the elder’s grave itself, healings and assistance to believers in various needs were already performed.” Summarizing the entire experience of grace-filled communication with the elder, Bishop Panteleimon, on the second anniversary of the memory of Father Modest, uttered significant words, after which there is nothing more to add: “ We have acquired a great prayer book. This is a great old man, and one must turn to him with one’s requests and sorrows.”
Let those who have ears hear: they have not lost, no! And they bought it! And this is truly so...
Elders of our time
In the Russian Orthodox Church, Archimandrite John Krestyankin (1910-2006), Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov (1909-2002), and Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov (1929-2017) are considered generally recognized ascetics of the 20th century. Possessing great humility, they never called themselves elders, considering this word unacceptable for themselves.
So, for example, when asked whether there are elders of our time in Russia, Archimandrite Kirill answered: “I don’t know about the elders, but there are certainly old people.” “Old men” he most likely called clergymen who had gained significant experience in their ascetic life and pastoral activities. And therefore they could provide people with significant spiritual help. Without imposing his will, Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov could without hesitation tell the believers who came to him that he did not know the answer. And then he offered to think about it together, to create a joint prayer in order to understand God’s will in a specific situation.
In the Greek Orthodox Church in the 20th century, Paisius the Holy Mountain (1924-1994) and Joseph the Hesychast (1897-1959) enjoyed special veneration.
Elder Paisius the Holy Mountain is sometimes called the Greek Seraphim of Sarov. He was distinguished by deep humility and love for all people. He always treated the Athonite pilgrims who came to him with Turkish delight. The teachings and stories of Elder Paisius are accessible and understandable to modern people. In 2015, he was canonized.
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“Jewry presented the whole world with an alternative - for or against Christ - and the world was divided into two camps, fiercely at war with each other and even to this day have not resolved this problem. The history of the whole world was, is and will be the history of this struggle, and the Second Coming of Christ the Savior will find this struggle at the stage when there will no longer be any doubt about the victory of Jewry, for by that time the power of resistance of Christianity will be completely broken and there will be no faith left on earth. It is still within our power to postpone this moment, but for this we must study the Jewish question in all its depth and must be able to distinguish in the nature of Christianity the elements that prohibit hatred of one’s neighbor from the elements that oblige us to fight the blasphemers of Christ and the persecutors of the Church. We must shake off that religious indifference that opened up so many broad possibilities for Jewry and allowed it, under the guise of social and philosophical theories, to eradicate the Gospel ideal, the meaning and idea of our life.”
book Zhevakhov
————
The most famous “Cathedral of Christ the Savior” in Moscow and Russia has on each cross 12 hexagonal stars of David, stars that have a secret meaning in Kabbalah,
In many churches and monasteries, after the restoration, instead of the clearly visible six-pointed stars of David, the Kabbalistic symbol of the Jews, eight-pointed “neutral” stars are placed on the domes, “so as not to confuse the Christian flock,” but the six-pointed stars are not removed, they are simply disguised, made small, such that they are not visible to the naked eye, but one has only to take binoculars and everyone can be convinced of the presence of Jewish military symbols on Christian shrines, conditioning the obedience of the Christian flock before the Jewish guides (shepherds) from the Kremlin.
The whole remake is simply filled with Magendavids.
And now we will learn something more about the life of stylized squares. This is from Wiki the well-known classic Jewish magendavid (Magendavid or Magen-David, or Star of David) - a cabalistic hexogram. It is clearly written on Wiki that the hexogram is a symbol of Jewish identity. And to make you even more convinced, the occult science of studying squares has long been a monopoly of Jewish Kabbalah - Jewish Satanism, open the English Wiki, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_polygon dedicated to squares, and you will see spiky balls there too . In the center of the hall in the temple itself there is a huge magendavid (hexagonal star) also around the circumference, the same stars.
The photo shows the funeral of a Jew - freemason Borukh Elson (Boris Yeltsin), inside his paraphernalia. In general, all the paraphernalia is simply imbued with Judaism, on utensils and religious objects everywhere there is the mark of evil spirits, even on the candlesticks there are six-pointed stars
The architect of this synagogue is Luzhkov-Katz.
