Hieromonk Job Gumerov biography. “A worthy priest is a friend of God. — What was your way to the monastery

For twenty-five years Father Job has been serving as a priest: he had previously worked at the parish, was the confessor of the sisters of the John the Baptist Monastery. In 2002 Father Job became a resident of the Sretensky Monastery.

Father Job, please tell us what "spiritual life" is. How does it differ from ordinary life, in what way is it manifested?

Since a person combines two natures in himself, he is born twice. First physically, then spiritually. The Savior speaks of this in a nightly conversation with Nicodemus: What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Don't be surprised at what I said to you: You must be born again» (John 3:6-7). This new birth is the beginning of spiritual life. The Holy Apostle Paul calls those who lead a spiritual life, " living by spirit» (Rom.8:5).

Spiritual life is built according to special laws that God has established. These laws are given to us in Holy Scripture. They were experienced by the holy fathers. Therefore, both the Scriptures and the works of the saints are not only the main, but also an irreplaceable guide in the spiritual life.

What is the most important, in your opinion, in the spiritual life?

- Fulfillment of the commandments of God. This is an active manifestation of love for God and people: Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he loves Me; and whoever loves me, he will be loved by my Father; and I will love him and show myself to him"(John 14:21). The Holy Fathers, instructing us in the spiritual life, first of all, write about keeping the commandments: “The condition for staying in the love of God and in union with God lies in the observance of the gospel commandments” (St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov). Ascetic Experiences. Volume 1). Without this it is impossible to acquire spiritual gifts. Saint Theophan the Recluse writes: “The one who seeks and expects to receive the action of the Holy Spirit, before fulfilling the commandments of God, is like a bought slave who asks his master for his freedom, at the very hour when he is just paying for it” (Letters on Spiritual Life. letter fifteen).

Who is a confessor?

- It is necessary first to distinguish between the concepts of "confessor" and " spiritual father". A spiritual father is a priest who performs the sacrament of repentance. He can be anyone who has received the grace of the priesthood in the sacrament of ordination. A spiritual father must not only accept the confession of his children, but also instruct and lead them along the path of salvation. The question inevitably arises: where for spiritual guidance in the strict and exact sense is the work of a very few, who have acquired the gifts of priests, who must do this with extreme caution and humility. Reverend John The stairman warned of the danger of mistaking a simple rower for a helmsman. After more than 14 centuries, we are in even greater difficulty. “Wonderful is your desire,” writes St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, “to be in complete submission to an experienced mentor. But this feat is not given to our time. It does not exist not only in the midst of the Christian world, it does not even exist in monasteries. Mortification of the mind and will cannot be done by a person of the soul, even if he is kind and pious. For this, a spirit-bearing father is necessary: ​​only before a spirit-bearer can the disciple's soul be revealed; only he can see from where and where the spiritual movements of the one he instructs are directed. For advice, for leadership, it is not enough to be pious; one must have spiritual experience, and most of all, spiritual anointing.”

St. Theophan the Recluse held a similar opinion: “N. tells the truth that there are no real leaders now. However, one should not remain with one Scripture and the lessons of the fathers. A question is needed. Paisiy Nyametsky decided this: let two or three like-minded people make an alliance and guide each other or question each other, leading a life in mutual obedience, with the fear of God and prayer, in moderate ascetic rigor ”(The Alphabet of the Spiritual Hierarch Theophan the Recluse. Selected advice and instructions. - M .: "Ark", 2009. S. 98).

We must always remember that the Lord God wants everyone to be saved and does not put anyone in a hopeless situation.

We must always remember that the Lord God wants everyone to be saved and does not put anyone in a hopeless situation. The one who seeks salvation must completely trust God, strive for purity of heart, with all the fullness of his soul try to live according to the holy Gospel, and then the words of the Savior will be fulfilled on him. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him."(John 14:23). The spiritual life of such a person will pass under the grace-filled guidance of God.

How to choose a spiritual father?

– You don’t need to search or choose specifically. Everything artificial is fragile and does not bear fruit. The connection with the spiritual father will be established in accordance with the will of God when life gives birth to this connection. This should happen naturally. The best evidence that the relationship that has arisen was not born by chance is the real spiritual benefit that they bring. If such a connection has not arisen, then there is no need to lose heart or undertake special searches. Otherwise, the parishes will begin to walk. As a result, peace of mind is lost. The best mentor is holy gospel. Spiritual life is quite clear: to fulfill the gospel commandments and live in the grace-filled experience of the Church. When questions arise, you can ask any experienced priest.

The priest cannot violate the secret of confession under any circumstances.

- Holy Fathers. Their creations and pastoral experience.

Can the secrecy of confession be violated and in what cases?

– A priest cannot violate the secret of confession under any circumstances. This is strictly prohibited by the 120th rule of the Nomocanon at the Great Ritual: for the discovery of the sin of the one who confessed, the spiritual father is prohibited from serving for three years and must make one hundred bows every day.

You have to confess to seminary students. What is the most important thing in their spiritual life for you?

– Most of the current students of the theological seminary will become clergymen. To be a worthy priest or deacon one needs piety. “Piety,” writes Hieromartyr Peter of Damascus, “is not the name of any one virtue, but the name of all the commandments, from the word to piety, that is, to serve well.” The holy apostle Paul advises his disciple Timothy: exercise yourself in godliness"(1 Tim. 4:7). The most favorable place for the acquisition of piety is the house of God. We must learn to reverently listen to worship, to treat sacred things with reverence, to avoid walking and talking.

The confessor, accepting the confession of students, should help them fight those sinful habits that prevent them from purifying their hearts and sincerely striving for God-fearing.

What quality of a confessor, in your opinion, is the most valuable?

- Love for all who contact him. A person who comes to confession feels this well. It is thanks to the simple and affectionate address of the confessor that the penitent easily opens himself before God and he has the determination to improve. This state very accurately conveys Greek word μετάνοια [metanoia] - change of mind, repentance.

The one who receives confession must be spiritually collected during the performance of this sacrament, for at this time they lead invisible scolding and seek to lead the confessor into temptation. Saint writes about it righteous John Kronstadtsky: “My God, how difficult it is to properly confess! How many obstacles from the enemy! How grievously you sin before God by confessing inappropriately! How the word fails! How the source of the word is blocked in the heart! How language changes the mind! Oh, how much preparation is needed for confession! How much do you need to pray for the successful passage of this feat! (My life in Christ. Volume 2).

Biography

Born on January 25, 1942 in the village of Chelkar, Aktobe region, Kazakh SSR, in a Tatar family. In 1948, the Gumerov family moved to Ufa, where Shamil spent his childhood and adolescence. In 1959 he graduated high school.

In 1959 he entered the Faculty of History of the Bashkir State University. He completed four courses and transferred in 1963 to the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University, from which he graduated in 1966.

