The instructions of the elder Father Nikolai (Guryanov) Father said:
- “God is always with ordinary people. And the simple ones are those in whom there is no malice... Where it’s simple, there are a hundred Angels, and where it’s sophisticated, there’s not a single one.” “An unbeliever recognizes only what is called the visible world,” Father Nikolai often repeated. “He lives only an earthly life... The poor things are blind and deaf... Leave them alone...”
St. Nicholas of Serbia spoke similarly: “No sign helps non-believers. The Jews saw with their own eyes many of Christ’s miracles, but they did not want to believe, and to justify their unbelief they said that He performed these miracles by the power of the prince of demons! He who does not want to believe in Good is not helped by all the signs that Heaven can send down. A heart filled with malice is harder than granite. A mind darkened by sin is not capable of becoming bright even from all the heavenly light, stronger than a thousand suns.”
But how Father Nicholas lamented when he heard from the lips of believers that the canons forbid praying for those who do not go to Temple, that the unbaptized are “pieces of meat,” that if you haven’t been to the Liturgy for three Sundays, you are excommunicated from the Church, that drunkards are You can't have a funeral service.
- “And what kind of “theology” do they have?! - the father was surprised. - Ignorance and disbelief! The Church on earth for Mercy, Forgiveness and Prayer for the whole dying world... Until the Last Judgment comes, we must beg the Lord for mercy for everyone... Our tearful Mother is the Church... And what they came up with is to throw out all the sinners for whom the Lord was crucified.” .
Father prayed for the whole world... When he heard about the disasters that befell Muslim countries, about floods in India and China, he asked:
- "God! Help them! Save their souls from eternal destruction! Have pity on us all..."
— The elder always said that the prayer of Christians defeats the laws of nature, stops the elements, crushes demons and is even capable of holding back the punishing Hand of God:
- “Even though it is a sin to teach the Lord, let us beg His Mercy so that He does not punish the world with war.”
Unceasing prayer did not fade away in his fiery heart... A prayer to God for the whole world... But
- “It’s hard to have a conversation with those who stick only to the letter, for it kills the spirit, (Cor. 3:6) - the Valaam Elder John lamented, just like Father Nicholas, - with such interlocutors, you lose your inner peace if you talk about spiritually, you need to manage to stop talking to them.”
Father Nikolai was an image of goodness, love and mercy. He never left anyone in trouble. Often people came to him to ask for prayers for those unjustly convicted, serving time for the crimes of others, who did not have the opportunity to protect themselves from the arbitrariness of “officials.” And the Elder did not hide from human grief behind formal words - “this is the Will of God.” He listened, prayed, thought and advised what to do, who to turn to. He insisted on the need to act, to protect, to save one’s neighbor from the tyranny of strangers. If it happened that at that moment Father had people who could help, he asked and gave his blessing to be sure to correct the injustice. I simply asked:
- “You help them, dear. It’s a sin to offend people like that.”
Father never confused the concepts of Good and Evil, like modern false teachers who force their flock to hypocritically silence real problems under the guise of “obedience and humility.” It is clear what they strive to achieve by this: if Good becomes silent, then evil will reign. But the Lord blesses us not to remain silent, but to live according to the Gospel! With us, alas, today all the concepts are confused - Love has turned into indifference to sin; Mercy is in connivance with passions and vices. The Elder did not accept such sinful confusion, but denounced it with severity, and taught to beware of false teachers, to recognize which spirit is which.
“Mercy and Love,” said Father Nikolai, “are not weakness and agreement with evil. This is the spiritual alphabet. We are dedicated to God in the holy font of Baptism, and we must live purely, according to the Gospel.”
No one was embarrassed to cry for their dying soul, falling to the fatherly hand of Father. And until his heart cried out and repented, he waited and did not take his father’s hand away... He waited and prayed, and taught everyone to pray to the Lord - repentantly and humbly:
- “If you cry and pray for your sins, God will forgive you, and maybe you will help someone else with your prayer.”
