On Staying in Your Cell and Leaving It

Be extremely cautious in case the thought arises for whatever reason it may be to go see someone in his cell without permission. Sometimes the tempter urges you to imagine that you have a blessed reason for this, when in fact there is none. Be extremely careful in such a case!

Do not leave your cell inappropriately, except in times of great and necessary need, follow this rule diligently in order not to leave your cell. Strive to overcome this evil thought, but only if, upon impartial reflection, you fully recognize that you have a blessed need to leave for the sake of love for your neighbor, to serve a sick person, or some other need for the Spiritual Father. If you do leave your cell for a good reason, then as you walk, try as best you can not to look around, do not pry at anything with your eyes, and if you accidentally meet someone on the way, or see something harmful, or notice someone conversing idly, do not stop, but bow to them in silence and pass by them on your way to your service. Return as quick as you can to your cell with a calm spirit. If they, however, say anything to you or stop you, then bow to them again, saying, “Forgive me, I am going to a task, I need to hurry to fulfill my obedience,” and go quickly away to your obedience. Having arrived to the one to whom you were sent, also try as much as possible not to speak excessively or to sit idly.

When you go visit someone, you should also observe this rule so that you on the way to the person’s cell may reflect this way: I am going to him, but do I, a wretched one, dare to disturb a holy man who is practicing divine contemplation, prayer, and holy silence? At that moment, set your sins before your eyes and say to yourself not with your lips, but with your soul and heart – if I enter his cell and my father or brother sees me arriving stained with sin, will he tolerate my uncleanness, will he not begin to reproach me, casting me out of the cell, like a stinking dog? Will he not say out of confusion of soul: why have you come to destroy my holy exercise and defile my cell? Get out, you who are careless about your soul! And if this were to happen to me, could I endure and bear the rebuke with gratitude? Prepare yourself, wretched one, for patience, lest through impatience you receive further shame and offend a holy man.

You must have such reasoning, and not treat your thoughts carelessly, but recognizing your inner impurity and unworthiness; humble yourself, sincerely from your soul and heart. Do so and make this your law, for if you reason this way and humble your soul with the knowledge of your sins and self-reproach, then you will go from strength to strength by the grace of God. Then Christ, who exalts the humble, will not abandon you, but will visit your soul with spiritual joy and inexpressible delight. Only do all these deeds, as described above, with all your heart, soul, and mind. You must abide in such holy meditation wherever you may be – in your cell or at your obedience, all the way until the Divine Liturgy or another upcoming Church service.

On Vain Glory

Watch yourself as much as possible in this respect also – if thoughts of your own begin to whisper in your ears, like those of the serpent to Eve, about pride, judgment of others, or vainglory – then recognize in them the soul-harming wily creature. Without fail he first attacks you with the boastful notion that everyone else is doing everything poorly, while you are doing everything right and well. Beware, as best you can, of falling into this; try not to allow thoughts of judgment of your neighbor into your mind. Beware of praising yourself, saying in your mind – Oh, how well I did this and that, I didn’t join idle talkers, or didn’t do this and that, I have now fulfilled Christ’s commandment. Beware, as much as possible, of allowing thoughts of self-justification and self-praise into your heart and soul; for this soul-destroying evil lurks quietly, quickly, and even inconspicuously, entering the soul and heart, as if through small, imperceptible, and subtle cracks. It happens that through completely unnoticeable thoughts passions enter and take root in the very depths of the heart. In order to avoid that contempt and condemnation of others as well as vanity, arrogance, pride, and other such things, firmly block the entrance to your soul for them. You must with all your heart and soul think of yourself as a complete stranger, foolish, unintelligent, understanding nothing, and unable to do anything. Adopt this way of thinking about being a stranger, so that you can distance yourself from human ranting, vain conversations, and you will certainly protect yourself from laughter, condemnation, blasphemy, and harmful idle talk, soul-destroying vain glory and arrogance. Humble yourself with all your heart, soul, and mind, since the Sweetest Jesus loves those who are seeking salvation through a wise humility and who desire the perfect correction with heartfelt and ardent love, and He desires for all of us to come to the understanding of the truth.

 Spiritual instructions of Elder Nazarius

Having completed the life of Igumen Nazarius of Valaam we are now continuing with his instructions:

The elder, Igumen Nazarius, a guardian of purity and chastity from his youth, was gifted by God with abundant spiritual insight. He instructed the brethren and all who came to him with remarkable prudence, especially in humility, meekness, and obedience. He showed love and a desire for salvation to those who sinned without disdain, and sought in every way to uproot the passions that lurked within them through his advice. He was meek and humble; and his heart was so ablaze with love for God that he never ceased to say the Jesus Prayer, always slipping prayer beads between his fingers while doing so. Here are some of his many instructions to those who came to the monastery and desired salvation:

1) One should renounce his own will while carrying out a holy obedience.

2) One should have a clear and sincere conscience.

3) One should pray fervently with humility, sobriety, and the remembrance of death.

4) One’s hands should be busy with work, the lips with prayer, the eyes filled with tears, and the mind should be entirely occupied with contemplation of God.

5) Without a blessing one should not take anything from anyone, or go any place, or engage in any virtuous undertaking. Where there is a blessing, there is God’s grace, which purifies and strengthens, and unites with God Himself; but where there is no blessing, there is God’s wrath, there is darkness, disorder, and separation from God.

6) One should maintain stillness in soul and body.

7) One should only reflect on oneself, judge oneself, that is – one’s own deeds, words, and thoughts.

8) One should love poverty and non-acquisitiveness as precious treasures.

9) One should view dishonor as honor, consider abuse as praise, offense as a reward, and take every temptation and suffering as a most excellent reward.

He who does these things will never become unsettled.

Put away your own will as a garment of shame.  Humility is a shelter, patience is confirmation, love is protection. Where there is love, there is God; and where God is, there all good things are, according to the Scripture: “All things work together for good to those who love God” [Rom. 8:28]. “He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” [1 John 4:16].  “Love covers a multitude of sins” [1 Peter 4:8].