“I was led to theology by philosophy, which in the Middle Ages was called the “handmaid of theology” (“philosophia est ministra theologiae”). Philosophy began to interest me at school. We lived on the outskirts of Ufa. In our regional library, I found the classic works of R. Descartes, G. W. Leibniz, G. Hegel and other philosophers and became very interested in them. After graduating from high school, I wanted to enter the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow University, but they were accepted there only with a work experience of at least two years. Mom persuaded me to enter the Faculty of History of the Bashkir state university. There I completed four courses, moved on to the fifth. But my desire remained unsatisfied, because the second higher education in the Soviet Union it was impossible to get. Unexpectedly for me, the rector of the university, who knew about my passion for philosophy, offered to try to transfer to the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow University. Everything went smoothly, and I was accepted into the third year. A very busy life began, during the academic year I had to pass exams and tests for three courses.

In 1969 he entered graduate school, which he graduated in 1972. In December 1973 he defended his dissertation for the degree of candidate of philosophical sciences on the topic "System analysis of the mechanism of change social organization"(specialty 09.00.01 - dialectical and historical materialism).

After graduating from graduate school in July 1972, he worked at the Institute of Scientific Information on social sciences(INION) Academy of Sciences. From June 1976 to December 1990 he worked as a senior researcher at the All-Union Research Institute for System Research (VNIISI) of the Academy of Sciences. During these years, he met the Russian sociologist Valentina Chesnokova, in whose circle of friends his professional vision was formed.

April 17, 1984 with the whole family (wife and three children) took holy baptism with the name Athanasius (in honor of St. Athanasius the Great).

From September 1989 to 1997 he taught basic theology at the Moscow Theological Seminary and the Holy Scriptures Old Testament at the Moscow Theological Academy. In May 1990, he graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary as an external student, and in 1991, also as an external student, from the Moscow Theological Academy. In 1991 he defended his thesis for the degree of Candidate of Theology.

On April 5, 2005, he was tonsured a monk by the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), with the name Job in honor of the righteous Job the Long-suffering.

In 2003-2011, he led the “Questions to a Priest” column on the Pravoslavie.Ru website.

On April 10, 2017, at the Liturgy in the Small Cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.

Family

Work on the canonization of saints

In 1997-2002, on behalf of the hierarchy, he prepared materials for the canonization of saints. Among them are canonized as saints: Righteous Matrona of Moscow, Metropolitan Macarius (Nevsky), Archbishop Seraphim (Samoilovich) of Uglich, Bishop Grigory (Lebedev), Archpriest John Vostorgov, Martyr Nikolai Varzhansky, Bishop Nikita (Pribytkov) of Belevsky, Archpriest Neofit Lyubimov, Archpriest Sergiy Goloshchapov, Archimandrite Ignatius (Lebedev), Hieroschemamonk Aristoklei (Amvrosiev), Mikhail Novoselov, Anna Zertsalova, schema nun Augusta (Zashchuk) and others.

He also collected materials for the canonization of Archpriest Valentin Amfiteatrov, the ascetic of piety of the Moscow Ioannovsky Monastery, nun Dosifei, the elder of the Novospassky Monastery, Hieroschemamonk Filaret (Pulyashkin), Grand Duke Sergius Alexandrovich, spiritual writer Yevgeny Poselyanin. However, the Synodal Commission for Canonization did not decide on their glorification.

Publications

Books

1. Blessed Shepherd. Archpriest Valentin Amfiteatrov. M., publishing house of the Moscow Patriarchate, 1998, 63 p.
2. Judgment on Jesus Christ. Theological and legal view. M., edition of the Sretensky Monastery, 2002, 112 p.; 2nd ed. M., 2003, 160 p.; 3rd ed., M., 2007, 192 p.
3. Questions to the priest. M., edition of the Sretensky Monastery, 2004, 255 p.
4. Questions to the priest. Book 2. M., edition of the Sretensky Monastery, 2005, 207 p.
5. Questions to the priest. Book 3. M., edition of the Sretensky Monastery, 2005, 238 p.
6. Questions to the priest. Book 4. M., edition of the Sretensky Monastery, 2006, 256 p.
7. Questions to the priest. Book 5. M., edition of the Sretensky Monastery, 2007, 272 p.
8. Questions to the priest. Book 6. M., edition of the Sretensky Monastery, 2008, 272 p.
9. A thousand questions to the priest. M.: Publishing House of the Sretensky Monastery, 2009, 896 p.
10. Sacrament of Unction (unction). M.: Publishing House of the Sretensky Monastery, 2009, 32 p.
11. Holy baptism. - M., 2011. - 32 p. (Series "Sacraments and rituals").
12. What is marriage? - M., 2011. - 64 p. - (Series "Sacraments and rituals").
13. Cross power. - M., 2011. - 48 p. - (Series "Sacraments and rituals").
14. Mystery of repentance. - M., 2011. - 64 p. - (Series "Sacraments and rituals").
15. Spiritual life of a modern Christian in questions and answers. Volume 1., M., Sretensky Monastery, 2011, 496 p. Volume 2 .. M., Sretensky Monastery, 2011, 640 p.
16. Law of God, M., Sretensky Monastery, 2014, 584 p. (co-authored with priests Pavel and Alexander Gumerov)

