Monastic recipes for treating cancer from Father George. Earthly Wanderer (rector of the Timashevsky Monastery)

Hello to you, dear friends! Today I want to bring to your attention the recipe for Father George’s anti-cancer herbal collection. The composition of the herbs included in it was shared with me when I was in pilgrimage trip to the Timashevsky Monastery, Krasnodar region.

This collection for cancer diseases has a well-known name - "Recipe for 16 herbs". He was recommended by the abbot of the monastery, which is located in the Kuban, Archimandrite Georgy (Savva). Now my father is no longer with us; my father passed away in 2011. May the kingdom of heaven rest with him!

Where to buy the fee

Due to the fact that in the comments some are trying to “convey” the contacts of supposedly verified persons involved in distributing the “correct” collection of Fr. George. I decided to stop all attempts by such well-wishers. I delete phone numbers and addresses immediately!

8-918-418-41-15, 8-86192-5-23-60 Church of the Holy Nativity of the Virgin Mary p. Mostovskoy, st. Pervomaiskaya.135; courtyard of the Holy Spiritual Monastery in With. Solenom Krasnodar region. mail [email protected]

The uniqueness of this recipe is that everyone can collect and prepare the plants included in the anti-cancer collection, if desired. Because these are the most common anti-cancer herbs, growing almost everywhere. The same components are required in minimum quantity. The total mass of the collection is only 245 g.

Here is the composition of the collection of 16 herbs of Father George

sage (35 g), nettle (25 g), rose hips (20 g), immortelle ( Helichrysum arenarium) (25 g), bearberry (20 g), string (20 g), wormwood (15 g), yarrow (10 g), chamomile (10 g), dried flower (Antennaria dioica)(10 g), thyme (10 g), buckthorn bark (10 g), birch buds (10 g), linden blossom (10 g), cudweed (10 g), motherwort (10 g).

All components of the collection must be thoroughly crushed and mixed thoroughly. And then divide into 9 equal parts.

Newspaper clipping

The medicine should be prepared as follows:

Take 1 part of the collection (this is approximately 27 g) and pour 2.5 liters of boiling water, then keep it on low heat for 3 hours, avoiding boiling (the temperature should be 95 degrees).

During this time, the infusion will evaporate significantly and become concentrated. After this, the infusion is cooled, filtered and subsequently stored in the refrigerator until it is all used for treatment. The infusion can be kept in the refrigerator for quite a long time.

Particular attention to water!

Water should be taken from a holy source! The strength of the recipe increases significantly from the water in which the decoction was made. There is a strong spring in your area, so go to it with the prayer Our Father, with repentance, draw water and prepare a decoction with it.

Admission procedure

Take the medicine 1 tbsp. 3 times a day 1 hour before meals. In particular severe cases- 2-3 tbsp. 3 times a day. The course of treatment is 30 days, then a break of 10-12 days, and the course of treatment is repeated.

Important detail: The medicine must be taken warm. In addition, Father George strongly recommended adding holy water to the decoction when brewing herbs, preferably Epiphany water, literally a few drops. You should also read the Lord’s Prayer before your appointment.

As you can see, you do not need the entire amount of the collection for treatment. Keep a few parts of it for yourself for a second course, and distribute the rest to sick people so that they too can be treated.

Collection treatment experience

Also get acquainted with the experience of the 70-day course of treatment recommended by Father George. Very useful information, I think that they will very usefully complement this material -.

Many people who have been given this recipe ask: what kind of herb is dried flower?

Latin name Antennaria dioica. This dried flower is often called cat's paw.

Frankly, even I was confused; it took me a long time to figure out what was right. Folk names each locality has its own, and in order to understand which plant was meant, you also need to look at the growing area of ​​a particular species in order to compare the likelihood of its presence in the collection.

Sometimes in collections they call dried flowers grass Xeranthemum annuum is an annual dried flower. Its characteristics are somewhat inferior to those of a cat's paw, but it is still functional.

Grows in pine forests, on sandy soils in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine. Blooms from May to late June. Its flowers are white-pink or pink-violet. Flowering baskets are prepared before they fluff up. When dried, dried flowers completely retain their natural beautiful color.

I would really like it to recipe from the monk-healer Father George helped people in need of cancer treatment. There was only one such priest from Kuban who treated oncology and, God willing, many will be healed with his prayers and prescriptions.

My observations

Complete revision life position, appeal to Orthodox Faith, to God, helps many to heal. Repentance, humility, Faith, give a chance to live the allotted time in the world to the fullest.

Healing herbs are only part of healing, the second part is recognizing one’s own weakness and gaining Faith in God. The Lord opposes the proud, but has mercy on the humble.

Catharanthus against cancer

This plant is widely used in pharmacology. It is used to make drugs that are prescribed for sarcomas, blastomas, leukemia and chemotherapy. If, due to your health, you cannot go to chemotherapy, then try to be treated with tincture of catharanthus. The treatment is long-term. Ointments, decoctions and tinctures based on the plant will also be used.

Latin name - Catharanthus roseus

In oncology, the stem, leaves and flowers of catharanthus are used. If you have gynecological problems, then use tampons impregnated from the plant with the addition of vegetable oil.

Take half a glass of dried and crushed catharanthus leaves and cook for one hour in a water bath in a liter of vegetable oil. Then leave the decoction for 12 hours. Next, strain and store in the refrigerator.

At night, insert a tampon soaked in the infusion into the vagina. The course is three weeks, then a break for a week and another course. Additionally, you can also conduct a third course.

Tincture

Take two tablespoons of dry crushed catharanthus stems and leaves and pour a glass of vodka over them. Infuse for ten days dark place. Take 10 drops at a time, three times a day, an hour before meals. The course of treatment is two weeks, then a week break and another course.

Decoction

Take one tablespoon of dried and ground herb with catharanthus leaves, pour a glass of boiling water over the mixture and leave in a thermos for half an hour. Take a tablespoon of infusion three times a day an hour before meals.

Side effects

This plant is poisonous and side effects may be: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, skin irritation. In this case, it is necessary to stop treatment. In any case, before self-treatment with catharanthus, consult your doctor.

The city of Timashevsk in the Krasnodar region is known for the monastery located there - the Holy Spiritual Monastery. It is located on the outskirts of the city, but even during its construction the future rector said that it would become a “center.”

Where is the Holy Spirit Monastery located on the map?

You will find it in the Southern microdistrict of Timashevsk, where Malo-Vygonnaya and Druzhby streets intersect. A branch flows nearby - Kirpiltsy.

History of the sacred place

In 1987, Father George took over the leadership of the Holy Ascension parish in Timashevsk. Then he wished to build a temple here. To do this, it was necessary to obtain territory for development. Local authorities were in no hurry to allocate land. The priest had to endure many difficulties and oppression from them.

The way out of the predicament was to purchase a house on 15 acres of marshy land. There is a legend about this hut: in the 20th century, a certain perspicacious holy fool living not far from it predicted the construction of a monastery on this site.

In the fall of 1991, the church was completed and consecrated in honor of the descent of the Holy Spirit. At this time, Father wanted to go to the place of his previous ministry, but God’s will was different. Bishop Isidore opens a monastery here, ordains him to the rank of archimandrite and appoints him to the position of governor.

The monastery has shrines:

• reliquary with particles of 23 holy saints of God;
• list of images of St. healer Panteleimon, brought from Athos;
• icons of the Mother of God “Vladimir” and “Burning Bush”;
• a piece of Mamre oak brought from the Holy Land.

The story of the “Vladimir” icon

To Father George, when he was still serving in the Epiphany Church in the Arkhangelsk region, a parishioner brought the face of the “Vladimir Mother of God” and told the following story:

This woman's grandfather was a priest. In the 1930s, when the clergy were massively arrested and an anti-religious struggle was waged, this also affected her grandfather. One evening the commissioners came into the house and ordered him to “get ready for the road.” The priest was confused and asked for time to get ready, but he himself turned to the holy corner and began to pray. Everyone noticed how drops of tears appeared on the image of the Mother of God. The commissioner got angry, took out a revolver and started shooting at the icon, after which he shot the priest in a rage.

