IN The May issue of the magazine “Monastic Bulletin” No. 4, 2017 was published.

Issue theme: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted...”: on the 65th anniversary of the repose of the blessed Matrona of Moscow

In addition to those who “died nobly in torment” (cf. 1 Mac. 6:43-46) for the faith of Christ during the period of godless persecution of the Church in the twentieth century, there were also those who experienced suffering and passed “cruel paths” (Ps. 16:4) and lived. The Lord gave them a different cross. They were the wall that the “gates of hell” could not overcome. They preserved for us, future generations of Orthodox Christians, the priceless treasure of the Church of Christ and were a living example of personal courage and patient bearing of their cross. One of these pillars of the Church was righteous Matrona Moscow.

“The miraculous power of the blessed Matrona of Moscow is directly connected with her suffering, with her torment, with her carrying the saving cross,” notes Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'. “And may the Lord help us all... to fill our minds and our hearts with the power of her example, with an understanding of what it means for a person to bear the cross that God places on him.” Therefore, neither grumbling, nor weakness, nor doubt, nor bitterness should accompany us in bearing our life’s trials, but gratitude to God for everything that He sends to us... Through the prayers of Saint Matrona, may the Lord help each of us in bearing the cross, in strengthening our faith , in preserving hope and increasing love."

Read in the issue:

First hand

Serve God and people

“Our monastic service is to ensure that everyone who comes to the All-Russian eldress feels good and warm,” - on the eve of the anniversary of the repose of the blessed Matrona of Moscow, “MV” talks with Abbess Feofania (Miskina), abbess of the Pokrovsky stauropegial convent of Moscow, in which the honest relics rest saint.

The Saints

All-Russian oxbow

Tens of thousands know Blessed Matrona of Moscow Orthodox people. Matronushka - this is how many affectionately call her. She helps people just like during her earthly life. This is felt by everyone who with faith and love asks her for intercession and intercession before the Lord, towards whom the blessed old woman has great boldness.

Interview

Hegumen Nektary (Morozov): “Monasticism is a special risk zone”

About why monasticism is dangerous field battles where not everyone should go; how to treat those who left the monastery; about current and pressing problems of modern monasticism - an interview with the head of the information and publishing department of the Saratov diocese, the rector of the Peter and Paul Church in Saratov, Abbot Nektariy (Morozov). The material was prepared by Khristina Polyakova.

Spiritual Geography

Island of Eternity. To the 20th anniversary of the revival of the Resurrection Novodevichy Convent of St. Petersburg

The emergence of the first monastic monasteries in Rus' was due to a “movement from above” - the Rurikovichs were guided by the Byzantine experience, where the creation of monasteries by emperors was a widespread practice. The idea of ​​​​creating the first convent in St. Petersburg belonged to Elizabeth I. But even when the initiative to establish monasteries came from secular authorities, the monasteries still stood only for the deep faith, genuine piety and asceticism of the monks, and were famous thanks to the exploits, labors and prayers of their ascetics. Read about the history of the creation and revival of the nunnery on the Neva, as well as about the life of the monastery today, in the article by nun Euphrosyne (Berlizova).

Spiritual life

Diary of a nun

“MV” continues to publish the diary entries of nun Tatiana (Sokolova), a nun of a Russian monastery, which she kept for two years. In selected chapters from the diary, the spiritual life of the nun, her experiences, impressions, questions, and reflections, is revealed to the reader.

Church Fathers

Hieromartyr Seraphim (Chichagov): gifted in many ways

The life of the Hieromartyr Seraphim captured several eras of Russian history: the time of Tsar-Liberator Alexander II, remarkable in its reformist scope; the reign of Alexander III, famous for its reasonable conservatism; the tragic reign of Nicholas II and, finally, the period of madness of revolutionary riots and the complete collapse of all the achievements of the previous three eras. But, despite dramatic external events and contrary to the spirit of the times, Bishop Seraphim was always an optimist and a creator. He was distinguished by colossal erudition and professionalism in everything he undertook: in military affairs, medicine, philosophy, music, painting, charity. Before the February coup, his works were highly valued: he was awarded 16 orders and medals Russian Empire, and after February 1917 he received a reward from the Lord - a martyr's crown. Material by regular MV author Anastasia Michalos.

Legal consultation

Objects cultural heritage

Ministry of Culture Russian Federation completed the development of methodological recommendations for classifying historical and cultural territories as objects of cultural heritage in the form of places of interest. “MV” publishes clarifications from the Legal Service of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Inna Stromilova: Hello, Father Nektary. Please explain why a believer needs to read Orthodox literature and what place does this have in the matter of salvation?

Hegumen Nektary (Morozov): The fact is that any person who wants to intelligently walk his life’s path needs to be enriched by the experience of those people who have walked this path before him. And in this regard, the life of a believer – the life of a Christian – is no exception. The path of salvation is a thorny path, a very difficult path, on which a person faces many temptations, many opportunities to make a mistake - and it is no coincidence that the holy fathers called this very science of salvation “the art of arts.” And it would probably be wonderful if a person who is trying to master this “art of arts” did not wonder how all those who not only received salvation, but also achieved holiness achieved salvation.

The peculiarity of our time is that we are primarily left with books. If we look at the same Ancient patericon, then we will see how some of the brethren who needed instruction, and sometimes some of the laity, could easily receive this advice and instruction from those whose life was quite clearly a righteous life - a pure life and a holy life. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) in the Fatherland draws attention to the fact that at one time there were up to five hundred brethren in the Nitrian desert performing signs and wonders.

One can imagine this period of heyday of monasticism in Egypt... In subsequent centuries, when Christian life and monastic life were no longer as bright, so rich, so complete as in this period of its heyday, spirit-bearing mentors were nevertheless also present in this life. We can find evidence of this in the works of many holy fathers, in the lives of saints, and throughout the history of the Church.

Of course, these words from the psalm have been heard at all times - the saint is poor (Ps. 11: 1.) - but still we have the opportunity to compare different historical periods of the life of the Church and come to a certain conclusion. To the conclusion that, perhaps, earlier the impoverishment of holiness was felt by someone, but in our time it has nevertheless reached some kind of maximum development. We live today in a country that is just awakening after a long, many-decade period when church life was killed, when monasteries were closed. And naturally, the transfer of living experience from person to person was not only extremely difficult, but practically absent. Why is monasticism in Russia being revived practically from scratch, and monasteries appearing from scratch, and not as before, when a certain brotherhood led by an abbot came to some place, began to strive there, and then a monastery was formed. Today it turns out differently: there are walls, someone moves in there, and only the Lord knows what will come of it. And of course, this doesn’t always turn out to be what we would like.

Therefore, in our time, probably more than in any other time, acquaintance with that experience, with that ascetic tradition that can be found in the works of the holy fathers, is of great importance. If you look at the 19th century, you can see a number of authors whom we read and revere as saints today. This is Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), Saint Paisius (Velichkovsky), a significant part of the Optina elders.

These authors constantly said in their letters and in their books that reading patristic literature is an indispensable condition for salvation for everyone who wants to be saved. St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) especially paid attention to this, and as for St. Paisius (Velichkovsky), he believed that the basis for the instruction of the monastics who were under his leadership, under his care, was the joint reading of patristic books.

In his monasteries the holy fathers read every night, and he, being the abbot, explained everything that needed clarification to his brethren - and he did this sometimes in one language, sometimes in another, because his brethren were multilingual.

If we talk about the Optina elders, then the very tradition of book printing, which involves the publication of holy fathers and translation activities, is also in the newest church history is in a certain way connected specifically with the Optina Hermitage, because both the Optina elders and the people close to the Optina Hermitage worked quite a lot in this regard.

If a Christian does not have the opportunity to come and receive an answer to the questions that bother him - to those questions that naturally arise in the course of his spiritual life - from an experienced ascetic, from an elder (and rarely, rarely does anyone have such an opportunity), to these The book answers the same questions. The answers are given by those people who, through experience - through falls, mistakes, and some discoveries that they found on the spiritual path - were able to answer these questions for us in their creations. And each of us has probably encountered this: we read such a book and suddenly feel that in “The Ladder” or in the Venerable Abba Dorotheos, or in St. Ephraim Sirin, or St. Isaac the Syrian, has some word that was spoken to us, which we are in dire need of right now.

– Tell me, which books are best to start getting acquainted with this soulful heritage?

– Here, probably, as elsewhere, you need to go from simpler to more complex. Simpler for us are those authors who are closer to us in time. In general, I would probably advise starting not with the works of the patrists, but with the writings of ascetics of piety who lived practically in our time, a little earlier. These could be letters from abbot Nikon (Vorobiev), letters from schema abbot John (Alekseev) - both of them constantly contain references to one or another patristic creation; both letters are literally imbued with the same patristic spirit.

Then I would advise moving on to Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) or to Saint Theophan the Recluse. Some find it easier to read St. Ignatius, others find it easier to read St. Theophan; it depends on the warehouse, because St. Ignatius is more inclined towards literary language, and Saint Theophan writes seemingly more simply, but sometimes he writes about more complex things, strange as it may seem. But you definitely need to get to know them both. In addition, I would advise at this stage to get acquainted with a book such as “My Life in Christ” by St. righteous John Kronstadt. And be sure to read “The Invisible Warfare” by St. Nicodemus the Holy Mountain, which in some concise manner outlines everything you need to know about waging this very invisible war and how to live a spiritual life.

And after that, it would be logical to move on to the more ancient holy fathers - but first of all, take up books about active life. Do not study the experiences of someone’s contemplations, but learn how to recognize passions in yourself and how to fight them. And here, of course, the first place is occupied by such books as “Soulful Teachings” by the Venerable Abba Dorotheos and “The Ladder” by the Venerable John Climacus.

But, besides this, there are a number of books that you definitely need to get acquainted with and which are rarely read by modern Christians. This is St. Isaac the Syrian, this is St. Ephraim the Syrian with the entire corpus of his works, this is St. John Cassian the Roman, this is the Hieromartyr Peter of Damascus, and these are, of course, answers to the students’ questions about the spiritual life of St. Barsanuphius the Great and John the Prophet.

I think that this is a certain minimum of patristic creations, which every person who is zealous for his salvation should definitely get acquainted with.

You can talk about each of the books, each of these authors separately, but the point is that they all seem to be talking about the same thing. They - despite all the differences in the form of conveying what they want to say, with all the psychological differences that existed between them, because they were different people and in none of them their personal qualities were abolished - nevertheless, they speak in one, united spirit; and each of us will find someone closer to us at one point or another in our lives, someone will tell us exactly the word we need.

In fact, as the Monk Leo of Optina once said, the holy fathers must be read by deeds. If a person reads a patristic book, but does not try to apply it in his life - does not stop, does not examine himself, as if standing in front of a mirror in front of this book - this will definitely be forgotten. People come and say: “Well, I read this, and I read this, and I read this - and I don’t remember anything.”

And I always remember an example from the life of Optina Pustyn. One of the newly admitted brethren came to one of the Optina elders and asked: “What, father, do you bless to read?” He said: “Read the Monk Abba Dorotheos.” He read it, came and said: “What next?” - “Then read it again.” He obediently read it again, came again and was advised to read it a third time. This again reminds us of the story from the life of St. Paul the Simple, who heard the first words of the Psalter - “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked” (Ps. 1:1) - and left. And then it was customary to memorize entire psalms and even, perhaps, the entire Psalter, if anyone could do it. And so the one who taught him asks: “Where did you go? You haven’t made any progress on this path.” He says: “I haven’t really progressed on this path, I’ve only heard the first phrase so far and decided that until I become someone who does not follow the path of the wicked, it makes no sense for me to teach further.”

