Archpriest Vladimir Agrikov, rector of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Taininsky, talks about obedience and spirituality: My confessor is Archimandrite Tikhon (Agrikov).
Archpriest Vladimir Agrikov. Photo: Sergey Mironov, 2013
— My confessor is buried behind my church. He passed away in 2000. My father's brother is Archimandrite Tikhon, in the schema - Panteleimon. Under him, I entered the Moscow Theological Seminary in 1957. I really loved studying. I graduated from a seminary, an academy, and a three-year theological graduate school, but I always obeyed my confessor.
He advised me to also participate in all the circles that we had - I was involved in all of these circles. There was a violin class - I played the violin. There were also clubs for piano, English, iconography and regency. I was somehow more drawn to the regency, I was a regent among a narrow circle at the academy, and then they gave me a certificate that I could manage the choir.
But I liked it all. I really liked all my studies from a spiritual perspective. I studied with great inner satisfaction. I studied theology for eleven years and fell in love with it so much that I am now participating in the Divine Service Commission of the Moscow Diocese with the blessing of Metropolitan Juvenaly. This commission meets in Sergiev Posad, there are several of us. I love it, we edit church services.
And my wife really doesn’t like it, she says: “What good can you say there?” Sometimes she doesn’t let me go to this commission, and I have to obey so that there is no family conflict. And I really want to be on this commission!
As for the confessor, I listened to him in everything
But as for the confessor, I listened to him in everything. He was a teacher at the seminary and academy and supervised my education. He said: “Yes! Somehow you got “C” grades.” I immediately pulled myself up so that I could get “B’s.” But my love for learning was simply extraordinary.
I was already graduating from the academy when the time came to be ordained, and for this I had to get married. I didn’t have any girl, and my confessor told me this: “You study first, and St. Sergius will send you a bride.” I liked one girl. I came to Father Tikhon and said: “Here, father, I like this girl.” He replies: “Faith? No, she’s not good for you, she’s not good for you.” And I listened to him and did not marry her. And he was a confessor, he knew all the girls. Then I brought my future wife to him. He says: “Well, this one will suit you, talk to her.” I talked to her and our marriage was created. We have lived together for fifty-two years, we have three children. We raised them. All of them received higher education, all of them are doctors.
I tried and try to listen to my wife. Even though I sometimes don’t like it, I never insist.
I am seventy six years old. I myself am already a confessor for those who come to me. And I have to say that many of them do not have complete obedience, and for me this is a very big test. I am very upset about this because I see that their lives will turn out wrong.
Well, today there was one girl who grew up with me. She chose a boy and brought him to me. I looked: she surpasses him in development and will not be happy with him in life. I tell her: “You will not be happy with your choice. If you are disappointed, you will make him and yourself unhappy.” She began to cry. Sits and cries. Or does she already love him? And I look at him and see that he simply does not suit her. I tell the girl: “Look again!” She graduated from law school, but he is a narrow-minded person. She needs a husband for development.
Archpriest Vladimir Agrikov: “All our troubles come from the inability to obey”
Archpriest Vladimir Agrikov. Photo: Sergey Mironov, 2013.
Archpriest Vladimir Agrikov, rector of the Church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Taininsky, talks about obedience and spirituality:
My confessor is Archimandrite Tikhon (Agrikov)
— My confessor is buried behind my church. He passed away in 2000. My father's brother is Archimandrite Tikhon, in the schema - Panteleimon. Under him, I entered the Moscow Theological Seminary in 1957. I really loved studying. I graduated from a seminary, an academy, and a three-year theological graduate school, but I always obeyed my confessor.
He advised me to also participate in all the circles that we had - I was involved in all of these circles. There was a violin class - I played the violin. There were also clubs for piano, English, iconography and regency. I was somehow more drawn to the regency, I was a regent among a narrow circle at the academy, and then they gave me a certificate that I could manage the choir.