Relatives hid the shrine and carefully preserved it, passing it on from generation to generation. Over time, the grandmother gave it to her granddaughter, and she brought it to church. This image was brought by Archimandrite. George in the Holy Spirit Monastery of Timashevsk. Now it is kept in the temple altar.

About the confessor of the Timashevsky Monastery

Fr. was born. Georgy February 6, 1942 After finishing school he went to obedience in Preobra convent in Transcarpathia. In 1961, when the monastery was closed, he left for the Nikolaev region. In 1962 he was drafted into the army. Upon his return, he went to live in Irkutsk. There, in December 1968, he took monastic vows with the name George. Then he was ordained a hierodeacon and then a hieromonk. He served first in the Murmansk region, and then in the Arkhangelsk region. In 1978 he studied at the Moscow Seminary.

To the Krasnodar diocese, Fr. George arrived after Metropolitan Isidore, who was still a bishop at that time. He devoted 19 years to improving the “island of spirituality” in Timashevsk. Here he was tonsured into the great schema with the name of Savva. During the years of his ministry, many changes took place - the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord was rebuilt, buildings for household purposes and four farmsteads were added in nearby settlements.

However, the abbot is better known for his gift of healing with herbs and prayer. He was a herbalist who knew his business well. He learned the art of using the gifts of nature in the treatment of various diseases in his youth, as a novice in the city of Chernivtsi (in Ukraine), on the border with Romania.

There was always a queue for him. People came to receive spiritual and physical treatment; the Holy Spirit Timashevsky Monastery was visited by thousands. Father gave herbal teas that helped cure those diseases that doctors of official, recognized medicine could not cope with.

Life of monks today

At first it was inhabited by only 12 monks. Over time, their number grew to 80. Following the ancient rules of residence of monastic communities, they feed themselves from the labors of their own hands.

Today, 400 hectares of land have been allocated for the monastery for planting agricultural crops. The brethren bear different obediences. Some are engaged in growing vegetables, fruits, grains, herbs, others work in the fraternal refectory, on prosphora, in garages. There is poultry, cattle and pig farming. Excess products - eggs, milk and meat - are sold.

During the construction of the church, all finishing work was carried out by monks: they painted the temple walls and made wooden carved icon cases. Today, all the splendor of the temple can be seen in the photo.

In 2011, Fr. George went to the Lord, but the monks continue his “work” - they collect herbs and make all kinds of infusions and teas from various ailments. All this is sold in the monastery shop. Those who have already tried herbal preparations many times leave positive reviews about them.

How to get there (get there)?

The easiest way to get here from the Timashevskaya railway station is by minibus No. 2, get off at the final stop “Naumenko Street”. From here you will need to walk about 1 km in a southeast direction.

It’s easy to get from the center of Timashevsk to the monastery by car like this:

Contact Information

• Address: Druzhby street, 1, Timashevsk, Krasnodar region, Russia.
• GPS coordinates: 45.601274, 38.954505.
• Phones: +7-86130-4-01-24.
• Official site:
• Opening hours: from 4:00 to 19:00.

Timashevsk made the Holy Spirit Monastery a spiritual center not only for monks, but also for everyone who comes here. Divine services are held there every day; on Thursday, an akathist is read in front of the image of that very “Vladimir” icon. In conclusion, we offer a video about this monastery, enjoy watching!

On June 18, 2011, earthly life ceased Orthodox pastor, known throughout Russia and far beyond its borders ─ Schema-Archimandrite Georgy (Yuri Yuryevich Savva) ─ spiritual father, teacher, mentor, doctor of the souls and bodies of many thousands of Orthodox Christians.

His entire life from early childhood was devoted to serving God, working to build churches, helping the sick and suffering, cultivating the land and many other concerns.

The priest was born into a believing family on February 6, 1942 in Transcarpathia. After finishing school, he entered the Holy Transfiguration Monastery as a novice in the village of Tereblya, Transcarpathian region; carried out obedience in the monasteries that were at that time on the Carpathian land. It was a difficult time, a time of persecution of the church. When the last monastery was closed in 1961, the priest was forced to leave for the Nikolaev region, and from 1962 to 1965 he served in the Soviet army.

On December 19, 1968, Archbishop of Irkutsk and Chita Veniamin cathedral Irkutsk, he was tonsured a monk with the name George in honor of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious. On December 19, 1971 ─ on the day of memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker ─ in the St. Elias Cathedral of Arkhangelsk, Bishop Nikon of Arkhangelsk and Kholmogory ordained him a hierodeacon, and the next day - December 20 - a hieromonk! From December 1971 to July 1972 he served as a priest of the Kazan Church in the city of Kirovsk, Murmansk region, July 1972

to April 1979 ─ rector of the Epiphany Church in the village of Turovets, Kotlas district, Arkhangelsk region, from April. 1975 - rector of the Transfiguration Church in the village of Aikino, Komi Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1978 he graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary.

In the north, a large and important work for the glory of God, a temple was built, which for those times was a great miracle, for which he had to fully experience severe persecution with constant threats to life, but the Lord always protected the priest.

On April 1, 1987, the priest was elevated to the rank of archimandrite, and on October 15, 1987, with the blessing of the Bishop of the Krasnodar and Kuban Diocese, Isidor (Kirichenko), he was appointed rector of the Holy Ascension parish in Timashevsk. From that time on, the dream of building a new temple instead of a house of worship and founding a monastery came true. According to the proposal of Bishop Isidore and by decision of the Holy Synod, already in June 1992, Archimandrite George was appointed vicar of the opened Holy Spiritual Church monastery. From that time on, all the priest’s strength, all his efforts were put into beautifying and strengthening the monastery.

At the request of the girls who wanted to devote their lives to God in the monastic rank, the priest petitioned for the opening of a convent.

In 1994, the saint was revived and moved from the village of Malinino to the village of Rogovskaya, Timashevsky district. Mary Equal to the Apostles Magdalene convent, where a temple was built under the leadership of the priest, and a subsidiary farm was organized. For almost 20 years, the monastery developed, strengthened, expanded, in addition to the main one, it has four more farmsteads: two of them in the region - St. George in the Nekrasov farm and a farmstead near the village of Dneprovskaya, one in the Apsheronsky district of the Mezmay settlement and one in Mostovsky area of ​​the Andryukovsky settlement. In each of them, Archimandrite George organized the construction of churches, other church buildings, large subsidiary agriculture,

On June 8, 2011, with the blessing of the Metropolitan of Kuban and Ekaterinodar, the dean of the Holy Spiritual Monastery, Hegumen John (Konovalov), in the presence of the brethren, tonsured Archimandrite Georgiev to the rank of the Great Angelic Image - a schema with the name George in honor of the Venerable George of Iveron Athos, namesake July 10 according to the new style. From this moment on, the priest is commemorated by Schema-Archimandrite George

Father's awards: Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir III, Degree - October 13, 1981, Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir II degree - April 23, 2006, order St. Seraphim Sarov ll degree - June 6, 2011 (was not awarded).)

Father always said that rewards must be earned in heaven.

After a serious, long illness, on June 18, 2011 at 6:18 p.m., Father Schema-Archimandrite George reposed in the Lord.

Eternal, eternal, eternal memory to the priest, who dedicated his entire difficult life to God and people!

Dean

Holy Spirit male

monastery in Timashevsk

Abbot Ioann (Konovalov)

with the brethren.