Arise, you who have fallen.  Open the eyes of your soul, fill yourself with the bread which is the word of God, and drink wine from the cup of God’s wisdom. If sorrow befalls you, then examine the scriptures willingly and lovingly, and believe that with the help of God’s grace you will be comforted. Confirm yourself in this truth: every Divine Scripture instructs, teaches, admonishes, and strengthens us in accordance with the path of salvation, so that our path will always be in accordance with God.

Instructions on God’s Love

We all desire to follow the highest calling to the place where our eternal dwelling – filled with ineffable joy – has been prepared from time immemorial. “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior” (Phil. 3:20). Therefore, whoever desires to receive eternal life must certainly get to know God’s love for us, and his own love for God – what it consists of, and how He loved us’.  So we too must love Him.

Let us examine in detail how He cleansed our sins. He endured cruel tortures in order to atone for our transgressions; He accepted a shameful death in order to grant us life and salvation. Thus, since He did not spare Himself solely for our sake, should we not, as Christians, love Him, should we not follow in His footsteps? Therefore, we must have the love and obedience He demands of us. We must constantly remember God’s love for us and seek perfect love for Him, which is acquired through the fulfillment of God’s commandments. We must know that without good deeds, love for Him cannot be shown. Consider, then, how good and merciful the Lord is. He gave Christians the law for nothing other than the destruction of our malice, the cleansing of sins, and the conquering of the passions that war against us Therefore, we must not only keep God’s commandments, but we must also offer gifts according to the commandments. Just as the Holy Fathers brought gifts, each according to his ability – some five talents, some ten, some thirty – likewise, we must excel in doing good and in love for our Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Apostle Paul threatens, “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. Maranatha” (1 Cor. 16:22).

O God our Savior, kindle love in us, that we may love Thee in the way that is pleasing to Thee. Are we worthy of His love, being dust and ashes? Yet He loved us.  How much discomfort we feel without love for Him; how overwhelmed we feel by the waves of calamities and we suffer without it. Yet, although we sometimes reject Him, He does not reject us. We flee from Him, but He seeks us and calls us to Himself: “Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden” (Matt. 11:28).

O God, we reject Thy love, yet Thou dost never cease to love us. We often accept satanic suggestions, contrary to Thy Law. We, sparing neither ourselves nor our salvation, devote ourselves to evil deeds, and yet a man often says, “I love God!” What a contradiction! Someone thinks he loves God, but does not fulfill His commandments. What kind of love is this? It’s sheer hypocrisy!

If you love Christ God, endure as He endured and do everything that pleases Him. He taught and did good. Your love must certainly be such that you do good, that you endure, and are not disturbed by anything you encounter, but thank Him in everything, not with words and tongue, but with your very deeds, your heart, and your mind. You must love Him with all your soul, strength, and mind (cf. Mark 12:31). Therefore, everyone must love God with faith and hope and strive to fulfill His commandments and ordinances. Consider, beloved: this age is not one of peace and comfort, but of struggle, war, trade, shopping, education, and seafaring. For these reasons, you must strive not to lose heart, not be idle, but rather to practice the works of God. Know that for every struggle there is a victory. Be strong, fight, conquer; for often opposing forces roar like lions, seeking whom they may devour. Beware lest you be vanquished. Beware, behold, crowns are for sale; acquire them, lest you return empty-handed. Be careful not to deprive yourself of the Grace of God otherwise you will be deprived of a reward and, what’s more, you will be bitterly condemned and perish on top of that. Consider carefully: Is it not war being waged all the time? The flesh rises against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh.

How can we monks fail to accept soul-saving advice? How can we fail to be touched by such good instructions? Christ the Savior, the Prophets, the Apostles, and all the Saints, with great compassion and love, call upon and exhort us to shun and distance ourselves as much as possible from the charms of this world. Christ praises Mary, saying, “But Mary hath chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken from her” (Luke 10:42). Thus, we must choose that which is good and keep ourselves from the world, for it lies in wickedness.

Sunday of the Blind Man—a sermon

Beloved of God, in the Paschal cycle of the services of the Church on this Sunday we are commemorating the healing of the blind man which we read of in the Gospel of St. John.  In the kontakion of this Sunday, which is read during the hours, and is sung both during the Matins and after the small entrance at Liturgy we heard the prayer: “Blinded in the eyes of my soul, I come to Thee, O Christ, like the man blind from birth and cry out to Thee with repentance: Thou art the all- radiant light of those in darkness.”¹ 

Why does the Church instruct us to say, “Blinded in the eyes of my soul”.  And a few weeks ago on the Sunday of the paralytic we speak of being paralyzed in soul through sin.  But we have come to belief in Christ as the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world.  We are attempting to live a Christian life so why does the Church tell us to say we are blinded in soul or paralyzed in soul? 

Well, let’s consider a question which can give us an answer. The question I have in mind is, “What is salvation?”  Is it that our Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins on the Cross so now we are saved from eternal condemnation? “For the Orthodox Church, salvation is more than pardon of transgressions. It is more than being justified or acquitted for offenses committed against God. According to Orthodox teaching, salvation certainly includes forgiveness and justification, but is by no means limited to them.  For the Fathers of the Church salvation is the acquisition of the grace of the Holy Spirit.  To be saved is to be sanctified and to participate in the life of God—indeed to become a partaker of divine nature.”²

So we do not say we are saved as something which is completed but we are in the process of salvation: a growth in the likeness of God, a participation in divine life, in the life of God, in the uncreated energy of God.  To the degree of purification we reach, divine life is manifested within us.          

In the book of Genesis we read: God said, Let Us make man in our image, after Our likeness…So God created man in His Own image, in the image of God He created him.  “For Orthodox anthropology, the term ‘image’ has a different meaning from the term ‘likeness’.  ‘Image’ may be seen as the potential inherent in man for sanctification, while ‘likeness’ refers to its perfection.  Or in other words, one could say ‘image’ implies ‘potentiality’, whereas ‘likeness’ implies ‘actuality’.

