There lived a man named Silouan of Athos. He prayed daily and desperately, asking God to have mercy on him. But his prayers went unanswered. Several months passed, and his strength was exhausted. Silvanus despaired and shouted to the heavens: "You are implacable." With those words, something seemed to break in his soul. For a moment he saw the living Christ before him. His heart and body were filled with fire - with such force that if the vision had lasted a couple more seconds, the monk would have simply died. All his life, Silouan remembered the inexpressibly meek, joyful, infinitely loving look of Jesus and told those around him that God is an incomprehensible and immeasurable love. We will talk about this saint in this article.
Childhood
Siluan Afonsky (real name - Semyon Antonov) was born in the Tambov province in 1866. For the first time the boy heard about God at the age of four. Once his father, who loved to host guests and ask them about something interesting, invited a bookseller to the house. During the meal, a "hot" conversation began about the existence of God, and little Semyon sat nearby and listened attentively. The Bookseller convinced his father that the Lord did not exist. Especially for a boyI remember his words: “Where is he, God?” Semyon then told his father: “You teach me prayers, and this man denies the existence of the Lord.” To which he replied, “Don’t listen to him. I thought he was smart, but it turned out, on the contrary. But the father's answer cast doubts in the boy's soul.
Young years
Fifteen years have passed. Semyon grew up and got a job as a carpenter in the estate of Prince Trubetskoy. A cook also worked there, who regularly went to pray at the grave of John Sezenevsky. She always talked about the life of a recluse and about the miracles that took place at his grave. Some of the workers present confirmed these stories and also considered John a saint. After hearing this, the future Saint Silouan of Athos distinctly felt the presence of the Almighty, and his heart burned with love for the Lord.
From that day on, Semyon began to pray a lot. His soul and character changed, awakening in the young man an attraction to monasticism. The prince had very beautiful daughters, but he looked at them as sisters, and not as women. At that time, Semyon even asked his father to send him to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. He allowed, but only after the young man finished military service.
Extraordinary power
Elder Silouan of Athos had great physical strength in his youth. One day one of the prince's guests was about to harness a horse. But in the night severe frosts hit, and all her hooves were in ice, and she did not let him beat him off. Semyon tightly clasped the horse's neck with his hand and said to the peasant: "Beat it." The animal couldn't evenmove. The guest knocked the ice off his hooves, harnessed his horse and left.
Also, Semyon could take a vat of boiling cabbage soup with his bare hands and transfer it to the table. With a blow of his fist, the young man interrupted a thick board. In heat and cold, he lifted and carried weights for several hours without rest. By the way, he ate and drank just as he worked. Once, after a hearty meat dinner for Easter, when everyone had gone home, the mother offered Semyon fried eggs. He did not refuse and ate with pleasure the fried eggs, in which, as they say, there were at least fifty eggs. It's the same with drinking. On holidays in a tavern, Semyon could easily drink two and a half liters of vodka and not even get tipsy.
The first big sin
The strength of the young man, which later came in handy for him to perform feats, became the cause of the first big sin, which Silouan the Athonite prayed for a long time.
On one of the holidays, when all the villagers were outside, Semyon was walking with his comrades and playing the harmonica. They were met by two brothers who worked as shoemakers in the village. The eldest was of great stature and strength, and besides, he liked to quarrel. He began to take away the harmonica from Semyon. He handed it to his friend, and turned to the shoemaker with a request to calm down and go his own way. It did not help. A pood fist flew towards Semyon.
This is how St. Silouan of Athos himself recalled this incident: “At first I wanted to give in, but then I felt ashamed that the inhabitants would laugh at me. So I hit him hard in the chest. The shoemaker flew off several meters, and from his mouth gushedblood and foam. I thought I killed him. Thank God, everything worked out. It was pumped out for about half an hour, pouring cold water over it. Then they lifted him up with difficulty and took him home. He finally recovered only two months later. After that, I had to be very careful, because two brothers were constantly waiting on the street with knives and clubs. But the Lord saved me.”
First Vision
Semyon's young life was in full swing. He had already forgotten about the desire to serve God and was simply spending his time unchastely. After another drinking bout with friends, he dozed off and in a dream he saw how a snake crawled inside him through his mouth. Feeling the strongest disgust, Semyon woke up and heard the words: “After all, you are disgusted by what you saw? I also hate to see what you do with your life.”
There was no one around, but the voice that said those words was extremely pleasant and amazing. Silouan of Athos was convinced that the Mother of God herself spoke to him. Until the end of his days, he thanked her for instructing on the true path. Semyon felt ashamed of his past life, and he strengthened his desire to serve God after the end of his military service. A sense of sin woke up in him, which completely changed his attitude to everything around him.
Military service
Seeds were sent to St. Petersburg, to the Life Guards. He was loved in the army, as he was a good, calm and dutiful soldier. One day he, along with three comrades, went to the city to celebrate a holiday in a tavern. Everyone drank and talked, and Semyon sat andwas silent. One of the soldiers asked him: “Why are you silent? What are you thinking about? He replied: “Here we are sitting, having fun, and now they are praying on Athos!”
Throughout his entire service in the army, Semyon constantly thought about this Holy Mountain and even sent the salary he received there. Once he went to the nearest village to transfer money. On the way back, he met a rabid dog that wanted to pounce on him. Chained by fear, Semyon only said: “Lord, have mercy!” The dog seemed to stumble upon an invisible barrier and ran to the village, where it harmed livestock and people. After this incident, he became even more strengthened in the desire to serve the Lord. When the service ended, Semyon came home, packed his things and went to the monastery.
Arrival to the Holy Mountain
Silouan the Athos, whose teaching is relevant to this day, came to the Holy Mountain in 1892. He began his new ascetic life in the Russian monastery of St. Panteleimon.
According to Athonite customs, the new novice had to be in complete peace for several days, remembering his own sins. Then put them in writing and repent to the confessor. Silouan's sins were forgiven, and his service to the Lord began: prayers in the cell, long divine services in the temple, vigils, fasting, communion, confession, work, reading, obedience … Over time, he learned the Jesus Prayer by the rosary. Everyone in the monastery loved him and regularly praised him for his good character and good work.
Monastic exploits
For the years of serving God on the Holy Mountainthe monk performed many ascetic feats that would seem impossible to most. The monk's sleep was intermittent - he slept several times a day for 15-20 minutes, and he did it on a stool. He didn't have a bed. The prayer of Silouan the Athonite lasted all night. During the day, the monk worked like a worker. Adhered to inner obedience, cutting off his own will. He was restrained in movements, conversations and food. In general, he was a role model.
Conclusion
Silouan of Athos, whose life was described in this article, slept literally a few minutes until the end of his life. And this despite the illness and fading strength. This freed him up a lot of time for prayer. He did it especially strenuously at night, before matins. In September 1938, the monk died peacefully. By his life, the Monk Silouan of Athos set an example of humility, meekness and love for one's neighbors. Fifty years after his death, the elder was canonized as a saint.
