Alexei mechev life. The miraculous relics of the holy righteous Alexy Mechev, presbyter of Moscow. Law of God. Holy Righteous Alexy Mechev
“Why did all the holy apostles, every single one, receive a martyr's crown, perish on crosses, be beheaded by the sword, while the Apostle John the Theologian lived to a ripe old age and died peacefully? Father Alexy once asked, “because the Apostle John had such an unparalleled, great, irresistible Christian love, that even the tormentors obeyed its power, and it disarmed the persecutors, it extinguished their anger and turned it into love.” Father Alexy had just such a love for his neighbors, and all his instructions, sermons and words are about love. He was rich in this merciful love, and it seemed to everyone who came that Father Alexy loved him the most.
Alexy Mechev born March 17, 1859 in Moscow in the pious family of the conductor of the Chudovsky Cathedral Choir.
From birth, Father Alexy's life is associated with the name of St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. At one time, he saved Father Batyushka from death in the cold and, seeing God's providence in this, he later took care of the saved child, and later on his family.
At the time of the birth of Father Alexy (and the birth of his mother, Alexandra Dmitrievna, was difficult), he prayed with Alexei Ivanovich Mechev for the successful resolution of his wife from the burden and predicted: “ A boy will be born, name him Alexy in honor of St. Alexis, man of God».
Alexy grew up in a family where a living faith in God, love, and a kind-hearted attitude towards people reigned.
All his life, Father Alexy reverently recalled the selfless act of his mother, who took her sister with her three children after the death of her husband, despite the fact that she herself was closely with her three children - sons Alexei and Tikhon and daughter Varvara. For the children had to build beds.
Alexey was distinguished by a quiet, peaceful character, he liked to cheer, console, joke. But he moved away from the noisy fun, at the height of the games he suddenly became serious and ran away. For this, he was nicknamed "Blessed Alyoshenka."
Alexy Mechev studied at the Zaikonospassky School, then at the Moscow Theological Seminary, after graduating from which he dreamed of entering the university and becoming a doctor in order to serve people most fruitfully. But the mother opposed this: You are so small, where can you be a doctor, better be a priest". It was hard for Alexy to leave his dream, but he did not go against the will of his beloved mother. Subsequently, he realized that he had found his true calling, and was very grateful to his mother.
After graduating from the seminary, Alexy was appointed to the Church of the Sign of the Prechistensky Magpie. The rector of the temple, Father George, was a tough and picky person. He demanded from the psalmist the fulfillment of such duties that lay on the watchman, treated rudely, even beat him. But Alexy endured everything resignedly and did not express complaints. Subsequently, he thanked the Lord that he had given him such a school. Already being a priest, Father Alexy came to the funeral of Father George, with tears of gratitude and love, seeing him off to the grave.
« Such people should be loved as benefactors”, he later taught his spiritual children. They point out shortcomings that we do not notice for ourselves, and help us fight our “yellow”. We have two enemies: “okayashka” and “yashka” - the father called pride, the human “I” like that.
In 1884, Alexy Mechev married the daughter of a psalmist, 18-year-old Anna Petrovna Molchanova, and was ordained a deacon. Seminary grooms approached Anna, but she refused everyone. But as soon as she met Alexy, she firmly said to her mother-widow: “ for this little one - I'll go". His marriage was happy. Anna Petrovna was with "character" and in the photographs of her early youth she looked out from under frowning eyebrows. But mutual love significantly improved this character. In subsequent photographs, this look warmed up, the tension of facial features smoothed out. Anna dearly loved her husband and deeply sympathized with him in everything. But she suffered from a serious heart disease, and her health became the subject of his constant concern. In his wife, Father Alexy saw a friend and first helper on his path to Christ, he cherished the friendly remarks of his wife and listened to them as one listens to his elder; immediately sought to correct the shortcomings she noticed.
Children were born in the family: Alexandra (1888), Anna (1890), Alexei (1891), who died in the first year of life, Sergei (1892) and Olga (1896).
On March 19, 1893, Deacon Alexy Mechev was ordained a priest of a small one-state church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki Sretensky Magpie. Father Alexy introduced daily worship in his church, while usually in small Moscow churches it was performed only two or three times a week.
« For eight years I served the liturgy every day in an empty church, - the father later said. - One archpriest told me: “No matter how I pass by your church, everyone calls you. I went to the church - it's empty ... Nothing will work for you, you call in vain«».
But Father Alexy was not embarrassed by this and continued to serve. According to the custom then in force, Muscovites fasted once a year during Great Lent. In the church "Nikolas-Klenniki" on Maroseyka Street, it was possible to confess and take communion any day. Over time, this became known in Moscow.
Once, the policeman who was on duty seemed suspicious of the behavior of an unknown woman at a very early hour on the banks of the Moskva River. Approaching, he learned that the woman had despaired of the hardships of life and wanted to drown herself. He persuaded her to leave this intention and go to Maroseyka to Father Alexy. After this incident, people grieving and burdened with the sorrows of life were drawn to this temple. Batiushka was in a hurry to pay attention and console everyone.
A small wooden house in which Fr. Alexy, was dilapidated, half-decayed; the apartment was always dark and damp. Soon Mother Anna Petrovna developed cardiac dropsy with edema and excruciating shortness of breath. She suffered so much that she began to ask her husband to stop begging her and died on August 29, 1902, on the day of the beheading of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John.
Father Alexy was inconsolable. The light went out for him and he did not want to go out to people. At that time, the Holy Righteous Father John of Kronstadt arrived in Moscow. O. Alexy arranged a meeting with him. " Have you come to share my grief with me?- asked him about. Alexy. " I did not come to share your grief, but joy, answered Fr. John. — Leave your cell and go out to the people; only from now on will you begin to live ... Enter into someone else's grief, take it upon yourself and then you will see that your misfortune is small, insignificant in comparison with the general grief, and it will become easier for you».
The grace of God, richly resting on the Kronstadt shepherd, illuminated in a new way life path Father Alexia. He embarked on the path of eldership, for which he had already been prepared by many years of ascetic life.
Father Alexy met all those who came with cordial friendliness, love and compassion. It seemed to everyone that he was loved the most, pitied, consoled. Batiushka never placed the burden of heavy obedience, pointing out that, first of all, one should weigh one's strengths and possibilities. But what you have already decided on, you need to do it at all costs, otherwise the goal is not achieved.
« Path to salvation, - Father Alexy constantly repeated, - is love for God and neighbor". We need to oppress ourselves for the good of people close to us, rebuild our soul, break our character so that it would be easy for our neighbors to live with us. " Be the sun for everyone he said.
Father Alexy is now never left alone, from morning to evening he gives himself to people, he is no longer only a shepherd for them, but a father and a caring mother. Soon all of Moscow was talking about the elder. The church can no longer accommodate everyone, “from early morning until late at night, crowds of people, among ordinary people, professors, doctors, teachers, writers, engineers, artists, artists appear. At one time, Father Alexy began to visit the nearby Khitrov market, which was notorious. He held conversations there with the regulars of the city bottom. But soon, due to the ever-increasing workload, he had to leave it.