Said:
“The time has come to test the depth and truth of our Faith. Right now, when the outer walls have been restored, we need to take care of the temple of the heart... “Give Me, son, your heart,” (Prov. 23, 26) says the Lord. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, theft, false witness, blasphemy... These defile a person” (Matthew 15:20).
— “The church building can be restored, but human souls can be lost... Help a person see what you are before God, look into your damnation, look at heart disease and admit that we all - both shepherds and flocks - have deep flaws in our souls “The main care of the Church,” Father said. – A person is weakened and cannot heal himself, and the priesthood is called upon to awaken the conscience and help us come to Christ, so that He will raise us like Lazarus. The work of the Church is to save the whole person.”
Father was a tireless worker. One Muslim converted to Orthodoxy. He knew from the stories of close people that there lived on earth a holy man, whose soul was whiter than snow, whose word was a prayer to God, love knew no bounds, and compassion - he experienced himself when the Elder begged him, unbaptized, from death. “If all priests were like Father Nikolai, many would accept Christ, just like me” - but he didn’t even see Father, he only knew the power of his prayer.
With Father Nikolai, it was easy and joyful for everyone to go to God. “A priest who stands in the Truth,” says St. Justin, “is endowed with Divine power over heaven and hell, over death and life, he is a vigilant guardian against evil on earth. He is with Christ and is able to revive the dead souls of others... Elder Nikolai revived. When they doubted glorifying the Royal Martyrs, he said: “We cannot be at the same time with murderers and slanders... Conscience does not allow... The Church must always be with the Truth!”
The righteous man kept the Faith of his fathers and lived in it:
“You and I are Old Believers,” he said, and with love he healed the untruths of the new church life. It was not a light burden. “I serve for Jesus’ sake, not for the sake of bread!” - this is how the unforgettable Father spoke and lived.
People often asked about the “flourishing” of Orthodoxy.
“There’s no need to talk about ‘heyday,’” he asked. - Live the Gospel now. After all, you don’t need anything special for this, right?! Everyone has the Gospel, spiritual books... There is a place to confess and receive communion... Pray, ask the Lord for a blessing in everything and do not forget that the Gospel is our Spiritualist and Mentor. The Gospel says it all. The only Master of our lives is God, the Lord Jesus Christ.”
“We will all be judged according to the Gospel,” said Father.
Father Nikolai measured his life according to the holy fathers:
“You must first cleanse yourself, and then teach others to be clean; you must first make yourself wise, and then teach others wisdom; You must first become a light yourself, and then enlighten others; You must first draw closer to God yourself, and then bring others to Him; You must first become a saint yourself, and then sanctify others” (Gregory the Theologian).
“I kept the commandments,” the blessed ascetic Father Nikolai quietly confessed in his last days... From all-encompassing unearthly Love, he hardly uttered the words, tears flowed down his face, turned to the Face of the Savior.
In a nutshell - a hundred-year life on earth.
- "Native! Keep the Faith, do not part with the Lord - and you will be saved”...
Such was the virtuous father.
He never demanded to be served, but he himself served his neighbor.
- “Serving another person is saving. After all, the Lord came to serve everyone.”
Once, when Father healed a boy who had the last stage of oncology, Nikolai’s mother, who was nearby, thought: “Who is our Father in the eyes of God?” — he quietly answered her innermost thought:
- “At the time of my death, my dear, the Lord will reveal it to you.”
When Father was vested, not only monks were present, but also doctors who treated him during his lifetime.
When, when putting on funeral clothes, the altar Cross was brought to him to place in his right hand, he slightly raised it and took the Cross with his right hand. Then he opened the fingers of his left hand a little so that the Gospel could be inserted, and then he even slightly raised his left shoulder joint, since the Gospel was ancient, in a heavy setting. In amazement, the doctor turned to everyone: “Father took the Cross himself!” - and quickly approached the Elder and began checking his pulse...
Father’s fragrant and soft body was so unlike the numb bodies of sinful people that the doctor once again made sure that there was no pulse...
The Elder’s cherished words are still important today:
- "Christ is Risen! Don’t lose Easter Joy!”
