Venerable Ambrose of Optina. Who is Ambrose of Optina: the life of the holy elder and his instructions

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The future elder Ambrose (Alexander Mikhailovich Grenkov) was born on November 23, 1812, in the village of Bolshaya Lipovitsa, Tambov province. His father, Mikhail Fedorovich, was a sexton, his grandfather, Fyodor Grenkov, was a priest. The elder spoke of his mother, Marfa Nikolaevna, as a person of holy life.

As a child, Alexander was a very lively, cheerful and intelligent boy. He was brought up in a strictly Orthodox spirit, observed all the fasts established by the Church, and often sang in the choir at the local church. After graduating from the Tambov Theological School, the capable boy entered the Tambov Seminary, where he was one of the best students. Alexander's favorite pastime was talking with his comrades, joking, laughing. For a young, sociable, cheerful fellow like Alexander Grenkov, the thought of monasticism never occurred to him.

In his last year at the Seminary he had to transfer dangerous disease, and he made a vow to God to become a monk if he recovered. Upon recovery, he did not forget his vow, but for several years he put off fulfilling it, “repenting,” as he put it. In 1837, a young seminary graduate became a teacher at the Lipetsk Theological School. However, his conscience did not give him peace. And the more time passed, the more painful the remorse became. Periods of carefree fun and carelessness were followed by periods of acute melancholy and sadness, intense prayer and tears. Once, when he was already in Lipetsk, walking in a nearby forest, he, standing on the bank of a stream, clearly heard in its murmur the words: “Praise God, love God...”

At home, secluded from prying eyes, he fervently prayed to the Mother of God to enlighten his mind and direct his will. In general, he did not have a persistent will and already in old age he said to his spiritual children: “You must obey me from the first word. I am a compliant person. If you argue with me, I can give in to you, but it will not be to your benefit.” Exhausted by his indecision, Alexander Mikhailovich went for advice to the famous ascetic Hilarion, who lived in that area. “Go to Optina,” the elder told him, “and you will be experienced.” Alexander obeyed. In the fall of 1839, he arrived in Optina Pustyn, where he was kindly received by Elder Leo.

He began to undergo the usual monastic obediences, work in the refectory, and copy patristic books. Alexander’s confessor was the famous elder Leo, from whom the young novice learned a lot - humility, zealous love for God, spiritual prudence.

Soon he took monastic vows and was named Ambrose, in memory of St. Milan, then was ordained a hierodeacon and, later, a hieromonk. When Father Macarius started his publishing business, Fr. Ambrose, who graduated from the seminary and was familiar with ancient and modern languages (he knew 5 languages), was one of his closest assistants. Soon after his ordination he fell ill. The illness was so severe and prolonged that it forever undermined the health of Father Ambrose and almost confined him to bed. Due to his illness, until his death he was unable to perform liturgies or participate in long monastic services.

Having comprehended Fr. Ambrose's serious illness undoubtedly had providential significance for him. She moderated his lively character, protected him, perhaps, from the development of conceit in him and forced him to go deeper into himself, to better understand both himself and human nature. It’s not for nothing that subsequently Fr. Ambrose said: “It is good for a monk to be sick. And in case of illness there is no need to be treated, but only to be treated!” Helping Elder Macarius in his publishing activities, Fr. Ambrose continued to engage in this activity after his death. Under his leadership the following were published: “The Ladder” by Rev. John Climacus, letters and biography of Fr. Macarius and other books. Ambrose performed great works in providing spiritual nourishment to both the monks and all those who came to him from all over vast Russia. He received 30-40 letters a day, and there were several hundred visitors. And no one left unconsoled...

The entire decoration of Father's cell consisted of several icons, monastic vestments, a bed with a canvas mattress stuffed with straw and the same pillow. He was extremely abstinent in food. He was constantly in prayer. Visitors repeatedly saw his face in the radiance of the uncreated divine and light, and his whole body raised above the ground during prayer.

In addition to private conversations and Confession, the elder held general conversations, and the cell was always full of those interested. The elder admonished with apt words, often with proverbs that were very understandable to the one to whom they applied. Or he would tell something that served as an answer to the innermost thought of one of those present. Father Ambrose often spoke jokingly, although behind this cheerful form hid an extremely deep content. To the question “How to live?” the elder answered: “We must live - not to bother, not to judge anyone, not to annoy anyone, and my respect to everyone,” or: “You need to live unhypocritically, and behave exemplary; then our cause will be right, otherwise it will turn out badly.” Such instructions sank deeply into the souls of those listening and brought peace to troubled hearts. Thousands of believers and non-believers from all over Russia came to him for guidance. Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov, F. M. Dostoevsky, V. S. Solovyov, K. N. Leontiev (monk Clement), A. K. Tolstoy, L. N. Tolstoy, M. came to him for advice and for conversation. P. Pogodin and many others.

There were no trifles for the old man. To a simple peasant woman whose turkeys had died for some reason, he gave advice on how best to feed them, after which they grew well. For a landowner who asked for advice on installing a water supply system, the elder drew a diagram, which many years later surprised engineers with its technical perfection.

The old man had one Russian trait to a very strong degree: he loved to arrange something, to create something. He often taught others to undertake some business, and when private people came to him for a blessing on such a thing, he eagerly began to discuss and gave not only a blessing, but also good advice. It remains completely incomprehensible where Father Ambrose got the deepest information on all branches of human labor that were in him.

The outer life of the elder in the Optina monastery proceeded in the following way. His day began at four or five in the morning. At this time he called his cell attendants to him, and it was read morning rule. It lasted more than two hours, after which the cell attendants left, and the elder, left alone, indulged in prayer and prepared for his great daytime service. At nine o'clock the reception began: first for the monastics, then for the laity. The reception lasted until lunch. At about two o'clock they brought him meager food, after which he was left alone for an hour and a half. Then Vespers was read, and the reception resumed until nightfall. At about 11 o'clock the long evening ritual was performed, and not before midnight the elder was finally left alone. Father Ambrose did not like to pray in public. The cell attendant who read the rule had to stand in another room. One day, one monk violated the prohibition and entered the elder’s cell: he saw him sitting on the bed with his eyes directed to the sky and his face illuminated with joy.

