| With the coming of the Russian Revolution in 1917, the monastery was of course officially shut down, but some of the Fathers were able to keep it running for a time as an ‘agricultural legion’. Over the years, most of the Fathers were dispersed, to die in exile, in prison camps, or by the firing squad. Many of them are known to have continued to function as startsi to their spiritual children, despite great danger and hardship, for the remainder of their time on earth. Commemoration of the Optina startsi was approved by the Synod of the Russian Church Abroad in 1990, and by the Moscow Patriarchate in 1996. The Optina Monastery itself was officially re-established in 1987. Schema-Archimandrite Moses As a youth, Elder Moses received St. Seraphim’s blessing to enter the monastic life. He was 16 when he joined the Roslavl forest ascetics, among whom were disciples of Elder Paisius Velichkovsky, and for 14 years he exercised himself in spiritual warfare and inner concentration under their tutelage. Forced to move by the War of 1812, he lived for a time with ascetics in the Briansk forest where he forged ties with Elder Leonid. In 1821 he visited Optina, which had been revived by Paisian disciples not long before, and he was persuaded to stay and establish nearby a skete. With his younger brother Anthony and two other monks he began building, and a year later the skete church was consecrated. In 1825 Moses was appointed superior of the Hermitage, while his brother succeeded him as head of the skete. Elder Moses greatly expanded the physical plant of the Hermitage: he built the St. Mary of Egypt refectory church, additional cells for the brethren; he added stables, a kiln, a large library and an apiary. More importantly, he strengthened its spiritual foundation by inviting Elder Leonid to Optina and himself setting an example of utmost obedience and meekness. After Elder Leonid arrived, he did nothing without his blessing. His love and gentleness attracted many pilgrims, with their financial support, but his true spiritual stature remained largely hidden, just as his life was hidden in God. |
| On spiritual fatherhood in the Christian East, the standard work is by Irйnйe Hausherr, Direction spirituelle en Orient autrefois, Orientalia Christiana Analecta 144 (Rome: Pont. Institutum Studiorum Orientalium, 1955); English translation, Spiritual Direction in the Early Christian East, Cistercian Studies Series 116 (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1990). Consult also I. Hadot, “The Spiritual Guide,” in A. H. Armstrong (ed.), Classical Mediterranean Spirituality: Egyptian, Greek, Roman (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1986), 436-59; Graham Gould, The Desert Fathers on Monastic Community (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1993), especially 26-87; Stephan B. Clark, Unordained Elders and Renewal Communities (New York/Paramus/Toronto: Paulist Press, 1976); John Chryssavgis, Ascent to Heaven. The Theology of the Human Person according to Saint John of the Ladder (Brookline, MA: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 1989), 211-30; H. J. M. Turner, St. Symeon the New Theologian and Spiritual Fatherhood (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1990). For a comparison between Climacus and Symeon, see my introduction to the English translation of Hausherr, Spiritual Direction, vii-xxxiii. On the Russian tradition, consult J. B. Dunlop, Staretz Amvrosy: Model for Dostoevsky’s Staretz Zossima (Belmont, MA: Nordland, 1972); I. de Beausobre (ed.), Macarius, Starets of Optino: Russian Letters of Direction 1834-1860 (Westminster: Dacre, 1944); Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov), Saint Silouan the Athonite (Tolleshunt Knights: Monastery of Saint John the Baptist, 1991). For modern Greek examples, see Elder Paisios of Mount Athos, Athonite Fathers and Athonite Matters (Thessalonica: Holy Convent of the Evangelist John the Theologian, Souroti, 1999). On Romania, see [Hiermonk Seraphim Rose], Blessed Paisius Velichkovsky (Platina, CA: Saint Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, 1976); Romul Joanta (now Metropolitan Seraphim of Germany and Central Europe), Roumanie: tradition et culture hйsychasmes, Spirimualimй orientale 46 (Bйgrolles: Abbaye de Bellefontaine, 1987); English translation, Romania: Its Hesychast Tradition and Culture (Wildwood, CA: St Xenia Skete, 1992). |
| Schema-Archimandrite Moses (Putilov) 1772–June 16, 1862 As a youth, Elder Moses received the blessing of St. Seraphim of Sarov to enter the monastic life. He was sixteen when he joined the Roslavl forest ascetics, among whom were disciples of Elder Paisius Velichkovsky, and for fourteen years he exercised himself in spiritual warfare and inner concentration under their tutelage. Forced to move by the War of 1812, he lived for a time with ascetics in the Briansk forest where he forged ties with Elder Leonid. In 1821 he visited Optina, which had been revived by Paisian disciples not long before, and he was persuaded to stay and establish nearby a skete. With his younger brother Anthony and two other monks he began building, and a year later the skete church dedicated to St. John the Forerunner was consecrated. In 1825 Moses was appointed superior of