Venerable Silanus of Athonite. Silouan of Athonite: life of Saint Silouan of Athonite
Interview with the antiprosop of the Russian Panteleimon Monastery at the Holy Cinema of Athos, Hieromonk Kirion (Olkhovik), one of the two Holy Mountain residents accompanying the relics of St. Silouan of Athos.
Father Kirion agreed to talk, noting before that he never gives interviews, but now he takes it as obedience. All his composure and taciturnity reveal the spirit of the Holy Mountain. His movement through the streets during the days when the relics are in Russia is complicated by numerous questions, requests for prayerful help and requests for spiritual advice. Father Kirion answers very quietly, with his eyes downcast.
— It is significant that in the year of the 100th anniversary of the presence of Russian monasticism on Mount Athos and the days of celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of St. Silouan of Mount Athos, his relics arrived in our country for the first time. What significance does the bringing of the relics of this saint have for Russia?
- You see, in spiritual world nothing happens by chance. And at this moment, when the Russian Orthodox person and Russia as a whole require spiritual help, the Lord determined that his saint - Reverend Silouan, a native of Russia, from deep Russia (Tambov province) came to help and strengthen the people, because the situation now is truly turbulent, and this can be felt on Athos.
— Is the spiritual heritage of St. Silouan relevant today? To modern man Is it clear what he is talking about?
- Very relevant! First of all, the teachings of Saint Silouan are valuable for us, the Holy Mountain inhabitants who reside on Mount Athos, and for monks in general, because he is the patron saint of monastics. It is even more relevant than the legacy of many other elders, because he is our contemporary, our compatriot. He very deeply, but at the same time simply examines all the issues that modern monasticism faces. However, in simple and accessible language he responds to the needs of modern secular society.
— You were in the homeland of the Monk Silouan in the village of Shovskoye...
— Yes, his parents’ house was reconstructed there. By this day, a lot of restoration work had been carried out; it was bought from a private person and put in order. land plot on which the house stands. This was done by Mother Juliania (Kaleda), the abbess of the Conception Monastery. In the house where the monk grew up, we were shown a hook on the ceiling; apparently, a cradle was attached to it, in which the mother rocked the venerable Silouan as a baby. The house has low ceilings and a Russian stove. It is interesting to see the nature in which he was brought up, to feel the atmosphere in which the saint grew physically and spiritually. We met with his relatives. They say there are still about twenty relatives left, but everyone lives in different places.
— Moscow is the last point of your journey...
- Yes, this is the last city. The relics will remain here for a few more days, and on the 24th, the day of memory of St. Silouan of Athos, we fly home to Athos. On this day the brethren will wait for the monk to worship him.
— What was your impression of the trip? How did people greet you? Interested to know which one you found? modern Russia, because a person who has lived on Mount Athos for many years sees everything differently.
— This is what caught my eye: Western culture is penetrating into Russia. The trends that we see in Greece penetrate here too. This is the spirit of the times, and there is little that can be done against it. I found Russia back in the old days, and the current picture is very different from the Russia I left.
I was also impressed by the piety and reverence of the believers. They come with their own spiritual problems, which everyone has always had and still has. And the Monk Silouan, as a healer and helper in bringing people to God, accepts everyone - he has such a mission. Well, for us monks, such long departures from the monastery are very difficult. But seeing what spiritual benefit the Monk Silouan brings to those who come to him, we are strengthened, this inspires us.
Together with the relics, the miraculous icon of the Savior left the monastery walls for the first time. The Monk Silouan prayed before her, and one day, during such prayer, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself appeared to him. Now everyone can venerate this icon.
— Do many people go to the relics?
— At the moment, the figure is 200-220 thousand people.
— Can you tell us a little about the technical side of such a large-scale event as the bringing of relics? How is organization and transportation carried out?
- Well, firstly, you need to go through documentary procedures. You need to obtain permission from the Council of Elders of the monastery, then permission from the Holy Kinot of Holy Mount Athos (the central executive council governing body of Holy Mount Athos - ed.) and permission from the Ecumenical Patriarch. All this is documented, certified, and obligations are given from the Russian side that order, security and transportation will be ensured.
— Are the relics themselves placed in some kind of special armored ark?
- No, there is nothing like that, the relics are in their usual ark, but it is accompanied by monks from the Holy Mountain and representatives of the security services, they monitor everything that happens near the relics.
— During the bringing of the honorable Belt of the Most Holy Theotokos to Russia, there were people who did not approve of it. However, during the period of the shrine’s stay and after a long time, the Lord performed obvious miracles through it, and many changed their views. Have similar cases been noticed at the relics of St. Silouan?
— With such miracles the Lord shows the Triumph of Orthodoxy. But the fact is that visible healings are not decisive and important factor, because the most important thing is the healing of a person from sin, spiritual healing. What I observed were the screams of the possessed. When spirits torment a soul, this manifests itself very intensely at the relics. The spirits are afraid of the grace of God, which is present at the relics, they are indignant and begin to demonstrate it.
I saw people's peace, inspiration, enlightenment. Maybe some things that happen to people are simply not advertised or are discovered later. When the relics of the healer Panteleimon were brought to Russia, many healings were revealed, but people wrote to us about them only after time had passed.
— Now we are celebrating the millennium of the presence of Russian monasticism on Holy Mount Athos. Why is this presence so important and valuable?
— According to historical data, our monasticism has been on the Mountain since the time of Prince Vladimir. Even the Byzantine emperors were interested in this; this can be traced from some documents; this fact is recorded by historians, including Greek ones. The 1000th anniversary is still a conditional date. We take the year 1016 as our starting point, because in the act of the Great Lavra for February of that year, among the twenty-two signatures of the abbots of the Athonite monasteries, there is the signature “Gerasim the monk, by the grace of God the presbyter and abbot of the monastery of Ros.” But perhaps Russian monasticism originated on Mount Athos even earlier. And from that time on, a whole galaxy of Russian Holy Mountain residents appeared, who brought Russian experience into the general Athos spiritual treasury. Among the Russian monks there was a whole host of people who became famous for their holiness, including the Monk Silouan of Athos.
Russian monasticism has brought a lot of benefits to the cause of spiritual growth.
— Tell us a little about the Panteleimon Monastery itself on Mount Athos. What is he like now? When you arrived there in 1987, it was in a difficult situation.
— A lot has changed. Firstly, during the 20th century our monastery underwent very difficult trials both in terms of material and human resources. The monastery, one might say, was deserted. In those hard years, we suffered from fires, from floods, from the fact that the routes to us were cut off, the authorities of Soviet Russia forbade people to come to our monastery, Greece also had its own problems. Therefore, at the beginning of the 20th century, our Russian monasticism, which numbered about five thousand people throughout the Holy Mountain, began to die out, the elders left, and almost no young monks came. And when we arrived, there was great desolation there. Now everything has changed, since the mid-90s the revival of the monastery began, the monastery has been landscaped both from the inside and from the outside. Of course, all this is pleasing to the eye. During his visit to us on the occasion of the celebration, His Holiness the Patriarch noted changes in better side. He came to us when he was still an archimandrite, and found the monastery in those difficult times.
— Continuity and traditions have been preserved in the monastery, although in many monasteries this thread was severed due to persecution and execution of the clergy. Not so long ago, your abbot, Schema-Archimandrite Jeremiah, passed away to the Lord...
- Yes, we are orphans. Our father passed away at an old age, at the 101st year of his life, he passed away unexpectedly, we hoped that he would overcome all his human infirmities and stay with us for a while longer, but he left us. Now the election of a new rector is coming, and we ask all the saints to help us in this. The abbot must be not just a manager, but a mentor of his spiritual family.
- Certainly! He always encouraged that there should be peace, cooperation and love among each other. Only in an atmosphere of peace and love can the younger generation grow spiritually. After all, the Lord said, where two or three are gathered in My name, I am in the midst of you.
— And finally, tell us what they pray to St. Silouan of Athos. This will be useful for those who are going to come and venerate his relics.
— What a person will ask for depends on his spiritual level. If a person is of an infant spiritual age, he will ask for something worldly, and the Lord will condescend to this. A person who is stronger spiritually will ask for help in spiritual life. And the Monk Silouan will hear the requests of everyone who, with sincere faith in God, asks for his intercession.
There lived a man named Silouan of Athos. He prayed desperately and daily, asking God to have mercy on him. But his prayers remained unanswered. Several months passed, and his strength was exhausted. Silouan despaired and shouted to the heavens: “You are implacable.” With these words, something seemed to break in his soul. For a moment he saw the living Christ before him. His heart and body were filled with fire - with such force that if the vision had lasted a couple more seconds, the monk would simply have died. All his life Silouan remembered being inexpressibly meek, joyful, boundlessly loving look Jesus and told others that God is incomprehensible and immeasurable love. We will talk about this saint in this article.
Silouan Afonsky (real name Semyon Antonov) was born in the Tambov province in 1866. The boy first heard about God at the age of four. One day his father, who loved to host guests and ask them about something interesting, invited a bookseller to the house. During the meal, a “hot” conversation ensued about the existence of God, and little Semyon sat nearby and listened attentively. The bookseller convinced his father that the Lord did not exist. The boy especially remembered his words: “Where is he, God?” Semyon then told his father: “You teach me prayers, but this man denies the existence of the Lord.” To which he replied: “Don’t listen to him. I thought he was smart, but it turned out to be the opposite.” But his father’s answer cast doubts in the boy’s soul.
Youth
Fifteen years have passed. Semyon grew up and got a job as a carpenter on the estate of Prince Trubetskoy. A cook also worked there and regularly went to pray at the grave of John Sezeniewski. She always talked about the life of the recluse and the miracles that happened at his grave. Some of the workers present confirmed these stories and also considered John a saint. After hearing this, the future Venerable Silouan of Athos clearly felt the presence of the Almighty, and his heart burned with love for the Lord.
From that day on, Semyon began to pray a lot. His soul and character changed, awakening in the young man an attraction to monasticism. The prince had very beautiful daughters, but he looked at them as sisters, and not as women. At that time, Semyon even asked his father to send him to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. He allowed, but only after the young man completed his military service.
Extraordinary Power
Elder Silouan of Athos possessed tremendous physical strength in his youth. One day one of the prince’s guests was about to harness a horse. But severe frosts struck that night, and all her hooves were covered in ice, and she did not allow her to fight it off. Semyon tightly wrapped his hand around the horse’s neck and said to the man: “Beat it off.” The animal couldn't even move. The guest knocked the ice off his hooves, harnessed his horse and rode off.
Semyon could also take a vat of boiling cabbage soup with his bare hands and transfer it to the table. With a blow of his fist, the young man broke the thick board. In hot and cold weather, he lifted and carried heavy objects for several hours without rest. By the way, he ate and drank the same way he worked. One day, after a hearty meat dinner on Easter, when everyone had gone home, Semyon’s mother offered him scrambled eggs. He did not refuse and happily ate the fried egg, which, as they say, contained at least fifty eggs. It's the same with drinking. On holidays at the tavern, Semyon could easily drink two and a half liters of vodka and not even get drunk.
