Hegumen of the Vatopedi monastery, Archimandrite Ephraim: “Orthodox monasticism is not yoga

The second word about obedience The third word about obedience About faith in the elder, reverence for him and love for him About conscience and obedience About conscience Chapters on Obedience Chapter Six About the memory of death, Gehenna and judgment Chapter Seven About passions About the carnal and invisible warfare of demons Chapter Eight About negligence, fear, cowardice, betrayal and apostasy About self-motivation, courage and selflessness Chapter Nine: Condemnation About silence, idle talk and insolence Chapter Ten About pride, self-reproach and humility From a conversation about humility Chapter Eleven About love and forgiveness of brothers Chapter Twelve About temptations Chapter Thirteen About faith, hope and patience Chapter fourteen About thoughts, daydreaming and distraction Chapter fifteen About sobriety About mental and heartfelt prayer First word. About sobriety and mental and heartfelt prayer Second word. About prayer Word three. About the practice of mental prayer Word four. About prayer Chapters on mental prayer Chapter sixteen About contemplation Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen About the Divine Liturgy and Divine Communion Chapter nineteen About the dead

In the first years of the German occupation of Greece, when Ioannis (this was the secular name of Father Ephraim) had to leave school to earn money, in one of the parish churches of the city of Volos he was lucky enough to meet an Athos hieromonk, who formerly belonged to the brotherhood of the famous ascetic Joseph the Hesychast. This hieromonk became for young man a mentor and adviser, an assistant in his spiritual growth. “I chose him as my spiritual father and, thanks to his conversations and advice,” says Father Ephraim, “I soon began to feel my heart moving away from the world and rushing to the Holy Mountain. Especially when he told me about the life of Elder Joseph, something ignited in me and my desire to get to know him as quickly as possible became fiery. When the time finally came—September 26, 1947, morning—the boat slowly took us from the world to the holy Mountain: so to speak, from the shore of temporality to the opposite shore of eternity.”

And - here is the first miracle - at the very pier of the monastery of St. Anna, he, unknown to anyone on the Holy Mountain, was already met by his spiritual friend and long-time associate of Elder Joseph, Father Arseny.

Thus, the future elder found himself among the closest disciples of Joseph the Hesychast, a man who during his lifetime became a legend of Athos, an ascetic in no way inferior to the ancient fathers, a seer of wondrous Divine revelations, and most importantly, an outstanding mentor of monastics, who soon raised those who devoted themselves to his leadership from earth to sky.

In the community of Elder Joseph, Yannakis was the youngest. it was harsh and little comforting from a material point of view, but it was replete with spiritual consolations. And the first of them was the communication with the Elder itself: “I came to know him as a true God-bearer. An excellent spiritual strategist, most experienced in the battle against passions and demons. It was impossible for a person, no matter how passionate he was, to stay close to him and not be healed. If only he would obey him."

Elder Joseph was immensely demanding of himself: strict adherence to prayer rule, all-night vigils, physical labor, the strictest fast, refusal of medical care with placing all trust solely in the Heavenly Doctor (only in old age and extreme weakness did Father Joseph allow him to provide the necessary medical assistance) - such was the order of his feat throughout the entire period of his residence in the lot of the Mother of God. The Elder was more lenient towards his disciples regarding the feat of fasting: he well understood weakness younger generation and thought it necessary to take care of them. However, in other respects, especially with regard to obedience and the performance of monastic duties, he was very strict. Severity, however, was not a trait of his character, his hot and loving soul: she was the key to success in the field that he and his brothers chose for themselves. “What we do not give to God so that He can use it, someone else will use it. Therefore, the Lord gives us the commandment to love Him with all our soul and heart, so that the evil one does not find a place to settle and settle in us.”

Elder Joseph believed that the main work of a monk was mental prayer, connecting a person with God, enlightening him with Divine light. He himself was a great doer of it, an unsurpassed “theologian of experience,” and he raised his children in the same spirit, teaching them the perfectly comprehended science of inner work. And what other examples and what “stimuli” did the brothers need, who often saw their Elder after many hours of prayer in a state of grace-filled change, when his face was visibly illuminated by an unearthly, uncreated light?

Next to his mentor, Father Ephraim spent twelve years - as long as Father Joseph had lived since their first meeting - literally absorbing his teachings and instructions. The Lord vouchsafed the novice to serve his geronda until his very last breath. Another famous Athonite ascetic, also a student of Elder Joseph, Blessed Ephraim Katunakiot (1912–1998), testified about his younger namesake, whose immeasurable obedience to their common mentor he praised at every opportunity: “Father Ephraim laid the Elder to rest and inherited his prayer.” "When he.- Red.] heard that Father Ephraim headed some monastery, he said: “He will succeed, nothing will stop him, he received the prayer of his Elder.”

The experience of the brotherhood of Elder Joseph once again clearly confirmed the truth that the greatest treasure of the Church of Christ is the all-pervading grace of the Holy Spirit and no human - “organizational”, “administrative” - measures can ever achieve what Divine grace accomplishes. And it will not be an exaggeration to say that the revival of the Holy Mountain, which experienced not better times its history, it became precisely a miracle of God, the fruit of the prayer of Elder Joseph and his followers.

At one time, the Athonite ascetic Elder Cyril of New Skete, who was awarded the gift of insight, pointing to the kalivas of the disciples of Joseph the Hesychast, predicted: “Many abbots will come out of these kalivas.”

And his word came true, no matter how implausible it may have seemed when looking at the wretched cells of the monks. From their kalivas, seven abbots actually emerged (one of them was later awarded the rank of bishop). In their monasteries they instilled that spirit and that rule of monastic life that was taught to them by their blessed father. Their contribution to modern history Athos is difficult to overestimate. The most outstanding of them was, as he described himself, “the youngest of the brethren in physical and spiritual age,” Father Ephraim. Philotheus, who was elected abbot of the Svyatogorsk monastery and perfectly organized its internal life, did not stop there: gradually, through his care and with his blessing, several groups of his disciples “split off” from it, reviving monastic life in a number of Athonite monasteries (in particular, in such monasteries such as Karakal, Kostamonit, Xiropotam, the monastery of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called).