MONASTERY

After accepting the parish of the Holy Ascension prayer house in the city of Timashevsk, Father George began to worry about the construction of a truly beautiful stone temple. The worker of the cause of God had to endure many obstacles, oppression, insults and other hardships: from the godless authorities who prevented the allocation of land for construction new church, who practically drove it into a swamp, prohibited the construction of a temple with a bell tower, a dome and an altar apse (it was allowed to build only an ordinary building and equip it as a house of worship); from members who harmed the cause of the revival of Orthodoxy church council, chosen at the direction of the Commissioner for Religious Affairs, and not by the vote of believers. The site for the temple had to be acquired only by purchasing a hut on the outskirts of the city with fifteen acres of marshy land. Archimandrite Georgy reasoned as follows: “One of the most beautiful cities in the world, St. Petersburg, was built on a swamp. If there is no other possibility, if there is God’s will for it, then we must build where God favors. Regardless of people's judgments. Not human judgment, not God's court. Subsequently, when the place had already been chosen and the construction of the temple began, the old-timers said that in the fifties, now the twentieth century, a weak sick holy fool lived not far from this place, who told everyone that a church and a monastery would be built in this lowland.

The opening of the monastery coincided with difficult times, turning point life of our Motherland.

Initially, the brethren were twelve people. In ancient monasteries and monastic communities there was a rule: to feed yourself from the labors of your own hands. It is based on the words of St. ap. Paul, who said: “... these hands have served my needs and the needs of those who were with me.” (Acts 20:34).

Therefore, the monastery petitioned the secular authorities to allocate land plots for economic needs. Thanks to the help of the head of the administration of the Krasnodar region Nikolai Ignatovich Kondratenko and the head of the Timashevsky district Chernushenko Alexander

Alexandrovich, the monastery was allocated almost three hundred hectares of arable land. Currently, the monastery has about four hundred hectares. There are two farmsteads where the brothers work, growing the necessary agricultural crops for the needs of the monastery.

The monastery is engaged in grain crops, grows vegetables, potatoes, perennial herbs for animal feed, there are young plantations of fruit trees. In addition, there is a small population of cows, pigs, and poultry. Have your own milk, eggs; the meat goes for sale. The brethren carry out many other labors and obediences: performing and participating in divine services, working in the prosphora, in the candle workshop, driving cars,

meal preparation, carpentry, plumbing, construction, etc.

In the monastery, worship begins early, at four o'clock in the morning. First, the polunnitsa is served, then the readings are read. morning prayers, Matins is being celebrated. After it, the first, third and sixth hours are read. The morning service ends with the Divine Liturgy. In the evening at eighteen o'clock Vespers is served, preceded by the reading of the ninth hour. Evening prayers read after dinner. During the day, the brethren follow the cell rule, read the Psalter, the Gospel, and the Apostle. Throughout his vigils and labors, he practices the Jesus Prayer, following the words of the Lord: “... when you pray, enter your room (the solitary soul) and, having closed your door, pray to your Father, who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly.” (Matt. 6:6).

Over the past time since the founding of the monastery, many people have passed through who wanted to find refuge in it, but few cemented their desire with patience and humility.

The monastery is now in its infancy. Starting is always difficult. It is very difficult to restore lost spirituality. It is not easy to strengthen people in the truth and teach them to live in truth. It is difficult to leave established habits that are incompatible with the monastic way of life. It is difficult to build a spiritual life, because evil lives in the world.

Currently, about eighty people live and serve in the monastery. The monastery is headed by the viceroy, Archimandrite George. Under the spiritual leadership of Archimandrite George there were six holy monks, two hierodeacons, three monks, twenty-four monks and novices. Painting is underway in the temple... Started decoration temple, iconography Rekukha Nikolai. After his death, in the fall of 1998, icon painting was continued by the inhabitants of our monastery - Hieromonk Martyry (Prince) and Monk Procopius (Syroegin). The temple is decorated with a plaster iconostasis and wooden carved icon cases. Wood carving is carried out by a worker of the monastery, Vladimir Nikolaevich Kobzev. In the future, it is planned to build a refectory building, a residential building for the brethren and a residential building for priests, and a hotel in the monastery.

The history of the “Vladimir” icon is very interesting Mother of God. When Father Georgy served in the Arkhangelsk diocese, the granddaughter of the murdered priest brought him this icon and told him about the miracle that happened at the time of her grandfather’s execution. This happened in the thirties. Three commissars burst into the priest's house and ordered the father of the family to get ready for a long journey without delaying a minute. Worried by this sudden invasion, the priest asked for a little time to pray to God and turned his face to the icons. Tears flowed from the eyes of the Queen of Heaven, written on the tree. Seeing this miracle, one of the commissars flew into a rage and, drawing a revolver, began shooting at the icon, after which he killed the praying priest. Blood flowed from the bullet holes of the pierced icon, as from human wounds. By morning, the blasphemous commissar committed suicide by shooting himself. The relatives of the murdered priest hid the holy icon, which had shed blood, and preserved it. This icon is currently located in the altar of the temple.

COURT OF GOD

At the time doomsday everyone who has ever lived on earth will be resurrected without exception. At the court, both the internal spiritual and external will be judged. Human bodily activity. Each person at this trial will give a full account of all his thoughts, desires, feelings, words and deeds throughout his entire earthly life.

Of course, sinful thoughts and desires will not be remembered at judgment if they are promptly washed away on earth by true repentance.

Not a single innermost thought will be hidden, not a single sigh, not a glance, not the slightest bodily action - everything will be visible to everyone: both angels and saints. And seven people.

Will we really hear gratitude from our loved ones when we remain on earth after them? They ate their lives like the brothers of the unfortunate evangelical rich man. St. Ephraim the Syrian writes: “Then the children will denounce their parents for not doing good deeds, on that day they will see many of their acquaintances unhappy, and some of them, noticing that they have been appointed to the right hand, will go away from them, saying goodbye with tears.” .

Sermon on Christmas Day

Christ is born, praise!
Christ from heaven, come down!
Christ on earth, ascend!

Irmos of the 1st song of the Christmas canon

With these words, the great hymnist of our Church, St. John of Damascus, began his immortal chants in honor of this holiday. With this majestic song, the Holy Church begins, several weeks before the holiday, its majestic hymns to the Savior of the world born in the den.

The great mystery of the coming of the Son of God into the world was announced many times and in various ways through the mouth of the holy prophets (cf. Heb. 1:1). But the prophets foretold the coming of the Lord the Redeemer into the world not as new news, but as an event expected from ancient times, from the beginning of the race. Already the forefather of the human race, Adam, was expecting the coming God-man. So, for more than five thousand years, the grace of God called for the meeting of the coming Redeemer; for more than five thousand years, the voice of God cried out loudly: Christ from heaven - hide!

The Nativity of Christ brought joy to the whole world. The mystery, hidden from time immemorial, which the prophets foretold, has now been accomplished in the Bethlehem den. “Now the Incorporeal One is incarnated,” says St. Gregory the Theologian, “the invisible one becomes visible. Flightless begins. The Son of God becomes the Son of Man.”

The sacred event of the Nativity of the Savior of the human race took place as follows. Before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ into the world, the Jews were under the rule of the Romans. The Roman Caesar Augustus ordered a nationwide census, and each of the Roman subjects had to register in his original ancestral city. Righteous Joseph with the Holy Virgin Mary, betrothed to him, as coming from the line of David, went to Bethlehem for the census. Not finding a place in the hotel, they stopped for the night outside the city in a den, or cave. Here, in a wretched den, our Lord Jesus Christ was born and, wrapped in swaddling clothes by the Most Pure Virgin Mary, was laid in a manger. The local shepherds were the first to learn about the birth of the Savior and, having received the joyful news from the Angel, they came to worship the Infant God. The eastern sages came to Bethlehem for them, led to Christ by a star that appeared in the sky. They brought Him their gifts: gold as the king of ages, incense as God, and myrrh as a man.

Brothers and sisters! The Lord Jesus Christ must be born and dwell in our hearts as well. He Himself says: He who loves Me will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our home with him (John 14:23). “A true Christian,” teaches Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), “rests in the Lord, and the Lord rests in him.” The Lord comes into the heart of the keeper of the commandments, making the heart a temple and a dwelling place of God. Do you not know, writes the Apostle Paul, that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God lives in you? (1 Cor 3:16).

