Abbess Quiz (Perminova): The Lord wants our heart to belong to Him

The abbess of the Theotokos-Rozhdestvenskogo stauropegial nunnery in Moscow, Abbess Viktorina (Perminova) gave an interview to the portal "Monastic Herald". - Mother, July 19 marks the 25th anniversary of the revival of the Mother of God-Christmas monastery. Tell us, please, what did you remember that day? Why is it that the most recent history of your monastery is counted from? - It was on this day that the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church decided to open the monastery. The monastery was given the status of a stauropegic. It is significant that on this day the celebration of the Cathedral of the Radonezh Saints takes place. After all, the founder of St. Sergius was helped by the founder of our monastery, Princess Maria Ivanovna Serpukhovskaya (in the schema - Martha). She was a spiritual daughter of the Radonezh hegumen and gave him the lands that belonged to her, so that the Trinity Monastery settled on them, now - the Holy Trinity Lavra of St. Sergius . Princess Mary and her son, Prince Vladimir Andreevich the Brave, did much for the Trinity Monastery. And in an amazing way, the Radonezh saints patronize our Nativity Monastery. The day of July 19, 1993 was remembered to me, first of all, by the words of the ever- remembered Most Holy Patriarch Alexy II : "It can not be!" So His Holiness expressed surprise when he learned that it was left to put a single signature on the Moscow Government Decree. To the monastery could exist, it was necessary to obtain permission from the city authorities. In those years, after seventy years of state atheism, it was not easy to obtain an official permit. This was preceded by difficulties, sometimes insurmountable. But, only having received the Resolution of the Government, it was possible to decide the issue of opening a monastery. By the grace of God, the prayers of the Queen of Heaven and all the patrons of the monastery, the impossible became possible. Similar was in the history of the revival and other monasteries and temples at that time. On July 19, in the Chistiy Lane, a meeting of the Holy Synod was to be held. When I reported on the phone to His Holiness Patriarch Alexy that the necessary documents for the opening were collected and there was only one signature, His Holiness was very surprised and blessed to bring the Moscow Government Resolution, if it was signed, by the time of the meeting. And the Lord helped bring the document to the right time. I remember that evening well. It was raining hard. We arrived on Chisty Lane with the mother of the treasurer. It so happened that the archpastor passed by us, who was aware of our business. Seeing us, he asked: "Well, of course - no?" - "Of course yes!" - we answered with the mother of the treasurer. Then the Bishop repeated the words of His Holiness Patriarch: "It can not be!" Then he took from us the Resolution of the Government of Moscow and took it to the meeting of the Synod. On this memorable evening, a decision was made to resume the monastic life in the Mother of God-Christmas monastery. - In early 1993, with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, you came from Pyukhtits to Moscow. How did your life in the capital start? What did the monastery represent then? - The monastic territory was occupied by various organizations and inhabited by residents. Temples and buildings were destroyed from the very foundation. When we arrived in the monastery not yet officially approved, no one expected us, if not to say the opposite. We did not have any acquaintances in Moscow, and we were not met at the place of the future monastery, which is, of course, understandable. After a long search for housing, refusals, "prophecy" in the spirit that "there will never be a monastery", we were given the opportunity to stay in a small room near the cafe. If you think in a human way, it's impossible to arrange a monastery without funds, in a place where there is literally no place to lay your head. But these difficulties were not the main ones: gradually, with God's help, the situation was resolved. It seemed more difficult to establish the inner life of the monastery. The first inhabitants who came to the monastery did not understand well what monasticism is, spiritual life, what is the purpose of life in general. However, they aspired to goodness, and this aspiration had to be developed. And our spiritual guides, having confidence in God, knew how to see the image of God and all the best in man. For His Holiness Patriarch Alexy, Protopriest Boris Nikolayev and all the mentors whom the Lord sent and sends to us, there were no words "I can not" and "impossible". They prayed and acted with the hope of God's help, which came through their prayers. - Admiring the beauty of our monasteries, you do not get tired of being surprised at how it was possible to revive so many historically significant for our culture buildings - cathedrals, temples - within a relatively short period of time! And looking at the women's monasteries, it is very difficult to understand how the nuns, who were few in the post-Soviet