“Man was not originally created in a state of completed perfection.  He was, however, endowed with the unique freedom to choose either to live in pursuit of achieving his full potential, or else to digress toward the desecration and defacement of his true dignity as man.  Only through proper use of God-given freedom can man cooperate with divine grace in restoring the image of God within him and attain to the likeness with God for which he was created.”³

This is the path we should all tread upon if we are active members of the Church.  We can all, each one of us ascend more into the likeness of God so we are all in a certain sense blind because there is something more for each of us to see, that is, to learn, to experience to know, something more to be revealed.  There is a hymn in the service for St. Anthony the Great which speaks of this process or struggle—this hymn is actually a general hymn used for monastic saints. It is as follows: “Preserving intact the image of God within thee, and establishing thy mind as ruler over the destructive passions through asceticism, thou didst attain to the likeness of God, as far as is possible; for in manfully compelling nature, thou wast diligent to subject the worst to the better, and to subjugate the flesh to the spirit. Hence, thou didst prove to be the summit of monastics.”⁴

And one of the fathers in the Philokalia—Diadochos of Photiki—speaks of attaining the likeness of God in a different way, he writes of this in a really awesome fashion. He affirms that the being in image of God is an immediate gift in creation and it is renewed in baptism. However, concerning the likeness to God he writes:     

“Our likeness to God requires our cooperation.  When the intellect begins to perceive the Holy Spirit with full consciousness, we should realize that grace is beginning to paint the divine likeness over the divine image in us.  Artist first draw the outline of a man in monochrome, and then add one color after another, until little by little they capture the likeness of the subject down to the smallest details.  In the same way the grace of God starts by remaking the divine image in man into what it was when he was first created. But when it sees us longing with all our heart for the beauty of the divine likeness and humbly standing naked in its atelier, then by making one virtue after another come into flower and exalting the beauty of the soul ‘from glory to glory’ (IICor. 3:18) it depicts the divine likeness in the soul.”⁵ 

This state is very exalted, and advanced, and beyond our experience.  However, although it is above us, it helps us to be humble.  And so, now I believe we can understand why the Church tells us to pray: “Blinded in the eyes of my soul, I come to Thee, O Christ, like the man blind from birth and cry out to Thee with repentance: Thou art the all-radiant light of those in darkness.”  Amen.

1 Pentecostarion of the Orthodox Church, The St. John of Kronstadt Press, Trans. Isaac E. Lambertsen, p. 202

2 Orthodox Spiritual Life according to Saint Silouan the Athonite, St. Tikhon’s Seminary Press, Harry Boosalis, p. 18

3 Ibid., pp. 29-30

4 The January Menaion. Trans. Holy Transfiguration Monastery, p. 154

5 The Philokalia Volume One, trans. G.E. H. Palmer, Phillip Sherrard, Kallistos Ware p. 288  

Life of Igumen Nazarius of Valaam (conclusion)

When a pot is boiling over fire, no insect can get into the hot water; yet, as soon as it cools down, flies and every kind of bug will fall in. So is our heart: when it burns with a desire for God, it is clear of passion and thoughts.

King David says, “O Lord, my heart is not exalted, nor are mine eyes become lofty. Nor have I walked in things too great or too marvelous for me, or in things too high for me. If I were not humble-minded as one weaned from his mother: but exalted my soul, so wouldest Thou requite my soul.” (Psa. 130). Think, what do these words mean? I can’t picture it for you! He says, “I was a great prophet, and I was a wonderful King; but I did not become haughty, and my mind and heart did not become preoccupied with that. Grant me, O Lord to be attached to Thee like a child to his mother, not resentful when punished, and not proud when rewarded.”

For God’s sake, learn and try hard, my desert doves! What does the desert mean?  A clean conscience; a mind cleansed by prayer, keeping the fast; fasting with prayer is not a wasteful labor. Blessed is he, who plants a garden in his soul!

How good and delightful it is for the brothers to live together! I do not know about you, but I feel like I am indebted to everyone and I am to blame for everything. Is it possible to be offended by anyone after this? If we love three or four very much – what a small thing that is! A trifle! It is better to love everyone in the world; I have an amiable simplicity, the gates of the heart are open to everyone; and even if someone is not happy to see me, I, however, am glad to see him.

A monk means a person living a solitary life; a monk means a different dress, a different disposition, a different custom, and a different way of life. A monastic wears black attire, which symbolizes mourning for the soul, day and night he must weep.

I did not know affliction for three years and became so accustomed to fasting, to the unspeakable oppression of the flesh, that I thought that all the virtue was in that. It is when three sisters visited me – despondency, boredom, and sadness—there it occurred to me that I did not know how to deal with them. I tried and became exhausted, but later I learned, saying, “Dear guests of mine, welcome in, please, I will treat you; let me light up a candle, we’ll pray, we’ll lament, we’ll sing together”, and I would cry out, “God be merciful to me, a sinner! You have created me, Lord, have mercy on me, who have sinned without measure, Lord, forgive me! How can I appeal to Thy mercy? Where will I start confession from? Most holy Mother of God, remember thy servant!” Then did my guests run!

And when you need to go to the Abbess, pray: “Lord, bless me to go to my spiritual mother, teach me so that she will listen to me as a sinner”, and say, “Mother, this is what I would like to do, but do not do according to my will, but according to yours.” If you need to talk to your sister, lift up your mind to the Lord, say, “Bless me, my Savior, to talk to my sister, and teach me, so that she may receive the words from me, a sinner.” You, however, keep doing everything according to your own will.

When I was on my way to you, I almost drowned; but when I began to drown, I gathered my mind and heart together: “Oh, Sweetest, oh, Dearest, most loving Lord! If Thou desirest to do so, save me, and if not, then I’ll go to the bottom, but I will not be separated from Thee!” Later on, I fell into a gully, and fortunately, as I was falling, I managed to say on the way: “Oh, my Lord!” Once, however, you mention such a Name, what can happen? I fell not on a hard surface, but it was as if I fell on a soft bed.

If melancholy comes, as if God has forsaken us, then read this Psalm: He that dwelleth in the help of the Most High” [Psa. 90]. Once you come to these words “I am with him in affliction, and I will rescue him and glorify him” [verse 15], believe that the Lord will not forsake you! If it is for sins – weep like a slave; and if not be grateful, as a son. The Lord requires from the sick only a prayer with humility, patience, and thanksgiving.

