Wisdom from the Staretz

St Seraphim of SarovIt is good that the Source of the All gives itself to many traditions, many cultures. We may ever respect and learn from other spiritual paths. Here, we look to the Wisdom of the East. The Russian word staretz (starets) (plural startsi or starsi) is the equivalent of the Greek geron meaning ‘elder’, the name given to a monk who assumed the role of a spiritual adviser. They reached the summit of their popularity in the 19th century, attracting hordes of followers; their memory is preserved in the works of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy.


The principal role of staretz was to give guidance on the spiritual path to the novices – the new entrants to the spiritual life, the monastic life, the life of spiritual acesis and prayer.

The staretz’s role was to guide the novice on the path of prayer and enlightenment, giving him the benefit of his own personal experience. The staretz in Russia were very close to the people, living either in monasteries or, more commonly, in forest retreats; they used simple language which was often tempered with humour. Their teachings were not reserved solely for novices in search of vocation, but were also available to the many lay-persons from all walks of life and every country in Europe who came looking for spiritual guidance.

On encountering Staretz Basileus:

Church of Saint Alexander Nevsky
What amazed me the most was to see the elder walking bare foot in such brisk weather

I was seven years old at the most and had gone with my grandmother, Elisavetna Alexeevna, across the bridge over the little Monastuirka river, to the Church of Saint Alexander Nevsky at St. Petersburg. It was winter, January, a day with sunshine but extremely cold. All of a sudden I saw an unusual figure approaching us: an elder in a blue cassock, head uncovered, with white hair and a beard. He held in his hand a long cane of ebony with the imperial crown at the top. What amazed me the most was to see the elder walking bare foot in such brisk weather. Furthermore his feet were not red or bruised, but rose colored as if he had been walking on a soft carpet. I stopped, really stunned, especially when I saw that the elder, who had noticed my grandmother, was coming directly toward us.

“Good day, highly esteemed Elisavetna Alexeevna. Are you coming to venerate the relics on such a cold day? You do well. Neither the heat nor the cold can separate us from the Lord. And this little boy with you is certainly your grandson. You have taken him with you. That’s good, very good.” And the stately elder left us.

“Who is he, grandmother?” I asked.

“It is the Staretz Basileus, my little one. He is a spiritual man. He is welcomed everywhere, even by the Emperor. The cane with the crown is a gift from the sovereign.”

“But how can he go about bare foot? I have fur boots and a Finnish cap and he has no gloves and his head is uncovered. How is that possible?”

“The Prayer warms him. In olden days, in the far north, the holy ascetics lived in caves and even in the hollows of trees and in intense cold. Here, in comparison it is nothing. The Prayer warmed them.”

“What prayer, grandmother?”

“The prayer called the Prayer of Jesus. It is said as follows: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner.’ The monks are obliged to recite this prayer in their cells but this prayer is also recommended to all the faithful. The one who practices this prayer and repeats it unceasingly warms himself. He is indifferent to heat or cold. He suffers very little from hunger or thirst. But now faith has diminished. Even in the monasteries, they are negligent in practising it or they do it wrongly. Because of this there is not among today’s monks the faith that moves mountains or heals the sick. In order that the Staretz Basileus may walk bare foot in cold weather of minus twenty degrees, he must have a strong faith and also the Prayer.” ( Wisdom for the Journey, pp 11-12 )

 


Father Michael – the Recluse of Uusi-Valamo

New Monastery of Uusi-Valamo
New Monastery of Uusi-Valamo

“Father, “I asked him, “what do you think of death?”

“There is no death,” he answered, “there is merely a passing from one state to another. To me personally, the life of the other world is much more real than my life here. The more the Christian lives the interior life the more he is detached from this world and imperceptibly he approaches the other world. When the end comes it is easy; the thin veil simply dissolves. Prayers for the dead are needful not only for them but for us as well. ”

During this first talk we also discussed Divine Providence, the inner life, prayer and repentance. During my second talk with Father Michael on August 12, 1954, I wanted to ask him why a tragedy which I experienced in 1951 had happened. When I came to the staretz, before I could ask him anything, he silently gave me another leaflet to read. When I took it I read: “It Came From Me.”

Happiness and misfortune, rise and fall, health and sickness, glory and dishonour, wealth and poverty, everything comes from me and must be accepted as such. Those who entrust themselves to me and accept all the trials which I send them will not be ashamed on the Day of Judgement. They will realise even here in this world why their life took this course and not another. I send everyone that which is best for them.

During the second talk we discussed many subjects, including miracles, heroic virtues, confession, daily services and mystical states. According to the staretz love is the greatest virtue. “Never judge anyone,” he said, “have no foes, revere everyone. In life avoid anything which makes you proud and which disturbs your serenity of mind.

“The best prayer is, as you said yourself, ‘Thy will be done.’ True repentance covers all sins. Remember always that all troubles in this life are designed to make us more detached in this world. Therefore they lead us to a better life. External piety and devotions, vocal prayers, vigils and fasts are good and needful but only as a frame for an intense inner life of humility, unceasing prayer and trust in God. If the latter are absent, the former are not of much use.”

On mystical states Father Michael said that they could be understood only by those who experienced them personally.

“As a blind man,” Father Michael said, “cannot picture colours, so an earthly man is unable to picture the wonders perceived in contemplation. These wonders are usually rewards for those who have obtained a spiritual crown. According to Staretz Ambrose of Optino there are five crowns. The most glorious is given for the patient endurance of sorrows. The remaining four are given for virginity, monastic life, spiritual direction of others and sickness borne with resignation. To the five crowns correspond seven heavens. Five of them are reserved for those who follow the Lamb wherever he goes, that is, for the ascetics, mystics and religious, while the other heavens are for the rest. Mind you, all those crowns and heavens signify only various mystical and spiritual states. They are incommunicable. None but those who experienced them personally can understand them.” ( Wisdom for the Journey, pp 122-123 )


 

Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons/Anonymous Russian icon painter, Wikimedia Commons/VVV-spb, Wikimedia Commons/Pertsaboy

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