And then, by the special instructions of God, Father Ephraim, entrusting Philotheus to one of the members of his brotherhood, left the “Garden Holy Mother of God"and moved to... the USA, where in the state of Arizona, in the desert, he founded a monastery in honor of St. Anthony the Great. In total, under his care in America and Canada today eighteen men's and convents. However, it is impossible to say that the elder completely abandoned the Holy Mountain: he regularly comes to Athos, and then, as eyewitnesses testify, monks from all over the Mountain flock to him for advice and blessings.

The stamp of grace-filled anointing lies on the entire life and activity of this ascetic filled with Divine gifts, a blessed novice and inspired mentor, a humble monk and such a successful missionary. One cannot help but feel this when reading the advice and admonitions from which this collection was compiled. The lips of the elder, “producing good words of instruction from the good treasure of his heart,” became “a source of living water” for those who resorted to him. They will be able to quench our spiritual thirst, resolve our perplexities, console us in sorrow, support us in despondency, open for us the path along which a Christian - whether he is a monk or a layman - can follow Christ and achieve blissful eternity and the Heavenly Kingdom.

To the Russian reader

By the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One True God, and with honest prayers and with the blessings of my holy spiritual father and elder Archimandrite Ephraim, Progumen of the Sacred Monastery Philotheus on the Holy Mountain - the monastery of our repentance, now a modern great educator and preacher in the United States and Canada, founder of 18 monasteries, I approach with fear and trembling only in order to not to be disobedient to write the preface to his book “Fatherly Advice,” which will be published in Russian in order to spiritually nourish and water many pious souls of modern Holy Rus'.

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Everywhere and always, the elder taught that real and unfeigned obedience to the spiritual father or spiritual mother will bring over time the gift of mental prayer of our Jesus Christ. And mental prayer in the name of Christ - the fruit of obedience and integrity - will lead the student to the great mental heights of this prayer.

He also taught and teaches that without the mental Jesus Prayer, humility, repentance and frequent participation in the Sacraments, a person cannot be cleansed of all his mental and physical passions.

Just as the twelve blessed apostles and disciples of the Savior, having become perfect novices of the Eternal Teacher of our souls Jesus Christ, in the upper room of Pentecost received all the gifts of the Holy Spirit and became all-wise, so a good novice - cleric, monk, layman - through the prayers of his elder can acquire ever-present riches gifts of the Holy Spirit.

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The book “Paternal Advice” by my father and elder is the quintessence of his rich spiritual experience over almost sixty years of monastic life. It is not the fruit of rational activity. My blessed elder did not study at big schools and worldly universities. He completed only two classes at the gymnasium. But the Holy Spirit is in superlatives enriched him with the gift of being an excellent doctor and healer of all thoughts and passions that the destroyer the devil constantly instills in us.

I emphasize that a book such as this has great importance, for it is the fruit of a rich experience, holy and genuine, in agreement with more than two thousand years Sacred Tradition Orthodox Church. For grace-filled spiritual books, written from experience, not only give knowledge, but also provide abundant enlightenment to both the heart and mind. And the mind, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, moves to unceasing prayer, giving grace and joy, sweetness and peace, healing from passions to the reader, or, better, to the student of such books.

I remind you of your love, most honest fathers and our brethren, who labor in the sacred and monastic ranks, as well as ardent lay fighters, about two exceptional and unique books of the holy fathers in the Orthodox world: “The Ladder” of St. John of Sinai, which he wrote at the age of 70, and “Words of the Ascetics” Abba

Should a monk strive for the priesthood, how candidates for the priesthood are selected, how ordination takes place on Holy Mount Athos, and how he himself was encouraged to the priesthood by Elder Joseph of Vatopedi, the rector of the Vatopedi monastery, Archimandrite Ephraim (Kutsu), told the Neskuchny Sad magazine.

— Priesthood in monasticism is not an honor. This is a type of service, just like the position of abbot. In monasticism there are no differences and distinctions between the abbot and the last novice, but equality. In order to become a monk, a person must strongly desire it and ask God for it. While one cannot exert one’s will to achieve the priesthood.

— Should a monk strive for the priesthood? What about running away from ordination?

— The novice’s persistent claims and begging for ordination from the Elder (spiritual father of the brethren and candidate for the priesthood - ed.) constitute an obstacle to ordination. Of course, a monk can honor the priesthood, but he should not ask for it and put pressure on the geronda to become a priest. The elder decides which monk can be ordained and when. This high service should never be acquired "at will."

— If a monk does not become a priest for many years, is he considered a failure?

- Naturally, he is not a loser. The goal of a monk is his personal sanctification and deification. All his forces and actions, all his desire and will must be oriented in this direction. He must know, love God and unite with Him as much as possible. This is the success of a monk - in the experienced experience of his sanctification, and not in the acquisition of honors, even church honors.

— What are the preconditions for becoming a monk?

- Apart from the canonical obstacles to accepting the priesthood, which he, of course, should not have, he should not exert his will to receive the priesthood. The elder decides which of the monks is suitable for the priesthood. And it is not the absence of canonical obstacles that is the most important criterion for the decision of the geronda, but how capable the monk is of this service. The elder chooses those who, before the legal priesthood, managed to acquire grace. Those who have purity and integrity not only of body, but also of soul, who can become mediators between God and people, who love their neighbor and sacrifice themselves for him, who pray for the salvation of the world.

—Are all the priests on the Holy Mountain confessors? If not, why not?

— Not all hieromonks on Mount Athos are confessors. To become a confessor, a hieromonk must acquire relevant experience. Must have the gift of reasoning with spirits. He must be able to distinguish which thoughts come from God, which from the devil, and which from man himself.

—Can a non-priest give spiritual advice?

“Of course, a monk with spiritual experience can give advice. In addition, many of the great Fathers of our Church were simple monks and accomplished great pastoral work, such as St. Anthony the Great, St. Pachomius the Great, St. Maxim the Confessor, St. Athanasius of Athos, contemporary Joseph the Hesychast, Paisius the Svyatogorets and many others.

—Can a priest who has no spiritual experience give advice?

— If a priest is engaged in self-knowledge and realizes that he lacks relevant experience, it would be good not to advise. If he wants to give advice, it would be good not to insist on own opinion and provided the confessor with the opportunity to take advice from more sensible confessors and elders.

—What is more difficult – to be a simple monk or a hieromonk?

— There is one aphorism known on the Holy Mountain, born from the experience of the Fathers. “It’s better to be a monk in heaven than in a stole and in hell.”

— How are priests ordained on Mount Athos?