So for more than thirty years, day after day, Elder Ambrose accomplished his feat. In the last ten years of his life, he took on another concern: the founding and organization of a women’s monastery in Shamordin, 12 versts from Optina, where, in addition to 1000 nuns, there was also an orphanage and a school for girls, an almshouse for old women and a hospital. This new activity was not only an unnecessary material concern for the elder, but also a cross placed on him by Providence and ending his ascetic life.

The elder died on October 10, 1891 in the Shamordino monastery and was buried in the Optina Hermitage next to the grave venerable elder Macaria. A huge number of people came to the funeral service. At first, a heavy odor began to emanate from the body. The elder spoke about this during his lifetime: “This is for me because during my lifetime I accepted too much undeserved honor.” However, the further the body stood in the unbearable heat, the less the smell of decay was felt, and the fragrance spread more and more, as from fresh honey. The death of earthly life did not interrupt the elder’s connection with people; his cases wonderful help number in the hundreds.

After his death, Elder Ambrose appeared to many people in different parts of Russia, healing the sick and helping the suffering. The holiness of the life of Elder Ambrose is revealed in his active love for his neighbors, and the Orthodox people always responded to him with deep reverence.

In 1988, at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church The Monk Ambrose was canonized among the holy saints of God. His honest relics, found, rest in the Vvedensky Cathedral of Optina Pustyn.

Ambrose (Grenkov Alexander Mikhailovich, November 23, 1812, village B. Lipovitsa, Tambov district, Tambov province - 10.10.1891, village of Shamordino, Peremyshl district, Kaluga province), Venerable. (memorial on October 10, October 11 - in the Cathedral of Optina Elders, June 27 and in the Cathedral of Tambov Saints) Optina. Genus. in the family of sexton M.F. Grenkov. The family, which included 8 children, lived in the house of their grandfather, a local dean priest. Theodore, who served in the Trinity Church in the village. B. Lipovitsa. The children were raised strictly Orthodox. spirit, at home Alexander learned to read Church Orthodoxy. the ABC book, the Book of Hours and the Psalter, read in church and sang in the choir. In 1824, A. Grenkov entered the Tambov DU for semi-government support, in July 1830.

as one of the best graduates he was sent to the Tambov DS. While studying at the seminary, he became seriously ill and made a vow to God to take monastic vows, but after recovery he was in no hurry to fulfill the vow, since he had a lively and sociable character. In July 1836, having successfully completed his DS, he became a home teacher for a wealthy landowner; from March 7, 1838, he became a Greek teacher. language in the Lipetsk DU, where he left a memory of himself as an attentive teacher.

The thought of an unfulfilled vow did not leave A. Grenkov; in the summer of 1839, on the way to a pilgrimage to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, he, together with his friend P. S. Pokrovsky (later Optina Hierarch Plato) visited the famous Troekurov recluse Hilarion, who pointed to Alexander: “Go to Optina, you are needed there.” Oct 8 1839 A. Grenkov was admitted to Optina Pust. St. Lev (Nagolkin), who blessed him at first to live in a hotel and rewrite the translation of the Greek work. mon. Agapia Landa “Salvation of Sinners.” In Jan. 1840 Alexander went to live in the monastery, April 2. 1840 was accepted into the ranks of the brethren; bore the obedience of the cell attendant and reader to St. Lev, then worked in a bakery. On Nov. In 1840 he was transferred as an assistant cook to the monastery, where he worked for a year. Work took up most of the day, and the novice had little occasion to attend divine services; then he became accustomed to unceasing inner prayer.

St. Leo before his death, transferring leadership to the novice St. Macarius (Ivanov), said: “Here, a man painfully huddles with us, the elders. I am already very weak now. So, I’m handing it over to you from the floor to the floor, own it as you know.” From the autumn of 1841 to January 2. 1846 Alexander was the cell attendant of St. Macaria. In the summer of 1841 he was tonsured into the ryassophore, on November 29, 1842 - into a mantle with a name in honor of St. Ambrose of Milan; 4 Feb. 1843 ordained as hierodeacon, December 9. 1845 - became a hieromonk. During a trip to Kaluga for ordination, A. caught a severe cold and became ill, sometimes he was so weak that during Divine Liturgy, when he gave communion to the pilgrims, he could not hold the saint. chalice and returned to the altar to rest. In March 1848, A. left the state for health reasons and, probably, at the same time was privately tonsured into the schema, retaining the name A.

A severe and prolonged illness, which closed the path of external activity for A., was a clear manifestation of the will of God, which called him to a higher service - eldership. Even during the life of St. Macarius, with his blessing, some of the brethren came to A. for the revelation of thoughts. After the death of St. Makaria 7 Sep. 1860 A. moved to a house near the monastery fence, with right side bell tower, to which an extension (“hut”) was built to receive women. Here he lived for 30 years, selflessly serving his neighbors, gradually taking Optina empty in his spiritual life. place of St. Macaria. At 4 o'clock in the morning the cell attendants read A. the cell rule - morning prayers, 12 selected psalms and 1st hour. After a short rest, the elder stood listening to the clock and, depending on the day, a canon with an akathist to the Savior or the Mother of God. The evening prayer rule consisted of Small Compline, the canon to the Guardian Angel and evening prayers. The rest of the time, A. received visitors who needed spiritual consolation, resolution of everyday issues, and remission of sins.