The heart of a true Christian is created spiritually by the Holy Spirit and transformed into a dwelling place of God. Such a Christian becomes a God-bearer and, starting his eternal life here on earth, acquires the priceless treasure about which the Lord says: Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21), that is, he achieves the true goal of his earthly life, for, in the words of the spiritual writer, “a Christian is one who carries Christ in his heart.”

Brothers and sisters! Our Lord Jesus Christ is among us. He bequeathed to His disciples: Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Christ stands invisibly at the door of our hearts and cries: Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him, and he with Me (Rev 3:20). Let us respond to the call of our Savior, let us fulfill His holy will, and then we will be able to say with the Apostle Paul: It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Gal 2:20). Amen.

Saint Nicholas of Christ - the great prayer book
for the entire Christian race

Brothers and sisters!

Today the Holy Church holds a celebration in honor of the transfer to the city of Bar of the holy relics of the great saint of God - St. Nicholas of Christ, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, wonderworker.

This celebration is associated with the following historical event.

In the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks began to attack the Christian East, putting everything to fire and sword and causing terrible devastation. They captured the city of Myra in Lycia in Asia Minor, where the relics of St. Nicholas rested. Then Saint Nicholas appears to one pious presbyter in the city of Bar in Italy and orders his relics to be transferred from Mir to the city of Bar. Christians equip a special ship and sail to Asia Minor. As pilgrims, they come to the church where the holy relics of St. Nicholas lay, dig up the ground, find the sacred shrine and, having opened it, find it full of fragrant myrrh that flowed from the relics of the saint of God. The priests reverently transfer the relics to the ship and arrive safely in the city of Bar on May 9, 1087.

In memory of this sacred event, it was established in Orthodox world solemn celebration.

Brothers and sisters! The holy saints of God in heaven are in close communication with the angels, together with them they stand before the throne of the omniscient Lord and assist us and all members of the earthly Church in achieving salvation.

The belief in the prayerful intercession of the deceased righteous for those living on earth existed even in the Old Testament Church.

In the New Testament, the truth about the prayerful intercession of the saints who are in the Kingdom of Heaven for the earthly Church is most clearly attested to by the seer - the holy Apostle John the Theologian. He was honored to see the twenty-four elders fall before the Lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints (Rev 5:8).

According to the meaning of this vision, just as incense is pleasant to us, so are the prayers of holy ascetics of piety pleasant to God.

The veneration of saints is expressed in the Orthodox Church in reverent remembrance of their exploits and deeds, in the glorification of their memory, in celebrations and in the construction of churches in their honor.

The saints, driven by love, prayed for others on earth and helped their neighbors in whatever way they could. They retain this love for their brothers in the afterlife, for love never fails (1 Cor 13:8). In the Kingdom of Heaven, their love for their neighbors becomes even purer and more sincere. Filled with this love, they pray for our good, interceding before God, and take care of us, their earthly brothers. And if they prayed for people while still living on earth, then their prayer is even more successful in heaven, where, as friends of God and beloved by God, they have greater boldness before Him.

The blissful state of the holy saints of God disposes them to desire and try to make us participants in this bliss. In a joyful state, we usually strive to share our joy with others; He who is in happiness tries, if possible, to do good and make others happy. A sincere lover cannot be at peace when he sees his beloved unhappy or deluded. The celestials love us with perfect love.

While still on earth and staying in a mortal body, the saints penetrated in spirit into the upper world, and some of them saw hosts of angels, others were honored to contemplate God Himself, some were caught up to the third heaven and heard ineffable verbs there. Having entered into eternal life and having received even greater enlightenment of their souls, they now have the opportunity to penetrate from heaven to earth, contemplate the affairs and events of the earthly world familiar to them, and comprehend what is happening among those living on earth.

The Lord wonderfully glorified His saint, Saint Nicholas; Numerous and varied miracles are given to everyone who calls on his holy name with faith.

The sun shines brightly and warms the earth with its rays, but the great wonderworker Nicholas shines even brighter, enlightening human souls with his miracles and prayers.

Brothers and sisters! Saint Nicholas dedicated his entire earthly life to serving God and people. Let us also try in our lives to constantly fulfill the commandments of the Lord, and may St. Nicholas of Christ always be our guiding star into the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen

The purpose of the earthly life of a follower of Christ is
preparation for eternity

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Tell me, O Lord, the way; I will go, for I have taken my soul to You (Ps 143:8).

I am a stranger on earth, do not hide Your commandments from me (Ps. 119:19).

With these words, the holy prophet David expressed a feeling of dissatisfaction with nothing earthly and a constant desire for God, to please Him.

The saints of God often compared earthly life to a long and distant journey, and man to a wanderer. “Our earthly life is a path,” wrote Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), “only this path is measured not by distance, but by time.” Just as on an ordinary path objects change and are constantly replaced by one another, so on the path of earthly life events replace each other. And a person does not know what event awaits him on each coming day.

A traveler going to a distant but dear city tries not to linger anywhere. If necessity forces him to stay at a hotel, then nothing in it will attract his attention. He will not attach his soul to anything along the way, because he knows that any attachment can distract him from his desired goal. The Christian should be like this prudent traveler. The earthly procession should have one goal - the achievement of the eternal heavenly city, and nothing earthly should distract.

The entire earthly life of a Christian should be a preparation for eternity. The essence of this preparation is in the gradual, constant knowledge of Christ and in following Him through the fulfillment of His commandments. A virtuous life based on fulfilling the Gospel commandments makes a Christian already on earth a partaker of heaven. The Holy Fathers teach that only those who were reborn in Christ in earthly life and made themselves capable of receiving the firstfruits of heavenly joy will be awarded it to an infinitely greater degree in heaven.

Only a spiritually reborn soul is accepted by God into His blessed Kingdom, where He introduces it already here, during its earthly wandering.

All the saints of God zealously rushed towards the path of reviving their souls by the Holy Spirit, and divine grace, always weakly healing and impoverished replenishing, illuminated them with an unflickering light, and made them heavenly from earthly ones. The promise of the Lord was fulfilled on them: If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word: and My Father will love him, and I will come to him and make my abode with him (John 14:23).

The saints of God, living an angelic life on earth, in community with the angels glorified their Creator.

Having perceived and felt with their whole being this new eternal life, the saints treated the earthly world below as an image of the invisible world. “Heaven is the true fatherland of man,” writes St. Ignatius, “the procession there must be made within oneself.”

Brothers and sisters! The time of our earthly life is priceless; at this time we decide our eternal destiny. Let us make a firm intention to conduct our short earthly journey prudently and pleasing to God. Let us spend it in preparation for eternity, calling on the Mother of God and the saints who have already reached the Heavenly Fatherland for help. And then, having ended our earthly life, we will hear the sweetest voice of the Savior of the world: Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34). Amen.

The need for achievement in spiritual life

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Brothers and sisters!

We are all called by the Risen Lord to salvation, living communion with God, which here on earth should be the goal of Christian achievement, the source of eternal joy and bliss.

But only those who cleanse their hearts from sinful passions can achieve communication with God. “Whether someone lives in the desert or in a monastery, or works out his salvation in the world, everyone has an urgent law to cleanse their hearts from passions,” says Saint Theophan the Recluse.

In the sacraments of baptism and repentance, the Lord forgives a Christian’s previous sins and gives him strength to fight sin in later life. But sinful feelings and desires remain in a person; Only constant ascetic labor can eradicate them from the heart. Physical feat (fasting, vigil and various works of mercy) gradually cleanses the soul of passions, preparing it for spiritual feat - prayer, reading the word of God and spiritual sobriety. Constant work on oneself is an indispensable condition for improvement in spiritual life. Ancient lives tell of a certain old man who was silent in the desert. His cell was far from the water. One day, while following her, the tired old man thought: “Why do I need to endure this labor? I’ll start living near the water.” While pondering what to do, he looked back and saw someone following him and noticing his tracks. The elder asked: “Who are you?” “I am the Angel of the Lord,” he answered, “sent from God to count your steps, so that for each step you receive a reward.”

