The life and miracles of St. Sergius of Radonezh
People call those who have dedicated their lives to the Supreme differently.
Teachers, Gods, Martyrs, Saints - but all of them, at different times, selflessly served humanity. These people seem to represent living volcanoes, erupting intense energy. What millions of people must do is done by individuals who always come to humanity at turning points in its history. So was Sergius of Radonezh. Sergius of Radonezh was born in 1314. in the family of Rostov boyars Maria and Kirill and was named Bartholomew. His house was located 4 versts from Rostov the Great. Memory of Mary: “Even in his mother’s womb, God chose him to serve Himself. Shortly before his birth, the mother of the future saint came to the church for the liturgy. Just before the reading of the Gospel began, the baby in her womb cried out so loudly that everyone standing in the temple heard his voice. During the Cherubic song, the baby cried out for the second time, and when the priest said “Holy of Holies,” his voice was heard from the mother’s womb for the third time. And everyone concluded: “A great lamp for the world and a servant of the Most Holy Trinity will come into the world.”
And this boy was born. He was different from other children. His mother recalls: “From the first days the baby showed himself to be a strict faster.” On those days when the mother ate meat, the baby did not drink milk and refused. Noticing this, the mother completely refused meat. When he was 7 years old, he and his older and younger brother were sent to a church school to learn to read and write. He was not good at reading, and he suffered greatly from this. He did not like noisy companies, but loved solitude and communication with nature. One day the father sent his son to bring the horses from the field. In the clearing he saw an old man who was praying. He approached him and shared his grief that reading and writing was difficult for him, and asked the elder to pray that God would give him reason in his studies, and stood next to him and began to pray. Having finished the prayer, the elder took out a prosphora (small loaf of bread) from his bosom and gave it to the boy and said the following words: “This is given to you as a sign of the grace of God and the understanding of Holy Scripture. From now on the Lord will give you understanding in learning.”
Sergius really asked him to visit his parents. The parents greeted the elder hospitably. And he told them that their son was God’s chosen one and that he came to earth with a specific mission - to give people Knowledge and teach them to fulfill God’s commandments. “Great will your son be before God and people.”
In one of the Tatar raids, the family was ruined, and the parents moved to Radonezh. And they lived out the rest of their days in the monastery. From that time on, Saint Sergius studied the sacred books without any difficulty, reading and writing was easy for him, and everyone admired his intelligence and the kindness of his heart. Early on he felt a love for prayer and began attending church. When his parents died, he and his older brother Stefan, 40 miles from Radonezh, found a deserted, elevated place in the forest, not far from a river, and began to build a church and housing for themselves. Having built the church, it was consecrated in the name of the Holy and Life-Giving Trinity. But the brother could not withstand loneliness and hardship for long and left for Moscow, and Sergius was left alone. And days and months of loneliness passed. But they were not in vain. He devoted himself completely to the spiritual world. He read the holy books, occupied himself with the thought of God, saying prayers and working on himself in order to overcome his passions, he imposed a strict fast on himself; on Wednesdays and Fridays he refused food altogether, and on other days he ate only bread and water. He hated his flesh in order to save his soul and develop a strong will. Thanks to this, an internal balance was established in him, and the fire of his heart found a constant measure of burning, while not yet in the monastery he led a monastic life.
After the death of his parents, he gave away everything that his parents left him, he didn’t even leave anything for food. Thanks to his strong will and strong love for God and strict discipline, he decided to take monastic vows. He was 23 years old and Bartholomew was given the name Sergius. He was a man of extraordinary kindness, responsiveness to people’s grief, an unbreakable faith, a clear, joyful cheerfulness burned in him, helping him in difficult moments and attracting everyone. No one was denied his loving heart.