Articles

1. The truth of faith and life. The Life and Works of Hieromartyr John Vostorgov. M., edition of the Sretensky Monastery, 2004, 366 p.
2. “If we want to be the salt of the earth…”. John of Kronstadt. - Siberian Lights, 1991 No. 5, p. 272-278
3. Three Quarters of Academic Theology (The Spiritual Heritage of the Additions to the Works of the Holy Fathers and The Theological Bulletin). - The Theological Bulletin. M., 1993. [T.] 1. No. 1-2, pp. 21 - 39. .
4. Right and Truth [Judgement on Jesus Christ]. - Journal of the Moscow Patriarchy. M., 1993. No. 5. p. 57 - 74.
5. Good sowing. Russian writer Alexandra Nikolaevna Bakhmeteva. - In the book: A. N. Bakhmeteva. Stories for children about the earthly life of the Savior and Lord our God Jesus Christ, M., 2010.
6. Guardian of the Church Tradition. - In the collection: “The Lord is my strength. In memory of Archbishop Alexander (Timofeev), Saratov: Publishing House of the Saratov Metropolis, 2013, p. 88 - 93.
7. The image of the Heavenly Father. - "Orthodoxy and Modernity", 2014, No. 27 (43).
8. Table book of the clergyman. M., 1994. (Articles in the Dictionary of Preachers section):
   1. Archbishop Ambrose (Klyucharev)
   2. Archpriest Valentin Nikolaevich Amfiteatrov
   3. Metropolitan Anthony (Vadkovsky)
   4. Archpriest Alexy Vasilyevich Belotsvetov
   5. Professor Archpriest Alexander Andreevich Vetelev
   6. Bishop Vissarion (Nechaev)
   7. Archpriest Peter Viktorovich Gnedich
   8. Metropolitan Grigory (Chukov)
   9. Archbishop Demetrius (Muretov)
   10. Bishop John (Sokolov)
   11. Archpriest John Vasilievich Levanda
   12. Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov)
   13. Metropolitan Macarius (Nevsky)
   14. Archbishop Nikanor (Brovkovich)
   15. Archbishop Nicholas (Ziorov)
   16. Metropolitan Nicholas (Yarushevich)
   17. Archpriest Vasily Ioannovich Nordov
   18. Metropolitan Platon (Levshin)
   19. Archpriest
   20. Belyankin L. E.
   21. Bludova A. D.
   22. Boborykin N. N.
   23. Bulgakov M. P. (Metropolitan Macarius)
   24. Bukharev A. M.
   25. Valuev D. A.
   26. Vasilchikov A.I.
   27. Vekstern A. A.
   28. Gavrilov F. T. (author's under. - A. A. Ufimsky)
   29. Glinka G. A.
   30. Glukharev M. Ya. (Archimandrite Macarius)
   31. Govorov G. V. (Bishop Theophan the Recluse)
   32. Gorbunov I. F. Gorbunov O. F.
   33. Danilevsky N. Ya.
   34. Delvig A.I.
   35. Elagin V. N. (jointly with A. L. Varminsky)
   36. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov)
   37. Innokenty (Borisov)
   38. Iriney (Falkovsky) (jointly with M.P. Lepekhin)
   39. Ismailov F. F. Karsavin L. P. Kashkarov I. D.
   40. Kotzebue O. E.
   41. Koyalovich M. I.
   42. Kurch E.M
   43. Leonid, archimandrite (Kavelin)
   44. Menshikov M. O. (with the participation of M. B. Pospelov)
   45. Nicodemus, Bishop (Kazantsev N.I.)
   46. Passek V.V.
   47. Pobedonostsev K. P. (jointly with Sergeev)
   48. Poletika P.I.
   49. Radozhitsky I. T. (jointly with M. K. Evseeva)
   50. Rikord L.I.
   51. Romanov V.V.
9. Orthodox encyclopedia:
   1. Avarim
   2. Obadiah
   3. Haggai
   4. Absalom
   5. Aviafar
   6. Adonisedek
   7. Akila and Priscila
   8. Amfiteatrov V. N.
   9. Theological messenger

In collaboration with priest Pavel Gumerov

1. Everlasting memory. Orthodox rite burial and commemoration of the dead. M., Russian Publishing House Orthodox Church, 2009, 160 p. - 2nd revised edition, M.. 2011.
2. Christian home. Traditions and shrines. M.: Publishing House of the Sretensky Monastery, 2010, 63 p.

Scientific publications

1. System-semiotic invariants of culture. - In the book: System Research. - M., 1982, pp. 383-395.
2. Methodological problems of system analysis of the organization. In the collection: "Philosophical and methodological foundations of system research. System analysis and system modeling. M .: Nauka, 1983. P. 97-113.
3. Development and organization. In the collection: "System concepts of development", M., 1985. Issue 4., pp. 70-75.
4. Global tasks and problems of "universal ethics". - In the collection: Concept global problems modernity. - M., 1985.
5. Ecological values ​​in the system of culture. In the collection: System Research. Methodological problems. Yearbook, 1988. - M.: Nauka, 1989. - P. 210 - 224.
6. Philosophical and anthropological problems of ecology. - In the collection: Ecology, culture, education. M., 1989. S. 96-100.

Hieromonk Job (Gumerv) - in the world Shamil (in baptism Athanasius) Abilkhairovich Gumerov - was born on January 25, 1942 in the village of Chelkar (now a city) of the Aktbinsk region of Kazakhstan. Tatar.

Father, Abilkhair Gumerovich, (1913-1996, head of the radio communication service of the Ufa airport.

Mother, Nagima Khasanovna, nee Iskindirova, (1915-1999), accountant

• In 1948 the Gumerov family moved to Ufa.
• In 1959 he graduated from high school.
• In 1959 he entered the Faculty of History of the Bashkir State University. He completed four courses and transferred in 1963 to the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University, from which he graduated in 1966.
• “I was led to theology by philosophy, which in the Middle Ages was called the “handmaid of theology” (“philosophia est ministra theologiae”). Philosophy began to interest me at school. We lived on the outskirts of Ufa. In our regional library, I found the classic works of R. Descartes, G. W. Leibniz, G. Hegel and other philosophers and became very interested in them. After graduating from high school, I wanted to enter the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow University, but they were accepted there only with a work experience of at least two years. Mom persuaded me to enter the history department of the Bashkir State University. There I completed four courses, moved on to the fifth. But my desire remained unsatisfied, because it was impossible to get a second higher education in the Soviet Union. Unexpectedly for me, the rector of the university, who knew about my passion for philosophy, offered to try to transfer to the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow University. Everything went smoothly, and I was accepted into the third year. A very stressful life began, during the academic year I had to pass exams and tests for three courses ”(“ It is impossible to help a person without love, ”- ZhMP, 2012, No. 6, p. 50).
• In 1969 he entered the graduate school of the Institute for Concrete Social Research (IKSI) of the USSR Academy of Sciences, from which he graduated in 1972. He prepared a Ph.D. thesis on the topic “System Analysis of the Mechanism for Changing Social Organization”, which he defended at the Institute of Philosophy of the USSR Academy of Sciences in December 1973.
• After graduating from graduate school in July 1972, he worked at the Institute of Scientific Information on Social Sciences (INION) of the Academy of Sciences. From June 1976 to December 1990 he worked as a senior researcher at the All-Union Research Institute for System Research (VNIISI) of the Academy of Sciences. During these years, he met the Russian sociologist Valentina Chesnokova.
• On April 17, 1984, with his whole family (wife and three children), he received holy baptism with the name Athanasius (in honor of St. Athanasius the Great).
• From September 1989 to 1997 he taught basic theology at the Moscow Theological Seminary and Holy Bible Old Testament at the Moscow Theological Academy. In May 1990, he graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary as an external student, and in 1991, also as an external student, from the Moscow Theological Academy. In 1991 he defended his thesis for the degree of Candidate of Theology.
• On holiday Life-Giving Trinity On June 3, 1990, the rector of the Academy, Archbishop Alexander (Timofeev), ordained Athanasius Gumerov to the deacon, and on September 23 of the same year, to the priesthood. Served in the church of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir in Old Gardens, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Khamovniki, Ivanovsky Monastery.
• Since December 2002, with the consent of mother Elena and the children who began an independent life, he became a resident of the Sretensky Monastery.
• “I was already sixty years old. Gradually he grew old and began to remember his long-standing desire to become a monk. While the children were small, of course, there could be no talk of this. But now they have grown. In addition, although I had been a healthy person all my life, a period of constant illness began. There was one more circumstance: the son got into the army, fought in Chechnya in an offensive group. I think the Lord specifically sent me all these trials, which prompted me to think about the monastic path. I decided to read the Akathist to the Mother of God for 40 days. Before and after reading, he asked the Most Holy Theotokos to open God's will to me through Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), since I taught then at the Sretensky Seminary and he was the only abbot of the monastery with whom I had close contact. AND Mother of God exactly fulfilled my request: ten days later I was walking home from the seminary and walked around the temple with south side to go to the gates of the monastery. Father Tikhon was walking toward me, we greeted each other, and the first words he said to me were: “When will you move in with us? We have prepared a cell for you." After that, I returned home and told my wife what had happened. Mother told me that this is the will of God. She added: “I feel good only when you feel good. If you feel good in the monastery, then do it, and I will be patient.” A month later, I arrived at the Sretensky Monastery "
• In April 2005, he was tonsured a monk by the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), with the name Job (in honor of St. Job the Long-suffering).
• In 2003-2011, he led the columns “Questions to a Priest” on the website “Orthodoxy. En"
• April 10, 2017 - at the Liturgy in the Small Cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery, Patriarch Kirill was elevated to the rank of archimandrite