Extremely meager in means, Father Alexy still did not pass by the need and grief of his neighbor. Once, on Christmas Eve, the priest, who himself had a large family, left the entire contents of his wallet with a sick woman whom he came to take communion. Arriving home, he thought bitterly: Here is poverty, and here is poverty, there are half-starved children, and here are half-starved children - did I do the right thing, that I gave everything to others, but left nothing for my own? The Lord miraculously resolved the bewilderment of the righteous. Suddenly, a philanthropist appeared who donated a sufficient amount to Father Alexy.
He never took offense at any rudeness towards himself. " Am I... I'm miserable…” he used to say. The priest eschewed manifestations of signs of reverence towards himself, avoided magnificent services, and if he had to participate, he tried to stand behind everyone. He was burdened by awards, they burdened him, caused him deep, sincere grief.
The priest's sermons were simple, sincere, they did not differ in eloquence. Their main advantage was that they carried a practical instruction - how to be and what to do.
When asked how to improve the life of the parish, he answered: “ Pray!" He called on his spiritual children to pray for requiems: " Once again you will come into contact with the departed. When you stand before God, they will all lift up their hands in prayer for you, and you will be saved.».
Batiushka did not approve when parents, striving to go to church, left their children alone without a guardian. Blessing the mother with the child, and pointing to the baby, he said to her impressively: Here is your Kyiv and Jerusalem».
In the bottom residential floor Church Father opened a parochial school, set up a shelter for orphans and the poor, for 13 years he taught the Law of God in the women's gymnasium E.V. Winkler; contributed to the revival of ancient Russian icon painting, which gave way to painting, blessing his spiritual daughter Maria Nikolaevna Sokolova (later nun Juliana) to paint icons.
Fr. Alexy greatly honored the shrine of the temple, the miraculous Theodore Icon of the Mother of God, and often served prayers before it. Once, on the eve of the events of 1917, during a prayer service, he saw that tears were rolling down from the eyes of the Queen of Heaven. This was seen by the pilgrims present. Batiushka was so shocked that he could not continue the service, and a fellow priest had to finish it.
Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki
Interior of the church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki on Maroseyka
The number of worshipers in the temple increased. Especially after 1917, and among them there are many young people, students who have become disillusioned with revolutionary ideals. After the Kremlin was closed, part of the parishioners and choristers of the Chudov Monastery moved to the church of Father Alexy. Young educated priests began to serve in the church, helping Fr. Alexy in conducting lectures, discussions, and in organizing courses on the study of worship. Among them is the son of father Alexy father Sergiy Mechev, ordained a priest on Great Thursday 1919, now also glorified in the face of saints as a holy martyr.
In the difficult years of the civil war and general devastation, many wanted to move to the grain-growing southern regions of the country, to Ukraine. Father Alexy did not give a blessing for moving, citing the words of the Lord spoken to the Jews through the prophet Jeremiah not to flee from Babylonian slavery to Egypt, where death awaits everyone. The rest will be shown the mercy of God and deliverance.
Father Alexy created an amazing spiritual community in the world. One of the few, this community withstood the times of the most terrible persecution and brought up a new generation of zealous servants of the Church and pious church people. The tradition of agape in the community deserves special attention. On the night from Saturday to Sunday (from about 1919), an all-night vigil was served, then a liturgy, and after it, a meal was held in one of the premises of the temple with communion on spiritual topics and the reading of psalms. Meals were called agapas. Initially, Father Aleksey himself organized the agape conversations, but gradually he began to transfer the situation into the hands of the audience.
« Here in advance, who could bring something from vegetables, bread, sugar or caramel sweets for tea. Tables, benches, chairs were arranged; the clergy and the priest came. Batiushka took part in the common meal and, as in conversations on Wednesdays in his apartment, he told something, touching on the most pressing issues of life and relationships. Someone present spoke».
Father Alexy also built interpersonal spiritual and spiritual relations. He began simply with an attentive, responsible, compassionate attitude towards his spiritual children, then he began to establish relationships between them, constantly working "on the creation of a close spiritual family." He sent one of the sisters to visit another who was ill; gave her something to eat, blessed, when they returned late, one sister to spend the night with another. And he rejoiced when the evening passed in the reading of good spiritual literature, and, of course, in joint prayer at night. He did not bless me to go where there are more stories about the news and other chatter. Blessed to meet periodically without him, pointing out what to read and what to pay attention to. Gradually about. Alexy taught his spiritual children to serve each other in whatever way they could, to live each other's joys and sorrows.
The true spiritual friends of Father Alexy were his contemporary Optina ascetics - the elder hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Potapov) and the head of the skete hegumen Theodosius (Pomortsev). They were amazed at the feat of the Moscow elder "in the city as in the desert." Elder Nectarios said to someone: “ Why are you visiting us? Do you have about. Alexy».
He revered the priest and Archimandrite Arseny (Zhadanovsky) as “a wise city elder who brings people no less benefit than any hermit”; and His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, always taking into account the recall of the Father in cases of consecration.
Twice the priest was called for an interview at the OGPU. They were forbidden to receive people. The second time the conversation was short, as they saw that he was seriously ill, suffering from very severe shortness of breath.
Bishop Arseny said: But if prayer invigorates and refreshes a person, then taking on the suffering of others breaks the heart of the shepherd, makes him physically sick.". Father Alexy began to suffer from the heart disease from which he later died ...
In the last days of May, Father Alexy left for Vereya, where he spent the past years on vacation. He had a premonition that he was leaving forever. Before leaving, he served the last liturgy in his church, said goodbye to his spiritual children and the church.
- Father, how hard it is to think that you will not be here.
- Silly, I will always be with you ...
Father Alexy died on Friday 9/22 June 1923. Death came as soon as he got into bed.
The liturgy and the funeral were performed by Archbishop Theodore (Pozdeevsky), which the priest himself asked him to do in a letter shortly before his death. Vladyka Theodore was then in prison, on June 7/20 he was released and was able to fulfill his desire. Easter hymns were sung all the way to the Lazarevsky cemetery. His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, who had just been released from prison and was greeted with enthusiasm by the people, arrived to see Father Alexy on his last journey. The words of the Father were fulfilled: When I die, everyone will be happy».
10 years later, in connection with the closure of the Lazarevsky cemetery, the remains of Father Alexy and his wife were transferred to the Vvedensky Gory cemetery, popularly referred to as German. Above his grave stood a marble monument with a small cross above it. In its lower part, the words of the Apostle Paul, so close to the heart of Father Alexy, are carved: “ Carry each other's burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ«.
