Житие преподобного Серафима, Саровского чудотворца
The Elder's Counsel to Two Women
Two women seek Saint Seraphim's blessing; he surprisingly advises the older noblewoman to marry and the young merchant to enter monastic life, leaving both and their spiritual father perplexed.
On another occasion, they visited Fr.1 Seraphim—two young women, spiritual daughters of Stefan, a schemamonk of the Sarov Hermitage. One of them was from the merchant class and still young; the other was from the nobility and already advanced in years. The latter had been burning with love for God since her youth and had long wanted to become a nun, but her parents would not give her their blessing to do so. Both young women came to Fr.2 Seraphim to receive a blessing and ask him for counsel. The noblewoman, moreover, asked him to bless her entry into a monastery. The elder, however, began advising her to marry, saying: "Married life is blessed by God Himself."✦ In it, both sides need only keep marital faithfulness, love, and peace. In marriage you'll be happy, but there's no path into monastic life for you. Monastic life is hard; not everyone can bear it." But the young woman of the merchant class, still young in years, wasn't thinking about monasticism and hadn't said a word about it to Fr. Seraphim. Meanwhile, of his own accord and by his spiritual insight, he blessed her to enter the monastic order, and even named the monastery where she would work out her salvation.3 Both remained equally dissatisfied with the elder's counsel; and the older woman was even offended by his advice and grew cold in her devotion to him. Their own spiritual father, Hieromonk Stefan, was astonished and couldn't understand why, in fact, the elder was turning the older woman—so zealous for the monastic path—away from monasticism, while blessing the young girl, who had no desire for the monastic life, to take that very path.
The Fulfillment of the Prophecy
Time vindicates the elder: the older woman marries and is happy, while the young woman enters the very monastery he named.
What followed, however, proved the elder right. The noble maiden, already advanced in years, entered into marriage and was happy. And the younger one did indeed go to the monastery the clairvoyant elder had named.
A Mother's Blessing and Her Son's Vocation
The elder calls a widow by name, gives her antidoron, and tells her to hurry home to see her son before he leaves for the Kiev Academy, a son who later becomes a monk and archimandrite.
By the gift of his clairvoyance, Fr. Seraphim did much good for his neighbors. So in Sarov there was a devout deacon's widow from Penza named Evdokia. Wanting to receive the elder's blessing, she followed him from the hospital church in a large crowd and stopped on the porch of his cell, waiting behind everyone for her turn to come up to Fr. Seraphim. But Fr. Seraphim, leaving everyone else, suddenly said to her, "Evdokia, come here quickly." Evdokia was extremely surprised that he called her by name, even though he had never seen her, and she approached him with reverence and trembling. Fr. Seraphim blessed her and gave her the holy antidoron and said: "You need to hurry home so you can catch your son still at home."4 Evdokia hurried, and she barely caught her son at home: in her absence, the authorities of the Penza seminary had appointed him as a student at the Kiev Academy and, because of the great distance from Penza to Kiev, were hurrying to send him to his destination as soon as they could. This son, after finishing the course at the Kiev Academy, entered monastic life under the name Irinarch and taught in seminaries; at present he holds the rank of archimandrite and deeply honors the memory of Fr. Seraphim.
Prophecy of Three Powers Against Russia
Saint Seraphim foretells that three powers will rise against Russia and wear her down, but that the Lord will preserve her for the sake of Orthodoxy, a prophecy later understood as the Crimean War.
More than once, Fr.5 Seraphim told Alexei Guryevich Vorotilov that one day three powers would rise against Russia and greatly wear her down. But for the sake of Orthodoxy the Lord will have mercy on her and preserve her. At the time that saying, as a word about the future, was hard to understand; but events made clear that the elder was speaking of the Crimean campaign.6
Healing of Vorotilov's Wife
Alexei Vorotilov rushes to Sarov at midnight to beg for his dying wife; after a period of mental prayer, the elder announces her recovery, and she is healed at that very hour.