Finally those who wanted to imitate him came to him. And he said: “I accept you, but let it be known to everyone that if you have come to work for God and want to remain silent with me here, then prepare yourself to endure troubles and sorrows, needs and lack, for through many sorrows it is fitting for us to enter the kingdom of heaven.” Sergius spoke calmly, he did not like long speeches, he spoke briefly, often in parables.
He told his disciples: “Whoever wants to be first among us must be the servant of all.” He had the gift of inspiring respect. Great justice conquered hearts. His favorite word was the word “Dare,” and his favorite commandment: “See with the eyes of the heart.” They write about him that he was like a bought slave, he never sat idle for a minute. He was a baker, a cook, and a carpenter, and did the hardest work. With his abstinence, humility and pious life, Sergius set an example for others. They were in fasting, prayer and constant labor, either sewing clothes, copying books, or cultivating vegetable gardens. There was equality and interchangeability with each other. Sergius greatly encouraged creativity. Saint Sergius celebrated the Divine Liturgy every day. I always prepared the prosphora myself. I ground wheat for them with my own hands and, lovingly and prayerfully, baked this little bread, and did not let anyone in on this task.
He had 12 students. But an archimandrite named Semeon came to him from Smolensk. Having renounced his position, with a feeling of deep humility, he asked to be received as a simple monk, and Sergius accepted him. Simeon brought him his inheritance and thanks to this, the monastery began to expand. 12 disciples worked hard, they cleared the forest for monastery cells. Sergius knew how to combine the traits of meekness and severity. Strict discipline was introduced, everyone had to control their thoughts, feelings, actions, while developing internal balance. He found beautiful seeds in each student, developed them imperceptibly, helping to purify his soul and body, and each student always found his place in the common cause of serving people. It was not allowed to visit each other in the evening. Everyone had to do their favorite thing, think about God and develop some kind of creativity. It was forbidden under any circumstances not to go around the villages and beg for alms. Sergius created a practical school of morality. He set in motion and revived the Spirit of the people. He was always an example for everyone.
They remember a time when he didn’t eat anything for 3 days. Then he went to the student and said, “I heard that you need to build a porch, but my hands are idle. Let me build it for you?” - “But you’ll take it dearly?” - “I won’t take it dearly, unless you treat me with bread, I know that you have bread.” The student brought out a sieve with rotten bread, which he himself had not eaten. But Sergius said, when I finish the work, then I’ll take it. Having built the canopy, he with dignity took this sieve with bread, despite the fact that he was offended and insulted, but he did not reproach the student with a single word. This was a man who lived only for others. Not to feel sorry for himself, to deny himself - it was part of his nature. When he was just over 30 years old, he received the rank of abbot, but he refused this rank for a long time. He didn't like to rule.
One day, when the dissatisfaction passed, that everyone was like-minded, and now everything is common, and this had to be changed, because... there was envy towards each other. His elder brother told people: “What an abbot Sergius is, I’m older and built a monastery with him. I must be abbot." Then Sergius left everything and went to his friend in Kerzh. He found another deserted place and began to build another monastery. Day by day the old monastery began to empty. Some left, others moved to other monasteries, and the most devoted began to look for their teacher, and, having found him, joined to build a monastery. Those who remained in the old monastery realized how much they needed Sergius, and began to ask him to return, asking for his forgiveness, and he returned. Describes how he was greeted. “It was touching to see how some with tears of joy, others with tears of repentance, the disciples rushed to his feet, some kissed his hands, others his feet, others his very clothes, others crossed themselves with joy. Praise be to you, Lord, that you have enabled us, orphans, to see our father. And the Reverend rejoiced in the Spirit, seeing the love and repentance of his children, confirmed in devotion and obedience. So the Reverend once again proved that it is not violence, but love and freedom that conquers everything.
Many different miracles happened thanks to the prayers of the ascetic. The blind received their sight, the lame walked, the lepers were cleansed, the deaf heard, in a word, everyone who came to the Holy One with faith, no matter what ailments they suffered, received bodily health and moral cleansing. The Lord gave his saint miraculous power. He could even resurrect the dead. Many people saw an extraordinary flame emanating from the hand of the Reverend and the fire surrounding him. During the liturgy, the disciples all saw a vision.