The relics of the holy righteous Alexy Mechev
At the Jubilee Bishops' Council in 2000, Archpriest Alexy Mechev was canonized for general church veneration. Father Alexy was canonized at the same time as his son, Hieromartyr Sergius, and with many new martyrs and confessors of Russia. In 2001, the relics of the holy righteous Alexy of Moscow were acquired and transferred to the church of St. Nicholas. Currently the relics of the holy righteous Alexy Mechev are in the Moscow church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki.
Holy Righteous Alexy Mechev
Troparion, tone 5:
Help in troubles, comfort in sorrows, / good shepherd, Father Alexy. / By the feat of eldership shining to the world, / you confessed the faith and love of Christ in the darkness of iniquity, / aching heart for all those who flow to you / And now pray to God for us, honoring you with love.
Kontakion, tone 2:
Great labors of love and mercy have lifted thou, / righteous elder Alexis, / from the holy shepherd of Kronstadt blessing to help the suffering, / lay the misfortunes and sorrows of people like chains on your frame. / We, leading you boldly to the Lord, call you with tenderness: // pray to Christ God that our souls be saved.
From the spiritual teachings of Elder Alexy Mechev
“During sorrows, one should not grumble and argue with God, but pray to Him with gratitude. The Lord is not like people; people, if they suffer something from anyone, try to repay, but the Lord tries to correct us even in sorrows. If we knew how others endure, we would not grumble.”
“With tears, I ask and pray you, be the suns that warm those around you, if not all, then the family in which the Lord has made you a member.”
“Be warm and light to those around you; first try to warm your family with yourself, work on it, and then these works will lure you so much that the circle of your family will already be narrow for you, and these warm rays will eventually capture more and more new people, and the circle illuminated by you will gradually increase and increase; so try to keep your lamp burning brightly.”
“The Lord says: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world,” by this He says that our duty is to shine on others. Meanwhile, we ourselves walk in darkness, not only do we no longer shine on others, therefore we must turn to the Lord, ask Him for help, because no matter how strong we are, no matter what advantages we have, we are still without God is nothing; and then we have a great many sins, and therefore we ourselves cannot achieve to shine and warm others. And the Lord calls us to His Church and says: “Come to Me, all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest,” stop relying on your self, seek help from Me. In such a difficult time, is it possible to say that death is far from us, no ... for many of us [it] is very, very close. So hasten to do your duty, to which the Lord has called you, because, as He Himself said, when the night comes, then no one can do it; whatever we have done, good or evil, is the end of everything. Therefore, hasten to understand what is your duty, which we must fulfill with fear and trembling, what a talent has been given to you from the Lord.
And I want to cry, and cry, and cry, seeing how many of you lived to see gray hair and they did not see their duty, as if there was no grace, nothing touched them, as if they were blind from birth. It is impossible to abuse the mercy of God without end, to spend time in exaltation, malice, hatred, enmity. The Lord is calling: come to Me while you are alive, and I will give you rest.”
“There are moments when you really want to help some person, this, undoubtedly, the Lord has such a heart for the salvation of another; only be pure vessels, that He may work through you and have an instrument in His hands.”
“The Lord does not get angry even from the Cross, he stretches out his hands to us and calls us. Although we all crucify Him, He is love and is ready to forgive us everything. We sometimes consider it excusable when you get tired, irritated, or something else (allow yourself), but no matter what circumstances you are, no matter how tired or sick you are, you should only do as Christ commanded.
Law of God. Holy Righteous Alexy Mechev
The famous Moscow elder of the early 20th century, Father Alexy Mechev, was born on March 17, 1859, into a pious family of the choir director of the Chudov Monastery. His father, Alexei Ivanovich Mechev, the son of an archpriest who served in the Kolomna district, was saved in childhood from death in the cold by St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. Musically gifted boys from the families of the clergy of the Moscow diocese were brought to the Metropolitan's Compound in Troitsky Lane. In the evening, when the children were already having supper, Vladyka Metropolitan suddenly became alarmed, dressed quickly and went out to inspect the train that had arrived. In one sleigh, he found a sleeping boy, left there by negligence. Seeing the providence of God in this, Metropolitan Filaret paid special attention and care to the child he had saved, constantly taking care of him, and later on of his family.
The birth of Father Alexy took place under significant circumstances. His mother, Alexandra Dmitrievna, felt unwell at the onset of childbirth. The birth was difficult, very delayed, and the life of the mother and child was in danger. AT great grief Alexey Ivanovich went to the Alekseevsky Monastery, where Metropolitan Filaret served on the occasion of the patronal feast. Having entered the altar, he quietly stood aside, but his grief did not hide from the eyes of the lord. After praying, the saint handed him a prosphora with the words: “A boy will be born, name him Alexy, in honor of St. Alexy, the man of God, celebrated by us today.” Alexy Ivanovich took courage, defended the liturgy and, inspired by hope, went home. At the door he was greeted with good news: a boy was born.
A living faith in God reigned in their family, hospitable hospitality and hospitality were manifested. Father Alexy reverently recalled the selfless deed of his mother, who took her sister with three children after the death of her husband, despite the fact that he himself was cramped in a two-room apartment in Troitsky Lane with three children - sons Alexy and Tikhon and daughter Barbara. For the children had to build beds.
Among his siblings and cousins, Lenya, as Alexia was called in the family, stood out for his kindness, quiet, peaceful character. He loved to cheer, console, joke. At a party in the midst of games, he suddenly became serious, quickly moved away and hid from noisy fun. For this he was called the blessed Alyoshenka. Alexy Mechev studied at the Zaikonospassky School, then at the Moscow Theological Seminary. Graduating from the seminary, he did not have his own corner, which was so necessary for studies. I had to get up at night to prepare my lessons. He was diligent, executive, ready for any service. Together with many classmates, Alexei wanted to go to university and become a doctor. But the mother resolutely opposed this, wishing to have a prayer book in him. “You are so small, where would you be a doctor, better be a priest,” she said with firmness. It was hard for Alexei to leave his dream, but he could not go against the will of his mother. Subsequently, he realized that he had found his true calling, and was very grateful to his mother.
After graduating from the seminary, Alexei Mechev was assigned as a psalmist at the Church of the Sign of the Prechistensky Magpie on Znamenka. "Forty" is an old Russian unit of account. Designated a group of temples, subordinate to the Reverend, who oversaw several parishes.) The rector of this temple, Father George, was a man of a tough character, unjustifiably picky. He demanded from the psalmist the duties of a watchman, he was rude, even beat, but Alexy meekly endured everything and did not ask for a transfer to another church. The younger brother Tikhon, visiting Alexy, often found him in tears. Subsequently, Alexy thanked the Lord for giving him such a school. Already a priest, Father Alexy heard about the death of Father George, came to the funeral service, with tears of gratitude and love accompanied him to the grave, to the surprise of those who knew the attitude of the deceased towards him.
