Nun in a cell. Fascinated by Silence: The Cell of a Carthusian Monastery
A monastery is not only a stone or wooden religious building. People live in the monastery - novices, monks. And each of them has his own small dwelling - a cell.
The meaning of the word cell
There are words similar in sound and meaning in many languages. IN Greek there is a word κελλίον, in Latin - cella, in Old Russian - kelia. They all mean roughly the same thing. The meaning of the word cell is a small room, a modest dwelling of a monk.
Most likely, this word got into the Russian language at the time of the baptism of Rus'. Since Rus' was baptized according to the model of the Greek Orthodox Church, the word itself apparently has a Greek origin.
Monastic cells
The cells are located in special buildings - fraternal buildings or hostels. In Russian monasteries, one or two monks live in cells. The rooms have a simple appearance. From furniture usually there is a table, a chair or a stool and a bed. Instead of a bed, there may be a trestle bed.
Often in the monastery cell there is a small individual iconostasis of small icons. There is a book shelf in almost every room. These are monastic and religious books. All your own free time, which the monk has little, he spends in the cell. Here the monks spend their time in prayer, doing needlework or reading spiritual books.
In fact, monastic life has hardly changed over the centuries. Usually monks are busy with obediences or prayers. Obedience, speaking plain language- It's business work. The monasteries maintain their buildings and structures in good condition on their own. Only specialists from outside are involved in special or dangerous work.
Sometimes, especially in ancient times, monasteries were located in secluded places, sometimes in caves and mountains. And, accordingly, the cells were cut down in the rocks. The most famous such building is the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Of course, monks no longer live in these caves today.
Monks - chroniclers
When there was no book printing in the Russian state, books were written by hand. And it was the monks who wrote them in their cells. It took months and even years to produce and write one book. They were written on separate sheets, which were then fastened and closed with a strong cover.
Books were not only rewritten, but also rewritten. These were some kind of printers. Many copies were made from one book. Circulations, of course, were not in the millions, as they are now. It was still one of a kind. You can't write much by hand.
In general, in ancient times, education was concentrated in monasteries and churches. Until now, there are Sunday schools at the monasteries. And once it was the main type of education available to the bulk of the country's population. Then it was parochial schools.
Not only books were written in the narrow monastery cell. The history of the country was recorded in the cell of the monk-chronicler. It is from such annals that today it is possible to find out what happened in those distant times.
The most famous chronicler monk is Nestor. This monk lived in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra mentioned above. It was thanks to his labors that the Tale of Bygone Years was born in 1113. It tells the history of the Russian state from 852 to 1117. Subsequently, the chronicle was rewritten and supplemented many times.
Men's and women's cloisters
Monasteries are a complex of buildings and structures for religious and economic purposes. As a rule, several churches and temples operate on the territory of the monastery. And keep them in working and safe condition - the monks. They live here, on the territory of the monastery, in cells located in separate, special buildings.
How do people get into monasteries? Differently. Every person who decides to devote his life to the service of God has his own destiny. And those who come to the monastery are rarely asked the reasons that led him to this. Unless the person himself wants to talk about it.
Complete collection and description: a prayer of a monk in a cell for the spiritual life of a believer.
Symphony based on the works of St. Ignatius Bishop of the Caucasus and the Black Sea
Monasticism
The work of a monk, surpassing all his other, most lofty activities, consists in confessing his sins before God and his elders, so that he reproaches himself, so that he is ready to meet any temptation complacently until the very end of earthly life (Anthony the Great). VI, 15.
Just as a ruin located outside a city serves as a storehouse for all foul filth: so the soul of the lazy and weak in the fulfillment of monastic decrees becomes a receptacle for all passions and all stench (Anthony the Great). VI, 23-24.
My son! turn your cell into a prison for yourself, because everything related to you has been accomplished, both outside and inside you. It will insist, your separation from this world will insist (Anthony the Great). VI, 24.
A monk should not allow his conscience to accuse him of anything (Abba Agathon). VI, 57.
An ascetic can be likened to a tree: bodily feat is its leaves, and spiritual deeds are its fruit. Scripture says: every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. From this it is clear that the goal of all monastic life is the acquisition of fruit, i.e. mental prayer. However, just as a cover and decoration with leaves are necessary for a tree, so a bodily feat is also necessary for a monk (Abba Agathon). VI, 60.
Acquire such thoughts as the criminals who are imprisoned in prison have. They constantly inquire: where is the judge? when will it come? and cry in despair. So a monk must ceaselessly listen to himself and rebuke his soul, saying: Woe is me! How will I stand before Christ before judgment? what will I answer him? If you continually occupy yourself with thoughts, you will be saved (Abba Ammon). VI, 61–62.[Abba Apollos] used to say to his brethren: one must bow at the feet of strange monks who come to their monastery. Worshiping the brethren, we worship not people, but God. Have you seen your brother? you have seen the Lord your God. We received the worship of the brethren from Abraham, and we learned to put the brethren to rest from Lot, who compelled the Angels (Abba Apollos). VI, 71.
A monk, like cherubim and seraphim, must be the whole eye (Abba Vissarion). VI, 80.
Abba Daniel of Skete said: I lived both in a hostel and in a hermitage; having experienced this and that life, I find that in hostels they succeed more quickly and more if they spend the right residence (Abba Daniel). VI, 89.
If you want to be saved, observe non-possession and silence: on these two deeds the entire monastic life is based (Abba Daniel). VI, 95.
Great shame will overwhelm us if, having worn the holy monastic image for so long, we find ourselves in an hour of need without a wedding garment. Oh, how we will repent then! (Abba Diascor). VI, 106.
It is fitting for a true monk to pray unceasingly and sing in his heart (Epiphanius of Cyprus). VI, 108.
He is not intelligent who speaks, but he who knows the time when he should speak. Be silent in your mind and speak in your mind: before you begin to speak, consider what should be said; say only what is right and proper, do not boast of your reason, and do not think that you know more than others. The essence of monastic residence is to reproach oneself and consider oneself the worst of all (Abba Isaiah). VI, 152.
The perfection of the entire monastic life is when a person reaches the fear of God in the spiritual mind and his inner ear begins to listen to the conscience directed by the will of God. (Abba Isaiah). VI, 180.
The monastic life is the way; the goal of the path is to achieve peace. On this path, on the path of virtues, there are falls, enemies are encountered, changes are encountered, there are both abundance and diminution, and fruits and barrenness, and sadness and joy, and painful mourning of the heart and calmness of the heart, and success and loss. But dispassion is alien to all of the above. It has no disadvantage. It is in God, and God is in it. For dispassion there are no enemies, no fall. Neither unbelief, nor any other passion chills him. It does not feel labor in keeping itself, it is not troubled by any desire; he does not suffer from any battle of the enemy. His glory is great, his dignity is inexpressible. Far away from him is any spiritual dispensation that is perturbed by some kind of passion. It is the body which the Lord Jesus took upon himself; it is the love that the Lord Jesus (Abba Isaiah) taught. VI, 224-225.
Those who really have chosen seclusion from the world in body and mind, in order to concentrate their thoughts in solitary prayer through mortification to everything transient, to seeing the objects of the world and to remembering them, should serve Christ not by bodily deeds and not by external truth with the goal of being justified by it, but by mortification according to to the word of the Apostle, his souls, even on earth, the sacrifice of pure and undefiled thoughts, these rudiments of self-cultivation, bodily suffering in the patience of troubles for the sake of hope for the future. Monastic residence is equal to angelic. We must not leave the work of heaven and hold on to the work of the material (Isaac of Syria). VI, 255.
A certain brother was once accused of not giving alms. This brother boldly and decisively answered the accuser: “Monks should not give alms.” The one who accused him said to him: “It is clear and obvious which monk is not subject to the obligation to give alms: this is the one who can openly say to Christ the words of Scripture: behold, we will leave everything and follow Thee and go. This is the one who has nothing on earth, does not indulge in caring for the body, does not occupy his mind with anything visible, does not care to acquire anything, but if someone gives him something, he takes only one necessary thing, without being carried away by attention to anything. what 1 is superfluous, who lives like a bird. On such a person there is no obligation to give alms: for how will he give what he does not have? On the contrary, he who cares about worldly things, does needlework, accepts from others, should be given alms. Negligence for her is mercilessness, contrary to the commandment of the Lord. If someone does not draw near to God by secret deeds, if he knows to serve Him in spirit, and, moreover, does not care about the possible virtues that are obvious to him: then what hope can there be for such a person to acquire eternal life? Such is imprudent (Isaac of Syria). VI, 280-281.