A. possessed the gift of Christ to a special, rare extent. love, which made him a condescending and wise healer of human weakness and unworthiness. A. considered love to be the highest virtue, its acquisition necessary for salvation; A. most often gave advice to spiritual children about patience, indulgence in weaknesses and forcing oneself to do good. The experience of a heart enlightened by love, the wisdom of a mind immersed in the heart, the ability to use this wisdom and experience in relation to specific people and circumstances attracted thousands of people to A. - aristocrats and peasants, rich and poor, educated and illiterate - who came to him with their troubles and weaknesses. A. warmly took to heart the needs of all his spiritual children. It was visited by representatives of the upper classes, famous public figures, writers: Vel. book Konstantin Konstantinovich, Chief Prosecutor of the Synod A.P. Tolstoy, F.M. Dostoevsky, Vl. S. Solovyov, K. N. Leontiev, L. N. Tolstoy, M. P. Pogodin, N. N. Strakhov, P. D. Yurkevich and others. A. became a link between the educated classes, the people and the Church in the 60s -80s XIX century, when in Russian. the society had extremely strong anti-church sentiments.

A. covered all his extraordinary talents with the gift of humility, which he sought to pass on to his spiritual children. The elder never taught directly from himself, he referred to the Holy Spirit. Scripture or hid his knowledge behind the words “people say.” A. hid the gift of healing, sending the sick to famous miraculous springs and shrines. Often, the elder put his teachings in the form of rhymed, easily remembered sayings, close to proverbs: “We need to live unhypocritically and behave exemplarily, then our cause will be right, otherwise it will be bad,” “You can live in the world, but not in the South, but live quietly”, “Live - don’t bother, don’t judge anyone, don’t annoy anyone, and my respect to everyone.”

Despite the many visitors and constant illness, A., even during the life of St. Makaria participated in the book publishing activities of Optina Pust. When St. Macarius published only patristic ascetic literature in the 60-80s. XIX century under the leadership of A. and with the active participation of Rev. Clement (Zederholm), archimandrite. Leonidas (Kavelina), Venerable Anatoly (Zertsalova), Fr. Agapit (Belovidov) and others prepared and published church-historical works of Optina Hermitage itself: “The Legend of the Life and Deeds of the Elder of Optina Hermitage, Hieroschemamonk Macarius” (compiled by Archimandrite Leonid (Kavelin). M., 1861, 18812); “Historical description of the monastery at the Kozel Optina Hermitage” (compiled by Hierom. Leonid. M., 18622); “Collected letters of the Optina elder Hieroschemamonk Macarius of blessed memory” (1862-1863. 4 volumes); “Letters to various persons of Abbot Anthony, former abbot of the Maloyaroslovets Nikolaevsky Monastery” (M., 1869); “Biography of the abbot of the Maloyaroslovetsky Nikolaevsky Monastery, Abbot Anthony” (compiled by Hieronymus Clement. M., 1870); “Historical description of the Kozelskaya Optina Hermitage, with applications” (compiled by Hieronymus Leonid. M., 18763); “The Biography of the Optina Elder Hieromonk Leonid (in the schema of Leo)” (compiled by Hierom. Clement. M., 1876; Od., 1890); “Biography of the rector of the Kozelskaya Vvedenskaya Optina Hermitage, Archimandrite Moses” (compiled by Archimandrite Yuvenaly. M., 1882). In addition, 20 brochures were published and previously published works were republished. The books were sent to diocesan bishops, to the churches of Mont-Rei, academies, and seminaries and distributed to pilgrims.

The name of A. is associated with the establishment of the Shamorda wife in 1884. Mon-rya, in which, unlike other mon-rays, poor and sick women were accepted. With the blessing of the elder, in 1890 the artist. D. M. Bolotov (later Hierom Daniel) created the icon of the Mother of God “Control of the Loaves” for the monastery. A. spent the last year and a half of his life in the Shamorda monastery. On June 2, 1890, as usual, he went there for the summer; he tried three times to return to Optina, but due to ill health he could not leave and died in Shamordin. Oct 15 In 1891, the holy relics of A. were transferred to Optina Pust. and buried to the southeast. side of the Vvedensky Cathedral, next to St. Macarius. Many times after death, A. appeared to the sick in a dream with the command to serve a prayer service to St. Ambrose of Milan, sometimes ordered him to drink water from a well near the monastery. There are known cases of healing from bodily illnesses and demonic possession after serving a requiem service at the grave of A.

On June 6, 1988, at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, A. was canonized and all-Russian veneration was established for him. Oct 16 1988, during excavations in Optina, empty. The honest remains of one of the Optina elders were found, mistakenly mistaken for the remains of A. and later. identified as the remains of St. Joseph (Litovkin). A.’s relics were found on July 10, 1998, together with the relics of 6 more Optina monks, and to this day. for a time they rest in the chapel in the name of Ambrose of the Vvedensky Cathedral of the monastery. Optina is empty. The icon of the Mother of God “The Spreader of the Loaves” from A.’s cell and things that belonged to the monk (skufia, stick-staff, award cross, korets) are kept. For the glorification of A., a troparion was written (project by Abbot Andronik (Trubachev)) and a kontakion (project by Archimandrite Innocent (Prosvirnin)), followed by a Service with an akathist (project by Archpriest Vadim Smirnov, later by Abbot Nikon).

Essays: Sayings... written down mainly by the sisters of the Shamorda community // DC. 1892. Part 1. pp. 176-195, 383-385, 527-530; Part 2. pp. 151-154; Part 3. pp. 370-371; Sat. letters and articles. M., 1894. Part 1; 1897. Part 2; Favorite passages from letters to family members. M., 1897; Soulful instructions. M., 1898; Collection letters... to worldly persons. Serg. P., 1908. Part 1. M., 1991; Collection letters... to monastics. Serg. P., 1908. Issue. 1; 1909. Issue. 2; Same. Kozelsk, 1995r; Prayers for help and other everyday matters: Advice from St. Ambrose of Optina. M., 1995; Prayer Rule St. Ambrose of Optina, read during times of sorrow and temptation. M., 1996; Collection letters... [to monastics and laity]: At 3 p.m. Moscow, 1997r; Three unknown compositions. St. Petersburg, 1997; Teachings of Elder Ambrose: Selections. sayings, extracted from various sources / Comp. Schema-archim. John (Maslov). M., 1998.