In 1884, Alexy Mechev married the eighteen-year-old daughter of a psalmist, Anna Petrovna Molchanova. In the same year, on November 18, he was ordained a deacon. He experienced fiery zeal for the Lord, and outwardly showed the greatest simplicity, humility and meekness. His marriage was happy. Anna loved her husband and sympathized with him in everything. But she suffered from a serious heart condition, and her health was the subject of his constant concern. He valued his wife's friendly remarks and listened to them as one listens to his elder, immediately sought to correct the shortcomings she noticed. Children were born in the family: Alexandra (1888), Anna (1890), Alexei (1891), who died in the first year of life, Sergei (1892) and Olga (1896).
On March 19, 1893, Deacon Alexy Mechev was ordained a priest by Bishop Nestor in the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki Sretensky Magpie. Preparing for the pastoral ministry, he had a cherished desire to go to a parish in a remote village, where the people are simpler, and unite them into a single spiritual family.
The Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki was small, and its parish was very, very small. Large, well-visited temples stood in the immediate vicinity. Having become the rector of the single-state (with one priest on the staff) church of St. Nicholas, Father Alexy introduced daily worship in his church, while usually in such churches it was performed two or three times a week. “For eight years I served the liturgy every day in an empty church,” the priest later said. - One archpriest told me: “No matter how I pass by your church, everyone calls you. I went to the church - it’s empty ... You won’t succeed, you’re calling in vain. But Father Alexy was not embarrassed by this and continued to serve. According to the custom then in force, Muscovites fasted once a year - during Great Lent. In the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki on Maroseyka Street, one could confess and take communion any day. Over time, this became known in Moscow. Grieving, burdened with the sorrows of life, degenerate people rushed to this temple. From them went a rumor about his good abbot.
The life of the clergy of numerous small parishes of that time was financially difficult, and there were often bad living conditions. The small wooden house that housed the family of Father Alexy was dilapidated, half-decayed. The apartment is always damp. Mother Anna Petrovna was seriously ill. She developed cardiac dropsy with extensive edema and excruciating shortness of breath. Anna Petrovna died on August 29, 1902, on the day of the beheading of the head of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John. Father Alexy was very upset by the loss of his wife.
At that time, the famous pastor John of Kronstadt arrived in Moscow. The merchant family, who knew Father Alexis closely, arranged for him to meet Father John. The grace of God, resting abundantly on the Kronstadt shepherd, illuminated the life path of Father Alexy in a new way. On the advice of Father John, he left his cell, went out to the people to take their grief upon himself. He accepted what was given to him as an obedience entrusted to him. He was prepared for the acceptance of the grace of eldership by many years of a truly ascetic life. In the Marosei temple, Father Alexei met people broken by difficult circumstances, who had forgotten about God, with cordial friendliness, love and compassion. Joy and the peace of Christ were instilled in their souls, and hope for the mercy of God appeared. The love shown towards them evoked in everyone the feeling that he was loved the most, pitied, consoled. Father Alexy said that the Lord visits us with sorrows in order to open the hearts of other people to us.
Father Alexy received from God the gift of clairvoyance and gained fame as a kind father, who should be addressed in difficult moments for the family. Arriving in a family ready to fall apart, he brought peace, love and an all-forgiving understanding to everyone.
In the lower residential floor of the temple, Fr. Alexy opened an elementary parochial school, and also arranged a shelter for orphans and children of poor parents. The children also learned crafts that were useful to them.
Having blessed his spiritual daughter Maria (Maria Nikolaevna Sokolova - nun Juliana) to paint icons, who came to him in the temple as a teenager after the death of her father, priest and artist, Fr. Alexy contributed to this revival in the future of ancient Russian icon painting, which had been forgotten for several centuries, giving way to painting.
His sermons were simple, sincere, not distinguished by eloquence. But what he said touched the heart with the depth of faith, truthfulness, understanding of life. The path to salvation lies in love for God and neighbor, said the priest.
Once about. Alexy asked: “Have you thought why all the holy apostles, every single one, received a martyr’s crown, perished on crosses, were beheaded with a sword, and the Apostle John the Theologian lived to a ripe old age and died peacefully?” On the negative answer about. Alexy said: “Because the Apostle John had such an unparalleled, great, irresistible Christian love, that even the tormentors obeyed her strength, and she disarmed the persecutors, she extinguished their anger and turned into love.” At o. Alexy had just such a love for his neighbors, and all his instructions, sermons and words are about love. He was rich in this merciful love, and it seemed to everyone who came that it was his Fr. Alexy loves the most.
An enemy of all violence, the priest never laid the burden of heavy obedience. Emphasizing the need for an external feat, even the smallest one, he pointed out that, first of all, one should weigh strengths and capabilities. But what you have already decided on, you need to do it at all costs, regardless of fatigue and other circumstances. Otherwise, the goal is not achieved. And always demanded good relationship to relatives and friends.
“The path to salvation,” Fr. Alexy, - lies in love for God and neighbors. Love for neighbors should not be declared as supposedly aimed at all of humanity, but should begin in working on oneself in a small circle of one’s family, in the everyday life of everyday life, in relationships with those with whom the Lord has placed us. We need to oppress ourselves for the good of people close to us, rebuild our soul, break our character so that it would be easy for our neighbors to live with us.
Father Alexy had the blessed gift of clairvoyance. Those who came to him could see that he knew their whole life, both its external events and spiritual aspirations and thoughts. He revealed himself to people in varying degrees. In his deep humility, he always tried not to show the fullness of this gift. He usually spoke about any details, details of a situation still unknown to the interlocutor, not directly, but talking about a similar incident that allegedly took place recently. An indication of how to act in a particular case, the priest expressed only once. If the visitor objected, insisted on his own, then Fr. Alexy avoided further conversation, did not explain what the unreasonable desire would lead to, did not even repeat what was originally said. He could sometimes give the blessing required from him. Those who came with a repentant feeling and full of confidence, he helped, interceding for them before the Lord and bringing deliverance from difficulties and troubles.
Prayer about. Alexia never stopped. By his example, he showed that with the noise and bustle of life in the city, one can be far from everything earthly, have unceasing prayer, a pure heart, and stand before God even here on earth. When asked how to improve the life of the parish, he answered: "Pray!".
Elder Alexy said that God gave him a childish faith. Eyewitnesses said that during the service he was transformed. His childlike faith was often revealed in tears, especially at the Divine Liturgy. Often he found it difficult to pronounce exclamations: "Come, eat ..." or "Yours from Yours ...". At these words, by his changed voice, everyone in the temple understood that he was crying. His face was full of tenderness, and his weeping captured those who served him. “And I wept, bending down to the throne,” said the deacon who served him.
This gift of tears, which the priest possessed for his humility, was especially manifested in him when reading the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete. He did not read it, he uttered these troparia as his own words from the depths of a contrite heart, shedding tears. The whole church merged with him in tenderness ...