Three children: two sons and a daughter. Sons Pavel and Alexander are priests. Daughter Hope

• In 1997-2002, on behalf of the hierarchy, he prepared materials for the canonization of saints.

Candidate of Philosophical Sciences, Candidate of Theology.

Compositions:

• Blessed Shepherd. Archpriest Valentin Amfiteatrov. M., publishing house of the Moscow Patriarchate, 1998, 63 p.
• Judgment on Jesus Christ. Theological and legal view. M., edition of the Sretensky Monastery, 2002, 112 p.; 2nd ed. M., 2003, 160 p.; 3rd ed., M., 2007, 192 p.
• Questions to the priest. M., edition of the Sretensky Monastery, 2004, 255 p.
• Questions to the priest. Book 2. M., edition of the Sretensky Monastery, 2005, 207 p.
• Questions to the priest. Book 3. M., edition of the Sretensky Monastery, 2005, 238 p.
• Questions to the priest. Book 4. M., edition of the Sretensky Monastery, 2006, 256 p.
• Questions to the priest. Book 5. M., edition of the Sretensky Monastery, 2007, 272 p.
• Questions to the priest. Book 6. M., edition of the Sretensky Monastery, 2008, 272 p.
• A thousand questions to the priest. M.: Publishing House of the Sretensky Monastery, 2009, 896 p.
• Sacrament of Unction (unction). M.: Publishing House of the Sretensky Monastery, 2009, 32 p.
• Holy baptism. - M., 2011. - (Series "Sacraments and rituals").
• What is marriage? - M., 2011. - (Series "Sacraments and rituals").
• Cross power. - M., 2011. - (Series "Sacraments and rituals").
• Mystery of repentance. - M., 2011. - (Series "Sacraments and rituals").
• Spiritual life of a modern Christian in questions and answers. Volume 1., M., Sretensky Monastery, 2011, 496 p. Volume 2 .. M., Sretensky Monastery, 2011

It used to happen that people went for spiritual advice to the priest, overcoming hundreds of miles on foot. Now it is enough to go online and in a couple of clicks to be on the right page. It may have become a little easier for the questioners, but for the shepherds it is harder, as the number of questions grows exponentially. And although the sins that a person faces remain the same, but the answer to the question specific person the priest has to find each time individually. Hieromonk Job (Gumerov), a resident of the Moscow Sretensky Monastery, talks about how to build communication and relationships with parishioners, and about his experience in answering "questions to the father"

— Every priest has to answer the same questions for many years. Based on your experience, can you give advice to young shepherds on what to consider when answering?

- A person whom God has appointed to be a confessor must constantly acquire active love in himself. I think that the most important thing is that the one who applied for spiritual help should feel that the priest participates in his needs, his problems. Any person, even without a subtle disposition of the soul, feels very well how they are treated: either formally, albeit very politely, or they show cordial participation.

I remember many years ago reading a small book called "58 Tips from an Elder of Athos". I was literally captured by one thought, to which I then returned all the time: do not miss the opportunity to please God by affectionate treatment of people. We often look for what good to do for our salvation. But we do not think and do not realize that such an opportunity is nearby. Affectionate treatment of people is nothing but a manifestation of active love in everyday life. This must be constantly remembered. And the first thing a shepherd should do when a person turns to him for advice is to show him benevolence and openness. This is the basis on which he must build further communication with the interlocutor. I noticed that if this did not work out, if there was already some kind of coldness in the first words, then most often there would be no further positive result.

For everyone who comes to him, the priest must, at least briefly, pray. The Lord, seeing that we sincerely wish to participate in his problems, gives the shepherd His all-powerful help.

It is important that the priest does not show the interlocutor his employment. Everything must be done so that a person who comes in need does not feel that the priest is in a hurry or tired somewhere. The attention of the priest should be completely occupied by the interlocutor who came to him for advice. Sometimes I tell my parishioners: "Don't be embarrassed, tell me, I have enough time." And this helps a person a lot to overcome stiffness or to get rid of the imaginary fear that he takes a lot of time from the priest.

On the other hand, everything must be done with reasoning. If you do not direct, albeit gently, the conversation in the right direction, it can go on for hours. Those who come to the priest have a need to speak out. A person believes that if he talks in detail about what worries him, then the priest will be able to help him more easily. For many who come with severe problems, a long and detailed story gives a psychological release. Therefore, it is very difficult for a shepherd to find the necessary measure in communion.

— What is the most difficult thing for a priest to communicate with parishioners? How do you find the right words? What literature do you use?

— The shepherd is a co-worker with God. The Lord, who placed him in this ministry, helps and strengthens with His grace. Without this, it is impossible to carry such a heavy cross. Saint John of Kronstadt wrote: “My God, how difficult it is to confess properly! How many obstacles from the enemy! How grievously you sin before God, confessing inappropriately! how much preparation for confession is needed! (My life in Christ. Vol. 2).

When I have to confess on a schedule, I begin to pray in advance that the Lord will help me fulfill this obedience and benefit people.

The performance of the sacrament of confession is undoubtedly the focus of pastoral activity, since the soul of a person is cleansed and reborn. But even just a conversation or a response to a letter requires special inner composure. Starting to answer letters from parishioners, at first I did not realize the whole difficulty of this matter. After some time, I realized that if a letter is written with pain, then you need to let at least part of this pain go through yourself, otherwise you won’t help. It is possible to write an answer very precisely and correctly from a theological point of view, but it will not work if there is no empathy.

To answer a variety of questions, one had to turn to the most different sources. He often turned to the works of Saints John Chrysostom, Ignatius Brianchaninov, Theophan the Recluse, John of Kronstadt and others.

Secondly, I also relied on the knowledge that I had. You can call me a "perpetual student". I studied and study all my life. At the age of seventeen, a very important event happened to me: I made a choice life path. Before that, I had to make decisions: with whom to play, where to go on vacation, and so on. But none of these choices could affect my life. Graduating from high school changed my situation radically. What to do next? Since I had a real interest in learning, it was clear to me that I had to keep learning.