period, managed the construction, set up the economic and, most importantly, the spiritual life of the monasteries. What helped you not to flinch then before the difficulties? Do not be sad? Do not be afraid of the amount of work that was to be done? "Our mentors have always started every work with prayer." As the day begins, so he will go. If it starts with God, then the Lord will help to do it, and will educate, and send the right people. When a person does not ascribe to himself the good that he does, and trusts in God (and on whom else can he hope, if he can not do anything by himself?), Then the Lord will rule everything. After all, the abode is the shrine of God, the home of the Queen of Heaven, and will the Lord and His Most-Pure Mother leave the holy place intended for the salvation of human souls? The soul of man in the Eyes of God is more precious than the whole world! Reviving the monastery, we clearly saw that we do not differ in special abilities, and do not represent anything from ourselves, either spiritually, or in terms of special knowledge or life experience. Therefore, we could only hope for prayers, advice, blessings from spiritual mentors. And, thanks to them, the monastery was reborn. - What did you orientate, reviving the spiritual life of the monastery? Whose examples inspired you? Whom do sisters remember today as spiritual guides? Tell us a bit about them, please. - Focused on our predecessors and mentors. It so happened that they were of one spirit. In our capital city there are different monasteries, they are all beautiful, and each in its own way creates the spiritual atmosphere of the capital and brings to the world the Light of Christ. As the apostle Paul says, "and the glory of the sun, and the glory of the moon, and the star from the star is weak in glory" (1 Corinthians 15:41). And if we talk about our Christmas abode, then her life lies in a quiet, invisible, inner doing. What were our founders? Humble, modest, not striving to fame people. Despite the nobility of the clan, high position, proximity to the grand-ducal family, Princess Mary Serpukhovskaya spent an inconspicuous life and had many good deeds done in secret. About her very little information was saved, because she focused more attention on domestic affairs. In this endeavor, the confessor, the Reverend Sergius of Radonezh, supported her. Princess also brought up her son - Prince Vladimir Andreevich the Brave. With the blessing of the Monk Sergius, Prince Vladimir renounced the rights to the grand reign, ceding to the heirs of his cousin - the prince Dimitri Donskoy. It was an unprecedented act of that era. It was the Monk Sergius who became the first confessor of our monastery and began to build its foundation on internal affairs. Holy Grand Duchess Evdokia - St. Euphrosyne Moscow was of the same spirit. At her high place, she did good deeds in evangelical ways, was a secret ascetic, and even her own children did not know about her ascetic life. Her wealthy spouse, the holy Grand Duke Dimitri Donskoy, who approved the monastery and his rights with his letter, was also a very modest man. Prayers of the creators of the monastery, at the origin of the revival of the monastery were mentors of the same dispensation. I see that the most important thing in the life of our monastery is the spiritual component. The atmosphere inside the monastery - the atmosphere of spiritual silence, modesty, simplicity - was created only by our mentors. Ever-remembered His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II and Protopriest Boris Nikolayev belonged to the generation that could perceive the spirit and traditions of the best pre-revolutionary monasteries and elders, with their desire not for showy, but for inner doing, not for external successes, but for spiritual prosperity. I was fortunate enough to know other mentors of the same era. They instructed not so much with words as with an example of life, did not show anything, and attributed all the good done to the grace and help of God, whose will they were able to accept and execute. They understood that a humble, meek person, striving to be invisible, more acquires in the spiritual plan, and better retains his inner treasure. Figuratively speaking, the full spikelet tends to the ground, and the empty and unripe one rises in sight, but that's what says that the ear is empty. The basis of the life of our mentors was obedience, and not only because they had a highly developed sense of duty. It was an inner obedience. They tried to teach their children inner obedience - that is, spiritual unity with their mentor for love in God. After all, if a person loves someone, he is afraid to offend the one he loves, and do something wrong, as a loved one would like, not even in his presence. Our confessor father Boris showed an example of unhypocritical, sacrificial love and obedience. He always prayed for each of us and our difficulties. Difficulties passed, and we forgot about them, but he still remembered and worried. No matter how badly the priest felt himself, he was always available to us, he accepted us as a loving father, who was sympathetic and ready to