In 2015, the great ascetic of Orthodoxy, schemamonk of the Athonite Monastery Paisiy Svyatogorets, was canonized, whose life, compiled by Hieromonk Isaac, who knew him closely, formed the basis of this article.
Every Christian has his own especially revered saint of God, to whom he turns with prayers for intercession before the Throne of the Most High. For many people today, Saint Paisios has become just such a heavenly patron.
The first religious experience of the future ascetic
As is clear from the “Life of Paisius the Svyatogorets,” he was born on July 25, 1924 in Faras, a Greek settlement located on the territory of modern Turkey. The future saint became the sixth child in a family of respected and pious parents - Evlampios and Prodromos Eznepides, who gave him the name Arsenios in holy baptism. It is very noteworthy that this sacrament was performed on him by another of his illustrious fellow countrymen, who was later canonized under the name of Arsenius of Cappadocia.
Due to a number of political reasons, the parents of baby Arseny were forced to leave their home when he was barely two months old and move to the city of Konitsa, located on the border of Greece and Albania. There he spent his childhood. As recounted in “The Life of St. Paisius the Holy Mountain,” in his early years his mother, a deeply devout woman who constantly said the Jesus Prayer, had a strong influence on him in his early years, which is usually done by people who have taken monastic vows. This feature of hers sank deeply into the child’s soul and gradually became his own trait.
As people who knew his family closely later recalled, in childhood Arseny was distinguished by his lively mind and excellent memory, thanks to which, practically without outside help, by the age of six he had already learned to read, and a little later, to write. From that time on, books became his constant companions, among which the main place was occupied by the Bible, especially the Holy Gospel. In addition to them, Arseny selflessly read the lives of saints, published in small, cheap editions, of which he had a great many in his room. It is not surprising that from an early age he acquired a penchant for solitary prayers, which became so intensified over time that it began to cause concern among those around him.
Working life and first thoughts about monasticism
Further, “The Life of St. Paisius the Svyatogorets” tells that, having graduated from primary school and not being able to continue his education, he mastered the profession of a carpenter and began to help his family, earning his bread in one of the local artels. The capable and hardworking young man was very successful in this truly evangelical craft, which our Savior, Jesus Christ, practiced during the days of His earthly life. Customers always spoke with praise of the iconostases, shelves for icons, and all kinds of furniture made by his hands. Arseny also had to make coffins, but he never charged a fee for them, thereby showing sympathy for human grief.
“The Life of Saint Paisius the Svyatogorets” very vividly tells how at the age of 15 the Lord helped him to overcome temptation in faith with honor. It so happened that one of his peers began to explain to Arseny Darwin’s theory of evolution, fashionable in those years, while trying to prove its superiority over the biblical dogma of the creation of the world. Not finding arguments to refute his words, but feeling in his heart that they were wrong, the young man spent several days in deep meditation and prayer until he was privileged to see Jesus Christ Himself, appearing before him in a dazzling radiance. This vision helped the future ascetic to cast aside doubts and forever strengthen his faith.
It was then that Arseny began to think about taking monastic vows and even made this request to the abbot of one of the nearest monasteries, but he refused him because he was too young, but gave him all the necessary instructions to prepare for entering this difficult path in the future.
Tempering of spirit and flesh
As it is written in the “Life of Paisius the Svyatogorets”, from then on the God-loving young man began to prepare his body and soul for future ascetic deeds. Unusually strictly fulfilling the requirements associated with Orthodox fasts, even on fast days he ate only simple rough food without salt, being content with the minimum amount necessary to maintain strength. Excessive zeal sometimes led to hungry fainting.
In addition, while working in the fields, Arseny never put on shoes, which is why he wounded his bare feet on the sharp stems of mown grass and bled. By this, as Hieromonk Isaac wrote in “The Life of Paisius the Holy Mountain,” the future saint strengthened his spirit and learned to steadfastly endure the suffering of the flesh. An example of such ardent faith could not but influence those around him. He was especially sensitively perceived by children and teenagers, many of whom then turned their hearts to God, and, having matured, rejected worldly temptations and embarked on the path of monastic life.
