Perspicacious holy elders of our time, living now

Every person needs help and advice from someone who is wiser and can listen and provide all possible assistance. That is why the Slavs have special respect for the elders - Orthodox Christians, who are distinguished by the gift of wisdom and high spirituality.

People go to them for advice, prayer and just to listen to instructions; usually these are older people who have already seen the world, accepted the Lord in their hearts and cultivated in them love for people. Are there such dedicated people left in modern Russia and how can those who need spiritual guidance and help find them?

Who are the elders

There are moments in every person’s life when it is necessary to make a certain decision (make a choice). And Christians are no exception. For example, whether to get married or enter a monastery, whether to change place of residence, whether to accept a new job or not. It becomes important for the believer that the decision made is consistent with God's will. It is often difficult to make a choice; the advice of the parish priest does not always help. Therefore, in this case, the elders of our time can give the necessary advice.

Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov)

But who are the elders?

In Orthodoxy, the authority of the elders is based on the authority of holiness. A Christian is considered close to holiness when his soul is cleansed from sin by the action of the Holy Spirit. At the same time, a person treats this gift of God with care, keeping the Commandments of the Lord. Then a “spirit-bearing” Christian teaches other people “not from his own mind,” but by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Elderhood is an exceptional phenomenon.

The word “elder” itself is not a degree of clergy. This means that an elder can be not only a monk, priest or bishop, but also a layman. Also, there is no need to put an equal sign between “elder” and “old man”. This is not an indication of old age, but evidence of special grace from God.

Elders are not only men, but also women. For example, the elder Pelageya Ivanovna Diveevskaya (1809-1884), who was canonized (glorified) in the ranks of the blessed in 2004.

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The institution of eldership has developed in the Orthodox Church. The elders are old, experienced monks who possess the gifts of prayer, insight and miracles received from God. Some of them still live today. Here is a list of the most famous elders of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus:

Father Kirill Pavlov - Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Sergiev Posad. A very old and very famous priest, confessor to Patriarchs Pimen and Alexy II, many priests and celebrities. According to the tabloids, he is “the same” Sergeant Pavlov who captured Pavlov’s House in Stalingrad. Almost doesn't accept it.

Father Naum - Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Sergiev Posad. Accepts daily except Sunday. Up to 700 people make an appointment with him.

Father German - Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius, Sergiev Posad. He is engaged in reprimanding demons. Possesses the gift of foresight.

Father Vlasiy, the visionary - Kaluga region, Borovsk, Pafnutev-Borovsky monastery. Confesses from time to time. It's better to come for a few days. Father Peter, visionary, confessor - Lukino, Nizhny Novgorod region. It's better to come for a few days.

Bishop Alypiy - Ukraine, Donetsk region, Krasny Liman. As we see, bishops can also be elders. Father Seraphim - Ukraine, Donetsk region, Svyatogorsk, Svyatogorsk Lavra

Archimandrite Dionysius - Moscow, Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Pokrovskoye (Bakuninskaya, 100). A relatively young priest, he has the rare power of prayer and the gift of shepherding.

Father Schema-Archimandrite Iliy - Optina Pustyn, Kozelsk. He is the confessor of Patriarch Kirill, and almost never receives him.

Father Jerome - Alatyr, Chuvashia, Assumption Monastery.

Father Hilarion - Klyuchevskaya Pustyn, Mordovia, village. Turgenevo. It's difficult to get there, but getting to confession is relatively easy.

Archimandrite Ambrose Yurasov - Ivanovo, Holy Vvedensky Convent. Schema-Archimandrite John - Ioannovsky Monastery near Saransk. He reprimands demons.

Father Nikolai is the rector of the Intercession-Ennat Monastery in Bashkiria.

Father Adrian - Pskov-Pechersky Monastery, Pskov region. Almost doesn't accept...