Approximately the same principle should be applied to reading patristic books. After all, this is not just material that you need to get acquainted with; you need to apply everything to yourself as you read it. We opened the book and started reading about the action of some passion - we definitely need to stop and think: how exactly does this passion operate in me? We read about the struggle with this passion - and again we stop and ask the question: am I struggling with this passion? Or am I fighting in some other way? Or am I not fighting at all? That is, reading the holy fathers should not only be joyful and sweet for us, but it should also be painful. If this moment of painfulness is not there, then in fact it is fruitless.

The Monk Mark the Ascetic - another author with whom you should also definitely get acquainted, especially with his chapters “On the Spiritual Law” - likened knowledge that is not supported by doing to a sharp rod on which a person wants to lean at some point, but this rod pierces his hand. This is how dangerous is the knowledge that a person thinks he has and which is not supported by the experienced execution of what he knows.

And one more author who needs to be named is St. Macarius of Egypt. I didn’t talk about it right away, because I was talking about the holy fathers who wrote about the active life, but the Venerable Macarius of Egypt still largely combines chapters on the active life and chapters on the contemplative life and about those grace-filled experiences that the Lord gave him . But it is also necessary to get to know him, because we have an idea - often, perhaps, vaguely, but nevertheless we have - about the laws that govern this world, about the laws that exist in the country in which we live - but besides this, there are also laws of spiritual life, and they are most often completely unknown to us.

We seem to begin to understand something, but we are very far from a clear understanding. Take, for example, such a sin as condemnation. We all judge quite often. And we don’t notice that we fall into the very sins for which we condemn someone - and all the holy fathers agree on this. There is a spiritual law: as soon as you have judged someone for something, you have lost grace - and, most likely, the Lord will allow you to fall into the same sin for which you are judging someone. But this is only one particular manifestation of how spiritual laws operate, and in fact their action is much more extensive. And it is simply impossible to get to know him other than by reading the books of the holy fathers.

Why else is this reading necessary? We are very susceptible to the influence of our environment. And, of course, this environment constantly grounds us, immerses us in some kind of everyday worries, in a completely carnal attitude towards everything that happens in our lives. This is natural, because whoever you hang out with is how you will gain - and our circle of friends is people just like us. They are just as sinful, just as weak, just as carnal... And it is very difficult for us to find in them examples for ourselves that could guide us in the ascent of grief - just as it is difficult for them to find such examples for themselves in us. Meanwhile, we need these examples: we need communication with those before whom we might be ashamed, communication with those who could support us, kindle in us a spirit of zeal for piety.

And for us, the holy fathers become such interlocutors, such people with whom we can communicate. In fact, when we begin to read a book by this or that father, we necessarily enter into some kind of communication with him. It is good, of course, when we still pray to this holy author; but even if we don’t pray, it doesn’t matter, we picked up his book, and he won’t forget us for this, he will definitely remember us in his prayers before God.

Reading a book, among other things, creates a certain spiritual mood, which is extremely important for us. Why did the Monk Ambrose of Optina advise that we should devote some time in the morning to reading the Holy Fathers? He said: at least five, at least ten minutes, if you have no other time, but read. And then throughout the day, as he said, you need to chew what you read, like a cow’s cud, that is, constantly remember, convert it in your heart and in your mind.

Indeed, this creates a certain atmosphere in which a person lives. The Monk Barsanuphius the Great said that if you throw some nonsense into a millstone, you will get nonsense, but if you put pure grain there, you will get flour from which you can bake bread. He said that if you woke up in the morning and can give yourself clean grain, give it to yourself.

"Pure grain" in in this case maybe prayer and reading. That's why it's good to at least read something in the morning. Reading at night can also be fruitful, as well as during the day, but the one who spends five minutes in the morning will have a completely different mental state. will become a fortune on the coming day.

– Father Nektary, what should one do if a person reads the works of some author and understands that he cannot do it and that it is very difficult for him to bear? What does this indicate? Maybe it’s just too early for him to read it, or does this say something about his spiritual state?

– On the one hand, reading should be consistent with our life. As I have already said, it is hardly worth starting, for example, with the patristic works with the hymns about the Divine love of St. Simeon the New Theologian. Because you can be amazed by the beauty of what the saint is talking about, but it will be extremely far from our life. And either after some time we will fall into despondency, because we will understand how far we are from what this ascetic is talking about, or, on the contrary, we will begin to fantasize and invent something, which will be even worse. On the other hand, when we read about active life, then yes, we may be faced with the fact that we cannot fulfill what this author is talking about. But strictly speaking, what this author is not talking about, but what the Gospel is talking about, because all these authors about whom we are talking do not teach us anything else - they teach us how to teach ourselves to fulfill what the Lord commands in the Gospel.

When we understand that we don’t have the strength to do this, when we understand that we can’t do anything, this is not a reason to quit reading.

A certain brother asked the elder: “Here, father, I read, but I do nothing and nothing works out for me. Maybe I should stop reading?” And the elder said to him: “No, you see, if you continue to read and understand what you should do, and feel that you can’t do it, you will at least humble yourself and condemn and reproach yourself. And if you don’t read this, then the memory that you need to do this in principle will leave you - and you won’t do it, and you won’t humble yourself.” Therefore, there are still benefits from reading.

Another elder likened reading the patristic books to Holy Scripture rinsing the vessel with running water. He said: “Pour water into this dirty glass. Pour and pour again, and again. Do you see that the glass is getting cleaner?

In the same way, a person’s soul nevertheless becomes purer as he reads the books of the holy fathers. Of course, in the event that a person, again, reads them with humility and does not try to enrich himself through this in some inappropriate way. We all probably know people in church life who, perhaps, have not lifted a finger in order to fulfill something from what they have read, but are ready, on occasion, to literally sprinkle quotes left and right, and more Moreover, they are ready, based on these quotes, to judge those around them. This is a completely “illegal” way of reading the Holy Fathers. If a person reads the Holy Fathers for this purpose, it is better for him, of course, not to read them.

– Father Nektary, some people, when they first come to faith, rush to read everything they can get their hands on. Can such reading cause harm?

– The point is that any ascetic activity – and reading is also an ascetic activity – must be of an orderly nature. If a person begins to pray randomly, if a person begins to eat randomly, even if a person begins to go to church randomly, then after some time this leads to some kind of imbalance. A person must determine for himself how much he can pray, how long he can be present in church, how much he needs to eat - and exactly how much and what he needs to read. Because reading is spiritual food that can also cause a state of poisoning.

An excess of anything, even the best person, can lead to breakdown. Therefore, it is imperative to consult with the priest to whom a person confesses - especially if this priest himself is a “bookish” person and loves books - or at least adhere to this principle for himself: take one patristic book about active life and read it.

Since reading the Holy Fathers is still solid food, and this food is not always easily digestible, then, probably, it’s still not worth reading the Holy Fathers for hours - it could be half an hour a day, it could be an hour, but hardly more .

If a person has time to read - if he is like that happy man, - then he can, simultaneously with the patristic book, read some book, say, on the history of the Church or theology, and at the same time some book of a biographical, hagiographical nature.

Why - yes, because the human mind, the human soul also sometimes needs rest. And when a person feels that everything, this solid food, is no longer assimilated by him, he moves on to enrich himself with knowledge, reading what he needs to know about the teaching of the Church, about its history, about the interpretations of the Holy Scriptures. Or he simply takes the reading that does not require any effort from him, but comforts his soul. This is reading the lives of ascetics of piety. Through experience, I came to the conclusion that such three books could well coexist. When there are four, five, six, seven books, when a person grabs onto everything at the same time, of course, this is wrong.

In addition, you can find - for example, in the advice of the Optina elders - recommendations to read a specific chapter from a particular holy father on a specific occasion. For example, it often happens that people come to confession and say that they are embarrassed by blasphemous thoughts. Would you advise a person to read the chapter of St. John Climacus on the inexplicable blasphemous thoughts, and everything falls into place for the person. He understands that these thoughts are not his, he understands that he cannot pray and blaspheme at the same time - that means the enemy is blaspheming, and the only way to get rid of this is to simply not pay attention. Because the enemy is very proud, and when no attention is paid to him, he leaves; and if a person is frightened, if a person is embarrassed, he will definitely hit this point endlessly and literally bombard and torment the person with these thoughts.

But in addition to this targeted, let’s say, reading, it is still necessary to read books from beginning to end, to get to know the authors. And some books, of course, need to be re-read throughout your life. And Abba Dorotheus, and “The Ladder,” and Saints Barsanuphius the Great and John the Prophet, because the answers to the questions that they give to their students, in their wisdom, in their effectiveness, are completely amazing.

As the Monk Barsanuphius the Great says, “I did not speak a single word spoken here on my own, but all these are the words of the Holy Spirit.” These words seem arrogant, it even seems that they are somehow proud, but the person who reads this book will very soon have an understanding of why he must believe these words of the ascetic.

It is necessary to re-read such a difficult book as “The Works of the Venerable Abba Isaac the Syrian.” Why is it difficult? Because he himself spent most of his life in silence, in solitude, and his book was written largely for people leading the same lifestyle. This is on the one hand. But on the other hand, it contains a lot most valuable advice for any person who is zealous for the Christian life. For almost anyone - although he himself was saved under completely different conditions, as I already said. On Athos before - I don’t know how it is now - many monastics put his book under their heads when they went to bed, because they did not want to part with it. But I think that this may be the desire of not only the monastic. It happens that you are reading some kind of patristic work, you read the page, the second, the third - and then something strikes your mind, your heart; so when you read St. Isaac the Syrian, it’s literally every line.

That is, there is probably no other book in which the experimental knowledge of spiritual life would be so concentrated. Once upon a time, Barsanuphius of Optina said that Abba Isaac the Syrian was above the other holy fathers, like an eagle soaring above other birds. This, of course, is a poetic comparison, but anyone who reads St. Isaac the Syrian will understand the essence of this comparison and why it came to the mind of St. Barsanuphius of Optina.

– I have the following question: how can you plan your personal bibliography, according to what principle? You have already said that we need to go from more contemporary authors to earlier Christian authors. Are there any other principles?

- I think not. To begin with, you just need to take up a consistent acquaintance with the entire corpus of patristic works written about active ascetic life. Of course, over time it will expand to five volumes of the Philokalia; Of course, this list will also include such authors - who have not yet been glorified as saints, but are nevertheless in many ways comparable to them and contemporary with us - such as Elder Paisios of Athos, Elder Joseph the Hesychast, Archimandrite Emilian (rector of the Simonopetra monastery, which is now located at rest due to illness).

There may be more and more such authors, and you need to enter into this work of getting to know them - and gradually, over time, when a person in this world is no longer a stranger, but one of his own, he himself will understand at what moment which book he should take and what medicine he needs. I can give you this example: I really love the books of Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov), and almost everything he wrote was read by me at one time - and there are moments when I feel either some kind of heaviness, or melancholy, or despondency. And at this moment I understand that I need to pick up the book of Bishop Benjamin, because it will be the same as coming to the person you love and who can warm you with his warmth. And this happens almost every time. The same thing happens with reading holy authors, even more so.

– Tell me, is the reading of Lent something special? Any recommendations?