Elder Seraphim's prayers were so powerful before God that there are cases of the sick being restored from their deathbed. So, in May 1829, the wife of Alexei Guryevich Vorotilov, a resident of the village of Pavlovo in Gorbatovsky district, fell seriously ill.7 And Vorotilov had great faith in the power of Fr.8 Seraphim's prayers, and the elder, according to the testimony of people who knew them, loved him as if he were his own disciple and confidant.9 At once Vorotilov set out for Sarov and, even though he arrived there at midnight, hurried to the cell of Fr. Seraphim. The elder, as if waiting for him, was sitting on the little porch of his cell and, seeing him, greeted him with these words: "What, my joy, have you hurried at such an hour to poor Seraphim?"10 With tears Vorotilov told him why he had hurried to Sarov and asked him to help his sick wife. But Fr. Seraphim, to Vorotilov's deepest sorrow, declared that his wife would die from her illness. Then Alexei Guryevich, tears streaming down his face, fell at the ascetic's feet, begging him with faith and humility to pray that her life and health be restored. Fr. Seraphim immediately entered into silent prayer for about ten minutes; then he opened his eyes and, helping Vorotilov to his feet, said joyfully: "Well, my joy, the Lord is granting your wife life."11 Go home in peace."✦ Vorotilov hurried home, filled with joy. There he learned that his wife had felt relief at the exact moment when Fr. Seraphim remained in the struggle of prayer. And soon she recovered completely.
Read the original Russian
В другом случае посетили о. Серафима две девицы, духовные дочери Стефана, Саровской пустыни схимонаха. Одна из них была купеческого сословия, молодых лет, другая из дворян, уже пожилая возрастом. Последняя от юности горела любовью к Богу и желала давно сделаться инокинею, только родители не давали ей на то благословения. Обе девицы пришли к о. Серафиму принять благословение и попросить у него советов. Благородная, сверх того, просила благословить её на вступление в монастырь. Старец, напротив, стал советовать ей вступить в брак, говоря: «Брачная жизнь благословлена Самим Богом.
В ней нужно только с обеих сторон соблюдать супружескую верность, любовь и мир. В браке ты будешь счастлива, а в монашество нет тебе дороги. Монашеская жизнь трудная; не для всех выносима». Девица же из купеческого звания, юная возрастом, о монашестве не думала и слова о том о. Серафиму не говорила. Между тем, он, сам от себя, благословил её, по своей прозорливости, поступить в иноческий сан, даже назвал монастырь, в котором она будет спасаться. Обе остались одинаково недовольны беседою старца; а девица пожилых лет даже оскорбилась его советами и охладела в своём усердии к нему. Сам духовный отец их, иеромонах Стефан, удивлялся и не понимал, почему, в самом деле, старец пожилую особу, ревностную к иноческому пути, отвлекает от монашества, а деву юную, не желающую иночества, благословляет на путь сей?
Последствия, однако же, оправдали старца. Благородная девица, уже в преклонных летах, вступила в брак и была счастлива. А юная, действительно, пошла в тот монастырь, который назвал прозорливый старец.
Даром прозорливости своей о. Серафим приносил много пользы ближним. Так, была в Сарове из Пензы благочестивая вдова дьякона, по имени Евдокия. Желая принять благословение старца, она, в среде множества народа, пришла за ним из больничной церкви и остановилась на крыльце его келии, ожидая позади всех, когда придёт очередь её подойти к о. Серафиму. Но о. Серафим, оставивши всех, вдруг говорит ей: «Евдокия, поди ты сюда поскорее». Евдокия необыкновенно удивлена была, что он назвал её по имени, никогда не видавши её, и подошла к нему с чувством благоговения и трепета.