Archpriest Valerian Krechetov - Church of the Intercession, p. Akulovo, Odintsovo district. A rare example of an elder from the “white clergy”, the confessor of many Moscow clergy. There are several insightful monks in the Pochaev Lavra in Western Ukraine (Pochaev, Ternopil region). It is quite difficult to get there, but it is relatively easy to talk with the elders. Archimandrite Mitrofan, Zhirovitsky Lavra, Belarus (Slonim, Grodno region). Almost doesn't accept it. We need to come for a few days. There are also “young elders”—relatively spiritually inexperienced priests who actually behave like wolves in sheep’s clothing. There are also false elders - rogues and heretics who pretend to be elders. There are quite a lot of young people in general. You don’t need to mention their names, but you need to pray for them, so that the Lord will enlighten them. In conclusion, I want to tell you that if the Lord wills, you will go to the elder. We need to pray about this. If it is difficult for you to get to the monastery, you can send a registered letter to the monastery or church addressed to the elder. Possibly with a blank reply envelope. God bless you! Fr. Vlasiy Not far from the city of Borovsk, in the monastery of St. Paphnutius lives Fr. Vlasiy. People from all over Russia come to see him. They come for advice, with their troubles and problems, they travel with sick children, people who have simply lost their direction in this world. And he finds time for everyone, gives advice, tells what a person is sick with and the path to physical and spiritual recovery. Father Vlasiy receives at the monastery in the building of the former technical school on the second floor. (Ask the gatekeeper at the entrance) Registration is on a live queue (i.e. on reception days). Father Vlasiy sometimes gives an appointment schedule for a week; you can find it on Sunday after 15.00 by calling 8 (48438) 4-37-39. Often there is no schedule, oh. Vlasiy leaves at 5.00 and begins the reception. There is a preferential queue for sick people and visitors with children. Clergy and monastics go out of line. Schema-Archimandrite Blasius (Vlasiy Peregontsev) is very famous among believers, because Father Blasius is one of the few elders currently living on earth. Eldership is a phenomenon that arose even before the revolution in Russia, a phenomenon that cannot be found anywhere else. People who unquestioningly believe in the elders and consider them messengers of God on earth come to them from all over the earth to receive blessings and advice, due to which believers make a pilgrimage to the Borovskoy monastery, where Elder Vlasy Peregontsev lives. Schema-Archimandrite Vlasiy came to the monastery a long time ago, back in 1979, and since then he has been there almost constantly. There was a period when he went to Mount Athos, but returned, freed from a fatal disease - cancer. True, from the moment Elder Blasius settled within the walls of the monastery, much has changed: having heard about the miraculous power of his advice, thousands of parishioners from all Russian cities began to come to the monastery. There were so many people wanting to talk to the elder that they were forced to respect the order of the queue. People have many reasons to come to Schema-Archimandrite Blasius: someone seeks to atone for their sins, someone does not know how to live further, someone needs advice on where to go and what to work with. Father will find an answer for everyone. Another thing is that if you ask for advice, don’t demand it, do it, even if you don’t like it. Pilgrims believe that God himself speaks through the lips of Schema-Archimandrite Blasius, so not listening to him means not listening to the Lord. Elder Vlasiy often helps those who do not know whether his relatives are alive or not: Father Vlasiy Peregontsev does not need any additional information: people who communicated with him say that there is a feeling that the elder is reading in the heart. At one time, Solzhenitsyn often came to the Borovsk monastery with his wife: the writer treated Schema-Archimandrite Blasius with great respect. Elder Blasius in his cell receives all the pilgrims who want to see him: those who communicated with him say that after the conversation they experienced peace and tranquility, and, most importantly, they had no doubts about the correctness of the advice given. And even if Schema-Archimandrite Vlasy Peregontsev’s recommendation might seem unexpected, even absurd, at first, practice has shown that following the advice is the surest path to happiness. I myself visited this elder Father Vlasius, I will not describe the details, but I will only say that he helped me, a real elder.....