– Traditionally, during Great Lent, the “Ladder” of St. John Climacus and the works of St. Ephraim the Syrian were read. Why St. Ephraim the Syrian - because his, let’s say, author’s style is very unique. On the one hand, St. Ephraim is a preacher of constant repentance, and on the other hand, he is an amazing prayer book. And if a person sits down to read his eight-volume work (we traditionally published his works in eight volumes), then he is surprised at how in them ascetic instructions or exhortations to repentance are suddenly interspersed with prayer, which quite naturally begins to pour out from the heart of the saint, and then this again turns into ascetic instruction and exhortation to repentance.

How was such a book born as “The Psalter of St. Ephraim the Syrian”? This is a selection of his creations, which are essentially prayers. Therefore, probably, this prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian, like a small, small grain from the entire wealth of his creations, accompanies us throughout Great Lent, because what he wrote has a very special effect on the human heart.

- And why the Monk John Climacus?

– As for St. John Climacus, there is not a single author who would write in such detail and so systematically about human passions and ways to combat them as he did. With St. John the Climacus, everything is really built into a very, very strict system: all the main passions, all the main temptations and enticements and how they are overcome - because, strictly speaking, the Ladder is a kind of ascension path that he offers to all those who who wants to live either a monastic life or a simply attentive Christian life.

– I have heard that it is “The Ladder” that evokes some kind of fear in people and seems incomprehensible and difficult to perform. Why is this happening?

– The fact is that traditionally people who read “The Ladder” initially stumble over the story about the “dungeon of the penitents.” This is the place that the monk talks about, where the monks who had already fallen into one or another sin in the monastery labored. It really talks about a very, let's say, strict way of repentance - so strict that it seems that these people were infinitely cruel to themselves, literally killing themselves with the works of repentance and the penances that they imposed on themselves or with the blessing of their spiritual fathers.

But the same Venerable John Climacus says that those who read about these exploits do not even need to be jealous of imitating them - it is enough, looking at them, to humble themselves and recognize their weakness. But since this advice - to humble yourself and recognize your weakness - many people, when reading, skip, they become despondent, because when a person tries on the work, the feat that these monks carried out - whose falls, perhaps, were in fact, completely insignificant, they were just so strict with themselves - he becomes scared. But in fact, you need to try on something else: the feeling that you can be saved only by the grace of God. The feeling that you are no good, but the Lord is humane and merciful. This is difficult. Although this is exactly what almost all the books of the holy fathers lead us to.

The Holy Fathers were people who knew God experimentally: they knew His love, they knew His compassion for the human race and for each person individually. And therefore, none of them speaks of God only as a Righteous Judge - each of them speaks of God as a loving, merciful Father. The Monk Isaac the Syrian has such words - bold ones, which may not be immediately easy to understand. He says that we should under no circumstances call God just and righteous. Because, he says, you sinned, and God was crucified for you, therefore His mercy greatly exceeds His righteousness as a Judge. That is, the Lord as a Judge, it turns out, is even sometimes unrighteous, because His love, His love for mankind overcomes in Him what should have been the basis of righteous judgment, that is, the judgment that is due to us according to our “merits.” The Lord has mercy. And the Monk Isaac the Syrian says that all the sins of human flesh are like a handful of dust thrown into the sea, in the face of God’s mercy. But this, of course, is the case if a person himself is sick about his sins, he worries about them. Then that's exactly it. If a person believes that there is nothing terrible about them, then, of course, they stand in front of him like a kind of wall, separating him from God.

But it’s worth repenting, it’s worth condemning yourself for everything - and indeed, these sins turn into such a handful of dust that drowns in this abyss of God’s mercy.

Some church leaders are known and respected by the congregation. But there are those who have a special burden on their shoulders. These people speak on behalf of the church to a large audience, attracting Special attention. Such individuals include Abbot Nektary Morozov. His spiritual books are read by people striving for God. The word of this person opens hearts and fills them with light. Hegumen Nektary Morozov speaks and writes simply and clearly. The biography of this man does not shine with special events; he spends all the strength of his soul on his parishioners. Let's take a closer look at his work.

Hegumen Nektary Morozov: short biography

Rodion Sergeevich was born (in the world) on June 1, 1972. His family then lived in the capital of Russia. He graduated from school there and entered Moscow State University. The young man chose the profession of a journalist, which now allows him to change people’s destinies with his words. During his studies, he was published in Obshchaya Gazeta and wrote articles for the weekly Argumenty i Fakty. Took part in business trips to Life in the country at that time was difficult and unpredictable. The pain of other people, the injustice from which they suffered, influenced the brave young man and pushed him to the temple. In 1996, he became a member of the brethren of the Metochion of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in Moscow. Here he took monastic vows, three years later. In 2000 he was elevated to the rank of hieromonk. And six years later he became abbot. Around the same time, he was appointed editor-in-chief of the journal Orthodoxy and Modernity. Hegumen Nektary (Morozov) is known to the general public through articles and books.

Chechen business trip

The young man found himself in a hot spot in 1995. The journey was not easy. Subsequently, the future abbot Nektary (Morozov) wrote about this business trip. She turned his soul upside down. Then all channels showed a temple in Grozny, in which people were hiding from bombs. Rodion wanted to see this place. His companions agreed to deviate from the route. They found the temple burnt. However, at its ruins there were living people who surrounded the local priest Anatoly Chistousov. Then Rodion Morozov (Nectarius, now hegumen) for the first time realized what his flock had for the abbot. People were with the priest, like sheep with a shepherd. They consulted, asked what to do and how to act in this or that case. The priest's eyes were filled with love and pain. They expressed meekness and strength at the same time. This man accepted everything that happened with humility, thinking only about his flock and the salvation of the souls of these people. He was subsequently captured, tortured for a long time and killed.

Hegumen Nektary Morozov: books

It is not easy for an ordinary person to come to church. And staying there is even more difficult. Hegumen Nektary (Morozov) understands this very well. And the point is not that people lack faith. Many people are afraid of “strict rules” and incomprehensible ceremonies. This is a natural reaction to the unknown. Abbot Nektary aims his books precisely at such an audience. They contain simple and understandable discussions about the meaning of church life, its naturalness for a believer. The reader feels how they gently take him by the hand and lead him to the temple, talking about the canons, explaining incomprehensible points. After reading the texts, a person feels much easier and freer in church. It is necessary to note the easy style of presentation. From the first word you get the impression of a leisurely conversation with a wise friend who understands you. Here are some of the author's works:

• "Looking forward to meeting you."
• “What prevents us from being with God.”
• "Teaching on reading spiritual books."
• “About bread and water in the life of the Church.”
• "Conversations about churching."
• “On the path to God. The experience of churching in the modern world."

"The Work of Awakening"

Why should we go to God? How to do it? Abbot Nektariy answers these questions in his book “The Work of Awakening.” This is a meditation based on passages from the New Testament. A person needs to make a decision that he completely trusts the Creator. But this alone is not enough. Faith is only the first step. The spiritual development of personality consists of daily work to overcome one’s own indecision and relaxation. The author in his reflections relies on examples from the New Testament. He pays a lot of attention to discussions about who we are fighting with, opening up to the Creator. This entity is cunning and evil, it has great experience and knowledge. Only those who have opened their souls to the Creator and have completely trusted him can overcome the placed nets. And Abbot Nektary recommends taking your conscience as a companion in this work. She vigilantly guards a person throughout life, trying to suggest right decisions and actions.

“About the Church without prejudice. Conversations with a secular journalist"

A very interesting collection that reveals many topics that concern ordinary people far from the temple. Hegumen Nektary does not shy away from pressing questions, he explains everything sincerely and naturally. Much attention is paid to the problems of the church, myths and stereotypes surrounding its ministers. The author talks about what a temple is like “from the inside”, what the life of a priest consists of. The conversations also touch on more serious issues. For example, the responsibility of the clergyman to the flock is revealed. The abbot also answers the journalist’s slippery questions. Together they are trying to figure out why the church is alienating ordinary citizens, what needs to be done to overcome mistrust. Some of the conversations are devoted to current events in the world. The abbot gives advice to the concerned reader on how to relate to negative information broadcast by the media.

About sorrows

It is not only traditions that scare modern people away from the temple. People believe that believers are in constant despondency. Hegumen Nektariy spoke about sorrows in interviews and articles. According to him, the reason for the misunderstanding lies in different attitudes to what is happening. An ordinary person, without the Lord in his soul, believes that trouble is due to someone else’s fault. This poor fellow recklessly appoints someone responsible for his failures or mistakes, and then he will take revenge. The believer understands that sorrows come due to distance from the Lord. This is the result of his disobedience to the Heavenly Father. The cause of sorrows is in the human soul. The believer seeks them in his actions and decisions. And like a devoted son he asks the Lord to help cope with them.

About psychics

The author also has sharp articles devoted to the state structure. One of them is called “Love for Psychics.” In this article, the abbot tries to understand why society and the authorities do not find understanding. Why do people rely on anything other than officials? Finding the answers is not as difficult as it seems. makes a person demanding and lazy. His soul sleeps, not understanding what responsibility is. He gladly shifts his mistakes and blunders onto officials, especially since a stream of information flows at him from the screens, supporting such misconceptions. It turns out that the government itself, through its actions, creates irresponsible consumers. It is possible to break the vicious circle only by raising the spirituality of people.

What makes a priest tired?

This material reveals the essence of the priest’s work. Hegumen Nektariy took upon himself the thankless task of debunking the myths that clergy are parasites on the necks of their flock. He reveals in some detail the essence of the work in the temple. But it is far from being as simple as it seems from the outside. The main concern of a shepherd is people. He is obliged to take care of them, listen to them, support them, and the like. However, a short conversation cannot awaken a person’s soul. But this is precisely the main task of the shepherd. He is not obliged to live for the parishioners. His goal is to show them the way to the Lord. You have to do this not only by your own example. There is a lot of anger, suspicion, arrogance and similar negative emotions in people now. And the shepherd is obliged to turn them into love, in any case, to do everything possible for this.

Why does Abbot Nektary need such work?

Each person has his own tasks. By the way, they do not depend on birth, as psychics and fortune tellers tell us, but on spiritual development. A believer cannot calmly watch as his neighbors “wander toward death” through a series of despondency, stress, anger, and the like. But when the soul sleeps, a person lives only half, only with his body, says Nectarius (abbot). Who is he to teach others? The reader is probably asking this question. The answer is simple: he is a deeply religious person, which means he loves everyone on this earth. This is so natural for Christianity: help your neighbor without asking for anything in return. What could be more joyful than happiness in the eyes of another person? For the shepherd, probably, only the understanding that he helped save his soul.

People need the temple like air. However, not everyone is able to independently come to faith and work for their own spiritual growth. Hegumen Nektariy understands that you need to extend a helping hand, they will definitely grab it. And this person does not look around, trying to figure out who is doing what. He sees a problem and immediately tries to solve it. His literary talent allows him to talk about important things in an accessible and simple way. This is what he does, for which many readers are grateful to this man. Unfortunately, not all church officials are so outspoken. Sometimes believers find themselves in a situation where there is simply nowhere to find answers to the painful questions of the soul. And Abbot Nektary talks about them precisely in order to reach everyone in need of help.

About why monasticism is a bloodless martyrdom and a dangerous battlefield, where not everyone should go; We talk about current and pressing problems of modern monasticism and much more with the head of the information and publishing department of the Saratov diocese, the rector of the Peter and Paul Church in Saratov, Abbot Nektariy (Morozov).

