Orthodox Life
Pravoslavie.Ru
The publishing house of the Sretensky Monastery has published a new book by Alexander Bogatyrev, “A Miracle is a Quiet Thing.” The book is dedicated to Schema-Archimandrite Simeon (Nesterenko; 1920–2010), who is called the Elder of Sochi after his last place of residence. Father Simeon, a pupil of the Glinsky elders, is rightfully considered the Glinsky elder himself. The essays written over the years are united by one thought - the miracles that happened through the prayers of the priest cannot be denied by the most convinced skeptics. But the main miracles are the thousands of people led by Father Simeon to God, the thousands of healed souls who have found meaning and true life guidelines. We offer readers a chapter from the book.
A miracle is a quiet thing. - M.: Sretensky Monastery Publishing House, 2021. - 176 p.
My friend asked not to give his name. And he said the following.
— My friend and I have been on a spiritual quest for several years. We read books, but it was mainly occult literature. Then they began to read the Gospel and books about Orthodoxy. Sometimes we went to church together, but the occult nonsense haunted me for a long time. One day this friend comes running to me and says:
— I met amazing people! They are healers. Communicate with saints. Come. You'll see for yourself.
I came. I see two women: a mother and a daughter. They smile and say some kind words. To begin with, they suggested praying. They began to read the “Our Father” and other prayers together. At that time I only knew “Our Father.” Then the eldest came up to me and began to move her hands around me. She told me that I was in pain. She said everything correctly. Then he says:
- Lie down on the floor and pray.
We lay down on the floor. On the carpet. My friend, his mother and me. And their cat lay down next to its owner. Lie. The aunts ordered me to close my eyes and pray. We lay like that for half an hour. I don't even know how to pray. I read “Our Father” and “Lord, have mercy.” And suddenly the cat began to vomit. He began to cough loudly, like a man. Well, the owner cleaned up after the cat. He says that nothing like this has ever happened. The cat has never vomited. And the healers began to fuss and everyone turned to me. They ask who saw what. It was as if they both had a collective vision. We saw Saints Nicholas the Pleasant and someone else. My friend didn't see anything. His mother didn’t see anything either. Me even more so. Then the women began to tell how they saw me in the clouds. And as if I have great spiritual gifts. They invited me to visit them. Of course, it’s nice to hear that you are talented. And all my ailments were correctly identified. Everything is fine, but the cat got sick of it all.
I talk about my doubts to a friend. And even before that, he had learned about Father Simeon from someone. We decided to go to him and ask whether to believe these healers or not... We arrived. Father immediately began to treat us. Then he invited me into the house. Mother Varvara, the chief of his nuns, tells us not to bother the priest for too long. We talked about healers. Father just sighed and shook his head: “Don’t go to them. These are all dark forces." We began to argue: “They are praying.” And the priest looks at us with such sadness. And he told the life of his saint - Simeon the Stylite. “That’s who prayed. And so he annoyed Satan that he appeared to him in the guise of an angel and said that there was no greater man of prayer in the world than him, and that God had sent him to take the great ascetic to heaven. “Get in the chariot.” Simeon was delighted. He had already raised his leg to get into the chariot. He crossed himself - and there was no angel, no chariot. Another second and he would have flown from the pillar and crashed to death. Even such great saints are seduced by Satan.”
Here the father began to cry:
- We are poor, poor. We have no faith, no concept. And I am the first sinner,” and cries loudly.
Mother Varvara runs in:
- Why did you upset Father so much?
She kicked us out. But, thank God, we understood everything and did not communicate with the healers. Then I came to my father for advice. I was amazed that he saw everything: all my sins. Some I noticed in myself only when he pointed them out to me. I had a main question: to go or not to join the army. Then there was war in Chechnya. Father says:
- Join the army. Do not be afraid of anything. They won't send you to Chechnya.
And they didn’t send it. I served near Moscow. And they even let me go on vacation. Miraculously. I asked the commander twice for leave. He just waved it off. And suddenly he comes up and says:
- Write a report.
They let me go and even gave me money. Usually vacationers were told that there was no money. And they are already glad that they are going home. They will receive a travel letter for tickets and that’s enough. I don’t remember whether I asked Father Simeon to help or not, but I constantly felt that he was praying for me. And so, I come home on Lazarus Saturday. Palm Sunday, Easter. Days like these! I wanted to go to the priest to thank him, but I got confused. I thought that on days like these I wouldn’t get to see him. Not up to me. Then a lot of people already came to see him. And the mothers didn’t let everyone in. And so I'm going to the temple. I'm meeting a neighbor. She went to church all her life and gave me all sorts of advice when she found out that I had started going to church. She says: “Don’t go to church. There is no grace there. Come with me to the priest (I won’t say his name).” He served outside the city. Go. He has a lot of people. He noticed me: a new face. He invited me to visit him regularly. He sent his assistant. He began to tell what a miracle worker the priest was. But I have doubts. I have already seen how modest Father Simeon is, how he considers himself a sinner. And here is this advertisement. I went with my doubts to Father Simeon. Thanked him. He asked me everything about how I was serving and what I was going to do after the army. I told him about my life in the army, and then about how I went to this miracle worker priest, because there is no grace in the Church of the Archangel Michael.
- How is there no grace?! Who told you?
Well, I told him everything. Oh, how he scolded me and this neighbor of mine... And then he so simply and sincerely explained to me what the Church is. That even if priests have sins, these are their personal sins. And the temple of God is holy. And the Holy Spirit remains in the Church until the end of the age. And he began to cry. Mother Varvara kicked me out again. But for the rest of my life I remembered everything he told me, and I didn’t listen to any more money. Then I no longer went to his house, but talked with him several times near that same “graceless” temple. He was taken out of the altar in a carriage, and I had time to ask him my questions. I thank God for giving me the opportunity to see a real righteous man. Kind and modest. He spoke with such love about the Glinsky elders, about the Belgorod Archimandrite Seraphim (Tyapochkin). And he considered himself a great sinner and cried about his sins. The main thing is that he appeared in my life precisely when I especially needed a confessor. After all, I could have become an occultist - tempted by the praise of my “spiritual” gifts. And even if I became a church member, I could get into trouble: there is so much nonsense in our midst. Thank God, Father humbled me and showed me my sins. Now, I hope, I have an understanding of how to recognize the work of the enemy and fight it. Kingdom of Heaven to Father Simeon.