This example, brothers and sisters, shows that any work for the sake of God prepares for us an eternal reward.

According to the wise dispensation of God, the constant struggle with sin contributes to the spiritual perfection of a Christian.

A disciple of one of the great elders was struggling with sinful thoughts, but courageously resisted them. The holy elder, seeing his intensified feat, said: “If you want, son, I will pray to the Lord so that He will take away the abuse from you.” The student answered: “Father! Although I work, I see and feel good fruit in myself: because of this battle, I fast, practice more and more in vigils and prayers. But I ask you to pray to the Lord, that He will give me the strength to withstand the battle and fight lawfully.” Then the godly elder said to him: “Now I have learned that you have truly understood that through this invisible warfare with spirits, through patience, the eternal salvation of your soul is accomplished.”

Many saints, who pleased God and were glorified, spent their entire lives in strict deeds, physical and spiritual, and in virtuous labors that expelled evil inclinations and passions from their souls and bodies.

Human nature, freed from sin and passion, becomes the temple of God (see John 14:23). But in all good endeavors we need God's help; all the more necessary is it for us to overthrow the yoke of sin. God's help is sought through fervent prayer, for the Savior promised: Ask, and it will be given to you (Matthew 7:7).

Brothers and sisters! Only the path of constant asceticism indicated by the Holy Fathers: unceasing labors in the name of the Lord, heartfelt contrition and humility, tireless struggle with sin and passions - will lead us to the heights of moral perfection and the cherished goal - to Christ, in which may the Lord help us through the prayers of all those who please To him. Amen.

The power of Divine Providence in human life

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Behold, I give you power to tread on the serpent and the scorpion and all the power of the enemy: and nothing will harm you (Luke 10:19), the Savior bequeathed to His followers. Every Christian who has deep faith in God is constantly convinced of the truth of these sacred words. But they are especially wonderfully confirmed by the lives of the saints.

Today the Holy Church remembers the miracle performed by Archangel Michael. Near the city of Hierapolis in Phrygia, near a miraculous spring, there was a temple of the holy Archangel Michael of God. Many miracles and healings were performed from this source at the intercession of the holy Archangel. The youth Arkhipp lived at the temple, he performed the duties of a sexton. Through prolonged spiritual struggle, he cleansed his heart of passions and became the abode of the Holy Spirit. He was especially zealous for the salvation of his neighbors and converted many to Christ. The pagans repeatedly attacked Archippus, insulted and even beat him. One day they decided to destroy the temple itself. Two rivers flowed not far from it. The pagans dug a deep and wide ditch and filled it with water from the rivers. Seeing the evil plan of the enemies, Arkhippus stood up in the temple to pray. Meanwhile, the pagans were already preparing to throw water on the temple; They gathered on a high place to see the drowning and destruction of it. But suddenly Saint Archippus heard a voice commanding him to leave the temple. He went out and saw the Archangel Michael, who ordered him to watch how God would preserve the temple. The Holy Archangel raised right hand and held back the pressure of the water that had already been released, and directed it into a crevice that opened up near the temple. The temple itself and the faithful servant of God, Saint Archippus, remained unharmed.

This incident from the life of Saint Archippus (miraculously delivered by God from mortal danger through the intercession of the Archangel Michael, whose faithful servant he was) reminds us, brothers and sisters, of the joyful truth that a Christian should not be afraid of anything during earthly life, because he is under the guidance of God's Providence.

“It happens,” says Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk, “that a mother consoles her crying child and tells him: “Don’t be afraid, I’m with you.” In the same way, the merciful and man-loving God, our Creator and Father, says to every believing soul who is in temptations and adversities, who grieves, laments and fears: Will the wife forget her childhood, so that she will not have mercy on the offspring of her womb? Even if the woman forgets these, I will not forget you, says the Lord (Isaiah 49:14,15).”

There is no place where God does not exist. He is in heaven and on earth, He is with all who call and fear Him. Even though you pass through water, I am with you, and the rivers do not cover you; and even if you pass through fire without being burned, and the flame does not burn you, for the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, will save you (Isaiah 43:2,3).

This is how the Lord was with His faithful Noah and saved him from the global flood. God saved Lot from the execution of Sodom, and later the Jewish people in the land of wandering. The Lord strengthened His anointed David in various temptations and persecutions, and delivered Jonah from the beast of the sea. God Almighty preserved and strengthened the apostles, martyrs, desert dwellers who lived in caves, dens and abysses of the earth (cf. Heb. 11:38). Until the end of the age, the Lord will remain with His faithful servants according to a false promise: Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). Remembering this promise of the Savior, they repeat with spiritual joy during their earthly wanderings the words of the prophet David: The Lord is my enlightenment and my Savior, whom will I fear? The Lord is the protector of my life, from whom shall I fear? (Ps 27:1).

“Look, Christian, you yourself be God’s alone, and God will not forsake you with His power,” instructs Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk. - Believe heartily in Him as in God, please Him with faith and truth, place all your hope in Him and call on Him with all your heart. And wherever you are, no matter what temptation and sorrow you are in, He is always with you, looking at your exploits and with an invisible hand strengthens you and helps you, and even evil people rebelled against you and the demonic hordes surrounded you, they will not succeed.”

Brothers and sisters! Always remembering the Providence of God, which preserves us on the path to eternal, blissful life, we will serve God, our humane Lord and Creator, with fear, jealousy and love. To Him who loved us before creation, to Him be eternal glory and thanksgiving. Amen.

The path to salvation

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Create a pure heart in me, O God,

and renew a right spirit in my womb (Ps. 50:12).

Repeating these words spoken by the holy prophet David, we ask that the Lord cleanse our hearts from everything wicked and fill it with His Spirit. There should be nothing more precious to us than the purity and spirituality of the heart, because the heart is the center of our entire spiritual-physical being. Life is measured by the beat of the heart, health is determined; the spiritual heart is the center and source of spiritual life. It is the beginning and root of all our actions, both internal and external. From the heart, according to the word of Christ, both good and evil thoughts can come (see Matthew 15:19). The Lord calls upon those seeking salvation to renew their hearts: Create for yourself a new heart and a new spirit (Ezek 18:31). This renewal of the heart is accomplished by the grace of the Holy Spirit only when we ourselves completely surrender ourselves to God, give Him our heart in response to His call: give Me, son, your heart (Proverbs 23:26). The heart, renewed by the grace of the Holy Spirit, is resurrected into spiritual life and becomes the throne of God (see 1 Cor. 3:16). The Holy Fathers called the human heart a treasury in which a person meets God and the entire spiritual world. “Try to enter your inner treasury,” writes Saint Isaac of Syria, “and you will see the treasure of Heaven. The ladder to the Heavenly Kingdom is hidden within you, that is, in your heart.”

Purification of the heart, this inner abode, for the acceptance of God is the goal of Christian achievement (see Mark 5:8). Those Christians who engage only in physical, external feats, relying on their own strength, do not reach a mature spiritual age.

“It happened to see elders,” writes Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov), “who were engaged exclusively in physical feats and who came from it into the greatest self-delusion. Spiritual passions have received extraordinary development.”

A similar case is described in the Patericon. One day the Lord appeared to the great desert elder and said: “Go into the world, and I will show you the fate of two people.” The elder left the desert and reached a monastery near a big city. In the monastery he saw many monks and laymen with lit candles. He was told that a recluse was dying, through whose prayers God had preserved the monastery and the city. And then the moment of the recluse’s death came. The elder saw with the eyes of his soul the prince of demons, who took the trembling soul of the recluse and took it to a place of eternal torment. The reason for this fate, as it turned out, was the wrong feat of the recluse, which consisted only of bodily labor.

Then the elder entered the city and saw a beggar. For many years this beggar lay on the street, forgotten by people. He endured all sorts of hardships and suffering, but he thanked God for such a fate and through constant inner struggle, with the assistance of God’s grace, he cleansed his heart of passions, until he finally became the abode of the Holy Spirit. The end of the beggar’s suffering came, and the Lord sent angels and the prophet David with the harp for his soul. And when the holy prophet David played the harp and sang an angelic choir, the soul of the beggar was separated from his body and was taken to a place of bliss.