The holy skete fathers prophesied about last kind. They asked the question: what have we done? One of them, a great resident, Abba Ischirion, said to this: we kept the commandments of God. The fathers asked: what will those who will immediately follow us do? He answered: they will have a work in half against ours. The fathers again asked: what about those who will come after them? - These, answered the abba, will by no means have monastic work, but misfortunes will befall them, and they, subjected to misfortunes and temptations, will turn out to be more than us and more than our fathers (Abba Ischirion). VI, 283-284.
Forcing oneself to every commandment of God is distinguishing feature monk. He who lives like this is a monk (John Kolov). VI, 290.
One day Abba John was in church and sighed, not noticing that his brother was standing behind him. Seeing him, John bowed to him, saying: forgive me, abba! I have not yet been trained in monastic rules (John Kolov). VI, 293.[Note of St. Ignatius:] So the ancient monks were afraid to reveal themselves. A true monk is one who conquers himself in everything. If, while correcting your neighbor, you move towards anger, then you fulfill your passion. To save one's neighbor one should not destroy oneself (Macarius the Great). VI, 310.
The life of a monk should consist in work, obedience, mental prayer, in the removal from oneself of condemnation, slander and grumbling. Scripture says: whoever loves the Lord, hate the evil one. The life of a monk consists in not entering into communion with the unrighteous, in order not to see evil, in order not to be curious, not to find out, to hear about the actions of one's neighbor, so as not to steal someone else's - on the contrary, to give one's own, so as not to be proud of the heart, not to be cunning in thought, so as not to fill the womb, in order to be guided by prudence in all behavior. In this is a monk (The Sayings of the Nameless Elders). VI, 371-372.
Rising from sleep, firstly, glorify God with your lips, then immediately begin your rule, consisting of the psalmody and prayer assigned to you, with attention, with much humility and fear of God, as if standing before God Himself and Him saying the words of prayer. The mind, on what it goes in the morning, is busy with it all day, like a millstone, grinding during the whole day what will be poured into it in the morning - whether it will be wheat, whether it will be tares. Let us always try to put in wheat in the morning so that the enemy does not pour in tares. If you saw a dream in a dream female faces then beware during the day of thinking about what you see: such thinking defiles the soul and causes death to it. When you lie down on your bed, remember your coffin in which you will lie, and say to yourself: I don’t know whether I will get up tomorrow or not, and before your sleep, pray to God enough with all humility and tenderness; then lie down on your bed, carefully watching, so as not to think anything bad, so as not to remember wives, even if they are saints. Fall asleep, praying, thinking about the day of judgment, in which you have to appear to Christ and give an account of every deed, word and thought. What a person thinks about before going to sleep, he also dreams about it at night in a dream, either about good or evil. There are unclean spirits who are engaged precisely in visiting a person when he lies down on his bed, and brings him the memory of women. Likewise, the holy angels are present with the monk and protect him from the snares of the enemy, being appointed by God for this very purpose. When your heart says to you at night or during the day: get up and pray to God, understand that the holy angel is present with you, and he is the one who says: get up and pray. If you get up, then he will stand up with you to pray, strengthening you in a feat and driving you away from you. evil spirit who deceives you and roars like a lion at you. If you do not get up, then he will immediately retreat from you, and then you will fall into the hands of your enemies. If you are engaged in work with the brethren, then do not show them that you have done more than they; otherwise you will lose your reward. Keep yourself from verbosity: silence in the mind is good. If you talk a lot, and everything is good, but evil is mixed with good. Observe yourself strictly in the words you utter, so that you do not repent later. If you are engaged in some kind of needlework in your cell, and the time for prayer comes, do not say: first I will finish the work; but immediately get up and pray diligently so that the Lord will correct your life, save you from enemies visible and invisible, and vouchsafe the Kingdom of Heaven (The sayings of the nameless elders). VI, 378-379.
By fasting the body is humbled, by vigil the mind is cleansed, by silence weeping is brought, by weeping perfection and sinlessness are delivered to the monk (Sayings of the Nameless Elders). VI, 380.
The enemy gives the monk excessive sorrow and rumor with a lack of necessary needs. You know what natural strength you have: why do not seek for yourself, because of laziness and voluptuousness, all kinds of brashen; being healthy, do not give yourself everything you want. Tasting what God sends you, give Him praise for every hour, saying: I do not eat monastic food and have all peace; I do not perform monastic deeds. Reproach yourself as not a monk, reproach yourself for wearing an image alien to yourself, and have incessantly sadness and humility in your heart (Sayings of nameless elders). VI, 380-381.
Human patronage destroys all spiritual dignity in a monk and makes him completely fruitless if he places his hope in this patronage (Sayings of the Nameless Elders). VI, 388.
A monk must examine himself daily in the morning and in the evening, what he has done according to and contrary to the will of God. In doing so, a monk must spend his whole life in repentance. So lived Abba Arseny (Sayings of the Nameless Elders). VI, 393.
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Prayer and cell rule
The meaning of prayer
The main activity of a monk is prayer: "All other activities serve either as preparatory or facilitating means for prayer." The basis for the prosperity of monastic life was the development in the monasteries of the ascetic practice of inner prayerful doing, the revival of which the abbots of the monasteries should pay special attention to.
Prayer connects with God, expresses gratitude and repentance, opens up the possibility of asking the Lord for everything good and saving, lays the foundation for every deed and sanctifies it. Through constant prayerful appeal to God, unceasing remembrance of Him and reverent presence before His eyes are preserved at all times.
Secret rule
According to the holy fathers, every monk has a vital need - to stand alone in his cell before the Face of the One God. As Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) says, "The essential work of a monk is prayer, as the work that unites a person with God." Therefore, each monastic is assigned a personal cell rule, which includes a certain number of Jesus prayers and prostrations, as well as other prayers.
The cell rule is determined in accordance with the brother's spiritual dispensation, bodily strength and performed obediences. It is necessary to allocate a certain time during the day for the fulfillment of the cell rule, according to the charter of the monastery.
A rule that is executed every day at the same time "turns into a habit, into a necessary natural need" and lays a solid foundation on which the spiritual life of the monastic is built. Through constant rule, a monk acquires a peaceful spirit, remembrance of God, spiritual zeal, and inner joy.
During their stay in the cell, monastics are called to preserve and develop the prayerful mood created by common church prayer. The time of solitude is devoted to the fulfillment of the rule of prayer, the reading of the Holy Scriptures, primarily the Gospel, the Apostle, the Psalter, patristic interpretations and ascetic works.
When making a cell rule, the monk must attach importance not only to the number of prayers read, but also to their performance with a contrite and humble heart, slowness and attentiveness.
The abbot must carefully take care of the harmonious combination of bodily labors and the brothers' private prayer activities, attaching special importance to the inner prayerful doing of each brother, his zeal and constancy in praying.
About the Jesus Prayer
The Jesus Prayer occupies a special place in prayerful communion with God: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner." The Jesus Prayer requires inner concentration and repentance from those who perform it. In its brevity, it is convenient for incessant pronunciation, which helps to keep the mind from distraction, and the flesh from the harmful effects of passions. Being important part cell monastic rule for all the inhabitants of the monastery, it must be performed outside the reading of the rule, at any time and in any place.
The Elderly Instruction of Hegumen Nazarius of Valaam: “On Staying in a Cell and on Exodus”
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Prayer of a monk in a cell
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Ways of prayer of a monk in a cell and his connection with the elder
Petras Monastery, Greece
I translated here a small excerpt from the new book by Archimandrite Emilian (Vafidis) “Sober Life and Ascetic Canons”, the chapter “Methods of Praying a Monk in a Cell and His Relationship with an Elder” (you just need to understand that the “new book” is a transcript of old tape recordings of conversations with brethren).
It was this passage that interested me because it precisely and figuratively formulated the method of the so-called "circular prayer", about which, for example, Elder Joseph the Hesychast spoke, considering it the safest.
For ease of reading, I will lay out the text in small excerpts:
“Now let's see how prayer is performed. Prayer is done in various ways. Each person, in accordance with his character, finds his own way, which little by little changes. Today I assure you that it is good to say prayer with your mouth. Tomorrow I discover that it is better to do this with the help of the language. I move my tongue, saying "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner" and keep my attention on the tongue. Someone else discovers that it is much better to pray with the throat so that the organs of the larynx move and the mind stays there. Another connects prayer with heartbeats. This does not mean that we will put our mind in the heart, we will not use such technical techniques. It is important that we find a way that suits us today, and tomorrow Christ will give us another way, or we will discover it ourselves. This “tomorrow” may come in a month, or in five years, or even in 20 years. But think, twenty years of podvig together with Christ, pilgrimage together with Christ!