As I look back on my past life, I am amazed at how carefully God participates in the life of an individual. Knowing the natural possibilities of everyone, even in childhood and adolescence, He sows seeds in the soul, which should then germinate and bear the fruits he needs for spiritual life and salvation. Now, with inner excitement and thanksgiving to the Lord, I see that He directed my cognitive interests along the channel that led me to theology and the priesthood. By the will of God, I was led to theology by philosophy, which in the Middle Ages was called the "handmaid of theology" ("philosophia est ministra theologiae"). Philosophy began to interest me at school. We lived on the outskirts of Ufa. In our regional library, I found the classic works of R. Descartes, G.V. Leibniz, G. Hegel and other philosophers and was very carried away by them. After graduating from high school, I wanted to enter the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow University, but they were accepted there only with work experience (at least two years). Mom persuaded me to enter the history department of the Bashkir State University. There I completed four courses, moved on to the fifth. But my desire remained unsatisfied, because it was impossible to get a second higher education in the Soviet Union. Unexpectedly for me, the rector of the university, who knew about my passion for philosophy, offered to try to transfer to the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow University. Everything went smoothly, and I was accepted into the third year. A very busy life began, during the academic year I had to pass exams and tests for three courses. After graduating from the university - a three-year postgraduate study, a Ph.D. thesis in the field of sociology.

My studies in philosophy, history, sociology, literature helped me a lot to answer letters later. When I became a church member (this happened in April 1984), I was worried that I had spent so many years studying secular sciences, which, as it seemed to me, would no longer be useful to me. But it turned out that my reasoning was naive, and the Lord arranged everything in such a way that all my knowledge was simply necessary for me.

Whose experience helped you in your spiritual choice and subsequent priestly path?

- I think the most big influence I was helped by my mother, who, although she was baptized only in her old age, was always very close inwardly to Christianity in terms of the disposition of her soul (lovefulness, desire to live with everyone in the world, responsiveness to everyone). She did not miss a single opportunity to tell us something sweet Nothing. This was her need. She never scolded us. Already in her old age, she told me that her mother, my grandmother, forbade her to do this. Dad was often transferred to the service in different cities. When my mother said goodbye to my grandmother (it was clear that they would not see each other again), my grandmother said: “I ask you one thing, do not beat the children and do not scold them. If you even hit your hand even once, my motherly blessing will depart from you.” But my mother would never have done so: she was simply incapable of it. Mom's love, her attitude towards people, of course, formed the basis on which my personal faith was born. This helped me, without any sorrows and upheavals, to gradually come to the realization of the need to be baptized and become a Christian. I then worked as a senior researcher at the Academy of Sciences at the All-Union Research Institute for System Research.

I came to the priesthood out of obedience to the confessor. When I became a church, my spiritual mentor Priest Sergei Romanov (now he is an archpriest) four years later said that I should teach at the Moscow Theological Academy. Such a thought could never have crossed my mind. But since I had complete confidence in his words, I easily agreed. Everything happened quite quickly and settled without any obstacles. I met with the Vice-Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary, Professor Mikhail Stepanovich Ivanov, who offered me a course called "Christianity and Culture". He asked me to write a program. On the appointed day, we went with him to Archbishop Alexander (Timofeev), the then rector of the academy. Apparently, he had already made a decision, so the conversation was short-lived. After a few introductory phrases, he looked at the sheets that were in my hands and asked: "And what do you have?" I said, "This is the program of the course." He took the sheets, put his finger on some line and asked how I understood this question. I answered right away, and that satisfied him. He didn't have any more questions. Turning to Mikhail Stepanovich, with his characteristic vigor, Vladyka said: "Prepare for the council."

Under Bishop Alexander, there was a mandatory requirement: teachers who came from secular institutions and did not have spiritual education, had to externally graduate from the seminary, and then the academy. I graduated from the seminary in May 1990, and passed the exams for the academy the following year. academic year. In the fall of 1991 he defended his thesis for the degree of Candidate of Theology. Since September 1990, I began to teach the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament at the academy, and basic theology at the seminary.

In September, the second year of my teaching at the academy began. Father Sergius says that it is time to file a petition against the priest. And I readily agreed. Some time has passed. And then one day (it was on Saturday around noon) I got a call from the Vice-Rector for educational work Archimandrite Venedikt (Knyazev). He said: "Come tonight all-night vigil tomorrow you will be ordained." I immediately packed up and left. On Sunday, the week before the Exaltation, between two holidays, Christmas Holy Mother of God and the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord, on September 23 I was ordained.

— What was your path to the monastery like?

“I was already sixty years old. Gradually he grew old and began to remember his long-standing desire to become a monk. While the children were small, of course, there could be no talk of this. But now they have grown. In addition, although I had been a healthy person all my life, a period of constant illness began. There was one more circumstance: the son got into the army, fought in Chechnya in an offensive group. I think the Lord specifically sent me all these trials, which prompted me to think about the monastic path.

I decided to read the Akathist to the Mother of God for 40 days. Before and after reading, I asked the Most Holy Theotokos to reveal God's will to me through Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), since I was teaching at the Sretensky Seminary at the time and he was the only abbot of the monastery with whom I had close contact. And the Mother of God exactly fulfilled my request: ten days later I was walking home from the seminary and walked around the temple from the south side in order to go to the gates of the monastery. Father Tikhon was walking towards me, we greeted each other, and the first words he said to me were: "When will you move in with us? We have prepared a cell for you." After that, I returned home and told my wife what had happened. Mother told me that this is the will of God. She added: "I feel good only when you feel good. If you feel good in the monastery, then do it, and I will be patient." A month later I arrived at the Sretensky Monastery. I took the tonsure in April 2005.

- For many years you have been teaching in theological schools, and you yourself came to receive a spiritual education, already being a candidate of philosophical sciences. What changes do you see in the system of education and upbringing of future pastors?

For me, this is a very important and even painful topic. Under Archbishop Alexander, much was said about the moral state of students and the quality of teaching. Structural transformations by themselves cannot raise the level of spiritual education. After all, as Hieromartyr Hilarion (Troitsky) said, theological schools are strong in tradition and proximity to the Church.

The most serious difficulty is that students enter the seminary not from some uninhabited island, but from the world around us, from our sick society, afflicted with many ailments. Some lack not only Christian, but also general education. A person who came to the seminary at the age of 18 cannot be re-educated in five years of study; he already has a fully formed spiritual image. And in the hostel life is such that sometimes they take not the best from each other. All this leads to the fact that some seminarians very easily fall under the influence of the spirit of the times. This then affects their ministry. Most often this is manifested in the desire to combine high service to God and people with service to oneself, not missing the opportunity to acquire something, make friends among wealthy people. Here in this I see serious consequences of the destruction of traditions.

— For several years, you ran the “Questions for a Priest” column on the Pravoslavie.ru website, which was in great demand and helped many come to the Church. What place did this project occupy among your priestly obediences?