It is obvious that during the time of the Antichrist, the idea of the essential identity of all religions will be established in the minds of all people (there is only one religion, and all existing ones are just its various modifications). This “united religion of the future,” which the modern Orthodox ascetic in America, Hieromonk Seraphim Rose (†1982), wrote about, will retain, perhaps in form, the former multi-confessionalism. However, in essence, this will already be an ideology, since in the minds of people there will be a catastrophic replacement of the search for the Kingdom of Heaven and its truth with a thirst for the kingdom of the earth and all its pleasures, the replacement of spiritual goals with worldly, pagan ones, so that all the efforts of this “religion” (i.e. . of all religions, including Christian) will be aimed at achieving exclusively earthly goods.
It is these Masonic ideas that Kirill actively promotes.
Ecumenism will be imposed on the church, there will be a strong Catholicization of Russia. Some kind of trick will be invented, and two or three true priests will remain in Tula; at least one, if they beg. (Schiarchim. Christopher).
There will be no Sacrament of Communion in churches. (Schiarchim. Christopher).
The time will come when you will receive communion in the catacombs. It is necessary to prepare Cahors, prosphora, and flour for this time.
There will not be a single Russian church.
Catholics will be forced into churches, and persecution will begin against those who do not go. You are not allowed to enter these temples. And if you come in, you have to shed a lot of tears so that the Lord will forgive (Venerable Kuksha).
I was young then, I had no idea what catacombs were, I didn’t even know the word. Father Kuksha explained to me:
“In the cellars, that means, with some believing priest, prepare wine and prosphora, and he will give you communion in the cellar at night (with spare Gifts) so that no one recognizes you.”
“... the demon will enter the monastery with heresy, and then it will no longer be a holy monastery, but simple walls from which grace will retreat” (Venerable Anatoly of Optina).
“I repeat once again that it will be impossible to go to those churches, there will be no grace in them” (Rev. Lavrenty of Chernigov).
“The dominance of the Catholicized will very soon be complete, they will lead the Church to the abomination of desolation. Their time has come. They wear Orthodox robes only to seduce the flock, and not to preserve it.” (Fr. Anthony
The people have been separated from Orthodoxy for three generations.
From a conversation with one of the confessors of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra (1991):
- Father... what do you think about our times? Where are we going and how should it end?
- The reign of the Kingdom of Antichrist is coming... and all the signs of this are already evident: state chaos, strikes, food shortages with an unprecedented harvest, poisoning of nature; New forces are striving for power in the country. Then, if the Lord allows a new fall, about 3.5 years will pass until it begins to show its true face, and until then there will be euphoria of freedom, help from the authorities of the Church and assistance to the spiritual revival of Russia... Next, new great trials may come for the Church and for the people , which our history has not yet seen.
- Father, but there were already predictions about the coming of the Antichrist before the aggression of the Poles in 1610-1612, before the war with Napoleon in 1812 and the prophecy of the Holy Rights. our father John of Kronstadt about the tragedy of 1917, but the reign of Antichrist never took place. Maybe this time everything will work out?
- Then it could not reign, because... The Orthodox faith of the people was still strong! And today the people are deaf, blind and weak, separated by three generations from the patristic spiritual heritage...”
Schemamonk Anthony (Chernov) from Great Britain (1991): “...We have already reached the time when we have not only the right, but also the obligation to say that we live in the last times. For already in 1962, the President and creator of the State of Israel, Ben Gurion, officially announced that “Mashiach” (Messiah) had been born, for whom “all humanity is waiting.” At Jewish circumcision he was given the name “Immanuel”, “according to the scriptures”, and that his own father called him “Melech” (King of Zion’s blood), “According to the prophecies” this “Immanuel” or “Melech” will unite all humanity in one religion... And whoever does not accept his religion will be destroyed. It is clear that this “religion” will be without the Lord Jesus Christ, and those who remain faithful to Christ will be subject to destruction.
Over the past hundred years, Jews have repeatedly announced through their faithful press the birth of their Messiah.