— When an elder chooses a monk for ordination, he announces this at the Spiritual Council of the Monastery (Council of Elders), which approves the choice. The decision is then communicated to the chosen monk, who must obey. In some cases, however, a monk may renounce the burden of the priesthood, and this blessed renunciation may be accepted by the elder. From Fatherland we know of cases where fathers, in order not to be ordained, cut off their nose, ear, or simply ran away and hid. I remember how about thirty years ago, when the Elder (meaning Elder Joseph of Vatopedi, spiritual father and the teacher of Abbot Ephraim - ed.) said that I was to become a priest, at first I was indignant, afraid of the severity of the ministry. But Geronda told me a similar incident with St. Basil the Great. During a visit to one cenobitic monastery, Basil the Great asked the Elder of that Monastery: “Do you have any of those who are being saved?” The prudent Geronda understood the saint’s question and brought the novice to him. Basil the Great asked him to give him some water to wash himself. Then the saint told the novice to sit down and himself gave him water so that the monk could wash himself. The novice, who had mortified himself to any personal desire, did not express any objection to this command of Saint Basil. Then Basil the Great asked the elder of the monastery to give him this monk in order to ordain him and make him a protosingel (the first person in the metropolis after the bishop - ed.) in his metropolis, for his perfect obedience.

— Does the bishop come to Athos for ordination, or does the protege go to the bishop?

— The monastery invites the bishop to come to the Holy Mountain and perform the consecration.

— Is there a special henchman confession on Athos?

— There are no special confessions, since the monk chosen to be ordained and his elder have known each other for quite some time, and this connection unites them. In addition, when someone comes to become a monk, he needs to make a general, detailed confession to the elder and then he is counted among the brethren. Therefore, such a special confession has already occurred and the connection between the novice and the geronda has developed. There is also a so-called written certificate that the elder must provide about the chosen monk.

— Are there any Svyatogorsk traditions associated with ordination? For example, in Russia, a newly ordained priest serves the liturgy for 40 days in a row.

— Yes, such a tradition also exists on the Holy Mountain that each newly ordained hieromonk must serve 40 liturgies.

Elder Joseph of Vatopedi about the priesthood:

“The priesthood is a sacrament, a mission, a supernatural service, a heavenly “duty,” a “bearer” of revelation and a means of connecting the transitory and fallen earthly world with God. Having men as its servants and itself serving men, it is nevertheless of heavenly origin. It operates on earth and therefore its appearance appears earthly and humble, but its results ascend to heaven. The priesthood in its height is an angelic work and would be more suitable for angels if the incomprehensible economy of God did not destined people to be his servants. In a word, the priesthood is the ministry of Grace, through which God the Creator, through His uncreated energies, transfers Himself to His creatures and makes them partners in His life. Being such, the priesthood is not one of the professions invented by people. The Lord determined so that through the priesthood His saving economy would come to its final completion, so that all things in Christ might be headed, both in heaven and on earth in Him (Eph. 1:10).” (from the book “Words of Consolation. Conversations about Spiritual Life and Monasticism”)

Prepared by Kirill Milovidov
Magazine "Neskuchny Sad"

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Conversation between Archimandrite Ephraim, abbot of the Athos Vatopedi Monastery, with the sisters of the Novo-Tikhvin Monastery in Yekaterinburg

Archimandrite EFREM:

With the blessing of the Bishop, I came to the Yekaterinburg diocese and am glad to visit your monastery and greet Father Abraham and Mother Domnika. I always happily visit monasteries, because monasticism is the nerves of the Church, monasticism is the strength of the Church, monasticism is the glory of the Church... And therefore, as the Monk Justin (Popovich) said, if you want to understand whether a person loves Orthodoxy, find out whether he loves monasticism.

It is a great blessing, sisters, that God has called us into monastic life. And our blessed elder Joseph of Vatopedi even said that we were drawn, drawn by grace, that is, we are drawn by grace into the blessed angelic monastic life, and referred to a quote from the Gospel, to the words of Christ: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me will draw him.” And if a person has felt this craving for angelic life, then the best thing he can do is to submit in everything to Divine grace.

Our life is holy, but many have stumbled along this path, because the devil fights monks very hard. Here we must become righteous from sinners. And this path is not short and not easy, because a monk is a person who came from the world, and he has remnants of negligence and sin. For this reason, obedience is something that cannot be dispensed with in monasticism. Elder Joseph the Hesychast, who is our treasure and our praise, although he was a complete silent person, placed great emphasis on obedience. Because obedience is the foundation on which a monk builds his deification. Therefore, I pray that you follow the true patristic Tradition, and in this case your monastery can become a beacon for the entire Church, so that those who visit your monastery leave here changed for the better.

You have many sisters, and this is a blessing from God. How wonderful it would be if nuns excelled in humility and obedience. Monk is real man who lives a true life.

And from our Vatopedi monastery I want to present a paten to your monastery as a symbol of the fact that we are united by life in Christ.

If you have questions, I will gladly try to answer them.

How to learn to pray

Question: I read your conversations, and you said that the Holy Mountain is not just a place, but a way of thinking, and I would like to ask you to explain what this means, how exactly the Svyatogorsk way of thinking, way of life differs?

Answer: Of course, place also matters for monks, so the fathers moved away from the world and found silent, quiet places to devote themselves entirely to God. But still, location remains a secondary factor. The first thing we monks must pay attention to is our lifestyle. We must always live according to the Tradition of the Holy Fathers and not invent something new ourselves. I want to say that the main thing is to find a person who would convey to you first-hand the patristic tradition and teach you spiritual life. And therefore, many abbots and abbesses from Russia contacted Greek monks, and this brings them spiritual benefit. I told one abbot, a Greek who only read the holy fathers, that by reading the holy fathers you are doing very well, but you are acting like a sick person who wants to be cured only by reading medical books. It is very important live communication spiritual people. The Holy Mountain has one great advantage as the only functioning monastic state: the Holy Mountain has not ceased to exist for a minute. It is very important.

IN.: Geronda, did Elder Joseph the Hesychast immediately teach the Jesus Prayer or some other virtues first?

ABOUT.: First of all, he taught the monks obedience and then prayer. Sisters must understand well that Orthodox monasticism is not yoga; first a person must mortify his sinful desires, and then prayer itself is born - prayer as a gift of God, as the Holy Scripture says: “The Lord gives prayer to the one who prays.” That is, we work as much as we can, but God gives prayer as a gift, it is not the result of our labors alone.

