Some church leaders are known and respected by the flock. But there are those who have a special burden on their shoulders. These people speak on behalf of the church to a large audience, attracting special attention to themselves. These personalities include hegumen Nektariy Morozov. His spiritual books are read by people striving for God. The word of this man opens hearts, fills them with light. Hegumen Nektariy Morozov speaks and writes simply and clearly. The biography of this person does not shine with special events; he spends all the strength of his soul on parishioners. Let's take a closer look at his work.
Hegumen Nektariy Morozov: short biography
Rodion Sergeevich was born (in the world) on June 1, 1972. His family lived then in the capital of Russia. He graduated from high school there and entered Moscow State University. The young man chose the profession of a journalist, which now allows him to change people's destinies with a word. During his studies, he published"Obshchaya Gazeta", wrote articles for the weekly "Arguments and Facts". Participated in business trips to hot spots. Life in the country at that time was difficult and unpredictable. The pain of other people, the injustice from which they suffered, influenced the brave young man, pushed him to the temple. In 1996 he became a member of the brethren of the Metochion of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in Moscow. Here he took the tonsure, three years later. In 2000, he was elevated to the rank of hieromonk. And six years later he became abbot. Around the same time, he was appointed editor-in-chief of the journal Orthodoxy and Modernity. Hegumen Nektary (Morozov) is known to the general public through articles and books.
Chechen business trip
A young man got into a hot spot in 1995. The journey was not easy. Subsequently, the future hegumen Nektariy (Morozov) wrote about this business trip. She turned his soul around. Then, on all channels, they showed a temple in Grozny, in which people were hiding from bombs. Rodion wanted to see this place. His companions agreed to deviate from the route. They found the temple burnt down. However, on its ruins there were living people who surrounded the local priest Anatoly Chistousov. Then Rodion Morozov (Nektary, hegumen now) for the first time realized what his flock was for the rector. People were with the priest, like sheep with a shepherd. They consulted, asked what to do and how to act in this or that case. The priest's eyes were filled with love and pain. They expressed meekness and strength at the same time. This man accepted everything that happened with humility, thinking only about his ownflock, the salvation of the souls of these people. Subsequently, he was captured, tortured for a long time and killed.
Hegumen Nektariy Morozov: books
It is not easy for an ordinary person to come to the temple. And staying there is even harder. Abbot Nektary (Morozov) understands this very well. And it's not that people don't have faith. Many are afraid of "strict rules", incomprehensible ceremonies. It's a natural response to the unknown. Hegumen Nektary aims his books at just such an audience. They contain simple and understandable arguments about the meaning of church life, its naturalness for a believer. The reader feels how they gently take him by the hand and lead him to the temple, talking about the canons, explaining incomprehensible moments. After reading the texts, a person feels much easier and freer in the church. It should be noted easy style of presentation. From the first word, one gets the impression of a leisurely conversation with a wise friend who understands you. Here are some of the author's works:
- "Looking forward to seeing you."
- “What prevents us from being with God.”
- "A Teaching on Reading Spiritual Books"
- “On bread and water in the life of the Church.”
- “Churching talks.”
- “On the way to God. Experience of Churching in the Modern World.”
The Work of Awakening
Why should we go to God? How to do it? Abbot Nektary answers these questions in the book The Labor of Awakening. This meditation is based on passages from the New Testament. A person needs to make a decision that he is completelytrust the Creator. But this alone is not enough. Faith is only the first step. The spiritual development of a person consists in daily work to overcome one's own indecision and relaxation. The author in his reflections relies on examples from the New Testament. He pays much attention to reasoning about who we are fighting with, opening up to the Creator. This entity is insidious and evil, it has great experience and knowledge. Only those who have opened their souls to the Creator and wholly trusted in him can overcome the set networks. And as comrades in this work, hegumen Nektary recommends taking your conscience. She vigilantly guards a person throughout life, trying to suggest the right decisions and actions.