O.Iliy Through the gaps. About schema-abbot Elijah “To live is not to bother, not to judge anyone, not to annoy anyone, and to everyone - my respect” St. Ambrose Olga Rozhneva October 13, 2009 Source: Eskom Newspaper - Vera The Optina fathers are humble. They preserve Optina monastic traditions. Praising a monk is the same as tripping a runner. While they are alive, everyone strives, but we judge a person’s holiness after his death. I read a good statement about this from the holy fathers: “Just before the harvest, hail can destroy the grapes, and a righteous person [can] sin before death. Therefore, do not rush to praise anyone.” I read and imagine large and fragrant bunches of grapes filled with juice. But there may be hail or snow... This is probably why the Optina tale is passed on from mouth to mouth. They asked the elder, Father Elijah: “Father, is it true that all the Optina fathers are seers and miracle workers?” To which the elder replied with a smile: “I don’t know about seers, but definitely everyone is a miracle worker.” Does this joke mean that there are no more elders in the monasteries? Thank God we didn’t die out! The Lord comforts his people, but these miracles are hidden, given out of need. In line for confession, a resident of Kozelsk, Elena, tells me how her neighbor recently stood in this line. I came to Abbot N with my grief - my son was missing. After listening to his sobbing mother, he went to the altar, prayed for a long time, and when he returned, he said: “Don’t cry, he’ll be back in a couple of days.” And indeed, on the second day the son appeared. At obedience in the hotel, the servant of God Nadezhda told me about the same priest, how he persuaded one no longer very young woman to stay in the monastery. She did not listen to the persuasion, and the priest said: “What are you going to do there in the world, you will suffer, and even with a child.” It was completely unclear about the child, but it became clear when the woman was seduced and abandoned with the child by a visiting fellow, and she really suffered a lot. The recognized elder of Optina Pustyn is Father Eli (Nozdrin). When a person is still ascetic, it is better not to talk about his exploits and spiritual growth. But Father Iliy is an all-Russian elder, everyone knows about his insight. Therefore, his children and simple pilgrims share their experiences and experiences of meeting with the elder openly - they don’t hide the lamp under a bushel... The first story about the Optina elder Elijah told me at a joint obedience in the fraternal refectory of the Optina Hermitage pilgrim Olga: “I wanted to ask the elder if there God’s will for my monasticism, but I just couldn’t talk to him. And here I was standing after the service, suddenly the people began to move, pouring in after the elder who had come out. Someone wants to ask a question, someone wants to ask for prayers, someone just wants to be blessed. Well, I think I shouldn’t approach the old man. And suddenly the people push me right behind the priest. Without thinking twice, I ask loudly: “Father, Father Eli! Will I be a nun? And the priest, without looking back, answers: “Yes, you will be a nun. You will definitely be a nun!” And he leaves, accompanied by the people. And I stay and feel how mistrust covers me, followed by despondency. The old man didn’t even look at me. I might as well have asked if I would be an astronaut. In despondency I trudge towards the fraternal refectory. I stand and cry. There are still pilgrims standing nearby. Someone is waiting for their spiritual father. Someone is waiting for the elder. I stand without any hope. And suddenly Father Eli appears. Hands with notes immediately reach out to him, people vying with each other to ask questions. But the priest comes right up to me. She looks at me carefully and asks: “Well, have you already chosen a monastery where you want to live?” At this point the narrator’s eyes become moisturized - the priest consoled her! Although he did not look when asked, he sees a lot with spiritual vision. Hotel Elena shares with me: “How true is the proverb: What we have, we don’t keep; when we lose, we cry! Here was our Optina elder Father Elijah nearby - we did not fully appreciate this. If you come up sometimes, you will be blessed. And sometimes you look at how many people surrounded the priest, and you pass by, thinking: you need to take care of the elder, not to annoy him again. And now he has gone far away - he is the confessor of the Patriarch himself, so how can you wait for his arrival! Like a red sun!” We just grieved that the elder doesn’t come to Optina very often anymore, so he came. And they were blessed and gave the notes. I climb the stairs of the pilgrimage hotel, and Schema-Abbot Ily comes down to meet me. Two more sisters are standing on the stairs - like me, they are almost jumping for joy. Father blessed us, talked a little with each of us, and in his hands he had spiritual books - just three. He gave it to one sister, another, and I’m next. And I stand and think: “I already have such a book.” Only yesterday Archdeacon Father Iliodor gave it to me.” Father Eli looked at me carefully, smiled... and did not give me the book. And from below a new pilgrim is already rising. He gave it to her. Well, I think the priest sees everything! How I want to know more about him! If only someone else would tell about him! The next day I go to Kaluga on business, return late and miss the bus. I called my spiritual father and explained that I was late. He answers me that there is an Optina car in Kaluga. Now he’ll go back to the monastery and they’ll capture me. And here I am sitting next to the driver Sergei, still a young boy. Despite his youth, he has been working at the monastery for several years, now as a foreman at one of the monastery’s many construction sites. And it turns out that he is the child of Father Elijah. - Brother, tell me at least a little about the old man! - I ask. He agrees. And he tells me about his meetings with the elder. At first, Seryozha did not always turn to the elder for a blessing. So I passed my license and started driving – without a blessing. “Why,” he thinks, “worry the old man about trifles, you never know how many worries he has! If you don’t report everything, they say you’ve become a driver!” And Father Eli came from Greece and gives icons to everyone. And everyone is different. He will look at the person and go through the icons and take out one. Sergei blessed the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Seryozha stepped aside and grumbled: “I have Nikolai Ugodnik at home! It would be better if Father gave me some other icon!” He turns the icon over, and on the reverse side is the driver’s prayer! And standing next to him is an older man, it’s clear that this is his first time in Optina. He holds in his hands the icon of Healer Panteleimon and asks Sergei: “I just recently started going to church. Do you know what this icon is?” And Seryozha asks: “Are you, excuse me, in good health?” "Yes you! I'm seriously ill. To be honest, my illness brought me to church.” Sergei explained to him that people turn to the holy healer Panteleimon when they are sick. And here’s what’s interesting: while Sergei kept the icon his father gave him in his car, the traffic police never stopped him. And then I decided to take the icon home so that it would not fade in the sun. As soon as he took it away, his license was taken away for four months for violation. I didn’t understand how I violated it like that. Now he only drives with an icon - the priest’s blessing. After this incident, he began to make all serious decisions only with the blessing of the elder - his spiritual father. I wanted to buy an old KamAZ. I saved money for a long time and got into debt. I also found a suitable KamAZ. I checked it – it’s still a good car! I went to the elder to be blessed. But the elder does not bless - without explanation. Well, what should I do, Sergey listened, and didn’t buy. Even though I was upset. But it turns out that he was upset in vain. It turns out there were some unnoticeable but serious problems with the car. And a week later the KamAZ broke down, as Seryozha put it, “into the trash.” And one day Sergei came to his spiritual father, and he said to him: “Well, my traveler, are you traveling?” “No,” Sergei replies, “there’s nowhere to go from the monastery.” The old man just smiled. Seryozha returns to Optina, and he is immediately sent to Voronezh, to Tikhon of Zadonsk, the Voronezh miracle worker. I just recently returned. And I went to Kaluga. This is where we met him. “Tell me something else,” I ask. Sergei thinks for a moment: “Well, I was going to get married several years ago.” My fiancee announced that she wants to learn to act. He will go, they say, to deliver documents. You need to pay money. Well, I helped her with money. Conducted. I am waiting. And I was just starting to work for my father at a construction site. It was necessary to go load sand. And we were chosen in such a way that all the guys were healthy, tall, and I was the youngest, the shortest and thinnest. And so Father Eli gave his blessing so that they could send me to load this sand. I still grumbled in my heart: well, I think, father, I found someone to choose! But I went, of course. And so I’m driving - and I see my girlfriend with someone else. We had an explanation, after which we parted. Which I don’t regret at all now. She married this other man and is expecting a child. But I work in a monastery. Maybe I’ll move here completely. But I wanted to get married... Well, we’ll be arriving soon. Do you see how they passed the road unnoticed while talking? What else can I tell you - finally? Just imagine, a recent incident: I’m working at a construction site, the concrete mixer is roaring with all its might. Father Eli arrives. Father never drives his car through the gate. - Why doesn’t he move in? - Well, how? He is very humble. He doesn't want to be like a boss. He always gets out of the car and starts opening the gate himself. He will greet everyone and bow to everyone. So this time he gets out of the car and approaches the gate. I opened one leaf of the heavy iron gate, and he began to open the second. And then he blessed me and asked: “Do you hear how they knock on the cross - knock-knock?” I answer: “What are they knocking on, father, on what cross!” I can hardly hear your voice!” He smiled and walked away. And what do you think? Five minutes later I’m going to see Father John for some construction work, who’s not far away, about twenty meters away. And he beats a copper cross into his cell. And knocks - knock-knock. How it could be heard at such a distance, under the roar of a concrete mixer, I can’t imagine. Well, the old man has a different hearing, not the same as you and I. Understand? ...I returned to Optina and the next day, after my obedience, I went into a bookstore. I see an interesting book by Archimandrite Rafail Karelin, “On the Path from Time to Eternity.” I bought this book, came to my cell, opened it to the first page I came across and read: “The higher an ascetic stands on the spiritual ladder, the more difficult it is to write about him... Because the spiritual sees the spiritual, but the spiritual does not see the spiritual. Only through some gaps can a person come into contact with the inner world of the ascetic as with a revelation of grace...” Yes, only through some gaps...

