There lived a man named Silouan of Athos. He prayed desperately and daily, asking God to have mercy on him. But his prayers remained unanswered. Several months passed, and his strength was exhausted. Silouan despaired and shouted to the heavens: “You are implacable.” With these words, something seemed to break in his soul. For a moment he saw the living Christ before him. His heart and body were filled with fire - with such force that if the vision had lasted a couple more seconds, the monk would simply have died. All his life, Silouan remembered the inexpressibly meek, joyful, infinitely loving look of Jesus and told those around him that God is incomprehensible and immeasurable love. We will talk about this saint in this article.

Silouan Afonsky (real name Semyon Antonov) was born in the Tambov province in 1866. The boy first heard about God at the age of four. One day his father, who loved to host guests and ask them about something interesting, invited a bookseller to the house. During the meal, a “hot” conversation ensued about the existence of God, and little Semyon sat nearby and listened attentively. The bookseller convinced his father that the Lord did not exist. The boy especially remembered his words: “Where is he, God?” Semyon then told his father: “You teach me prayers, but this man denies the existence of the Lord.” To which he replied: “Don’t listen to him. I thought he was smart, but it turned out to be the opposite.” But his father’s answer cast doubts in the boy’s soul.

Youth

Fifteen years have passed. Semyon grew up and got a job as a carpenter on the estate of Prince Trubetskoy. There was also a cook who worked there and regularly went to pray at the grave of John Sezeniewski. She always talked about the life of the recluse and the miracles that happened at his grave. Some of the workers present confirmed these stories and also considered John a saint. After hearing this, the future Venerable Silouan of Athos clearly felt the presence of the Almighty, and his heart burned with love for the Lord.

From that day on, Semyon began to pray a lot. His soul and character changed, awakening in the young man an attraction to monasticism. The prince had very beautiful daughters, but he looked at them as sisters, and not as women. At that time, Semyon even asked his father to send him to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. He allowed, but only after the young man completed his military service.

Extraordinary Power

Elder Silouan of Athos possessed in his youth enormous physical strength. One day one of the prince’s guests was about to harness a horse. But severe frosts struck that night, and all her hooves were covered in ice, and she did not allow her to fight it off. Semyon tightly wrapped his hand around the horse’s neck and said to the man: “Beat it off.” The animal couldn't even move. The guest knocked the ice off his hooves, harnessed his horse and rode off.

Semyon could also take a vat of boiling cabbage soup with his bare hands and transfer it to the table. With a blow of his fist, the young man broke the thick board. In hot and cold weather, he lifted and carried heavy objects for several hours without rest. By the way, he ate and drank the same way he worked. One day after a hearty meal meat lunch On Easter, when everyone had gone home, Semyon’s mother offered him scrambled eggs. He did not refuse and happily ate the fried egg, which, as they say, contained at least fifty eggs. It's the same with drinking. On holidays at the tavern, Semyon could easily drink two and a half liters of vodka and not even get drunk.

First big sin

The strength of the young man, which was useful to him in the future for accomplishing feats, became the cause of his first great sin, which Silouan of Athos spent a long time praying for.

On one of the holidays, when all the villagers were outside, Semyon walked with his friends and played the harmonica. Two brothers, working as shoemakers in the village, walked towards them. The eldest was of enormous height and strength, and besides, he loved to scandalize. He began to take the accordion from Semyon. He handed it over to his comrade, and asked the shoemaker to calm down and go on his way. It did not help. A heavy fist flew towards Semyon.

This is how Saint Silouan of Athos himself recalled this incident: “At first I wanted to give in, but then I felt ashamed that the residents would laugh at me. So I hit him hard in the chest. The shoemaker flew several meters away, and blood and foam gushed from his mouth. I thought I killed him. Thank God, everything worked out. They pumped it out for about half an hour, watering it cold water. Then they lifted him up with difficulty and took him home. He finally recovered only after two months. Afterwards I had to be very careful, because two brothers were constantly lying in wait on the street with knives and clubs. But the Lord saved me.”

First vision

Semyon's young life was in full swing. He had already forgotten about the desire to serve God and was simply spending his time unchastely. After another drinking session with friends, he dozed off and in a dream saw a snake crawl inside him through his mouth. Feeling intense disgust, Semyon woke up and heard the words: “Aren’t you disgusted by what you saw? I also hate to see what you do with your life.”

There was no one nearby, but the voice that said these words was unusually pleasant and amazing. Silouan of Athos was convinced that the Mother of God herself spoke to him. Until the end of his days, he thanked her for guiding him on the true path. Semyon felt ashamed of his past life, and he became stronger in his desire to serve God after finishing his military service. A sense of sin awoke in him, which completely changed his relationship to everything around him.

Military service

Semyon was sent to serve in St. Petersburg, in the Life Guards. The army loved him because he was a good, calm and efficient soldier. One day he and three comrades went to the city to celebrate a holiday in a tavern. Everyone was drinking and talking, but Semyon sat and was silent. One of the soldiers asked him: “Why are you silent? What are you thinking about?" He replied: “Here we are sitting, having fun, and now they are praying on Mount Athos!”

Throughout his military service, Semyon constantly thought about this Holy Mountain and even sent the salary he received there. One day he went to the nearest village to transfer money. On the way back he met mad Dog who wanted to attack him. Shackled by fear, Semyon only said: “Lord, have mercy!” The dog seemed to have stumbled upon an invisible barrier and ran into the village, where it harmed livestock and people. After this incident, he became even more strengthened in his desire to serve the Lord. When the service ended, Semyon came home, packed his things and went to the monastery.

Arrival to the Holy Mountain

Silouan of Athos, whose teaching is still relevant today, came to the Holy Mountain in 1892. He began his new ascetic life in the Russian monastery of St. Panteleimon.