IN.: How much time is allocated for obedience in your monastery?

ABOUT.: Approximately four hours a day. At four in the morning we begin the service, finish by eight, go straight to the refectory, from about half past nine to one we are at obedience, from one to five we rest, at five we serve vespers, then dinner and then immediately compline. Often, especially in the summer, after meals there is general work. For example, all the brothers go to the kitchen to clean fish - we have fishermen who catch fish for us. And after general works Compline. After Compline, out of obedience, they do only the most obligatory things - for example, gardeners go to water the garden and flowers. At 12 o’clock Byzantine time, that is, around nine o’clock in the evening, the “bell of silence” rings. From this time until midnight, the monks have spiritual studies in their cell, then we sleep for three and a half hours and at four there is service. Of course, monks can rest during the day.

The door won't open? Don't hack it

IN.: The sisters of our monastery know quite well the biography of Elder Joseph the Hesychast, but we know much less about Elder Joseph the Younger. Could you tell us briefly about it?

ABOUT.: The elder was a monk from the age of sixteen. By the way, he told me this detail: when he was 16 years old, he watched a film and saw how people were being killed there. Then he thought: how easy it is to kill a person and die. And so, without a mentor, the desire came to him to take care of his soul more than his body. He went to a monastery in Cyprus, and there they tonsured him into a ryasophore and named him Sophronius. But, unfortunately, there was a period when the Church of Cyprus changed the calendar to a new style. The monastery was divided, so that there were even two services: according to the new style and according to the old, the brethren were divided, and the Old Calendarists did not greet the New Calendarists - you understand what the atmosphere was in it... At that time, there lived one elder - a man of God, Hieromonk Cyprian . This elder once told him: “Come to me. You have a future in spiritual life, you have my blessing to go to the Holy Mountain.” And so he came to the Holy Mountain. By the way, when he went to the Holy Mountain, he came to Athens. And when he and several monks were at the pier, they were told that a ship was soon leaving for Thessaloniki. And where they had to go through control, the main inspector was a communist, he cursed the monks, called them all kinds of names, expressed something else from his ideology and did not let them onto the ship. They began to ask him, but he did not let them in and scolded them even more. He let other people, lay people, through calmly, even without a passport. The brothers who were with the elder began to be indignant and wanted to complain to the head of the pier, but the elder told them: “No, we won’t go anywhere, we tried twice and nothing worked, every obstacle is for our good.” They insisted, but the elder did not give in to them. If they had complained, of course they would have been put on board, because they were right. So the ship sailed, but on the way it sank, no one survived. The elder often reminded us of this and said: “When you try to open a door, if it does not open, do not break it, otherwise you will regret it.” And he also said that often even behind the passions of people, God’s Providence is incomprehensibly hidden for us.

On the Holy Mountain, the elder could not at first find unanimous brothers and a spiritual mentor, and he prayed very much that the Lord would send him an elder. And when our elder met the great elder Joseph the Hesychast, he immediately understood: “This is who I was looking for.” And he asked to leave him in the monastery of Little Anna. Elder Joseph the Hesychast replied that he does not leave anyone without prayer, without notification from above. Let’s pray, he says, if God wishes, we will leave you. “When should I come to find out?” - “Come on in a week.” And, in the end, he was accepted. Our elder said that the greatest blessing in his life was that he found this great elder and lived with him. Elder Joseph the Hesychast taught them first obedience, then the Jesus Prayer, and especially paid attention to self-reproach and crying as a spiritual state.

IN.: The Holy Fathers say that in a monastery there should be such unity between the inhabitants as between members of one body. But at the same time, monks are commanded to be wanderers, not to attach their hearts to anything on earth. How is it possible to combine this?

ABOUT.: Wandering, abstinence, and silence are all very good, but the monk himself must understand and seek these virtues with his own heart. You see, there is obedience in the army (discipline, it would be better to say), and everyone obeys. Outwardly they obey, but inside they can scold the lieutenant who gives orders with rude words. But in a monastery it is not discipline, but obedience - this is very different.

One keliot, a monk, came to us. And he said that the head of their cell wanted the brothers not to talk to each other, but to pray. The monk said: “I just don’t know how to be silent much.” And he was right, because the extent of this depends on what strengths, faith, and virtues each person has. At Confession, the confessor is never ordered to impose penance because someone does not see the uncreated light, has not been deified, and so on. He will impose penance if any serious sin is confessed to him. Everyone has their own measure. We must simply try to constantly acquire the grace of God.

Pilgrimage means that the more we withdraw, move away from the world, the greater friendship we make with God. And the closer we become to God, the more we acquire a spirit of unity among ourselves. A monk must be very careful about sentimentality and emotional relationships. You are not friends here, you are sisters here. A friend is one thing, a sister is another. And we obey the abbess not because we love her humanly, but because the abbess is the “legislative body” of grace, and by pleasing her, we please God. Our life should be absolutely Christ-centric, not anthropocentric.

How to find out your measure of achievement?

IN.: Nowadays, there is a lot of talk about the weakness of modern man, about the fact that he cannot strive as the ancient fathers did. And so, on the one hand, a person tries to take care of himself, that is, to strive as best he can, but, on the other hand, there is a danger of falling into the other extreme - self-pity. How to find out your measure of achievement?

ABOUT.: As the Holy Fathers said, both lack and excess are from the devil. Firstly, everyone must understand what kind of physical, mental strength what kind of mental capacity. Today I met a boy who has a diseased nervous system. Why did it happen so? He wanted to become an excellent student, forced himself to study only with straight A's, and, in the end, there was a violation in his nervous system. Therefore, properly inform your spiritual leaders about your condition so that they can give you the right guidance in your spiritual life.

Everything must be approached with reasoning. One brother was sent by the monastery gatekeeper to bring a bag of flour to the brothers at the bakery. But the bag was very heavy. The brother says: “In order not to be disobeyed, I’ll take it.” Another brother tells him: “If you can’t, tell Father Superior that you can’t.” - “It’s disobedience if you don’t take it.” - “No, this is not disobedience.” And, fortunately, that other brother called me and said: “If he lifts this bag now, he will immediately have a hernia.” And, fortunately, he did not allow him to do this, otherwise it would have been necessary to provide medical care. This monk had a jealousy beyond reason, as we say, a reverence with a problem.

