| Hegumen Melchizedek (Artyukhin) |
Melchizedek (Artyukhin)
(born 1962), archimandrite, rector of the Moscow churches in Yasenevo: the metochion of Optina Hermitage - the Apostles Peter and Paul and the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, press secretary of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism, member of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church in the World Artyukhin Pavel Dmitrievich, born on May 2, 1962 in Moscow.
In 1984 he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 1988.
On November 29, 1986, he was tonsured a monk and named in honor of Melchizedek, King of Salem [1] by the abbot of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Alexy (Kutepov) in the Trinity Cathedral of the Lavra.
On November 30, 1986, he was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon at the Trinity-Sergius Lavra by the rector of the Moscow Academy of Sciences and Sports, Archbishop Alexander (Timofeev) of Dmitrov.
On December 19, 1987, he was ordained to the rank of hieromonk by the same bishop in the Smolensk Lavra Church.
From 1988 to 1992 he studied by correspondence at the Moscow Theological Academy.
In 1988 he was transferred to Optina Pustyn. He bore the obedience of the steward of the monastery, and was the dean of the monastery for several years.
On April 15, 1990, he was elevated to the rank of abbot.
On January 30, 1997, he was appointed rector of the Church of the Holy Supreme Apostles Peter and Paul in Yasenevo, Moscow.
On December 18, 1997, in addition to his obedience, he was appointed rector of the house Church of the Resurrection of Christ at the Moscow boarding house No. 6 of labor veterans on Ostrovityanova Street, building 10, attached to the Peter and Paul Church in Yasenevo [2].
On December 20, 1999, in connection with the transfer of the Moscow metochion of Optina Hermitage from the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Ostankino to the Peter and Paul Church in Yasenevo, he was appointed rector of the metochion.
On December 2, 2005, he was appointed rector of the projected Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Yasenevo, Moscow. Construction of the temple began in 2008.
On May 22, 2013, he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' in the Transfiguration Cathedral of the St. Nicholas-Ugreshsky Monastery [3].
Since April 9, 2014, it has been mentioned by the press secretary of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism of the Russian Orthodox Church [4].
On March 9, 2021, he was included in the commission for organizing the life of monasteries and monasticism of the Inter-Council Presence of the Russian Orthodox Church [5].
Biography
In 1984, after serving in the army, he became a student at a theological seminary in Moscow. There he studied for 4 years. In 1986 he took monastic vows. Then Pavel Artyukhin became Melchizedek. Archimandrite Alexy, abbot of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, tonsured him personally.
After graduating from theological seminary, he entered the theological academy in Moscow, in the correspondence department. In 1988 he arrived at the Optina Monastery. There he served honorably for several years. In 1990, the future Archimandrite Melchizedek received the rank of abbot. In 1992 he graduated from the Academy. In 1997, Patriarch Alexy II issued a decree appointing him rector of the Church of Peter and Paul in Moscow Yasenevo.
Soon he became the abbot of the monastery courtyard. In addition, he became rector during the construction of the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Aivazovsky Street. Its construction began in 2008. And after 5 years, the rank of Archimandrite Melchizedek was transferred to Artyukhin in the Transfiguration Cathedral.
In conversations
In his sermons, the archimandrite notes that the most terrible thing in spiritual life is calming oneself. They say that you will improve, you will definitely change, but then. For this reason, it is important to monitor your thoughts. With external liveliness one can remain dead. As well as vice versa.
The archimandrite more than once told the story of Elder Karp. He was paralyzed and blind, lived in the Optina Hermitage. Many mourned for him, pitied him, sympathized with him and expressed words of support to him. But Karp was sincerely surprised by this. He said: “Even though I’m lying down, I’m looking at God.” And the archimandrite advises everyone to find this spiritual core. Calls to rejoice in the fact that a person is already standing on his own two feet, alive - and this is not a trifle. Such a person is generally rich, and he is not supposed to whine.
About relationships with parents
In the conversations and sermons of Artyukhin, Archimandrite Melchizedek, there was a story that his parents were against entering the theological seminary. So, his mother asked him not to become a monk. And Artyukhin convinced her that he wouldn’t. And when his mother periodically visited him at the Lavra, she each time asked him to give up the idea of monasticism. Despite the fact that Archimandrite Melchizedek admitted in sermons and conversations that already in his first year he was going to write a petition to the monastery, he told his mother that he was not going to do this.
At that time, his confessor was Abbot Benedict. He said that you shouldn’t do this without your mother’s blessing. However, the archimandrite understood that his mother would never allow him to do this. Hegumen Benedict urged him to wait and pray. There was no prospect of communicating with my mother.
Becoming a Monk
But her mood was influenced by certain events. For example, one dream, despite the fact that many priests advise not to believe dreams in cases where they do not reflect thoughts about the Last Judgment. And when dreams cause sadness and melancholy, they should not be taken into account. It is believed in the church environment that dreams come from God and from the demon.
In a dream, Artyukhin entered the Trinity Cathedral. There was no one there, when suddenly I saw the higher-ups discussing who to take as a novice to the monastery. They didn't have enough people. And then the idea came to them to take Artyukhin. He lit up with happiness, approached them and admitted that he had dreamed about this. He woke up with tears of happiness in his eyes.