This example, brothers and sisters, confirms the words of our Savior that only the pure in heart will see God (see Matthew 5:8).

What is the path to achieving purity of heart?

“Prayer,” says Venerable Macarius The Great One is the head, source and mother of all virtues.” Prayer is a life-giving force for the soul, like air is for everything living on earth. And just as without air all living things die, so the soul becomes dead without prayer. “Prayer,” writes Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer, “is a chain connecting man with God,” Who commanded: Without Me you cannot do anything (John 15:5).

And when a Christian constantly and earnestly prays, he gradually discovers vices in his heart that he had not noticed until now. And then he enters into a struggle with his sins and passions, which is equated to the feat of martyrs. Realizing all the difficulty of this invisible battle, the ascetic acquires deep humility, for he is empirically convinced that only the grace of the Holy Spirit can free him from passions. “Without unceasing prayer it is impossible to approach God,” the Holy Fathers teach, “for what happens to a fish taken out of water, happens to a mind that has emerged from the remembrance of God.” A person has to fight passions for a long time, almost all my life. But then there comes a moment in his spiritual life when the Lord Himself comes into his heart and sups with him.

Let us, brothers and sisters, listen more often to the voice of the Savior, Who stands invisibly at the door of our heart and calls: Behold, I stand at the door and understand: if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and with him By me (Rev 3:20). May our prayer be even more earnest, so that through it we, having cleansed our hearts of passions, will find in it a priceless treasure - the Kingdom of God, about which the Lord says: Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21). And then each of us will be able to say with the Apostle Paul: For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Phil 1:21). Amen.

“The Lord Himself will take care of the St. George Monastery and lead it to the great glory of Christ”

THE BEGINNING of the V Romanov Conference coincided with the birthday of Abbot Georgy (Evdachev), abbot of the Meshchovsky St. George Monastery. Father has been leading the monastery for 11 years.

The current holiday in honor of the day of memory of St. George the Victorious, which brought together about two thousand people from different cities of central Russia and almost all districts of the Kaluga region, showed what fame and popular love the monastery has acquired during this time.

Hegumen Georgy also bears the difficult burden of dean of the 11th district (Mosal-Meshchovsky) of the Kaluga diocese. Under his leadership, the entire Meshchovo land comes to life spiritually; people come to us for experience in teaching the Fundamentals of Orthodox culture in schools, and to the monastery for experience in competent organization of agriculture.

My personal acquaintance with the priest took place thirteen years ago: in Kaluga, in the church environment, one episode related to Fr. George, who grew into a legend (at that time he had not yet been tonsured a monk and bore the name Gennady, given to him from birth). The episode was that the dean of Obninsk, who had fallen into heresy, gathered for a meeting all the leaders of pseudo-religious organizations, in other words, sects. A young Obninsk priest, Priest Gennady Evdachev, was also invited to this gathering. Instantly assessing the situation, Father Gennady, without hesitation, picked up the tails of his cassock and shouted: “Guard! Flee from here before the Lord, in his wrath, brings down these walls on us!” left the wicked meeting.

Believers enthusiastically commented on this story as an example of fidelity to Christ, who warned his disciples about the appearance of false teachers, false prophets and the dangers of communicating with them.

As a journalist, I then wanted to meet the brave priest, and I asked for a business trip to Obninsk.

Memories

Strong in work and faith

I was lucky enough to be born and live in a special village that preserved the foundations of the old faith - this is the village of Zhilino, Kirovsky district, which in ancient times was part of Serpeysky district. They lived as a community, helped each other, and raised their children as a whole.

I was born on May 25, 1965. I was brought up in an environment where, regardless of whether it was a mother, a neighbor or someone else’s aunt, they could protect a child from an offender, stop the child from doing something bad, and say an edifying word to him. So the picture stands before my eyes: a neighbor comes to my mother: “Anna Konstantinovna, today I pulled you back: he flew as fast as he could, almost knocked me over with the buckets. What if the old one was on?” And the mother answered her: “Glory to You, Lord, that you are raising my child with me, I will give him a beating.”

It used to be that when we came to church (in Soviet times), they would put all the children closer to the altar, block them off with a wall - no inspector would get in. If someone has a fire, the whole village runs to put it out. To whomever the hay was brought, everyone is in a hurry to unload it. The owner will come to the well:

Women, come to me for the cleanup (this is when everyone gathers to help work).

At what time?

At eight in the morning.

What kind of fuss?

Plant potatoes.

And everyone comes with buckets and takes us children with them. In the second grade I already went behind the plow, and from the third grade I mowed hay with the men. People knew how to work, pray, and have fun. Two hundred people walked at the wedding. In Zhilino people are strong-willed and very characterful. They didn’t know the landowner, they lived as free people, like Velikiy Novgorod. On principle, we didn’t go to the collective farm. When the Soviet government began to force them, they unanimously responded: “We submit to the Soviet government, but we will not depart from our foundations.”

“If you have to die for your Motherland, die!”

The entire life of the village, and mine too, was based on prayer. In the morning we got up and prayed, before eating, in the evening before going to bed - the same thing. In the holy corner of the icons, up to the ceiling and in front of each icon, the lamp burned for days. The stove is heated, homemade rugs are spread on the floor, the walls are whitewashed from the inside... One nanny is spinning, another is reading the Psalter, the children are sitting quietly next to them, listening. We had a lot of church books in our house, and we often re-read “The Earthly Life of Jesus Christ.”

I was active at school: I recited poetry, took part in skits, sang and danced in the choir. This did not interfere with my studies, I studied well, with certificates of commendation. After eight years, of all the boys, I was the only one left in the class, along with twelve other girls. My classmates are very friendly, to this day they call me and help me as much as they can. After finishing school, they invited me to attend a dairy technical school, and I went for the sake of friendship. We went to enroll in the city of Nelidovo, Tver region, and then I did my internship in the village of Gornitsy not far from the Pskov province, at the famous cheese factory. He was a master cheese maker and learned this craft from a famous specialist. After practice, it was time to join the army. Avoiding service in our village was considered a disgrace: one must repay one’s debt to the Motherland. They were escorted off to the army as if at a wedding. A hundred people will gather, a song, an accordion. I remember my father’s instruction: “If you have to die for your Motherland, die. Be a good warrior. There were partisans in our family, my father’s uncle’s name was Georgiy, the Germans hanged him on a “crane” in the village of Krestilino not far from Spas-Demensk in front of the whole village and his family. Remember this! Don’t disgrace our family!”

I served in the artillery. First I spent six months studying in Nizhny Novgorod, then as a junior sergeant I was sent to Germany to Perlinberg - I ended up in an anti-tank battery, where I was appointed commander of a combat reconnaissance patrol vehicle, and in an anti-tank battery - platoon commander. In the army he was a singer; service was easy thanks to sports training and an Orthodox village upbringing. The officers and soldiers treated me with great respect.

My mother urged me to be patient

I returned from the army as a senior sergeant. It's time to choose a profession. I really loved animals. As a child, I kept a raven, caught siskins, was interested in pigeons, raised rabbits, and hedgehogs lived in my house. I decided to enroll in the biology department of Moscow State University in Moscow. The crazy competition scared me away. There I find out about the Veterinary Academy named after. Scriabin, where there are seven people per seat. The admissions committee advised me to work on a collective farm and earn a place to study. That's exactly what I did. I traveled 20 kilometers from Zhilino to the Timiryazevsky collective farm, got up early at five in the morning. When the bus didn't come, I walked. Worked as a feed production manager, at a threshing farm, on a farm, as a safety engineer, and then graduated High school Agroprom. He came home from work depressed and with a headache. It was not the work that tired me, but the pernicious spirit of collective farm life. It was crazy to me that everyone was drinking moonshine in cut glasses, swearing obscenely, there was only bad manners all around, no one was even talking about God. My mother urged me to be patient. In general, I worked like this for more than a year and received a referral to a university. A little alive after this collective farm: to this day I do not understand the benefits of collectivization, I do not wish our country a repetition of this demonization, this difficult state of mind.