Monasticism is creativity

Father Nektary, we often say that Christianity and monasticism, in particular, is martyrdom. Two thirds of Russian saints are those who suffered for Christ directly or indirectly. A striking example of martyrdom was the long-suffering 20th century, which revealed to the world a host of New Martyrs and Confessors of Christ. About 2,700 Russian saints are known by name in the calendar, of which 1,765 are New Martyrs. And in our time, what is martyrdom in Christian and monastic life?

Monasticism is bloodless martyrdom

The question of what kind of suffering poses a greater threat to a person and what kind of suffering we experience more - physical or mental - has always stood. If we talk about monasticism, then here we are primarily talking about mental suffering - this is bloodless martyrdom. As a rule, a person becomes a monk because he strives to be as close to God as possible. Over time, a person discovers in himself what prevents him from being with God: the abyss of sin, passions, imperfections becomes a source of martyrdom for a person, a source of his suffering. The more seriously a person takes himself, his inner life, the more deeply he lives this life, the more pain he feels, the more he suffers.

The Monk Silouan of Athos has the idea that the greater the love, the greater the suffering. Perhaps he is talking here about love for people, but the more a person loves God, the more acutely and painfully he experiences everyday tragedies: his imperfections and constant betrayals, large and small betrayals in relation to God. If we talk about our time, then to all this is added the lack of clarity of the image of that monastic life, which corresponds to the present period. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) said that “circumstances do not change the essence, but have a significant impact on the essence.” He wrote this about his time, discussing the paths and destinies of monasticism in Russia in the 19th century, but it is still relevant today.

Monasticism is something that is passed on to a person as a kind of tradition, something that he must accept by succession. This is something that is difficult and to some extent impossible to learn from books or on your own, because the teacher here is the Lord Himself. And this process is very complex, painful: a person feels his way, loses it, finds it again, loses it again. And the most important thing is that there are few people around who can really help a person.

The Monk Macarius of Optina wrote in one of his letters: a man comes to a monastery, sees a relaxed life there, and at first, reinforced by zeal for the monastic life, condemns this relaxation, and then shows the same thing, and often even worse.

We ourselves, having been “pulled back” more than once, must not forget that our path is directed precisely to Heaven

It happens that a person aspires to the heights of monastic life, but is met with a reaction to his jealousy, consonant with the phrase from the Patericon that if you see a young man ascending to Heaven, pull him down by the leg. On the one hand, this is true, because many begin the path of ascent to Heaven in an inappropriate, dangerous way for themselves, and on the other hand, we are so accustomed to “pulling everyone by the leg” that we forget: a person must be pushed into Heaven. And we ourselves should not forget, having been “pulled back” more than once, that we must strive there after all, and our path is directed precisely to Heaven.

The famous Austrian psychologist, the “father” of the Third Vienna School of Psychotherapy, Viktor Frankl, has a wonderful idea: if a person wants to be a person, he needs to try to be better than he is, then he will be a person. And if a person “just remains” human, this will lead to a slide into an animal state. It's the same in monasticism. Monasticism is a constant movement to the highest point, a desire for supernatural living. If there is no upward movement, then there will be a descent downward, to a subnatural level.

- How to prevent this?

And this is what martyrdom consists of, since moving up is extremely difficult and, moreover, no one will teach you this. Therefore, monasticism is, of course, creativity. If a person tries to approach monastic life formally, solely from the point of view of following certain recommendations (attending services, reading the rules, reading the patristic works, etc.), but there is no internal creativity, internal, very painful work on oneself, nothing will work out. How to force yourself to do something, how to move your soul to something? When you begin to regularly “push” yourself and your soul in the necessary direction, at one fine moment you suddenly understand exactly how to do it. Without starting to try, without being exhausted, it is impossible to understand this.

What is more important: Christianity or monasticism? Of course Christianity

In general, such martyrdom is the essence of not only monastic, but also Christian life in general. Here you need to set your priorities correctly. What is more important: Christianity or monasticism? Of course, Christianity. Monasticism is called upon only in a certain way to make up for the shortcomings of Christian life that we constantly encounter. Monasticism is a reminder to all Christians of what they should be. A monk is distinguished from any other Christian only by his monastic vows, since every soul is a Christian and, to some extent, the bride of Christ. However, something deeper happens during the process of becoming a monk. Although monasticism is not a church sacrament, there is a mystery in it. In tonsure (even if a person does not realize this), a person’s soul becomes engaged to God; he himself may, over time, forget his disposition, which was during tonsure, but the Lord does not forget. Also, by the way, those who observe the tonsure from the outside do not forget this - the enemies of our salvation, the spirits of malice.

- Is loneliness in monasticism also one of the facets of martyrdom?

Not only in monasticism. There are moments in the life of every person when he does not find support and understanding anywhere and from anyone. In joy, it may still be possible, but in sorrow, a person sometimes sinks into such an abyss of pain that, except God, no one will go there with him. As a rule, it is in this abyss of pain that a person meets God. And if he doesn’t meet him, then it’s really bad for him.

How should monastics respond to slander against them? Should a monk defend himself, speak out in his defense in the media? It is known that the saints of our Church have never defended themselves.

In all cases, our model should be the Gospel and the behavior of the Lord Himself. We see His actions at the trial and in the conversation with the leader of the Jewish people. When they beat Him, He said: “Why did you hit me?” These words still sound because they were needed as evidence that it was impossible to accuse Him of anything bad and the lawlessness of the actions should have been obvious. However, Christ did not answer either Pilate or the accusations of those who doomed Him to death, since none of them wanted to know the truth; the truth did not matter to them. Therefore, we do not always have to remain silent, sometimes when we are accused of something and we do not explain what really happened, we will plunge many people into temptation.

But there are situations when you need to remain silent and there is no need to explain anything. When they tell you, for example, that you are not smart or bad person, this is not the case when you need to make excuses. If you are accused not as an individual, but as a representative of the Church, of something that casts a shadow on the Church, probably in some cases it is necessary to refute these accusations - if, of course, they are false. The question is how exactly the moment of justification and response should occur.

Cooking porridge from an ax

Father Nektary, in your opinion, what external and internal problems are most typical in modern Russian monasteries today, and how to overcome them?

The main problems of our monasticism are the lack of continuity and the filling of monasteries on a not entirely correct basis

To answer the last part of the question would be presumptuous on my part. As for the problems, I will say this: the main ones are the lack of continuity and the filling of the monasteries on a not entirely correct basis. Monasticism is a tradition; it must be passed on from hand to hand and, rather, from heart to heart. Now we have a break with continuity. In our country, where there were hundreds of monasteries, after the persecution of the Church, two or three monasteries remained, where monasticism did not develop according to the rules and laws by which it existed historically; at that time it was an attempt to preserve at least something.

Monasticism must eat in a certain way. It is of great importance where and what kind of people come to the monastery. In the words of Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), monasticism is a barometer that determines the state of church life, and the Church itself is also a barometer, only in relation to public life.

We inherited a huge amount of ruins and the conviction that monasteries should be restored in their place (from Soviet times we inherited the desire for indicators). The revival of monastic life, therefore, often takes an artificial path: we do not go through the ascetic and the community formed around him (as was before), but through the walls and try to fill them with someone.

I am sure that there is no need to build many monasteries: churches - yes, monasteries - no. In monasticism quality is more important, not quantity. Father John (Krestyankin) said that before opening new monasteries, life must be properly organized in those that already exist. Sometimes people come to the monastery who have nowhere else to go, life has torn them down so much. Or it happens that mostly women work in a men's monastery, but then it is more like a parish with a monastic clergy, and not a monastery.

- Nevertheless, people are saved in such monasteries? Perhaps for some this is not such a problem?

This is a problem because it is impossible to build the life that is called monastic life. We said that monasticism is bloodless martyrdom, but man is a being who, by virtue of his nature, strives for well-being - either genuine (being with God) or falsely understood (avoidance of any discomfort, etc.). And since a person is not always able to build a correct life, over time he calms down and relaxes.

- Is this self-deception?

Only those fighters who are ready to fight should be sent to war (and monasticism is a spiritual battle). The commander must be responsible for readiness. And sending fighters just like cannon fodder to be slaughtered, which sometimes happens out of despair, is scary, it’s a big responsibility. It is better to avoid hopelessness. Before building a tower, says the Lord, we must sit down and think whether we can build it, we must calculate our strength.

Another important problem of modern monasticism is the fact that initially monasticism existed as a distance from the world; today this removal does not occur. In addition, monasteries must provide the state with accounting and legal reporting, maintain communications to which the monastery is connected, conduct construction and economic activities, and someone must do all this. Most often, one of the brethren has to be assigned to these directions, and sometimes it turns out that the brother’s life and working day before the monastery were less stressful than in the monastery.

At the same time, monasteries do not have a once and for all defined budget; it floats and constantly changes; sometimes there is no staffing table, it adapts to the needs of the current moment - we don’t take people into the monastery for a salary, so everything is constantly fragmented and changing. Plus, there is “cooking porridge from an axe,” as I call it: the abbot has an ax, from which you can’t cook anything, and a cauldron, and he needs to constantly look for someone who would agree to throw cereals and butter into this cauldron. This process is also creative, but combining it with internal monastic creativity, as we talked about above, is very, very difficult.

If you can't, don't do it

One of the problems is working beyond reason. It is clear that a person comes to the monastery to die, to be obedient even to death. Are there limits to such obedience? One former novice once admitted to me that she was ready to die, but not with her soul. There are many complaints about the lack of time and energy for prayer. They talk about this all the time, it is discussed at monastic conferences, but why is it difficult to change something?

We often forget about such a simple thing as common sense - not in terms of everyday or secular rationalism. The Lord put this common sense, a certain idea, into everything that exists, and this sense must be present in us, in our actions and deeds. The Monk Paisiy Velichkovsky, out of common sense, left the monastery, where the governor hit him hard because of the cabbage he did not like, and then became an example of genuine monastic life for many people. What do you think was the common sense here? Saint Paisius understood that he was unable to endure such blows...

But blessed Akaki of Ladder knew that he was capable of letting his elder beat himself, and he beat him to death. What is the fate of the old man? One can only guess. Here it is: if you can, do it; if you can’t, don’t do it. The martyrs for Christ, who did not run away from suffering, understood that they had the strength to suffer, to endure torment. Those who realized that their strength was not enough fled. The Lord Himself said: “They are persecuting you, flee.” For a Christian to move to another place during persecution is not a sin or vice. Sin and vice lie precisely in boldly putting yourself in a position where you do not have the strength to do what you should. Therefore, everything must be done within one’s ability and this is common sense.

Father Kirill (Pavlov) said that a monk should sleep for about seven hours. On Mount Athos, a certain time is allocated for work, prayer and sleep. If a brother, instead of resting or praying, goes to work, he will be looked upon as dangerous person. By the way, our compatriots often sin with this on Mount Athos. A person who places a greater burden on himself than he can bear risks getting sick physically and mentally - and as a result, no one can cure him. You can trust in grace, but in one person there is a lot of hope, and in another not enough. This is a dangerous and difficult path.

Saint Basil the Great said that our task is to be passion-killers, not body-killers

Leaders must bear responsibility for this and not forget that each subsequent generation is weaker than the previous one: older monks sometimes have more strength than young novices. Not because the novices are lazy - there are objective reasons for physical weakness: we live in a world that is poisoned with everything possible, people are weakened nervous system, quite often there are asthenics - it is impossible to ignore these facts. Saint Basil the Great said that our task is to be passion-killers, not body-killers. The governor must, if possible, create such living conditions in the monastery for the brethren in which they can do what they gathered for, and did not think that they had a place to wash themselves or wear. It also happens that the brethren have to walk around in old, torn cassocks, asking pilgrims for money for new shoes because there is nothing to wear. This doesn't happen often, but it does happen.