First big sin
The strength of the young man, which was useful to him in the future for accomplishing feats, became the cause of his first great sin, which Silouan of Athos spent a long time praying for.
On one of the holidays, when all the villagers were outside, Semyon walked with his friends and played the harmonica. Two brothers, working as shoemakers in the village, walked towards them. The eldest was of enormous height and strength, and besides, he loved to scandalize. He began to take the accordion from Semyon. He handed it over to his comrade, and asked the shoemaker to calm down and go on his way. It did not help. A heavy fist flew towards Semyon.
This is how Saint Silouan of Athos himself recalled this incident: “At first I wanted to give in, but then I felt ashamed that the residents would laugh at me. So I hit him hard in the chest. The shoemaker flew several meters away, and blood and foam gushed from his mouth. I thought I killed him. Thank God, everything worked out. They pumped it out for about half an hour, pouring cold water on it. Then they lifted him up with difficulty and took him home. He finally recovered only after two months. Afterwards I had to be very careful, because two brothers were constantly lying in wait on the street with knives and clubs. But the Lord saved me.”
First vision
Semyon's young life was in full swing. He had already forgotten about the desire to serve God and was simply spending his time unchastely. After another drinking session with friends, he dozed off and in a dream saw a snake crawl inside him through his mouth. Feeling intense disgust, Semyon woke up and heard the words: “Aren’t you disgusted by what you saw? I also hate to see what you do with your life.”
There was no one nearby, but the voice that said these words was unusually pleasant and amazing. Silouan of Athos was convinced that the Mother of God herself spoke to him. Until the end of his days, he thanked her for guiding him on the true path. Semyon felt ashamed of his past life, and he became stronger in his desire to serve God after finishing his military service. A sense of sin awoke in him, which completely changed his relationship to everything around him.
Military service
Semyon was sent to serve in St. Petersburg, in the Life Guards. The army loved him because he was a good, calm and efficient soldier. One day he and three comrades went to the city to celebrate a holiday in a tavern. Everyone was drinking and talking, but Semyon sat and was silent. One of the soldiers asked him: “Why are you silent? What are you thinking about?" He replied: “Here we are sitting, having fun, and now they are praying on Mount Athos!”
Throughout his military service, Semyon constantly thought about this Holy Mountain and even sent the salary he received there. One day he went to the nearest village to transfer money. On his way back he met a mad dog that wanted to attack him. Shackled by fear, Semyon only said: “Lord, have mercy!” The dog seemed to have stumbled upon an invisible barrier and ran into the village, where it harmed livestock and people. After this incident, he became even more strengthened in his desire to serve the Lord. When the service ended, Semyon came home, packed his things and went to the monastery.
Arrival to the Holy Mountain
Silouan of Athos, whose teaching is still relevant today, came to the Holy Mountain in 1892. He began his new ascetic life in the Russian monastery of St. Panteleimon.
According to Athonite customs, the new novice had to be in complete peace for several days, remembering his own sins. Then put them in writing and repent to your confessor. Silouan's sins were forgiven, and his service to the Lord began: prayers in his cell, long services in the temple, vigils, fasting, communion, confession, work, reading, obedience... Over time, he learned the Jesus Prayer from the rosary. Everyone in the monastery loved him and regularly praised him for his good character and good work.
Monastic exploits
Over the years of serving God on the Holy Mountain, the monk accomplished many ascetic feats that would seem impossible to most. The monk's sleep was intermittent - he slept several times a day for 15-20 minutes, and he did it on a stool. He didn't have a bed at all. The prayer of Silouan of Athos lasted all night. During the day the monk worked like a worker. He adhered to internal obedience, cutting off his own will. He abstained from movement, conversation and food. In general, he was a role model.
Conclusion
Silouan of Athos, whose life was described in this article, slept literally for a few minutes until the end of his life. And this despite illness and dwindling strength. This freed up a lot of time for him to pray. He did this especially intensively at night, before Matins. In September 1938, the monk died peacefully. With his life, the Monk Silouan of Athos set an example of humility, meekness and love for others. Fifty years after his death, the elder was canonized.
Today, August 31, the relics of St. Silouan of Athos, which will go to Bryansk. Archpriest Vladimir Bashkirov, Doctor of Theology, Professor of the Minsk Theological Academy, spoke about the theological teachings of St. Silouan of Athos and how his works can be useful to Christians living in the world.Father Vladimir, let's take a closer look at the personality of St. Silouan of Athos. What can a modern person learn from the life of the saint?
Venerable Silouan of Athos is a saint of the 20th century. He died in 1938 and spent almost his entire adult life on Mount Athos. This is not even a life in the classical sense, it is a biography that was left by Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov). He was a student of the Monk Silouan for approximately 13 years, heard him, saw him and diligently wrote down his words. The biography consists of these notes. In it, Archimandrite Sophrony, as a person truly gifted with writing talent, highlighted a number of elements that are instructive for everyone. He described some episodes, simple in themselves, but in which the wisdom of the Monk Silouan of Athos was manifested. He wrote that the Monk Silouan was an illiterate man, from a peasant background, but possessed of a beautiful and insightful mind.
Everything that Silouan said looked like aphorisms, for example, praying for people means shedding blood. Or, for example, a Christian cannot have enemies; for him there are only people who have known God and those who have not known God. Or here’s another episode cited by Sophrony (Sakharov) in the biography of Silouan of Athos, who spoke about the sacrifice that Christ made, and cited as an example the story of a monk who once recalled that as a child he fell ill and through delirium heard a conversation between his mother and father. The mother said: “I feel so sorry for our boy, my heart is breaking, I’m ready to give my life for him, if only our boy gets well.” Silouan of Athos said that the Lord gave His life in the same way, with the same pity, with such compassion, with the depth of penetration into human sorrow, so that you and I, through sharing in His suffering, would inherit salvation.
Or, for example, an episode about smoking. The Monk Silouan was once traveling on a train, a merchant was sitting next to him, he took out a cigarette case, silver, beautiful, opened it and invited the Monk Silouan to smoke. The monk replied: “I don’t smoke.” The merchant reasoned: “Well, father, it’s very good to smoke, it helps to concentrate, helps a person relax. It’s good for a person.” The Monk Silouan replied: “And you try to read the Our Father, for example, before you smoke. The merchant says: “Well, father, how can you read a prayer before smoking?” The Monk Silouan says to him: “You see how, This means that any task in which prayer does not occur should not be started." Such are the episodes associated with his life. They help a person look at his life differently. If you read his biography, and it is written in simple language, then the person will understand how to behave in different situations. The Monk Silouan had many visitors who were in trouble, in poverty and did not know what to do. He found words for them, wise solutions, and provided spiritual help.
Not everyone knows the biography of St. Silouan of Athos. What can you say about the personality of the reverend?
The Monk Silouan of Athos is one of the most famous saints of the 20th century. His relics are kept in the Russian Panteleimon Monastery on Athos; he labored there all his life, worked at the mill, and his cell remains there to this day. This man became famous for his amazing ascetic feat, which he performed in simplicity and without any aplomb. He simply did his job, worked at the mill, carried sacks, ground flour and was in a state of continuous prayer. This feat of his led to the fact that he was enlightened by Divine light and acquired some inner spiritual vision of Divine truths. Hence the wisdom he possessed. Being an illiterate person, he spoke such amazing words, expressed such thoughts that, sometimes, it took your breath away. This is an amazing phenomenon - the phenomenon of holiness. When a person does nothing but fulfill the commandments of God. He lives according to his conscience, and this life leads to the fact that a person enters into close communication with God, cognizes the Divine reality, it becomes a reality for him. A person's inner vision opens.
Silouan of Athos was canonized 50 years after his death, in the 80s. He was glorified by the Greek Church. Silouan of Athos is a saint who is revered throughout the Orthodox world.
Father Vladimir, please comment on the words of St. Silouan of Athos: “Keep your mind in hell and do not despair.” How should this phrase be understood?
This is one of his aphorisms. With these words, he simply confirms the well-known old truth that we must remember death. There are two moments that depend on each other and are important in spiritual life - the memory of death and the memory of God. With this Silouan of Athos speaks about sinfulness, about what a person can expect after death if he does not try to free himself from sins, which will contribute to his approach to God, communication with God, which is prayer. Although this phrase “keep your mind in hell and do not despair” sounds paradoxical. Because the main quality that will distinguish those who will be in hell is despair, and despair is the absence of hope. When a person has no hope, this is a state of spiritual despair. In this case, the Monk Silouan of Athos means something completely different. That if you keep your mind in hell, you will always remember death and you will gain hope in God, you will have a memory of God. This is the same as what is said in the parables: “Remember the last day and you will never sin.”
On Athos there is a tradition when, after death, a monk is lowered into a grave, and he remains there for 3 years, after which the remains are removed. If they are freed from the flesh, then everything is fine with the person, he is accepted into the Heavenly abodes. If flesh still remains on the remains, then they are buried again. The head of St. Silouan of Athos is in a special chapel on Athos, where the relics of other saints are located. The main thing is that when turning to the saint, touching his head, miracles happen, people receive consolation, spiritual food, people feel that they are not touching dead bones, but through this touch there is a meeting with the saint, who communicates with them through the part left after him his body.
- In your opinion, why go to venerate the relics of a saint if you can call on his name in prayer?
You can pray to the saint, it’s your will. You cannot force a person to go to the relics. If he walks, it means he has an internal attraction to it. He may not understand why he is doing this, but he intuitively goes, realizing that there will be a meeting with a saint. I will tell you an episode from my life. When I was in Jerusalem, it was a long time ago, we were brought to the monastery of Sava the Sanctified, where a meeting with the abbot was supposed to take place. The abbot was late and we were asked to go to the cathedral to pray at the relics. I was then the youngest member of this delegation. It was my turn. I approached the relics, they were opened to us. I had my own problems, which I began to express before the relics. I had the feeling that I was being listened to carefully. That the saint not only listens to me, but also understands what I say and what I want. I walked out in amazement. I felt as if I was talking to a living person. This is what probably motivates people when they come to the relics and try to touch the shrine.
This year, Orthodox believers are celebrating a significant date - the millennium of Russian monasticism on Holy Mount Athos. Why is this anniversary so important for us?
The 1000-year presence of Russian monasticism on Athos organically fits into the monastic feat, the monastic tradition of Athos. But, on the other hand, through the Russian monks who visited the Holy Mountain, the experience of Athonite monasticism spread throughout Rus'. According to historical information, the first Russian who came to Athos was St. Anthony of Kiev-Pechersk, the founder of Russian monasticism. He received a blessing on Mount Athos to establish monastic traditions in Rus'.
Russian monks brought books and literary works from Athos, which were not known in Rus' even then. Such books as, for example, the works of the fathers of the Russian Church, the works of ascetic writers who were translated into the Slavic language. These books were distributed throughout Rus', thus, Russian literacy is directly connected with Athos and with the Athos book tradition. In addition, Russian monks who visited Mount Athos acquired the ability to live as Christians there and became an example not only for monks, but for all people. Greek monks also came from Athos, for example, Maxim the Greek, he graduated from the university in Venice, knew several languages, ancient languages, Italian, French. He was invited to edit books, but the works that he left in Rus', having endured a painful and miserable life, since he was not understood here, still amaze with their depth and completeness. These works have recently been republished.
