What does the abbot do?
Who is responsible for the entire monastery and for each monk? This is the abbot. He exercises disciplinary supervision over the monks. For each of the monastics, the abbot must be a loving father and a strict teacher. By his example, he shows the brethren of the monastery how to live a real monastic life.
In addition to taking care of the brethren, the abbot has administrative responsibility. It is he who interacts with government authorities and is the representative of the monastery. The abbot is the link between the monastery and the world. Combining administrative and spiritual activities is not at all easy. And inside the monastery, the abbot must keep up everywhere. Monastic obediences are coordinated with him, and responsibility for the economic part falls on his shoulders (less often on the abbot’s assistant, the dean). All expenses of the monastery go through the abbot, all donations too. He decides what will be served to the monks at the meal, what needs to be repaired in the monastery, and how to welcome the monastery’s honored guests. In general, Father Abbot carries all the worries on his shoulders.
Story
Initially, the abbot was not necessarily a priest; later they began to choose only from among the hieromonks or ordain a monk chosen by the abbot as a presbyter.
In 1764, during the secularization reform, Russian monasteries were divided into three classes; the head of the monastery of the third, lower class began to be called abbot. The difference between him and the archimandrite (the abbot of the monastery of the first or second class) was that during divine services he dresses in a simple monastic robe and gait, while the archimandrite dresses in a mantle with “tablets”, a pectoral cross, a club and a miter.
There were orphanages at Orthodox monasteries, whose children received the surname Igumenov (Igumnov). This surname originates from the patronage of the Abbot of the monastery over orphans, children of fallen heroes of the fatherland, who had a safe conduct letter from the Abbot. They were called inviolable, Igumenovs.
Due to the fact that the total number of monasteries was greatly reduced, the rank of abbot became a reward for the monastic clergy (the rank corresponded to an archpriest in the white clergy), and was not necessarily associated with the management of the monastery. This practice was consolidated in the 20th century, when after the revolution all monasteries in the USSR were closed, and after the Great Patriotic War a small number of them operated. Only the abbot, who was the head of the monastery, had the right to carry a staff.
In 2011, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, having accepted the proposal of Patriarch Kirill, henceforth abolished the rank of abbot as a hierarchical award and decided to ordain not only hieromonks, but also archimandrites and even bishops as abbots if they take over the management of the monastery[1]. Simultaneously with the rank of abbot, a staff must be awarded. When leaving the position of abbot (vicar) of the monastery, the title of hegumen will be retained by the person in memory of the labors incurred. The rite of installation as abbot is contained in the “Official”. Those who were awarded the rank of abbot until 2011 and who were not abbots of monasteries, this title was left to: Wikipedia: Articles without sources (type: not specified)[ source not specified 2242 days
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Who can become a hieromonk?
The decision that this particular monk can serve and profess is made only by the abbot of the monastery, guided by his spiritual experience and reasoning.
This does not mean that a monk who has been ordained as a hieromonk is better than a “simple” monk - it only means that, due to certain qualities or circumstances, this monk can or should serve the sacraments in the monastery. For example, because there is no one else. Or because at least someone should.
For a monastery, everyone in the brethren is equal, and a monk who closely monitors, say, the kitchen or the condition of the garden/buildings is just as important as the monk who serves the Liturgy.
Like “in the world” - a scientist, a doctor, a fireman: these are different professions, each of which is important and someone should be a doctor, and someone should be a firefighter.