— The rubric was created in 2000 before I came to the Sretensky Monastery. At that time, I taught at the Sretensky Theological Seminary the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament. Then the editors of the Pravoslavie.ru website often asked me to answer some letters. Then I became a resident of our monastery and my participation in the rubric became regular. Along with the performance of priestly duties, answering "questions to the priest" became my main obedience. It must be said that the preparation and publication of answers to questions on the site was only a small part of the work. Gradually the number of letters increased. The vast majority of the letters that came were purely personal, and the answers were sent to the authors at their address. I find it difficult to say how many answers were sent, because I never counted. Maybe more than 10,000. Time passed. The Pravoslavie.ru website has become the most visited of all religious portals. IN last years 1500-1800 letters came in a month, and during Great Lent and on holidays the number of letters doubled. Answers to questions that were of general spiritual interest were posted on the site. Hieromonk Zosima (Melnik) and I answered personal letters together. Young and energetic, he took the lion's share of the letters himself, for which I am grateful to him.

When you manage to help someone, you always feel joy. But I also had constant pain. Most of the letters remained unanswered: it is impossible to give Furthermore what you have. The growing flow of letters literally covered us with a head. This obedience severely limited my monastic work, for which I have to answer to the Lord at the Judgment. By this time, there were about 1370 answers in the archive of the "Questions to the Priest" section. Therefore, the acceptance of letters was stopped. Now I have more time to communicate with parishioners in person. Our parish numbers about 900 people.

What are the most frequently asked questions? What questions make you especially happy?

- The invisible audience with which I had to communicate was very heterogeneous. Many letter writers had experience of the spiritual life. They asked to explain a certain place from the Holy Scriptures, to give a theological assessment of some work or cultural phenomenon. So, for example, one of the authors of the letters was interested in the Orthodox attitude to the "Divine Comedy" by A. Dante. Another asked to comment on the image of the holy fool in "Boris Godunov" by A.S. from the point of view of Orthodox spirituality. Pushkin. There was, for example, the question: how to relate to the work of the religious philosopher Lev Karsavin. Answers to such questions then made up a whole section of my book "A Thousand Questions to a Priest."

Many letters came from those who had recently come to the Church. Faced with the first difficulties in their spiritual life, they asked for pastoral help. Almost everyone who comes to faith at a conscious age has problems in relationships with loved ones who are far from faith. The authors of these letters asked for advice on what to do in a difficult, sometimes painful life situation.

The greatest joy for me was to receive letters from people who asked to help them enter the temple. Sometimes these letters were very short and simple: "I have never gone to confession, please advise me what to do." And I always, no matter how busy I was, no matter how many letters came, I always tried to answer these questions, because it was noticeable that something significant was born in a person’s soul, the Lord awakened some kind of sprout of faith that can easily dry up if you don't take care of it. You feel some kind of reverent disposition towards such a person. I tried to answer these letters in great detail, despite any degree of fatigue.

— Were there letters that upset, caused alarm?

- I, who lived thirty years in a very happy marriage, it is always hard to hear about family unrest, which often ends in the breakup of the family. This is a tragedy. Elder Paisius Svyatogorets said: "The only value of life is the family. As soon as the family dies, the world will die. Show your love first of all in your family." And he also said: "When the family is destroyed, everything will be destroyed: both the clergy and the monasticism." It seems that the family was literally crushed by the vices and sins of our sick society. It is hard to see that the state does not make any attempt to curb the corrupting effect of television, radio, the Internet, and the low-quality press. Unfortunately, the clergy do not impartially remind the authorities of their responsibility for the moral health of the people. I am deeply convinced that representatives of the Church at all levels of the hierarchy must keep a distance in relation to power. Otherwise, their conscience is bound by earthly relations.

- This year you turned 70 years old. How do you experience this age?

- The ideas of ordinary consciousness about old age are extremely primitive. In fact, the Creator endowed each age with wonderful virtues. "The glory of young men is their strength, and the adornment of old men is gray hair" (Prov. 20, 29). The holy writer calls gray hair "a crown of glory" (Prov. 16:31), referring to a person who has chosen the path of truth in life. Old age is usually complained about by people who entered the age empty-handed, without collecting spiritual and moral wealth.

In old age you experience the joy that fills a navigator when his ship has made a dangerous voyage and entered calm coastal waters. There comes that calm which is known to a man upon whom hard work has been entrusted, and he sees that the work has come to an end. Life is a special work that God places on everyone. To want to exchange old age for youth means to become like the king of Corinth, Sisyphus, who almost lifted a heavy stone to the top of the mountain, and he fell off. You have to go downstairs and start all over again. I remember that in December 1996, when I was teaching at the Moscow Theological Academy, the Vice-Rector of the Academy, Professor Mikhail Stepanovich Ivanov, celebrated his 55th birthday. It was a weekday. During a break between lectures, he treated us (there were several people) to some pastries prepared in our refectory. Speaking about his 55th birthday, he, whose duty it was to ensure that students did not have twos, said: "This is probably the only case when two twos are better than two fives." I kept silent, but internally did not agree: to return to the age of 22 means to roll a stone that has already been raised up the mountain, and then lift it again for 33 years.

However, old age is different. In the Bible there is an expression: he died "in a good old age" (Gen. 25, 8; 1 Chron. 29, 28), "full of life" (Gen. 25, 8; 35, 29; Job 42, 17), "in peace "(Luke 2:29). This refers to those whose lives were righteous and pleasing to God. A person who did not strive to live with God, but spent his days in vain, will not bear fruit in old age. "Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap: he who sows to his own flesh from the flesh will reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit from the Spirit will reap eternal life" (Gal. 6:7-8).

Conversation with Hieromonk Job (Gumerov) about Pastoral Service

Hieromonk Job Gumerov. Photo by A. Pospelov. Pravoslavie.Ru

Father Job, please tell us how you became a priest?

I became a priest out of obedience. At first I was an ordinary parishioner. Our whole family became church on April 17, 1984. I remember well: it was Maundy Tuesday. Then I became a spiritual child of Priest Sergei Romanov (now he is an archpriest). He entrusted me with the obedience of the priesthood.

When I was baptized and became Orthodox Christian, a special world opened before me, into which I entered with great joy and hope. The fulfillment of what my spiritual father told me was an axiom for me. Five years after I began my life in the Church, Father Sergiy once said to me: “You need to teach at the Theological Academy.” It was completely unexpected for me. Teaching at the Theological Academy seemed so different from my then scientific studies that even the thought of it never crossed my mind. Now I have no doubt that this was in accordance with the will of God, His plan for me.