Recently, the decline of Russian monasticism on Athos has been recorded, but, nevertheless, we have also recorded the presence there amazing people. Such as, for example, the Monk Silouan of Athos, Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov), Archbishop Vasily (Krivoshein) - these are all ascetics, but ascetics of different types. If, say, the Monk Silouan of Athos is, indeed, an ascetic and ascetic, then these others are learned men. Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov) is an ascetic in the field of asceticism and spiritual life, and Archbishop Vasily (Krivoshein) is in the field of research. He left behind significant works on the analysis of the legacy of Gregory Palamas, a church writer of the 15th century, and Semeon the Theologian, and he deeply penetrated their methodology for understanding Divine Revelation. These are significant works. Therefore, we say that the 1000-year history of Athos is not so much the history of the Russian presence on Athos, but the presence of Athos on Russian soil. And we state how much this presence of Athos on the Russian land and the Russians on Athos mutually enriched each other and how fruitful and blessed it was for Russian Christianity.
There lived a man on earth, the husband of a gigantic spirit-power, his name was Si-lu-an. He prayed for a long time, crying uncontrollably: “Have mercy on me,” but God did not listen to him. Many months of such prayers passed, and the strength of his soul was exhausted; he reached the point and exclaimed: “You are relentless!” And when, with these words, something burst in his out-of-his-heart-of-his-heart, he suddenly, for a moment, -seeing the living Christ; the fire filled his heart and his whole body with such force that if the vision had lasted another moment, he would have died. Afterwards, he could never forget the incredibly meek, infinitely loving, joyful, indescribable -my-world's-full-of-the-look-of-Christ and the subsequent long-years of his life-indefatigable testimony -val that God is love, immeasurable, inconceivable love.
There is a word about him, this testimony of Divine love.
Athonite schema-monah father Si-lu-an (worldly name - Se-men Iva-no-vich An-to-nov) was born in 1866 in Tam-bov gu -ber-nii, Le-be-din-sko-go district, Shov-skoy vol-sti and village. He came to Mount Athos in 1892, to the mantle of his wife in 1896; in the schema - in 1911. According to the listen-sha-nie, he went: at the mill, at the Ka-la-ma-rei me-to-he (vla-de- nie mo-na-sta-rya outside Athos), in Old Na-mountain Ru-si-ke, in Eco-no-mia. Died on September 24, 1938. These few facts were drawn from the form of the Mount Athos.
From “was born” to “died” - everything is poor, there’s nothing to talk about; To touch the inner life of a person before God is an immodest, daring thing. In the midst of the square of the world, opening the “deep heart” of Christ-a-ni-na is almost a sacredness; but are confident that now the old man, who has left the world after the death of the world, is no longer afraid of anything, no longer anything not to destroy his eternal peace in God, let us try to tell ourselves about his through-you-but-god -that, royally divine life, meaning those few who themselves are attracted to the same divine- no life.
Many, who are in contact with mo-na-ha-mi in general and with the elder Si-lu-a-n in particular, do not see in there is nothing special about them and for some reason they remain dissatisfied with the creation and even disappointed with us . This happens because they approach the mother with the wrong measure, with the wrong standards -I-mi and is-ka-ni-i-mi.
The monk remains in constant motion, and often in an extremely tense, but right-glorious manner -nah - not fa-kir. He is absolutely not interested in achieving his own development through special exercises -tia of psychic forces that they don’t care about many ignorant sciences of mi-sti-che-life. The monk wages a strong, strong, persistent battle, some of them, like Father Si-lu-an, wage a tit-a-nothing fight , unknown world, in order to kill the mountain-beast in oneself, in order to become a man, a real man. century, in the image of the so-ver-shen-no-go Man of Christ, i.e. meek and humble.
Strange, incomprehensible to the world Christian life; everything in it is par-ra-doc-sal-but, everything is in order, as if in the opposite order of the world, and there is no pos- sibility of explanation in her word. The only way to peace is to do the will of God, i.e. watch out for Christ; the path indicated by Him Sa-mim.
Childhood and youth
From the long life of the old man, I would like to bring you several facts that appear for his internal -ren-her life and at the same time his “is-to-ri-ey.” The first of them dates back to his early childhood, when he was no more than 4 years old. His father, like many Russian peasants, loved to show hospitality to countries. One day, on a festive day, with especial pleasure, he invited to himself a certain book, on trying to learn something new and different from him, as a “bookish” person, because he was so dear to his “dark-but-that” and greedily reached for knowledge and illumination. In the guest's house there would be tea and food. Little Se-men (worldly name) looked at him with curiosity and listened attentively to be-se-de. The book told my father that Christ is not God and that in general there is no God. Mal-chi-ka Se-me-na especially-ben-but-ra-zi-li-wa: “Where is He, God?”, and he thought: “When-where are you- If you're big, then I'll go all over the earth to look for God." When the guest left, Se-men said to his father: “You teach me to pray, but he says that there is no God.” To this the father said: “I thought he was a smart man, but he turned out to be a fool. Don’t listen to him.” But the father’s answer did not erase the boy’s doubts from his soul.
Many years have passed since then. Se-men grew up, became a big, healthy guy and worked not far from their village, on the estate of Prince Trubetsko th. Ra-bo-ta-whether they are ar-te-lew, Se-men in the quality of a hundred-la-ra. The ar-tel-schi-kovs had a ku-har-ka, de-re-ven-skaya ba-ba. One day she went to the bo-go-mo-lye and on-se-ti-la mo-gi-lu for-me-cha-tel-no-go-movement - for the creation of Ioan-na Se-ze-nov-skogo (1791-1839). Upon her return, she spoke about the holy life of her work and that miracles would have happened on his grave -sa. Some of those present confirmed the stories about miracles, and everyone said that John was a saint Human.
Hearing this talk, Se-men thought: “If he’s a saint, then that means God is with us, and there’s no reason for me to go all over the place.” earth - to look for Him," and at this thought the young heart began to love God.
An amazing phenomenon, from four-years-old to nine-ten-years-old. the thought that fell into the soul of the child when he heard the book; a thought that somehow, vis-di-mo, tugged at him, remaining somewhere in the depths of an unresolved, and once again -decided in such a strange and, seemingly, na-ive way.
After Se-men felt himself having found faith, his mind was drawn to the memory of God , and he prayed a lot and cried. That's when he felt an inner change and attraction to monasticism, and, as he himself said, he became rez, he began to look at the young handsome prince-zya with love, but without wishing, as if he were looking at his sister, then -where, as before, the sight of them infuriated him. At that time, he even asked his father to let him go to the Ki-e-vo-Pe-cher-skaya Lav-ru, but his father ka-te-go-ri-che-ski from-ve-til: “Sleep-cha-la finish military service, and then you’ll be free to go.”
Se-men stayed in such an unusual state for three months; then it left him, and he again began to make friends with his peers, to hang out with the girls village, drink vodka, play the gar-mo-ni-ke and generally live like other de-Re-Venin guys.
Young, handsome, strong, and by that time already well-lived, Se-men was looking forward to life. In the village they loved him for his good-loving and cheerful character, and the girls looked at him as for-look-but-no-ha. He himself became interested in one of them and, before the question of marriage was raised, late in the evening something happened to them." usual."
Notably, at the same time, the next day in the morning, when he was working with his father, he quietly told him: “Sy- No, where were you yesterday, my heart hurts." These meek words of the father sank into Se-men’s soul, and later, remembering him, the old man said: “I’m in my place.” My father didn’t come. He was completely ne- literate, and he even read “Our Father” with a mistake, he said. dnest" instead of "today," he taught in church by ear, but he was a meek and wise man."
They had a large family: father, mother, five brothers-sons and two daughters. Did they live together and amicably? The adult brothers work with their father. Once upon a time, during the harvest, Se-me-well had to cook lunch in the field; there was Friday; Forgetting about it, he cooked the pigs, and everyone ate. Half a year has passed since that day, already in winter, on some holiday, father says to Se-men with a soft smile:
Son, do you remember how you sucked me up in the middle? But there was a Friday; you know, I ate her like a bitch.
Why didn’t you tell me then?
I, son, didn’t want to embarrass you.
Telling similar incidents from his life in his father’s house, the old man said: “That’s the kind of old man I am.” I would like to have: he never fought, he was always even and meek, he sang for half a year, I was waiting for a convenient moment so as to straighten me out and not confuse me."
Elder Si-lu-an had very great physical strength. He was still very young, before his military service, one day at Easter, after a rich meat lunch, when -when his brothers went off to visit guests, and he stayed at home, his mother offered him “eggs”; he didn't show up; his mother gave him a whole chu-gun, up to half a hundred eggs, and he ate it all.
In those years, he worked with his brothers on the estate of Prince Trubets and on holidays he sometimes went to tavern; There were times when he drank “a quarter” (2.5 liters) of vodka in one evening, but he was never drunk.
One day, in a severe frost, which struck after the snow, he sat in the yard. One of the Yal-stan-tsevs, who had been there, wanted to return home; He went to hide his horse, but soon returned, saying:
Be-da! I need to go, but I can’t: the ice is covered in a thick layer of ice, and she can’t fight it off because of the pain .
Se-men says:
Let's go, I'll help you.
In the stable, he took the horse's neck near his head under his arm and said to the man: "Obi-wai." The horse stood still all the time; the man knocked the ice off his hooves, harnessed it and drove off.
Go-ly-mi ru-ka-mi Se-men could take hot cast-iron with cabbage soup and transfer it from the stove to the table, behind which -bo-ta-la their art-tel. With a blow of his ku-la-ka he could beat quite a thick board. He lifted heavy weights and had great stamina in both heat and cold, he could eat a lot -hu and a lot of work.
But this power, which later served him to accomplish many extraordinary moves, while time was the cause of his greatest sin, for which he brought an extraordinary .
Once upon a time, on the capital's holiday, the village, in the afternoon, when all the inhabitants were around their huts , Se-men with to-va-ri-sha-mi walked along the street, playing the gar-mo-ni-ke. Two brothers came to meet them - they sat down. The eldest - a man of enormous stature and strength, a large scan-da-list, was on top. When they were equal, the sa-pozhnik began to laugh at Se-men; but he managed to hand it over to his to-va-ri. Standing opposite the sa-pozh-ka, Se-men urged him to “go on his way,” but he, on-me-re-wa- I wanted to, to show my superiority over all the guys, sat down on the same day when all the girls were on the street and laughing at the scene, rushing at Se-men. And this is how the old man himself talked about it:
At first I thought about giving in, but suddenly I felt ashamed that the girls would laugh, and I hit him hard in the chest; he's a long way from me and he's laden with weight in the middle of the road; foam and blood flowed from his mouth. Everyone was frightened, including me; I think: killed. And so I stand. At this time, my younger brother took a large boulder from the ground and threw it at me, I managed to dodge it; a stone hit me in the back, then I said to him: “Well, do you want the same to happen to you?” - and moved towards him, but he ran away. The sa-pozh-nik lay on the road for a long time; people ran away and helped him, washed him with cold water. No less than half an hour passed before he was able to get up, and with difficulty he was taken home. He was ill for two months, but, fortunately, he remained alive, but then I had to be careful for a long time: the brothers s-al- no with yours to-va-ri-sha-mi on ve-che-rams with du-bin-ka-mi and no-zha-mi under-ste-re-ha-li me in the back streets, but God kept me.