the Optina Monastery, while his brother succeeded him as head of the skete. Elder Moses greatly expanded the physical plan of the Hermitage: he built the St. Mary of Egypt refectory church, additional cells for the brethren; he added stables, a kiln, a large library and an apiary. More importantly, he strengthened its spiritual foundation by inviting Elder Leonid to Optina and himself setting an example of utmost obedience and meekness. After Elder Leonid arrived, he did nothing without his blessing. His love and gentleness attracted many pilgrims, with their financial support, but his true spiritual stature remained largely hidden, just as his life was hidden in God. Counsels of Elder Moses “If you show mercy towards others–mercy will be shown to you.” “If you co-suffer with the suffering (although this does not seem difficult), you will be numbered among the martyrs.” “If you forgive your offenders, not only will all your sins be forgiven, but you shall be the children of the Heavenly Father.” “If you pray for salvation from the bottom of your heart, even a little bit, you shall be saved.” “If you berate yourself, accuse and judge yourself before God for your sins, of which you become aware through your conscience, you shall be justified.” |
| So, what is done? In the West, they carry out reforms, monastic reforms. But the reforms are put in place from above – it’s institutional reform. The discipline in monasteries is reinstated or applied more severely. For example, the Cistercians wanted to reform the Benedictine Order by applying the Rule of St. Benedict literally, but this did not last very long. They became as decadent, so to speak, as the Benedictines. The Trappists are a reform of the Cistercians, a reform of a reform. Fine. That didn’t last eternally, either. I am very skeptical of all initiatives to reform the Church internally, because one remains at the institutional level. And I believe – this is my personal conviction – that man has the right to reform only that which he has formed himself. Look at reforms that are institutional, constitutional, military, monetary, whatever you like – these are reforms of human institutions. So man can modify them when needed. But the spiritual life cannot be reformed. One can only make or create – and this is the duty of the hierarchy, of bishops and patriarchs – favorable conditions so that the Holy Spirit could, through good monks, renew monasticism from within. One can cite the example of the renaissance of Russian monasticism led by St. Paisius (Velichkovsky), but one doesn’t have to go that far back. We can turn to Greece: Mount Athos in the early to mid-twentieth century was declining towards the zero mark. This was due to external circumstances; there was also the heritage of Turkocracy. The monasteries were impoverished, the brethren no longer lived communally, and all the larger monasteries had become idiorrhythmic. Thus discipline was at its lowest level. These were not necessarily very bad monks, but it was not according to the canons. Then came the catastrophic expulsion of the Greek population from Asia Minor in the 1920s, and the large monasteries no longer had their recruiting zones, because traditionally the large monasteries had received their vocations from different parts of Asia Minor. There had been a very strong Greek population there – in Pontus, Smyrna. So, there was decline. |
| In 1758, at the age of 36, Fr Paisius was ordained a hieromonk. With the growth of the number of monks, at their request, Fr Hiero-schemamonk Paisius asked that Pantocrator Monastery give him the cell of Prophet Elias, and began to establish the Skete of Prophet Elias. So Elder Paisius was one of the founder of today's Skete of Prophet Elias on the Holy Mountain of Athos. His skete grew in number. Very soon not only his brotherhood but monks from throughout the Holy Mountain's monasteries became the spiritual children of Fr Paisius. Even Patriarch Seraphim, who lived in retirement in Pantocrator Monastery, came to him for spiritual discussions. All the brethren did handicrafts, and the elder himself made spoons, spending his nights reading and rewriting the books of the Holy Fathers, sleeping no more than three hours a day. But the enemy of mankind envied the growth of Paisius' brotherhood, their peaceful life and spiritual success. Problems arose among the skete's residents, who were summoned by Elder Athanasius, who lived nearby. This enmity and the ensuing problems disturbed Fr Paisius and his students. The brotherhood expanded to 50 people, and there was no more room to live, so new cells had to be built, but there were no funds. By the recommendation of several residents of Mt Athos, Fr Paisius, together with his monks, move to the Monastery of St Simon Peter, which was empty at the time. They hoped this way to avoid their conflict with Elder Athanasius. The monastic brethren of St Simon Peter had left because they owed money to the Turkish authorities and could not pay it. But in three months, it became necessary for Fr Paisius and his monks to leave this monastery, too, since the Turks were demanding the repayment of the old debt, and they had no funds. Once again they returned to the Skete of Prophet Elias. But their poverty did not permit them to stay for long, and they had to find a new home. Elder Paisius decided to move with his brethren to Moldovlachia. |