That is why everything worked out without any obstacles. I met with the Vice-Rector of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary, Professor Mikhail Stepanovich Ivanov, who offered me a course called "Christianity and Culture". He asked me to write a program. On the appointed day, together with him, we came to Bishop Alexander (Timofeev), the then rector of the academy. Apparently, he had already made a decision, so the conversation was short-lived. After a few introductory phrases, he looked at the sheets that were in my hands and asked: “What do you have?” I said, "This is the program of the course." He took the sheets, put his finger on some line and asked how I understood this question. I answered right away, and that satisfied him. He didn't have any more questions. Turning to Mikhail Stepanovich, with his characteristic vigor, Vladyka said: "Prepare for the Council." So I became a teacher at the Theological Academy, never striving for it.

Under Bishop Alexander, there was a mandatory requirement: teachers who came from secular institutions and did not have a spiritual education had to graduate from the Seminary and then the Academy externally. I graduated from the seminary in May 1990, and passed the exams for the Academy in the next academic year. In the fall of 1991 he defended his thesis for the degree of Candidate of Theology. Since September 1990, I began to teach the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament at the Academy, and Basic Theology at the Seminary.

At the end of May 1990, Father Sergiy Romanov said that I needed to apply for ordination to the deacon. Again, without any hesitation or hesitation, I answered, “Good.” Soon after that, I met Archbishop Alexander in the corridor and asked to be received. He asked, "For what reason?" - "About ordination." He appointed a day. When I arrived, he immediately opening remarks said: "On the day of the Holy Trinity." Then he added: “Come three days in advance. Live in Lavra. Pray."

In September, the second year of my teaching at the Academy began. Father Sergius says that it is time to file a petition against the priest. And I readily agreed. Some time has passed. And then one day (it was on Saturday around noon) I got a call from the Vice-Rector for Educational Affairs, Archimandrite Venedikt (Knyazev). He said: “Come to the all-night vigil today, tomorrow you will be ordained.” I immediately got up and left. On Sunday, the week before the Exaltation, between two great feasts (the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Exaltation of the Holy Cross) - September 23, I was ordained. So, out of obedience, I became a priest. I see the will of God in this. I didn't include mine.

How did it happen that you came to the Church from a non-Orthodox family? After all, it also had great importance for your future pastoral ministry.

I think that my mother, who was baptized in her old age, had the greatest influence on me, but in terms of the disposition of her soul (abundance of love, desire to live with everyone in the world, responsiveness to everyone) she was always very close to Christianity internally. She did not miss a single opportunity to say a kind word to us. This was her need. She never scolded us. Already in her old age, she told me that her mother, my grandmother, forbade her to do this. We had to leave, because dad was often transferred to different cities. When grandma last time I saw my daughter, she said: “I ask for one thing - do not beat the children and do not scold. If you hit even once on the hand, my motherly blessing will depart from you. But my mother would never have done so: she was simply incapable of it.

My mother was born in 1915 in Urda, Astrakhan province. She said that when she was a girl, she had to regularly take an old woman to church. It was probably a neighbor.

My mother's parents were not the typical Muslims we know from life and books. Grandmother Zainab and grandfather Hasan even (albeit in a peculiar way) took part in the Easter holiday. My grandmother had a box with a piece of land. In it, she sowed grass in advance and laid colored eggs there. On Easter day they went to congratulate their Orthodox acquaintances. After all, the city where they lived was with a mixed population.

Mom was seven years old when she was sent a special test. And she was capable of sacrificial love. Her father Hassan fell ill. I think it was typhoid. When he showed signs deadly disease, they built a hut in the garden for him to lie there. It was harsh but necessary measure to keep the rest of the family from illness (he had six children). Since he needed care, it was decided that my mother would live in a hut, feed him and take care of him. They brought and put food in a certain place. Mom took and fed father, washed clothes, changed clothes. She was old enough to understand mortal danger sickness and to be aware of what awaited her. However, she did not refuse this and did not run away, but showed that sacrifice that has always distinguished her. Her father died, and the Lord God preserved her, although they lived in the same hut and communicated closely.

Since that time, a special bond has been established between her and her late father, thanks to which she escaped death several times. During the war, when my brother and I (he is two years older than me) were still very young, a typhus epidemic broke out in Chelkar, where we lived. Barracks were set up for the sick. Unfortunately, at this time, my mother developed some kind of illness. The temperature has risen. The district doctor demanded that she move to the barracks for the sick. Mom refused. She said that there she would become infected and die, and her young children would not survive. Since my mother resolutely refused, the district doctor warned several times that she would bring a policeman. But she still did not agree, and she made the last warning: "If you do not lie down today, then tomorrow morning I will come with a policeman." Mom couldn't sleep at night. She expected the inevitable to happen in the morning. And so, when she was in the most anxious state, her father appeared and said: “Go to the experimental station. The professor will help you…” Surname, to my great chagrin, I did not remember. The phenomenon was so significant that my mother, despite the night (and we had to walk several kilometers), went. It was the Aralsk experimental station of the All-Union Institute of Plant Growing, which was organized by Academician Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov. She was in the sands of Big Badgers in the Chelkar region. Many exiled specialists worked there. Mom found the house of a professor whom everyone in Chelkar knew. He could not work as a doctor, because he was an exile. However, unofficially, people, of course, turned to him. Mom woke him up. He showed kindness and consideration. I immediately assessed the situation and made a diagnosis at my own peril and risk. He did not find typhus in his mother. The conclusion he wrote did not have the power of reference, but the Lord arranged everything in such a way that it protected my mother. When a doctor and a policeman came in the morning, my mother handed me a paper from the professor. The district doctor looked and said: "Okay, stay."

My mother told me this many times amazing story in which the action of Divine Providence was so clearly manifested. She said that her father appeared to her several times and suggested this or that decision when there was a threat of death over her.

The story I have told will seem incredible to some, and it can be treated with distrust. But after all, “incredible” must also be recognized that out of all six of Hasan’s children, one of my mothers became a Christian - she took communion, took unction. She lived to be ordained a deacon by her eldest grandson Pavel (now he is already a priest). I sent her a photo where he was photographed with us on the day of his consecration in the courtyard of the Lavra. Then, when I talked to her on the phone, she said: “Solid!” Now the two grandsons of the priest and the son of the priest constantly commemorate her at the Liturgy.

Some might say that she came to Christianity because Orthodox priest became her son. This is a superficial explanation. His main disadvantage in that cause and effect are rearranged.

Undoubtedly, I myself came to Christianity solely because of the education she gave me. Her moral influence on me was decisive.

- And what else contributed to your coming to Christianity, which happened back in the Soviet years?

Russian and European culture. Since childhood, my education and upbringing took place in a culture that is genetically linked to Christianity: Russian and Western European literary classics, painting, history. Therefore, in the years of the birth of my religiosity, I did not face the problem of choice. No religion was possible for me except Christianity. I remember back in the late 60s I wore a pectoral cross. I can't remember how I got it. It was an ordinary church cross made of light metal with the image of the crucified Savior and the inscription "Save and save." I wore it for so long that the image was partially erased and became barely noticeable.

When I think about my path to Christianity, I come to a thought that is obvious to me: the Lord God led me to faith. He not only acted through my mother, whom he also prepared for Christianity from childhood, but also kept me.