Sergius said: “If the Lord himself revealed it to you, then can I hide this? The one you saw was the Angel of the Lord. Not only now, but always, when I, unworthy to have to celebrate the Liturgy, he, by God’s will, serves with me. You strictly keep it a secret while I’m alive.” Sergius raised the Spirit of the people, and when Khan Mamai attacked the Russian land, the Spirit of the people was already raised. Khan threatened that he would destroy the Russian land, destroy churches, and destroy the Russian people. Dmitry Donskoy tried to tame the fury of the Tatars with gifts, but Khan was inexorable and moved to the borders of the Russian land.
Sergius was one of the first who strengthened the Spirit of the people and raised the army for the Great Battle of Kulikovo. He said to Prince Donskoy: “The enemy faces ultimate destruction, but for you the prince has mercy, help and glory from God. Trust in the Lord and the Most Pure Mother of God.” Then, having overshadowed the prince with an honest cross, Sergius prophetically said: “Go, sir, without fear, the Lord will help you defeat your enemies against the godless, and victory will be won.” He bore full responsibility for the people. His word was the word of the heart. Sergius was one of the first to initiate charity. Sergius believed that the hand of the giver would never fail. Sergius was very friendly with the Moscow Metropolitan, and when Metropolitan Alexei felt his death, he called Sergius and asked him to accept this post from him, but Sergius refused. But Archimandrite Mikhail Mityai had his eye on this post. He weaved all sorts of intrigues against the monastery, and Sergius said to his disciples: “Michael, who rises above this monastery and above our badness, will not get what he wants and will not even see Constantinople, for he is defeated by pride.” The prophecy was fulfilled when he sailed on a ship to Constantinople for initiation, he fell ill and died.
Sergius was very demanding of people who broke the law. He said: “How are we not afraid to take away someone else’s property, offend our neighbor and do all kinds of evil. Don't we see that those who commit lies become poor, their houses become empty, and the memory of them disappears forever? And in the future their souls will suffer torment. Never oppress orphans.
They tell a story when the water ran out in the monastery, then Sergius found a place in prayer and baptized it with a cross and began to read a prayer and ask God for water to appear. And a spring broke through, and this spring is called Sergiev. Those who drank from this spring with faith were healed. A legend related to the Mother of God has also been preserved.
So, one day Sergius wanted to read about the life of the Mother of God, but a gust of wind put out the lamp. Then Sergius became so inflamed with the Spirit that the book shone with heavenly light, and he was able to read without a lamp. New arrivals to the monastery were subjected to a test of obedience, and those who survived were introduced to the rules.
God and the Motherland are what moved Sergius’ life. At the end of his life, Sergius was visited by a vision of grace. This was in 1387. on one of the Fridays of Nativity Lent. They describe it this way: “On this unforgettable night for the Trinity Monastery, when all the brethren were sleeping peacefully, Saint Sergius prayed fervently before the icon of the Mother of God. Sergius was blinded by a dazzling light, brighter than the sun, and he saw the Queen of Heaven and the apostles Peter and John, shining with an incredible light. The monk, unable to bear the trembling that overwhelmed him, fell to the ground. The Most Pure One touched him with her hand and said: “Do not be alarmed, my chosen one, your prayer has been heard. Do not grieve anymore for your disciples and for your monastery, do not grieve anymore, for from now on it will abound in abundance to everyone both during your life and after your death, it will never depart, I will be from your monastery,” having said this, the Most Pure One became invisible.
Six months before his death, the Reverend received a revelation about his death. He handed over the affairs to his disciple Nikon and said: “I am going to God, who calls me, but I am handing you over to the Lord and his Mother. May she be your refuge and a strong wall from the snares of the enemy.” After which he walked away peacefully. At the moment of the presentation, the Face of the Reverend was illuminated with Light, and an extraordinary fragrance filled the cell. It was September 25, 1392, at the age of 78.