Father Alexy greatly honored the shrine of the temple, the miraculous Theodore Icon of the Mother of God, and often served prayers before it. Once, on the eve of the events of 1917, during a prayer service, he saw that tears were streaming from the eyes of the Queen of Heaven. This was seen by the pilgrims present. Batiushka was so shocked that he could not continue the service, and a co-serving priest had to finish it.
The number of worshipers in his temple increased, especially after 1917. Many young people and students, seeing that the revolution brought new disasters, sought to comprehend the laws of spiritual life. During these years, zealous young priests and deacons began to serve on Maroseyka, including the son of Fr. Alexy's father Sergiy Mechev, ordained a priest on Great Thursday 1919, Fr. Sergius (Durylin). They helped in conducting lectures, discussions, in organizing courses on the study of worship. But the load on Fr. Alexia kept growing. Now it was already possible to see endless queues at the door of the clergy's house, in one of whose apartments Fr. Alexy.
Batiushka eschewed manifestations of signs of respect, respect, avoided magnificent services. In 1920 His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon honored Fr. Alexy awards - the right to wear a cross with decorations. Priests and parishioners gathered in the temple to congratulate the priest. Father Alexy, usually smiling and joyful, looked alarmed and distressed. After a short prayer, he turned to the people with contrition, speaking of his unworthiness, bursting into bitter tears, asked for forgiveness and bowed to the ground. Everyone saw that he, accepting this award, really felt unworthy of it.
True spiritual friends Fr. Alexy was the contemporary Optina elders - Hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Potapov) and the head of the skete hegumen Theodosius. Father Theodosius, once arriving in Moscow, visited the Marosei temple. Having attended the divine service, I saw how earnestly and for a long time the service was going on, the commemoration was performed in detail, how the processions of confessors were going, and how many people were waiting for the reception of the priest. He said about. Alexy: “For all this work that you are doing alone, we would need several people in Optina. One is beyond strength. The Lord is helping you."
His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon always considered the opinion of Fr. Alexy in cases of ordination and invited him to take on the task of uniting the Moscow clergy. The meetings were held in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, but due to the conditions of that time, they were soon terminated.
Twice o. Alexy was summoned to the OGPU at the end of 1922 and on March 30, 1923, forbidding him to receive the people. But soon they let him go, seeing his painful condition.
In the last days of May 1923, Father Alexy went, as in previous years, to rest in Vereya, where he had small house. Before leaving, he served his last liturgy in the Maroseian church, said goodbye to spiritual children, leaving, said goodbye to the church, of which he had been rector for 30 years.
Fr died. Alexy on Friday, June 9/22, 1923 On the last evening he was joyful, affectionate with everyone, remembered those who were absent, especially his grandson Alyosha. Death came as soon as he got into bed and was instantaneous. On June 27, the coffin with the body of Fr. Alexy was taken to the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki. For two days, panikhidas were served continuously by the Moscow clergy to give everyone the opportunity to say goodbye. The funeral was performed by Archbishop Theodore (Pozdeevsky), rector of the Danilov Monastery, - Father Alexy himself requested this in his letter shortly before his death. Vladyka Theodore was then in prison, but on June 20 he was released and was able to fulfill Fr. Alexia. His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, who had just been released from prison, arrived at the Lazarevskoye cemetery to see off Father Alexy. He was enthusiastically greeted by crowds of people, and the words of the priest were fulfilled: "When I die, everyone will be happy." In the tombstone left by Fr. Alexy before his death, he bequeathed to his spiritual children to love people, to serve them. On earth one must live only for heaven, and this is possible through complete active self-denial for the good of others.
Ten years later, in connection with the closure of the Lazarevsky cemetery, the remains of Fr. Alexy and his wife were transferred on September 28, 1933 to the Vvedenskoye (German) cemetery. The body of Alexia was incorruptible, only one of the legs was broken ankle joint, and the foot separated. All subsequent decades, the grave of Fr. Alexia was the most visited, regularly it was necessary to add land to the grave mound, as those who resorted to the help of Fr. Alexis was carried away with them.
Father Alexy created an amazing spiritual community in the world, which revived the spirit of the ancient apostolic church. This community withstood the times of terrible persecution and brought up a new generation of zealous ministers of the Church and pious church people who embraced the spirit of a genuine, grace-filled Christian life, which Fr. Alexy. In the Marosey community, after the death of the priest, they began to collect memories of Fr. Alexy and his prayerful help.
At the Jubilee Bishops' Council in 2000, Fr. Alexy Mechev canonized Russian saints Orthodox Church for public worship. On June 16, 2001, the relics of St. Righteous Alexy (Mechev) were uncovered.
Holy Father Alexis, pray to God for us!
“Good Shepherd. Life and Works of the Moscow Elder Archpriest Alexy Mechev "- M .: Serda-Press, 2000
“In the city, as in the desert. Holy Righteous Alexy Mechev on Prayer "- M .: From in the name of St. Ignatius Stavropolsky, 2009
"An old man in the world. Life, letters, sermons, writings on books”, Obraz. 2010.
The Moscow elder, father in the world Alexy Mechev, was born on March 17, 1859 in the pious family of the conductor of the Chudovsky Cathedral Choir.
His father, Alexei Ivanovich Mechev, the son of an archpriest of the Kolomna district, was saved in childhood from death in the cold on a cold winter night by St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. Among the boys from the families of the clergy of the Moscow diocese, selected according to the criterion of sufficient musicality, he was brought late in the evening to Troitsky Lane to the Metropolitan Compound. When the children were having supper, Vladyka Metropolitan suddenly became alarmed, dressed quickly and went out to inspect the train that had arrived. In one of the sledges, he found a sleeping boy, left there through an oversight. Seeing the providence of God in this, Metropolitan Filaret paid special attention and care to the child he saved, constantly cared for him, and later on for his family.
The birth of Father Alexy took place under significant circumstances. His mother, Alexandra Dmitrievna, felt unwell at the onset of childbirth. The birth was difficult, very delayed, and the life of the mother and child was in danger.
In great grief, Alexei Ivanovich went to pray at the Alekseevsky Monastery, where Metropolitan Philaret served on the occasion of the patronal feast. Having entered the altar, he quietly stood aside, but the grief of his beloved regent did not hide from Vladyka's gaze. “You are so sad today, what are you doing?” he asked. - "Your Eminence, the wife is dying in childbirth." The saint prayerfully overshadowed himself with the sign of the cross. - "Let's pray together ... God is merciful, everything will be fine," he said; then he gave him a prosphora with the words: "A boy will be born, name him Alexei, in honor of St. Alexis, the man of God, celebrated by us today."
Aleksei Ivanovich took courage, defended the liturgy, and, elated with hope, went home. At the door he was greeted with joy: a boy was born.
In a two-room apartment in Troitsky Lane, a living faith in God reigned in the family of the regent of the Chudovsky Choir, hospitable hospitality and hospitality were manifested; here they lived the joys and sorrows of everyone whom God brought to be in their home. It was always crowded, relatives and friends who knew that they would be helped and consoled constantly stopped.