When I pray, I make sure that nothing enters my mind. Just as the line of the circle that I draw is not interrupted by anything, the same must be true of my mind. When I say a prayer, it should be like I'm drawing a kind of circle that constantly returns to itself and nowhere else. And even if Christ appears and says to me: “Well done, my child, I have come to bless you,” I will say to him: “My Christ, go away, now I only care about the mind being in what I say.” And even more so, I will not engage in something good that comes to my mind, a pious thought or a solution to a problem. I will not allow such a break to occur, because prayer is a constant union with Christ. Christ comes and cleaves to the mind. Just as if I put honey somewhere, then the bee will fly there by itself, and I don’t plant it there, the same thing happens with prayer: I put my mind into the words of the prayer and the Holy Spirit himself comes and sticks to the mind. This is how our deification happens, very simply, without us understanding it ourselves, and slowly we see the results, we discover experiences, joys, consolations, pleasures, fun. Thus, we receive a full guarantee of Divine Communion. Is there any other way, simpler, that can guarantee us God?
When someone spends the night like this, during the day he has no inclination either to talk or to argue. And if you say to him: look! donkey flying! - then since he will say a prayer, he will agree with you. Who doesn't know that donkeys don't fly? But since his mind is in Christ, and you are in Christ, in order to show unity with you, he will not deny your words. Pronounced constantly in prayer, these words of prayer and our mind become fire and hot coals, and the sacrifice of our selfhood, our desires, our dreams, our aspirations is placed on them from above, and the smoke ascends, ascends to Christ, and Christ smells the sacrifice and rejoices. . Because His child is with Him.”
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner
Archimandrite Elisey: A monastic cell is an arena of ascetic warfare and a meeting place with God
Report of Archimandrite Elisha, rector of the Simonopetra Monastery (Holy Mount Athos) “The Meaning and Significance of Cell Prayer in the Spiritual Life of the Brethren of a Cenobitic Monastery” at the Meeting of Abbots and Abbesses of Monasteries of the Russian Orthodox Church (Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, October 8-9, 2014). .
The declared theme is very important for the life of the cenobitic monastery. From the very beginning, I would like to clarify that I intend to rely on the spirit and prayerful experience of Elder Emilian and the monks of our monastery to a greater extent than on my own wretched and insufficient experience. In itself, the fullness of the Church is already communion. For monks who have renounced all worldly ties and their former life, the monastery becomes the place where they discovered God for themselves; their life is moving into another reality, namely the reality of the Kingdom and last days where everything will be filled with the glory of God. Their life, freed from any compromises with the world, is an unceasing presence before the Throne of God, like angels. An indicative gospel saying that some of those standing here. they will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom (Matt. 16:28), addressed to the monks. Each monk heeded the call of Christ directed personally to him. Either as a result of coercive actions, or due to life circumstances, or in the process of consistent Christian upbringing, but, one way or another, the gaze of Christ rested on him and called him to leave everything and follow Him. But perfect following of Christ occurs among the monks through prayer, in which they imitate the apostles. Thus, we will try to explain how private prayer is inscribed in the life of a cenobitic monastery, revealing several aspects of both.
Continuous service to God
Just as the disciples followed Christ to Mount Tabor, so the monk enters the monastery, and there, mainly, of course, thanks to the service of God, the light of the Lord is revealed to him. This light is like the light with which the face of the Lord shone. The same thing happens in other manifestations of community life: in labor, in relations between brothers, at a meal, when receiving guests, when caring for the infirm and the elderly, at common fraternal conversations, etc., that is, all this in a monastery is likened to vestments Lord, turned white from reflected in them divine light. In the monastery everything is God-bearing, everything is there unceasing service. Service to God is at the center of life, services regulate every moment, and any activity begins and ends in the temple, with prayer and hymns. The initial call from the Lord is like a spark that flares up in the heart to give an impetus that delivers from the temptations of this world. This spark in the highest degree makes it easier to test and learn the severity of the ascetic life, but there is a danger that it will fade away if it is not nourished, so that the monk is called to perceive the mystery of God's revelation, which is clearly and mysteriously expressed in church services.
This perception occurs in two ways: through ascetic warfare and private prayer. Ascesis aims to help the monk cleanse himself of passions, the beginning of which is selfishness, and makes him a vessel that receives Divine energies; prayer, on the other hand, is the connecting link that connects the monk with God - through prayer, he speaks with the Lord and hears His answer.
Prayer as an Essential Component of a Monk's Life
Since a monastery is a place of God's unceasing presence, it is impossible that prayer should not be the center of a monk's life. “Monastic life is inconceivable without prayer – and since service is performed unceasingly – without unceasing prayer,” Elder Emilian told us and added: “When a monk prays, he becomes a person, showing, first of all, that he lives in God. He lives insofar as he is in prayer. Prayer serves him as a precondition for his spiritual growth.” The main thing that justifies his presence in the monastery is the demand for unceasing communion with God through prayer. There are many types of prayer, but only cell prayer really transforms our existence.
Cenobitic and silent monasticism
Some argue that private or noetic prayer is used only by the clergy and that the cenobitic monks are engaged only in worship, and this should be enough for them. However, there are not two different types of monasticism. Of course, there is some difference, but it is mainly due to living conditions and the organization of time free from common prayer and obedience.
The goal of both forms of monastic life was and is the same: the acquisition of intimacy with God and personal experience deification in Christ. The history of monasticism, which has always implied these two parallel and complementary types, shows a tendency towards their mutual convergence. As we can see, from the time of St. Paisius (Velichkovsky) to the present day, an attempt has been made to introduce the hesychast spiritual teaching to the monastery dormitory. In this one of characteristic features the current revival and flourishing of Svyatogorsk monasticism. Today, young people who come to the Holy Mountain (I suspect that the same thing happens in Russian monasteries) for the most part strive to live according to the norms of a hostel, while having the opportunity to live an individual spiritual life. Let's see how silent prayer is carried out in a cenobitic monastery.
Monk's cell: Babylon oven
When in the evening, after Compline, a monk returns to his cell, he does not separate from the common body of the brotherhood. The cell is his personal space, but at the same time it belongs to the hostel. Everything that is in it - furniture, icons, books, vestments, etc. - is located there with a blessing. Whatever a monk does in his cell - rest, pray, reflect on his life, prepare for confession and Communion - all this has organic connection with the rest of the life of the monastery. Of course, a monk rests in a cell, but a cell is not a place to rest. In reality, it is an arena of ascetic warfare and a meeting place with God. Some ancient monastic texts compare the cell with Babylon oven, where a monk, like three youths, is tested, purified and prepared for a meeting with God. The cell is for a monk reserved place, where nothing from the world should penetrate to let him fight with God in order to receive blessings from Him (see Gen. 32:24-30), and then he can be called, like Jacob, who saw God.
In the cell, the monk fulfills his rule, consisting of the number of prostrations determined by the elder, prayers on the rosary, reading sacred books and any other prayers. There is - and there must be - big variety in terms of content, method of execution, time and duration of the secret rule, due to the fact that people are different from each other and have varying degrees bodily endurance, temperament and character. All this should be taken into account by the confessor when assigning a prayer rule for his novice. In some way, the cell rule for the personal life of a monk has the same meaning as the liturgical charter for the temple, with the only difference being that the rule, firstly, must be within the capabilities of the monk, and secondly, become more complicated as he grows spiritually. . One thing is a rule for a beginner, another for a monk carrying some difficult obedience, another rule for the weak, another for the elderly. At a meeting with an elder, a monk, of course, confesses all his sins to him, opens his thoughts, asks for advice, but the main conversation will concern the rule: how is prayer going? do you have sleep problems? does he get tired of bowing? should i do more? what ascetic writings should be read in order to inflame the heart more strongly, etc. Regular revision of the cell rule is an essential indicator of the spiritual growth of every conscious monk.
Spiritual life as such should not be reduced to a cell rule. It is simply the necessary minimum that a monk must fulfill daily and at certain times in order to “remember that he is excommunicated from God and deprived of His Grace,” as Elder Emilian taught us. The question of the permanence of the rule is of essential importance, which is invariably emphasized by the spiritual fathers. It is impossible to fulfill the rule only when you are in the mood for it, and if you already missed it, you should inform your elder and confessor about this as a departure from your monastic duty. Therefore, the rule should be calculated so that it can be fulfilled daily, with attention, humility and full awareness of the fact that you are not offering something to God, but you are standing before Him, asking for His mercy. Thus, the rule does not degenerate into a simple habit and does not become a formal duty performed by the monk “just to get rid of it”, and in thoughts of something else. Since it is precisely during the fulfillment of the cell rule that the monk makes every effort to struggle for an encounter with God, we in our monastery prefer to call it “vigil” or “cell liturgy”, not only because it is performed mainly at night, but mainly because it represents the expectation and aspiration of God, the upward exertion of all the forces of the monk. The minimum determined for him by the elder by indulgence can become the fuse that kindles in him the burning of divine zeal, and then the rule will stretch in time and increase in strength, filling the whole night. In the brethren of Elder Joseph the Hesychast, the rule lasted six hours and consisted exclusively of noetic prayer, and in many hostels at Holy Mountain a monk is given the opportunity to devote at least four hours every night to prayer, in addition to the daily cycle of worship. The “cell liturgy” is a space of mystical experience, an entrance to the “cloud” that covered the three apostles after the appearance of the Light, the abyss of theology, and therefore it is performed at night.