When the Sweetest Savior leads you to the heavenly Jerusalem in the unfading light of the Heavenly Father and says, “Heavenly Father! These are the fruits of My suffering.” There will be joy for us! It is impossible to say what an honor it will be for us.

Imprint all my words in your heart, where they will not be erased. Seek what is lofty, where Christ is, reflect on the heavenly and not the earthly; do it all day long, and the darkness will not overtake you. A God-loving person needs nothing but God; once he finds God, he seeks nothing else. One saint was always crying: “My peace, heavenly peace! Where can I find you? Only in the cross, and in Christ!”

Having lived a venerable life and having completely exhausted his bodily powers, the Blessed Igumen Nazarius passed away by the will of God to eternal rest on February 23, 1809, at the age of 72. His body is buried by the altar of the heated church. A monument with the following inscription is erected over it:

Nazari’s earthly frame lies here, his soul finds a home in heaven;

His memory stays bright in grateful hearts,

In which he has infused the holy talents,

All earthly treasures fade before those precious gifts.

Find restful peace here, Father, far from grief and sorrow,

Until the day will come of justful recompense.

Alas! The lips of Igumen Nazarius, from which the honey-like humble and wise streams of words used to flow, from which we received the sweetest myrrh of teaching, have closed; no longer do they move.

Life of Igumen Nazarius of Valaam (continuation)

While instructing the brethren who lived near him in leading a spiritual life by example and instructive words, Elder Nazarius did not leave the God-loving souls who were at a distance from him without consolation and edification. He wrote to a nun:

Great is the height of humility! The wisdom of humility is a noble virtue and an honor! There is no one more humble than Christ, and no one is more glorious according to the testimony of the truth. There is no light in me; I am all dark. I am not humble; I am a waste and unprofitable, and I do not have bold confidence to approach Christ [1 John 3:21].

Nothing is more beneficial than self-reproach: self-knowledge comes from self-reproach, meekness comes from self-knowledge. Use self-reproach: “I am a villainess, a lazy one, a parasite, a robber – I plunder my own spiritual salvation. Look, I sin in deed, in word, and in thought, and offend everyone.” This compunction will give birth to self-knowledge. Bring then your mind and heart together, close your eyes, and raise your mental eyes to the Lord. “Oh, sweetest and dearest Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God! I am a great sinner, yet, even I am not forgotten by Thy mercy. Thy grace and fatherly care are pouring down upon me! Am I worthy to be remembered before Thee?” This, in turn, will give birth to tenderness and meekness.

If someone reproaches you in any way, bow down to the ground before that person. “Yes, I am truly like that, I have sinned, I am guilty, I have gone mad, I beg your forgiveness.” If tears, tenderness, spiritual joy, or love from people come to you, then fall down before God and pray: “O Sweetest, Dearest Jesus! Am I worthy of being sent joy and tears? I am unworthy of such tenderness before Thee; I have done nothing to deserve it. Can such grace of Thine fill such a bad vessel? I don’t know how to keep it; I’ll lose it; send it to someone who served Thee; and I’m worthy of sorrows and depression, so that no one loves me, but grant me to love everyone, to bear sorrows and adversities with patience.” God will send you more for humility like that. Otherwise, we are like small children who rejoice in tender feeling grab an armful of hay, more than we can handle, and lose it bit by bit; tender feeling similarly soon depart from us. When sorrow, sadness, and despondency come, fall down before God and pray, “Oh my God! That’s my share, my part; that’s all that I deserve; that’s all that I deserve from Thee. Grant me, O Lord, that I may be meek, humble, and silent; do not forsake me, teach me, my Savior – I am Thy creation.”

To live with sorrows and misfortunes is like receiving gifts and presents from the Sweetest Jesus. “I want,” He says, “that My faithful disciples may continue steadfast in tribulation and adversity.”  

Do not give in to despondency because of your sins; sinners remain sinners until they call upon the Sweetest Jesus. Once they call upon Him, they are no longer sinners. Just as a child gets dirty and cries; the mother may spank him, but later she will kiss him and put a clean shirt on him. Let us do the same, crying out to Him: “We are defiled, wash us, Savior, cleanse us. ‘Into Thy hand I commit my spirit; Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of Truth’” [Psa 31:5].  There is nothing that the Lord rejoices in more in than the repentance of a sinner.

It is sung in the irmos: “O Thou who was born of the Virgin, drown I implore Thee the mighty captains—the three parts of my soul, in the depth of dispassion.” The “mighty captains” refer to the three parts (or aspects) of the soul. Think in this way: they are the incensive, the desiring and the reasoning aspects.  We must use the incensive aspect against the demons, we should be angry at our flesh, and at our passions, but we direct it against our neighbor and grumble at God.  The one who grumbles is defiant, he is ungrateful, such a man is worse than a brigand.  No one on earth is more intolerable than the ungrateful one.  The desiring part is the loving part and it should be directed above all to God with all our strength and thoughts (and love is in the heart). However, we are preoccupied with sensual things, passions, all sorts of lusts, and harmful addictions.  Finally, the reasoning part is lofty and of itself is ruling and godlike.  It should be exalted, and one should consider it base to submit to the enemy, or to be enslaved by some passion. One should despise demons, but we often resort to haughty pride filled with contempt, suspicion, humiliation of a neighbor, and envy.  Tribulation can be providential, and punitive, and may come from demons, in which case it is for the sake of humility.  When a person does not submit or humble himself, God’s Providence or chastisement delivers him to temptation.

There is a purifying path, it is filled with sorrows, adversities, illnesses, exile; all suffer on the cleansing path.  There is a path that enlightens; it connects us with God Himself. It is when a person seeks, tries, cuts off his will, and the Lord enlightens him.  And there is a unifying path – the saints in their perfection are on it, they already unite with God in this world through the prayer of the heart.