So in the noise of young life, the first call of God to my soul began to drown out in Se-me’s soul moved, but God, who had chosen him, again called him to some kind of vision.
One day, after some time, he fell asleep and lay down In a dream I saw that a snake had entered through his mouth. He felt a strong numbness and woke up. At this time, he hears the words: “You swallowed a snake in a dream, and you are disgusted; so it’s not good for me to see what you’re doing.” -eat."
Se-men hasn't seen anyone. He only heard the voice that uttered these words, which was completely unusual in its sweetness and beauty. ny. The action they had learned, for all its quietness and sweetness, was shocking. According to the deep and undeniable conviction of the old man, it was the voice of my God herself. Until the end of his days, he blessed the Mother of God that She did not rebel against him, but she herself was blessed se-tit him and restore him from pa-de-niya. He said: “Now I see how the Lord and God Ma-te-ri feel sorry for the people. "The living Mother came from heaven to lie to me, a young man, in my sins."
The fact that he did not have the pleasure of seeing Vla-dy-chi-tsu, he attributed to the evil spirit in which he was at that time moment.
This secondary call, completed not long before military service, already had a decisive meaning for the choice further away. Its first consequence was a fundamental change in life, which had taken an unkind turn. Se-men felt deep shame for his past and began to repent before God. The decision, at the end of his military service, to go to the monastery and return with smart-female strength. An acute sense of sin awoke in him and, because of this, I had a reaction to everything that he saw in life. This was reflected not only in his personal actions and behavior, but also in his -res-nyh be-se-dah with people.
Time of military service
Se-men did his military service in St. Petersburg, in the Life Guards, in the sa-per-nom battalion. Having left for the service with a living faith and a deep-like feeling, he never ceased to remember about God.
In the army they loved him very much as a sol-yes-yes always used, calmly, well -de-niya, and then-va-ri-schi as a faithful and agreeable friend; however, this was a frequent occurrence in Russia, where the soldiers lived very brotherly.
One day, on the occasion of a holiday, he went to the city with three guards of the same battalion. They went into a large hundred-person tavern, where there was a lot of light and loud music playing; for dinner with vodka and loud noise. Se-men remained silent for the most part. One of them asked him:
Se-men, you are still silent, what are you thinking about?
I’m thinking: we’re sitting in a truck right now, eating, drinking vodka, listening to music and having fun, but on Mount Athos... now they will keep a vigil and will pray all night; So, which of us at the Terrible Court will give the best answer, them or us?
Then the other one said:
What a man Se-men! We listen to music and have fun, but his mind is on Mount Athos and the Terrible Su-de.
The words of the guard about Se-men: “and his mind is on Mount Athos and on the Terrible Su-de” can be from-not-se-ny not only to that mo-men - when they were sitting in the truck, but also for the entire time he was in military service. His thought about Athos, by the way, was that he sent money there several times. One day he walked from the Ust-Izhora la-ge-rya, where their battalion stood in the summer, to the post office in the village of Kol-pi-no to transfer money to Mount Athos. On the way back, not far from Kol-pi-na, along the road directly to meet him there was a f--- ba-ka; when she was already approaching and was about to throw herself at him, he said with fear: “Sir.” di, po-mi-luy! " As soon as he said this short prayer, some kind of force rushed the co-ba-ku to the hundred, as if she had stumbled upon something; rounding Se-me-na, she ran into the village, where she caused a lot of harm to both people and livestock.
This incident made a deep impression on Se-me. He vividly felt the closeness of the God who preserved us and clung even more strongly to the memory of God.
Having finished his service in the guard, Se-men not long before his soldiers departed for their homes together with the company's pi-sa- Rem went to his father to ask for his prayers and blessings. Father John, they didn’t stop at Kronstadt and decided to leave letters. The writer began to write out some wise letter in beautiful black, and Se-myon wrote only a few words: “Ba “Tyush-ka, I want to go to mo-na-hi; pray that the world will not detain me.”
They returned to St. Petersburg to the barracks, and, according to the Elder, the very next day he felt that all around him “the flames of hell are humming.”
Having left St. Petersburg, Se-men came home and stayed there for only one week. Quickly get him canvases and other gifts for the monastery. He said goodbye to everyone and left for Athos. But from the day that Father John of Kronstadt prayed for him, the “hellish flames humming” around him did not cease, where no matter where he is: in the train, in Odessa, on the pa-ro-ho-de, and even on Athos in the monastery, in the temple, all over du.
Arrival to the Holy Mountain
Mo-na-she-skie-moves
Se-men came to the Holy Mountain in the fall of 1892 and went to the Russian Monastery of the holy ve-li-to-mu-che -no Pan-te-le-i-mo-na. A new, moving life has begun.
According to Athonite customs, the chief novice “brother Si-me-on” had to spend several days in full -something to remember your sins throughout your life and, having lived their writing, to confess the spirit. Is-py-you-my hellish torment in it is uncontainable. In the Ta-in-stvo of Po-ka-ya-niya, he wanted to free his soul from everything that weighed it down, and for some reason... with complacency and great fear, without justifying himself in anything, he exhausted all the deeds of his life.
The clergyman said to brother Simeo-nu: “You have sacked your sins before God and know that they have been forgiven you. .. From now on we are starting a new life... Go in peace and rejoice that the Lord brought you to this place. become a spa-se-niya."
Brother Si-me-on was introduced into the spiritual movement of the age-old way of life in Athos Mon-on-Styr, a satiated constant -become a memory of God: prayers in the cell alone, long-term worship in the temple, prayers and vigils, frequent confession and communion, reading, work, obedience. Soon he mastered the Jesus prayer using the rosary. A little time passed, about three weeks in all, and one evening, while praying before the image of God, di-tsy prayer entered his heart and began to happen there day and night, but then he had not yet understood the greatness and ra-ko-sti yes-ra, lu-chen-no-go to them from God Ma-te-ri.
Brother Si-me-he was patient, kind-hearted, obedient; in the mo-na-sta-re he was loved and praised for his good work and good character, and it was good for him -yat-but. Did thoughts then come to him: “You live a holy life: I guess your sins are forgiven, can- just unceasingly, obediently, eat well.”
The mind listened to these thoughts, and anxiety arose in the heart, but due to its inexperience She doesn’t have any idea what’s actually happening to him.
One day, his cell was filled with a strange light, which pierced the hall, even his body, so that he saw affairs and internal affairs. Po-we-sat said to him: “Receive, - this is a blessing,” one soul became embarrassed at this, and he was left in great bewilderment.
After seeing the countries of the world, demons began to appear to him, and he, naively, talked to them -val "as with people." Gradually, the si-li-va-la, sometimes they said to him: “You are now a saint,” and sometimes: - “You’re not going to sleep.” Brother Si-me-on asked the be-sa one day: “Why do you tell me different things: then you say, That I am holy, is it that I am not saved? The demon responded in a funny way: “We never tell the truth.”
A change of de-mo-ni-che-inspirations, now ascending to the “heaven” in the mountains, now lower-up in eternity new death, oppression of the soul of the young man, listened to him, until he was exhausted, and he prayed with extreme tension. He slept little and fitfully. Strong physically, a real god, he didn’t lie down in bed, but spent all the nights in prayer or standing , or sitting on the ta-bu-ret-ke. Because he couldn't, he sat and fell asleep for 15-20 minutes and then got up again to pray.
It goes on month after month, and the torment of the de-mo-no-things on-pa-de-niy all increases. Soul-strengths could-not-become-to-listen-to-give and his courage-was-not-able-to-be, fear-of-destruction As he grew from despair, the horror of hopelessness more and more often took over his entire being. He reached the next place and, sitting in his cell in the evening, thought: “It’s impossible to beg God.” With this thought, he felt complete abandonment, and his soul sank into the darkness of hellish languor and melancholy.
On the same day, during the evening, in the church of the holy prophet Elijah, which is at the mill, to the right of the royal gates, where when the local icon of the Spa-si-te-la came, he saw the living Christ.
“The Lord inexplicably appeared to the young one without listening” - and the whole being, and my body itself, used it not the fire of the goodness of the Holy Spirit, that fire which the Lord brought down to the earth with His coming -eat (). From the vision of Si-me-he came into in-ability, and the Lord disappeared.
It is impossible to describe the state in which he was at that hour. He was irradiated by the great Divine light, he was taken out, as it were, from the world and taken by spirit to heaven, where he heard the unknown -words, at that moment he received, as it were, a new birth from above (). The gentle gaze of everything-forgiving, immeasurably loving, joyful Christ attracted everything to himself -lo-ve-ka and then, hiding, the sweetness of the love of God enraptured his spirit in the contemplation of the Divine already outside the call of the world. Subsequently, in his writings, he endlessly repeats that he knew the Lord by the Holy Spirit, that God he saw in the Holy Spirit. He also asserted that when the Lord Himself appears to a soul, it cannot help but recognize in Him its Creator and God.
Having known her resurrection and having seen the light of the sub-long and eternal existence, the soul of Simeo for the first time after the appearance of the re-zhi-va-la, there was a pass-hal-to-tor-s-stvo. Everything would be fine: the world would be great, and people would be nice, and nature would be beautiful , and the body became different, light, and strength seemed to have increased. But gradually I feel the effect of the blessing began to weaken. Why? What should you do to prevent this from happening?
The beginning of an attentive examination of the growing mis-ability in the co-vets of the spirits and in yours re-ni-yah of the holy fathers-as-ke-tov. “During the prayer, you keep your mind pure from all ideas and thoughts and enclose it in the words of your -lit-you,” the elder Father Ana-to-liy from Holy Ru-si-ka told him. He spent up to a hundred times with the elder Ana-to-liya. Father Ana-to-liy ended his instructive and useful talk with the words: “If you are the way you are now, then what “Will you be old?” That's how it turned out, but with his surprise, he gave the young man a strong drive towards vanity, with whom he did not yet know how to fight.
Si-meo’s young and still inexperienced mother began to have the most difficult, the most complex, the most subtle abuse with vanity. Pride and vanity entail all the troubles and failures: the blessing is abandoned, the heart becomes cold, the donkey becomes weak -va-et prayer, the mind is dis-s-and-va-et-sya and on-chi-na-sya with passionate thoughts.
Young monk Si-lu-an in a step-pen way din, which for most people seems terribly impossible. His sleep is still interrupted - several times a day for 15-20 minutes. He still doesn’t go to bed, he sleeps sitting on the table; remains at work during the day, like a worker; carries the internal movement according to obedience - from his own will; learns as much as possible to surrender oneself to the will of God; abstains in food, in action, in movement; I pray to Jesus for a long time with my mind. And despite all his efforts, the light of goodness often leaves him, and demons crowd around him at night.