Night is the time of divine revelations, great epiphanies in the Holy Scriptures, this is the hour when God bows down over people. That is why both the prophets and our Lord Jesus Christ prayed at night (cf. Matt. 26:36, Luke 21:37). During these hours, a person, having got rid of the distraction of the mind, can raise a battle against thoughts, ascend to God, talk with Him, cognize Him, so that He becomes from an unknown and abstract God his own God. Without nighttime prayer work, the Holy Spirit will not act in us and speak to us, as Elder Emilianus taught, placing this part of a monk's work at the very center of his life.
Therefore, the cell rule is so important that making it in church immediately before the morning service devalues it. Of course, such a transfer guarantees that the monks will fulfill the rule, but at the same time its personal character is lost. In a cell, a monk can dissolve his heart, kneel, pray, cry, change his posture to fight sleep, but in the temple these possibilities become inaccessible, and the rule takes on a liturgical and objective character, occupying the place of service. At the same time, it contains all the same elements, but takes on a liturgical form.
Background of Night Prayer
Just as worship has its rules, so "liturgy in the cell" has certain prerequisites, in the absence of which its goal cannot be achieved. When a monk enters his cell, or rather after he has rested for several hours and wakes up in the middle of the night to fulfill his rule of prayer, he must not bring anything of the world into the cell. He should be free from worldly cares and activities related to his obedience, not to have passions and curiosity for anything. He must also be in a state of inner peace and unity with all his brethren, not feel resentment or envy towards anyone, or even remorse for possible sins. This peace reigns in the conscience primarily as a result of a pure confession and revelation of thoughts, as well as after a brief examination of oneself, which may precede the fulfillment of the rule of prayer. Elder Aemilian instructed in much the same way: “We must empty ourselves, constantly waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit. We must abide in the things above in order to receive Him at all times. In fasting, in hardships, in pain, with a thirst for humiliation, in detachment and silence, in order to be able to contain the Holy Spirit. The spirit usually descends into empty stomachs and watchful eyes.”
Only with carelessness about anything can you acquire contrition of heart, piety, humble awareness that you are full of lawlessness and darkness, and do everything to “touch God” and attract the Spirit so that he overshadows you.
Sobriety and the Jesus Prayer
In addition to what the monk will do at this hour, following the instructions given to him by the elder, his main task will be to empty the mind of everything, be it good or bad, “so that we grow our capacity by sobriety, vigilance, silence and digging a well of joy, peace and heavenly life called the Jesus Prayer. “Capacity depends not only on our attitude and how much we love God, but also on our work, efforts and sweat we shed, and the more our capacity increases, the more God gives us.”
This devastation is called "sobriety" in patristic spiritual terminology. It consists in attention, in vigilance, in observing the thoughts that come to the mind and strive to enter the heart in order to master the strength of the soul. Sobriety is the main activity of a monk, since for the most part it does not include the fight against bodily temptations. It is "the art of arts and the science of sciences," which is difficult to comprehend for one who still lives in the turmoil of the amusements of the mind and worldly passions. Therefore, we cannot speak of sobriety and internal struggle when there is no corresponding “silence”. In the silence of the night, a monk can follow his thoughts and reflect various thoughts in order to indulge in only one invocation of the Name of Christ. Sobriety and monosyllabic prayer are inalienable companions of the mystical life, so that it is impossible to labor in one without the other, because of the mobility of the mind, which always needs some kind of occupation. For this reason, in order to repel the attacks of various thoughts, I give my mind one and only occupation - invoking the Name of Christ as an irresistible weapon and means of sanctification. Therefore, the Jesus Prayer, mental prayer, this royal path - is the main weapon of the monk in this battle, and it contains a clot of all the experience accumulated by the Church. There is no need to dwell here in more detail on the art of the Jesus Prayer, carefully described in the texts of the sober fathers and clearly explained by the great Russian god-bearing fathers of the 19th century. The Jesus Prayer is the most effective form of prayer, but not the only one, so it would be unwise to force it on all monks. For some, the monosyllabic Jesus Prayer can become boring and become an obstacle to free communication with the longed-for Lord, and not because of falling into passions or immaturity, but simply because of temperament and state of mind.
According to the faithful disciple of the Monk Paisius (Velichkovsky), the Monk George of Chernik, the imposition of a single rule of the Jesus Prayer was one of the reasons for the rapid disintegration of the large brotherhood of the Neamts monastery after the death of the Monk Paisius. Accordingly, one can recommend the monosyllabic Jesus Prayer for the night rule, but it is better not to impose it, since there must be some diversity for the brethren.
It should also not be forgotten that the great hermit fathers and the great theologians of the mystical life did not resort to the Jesus Prayer, but rather read the psalms and the Holy Scriptures.
In deepening one’s experience and in spiritual guidance, what Abba Cassian the Roman speaks about in his conversations from the desert about various types of prayer (prayer, prayers, petition and thanksgiving), about deanery during various prayers, about who is suitable or another kind of prayer, as well as the meaning of prayer performed in the silence of the cell.
The main thing that a vigilant monk should follow, regardless of whether he occupies his mind with the monosyllabic Jesus Prayer or its other forms, is the feeling of standing before Christ, which is spoken of in the psalm: the sight of the Lord before me (Ps. 15: 8). Here it is necessary to make a distinction between unceasing prayer or prayer, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, unceasing remembrance of God, which is the desired result. This unceasing remembrance of God is achieved not only by prayer, but by all sober activity and life in community. Particular emphasis should be placed on the all-round "preservation of the mind", but the words themselves, repeated incessantly, are very useful and soar the mind. The cry of prayer of the ancient fathers, for example, God, help me, Lord, help me, strive (Ps. 69: 2) was not chosen by chance, as well as the later “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me,” because they express everything experiences that human nature can contain. These words can be spoken under any circumstances, suitable to ward off every temptation and satisfy every need. They must be used both in difficulties and in good time, in order to keep the inexpressible and protect oneself from pride. These words become a foretaste of salvation, the breath of the Divine, your constant sweetest companion.
We should not be concerned that prayer will have a "result" or that the Lord will give us a gift as some kind of reward. Such an attitude reveals a selfish and vain soul. All I need is to stand before God and be patient. I realized that I was nothing, good for nothing and incapable of anything, “I’m standing here” and I say: “My God, if you want, take me, if you want, give me years of life, but I die before You” . The "anticipation" in the temple becomes a revelation of God, both explicitly and mysteriously. During the inner "cell liturgy" the monk himself stands before the invisible God and longs to see Him with his own eyes.
It would be a charm to believe that by our many years of daily warfare, prayer rules and prayers, we will acquire the right to see God as many saints saw Him, to see Him in the light of the transformation of His face. No. Our “task” is to stand before God so that He sees us, to become like Him, as far as possible, in the acquisition of the gospel virtues.
The expectation of the Holy Spirit is the goal of the rule of prayer and our nightly vigil. The criterion of success is not so much gifts and grace-filled gifts that we acquire through prayer, but labor and self-sacrifice.
So, after we have acquired the habit of extreme precaution, which we can develop over the years, striving in sobriety, our prayer ceases to be a prayer and petition, even though God has given us something, but becomes a simple listening to the steps of the approaching God and the swaying of the Spirit. Naturally, our books are full of experiences of prayer by the saints. There is no shortage of similar experiences among modern monks and nuns. I have accumulated many letters from them, in which they personally testify to their own life in God.
Standing in a cell can be difficult when, despite stubborn efforts, a monk experiences problems associated with sleep, with bodily or mental pain, with fatigue, with longing, with devastation of the heart, with darkness, disbelief, confusion of thoughts, with despondency, with an enemy assault, and perhaps even difficulty speaking the words of the Jesus Prayer. Then the darkness in the cell becomes gloomy, and these hours become painful. In such cases, Elder Emilian repeatedly told us: “A monk experiences the greatest problems in prayer. But do not forget that this is no coincidence. This confirms that prayer is beginning to become our real experience. our real business. God grant that you receive true pleasure from prayer. This is very, very helpful. But know that in the beginning (not to say for many years, and sometimes once and for all) it is much more useful to have problems, and obstacles, and difficulties than enjoyment. Because when we encounter obstacles, our will, our freedom and our love for God are really tested: do I have love in the depths of my soul; is there divine love within me; Is my will turned to the Lord?