Time of hard trials
Following the peaceful youthful years spent in prayer and deep contemplation of God, the time of trials came for the future ascetic - the Greco-Italian War, which brought down all the hardships of the enemy occupation on Konitsa, where his family still lived. During this difficult period, he and his parents shared the last crumbs of bread with their hungry fellow countrymen, while they themselves sometimes had no means of food.
However, life's hardships worsened significantly after civil war broke out in the country in July 1936. This cruel time is also narrated in “The Life of Paisius the Svyatogorets.” On suspicion of helping supporters of General Franco, the future saint was thrown into prison and there he fully learned the burden of torment experienced by a person locked for a long time in a cramped, stuffy cell, filled to the limit with prisoners just like him.
Memory
Paisiy Svyatogorets left behind a literary heritage, which includes several books.
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Paisius the Svyatogorets in the last years of his life.
Admirers of the saint parse them into quotes, memorize psalms, offer prayers and akathists to the elder. The biography of the saint became the subject of speculation and formed the basis of the multi-part film “Paisiy Svyatogorets”.
Temptation of a Future Saint
This period in the life of the saint is associated with one very characteristic incident, clearly demonstrating the ascetic mood of his soul. Hieromonk Isaac wrote that one day the jailers, having accidentally learned about Arseny’s extreme religiosity and his monastic lifestyle, decided to mock him. Having placed the young man in solitary confinement, they placed two girls of easy virtue next to him, mentally anticipating the scenes of his inevitable, in their opinion, fall from grace.
However, despite the fact that, acting at their instigation, the harlots threw off all their clothes, the young man, having overcome the temptation of the flesh, prayerfully called on the Heavenly powers to help him. Moreover, he addressed words of love and compassion to these fallen women, which is why they were ashamed and left the cell in tears. On the pages of “The Life of Saint Paisius the Svyatogorets” there are many descriptions and other cases that clearly characterize his unyielding ascetic nature.
Teachings and sayings
Father Paisiy talked about deep things in simple words, with humor, and cited unusual parallels. Family life, according to him, is like a car, in which one of the spouses is the gas by nature, and someone is the brake. One besieges the other in time, and the other motivates. Otherwise, just accelerating, the car will crash at the first turn, and without releasing the brake, it will remain in place.
Spiritual life, in his opinion, is like a radio wave. It's easy to live with if you have the right settings.
Other wise sayings of Father Paisius:
- about sins: “Little sins also have their heaviness. When, without any serious sins, I came to confession to Father Tikhon, he said: “Sand, son, sand!” Small sins are collected in a whole sand pile, which can weigh more than one large stone”;
- about patience: “Patience is the most powerful medicine that cures serious troubles that have dragged on for many years. Most trials can be endured only with patience. Great patience solves the most complicated problems and leads to a divine result: a difficult situation from which you saw no way out is resolved by God in the best possible way”;
- about spiritual issues: “If you see that you are bothered by questions that cannot be resolved humanly, and if you do not place them on God, then know that this is the trick of the evil one...”
Father Paisius said about humility: “Humility has great power. Out of humility, the devil crumbles to dust. It is the most powerful shock blow to the devil. Where there is humility, there is no place for the devil. And if there is no place for the devil, therefore, there are no temptations.”
Free again
Without evidence of his own involvement in any of the enemy combat groups, the prison authorities tried to accuse Arseny of fighting on the side of the enemy with his older brother. But he quite reasonably objected to them that, by right of seniority, he was free to make decisions and was not obliged to account to him for his actions. There was nothing to object to this argument, and Arseny soon found himself free.
Another characteristic detail mentioned both in the historical biography and in the life of Paisius the Svyatogorets: once free after several months of imprisonment, he helped both supporters of the pro-communist forces and their opponents with equal zeal. This position stemmed from his deep conviction that all people, regardless of their political orientation, are worthy of Christian compassion.
Iconography
Elder Svyatogorets is depicted in full height or waist-length, gray-haired, with a beard, in a black cassock or vest over a dark shirt, and in a headdress. Paisius rests his left hand on a staff with a cross-shaped handle. There is a rosary wrapped around his left wrist. In his right hand the saint holds a parchment with a prayer or instruction.
An icon depicting Arsenios of Cappadocia and Elder Paisios kneeling before him was also painted. In the temple shops you can also find double-sided icons: on one side is Father Arseny, and on the other is Paisius the Svyatogorets.