According to Athonite customs, the new novice had to be in complete peace for several days, remembering his own sins. Then put them in writing and repent to your confessor. Silouan's sins were forgiven, and his service to the Lord began: prayers in his cell, long services in the temple, vigils, fasting, communion, confession, work, reading, obedience... Over time, he learned the Jesus Prayer from the rosary. Everyone in the monastery loved him and regularly praised him for his good character and proper work.

Monastic exploits

Over the years of serving God on the Holy Mountain, the monk accomplished many ascetic feats that would seem impossible to most. The monk's sleep was intermittent - he slept several times a day for 15-20 minutes, and did this on a stool. He didn't have a bed at all. The prayer of Silouan of Athos lasted all night. During the day the monk worked like a worker. Adhered to internal obedience, cutting off own will. He abstained from movement, conversation and food. In general, he was a role model.

Conclusion

Silouan of Athos, whose life was described in this article, slept literally for a few minutes until the end of his life. And this despite illness and dwindling strength. This freed up a lot of time for prayer. He did this especially intensively at night, before Matins. In September 1938, the monk died peacefully. With his life, the Monk Silouan of Athos set an example of humility, meekness and love for others. Fifty years after his death, the elder was canonized.

Interview with the antiprosop of the Russian Panteleimon Monastery at the Holy Cinema of Athos, Hieromonk Kirion (Olkhovik), one of the two Holy Mountain residents accompanying the relics of St. Silouan of Athos.

Father Kirion agreed to talk, noting before that he never gives interviews, but now he takes it as obedience. All his composure and taciturnity reveal the spirit of the Holy Mountain. His movement through the streets during the days when the relics are in Russia is complicated by numerous questions, requests for prayerful help and requests for spiritual advice. Father Kirion answers very quietly, with his eyes downcast.

— It is significant that in the year of the 100th anniversary of the presence of Russian monasticism on Mount Athos and the days of celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of St. Silouan of Mount Athos, his relics arrived in our country for the first time. What significance does the bringing of the relics of this saint have for Russia?

- You see, in spiritual world nothing happens by chance. And in this moment when Russian Orthodox man and Russia as a whole require spiritual help, the Lord determined that his saint - the Monk Silouan, a native of Russia, from deep Russia (Tambov province) should come to help and strengthen the people, because the situation now is truly turbulent, this can be felt on Mount Athos .

— Is the spiritual heritage of St. Silouan relevant today? To modern man Is it clear what he is talking about?

- Very relevant! First of all, the teachings of Saint Silouan are valuable for us, the Holy Mountain inhabitants who reside on Mount Athos, and for monks in general, because he is the patron saint of monastics. It is even more relevant than the legacy of many other elders, because he is our contemporary, our compatriot. He very deeply, but at the same time simply examines all the issues that modern monasticism faces. However, simple and accessible language he responds to the demands of modern worldly society.

— You were in the homeland of the Monk Silouan in the village of Shovskoye...

- Yes, they reconstructed it there parents' house. By this day, a lot of restoration work had been carried out; it was bought from a private person and put in order. land plot on which the house stands. This was done by Mother Juliania (Kaleda), the abbess of the Conception Monastery. In the house where the monk grew up, we were shown a hook on the ceiling; apparently, a cradle was attached to it, in which the mother rocked the venerable Silouan as a baby. The house has low ceilings and a Russian stove. It is interesting to see the nature in which he was brought up, to feel the atmosphere in which the saint grew physically and spiritually. We met with his relatives. They say there are still about twenty relatives left, but everyone lives in different places.

— Moscow is the last point of your journey...

- Yes, this is the last city. The relics will remain here for a few more days, and on the 24th, the day of memory of St. Silouan of Athos, we fly home to Athos. On this day the brethren will wait for the monk to worship him.

— What was your impression of the trip? How did people greet you? Interested to know which one you found? modern Russia, because a person who has lived on Mount Athos for many years sees everything differently.

- Here's what caught my eye: western culture penetrates into Russia. The trends that we see in Greece penetrate here too. This is the spirit of the times, and there is little that can be done against it. I found Russia back in the old days, and the current picture is very different from the Russia I left.

I was also impressed by the piety and reverence of the believers. They come with their own spiritual problems, which everyone has always had and still has. And the Monk Silouan, as a healer and helper in bringing people to God, accepts everyone - he has such a mission. Well, for us monks, such long departures from the monastery are very difficult. But seeing what spiritual benefit the Monk Silouan brings to those who come to him, we are strengthened, this inspires us.

Together with the relics, she left the monastery walls for the first time miraculous icon Savior. The Monk Silouan prayed before her, and one day, during such prayer, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself appeared to him. Now everyone can venerate this icon.

- A lot of people are coming to the relics?

— At the moment, the figure is 200-220 thousand people.

— Can you tell us a little about the technical side of such a large-scale event as the bringing of relics? How is organization and transportation carried out?

- Well, firstly, you need to go through documentary procedures. You need to obtain permission from the Council of Elders of the monastery, then permission from the Holy Kinot of Holy Mount Athos (the central executive council governing body of Holy Mount Athos - ed.) and permission from the Ecumenical Patriarch. All this is documented, certified, and obligations are given from the Russian side that order, security and transportation will be ensured.

— Are the relics themselves placed in some kind of special armored ark?

- No, there is nothing like that, the relics are in their usual ark, but it is accompanied by monks from the Holy Mountain and representatives of the security services, they monitor everything that happens near the relics.

— During the bringing to Russia honest belt Holy Mother of God, there were people who did not approve of this. However, during the period of the shrine’s stay and after a long time, the Lord performed obvious miracles through it, and many changed their views. Were similar cases observed at the relics of St. Silouan?

— With such miracles the Lord shows the Triumph of Orthodoxy. But the fact is that visible healings are not a decisive and important factor, because the most important thing is the healing of a person from sin, mental healing. What I observed were the screams of the possessed. When spirits torment a soul, this manifests itself very intensely at the relics. The spirits are afraid of the grace of God, which is present at the relics, they are indignant and begin to demonstrate it.