Literature: Agapit (Belovidov), archimandrite. Biography in Bose of the deceased Optina elder Hieroschim. Ambrose. M., 1900. Serg. P., 1992r; E[rast] V[ytropsky], monk. A short story about the life of the Optina elder Hieroschim. Father Ambrose: With adj. fav. his teachings. Serg. P., 19083; Chetverikov S., prot. Description of the life of the Optina elder Hieroschim of blessed memory. Ambrose in connection with the history of Optina Pustyn and its eldership. Shamordino, 1912; Gayun A. Shepherding the Hieroschim. Ambrosia: Cand. dis. / MDA. Zagorsk, 1987; Akathist St. Ambrose, the Optina elder and wonderworker. M., 1991; Andronik (Trubachev), abbot. Venerable Ambrose of Optina: Life and Creations. M., 1993; John (Maslov), archimandrite. Venerable Ambrose of Optina and his epistolary heritage. M., 1993; Venerable Optina Elders / Ed. Vvedenskaya Optina Pustyn. M., 1998. S. 202-223.

Mon. Ekaterina (Filippova)

Iconography dedicated to St. Ambrose Optinsky

A significant number of surviving painting portraits of A. were made by Hierarch. Daniil (Bolotov). One of the earliest signatures is a portrait of 1892 (TsAK MDA), created a year after the death of the elder, on the day of his death: A. is depicted in a monastic robe and hood, with a pectoral cross and an award cross in memory Crimean War, with a staff and a rosary in his hands. Several author's repetitions of the portrait, where the elder is depicted lying on pillows, in a white cassock, dark robe and skufya, with a rosary in his hands, written by Rev. Daniel, for example. 1892 (Church Historical Museum of St. Daniel Monastery); 1899 (comes from the Linen Factory; currently in a private collection) - A. together with O. K. Goncharova; 1902 (TsAK MDA); 2 portraits from Optina are empty. (without the artist’s signature; Pyukhtitsky Assumption Monastery). Apparently, the work of Hierarch. There are also chest-to-chest images of the old man of Daniel. XIX - early XX century (Optina is empty; MF - from the collection of Archbishop Sergius (Golubtsov)). In addition, there are several. portraits created by unknown artists (2 in the State Metallurgical Complex; in the Church Historical Museum of St. Daniel's Monastery; in Optina empty); in the portrait of con. XIX century (TsAK MDA) the monk is depicted sitting in the courtyard, with a stick and rosary in his hands (judging by the inscription on the stretcher, it belonged to M. A. Lesenkova).

In the ranks of the newly glorified saints, the image of A. was placed in 1989 in the altar of the Intercession Church of the Moscow Academy of Arts and Sciences. After the canonization, icons appeared, in which the elder is depicted blessing, in a monastic robe, in a doll or with his head uncovered, often with an unfolded scroll in his left hand (for example, with the inscription: “We need most of all to have sincere humility before God ]gom and before people” - on the icon of 1990 by L. Shekhovtsova) or in an epitrachelion and skufya, with a stick-staff (icon of 1993 by A. Dydykin). Hagiographical iconography of A. was developed (for example, the 1997 icon by the monk Artemy (Nikolaev) over the saint’s shrine in the Vvedensky Cathedral of Optina Pust.), an embroidered cover was created on the shrine (1990, workshop of the Princess of the female monastery in Bulgaria), banners and embroidered icons (late 90s of the 20th century, Optina’s workshop is empty).

Literature: Pavlovich N. A., Tolmachev A. L. On the biography of the artist Bolotov // Prometheus. M., 1983. [Issue] 13; Spiritual lights of Russia. pp. 235-239. Cat. 214, 215; Soloviev V. Paintings of the Linen Factory // Russian Gallery. 2001. No. 1. P. 85-89.

SHORT LIFE

about the Vvedensky Church of Optina Pustyn there is a shrine with the relics of St. Ambrose, the elder of Optina - a man who had a huge influence on the spiritual life of the whole Russia XIX century. We still resort to his prayerful help and intercession today. Miracles happen at the relics of the elder; people are healed from many, sometimes incurable, diseases.

The Monk Ambrose was not a bishop, an archimandrite, he was not even an abbot, he was a simple hieromonk. Being mortally ill, he accepted the schema and became a hieroschemamonk. He died in this rank. For lovers career ladder this may be incomprehensible: how is it possible that such a great elder is also just a hieromonk?

Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow spoke very well about the humility of saints. He was once at a service in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, where at that time there were many bishops and archimandrites present, to whom it is customary to address: “Your Eminence, Your Reverence.” And then, in front of the relics of our father Sergius of Radonezh, Metropolitan Philaret said: “I hear everything around you, Your Eminence, Your Reverence, you alone, father, just a reverend.”

This is how Ambrose, the elder of Optina, was. He could talk to everyone in his language: help an illiterate peasant woman who complained that turkeys were dying, and the lady would drive her out of the yard. Answer questions from F. M. Dostoevsky and L. N. Tolstoy and others, the most educated people that time. “I would be everything to everyone, so that I might save everyone” (1 Cor. 9:22). His words were simple, to the point, and sometimes with good humor:

“We must live on earth as a wheel turns, just one point touches the ground, and the rest tends upward; and even if we lie down, we can’t get up.” “Where it’s simple, there are a hundred angels, but where it’s sophisticated, there’s not a single one.” “Don’t boast, peas, that you are better than beans; if you get wet, you’ll burst.” " Why does a person is it bad? “Because he forgets that God is above him.” “Whoever thinks that he has something will lose.” “Living simpler is best. Don't break your head. Pray to God. The Lord will arrange everything, just live easier. Don't torment yourself thinking about how and what to do. Let it be - as it happens - this is living easier.” “You need to live, not bother, not offend anyone, not annoy anyone, and my respect to everyone.” “To live - not to grieve - to be satisfied with everything. There’s nothing to understand here.” “If you want to have love, then do things of love, even without love at first.”