Excerpt characterizing the Abbot
No matter how strange the historical descriptions are of how some king or emperor, having quarreled with another emperor or king, gathered an army, fought with the enemy army, won a victory, killed three, five, ten thousand people and, as a result, conquered the state and an entire people of several millions; no matter how incomprehensible it may be why the defeat of one army, one hundredth of all the forces of the people, forced the people to submit, all the facts of history (as far as we know it) confirm the justice of the fact that greater or lesser successes of the army of one people against the army of another people are the reasons or, according to at least significant signs of an increase or decrease in the strength of nations. The army was victorious, and the rights of the victorious people immediately increased to the detriment of the vanquished. The army suffered defeat, and immediately, according to the degree of defeat, the people are deprived of their rights, and when their army is completely defeated, they are completely subjugated. This has been the case (according to history) from ancient times to the present day. All Napoleon's wars serve as confirmation of this rule. According to the degree of defeat of the Austrian troops, Austria is deprived of its rights, and the rights and strength of France increase. The French victory at Jena and Auerstätt destroys the independent existence of Prussia. But suddenly in 1812 the French won a victory near Moscow, Moscow was taken, and after that, without new battles, not Russia ceased to exist, but the army of six hundred thousand ceased to exist, then Napoleonic France. It is impossible to stretch the facts to the rules of history, to say that the battlefield in Borodino remained with the Russians, that after Moscow there were battles that destroyed Napoleon’s army. After the Borodino victory of the French, there was not a single general battle, but not a single significant one, and the French army ceased to exist. What does it mean? If this were an example from the history of China, we could say that this phenomenon is not historical (a loophole for historians when something does not fit their standards); if the matter concerned a short-term conflict, in which small numbers of troops were involved, we could accept this phenomenon as an exception; but this event took place before the eyes of our fathers, for whom the question of life and death of the fatherland was being decided, and this war was the greatest of all known wars... The period of the 1812 campaign from the Battle of Borodino to the expulsion of the French proved that a won battle is not only not the reason for conquest, but not even a permanent sign of conquest; proved that the power that decides the fate of peoples lies not in the conquerors, not even in armies and battles, but in something else. French historians, describing the position of the French army before leaving Moscow, claim that everything in the Great Army was in order, except for the cavalry, artillery and convoys, and there was no fodder to feed horses and cattle. Nothing could help this disaster, because the surrounding men burned their hay and did not give it to the French. The won battle did not bring the usual results, because the men Karp and Vlas, who after the French came to Moscow with carts to plunder the city and did not personally show heroic feelings at all, and all the countless number of such men did not carry hay to Moscow for the good money that they They offered it, but they burned it.
The role of the abbot in creating an atmosphere of unity and love in brotherhood
International monastic conference “Patristic heritage in the light of Athonite traditions: spiritual guidance.” Ekaterinburg, May 27–29, 2021.
I have narrowed the topic of my report a little and would like to talk about the temptations that a monastery may encounter on its way.
Every Orthodox monastery is, among other things, also a genuine family, in its center is the father, surrounded by children. The monks in the monastery can come from different countries, they can be very different in age, education, cultural traditions and upbringing, each of them has their own past, but they all come to the monastery with one goal - to cleanse themselves of passions, to achieve enlightenment of the mind through the action of Divine grace and deification. They all come, or, in any case, should come only for the sake of love for Christ, for this is precisely the first, most important commandment of God: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy mind, and with all thy soul (Matthew 22, 37). And on top of that, love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39), which serves as a natural consequence and evidence of fulfilling the first commandment.
Intending to become a monk, a person makes a strong breakthrough, extremely strains all the forces invested in his being in order to renounce the world and everything worldly: parents and relatives, friends and acquaintances, and even himself. The categorical word of the Lord: If anyone wants to follow Me, deny himself (Luke 9:23), sounds like an indisputable law for the future monk. He will have to fight all his life to fulfill this word. At the beginning of the monastic path, the commandment “deny yourself” appears to a person as an abyss that he must overcome. Often, trying to jump over this abyss, he finds himself in difficult, truly tragic conditions, and then only faith in Christ and His love can keep him from falling. As one modern elder said, the first test is the commandment to deny one’s father and mother, and also one’s soul, and this is the first cave of temptation into which one who wants to become a monk finds himself. If he manages to fulfill this, then, like a thirsty deer, he hurries to his place of rest and betrays himself for the love of Christ, the Heavenly Bridegroom, into the hands of the abbot, the father of his new family in Christ, that is, the monastic brotherhood. And the brotherhood, like any family, gladly accepts a new member into its arms. All this, of course, for the sake of Christ and His love. From now on, the main thing in the life of a new monk is to see the abbot in front of him, who has become a father and elder for him.
In this new family, the monastic community, everything is done in imitation of Christ and His apostles - just as it was during the earthly life of Christ. At the center of the community is the elder - abbot and father of the brotherhood, who must take care of everything that concerns the monastery and brotherhood, from the simplest, earthly things to the most complex, spiritual and heavenly things.
The life of the Orthodox monastic brotherhood should not be one-sided. The monastery should not deviate either to the right, allegedly engaged in exclusively spiritual work, or to the left, indulging in spiritual relaxation, negligence and laziness.