Father repeated:
- "No! Russia did not die! She is alive and praying! There is no need to run anywhere, it is sinful. Love the Church as I loved it, and do not leave it to the enemy to trample underfoot!”
Poems by Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov
PRAYER “LORD HAVE MERCY”
Of all the prayers that I know, I sing in my soul or read out loud, with which the wondrous power breathes the Prayer “Lord, have mercy.” One request in it, not much! I only ask for mercy from God, To save me with His power, I cry out: “Lord, have mercy.” I swim in the stormy sea of life, I meet joys and sorrows; From what storms did you escape by force? The prayer “Lord, have mercy.” And the grief melted, and joy brought me twice the sweetness, And all this was the wondrous power of the Prayer “Lord, have mercy.” When tears flowed from grief, Or passionate dreams confused me, Then with special strength in my heart I repeated: “Lord, have mercy.” I am already close to the final brink, But still with hot tears, Although with the strength of a withered body I pray: “Lord, have mercy.” The soul, having ended its earthly life, repeat this prayer, and no other, there too, behind the grave, with hope: “Lord, have mercy.”
DON'T GROOM
Don’t complain, man, that you are small and ignorant, that the life you have lived is incomprehensible to people. He is assigned to you by Him Who distributes the lot of service on earth; That is His purpose. Do not grumble, poor people, Without a corner and without bread, Know that your burden is a special gift from heaven... Do not grumble, you who are sick with a long-term illness, Through that holy Cross You will be a friend to the Lord. Do not complain that blasphemy poisons your life, Know that the praise of earth reduces the reward of heaven. Don’t complain that your friends abandoned you in grief, God will not abandon you in this sea of life. Poverty, evil and illness - The grave will cover everything, Keep your spirit pure - This is the power of truth. Believe, hope, endure the Cup of troubles - without a doubt, And you will save the soul For the heavenly villages.
STAR OF BETHLEHEM
In the heights of heaven, many stars are burning, but one shines brighter than all with joy. That is the star of the Child and the King of Kings, - He was laid in a manger by His Mother. And the wise men from the east follow the Star, and bring gifts with love to the Lord. Brothers! Let us hasten to receive the Lord, Let us hasten to give you bread and salt cordially - He will take this bread with the hands of the poor and send us a blessing for it.
IN THE MORNING HEAR MY VOICE
Tomorrow hear my voice, my King and my God! Fears, ghosts, dreams - Spawn of the darkness of the night, Disperse and crush with the light of the joyful right hand! Passions, murmurs, the spirit of pride - These are the tares of the soul, Plow away, with the reins of faith, Plow the aching chest, And moisten the soil of the heart with tears of humility, And graciously plant the seed of holy wheat: Prepare, O Lover, a pure field of love, A good sacrifice, O All-Powerful, In the field of my days come out. And cultivate me all over, Revive and renew - Let the ripe ear vegetate in the depths of my soul!.. Heart holder! Write the poor name in the Book of Life, May I not, unprepared, throw off my earthly cover from my spirit. Tomorrow hear my voice, my King and my God!
THE EVIL WAY
My path is dangerous and sad; I enter with involuntary trepidation; I haven’t walked along it yet, And I don’t know that country yet. No one knows me either, And it’s in vain to wait for consolation! The leaders... I’m afraid, It’s terrible for me to even look at them. And He, calling for judgment! How will I look at Him then?! The King of life and death, He calls us there with authority. Hallelujah!
LORD, HAVE MERCY, LORD, FORGIVE...
Lord, have mercy, Lord, forgive. Help me, God, to convey my Cross. You walked Your thorny path with love, You carried the Cross silently, Breaking your chest. And, crucified for us, You suffered a lot, You prayed for your friends, You grieved for your enemies. I am weak in soul, I am also weak in body, And I am a criminal slave of sinful passions. I am a great sinner On my earthly path, I grumble, I cry... Lord! Sorry. Help me, God! Give me the strength of strength, So that I extinguish my passions in my heart... Help me, God! With a generous hand, bestow patience, joy and peace. I am a great sinner on my earthly path... Lord, have mercy. Lord, forgive me!