IN.: Please advise how to deal with absent-mindedness during prayer.

ABOUT.: We all disperse. The mind is a wanderer. Be especially careful, sometimes inexperienced beginners try beyond their strength to force themselves into pure, undistracted prayer. They force, force, and then they can no longer bear it and completely abandon prayer. Pray calmly, peacefully, try to keep your mind in the words of the prayer. That's all. I can see from my monks that modern man does not have the same spiritual powers that the ancient fathers had. Human strength has weakened. The brothers get tired very quickly, even very zealous ones - “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Therefore, now is the time for economy, forbearance.

IN.: Please tell us about the modern elders of Athos. Unfortunately, we get to know the elders of the Holy Mountain only after their death, through books. I would like to hear something about those who are still alive.

ABOUT.:(Father Ephraim laughs) The monks have this rule: they do not talk about the success of a monk while he is alive. Elder Paisios said: “I have one big enemy. This is my name". He didn't like that he was so famous. And Elder Ephraim of Katunak also said: “I have a good name through the prayer of the devil and the curse of God.”

There are always virtuous people in the world. The Church is a factory for producing saints; as one Holy Mountain resident said, a factory for the production of holy relics. And monasticism is very important for the world, not because we want to monasticize the whole world, but because modern man is so busy, hears and sees so much, that he can only be brought to church through an experienced spiritual word. And this is the property primarily of monks.

IN.: Does Vatopedi have courtyards in the form of nunneries, like the monastery of Simon Peter?

ABOUT.: Fortunately, no (laughs). You women are very jealous. There is one monastery where I confess and I see that women repent more easily, but they have this female jealousy. Ten nuns are like one monk. But if a nun lives attentively, then she has a very comforting effect on the world. A woman has innate motherhood, it remains in a nun, it is only sanctified, and thanks to this she can bring a lot of benefit.

IN.: How do the brothers fight sleep during worship services and their rule? What advice did your elder, Joseph the Younger, give about this?

ABOUT.: One monk was sad because he was sleeping in the temple, he went to his elder and said: “I am in despair, I sleep all the time.” “Child,” the elder told him, “when Christ was sailing on a ship, there was a storm, the world was collapsing, and He was sleeping. And in the temple there is a stove, it’s warm, they sing... How can you not fall asleep here?”

Sometimes drowsiness comes from fatigue, but it also happens from demons. If there is such abuse, leave the temple, wash your face, walk a little in the courtyard - and back.

Lay people are more obedient than monks

IN.: How many pilgrims does your monastery receive? Do the brothers communicate with pilgrims?

ABOUT.: There are many pilgrims because the monastery is large. We have a hundred people, a hundred and fifty, and two hundred staying overnight every day. And Elder Joseph wanted us to take care of the pilgrims. You know, when a pilgrim comes to a monastery, he should be encouraged. How can you tell if the atmosphere in a monastery is right? If a layman, visiting a monastery, leaves not with remorse that he did not become a monk, but with greater faith in his marriage.

If guests come to your monastery, the sisters who are assigned to this obedience should communicate with them. Sometimes pilgrims complain to me that they went to some kaliva, but they are not accepted. But they are members of the Church. And I'm from mine little experience I will say: although perfection in virtues is commanded to monasticism, I have seen many lay people who had greater spiritual success than monks. Therefore, you need to respect and communicate correctly with the laity, then they will benefit greatly.

I hope that our meeting is not the last, and I ask you to pray for me, I need it.

–Were you born into a believing family? What was your first conscious encounter with God?

– I come from a village family, from a poor village. My parents are farmers. My father was a hard worker, not particularly a church person. Mother - man of God. And my first spiritual inspiration was from my father, from the priest of our village. I had a craving for church life: I would wear a towel around my neck and perform “liturgies” as a child. He understood and grasped everything, then repeated it, made excuses.

–What influenced your decision to become a monk? Who was your spiritual father?

– My spiritual father was Elder Joseph of Vatopedi. And I became a monk because grace attracted me.

I couldn’t even imagine this lifestyle - the first time I came to Athos, I was 18 years old. I studied at a church school, and one of my classmates, who also wanted to become a monk, but in the end became a married priest, said that in one of the civilian newspapers there were articles about the Holy Mountain. I started reading these articles and wanted to come to Athos. Then a year later we came to the theological school of Athens to study, and in 1975 I came to Athos for the first time.

The program of meetings included a meeting with Elder Ephraim of Katunak, who died in 1998. He had a strong charisma from God. There were five of us students then. He looks at me: “You,” he says, “will become a monk.” I went crazy with grief! “You’ll still put on the epitrachelion,” he says, “and you’ll become a priest.” And the plus says: “You will also be from our spiritual family - the disciples of Joseph the Hesychast.”

I couldn't sleep because of it! Nightmare - how will I become a monk?! We went to the monastery of Grigoriat, asked to meet with the abbot of the monastery, Father George, a spiritual man. “I,” I say, “are very sad: I was in Katunaki, and Elder Ephraim gave me this answer.” - “Elder Ephraim told you such a thing? Then it’s all over, he says. He never misses." I felt even worse, my grief increased. Another elder already confirmed the words of the first!

Then I went to Burazeli - this is a large cell, where Elder Ephraim’s spiritual brother, Elder Charalampius, lived, who was also one of the Nipticians, one of the sober fathers. Whichever spiritual father I met, I told everyone my pain: I had other thoughts and goals in life. I was so stupid back then! When I read Saint John of Kronstadt, he influenced me so much that since he had a “white” marriage (he and his wife lived like brother and sister), then I wanted to live like that.

I say to the old man, Father Haralampius: so and so, my grief is with me. “Elder Ephraim,” he says, “told you?” - "Yes". “It’s all over,” he says. And from that time on I was called a novice. Everyone joked among themselves: “you are a novice,” “you are a novice.” And I wanted to die from grief. Five years after that, I became a monk, that is, the prophecy was fulfilled.

Then I met Elder Joseph of Vatopedi, who, like Ephraim of Katunak, was also a disciple of Joseph the Hesychast. They all contributed huge contribution in the hesychast revival of the Holy Mountain.

– In Russia, the attitude towards Mount Athos is special. We perceive the Holy Mountain as a place as close as possible to the ideal of monasticism. Every Russian monk and novice hopes to work on Mount Athos, and ordinary believers dream of spending at least a day here. What attracts people to the Holy Mountain?