The brotherhood must walk like a tightrope walker, keeping within the patristic tradition. Unfortunately, this spiritual tradition cannot be gleaned from books; one can only perceive it from living communication with the saints and obedience to them. This communication with the saints gives us an idea of the true spirit of our Church Fathers, their paternal love and saving reasoning, which was especially revealed in those cases where it was necessary to show leniency towards the brothers. The abbot, representing the face of the Savior, is first of all obliged to inspire the brothers to feat and call for diligence in monastic life. And the life of a monk in its everyday manifestations, of course, is by no means easy and not connected with conveniences, but often requires exhausting work almost to the point of death. And in order to safely complete your monastic path, you need a lot of mental strength and strength.
I myself have some experience of monastic life. As a novice, I labored in the brotherhood of my spiritual father, the Most Reverend Elder Joseph of Vatopedi, first with several brothers in the desert, and then in the numerous brotherhood of the cenobitic Vatopedi monastery. Subsequently, according to the commandment of Elder Joseph, I became abbot in the Machera monastery in Cyprus with a brotherhood of thirty-five fathers. Now, as a metropolitan, I spiritually care for about ten monasteries. Based on my little experience, I can say a few words about the temptations that befall both the entire brotherhood as a whole and the individual elder, abbot of the monastic brotherhood. As our ever-memorable elder Joseph told us, the devil is fighting not only with the novice, but also with the elder, wanting to sink the entire ship of the brotherhood.
Let's name some of these temptations.
a) Overwork can be a temptation for both the abbot and the novices. St. John Climacus teaches us that one of the most insidious tricks of the devil is to push monks to feats that exceed their physical, mental and spiritual strength. As a result, the brothers quickly become overtired, fall into bodily illnesses, and then the devil plunges them into murmuring and despondency. Here, great responsibility lies with the abbot, who is called upon to guide his students on the right path, especially the youngest of them, who approach spiritual life with ardent zeal, but who do not know how to wisely distribute their strength. On the one hand, the abbot should not allow them to indulge in exploits without measure, because soon they will get tired and become incapable of anything - after all, the holy fathers say that “everything excessive comes from demons.” On the other hand, novices should not be completely prohibited from performing exploits. Sometimes it happens that abbots protect their children from any exploits, fearing for them, and this happens out of ignorance of the laws of Divine grace, because thereby they plunge young souls into self-love, timidity and timidity before ascetic warfare. Feats are extremely useful, important and necessary, especially at the beginning of monastic life, and not only at the beginning.
So, if the abbot does not think about this temptation of overwork, then the brotherhood is in danger of deviating either to the right - into unreasonable asceticism and, as a consequence, rapid physical and mental exhaustion, or to the left - into negligence, laziness and indifference to spiritual achievements. Meanwhile, exploits decorate monastic life, bring monks the experience of acquiring Divine grace, help them acquire spiritual knowledge with age, and acquire the treasure of spiritual experience.
However, the abbot himself may be tempted to overwork, because he worries about the entire brotherhood, constantly attends to its needs and holds the reins of government in his hands. Soon he, as a man, may become overworked and lose zeal and joy in serving his brothers for their salvation.
It is known that the abbot and the brotherhood interact according to the principle of communicating vessels. If the abbot is joyful, smiling, calm and in a good mood, then his state is transmitted to the whole brethren, everyone is in joy and good spirits. And vice versa, if the abbot walks around frowning, upset, if he is irritated or disappointed, then the entire brotherhood seems to plunge into the darkness of these negative experiences.
Therefore, the abbot should try not to think about the management of the monastery alone. The holy elder Paisius also told us about this: “What others can do, be it everyday, economic or administrative affairs, leave it to them to do. Leave for yourself only what others cannot or should not do, and above all, the spiritual duties and spiritual education of the brothers of your monastery.”