“Let us pray with the spirit, and let us pray with the mind” [1 Cor. 14:15]. Think of the words of the Apostle Paul: “I would rather speak five words with my mind…, rather than a thousand in an unknown tongue” [1 Cor. 14:19]. I can’t tell you how fortunate we are that we are honored to be able to say these five words. What joy it is!

“Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.” Imagine that! My God! Who am I calling? The Creator, the Maker of all, Whose name all powers tremble at – Jesus Christ, Son of God! You shed Your blood for me, saved me, came down to earth; Oh, Christ, You were obedient even to death, death on the cross; have mercy on me, a sinner, and forgive me for being guilty in every kind of sin. Repel all thoughts that attack you with the name of Jesus.

Provocation, dialogue, consent, and captivity. First, a provocation comes, a small thought, like a baby, it only bothers you, but it can’t hurt you. Once you start talking to it, this kind of interaction is already like a young man, who can hit you; and when you agree with him, this kind of coupling is already like a grown man, who can kill you; and then there is captivity – the passion.

(to be continued…)

Life of Igumen Nazarius of Valaam (continuation)

Under his diligent care, the monastery of Valaam was, in a way, reborn from desolation and its brotherhood grew in numbers.  Before Elder Nazarius arrived, there had been one tonsured monk, some novices and two non-monastic priests living at the monastery.  But when the clergymen tragically drowned, all of the priestly duties were left to Elder Nazarius who performed all priestly duties for about a year. In May 1785 Elder Nazarius was honored with the title of Igumen. He introduced a strict church service order at the monastery and acquired lands from the Royal Donation for its permanent maintenance.  One day it happened that Elder Nazarius was in St. Petersburg to attend to some of the monastery’s needs.  He was walking on the Vyborg¹ borough with another like him when the Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich,² was crossing the Neva River in a carriage.  Seeing the Elders in humble attire, he inquired where they were from and what kind of elders they were. Having learned from them that one of them was Abbot Nazarius, he personally thanked him for the successful restoration of the Valaam Monastery; for he had  heard much good about the elder Igumen, who was famous for his spiritual experience and care for the welfare of the monastery. 

Igumen Nazarius established three forms of monastic life at the Valaam monastery: cenobitic, skete, and hermitical. The renown of this arrangement spread even beyond the borders of Russia. Motivated by a holy curiosity, many came even from Mount Athos to venerate the Valaam wonderworkers, Sergius and Herman. They saw with surprise the arrangement of the monastery, and some even preferred what they discovered to their own Athonite monasteries. The memorable Elder Igumen Nazarius, had a special gift of foresight and clairvoyance; he sometimes knew a person’s thoughts, character and inclinations without inquiring. He encouraged everyone who came to him to correct the shortcomings that he discerningly noticed in them.  During the construction of the monastery and the various cells of the brethren in accordance with the aforementioned forms of living,  Elder Nazarius visited numerous cities and provinces. When he returned to the monastery however, he had a hermit’s cell to which he retired for weeks at a time.

In 1792 and 1793 at the behest of the Empress, the Holy Synod sent Hieromonk Joasaph³, who was promoted to the rank of Archimandrite, and Monk Herman along with ten other monks from among the Valaam brethren to America to preach the word of God. Archimandrite Joasaph engaged in preaching the word of God to the wild tribes of America with an apostolic zeal. He often appeared to many of them in their dreams and encouraged them to go to Kodiak Island, where the missionary monks had settled, and accept the Christian faith and baptism there.  He assured them that he would not cease to harass them in their dreams until they turned to Christianity and were baptized.  Joasaph’s labors were crowned with the desired success. Along with those who were sent to America, the Valaam monastery was also famous for many other men who were experienced in monastic life.  It owes this glory to Elder Nazarius, who arranged everything in it in good order and in accordance with what the Apostle Paul commanded at one time.⁴

In 1801, Abbot Nazarius was relieved from his duties as abbot and allowed to retire at his own request. Taking advantage of his freedom from official work, he lived in solitude near the monastery, where his only occupation was prayer and handiwork.  Several years later, however, circumstances dictated that Elder Nazarius leave his hermit cell and the Valaam Monastery. In March of 1804 he was sent – at his own request – by His Grace Metropolitan Ambrose to the Sarov Monastery to reside permanently with his disciple Hieromonk Hilarion.  Upon arrival at the monastery he built himself a cell in the forest on the Sarovka River for greater solitude. There he lived in seclusion for about five years, conversing with God alone. Because of his humility, he remained a true lantern and spiritual comfort for the brethren, who sought spiritual edification from him.  (to be continued…)

1.     the Northeast part of Saint Petersburg

2.     Pavel Petrovich Romanov (1754-1801), Emperor Pavel I of Russia (1796-1801).

3.     In 1799 Joasaph was consecrated Bishop of Kodiak, but he did not reach his diocese, and perished in a shipwreck.

4.     This appears to be a reference to the following: “All things should be done decently and in order.” (1Co 14:40)  

Life of Igumen Nazarius of Valaam

During the administration of the Sarov Monastery by Igumen Niphont, Igumen Nazarius, a virtuous man who loved to lead a solitary, hermitical , silent life, lived there in retirement. He left the position of Abbot of Valaamo Monastery due to his desire to live in solitude and lived in a deserted area three versts (a verst is approximately one kilometer) from the monastery, where he struggled, spending time in prayer, serving as an example of a virtuous life for the brethren. While pleasing God with the feat of perfect asceticism in his remote cell in the rapture of the spirit as St. Basil the Great he used to say, “O solitary life, the home of heavenly teaching and divine discernment; the school, God is everything you learn in it. The desert – the paradise of sweetness, where the fragrant flowers of love sometimes flame with fiery color, sometimes shine with snow-like purity; with them there is peace and silence; the ones in the valleys are not disturbed by the wind. There is the incense of perfect mortification, not only of the flesh, but also, what is more wonderful, of the will itself, and the censer of unceasing prayer, incessantly burns with the fire of Divine love. There the various flowers of virtue, resplendent with various ornaments, flourish with the grace of unfading beauty. O desert, delight of the souls of saints, a paradise of inexhaustible sweetness! It is a furnace, and in it the children of God tame the power of the burning flame with prayer, and with the flame of faith they quench the raging blaze around them, in which both arrows and fetters burn, but those who are fettered do not burn away, only the bonds of sin are loosened and the soul is raised to the singing of divine praises, crying: ‘thou hast enlarged my mouth’ [1 Samuel 2:1]. ‘I will offer the sacrifice of praise to Thee’ [Psa. 116:17].”