Father John Krestyankin 2006 On February 5, on the day of the celebration of the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, at the age of 95, the oldest monk and confessor of the Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery, the beloved elder Archimandrite John (Krestyankin), reposed in the Lord. He reposed a few minutes after receiving the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Father John is known and revered in various countries of the world. It is impossible to express in words what Father John meant to his spiritual children and to the entire Russian Orthodox Church. In recent years, due to age and illness, he was not able to receive everyone who sought his advice. However, letters from different parts of the world continue to arrive at the address of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery. Father John's sermons and books continue to open up a new, spiritual world for thousands of people and bring yearning souls to God. Among the most famous and popular books compiled from his conversations and letters are “The Experience of Constructing a Confession”, “Sermons, Reflections, Congratulations”, “Handbook for Monastics and Laity”, as well as the collection “Letters of Archimandrite John (Peasant)”. Conversations and letters of Father John have been translated and published in foreign languages. On April 11, 1910, in the city of Orel, the eighth child was born into the family of Mikhail Dmitrievich and Elizaveta Illarionovna Krestyankin. The boy was named John in honor of St. John the Hermit, celebrated on this day. It is significant that on this same day the memory of Saints Mark and Jonah of Pskov-Pechersk is celebrated. Even as a child, Vanya served in the church and was a novice under the Oryol Archbishop Seraphim (Ostroumov), famous for his monastic severity. When Vanya was two years old, his father Mikhail Dmitrievich died. A deeply religious and pious mother, Elizaveta Illarionovna, was involved in raising her son. Father John retained in grateful memory the labors of love of those who led and instructed him spiritually. From infancy to youth, these are the Oryol archpriests: Father Nikolai Azbukin and Father Vsevolod Kovrigin. At the age of 10, he experienced the influence of the elder archpriest Georgy Kosov from the village of Spas-Chekryak, Oryol region, who was the spiritual child of St. Ambrose of Optina. Father John received his first instructions about future monasticism in his adolescence from two friends - bishops: Archbishop Seraphim (Ostroumov), the future hieromartyr, and Bishop Nicholas (Nikolsky). The Oryol elder nun Vera Aleksandrovna Loginova, blessing him to live in Moscow, looked into the distant future of the young man John, scheduling him a meeting with her on Pskov land. The bright image of the Oryol Christ for the sake of the holy fool Afanasy Andreevich Saiko imprinted in the mind for the rest of his life the charm of the man of God, the strength of his spirit and the warmth of his love for people. After high school, Ivan Krestyankin completed accounting courses and, having moved to Moscow, worked in this specialty. On January 14, 1945, in the church on Vagankovo, Metropolitan Nikolai (Yarushevich) ordained him to the rank of deacon. On the feast of the Jerusalem Icon of the Mother of God on October 25 of the same year, Patriarch Alexy I ordained Deacon John to the priesthood at the Izmailovo Church of the Nativity in Moscow, where he remained to serve. Father John passed the exams for the seminary course as an external student, and in 1950, having completed 4 courses at the Moscow Theological Academy, he wrote his Ph.D. thesis. But it was not possible to finish it. On the night of April 29-30, 1950, Father John was arrested for his zealous pastoral service and sentenced to 7 years in forced labor camps. Returning from prison early on February 15, 1955, he was appointed to the Pskov diocese, and in 1957 moved to the Ryazan diocese, where he served as a priest for a total of almost 11 years. The young priest was taken under their spiritual care by the Glina elders, and one of them, Schema-Archimandrite Seraphim (Romantsov), became his spiritual father, and it was he who accepted the monastic vows of his spiritual son, and the last Optina elder, Hegumen John (Sokolov), saw in the parish priest his own according to the spirit of man. Father John became a monk on June 10, 1966, on the feast of St. Sampson the Host, in the city of Sukhumi. On March 5, 1967, Hieromonk John entered the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery. On April 13, 1970, he was elevated to the rank of abbot, and on April 7, 1973, to the rank of archimandrite. Monasticism was taught by the priest and the monastery charter of life, and by the living elders who labored in the Pechersk monastery: Hieroschemamonk Simeon (Zhelnin), Schema-Archimandrite Pimen (Gavrilenko), Archimandrite Afinogen (Agapov), Viceroy Archimandrite Alypiy (Voronov); also the last Valaam elders: hieroschemamonk Mikhail (Pitkevich), schema-abbot Luka (Zemskov), schemamonk Nikolai (Monakhov); Bishops who retired in the monastery: Bishop Theodore (Tekuchev) and Metropolitan Veniamin (Fedchenkov). For almost forty years, Father John Krestyankin remained a resident of the Pskov-Pechersk monastery. Audio and video recordings of his sermons have been preserved, the archimandrite’s works have been published, and his letters with answers to Orthodox Christians to their requests for help have been published. In 2004, with the blessing of Archbishop Eusebius of Pskov and Velikoluksky, a book about meetings with the elder “Seeing the Evening Light” was published, illustrated with numerous photographs telling about the life and ministry of the archimandrite. His precise and insightful sayings about Christ’s faith and time will remain with us: “The time in which the Lord has brought us to live is the most troubled - confusion, confusion and confusion shake the unshakable, but this is not the end. Even more difficult times lie ahead. It is impossible to live thoughtlessly these days. And don’t forget, children of God, evil is powerless, we are eternal, God is with us.” It is no coincidence that Father John departed to the Lord precisely on the day of remembrance of the new martyrs and confessors of Russia, because he himself suffered for his faith during the years of persecution, going through a difficult ordeal in prison. We believe that, having joined the host of his companions, he will appear before the throne of God with fervent prayer for us. Father John will forever remain in the memory of all who knew him as a wise, joyful and perspicacious priest, a strict monk, a zealous faster and man of prayer, a sincere novice, as a man who generously shared his rich life experience, who warmed with his love everyone who sought his advice, as a worthy heir to the traditions of Pechersk eldership. Eternal memory to him!

geniuses

The phenomenon of old age

Eldership appeared in early Christian times, when monasticism began to emerge (in Egypt, Syria, Palestine). Often the elders were hermit monks who did not have priestly rank. Each of them had two or three students with him during obedience.