- Yes, I heard about torn cassocks and lack of financial resources for shoes from a priest I know.

Unfortunately, sometimes we have a colossal gap in the life of the governor and the brethren. Although it would be logical if the abbot, say, ate the same thing as the brethren at meals - this happens, but not always. The abbot should use only those benefits that he needs. Everything should be according to common sense.

You need to start with milk

What is true obedience? What should you do if “out of obedience” you are tempted to make a deal with your conscience, slander your brother, write a denunciation, tell lies, humiliate your neighbor - in other words, go against the principles of the Gospel?

We must strive to obey Christ, the Gospel, but not man. These guidelines are sometimes lost among people who come to monasteries. A person may be mistaken; it may seem to him that the governor is demanding from him something contrary to the Gospel. It may seem this way to him because he has a smaller measure of responsibility, unlike the governor, who sees the situation as a whole.

Do the obvious - and you will see how to do the non-obvious

But there are situations when everything is obvious. The Lord arranges our life in this way: do the obvious - and you will see how to do the unobvious. How to find out the will of God? There are circumstances in life when you don’t understand how to understand it. But if in your Everyday life If you strive to do God’s will, and not your own, then at a difficult moment the Lord will tell you, and you will see it clearly. It's like a locator: its settings can be made either very strong, subtle, or constantly knocked down. It's the same here.

How to learn obedience when it is not clear whether you are always being asked to obey the Gospel or obey yourself? First, the person must have the intention to obey. Secondly, obedience should not deprive a person of freedom of moral choice, it should be the result of this choice.

Archimandrite Lazar (Abashidze) has a book, “The Voice of Caring Warning,” which is entirely devoted to the issue of obedience. It was born as a response to the controversy about the obedience of Abbot Sergius (Rybko) and Hieromonk Dorimedont (Sukhinin).

How should monks “drink the water of reproach”? Is it useful to intentionally, forcibly “humble” another? Does it bring spiritual benefit or is it more harmful? How can the “humble” understand when patience becomes a detriment?

“All things work together for good to those who love God,” says the Apostle Paul. I will add on my own behalf: not all things work together for good for those who do not love God. (smiles). If a person knows why he came to the monastery and what his goal is, if the person is mature and his choice of the monastic path is conscious, then the “water of reproach” will benefit him. For a person who is not ready for monastic life, who does not understand what it is in his being, the “water of desecration” is indicated in minimal doses, otherwise the person can be destroyed.

How often does it happen here: a person comes to Church, to a monastery, and instead of love (which was among the first Christians about whom he read and who inspired him), he finds precisely “the water of reproach.” Is there anything in the people offering it other than this “water” that they “drank” at one time and which they are now ready to generously share with others? First, share your love, give a person that science of Christian life, which is of paramount nature. “Water of contempt” is solid food, but we must begin with milk when we are dealing with “babies” in the church life.

On the issue of “humility”. Everything is very simple here. Sometimes a doctor, after weighing the pros and cons, gives the patient a potent, toxic drug, the use of which is fraught with risk, and if it leads to death, he will be convicted and serve time. The abbot/abbess will not serve time in prison, but for everyone who came to them and whom they mishandled, whom they “humbled” without proper love and thus broke, they will answer, and this responsibility is much worse than the doctor’s responsibility for the patient. Therefore, when you select medications, you must be extremely careful. In this case, you must always start small, and it is important to watch yourself: when you humble someone, you do it because you want the person’s benefit, or because of your own harmfulness, pride, or according to the principle of hazing: I was humbled, and Am I humble now?

There is no need to place unbearable burdens on people. Let us recall the principle of the first Apostolic Council: the apostles were afraid to place a burden on pagan converts that could turn them away from the Church. Intentional “humility” is appropriate only when it is obvious that the brother or sister really needs it. This must be done delicately and subtly: you cannot humiliate or “destroy” a person. And it is also very important that a person understands what is being done to him and why. In confession or in a conversation, you must definitely explain to your brother why you are treating him in a certain way, saying that this is not because you treat him badly or do not respect him, but because you limit his passions to some extent. You should be guided by the principle of “useful” and “harmful”, and not “possible” and “impossible”.

- In other words, there should be no system of prohibitions and punishments.

Certainly. You probably remember the discussion of stories with “confessions of exes”, then there was a wave about the issues of large families, the problem of sexual life in the Church. On one of the sites there was a publication about a girl who, according to her, was driven to the point of neurosis in this regard by her confessor and church life as such. Obviously, the problem is in this girl herself, but, having seen such problems in a person, you can try to correct them, and, without seeing them, aggravate them.

A mother can punish a child, but she will give her life for him. Is the abbot ready to give his life for his brother?

Therefore, monastery leaders must be sensible people. They should act not even like fathers, but like loving mothers, and look at each individual person: whether their “humility” will lead to depressive psychosis in individuals. A mother can punish a child, deny him something, but she will give her life for him. Is the abbot ready to give his life for his brother? If he is ready and gives day after day, then he can demand a lot from him. We must remember that the inhabitants of the monastery are not a resource for the abbots, they are the people whom they, the abbots, serve. Bosses are the top of the pyramid, only you need to tip the pyramid down and realize that you are under everyone. And that if it weren’t for “all these”, then there would be no need for you, the brethren need you and that’s the only reason you are in your place. The abbot must live not for himself, but for the sake of the brethren and their needs. We all do not correspond to our places, we are worse than we should be, the Lord puts us in our service, since there is no one else - for the sake of people. We should not take advantage of people, but benefit them.

Much is said about the fact that in our time, what is required from leaders is not severity, but gentleness and kindness. As the Monk Gabriel (Zyryanov) said, “if the Monk John Climacus wrote his “Ladder” today, he would have written it differently.” Do you agree that for a modern monk (and even a layman) affection is more useful than severity?

Affection must be combined with severity

Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) said that just because young novices come to monasteries, we should bow at their feet, and not hold them with a tight rein. Of course, moderate severity and discipline are necessary, but for a modern secular person, even the elementary features of the monastery charter (at certain times of rising, meals, divine services, prayer, internal rules, behavior and communication with monks) become certain restrictions for which he is not yet ready , and first he must at least get used to this. Because, for example, for a person who has not been taught good manners since childhood, this is already a feat. The ascent must begin gradually, with the simplest things. Only on such a foundation can something else be built. Affection must be combined with severity: there should not be an excess of one and a lack of the other, they must go hand in hand.

It is impossible to become a good Christian, or even a Christian in principle, or a good monk, or a monk in general, without becoming a decent person. In our country, people often share this, believing that you can become a good Christian (monk) and not be a decent person...

About why monasticism is a bloodless martyrdom and a dangerous battlefield, where not everyone should go; We talk about current and pressing problems of modern monasticism and much more with the head of the information and publishing department of the Saratov diocese, the rector of the Peter and Paul Church in Saratov, Abbot Nektariy (Morozov).

Monasticism is creativity

Father Nektary, we often say that Christianity and monasticism, in particular, is martyrdom. Two thirds of Russian saints are those who suffered for Christ directly or indirectly. A striking example of martyrdom was the long-suffering 20th century, which revealed to the world a host of New Martyrs and Confessors of Christ. About 2,700 Russian saints are known by name in the calendar, of which 1,765 are New Martyrs. And in our time, what is martyrdom in Christian and monastic life?

Monasticism is bloodless martyrdom

The question of what kind of suffering poses a greater threat to a person and what kind of suffering we experience more - physical or mental - has always stood. If we talk about monasticism, then here we are primarily talking about mental suffering - this is bloodless martyrdom. As a rule, a person becomes a monk because he strives to be as close to God as possible. Over time, a person discovers in himself what prevents him from being with God: the abyss of sin, passions, imperfections becomes a source of martyrdom for a person, a source of his suffering. The more seriously a person takes himself, his inner life, the more deeply he lives this life, the more pain he feels, the more he suffers.

The Monk Silouan of Athos has the idea that the greater the love, the greater the suffering. Perhaps he is talking here about love for people, but the more a person loves God, the more acutely and painfully he experiences everyday tragedies: his imperfections and constant betrayals, large and small betrayals in relation to God. If we talk about our time, then to all this is added the lack of clarity of the image of that monastic life, which corresponds to the present period. Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) said that “circumstances do not change the essence, but have a significant impact on the essence.” He wrote this about his time, discussing the paths and destinies of monasticism in Russia in the 19th century, but it is still relevant today.

Monasticism is something that is passed on to a person as a kind of tradition, something that he must accept by succession. This is something that is difficult and to some extent impossible to learn from books or on your own, because the teacher here is the Lord Himself. And this process is very complex, painful: a person feels his way, loses it, finds it again, loses it again. And the most important thing is that there are few people around who can really help a person.

The Monk Macarius of Optina wrote in one of his letters: a man comes to a monastery, sees a relaxed life there, and at first, reinforced by zeal for the monastic life, condemns this relaxation, and then shows the same thing, and often even worse.

We ourselves, having been “pulled back” more than once, must not forget that our path is directed precisely to Heaven

It happens that a person aspires to the heights of monastic life, but is met with a reaction to his jealousy, consonant with the phrase from the Patericon that if you see a young man ascending to Heaven, pull him down by the leg. On the one hand, this is true, because many begin the path of ascent to Heaven in an inappropriate, dangerous way for themselves, and on the other hand, we are so accustomed to “pulling everyone by the leg” that we forget: a person must be pushed into Heaven. And we ourselves should not forget, having been “pulled back” more than once, that we must strive there after all, and our path is directed precisely to Heaven.

The famous Austrian psychologist, the “father” of the Third Vienna School of Psychotherapy, Viktor Frankl, has a wonderful idea: if a person wants to be a person, he needs to try to be better than he is, then he will be a person. And if a person “just remains” human, this will lead to a slide into an animal state. It's the same in monasticism. Monasticism is a constant movement to the highest point, a desire for supernatural living. If there is no upward movement, then there will be a descent downward, to a subnatural level.

- How to prevent this?

And this is what martyrdom consists of, since moving up is extremely difficult and, moreover, no one will teach you this. Therefore, monasticism is, of course, creativity. If a person tries to approach monastic life formally, solely from the point of view of following certain recommendations (attending services, reading the rules, reading the patristic works, etc.), but there is no internal creativity, internal, very painful work on oneself, nothing will work out. How to force yourself to do something, how to move your soul to something? When you begin to regularly “push” yourself and your soul in the necessary direction, at one fine moment you suddenly understand exactly how to do it. Without starting to try, without being exhausted, it is impossible to understand this.

What is more important: Christianity or monasticism? Of course Christianity

In general, such martyrdom is the essence of not only monastic, but also Christian life in general. Here you need to set your priorities correctly. What is more important: Christianity or monasticism? Of course, Christianity. Monasticism is called upon only in a certain way to make up for the shortcomings of Christian life that we constantly encounter. Monasticism is a reminder to all Christians of what they should be. A monk is distinguished from any other Christian only by his monastic vows, since every soul is a Christian and, to some extent, the bride of Christ. However, something deeper happens during the process of becoming a monk. Although monasticism is not a church sacrament, there is a mystery in it. In tonsure (even if a person does not realize this), a person’s soul becomes engaged to God; he himself may, over time, forget his disposition, which was during tonsure, but the Lord does not forget. Also, by the way, those who observe the tonsure from the outside do not forget this - the enemies of our salvation, the spirits of malice.