Military service
The war and the difficulties it caused temporarily prevented Arseny from realizing his dream of entering a monastery, since the family was in dire need of his help. Nevertheless, the young man’s spiritual life was still extremely rich. He devoted the free hours remaining from carpentry to prayers and reading the Holy Scriptures, gaining strength for his future life in its pages. At the same time, strict observance of all fasts and constant readiness to help his neighbor prepared his soul for future monastic obedience.
War, as we know, requires people not only to pray, but also to actively participate in its destructive action. Arseny also received his draft notice on time. In this regard, it is appropriate to recall another characteristic detail mentioned in the “Life of Paisius the Holy Mountain” by Hieromonk Isaac: going to the front, the young man prayed to God not that He would save his life, but that he himself would not have someone kill. And the Lord heard his prayer: upon arrival at the unit, the young man was sent to a radio operator course and, having mastered this specialty, successfully avoided the need to kill.
While in the service, Arseny's mental makeup remained the same as he had been in civilian life - he looked for an opportunity to help his neighbor and always willingly did any work, even the most difficult and dirty. At first, his colleagues made fun of him and often abused his willingness to replace any of them in the outfit. However, over time, the ridicule stopped, giving way to universal respect. At the end of the service, which lasted three years, the future saint was so loved that he was considered a kind of talisman sent from above. In this they were very close to the truth, which was confirmed more than once during the battles.
About life, people and Divine justice. Stories and parables of St. Paisius the Holy Mountain
This small book contains instructions and advice from Paisius the Holy Mountain, dedicated to human life in modern society. The monk gives examples of the manifestation of God's Providence in the destinies of people. All this is so that we turn to ourselves, listen to our souls.
One of the stories of Elder Paisius:
Sermon for the Donor
One day, a theologian in his sermon called on people to go donate blood because there was a need for it. And indeed: many were motivated by his preaching and donated a lot of blood. He himself, however, did not donate a drop, although, frankly speaking, he had plenty of blood. People were tempted. “I,” the theologian told them then, “with my preaching inspired the people to donate blood, and it’s the same as if I donated more blood than anyone else!” So he calmed his thoughts. Yes, it would be better for him not to preach a sermon, but to go and quietly donate some blood himself!
Dream come true
Further in “The Life of Elder Paisius the Holy Mountain,” Hieromonk Isaac writes that, having barely been demobilized and not yet having time to take off his military uniform, Arseny went to Holy Mount Athos, where his cherished dream attracted him. It was there that he wanted to spend the next days of his life, devoting them to serving God. However, this time he was not destined to fulfill his intentions, since the Lord sent the future monk another, this time the final test of his humility. While in one of the Athonite monasteries, Arseny unexpectedly received a letter from his father, in which he asked him to immediately return home and help the family in some very important matter for them. Taking his request as a call to obedience sent from above, the young man resignedly obeyed and, leaving the monastery for a while, headed home.
Having lived among his relatives for almost two years and having fulfilled everything that his father asked, Arseny again went to Athos to begin the monastic life there, for which he had been preparing for so long and persistently. This time the Lord heeded his prayers and vouchsafed him to become a novice of the very monastery from which he was once called home by a letter written by his father. Thus, the lifelong dream of this amazing man, who through incessant labor acquired the crown of holiness, came true.
Books
The Holy Father left a rich spiritual heritage.
Svyatogorsk Fathers and Svyatogorsk Stories
During his stay on Mount Athos, the elder saw many miracles that happened to other monks, and collected them together. The book includes memories of Father Tikhon and Elder Kirill from the Kutulmush Monastery. The stories told by the holy father show the way of life of the elders, how young people came to monasticism and became obedient, about the power of prayer and, of course, about encounters with demons.
Athonite Elder Hadji George
One of his contemporaries, who suffered unjustly from people, the “great ascetic and faster” became for Father Paisius a source of spiritual benefit, which he shared with his neighbors. The book includes the life of St. George, his message and spiritual laws. The essay tells about the spiritual predecessors of the elder - Father Neophyte and Elder Auxentius.
Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia
The book tells about the life and miracles of the reverend elder and includes the troparion, kontakion and magnification compiled by Father Paisius. The narrative is based not only on the author’s personal acquaintance with the monk, but also on the testimonies of fellow villagers.