help. In the monastery the father obeyed the statute and never did anything without blessing, although he himself was our mentor. In his obedience, he was not just accurate, but punctual. It was not some formality, but an expression of his love for God and his fellow men, respect for every person. The heart of the priest was so loving that people aspired to it, and everything alive. We felt that he was in the Presence of God, he was in prayer, although apparently he did not seem to be doing anything special. Moreover, he carefully concealed all his talents. But we often saw what was evidence of his perspicacity, the gift of spiritual consolation, a great experience, both spiritual and vital. All this created the monastery and its spirit. It was His Holiness Patriarch Alexy who blessed Archpriest Boris for his obedience to become a confessor of the monastery. Father was the ninth decade, he had from childhood weak health, shattered in prisons and camp, where he suffered for the faith. He lived far away from us, in the Pskov outback. But, obedience, he agreed. When the priest began to lead the house spiritually, there was still a lot of alien things on its territory-various secular institutions and not only. In the sisterhood itself, there were many people who had wrong life guides. Thanks to the father, many people corrected life, and those who did not want to correct or harm the monastery, left the monastery. Father never fought with anyone, preferred to act by love, and not by the method of "strong hand". However, after the transfer of Boris's father to the monastery, everything that was alien to him began to leave its walls by itself. And, as a result, the monastery became precisely a monastery - a place where they strive for the Kingdom of God. His Holiness Patriarch Alexy took the most direct and close part in the formation of the monastery. In the Soviet era, everything went to the fact that the buildings of the monastery were eventually to collapse. And only thanks to the petition of His Holiness before the city authorities, he managed to keep the monastery as a monument. But the monument without a soul, without a spiritual filling does not make sense. And His Holiness the Patriarch wanted us to take all the best from him and the spiritual people. He himself saw in every person the image of God, showed attention and respect for everyone, whatever the person. The Patriarch of All Russia remembered the needs of a man who, in the eyes of others, was small. I remember such a case. Once, His Holiness the Patriarch called me at one o'clock in the morning and asked why I had not indicated in the document that there was not even a roof on one structure. I said that I was ready to immediately rewrite the document, to which my Holiness responded in a fatherly manner, so that I would not worry, because he had already corrected everything and prepared the document. I was shocked that on the deep night the Primate of the Church remembers the problems of a small monastery, and, moreover, he himself is working on our documents. We could bring many more examples of love, humility, acceptance of the will of God, which our instructors showed, but I would like, without multiplying the words, to convey the spirit - the spirit of Christ's love, forgiveness, meekness, humility, obedience, on the basis of which prayer is built and all good. Representation of the Monk Sergius and the prayers of the founders of the monastery, the Lord sent us such mentors. - Mother, how does the monastery live today? How many sisters are struggling in your abode? What are the tasks for the nurse? - Today, as at the beginning of the revival, as in the past centuries, the monastery lives by the grace of God, the representation of the Most-holy Lady of the Theotokos and the prayers of all its patrons. We are happy that the current Primate of the Church, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, does not leave the monastery, paternally cares for him, prays, and the word of the High Priest, addressed to our souls, is always both edification and consolation. Sincerely grateful to all spiritually close to the monastery mentors and confessors who pray for us. And so, with the common prayers and the ancient abode is created. In our monastery, 21 sisters and several candidates for nestlings are struggling. This year we made the first tonsure in the great schema. Our main task is an attentive spiritual life, the fulfillment of Christ's commandments. Our confessor, Father Boris, said that if we do not have love among ourselves, then no canons and obeisances will help us. He sought to reconcile all of us, to bring them closer together and unite in the pursuit of a single goal - the Kingdom of God. Of course, we are still very far from what the spiritual mentors wanted from us, but we, at least a little, are trying to do this. We would like the spirit of Christ's love to extend to everything we do-be present in worship, and in relation to those who come to the monastery, and in our social ministry. The Sunday and singing schools, youth organization Molodezhka and the social center "The Merciful Samaritan" continue to operate