I saw people's peace, inspiration, enlightenment. Maybe some things that happen to people are simply not advertised or are discovered later. When the relics of the healer Panteleimon were brought to Russia, many healings were revealed, but people wrote to us about them only after a lapse of time.

— Now we are celebrating the millennium of the presence of Russian monasticism on Holy Mount Athos. Why is this presence so important and valuable?

— According to historical data, our monasticism has been on the Mountain since the time of Prince Vladimir. They were even interested in this Byzantine emperors, this can be traced from some documents; this fact is recorded by historians, including Greek ones. The 1000th anniversary is still a conditional date. We take the year 1016 as our starting point, because in the act of the Great Lavra for February of that year, among twenty-two signatures of the abbots Athos monasteries there is a signature “Monk Gerasim, by the grace of God presbyter and abbot of the monastery of Ros.” But probably, Russian monasticism originated on Athos even earlier. And from that time on, a whole galaxy of Russian Holy Mountain residents appeared, who brought Russian experience into the general Athos spiritual treasury. Among the Russian monks there was a whole host of people who became famous for their holiness, including the Monk Silouan of Athos.

Russian monasticism has brought a lot of benefits to the cause of spiritual growth.

— Tell us a little about the Panteleimon Monastery itself on Mount Athos. What is he like now? When you arrived there in 1987, it was in a difficult situation.

— A lot has changed. Firstly, during the 20th century our monastery underwent very difficult trials both in terms of material and human resources. The monastery, one might say, was deserted. In those hard years, we suffered from fires, from floods, from the fact that the routes to us were cut off, the authorities of Soviet Russia forbade people to come to our monastery, Greece also had its own problems. Therefore, at the beginning of the 20th century, our Russian monasticism, which numbered about five thousand people throughout the Holy Mountain, began to die out, the elders left, and almost no young monks came. And when we arrived, there was great desolation there. Now everything has changed, since the mid-90s the revival of the monastery began, the monastery has been landscaped both from the inside and from the outside. Of course, all this is pleasing to the eye. His Holiness Patriarch during his visit to us on the occasion of the celebration, he noted changes in better side. He came to us while he was still an archimandrite, and found the monastery in those difficult times.

— Continuity and traditions have been preserved in the monastery, although in many monasteries this thread was severed due to persecution and execution of the clergy. Not so long ago, your abbot, Schema-Archimandrite Jeremiah, passed away to the Lord...

- Yes, we are orphans. Our father passed away at an old age, at the 101st year of his life, he passed away unexpectedly, we hoped that he would overcome all his human infirmities and stay with us for a while longer, but he left us. Now the election of a new rector is coming, and we ask all the saints to help us in this. The abbot must be not just a manager, but a mentor of his spiritual family.

- Certainly! He always encouraged that there should be peace, cooperation and love among each other. Only in an atmosphere of peace and love can the younger generation grow spiritually. After all, the Lord said, where two or three are gathered in My name, I am in the midst of you.

— And finally, tell us what they pray to St. Silouan of Athos. This will be useful for those who are going to come and venerate his relics.

— What a person will ask for depends on his spiritual level. If a person is of an infant spiritual age, he will ask for something worldly, and the Lord will condescend to this. A person who is stronger spiritually will ask for help in his spiritual life. And the Monk Silouan will hear the requests of everyone who sincere faith will ask God for his intercession.

The Monk Silouan of Athos has now become one of the most revered in Orthodox Church Russian saints, as evidenced in particular by the inclusion in various Orthodox calendars day of remembrance of St. Silouan (September 11/24) among the most important Orthodox holidays. Many Russian believers turn their prayers to St. Silouan and receive support and help in their needs.

In particular, there is numerous evidence that the Lord, through the prayers of St. Silouan of Athos, provides believers with special help in increasing love, reconciling and pacifying those at war, calming hostility, liberating from unbelief, and converting the lost and unbelievers.

And during his life in this world, St. Silouan especially prayed for humble love (especially towards enemies), considering such love “the last and most reliable criterion of truth in the Church.”

Through prayers for the softening of evil hearts and for the pacification of warring ones, St. Silouan provides assistance, first of all, in softening his own evil heart, which very often greatly helps to truly pacify the warring parties.

Rev. Silouan also has the special grace to provide assistance in liberation from unbelief that troubles the soul. Even during his life in this world, he devoted a lot of time to prayer for the whole world, for the salvation of the world. He said, in particular:

The Lord wants to save everyone, and in His goodness calls the whole world. The Lord does not take away the will from the soul, but with His grace pushes it towards goodness and draws it towards His love. And when the Lord wants to have mercy on someone, he inspires others with the desire to pray for him, and helps in this prayer. Therefore, you should know that when the desire to pray for someone comes, it means that the Lord Himself wants to have mercy on that soul and mercifully listens to your prayers.

The Lord wants everyone to be saved and to be with Him forever, and therefore listens to the prayers of a sinful person, for the benefit of others, or the one who prays.

O wonderful servant of God, Father Silouan! By the grace given to you by God, tearfully pray for the entire universe - the dead, the living and the future - do not remain silent for us to the Lord, who diligently fall to you and touchingly ask for your intercession ( names). Move, O all-blessed one, to prayer the Zealous Intercessor of the Christian race, the Most Blessed Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, who miraculously called you to be a faithful worker in Her earthly city, where God’s chosen one beseeches God for our sins, merciful and long-suffering, so as not to remember our untruths and iniquities , but according to the ineffable goodness of our Lord Jesus Christ, to spare and save us according to His great mercy.