“About the Church without prejudice. Conversations with a Secular Journalist”
Very interesting collection, revealing many topics that concern ordinary people far from the temple. Hegumen Nektary does not avoid sensitive issues, he explains everything sincerely and naturally. Much attention is paid to the problems of the church, the myths and stereotypes surrounding its ministers. The author talks about what a temple is “from the inside”, what the life of a priest consists of. The conversations also touch on more serious issues. For example, the responsibility of the clergyman to the flock is revealed. The abbot also answers the slippery questions of the journalist. Together they try to figure out why the church repels ordinary citizens, what needs to be done to overcome distrust. Part of the talks is devoted to events taking place in the world. The abbot gives advice to the indifferent reader onabout how to deal with negative information broadcast by the media.
About sorrows
Modern man is scared away from the temple not only by tradition. People believe that believers are in constant despondency. Abbot Nektary spoke about sorrows in interviews and articles. According to him, the reason for the misunderstanding lies in a different attitude to what is happening. An ordinary person, without the Lord in his soul, believes that the trouble is due to someone else's fault. This poor fellow recklessly appoints a person responsible for his failures or mistakes, then he will also take revenge. The believer, on the other hand, understands that sorrows come because of distance from the Lord. This is the result of his disobeying the Heavenly Father. The cause of grief is in the human soul. The believer seeks them in his actions and decisions. And how a devoted son asks the Lord to help him deal with them.
About psychics
The author also has sharp articles on the state structure. One of them is called "Love for psychics." In this article, the abbot tries to understand why society and the authorities do not find understanding. Why do people rely on anything but officials. Finding the answers is not as difficult as it seems. The consumer society makes a person demanding and lazy. His soul sleeps, not understanding what responsibility is. He gladly blames his mistakes and mistakes on officials, especially since a stream of information is pouring on him from the screens, supporting such misconceptions. It turns out that the authorities themselves form irresponsible people by their actions.consumers. It is possible to break the vicious circle only by raising people's spirituality.
What makes a priest tired?
This material reveals the essence of the work of the priest. Hegumen Nektary took upon himself the thankless task of debunking the myths that the clergy are parasites around the neck of the flock. He reveals in some detail the essence of the work in the temple. And it is far from being as simple as it seems from the outside. The main concern of a pastor is people. He is obliged to take care of them, listen, support and the like. However, a short conversation cannot awaken the soul of a person. And this is precisely the main task of the pastor. He is not obliged to live for the parishioners. His goal is to show them the way to the Lord. You have to do this not only by your own example. There is a lot of evil, suspicion, arrogance and similar negative emotions in people now. And the shepherd is obliged to turn them into love, in any case, to do everything possible for this.
Why does Abbot Nektarios need such a job?
Each person has his own tasks. By the way, they do not depend on birth, as psychics and fortune-tellers tell us, but on spiritual development. A believer cannot calmly watch how his neighbors “wander to death” through a series of despondency, stress, anger, and the like. But when the soul sleeps, a person lives only half, only with the body, Nectarios (abbot) believes. Who is he to teach others? Perhaps the reader is asking this question. The answer is simple: he is a deeply religious person, which means that he loves everyone onthis earth. This is so natural for Christianity: help your neighbor without asking for anything in return. What could be more joyful than happiness in the eyes of another person? For a shepherd, probably, only the understanding that helped save his soul.
Temple is necessary for people like air. However, not everyone is able to independently come to faith, to work for their own spiritual growth. Hegumen Nektary understands that it is necessary to lend a helping hand, they will definitely grab it. And this person does not look around, trying to find out who is doing what. He sees the problem and immediately tries to solve it. His literary talent allows you to talk about important things in an accessible and simple way. This is what he does, for which many readers are grateful to this man. Unfortunately, not all church officials are so outspoken. Sometimes believers find themselves in a situation where there is simply nowhere to find answers to the painful questions of the soul. And hegumen Nektary talks about them in order to reach out to everyone who needs help.