But I liked it all. I really liked all my studies from a spiritual perspective. I studied with great inner satisfaction. I studied theology for eleven years and fell in love with it so much that I am now participating in the Divine Service Commission of the Moscow Diocese with the blessing of Metropolitan Juvenaly. This commission meets in Sergiev Posad, there are several of us. I love it, we edit church services.
And my wife really doesn’t like it, she says: “What good can you say there?” Sometimes she doesn’t let me go to this commission, and I have to obey so that there is no family conflict. And I really want to be on this commission!
As for the confessor, I listened to him in everything
Two archimandrite friends: Tikhon (Agrikov) and Kirill (Pavlov)
But as for the confessor, I listened to him in everything. He was a teacher at the seminary and academy and supervised my education. He said: “Yes! Somehow you got “C” grades.” I immediately pulled myself up so that I could get “B’s.” But my love for learning was simply extraordinary.
I was already graduating from the academy when the time came to be ordained, and for this I had to get married. I didn’t have any girl, and my confessor told me this: “You study first, and St. Sergius will send you a bride.” I liked one girl. I came to Father Tikhon and said: “Here, father, I like this girl.” He replies: “Faith? No, she’s not good for you, she’s not good for you.” And I listened to him and did not marry her. And he was a confessor, he knew all the girls. Then I brought my future wife to him. He says: “Well, this one will suit you, talk to her.” I talked to her and our marriage was created. We have lived together for fifty-two years, we have three children. We raised them. All of them received higher education, all of them are doctors.
I tried and try to listen to my wife. Even though I sometimes don’t like it, I never insist.
I am seventy six years old. I myself am already a confessor for those who come to me. And I have to say that many of them do not have complete obedience, and for me this is a very big test. I am very upset about this because I see that their lives will turn out wrong.
Well, today there was one girl who grew up with me. She chose a boy and brought him to me. I looked: she surpasses him in development and will not be happy with him in life. I tell her: “You will not be happy with your choice. If you are disappointed, you will make him and yourself unhappy.” She began to cry. Sits and cries. Or does she already love him? And I look at him and see that he simply does not suit her. I tell the girl: “Look again!” She graduated from law school, but he is a narrow-minded person. She needs a husband for development.
Spiritual guidance is not leadership at all, but torment
Have you realized that spiritual leadership is not leadership at all, but torment? Because you see people’s destinies, you know what their choices can lead to, and you can’t fix anything. This is the difficulty of clergy.
Archimandrite Adrian (Kirsanov). Photo: Anatoly Goryainov
There is Archimandrite Adrian in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery. I remember him from the Lavra. One small, unattractive girl walked near him and said (I just heard it): “I want to get married!” Father to her: “You can’t get married! Your husband won’t appreciate you.” And she really wanted to. And she gave birth to a child. And then I saw that she and this child were following Father Adrian. That is, something in her family did not work out, and she again came with her sorrows to the priest, although he warned her and said that her life would not work out. She didn't listen to him.
Nowadays there are few confessors, because people have become all willful
That’s why there are few confessors now, of course. And why not enough - because people have become all willful. Everyone lives the way they want and acts the way they want. That is why the Lord does not give confessors.
I am also a mediocre confessor. What issues do I solve? Yes, some everyday issues: whether to exchange an apartment or not, whether to leave your husband or not (laughs). Well, these are the simplest questions! What can I recommend from my meager mind? It’s just that I’ve gained some life experience: after all, I have fifty years of priesthood behind me.
It's very difficult to manage now. And it’s very difficult for people because they are not brought up to obey. But you must be able to obey. It is no coincidence that obedience has been one of the vows of monasticism since ancient times. And in the wedding prayer, the priest prays and says (I’ll read it to you now): “And now, Master, Lord our God, send down Thy heavenly grace on these servants of Thy (and the names of those who are being married are listed) and give to this servant (that is, the bride ) obey your husband in everything, and let your servant be the head of your wife, so that they may live according to your will!”
People don't listen - this is the result of our era
It’s just that obeying and obeying is very difficult. People do not listen - this is the result of our era. And all our troubles, all the troubles of our youth, our children, are that they were not taught to obey.