Hey, servant of God, with the Most Blessed Lady of the world - the Most Holy Abbess of Athos and Her holy ascetics, ask the saints for her earthly lot Holy Word Holy Mountain Athos and its God-loving desert inhabitants will be preserved in the world from all the troubles and slander of the enemy. Yes, the Angels deliver the saints from evil and strengthen them in faith and brotherly love with the Holy Spirit, until the end of the century they pray for the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church and show everyone the saving path, and the Earthly and Heavenly Church constantly glorifies the Creator and Father of Lights, enlightening and illuminating peace in the eternal truth and goodness of God.

Ask the people of the whole earth for a prosperous and peaceful life, a spirit of humility and brotherly love, good morals and salvation, a spirit of fear of God. Let it not be malice and lawlessness that harden the hearts of men, which can destroy the love of God in men and cast them into godless enmity and fratricide, but in the power of Divine love and truth, as in heaven and on earth, hallowed be the name of God, may His holy will be done in men , and may peace and the Kingdom of God reign on earth.

So also for your earthly Fatherland - the Land of Russia, ask, servant of God, the longed-for peace and heavenly blessing, covered by the omnipotent omophorion of the Mother of God, to get rid of famine, destruction, cowardice, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare and from all enemies visible and invisible, and so holy house The Most Blessed Mother of God, until the end of the age, the Life-Giving Cross will remain in his power and he will be established in the inexhaustible love of God.

For all of us, who are immersed in the darkness of sins and warmth of repentance, who have no lower fear of God and who constantly insult the Lord who loves us immeasurably, ask, O all-blessed one, from our All-Bountiful God, so that with His Almighty divine grace He will visit and revive our souls, and all May he abolish the malice and pride of life, despondency and negligence in our hearts.

We also pray that we, strengthened by the grace of the All-Holy Spirit and warmed by the love of God, in philanthropy and brotherly love, in humble crucification for each other and for everyone, may be confirmed in the truth of God and well-behaved in the gracious love of God, and will draw closer to Him who is filial. Yes, so, doing His all-holy will, in all piety and purity of temporary life, let us walk the path unashamedly and with all the saints of the Heavenly Kingdom and His Lamb we will be honored.

To him from all earthly and heavenly be glory, honor and worship, with His Originless Father, His Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Troparion, tone 2

Seraphim's love for the Lord, ardent zealot and Jeremiah, for the people weeping, zealous imitator, all-blessed Father Silouan, you, I call to the Mother of the Lord of strength, heed the sinful serpent with wisdom and you wisely vomited out the sinful serpent and you withdrew to Mount Athos from the vanity of the world, where in labors and prayers with tears the grace of the Holy Spirit is abundantly acquired. With it, ignite our hearts and strengthen us with a tender cry: My Lord, my Life and Holy Joy, save the world and us from all evil ones.

Kontakion, voice of the same

Proud confessor of humility and love for mankind, kindness warmed by the Holy Spirit, beloved Silouan of God, the Russian Church rejoices in your struggle, but the monks of Mount Athos and all Christian people, rejoicing, rush to God with filial love. Pray for us, equal to the angel of God, so that we may be saved, imitating you in the burning of love.

Personal petitions

Servant of God, Father Silouan, remember us in your favorable prayers before Christ God, may He protect us from temptations, illnesses and sorrows, may He grant us humility, love, reasoning and meekness, and may He vouchsafe us, unworthy, His Kingdom. Amen.

O great servant of God, venerable and God-bearing Father Silouan! Look upon us (names), humble and weak, and burdened with many sins, for your help and consolation of those asking: approach us with your mercy and help us (content of the petition). We now place our hope in you, merciful father: lead us to the unevening light of eternal life by your favorable intercession at the throne of the Most Holy Trinity, so that we glorify and sing with all the saints the venerable name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Servant of God, Reverend Silouan! I pray to you, your servant (name), seek mercy from God and our Savior Jesus Christ, so that through your prayers he will grant me (the content of the petition) forgiveness of all my sins. Amen.

O holy and blessed one, Reverend Father Silouan! With your holy prayers, be a helper to us sinners (names), intercede, so that through your prayers we will be worthy (the content of the petition), and together with you we glorify and glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

There lived a man on earth, a man of gigantic spiritual strength, his name was Silouan. He prayed for a long time with uncontrollable crying: “Have mercy on me,” but God did not listen to him. Many months of such prayer passed, and the strength of his soul was exhausted; he reached despair and exclaimed: “You will not beg!” And when with these words something broke in his soul, exhausted from despair, he suddenly for a moment saw the living Christ; fire filled his heart and whole body with such force that if the vision had lasted another moment, he would have died. Afterwards, he could never forget the inexpressibly meek, infinitely loving, joyful, incomprehensible peace-filled look of Christ, and for the next long years of his life he tirelessly testified that God is love, immeasurable, incomprehensible love.

We have a word about him, this witness of Divine love.

Athonite schemamonk Father Silouan (secular name - Semyon Ivanovich Antonov) was born in 1866 in the Tambov province, Lebedinsky district, Shovsky volost and village. He came to Mount Athos in 1892 and was tonsured in 1896; to the schema - in 1911. The obedience took place: at the Mill, at the Kalamarei metoch (the property of the Monastery outside Athos), in Old Nagorno-Rusik, in Economy. Died on September 24, 1938. These few facts are drawn from the form of the Athos Monastery.

From “born” to “died” - everything is poor, there is nothing to talk about; touch inner life a person before God is an immodest, daring matter. In the midst of the square of the world, to discover the “deep heart” of a Christian is almost sacrilege; but confident that now the old man, who has left the world as a conqueror of the world, is no longer afraid of anything, nothing will disturb his eternal peace in God, let us allow ourselves an attempt to talk about his extremely rich, royally rich life, bearing in mind those few who and they themselves are drawn to the same divine life.