“Give your heart in obedience to your fathers, and the grace of God will dwell in you” (Abba Isaiah, 4th-5th century).

Having learned spiritual wisdom, the disciples eventually became elders themselves. Many of them are known as teachers of prayer and Christian life (Reverends Anthony the Great, Ephraim the Syrian, Macarius of Egypt). From Egypt and Asia Minor, eldership spread to the territory of Athos (Greece), then to Russia.

Where to look for elders

From time immemorial, elders lived in monasteries. The most famous place where one could find answers to questions was Holy Mount Athos, where pilgrims flocked from all over the world. In Rus', these places were the largest and most famous monasteries:

• Kiev-Pechersk Lavra;
• Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra;
• Optina Desert;
• Trans-Volga deserts.

The elders have their own unique gift, which they share with people

The same state of affairs has remained today - you can often find a confessor at a monastery. So in the Lavra of Sergiev Posad, Archimandrite German, who casts out demons and is the abbot of the monastery, receives and prays for people. And in Borovsk, at the Holy Paphnutiev Monastery, lives Schema-Archimandrite Blasius, who has the gift of clairvoyance and healing.

Elders of Mount Athos

The most famous Christian place in the whole world, after Jerusalem, is considered to be Holy Mount Athos. From time immemorial, people settled there who not only took monastic vows, but gave all their thoughts and hearts to the Lord, maintaining incredibly strict fasts and vows. For this, the Creator endowed them with special talents with which they served the pilgrims. The most famous of them were:

1. Daniil Katunaksky - a novice was born in 1846 in Smyrna into the family of a craftsman. Uncle Anastasy was a believer and actively guided his nephew on the path of God. Daniel accepted the instructions and decided to devote his life to service. He graduated from the local school, while at the same time reading the works of the Holy Fathers of the Church and the Holy Scriptures. He was attracted by the life of monks who renounced the worldly, and at the age of 19 he went to holy places.

   
   Athonite Elder Daniil Katunaksky

   Having met the hermit Arseny, Daniel asked to become a disciple, but Arseny blessed him to become a monk on Athos. There Daniel of Katonaki spent his life in novitiate, periodically traveling to monasteries around the world.

2. Joachim from the monastery of Righteous Anna - he was born in 1825 and from childhood was raised in love for the Lord. He became a disciple of Elijah the Faster from Kalamata, and later began his monastic path at the courtyard of the Most Holy Tomb. There he was ordained a deacon, and later a hieromonk. All of Greece was inspired by this gentle man who preached in its streets. He arrived and settled on Mount Athos in the monastery of St. Anna, where he spent the rest of his life in obedience and service.

Today you can make a pilgrimage trip to Athos; monks continue to live there and happily receive pilgrims. You just have to remember that women are not allowed to enter there.

Signs of true elders

An elder is characterized by having special knowledge (insight). This ability allows him to see the souls of people who come to him. This is a special spiritual vision that reveals the passions and virtues living in a person. God's will for man is revealed to the elders, so they can give advice for the benefit of Christians who come to them.

But you should not treat the elders as fortune tellers in order to find out the future. They should be contacted only to resolve critical issues. These are decisions that can have a significant impact on the course of a Christian’s earthly life. However, what the elders say often does not have a clearly defined form and categorical tone. Basically everything is presented in the form of advice or direction.

The elders of our time do not force anyone; the voluntary consent and desire of the people themselves always remains important. Only the Creator has complete power over man. Although a person still has his free will, which is not limited by anything. Moreover, other people, even saints, do not have the right to “rape” her. As the Monk Paisiy Svyatogorets said (1924-1994):

“The elder will not force himself on you. He is extremely sensitive in his advice. But he will immediately want to do everything for you and will do everything so that you no longer suffer. Although in some cases even the elders have to work on the situation for a long time: prayer, advice, constant support of all kinds, but every time such people know how to reveal to us that the Lord is the God of good endings!

After communicating with the elders, a person should be left with a feeling of joy and peace of mind. The actions (advice) of elders are always selfless.

“The elders were unusually loving people, patient, gentle in their interactions with those who came - and very demanding of themselves. This is a very important criterion” (Metropolitan Longin of Saratov and Volsk).

Through the gaps. About schema-abbot Elijah

“To live is not to bother, not to judge anyone, not to annoy anyone, and to everyone - my respect” St. Ambrose

Olga Rozhneva

The Optina fathers are humble.
They preserve Optina monastic traditions. Praising a monk is the same as tripping a runner. While they are alive, everyone strives, but we judge a person’s holiness after his death. I read a good statement about this from the holy fathers: “Just before the harvest, hail can destroy the grapes, and a righteous person [can] sin before death. Therefore, do not rush to praise anyone.” I read and imagine large and fragrant bunches of grapes filled with juice. But there may be hail or snow... This is probably why the Optina tale is passed on from mouth to mouth. They asked the elder, Father Elijah: “Father, is it true that all the Optina fathers are seers and miracle workers?” To which the elder replied with a smile: “I don’t know about seers, but definitely everyone is a miracle worker.”