Igumen Nazarius was born in the Tambov province in the village of Anosovo, located 15 versts from the city of Kaldom.  His father’s name was Kondrat, who was a lay minister, and his mother was Mavra.  His name in the world was Nikolai.  Having acquired love for God, he left the world at a young age.  He came to Sarov Monastery in 1752 during the time of the fifth abbot, Hieromonk Isaac.  He was tonsured a monk on September 23, 1760, in Astrakhan by His Grace Bishop Methodius.  He was ordained a hierodeacon there also in the same year on October 22^nd, and in 1765 he returned back to Sarov Monastery.  The reason that prompted Elder Nazarius to make this move is considered to be nothing other than his sincere respect for the pious life if the aforementioned Bishop Methodius, who wanted to move to Sarov Monastery to retire.  This can be seen from the Archpastor’s handwritten letters kept at the monastery.  Father Nazarius was ordained a hieromonk on December 6, 1776, by His Grace Jerome, Bishop of Vladimir.  In 1871 by decree of the Holy Synod, he was requested to go to St. Petersburg, where in 1782, due to the insistence of His Grace Metropolitan Gabriel, he was appointed Abbot of Valaam monastery to establish there a way of living and order in accordance with the rules and example of Sarov Monastery.   

Here is offered a copy of the letter given by His Grace Metropolitan Gabriel to the Monastery of Valaam on the occasion of the summons of Fr. Nazarius to this monastery for the establishment of the monastic life in it according to the example of the Sarov Hermitage

By God’s Grace

Humble Gabriel, Metropolitan of Novgorod and St. Petersburg.

The Most merciful God, Who cares for the salvation of every human being, has assured us of His love for mankind by appearing in this world in the flesh, so that He may lead all to the knowledge of the saving truth. With this assurance He makes different arrangements for every mean possible, in order to draw man from temptations, and to make his will receptive to the action of His grace. He has prepared places for those who are most zealous on the course of the virtuous path, as well as for those who are wavering from temptations in accordance with their inclinations, so that they can raise their thoughts to the Throne of His Glory with greater ease and tranquility and unite their spirit with Him.

The island of Valaam on Lake Ladoga, formerly called Nevo, is a place like that; its distance from the coast offers its inhabitants perfect solitude away from the turmoil of everyday life. Holy fathers who engaged in and accomplished ascetic feats therein and shone with the holiness of lives – Sergius and Herman who were the founders of the monastery, St. Alexander of Svir (1448-1533), St. Cyril of White Lake (1337-1427), St. Savvati of Solovki, who reposed on September 27^th  1435, and other monks of the monastery testify to this. This has been narrated concerning them in the life of St. Savvati of Solovki, they led a life of great asceticism, struggled day and night to please God, provided food for themselves by the labor of their own hands. Having so many witnesses, we see that this island was made by the Providence of the Savior of the world for the dwelling of monastics. While caring for their salvation according to our duty, in order to revive habitations of the saints in it, and thereby offer a pleasing sacrifice to the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ, we enjoin that the rules established at the Sarov monastery should be observed in it unswervingly. We have called Honorable Father Hieromonk Nazarius from the Sarov desert for this purpose, his feats and zeal to establish monastics in a life of salvation are well known. We entrust these rules to him for continuous preservation in the Valaam monastery, and we confirm them with a letter sealed with a seal and signed by our hand. We bow our hearts to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, “for from Him every fatherland in heaven and on earth is named, so that He may grant them, according to His riches, to be strengthened by His Spirit in the inner man, having implanted Christ in their hearts by faith, so that they may understand the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge and the peace of God that surpasses understanding” (cf. Eph. 3:15-19), so that He will keep their hearts and minds according to His riches in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

(to be continued…)

Dealing with Hurts

Having recently spoke to someone on this subject I decided to publish an article concerning this.  In getting hurt the immediate human reaction is usually to justify one’s self and blame the other.  What follows is one usually nourishes the hurt and this is spiritually destructive.  How can we avoid this?  Here I am relating how various spiritual fathers/mothers have responded to this.  I will list them by name and continue with what they told me.

Fr. Polyvios (He was a noted confessor in Thessalonika during the 1990’s. His reply seems to be concentrated on the general improvement of a person’s spiritual life.)

The sins and distancing and fall from God is not only legalistic but there is also psychological and spiritual reasons behind this.  And sin creates a wall between us and God.  In as much as our relationship with God becomes bad simultaneously our relationship with others becomes bad.  The Scriptures say that love casts out fear.  One thing I can tell you which will bring one close to God is to become more active in the Sacraments of the Church especially with worship services.  Also to pray and to read the Scriptures, and the fathers different spiritual works.  Pass on to them more faith and trust in God, lead them to what is righteous in God.  Pass on this message: that He is a personal God, not an impersonal God Who just created the world and pushed it into motion and let it go, but in Orthodoxy God is a personal God.  This matters to our personal life and if we live that which is said in the Divine Liturgy, “Let us commit our whole live to Christ our God”, the more those petty feelings will leave us.

Sister Salome (Second to the Abbess Philothea, she was the senior sister in the convent of St. John the Theologian which was under the direction of St. Paisius the Athonite.) 

It doesn’t matter what has happened no one should say that they are 100% right.  A person must look at themselves and try to understand the cause of this happening and be ready to humble themselves and to say that they are part of the cause.  This would help it to pass away.  When hurts occur one has to look at the whole situation and try to understand in the context of the whole situation what has taken place.

     This could be for saving reasons.  This can work for salvation when one tries to understand it in a different way.  In this way it is for saving reasons: when one tries to see their own faults through what has happened, and not to say they are 100% right and to acknowledge God’s providence working for their good in what has happened.