And when someone said to him: “You, father, speak very simply,” the elder smiled: “Yes, I asked God for this simplicity for twenty years.”

The Monk Ambrose was the third Optina elder, a disciple of the Monks Leo and Macarius, and the most famous and illustrious of all the Optina elders. It was he who became the prototype of Elder Zosima from the novel “The Brothers Karamazov” and the spiritual mentor of all Orthodox Russia. What was his life path like?

When we talk about destinies, we usually mean apparent current human life. But we must not forget about the spiritual drama, which is always more important, richer and deeper external life person. Saint Basil the Great defined man in these words: “Man is an invisible being.” IN highest degree this applies to spiritual people of such a level as the Monk Ambrose. We can see the outline of their outer life and only guess about the innermost inner life, the basis of which was the feat of prayer, the invisible presence before the Lord.

From the biographical events that are known, some important milestones of his difficult life can be noted. The boy was born in the village of Bolshaya Lipovitsa, Tambov province, into the pious Grenkov family, closely connected with the Church: his grandfather was a priest, his father, Mikhail Fedorovich, was a sexton. Before the birth of the child, so many guests came to see the priest-grandfather that the mother in labor, Marfa Nikolaevna, was transferred to a bathhouse, where she gave birth to a son, named in holy baptism in honor of the blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky. Later, Alexander Grenkov, having already become an old man, joked: “Just as I was born in public, so I live in public.”

Alexander was the sixth of eight children in the family. He grew up lively, smart, lively, in a strict family he sometimes even got punishment for his children's pranks. At the age of 12, the boy entered the Tambov Theological School, which he brilliantly graduated first out of 148 people. From 1830 to 1836 the young man studied at the Tambov Seminary. Possessing a lively and cheerful character, kindness and wit, Alexander was very loved by his comrades. Before him, full of strength, talented, energetic, lay a brilliant life path, full of earthly joys and material well-being.

But the ways of the Lord are inscrutable... Saint Philaret wrote: “The omniscient God chooses, destined from the cradle, and calls at the time determined by Him, in an incomprehensible way combining the combination of all kinds of circumstances with the will of the heart. The Lord in due time girds and leads His chosen ones no matter how they wish, but where they wish to go.”

In 1835, shortly before graduating from the seminary, the young man became dangerously ill. This illness was one of the first of numerous illnesses that tormented the old man all his life. Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov wrote: “I spent my whole life in illnesses and sorrows, as you know: but now, if there are no sorrows, there is nothing to save yourself. There are no exploits, no true monasticism, no leaders; Only sorrows replace everything. The feat is associated with vanity; vanity is difficult to notice in yourself, much less to cleanse yourself of it; grief is alien to vanity and therefore provides a person with a godly, involuntary feat, which is sent by our Provider in accordance with his will...” This first dangerous illness led to the fact that the young seminarian made a vow in case of recovery to become a monk.

But he could not decide to fulfill this vow for four years; in his words, “he did not dare to immediately end the world.” For some time he was a home teacher in a landowner family, and then a teacher at the Lipetsk Theological School. Decisive was the trip to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, prayers at the relics St. Sergius Radonezhsky. The famous recluse Hilarion, whom the young man met on this journey, fatherly instructed him: “Go to Optina, you are needed there.”

After tears and prayers in the Lavra worldly life, entertaining evenings at a party seemed so unnecessary and superfluous to Alexander that he decided to urgently and secretly leave for Optina. Perhaps he did not want the persuasion of friends and family, who prophesied a brilliant future for him in the world, to shake his determination to fulfill his vow to dedicate his life to God.

In Optina, Alexander became a student of the great elders Leo and Macarius. In 1840 he was dressed in monastic dress, and in 1842 he took monastic vows with the name Ambrose. 1843 - hierodeacon, 1845 - hieromonk. Behind these short lines are five years of labor, ascetic life, and hard physical work.

When the famous spiritual writer E. Poselyanin lost his beloved wife, and his friends advised him to leave the world and go to a monastery, he replied: “I would be glad to leave the world, but in the monastery they will send me to work in a stable.” It is not known what kind of obedience they would have given him, but he correctly felt that the monastery would try to humble his spirit in order to turn him from a spiritual writer into a spiritual worker.

Alexander was ready for the monastic trials. The young monk had to work in a bakery, bake bread, brew hops (yeast), and help the cook. With his brilliant abilities and knowledge of five languages, it probably would not have been easy for him to become just an assistant cook. These obediences cultivated in him humility, patience, and the ability to cut off his own will.

Having perspicaciously discerned the gifts of the future elder in the young man, the Monks Leo and Macarius took care of his spiritual growth. For some time he was Elder Leo’s cell attendant and his reader; he regularly came to Elder Macarius for work and could ask him questions about spiritual life. The Monk Leo especially loved the young novice, affectionately calling him Sasha. But for educational reasons, I experienced his humility in front of people. Pretended to thunder against him with anger. But he told others about him: “He will be a great man.” After the death of Elder Leo, the young man became the cell attendant of Elder Macarius.

During a trip to Kaluga for ordination as a hieromonk, Father Ambrose, exhausted by fasting, caught a severe cold and became seriously ill. From then on, he was never able to recover, and his health was so poor that in 1846 he was taken out of the state due to illness. For the rest of his life, he could barely move, suffered from perspiration, so he changed clothes several times a day, could not stand the cold and drafts, and ate only liquid food, in an amount that would barely be enough for a three-year-old child.