Does this joke mean that there are no more elders in the monasteries? Thank God we didn’t die out! The Lord comforts his people, but these miracles are hidden, given out of need. In line for confession, a resident of Kozelsk, Elena, tells me how her neighbor recently stood in this line. I came to Abbot N with my grief - my son was missing. After listening to his sobbing mother, he went to the altar, prayed for a long time, and when he returned, he said: “Don’t cry, he’ll be back in a couple of days.” And indeed, on the second day the son appeared.

At obedience in the hotel, the servant of God Nadezhda told me about the same priest, how he persuaded one no longer very young woman to stay in the monastery. She did not listen to the persuasion, and the priest said: “What are you going to do there in the world, you will suffer, and even with a child.” It was completely unclear about the child, but it became clear when the woman was seduced and abandoned with the child by a visiting fellow, and she really suffered a lot.

The recognized elder of Optina Pustyn is Father Eli (Nozdrin). When a person is still ascetic, it is better not to talk about his exploits and spiritual growth. But Father Iliy is an all-Russian elder, everyone knows about his insight. Therefore, his children and simple pilgrims share their experiences and experiences of meeting with the elder openly - they do not hide the lamp under a bushel...

The first story about the Optina elder Elijah was told to me at a joint obedience in the fraternal refectory of the Optina Hermitage by pilgrim Olga: “I wanted to ask the elder whether God’s will for my monasticism was, but I just couldn’t talk to him. And here I was standing after the service, suddenly the people began to move, pouring in after the elder who had come out. Someone wants to ask a question, someone wants to ask for prayers, someone just wants to be blessed. Well, I think I shouldn’t approach the old man.

And suddenly the people push me right behind the priest. Without thinking twice, I ask loudly: “Father, Father Eli! Will I be a nun? And the priest, without looking back, answers: “Yes, you will be a nun. You will definitely be a nun!” And he leaves, accompanied by the people. And I stay and feel how mistrust covers me, followed by despondency. The old man didn’t even look at me. I might as well have asked if I would be an astronaut.

In despondency I trudge towards the fraternal refectory. I stand and cry. There are still pilgrims standing nearby. Someone is waiting for their spiritual father. Someone is waiting for the elder. I stand without any hope. And suddenly Father Eli appears. Hands with notes immediately reach out to him, people vying with each other to ask questions. But the priest comes right up to me. He looks at me carefully and asks: “Well, have you already chosen a monastery where you want to live?”

At this point the narrator’s eyes become moistened - the priest consoled her! Although he did not look when asked, he sees a lot with spiritual vision. Hotel Elena shares with me: “How true is the proverb: What we have, we don’t keep; when we lose, we cry! Here was our Optina elder Father Elijah nearby - we did not fully appreciate this. If you come up sometimes, you will be blessed. And sometimes you look at how many people surrounded the priest, and you pass by, thinking: you need to take care of the elder, not to annoy him again. And now he has gone far away - he is the confessor of the Patriarch himself, so how can you wait for his arrival! Like a red sun!”

We just grieved that the elder doesn’t come to Optina very often anymore, so he came. And they were blessed and gave the notes. I climb the stairs of the pilgrimage hotel, and Schema-Abbot Ily comes down to meet me. Two more sisters are standing on the stairs - like me, they are almost jumping for joy.

Father blessed us, talked a little with each of us, and in his hands he had spiritual books - just three. He gave it to one sister, another, and I’m next. And I stand and think: “I already have such a book.” Only yesterday Archdeacon Father Iliodor gave it to me.” Father Eli looked at me carefully, smiled... and did not give me the book. And from below a new pilgrim is already rising. He gave it to her.

Well, I think the priest sees everything! How I want to know more about him! If only someone else would tell about him!

The next day I go to Kaluga on business, return late and miss the bus. I called my spiritual father and explained that I was late. He answers me that there is an Optina car in Kaluga. Now he’ll go back to the monastery and they’ll capture me.

And here I am sitting next to the driver Sergei, still a young boy. Despite his youth, he has been working at the monastery for several years, now as a foreman at one of the monastery’s many construction sites. And it turns out that he is the child of Father Elijah.

- Brother, tell me at least a little about the old man! - I ask.

He agrees. And he tells me about his meetings with the elder.

At first, Seryozha did not always turn to the elder for a blessing. So I passed my license and started driving – without a blessing. “Why,” he thinks, “worry the old man about trifles, you never know how many worries he has! If you don’t report everything, they say you’ve become a driver!”

And Father Eli came from Greece and gives icons to everyone. And everyone is different. He will look at the person and go through the icons and take out one. Sergei blessed the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Seryozha stepped aside and grumbled: “I have Nikolai Ugodnik at home! It would be better if Father gave me some other icon!” He turns the icon over, and on the reverse side is the driver’s prayer!

And standing next to him is an older man, it’s clear that this is his first time in Optina. He holds in his hands the icon of Healer Panteleimon and asks Sergei: “I just recently started going to church. Do you know what this icon is?” And Seryozha asks: “Are you, excuse me, in good health?” "Yes you! I'm seriously ill. To be honest, my illness brought me to church.” Sergei explained to him that people turn to the holy healer Panteleimon when they are sick.

And here’s what’s interesting: while Sergei kept the icon his father gave him in his car, the traffic police never stopped him. And then I decided to take the icon home so that it would not fade in the sun. As soon as he took it away, his license was taken away for four months for violation. I didn’t understand how I violated it like that. Now he only drives with an icon - the priest’s blessing.