Change of status, then some kind of good-go-da-ti, then leaving-no-sti and de-mo-no-things on-pa-de-niy , it does not pass fruitlessly. The blessing of this change of soul Si-lu-a-na remains in the constant internal struggle, wakefulness and diligent effort.
Fifteen years have passed since the day the Lord appeared to him. And then one day, in one of those painful battles with demons, when, despite all the efforts, -a hundred prayers were not successful, Si-lu-an gets up from ta-bu-re-ta to make the clones, but sees in front of the so- fight a huge figure of a demon, a hundred icons ahead, and wait for something to fall on you; kel-liya half-na be-sov. Father Si-lu-an again sits down on ta-bu-ret and, bowing his head, with pain in his heart he speaks and prays -wu: “Lord, you see that I want to pray to you with a pure mind, but the demons won’t let me. Teach me, What should I do so that they don’t bother me?” And there was an answer in his soul: “The proud always suffer so much from demons.” “Lord,” says Si-lu-an, “teach me what I should do in order for my soul to be humble.” And again in my heart there is an answer from God: “Keep your mind in hell and don’t give up.”
From now on, it was revealed to his soul not from the abstraction, but from the fact that the root of all sins is -death is pride; that God is Humility, and in some way he who acquires God must acquire Humility. He knew that there was an indescribably sweet great humility of Christ, which he was given to experience in time -my Phenomenon is an inseparable property of Divine love, Divine being. From now on, he truly knew that his entire endeavor should be directed toward the acquisition of humility. He was given to know the great secret of Being, to know.
He penetrated in spirit into the secret struggle, which, after the Lord appeared to him in the temple at the time, me li-tur-gyi, re-living on-te-ryu blah-da-ti and god-abandonment, you-sya-chu days and you-sya-chu but -whose stood in the desert on a stone, calling out: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”
The true meaning and strength were revealed to him from the likeness of his teachers: “Believe me, cha-yes! Where sa-ta-na, there I will be." He realized that the venerable one had been sent by God to Aleksandriya to learn the same thing: From now on he learned to think: “Everyone is saved, I’m the only one who perishes.”
He knew from the experience of his life that through the spiritual battle with evil, cosmic evil, it is his own man's heart. He saw in his spirit that the deepest root of sin is pride - this scourge of mankind, which has torn people from God and plunged the world into countless troubles and suffering; this is the true seed of death, which has shrouded mankind in darkness from cha-ya. From now on, Si-lu-an, you are a giant of spirit, all your powers are concentrated on moving behind the media. the knowledge of Christ, which he was given the opportunity to know in his first appearance, but which he did not preserve.
Monk Si-lu-an, after the State gave him a house from the birth of the blood, stood firm on the spiritual path. From that day on, his “love-my-song,” as he himself expressed, became: “Soon I’ll die, and oka-yan-naya do My sha is dreaming into a cramped black hell, and there alone I will be languishing in the gloomy flame and crying for the Lord: “Where are you?” , the light of my soul? Why did you leave me? I can not live without you".
This deed soon brought souls and pure prayer to the world. But even this fiery path turned out to be short-lived.
Grace no longer leaves him as before: he feels it in his heart, he feels the living presence of God. ha; he is full of amazement before the sweet-hearted-di-em of God, the deep peace of Christ haunts him; The Holy Spirit again gives him the power of love. And although now he is no longer the unreasonable one that he was before; although he would have emerged wiser from the long and difficult struggle; Although he made you a great spiritual fighter, he still suffered from co-lesions and from-men-chi-in-sti-che-lo-ve-che-skoy on-tu-ry and continued to cry with indescribable heart-cries, when-when I was crazy about it. And so on for another fifteen years, until he had no wits, no way he could... stingy outwardly, to repel what had previously been hard on him.
Through pure mental prayer, the movement teaches great secrets of the spirit. Going with his mind into his heart, he dreamed that this is a fleshy heart, he begins to penetrate into those depths of it that -these are no longer flesh. He finds his deep, spiritual, meta-physical, heart, and in it he sees that the existence of all things lo-things are not something alien for him, something other-worldly, but not in any way connected with his personal being.
“Our brother is our life,” said the old man. Through the love of Christ, all people are perceived as an inseparable part of our personal eternal life. -tiya. For-after all - to love one's neighbor as oneself - he does not understand this in any way as this norm; in the word, as he sees, an indication is not of the measure of love, but of the he-lo-gi-che-community of being.
“The Father does not judge anyone, but He gave all judgment to the Son... because He is the Son of man” (John: 5:22-27). This Son of man, the Great Judge of the world, will say at the Last Judgment that “one of the least of these” is He Himself ; In other words, He summarizes the existence of each person with His own, includes it in His personal existence. All mankind, “all of Hell,” he took into himself and suffered for all of Hell.
After the experience of hellish suffering, after God’s instruction: “Keep your mind in hell” it was special for the elder Si-lu-a-na. Ben-but-ha-rak-ter-named to pray for the dead, then-those in hell, but he prayed the same for the living and for the dirty. du-schikh. In his prayer, which went beyond the limits of time, the thought of past phenomena disappeared human life, about enemies. It would have been given to him, in sorrow for the world, to divide people into those who knew God and those who did not know Him. It was unbearable for him to know that people would be hovering “in the darkness.”
In a conversation with one mo-na-hom-pu-stin-no-one, who said: “God will kill everyone without God.” . They will burn in eternal fire" - obviously, he was pleased that they would us with the eternal fire - to this the old man Si-lu-an with a visible soul wave said: “Well, tell me, in I'm sorry, if they put you in heaven, and you'll be able to see someone burning in hellfire, will you po-ko-en?" - “What the-de-la-eat, you yourself vi-no-va-you” - said the monk. Then the old man with a sorrowful face answered: “Love cannot resist this... We need to pray for everyone.”
And he really prayed for everyone; praying only for himself became unusual for him. All people are subject to sin, all the glory of God (). For him, having already seen the glory of God in the measure given to him and the re-living of it, just the thought of such -Was it really hard? His soul then knew that people live without knowing God and His love, and he prayed greatly I pray that the Lord, out of my unknowing love, will let them know Himself.
Until the end of his life, despite his strength and pain, he retained the habit of sleeping fitfully. mi. He had a lot of time left for solitary prayer, he prayed constantly, changing in the background -most of the times you prayed from the situation, but especially intensified his prayers at night, until the morning. Then he prayed for the living and the dead, for friends and enemies, for the whole world.
So-sta-vi-li Na-ta-lia Bu-fi-us and Bishop Alexander (Mi-le-ant)
Prayers
Troparion to St. Silouan of Athos
Seraphim’s love for the Lord, an ardent zealot,/ and Jeremiah, for a people weeping,/ a zealous imitator,/ all-blessed father Silvana,/ you call upon the Lord of strength, give heed to the serpent You wisely vomited out your manhood, / and you retreated to Mount Athos from the vanity of the world, / where in labors and prayers with tears / the grace of the Holy Spirit was abundantly acquired, / our hearts were inflamed / and tenderly cry out to you to strengthen: / My Lord, my life and joy Holy one, // save the world and us from all evil ones.
Translation: ardent zealot of love for the Lord, and, for a weeping people, zealous imitator, all-blessed Father Silouan, you, heeding the call of the Mother of the Lord of hosts, cast out the sinful serpent with prudent courage, and withdrew to Mount Athos from the vanity of the world, where in labors and prayers with tears You have abundantly acquired the Holy Spirit, with it you will inflame our hearts and strengthen us with humility: “My Lord, my Life and Holy Joy, save the world and us from all disasters.”
Troparion to St. Silouan of Athos
Christ the Teacher / on the way, you humbly prayed, you accepted / witnessing to the Spirit in your heart salvation. / For this reason, all people rejoice now / in your memory of the hope of the call O Lord,/ like Father Silouan,// pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.
Translation: You accepted Christ the Teacher on the way, having humbly prayed, testifying with the Spirit of salvation in your heart. Therefore, now all people rejoice on the day of your memory, called to hope, Reverend Father Silouan, pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.
Kontakion to St. Silouan of Athos
Confessor of humility, / and kindness warmed by the Holy Spirit, / beloved of God, Silvana, / the Russian Church rejoices in your struggle, / the foreigners of Mount Athos I and all Christian people, / rejoicing, rush to God with filial love. / Pray for Him for us, equal to the angel who knows God, // in the hedgehog we can be saved, imitating you in the burning of love.
Translation: Amazing confessor and love for mankind, beauty warmed by the Holy Spirit, beloved by God Silouan, the Russian Church rejoices over your feat, while the monks of Mount Athos and all Christians, rejoicing, rush to God with filial love. Pray to Him for us, Equal-Angel Knower of God, for our salvation, imitating you in the burning of love.
Kontakion to St. Silouan of Athos
O all-blessed Silouana, my soul, overwhelmed by passions, diligently purify with your prayers, so that you may call with joy, as you have gained glory from God, glory to Christ who glorified you, glory to the astonishing To him who sought you, glory to you who appeared meekly, and to you who filled you with endless joy.
Translation: O all-blessed Silouan, diligently cleanse my overwhelmed soul with your prayers, so I appeal to you with joy, as one who has gained glory from God: “Glory to Christ who glorified you, glory to you who showed you in miracles, glory to you who appeared in and filled you with endless joy.”