The icon “Appearance of the Mother of God” accompanied the Russian troops in all campaigns and exploits, bringing them encouragement and hope for help, and the intercession of heavenly powers. They wrote about Sergius: “Beyond the healing gifts from God, the grace was given to him to defend the entire Russian land from the Christian enemies who find him, as a God-given helper to the entire State.” Not only in Moscow, but also in many other cities, 35 monasteries were founded, which were associated with the Sergius Trinity Monastery.
1408 The Tatars attacked the borders of Moscow. The student Nikon was very sad and prayed, calling on Sergius of Radonezh. And he saw a vision. Sergius appeared along with Alexei and Saint Peter. And Sergius said not to be sad, the monastery will be rebuilt, and it will be better than before, but he can save people. The gates of the Monk's Lavra will be closed and the lamps will go out over his tomb only when we have spent this supply completely, without replenishing it.
When more than thirty years had passed, one of Nikon’s students, who was a student of St. Sergius, had a vision. “Why do they leave me for so long under the cover of earth in a coffin, where water surrounds my body?” And the disciple told Nikon, and all the brethren decided to rebury the coffin. They opened the coffin of the Reverend, and a wondrous fragrance spread all around, and people saw a miracle. Not only was his clean body preserved unharmed, but decay did not even touch his attire. There was water on both sides of the coffin, but it did not touch either the relics of the Saint or his clothes. With jubilation, the holy relics of the Venerable were placed in a new tomb on July 5, 1422. in commemoration of which a celebration was established.
In 1608, Polish-Lithuanian enemies attacked the Assumption Cathedral, built by Dmitry Donskoy, but it was under the protection of Sergius. In dreams, visions, he warned of every danger. And the enemy could not stand it and retreated. He was everything a heavenly angel and an earthly man.
In 1877 Alexander II took a blessing when he went against the enemy for the liberation of the Slavs. At the very end of the 17th century, the Sergius Monastery once again saved Russia, saving the life of Peter the Great, and gave him money for the construction of ships and other state needs. The monastery was always packed in difficult times. 1892 - 500 years from the date of death, after 25 years the Trinity Monastery was closed. 1919 — the relics were transferred to the museum by order of the authorities. 600 years later, the relics of the Reverend still today possess a powerful biofield.
E.I. Roerich wrote in her letters: “Illuminated with an indescribable Light, he stands, invisibly visible, on the steps of the great Ladder of the Hierarchy of Light, ready at the indicated hour to direct legions of light forces, ready to bless his people and their earthly leader for a new feat.”
She writes: “We, Russians, are destined for salvation under the Banner of our Great Patron and Protector, St. Sergius of Radonezh. Sergius of Radonezh was also commanded to save Russia for the third time, so let us help him with our desire, patience and actions.”
The Banner of the Reverend - the Banner of the Teaching of Living Ethics - is raised over our Motherland in the name of its wonderful future and the prosperity of the whole world. The personality of Sergius of Radonezh is one of the incarnations of the Highest Teacher of Light, the Lord of Shambhala. And let's continue the mission of Sergius of Radonezh, and bring Light, Love and Beauty to the world.
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How did Sergius of Radonezh spend his last days before his death?
In September the Reverend fell ill. Knowing that he would never recover from this illness, he called the monks for the last time and addressed them with his last parting words .
What did he talk to them about?
Firstly, he bequeathed to the brothers to steadfastly remain in Orthodoxy. He asked them to maintain like-mindedness with each other, spiritual and physical purity, unfeigned love; “to beware of evil and foul lusts, to eat sober food and drinks, and especially to adorn oneself with humility... to avoid contradiction, and to place nothing on the honor and glory of this life, but instead expect reward from God.”