– Holy Mount Athos is the only functioning monastic state in the world that preserves all Orthodox tradition. What is monasticism? Monasticism is a detailed observance of the Gospel commandments, the Gospel. This means that where monasticism is experienced experientially, Orthodoxy is experienced experientially.

When we talk about legend, we do not mean folklore or some folk customs. By tradition we mean an art, a technique of holiness that is passed on experientially from person to person. The Holy Mountain contributes to achieving this goal. Our Russian brothers are looking for and thirsting for this genuine present Orthodox word, that’s why they love the Holy Mountain, and we love them too. Therefore, many of them visit us, and we pray for them.

– The traditions of the Holy Mountain are already more than a thousand years old, each monastery has its own. Which feature of the monastic life of Vatopedi is closest to you?

- At every monastery different variants fulfillment of the charter, but the Orthodox tradition, tradition is one. Some say that there is a Russian, Greek or Romanian tradition, but they emphasize that they do not mean spiritual life. In spiritual life there is one tradition - Orthodox. But what concerns, for example, church singing, minor ritual issues - there may be different features.

Our theology is the same that is experienced by everyone, and we can all be partakers of this theology - the theology that is transmitted to us from the incarnate God of the Word. On Mount Athos I love all-night vigils and solemn Liturgies. This does not mean that worship in other places - in your country or in others - of secondary importance. Once I asked one of your colleagues whether he goes to church or not. “No,” he says, “I only go to church on Mount Athos.” "Why?" - I say. “Because only here,” he says, “is there a good Liturgy.” - “You’re wrong, not only with us.”

Dogmatically and spiritually, all Liturgies are one, but on Athos there is a different spiritual atmosphere. On Athos, the silent hesychast atmosphere helps to absorb the divine service more, because the Holy Mountain is especially fertile place. In every monastery there are prayers of departed fathers and prayers of living fathers. Every monk on Mount Athos is taught to pray continuously, without interruption.

There are many on the Holy Mountain miraculous icons Mother of God, a lot of holy relics. All this spiritually decorates the place. And all this prepares the hearts of monks and pilgrims in such a way that they become receptive to the sacred rites performed. I am now on my fourth day outside of Athos, but I think that a year has already passed - I miss this atmosphere, the spiritual quality that resides there, and in general the place itself.

– 2016 marks the thousandth anniversary of the Russian presence on Mount Athos. Almost every Athos monastery has Russian monks and novices. What is the face of the Russian Afonite today? How do people become Afonites these days?

– Celebrating the millennium of the presence of Russian monasticism on Mount Athos is truly justified. A lot of Russian monks have pleased God over these thousand years. The Russian monastery of St. Panteleimon published a book - one might say, a modern Russian Athonite fatherland. I’m reading this book now and I’m amazed at how much the Russian ascetics forced their human nature to observe monastic duties and vows.

The crown of the Russian Athonite monks is Saint Silouan of Athonite. This is truly one of the greatest saints, of very high spiritual standards. I remember that before he was canonized, our ever-memorable spiritual father, Elder Joseph, read the book of Elder Sophronius, ktitor of the monastery of St. John the Baptist in Essex, who was a disciple of St. Silouan and his biographer.

Father Joseph often told us how inspired he was by the book “Elder Silouan” and what grace he received while reading this book. And he cited Saint Silouan as an example, because thanks to this book (not only the words of Saint Silouan himself are important there, but also the fact that Elder Sophronius presented them so theologically correctly - in my opinion, he is also a saint) greatness was presented Orthodox dogma, the high value of Orthodox life.

I know from my own experience that many people became Orthodox through this book, and many young people became monks by reading and studying it.

– To modern man it is difficult to imagine daily, minute-to-minute life with God. Is it easier on Athos?

– It’s much easier on Athos. Yesterday evening, here in my room, I read a student of the elder Sophronius, Father Zechariah, who passes on the teachings of his elder to his students. And he writes one very interesting thing, which I also thought about before, but did not dare to express.

Elder Sophrony said: there are a lot of saints in the world who received great grace because of various difficulties, trials that they had in life. life path, and because they had patience according to the gospel commandment. But, says Elder Sophrony, despite this, only monks can achieve pure prayer, and they achieve this because of the obedience they show to their spiritual mentors. This obedience gives them a very deep carelessness and carelessness. And when the monk has no worries, he can freely engage in prayer.

I want to say that in today's world the presence of monasticism and places like the Holy Mountain is especially important, because they have a great spiritual effect.

–A monk is a person who lives alone with God. What is love for God?

– The monk thirsts for God, strives for God. And here there is such a secret, such a miracle: not only a monk, but also every Christian who strives to love God, in return receives Divine uncreated energy in his heart. And the more this uncreated energy increases in his heart, the more God loves him. We, Orthodox Christians, attach great, great importance to the first commandment - to love God with all our hearts, with all our strength, with all our minds, and with all our minds.

It is very important that a person loves God. This love has no end. In the Book of Wisdom of Jesus, son of Sirach, it is written: “Those who eat me will still hunger, and those who drink me will still thirst” (Sir. 24:23).

Translation from the Greek monk Theodochos

Elder Joseph said: “In our spiritual success special role played by the spiritual father. And the fact that we don’t feel safe in the monastery, and we have a lot of thoughts, is often the reason that we don’t have trust in our spiritual father.”

22.05.2009 Through the labors of the brethren of the monastery 10 295

There is no obedience with reasoning; obedience must be accomplished without reasoning. Even if the elder makes a mistake, God will reward you for your obedience. Pankratiy. Father Ephraim, together with his brethren, belongs to the direction of monastic life that was laid down on Mount Athos by the great elder Joseph the Hesychast. They call him their "spiritual grandfather." Spiritual father Fr. Ephraim, monk Joseph is a direct spiritual child of Elder Joseph the Hesychast; he lives not far from the Vatopedi Monastery and regularly comes to meetings of the brethren. How is his health now?

Ephraim. Now he no longer comes, he only conveys his words to us.