Prayer to St. Silouan of Athos
Oh, wonderful servant of God, Father Silouan! By the grace given to you by God, to pray tearfully for the entire universe, the dead, the living and the future, do not keep silent for us to the Lord, who fervently come to you and tenderly ask for your intercession. Move, O all-blessed One, to prayer the Zealous Intercessor of the Christian race, the Most Blessed Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, who miraculously called you to be a faithful worker in Her earthly work where God’s chosen ones beseech God for our sins, merciful and long-suffering, so as not to remember our untruths and iniquities , but by the ineffable goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ to spare and save us according to His great mercy. To her, saint of God, with the Most Blessed Lady of the world - the Most Holy Abbess of Athos and the holy ascetics of Her earthly lot, ask the saints for the Most Holy Word of the Holy Mountain Onsty and God-loving desert dwellers will be preserved in the world from all the troubles and slander of the enemy. Yes, the Angels, delivered from evil by the saints and strengthened by the Holy Spirit in faith and brotherly love, until the end of the age of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, pray and show everyone the path of salvation , may the Earthly and Heavenly Church continually glorify the Creator and Father of Lights, enlightening and sanctifying peace in the eternal truth and goodness of God. Ask the peoples of the entire earth for a prosperous and peaceful life, the spirit of humility and brotherly love, good morals and salvation, the spirit of the fear of God. Let it not be malice and lawlessness that harden the hearts of men, which can destroy the love of God among men and cast them into ungodly enmity and fratricide, but in the power of Divine love and truth, skin in Heaven and on earth, hallowed be the name of God, His holy will be done among men , and may peace and the Kingdom of God reign on earth. So also for your earthly Fatherland - the Russian lands, ask, saint of God, the longed-for peace and heavenly blessing, in the hedgehog, with the omnipotent omophorion of the Mother of God who is covered, to get rid of famine, destruction, cowardice, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare and from all enemies visible and invisible, and thus in the most holy house of the Most Blessed Mother of God, until the end of the age, the Life-giving Cross will remain in it by the power and in the love of God; the inexhaustible one will be established. For all of us, who are immersed in the darkness of sins and warmth of repentance, who do not have the fear of God and who endlessly insults the Lord who loves us immeasurably, ask, O all-blessed one, from our All-Bountiful God, with the omnipotent grace of God will visit and revive our souls and all malice and may he abolish worldly pride, despondency and negligence in our hearts. We also pray for us, strengthened by the grace of the All-Holy Spirit and warmed by the love of God, in love for mankind and brotherly love, humility and prayerful intercession for each other and for everyone, in the truth of God be established in life and be strengthened in the grace-filled love of God, and love for sons will come closer to him. Yes, so, doing His all-holy will, in all piety and purity of temporary life, let us walk the path shamelessly and with all the saints of the Heavenly Kingdom and His Lamb marriage. To Him from all those on earth and in Heaven be glory, honor and worship, with His Beginning Father, the Most Holy and Good, and His Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Second prayer to St. Silouan of Athos
Oh, wonderful servant of God, like Father Silouan, the holy Mount Athos, the new lamp, beloved by the Most Holy Theotokos and to be a faithful worker in Her earthly helicity called, with tenderness we now bow the knees of our hearts and cry to you: bring our prayer to the All-Merciful God and ask for everything, for the benefit of our souls and bodies: right faith, undoubted hope, unfeigned love, courage in temptation, patience in suffering and illness, prosperity in prayer ah zeal; Accept our humble prayer, warm us with the breath of your love, illuminate us with the light of the grace given to you and intercede for us with the Lord, pour out your prayer to Him, may he calm the storm of passion May our and cold hearts warm us with the fire of Divine love and thus make us worthy Bring warm repentance to Him with tears, and bear the labors and sorrows of this life patiently, resignedly and with gratitude, and at the hour of our departure from earthly life, the abyss of our sins in the sea of mercy May He immerse us in His love and have mercy on us for the sake of His ineffable love for the human race and May He make you worthy in the Kingdom of Heaven to enjoy His Divine love together with you and all the saints, forever and ever. Amen.
Canons and Akathists
Akathist to St. Silouan of Athos
Kontakion 1
Ikos 1
The Creator of angels and the Lord of Powers from the womb of your mother chose you, and, according to the verb of the Psalmist, your heart is deeply gifted, God-bearing Father Silouan, so that, as in the devil beyond all description, having contained the inconceivable name of the Most High God and by the power of God and God’s Wisdom, you diligently follow the life of the angels. We, praising the wonderful feat of your earthly labors, reverently call to you:
Rejoice, with the word of God, like sweet honey, delighting the mind of your youth:
Rejoice, Father Silouan, in prayer for peace there is an unquenchable burning of love.
Kontakion 2
Seeing you, the Most Blessed Mother of God, immersed in the abyss of sin, always the sweetness of sin, like a foul-smelling serpent, descends into the womb of your youth, maternally saddened, and wondrously cry out: child, it is unfortunate for Me to see you desecrated in sinful deeds. Having realized with compassion for your fall, you wisely cast out the sinful serpent, conquering it through repentance and prayer, and ever singing to the Lord who loves us a grateful song about His Most Pure Mother: Alleluia.
Ikos 2
The Divine Mind fell upon you, when you were vouchsafed to hear the voice of the Mother of the Lord of Powers, God’s chosen one Silouan, and fill your heart with the grace of the Holy Spirit. By the same action, like a chamois from the snares, who wonderfully called you to the mountain of God's Mater - Mount Athos, you rushed from the bustle of the world, in order to cleave to God son-lovingly. We, seeing the wonderful will of the world of the Lady for you, touchingly call to you:
Rejoice, called from the darkness of sin to the light of the Truth of Christ by the Most Pure One;
Rejoice, being a faithful worker of her wondrously chosen earthly city.
Rejoice, sweet-flowing cluster of Russian lands, growing abundantly on Mount Athos;
Rejoice, vigilant conscience, dulling the sting of sin through prayer of repentance.
Rejoice, thou who served God angelically in the Holy Panteleimon Monastery:
Rejoice, in the work, fasting and silence of the enemy who fought you, you gloriously conquered.
Rejoice, you have humbly overcome all the machinations of the devil;
Rejoice, I thirst after God for the immaculate and glorious faith that I have acquired.
Rejoice, Father Silouan, in prayer for peace there is an unquenchable burning of love.
Kontakion 3
The power of the Most High truly protects you, when the spirit of hell and death weighs you down and your soul is overwhelmed by the temptations of sin, God-loving Father Silouan. Exhausted, you thought of God inexorably, then the Lord, Lover of mankind, in the indescribable glory of Favors, visit you and strengthen you with the fire of grace of the Holy Spirit, O all-blessed one. But you, like Paul, having received a new birth, with fear and joy you called out to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 3
Having the wealth of grace, you were raised by the Spirit to Heaven and there you heard ineffable verbs. Truly the joy of the one who confesses, Blessed Father Silouan. Whenever, outside the images of the world, in the contemplation of the Divine, the unspeakable kindness, the immeasurably loving and all-forgiving Christ God, you were vouchsafed to see the Face of God, you were filled with the ineffable love of God. We, marveling at your unspeakable vision of God, cry out:
Rejoice, in the struggle of faith in Christ you have been granted visitation and consolation;
Rejoice, thou art worthy to behold the kindness of His ineffable glory.
Rejoice, raised into the Heavenly Eden of wondrous beauty by the Holy Spirit;
Rejoice, there you have been abundantly filled with the grace-filled gifts of the Holy Comforter.
Rejoice, partaker of the indescribable beauty of heaven;
Rejoice, beloved by God and blessed by Him with the bounties of Heavenly kindness.
Rejoice, thou who diligently interceded for this grace to the whole human race;
Rejoice, as a never-slumbering guardian, awakening us to the morning of eternal life.
Rejoice, Father Silouan, in prayer for peace there is an unquenchable burning of love.
Kontakion 4
A storm of fierce temptations has been raised against you by the murderer devil, who has been seeking destruction from time immemorial, but you, Father Silouan, are instructed by the Holy Spirit: keep your mind in hell and do not despair, in unceasing vigil and humility anticipating the machinations of the devil, you have defeated him. He, put to shame by you, does not hesitate to say that he is a liar. Thus, God has kept your soul from the snares of the enemy, like a meek dove, constantly singing to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 4
Hearing about you, how wonderfully from the vanity of the world you were called to the monastic feat and by the grace of God creating good fruit, reverend, not only the young monks, but also the elders, in the ascetic struggle of great skill, I flowed to you and like honey, I delight in your deeds and words and achieving such a life as equal to the angels, I became like the Lord. We, seeing you adorned with humility, joyfully call to you:
Rejoice, inexhaustible storehouse of humility and chastity;
Rejoice, earthly Eden, fragrant and unfading.
Rejoice, you who bore the good yoke of Christ in your struggle with love;
Rejoice, having established your mind, heart and will in God through prayer.
Rejoice, diligent guardian of spiritual and physical purity;
Rejoice, having ascended through unceasing prayer to the heights of dispassion.
Rejoice, most zealous imitator of the patristic rules;
Rejoice, constant herald of the Heavenly Fatherland and God's love for us.
Rejoice, Father Silouan, in prayer for peace there is an unquenchable burning of love.
Kontakion 5
The star that shows the way and enlightens the mind - the Lord, the love of God, bestowed upon you the divine grace of Father Silouan, and with that, like the prophet Elijah at the stream of Horath, he strengthened you for the saving feat. But you, wonderfully nourished by the inexhaustible treasures of the Holy Spirit, in your youth and old age, from morning watch to night, in prayers for the whole universe, like a sweet-sung pipe, you unceasingly cried out to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 5
We see you, oh, blessed Father Silouan, in a good struggle, like a baby milking his mother for the love of God, seeking and flaming with that love, and tearfully crying out: remember, my soul, the love of the Lord, and warm my heart: who will give me so much heat, Do we not know peace in the days, or even in the nights, from the love of God? For this reason, we tremble in our hearts and are touched in our souls by the great burning of your love for the All-Generous God, and we tenderly call to you:
Rejoice, you who insatiably thirst for the truth of God is sweeter than honey;
Rejoice, imitating an angel in your love for the Lord.
Rejoice, offer up a censer of pure prayer, like a flame of fire;
Rejoice, thou who adorned heaven and earth with the beauty of angelic reverence.
Rejoice, for your heart has become like the fire of a fireproof bush;
Rejoice, for your hands, like those of Moses, were for the chosen people, stretching out for all before the Lord.
Rejoice, for you have loved and desired the destiny of God at all times and have sought His justifications;
Rejoice, for you cried out to Him unceasingly: save, O God, Thy people and bless Thy inheritance.
Rejoice, Father Silouan, in prayer for peace there is an unquenchable burning of love.
Kontakion 6
You appeared as a preacher of silent silence, O servant of God, when the Lord, Lover of mankind, desired to test you in love and deprive you of the visitation of the All-Holy Spirit. But you, having realized that you were deprived of the existence of that grace, like Adam, weeping at the deprivation of paradise, you tearfully cried out with a contrite heart: Lord! You first sought me and gave me to enjoy Your Holy Spirit, and my soul loved You. Now my soul yearns for You. Sobbing, yet trusting in God’s mercy, you cried out to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 6
You have shone forth, O God-loving Father Silouan, like a new seer of the mystic, from which you again acquired the grace of the Holy Spirit through humility and prayer with tears, and from it your heart was filled with unspeakable love. But you, realizing the power of grace, cried out with the boldness of Eli: Lord! Grant not only to me, but to the whole world to know Your love and be saved! We, having you as a prayer book before God, cannot sleep, we call to you with tenderness:
Rejoice, for you have opened heaven by praying for the dead, the living and the future;
Rejoice, for through your great love you have interceded for your soul the Kingdom of Heaven.
Rejoice, marvelous embodiment of purity of faith and innocence;
Rejoice, you who have received Christ's forgiveness for the sins of your neighbors.
Rejoice, faithful companion of the wondrous sanctuary of the world;
Rejoice, Most Blessed Abbess of Athos, faithful novice and receptacle of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Rejoice, Mount Athos, a pipe of sweet song, announcing the future life;
Rejoice, Toya, the tireless laborer of the helicopter city, strengthening the weary in the feat.
Rejoice, Father Silouan, in prayer for peace there is an unquenchable burning of love.
Kontakion 7
Although the Lord, the Lover of mankind, will reveal in you a new blessed luminary, O Reverend Father Silouan, like an olive branch, from the root of the Russian land, plant it in the desert of Athos, and water the Holy Spirit with grace, make you abundantly fruitful: for with your deeds and words, like life-giving oil, purity and You taught chastity, piety and brotherly love to everyone. They, bound by a union of love, punishing the worst for the best, sang to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 7
New desert dweller companion, monk and worldly mentor and teacher, the Lord reveal you, blessed Silouan. You, while still alive in the world, taught a certain warrior about the fall of his wife, who was seduced and angry, to Christ’s forgiveness, and thus the Sacrament of Marriage - the small Church was preserved from destruction: but monks who fell into despondency, calling on them to acquire spiritual peace and fear By instructing God, you brought them to repentance, and thus you prepared all the inhabitants of paradise to be. Knowing that you are so sad about the salvation of everyone, we must cry out to you with love:
Rejoice, zealous companion of empty-lover in the search for God;
Rejoice, diligent builder of brotherly love and warm prayer book for all,
Rejoice, faithful companion on the path of life, in troubles and misfortunes;
Rejoice, in sickness, sorrow, and spiritual sorrow, unhypocritical servant.