PATIENCE
Don't be sad, don't be sad: The time of happiness will come again; Wait, be patient, there is a reward for those who wait! For those of us who suffer here, there is a crown for suffering; Who doesn't shed tears here? But they too will come to an end! Everything in life - everything is temporary, We are given for a short moment: Sweetness of happiness, burning burden - All one moment. Life itself is one moment, Joy is a bright dream, Sorrow is the ghost of a dream, All worries are vanity! Wait, be patient, - There is a reward for those who wait; Don't be sad, don't be sad; Time flies - everything will pass.
ALL HOLY VIRGIN
O Ever-Virgin All-Holy and Mother of Light! Calling before You with tenderness, I ask, I pray with all my soul: Extend, extend Your prayers, Extend them to Your Son For peace, mercy, forgiveness for this departed Servant! Yes, through your wonderful prayer, the hope of sinners of all ages, he will meet with mercy on the day of judgment and remission of sins. You, the Son, in meekness, jealous, Always, the Lady, before Him, with good boldness, you can pray: Hallelujah!
PRAYER TO THE HOLY VIRGIN
In obscurity, humbly In Nazareth You blossomed, In the midst of prayers, in solitude, Your life flowed peacefully. But God has blessed You with His Holy Right Hand, And He has destined the Meek Virgin to be the Heavenly Queen. The heavenly light shone on the unknown monastery. The celestial being came to you with joyful news. You listened to the good news with a troubled soul, but with humility you said: “The will of God be with Me!” Everything has come true - Your Porphyry, More beautiful than all earthly porphyries! Your Son is God, the Savior of the world! The world bowed before You! But you also endured many difficult trials! She was an accomplice to the Lord's sufferings! You prayed, you languished; But You did not burn with enmity towards the culprits of sorrows... You prayed for people!.. And now, remembering the hour of Your Dormition, We cry out: “Most Holy One, Intercede - have mercy on us!” There are many storms in the sea of life! Among its angry waves, Without Your protection, our fragile boat will soon perish! Give us strength to resist the raging passions within us! Show us the path to salvation, To safe shores! Let us be taken by the grave, strangers to the world of vanity! Let me rest as You rested, And let me wake up where You are!..
BEFORE THE ICON OF THE HOLY ARCHISTRATIG MICHAEL
Supreme Leader and Voivode, Archangel of the Supreme Powers, And the warm Intercessor of the human race, Michael, Guardian of the Testament of God, And for warring spirits, a Thunderstorm and a fiery Warrior, And the prince of all angelic ranks! To you with a suffering soul I soar from the troubles of life and with a touching tear, Mystery of God, I say: “You see the pathetic waste of all my priceless gifts. The grace given to me by the Spirit, And the war with me of my enemies. From the days of infancy until now, my enemies have oppressed me, And I, both in thought and in deed, have already been plundered and crushed from them. Where is the path that leads us to God? There are no feelings with me, no good deeds, Serious sin - anxiety of passions, This is the path of all my paths! Driven by heartfelt delusion by the movement of my own passions, I was often a victim of corruption In the prime of my first young days. In the temptations of the demonic battle, I forgot to even think about taking the shield of Divine prayer and with it to gloriously defend the innocence of the heart, the holiness of feeling, that God gave everything to me in baptism, and I fell mortally from my own violence in that enemy battle! Enemies are pressing me... under their captivity I have been languishing all my life. And modestly, in an oppressed feeling, I pray to You, my Angel: You see, Angel, the evil enemy crushed me in the path of life. And I lost the lamp of eternal glory In the darkness of sin... And I was so captured by the demonic force, so tightly I was taken, That the heart of God stopped loving, Doesn’t want to listen, or even know His laws, commands, And only asks every moment Some sinful pleasures, Dreaming of finding happiness in them!.. What will happen to me when I again Give free rein to my heart, When I turn from the path of Christ into hell and demonic darkness? How then will I, from this life, appear in the bright Heaven and spiritually fly to the glory of the heavenly Fatherland without wings?.. I pray to you in contrition, the Ethereal Powers of the Archangel: protect me from falling Everywhere, in all my ways. Guard me from vice with your guardian wing, And, like a ray of the eternal East, Here be my lamp. When I hear the call from corruptible life, and the hour strikes, - To my soul, corrupted by sin, Then you will be both life and light; Shine an airy path for her to Heaven, Scatter the hostile regiments, Free the stuffy prisons And undecaying chains!.. Oh, let me see my desired paradise! Be my guide to him, and honor me with the light of glory, my angel!..”