Father Jeremiah (A monk of the Monastery of Iveron on Mount Athos)

I think there are a number of different things here it is possible that you don’t have a good relationship with someone.  This does not mean that you have to feel any evil against them or anger or hate.  If we do that shows that there is still some sort of egoism and self-centeredness with us.  If someone has sort of written themselves off and consider themselves to be nothing then if someone does you some harm or does something evil—that is, something which is  not true or whatever—I think that if you don’t consider yourself anything, sort of nothing and if you’ve written yourself off, I don’t think you’ll get upset.  It should not matter to you what other people think about you or what your reputation is, if it does then that can be just pride or vanity.  Nor should we have any anger or anything against anybody, we should always give forgiveness, even to people who do us harm or injure us and our enemies.  In a sense feel sorry for them, in the sense that they do this because there is something not right with them and they are sick.  If anything, they need our prayers so that they can repent.  If a person seems to be sort of against us maybe there is a breakdown in faith in that person.  So we must say a prayer after bad things they do or they say in order to guard ourselves and help the other person.

Father Zachariah (He is at present the Elder of the Monastery of St. John the Baptist at Essex, England)

He spoke of transforming the energy of emotion to something higher and gave the following example:

Suppose my brother whom I live with and love very much does something that hurts me.  And there is pain there.  I cannot escape it but what I must do is use the energy of this pain and transform it into something higher.  Otherwise I will start thinking on a psychological level: “He hurt me he should not have done this.”  I can get angry and have bitterness.  This is the sorrow that leads to death.  But I must transform this pain.  I have this pain and I take it to God in prayer.  And I should look to myself and think that I have been negligent and lazy.  And therefore this has come upon me because of my sins.  God woke me up and I have contrition because of my sins or negligence.  He used my brother to wake me up and I must pray and ask God to forgive my brother and have mercy on me.

 Of what use is a monastic?

            Before beginning on the topic of this article I want to say something to my readers concerning the series on the fathers of Sarov.  There is yet one more to approach – the Elder Nazarius who lived in monasteries both at Sarov and Valaamo.  His life and teachings have been published by St. Herman’s Brotherhood; but this book is currently out of print and unavailable.  My translator currently works full time; but hopes to eventually complete a translation of the life and teachings of the Elder into English. Our source for this material is the same book of the ascetics of the Sarov Hermitage which we have been translating.

            Now to the question I posed in my title.  I will say nothing of myself; but I will answer by referring to words of Saints Silouan and Sophrony the Athonites in the book, Saint Silouan the Athonite:

   “There are people who say that monks ought to be of some use to the world…The world thinks that monks are a useless species. But that is not the right way to think….We have to understand the nature of a monks service and the way in which he has to help the world….The world does not know how the monk prays for the whole universe—people do not see his prayers and how they are received of the Lord in His mercy….A monk is someone who prays for the whole world, who weeps for the whole world; and in this lies his main work.

“But who is it that constrains him to weep for the whole world?

“The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God incites him.  He gives the monk the love of the Holy Spirit, and by virtue of this love the monk’s heart forever sorrows over the people because not all men are saved.” (words of St. Silouan from pages 407 and 409)

   “When Parthenios, the ascetic of Kiev, sought to know what the strict monastic observance was, the Mother of God told him, ‘The monk who wears the schema is a man who prays for the whole world.’” (ibid p. 493).

            This is engendered within a man, as St. Silouan clarifies, through the love of the Holy Spirit Whom the Lord gives to man.  This is a revelation of the love of Christ for mankind. St. Sophrony tells us, “Through Christ’s love all men become an inseparable part of our own individual, eternal existence.  Speaking of St. Silouan, he continues, The Staretz began to understand the commandment, ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself’ as something more than an ethical imperative.  In the word ‘as’ he saw an indication, not of a required degree of love but of an ontological community of being¹.

            “The Father judgeth no man, but hath committeth all judgment unto the Son…because He is the Son of man” (John 5:22-7) This Son of man, the Great Judge of the world, will say at the Last Judgment that ‘one of the least of these’ is His very Self.  In other words, He assimilates every man’s existence and includes it in His own personal existence.  The Son of man has taken into Himself all mankind—He has accepted the ‘whole Adam’ and suffered for him.  St. Paul said that we, too, ought to think and feel like Christ—having ‘the same mind which was in Christ.’ (Phil. 2:5)

            “The Holy Spirit, in teaching Silouan Christ-like love, bestowed on him the gift of effectively living this love, of taking to himself the life of all mankind.  The intensity of his prayer as he wept for the entire world related and bound him with strong bonds to all mankind, to the ‘whole Adam.  In this world there are various distinctions and divisions among men but in eternity we are all one.  Each of us must, therefore, take heed not only for himself but for this single whole.” (pp. 47-8). A monk takes heed for the “single whole”—the whole race of Adam.

            In conclusion we can say that: “The world is supported by the prayers of the saints; and the monk’s calling is to pray for the whole world….Thanks to monks, prayer continues unceasingly on earth and the whole world profits, for through prayer the whole world continues to exist; but when prayer fails, the world will perish.” (excerpts from pages 408 and 407)  

 1.    This could perhaps also be expressed as such, “a theological truth: the nature of man’s existence is communal

Igumen Seraphim: Abbot of Sarov

The successor of Father Igumen Isaiah, the eleventh Abbot of the Sarov Monastery, Igumen Seraphim, was from a family of the state peasants^[1] from the Perm region. His name in the world was Spiridon Andreev Pestov. He entered the monastery in 1823 at the age of 19, together with his father Andrei (monastic name – Arseny). He was tonsured a monk on June 20^th, 1835, ordained a hierodeacon the same year on September 29^th by the Most Reverend Arseny, Bishop of Tambov (later Metropolitan of Kiev), and a hieromonk on May 29^th, 1844 by the Most Reverend Nikolai, Bishop of Tambov. He was appointed as treasurer in 1848, he held this  position until 1858, when he was appointed as the Abbot of the monastery on May 17th, 1858 after the repose of Fr. Igumen Isaiah.  He was appointed abbot by the higher spiritual authority with the general approval of the brethren. In November 1872, by the order of the Holy Synod, he was relieved of his duties as the Abbott and retired. He remained among the ill monks of the Monastery as an old, physically weak man until his passing on October 5^th, 1878 at the age of 74. He was buried next to Fr. Igumen Isaiah behind the altar on the left side of the Dormition cathedral temple.