Words
A collection of conversations between Father Paisius and the nuns of a Greek monastery in six volumes. On their pages he gives answers to various life questions. The publication is valuable because both laymen and churchgoers will find useful advice in it. The reader seems to be talking with his father while reading. This conversation is endless, like the wisdom contained in it, and those who wish to partake of it will not dry out.
Within the walls of the monastery
The initial period of monastic life is described in sufficient detail in “The Life of Paisius the Svyatogorets,” and the photos given in the article can serve as an additional illustration. Reading the lines written by Hieromonk Isaac, we learn that even without yet sufficient experience, the novice Arseny, with the blessing of the abbot, led such a harsh ascetic life, which brought the experienced monks into involuntary awe. Working all day as a carpenter (this craft was in great demand in the monastery), he stood all night long in prayer vigil, and spent the short time that, by human nature, is still necessary for sleep, lying on bare stones.
Finally, with God's blessing, in March 1954, novice Arseny took monastic vows with a new name - Averky. Having entered the path of monasticism, the future saint outwardly did not change his previous way of life, but was filled with even greater humility. He, as before, spent his days in the carpenter's workshop, where he performed the obediences imposed on him by one of the senior monks, who, unfortunately, turned out to be a rude and hard-hearted man. As can be seen from this circumstance mentioned in the “Life of Paisius the Holy Mountainer,” the Lord sometimes allows such people, far from true piety, to get involved in His monasteries. By such temptation He strengthens the humility of His true servants. Uncomplainingly enduring all the rudeness and nagging of his boss, the young monk Averky remained in obedience to him for two years, after which he was tonsured into the mantle (the second stage of monasticism) with the name Paisius, under which he received national fame, and later became glorified among the saints.
The heavy but honorable cross of old age
From that time, as Hieromonk Isaac wrote in “The Life of Elder Paisius the Holy Mountain,” a new and most important period of his earthly life began - eldership, determined not by age, but by the presence in the soul of special grace sent by God. It is known for certain that the ascetic, while still in the corruptible world, was repeatedly privileged to see Jesus Christ and His Most Pure Mother, who appeared to him and spoke to him. At different moments of his life, They filled his soul with Divine grace and bestowed strength for ascetic deeds.
As word of Father Paisius's extraordinary piety spread beyond the monastery, people began to come to him with requests for prayerful help in various life circumstances. Many records have been preserved in the monastery books testifying to the miracles revealed by the Lord through the prayers of the elder. Among them are cases of healing of hopelessly ill people, and facts of finding people who went missing many years ago.
It is very remarkable that the elder had the gift of talking not only with people, but also with animals, who willingly listened to him and obeyed him unquestioningly. Thus, in “The Life of Paisius the Holy Mountain,” Hieromonk Isaac recalls an incident in which one day, in the presence of many pilgrims, a large poisonous snake crawled into his cell. Having calmed the frightened visitors, the elder took the cup and, filling it with water, gave the uninvited guest a drink. After that, he ordered her to leave, and the snake obediently disappeared into the crevice of the wall, without causing harm to anyone.
Selected Miracles
From the book about the life of the elder by Hieromonk Isaac, we know about his many lifetime and posthumous miracles.
Kitten and humility
Father Paisiy showed humility, but the evil one tempted him many times in small things. Seeing a sick kitten, the famous Athonite monk decided to heal it. He prayed and crossed the animal, but nothing happened. Then Paisiy realized that even though people came to him for help, he would not be able to heal even a kitten if he had even a drop of pride in his gift. And then the animal ran up to him and began to rub against his legs.
Harlot
There is a well-known story when a woman with a reputation as a seductress and destroyer of families entered the temple where Paisius served. The abbot persistently asked her to leave, and Paisiy watched from the side. Suddenly he felt a burning desire, just hellish flames engulfed him. To overcome the demonic power, he even cut his leg with the blade of a hatchet lying nearby. The pain and blood sobered the minister, and he imagined what it was like for a prodigal woman to constantly experience the irresistible torments of demonic lust.
The second lesson that Paisius learned was that one should not judge anyone.
Humiliation by the Lord
Even as a monk, one cannot completely renounce worldly life. This is not the path the Lord prepared for Father Paisius. In his youth, he dreamed of solitude and silence in order to devote himself to prayer and contemplation in the desert alone with God. The elder managed to spend a little time as a hermit in Sinai. On Athos, all attempts were thwarted either by unfortunate circumstances or by warning visions.