Thus, these difficulties can turn into real bloodless martyrdom (μαρτύριο) for a monk who does not abandon his goal and continues to struggle nightly for many years, perhaps feeling nothing and relying only on his faith and on the testimonies (μαρτυρία) of the saints.
When a monk is sufficiently rooted in ecclesiastical tradition, he is not overwhelmed by the difficulties he encounters during prayer, and rather draws joy from his humble struggle. When at the end of the night the church bell sounds, he leaves the cell to meet the brethren as having labored in a good deed and proud even of his defeats.
Return to the temple and offering to the brotherhood
At the hour when the brethren gather again for prayer, each brings his nightly battle as an offering, which will be offered along with the gifts of the Divine Eucharist on the altar. Where everything is common, common and struggle, common and joys and common gifts. Each divine mystical experience does not belong to any one monk, but is offered to the entire Brotherhood and becomes driving force prosperity and acceptance of the Holy Spirit by all members of the Body of Christ.
Church worship is enriched by the nighttime experience of the brethren, who in the community thus have the opportunity to partake a little of the experience of genuine hesychasts. Whereas during the day, in the cycle of obedience, the authenticity of the nocturnal spiritual experience is tested, since it gives the monk the strength to endure, for God's sake, the difficulties that he may encounter during the day in fulfilling his obedience.
The foregoing considerations show us that night prayer in cell is an integral and organic part of the life of a cenobitic monastery. It masters the experience of the sacrament of salvation, and the joy that a monk receives from it is a confirmation of the authenticity of his vows before God - for the Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21) - and a foretaste of the life of the future age.
Translation from Greek: Maxim Klimenko, Alexei Grishin.
Archimandrite Emilian (Vafidis) – hegumen of the monastery of Simonopetra from 1973 to 2000, one of the most revered elders of Mount Athos. Now he is at rest in the monastery of Ormylia (Chalkidiki).
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Metropolitan Athanasius of Limassol
Monastic tradition and its significance in modern monasteriesMetropolitan Athanasius of Limassol
Report of Metropolitan Athanasius of Limassol (Cypriot Orthodox Church) at the conference "Monasteries and monasticism: traditions and modernity" (Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, September 23, 2013)
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For the first 12 years, I lived completely alone. I made my own candles. The water was rainy. Then appeared
The holidays continue. And the State Duma New Year holidays are over. The people are returning to life, and we are returning to work at the Leushinsky Compound. Laborers returned from Veliky Novgorod.
Metropolitan Varsonofy set before us the task of preparing the Leushinsky Compound for the opening of the Leushinsky Monastery as soon as possible. There is a lot to do. You don't know what to do first. But what is the most important thing at this stage? There is no monastery without nuns, and nuns without monastic cells. So we threw all our efforts into repairing the cells.
How many cells - and, accordingly - the inhabitants were at the Leushinsky Compound?
Here it is impossible to do without historical research. I had to dig through the archives.
In the RGIA, it was possible to find a "List of sisters living at the courtyard of the Leushinsky John the Baptist Monastery in St. Petersburg for 1910", according to which 2 mantle nuns, 6 "decree novices" and 33 "living on probation" lived here. There are 41 residents in total.
In the same archive, another list of sisters is stored already for 1914. The courtyard is already called "Petrograd". According to this list, 6 mantle nuns, 26 "indicative novices" and 24 "test novices" lived here. There are 46 residents in total. This list is valuable in that it indicates the obediences of each nuns. More than half of the sisters performed the obedience of choristers. This fact shows how important the abbess of the monastery, Abbess Taisia, attached to church singing in the courtyard.
Both lists are striking in the number of sisters who lived. Now only very large monasteries can boast of such figures: Diveevo, Shamordino, Pyukhtitsy.
This fact both surprised and puzzled me. I was surprised by the fact that in the center of St. Petersburg even then, in fact, there was a whole monastery. And puzzled by where they were located? There isn't much room in the backyard. Apparently, the sisters lived quite densely - several people in a cell.
Abbess Taisia herself wrote that the courtyard “consisted of a stone 3-storey house overlooking the courtyard with an outbuilding on the right side, including the Church on the 3rd floor, and below from the entrance of the Chapel, cells are placed on the second floor” . Currently, there are six cells on the second floor, three of them overlooking Nekrasov Street (the historical name is Basseynaya), and three - inside the courtyard. Four cells were restored earlier. In one of them we equipped and opened the Memorial Cell-Study of St. John of Kronstadt. Sisters of the St. John-Taisian Sisterhood live in two. Another cell is reserved as a guest cell. Thus, two more cells remain on the second floor of the temple building, which we are now restoring. Literally on these holidays - on the eve of the feast of St. John of Kronstadt - they completed their restoration.
What do we know about the monastic cell? Already from the very word "cell" breathes something mysterious and enigmatic. The life of people who have renounced the world has always aroused the interest of society. Here, in our courtyard, visitors ask how our sisters live, what they do, do they watch TV? Many are interested in looking into the cell.
Let's take a spiritual look into the dwelling of a nun and try to understand what a monastic cell is? In the classical sense, this is a separate living room in the monastery, in fact Greek wordκελλίον, derived from the Latin cella, means nothing more than "room".
But the cell is not just a room, it is a whole world of monastic life: a world of peace and quiet, which in monastic language is called hesychia. The fathers of monasticism teach us to love our cell, to aspire to it, not to leave it. St. Anthony of Egypt said: "Just as fish, staying long on dry land, die, so monks, being away from their cell for a long time or staying with worldly people, lose their love for silence."
A cell for a monk/nun is not a “relaxation room”, but first of all a House of Prayer, a “laboratory of unceasing prayer”, a place of spiritual labors and obediences: cell prayers are recited daily here, a precise rule of the Jesus prayer is performed, spiritual readings are performed. In our time, of course, one cannot do without the “Internet rule”. In their cell, the nuns can perform handmade obediences. In general, the cell is the focus of a nun's life, which is why Abba Moses said: "Your cell will teach you everything."
Understanding what a cell is will not be complete if you do not remember one thing. important point. Visitors to the cell of the nun are allowed only with the blessing of the abbess, and the stay of women in the cells of men's monasteries, and men, respectively, in women's monasteries, is strictly prohibited.
I will not hide the fact that it is not easy for a white priest to restore monastic cells. I have never lived in them myself. Been a couple of times with familiar monks. The cell of Elder John Krestyankin in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery comes to mind first.
There are many technical, design, and spiritual issues. What should a nun's cell be like? What wallpaper to choose? What colors to choose? What kind of lamps to hang? What furniture to put? There is no natural designer for monastic cells yet (although, who knows?!) You have to decide everything yourself, of course, in consultation with the sisters.
As a result, I made the following description of the ideal (Leushinsky) cell:
1. The cell should be simple and comfortable, because people will constantly live here. For some, it will become a home for many years, and maybe forever.
2. The cell should not be flashy, modest, not distracting attention, helping inner concentration, because prayer is performed, communion with God.
3. Only the essentials should be present in the cell, without frills, so as not to burden life with unnecessary things.
4. I think that the cell should be a little old in order to be outside of this time.
5. At the same time, the cell should not be miserable, after all, our monastery, although Leushinsky, is located in the center of St. Petersburg. The cell must be worthy of this city.
6. In a word, the cell should be such that staying in it brings spiritual benefits to the resident, so that she strives to return to it.
7. A holy corner is needed, a place for prostrations.
It seems that I have not forgotten anything (maybe the "experts" will suggest or supplement something).
But as you know, it is easier to build a theory than to put it into practice. I treated this as artistic creativity. I selected antique lamps, handles and door fittings. A particular problem was to choose wallpaper, which largely determines the face of the cell. I had to go around more than one wallpaper store. As in any work, there were drafts. In one cell, I completely replaced the already pasted wallpaper with new ones. My assistant was a wonderful wallpaper maker Svetlana, whom I found through the Dostoevsky Museum. She was hanging wallpaper there during the last renovation.
I consider it my merit that I managed to save the historical doors of the Leushinsky monastery. There was a choice: dismantle or repair, make new ones or keep the old ones. The second option required restoration, which turned out to be much more expensive than the manufacture of new doors. But everything old Leushinsky for us is of historical and spiritual value. After all, Abbess Taisia herself opened these doors, the Leushinsky sisters used them, and the doors of the guest cell were opened by John of Kronstadt. To do this, the doors had to be dismantled together as a box, delivered to production, where they were almost completely disassembled, leveled, prosthetized, and several layers of paint were removed. When they were brought back a month later, it was hard to recognize. If you do not know, you can take for new ones. But we know that these are the very ones - our Leushinsky ones. We open them with trembling and memory of those who labored here before us.