This false messiah will apparently begin his activities at the international United Nations in New York. He will quickly win the admiration of the whole world thanks to his “philanthropic” activities. And having become “one king” over one humanity, he will become “the Beast,” “the man of sin,” “the son of perdition” (2 Thess. 2:3; 2:7-12).
The preparations have already been completed. It will all start with the removal of money currently in use throughout the world and replacing it with “electronic money.” 6 The only document will be an electronic stamp on the forehead or on the right hand. A giant computer has already been built in Belgium, which stores information about every person in the world. And this computer is called “The Beast”. 7 The number “666” has already been put into practice... 8 In other words, everything is prepared for the acceptance of the Antichrist, and now he has already been announced. His coming, if the Lord does not have mercy on humanity, was once again declared a “mystery of lawlessness” for 1992, when he will be 30 years old.
America is preparing to welcome him. And even the Pontifical Commission at the Vatican invites all Catholics to “meet” the Messiah together with the Jews. I didn’t have time to ask, have you heard about all this in Moscow?” .
Hieroschemamonk Kuksha (Velichko, 1875 - 12/11/24/1964): “The last times are coming. Soon there will be an ecumenical Council called “holy”. But this will be the same “eighth Council, which will be a gathering of the godless.” On it all faiths will unite into one. Then all posts will be abolished, monasticism will be completely destroyed, bishops will be married. The New Calendar will be introduced in the Universal Church. Be carefull. Try to visit God's temples while they are still ours. Soon it will be impossible to go there, everything will change. Only a select few will see this. People will be forced to go to church, but we will not have to go there under any circumstances. I pray you, stand in the Orthodox faith until the end of your days and be saved!”
Archimandrite John (Krestyankin), Pskov-Pechersky Monastery (05.28/06.10.1990): “Keep the covenants that were given by the predecessors of Alexy, now elevated to the Patriarchal throne. First. So that we have the old style! We cannot accept anything else. Second. So that we are strictly Orthodox. We have never treated all non-Orthodox people with hostility. Our conscience is clear in this regard. But we followed our strictly defined path! Both our predecessors and we, who are now leaving day by day for the other world, call on you to preserve the purity of Orthodoxy. Third. About sacredly preserving the Church Slavonic language. Fourth. Some people are now afraid of the VIII Ecumenical Council. Do not be embarrassed by this, but just calmly believe in God, for the Patriarch who passed into eternity said in a personal conversation that if there is anything at the Eighth Ecumenical Council expected, anything that disagrees with the seven previous Ecumenical Councils, we have the right not to accept it. Here is his will, spoken albeit in a private conversation, and I am already repeating it to you a second or third time in fulfillment of my conscience, for I asked these questions and I received answers to them. And that’s why nothing bothers me now: neither the transience of time, nor the election that happened. All this can be summarized in one concept: we live in apocalyptic times. And therefore: “Watch, stand firm in the faith, be courageous and strong. And let everything you do be done with love” (1 Cor. 16:13-14).
Seduction
First the false Christs will come (Matt. 24:5), then the false prophets (Matt. 24:11), and then both (Matt. 24:24).
“For many will come in My name and say, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:5).
“And many false prophets will arise and deceive many” (Matt. 24:11).
“...if anyone tells you: “Behold, here is Christ,” or: “Behold, there,” do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Mark 13:21-22).
John Chrysostom wrote in this regard about “seducers, enemies and false brothers.”
“...there will be false teachers who will introduce destructive heresies and, denying the Lord who bought them, bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1).
Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) in a letter to Abbot Anthony (Bochkov) on May 18, 1861: “The whole world, as if unanimously, rushed to meet some special person, a genius, to a magnificent, solemn meeting. It is obvious. The face will be so disguised that the masses will recognize him as the messiah: what is marvelous if the prophets of him (the Antichrist - Comp.) appeared in the images of the prophets of the messiah. A path is being prepared, a mental path for the entry of the action of flattery (2 Sol. 2:11) into minds and hearts.”
“A constant life of sin is a constant renunciation of Christ, even if it were not pronounced with the tongue and lips. But alas! it is already being pronounced, it began to be pronounced a long time ago. The mouth and tongue cannot help but show secret heartfelt retreat and renunciation: they seem to involuntarily express it. A renunciation of Christ is pronounced and various heretical teachings are pronounced."