Rejoice, messenger of God’s love, calling everyone to reconciliation with God and their neighbors;
Rejoice in your testimony that the Lord is good, strengthening souls weary from sin in the hope of forgiveness.
Rejoice, faithful ascetic of earthly Eden, tearfully interceding for the salvation of the world;
Rejoice, for all unrepentant sinners who wish to go to hell.
Rejoice, Father Silouan, in prayer for peace there is an unquenchable burning of love.
Kontakion 8
Show the Lord a strange miracle to you, blessed Father Silouan, ever the elder-spiritual Abraham, transfigured in His image, inexpressibly radiant, marvelously showing and thus more honestly honoring the Sacrament of Repentance, instruct us. We, seeing you, our will, as if we entrusted our will to the Lord Himself, our spiritual father, and thus, by humility and repentance, cutting off our evil desires, to the will of God, through the shepherds of the Church of Christ, we learn to trust, and here, before our exodus, the wrath of God and the coming Judgment escape, crying out to the Triune God: Alleluia.
Ikos 8
Having acquired the humility of Christ with all your heart and soul, you are a wonderful servant of God, and to Him, the Beloved, crucified for peace, you tearfully cried out: Sweetest Jesus! You have resurrected my soul to love You and my neighbor. Grant that I may shed tears for the whole universe, so that all people may know You and enjoy Your peace and see the light of Your Face. But we, who have lived our lives in sins and are saved by you, bring you joy:
Rejoice, Tireless Companions, Zealous in prayers for the world;
Rejoice, as Jeremiah wept for the people, who watered the Holy Mountain with tears.
Rejoice, wonderful ascetic of Athonite, sanctifying the entire universe with prayer;
Rejoice, as a loving father, who intercedes tearfully before God for all who perish in sins.
Rejoice, beloved servant of Christ God, joy and surprise to the angels;
Rejoice, bright radiance of the North, pure reflection in the Athos desert of Holy Rus'.
Rejoice, you who in humility and obedience revealed to the world the image of angelic beauty;
Rejoice, through the warmth of your prayer you want to make us a home of the Divine Spirit.
Rejoice, Father Silouan, in prayer for peace there is an unquenchable burning of love.
Kontakion 9
All the angelic nature and multitude of ascetics were amazed at your humility and love for mankind, Our Father Silouan, when you accepted obedience to the iconography, you became like the chaste Joseph in Egypt. And not only for the brethren of the holy monastery, but also for the worldly workers who worked there, as if for the children of God, having care for God, who loves all of His creation, you cried out for them: Lord, send Your Holy Spirit and comfort the sorrowful souls of these poor people . Thus, in every obedience of humility, showing beauty, you incessantly cried out to God: Alleluia.
Ikos 9
The branches of multi-proclamation will not be able to express the power of your love, above all Father Silouan, for you tearfully thirsted to quench all enmity and discord among people and reconcile everything with God, crying out to the Master of the world: Lord! I long to be Yours and to be crucified with You for the entire universe, so that all will be saved. You cried out to the brethren: children, pray for your enemies, for they are your brethren—your life, and the only enemy of the world is the devil. We, therefore, instructing you in brotherly love and love for mankind, call you:
Rejoice, by your kindness you became like Christ on Golgotha;
Rejoice, not with your hands, but with your heart and soul, you were crucified for your enemies.
Rejoice, you cared for your neighbors and did not lose the beauty of grace-filled silence;
Rejoice, loving your neighbors, having acquired the power of unceasing prayer.
Rejoice, having with fasting and prayer repulsed the arrows of the evil one to the end;
Rejoice, having taught us to overcome the malice and tricks of the devil.
Rejoice, in the mill of Christ, exhausting the flesh with labor, like sacred bread, delighting the heart with prayer;
Rejoice, you who abundantly nourished the workers of the helicity of the Queen of Heaven with the bread of life.
Rejoice, Father Silouan, in prayer for peace there is an unquenchable burning of love.
Kontakion 10
Seeking the salvation of your soul and desiring to cleave to the Sweetest Christ, your father humbly came from the earth to the Holy Mountain, where in abstinence and silence, hard work and love of mankind you acquired beauty equal to the angels, O all-blessed one. And so on the most blessed morning, when all the desert-loving monasteries of Athos sang the midnight hymn to the Creator, you reached a good end and your soul, nourished by the Life-giving Body and Blood of the Lord, you gave into the Divine hands of Him, to unceasingly sing with all the saints the saints to the Most Holy Word: Alleluia.
Ikos 10
The Heavenly King, Who is glorified by the Cherubim and Seraphim and the holy cathedrals, by life, faith and love, you were the most zealous servant, reverend and, like a fragrant wine, you appeared with all the chosen ones of the Most Pure Mother of God at the Throne of the All-Holy Trinity. Be, O all-blessed one, your father’s zealous intercessor before God for the prosperous peace of the earth, and for the Church of the Holy Ones an angel of unceasing prayer and a warm intercessor, so that we may be delivered from troubles by you, we cry to you with gratitude:
Rejoice, angel of the Russian land, you worked extremely hard on the Holy Mountain;
Rejoice, warmest prayer book, crucified with love for us at the Throne of God.
Rejoice, you who zealously interceded with God for the people of the land of your fathers;
Rejoice, brethren of the Athonite city, who are exhausted in ascetic struggle, quick to intercede.
Rejoice, you who bore the wounds of your Lord on your body without complaint;
Rejoice, thy soul, whitened with tears of repentance, entrusted pure to Him.
Rejoice, faithful worker of Christ’s grapes, called by the Lord to the High Zion;
Rejoice, for there you converse with the saints and angels, crowned with glory and honor.
Rejoice, Father Silouan, in prayer for peace there is an unquenchable burning of love.
Kontakion 11
We offer a hymn of praise to you, saint of God, Father Silouan, with burning love for the Lord, who hungered for the salvation of the world and put the devil to shame with His humility, faithfully following, you fragrant the Athos desert with pure prayer, an image of an equal life with the angels, adorned with the abundant gifts of the Holy Spirit, graciously showing us . By likening the Holy Mountain to heaven, you have put your enemy to shame, but you have gained the Kingdom of Heaven for your soul, challenging us to cleave to God with love, crying out to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 11
The bearer of the light-giving Light and grace of the Holy Spirit in life and in death to the whole world, the Lord will reveal you in our days, O Reverend One, looking at you with the imperishable beauty of earthly deeds, shining and cherubic at the Throne of God, making prayers for us, in the hope of our salvation we will be confident and Let us most diligently follow a well-behaved life, and sweetly submit our will to God’s love, so that in our bodies and souls the glorification of the name of the Lord who loves us may be established. Moreover, we strengthen you in faith, we call you with love:
Rejoice, you who strengthen us through the feat of a well-behaved life in love for God;
Rejoice, zealous denouncer of evil, teaching us the Sacraments and rules of the Orthodox faith.
Rejoice, diligently zealous for Peter of Athos’s life in the desert in fasting and silence;
Rejoice, having faithfully imitated Abba Athanasius in caring for the good behavior of those who monastically worship.
Rejoice, new lamp of faith, in our days showing the right path to God;
Rejoice, you who wonderfully testify to everyone about the inexhaustibility of the grace of the Holy Spirit in the Orthodox Church.
Rejoice, faithful servant of Christ, standing worthy at the Throne of His Glory;
Rejoice, you who earnestly ask us for a good death and a good answer at the Last Judgment of Christ.
Rejoice, Father Silouan, in prayer for peace there is an unquenchable burning of love.
Kontakion 12
The inscrutable power of grace poured out upon you by Christ our God, O Reverend One, in the hedgehog in Heaven, where everything lives and moves in the joy of the Holy Spirit, manifest itself in the person of the Athonite ascetics, with all the saints making prayers for all earthly beings. Thus leading you, we pray: pour out, oh, all-blessed one, a warm prayer to the Lord, so that by being merciful, His Holy Church, for our salvation, will forever establish the desert-loving people of earthly Eden, preserve and strengthen everything, so that the name of God may be glorified forever from earthly and Heavenly ones singing: Alleluia.
Ikos 12
Singing your glorious memory, God-bearing Father Silouan, we worthily bless your illnesses and labors, even in your vigil and fasting with all the chosen ones of God, you bore all your efforts to the Mother. Whoever considers your labors and sighs, tearfully offered in prayers for the world, in the image of the Lord His wrath, for the sake of our sins, turn to mercy and by Your love for mankind the oath by which you swear - the Church of the Saints to be established until the end of time - do not destroy. We, being grateful to your great intercession, tenderly call to you:
Rejoice, zealous follower of the guidance of the Holy Spirit;
Rejoice, Christ - the Goodness and Wisdom of God - is in the bodily eyes of the beholder.
Rejoice, humble ascetic of Christ, joy and praise to the Mother of God before all those in heaven and on earth;
Rejoice, vigilant prayer book for peace, hope and consolation for our salvation.
Rejoice, heir of the Kingdom of Christ, having beautified Mount Athos with your feat;
Rejoice, faithful companion of our salvation, the path leading to God, sanctified for us.
Rejoice, golden trumpet, proclaiming the glory of God with all the saints and angels;
Rejoice, thou crowned with the crown of immortality by God, who never forsakes us in our prayers.
Rejoice, Father Silouan, in prayer for peace there is an unquenchable burning of love.
Kontakion 13
Kontakion 13
Oh, wonderful servant of God Silouan, blessed birth of the Russian land, praise and adornment to the desert-loving Mount Athos! Accept this small prayer from us and ask Christ our God, who was crucified for the world, that He may have mercy on all of us, His children, and by the grace of the Holy Spirit bind us into the union of His love and, like the news of destinies, bring us to Himself, in which He will shamelessly appear through your prayers on the Day of Judgment, before the Face of His glory, we will be honored with all the saints and angels to sing the victorious song: Alleluia.
Kontakion 13
Oh, wonderful servant of God Silouan, blessed birth of the Russian land, praise and adornment to the desert-loving Mount Athos! Accept this small prayer from us and ask Christ our God, who was crucified for the world, that He may have mercy on all of us, His children, and by the grace of the Holy Spirit bind us into the union of His love and, like the news of destinies, bring us to Himself, in which He will shamelessly appear through your prayers on the Day of Judgment, before the Face of His glory, we will be honored with all the saints and angels to sing the victorious song: Alleluia.
Ikos 1
The Creator of angels and the Lord of Powers chose you from the womb of your mother, and, according to the verb of the Psalmist, your heart is deeply gifted to you, God-bearing Father Silouan, so that, as in the devil beyond all comparison, you have contained the inconceivable name of the Most High God and by the power of God and God’s Wisdom you will diligently follow the life of the angels. We, praising the wonderful feat of your earthly labors, reverently call to you:
Rejoice, fruit of chaste purity of pious parents;
Rejoice, fragrant flowering of their feat of faith, unfading beauty.