- Is loneliness in monasticism also one of the facets of martyrdom?

Not only in monasticism. There are moments in the life of every person when he does not find support and understanding anywhere and from anyone. In joy, it may still be possible, but in sorrow, a person sometimes sinks into such an abyss of pain that, except God, no one will go there with him. As a rule, it is in this abyss of pain that a person meets God. And if he doesn’t meet him, then it’s really bad for him.

How should monastics respond to slander against them? Should a monk defend himself, speak out in his defense in the media? It is known that the saints of our Church have never defended themselves.

In all cases, our model should be the Gospel and the behavior of the Lord Himself. We see His actions at the trial and in the conversation with the leader of the Jewish people. When they beat Him, He said: “Why did you hit me?” These words still sound because they were needed as evidence that it was impossible to accuse Him of anything bad and the lawlessness of the actions should have been obvious. However, Christ did not answer either Pilate or the accusations of those who doomed Him to death, since none of them wanted to know the truth; the truth did not matter to them. Therefore, we do not always have to remain silent, sometimes when we are accused of something and we do not explain what really happened, we will plunge many people into temptation.

But there are situations when you need to remain silent and there is no need to explain anything. When they tell you, for example, that you are not smart or a bad person, this is not the case when you need to make excuses. If you are accused not as an individual, but as a representative of the Church, of something that casts a shadow on the Church, probably in some cases it is necessary to refute these accusations - if, of course, they are false. The question is how exactly the moment of justification and response should occur.

Cooking porridge from an ax

Father Nektary, in your opinion, what external and internal problems are most typical in modern Russian monasteries today, and how to overcome them?

The main problems of our monasticism are the lack of continuity and the filling of monasteries on a not entirely correct basis

To answer the last part of the question would be presumptuous on my part. As for the problems, I will say this: the main ones are the lack of continuity and the filling of the monasteries on a not entirely correct basis. Monasticism is a tradition; it must be passed on from hand to hand and, rather, from heart to heart. Now we have a break with continuity. In our country, where there were hundreds of monasteries, after the persecution of the Church, two or three monasteries remained, where monasticism did not develop according to the rules and laws by which it existed historically; at that time it was an attempt to preserve at least something.

Monasticism must eat in a certain way. It is of great importance where and what kind of people come to the monastery. In the words of Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), monasticism is a barometer that determines the state of church life, and the Church itself is also a barometer, only in relation to public life.

We inherited a huge amount of ruins and the conviction that monasteries should be restored in their place (from Soviet times we inherited the desire for indicators). The revival of monastic life, therefore, often takes an artificial path: we do not go through the ascetic and the community formed around him (as was before), but through the walls and try to fill them with someone.

I am sure that there is no need to build many monasteries: churches - yes, monasteries - no. In monasticism, quality is more important than quantity. Father John (Krestyankin) said that before opening new monasteries, life must be properly organized in those that already exist. Sometimes people come to the monastery who have nowhere else to go, life has torn them down so much. Or it happens that mostly women work in a men's monastery, but then it is more like a parish with a monastic clergy, and not a monastery.

- Nevertheless, people are saved in such monasteries? Perhaps for some this is not such a problem?

This is a problem because it is impossible to build the life that is called monastic life. We said that monasticism is bloodless martyrdom, but man is a being who, by virtue of his nature, strives for well-being - either genuine (being with God) or falsely understood (avoidance of any discomfort, etc.). And since a person is not always able to build a correct life, over time he calms down and relaxes.

- Is this self-deception?

Only those fighters who are ready to fight should be sent to war (and monasticism is a spiritual battle). The commander must be responsible for readiness. And sending fighters just like cannon fodder to be slaughtered, which sometimes happens out of despair, is scary, it’s a big responsibility. It is better to avoid hopelessness. Before building a tower, says the Lord, we must sit down and think whether we can build it, we must calculate our strength.

Another important problem of modern monasticism is the fact that initially monasticism existed as a distance from the world; today this removal does not occur. In addition, monasteries must provide the state with accounting and legal reporting, maintain communications to which the monastery is connected, conduct construction and economic activities, and someone must do all this. Most often, one of the brethren has to be assigned to these directions, and sometimes it turns out that the brother’s life and working day before the monastery were less stressful than in the monastery.

At the same time, monasteries do not have a once and for all defined budget, it floats and is constantly changing, sometimes there is no staffing schedule, it adapts to the needs of the current moment - we do not hire people to the monastery for a salary, so everything is constantly fragmented and changing. Plus, there is “cooking porridge from an axe,” as I call it: the abbot has an ax, from which you can’t cook anything, and a cauldron, and he needs to constantly look for someone who would agree to throw cereals and butter into this cauldron. This process is also creative, but combining it with internal monastic creativity, as we talked about above, is very, very difficult.

If you can't, don't do it

- One of the problems is working beyond reason. It is clear that a person comes to the monastery to die, to be obedient even to death. Are there limits to such obedience? One former novice once admitted to me that she was ready to die, but not with her soul. There are many complaints about the lack of time and energy for prayer. They talk about this all the time, it is discussed at monastic conferences, but why is it difficult to change something?

We often forget about such a simple thing as common sense - not in terms of everyday or secular rationalism. The Lord put this common sense, a certain idea, into everything that exists, and this sense must be present in us, in our actions and deeds. The Monk Paisiy Velichkovsky, out of common sense, left the monastery, where the governor hit him hard because of the cabbage he did not like, and then became an example of genuine monastic life for many people. What do you think was the common sense here? Saint Paisius understood that he was unable to endure such blows...

But blessed Akaki of Ladder knew that he was capable of letting his elder beat himself, and he beat him to death. What is the fate of the old man? One can only guess. Here it is: if you can, do it; if you can’t, don’t do it. The martyrs for Christ, who did not run away from suffering, understood that they had the strength to suffer, to endure torment. Those who realized that their strength was not enough fled. The Lord Himself said: “They are persecuting you, flee.” For a Christian to move to another place during persecution is not a sin or vice. Sin and vice lie precisely in boldly putting yourself in a position where you do not have the strength to do what you should. Therefore, everything must be done within one’s ability and this is common sense.

Father Kirill (Pavlov) said that a monk should sleep for about seven hours. On Mount Athos, a certain time is allocated for work, prayer and sleep. If a brother goes to work instead of resting or praying, he will be looked upon as a dangerous person. By the way, our compatriots often sin with this on Mount Athos. A person who places a greater burden on himself than he can bear risks getting sick physically and mentally - and as a result, no one can cure him. You can trust in grace, but in one person there is a lot of hope, and in another not enough. This is a dangerous and difficult path.

Saint Basil the Great said that our task is to be passion-killers, not body-killers

Leaders must bear responsibility for this and not forget that each subsequent generation is weaker than the previous one: older monks sometimes have more strength than young novices. Not because the novices are lazy - there are objective reasons for physical weakness: we live in a world that is poisoned by everything possible, people have a weakened nervous system, and quite often there are asthenics - it is impossible to ignore these facts. Saint Basil the Great said that our task is to be passion-killers, not body-killers. The governor must, if possible, create such living conditions in the monastery for the brethren in which they can do what they gathered for, and did not think that they had a place to wash themselves or wear. It also happens that the brethren have to walk around in old, torn cassocks, and ask pilgrims for money for new shoes, because there is nothing to wear. This doesn't happen often, but it does happen.

- Yes, I heard about torn cassocks and lack of financial resources for shoes from a priest I know.

Unfortunately, sometimes we have a colossal gap in the life of the governor and the brethren. Although it would be logical if the abbot, say, ate the same thing as the brethren at meals - this happens, but not always. The abbot should use only those benefits that he needs. Everything should be according to common sense.

You need to start with milk

-What is true obedience? What should you do if “out of obedience” you are tempted to make a deal with your conscience, slander your brother, write a denunciation, tell lies, humiliate your neighbor - in other words, go against the principles of the Gospel?

We must strive to obey Christ, the Gospel, but not man. These guidelines are sometimes lost among people who come to monasteries. A person may be mistaken; it may seem to him that the governor is demanding from him something contrary to the Gospel. It may seem this way to him because he has a smaller measure of responsibility, unlike the governor, who sees the situation as a whole.

Do the obvious - and you will see how to do the non-obvious

But there are situations when everything is obvious. The Lord arranges our life in this way: do the obvious - and you will see how to do the unobvious. How to find out the will of God? There are circumstances in life when you don’t understand how to understand it. But if in your daily life you strive to fulfill God’s will, and not your own, then at a difficult moment the Lord will prompt you, and you will see this clearly. It's like a locator: its settings can be made either very strong, subtle, or constantly knocked down. It's the same here.

How to learn obedience when it is not clear whether you are always being asked to obey the Gospel or obey yourself? First, the person must have the intention to obey. Secondly, obedience should not deprive a person of freedom of moral choice, it should be the result of this choice.

Archimandrite Lazar (Abashidze) has a book, “The Voice of Caring Warning,” which is entirely devoted to the issue of obedience. It was born as a response to the controversy about the obedience of Abbot Sergius (Rybko) and Hieromonk Dorimedont (Sukhinin).

How should monks “drink the water of reproach”? Is it useful to intentionally, forcibly “humble” another? Does it bring spiritual benefit or is it more harmful? How can the “humble” understand when patience becomes a detriment?

“All things work together for good to those who love God,” says the Apostle Paul. I will add on my own behalf: not all things work together for good for those who do not love God. (smiles). If a person knows why he came to the monastery and what his goal is, if the person is mature and his choice of the monastic path is conscious, then the “water of reproach” will benefit him. For a person who is not ready for monastic life, who does not understand what it is in his being, the “water of desecration” is indicated in minimal doses, otherwise the person can be destroyed.

How often does it happen here: a person comes to Church, to a monastery, and instead of love (which was among the first Christians about whom he read and who inspired him), he finds precisely “the water of reproach.” Is there anything in the people offering it other than this “water” that they “drank” at one time and which they are now ready to generously share with others? First, share your love, give a person that science of Christian life, which is of paramount nature. “Water of contempt” is solid food, but we must begin with milk when we are dealing with “babies” in the church life.

On the issue of “humility”. Everything is very simple here. Sometimes a doctor, after weighing the pros and cons, gives the patient a potent, toxic drug, the use of which is fraught with risk, and if it leads to death, he will be convicted and serve time. The abbot/abbess will not serve time in prison, but for everyone who came to them and whom they mishandled, whom they “humbled” without proper love and thus broke, they will answer, and this responsibility is much worse than the doctor’s responsibility for the patient. Therefore, when you select medications, you must be extremely careful. In this case, you must always start small, and it is important to watch yourself: when you humble someone, you do it because you want the person’s benefit, or because of your own harmfulness, pride, or according to the principle of hazing: I was humbled, and Am I humble now?

There is no need to place unbearable burdens on people. Let us recall the principle of the first Apostolic Council: the apostles were afraid to place a burden on pagan converts that could turn them away from the Church. Intentional “humility” is appropriate only when it is obvious that the brother or sister really needs it. This must be done delicately and subtly: you cannot humiliate or “destroy” a person. And it is also very important that a person understands what is being done to him and why. In confession or in a conversation, you must definitely explain to your brother why you are treating him in a certain way, saying that this is not because you treat him badly or do not respect him, but because you limit his passions to some extent. You should be guided by the principle of “useful” and “harmful”, and not “possible” and “impossible”.