I was at times uncontrollably active. For this reason, several times found himself in the clutches of death. But the Lord kept me. I remember this incident for the rest of my life. Not far from us was the Green Building trust. It was possible to enter its territory through huge metal lattice gates. There was a deep puddle in front of the entrance. At some point, for some reason, the gates were taken off their hinges and leaned against metal poles. I was in summer shoes. I couldn't get through the puddle. Then I decided to use one of the gate leaves. I put the legs between the vertical rods and put them, as if on steps, on the transverse beam with which the rods were fastened. I moved my legs and moved sideways - from one edge of the sash to the other. Since I was hanging on it, it began to fall under the weight of my body. I fell backwards into a deep puddle. And heavy gates fell on me. They would have nailed me if it weren't for the layer of goo that I was immersed in. I did not choke because I was able to stick my face between the metal bars. I couldn't lift the gate and get out. They were very heavy. Then I began, holding on to the bars, to crawl on my back to the upper edge of the gate. I succeeded until my head hit the upper transverse beam, which connected, like the lower one, metal rods. For some reason at that time no one was close to help me. Then a miracle happened, I think. With my small hands I was able to lift the heavy gate leaf and climb out. All my clothes, down to the last thread, were soaked with mud. My mother didn't scold me then. But she was surprised: “Where could you get so dirty?” In order not to frighten her with what happened, I did not tell this story.

Another incident caused even more anxiety. We lived on the territory of the radio center (dad worked as the head of the radio communications of the airport). Another mast had to be put up. At that time, long pieces of rails were used to bury them and fix the guys of the mast. I was in the yard and saw a cart coming through the gate. She carried the rails. I ran to meet them and quickly jumped on the cart, sitting on top of the rails. The horse was carrying the load with difficulty. It was necessary to drive along the path between the beds to the place where the mast was to be installed. Suddenly one wheel slid off the hard ground and ended up on the dug up ground. The weight pressed him into loose earth. The horse did not have enough strength to pull the cart further. The driver, who, unlike me, was walking beside her, began to whip her with a whip. The poor animal made a dash, but the cart did not budge. Then the horse began to go sideways and turned the shafts at right angles to the cart. The driver did not have time to think and whipped the horse. She jerked forward. Everyone who has ridden carts knows that if the shafts turn at a right angle while riding, the cart will tip over. And so it happened. I fell first, then the rails fell to the ground. I got under them. I don't remember how the rails were removed. I was lying in a narrow but rather deep hollow between the beds, and the rails lay across the top without causing me any harm.

There were other cases when I was clearly in danger, but I remained alive and did not even get injured. Now I know it was a miracle. God kept me. Then I thought, of course, in other categories. However, every time I had a vague consciousness that something unusual had happened, that someone had saved me. I am sure that these incidents and their successful outcome quietly prepared me for the conscious faith that I gained after several decades.

- To what extent does a priest need knowledge of culture?

If a person is cultured, then it is easier for him to understand and communicate with everyone - both simple and educated people. For the priest, this opens up more opportunities for missionary work. It's about about the internal mission, since our society is a society of mass unbelief. Culture makes it possible to understand deeper and more fully the greatness of Christianity. It opens the vision of Christianity in history, its spiritual and moral uniqueness. On historical material one can see the differences between the life of Christians and representatives of non-Christian societies (for example, pagans).

- What qualities are necessary for a clergyman in the first place, without which he is completely unthinkable?

Obviously, the most important spiritual qualities, both for a priest and for any Christian, are faith and love. However, it is known that no virtue is autonomous. St. Macarius the Great says: “All the virtues are interconnected like links in a spiritual chain, one depends on the other: prayer is from love, love is from joy, joy is from meekness, meekness is from humility, humility is from service, service is from hope, hope comes from faith, faith comes from obedience, obedience comes from simplicity” (“Spiritual Conversations”, 40.1).

Since we nevertheless decided to analytically single out the most important spiritual and moral qualities, I will name one more virtue - spiritual courage. The fact is that faith and love are constantly tested in life. And courage does not give up. The holy Apostle Paul calls: "Watch, stand in the faith, be courageous, strong" (1 Cor. 16:13).

A priest is a co-worker with God, and when a person accepts the priesthood, he makes a direct challenge to demonic forces. At the same time, he can clearly not think about it. A person has to overcome both external obstacles and internal ones. Sometimes the enemy tempts and seduces to leave this path, sometimes human weaknesses are revealed, and sometimes you need to have courage to act according to your conscience in the face of difficulties and dangers.

And I will add one more thing: a priest must be absolutely free from greed. If there is even a small grain, it can imperceptibly begin to grow and manifest itself destructively.

- If we talk about the current situation, what worries you the most about young priests?

Most disturbing is the isolation from the church-priestly tradition. It feels very painful. Until the end of the 1980s, there were few churches. After ordination, the young priest came to serve in the temple, where there were not only middle-aged ministers, but elderly and even very old ones. They were the keepers of the experience of previous generations. Joint ministry with such fathers is priceless. When I was ordained in 1990, I found two archpriests, Dimitry Akinfiev and Mikhail Klochkov, in the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Both were born in 1928. They had great priesthood experience. Father Dimitri served 54 years. He perfectly knew the liturgical Rule. I learned a lot from him.

You can successfully study at the Seminary and even at the Academy, but the lack of experience of generations cannot be filled with any knowledge. Over the past twenty years, the number of churches in the country has increased several times. For example, in the Moscow region - 10 times. This means that almost 90 percent of the priests began serving alone - in the newly opened temples. They turned out to be really divorced from the experience of previous generations and from tradition, they do not have the opportunity to perceive the living experience of many generations.

I can see how seriously this affects the ministry. The point is not only the lack of liturgical experience, but also pastoral and ethical.

Another reason for many painful phenomena in modern church life is that the clergy are part of modern society. Young men do not come to spiritual schools from any particular tribe. They are supplied by our moral sick society. At the age of 18, a person already has a fully formed spiritual appearance. For five years of study, it is not easy to re-educate him. Many grew up in non-church families, some of whose parents are still not churched. Many came to faith at school. Some lack the usual upbringing. All this leads to the fact that some seminarians very easily fall under the influence of the spirit of the times. This also affects their ministry. Most often this is manifested in the desire to combine high service to God and people with service to oneself, not missing the opportunity to acquire something, make friends among wealthy people. Here in this I see serious consequences of the destruction of traditions.

- Father, what would you like to wish the graduates of the seminary?

You have to constantly and intensely work on yourself. I advise you to study well the life and pastoral deeds of such blessed priests as Saints John of Kronstadt, Alexy Mechev, Archpriest Valentin Amfiteatrov, and others. It is necessary to take their service as a model and work hard throughout your life in order to approach perfect service. Not for a moment should one forget about one's chosen one: "A great person is a worthy priest, he is a friend of God, appointed to do His will" (Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt).