21.08.2009

Interview with Archpriest Andrew Lemeshonok, the spiritual father of the Convent in honour of St Martyr Grand Princess Elisabeth

Father, what is the beauty of monastic life? What is the importance of monasticism for people, for the country, and for the world?

Monasticism is an opportunity to reject all temporary matters and build the Kingdom of Heaven inside one’s soul right here, on earth. A person rejects the most important thing for him when he or she becomes a monastic. A person rejects his or her will, his self, and allows God to act. Monasticism means serving God and being fully united with Him.

What does the monastic life mean for people? People should see God’s beauty in a person to strive for it and to seek it. I think that an example of how the inner life with God changes a person, his posture, his actions, his words, and his thoughts, is very important in monasticism.

Christ came to save each person. However, people are burdened with earthly cares and troubles, which take too much time and efforts, which is why it is so hard to find time for prayer and for church service. The entire life of a monastic becomes church service. Either in church, or doing your obedience, or in your cell, or in the refectory, everything helps you remember God. Remembering God changes a person.

What does monasticism mean for a nation and a country? Monastics pray for their nation, for their country, for its well-being, for a better life of its people. Still, what is a better life? A better life means being with God. Even sorrowful and tragic events are allowed by God to happen for people to find their way to the Church. Certainly, earthly blessings are also given to us thanks to prayers – “For the continual prayer of a just man availeth much.”

What does monasticism mean for the whole world? There is a struggle for every person in this world. The world exists as long as there still is hope for the salvation of the man, and hope for Love to overcome sin. I think that monastic prayer keeps this world.

Father, do you believe that new monasteries are somehow different from the ancient ones? What is special about St Elisabeth Convent?

Old monasteries used to be new ones at first. Surely, if there are traditions and continuity, this is a great help. Nevertheless, if there is God’s will for a new monastery to appear, I think, God will act much the same as in ancient monasteries. No outward changes, which happened there in the course of centuries, change the core. A person must live with God, a person must seek God, a person must fulfil God’s will, and a person must learn to serve God. The ways to do that do not matter: either seclusion, or enlightenment work, or serving the neighbour. All this lies within the plenitude of the Holy Church.

For instance, many lay people work within the walls of our Convent. They get real help, so we will try to develop our workshops, publish books, and visit the sick. Our Convent should attempt to sanctify the outer world.

All work in the Convent stems from the holy obedience and is blessed by God. This blessing acts throughout the world because people buy icons painted by our icon-painters, wear vestments made by the sisters, drink tea from the cups made in our workshops, and eat the bread baked in the Convent, so this all is ministry to people.

This also reveals the beauty of monasticism.

Yes, of course. Prayer does not contradict ministry. Prayer is not tantamount to shutting oneself somewhere and reading even the holiest book. It is inner state of a person who lives with God and serves Him.

St Elisabeth Convent is the largest convent in our country. However, there are about two million people in Minsk, and there are eighty-four monastics in our Convent. Seeing from that point, this is not so much. Does that mean that not all who want to join the Convent are, or is it that people have difficulty parting with this world? Alternatively, are there other reasons, perhaps?

To go to the Convent, one must have heard God’s call and have the courage to struggle with sin.

Maybe this is because the majority of the population does not participate in the church life?

There are people with traditional religiousness, but to renounce the world, one must have both God’s calling and courage. It is very difficult to live for other people, and for God. The Lord calls everyone to the Kingdom of Heaven, but each person has his own way.

Can everyone be accepted to the Convent? How does it happen, in general?

A person has a chance to test herself, to work in the Convent, to spend some time as a sort of a postulant. If the sister is ready to subdue herself, if she makes efforts, then she becomes a novice, then a Rassaphore nun, and then she becomes a nun.

The Convent bears the name of St Martyr Grand Princess Elisabeth. Why is St Elisabeth the heavenly patroness of the Convent?

Probably, this can be attributed to the fact that we visit the sick and try to help them. We visit the sick not only in Novinki, but also in city hospital No 2, and boarding homes for children and adults. Sisters of mercy… The life of St Martyr Elisabeth, her beauty, her service to God and neighbour has always inspired us.

There are two portraits in the hall where monastic gatherings are held: a portrait of Fr. Nicholas Gurianov from the Isle of Zalita, and a portrait of Schema-Archimandrite Sophronios (Sakharov). Why is it that they have laid spiritual guidelines for the Convent?

Father Nicholas blessed us to build the Convent. The Lord showed me the spiritual beauty that a human can reach through Father Nicholas. I could see how close to God he was. His prayers and his image gave me strength to live in the times of hardships. When he was alive, he supported us with his prayers, and the sisters could feel it. After his repose, we have been coming to his grave annually to serve panikhidas there, so our connection is maintained. I remember his words, his way of life, and this gives us an opportunity to make the right choice in a certain situation. Thus, we feel that he really helps us in some difficult moments.

Well, Father Sophronios, his words, his desire to put his spiritual life experience in the contemporary language, and his willingness to share the most intimate things with other people – this is important for us.

When I first read the book “Elder Silouane,” long time ago, this was a revelation for me.

Can you please tell us why you decided to gather monastic sisters for meetings and what experience you base on? What is the main purpose of the monastic meetings and how does it change year by year?

