Archimandrite Tikhon - Everyday Saints and Other Stories

EVERYDAY SAINTS

AND OTHER STORIES

Everyday Saints

and Other Stories

Archimandrite Tikhon ( Shevkunov )

Translated by
Julian Henry Lowenfeld

Pokrov Publications
2012

Copyright 2012 Giorgiy Shevkunov, all rights reserved.

For ordering information please visit our website:
Everyday-Saints.com

Front cover: Archimandrite Nathaniel (Pospelov)

Cover design by Mikhail Rodionov

FIRST ENGLISH EDITION
Translated from the original Russian: Nesvyatye Svyatie, Olma Media Group, Moscow, 2011

Proceeds from the sale of Everyday Saints will be used to build a memorial cathedral in Moscow dedicated to the victims of communist repression in Russia.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2012911971 Everyday Saints and Other Stories Translated from the Russian. ISBN 978-0-9842848-3-2

CONTENTS

O penly appearing to those who look for Him with all their heart, while hiding from those who run from Him with all their heart, God governs human knowledge of His presence. He gives signs that are visible to those who search for Him, and yet invisible to those who are indifferent to Him. To those who wish to see, God gives sufficient light; to those who do not wish to see, He gives sufficient darkness.

Blaise Pascal

Our hermit fathers and our nuns blessed and blameless, To let their hearts fly up into the heavens nameless, To keep their spirits strong in storms of wind and war Composed a multitude of sacred hymns and lore. But theres not one of them which gives me so much comfort As one prayer our priest repeats and utters Upon the melancholy days of Lenten Fast. Unbidden, more than other prayers does it pass My lips, bracing my fallen soul with strength mysterious: Lord of my days! Keep me from sloth that hides in bleakness, From pride, greed, arrogance, and serpents therein hid, Let not my tongue in idle gossip slip, But Lord, show me my own faults and transgressions, And may my brother never hear my condemnations, May I for grace, patience, and love forever strive, And wisdoms innocence within my heart revive.

Alexander Pushkin (my translation)

I T MAY SURPRISE some of us who grew up during the Cold War, but Russia, feared for so many years as the land of godless Communists, is in fact one of the most intensely spiritual and devout nations in the world. The profound faith of its people, Orthodox Christianity, rooted in a mystical understanding of life as a covenant and of worship as a sacrament, has always been the secret underpinning of the mysterious Russian soul, whose elusive immanence makes Russian literature, art, and music so special. In the twentieth century, under the brutal totalitarianism of the Soviet system, Russia endured some of the very darkest days in human history. Yet where there is darkness, as this book shows, light shines forth ever brighter to meet it. Ultimately, though it may take a while, love and light and compassion conquer hatred and darkness and indifference.

Whether you are religious or skeptical, whether you care about Russia or not, you can still let this book transport you to a world and a way of looking at things of which most of us have no inkling. A world of ritual and sacred ceremonies; of ringing church bells and angelic choirs; of poetry and husbandry; of devotion to the land and also to spiritual objects of unearthly yet practical beauty, such as icons; a world of onion domes and candles; of incense, of prayers, of souls and spirits.

Welcome to a world where everything means something, and everything has a reason. A world of tradition and honor, yet of humor; of rigor, yet of profound compassion; of hard work performed with devout reverence, yet of ease and profound inner contentment. A world of modesty, yet majesty. A world of monasteries and cathedrals and convents, of bishops, of monks and nuns, of prayer, and of contemplation. This is a world where the Divine is present in everyday life; where every action, every thought, and every feeling has consequences; where uncanny coincidences are commonplace. Where we are not alone, bereft of plan or purpose, in an empty and meaningless universe. This is a world where everything matters, where, as Rainer Maria Rilke, who traveled to Russia and was fascinated by Russian Orthodoxy, wrote:

You should not wait until God comes to you And says: I am. A God, whose strength is vouched for, proved, Is senseless, mad. Yet you must know, though, that God blows through you Since time began, And when your heart glows warm and remains true, He works His plan.

(my translation)

Skeptical readersI at first was one of youneed not agree with the author or believe in everything he says to enjoy his remarkable way of saying it. Whether or not you are touched by the authors faith, I am certain that you will be transported by his stories of a spiritual treasure chest that has suddenly been reopened, a world that has been long hidden, a world that we can enter without belonging to itjust as one need not be a mariner to treasure a good yarn about perilous voyages at sea. Now and then, this book will have curious words and terms peculiar to the world it portrays. But we need not know the difference between a binnacle and a barnacle, a spinnaker or a spanker, in order to thrill to a tale of the sea. And so, when you are confronted with words for things you have never heard of before, let these stories, about and by some truly remarkable individuals, simply sweep you away. For as this book eloquently proves, the trifles that divide us politically or culturally pale in comparison to what unites us in common humanity.

I believe it is impossible to relate properly to Russia without understanding this world, sustained not just by the ancient faith of its followers, but by hallowed tradition. And this book is a marvelous point of entry, which explains why it has already sold over one million copies in Russia. For Father Tikhon is a natural raconteur, with a great sense of humor and a touching compassion that humanizes his faith and makes it accessible to believers and skeptics alike.

Whats more, his world view has a way of growing on you: you may pass through stages of incredulity and bemusement, and then, almost imperceptibly, you may notice oddities in your life that begin to resemble his stories: friends suddenly turning up out of the blue, the hoped-for thing happening at the hoped-for time, books that conveniently open to just the right page, long-lost objects suddenly found... Uncanny and implausible coincidences seemingly in line with a mystical plan may have a tendency to seem ever more commonplace, until the extraordinary becomes almost routine, and the miraculous, natural.

Miracles are natural in Father Tikhons felicitous world. All too often, we associate Russia with doom and gloom or with cynicism or corruption or cruelty. Perhapsat least, so I hopethis book will help to correct our vision. Personally, in any case, I will always be grateful to Father Tikhon and to the everyday saints portrayed in this book for their own example, and for their infectious joy and integrity and sense of meaning, imbuing everyone and everything in their lives. I am profoundly honored to have helped to acquaint Western readers with them and their world and their way of life, in which

When, in lifes minutes difficult, In my heart griefs do start: One wondrous prayer full of good I do recite by heart.
Some blessing in it lives; it heals Through words harmonious sounds. Mysterious grace it breathes and peals, With holy charm abounds.
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