Several times he was near death, but each time miraculously, with the help of God's grace, he returned to life. From September 1846 to the summer of 1848, the state of health of Father Ambrose was so threatening that he was tonsured into the schema in his cell, retaining his former name. However, quite unexpectedly for many, the patient began to recover. In 1869, his health was again so bad that they began to lose hope of recovery. The Kaluga miraculous icon of the Mother of God was brought. After a prayer service and a cell vigil, and then unction, the elder’s health responded to treatment.

The Holy Fathers list about seven spiritual causes of illness. They say about one of the causes of illness: “Having become righteous, the saints endured temptations either because of some shortcomings, or in order to receive greater glory, because they had great patience. And God, not wanting their excess patience to remain unused, allowed them temptations and illnesses.”

The Monks Leo and Macarius, who introduced the traditions of eldership and mental prayer in the monastery, had to face misunderstanding, slander, and persecution. The Monk Ambrose did not have such external sorrows, but, perhaps, none of the Optina elders bore such a heavy cross of illness. The words came true on it: “The power of God is made perfect in weakness.”

Particularly important for the spiritual growth of the Monk Ambrose during these years was communication with Elder Macarius. Despite his illness, Father Ambrose remained in complete obedience to the elder, even reporting to him on the smallest things. With the blessing of Elder Macarius, he was engaged in translating patristic books, in particular, he prepared for printing the “Ladder” of St. John, abbot of Sinai. Thanks to the elder’s guidance, Father Ambrose was able to learn the art of the arts—noetic prayer—without much stumbling.

Even during the life of Elder Macarius, with his blessing, some of the brethren came to Father Ambrose to open their thoughts. In addition to the monks, Father Macarius brought Father Ambrose closer to his worldly spiritual children. Thus, the elder gradually prepared himself a worthy successor. When Elder Macarius reposed in 1860, circumstances gradually developed in such a way that Father Ambrose was put in his place.

The elder received crowds of people in his cell, did not refuse anyone, people flocked to him from all over the country. He got up at four or five in the morning, called his cell attendants, and the morning rule was read. Then the elder prayed alone. At nine o'clock the reception began: first for the monastics, then for the laity. At about two o'clock they brought him meager food, after which he was left alone for an hour and a half. Then Vespers was read, and the reception resumed until nightfall. At about 11 o'clock the long evening ritual was performed, and not before midnight the elder was finally left alone. So for more than thirty years, day after day, Elder Ambrose accomplished his feat. Before Father Ambrose, none of the elders opened the doors of their cells to a woman. He not only accepted many women and was their spiritual father, but also founded a convent not far from the Optina Hermitage - the Kazan Shamordino Hermitage, in which, unlike others convents At that time, more poor and sick women were accepted. By the 90s of the 19th century, the number of nuns in it reached 500 people.

The elder possessed the gifts of mental prayer, insight, and miracles; many cases of healing are known. Numerous testimonies tell of his gracious gifts. One woman from Voronezh, seven miles from the monastery, got lost. At this time, an old man in a cassock and skufa approached her, and he pointed her in the direction of the path with a stick. She went in the indicated direction, immediately saw the monastery and came to the elder’s house. Everyone who listened to her story thought that this old man was the monastery forester or one of the cell attendants; when suddenly a cell attendant came out onto the porch and asked loudly: “Where is Avdotya from Voronezh?” - “My dears! But I myself am Avdotya from Voronezh!” - exclaimed the narrator. About fifteen minutes later, she left the house all in tears and, sobbing, answered questions that the old man who showed her the way in the forest was none other than Father Ambrose himself.

Here is one of the cases of the elder’s foresight, told by the artisan: “I should have gone to Optina for money. We made the iconostasis there, and I had to receive quite a lot from the rector for this work. a large sum money. Before leaving, I went to Elder Ambrose to get a blessing for the return journey. I was in a hurry to go home: I was expecting to receive a large order the next day - ten thousand, and the customers were sure to be with me the next day in K. The people on that day, as usual, died for the elder. He found out about me that I was waiting, and he ordered me to tell him through my cell attendant that I should come to him in the evening to drink tea.

Evening came, I went to the elder. Father, our angel, held me for quite a long time, it was almost getting dark, and he said to me: “Well, go with God. Spend the night here, and tomorrow I bless you to go to mass, and after mass, come and see me for tea.” How is this so? - I think. I didn’t dare to contradict. The elder detained me for three days. I had no time for prayer at the all-night vigil - it just pushed into my head: “Here is your elder! Here's a seer for you...! Now your earnings are whistling.” On the fourth day I came to the elder, and he said to me: “Well, now it’s time for you to go to court!” Go with God! God bless! Don’t forget to thank God when it’s time!”

And then all sorrow disappeared from me. I left Optina Hermitage, but my heart was so light and joyful... Why did the priest tell me: “Then don’t forget to thank God!?” I arrived home, and what do you think? I am at the gate, and my customers are behind me; We were late, which means we were against our agreement to come for three days. Well, I think, oh my gracious old man!

A lot has passed since then. My senior master falls ill and is about to die. I came to the patient, and he looked at me and began to cry: “Forgive my sin, master! I wanted to kill you. Remember, you were three days late arriving from Optina. After all, the three of us, by my agreement, kept watch for you on the road under the bridge for three nights in a row: they were envious of the money you brought for the iconostasis from Optina. You wouldn’t have been alive that night, but the Lord, for someone’s prayers, took you away from death without repentance... Forgive me, the damned one!” “God will forgive you, as I forgive.” Then my patient wheezed and began to come to an end. The kingdom of heaven to his soul. Great was the sin, but great was the repentance!”