The dream turned out to be a positive omen. At the same time, he did not understand how to talk to his mother. Soon she came to him herself and unexpectedly said that Pavel would become a monk. He tried to distract her from the topic that hurt her, but through her reluctance she said again that he would become a monk. He wondered why she decided that way. She cried and reluctantly said that she couldn’t sleep the other day. She was terribly sad because she was constantly alone. Her husband left when Pavel was 7 years old, and she raised two sons alone. One of them started a family, and the second went to seminary. And she was left with her elderly mother, who could die at any moment.
In a dream, she heard a voice telling her that her son would become a monk. She was not happy about this at all, but the voice was very life-affirming, and she realized that it would be so.
the main idea
Elder Ambrose, whom Archimandrite Melchizedek often talks about in his sermons for parishioners, advised never to judge anyone, to honor everyone. What happens inside a person is much more important than anything external. So, if a ship floats on water, it does not sink. But as soon as the water got inside him and began to penetrate his body, he drowned. For this reason, evil cannot but touch a person, but it should not come from him.
A person’s heart should be like water - if you throw a stone into it, it will shake, but in a moment there will be no trace of it left. And sometimes a person is faced with evil and hostility, but one must always protect one’s inner person. Do not allow external forces to be stronger than your internal ones.
The inner man must be constantly cultivated. Otherwise, it will fade away and be forgotten in the seas of everyday troubles. And every day, through reluctance, you need to continue to do this. Since “the Kingdom of God is in need and the needy (those who use effort) delight Him.”
About education
It should be noted that Artyukhin has a medical education. This is what allows him to focus on the main thing, to accurately determine the causes of spiritual ailments, as he himself believes. He adores those who have talent in the medical field. He considers it excessive pride to rely on prayers alone.
Medicine is necessary for humans, and doctors are worth honoring, the archimandrite believes. At the same time, someone knows him as a talented teacher. And every clergyman is essentially a teacher of the faith.
Bottom line
Against her own will, the mother gave Artyukhin a blessing. He told his confessor about this, and he said that 3 years of prayers were not in vain. Then Artyukhin wrote a request to enter the monastery. And soon he was accepted into the Lavra. This happened 14 days before the great fire of 1986. And the future archimandrite lived in building 50, which burned to the ground. 5 seminarians died there. There was no mobile phone service at that time. And when Artyukhin saw his mother, wearing a monastic robe, her face reflected the full range of feelings: she was both glad that he was alive, and in utter despair, since he was in a monastic robe. He led her to the ashes and told her that if he had not been accepted as a monk, he could have died along with those seminarians. She stopped objecting, choosing to give her son to the ministry rather than lose him forever.
About sermons
In his sermons, Archimandrite Melchizedek, Artyukhin, points out that the Lord responds to human desires. At least that's what happened to him. If there are no signs from above, you need to have a strong desire to achieve something in this life.
For example, in the case of monasticism, if a person even slightly doubts whether to become a monk or choose family life, he should give preference to the latter. Because when a person truly lights up, there is not a single doubt left in him.
All the events that took place in the life of the archimandrite happened against the background of his firm desire to become a monk. In his sermon, Archimandrite Melchizedek notes that there is no favorable wind for those who are not sailing anywhere. Desire comes first. So, when someone plays soldiers in childhood, he later wants to become a military man; when he kicks a puck in the yard, he wants to become a hockey player. First of all, a person accepts a thought, and then begins to implement his idea in stages. The main thing is to get excited about something, a desire, and then strive to achieve the goal. Then the Lord will help. If there is a desire and calling, the will will incline towards this.
Arguing in his sermon, Archimandrite Melchizedek Artyukhin points out that the main motivation for a person to want to become a monk is the love of God. People become monks for several reasons - even those who are very sinful sometimes strive to become a monk. And the abbots welcome any reason. Those who start poorly can finish well.
Details
Archimandrite Melchizedek personally described his biography in numerous interviews. So, he became a clergyman when he was 25 years old. In his conversations, Artyukhin, Archimandrite Melchizedek, admitted that he initially intended to live as a monk. He later called this decision maximalist.
The decision to become a monk came to his mind when he was 17 years old. Then he realized that his life did not belong to him anyway. And he decided to give it to the Lord. He did not understand at the time that he could simply become a clergyman. But I found a lifestyle that suited me. The future Archimandrite Melchizedek already at that age found a confessor in the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius. He studied monastic life from the inside. For this reason, right before entering the theological seminary, he already had a clear idea of what his life would be like in the monastery. At the same time, he understood that he had to finish his studies, go through the army, and only then would he become a monk. He dreamed of living in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. And that’s essentially how it all turned out.
Despite the fact that the decision was made at a young age, Archimandrite Melchizedek never regretted it. He notes that there are many difficulties in family life, and not just in monastic life.
About the most difficult obedience
The archimandrite considers obedience in the Optina Desert to be the most difficult. He was responsible for how daily life ran in the monastery, for the discipline of all the brethren, and it was large, for how everyone treated obedience. In addition, the archimandrite was constantly on the move and participated in negotiations. And he needed to monitor his spiritual development. But in the future, the experience acquired during this period greatly helped him cope with new difficulties that arose along his life path.
An interesting fact is that the archimandrite in his conversations emphasizes the important role of the Internet and mobile communications for modern development. At the same time, excessive publicity can harm the internal monastic life. For this reason, it is necessary to use these benefits wisely.