In the entire history of Christianity, only two or three people are known who called themselves Christs. All of them “were always too microscopic to leave deep traces in history.”
Among the Khlysty there are many who call themselves “Christs” and “Virgin Mothers”. “As for the existence of false messiahs after the destruction of Jerusalem,” wrote priest M. Thebessky, “there were many of them, they exist at the present time, and no doubt will appear in large numbers before the final world catastrophe, which will be followed by a complete renewal of the present sinful world ".
“Especially many,” warns the author of the anonymous book “Antichrist,” “all kinds of false prophets and false Christs will appear: in such and such a country, in such and such a place, a prophet or Christ appeared. This appearance of various false Christs will culminate at the end of the pre-Antichrist era with the appearance of the apocalyptic false prophet.”
Antichrists, or rather, anti-Christian false teachers, appeared in apostolic times, as harbingers of the Antichrist (1 John 2:18; 4:3; 2 John 1:7).
Few are saved
Reverend Father Lavrentiy of Chernigov repeatedly repeated that souls go to hell, like people from church on a holiday, and to heaven, like people to church on a weekday. Father often sat and cried: he felt sorry for the people who were dying.
“How many people are crammed into the heat, like in a barrel of herring,” said Elder Lavrenty. The children consoled him, and he answered through tears:
- You do not see. And if you saw it, what a pity! And lately hell will be filled with young men.
666 your passport
chipization has begun
star MP of the Antichrist
Red dragon of the end of the world and the Harlot on it
666 on the forehead Bible. “Reverend Leonty Ivanovsky said that the communists would come to power again and would destroy monasticism. Monks and nuns will be exterminated without exception, put under the knife, and a terrible persecution will be instituted against Orthodox Christians. Then the hierarchy will enter into a direct and open relationship with Catholics and will plant obvious heretics in churches. The Mother of God in the altars of these churches herself will invisibly overturn the thrones and it will be impossible to go to those churches. And then the Lord will lead the Chinese against us.” (Reverend Leonty Ivanovsky, recorded from the memoirs of the saint’s spiritual children).
The statements of Mother Macaria (1926-1993) about the future were either an answer to the questions posed, or a warning, with the goal of protecting people close to her from trouble or future trials. Speaking about the future, she often limited herself to short remarks, explanations and brief characteristics. We present some of them. We have grouped all of them according to their meaning, and the date when they were said by the ascetic is noted in brackets.
“A change of faith is being prepared. When this happens, the saints will retreat and will not pray for Russia. And those who exist (from the faithful. - Author). The Lord will take you to Himself. And the bishops who allow this will neither here nor there (in the next world. - Author) see the Lord (03.08.88).
Soon the service will be reduced to half capacity. (07/11/88). They will retain the service only in large monasteries, and in other places they will make changes (05.27.88). I only say one thing: woe comes to the priesthood, they will scatter one by one and live (06/28/89). They will serve in churches in red dresses. Now the evil Satan will take everyone (05.20.89). Soon the sorcerers will spoil all the prosphora and there will be nothing to serve with (the liturgy. - Author). And you can take communion once a year. The Mother of God will tell her people where and when to receive communion. You just have to listen!” (28.06.89)
The time of persecution is near: “They will create such confusion, and you will not save your soul (01.90). Whoever enters the church will be recorded (02/18/88). Because you pray to God, that’s why you’ll get persecuted (05/20/89). You need to pray so that no one knows, pray quietly! They will start to chase and take away (05.15.87). First they will take away the books, and then the icons. The icons will be selected (01/07/88).
They will torment: “We don’t need believers” (07/14/88). Then it will get worse: churches will be closed, there will be no services, services will be held here and there. They will leave you somewhere far away so that you can neither go nor pass. And in cities where they consider that they do not interfere (01/07/88).
These churches that are being built and repaired will go to other enterprises and will not benefit anyone.
Registration will be tricky: they will remain called churches, but there will be no idea what, their production, they will find something to do (07/11/88).
He who is God will not see the Antichrist (01/07/88). It will be open to many where to go, where to go. The Lord knows how to hide his own, no one will find them” (11/17/87).