If there is general fatigue and overwork in the brotherhood, the abbot can easily raise the spirit of brotherhood and instill cheerfulness in the brothers. To do this, he holds general conversations, inspiring everyone with spiritual words, gives more time for spiritual work, blesses them to relax or freely communicate with each other in a brotherly atmosphere of love and warmth. At the same time, the abbot needs to take care of himself, nourish himself with prayer, reading and the Holy Mysteries in order to maintain spiritual life within himself. Let him also not hesitate to resort to the advice of experienced abbots, fathers and brothers who can listen and console him (of course, for obvious reasons, it is better to consult with spiritual people who do not belong to his brotherhood). The abbot must keep himself in a very good spiritual state, because everyone else relies on him, and if he falls, everyone will follow him.
b) The second temptation is the temptation of spiritual self-sufficiency and isolation. Often we see how abbots and their brotherhoods completely withdraw into themselves and absolutize their own rules and traditions. At the same time, they do not recognize any other traditions and images of monastic life, reject and condemn any teaching and form of monastic feat that is different from their own. In my opinion, this phenomenon is extremely dangerous. Those who live this way are on the verge of soul-destroying delusion and destructive arrogance. The fathers we knew never considered themselves perfect, nor the way of life that they were taught by their elders. They were always open, friendly, sociable, as far as their monastic rank allowed, and above all, ready to accept and praise their fellow men. Our elders not only did not absolutize themselves and did not withdraw into themselves, but extolled and praised other elders, other monasteries and brotherhoods, and encouraged us to imitate them. And they themselves, in season and out of season (2 Tim. 4:2), visited other elders in order to talk with them and receive benefit in spiritual life. Especially in difficult situations, they were never satisfied with their own judgment, but always asked advice from other abbots and fathers, who were sometimes less experienced in monastic life and younger in age.
Spiritual self-sufficiency and isolation lead to spiritual problems and the emergence of spiritual microbes, which, spreading, cause spiritual illnesses and even death in the body of the brotherhood.
c) The third temptation may be disobedience to church authorities and church order. Unfortunately, such a danger has existed since ancient times: some monastic communities do not want to realize that they belong to the single body of the Church, the head of which here on earth is the local bishop. They are trying to be an independent organism, not subject to anyone, with its own head.
Truly a strange thing! Despite the fact that the basis of monastic life is obedience, the entire community, led by the abbot, rebels against the bishop and, without any hesitation, shows disobedience to him, and does not want to have any connection with the Church to which it belongs.
We will not dwell here on the fact that sometimes, perhaps even often, the fault lies with local bishops, who recklessly interfere in the life of monasteries and, through their arbitrary actions, destroy the brotherhood’s love for them and provoke it into disobedience. There is, of course, a commandment to honor your father and your mother (Ex. 20:12), but there is also the admonition of the Apostle Paul: parents, do not provoke your children to anger (See: Eph. 6:4). So, despite the behavior of the bishop, it is necessary to instill in the monks the awareness that they are directly dependent on the Church. Monasticism is a child of the Church, and it can exist and bear fruit only in the Church and through the Church. The abbot himself must instill in the brothers the idea that the bishop is the father of the Church, the father of the abbot himself, the monks, and the monastery. That is why they must truly and sincerely love him, like children, pray for him, who bears the entire burden of the Church with its daily struggle, and give him peace with their obedience and filial love. When the abbot sets an example of obedience to his local Church, he attracts the grace of God both to himself and to his brotherhood, and instills in them the correct church spiritual order.
d) The fourth temptation is worldliness. Just as a fire destroys everything in its path, so secularization completely destroys both the monastery and the entire brotherhood. Worldliness can enslave us in many ways and in many ways. It can penetrate our behavior, words, way of thinking and, above all, our perception of the monastic title. A monk, wherever he is, must think and behave like a monk, that is, like a person who has renounced the world and what is in the world, and wholly devoted himself to God, who desires and truly seeks only one thing - God. The desire for worldly acquaintances and connections is a fall and degradation for the monk and for the brotherhood that adheres to this direction. Worldliness is also everything that deprives us of simplicity and asceticism in our daily life: in the decoration of our cell, in our attire, in the monastery buildings themselves.
Worldliness also occurs due to the unlimited, careless use of technology in the monastery, due to worldly news, acquaintances and activities, and everything that brings a worldly spirit into the life and way of thinking of the brotherhood.
The abbot must vigilantly stand guard over his monastery in order to prevent secularization from entering it. Christ entrusted His flock to him, so that he, without wasting a minute, would prevent any deviation from the true monastic tradition of the holy fathers and spiritual mentors of our time, so that he would inspire the monks by his own example to follow the narrow, but sweet and bright path of monastic life.
e) Although there are many points that need to be taken into account by the abbot and shepherd of the flock of Christ, I will end with the fifth point, outlining another temptation that awaits the monastic brotherhood. This temptation is overzealousness and loss of sight of the main goal of monastic life, which is silence according to God and purification through silence, which in turn leads to enlightenment and deification of man.