We also managed to save all the windows on the second floor facing Basseinaya, and these are 7 windows. They did the same procedure as with the doors. If I walk along Basseinaya (Nekrasova) past the Leushinsky Compound, look at the beautiful ones on the 2nd floor, know that they are genuine, real, still the same. (The windows to the courtyard were made new - double-glazed windows).
We did not have a special opening day for new cells, but the feeling of a holiday does not leave when you look into them. They are still empty, they have no furniture (this is another creative issue that needs to be addressed).
The cells are waiting for their inhabitants. By the way, in this regard, the question arises, how many nuns can be in one cell? Different monasteries have different experiences. In modern Greek monasteries, in particular in the famous monastery of Ormylia, the nuns live only one at a time. But we have our own Leushin tradition. Abbess Taisia, in the "Charter of the Leushinsky Convent" compiled by her, determined the following: the sisters "outwardly live in common cells, that is, not one at a time, like hermits, but two or three, at the discretion of the abbess (only the elder with the younger for leadership, and not equal in age and achievement)". Therefore, the cells in the courtyard are designed for two nuns. They still have a long way to go...
Stories
Men in Black . As a journalist, she lived for a week in a cell of a monastery in Yurovichi
Olga Deksnis
Have you ever thought about giving up everything and going to a monastery? It seems that it is almost impossible to decide on this. Home, work, friends, travel... But there are people who once took and abandoned their former life. Why? Who are these people? Journalist Olga Deksnis spent a week in a women's cell at a male monastery in Yurovichi and found out what made Belarusians dress in black.
Early in the morning at the entrance to the monastery I am met by a smiling abbot Auxentius- Rector of the temple, chief of the monastery. He has a lot of worries: now he is getting a second higher education, he is the chairman of the Church Court, he leads the parish in the Kalinkovichi church, and he also edits and updates the website. In addition, he manages to give instructions in the monastery and keep discipline.
Here is your cell - the so-called women's cell - father Auxentius hands me the key to the room with a high stone carved ceiling.
The village of Yurovichi in the Kalinkovichi district of the Gomel region is a storehouse of historical and cultural values. It is one of the tidbits on the map of Belarusian tourism. Every schoolchild knows that here is the site of a primitive Belarusian man. It was about this hilly area that Ivan Melezh wrote in the novel “People in the Swamp”. Here is the incredible beauty and complex history Temple of the Jesuits, dating from 1710–1746 years of construction. Today it has been transformed into the Holy Nativity of the Theotokos Monastery and the Holy Nativity of the Theotokos Church. I've wanted to come here for a long time.
In the room that was allocated to me, there are two windows, a table, a chair, four free beds for female pilgrims and laborers (the latter come to help the temple in the garden, at the construction site, in the kitchen and financially). I quickly settle down in a new place, drop my suitcase and rush to fetch the priest.
We have a refectory here, - he continues his tour of the monastery. - You will eat at nine, two and seven in the evening. By the way, would you like breakfast? The ringing of a bell will call you to the table.
Two male laborers work in the kitchen, they also live in the monastery. Their working day begins at 5.30 am and not with a cup of coffee, but with the processing of yesterday's milked milk. Cheese, cottage cheese, sour cream are made from it. The menu is compiled by the chief accountant, later approved by the rector. And food is directly dependent on donations.
There is never meat on our menu, - says Leonid, gray-haired cook with a long thin beard. Seeing my camera, he turns away and explains: Christianity forbids taking pictures. - I know that in other monasteries you can eat the meat of those "who do not chew bugs and who do not have cloven hooves." We absolutely do not have pork. We cook in particular from milk, sour cream, cottage cheese, fish and vegetables.
Leonid - former employee railway station. She has been living in the monastery for two years now. He also tested himself in another monastery - in Odessa.
To get there only for the night, the leaders of the Ukrainian monastery called Yurovichi and took my testimonial, - Leonid recalls. - And in the morning they asked me a question: do I go to the novices or return to my homeland? A novice is the first step, then comes a monk, and then a monk. And I did not agree - I was not ready. They don't need workers. They have 130 monks who manage to do everything themselves.
In the corridor we hear the ringing of a small bell three times, a man in a blue kitchen robe invites everyone to the table.
Today for breakfast, oatmeal in fresh cow's milk, fresh strawberries from the garden, tea, a long loaf and plum jam. Before eating, we receive a blessing from Father Paul. Standing at the table, we read "Our Father". Everyone sits down, eats silently and listens complete collection works of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov is a specially adapted reading for modern people. It is read out by worker Sasha:
Chapter 38 The property, wealth, treasure of a monk must be our Lord, Jesus Christ; Our eyes must be constantly fixed on him.
Sachet only 23 years old, he has drugs behind him, and “thanks” to them - the second group of disability. Today Sasha is burning with the desire to devote himself only to God. Once and for all. He is reluctant to talk about himself. He prays wherever possible: in the corridor, on the street and, of course, in the temple to all the saints. Also sings. Here he is in good standing.
When the prayer ends, Father Pavel rings a small bell and gives a blessing for leaving. The priest sees that I can’t cope with the clear time frame “prayer lines - breakfast time”, strokes my head and reassures me with a smile: “Eat, eat!” It will become a good joke later.
She became a nun at the age of 64
According to the documents, the monastery is male, but there are only four monks in it, among them there are more leaders. According to tacit information, new servants of God are reluctant to enter it. This is due to the fact that the monastery and the temple have been in a state of chronic construction and restoration for about 100 years, or rather, uncertainty. Simply put, closed. Almost no income. She herself saw how tourists drive past the temple and turn around when they see the boarded up door.
Two elderly nuns live in the temple: 80-year-old Lawrence And 85 year old Makaria. As Batiushka Avksenty jokes, “we inherited it” (from 1993 to 2005 there was a convent here - author's note) and they help mainly with prayer. They also donate a million from their pensions for food.
New unusual names women received at the tonsure. Wanting to get into the cell of the nuns, I get from them a long calico skirt with a flower and a small cross on a thread.
Be sure to wear a skirt to the temple and to the refectory, - says Mother Lavrentia, and I nod my head and agree to the new charter of life.
And then your clothes are completely out of place, - she smiles and looks at my tight gray jeans.
Matushka Lawrence came to God already as a pensioner. Previously, she was an accountant, a milkmaid, a nurse. According to the laws Orthodox Church tonsure can be taken by a woman up to 40-45 years old. Age limits are not random. They should benefit the temple not only by prayer, but also by help in the courtyard. Mother now works in a church shop. Why she decided to “leave”, she can’t even remember.
Two years after the death of my husband, I came to see the monastery in Khoiniki, and I stayed there, - says Mother Lavrentia. - You know, before this age I had a consumer faith: light a candle, commemorate someone, paint eggs, collect some water.
And how did your children react to the fact that you decided to go to the monastery?
I had three of them: two daughters and a son, - says mother. One died not too long ago. At first, they seemed to react with incomprehension, distrust, unwillingness. Over time, they got used to it. And now they are happy. Every year on Radunitsa, with the blessing of the rector, I come to see them. I go to the cemetery, my mother, husband, daughter are buried there. Children also sometimes come to me, but it's all expensive. Last year, sisters came to visit, one from Lithuania, the other from Russia. They lived here and liked it very much.
"Once I dreamed of the Virgin Mary"
Matushka Makaria, 85, walks out the door and hurries to the "House Room" - a small temple in the monastery itself. I follow her, shouting loudly (the woman is hard of hearing): “Just a couple of questions can I ask you?”
I have time now to read the psalter! - she answers my unexpected op, diluted with delicious acoustics of high ceilings.
Prayer in the temple is given the main time. All notes brought “for health” and “for peace” and much more are reported around the clock by monks and nuns.
Tell us your story, how did you come to the monastery?
I was 70 years old, no husband, no children, - says the mother and hints that there is absolutely no time for talking. - Once I dreamed of the Virgin Mary and said: "Go to the cell." So I called and came. Immediately to the Khoiniki monastery, and then we were transferred here. I have been a cook all my life. But I always liked monasticism. Immediately she worked as a cook at the temple, and then her legs could not withstand the load.
On the backyard of the temple complex, work is in full swing from morning to evening. young monk Seraphim watches as volunteer builders install new wooden windows, also donated by an unnamed entrepreneur.
Seraphim is the son of a priest, he is only 27 years old. Took the tonsure two years ago. Now he studies at the Orthodox Academy.
I came here on vacation, stayed for a month and liked it, - says the monk. - He quit his job - from the power grid. My parents were shocked, which is why I delayed the decision for a long time. But I realized that the further, the more doubts.
What is the difference between a monk and a priest?
The most important difference is the inability to have a family. I looked at my friends of the same age who managed to get married and divorced, and this point suited me.