Many, coming into contact with monks in general and Elder Silouan in particular, do not see anything special in them and therefore remain dissatisfied and even disappointed. This happens because they approach the monk with the wrong standards, with the wrong demands and quests.

A monk is in constant feat, and often extremely intense, but an Orthodox monk is not a fakir. He is not at all interested in achievement, through special exercises, a peculiar development of psychic powers, which so appeals to many ignorant seekers mystical life. The monk wages a strong, strong, stubborn battle, some of them, like Father Silouan, wage a titanic struggle, unknown to the world, in order to kill the proud beast within themselves, in order to become a man, a true man, in the image of the perfect Man Christ, those. meek and humble.

Strange, incomprehensible to the world Christian life; everything in it is paradoxical, everything is in order, as if in reverse to the order of the world, and there is no way to explain it in words. The only way to understanding is to do the will of God, i.e. keep the commandments of Christ; the path indicated by Himself.

Childhood and young years

From the long life of the elder, I would like to cite several facts that are indicative of his inner life and at the same time his “history.” The first of them relates to his early childhood when he was no more than 4 years old. His father, like many Russian peasants, loved to show hospitality to strangers. One day, on a holiday, with particular pleasure he invited a certain bookseller to his place, hoping from him, as a “bookish” person, to learn something new and interesting, for he was languishing in his “darkness” and greedily reached out for knowledge and enlightenment. The guest was offered tea and food in the house. Little Semyon (worldly name) looked at him with the curiosity of a child and listened carefully to the conversation. The book carrier proved to his father that Christ is not God and that there is no God at all. The boy Semyon was especially struck by the words: “Where is He, God?” and he thought: “When I grow up big, I will go all over the earth to seek God.” When the guest left, Semyon said to his father: “You teach me to pray, but he says that there is no God.” To this the father said: “I thought that he clever man, but he turned out to be a fool. Do not listen to him." But the father’s answer did not erase the doubts from the boy’s soul.

Many years have passed since then. Semyon grew up, became a big healthy guy and worked not far from their village, on the estate of Prince Trubetskoy. They worked as a team, Semyon as a carpenter. The artel workers had a cook, a village woman. One day she went on a pilgrimage and visited the grave of the remarkable ascetic - the recluse John Sezenovsky (1791-1839). Upon her return, she told about the holy life of the recluse and that miracles happened at his grave. Some of those present confirmed the stories of miracles, and everyone said that John was a holy man.

Hearing this conversation, Semyon thought: “If he is a saint, then God is with us, and there is no need for me to walk all over the earth to look for Him,” and at this thought, the young heart burned with love for God.

An amazing phenomenon: from the age of four to the age of nineteen, the thought that sank into the child’s soul upon hearing the book-seller lasted; a thought that apparently weighed on him, remaining unresolved somewhere in the depths, and which was resolved in such a strange and seemingly naive way.

After Semyon felt that he had gained faith, his mind clung to the memory of God, and he prayed a lot and cried. Then he felt an internal change in himself and an attraction to monasticism, and, as the Elder himself said, he began to look at the young beautiful daughters of the prince with love, but without desire, as sisters, whereas before their appearance bothered him. At that time he even asked his father to let him go Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, but the father categorically replied: “First finish your military service, and then you will be free to go.”

Semyon remained in such an unusual state for three months; then it retreated from him, and he again began to make friends with his peers, walk with girls outside the village, drink vodka, play the harmonica, and generally live like other village boys.

Young, handsome, strong, and by that time already wealthy, Semyon enjoyed life. In the village they loved him for his good, peaceful and cheerful character, and the girls looked at him as an enviable groom. He himself became carried away by one of them and, before the question of the wedding was raised, in the late evening hour the “usual” happened to them.

It is remarkable that the next morning, when he was working with his father, he quietly said to him: “Son, where were you yesterday, my heart ached.” These meek words of his father sank into Semyon’s soul, and later, remembering him, the Elder said: “I did not come to the measure of my father. He was completely illiterate, and even read “Our Father” with an error, saying “day” instead of “today,” he learned by ear in church, but he was a meek and wise man.”

They had big family: father, mother, five brothers-sons and two daughters. They lived together and amicably. The adult brothers worked with their father. One day, during the harvest, Semyon had to cook lunch in the field; it was Friday; Forgetting about this, he cooked some pork, and everyone ate. Six months have passed since that day, already in the winter, on some holiday, the father says to Semyon with a soft smile: Son, remember how you fed me pork in the field? But it was Friday; you know, I ate her like a bitch then.

- Why didn’t you tell me then?

“Son, I didn’t want to embarrass you.”

Elder Silouan had very great physical strength. He was still very young, before military service, one Easter, after a hearty meat dinner, when his brothers went out to visit people and he stayed at home, his mother offered him “scrambled eggs”; he did not refuse; his mother cooked him a whole cast iron, up to fifty eggs, and he ate it all.

In those years, he worked with his brothers on the estate of Prince Trubetskoy, and on holidays he sometimes went to the tavern; There were cases that he drank a “quarter” (2.5 liters) of vodka in one evening, but he was never drunk.

One day, during a severe frost that struck after a thaw, he was sitting in an inn. One of the guests who spent the night there wanted to return home; He went to harness his horse, but soon returned, saying:

- Trouble! I need to go, but I can’t: the ice has covered the horse’s hooves in a thick layer, and the pain makes it impossible for her to fight it off.

Semyon says: “Come on, I’ll help you.”

At the stable, he took the horse’s neck near the head under the armpit and said to the man: “Brace it.” The horse stood motionless the entire time; the man knocked the ice off his hooves, harnessed it and drove away.

With his bare hands, Semyon could take hot cast iron with cabbage soup and transfer it from the stove to the table at which their team was working. With a blow of his fist he could break a fairly thick board. He lifted heavy weights and had great endurance in both heat and cold, he could eat a lot and work hard.