Pankratiy. But in any case, I found a time when he came to the monastery and held conversations with the brethren, inspired conversations that concerned the most important thing for us, the most internal, secret issues of monastic life, inner life. How can we live, how can we be saved, how can we overcome the difficulties that are inevitable on the monastic path. The experience of the Vatopedi Monastery is especially important for us because in some ways our monasteries are similar. When the brotherhood of Joseph the monk, including Fr. Ephraim, moved from New Skete to Vatopedi, then the Vatopedi monastery was a sight probably as sad as ours Valaam Monastery 15-20 years ago. I was on Mount Athos in the early 90s, and I can testify that indeed at that time, before extensive restoration work began, many monasteries were in a state of disrepair.

Several years ago, already taking advantage of the goodwill and hospitality of Fr. Ephraim, I went outside the hotel where I was placed, the beautiful, well-appointed hotel of the Vatopedi Monastery, there is even an elevator, and suddenly I saw very familiar corridors, the same old, shabby, with the same cobwebs in the corners, with piles of firewood - that is, everything something that we know well here on Valaam. And it must be said that during the years that this brotherhood spent in Vatopedi, it transformed the external appearance of the monastery, but mainly it adjusted the brotherhood of the monastery in such a way that in addition to intense internal spiritual work, the brothers bear a very difficult, difficult obedience of hospitality, love, in a good way this word is the mission of bringing the word of God to many people who come every day to this holy ancient and great monastery. Therefore, the experience of the Vatopedi Monastery is very important for us, it is important precisely in that sense - how to combine this steady, solid monastic life with that pressure outside world, with a huge pressure of people with their problems, their sorrows that overwhelm the monastery every day and cry out for help. And some people, by the grace of God, by the grace of God, can withstand this onslaught and really help people, while others begin to break down, become despondent, and begin to think about whether this is the place he was looking for or whether it would be better for him to find another calmer? And here a question arises, quite often for our brethren, I think that probably it often arises among the brethren of the Vatopedi monastery - how to return to the first inspiration? How to kindle the Grace of God? So that there would be no despondency, no despair, no sadness, but there would be clear, inspired service to God.

Ephraim. I am also very glad that after the spiritual meal, we came to a real, material meal, which is a continuation of the spiritual meal. And as according to monastic tradition, during the material meal the word of God is given to the monks. And as I told the geront (abbot), the Valaam monastery and Vatopedi monastery are twins. Although this is only my second time here, I feel this problem is mine, because the spirit of the geront (abbot) is very close to our spirit. And as the elder bishop said: we have a special duty, as monks, to adequately respond to the call that God gave us. Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. This is the One who said: “Follow me” to his Apostles. He speaks the same today, and we, monks, are participants in this invitation, whom He called to monastic life, despite our weaknesses and our sins. Because monasticism is a continuation of the apostolic life, a continuation of the first monastic community (community), the leader of which was Christ. And in other conversations that I had on Russian soil, I said: the hope and hope of the whole world and the whole church is Orthodox monasticism. Therefore, our responsibility is great; we monks are called to show that grace still testifies to itself today. And today it is possible to experience Christ experientially. And therefore, the presence of monks means the presence of the fullness of grace in this world, and therefore a monk who renounces, leaves the world, commits by his departure a silent but significant revolution. He rejects the worldly spirit, the worldly way of thinking—throws it in the trash. And he also throws all the honor of this world into the trash. And as the Apostle says: “I counted everything as rubbish in order to gain Christ.

Our grandfather Joseph the Hesychast said: “the first grace you receive is for us to leave the world.” But this does not mean that it all ends here, here, now it all begins. Therefore, leaving the world, we must complete our mission here. Therefore, we must surrender completely to the spiritual father, to whom grace has led us, and submit to him completely. A monk who comes to the monastery with his own conditions has already started badly - this is what Elder Joseph especially emphasized in his teaching. Elder Joseph said: “The spiritual father plays a special role in our spiritual success. And the fact that we do not feel safe in the monastery, and we have many thoughts, is often the reason that we do not have trust in our spiritual father.” The place of the spiritual father is very significant and therefore such obedience is prescribed for a monk.

Unreasoning obedience creates constant inspiration, it is given a desire for God, this gives birth to love for God, gives birth to a thirst for God and spiritual insatiability in a monk, as the prophet says, “they will eat, but will not be satisfied,” “they will drink and will thirst even more.” ". Therefore, the position of a monk should be such that even in a dream one should not remain without divine attraction, and this love and attraction to God is the one that activates inner grace. And therefore, when pilgrims ask us: “Don’t you feel the routine in the monastery? We see that every day you do the same thing,” and we answer: the only thing that monasticism does not represent is routine. Because every day there are new feelings, new experiences, a new presence of grace, which so delights the soul and gives fullness, and this fullness gives constant joy. But since we don’t have much time, I’ll stop here to answer your questions.

Pankratiy. What gives rise to the “richness of inner life”? In fact, there is a danger for a monk; he can fall into this “routine”. Recently, one brother told me that “I live some kind of plant life: I eat, sleep, work, sleep again, eat again...”.

Ephraim. We must pay special attention to our conscience, to the accurate keeping of the commandments. This activates the grace within us; if a monk does not strictly keep the commandments, he does not have a sense of grace, and therefore he does not feel this grace. When the soul feels grace, it rejects everything else and feels a constant patronal holiday within itself. Therefore, always use obedience for your spiritual advancement and do it with nobility. We obey not because we are defective children, not because we have no will, and not because we have mental illnesses - we obey in order to imitate Christ. And the first thing a monk must understand well is that this is monasticism. One novice who recently came to the monastery told me: “I came to the monastery to pray and read.” I told him: you are starting with a mistake, the monastery is not a center for studying the patristic works, but a center where you learn how to get rid of passions, overcome passions , so I came to the monastery to show obedience, so that everyone would use me, everyone would step on (trample on) me. If everyone doesn’t use a cenobitic monk, he is a failure. How is it used? Because he has such a disposition that everyone will ask him to help. And then this person rightly begins to find grace with confidence and will feel a spiritual flame within himself, and this flame will manifest itself as an inexpressible attraction to God.

Pankratiy. But in reality it happens that we have a lot of obediences, we have a lot of ministries, a lot of work. We have huge monasteries, but there are not many people who could properly keep it all in order. Therefore, everyone has a lot of work. And many brothers are getting tired. And if even more so he tries to act according to your word, and to be a servant to everyone, and everyone can use him, then it turns out that by the evening he no longer has any strength. And if he prays, then he prays inattentively, yawns, and thinks about how he can go to bed faster.

