Tip 1: What are the famous Optina elders
Tip 1: What are the famous Optina elders
In Optina Desert, in the Vladimir ChurchThe relics of the holy elders are kept. During their lifetime they cured mental and bodily diseases. Today pilgrims travel here in the whole world, hoping for a miracle of healing.
The elder is an experienced monk in the spiritual life,possessing the gift of reasoning, a teacher, a mentor. They went to him for advice and comfort, and the elder did not refuse any help to anyone, he warmed all who came with his attention and warmth. A man came out of his cell, flew on wings, the world seemed to him renewed. Seniority became the hallmark of Optina Desert. The glory of this monastery and its elders was spread all over Russia and beyond.
First
The first elder in Optina Desert was the ReverendLev Optinsky (LD Nagolkin), a man of large build, with a loud voice and a mop of thick hair. Sharp and impetuous. Instead of long persuasions, the old man sometimes knocked out the ground from under the feet of the visitor, making him realize his wrong and repent. He, as a psychologist, knew how to achieve his goal. Rev. Leo Optina not only healed the soul, but also healed. He saved many of the infirm from death. Successfully treated the elder Leo and the demoniacs (possessed by the devil). At the end of his life, he predicted that Russia would suffer many griefs and upheavals. The holy relics of the Monk Leo are in the Vladimir Monastery temple.Elder Macarius
Hieroschemamonk Macarius (M. Ivanov) - a disciple of the Monk Leo of Optina. He was huge, with an ugly face, pock-marked, tongue-tied. Possessed the gift of clairvoyance. When he saw the man for the first time, he could immediately call him by his first name. Responded to letters earlier than they received. He wrote letters from morning till night. They contain advice and answers to numerous spiritual questions. They are still useful and interesting today. The Monk Makarii in the monastery created and headed a group of scholars and writers (monks and lay people). They translated ancient spiritual writings. Under the influence of the elder Makarii in Russia, a school of publishers and translators of spiritual literature arose. Tolstoy and Gogol writers came to him for confession. People behind this old man walked in droves, people dreamed of seeing it through a window at least. He endowed everyone with his love. Tired and ill, the Monk Makarii accepted pilgrims until his death.The Monk Illarion of Optina
Hieroschemonah Hilarion (R.N. Ponomarev) perfectly recognized and treated mental illness by repentance. People went to him for advice in difficult life situations. The wise man's wisdom was astonishing: he spoke very little, but his words had great strength. One day the Reverend Hilarion of Optina was approached by the merchant's brother. The young merchant was a widower and asked to be blessed for a second marriage. The elder advised me to postpone the wedding for a year and said that the merchant would soon arrive in Optina Pustyn. The merchant did not obey. His new wife died in three weeks. After some time he himself came to the monastery and took monastic vows. And the elder Hilarion loved to work in the garden: he planted trees, planted flowers. Monks and strangers admired and admired the beautiful flower gardens of Optina Desert, grown by the works of one man. Optina Pustyn became the only place in Russia where the society of people reached the highest degree of spirituality. Not every monk, but the entire brotherhood. There were many saints in the monasteries of Russia, but the holy brotherhood under the guidance of the Reverend Elders - only in this monastery. Miracles of healing from bodily and spiritual diseases, all-consuming love for people, humility and forgiveness are famous for the Optina elders.Tip 2: What is Sysoy day
Surely you've heard of such an Orthodoxholiday, as Sysoy day. The memory of St Sisoy the Great, a monk-hermit, will live forever, this holy man led an equable-to-angelic life, conquering with prayer and humility the hordes of invisible enemies.
Sysoev day is celebrated on July 6, according to the old style,on the new - July 19. The Monk Sisoy the Great lived in the Egyptian desert in a cave that was consecrated by the prayers of his predecessor, Antonius the Great. Sisoy led a hermitic way of life for sixty years and for this considerable time was able to achieve spiritual purity and receive the gift of miracles in reward. This unique gift was so powerful and powerful that it allowed one day to bring the deceased youth back to life. The Monk hermit-monk was rather merciful to others and neighbors, and also to those who applied to him for help, he accepted all with compassion and love. But at the same time he remained extremely strict to himself. One day, Sisoy told one pilgrim that the most important thing was to consider himself lower than the rest, since such humiliation helps to achieve humility. When Saint Sisoy lay down on his deathbed, the disciples surrounding the old man suddenly noticed that the face of the Great was beginning to shine. At the same time, the Monk declared that he saw all the apostles and prophets. The disciples asked whom Sisoy was talking to, then he replied that angels came for his soul, and he asked them to give them a little time to repent. Then the face of the Monk shone so that the disciples did not dare look at him. Before his death, the monk managed to inform the disciples that he saw the Lord God himself, and after these words his holy soul departed to the Kingdom of Heaven. It was to this day, which became a memory, that all the sowing work should be completed where they continued. On Sysoev's day, proverbs were remembered that every thing should be done at one time: "It's not that care, it's a lot of work, but care, how there's no work" or "Every day has its own worries." It was also believed that on this holy day, dew is gathered with medicinal properties and gives health and strength to man, the bird and the beast. In the villages on this day also began to brew jam from the currant.
Tip 3: Why is it said that everything is for the better?
A famous aphorism from the work of Voltaire"Candide" is extremely fond of the fans of the author. Although in the 21st century, speaking at the next failure "all for the better", many already do not know where this dictum originates.
It is unlikely that Voltaire, working on a product"Candide or optimism", which was published in 1759, suggested that the saying "tout est pour le mieux dans le meilleur des mondes possibles" would be relevant after so many years. True, pronounced by the mouth of one of the heroes of this philosophical novel by Dr. Panglos, it sounded like "everything is for the best in the best possible worlds." When quoting and translating the famous literary masterpiece of Voltaire into various languages, the quotation partly lost the meaning originally invested by the author. In Russian, it is used in another version: "whatever is done - everything is for the best." Sometimes it's ironically added "just not to yours."