But this power, which later served him to accomplish many extraordinary feats, was at that time the cause of his greatest sin, for which he brought extreme repentance.

Once, on the patronal holiday of the village, in the afternoon, when all the residents were happily talking near their huts, Semyon and his comrades walked along the street, playing the harmonica. Two brothers walked towards them - the shoemakers of the village. The eldest, a man of enormous stature and strength, a great brawler, was “tipsy.” When they drew level, the shoemaker mockingly began to take the accordion from Semyon; but he managed to hand it over to his friend. Standing opposite the shoemaker, Semyon persuaded him to “go on” his way, but he, apparently intending to show his superiority over all the guys in the village on a day when all the girls were on the street and laughing at the scene, attacked Semyon. And here is how the Elder himself spoke about it:

“At first I thought of giving in, but suddenly I felt ashamed that the girls would laugh, and I hit him hard in the chest; he flew far away from me and fell heavily on his back in the middle of the road; Foam and blood flowed from his mouth. Everyone was scared, and so was I; I think: killed. And so I stand. At this time, the shoemaker’s younger brother took a large cobblestone from the ground and threw it at me, I managed to dodge; the stone hit me in the back, then I said to him: “Well, do you want the same to happen to you?” – and moved towards him, but he ran away. The shoemaker lay on the road for a long time; people came running and helped him, washed him with cold water. At least half an hour passed before he was able to get up, and he was taken home with difficulty. He was ill for two months, but, fortunately, he remained alive, but then I had to be careful for a long time: the shoemaker’s brothers and their comrades in the evenings with clubs and knives lay in wait for me in the back streets, but God saved me.

Thus, in the noise of his young life, the first call of God to monastic feat began to be drowned out in Semyon’s soul, but God, who had chosen him, called him again with a certain vision.

One day, after spending unchaste time, he dozed off and, in a state of light sleep, saw that a snake had entered through his mouth. He felt intense disgust and woke up. At this time he hears the words:

“You swallowed a snake in a dream, and you feel disgusted; so it’s not good for me to watch what you do.”

Semyon didn't see anyone. He only heard the voice that uttered these words, which was completely unusual in its sweetness and beauty. The action he produced, for all its quietness and sweetness, was amazing. According to the deep and undoubted conviction of the elder, it was the voice of the Mother of God Herself. Until the end of his days, he thanked the Mother of God that She did not disdain him, but She Herself deigned to visit him and restore him from his fall. He said:

“Now I see how the Lord and the Mother of God feel sorry for the people. Think Mother of God came from heaven to admonish me, a young man, of my sins.”

He attributed the fact that he was not worthy to see the Lady to the impurity in which he was at that moment.

This secondary call, which took place shortly before military service, was already decisive in the choice of the future path. Its first consequence was a radical change in life, which had taken an unkind turn. Semyon felt deep shame for his past and began to fervently repent before God. The decision to go to a monastery after completing military service returned with increased force. It woke up in him acute feeling sin, and because of this, his attitude towards everything he saw in life changed. This change was reflected not only in his personal actions and behavior, but also in his extremely interesting conversations with people.

Military service time

Semyon served his military service in St. Petersburg, in the Life Guards, in the engineer battalion. Having left for service with living faith and a deep feeling of repentance, he never ceased to remember God.

The army loved him very much as a soldier who was always efficient, calm, and of good behavior, and his comrades as a loyal and pleasant friend; however, this was a frequent occurrence in Russia, where the soldiers lived very brotherly.

One day, on holiday, he went to the city with three guardsmen from the same battalion. They went into a large tavern in the capital, where there was a lot of light and music was playing loudly; We ordered dinner with vodka and talked loudly. Semyon was silent for the most part. One of them asked him:

- Semyon, you are still silent, what are you thinking about?

“I think: we are now sitting in a tavern, eating, drinking vodka, listening to music and having fun, and on Mount Athos they are now holding a vigil and will pray all night; so - which of us is on Last Judgment will give the best answer, them or us?

Then the other said:

- What a man Semyon is! We listen to music and have fun, and his mind is on Mount Athos and the Last Judgment.

The guardsman’s words about Semyon: “and his mind is on Athos and at the Last Judgment” - can be attributed not only to the moment when they were sitting in the tavern, but also to the entire time he was on military service. His thoughts about Athos, by the way, were expressed in the fact that he sent money there several times. One day he went from the Ustizhora camp, where their battalion was stationed in the summer, to the post office in the village of Kolpino to transfer money to Athos. On the way back, not far from Kolpin, along the road, a mad dog ran straight towards him; when she was quite close and was ready to rush at him, he said with fear: “Lord, have mercy!” As soon as he said this a short prayer, as some force threw the dog aside, as if it had stumbled upon something; Having rounded Semyon, she ran to the village, where she caused a lot of harm to both people and livestock.

This incident made a deep impression on Semyon. He vividly felt the closeness of God who protects us and clung even more strongly to the memory of God.

Having completed his service in the guard, Semyon, shortly before the soldiers of his age went home, together with the company clerk, went to Father John of Kronstadt to ask for his prayers and blessings. They did not find Father John in Kronstadt and decided to leave letters. The clerk began to write out some sophisticated letter in beautiful handwriting, and Semyon wrote only a few words:

“Father, I want to become a monk; pray that the world will not delay me.”

They returned to St. Petersburg to the barracks, and, according to the Elder, the very next day he felt that “hell flames were buzzing around him.”

After leaving St. Petersburg, Semyon came home and stayed there for only one week. They quickly collected canvases and other gifts for him for the monastery. He said goodbye to everyone and left for Athos. But from the day Father John of Kronstadt prayed for him, “the flames of hell hummed” around him without ceasing, wherever he was: on the train, in Odessa, on the ship, and even on Mount Athos in the monastery, in the temple, everywhere.

Arrival at the Holy Mountain.

Monastic feats.