Ephraim. This hard work – for Christ’s sake, it covers everything.

Ephraim. A monk, even when he works, his mind does not leave prayer. And therefore work, even if there is no time to pray in the cell, covers everything. And you know what, when obedience robs you of your cell prayer time, never be sad about it! I was a cook at the monastery for four years, and now I confess to you: you know, a cook never has a day off. On Sunday, everyone sat under the trees and read, I once went to the elder and said, “Everyone is reading, but I don’t read?”, and the elder answered me as follows: “Son, has Mary of Egypt ever seen Holy Scripture in front of her? And how?” did she answer with quotes from the writings of Zosima? and this answer calmed me down, and I never had any more thoughts. Grace enlightens, grace gives spiritual enlightenment. And if a monk is not subject to despondency and negligence, and it is not because of this that he does not have time for prayer in his cell, this monk is a martyr.

Question. When I have sorrows, what should I do to maintain prayer without thoughts?

Ephraim. When a person has sorrows, he always has thoughts. But I must pay attention not to keep it to myself. When he has some kind of sorrow inside, let him go and confess, and this will give him great relief.

Question. Can we call pain in the heart crying if there are no tears? And if this happens during Divine Liturgy.

Ephraim. There is an external tear, there is an internal tear - that is, heart pain. And there are people who by nature do not cry easily and for them the internal pain of the heart replaces external tears and sighs.

Question. How to warm up this cry of the heart?

Ephraim. Love and attraction to God, love to Christ. And as far as possible to be at the feet of Christ. And it helps a lot for a monk to go in spiritual contemplation to the crucifixion of Christ, at a time when He was beaten, when they spat on Him. And I thank God that I did not live in the time of Christ, because then I would have spit on him too.

Question. Before you begin to pray, how to tune in to a reverent attitude towards the name of God.

Ephraim. When a person is constantly thinking about how to keep the commandments, I can say that grace, as it were, automatically prepares a person for this love, for reverence for God. And that’s why Grandfather Joseph said: “Obedience will bring prayer, not prayer will bring obedience,” and this is said in holy scripture"obedience is superior to sacrifice." And one more thing: whether the spiritual father is here or not, a monk must always ask himself: “Am I now in the spirit of my elder?”, because obedience in a monastery is not a discipline, not only an external action, but a purely heartfelt action. And we do this obedience out of love for God, and therefore Christ identifies the legislative organs of grace with Himself, saying “whoever listens to you will listen to Me, whoever does not listen to you will not listen to Me.” And as it was read in today’s Apostle, “obey your teachers, because they are watching over your souls,” so that you do this with joy, and not with groaning, because it is not good for you. And therefore Elder Joseph the Hesychast again renewed the spirit of Theodore the Studite on the Holy Mountain. And he emphasized the “repose of the elder” - that is, the concern that the elder is pleased with the novice, and therefore the “repose of the elder” is a Christ-centric and not a human-centric action, not sentimental, and this is very important for a monk.

Pankratiy. Repeat again - this is a very important thing.

Ephraim. Obedience is not a human-centered action, but a Christ-centered one, it is not a sentimental connection between two people.

Pankratiy. In other words, this is not man-pleasing, but Christ-pleasing.

Question. How can you humbly refuse your brother so as not to lose peace?

Ephraim. Sorry brother, I can’t help you now, but I will help you another time. One day our guide went to one brother to ask him to read the psalter. And my brother was tired, when he saw him he immediately said, “Come on, get out of here.”

Question. They say that one must surrender oneself to one’s spiritual father in simplicity of heart, but Lately There are no such people, they say you must obey with reasoning, but if you reason, it’s as if this is no longer quite obedience.

Ephraim. There is no obedience with reasoning; obedience must be accomplished without reasoning. Even if the elder makes a mistake, God will reward you for your obedience. In two things we can show disobedience, this concerns dogma and ethics, that is, dogmas and morality, it is even said in the Fatherland that “if the elder is immoral, but there is no danger for you to fall into the same sin, stay with him.” Where Grace planted a monk, that’s where he will succeed. He will leave the monastery only if he is expelled, but he himself should never leave. Because there is a special demon who presents us with ideal places other than our monastery. Many Russians come to the Holy Mountain to find spiritual life, so to speak. And they go from one patronal feast to another patronal feast, from one cell to another. And they are absolute losers, they have only one thought: one day we will find this life - and they never find it, they cannot take root.

Pankratiy. Just like if you replant a tree seedling often, every year, it will never grow.

Question. How do they say that a person should have a joyful face, but if he has sadness about sins, internal struggle, sorrow, then how can he have a joyful face?

Ephraim. If you think like this, then there will always be sorrows in your thoughts, some will go, others will come. This sadness does not remain forever, and when the monk gains experience, he will laugh at himself and think “how I was deceived by these internal changes, how I was deceived by them.

Pankratiy. And I will also add that the Holy Fathers wrote that we should greet our brothers with a friendly face, we should not increase the sorrow. Even if we are sad inside and the cats are scratching at our souls, we must greet our brother warmly. This is not some kind of people-pleasing, but this is bearing each other’s burdens. This is how we fulfill the law of Christ, even in such a simple thing - just smiling at your brother, just making him such a face that you are pleased to see him, not to mention not saying a rude word, or neglecting, or turning away - this is already a sin.

Pankratiy. Here is another question that many asked: Will Elder Joseph the Hesychast be glorified as a saint and how is the situation now?

Ephraim. Don't know. And to be honest, I’m not very interested in this - because for us he is a saint. And whether he is glorified or not is not the main thing for us. And by the way, this is the latest fashion, in Orthodox Church There was no official glorification of the saints. The people themselves recognized holiness and experienced the holiness of some saint. And we know Simeon the New Theologian who celebrated the memory of his elder all week. But I believe that this hour will come, because he (Elder Joseph) constantly performs miracles, helps many, both monks and laymen. And it appears to our brothers. What I want to say at the end of the conversation: You must feel your purpose. Because Balaam is a spiritual foundation, and now on this journey (now more than a few years ago) I realized that Balaam lives in the hearts of Russian Orthodox Christians. And they believe that he will play a big role in helping the Russian people. We will not disappoint these people! And how will we contribute to the cause of helping the Russian people, not by going back and forth, talking, preaching; and if we experience the experience of grace, those who come to us will feel it, and will leave here with different faces, that is, changed for the better.