The Almighty led Father Paisius away from this, probably also selfish path, showing that he who truly serves God is the one who serves people. It is not man who chooses how to serve God, but the Lord who orders “obedience.” And if a person is truly ready to give himself to serve the Lord, then he will accept His Will with humility. Father Paisius showed the feat of humility by refusing to remain silent, even though it was difficult for him.
Demons
In the world, the evil one finds many ways to tempt a person - material wealth, fame, physical beauty make it easy to seduce lazy souls. It is difficult to lead a monk who is diligent in prayer and spiritual struggle astray from the righteous path. That is why in monastic monasteries the activity of demons increases to almost material force. On Athos, Father Paisios was constantly subjected to their attacks. In his cell at night knocks, rustling sounds, and screams were heard. The pilgrim, who decided to spend the night with the elder, could not stand the obscurantism and left in the middle of the night out of fear.
Father Paisius resisted demons and was a famous exorcist. Adults came to him and brought children. Most often they left healed. The elder’s method was to tease the demon, offer the child some sweets, and then hit him and let him wash them down with holy water.
Spiritual laws
Unity with God, which Paisius dreamed of achieving in the hermit’s monastery, was granted to him and manifested itself through the fulfillment of spiritual laws. It was as if the Lord was waiting for the spark of pride to go out in the old man’s soul, and immediately responded with a miracle to the manifestation of humility.
The elder saw this subtle cause-and-effect relationship in himself and the people who came to him for advice or healing. Often the cause of the disease was human depravity. If a child was sick, Paisiy told parents to give up addictions, at least quit smoking.
Posthumous miracles
In the last years of his life, Paisiy was sick with cancer. Therefore, he is often sick with the same illness. His comrade-in-arms Cosmas Grigoriat, the abbot of the Athos monastery, with whom Paisios organized a charitable mission in Zaire, modern Congo, died in a car accident. But after the death of Cosma, the mission was canceled. And the spirit of Saint Paisius began to protect motorists, travelers by motor vehicles and come to the aid of people who were involved in an accident on the road.
There is a known case of deliverance from demons. The possessed woman prayed to Elder Paisius, and he appeared to her in a dream, ordering her to come to his grave. She went, found a grave in the church of the Monastery of St. John the Theologian and prayed. Near the church bench, the demon in her began to fight and scream. Witnesses to the incident saw the woman quickly shaking her head and growling in a male voice. The name Paisiya and the words “burns me” were heard in the screams.
The woman thrashed so hard and dangerously during the fit that she could have broken her head. But those around me were afraid to approach. The apogee of screams came when the demon shouted the name of the Mother of God and that Paisius was burning him. And just as suddenly there was silence. The woman lay unconscious, then woke up and began to cry. She thanked God. So, with tears and gratitude, the woman went to the icons of Jesus Christ and the Mother of God, in front of which she fell to her knees. The things that belonged to Paisius smell fragrant and have miraculous powers.
Blessed death and posthumous prophecy of the elder
It is difficult to list all the miracles revealed through the prayers of the elder both during the days of his earthly life and after his blessed death on July 12, 1994. The great old man went to the Lord after a long and debilitating illness, but none of those who happened to be near him in his last days heard any groans or complaints from his lips. He spent the sunset of his life with the same humility and submission to the will of God as all the previous years, which we learn about from the “Life of Paisius the Holy Mountain.” The date of death of this great ascetic, without a doubt, should be considered the beginning of his stay in the Kingdom of Heaven, the path to which he paved for himself from early childhood.
To conclude the article, I would like to cite one of the prophecies left by Elder Paisius, who, as those who knew him personally testify, possessed an extraordinary gift of clairvoyance. It concerns the relationship of the Greek state with its original political and military enemy - Turkey. Between them, the elder predicted a military conflict in the future, the outcome of which would largely change the current balance of forces. He said that the centuries-old dispute over priority on the Bosporus would finally be resolved in favor of Greece, and the Orthodox cross would shine over Constantinople. In fairness, we note that Hieromonk Isaac in “The Life of Elder Paisius the Holy Mountain” does not mention these words of his, and they became public knowledge at the instigation of journalists.