It happens that out of love and jealousy for the “prosperity” of the monastery, which they understand in their own way, the brothers constantly create new obediences and handicrafts, supposedly for the sake of the development of the monastery and to make the lives of the brothers easier. As a result, all this robs the hearts of the brothers, removes them from genuine spiritual activity, that is, turning inward, constantly calling on God’s mercy through mental prayer. Instead, they turn the monastery into a beautiful and progressive factory producing the most incredible products for the sake of the economic prosperity of the monastery. But, unfortunately, such a pursuit of material wealth leads to the loss of sacred and God-given silence and unceasing prayer.
The abbot, as a good shepherd, must watch the brothers with a “vigilant eye” and in no case allow them to distort and disrupt the way of life of the monastery. He must take care of the strict observance by everyone of the monastic daily routine, where a certain time is allocated for work on obedience and rest, so that there is time for solitary cell prayer and reading.
A monastery that does not provide the brothers with enough time, especially at night, for prayer and reading, at least four hours after Compline, will deprive the brotherhood of strength and exhaustion and will squeeze all the spiritual juices out of the souls of the monks.
The abbot himself must taste the sweet honey of this sacred nightly spiritual activity in order to preserve it at all costs in his brotherhood in Christ.
Here, brothers and fathers, I have presented to you some of my thoughts and my experience of monastic life, which I myself entered as a novice, and later became an abbot and elder. These thoughts are drawn mainly from the living tradition and teaching of our venerable fathers Joseph the Hesychast, Joseph of Vatopedi and Paisius the Holy Mountain.
I ask for your prayers for me. Thank you for attention.
Answers on questions
Question: Your Eminence, bless! I would like to ask you how important it is to feel that a monastery is a spiritual family; what should you do if you don’t feel unity with the sisters?
Answer: If a person does not feel that a monastery is a spiritual family, then he should have thought about this before accepting monasticism. If he has already taken monastic vows, he cannot easily leave the monastery. Based on my little experience, I can say that usually in such cases it is not the monastery or the brotherhood that is to blame, but ourselves, our vicious desires and passions. I advise you to contact spiritual doctors, reveal all your experiences to them, follow their advice, and then everything will fall into place and everything will be fine.
Question: Master, bless! Please tell me, are any feelings acceptable during prayer and should we look for them?
Answer: When a person prays, he should stand before God with great humility, like a tax collector. One should not strive for sensations; one should seek only the mercy of God. When we say: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me,” this contains everything. Giving us some kind of spiritual sensation is God’s work, and during prayer we ourselves should not cultivate any human experiences in ourselves.
Question: Dear Master, bless! Please tell me how to properly treat sick and elderly brothers who can no longer help the monastery, but sometimes have excessive demands.
Answer: The Gospel commandment of love obliges us to take care of our sick and elderly brothers and to bear with them as much as is in our power. It is natural that, due to their illness or age, they have more demands than young and healthy monks. We must respect their old age and illness and show them the love of Christ.
Question: Bless, Master! What do you think is the main danger to the unity of the brethren?
Answer: The greatest danger to the unity of the monastery is self-will, monolithic living, that is, when everyone does what he wants, does not obey the abbot and lives according to his own rules. This is the greatest danger for the brotherhood. Of course, there is much more, but the holy fathers say that self-will is the most important problem for the kin.
Question: Bless, Master! It happens that a person has a difficult character by nature, for example, he is angry and disobedient. Should such a person be accepted into the brotherhood, since it is obvious that he will not be able to communicate peacefully with everyone?
Answer: Each of us, coming to the monastery, brings with us our own character. That is why there is a testing period during which you can understand what a person is capable of. If during this period of trial the abbot sees that someone cannot become a monk, he should not leave him in the monastery. It is better to advise such a novice to return to the world or go to some other place.
Question: Dear Master, bless! Many holy fathers wrote that monasticism is bloodless martyrdom. It is interesting to know your opinion on how this is expressed.
Answer: Since the holy fathers said so, I cannot contradict them. Yes, indeed, this is martyrdom without blood, bloodless martyrdom, because the novice, by showing obedience and cutting off his will, becomes an imitator of Christ. In the same way, the abbot is in the place of Christ, because he carries all the brothers and the entire monastery. Although monastic life is martyrdom, it is at the same time very joyful and blessed, overshadowed by the grace of God.