Then I passed entrance exams to the veterinary academy and saw myself on the list of accepted students. I went to Moscow with fifteen rubles, my mother gave me a piece of lard and a jar of sauerkraut for the journey. I got off the train and my first thought was: am I really a free person, I can calmly go to the temple, no one will be watching me, I don’t have to fear any raids?! I vividly remembered how my grandmother read the Psalter, and under the window they were watching, watching how long she read. “Black” lists were compiled for those who went to church. They took us to church like little animals: the nannies would cover us with skirts, and we would sit quietly, like mice, so that the raiders would not notice us. I remember my grandmother once cried out: “It’s great for me, my soul!” - Tanya, what are you saying? - Oh, the kid will probably be kicked out of school: they’ll force him to become a pioneer. - Yes, let him go, just take the tie to bless the priest.

That's what we did. We also consecrated Komsomol badges so that demonism would not pass on to us.

Air of freedom

When I arrived in Moscow, I immediately went from the platform to the Church of the Deposition of the Robe on Shabolovka - my relatives lived near it. The temple was already closed, but I was allowed to enter it. I couldn't breathe this air. From that moment on, I never missed an opportunity to go to church. At the same time, he managed to go to cinemas and theaters and visit historical places in the capital. Soon he began to be a sexton in the altar. The rector, Archpriest Vasily Svidinyuk, was an exemplary priest in all respects. The head of a large family, a pedant, an excellent service worker, a charter manager, an amazing administrator. The altar sparkled, there was cleanliness and order all around, everything was harmonious in the temple. A person lived with an understanding of church culture - what does it mean to be in church from the age of six! Father taught at the academy and took care of the Donskoy Monastery. After him, I never met a single priest like him.

At the academy I shared a room with two blacks from Nigeria and Zambia. One is Protestant, the other is Catholic. Seven thousand students from fifty countries of Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. The best veterinarians in the USA are graduates of our academy. I really loved studying. At the same time, I was not interested in the clinical picture of the disease, but in its cause. This interest led me to the Department of Histology, then I operated.

The first year at the academy I was tormented by the question: how can I pray in the room? I began to adapt. I’ll open an anatomy textbook, put a prayer book in it, and sit and pray to myself without crossing myself. And then my conscience got stuck: why am I not baptized, the Lord said: “Whoever is ashamed of Me, of him I will be ashamed.” I began to be baptized. I see they respect me more. I became bolder and began to pray standing. The degree of respect for me has increased. “For some reason I’m praying on a bare wall, let me hang an icon.” He hung the holy image near his bed. As soon as someone knocks on the room during prayer, my fellow cellmates, chasing each other, run to the door: “We can’t come in, Doctor Gen is praying. It’ll finish in twenty minutes, then come.”

I want to live near the relics of Seraphimushka!

In the early 90s, the relics of Seraphim of Sarov were brought to Moscow, I was already in my last year of study. Unfortunately, I knew little about Seraphimushka at the time and was not in a big hurry to see him until the altar girl put me to shame. When I got close to the relics, I saw a skull through the hole in the bench. The entire course of microbiology and virology appeared before me in an instant. The demonic force made me disgusted, I immediately realized that spiritual warfare had begun. Everyone kisses the scull, but I, in order to shame the devil, decided to kiss the open body (the skull) directly. I approach and fervently pray: “Reverend Father Seraphim, help me overcome myself.” And he immediately kissed it. He walked away in a daze. And suddenly, as if lightning struck me: why am I studying at the academy, I will never be a veterinarian, so many years have been wasted.

There is such a dialogue going on inside me: - Gena, what do you need in life? - I don’t need anything. There would be a rug next to these relics, and I’m ready to lie next to them all my life.

I just realized that I wanted to live next to these relics. From that day on, everything began to fall out of my hands: I can’t eat, I can’t drink, I don’t want to study, I don’t want to go to state exams, and I’m already finishing my fifth year. The priests were alarmed. This state could also be due to demonic suggestion; they advised me to go to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra to pray, fast and approach the confessor of the monastery.

I followed their advice. At the Lavra, this strange state intensified even more, which, as I later realized, was an unconscious desire to become a priest and monk. It burned me from the inside, it’s worse than a temperature of 40 o. The confessor of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov), was just at the peak of his heyday, people came to him in the hundreds, where he appeared, people ran after him in crowds. It was very difficult to get through to him. And then I see him going up the steps to the Refectory Church, and from this crowd I shout: “Ba-tyush-ka, oh-father Kirill.” He stopped and didn't turn to me. He stands and looks at the ground. I continue: “Father Kirill, I have a very special feeling for you. important question! He slowly turns towards me. I wave my arms and beat my chest: “Father, I want to be a priest and a monk!” And from a distance, in front of all the honest people, he blesses me with a sweeping sign of the cross and pronounces the most important words in my life: “God bless you to be a priest and a monk.” My fate was decided.

"Crazy" student

Before the state exam, we were given two weeks to rest. I took advantage of this opportunity and went home. On the way back I stopped in Kaluga, met Bishop Clement, and took his blessing. We talked with the bishop, he found out who I was and where I was from. After a detailed conversation, he suggested: come to our diocese. For a blessing, I went to my confessor, Archimandrite Plato, in Moscow. For a long time he did not bless me into the Kaluga diocese, because there was talk about enrolling me in the brethren of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. I already dreamed of being given the obedience to look after the old monks in order to learn spiritual and life wisdom from them. I fervently prayed to God about this. After persistent requests from Bishop, Father Platon gave in and blessed me to move to the Kaluga diocese. But it was necessary to somehow resolve the issue with the academy.

The time for state exams was approaching. My group goes to the classroom, and I make a statement to the dean: “I ask you to expel me from the academy...”. I studied well, I remember cramming 500 words in Latin for classes. The dean opens his eyes wide, calls all his assistants: “What have you done to this student, why is he leaving the academy when he needs to take exams?”

Because I want to become a priest and a monk, I stand my ground.

Pass the state exams, then be whoever you want.

I do not need this!

No matter how necessary, it will be useful in life.

The dean tears up my statement and leaves. The whole faculty is buzzing: there is a weirdo student who is throwing away his diploma to become a monk. One day there is a stream of students in the main building, they make way for me, and towards me is Associate Professor of the Department of Feeding and Forage Production Raisa Fedorovna Bessarabova, later a professor, Doctor of Science, specialist in bird diseases, a world luminary. Bessarabova hugs me in front of everyone and says:

What a great guy you are! I am ready to bow at your feet for your determination. Gena, you dream of becoming a monk, and I dream of walking around all the churches in Moscow.

Representatives from the ministry and from the All-Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences came to the state exam, and I again stand in front of the dean with a statement in my hands.

What should I do with it? A good student, a great student, excellent discipline. Doesn't want to take state exams. He talks about some kind of monasticism.

Then everyone starts trying to persuade me:

Just come to the exams, we will help you get your diploma.

I don’t need him, as you don’t understand!

The dean was forced to sign a statement, and said goodbye conciliatoryly:

You come later, tell us who the monks are, what faith in God is.

To Obninsk with a special mission

In the Kaluga diocese, I was among the first four monks. There was no theological school yet. Soon it was opened. During my studies, I was ordained a deacon in the Transfiguration Church in the village of Spas-Zagorie near Maloyaroslavets on the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and a few months later, on St. Nicholas the Winter, I was ordained a priest in the St. George Cathedral in Kaluga. From that day on, I especially felt that St. George the Victorious took me under his protection.

Without a theological education, it is very difficult to be ordained. I felt that I lacked knowledge and cried a lot about this at the Kaluga Icon of the Mother of God. I was trained by the respected archpriests Father John Naumchik and Anatoly Ryzhkov. They drove me so hard that my cassock fell apart from sweat. I will be grateful to them for science all my life. They approached us very strictly, but we were so humble that we never objected to them or contradicted them.