AT THE CROSS
Oh, come, my weary, weary brother; Here, under the shadow of the Cross, there are no barriers for the heart. Rest your aching soul. You are tired, exhausted on the path of life; Your cross weighs you down, your heart aches in your chest, and you are overwhelmed by human malice. Don’t be sad, dear, let your soul be cold, At the foot of the Cross there is a lot of strength and warmth, A lot of affection, love, forgiveness. Oh, come quickly, here holy love calls the oppressed by fate, the dejected, and is ready to give relief to everyone. Let the mind be silent - come with love and make both Christ’s footstool, placing the burden of sorrow before Him. You are not without a heart, not without a look, my friend, So as not to see Christ - His Royal Face - Shedding a source of tears before Him. Surrender yourself entirely to Him, His will is strong, To lighten the earthly Cross, to take the burden from you, To strengthen your sick heart. Oh, will the Head under the crown of thorns, with this royal, blood-drenched face, not soften you with his power? Will not those ulcers of wounded hands reveal to you all the cruelty of those torments, How He suffered, dying for us? Will not the pierced heart of Christ teach us to suffer and endure to the end, trusting ourselves to His will? Look, He did not open His Divine lips, Because He loved so holy, so deeply, Subduing Himself to the will of the Father. Oh, come, my weary, weary brother; Here, under the shadow of the Cross, there are no barriers for the heart. Rest your aching soul.
REQUEST TO THE MOTHER
Mom, mom, what are you thinking? What do you want to create? Do you secretly want to destroy the blood fruit of your womb? Haven’t you ever heard about this, mother, that even the fetus was killed by you and is awaiting the Lord’s Judgment? In the bright day or secret night You will commit murder You will ruin me, mother And again you are in a hurry to sin. Know mom, I see everything. Even though I was ruined by you, But my living soul will meet you again. You lead my brothers and sisters by the hand. They are as bright as the sun, but you walk gloomy. You enter the Temple of the Lord, stand before the Lord, and look at the Savior with sad eyes. Your heart is troubled by sorrow, tears fill your eyes. You pray to God for the living, but never for me. I live in darkness without light In endless darkness, Mom, I am waiting for the Lord’s judgment And I am worried about you. For your sisters and brothers, you warm a candle to God, You give abundant alms to poor wanderers. You forgot about me and don’t want to remember, and show alms to a poor sufferer. Just think, my mother, That I lie dead: I see everything, I hear everything, But I cannot say. You brought my brothers and sisters into the world, baptized them, gave them communion, I don’t have a baptism. Listen, my mother, how the whole earth is crying. Like babies cry bitterly, complaining to God about you. Don’t think, my mother, that you will live forever, but death will come with a scythe to separate your soul from your body. Then, my mother, we will meet you. You will tell me with sorrow, with tears: “My son! Oh, how beautiful you are, Slender young man standing. Didn’t you really grow up here and talk to me like a murderer?” The son is ready to forgive the murder of his own mother, but the Lord will severely punish for the broken law. The Lord will strictly judge foolish mothers for killing their own children in their wombs. Without witnesses he will condemn you to endure eternal torment. It will be terrible to burn in a river of fire after death. Mom, mom, I cry, I grieve for your soul, Do not destroy your soul anymore, Have pity on your soul. Don’t teach all your sisters and brothers evil deeds, Because the time is near, The Time of the Last Judgment. Remember, Lord, all the nameless babies and baptize them in the sea of Your bounties.
Source: https://agia-ksenia.kz/duhovnaya-poeziya/stihi-protoiereya-nikolaya-guryanova/