Question: Your Eminence, if there are signs of schism in the brotherhood, the brotherhood is split into some groups, what should the abbot do in order to heal this wound in a timely manner?
Answer: The word “timely” is very important here. If the abbot is in time, then he will save the brotherhood, and if he does not have time, then he will have to make efforts, trying to gather the brotherhood under his wing again. In my humble opinion, I don’t know how true it is, if the split and division into groups in the brotherhood does not stop, the abbot must act as a surgeon who cuts off the unnecessary member and throws it out. Otherwise, the entire body of the brotherhood will perish.
Question: Master, bless! There is an opinion that modern monasticism is very weak and the words of the holy fathers are already coming true that the monks of the last times will be like the laity, therefore in our time it is enough that a person simply lives in a monastery, does not leave, does not create special problems for others. Should the abbot be demanding, to ensure that every monk attends services and is diligent in prayer? I would like to hear your opinion about this.
Answer: In the Fatherland there is the following saying: “If you live somewhere and do not do the work that is appropriate for your place, then the place itself will expel you.” A monk who does not attend services and does not fulfill his monastic rule will soon develop other sins. In the end, the monastery will no longer accommodate such a person, he will want to return to the world and will leave. Anyone who does not fulfill his duties will not be able to stay in the monastery.
Question: Vladyka, I ask for your advice. If a new brother came to the monastery, he has jealousy, he is ready to labor, perform the night rule, bow down, what rule would you advise to give such a brother?
Answer: I think that the rule cannot be general and the same for everyone. It is given to each brother in accordance with his strength and spiritual disposition. Therefore, experience and prudence are required from the abbot so that, on the one hand, not to be unfair, too lenient towards the strong, and, on the other, not to crush the weak.
Question: Bless! If revelation of thoughts has not yet been practiced in the brotherhood, how is it possible to introduce it? I am afraid that this will cause fear and resistance among the brethren. Thank you for your answer, sorry.
Answer: Yes, it happens that in some monastery there was no practice of revealing thoughts before, and the abbot introduces it. But in that case, let's start with the younger brothers, let's not force the older monks to do what they don't want. Let the young monks who come to the monastery immediately become accustomed to good order. It is obvious that without confessing your thoughts it is impossible to enter into a spiritual connection with your abbot, the elder. In the same way, the abbot will not be able to spiritually cultivate the souls of his novices.
Question: Master, bless! What should I say to a brother who comes to me for confession and says that he sees light when he prays and the prayer is attentive?
Answer: Great caution is needed here. You need to know what kind of person he is who has reached such a spiritual state, what spiritual prerequisites he had for this, and how he behaves in the monastery. If a brother really sees the uncreated light, this means that he also has spiritual fruits: humility and love. If he does not have humility and love, it means that he sees some other light, not from God. In any case, the confessor must test such a monk and educate him in humility.
Question: Master, bless! What is the most important thing in monastic life and what do you need to pay attention to in order to succeed?
Answer: That's all that matters. There is no first and second here, you leave everything and find everything in Christ.
Question: Master, bless! Tell me, what is dispassion? Is it possible for a monk to achieve dispassion or can one only dream about it?
Answer: A monk should strive not for the absence of passions, but for the presence of God’s mercy. We are not concerned about the absence of passions, but what is important to us is the presence of Christ in our lives. And Christ reveals Himself to those who are humble in heart.
Question: Holy Master, bless! We have such a problem in the monastery that everyone clings to their own interests, is reluctant to respond to each other’s requests, and does not help. How to change the situation? Bless.
Answer: If everyone thinks only about their own interests, we will not concern ourselves with others, but will pay attention first of all to ourselves. When we correct ourselves, then by doing so we correct a certain part of the entire brotherhood. Let us not judge others or think badly of them.
Question: Vladyka, I am very glad that you came to us. I really love reading your conversations; they speak with inspiration about spiritual life. It seems to me that everything in my life is very mundane, a lot of bustle, trouble, little time for prayer. What should I do to still live like a monk, so that all this vanity does not take away my spiritual life?
Answer: We monks must always be very careful that care does not steal our heart. We all have worries and concerns, but Christ said: Do not worry about your soul (See: Matt. 6:25) - that is, do not let worries penetrate inside your soul. Let the mind think about work and worries, and let the heart remain in constant communion with Christ.