Then the bishop sent me to Kondrovo to the parish in honor of the Holy Trinity instead of the rector, Father Nikolai Sukhodolov. He taught me how to properly conduct parish life. The priest took as his model the personality and works of a modern ascetic, the late abbot Nikon (Vorobyov). This training has helped me everywhere.

I kept asking the Bishop to become a monk. The bishop gave up and transported me from Kondrov to the Pafnutev-Borovsky Monastery. But I only had a chance to stay at the monastery for a few weeks, because problems began in the neighborhood in Obninsk: due to the fact that the former pope wanted to make this city a stronghold of Catholicism, various heresies began to fall into here. The Lord sent me to the science city with a mission to turn the situation around so that spiritual dirt would not penetrate into Orthodox Church. To say that it was hard for me there is to say nothing. This is a separate page in my biography, worthy of a separate detailed description. With God's help we succeeded in Obninsk for short term gain a strong position. We were the first in the region to create a spiritual and educational center, to hold the “Christmas Star” festival, the Mother of God and Nativity educational readings, the first diocesan competition of children’s drawings... Participating in church and social life, Obninsk residents began to come to churches, and an Orthodox lyceum appeared with our participation “ Power". The dream of monasticism did not leave me here either, but the bishop did not let me go to the monastery. One day the abbot of the Zvenigorod Monastery, Father Feoktist, came to us and began to persuade me to move to him. He was going to organize an orphanage. I already wrote up the shelter’s charter for him and transported his things to Zvenigorod. But then a serious conversation took place with the bishop.

Eat good proverb, - he said. - "Needed where was born". Choose any district in the Kaluga region and start reviving a monastery, we have many historical places.

Thoughtfully, I went home.

How we looked for the St. George Monastery

We were returning to Obninsk via Mosalsk, and our car got stuck in Shalovo. Even then, I exclaimed in my hearts: “What a Tmutarakan this is! God forbid we ever live in this hole!” Father Ignatius (Dushein) once said that he was in Meshchovsk ancient monastery, and I really wanted to see this for myself. At that moment, the thought of the village of Kutepovo, Zhukovsky district, was spinning in my head. The local temple was miraculous icon Mother of God “Recovery of the Lost”, and I dreamed that I would form a monastery near her. It is with this mood that I enter Meshchovsk. The picture is gloomy: the trees stand untrimmed, the houses are scary, the roads are terrible, the impression is aggravated by slush and pouring rain. The head girl from the Faith, Hope, Love center, Marina Zyazina, was traveling with me. She exclaimed in horror:

Where we went is a God-forsaken place.

The first time we didn’t find the monastery. We ask, no one knows. But I can’t get the words of Abbot Ignatius out of my head. We come to Meshchovsk for the second time:

“We never had a monastery,” the residents answer as if by agreement.

And then one woman realized something:

And, it seems, this is a commune.

In general, they began to ask: “Where is your commune here?”

Found. Huge burdocks, impassable thickets, no roads and two miserable skeletons of temples in an open field. But it was these ruins that sank into my soul. I expressed this thought out loud. Marina Zyazina made me laugh again:

Do you want to exchange Zvenigorod for this miracle Yudo Meshchovsk? You are surrounded by universal respect, you have great authority, why do you need this? Are you crazy?

In general, she almost went into hysterics. And I decided: I’ll go to Meshchovsk again: if the Lord puts it on my soul, I’ll stay here, but if not, we’ll go to another place. We come for the third time, and there is a big rainbow over Meshchovsk, the weather is sunny and the thought is: “Maybe we should go to the district library?” Director Valentina Anatolyevna Shiryaeva meets us:

Have you come to restore the monastery? We have a book about the monastery.

It was through this woman that the Lord gave us a sign to stay in Meshchovsk.

I came to the bishop and reported. He walks around the area, and suddenly I started shaking, as if I had a high temperature.

What, are you sick?

No, sir.

Why are you so cold?

“I wanted to tell you that we are taking on the restoration of the Meshchovsky St. George Monastery,” I blurted out in one gulp.

The Lord with surprise:

Yeah?

Before this, he brought many monastery abbots to Meshchovsk, but no one agreed to stay here. Everyone said with one voice: St. George’s Monastery cannot be restored. I dared to ask:

Tell me, as a bishop: do you believe in the restoration of the monastery?

The Bishop turned to the east, crossed himself and, after thinking a little, said:

I believe that this monastery will be reborn very quickly and will be a glorious spiritual abode.

Little benefactor

We arrived in Meshchovsk together with Pavel, now this is Hieromonk Moses (Golenetsky). There was nothing to eat. The bulb was divided into four parts to last for several days. They lived on alms. Where can we get money for everything when we ourselves are starving? And the Lord began to arrange everything. Soon a man arrives with an order from Father Kirill (Pavlov): he brought icons from him Royal Passion-Bearers and Gerontissa.

Father Kirill told me to tell you: let the abbot not worry about anything. The Lord himself will take care of the St. George Monastery and lead it to the great glory of Christ. In his day, in his hour, in his moment, he will play a big role for the good of our great Russia.

Then I went to Father Vlasiy, after his five-year retreat. When they met, he raised his hand and pointed to the holy corner in his cell.

Here are the relics of St. George the Victorious. I bless you with them. They will go to the St. George Monastery, the spirit of Athos will be there.

And he also advised:

If you pray to the icon of the Mother of God “Spreader of the Loaves”, the Lord will give you everything. You will never remain hungry, and you will also feed others.

I then thought that I should build a chapel for this icon and paint it. But the Lord judged differently: from a private collection we were given a temple image of the “Spreader of the Loaves” from the time of Ambrose of Optina. But that was much later, but for now they continued to live from hand to mouth. The Meshchovites chuckle and wait: will we survive or not? If it weren't for the Obninsk people, we would have disappeared. I arrive at the Derzhava Lyceum, and a little boy meets me:

Don’t you know Meshchov’s monks?

I know.

My mother allowed me to put some money into a piggy bank. When I opened it, she allowed me to buy whatever I wanted with this money. But I told her: “Can I give this money to Meshchov’s monks, they have nothing to eat.” Father, take the money and buy cereals for the monastery.”

I couldn’t stand it and cried next to this child.

Monks are a living sacrifice to God from all humanity

When we arrived in Meshchovsk for permanent residence, Easter days were passing. I see the workers are working. I tell them:

Christ is Risen!

And in response to me:

Glory to the CPSU. This is your Christ, but our God is Lenin.

I tell them: - You believe your Lenin, and we believe in the One who created Heaven, Earth and Lenin.

The torment began. We bought the monastery land from the population, and the people continued to plant their own land on it. The monks' mothers are like smoke: on the purchased land we planted monastery beets. And one activist plowed this field and planted potatoes. But then, through the prayers of the Great Martyr George, ours took it.

I walked as if through a jungle, literally cutting a road in front of me. Before Meshchovsk, I had no idea that such complete religious ignorance existed. But nevertheless, sympathetic people began to be among the local population and help us. For example, the number of brothers is increasing, but where to wash? Anna Ivanovna Ganina, the spiritual child of Father Vlasiy, came, she brought us milk and bread, and promised to take care of the bathhouse. Thanks to Alla Fedorovna Kuznetsova, she undertook to heat the bathhouse for us once a week, we washed with her for many years until showers appeared in the monastery. And in such miserable conditions, we began to create the “Education” center so that children would not disappear, so that people would understand that the Church is the mother of everyone. Monks are a living sacrifice to God from all humanity. What is this sacrifice for? So that people live happier, save their immortal souls. Today, thank God, ignorance is becoming a thing of the past, people are beginning to understand that the St. George Monastery is the core on which the whole of Meshchovsk rests, it is praise, beauty, foundation, firmness and protection of the Meshchovites.

Recorded itNatalya PESTOVA.