- In other words, there should be no system of prohibitions and punishments.

Certainly. You probably remember the discussion of stories with “confessions of exes”, then there was a wave about the issues of large families, the problem of sexual life in the Church. On one of the sites there was a publication about a girl who, according to her, was driven to the point of neurosis in this regard by her confessor and church life as such. Obviously, the problem is in this girl herself, but, having seen such problems in a person, you can try to correct them, and, without seeing them, aggravate them.

A mother can punish a child, but she will give her life for him. Is the abbot ready to give his life for his brother?

Therefore, monastery leaders must be sensible people. They should act not even like fathers, but like loving mothers, and look at each individual person: whether their “humility” will lead to depressive psychosis in individuals. A mother can punish a child, deny him something, but she will give her life for him. Is the abbot ready to give his life for his brother? If he is ready and gives day after day, then he can demand a lot from him. We must remember that the inhabitants of the monastery are not a resource for the abbots, they are the people whom they, the abbots, serve. Bosses are the top of the pyramid, only you need to tip the pyramid down and realize that you are under everyone. And that if it weren’t for “all these”, then there would be no need for you, the brethren need you and that’s the only reason you are in your place. The abbot must live not for himself, but for the sake of the brethren and their needs. We all do not correspond to our places, we are worse than we should be, the Lord puts us in our service, since there is no one else - for the sake of people. We should not take advantage of people, but benefit them.

Much is said about the fact that in our time, what is required from leaders is not severity, but gentleness and kindness. As the Monk Gabriel (Zyryanov) said, “if the Monk John Climacus wrote his “Ladder” today, he would have written it differently.” Do you agree that for a modern monk (and even a layman) affection is more useful than severity?

Affection must be combined with severity

Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) said that just because young novices come to monasteries, we should bow at their feet, and not hold them with a tight rein. Of course, moderate severity and discipline are necessary, but for a modern secular person, even the elementary features of the monastery charter (at certain times of rising, meals, divine services, prayer, internal rules, behavior and communication with monks) become certain restrictions for which he is not yet ready , and first he must at least get used to this. Because, for example, for a person who has not been taught good manners since childhood, this is already a feat. The ascent must begin gradually, with the simplest things. Only on such a foundation can something else be built. Affection must be combined with severity: there should not be an excess of one and a lack of the other, they must go hand in hand.

It is impossible to become a good Christian, or even a Christian in principle, or a good monk, or a monk in general, without becoming a decent person. In our country, people often share this, believing that you can become a good Christian (monk) and not be a decent person.

If you don't know what to say, keep quiet

The appointment of a monastery abbot “from above,” as often happens with us, violates the communal rules and introduces social stratification. What do you think about the problem of electing the abbot/abbess by the brotherhood/sisterhood? Is it planned to include this in the Regulations on Monasteries and Monasticism?

In order to have the opportunity to choose abbots and abbess, you must first form monasteries according to the principle by which they were originally created, and not according to the principle: there are walls and someone needs to be settled there. In Bulgaria, for example, many monasteries have become parishes where white clergy serve. Perhaps this is smarter and more rational to some extent. In general, the issue of electing an abbot/abbess is a topic for a separate discussion.

The rapid tonsure among young monks and, as a consequence, ordination is due to the shortage of priests, especially in remote dioceses. Here is a real case. An elderly woman came to confession for the first time in Cathedral city, and among the priests there were very young fathers who had recently graduated from the seminary. During confession, the young priest listened to her and, without saying anything, covered her with an epitrachelion. The man was somewhat disappointed and no longer wanted to go to the young priests for confession. What advice would you give to young hieromonks on how not to cause harm? And those people who are embarrassed do not trust the young priests?

That young priest, and even more so the young hieromonk, who, not knowing what to say to a person in confession, remains silent, does the right thing. It would be much worse to say something wrong that could cause harm to a person. Unfortunately, our Church does not have the opportunity to allow only those who are ready to confess to confession, since otherwise a huge number of people will be left without the sacrament at all. However, it makes sense to pay attention to the training of young priests - not only at the seminary level, but also at the level of parish life. There are a number of books that priests and hieromonks are required to read: letters of Archimandrite John (Krestyankin), Abbot Nikon (Vorobiev), Optina elders (primarily Ambrose and Macarius of Optina, Venerable Anatoly (Zertsalov)).

A priest must be extremely careful and responsible

A priest must be extremely careful and responsible. The young shepherd is required to work as a restorer who is afraid of destroying the icon, so he acts extremely carefully. When people come to confession and ask for advice, you need to listen to the person, understand how he himself understands the situation, ask: what do you think about this? It often turns out that the person himself speaks the right words; the priest only needs to agree and let him go in peace.

Between conscience and obedience

How to follow the apostolic advice “do not become slaves of men,” but at the same time not fall into self-rule in relation to your superiors?

In any monastery there is a charter, a routine for monastic life and a certain hierarchy, and when a person comes, he naturally accepts these rules and is in obedience. But at the same time, of course, each of us will answer for ourselves, our actions, thoughts, words, and therefore in all our internal and external manifestations we must be guided by our conscience.

The fact is that neither the charter, nor the routine, nor the hierarchy in themselves can bring harm to a person. But if a laborer or novice sees that in the monastery wrong relationship between brothers/sisters, there is cruelty and obvious injustice, then there is no need to stay in such a monastery. Because if you stay without seeing this in advance, you may later find yourself in a situation where you will have to choose between conscience and obedience, and this can become a difficult test, there will be a danger, without correctly understanding the situation, you will allow arbitrariness or sin against the Gospel and the commandments of Christ (which is even worse).

If you are afraid to approach your superiors, this should not happen in the Church.

An important criterion for the correct organization of life in a monastery is when a monk can fearlessly come to the authorities and admit that something bothers him, and the abbot or abbess freely and calmly explain their position. And if you are afraid to approach the authorities... no, this should not happen in the Church.

Do you think monks need social protection: medical insurance, employment history? Most monastics are not socially protected. It happens that those who have lost their health are sent out into the world for treatment at the expense of their relatives, or even kicked out, accused of being a sham. What to do in this case?

I believe that social protection is necessary and must be mandatory - this is a matter of love and care for monastics. All people have different physical strength, different circumstances, so it would be correct if this protection were present. Yes, on the one hand, when a person becomes a monk, he completely entrusts himself to God and, it seems, should not worry about this kind of thing. On the other hand, we sometimes encounter the fact that this turns into a serious temptation that a person cannot overcome, and it breaks him. Therefore, if it is possible to take care of this, then this would be natural in each individual case.

If we are called to care for everyone, then how can we not care for those of our faith and members of our brotherhood?

It’s quite easy to figure out whether a person is faking it or has a real illness. You can always turn to doctors and understand whether a person is really sick. If he lived in a monastery, worked and was a member of a monastic community, then it is our duty to take care of this person. If we are, in principle, called to care for everyone, this is the duty of our Christian love, then how can we not care for those of our faith and, moreover, for those who are members of our brotherhood (sisterhood)?

Is it acceptable in convents the practice of obligatory revelation of thoughts to the abbess, deprivation of nuns from Communion by the abbess?

A person must open his thoughts to the one to whom his heart is known, to whom he trusts, who can definitely bring him benefit and not harm. Even in previous, slightly more prosperous times in spiritual terms, the revelation of thoughts was not universal and generally binding.

To heal others from passions, you yourself need to succeed in the fight against passions

Revelation of thoughts is a rather complex task; it requires skill on the part of the one who accepts it. It is no coincidence that in the past, the revelation of thoughts from brothers/sisters was accepted by the elder/elder. We have all read how the Optina elders accepted the revelation of their thoughts, but we know how skilled they were in spiritual and monastic life. And one who is not skilled should not dare to take on this feat and this work, which are disproportionate to his strength. Because here main principle- do no harm. To heal others from passions, you yourself need to succeed in the fight against passions. Being a passionate person and living in passions, in no case should you take on such a feat. The consequences can be the most dire.

Sometimes we can see how distortions occur when the revelation of thoughts turns into a simple conversation or a story about other people’s shortcomings, and in some cases it becomes a reason for resentment - both for the one who accepts and the one who reveals the thoughts. Unfortunately, in this matter there are a lot of excesses and results that are far from good.

As for the deprivation of Communion by the abbess, this is not legal. If a person does not commit sins that, according to the canons and rules of the church, should lead to excommunication from the Chalice, then he has every right to begin receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ. In the case when an unjustified excommunication from Communion occurs, it actually turns out that someone is trying to get between a person and Christ. Another thing is that a confessor or abbess can advise a brother or sister how often they should receive communion.

The practice of such excommunication is incorrect. If we look at the monasteries that many want to follow and emulate, we will see that they receive communion there four times a week. And it will probably be strange for their inhabitants to hear that there may be excommunication from Communion due to the lack of revelation of thoughts. When the monks receive communion so often, they do not confess four times a week, but as needed. They confess often, but no one links this with the obligatory revelation of thoughts.

Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) can be called the highest example of Russian eldership, but for a long time only two people from the Lavra brethren regularly came to him for the revelation of thoughts. Against this background, it is completely incomprehensible how one can demand revelation of thoughts from everyone.

In one monastery there was a case when the abbess insisted on her own presence during the confession of the sisters.

The sacrament of repentance provides for the participation of the priest and the penitent and does not imply the presence of a third party. No... It provides, only the first Person in this situation is Christ Himself. In any other case, this becomes a profanation of the sacrament and has nothing to do with Christianity and church life. There is terrible violence against the individual. All the holy fathers say: do not open yourself to someone to whom your heart is not known. A person can live in a monastery and not have spiritual trust in the abbot or abbess. This is not a sin or a crime. The abbot/abbess must win trust - with love, attention, care and high Christian life. If all this is not there, you cannot knock trust out of a person.

There is a wonderful book that, in my opinion, should be a reference book for every person who is preparing to become a monk and is, in principle, thinking about it. These are “Letters on Monasticism” by St. Paisius the Holy Mountain, where he tells in great detail and detail how to prepare for becoming a monk and not make a mistake. Elder Paisios says that a person should travel to different monasteries, see how life goes on in these monasteries, and if he sees something with which his Christian conscience does not agree, or something that contradicts elementary common sense, then there is no need to go there.

Spend time looking for a monastery where there is love, understanding and care

That is, if you see that in a monastery the abbess insists on her presence at confession or that in this monastery there are non-Christian relationships, there is no love and trust, do not go there. Spend time looking for a monastery where there is love, understanding and care, so that you don’t stumble at some point. And one more important point. It's always difficult to give advice to people about marriage. It is important to ask them the question: “Do you love this person? Does he love you? Because if not, then there should be no talk about marriage. It's the same in monasticism. A confessor may recommend a certain monastery, but he should not insist that a person go only to this monastery and not to any other. A person himself must understand for himself in which monastery it will be useful for him to live.

You should not assume that if you lived as a laborer or novice in one monastery, then you are obliged to remain there in the future. If you have lived and worked hard, but have realized that it is not good for your soul to be here, do not take monastic vows there. This is absolutely normal and that is why you need to live in a monastery for some time, not to rush. Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) sent young people to one monastery, then to another, third, fifth, and ultimately blessed them to stay where the person liked.

- Is friendship possible between monastics? What should it be like?