Christ gathers people. Fellowship is necessary for people to live together, to understand and to listen to one another, and to help one another. Each person has his experience and can share it. When I became a priest, I was entrusted with holding meetings with people in Ss Peter and Paul Cathedral. When the sisterhood was established, there arose problems related to the lives of the sisters and their obediences. Therefore, another meeting became necessary. These meetings are for both the sisters of mercy and for the monastic sisters, and they are held in the convent up to now. We try to analyse, try to think, try to find the ways and to listen to each other – this is our life. Surely, when the Convent was founded, monastic meetings also became necessary. In the very beginning the meetings were not like they are now. First, we simply listened to Fr. Sophronios because it was very difficult to start a dialogue where sisters would trust one another and open up in front of the rest of the sisters. Perhaps, this is a task for our entire lives – to learn how to see God through serving our neighbour, and accept His will.

Is the main aim of the meetings to help people open themselves up?

The main aim of the meetings is to offer real help for people. The people need the word; they need help to defeat this or that temptation. Personally, during these meetings I try to look into my heart in order to understand myself and try to trust the people who gathered to combat sin and to let Christ be in our midst. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it does not, but this is what our life is about. I think God blesses our meetings because many sisters say thanks afterwards.

There is a tradition of revelation of thoughts to elder sisters in some convents, but a meeting is a daring step. Needless is to say that a person can hardly reveal anything even during confession or in private.

When people come together, it is neither a confession, nor is it the revelation of thoughts.

It is the continuation of the Liturgy, as you often say,

Yes, people are trying to understand one another. Sin means misunderstanding, it is a wall, which has to be demolished in order to be able to see that your pain is the pain of your sister as well, your problems are the problems of your sister as well, and we all depend on one another. It is vital that we could say what worries us, and would trust that we would not be laughed at, but we would be understood and supported. This is very important, especially in a Convent.

There are also meetings of elder sisters in the Convent. What issues are discussed during these meetings and how are the decisions made?

There are many problems and tasks, that is why the sisters responsible for definite spheres of our activity gather to decide how we should plan ahead, taking into account both finances and the human factor. This is why advice is essential.

So sobornost is required, isn’t it?

We listen to one another, and thus some decisions are made.

You often say that God builds the Convent, whereas the sisters are His co-workers. What does “letting God act” mean?

This means that we will not dictate our will and we will be ready to abandon our plans and to see God’s will. How can one tell in a situation when something goes wrong whether it is a temptation or it is that God does not want us to do that? It is no easy task. Because of that, surely there are doubts, hesitation, and mistakes. We have to go ahead and see what will this or that action eventually bring us.

What is the meaning of obedience? Is following the ancient monastic tradition of obedience possible nowadays?

Obedience is an opportunity to become attentive to what your sisters in Christ ask you to do, and accept it not as if it were somebody’s whim, but as the voice of God, God’s will. I think we should learn to be obedient because people in the modern world do not know how to listen to one another and even less – how to obey one another.

Everything is possible when a person abides in the Spirit. When a person lives with sin, resentment, and mistrust, he is certain to have problems obeying. You can force the person to do something but this will not be the ideal obedience, which is displayed when the person sees that through obedience he serves God and understands that when listening to his neighbour he listens to God Himself. This is what we must strive for; this is one of the main purposes of a person to be obedient to God to the utmost, just as Christ was obedient to His Heavenly Father.

Is the obedience according to ancient monastic traditions possible nowadays?

Today, according to our ability, this is extremely difficult, and even impossible. Nevertheless, while this is impossible from our point of view, this is still possible when we abide in the Spirit. We ought not to make a person do what he cannot do. If the person seeks for obedience, if he understands that his pride and self-will impede his growth and if he suffers from that and struggles with it, this is good. However, if the person does not want to obey anyone, he will leave the monastery because his living in the monastery will be fruitless.

Once you said that there is no need in special prayers, nor is there need in special prayer books. What is a monastic prayer like, how do monastics pray in the Convent, and what are the results of prayer in the everyday lives and in the actions of the sisters?

From the morning watch even until night, Israel hopes in the Lord. Again, prayer is intertwined with obedience, humility, and efforts. We cannot say, “This person prays but he does not listen to anyone,” or, “He prays but he is so lazy.” Thus, everything is connected. Monasticism is a way of life where a person begins and finishes his day with God and leans to God in everything. Otherwise, sinful thoughts and sinful feelings will destroy connection both with God and neighbour, and everyone will live on their own. A struggle for unity, for sobornost and for integrity is what prayer is all about.

Father, can you tell us what the difficulty of a confessor’s ministry is nowadays? What is the most difficult for you? What strengthens you as you bear the cross of priesthood?

It is impossible to achieve this on our own. The Lord gives strength as a result of our obedience to the Holy Church. The difficulty of the confessor’s ministry is that a priest would like to be a witness of repentance, a witness of a victory over sin, but more often he has to either be an investigator, or reconcile himself to the fact that people are not ready to change their lives and truly repent. It is very bad when a person condemns others during his confession, when he pampers his sin and struggles with the priest and God. A confessor must have humility and patience, and trust God that He will eventually defeat sin.

What is the most difficult thing for you as a confessor?

The most difficult thing is not to spare myself.

Father, you work so hard. What gives you strength?

The Liturgy is. When a Liturgy is celebrated, this is the most intense time. Still, it is the centre of life, it is Eternity already, and it is feeling and partaking God. One is invigorated and has a possibility to live further, however difficult that might be.

Certainly, I like spending time in the country, but this is not as pleasant for me now as it used to be.

Ten years have passed since the foundation of the Convent. What moments of the life of the Convent have been especially dear to you?

Tonsures and consecrations of churches are especially dear to me. When you feel that God acts, when you see how God defeats sin, these moments are also precious.

What would you like to wish the sisters on the eve of the 10-year anniversary of the Convent?

Patience and unity.