| In 1758, at the age of 36, Fr. Paisius was ordained a hieromonk. With the growth of the number of monks, at their request Fr. Hiero-schemamonk Paisius asked that Pantocrator Monastery give him the kalyva of Prophet Elias, and he began to establish the Skete of Prophet Elias. Thus, Elder Paisius was one of the founders of today's Skete of Prophet Elias on the Holy Mountain of Athos. His skete grew. Very soon not only his brotherhood but monks from throughout the Holy Mountain's monasteries became the spiritual children of Fr Paisius. Even Patriarch Seraphim, who lived in retirement in the Pantocrator Monastery, came to him for spiritual discussions. All the brethren did handicrafts, and the elder himself made spoons, spending his nights reading and rewriting the books of the Holy Fathers, sleeping no more than three hours a day. But the enemy of mankind envied the growth of Paisius' brotherhood, their peaceful life, and spiritual progress. Problems arose among the skete's residents, who were summoned by Elder Athanasius who lived nearby. This enmity and the ensuing problems disturbed Fr Paisius and his disciples. The brotherhood expanded to fifty people, and there was no more room to live, so new cells had to be built; but there were no funds. At the recommendation of several residents of Mt. Athos, Fr Paisius and his monks moved to the Monastery of St. Simon Peter (Simonos Petros), which was empty at the time. They hoped this way to avoid their conflict with Elder Athanasius. The monastic brethren of St. Simon Peter had left because they owed money to the Turkish authorities and could not pay it. But in three months, it became necessary for Fr Paisius and his monks to leave this monastery, too, since the Turks were demanding the repayment of the old debt, and they had no funds. Once again they returned to the Skete of Prophet Elias. But their poverty did not permit them to stay for long, and they had to find a new home. Elder Paisius decided to move with his brethren to Moldovlachia. |
| Conversion: heart and works Recall the introductory quote to this article: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Matthew 6 21). Consider Our Lord’s words to the Pharisees: “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men. " ” (Matthew 15: 7-9) Apparently what we have taught one another about ourselves are the “precepts of men.” Wives and husbands, fathers and mothers, their children see each other in terms of the values of the world. Where are the values of Christ? Where is reference to Christian holiness, virtue and sanctity? Where are answers like: I see (husband, wife, mother, father, child): Let us recall that our primary purpose on earth is to know, love and serve God; eventually attain Him indwelling in us that we may “become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4) We are called to be saints. Since we are called to be saints, let us look at the lives of three saints who grew up in Orthodox Christian homes. In his description of the upbringing of St. Dorotheos of Gaza, Wheeler (1977) writes that the saint’s life experiences ” … would argue [for] a solid Christian home life.” George Bebis in his introduction to the Spiritual Counsels of St. Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain (Chamberas, 1989) writes of the early life of the saint: “His parents were pious people…he was distinguished by his exceptional alertness, his industry, his labors and his love for religious and secular learning.” Monk Paisius in describing the young life of St. Paisius Velichkovsky, (St. Paisius Velichkovsky, 1994), who revitalized Orthodox spirituality in the 18th century, tells us in his early years his “..soul and heart tasted the truth through the Church services, the writings of the Holy Fathers, and above all the Sacred Scriptures — and he wanted the fullness of Christ’s revelation.” And later the biographer monk writes: “This distinguished St. Paisius from a 17-year-old of today. Having a foretaste of the life to come, he clearly knew what was being sought — union with the Truth.” |
| In 1763, after 17 years on the Holy Mountain, he and 64 monks left and resettled in Moldavia. Preparing for his departure, Elder Paisius hired two ships; one he occupied with his Slavic monks, the other carried Fr. Vissarion and the Moldavian brethren. They first went to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Dragomir, Bukovina. The monastery was given to them with forests and all taxes were suspended. Although it was in a state of disrepair, the monastery was soon brought into good condition through the monks' efforts. The monastic rule for services was that of Mt Athos. They served in two languages, on the right cliros they sang in Slavonic, on the left, in Moldavian. In the cell-life of the brethren, the Elder demanded of each monk that he follow his calling with full awareness and earnestness, that they would all be monks not only in clothing but in spirit. The Elder would spend entire days with the brethren; the doors to his cell would sometimes stay open until 9 o'clock in the evening. Monks would come to talk about spiritual and practical matters. Also, the Elder’s daily reading