All his life, Father Alexy reverently recalled the selfless act of his mother, who took her sister with her three children after the death of her husband, despite the fact that she herself was closely with her three children - sons Alexei and Tikhon and daughter Varvara. For the children had to build beds.
Among siblings and cousins, Lenya, as Alexei was called in the family, stood out for his kindness, quiet, peaceful character. He did not like quarrels, he wanted everyone to be well; loved to cheer, console, joke. All this came out piously from him. At a party, in the midst of games in the children's rooms, Lenya suddenly became serious, quickly moved away and hid, locking himself in from the noisy fun. Those around him called him “blessed Alyoshenka” for this.
Alexei Mechev studied at the Zaikonospassky School, then at the Moscow Theological Seminary. He was diligent, executive, ready for any service. Graduating from the seminary, he did not have his own corner, which was so necessary for studies. To prepare lessons, often had to get up at night.
Together with many classmates, Alexei Mechev had a desire to go to university and become a doctor. But the mother resolutely opposed this, wishing to have a prayer book in him. “You are so small, where can you be a doctor, better be a priest,” she said with firmness.
It was hard for Alexei to leave his dream: the activity of a doctor seemed to him the most fruitful in serving people. With tears he said goodbye to his friends, but he could not go against the will of his mother, whom he respected and loved so much. Subsequently, the father realized that he had found his true calling, and was very grateful to his mother.
After graduating from the seminary, Alexei Mechev was appointed on October 14, 1880 as a psalmist at the Church of the Sign of the Prechistensky Magpie on Znamenka. Here he was destined to go ordeal.
The rector of the temple was a man of a tough character, unreasonably picky. He demanded from the psalmist the fulfillment of such duties that lay on the watchman, he was rude, even beat, it happened, and brandished with a poker. The younger brother Tikhon, visiting Alexei, often found him in tears. Sometimes a deacon stood up for a defenseless psalmist, and he endured everything meekly, without expressing complaints, without asking for a transfer to another temple. And later he thanked the Lord that he had given him such a school to go through, and remembered the rector Father George as his teacher.
Already a priest, Father Alexy, having heard about the death of Father George, came to the funeral service, with tears of gratitude and love accompanied him to the grave, to the surprise of those who knew the attitude of the deceased towards him.
Later, Father Alexy said: when people point out shortcomings that we ourselves do not notice, they help us fight our “yashka”. We have two enemies: “okayashka” and “yashka” - the father called self-esteem, the human “I”, which immediately declares its rights when someone willy-nilly offends and infringes on it. “Such people should be loved as benefactors,” he later taught his spiritual children.
In 1884, Alexy Mechev married the eighteen-year-old daughter of a psalmist, Anna Petrovna Molchanova. In the same year, on November 18, he was ordained deacon by Bishop Misail of Mozhaisk.
Having become a servant of the altar, Deacon Alexy experienced fiery zeal for the Lord, and outwardly showed the greatest simplicity, humility and meekness. His marriage was happy. Anna loved her husband and sympathized with him in everything. But she suffered from a serious heart disease, and her health became the subject of his constant concern. In his wife, Father Alexy saw a friend and first helper on his path to Christ, he cherished the friendly remarks of his wife and listened to them as one listens to his elder; immediately sought to correct the shortcomings she noticed.
Children were born in the family: Alexandra (1888), Anna (1890), Alexei (1891), who died in the first year of life, Sergei (1892) and Olga (1896).
On March 19, 1893, Deacon Alexy Mechev was ordained by Bishop Nestor, manager of the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow, as a priest at the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki Sretensky Magpie. The consecration took place in the Zaikonospassky Monastery. The Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki on Maroseyka was small, and its parish was very small. In the immediate vicinity rose large, well-visited temples.
Having become the rector of the one-state church of St. Nicholas, Father Alexy introduced daily worship in his church, while usually in small Moscow churches it was performed only two or three times a week.
Batiushka came to the temple almost from five o'clock in the morning, he himself unlocked it. Reverently venerating the miraculous Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God and other images, he, without waiting for anyone from the clergy, prepared everything necessary for the Eucharist, celebrated the proskomedia. When the appointed hour approached, he began matins, which he himself often read and sang; followed by the liturgy. “For eight years I served the liturgy every day in an empty church,” the priest later said. - One archpriest told me: “No matter how I pass by your church, everyone calls you. I went into the church - it’s empty ... Nothing will work out for you, you’re calling in vain.” But Father Alexy was not embarrassed by this and continued to serve. then Muscovites used to fast once a year during Great Lent. In the church "Nikolas-Klenniki" on Maroseyka Street, one could confess and take communion any day. Over time, this became known in Moscow. A case is described when the behavior of an unknown woman at a very early hour on the banks of the Moskva River seemed suspicious to the policeman who was on duty. Approaching, he learned that the woman was in despair from the hardships of life, she wanted to drown herself. He persuaded her to leave this intention and go to Maroseyka to Father Alexy. Grieving, burdened with the sorrows of life, degenerate people rushed to this temple. From them went a rumor about his good abbot.
The life of the clergy of numerous small parishes of that time was financially difficult, and living conditions were often bad. The small wooden house in which Father Alexy's family was housed was dilapidated, half-decayed; the two-story houses that stood close together shaded the windows. In rainy times, streams, running down from Pokrovka and Maroseyka, flowed into the courtyard of the temple and into the basement of the house, the apartment was always damp.
Mother Anna Petrovna was seriously ill. She developed cardiac dropsy with large edema and excruciating shortness of breath. Anna Petrovna died on August 29, 1902, on the day of the beheading of the head of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John.
At that time, a merchant family very close to Father Alexy (Alexey and Claudia Belov) invited the righteous Father John of Kronstadt, who had come to Moscow, to their home, with whom she was in contact on charitable matters. This was done to meet Father Alexy with him.
“Have you come to share my grief with me?” Father Alexy asked when Father John entered. “I didn’t come to share your grief, but joy,” replied Father John. - The Lord visits you. Leave your cell and go out to the people; only from now on will you begin to live. You rejoice in your sorrows and think: there is no grief in the world greater than yours ... And you be with the people, enter into someone else's grief, take it upon yourself, and then you will see that your misfortune is insignificant in comparison with the general grief, and it is easier for you will become."
The grace of God, richly resting on the Kronstadt shepherd, illuminated the life path of Father Alexy in a new way. He accepted what was given to him as an obedience entrusted to him. He was, no doubt, prepared for the acceptance of the grace of eldership by many years of a truly ascetic life.
Those who were looking for help in the Maroseian church, broken by difficult circumstances, mutual hostility, mired in sins, forgotten about God, Father Alexy met with cordial friendliness, love and compassion. The joy and peace of Christ were instilled into their souls, the hope for the mercy of God, for the possibility of renewing the soul, was manifested, the love shown towards them evoked in everyone the feeling that they loved him more than anyone else, pitied, comforted.