After this incident, he began to make all serious decisions only with the blessing of the elder - his spiritual father. I wanted to buy an old KamAZ. I saved money for a long time and got into debt. I also found a suitable KamAZ. I checked it – it’s still a good car! I went to the elder to be blessed. But the elder does not bless - without explanation. Well, what should I do, Sergey listened, and didn’t buy. Even though I was upset. But it turns out that he was upset in vain. It turns out there were some unnoticeable but serious problems with the car. And a week later the KamAZ broke down, as Seryozha put it, “into the trash.”

And one day Sergei came to his spiritual father, and he said to him: “Well, my traveler, are you traveling?” “No,” Sergei replies, “there’s nowhere to go from the monastery.” The old man just smiled. Seryozha returns to Optina, and he is immediately sent to Voronezh, to Tikhon of Zadonsk, the Voronezh miracle worker. I just recently returned. And I went to Kaluga. This is where we met him.

“Tell me something else,” I ask.

Sergei thinks for a moment:

- Well, I was going to get married several years ago. My fiancee announced that she wants to learn to act. He will go, they say, to deliver documents. You need to pay money. Well, I helped her with money. Conducted. I am waiting. And I was just starting to work for my father at a construction site. It was necessary to go load sand. And we were chosen in such a way that all the guys were healthy, tall, and I was the youngest, the shortest and thinnest.

And so Father Eli gave his blessing so that they could send me to load this sand. I still grumbled in my heart: well, I think, father, I found someone to choose! But I went, of course. And so I’m driving - and I see my girlfriend with someone else. We had an explanation, after which we parted. Which I don’t regret at all now. She married this other man and is expecting a child. But I work in a monastery. Maybe I’ll move here completely. But I wanted to get married...

Well, we'll be there soon. Do you see how they passed the road unnoticed while talking? What else can I tell you - finally?

Just imagine, a recent incident: I’m working at a construction site, the concrete mixer is roaring with all its might. Father Eli arrives. Father never drives his car through the gate.

- Why doesn’t he move in?

- Well, how? He is very humble. He doesn't want to be like a boss. He always gets out of the car and starts opening the gate himself. He will greet everyone and bow to everyone. So this time he gets out of the car and approaches the gate. I opened one leaf of the heavy iron gate, and he began to open the second. And then he blessed me and asked: “Do you hear how they knock on the cross - knock-knock?”

I answer: “What are they knocking on, father, on what cross!” I can hardly hear your voice!” He smiled and walked away. And what do you think? Five minutes later I’m going to see Father John for some construction work, who’s not far away, about twenty meters away. And he beats a copper cross into his cell. And knocks - knock-knock. How it could be heard at such a distance, under the roar of a concrete mixer, I can’t imagine. Well, the old man has a different hearing, not the same as you and I. Understand?

...I returned to Optina and the next day, after my obedience, I went into a bookstore. I see an interesting book by Archimandrite Rafail Karelin, “On the Path from Time to Eternity.” I bought this book, came to my cell, opened it to the first page I came across and read: “The higher an ascetic stands on the spiritual ladder, the more difficult it is to write about him... Because the spiritual sees the spiritual, but the spiritual does not see the spiritual. Only through some gaps can a person come into contact with the inner world of an ascetic as with a revelation of grace...”

Yes, only through some gaps...

Orthodox elders

In the Russian Orthodox Church, the most famous elders include St. Seraphim of Sarov (1754-1833). A large number of people (both monks and laymen) came to him for advice. But the grace of old age is not acquired immediately. Before this, like other elders, there was a period of seclusion (solitary life).

The Venerable Seraphim of Sarov accepted the feat of pillarism: for 1000 days and nights he prayed on his knees on a stone. Intense prayer and repentant reflection on his life contributed to the achievement of humility and spiritual union with the Lord, from Whom he received the gift of clairvoyance.

“Life in the desert is very useful for a monk, because there he is not distracted by external things. Life in the desert is simple, and a monk can devote himself entirely to spiritual work” (Elder Paisius the Svyatogorets).

The “classical” type of eldership, when an inextricable spiritual connection “teacher-student” can be traced, began to be observed in Russia at the end of the 18th century. Particularly famous were the elders who lived in the monasteries of Glinskaya (Sumy region, Ukraine), Optina Hermitage (Kaluga region, Russia). And in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery (Pskov region, Russia), the eldership did not stop even in Soviet times. In godless times, elders often lived outside the monastery walls.

You can learn about the “big family” of the Svyatogorsk elders from the book of Hieromonk Panteleimon Korolev “The New Athonite Patericon”. It describes in detail what eldership is, who the modern Orthodox elders are, and their teachings.

Famous elders of our time

For a long time, eldership in Orthodoxy has been a special institution of spiritual guidance. There are still people living in Russia and Ukraine who have the gift of clairvoyance. Not all monks accept visitors, but some of them can still be visited. Holy modern elders in Russia who are alive at this time:

• 
  Father German is the rector of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Archimandrite is an amazing person with a kind heart. The Lord endowed him with the gift of casting out demons. There are known cases when those possessed by evil spirits were brought to him with their hands tied. Father Herman read a sermon and then saved people from their illness with the help of a special lecture.