of patristic books and his discussions on them was very significant in the spiritual life of the monks. But the peaceful life in Dragomir was soon disrupted by the war between Russia and Turkey. Dragomir fell under Austrian control, and the monks had to evacuate to Secul. Here the monks began to help refugees. Problems arose among the monks. Gradually, life in Secul settled down. The Elder's studies did not cease there, either. His translating work began to develop. Secul, of course, proved too small and cramped for his brethren. So through the intercession of Prince Konstantin and with the blessing of Metropolitan Gabriel, Elder Paisius and his monks were offered the opportunity of moving to Niametz in 1779. But Elder Paisius was not happy with this proposal, for it introduced many complications, and he was already advancing in years. After some hesitation, the Elder consented to move, but he left some of the monks in Secul, while he himself moved to Niametz with the others. |
| In 1763, after 17 years on the Holy Mountain, he and 64 monks left and resettled in Moldavia. Preparing for his departure, Elder Paisius hired two ships; one he occupied with his Slavic monks, the other took Fr Vissarion and the Moldavian brethren. They first went to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Dragomir, Bukovina. The monastery was given to them with forests and all taxes were suspended. Although it was in a state of disrepair, soon, through the monks' efforts, the monastery was brought into good condition. The monastic rule for services was that of Mt Athos. They served in two languages, on the right kliros they sang in Slavonic, on the left, in Moldavian. In the cell-life of the brethren, the Elder demanded of each monk that he follow his calling with full awareness and earnestness, to be a monk not only by their clothing but in their spirit. The Elder would spend entire days with the brethren, the doors to his cell would sometimes stay open until 9 o'clock in the evening. Monks would come and go to talk about spiritual and practical matters. Also, the daily reading by the Elder of the books of the Holy Fathers and his discussions on them had great significance for the spiritual life of the monks. But the peaceful life in Dragomir was soon violated by war between Russia and Turkey. Dragomir fell under Austrian control, and so they had to evacuate to Sekul. Here the monks began to help refugees. Problems arose among the monks. Gradually, life in Sekul settled down. The Elder's studies did not cease here, either. His translating work began to develop here. Sekul, of course, proved too small and cramped for his brethren. So through the intercession of Prince Konstantin, Elder Paisius and his monks, with the blessing of Metropolitan Gabriel, was offered the opportunity of moving to Niametz in 1779. But Elder Paisius was not happy with this proposal, for it introduced many complications, and he was already advancing in years. Neamt Monastery, Romania. |
| Fr. Gabriel baking his own bread I am old enough to remember that there were statistical calculations done in the West to indicate the date when the last monk would die. But these gentlemen did not know that in secret, in the hermitages, renewal was already underway. Because renewal did not come from the large monasteries, but from the hermitages. We can mention one name that is very well known here in Russia: Joseph the Hesychast, who reposed in the 1950s, along with many others who are not as well known. But from this small community, who lived in caves truly like the first hesychast fathers, four large monasteries were renewed from within – there was no reform or massive intervention from the outside. Then little by little, because they had become convinced, all the monasteries returned to the communal life. The idiorrhythmic life no longer existed in the end. All of this was done without intervention. And I would like to hope that the hierarchy, because it is their duty, will create favorable conditions. Fr. Gabriel baking his own bread One of these conditions, as on Athos, is the free election of abbots. This isn’t the case in Romania or Russia. Of course, this is not always possible. Sometimes a monastery is in a situation in which they have no qualified persons. Then the bishop, the hierarchy, has to intervene. In this regard, the example of the renaissance in the era of St. Paisus (Velichkovsky) is very significant. The key figure here was Metropolitan Gabriel (Petrov) of St. Petersburg. He was a grant court bishop, but also an ascetic – even if this wasn’t visible. His cell-attendant was the Elder Theophan, who had been a disciple of St. Paisius (Velichkovksy), who had been in Moldavia, because it was no longer possible to live like a good monk in Russia after the reforms of Peter the Great and Catherine. Monasteries had become homes for old soldiers, more or less. So when, for example, it was necessary to renew life on Valaam, the Metropolitan asked Theophan: “Whom can we send as abbot?” Because this could not have been done alone. The latter replied: “We need to send Nazarius. He is an illiterate monk, but a great monk.” And if fact this Nazarius completely renewed this great, ancient monastery. |
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