in the monastery. All those who participate in our projects, who help the monastery - people are very modest, do not seek fame, to praise and rewards, but do it for their own soul and for the love of their neighbors. We are sincerely grateful to them. - What is the difference between today and the time when you came to the Nativity Monastery? Sometimes one hears the opinion that "the spiritual spring" has remained in the past, and now the phase of the rise of the church life has been replaced by a phase of some decline. Is it so? - One time is not better and not worse than another. If, for example, we consider the spiritual life of a person, then there are different periods in it. When a person is called by the Lord, and he fervently responds to the call, the grace of God acts more strongly. The summoned one experiences a "spiritual spring", a special gracious inspiration. But he can not always be in this state. And, as we see in nature, where it is necessary that solar heat, then rain, then the wind, and sometimes the heat, or vice versa, frost, so to man, to strengthen in him the faith and love of God, for the affirmation of his soul in you need to go through and experience different states. The same thing happens in history. "Rises" and "recessions" are temporary phenomena, but the truth of the Lord remains forever. The Lord trades about everything, and knows how to educate every person and many people. And now there are those who are experiencing the "spiritual spring". And those who survived it at that time are far from being in the same spiritual state. There are those who are strengthened in the faith, prospering spiritually, there are those who have fallen, even those who have moved "to a far country" (Luke 15:13) (but this does not mean that they will not return: for all is possible for the Lord ), there are those who struggle with passions, falls, rises and continues to walk. The Lord knows everything about every soul and trades about it, so I think that it's a mistake to judge a decline or a rise only according to statistics. - You are a member of the College of the Synodal Department for Monasteries and Monasticism . In addition to the hegumen obediences, you fulfill church obediences - and in a word, word and prayer you help young abbesses and newly formed monasteries to establish a monastic life, share your own experience in arranging the monastery. In your opinion, is it easier or more difficult to open a monastery today? Do you accept the help of newly established monasteries? - In each case, everything is individual. There are and will be difficulties for all who are doing good: without hardship God's work is not accomplished. True good and true prayer will always meet the opposition of the enemy of the human race. There are also complexities arising from our sins and infirmities. But the Divine Grace is all-powerful, it "weakens the doctor and the impoverished compensates." The abode is accepted and treated kindly. As for me, I try not to impose the opinion that I think is right, and to test myself with the gospel, patristic experience and experience of spiritual mentors. And I think that love, support, kindness, and personal example always convince better than words. "Mother, what would you wish for people who have sought the" lives of the monastic "these days? - I would wish them God's help in the chosen path. The Lord said, "You did not choose me, but I chose you" (John 15:16). He calls us, but gives everyone the freedom to act - to go or not to follow Him. It is good, if the human soul chooses "the good part", because the fullness of our happiness is in God. With the Lord, the soul gains peace that nothing in the world can give. But this does not mean at all that the path will be smooth, without sorrows and difficulties. And the majority of sorrows and difficulties lies in ourselves. Our cross grows on the basis of our own passionate and stricken heart, as the ever-memorable Archbishop Alexy (Frolov) said. And the sooner a person realizes that it is not people and circumstances that are to blame for his misfortunes, but he, the sooner he embarks on the path of repentance, sees his sins and does not condemn his neighbors, the easier he will achieve the goal. The Scripture says: "Give Me, your son, your heart" (Proverbs 23:26). The Lord wants our heart to belong to Him, and it is for the purity of the heart that all our further struggle will go. Faced with the fact that people who begin to see their sins, "drop their hands." But the vision of sins is an occasion for gratitude to God, and not for dejection. We need to understand that we need repentance, spiritual work and efforts in the struggle, and God will give the result when it considers it necessary. I also often observed that both mentors and instructors "mix" a person with the evil and sin that the enemy infuses into him. But man is the image of God, just his inner temple is sometimes ruined to the ground. It is more difficult to revive the soul than to restore the monastic walls. I would from the bottom of my heart wish all of us patience and humble acceptance of the Divine will, always good and perfect.