As for healings, they were countless. The elder covered up these healings in every possible way. Sometimes he, as if as a joke, hits his head with his hand, and the illness goes away. One day, a reader who was reading prayers suffered from severe toothache. Suddenly the elder hit him. Those present grinned, thinking that the reader must have made a mistake in reading. In fact, his toothache stopped. Knowing the elder, some women turned to him: “Father Abrosim! Beat me, my head hurts.” After visiting the elder, the sick recovered, and the lives of the poor improved. Pavel Florensky called Optina Pustyn “a spiritual sanatorium for wounded souls.”

The spiritual power of the elder sometimes manifested itself in completely exceptional cases. One day Elder Ambrose, bent over, leaning on a stick, was walking from somewhere along the road to the monastery. Suddenly he imagined a picture: a loaded cart was standing, a dead horse was lying nearby, and a peasant was crying over it. Loss of a nurse horse in peasant life it's a real disaster! Approaching the fallen horse, the elder began to slowly walk around it. Then, taking a twig, he whipped the horse, shouting at it: “Get up, lazy one!” - and the horse obediently rose to its feet.

Elder Ambrose appeared to many people at a distance, like St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, either for the purpose of healing or for deliverance from disasters. To some, very few, it was revealed in visible images how powerful the elder’s prayerful intercession before God was. Here are the memories of one nun, the spiritual daughter of Father Ambrose, about his prayer: “The elder straightened up to his full height, raised his head and raised his hands up, as if in a prayerful position. At this time I imagined that his feet separated from the floor. I looked at his illuminated head and face. I remember that it was as if there was no ceiling in the cell; it was split apart, and the elder’s head seemed to go up. This was clear to me. A minute later, the priest leaned over me, amazed at what I saw, and, crossing me, said the following words: “Remember, this is what repentance can lead to. Go."

Prudence and insight were combined in Elder Ambrose with an amazing, purely maternal tenderness of heart, thanks to which he was able to alleviate the heaviest grief and console the most sorrowful soul. Love and wisdom—it was these qualities that attracted people to the elder. The elder's word came with power based on his closeness to God, which gave him omniscience. This was a prophetic ministry.

Elder Ambrose was destined to meet the hour of his death in Shamordino. On June 2, 1890, as usual, he went there for the summer. At the end of summer, the elder tried three times to return to Optina, but was unable to due to ill health. A year later the disease worsened. He was given unction and received communion several times. On October 10, 1891, the elder, sighing three times and crossing himself with difficulty, died. The coffin with the body of the old man, under the drizzling autumn rain, was transferred to Optina Pustyn, and not one of the candles surrounding the coffin went out. About 8 thousand people came to the funeral. On October 15, the elder’s body was interred on the south-eastern side of the Vvedensky Cathedral, next to his teacher, Elder Macarius. It was on this day, October 15, in 1890, that Elder Ambrose established a holiday in honor of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Spreader of the Loaves,” before which he himself offered up his fervent prayers many times.

Years passed. But the path to the elder’s grave was not overgrown. These are times of grave upheaval. Optina Pustyn was closed and ruined. The chapel at the elder’s grave was razed to the ground. But it was impossible to destroy the memory of the great saint of God. People randomly designated the location of the chapel and continued to flock to their mentor.

In November 1987, Optina Pustyn was returned to the Church. And in June 1988, by the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Monk Ambrose, the first of the Optina elders, was canonized. On the anniversary of the revival of the monastery, by the grace of God, a miracle occurred: at night after the service in the Vvedensky Cathedral, the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, the relics and the icon of St. Ambrose streamed myrrh. Other miracles were performed from the relics of the elder, with which he certifies that he does not abandon us sinners through his intercession before our Lord Jesus Christ. To him be glory forever, Amen.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, “today the grace of the Holy Spirit has gathered us” to the holy, glorified, prayed-for Vvedenskaya Optina Hermitage, to these holy holidays, on the day of remembrance of the discovery of the relics of our venerable and God-bearing father Ambrose, the elder of Optina, the elders Leo, Macarius, Hilarion, Barsanuphius and Anatoly the Younger.

There is great grace both in this holy temple and in the holy monastery, because the Optina elders, as many years ago, prayed for the people of God, admonishing, comforting, strengthening life path numerous pilgrims - pilgrims who not only flocked to this holy monastery from everywhere, but also mentally, from a distance, revered the Optina elders and kept their covenant in their loving heart. Just as the Optina elders helped us before, so they help us today, in the 21st century, to follow the saving path of pious Orthodox life.

Once, when I was with Father John (Krestyankin) and began to ask him questions about spiritual life, about the difficulties on the paths of salvation, he said: “Father, read, delve into and memorize the works of the Optina elders. In them you will find answers to all your complex questions.” And indeed, we, both laity and monks of the 21st century, should keep in our thoughts, in our hearts, at least the basic advice and instructions of the great Optina elders.

Why do people come to Optina Pustyn? What do they want to know here? Most main question, with which thousands and tens of thousands have come, are coming and will come to Optina Pustyn and in general to the Church of God: how to live and how to be saved. That is, how to have life with God, which is what salvation means.

Saint Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow, once asked the laity during a sermon: “Do you know what is necessary for God to be with us? We need to be with God." How to escape? We are saved when we are with God. And when are we with God? When we are in righteousness, in truth, when we are in brotherly love, in remembrance of God, when we remember that we all walk under God. IN Holy Scripture It says: Enoch walked with God, and pleased Him, and was taken up into heaven alive. When we are with you in love of philosophy, in piety, then the Lord is with us.

Many times there were appeals and prayers to Elder Ambrose: Father, how can I be saved? And he answered: in order to be saved in our time, one must have patience, not a cartload, but a whole convoy. Nowadays you have to be either iron or gold. Iron - have great patience, gold - have great humility...

This is how we will remember the words of Elder Ambrose, who said: “Moses endured, Elisha endured, Elijah endured, and I will endure.”