Semyon arrived at the Holy Mountain in the fall of 1892. and entered the Russian Monastery of the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon. A new ascetic life began.

According to Athonite customs, the new novice “Brother Simeon” had to spend several days in complete peace in order to remember his sins throughout his life and, having stated them in writing, confess to his confessor. The hellish torment he experienced gave rise to uncontrollable hot repentance in him. In the sacrament of Repentance, he wanted to free his soul from everything that burdened it, and therefore, with readiness and great fear, without justifying himself in anything, he confessed all the deeds of his life.

The confessor said to Brother Simeon: “You have confessed your sins before God and know that they have been forgiven you... From now on we will make the beginning of a new life... Go in peace and rejoice that the Lord brought you to this haven of salvation.”

Brother Simeon was introduced into spiritual feat the centuries-old way of Athonite monastic life, saturated with the unceasing memory of God: prayer in a cell alone, long services in the temple, fasts and vigils, frequent confession and communion, reading, work, obedience. Soon he mastered the Jesus Prayer using the rosary. A little time passed, only about three weeks, and one evening, while praying before the image of the Mother of God, prayer entered his heart and began to be performed there day and night, but then he did not yet understand the greatness and rarity of the gift he received from the Mother of God.

Brother Simeon was patient, kind, and obedient; in the Monastery he was loved and praised for his good work and good character, and this pleased him. Then thoughts began to come to him: “You live holy: you have repented, your sins have been forgiven, you pray unceasingly, you perform obedience well.”

The novice’s mind wavered at these thoughts, and anxiety penetrated his heart, but due to his inexperience, he did not understand what was actually happening to him.

One night his cell was filled with a strange light, which even penetrated his body so that he saw his insides. His thought told him: “Accept, this is grace,” but the novice’s soul was confused at this, and he remained in great bewilderment.

After seeing a strange light, demons began to appear to him, and he, naive, talked to them “like people.” Gradually the attacks intensified, sometimes they told him: “You are now a saint,” and sometimes: “You will not be saved.” Brother Simeon once asked the demon: “Why do you tell me differently: sometimes you say that I am holy, sometimes you say that I will not be saved?” The demon mockingly replied: “We never tell the truth.”

The change of demonic suggestions, now lifting him to “heaven” in pride, now casting him down into eternal destruction, oppressed the soul of the young novice, driving him to despair, and he prayed with extreme tension. He slept little and in fits and starts. Physically strong, a true hero, he did not go to bed, but spent all his nights in prayer, either standing or sitting on a stool. Exhausted, he fell asleep while sitting for 15-20 minutes, and then got up again to pray.

Month after month passed, and the torment of demonic attacks increased. The spiritual strength of the young novice began to fall, and his courage was exhausted, the fear of death and despair grew, the horror of hopelessness more and more often took possession of his entire being. He reached the last despair and, sitting in his cell in the late afternoon, thought: “It is impossible to beg God.” With this thought, he felt completely abandoned, and his soul plunged into the darkness of hellish languor and melancholy.

On the same day, during Vespers, in the Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah, which is at the mill, to the right of the royal gates, where the local icon of the Savior is located, he saw the living Christ.

“The Lord appeared incomprehensibly to the young novice,” and his entire being, and his very body, was filled with the fire of the grace of the Holy Spirit, that fire that the Lord brought down to earth with His coming (Luke 12:49). Simeon became exhausted from the vision, and the Lord disappeared.

It is impossible to describe the state in which he was at that hour. A great Divine light shone upon him, he was taken out of the world, as it were, and raised in spirit to heaven, where he heard ineffable verbs; at that moment he received, as it were, a new birth from above (John 1:13, 3:3). The gentle gaze of the all-forgiving, immeasurably loving, joyful Christ attracted the whole person to himself and then, hiding, the sweetness of God’s love enraptured his spirit into the contemplation of the Divine, already outside the images of the world. Subsequently, in his writings, he endlessly repeats that he knew the Lord through the Holy Spirit, that he saw God in the Holy Spirit. He also argued that when the Lord Himself appears to the soul, it cannot help but recognize in Him its Creator and God.

Having known its resurrection and seen the light of true and eternal existence, the soul of Simeon for the first time after the Apparition experienced Easter celebration. Everything was good: the world was magnificent, and the people were pleasant, and nature was inexpressibly beautiful, and the body became different, lighter, and it seemed like there was more strength. But gradually the tangible effect of grace began to weaken. Why? What to do to prevent this loss?

A careful search began for an answer to the growing bewilderment in the advice of the confessor and in the works of the Holy Ascetic Fathers. “During prayer, keep your mind pure from all imagination and thoughts and enclose it in the words of prayer,” the elder Father Anatoly from St. Rusik told him. Simeon spent enough time with Elder Anatoly. Its instructive and useful conversation Father Anatoly ended with the words: “If you are like this now, then what will you be like in your old age?” It just so happened, but with his surprise he gave the young ascetic a strong reason for vanity, which he did not yet know how to fight.

The young and still inexperienced monk Simeon began the most difficult, most complex, most subtle battle with vanity. Pride and vanity entail all troubles and downfalls: grace leaves, the heart cools down, prayer weakens, the mind is scattered and passionate thoughts begin to attack.

The young monk Silouan gradually learns more advanced ascetic feats, which would seem impossible to most. His sleep is still interrupted - several times a day for 15-20 minutes. He still doesn’t go to bed, he sleeps sitting on a stool; remains at work during the day, like a worker; carries the feat of internal obedience - cutting off one's will; learns to surrender oneself as completely as possible to the will of God; abstains from food, conversation, and movement; He prays the mental Jesus prayer for a long time. And despite all his feats, the light of grace often leaves him, and demons crowd around him at night.

The change of states, sometimes some grace, sometimes abandonment and demonic attacks, is not fruitless. Thanks to this change, Silouan’s soul is in constant internal struggle, wakefulness and diligent search for an outcome.