In the course of his fourteen-year rule of the Sarov Monastery, Father Igumen Seraphim kept the monastery in order in external matters, as well as its inner spiritual state as it was established at the time of his ever-memorable predecessors. He was a strict follower of the testaments and traditions of the Elders of the monastery. Aside from the solemn conduct in church services, Father Igumen especially watched the moral conduct of the brethren. Often, at any time of the day, one could see him either on the monastery grounds visiting brethren’s cells or outside of the monastery at the passage to where was strictly prohibited for the brethren without the blessing of superiors.  In that case any transgression, as the true disciple of Father Igumen Niphont, he imitated him in fixing misdeeds of the brethren with a humble word and a fatherly correction. This kind of rigorous observance of the testaments and the charter of the monastery gained for Father Igumen Seraphim the love and respect of the Hierarchs of the Russian Church and other pious men who communicated regularly with him via letters, which were edifying and filled with brotherly love. Thus, at the very appointment of Father Seraphim to be the Abbot of the Sarov Monastery, the Most Reverend Arseny, later the Metropolitan of Kiev, writes,

Most honorable Fr. Abbott, beloved in Christ brother!

I rejoice from the bottom of my heart and congratulate you on your new appointment and I pray to the Lord that He may give you fortitude and strength to carry this honorable but difficult responsibility well. Your monastery is famous, so the feat of guiding it is even more challenging. However, with the help of God and your labors, which I have been aware of for some time, I hope everything will go well. The Apostle Paul says that “all things work together for good for those who love God” [Rom 8:28], and you do not lack that love.

Both mine, and your, God-loving Fathers Niphont and Isaiah, now seeing you in their place, building up the holy monastery according to their plan and wish, will rejoice, since they loved and prepared you for this position.

I humbly beg you not to forget my unworthiness in your prayers, since a prayer of a pious man assisted by love may do much. I need it so much!

I invoke God’s blessing upon you and all of the brethren.

September 15^th, 1858

A humble servant of your great godliness

Arseny, Archbishop of Warsaw

What follows are two of the many letters of the Most Reverend Platon, Archbishop of Kostroma^[2]:

Most Reverend Father Abbot, beloved brother in Jesus Christ! Christ is risen!

May the Lord Himself reward you for your endless love towards my unworthiness. May your noblest wishes for me on the occasion of the most joyous feast of the resurrection of Christ the Savior ascend to the throne of the Almighty and bring the Lord’s blessings upon me. Please, accept my sincerest congratulations on the most joyous celebration of celebrations and the feast of feasts. May the Resurrected Savior grant you and your brethren in the Lord that heavenly joy which no one can take away.

Venerable Fathers, following the example of your valiant predecessors, pray for peace and for the Holy Church, that the Lord may keep Her unconquerable against the gates of hell, the hell, which seems to be rebelling in these final days to harm the Bride of Christ. Pray for us bishops that the Lord may grant us to “rightly divide the word of truth” [2 Timothy 2:15] and to fulfill our episcopal duties according to His holy will.

May the mercy of God be and remain with the holy Sarov Monastery forever through the prayers of its ascetics who have passed away and those who are currently laboring there.

April 21, 1864.

Your most most ardent well-wisher and servant,

Platon, Bishop of Kostroma

–

Most reverend Father Igumen,

beloved brother in Jesus Christ!

I am at a loss for words to express my gratitude for your unending love towards me, the unworthy one. Keep me in your holy prayers. May the Lord Himself reward you with goodwill and His mercies.

Nowadays, it is very difficult not only for the monastery ascetics in their struggles but also for us, those who are appointed to positions at the height of church administration. It seems that the time has come when one must save himself through sorrows. I implore you, Venerable Father, not to abandon the Sarov customs; in other words, attend services and common meals following the example of your predecessors. There is a great benefit for the monastery in that, especially in our time. Bear the burden of the duties of the abbacy for the sake of the Lord God, for the benefit of the monastery, and for your own salvation.

May the number of holy and ascetic elders never diminish at the Sarov Monastery through the prayers of your holy predecessors. May Sarov be a haven for those seeking salvation!

Holy fathers, remember me, a sinner amidst your prayerful sighs, and all of the Russian Orthodox hierarchs. Maintain your kindness to me, the unworthy one, dear Father Igumen, and do not forget me in your prayers. Neither the powers of soul or body are capable of the great and laborious service of ours which demands much and becomes increasingly difficult.

May the blessings of the Lord be upon you and the holy monastery entrusted -to you and its brotherhood.

April 5th, 1873.

The most devoted brother and servant

of your great godliness,

Platon, the unworthy Archbishop of Kostroma.

This truly Christ-like attitude, in the spirit of the Orthodox Church, of Her hierarchs contributed over time to the increase in beauty of the Sarov Monastery and in the splendor of its holy temples of God. Thus, during Fr. Igumen Seraphim’s leading of the monastery, with contributions from Christ-loving benefactors, all the holy icons of the iconostasis of the heated cathedral temple of the Life-Giving Spring were decorated with gold-plated silver rizas^[3] with fine embossment and precious gems.

However, a very special monument of the tireless care of Fr. Igumen Seraphim for the well-being of the monastery entrusted to him by God will be the proper management of their forest land which will always be remembered with gratitude by the monastic brotherhood. This was instituted during his tenure as abbot. Through its forest lots the needs of supporting the brethren and numerous visitors is supplied. This treasure was inherited from the founder, Hieroschemamonk Ioann, as a truly royal gift from the Tsars of Russia.

^[1] A large group of peasants in 18^th-19^th century Russia who were considered personally free, although, the state had restrictions on their movement across the country.

^[2] A city on the Volga river founded in 1152 by Prince Yury Dolgoruky.

^[3] A metal covering for the surface of an icon. Nilus