Rejoice, dearly loving the piety of your parents;
Rejoice, you who are well-willed have become like their chastity and love of God.
Rejoice, having been wondrously wise to seek joy in God from your youth;
Rejoice, like the tree that strives towards the source of God's grace.
Rejoice, with the word of God, like sweet honey, delighting the mind of your youth;
Rejoice, having completely subdued your heart to the will of God.
Rejoice, Father Silouan, in prayer for peace there is an unquenchable burning of love.
Kontakion 1
Chosen ascetic and earthly angel of Christ, all-blessed Father Silouan! In the unceasing vigil, fasting and humility of the fathers of Athonite, an imitator beyond measure, with a thirst for God and burning love for Him, you acquired abundant grace for your soul, O all-blessed one. Imitating Christ, for those languishing in hell, the living and the future, you crucified yourself with tearful prayer. Do not deprive us of your love, in the vale of sins more sinful than yours, intercession before God, asking and tenderly calling:
Rejoice, Father Silouan, in prayer for peace there is an unquenchable burning of love.
Prayer
Oh, wonderful servant of God, Father Silouan! By the grace given to you by God, tearfully pray for the entire universe - the dead, the living and the future - do not remain silent for us to the Lord, who diligently fall to you and touchingly ask for your intercession. Move, O all-blessed one, to prayer the Zealous Intercessor of the Christian race, the Most Blessed Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, who miraculously called you to be a faithful worker in Her earthly city, where God’s chosen one beseeches God for our sins, merciful and long-suffering, so as not to remember untruths and iniquities ours, but, according to the ineffable goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to spare and save us according to His great mercy.
She, saint of God, with the Most Blessed Lady of the World - the Most Holy Abbess of Athos and Her holy ascetics, ask the saints for the Most Holy Word of Holy Mount Athos and her God-loving desert dweller to be preserved from all the troubles and slander of the enemy in the world. Yes, the Angels deliver the saints from evil and strengthen them in faith and brotherly love with the Holy Spirit, until the end of the century they pray for the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and show everyone the saving path, and the Earthly and Heavenly Church continually glorifies the Creator and Father of Lights, enlightening and sanctifying peace in the eternal truth and goodness of God.
Ask the peoples of the whole earth for prosperity and a peaceful life, the spirit of humility and brotherly love, good morals and salvation, the spirit of the fear of God. May it not be malice and lawlessness that harden the hearts of men, which can destroy the love of God in men and cast them into godless enmity and fratricide, but in the power of Divine love and truth, as in Heaven and on earth, hallowed be the name of God, may His holy will be done in men , and may peace and the Kingdom of God reign on earth.
Likewise, for your earthly Fatherland - the Russian lands, ask, servant of God, the longed-for peace and heavenly blessing, so that, covered by the omnipotent omophorion of the Mother of God, it will be delivered from famine, destruction, cowardice, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare and from all enemies visible and invisible, and thus in the most holy house of the Most Blessed Mother of God, until the end of the century, he will remain in the power of the Life-Giving Cross and be established in the inexhaustible love of God.
For all of us, who are immersed in the darkness of sins and warmth of repentance, who have no lower fear of God and who never cease to insult the Lord who loves us immeasurably, ask, O all-blessed one, from our All-Bountiful God, so that with His Almighty divine grace He will visit and revive our souls, and all May he abolish the malice and pride of life, despondency and negligence in our hearts.
We also pray that we, strengthened by the grace of the All-Holy Spirit and warmed by the love of God, in love for mankind and brotherly love, humility and prayerful crucification for each other and for everyone, will be established in the truth of God and be well strengthened in the gracious love of God, and will draw closer to Him who loves Him. Yes, so, doing His all-holy will, in all piety and purity of temporary life, let us walk the path unashamedly and with all the saints of the Heavenly Kingdom and His Lamb we will be honored. To Him from all earthly and heavenly be glory, honor and worship, with His Beginning Father, the Most Holy and Good, and His Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
This day in history
1904 A bronze statue of Christ on the Chilean-Argentine border has been consecrated.
1881 Alexander II was mortally wounded on the embankment of the Catherine Canal in St. Petersburg by a bomb thrown by Narodnaya Volya member Ignatius Grinevitsky.
1989 The World Wide Web (WWW), better known as the Internet, was invented.
Memory Venerable Silouan of Athos takes place in the Orthodox Church on September 24 according to the new style.
Biography of Elder Silouan of Athos
Elder Silouan of Athos was known in the world as Semyon Ivanovich Antonov and was from the Tambov province. Although he lived a fairly long life and died at an old age, his biography was not rich in external events. He was born in 1866 into a peasant family in Lebedyansky district. Great influence on him spiritual development provided by the recluse John Sezenevsky, who lived nearby, and was later glorified as a locally revered saint.
Semyon Antonov, distinguished by great religiosity from his youth, wanted to go to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra to take monastic vows there, but his father insisted that he first undergo military service. In 1892, a young man came to Athos to the Russian monastery of St. Panteleimon and spent the rest of his life on the Holy Mountain. The Monk Silouan died in 1938 and half a century later was canonized in the Patriarchate of Constantinople, and soon veneration of the saint began in the Russian Orthodox Church.
The spiritual path of St. Silouan of Athos
We know about the spiritual path of the Monk Silouan thanks to his disciple, Archimandrite Sophrony Sakharov, who wrote a book about his spiritual father, in which he spoke not only about the elder’s biography, but also about the exploits and temptations that the monk faced during his monastic life. According to the story of Archimandrite Sophrony, the future saint acquired unceasing prayer even during his novitiate. However, lacking spiritual experience, he fell into temptation. The young novice began to be visited by various thoughts, which either told him that he had already achieved holiness, or suggested the impossibility of salvation. Demons began to appear to Silouan, and he talked with them and asked why they inspired him with various thoughts. As a result of these temptations, the novice reached the extreme degree of despair, and he was given the opportunity to experience complete condition God-forsakenness, which, although it lasted no more than an hour, deeply shocked him and left the memory of this terrible experience for the rest of his life. However, on the same day, Silouan was awarded a vision of Christ during the service. Telling his disciples about this later, the elder said that it was impossible to describe the state of bliss that he experienced in those moments. The spiritual experience gained that day and the touch of hellish torment and the bliss of the Kingdom of Heaven radically changed the life of the young novice. From that time on, he devoted his entire life to the struggle to preserve the grace given to him.
Teachings of Elder Silouan
The literary legacy left by Silouan of Athos is small: during his monastic life he wrote only a small number of letters, and in addition there were small notes he made in the margins of books. The bulk of his rich spiritual experience was conveyed to his close disciples orally and later collected and recorded in the book of Archimandrite Sophrony Sakharov “Elder Silouan”. The monk, who had gone through terrible temptations, often repeated the revelation given to him from the Lord: “Keep your mind in hell and do not despair.” The elder also spoke a lot about repentance and the need to remember one’s sins, even those already confessed. Based on his experience, he emphasized that only such memory and repentance can save a person from vanity and will not allow him to deviate from the right spiritual path. The elder also taught that the cause of unbelief in a person is pride, and only a humble person, to whom the love of God is revealed through the Holy Spirit, can know God.
Troparion, tone 2:
Seraphim’s love for the Lord, a fiery zealot / and Jeremiah, for a people weeping, / a zealous imitator, / all-blessed Father Silouan, / you, I call to the Mother of the Lord of Powers, / you wisely cast out the sinful serpent / and you withdrew to Mount Athos from the vanity of the world, / where in labors and prayers with tears / the grace of the Holy Spirit is abundantly acquired. / With it, ignite our hearts / and strengthen us with a tender cry: / My Lord, my Life and Holy Joy, / save the world and us from all evil ones.
Kontakion, voice 2:
A wonderful confessor of humility, / and kindness warmed by the Holy Spirit, / beloved Silouan of God, / the Russian Church rejoices in your struggle, / but the foreigners of Mount Athos and all Christian people, / rejoicing, rush to God with filial love. / Pray for us, equal to the angels of God, / so that we may be saved, imitating you in the burning of love.
Magnification:
We bless you, / Reverend Father Silouan, / and honor your holy memory, / mentor of monks, / and interlocutor of Angels.
Prayer:
O wonderful servant of God, Father Silouan! By the grace given to you by God, pray tearfully for the entire universe, the dead, the living and the future, do not be silent for us to the Lord, who diligently fall to you and touchingly ask for your intercession (names). Move, O all-blessed one, to prayer the Zealous Intercessor of the Christian race, the Most Blessed Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, who miraculously called you to be a faithful worker in Her earthly city, where the chosen one of God begs God for our sins, merciful and long-suffering, so that our untruths and iniquities are not remembered , but according to the ineffable goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to spare and save us according to His great mercy. She, servant of God, with the Most Blessed Lady of the World - the Most Holy Abbess of Athos and Her holy ascetics, ask the saints for the most holy Word of the holy Mount Athos and its God-loving desert dwellers to be preserved from all the troubles and slander of the enemy in the world. Yes, the Angels deliver the saints from evil and strengthen them in faith and brotherly love with the Holy Spirit, until the end of the century they pray for the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and show everyone the saving path, and the Earthly and Heavenly Church constantly glorifies the Creator and Father of Lights, enlightening and illuminating peace in the eternal truth and goodness of God. Ask the people of the entire earth for a prosperous and peaceful life, a spirit of humility and brotherly love, good morals and salvation, a spirit of fear of God. May it not be malice and lawlessness that harden the hearts of men, which can destroy the love of God in men and cast them into godless enmity and fratricide, but in the power of Divine love and truth, as in heaven and on earth, hallowed be the name of God, may His holy will be done in men , and may peace and the Kingdom of God reign on earth. In the same way, ask for your earthly Fatherland - the land of Russia, servant of God, the longed-for peace and heavenly blessing, covered by the omnipotent omophorion of the Mother of God, to get rid of famine, destruction, cowardice, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare and from all visible enemies and invisible, and thus remain the most holy house of the Most Blessed Mother of God until the end of the age, the Life-giving Cross by the power, and be established in the inexhaustible love of God. For all of us, who are immersed in the darkness of sins and warmth of repentance, who have no lower fear of God and who constantly insult the Lord who loves us immeasurably, ask, O all-blessed one, from our All-Bountiful God, so that with His Almighty divine grace He will visit and revive our souls and all evil and may he abolish worldly pride, despondency and negligence in our hearts. We also pray that we, strengthened by the grace of the All-Holy Spirit and warmed by the love of God, in philanthropy and brotherly love, in humble crucification for each other and for everyone, may be confirmed in the truth of God and well strengthened in the gracious love of God, and will draw closer to the filial One. Yes, so, doing His all-holy will, in all piety and purity of temporary life, let us walk the path unashamedly and with all the saints of the Heavenly Kingdom and His Lamb we will be honored. To Him from all earthly and heavenly be glory, honor and worship, with His Beginningless Father, His Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
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