Fifteen years have passed since the Lord appeared to him. And then one day, during one of these painful struggles with demons, when, despite all efforts, it was not possible to pray purely, Silouan gets up from the stool to bow, but sees in front of him a huge figure of a demon, standing in front of the icons and waiting to bow to himself; the cell is full of demons. Father Silouan sits down on the stool again and, bowing his head, with a sick heart, says a prayer: “Lord, You see that I want to pray to You with a pure mind, but the demons do not let me. Teach me what I should do so that they don’t interfere with me?” And there was an answer in his soul: “The proud always suffer like this from demons.” “Lord,” says Silouan, “teach me what I must do to humble my soul.” And again in the heart there is an answer from God: “Keep your mind in hell and do not despair.”

From now on, it was revealed to his soul, not abstractly and intellectually, but existentially, that the root of all sins, the seed of death, is pride; that God is Humility, and therefore whoever wants to acquire God must acquire humility. He learned that that indescribably sweet, great humility of Christ, which he was given to experience during the Appearance, is an integral property of Divine love, Divine existence. From now on, he truly learned that the entire feat should be aimed at acquiring humility. It was given to him to know great secret Being, existentially to know.

He penetrated in spirit the secret of the struggle St. Seraphim Sarovsky, who, after the Lord appeared to him in the temple, during the Liturgy, experiencing the loss of grace and abandonment by God, stood on a stone in the desert for a thousand days and a thousand nights, crying out: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.”

The true meaning and power of St. Pimen the Great’s answer to his disciples was revealed to him: “Believe me, children! Where Satan is, there I will be.” He realized that the Monk Anthony the Great was sent by God to the shoemaker of Alexandria to learn the same work: from the shoemaker he learned to think: “Everyone will be saved, I alone will perish.”

He learned in the experience of his life that the field of spiritual battle with evil, cosmic evil, is a person’s own heart. He saw in spirit that the deepest root of sin is pride - this scourge of humanity, which has torn people away from God and plunged the world into innumerable troubles and suffering; this is the true seed of death, shrouding humanity in the darkness of despair. From now on, Silouan, an outstanding giant of spirit, will concentrate all his strength on the feat for the humility of Christ, which he was given to know in the first Appearance, but which he did not preserve.

Monk Silouan, after the revelation given to him by the Lord, firmly stood on spiritual path. From that day on, his “favorite song,” as he himself put it, became:

“Soon I will die, and my damned soul will descend into a tight black hell, and there alone I will languish in the dark flame and cry for the Lord: “Where are you, the light of my soul? Why did you leave me? I can not live without you."

This work soon led to peace of soul and pure prayer. But even this fiery path turned out to be short-lived.

Grace no longer leaves him as before: he tangibly carries it in his heart, he feels the living presence of God; he is full of amazement at the mercy of God, deep world Hristov visits him; The Holy Spirit again gives him the power of love. And although now he is no longer the unreasonable one that he was before; although he emerged from a long and difficult struggle wise; although he had developed into a great spiritual fighter, even now he suffered from the fluctuations and variability of human nature and continued to cry with the inexpressible cry of his heart when the grace in him diminished. And so for another fifteen years, until he received the strength with one wave of his mind, in no way outwardly expressible, to reflect what had previously seriously affected him.

Through pure mental prayer, the ascetic learns the great secrets of the spirit. Descending with his mind into his heart, first this heart of flesh, he begins to penetrate into those depths of it that are no longer flesh. He finds his deep heart, spiritual, metaphysical, and in it he sees that the existence of all humanity is not something alien, extraneous to him, but is inseparably connected with his personal existence.

“Our brother is our life,” said the Elder. Through the love of Christ, all people are perceived as an integral part of our personal eternal existence. He begins to understand the commandment - to love your neighbor as yourself - not as an ethical norm; in the word how he sees an indication not of the measure of love, but of the ontological community of being.

“The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son... because He is the Son of man” (John: 5:22-27). This Son of Man, the Great Judge of the world, will say at the Last Judgment that “one of the least of these” is He Himself; in other words, He generalizes the existence of each person with His own, includes it in His personal existence. He took all of humanity, “all of Adam,” into Himself and suffered for all of Adam.

After the experience of hellish suffering, after God’s instruction: “Keep your mind in hell,” it was especially characteristic for Elder Silouan to pray for the dead languishing in hell, but he also prayed for the living and for those to come. In his prayer, which transcended time, the thought of transitory phenomena disappeared human life, about enemies. It was given to Him, in grief over the world, to divide people into those who knew God and those who did not know Him. It was unbearable for him to realize that people would languish “in pitch darkness.”

In a conversation with one desert monk who said: “God will punish all atheists. They will burn in eternal fire" Obviously, it gave him satisfaction that they would be punished with eternal fire. To this, Elder Silouan, with visible emotional excitement, said: “Well, tell me, please, if they put you in heaven, and from there you see someone burning in hellish fire, will you be at peace?” - “What can you do?” “It’s your own fault,” answered the monk. Then the Elder with a sorrowful face replied: “Love cannot bear this... We need to pray for everyone.”

And he really prayed for everyone; It became unusual for him to pray only for himself. All people are subject to sin, all fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:22). For him, who had already seen the glory of God in the measure given to him and experienced its deprivation, the mere thought of such deprivation was heavy. His soul was tormented by the knowledge that people live without knowing God and His love, and he prayed great prayer so that the Lord, out of His inscrutable love, would allow them to know Himself.

Until the end of his life, despite his declining strength and illness, he maintained the habit of sleeping fitfully. He had a lot of time left for solitary prayer; he prayed constantly, changing the manner of prayer depending on the situation, but his prayer was especially intensified at night, before Matins. Then he prayed for the living and the dead, for friends and enemies, for the whole world.