Father Alexy received from God the blessed gift of clairvoyance. Those who came to him could see that he knew their whole life, both its external events and their spiritual aspirations and thoughts. He revealed himself to people in varying degrees. In his deep humility, he always tried not to show the fullness of this gift. He usually spoke about any details, details of a situation still unknown to the interlocutor, not directly, but allegedly talking about a similar case that had recently taken place. An indication of how to act in a particular case, the priest expressed only once. If the visitor objected, insisted on his own, then Father Alexy avoided further conversation, did not explain what the unreasonable desire would lead to, did not even repeat what was originally said. He could sometimes give the blessing required from him. To those who came with a repentant feeling and full of confidence, he provided prayerful help, interceding for them before the Lord for deliverance from difficulties and troubles.
Father Alexy gained fame as a kind father, who should be addressed in difficult moments for the family. It was not in his rules to read instructions, to denounce, to analyze someone's bad deeds. He knew how to talk about the moral aspects of family situations without affecting the painful pride of the parties in the conflict. And he was invited to trebs at critical moments. Coming to a family that was ready to fall apart, the priest brought peace, love and an all-forgiving understanding to everyone. He did not blame anyone, did not reproach, but tried, citing vivid cases of errors and errors, to bring the listeners to the consciousness of his guilt, to arouse in them a feeling of repentance. This dispelled the clouds of malice, and the guilty began to feel wrong in their actions. Proper understanding often did not come immediately, but later, when a person, remembering the words of Father Alexy and looking deeper into his softened soul, could finally see that his stories had a direct bearing on him, and understand what new path he outlined for him.
In the lower residential floor of the temple, the priest opened an elementary parochial school, and also arranged a shelter for orphans and children of poor parents. The children also learned crafts that were useful to them. For 13 years, Father Alexy taught children the Law of God in the private women's gymnasium E.V. Winkler.
Having blessed his spiritual daughter Maria, who came to his church as a teenage girl shortly after the death of her father, to paint icons, the priest contributed to this revival in the future of ancient Russian icon painting, which had been forgotten for several centuries, giving way to painting.
At that time, Father Alexy began to celebrate divine services in the temple not only in the morning, but also in the evening (Vespers and Matins).
The priest's sermons were simple, sincere, they did not differ in eloquence. What he said touched the heart with the depth of faith, truthfulness, understanding of life. He did not use oratory, focused the attention of his listeners on the gospel events, the lives of the saints, himself remaining completely in the shadows.
Father Alexy's prayer never stopped. By his example, the priest showed that with the noise and bustle of life in the city, one can be far from everything earthly, have unceasing prayer, a pure heart, and stand before God even here on earth.
When asked how to improve the life of the parish, he answered: “Pray!” He urged his spiritual children to pray for requiems: “Once again you will come into contact with the departed... When you stand before God, they will all lift up their hands for you, and you will be saved.”
The number of worshipers in the temple increased. Especially after 1917, when those who left the Church, having experienced numerous troubles, rushed to churches in the hope of God's help. After the Kremlin was closed, part of the parishioners and choristers of the Chudov Monastery moved, with the blessing of Vladyka Arseny (Zhadanovsky), to the church of Father Alexy. Many young people and students appeared who saw that the revolution brought new disasters instead of the promised blessings, and now they were striving to comprehend the laws of spiritual life.
During these years, zealous young priests and deacons, who had received an education, began to serve on Maroseyka, including the son of Father Alexy, Father Sergiy Mechev, who was ordained a priest on Great Thursday 1919. They also helped in conducting lectures, discussions, in organizing courses on the study of worship. But the burden on Father Alexy kept growing. Too many wanted to get his blessing for any business, listen to his advice. Batiushka used to have to receive some of the visitors in his apartment in the clergy's house, built before the First World War by the famous publisher I. D. Sytin. Now one could see endless queues at the door of the house; in the summer, visitors stayed overnight in the courtyard of the temple.
Great was the humility of Father Alexy. He never took offense at any rudeness towards himself. “What am I? .. I am miserable ...” - he used to say. Once, having forced his spiritual daughter to recall in confession that she spoke badly about her relative and did not attach any importance to this, he said to her: “Remember, Lydia, that there is no one worse than you and me in the whole world.”
The priest eschewed manifestations of signs of reverence towards himself, avoided magnificent services, and if he had to participate, he tried to stand behind everyone. He was burdened by awards, they burdened him, causing him deep, sincere embarrassment.
Due to the efforts of the Chudov sisters, in 1920, His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon awarded the priest the right to wear a cross with decorations. Priests and parishioners gathered at the temple in the evening to congratulate him. Father Alexy, usually smiling and joyful, looked alarmed and distressed. After a short prayer, he turned to the people with contrition, speaking of his unworthiness, and, bursting into bitter tears, asked for forgiveness and bowed to the ground. Everyone saw that, accepting this award, he really felt unworthy of it.
The true spiritual friends of Fr. Alexis were his contemporary Optina ascetics - the elder Hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Potapov) and the head of the skete hegumen Theodosius. Father Anatoly sent Muscovites who came to him to Father Alexy. Elder Nectarios said to someone: “Why are you coming to us? You have a father, Alexy.”
Father Theodosius, once arriving in Moscow, visited the Marosei temple. I was at the service, I saw how the processions of confessors were going, how earnestly and for a long time the service was going on, the commemoration was performed in detail, how many people were waiting for the reception. And he said to Father Alexy: “For all this work that you are doing alone, we would need several people in Optina. One is beyond strength. The Lord is helping you."
His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, who always reckoned with the recall of the priest in cases of consecration, suggested that he take on the task of uniting the Moscow clergy. The meetings were held in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, but due to the conditions of that time, they were soon terminated. The attitude of the clergy towards the priest was very different. Many recognized his authority, some of the pastors were his spiritual children and followers, but there were also many who criticized him.
In the last days of May, according to the new style of 1923, Father Alexy went, as in previous years, to rest in Vereya, a remote town in the Moscow Region, where he had a small house. Before leaving, he served his last liturgy in the Maroseian church, said goodbye to spiritual children, leaving, said goodbye to the church. Father Alexy died on Friday 9/22 June 1923. Last evening he was joyful, affectionate with everyone, remembered those who were absent, especially his grandson Alyosha. Death came as soon as he got into bed and was instantaneous.
The coffin with the body of Father Alexy was delivered to the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki on horseback on Wednesday, June 14/27, at nine o'clock in the morning. The church communities of Moscow, led by their pastors, came one after another to sing memorial services and say goodbye to the deceased. This lasted until the very morning of the next day, in order to give everyone an opportunity to pray. In the evening two requiem services were served: one in the church and the other in the yard. At the head of the clergy, Archbishop Theodore (Pozdeevsky), rector of the Danilov Monastery, performed the Liturgy and the funeral service - this was requested in his letter shortly before his death by Father Alexy. Vladyka Theodore was then in prison, but on June 7/20 he was released and was able to fulfill the wish of the priest.