Why does a monk need an education?
Weird question. But in general, this is necessary for parishioners. A person comes to you with a question: which icon to pray, how often and what needs to be done. And the situations are different for everyone: someone has a son in prison, someone has a husband who drinks, someone has a daughter who married the wrong person. And you need to give advice: it is important to be an interlocutor.
Later in the conversation, Father Auxentius also answered this question for me.
Education is necessary so that the monks are not distributors of obscurantism and have a sensible look at life, he explained. - Just ignorance of the foundations of faith, including dogmatists, often gives rise to all sorts of superstitions.
Service in the morning, obligatory procession in the evening
Each new day in the monastery begins at seven in the morning with a service, at five - evening prayer and procession. If the service is a liturgy, then it can drag on for more than two hours.
Each monk and worker is assigned his own scope of work: someone cuts firewood, someone is responsible for cows and chickens. So, Father Pavel is the head of the hives, 36-year-old worker Sasha is the head of the garden.
After breakfast, I go to weed strawberries, at this time I talk with Sasha, who refuses to be photographed, but is happy to tell about himself.
How are you here? - I pull out the grass and conduct a dialogue.
My mother got sick recent months I didn’t go at all, I had to quit working on the collective farm and look after her, - Sasha recalls. - They didn’t give her a group, they lived only on her pension. Already, when she was dying, there were a couple of months when we used drug benefits. A month after my mother died, my brother hanged himself. As a result, I fell into a severe depression and ended up in the hospital.
Sasha says that because of the heavy tranquilizers, it was difficult for him to return to work: after leaving the hospital, he became insensible and constantly wanted to sleep.
Once at home at the icons I heard a voice - church chant he says. - The singing was endlessly repeated and I already thought I was going crazy. I called a neighbor, I told her: “Listen, do you hear singing?”. On her advice, I began to go to the temple, serve there, and these hymns ceased. I still don't know what it was. Later I ended up in another monastery, but I did not like it there. And here I felt at home. And the garden, and the land. And my soul is light from the fact that I am constantly in the temple. Now I want to do everything to become a monk. I read a lot and learn to sing.
Does that mean you'll never start a family?
In the world - no, here I want to give it to God.
While we were talking, he approached Father Pavel- a third generation priest. His brother is a priest, and his sister in a convent in Riga is abbess. He “talks” with bees from an early age, his father taught him.
By the way, if there is fish on the table, then this is the work of Father Pavel - he is an avid fisherman, he went to Pripyat. Batiushka has a special love for life. Later I noticed that he can simply hug a person who came to him, talk to him, calm him down, kiss him on the head, like a little one. It is especially funny when he calls his 85-year-old mother “youth”. Likes to play with children who come to work.
Do you want to see bees? - Father Pavel frees the hive from down pillows and calls me. - Do not be afraid, while I'm here, they won't touch you, I shouted at them! Take it in your hands - I take it and shake it, hundreds of bees in my hand. - Look, these are honeycombs, we buy them, and the bees themselves stretch them and fill them with honey. This is the mother - she is the main one. If she flies away, her entire extended family will perish. A bee can lay from 500 to 1.5 thousand eggs per day, and after 19 days new bees will be born.
After some time, Sasha says that it's time to wash your hands and move to the refectory. Today for lunch, pea soup in vegetable broth, rice and fish cake.
Worker Sasha again reads the Teachings, during which he lost his appetite, he just wanted to disappear.
Chapter 42
“Reverend fathers, our holy monks of all times, carefully guarded themselves from acquaintance with the female sex. The entry of the female sex into ancient monasteries was forbidden ... The union of the sexes in current form his natural (fallen nature). Virginity is higher naturally. Therefore, whoever wants to keep his body in virginity must certainly keep it away from that body, the union with which is required by nature.
After reading the prayer, the rector devotes time to an informal conversation.
I want to conduct a small such test between us, - he intrigues. - Everyone, please answer me a question, but it is a little tricky: where would you like to meet Jesus in your life - in freedom or in prison?
There is silence in the “hall”, and I take the first answer in my hands, as they say.
I would like to meet him in prison, I would have more time to “stop and think” and communicate with him, I say.
An interesting thought, Father Auxentius picks up my thoughts. - In fact, we all want freedom. But more often we come to Jesus precisely when trouble strikes in life. Alas, it is in the most difficult moments of life that we are most open to it. But there is no need to be afraid of trials, they are given to us so that we can think about a lot.
"Simone, my girl"
Milk, cottage cheese and sour cream on the table of the monastery - thanks to the efforts Valeria. He himself comes from Ukraine, served in Soviet army, demobilized in Mozyr, married. She has been living in the monastery for four years.
We go with him to the backyard of the monastery. I slap on fresh cakes for the commander-in-chief in the barn, where three cows and three small calves live. Valery noticeably changes when he sees animals.
Oh, you are my little miracle, it was she who gave birth, - the man changes his tone and kisses the animal. - Oh, you are my beauty, how she poses ... Simone, my girl, let's get up.
And the cow, as if understanding the words, gets to her feet.
To my standard question "why", he answers frankly:
Because he is a loser, it did not work out in worldly life, two families fell apart, - Valery sighs and installs a milking machine for Simone. - From the first marriage there is an adult son, from the second - also a son, he is nine years old.
For 12 years I worked as a housekeeper in Moscow for wealthy people. They have a country house. There I earned about 800 dollars a month, spent no more than a hundred. Meals are free, housing is provided - I had a separate house. I came home for two weeks in summer and two weeks in winter. Zhenya transferred money ...
We walk around the barn, we examine the offspring.
What can I say about the temple? - sit on a bench where you can feel the strong smell of animals. - You know, we are generally bad with advertising. There are no ads because main temple closed for many years. I wish people would come here. And the temple could earn something. Make your own creative workshops. And so, all on their own - food from the garden.
Disappointment
At the entrance to the monastery stands a wooden house. It is open to those who have lost the roof over their heads and are ready to help the monastery "with their hands."
26 year old Glory comes from Russia. Once, my mother and I fled from the scandals that were constantly in their family, to the blue-eyed one. Engaged in vocals, sings in a neighboring village in a folk choir. Always polite. Here is a responsible worker: from the kitchen and "go to the store" - to complex construction work. Vyacheslav here was the only one who openly wanted to talk:
Disappointment brought me here.” He lowers his eyes, purses his lips, and answers awkwardly. - Disappointment in love. Our relationship lasted a year, and somehow everything did not work out. This hurt a lot. So I came here at the call of my heart. I live at the temple a week after a week. All good. But you still need time to recover and start living as before.
If you want to help the revival of the monastery, you can do it different ways: money, labor, building materials, things, products.
The monastery is located at the address: Gomel region, Kalinkovichi district, Yurovichi village, st. Mountain, 9.
The vicegerent is hegumen Avksenty (Abrazhey Andrey Eduardovich).
Tel.: 8 02345 59292; +375 29 730-11-56 .
Requisites
HOLY CHRISTMAS MEN'S MONASTERY in the village of Yurovichi, Kalinkovichi district, Turov diocese. UNN 400440204, Belarus, 247722 Yurovichi village, Kalinkovichi district, Gomel region, st. Gornaya 9, settlement account 3015660172019 CCO No. 7 of the Directorate of JSC "BELINVESTBANK" in the Gomel region. Bank code 151501739.
Sberbank of Russia card 4279 0800 1029 4062 is valid until 10/18 ANDREY ABRAZHEY.
Monasteries today beckon the curious, and they look at the monk as some kind of curiosity that causes bewilderment: long-haired, bearded ("God's will, so that it grows and does not need to be touched!"), Taciturn, his face is stern ...
During the tonsure into the monastic angelic face, the first question of the abbot to the tonsured is: "Why did you come, brother, crouching at the holy Altar and this holy retinue?" And the first word of the newcomer: "To move away from the world, honest father"
“God called to atone for the sins of the laity. It’s God’s will for everything ”- approximately such an answer can be heard from a monk to a question about the reasons that prompted him to renounce his family and friends, from worldly life. Take refuge in the walls of the monastery.
Taking monastic vows, they will say: “That’s it! Never, never again should you think about worldly joys: about the family hearth, about cheerful feasts with friends, about cinema and TV, and about much, much more than ordinary worldly people live. Forget everything, to to which you were tied, die and be buried here!" But before that, he should be a novice for up to five years and the same amount as a monk (semi-monk). There is plenty of time for reflection, as you can see, to make the right decision.
The candidate, of course, is interviewed. And some monasteries require a letter of recommendation from the priest. Grounds for refusal: underage, debt obligations (alimony, loans, etc.), lack of citizenship or being wanted (the police regularly carry out passport control in monasteries), “playing hide-and-seek with the military registration and enlistment office.”