• Father Blasius is Schema-Archimandrite of the St. Paphnutiev Borovsky Monastery. Possesses God's gift of insight. Unfortunately, at the moment he does not accept or profess.
• Archimandrite Peter (Kucher) - served as confessor in the Bogolyubsky Monastery. Retired since 2010. On the portal “Orthodoxy and the World” you can find Peter’s (Kucher) answers to questions from parishioners.
• Schema-Archimandrite Eli (Alexey Nozdrin) is a city elder, is the confessor of Patriarch Kirill, and serves in Optina Pustina. Due to health reasons, he receives believers extremely rarely.
• Archimandrite Hilarion is the rector of Klyuchevskaya Hermitage (Turgenevo village) in Kazan. As a child, he had a prophetic dream in which it was said that he would become a monk and live until the 21st century. Lay people say that the archimandrite is able to save people from alcoholism and drug addiction.
• Father Ambrose (Yurasov) is the confessor of the Vvedensky Convent in the city of Ivanov. Endowed with insight. You can get an appointment with the archimandrite. Despite the fact that Ambrose leads a righteous lifestyle and is a clergyman, he is a very modern person. His sermons can be found on social networks, and he has repeatedly participated in radio broadcasts of the Radonezh station.
• Father Adrian. Lives within the walls of the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery. Unfortunately, it no longer accepts people, which the believers greatly regret. According to the laity, there are only a few people like Father Adrian.
• Valerian Krechetov is a priest of the Moscow Diocese, a writer. Serves and confesses in the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Akulovo. You can find out what schedule is currently in effect and meet with him. Krechetov’s books are a real storehouse of wisdom.
• Father John (Mironov). Serves in the city of St. Petersburg, in the temple in honor of the Mother of God “Inexhaustible Chalice”. The priest has been engaged in spiritual work for more than 50 years; thousands of people from all over Russia turn to him for help. The website pravoslavie.ru presents many conversations with the priest.
• Father Peter is a clergyman endowed with foresight. Lives within the walls of the Pokrovsky Convent (village of Lukino, Nizhny Novgorod region). Groups of people often gather in Moscow, making a pilgrimage to this monastery, and at the same time visiting Sechenovsky Corner, which is located nearby. The priest pays attention to each parishioner.
• The perspicacious Stefan is the rector of the Church of the Apostle John the Theologian in Ryazan. A detailed biography of the elder cannot be found in the public domain. But those who made the pilgrimage claim that he is truly a seer from God .
• Archpriest Vasily Izyumsky. He conducted services in the Church of the Nativity of Christ in the village of Besedy. Endowed with the gift of healing people.

The editors of the site recommend that you read the biography of Archpriest Andrei Tkachev.

Eldership in modern Russia

Are there elders of our time in Russia?

In the Russian Orthodox Church, several people currently have the authority of eldership. It is not easy for “ordinary” believers to get to them. Even if you find out their place of residence, come and wait your turn, this is not enough. In order for the living elders to accept a person, the believer must have firm faith, a strong desire and fervently pray to God about it. And with all this, a meeting cannot always happen on the first try. It happens that the insightful elders of our time themselves call people to them.

Among the Orthodox there is a practice, if the need arises to resolve a serious issue, to go on a pilgrimage trip to the graves of deceased famous elders. This is a completely adequate solution due to the difficulty of receiving instruction from a living elder.

But you can take the advice of Metropolitan Longin of Saratov and Volsk:

“A modern person needs to go to church, participate in the sacraments, read spiritual literature, including books by those people who were spiritually experienced and enjoyed the favor of their flock during their lifetime. And the Lord will send in due time everything that is necessary—a good confessor, a good church community. And if this is necessary for a person, he will take him to some monastery. And there he will meet a monk, perhaps not a famous one, not one of those to whom “spiritual tourists” go in busloads, but one who can give advice - which this particular person needs, and precisely at this time. And if a person hears this advice and implements it, he will receive the greatest benefit that can be obtained.”

Reviews for help

People who turned to the visionary elders in Moscow and the Moscow region share their impressions of the meeting to help others:

On Sunday, Father Eli held a service in the Moscow region (Peredelkino district). Then he approached people and gave instructions. Many thanks to him and good health! Helped my husband and I a lot. We arrived for the first time and got in right away.

Victoria

I was lectured by Father German. It helped in one go. In my temple they said that only he can help. There are no more priests in Moscow with such power.

glad

I went to Father Valerian Krechetov for confession and communion. Now it’s already difficult for the priest to conduct confession, but he conducts services and communicates with people. He often visits the Church of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. This is next to the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary. During Lent, he can almost always be found in church.

Tatiana

Elders of our time

In the Russian Orthodox Church, Archimandrite John Krestyankin (1910-2006), Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov (1909-2002), and Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov (1929-2017) are considered generally recognized ascetics of the 20th century. Possessing great humility, they never called themselves elders, considering this word unacceptable for themselves.

So, for example, when asked whether there are elders of our time in Russia, Archimandrite Kirill answered: “I don’t know about the elders, but there are certainly old people.” “Old men” he most likely called clergymen who had gained significant experience in their ascetic life and pastoral activities. And therefore they could provide people with significant spiritual help. Without imposing his will, Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov could without hesitation tell the believers who came to him that he did not know the answer. And then he offered to think about it together, to create a joint prayer in order to understand God’s will in a specific situation.

In the Greek Orthodox Church in the 20th century, Paisius the Holy Mountain (1924-1994) and Joseph the Hesychast (1897-1959) enjoyed special veneration.

Elder Paisius the Holy Mountain is sometimes called the Greek Seraphim of Sarov. He was distinguished by deep humility and love for all people. He always treated the Athonite pilgrims who came to him with Turkish delight. The teachings and stories of Elder Paisius are accessible and understandable to modern people. In 2015, he was canonized.

Elders in Ukraine

There are not many clergy on the territory of Ukraine endowed with the gift of clairvoyance. These include:

• Alypiy (Pogrebnyak) - Archbishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, retired since 1997.
• Elder Seraphim. Lives in Svyatogorsk Lavra. An amazing personality, there are many grateful reviews about him. You can contact him by first specifying the appointment schedule.

Body icon with chain “Matrona of Moscow” - a spiritual and beautiful gift for loved ones - buy for 1,490 rubles

In addition, you can visit the Pochaev Lavra. It is located in Western Ukraine (Ternopil region, Pochaev). with gifts from above live there You can talk to them without an appointment and usually there is no wait.