At the age of 37 he became disabled and was removed from the monastery. And he lived until he was seventy-nine. Born during Patriotic War 1812. And he died in 1891... Longevity is from God. Not from pills, not from a balanced diet, climate, water, etc. - from God.

And if we want to live long, we need to pray to God, fulfill His holy commandments, and not think at all about how long to live. Because we shouldn’t be afraid of death, we should be afraid of an empty life.

Once the wise philosopher Socrates said: true life is life not only for oneself. If you live not only for yourself, and people want you to live, you will live... We must be the kind of people so that they pray for us and want us to live longer. We get joy when we give joy to others.

Someone said about Elder Ambrose: this man, lying on his bed and barely breathing, brought more benefit to Russia than all its “life improvers,” revolutionaries, and transformers. The peasants were freed from serfdom, but who will deliver us from dependence on sin - the most terrible dependence? Clears the path of spiritual, Christian life.

Elder Ambrose also spoke about how you and I should have modesty, trying to be like our Lord in this. Especially, turning to the sisters, he said: “Sister, don’t be colorful, don’t be angry, but be meek and you will be peaceful. Sister Meliton, stick to the middle tone, if you take it high, it won’t be easy, if you take it low, it will be slimy, and you, Meliton, stick to the middle tone...” When women complained to Elder Ambrose, condemning their husbands, children, grandchildren, he answered: “Don’t it’s trouble when there’s quinoa in the rye, but it’s trouble when there’s no rye or quinoa...”

Therefore, with patience we will bear our life’s cross, outside of which there is no and will not be a path of salvation. As Elder Nikon (Belyaev), whose memory we recently commemorated, said: “There was not, is not and will not be a peaceful place in this world. The only place of peace we can find is our heart, purified by repentance and loving God.”

And may God grant us all to cherish our stay here, to cherish the prayerful memory of the venerable Optina elders, the fact that we, who love Optina Pustyn, are pious pilgrims who remember their covenants.

The Monk Barsanuphius, whose memory of the discovery of his relics we also celebrate today, said: “Staying in the Optina Hermitage is the greatest mercy of God, which we must still be granted by living in accordance with the covenants of the Optina elders who rest in it.” And Elder Ambrose advised: “You need to live unhypocritically and behave exemplarily, then things will turn out right, otherwise it will be bad. To live is not to bother, not to judge anyone, not to annoy anyone, and my respect to everyone.”

…We all need to be each other’s sunshine. As Elder Ambrose was for all the countless pilgrims of this holy monastery. Let us remember the instructions of one God-wise elder: look forward with hope, back with gratitude, down with repentance, upward with faith, and around with merciful love, and you will be saved. The Optina elders had such merciful love, and if you imitate them, then you too will be saved and will be with God, glorified in the Trinity by the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit in a jubilant, never-ending eternity. Amen!

Archimandrite Melchizedek (Artyukhin)

In the last class of the Seminary, he had to suffer a dangerous illness, and he made a vow to God to become a monk if he recovered. Upon recovery, he did not forget his vow, but for several years he put off fulfilling it, “repenting,” as he put it. In 1837, a young seminary graduate became a teacher at the Lipetsk Theological School. However, his conscience did not give him peace. And the more time passed, the more painful the remorse became. Periods of carefree fun and carelessness were followed by periods of acute melancholy and sadness, intense prayer and tears. Once, when he was already in Lipetsk, walking in a nearby forest, he, standing on the bank of a stream, clearly heard in its murmur the words: “Praise God, love God...”

He began to undergo the usual monastic obediences, work in the refectory, and copy patristic books. Alexander's confessor was the famous elder Leo, from whom the young novice learned a lot - humility, zealous love for God, spiritual prudence.

Having comprehended Fr. Ambrose's serious illness undoubtedly had providential significance for him. She moderated his lively character, protected him, perhaps, from the development of conceit in him and forced him to go deeper into himself, to better understand himself and human nature. It’s not for nothing that subsequently Fr. Ambrose said: “It is good for a monk to be sick. And in case of illness there is no need to be treated, but only to be treated!” Helping Elder Macarius in his publishing activities, Fr. Ambrose continued to engage in this activity after his death. Under his leadership the following were published: “The Ladder” by Rev. John Climacus, letters and biography of Fr. Macarius and other books. Ambrose performed great works in providing spiritual nourishment to both the monks and all those who came to him from all over vast Russia. He received 30-40 letters a day, and there were several hundred visitors. And no one left unconsoled...

The outer life of the elder in the Optina monastery proceeded as follows. His day began at four or five in the morning. At this time, he called his cell attendants to him, and the morning rule was read. It lasted more than two hours, after which the cell attendants left, and the elder, left alone, indulged in prayer and prepared for his great daytime service. At nine o'clock the reception began: first for the monastics, then for the laity. The reception lasted until lunch. At about two o'clock they brought him meager food, after which he was left alone for an hour and a half. Then Vespers was read, and the reception resumed until nightfall. At about 11 o'clock the long evening ritual was performed, and not before midnight the elder was finally left alone. Father Ambrose did not like to pray in public. The cell attendant who read the rule had to stand in another room. One day, one monk violated the prohibition and entered the elder’s cell: he saw him sitting on the bed with his eyes directed to the sky and his face illuminated with joy.

The elder died on October 10, 1891 in the Shamordino monastery and was buried in the Optina Monastery next to the grave of the Venerable Elder Macarius. A huge number of people came to the funeral service. At first, a heavy odor began to emanate from the body. The elder spoke about this during his lifetime: “This is for me because during my lifetime I accepted too much undeserved honor.” However, the further the body stood in the unbearable heat, the less the smell of decay was felt, and the fragrance spread more and more, as from fresh honey. The death of earthly life did not interrupt the elder’s connection with people; cases of his miraculous help number in the hundreds.

In 1988, at the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Monk Ambrose was canonized as a saint of God. His honest relics, found, rest in the Vvedensky Cathedral of Optina Pustyn.

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