Archpriest Vladimir Agrikov with children from Sunday school
Now, children don’t want to go to school. Well, how can you not study at school? Childhood should be devoted to learning, youth should also be devoted to education. And some people don’t want to “waste time” on this.
— Should everyone have a confessor?
- I don't know. Now there are simply no elders. Of course, everyone should have an elder, but people now govern themselves. The confessor can be either the mother or the father - not necessarily a priest. Parents have the right to guide their children: they have life experience. They can, based on this experience, advise something good to their children.
- They say that modern man is very proud...
— My friend Father Hilarion lives in Pyatigorsk. Although he is blind, he confesses and communicates with the people. He says: “The greatest flaw of our time is pride. People don’t want to listen to anything, don’t want to accept anything, not even faith. They don’t know how to believe, they don’t know how to trust God. But no matter what happens, you must trust God! But they don't want to. They want to do it on their own. They usually say: “I am a strong woman! I'm strong! I can do everything!" - but it doesn’t work out..."
- How to deal with pride?
- It's very difficult. This is brought up. Respect for God and the Church is part of our culture. During the Soviet period, a whole layer of culture was hidden from modern generations and was not brought up properly. And now ill-mannered people don’t know how to live differently. If they are offended, then it offends them. They think they don't deserve it. It's very difficult.
- You can go crazy...
- Don't know. God bless! The Monk Ambrose of Optina said: “Only smart people go crazy.”
Spiritual guidance is not leadership at all, but torment
Have you realized that spiritual leadership is not leadership at all, but torment? Because you see people’s destinies, you know what their choices can lead to, and you can’t fix anything. This is the difficulty of clergy.
There is Archimandrite Adrian in the Pskov-Pechersky Monastery. I remember him from the Lavra. One small, unattractive girl walked near him and said (I just heard it): “I want to get married!” Father to her: “You can’t get married! Your husband won’t appreciate you.” And she really wanted to. And she gave birth to a child. And then I saw that she and this child were following Father Adrian. That is, something in her family did not work out, and she again came with her sorrows to the priest, although he warned her and said that her life would not work out. She didn't listen to him.
Awards
- Gaiter (1965)
- kamilavka (1966)
- pectoral cross (1966)
- Mace (1981)
- pectoral cross with decorations (1988)
- order of honor book Daniil of Moscow III degree (1998)
- Certificate of Appreciation (2000)
- Certificate of Appreciation (2002)
- miter (2003)
- Order of St. Sergius of Radonezh III degree (January 12, 2005)
- the right to serve the Liturgy with the Royal Doors open until the Cherubic Song (2008)
- diploma (2010, for hard work in the field of spiritual and moral enlightenment and education)
- the right to serve the Liturgy with the Royal Doors open until the Lord's Prayer (2013)
- Order of St. Seraphim of Sarov III degree (2013)
- Medal "For Diligent Service" 1st class (2014)
- Order of Equals led book Vladimir III degree (2018)
Nowadays there are few confessors, because people have become all willful
That’s why there are few confessors now, of course. And why not enough - because people have become all willful. Everyone lives the way they want and acts the way they want. That is why the Lord does not give confessors.
I am also a mediocre confessor. What issues do I solve? Yes, some everyday issues: whether to exchange an apartment or not, whether to leave your husband or not (laughs). Well, these are the simplest questions! What can I recommend from my meager mind? It’s just that I’ve gained some life experience: after all, I have fifty years of priesthood behind me.
It's very difficult to manage now. And it’s very difficult for people because they are not brought up to obey. But you must be able to obey. It is no coincidence that obedience has been one of the vows of monasticism since ancient times. And in the wedding prayer, the priest prays and says (I’ll read it to you now): “And now, Master, Lord our God, send down Thy heavenly grace on these servants of Thy (and the names of those who are being married are listed) and give to this servant (that is, the bride ) obey your husband in everything, and let your servant be the head of your wife, so that they may live according to your will!”
