At first glance, in the life of Semyon Ivanovich Antonov, who was born in 1866 in the village of the Tambov district, nothing special happened, except that the boy grew up kind, strong and obedient. But from the age of four he began to seek God. At the age of nineteen, he wanted to enter a monastery, but he found the Savior, being an ascetic on Mount Athos.
This and other details of the life of St. Silouan of Athos are written in the book of his spiritual son, Archimandrite Sophrony, "Elder Silouan of Athos", consisting of two parts.
Asceticism of the Reverend
The old man came to Mount Athos in 1892, 26 years old, after he finished his service in the sapper battalion of St. Petersburg. The monk lived on the holy mountain until his death. It was Elder Silouan who said and advised others that in order to be saved, one must always remember death and the love of God. He owns the saying that a person should keep his mind in hell, but not fall into despair.
This suggests that all his life he felt the love of God for man and did not forget about the terribletorment prepared for evil and cruel people. Like many ascetics, Silouan the Athonite prayed unceasingly for the entire human race, and also unceasingly performed the Jesus Prayer.
The reverend died in 1938, leaving notes on spiritual life published in 1952. Surprisingly, the elder never studied anywhere, but many equate his spiritual messages with the new "Philokalia". The relics of Silouan the Athos will stay in Moscow for several days at the end of September.
Bringing the relics of the monk to Russia
For the past 1000 years, Russian monks have been present on Mount Athos, where the monastery of the holy martyr and healer Panteleimon was built for them. And on this occasion, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, together with the Holy Kinot of Athos, gave their blessing so that people could see and bow to the relics of Silouan the Athos in Moscow and other cities.
Until now, the honest head of the monk has never been taken out of the Athos St. Panteleimon Monastery, but now the time has come for everyone who wishes to worship this shrine. Recently, a special ark was made for the honest head, and together with the relics of the elder, a miraculous icon will be delivered to Russia. It depicts the image of the Savior and they say that the monk in front of her always prayed with tears, and once he was honored to see Christ himself for a moment.
While the relics of Silouan the Athos are in Moscow, many pilgrims will be able to come up and venerate the shrine. And also ask for help from the elder and prayLord.
Where will the relics of Silouan the Athos be brought to Moscow?
The following is planned. First, from September 19 to 20, the relics of Silouan the Athos in Moscow will stay at the Athos Compound in the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Nikita, and then on the evening of September 20, before the feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, they will be delivered to the All-Night Vigil in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, where the service will be led by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill.
The next day after the liturgy with the participation of the Patriarch, the relics will be delivered to the Danilov Monastery, where they will stay until September 24, then they will return to Athos. In fact, the stay of the relics of Silouan the Athos in Moscow will last about five days.
Asceticism of the Reverend
This event is important not only for believers, but also for the country as a whole, and for everyone else. The main feature of the saint was love for people. During the forty-six years of his life on Mount Athos, the elder gained the love of many monks. So, his name is also mentioned in the book of Archimandrite Ephraim the Holy Mountaineer “My Life with Elder Joseph”, where the author describes the monk as a seer and prayer book.
The more a person knows about the lives of such people, study the Gospel, pray and go to church, the clearer his future will line up before him, and past mistakes will not put pressure on his soul and lead him into depression or even despair.
Of course, not everyone will be able to come into contact with the shrine, but it doesn’t matter, the main thing is that such people once lived on earth, they live now, although we may notknow about it, and will live until the end of time.