О. Серафим благословил её, дал св. антидора и сказал: «Тебе надобно поспешить домой, чтоб застать дома сына». Евдокия поспешила и, в самом деле, едва застала сына своего дома: в её отсутствие начальство Пензенской семинарии назначило его студентом Киевской академии и, по причине дальности расстояния Киева от Пензы, спешило скорее отправить его на место. Этот сын, по окончании курса в Киевской академии, пошёл в монашество под именем Иринарха, был наставником в семинариях; в настоящее время состоит в звании архимандрита и глубоко чтит память о. Серафима.
Алексею Гурьевичу Воротилову не раз говорил о. Серафим, что некогда на Россию восстанут три державы и много изнурят её. Но за Православие Господь помилует и сохранит её. Тогда эта речь, как сказание о будущем, непонятна была; но события объяснили, что старец говорит это о Крымской кампании.
Молитвы старца Серафима были так сильны пред Богом, что есть примеры восстановления болящих от одра смерти. Так, в мая 1829 года сильно заболела жена Алексея Гурьевича Воротилова, жителя Горбатовского уезда, села Павлово. Воротилов же имел большую веру в силу молитв о. Серафима, и старец, по свидетельству знающих людей, любил его, как бы своего ученика и наперсника. Тотчас же Воротилов отправился в Саров и, не смотря на то, что приехал туда в полночь, поспешил к келии о. Серафима. Старец, как бы ожидая его, сидел на крылечке келии и, увидавши, приветствовал его сими словами: «Что, радость моя, поспешил в такое время к убогому Серафиму?» Воротилов со слезами рассказал ему о причине поспешного прибытия в Саров и просил помочь болящей жене его.
Но о. Серафим, к величайшей скорби Воротилова, объявил, что жена его должна умереть от болезни. Тогда Алексей Гурьевич, обливаясь потоком слёз, припал к ногам подвижника, с верою и смирением умоляя его помолиться о возвращении ей жизни и здоровья. О. Серафим тотчас погрузился в умную молитву минут на десять, потом открыл очи свои и, поднимая Воротилова на ноги, с радостию сказал: «Ну, радость моя, Господь дарует супружнице твоей живот. Гряди с миром в дом твой». С радостью Воротилов поспешил домой. Здесь он узнал, что жена его почувствовала облегчение именно в те минуты, когда о.
Серафим пребывал в молитвенном подвиге. Вскоре же она и совсем выздоровела.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Gen.1.28 — And God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.'
- ↩Mark.5.34;Luke.7.50;Luke.8.48 — And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace and be healed of your affliction." Luke.7.50 — But he said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." Luke.8.48 — And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace."
Notes
- 1 ↩Source abbreviation о. = Father (отец); the sentence continues across the next ref as о. Серафима.
- 2 ↩Source abbreviation о. = Father (отец); the sentence continues across the next ref as о. Серафиму.
- 3 ↩прозорливость rendered as "spiritual insight" (elder's clairvoyant gift); спасаться kept in the Orthodox sense of working out one's salvation in monastic life.
- 4 ↩антидор (antidoron): blessed bread distributed after the Divine Liturgy, distinct from Holy Communion.
- 5 ↩Russian abbreviation «о.» (отец, Father) is split from «Серафим» across s1–s2; rendered as Fr. to preserve the source segmentation.
- 6 ↩«сказание о будущем» rendered as «a word about the future» (prophetic saying); could also be «tale» or «account» of what was to come.
- 7 ↩Source reads «в мая»; translated as the expected «в мае» (in May).
- 8 ↩«о.» is the abbreviated honorific for «отец» (Father), split from «Серафима» in the next sentence.
- 9 ↩«наперсник» rendered as «confidant» (intimate trusted companion), not merely a casual friend.
- 10 ↩«радость моя» and «убогий Серафим» keep Seraphim's characteristic address and self-designation: «my joy» and «poor Seraphim».
- 11 ↩умная молитва rendered as 'the prayer of the mind' (hesychastic noetic prayer), not mere silent thinking.
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