The future monk is introduced to the Charter of the monastery and assigned to a mentor (confessor). Are you ready forever, until the very last hour of your life on this sinful earth, to remain on that path, forever to renounce such a close, such a warm, such a worldly life-being, so dear to our heart? Will not a year or another pass, and, cold, hungry, bored, will he run with uncontrollable lust, waving his hand at all monastic vows, into the arms of his relatives and friends? The duty of every spiritual mentor, to whom young people who wish to follow the monastic path turn for advice, is to warn them in every possible way against haste, from thoughtlessness, from frivolity in this matter: to pass the test - to give irrevocable vows.
A future monk is only allowed to pray and work (perform obediences). “To have a modest gait, not to speak loudly, to observe good manners in conversation, to eat and drink reverently, to remain silent in front of the elders, to be attentive to the wise, obedient to those in authority, to have unhypocritical love for equals and lesser ones, to move away from the evil ones, to speak little, carefully to collect knowledge, not to talk too much, not to be quick to laugh, to be adorned with modesty" (St. Basil the Great) Conversations and reading - only on an Orthodox topic. He can leave the monastery at any time.
Monks who accept the great schema give even more stringent vows. They are changing their name again. Instead of a hood, they put on a cockle covering the head and shoulders. The diet of the schemnik is even more meager.
Most of the monasteries are self-supporting: they have sketes with gardens and orchards, a barnyard (the monks do not eat meat). Pay taxes and pay utility bills.
On average, there are about 10 percent of monks in a monastery, 30 percent of novices and monks, and about 60 percent of laborers and pilgrims.
In the Middle Ages, monasteries were of great importance as centers of science and disseminators of education. Behind high and strong walls it was possible to repel the attacks of enemies. People settled next to the new monastery, forming a village that sometimes grew in Big city. Wanderers were received at the monasteries. Alms were sent to prisoners languishing in prison, who were in poverty during famine and other misfortunes. Often the greatest sinners were transformed in the monastery into the greatest righteous.
Monasticism is a wandering, a sad and tiring journey to a distant unknown country, which we know only by hearsay, it is a constant removal from the familiar, familiar, native.
In many collectives you can meet an individual about whom they will say behind his back: he is not from this world; white crow, etc. They are not like everyone else: overly honest, frank, unsophisticated, receptive. They cut the truth in the eyes - and they themselves often suffer from this. Many of them can be called "God's chosen one"! And these are the majority in the monastic brethren!
The English word PRIVACY (privacy) - has become a legal term and is translated into Russian as - PRIVATE PROPERTY. A more correct translation of this word is MY LITTLE WORLD (closed to outsiders). It was not for this that the monks renounced worldly life, so that later we, the laity, would confess and give interviews.
In the Gorensky Monastery (Jerusalem), an elderly Arab who speaks Hebrew and his native Arabic has been working as a furniture maker for many years. “I tried to explain to him in English, German, French, but he doesn’t understand! Will you help?" - the new nun addressed me with a Moscow accent. “She speaks three foreign languages!?” I thought. In the cell, the nun laid out the drawings and sketches, saying a couple of times: “Hi-Tech style” - Another shock! During the pause, I could not resist: “What is your education?” Artistic and Philological. I’m going to get a spiritual correspondence course” - “Sister, I’m sure you were approached with a question about the reasons that prompted you to take monastic vows? If I repeat this question, for you it will not become something offensive? “No, you won’t offend me with your question, but I’m sure you have already asked others about this. May I hear their answers first. Be a gentleman!" After my short story, she said: “You wouldn’t hear anything new from me - my reason completely coincides with one of your opponents”
In a small secluded gatehouse-cell lived a tall, handsome monk with good bearing (many stoop over time) and with thick wavy gray hair. He did not speak in a singsong voice, like most people from reading prayers, but in a well-placed commanding voice! I never considered myself suspicious, but with him I felt some strange chill over my body from his look and voice - this was the first time with me! The only and bad association: as if he was looking at me through the bar of the sight! Later I learned from others that the monk, a former officer, was obliged to torture and execute prisoners in Afghanistan. Returning to his wife and daughter, he could not get along in the family, nothing happened with employment. There was even a suicide attempt. So he came to the monastery.
I met "former celebrities" in monasteries. One of them was the pride of the Great Soviet Sports in the past!
A modest, quiet, slightly unkempt, short old man lived with me in a cell. As it turned out later - my age. The future monk rarely went to the temple to pray - perhaps he got tired after obedience: he was tending a herd of calves. He knew the history and legends of this monastery and was a good storyteller. Almost every day, young guys with girls came by taxi to my neighbor and had a picnic at the source: they set the table, grilled shish kebabs, and cooled drinks in the spring. The taxi, paid for the whole day, was waiting at the gate. "Petersky, come to us!" they often invited. It is not difficult to notice that the topic of conversation changed in my presence, and I quickly found a reason to leave their company. Once in a cell, a neighbor was changing clothes, and I accidentally saw his tattoos - “stars on the forearms”
I have heard (but not seen) that some monks in their cells have a telephone, TV, computer, Internet, and even their own cars. Modern monasticism is a special topic.
In the south, young monks are released to help their elderly parents during sowing and harvesting.
They put a guy in his twenties into a cell. His athletic figure was successfully emphasized by an expensive leather jacket and an imported sports suit. He wore a massive gold chain not in plain sight, but concealed it. Once a police UAZ came to the monastery - passport control. At the sight of the police, the guy twitched and quickly left behind the ruins of the old bell tower. "The guests have left!" I reassured him. "Give me a cigarette!" - "You don't smoke, do you?" Or, today is not a sin!?” We smoked and chatted... The Guy began to intensively read spiritual literature, entered the theological seminary, graduated, got married and became a priest.
We go with a neighbor to the temple for evening prayer, and his mobile phone rang. Moving away from me, he began to sharply give commands to someone. "Don't tell me anymore that you're standing at the conveyor belt in the pasta factory!" I smiled. "Split!" - “And what does the interrogation of the 3rd and 4th degree mean - what day will wake up !?” - "I'm here to forget about work at least for a while ..."
I found out with a monk - we lived on neighboring streets in St. Petersburg and studied at the same school! He asked about other monasteries. I’m talking about Alexandrovskaya Sloboda (Vladimir region): about the bell tower from which a man descended on makeshift wings, and Ivan the Terrible put him on a barrel of gunpowder for this, about the famous library and how Ivan the Terrible was introduced to 2200 novices-brides. The Tsar pointed to Martha Sobakin! In the morning, the monk told me about his dream: he sits on the throne instead of Ivan the Terrible, and around him are 2200 novices!
Have you ever witnessed something unusual, mystical? In a word - a miracle!?
Easter. Old evening Jerusalem. Along Via Dolarosa in beautiful knightly costumes Procession at the Catholics. Drums, trumpets, bagpipes sound. Along the edges of the procession with torches are adults, and in the middle - children. People stretch their hands into the fire of torches - but the fire does not burn!
A miraculous icon is kept in the Holy Dormition Gerbovetsky Monastery Holy Mother of God. Every year in Moldova with this icon the Procession is made. The monastery was destroyed and burned three times, but each time the monks found St. the icon in the ashes, undamaged and facing the earth (traces of fires on the scroll are barely visible). A bright young resident from a neighboring village worked in the monastery bakery. I decided to help her - to bring buckets of water from the well. He bent over the bucket, when suddenly - the chain with the cross caught, broke and - fell into the well! In the cell, he only told how he dropped a cross into the well, and the monk commented: “The warning of the Lord! He didn't like something about you!
Two brothers came to the monastery. The elder one is a doctor, candidate of sciences, and the younger one: abandoned school, contacted a bad company, was registered with the police. They gave the three of us obedience: to build a barn for hay. A few days later, the younger one was changed: he became scandalous, irritable, violent - it is impossible to work together! "Humble yourself! Him to take communion tonight. This is what Satan does to a person before communion! Tomorrow my brother will be different!” - I heard. It all happened!
In the basement of a monastery in the Kherson region, the monastic brethren were brutally shot, and for many years now, when painting the walls, the dark silhouettes of the murdered monks have appeared.
Getting to a remote monastery surrounded by impenetrable swamps, I wandered through the forest for a long time, winding extra fifteen kilometers! He approached the walls of the monastery long after midnight ("Satan led you!" - I heard later). With a bag strap over his shoulder and sneakers, he rubbed calluses, and became a haven for a forest tick. In the morning they gave me an obedience: to clean the croaker from the bark (there was a sawmill) and sheathe a hay shed for thirty cows with them. After a hard, unaccustomed, day of work, I plunged into the waters of the holy spring in the evening - fatigue disappeared, the pain from the tick disappeared, I forgot about the corns! "Here is your monastery!" I said to myself.