It is acceptable and absolutely natural, since a Christian is a person who must love people. And it is completely natural to love those who have chosen the same way of life and deeds as you and have the same aspiration. However, monastic friendship must presuppose a certain distance: insolence and familiarity are unacceptable, but only spiritual unanimity. This is a friendship that creates, elevates, and does not give rise to spiritual relaxation when one complains to the other, and both condemn the other.

Compassionate your exes rather than judge them

- Venerable Sergius Radonezhsky and Paisy Velichkovsky more than once left the monasteries if something contradicted their inner convictions. Under what conditions is it acceptable to leave the monastery these days?

This question is difficult to answer. Yes, there is an example of the saints you mentioned, whose contribution to the development of Russian monasticism is difficult to overestimate; these are unique people. The Monk Paisiy Velichkovsky repeatedly moved from monastery to monastery, and St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov) even left the Optina Hermitage, although it was a wonderful monastery. There is probably only one criterion here - spiritual benefit for a person; what happens or does not happen to his soul in a particular monastery.

It's not always easy to figure it out. A person can succumb to passions, resentment, despondency, despair and make mistakes. It is very important that when a person goes to a monastery, he has a confessor, someone with whom he can consult. It often happens that people come who not only do not have a confessor, but they have just begun to live church life and have not yet really understood anything about it.

A person is characterized by such a weakness: when it’s bad, he prefers not to figure it out, but to go to another place

It is impossible to give a single rule, but we can say that in some cases leaving the monastery is possible: if a person suffers spiritual harm and moving to another monastery can be the solution to such a situation. But this should be a rare exception to the rule, by no means the rule. Because a person is characterized by such a weakness: when it’s bad, he prefers not to figure out why he feels bad here, but to move to another place with the expectation that it will be good there. The Fatherland tells how one brother constantly changed monasteries and saw that all his problems were repeated everywhere, then he wrote himself a note that he would not leave the monastery anymore, he would endure everything for the sake of Christ.

According to the canons, a novice, including a ryassophore, can return to the world and start a family. But if a person leaves after tonsure (especially the mantle), it becomes a tragedy. How to understand in time that you cannot stay on the monastic path? What are some warning signs to look out for?

The basis for choosing monastic life should be unconditional love to God

Again I will draw analogies between marriage and monasticism. We often see how people are convinced that they love each other, get married, and after a while it turns out that they are strangers. People grow apart over time and lose love. In monasticism everything is even more complicated, even more tragic. The basis for choosing monastic life should be unconditional love for God. And if this love exists, if it fills a person’s life, and he understands that nothing can defeat this love in him, then the decision to accept monasticism is justified, natural. The time of novice experience should reveal to what extent this desire and aspiration is of a fundamental nature.

Of course, a person cannot always evaluate himself correctly. Therefore, at least three years of novitiate are given for a person to live in a monastery, and during this time his intention must either strengthen or weaken and show its inconsistency. And it is necessary to look after him: there must be a “gardener” in the monastery so that fruits and vegetables grow in his “garden”, and not weeds.

If a person has doubts about the chosen path, he should under no circumstances accept monasticism

If a person has doubts about the chosen path, he should under no circumstances accept monasticism. The Monk Paisius the Svyatogorets said that if you are 99 percent sure, do not accept monasticism. Over time, 1 percent can easily turn into 99, and 99 into 1. Even if one is one hundred percent sure, later a person may face a period of cooling, spiritual decline. Terrible disasters in monastic life happen, but, unfortunately, they cannot be predicted in advance. We must try to eliminate this from the beginning - as much as possible.

- How do you understand whether the problem is with you or if the community is destructive? What are the signs of a destructive monastery?

Monasticism is a way to more fully and completely fulfill the Gospel in your life. Therefore, when a monastery and its inner life are based not on the desire to fulfill the Gospel, but on something else, when it is simply a special organization of people’s lives - life not for the sake of a more perfect Christian life, but for something else, then we can talk about destructiveness. Of course, whatever the situation, the main problem lies in us, in our imperfection. But, nevertheless, there are external circumstances that either help us cope with our imperfections, or make it impossible for us.

You can learn something not from the one who teaches, but from the one who does it well himself.

When a person goes to a monastery, he must make sure that there are good examples there. You can learn something not from the one who teaches, but from the one who does it well himself. Therefore, one should learn from those who have shown correct results in monastic life. And one more thing - you need to choose not the monastery where they live according to strict rules, where they strictly fast and strictly strive, but one in which they know how to love each other and those around them. Because the core of the Christian life is love. Therefore, we must try to find a monastery where this love is manifested in people. There are few such monasteries, alas, but they exist.

I heard from some monastics that all the “former” ones are almost antichrists who bring schisms into the Church; they are accused of conspiracies and attacks on monasticism. But isn’t a monk a merciful heart? As the recently deceased Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) said, “if you don’t hear other people’s groans, neither fasting nor bowing will help.” Even just in a Christian way, shouldn’t we show compassion and pain for the departed and lost? And is it possible to accuse everyone indiscriminately of conspiracy and slander? How should we treat those who have left the walls of the monastery?

We must not only show compassion, moreover, we must treat them with pity, since these are people in whose lives a terrible misfortune has occurred. It is difficult to say how they will bear responsibility before God for the fact that they left this life and rejected their vows. On the other hand, we must understand: the fact that people left the monastery is partly their fault, and partly ours. This is the law of Christian life: start with yourself, first look at where you are wrong.

Every person is created to be with God, but not everyone is created to be a monk

But it should be noted that there are also people who, for no apparent reason, came to the monastery, and, having left there, became enemies of the Church and are fiercely fighting against it. It happens that people went to the monastery with good intentions, but they broke down, because monastic life was beyond their strength, they were not created for this life. The big problem, I think, is that we basically accept such people into monasteries. It seems to me that our selection system is not strict enough. The fact is that every person is created to be with God, but not everyone is created to be a monk. The Lord said that “those who can contain, let them contain,” remember His words about the three types of eunuchs. We, abbots and abbots, must discern this ability or inability in a person who comes to the monastery.

After reading the comments of some, you understand that the person initially came to the monastery was not fundamentally different from what he is today, and upon entering the monastery one could see in him much of what appeared later. We must honestly tell people: it is good that you have a desire for the monastic life, it is good that you are striving for it, but this life is not yours, you will not bear it. To stop such a person, turn him around and say: go, work in the parish, do something you love and save yourself in the world - this will be a blessing.

Our responsibility and guilt before the “former” is that we, in principle, accepted them into the monasteries

Monasticism is a zone of special risk, and often our responsibility and guilt before the “former” is not that they saw some kind of evil in the Church (which is actually our average statistical infirmities), but that we accepted them in principle to the monasteries, they were allowed into this dangerous zone. There are types of secular activities that require certain qualities and health. For example, if you allow a person with trembling hands to work as a sapper, then everyone will fly into the air. It’s the same in monasticism: a person doesn’t have a monastic disposition, which means he doesn’t need to be a monk.

- But a person could sincerely desire a monastic life.

He could desire, but at the same time not understand either himself or what monasticism is and what it requires from a person. You know, it happens that a person becomes a priest, takes the oath, and then wants to change something in his life and says that he did not take the oath seriously. That is, he does not understand that he made an oath to God. This sometimes happens with people who accept monasticism.

We live in a time when people have a split, unified consciousness. Such people perceive life as a film, a TV series, as a game, it seems to a person that now he will do something, and then he can do it over, he ruined something, but he can fix it, and so on. People do not understand that there is only one life on earth, and we are responsible for everything in our lives.

Does a monk always leave the monastery because there was no calling or lack of patience and humility? And one more thing: it is believed that by leaving the monastery, a monk breaks his vows. Is this really true? What advice could you give to those “formers” who experience leaving the monastery with sincere pain as a personal tragedy?

The Monk Paisiy Velichkovsky changed monasteries several times, not because he was disillusioned with monasticism and left this life for the world, but precisely because he loved this life with all his heart and wanted to find a place where he could fully realize his desire for monastic life . And when a person leaves the monastery into the world, then in a sense he betrays his vows, his choice, and, to a large extent, God.

But there are different situations. It’s one thing when a person leaves the monastery, having already accepted monasticism, and then spends his whole life repenting, mourning and confessing this as his weakness. A completely different situation is when he leaves and begins to prove that he did this because there are bad people in the monastery, that the Church is not the same Church and, in general, Christianity is the wrong religion. He tries to refute everything that is actually true in order to justify himself, and this is already a terrible state, this is a disastrous path.

If a person left, unable to bear it, broke down, but he has a desire to live a Christian life and not fall away from the Church, then we need to work with such people, since we are responsible for them. Be that as it may, we must help them, if, of course, they are ready to resort to our help and are looking for it. There are so many good examples when people betrayed their choice, and then repented and returned to the monastery with even greater zeal.

I would advise the “former” to read the wonderful book “The Feat of Knowledge of God.” This is the correspondence of Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov) with the English priest Demetrius (Balfour), who took monasticism on the Holy Mountain, labored in various monasteries, and then went into the world, where he got married, forgot about the monastic calling, but eventually returned to the Church with repentance. The book is very piercing, deep, it can give a person some impetus to, despite the mistakes made, turn to God with repentance and return to the Church. At least for a start, and then figure out how to live further.

When silence is not golden

In monastic circles, it is not customary to bring problems up for public discussion. Is this legal when acute, serious issues are nevertheless revealed? Not to wash dirty linen in public, but to actually solve problems, and not just talk about them. Is silence always golden?

What is happening in the Church, in the monastic environment, does not make sense to bring up for discussion in society, but within our church life, problems must be discussed and resolved

We are often accused of not wanting to wash dirty linen in public, of hiding everything, but it seems to me that this accusation is meaningless. What is happening in the Church, in the monastic environment, does not make sense to bring up for discussion in society, which in principle knows nothing about the life of the Church and especially monasticism, since this is a completely special area. What non-church people who do not know Christianity can say about this will not always be healthy, to put it mildly.

Another thing is that within the Church, within monasticism, problems should not be hushed up, this is unacceptable. Submitting them to external discussion is not justified, but within our church life, problems must not only be discussed, but also resolved. Everything that we hush up, that we don’t talk about and try to pretend that it doesn’t exist, will then break through with terrible force, just as happens when gas accumulates in a room, the concentration increases and an explosion follows. The problems we put off until tomorrow get worse.

The main systemic problem of modern church and monastic life is ourselves. Weak, infirm, basically good for nothing

We talk a lot about what monastic life should be, how it should develop, what is right and what is wrong, all our conversations and discussions have a right to exist, but we must not forget that monasticism is a mystery, monastic life is sometimes very, very complex, and in many ways this life depends on specific individuals. There is a rule, there is a charter, but there is also a monastic environment, which is formed at the expense of individuals. The main systemic problem of modern church and monastic life is ourselves. Weak, infirm, by and large, good for nothing. If we succeed in changing, becoming better, both church and monastic life will improve; if we fail, it means that we will have a lot of shortcomings for which we will scold each other, and everyone will scold us. But it is imperative to talk about this and discuss painful issues with each other, and as informally as possible.

- Father Nektarios, your main advice to those entering the monastic path.

Remember the words of St. John Climacus about what main motive should be present in a person’s choice of the monastic path - love for God. If a person chooses monastic life for some other reason, he risks making a big mistake and getting burned. Only love for God, the desire to learn to truly love God should be the basis for choosing a monastic path. If this desire is not there, there is no need to take this path. Love may be initial, imperfect, but it must be and must be revealed, developed and multiplied subsequently.