Question: Your Eminence, bless! What do you think, dear Master, is it possible in our time to use the method that the holy fathers write about: during prayer, with the help of breathing, lower the mind into the heart? Can the abbot teach this?
Answer: One day a young monk came to Elder Paisius and asked: “Teach me to say prayer with my heart.” And the elder, when he heard such requests, usually responded with jokes. So this time he answered: “First I will teach you to say a prayer with your liver, and then with your heart.” Prayer is not yoga. Prayer is a search for God's mercy. Let us say our prayers with humility, let us seek God’s mercy, and that is enough. Of course, the hesychast fathers knew this method of the Jesus Prayer, but they praised humble and undistracted prayer more. Let us learn to say prayer continually and humbly, looking only at the mercy of Christ.
Question: Dear Master, bless! To what extent is it acceptable for the abbot to display authoritarianism towards the brethren?
Answer: If we reach the point where we look at our abbot as a certain Nero, then the entire monastic life will be destroyed. The abbot is a father, not a dictator. This is a doctor who must heal a sick person. This is not a butcher cutting off your head.
Question: I really want to pray at night, but my health doesn’t allow it, especially high blood pressure. What should I do?
Answer: Pray during the day. It is the same.
Question: Venerable Master, I really need advice. What should I do if they don’t understand me and don’t want to listen? How can I maintain peace in my soul if I feel misunderstood and lonely?
Answer: I will again give an example from the life of Elder Paisius. One day a boy came to him and said: “Older, my parents don’t understand me.” And the elder says to him in response: “And because of this you are upset? Maybe it’s better for you to understand them yourself? Then the problem will be solved." If you understand that they cannot understand you, then you will not have any problems. And we shouldn’t demand from people what they cannot give us. When I hear monks, and especially nuns, say that no one understands them, I tell them: “You are sick.” Who should understand a monk? Christ. From whom do you expect understanding if you are a solitary monk? A monk is one who has nothing in this world except Christ. Therefore, who should understand you? Let Christ understand you. If even Christ does not understand you, then the problem is with you.
Question: Please answer. I was perplexed: is the unity of the brethren so important for the monastery? It seems to me that we each take more care of ourselves, and it seems to be okay, is the monastery developing? Thank you very much for your answer.
Answer: In a monastery we must watch not for others and not for the development of the monastery itself, but only for ourselves and for Christ. The monastery is governed not by the abbot or any other person, but by God Himself and the saints to whom this monastery is dedicated.
Question: Master, bless! How to teach patience and condescension to a brother who does not want to condescend to anyone?
Answer: I think that the spiritual education of the souls of our brothers is carried out on a personal level. And the teacher of us all is the Crucified Christ. Having the Crucified Christ before us, we can learn humility, patience, meekness, and sacrifice. And we feel this both on ourselves and on our brothers.
Question: Master, bless! Do you think it would be useful, in order to create an atmosphere of love and like-mindedness in the monastery, to initially accept into it people who are similar to each other in their upbringing and mentality? What should be the criteria for admission to a monastery? Thanks in advance for your answer.
Answer: To accept a person into a monastery, you must first of all make sure that he is mentally and spiritually healthy. Then this person must have a strong love for Christ and great humility. If he has love and humility, then he will show obedience, and strive, and become a good monk.
Question: Your Eminence, bless! You raised a very important topic about the unity of the brethren. Could you tell me how to avoid jealousy and envy? These are such problems for the monastery...
Answer: Envy is a terrible passion. Abbots need to diligently cultivate in the souls of their brothers a feeling of gratitude to God for everything they have. If each of us praises and thanks God for all His blessings, then this will become a medicine that can at least partially heal the disease of envy. In nunneries it is necessary to pay special attention to this problem and work to eradicate this disease. A spiritual mother should always point out this spiritual problem to her sisters and help them heal.
Question: Master, bless! What should be the attitude towards work in a monastery? The Holy Fathers say that, on the one hand, a monk must perform his work zealously, and on the other, impartially. How is it possible to combine this?
Answer: Yes, monastic work must be performed diligently and zealously, but in such a way that the heart remains free. If we want to check whether our heart is attached to work, then it is very easy to do. When the abbot or abbess suddenly tells us to change our job and go do something else, and we get upset and look sour, then we will understand that we have an addiction because our heart is attached to the work. And if we happily obey in such circumstances, this will mean that our heart is free.
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