Easter songs were sung all the way to the cemetery. Confessor of Christ, His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, who had just been released from prison, arrived at the Lazarevskoye cemetery to see off Father Alexy on his last journey. He was enthusiastically received by crowds of people. The prophetic words of the priest were fulfilled: “When I die, everyone will be happy.” Litiy was served by Archimandrite Anempo-dist. His Holiness blessed the coffin being lowered into the grave, the first to throw a handful of earth on it.
Father Alexy told his spiritual children during his lifetime to come to his grave with all their difficulties, troubles, needs. And many went to him at the Lazarevskoe cemetery.
Ten years later, due to the closure of the Lazarevsky cemetery, the remains of Father Alexy and his wife were transferred on September 15/28, 1933 to the Vvedensky Gory cemetery, popularly referred to as German. The body of Father Alexy was incorruptible at that time. Only on one of the legs was the ankle joint broken and the foot separated.
All subsequent decades, the grave of Father Alexy was, according to the testimony of the cemetery administration, the most visited. Thanks to stories about the help received, and later publications, many people learned about Father Alexy and, asking for his intercession in their troubles and difficult life circumstances, were comforted by the priest.
Regularly it was necessary to add land to the grave mound, as those who resorted to the help of Father Alexy carried it away with them ...
On the first anniversary of the death of Father Alexy, the Marose community invited everyone who wished to write about their meetings with the priest, to which many responded. These memories were not of equal value; but in some of them cases of clairvoyance, examples of miracles, signs and prayerful help of the elder are attested.
One woman from Tula lost her only son. For six months there was no news from him; mother was in a difficult position. Someone advised her to contact Father Alexy. She arrived in Moscow, went straight to the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki, and at the end of the liturgy, together with everyone else, went to venerate the cross. A few more worshipers separated her from the priest, whom she saw for the first time, when he held out a cross to her over the heads of those walking in front of her and impressively said: “Pray as if for a living person.” Bewildered by surprise, she became embarrassed and hesitated to approach a second time. Not having the strength to calm down, she turned to the priest, who knew the priest well, and he brought her to his house. As soon as she entered the room and took the blessing, as the father, not yet hearing a single word of her, and she could not speak from excitement and tears that were choking her, took her by the shoulder and looking into her eyes with love and affection, said: “Happy mother, happy mother! What are you crying about? I tell you: he is alive!” Then, going to the writing table, he began to sort through the paper icons lying on it, saying: “My mother also visited me the other day: everyone is worried about her son, and he calmly works in Sofia at a tobacco factory. Well, God bless, ”and with these words he blessed her with an icon. It was during Bright Week. At the end of September, she received a letter from her son from Bulgaria, where he said that he was working in Sofia at a tobacco factory.
Olga Serafimovna, a person from the upper strata of society, deeply religious and churchly, was the head of the orphanage, which was under the patronage of the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna. Often she visited the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki with the father of Father Alexy. And he visited the shelter at her invitation.
Once a boy who had learned to steal was brought to the reception of the priest. Batiushka, who opened the door himself and had not yet heard anything about him, said sternly to him: “Why are you stealing? It's not good to steal."
One lady, named Vera, who served in the church, received permission to see the priest during his illness. On the way to him, she kept thinking: “Lord! What should I do, because I have two sisters, both disabled, I support them, what will happen to them when I die? , and you also wear a scarf, sister of the church. Why do you take everything upon yourself, don't want to leave anything to God? No, that's what you are, leave all these doubts outside the threshold and believe that God will save your sisters better than you.
One woman came to ask the priest if she should marry. Her husband was captured by the Germans in the 1914 war. Almost 9 years have passed since then, and there is no news about him, but a very good man is wooing her. Instead of answering, the father said: “Here, dear, what cases happen: one woman came to me and said:“ Father, bless me to get married, since my husband has been in captivity for many years and he, apparently, is not alive. And a very good man is wooing me." I did not bless her, but she still got married. She just got married, after eight or nine days her husband returns from captivity. And now two husbands, and with them a wife, came to resolve the question, whose wife is she now. These are the cases ... ”The questioner was frightened and decided to wait, and a few days later her husband unexpectedly returned.
On one of the Fridays, at the end of the Liturgy, two girls dressed in black approached the priest with a request to bless them to enter the monastery. He blessed one of them willingly and gave a large prosphora, and the other said: “And you return home, you are needed there, and I will not bless you to the monastery.” The girl walked away confused and disappointed. Surroundings were curious about who and under what conditions she lives. The girl replied that she lived with a sick old mother, who did not want to hear about her daughter leaving for the monastery, because then she would be left all alone.
After the prayer service on Wednesday, a woman approached the priest, fell at his feet and, sobbing, began to shout: “Father, help! Father, save! I can no longer live in the world: the last son was killed in the war, ”and she began to beat her head against the candlestick that is near the icon of St. Nicholas. Approaching, the priest turned to her with these words: “What are you doing, how can you despair like that. Here is our great intercessor and prayer book before the Lord. And, helping her to her feet, he immediately began a prayer service to St. Nicholas, and he said to her: “Make three bows to the earth. There is no time for you to stand for a prayer. I’ll pray for you alone, and you go home as soon as possible, there great joy awaits you.” And the woman, encouraged by the priest, ran home. The next day, during the early liturgy, which was performed by Father Alexy, yesterday's visitor noisily ran in. She wanted to see the father as soon as possible, repeating in an excited voice: “Where is the father?” She said that when she came home yesterday, she found a telegram from her son on the table, which said that she should immediately come to the station to meet him. “Yes, he’s coming himself,” she pointed to the one who was entering at that moment. young man. The priest was called from the altar. With a sob, a woman fell on her knees in front of him and asked to serve a thanksgiving service.
During Great Lent, after a prayer service, a woman approaches Fr. Alexy: “Father, help me, I have been completely tortured by sorrows. You won’t have time to spend five, as it’s nine to meet. ” Batiushka, looking intently into her face, asked: “How long have you been taking communion?” Not expecting such a question, the woman became embarrassed and confusedly began to say: “Yes, recently, father, she was fasting ...” - “How recently? - the father repeated the question, - will it be four years old already? - "No, father, I'm just last year I missed it, but the day before last I was unwell. - “And before this year you were in the village? That's four years for you." Realizing that the priest knew her whole life, she knelt before him, asking for forgiveness. “What are you asking me for? - the father remarked, - ask God, Whom you have forgotten. That's why you have overcome sorrows."
Father Sergiy Durylin, having become rector of the chapel of the Bogolyubskaya Icon of the Mother of God in the spring of 1921, continued to serve on Maroseyka on a certain day of the week. He said that on one of these days in 1922 a woman came to the temple, who cried a lot and told about herself that she was from Siberia, from the city of Tobolsk. During the civil war, her son disappeared; she didn't know if he was alive or dead. Once, especially when she wept in prayer to the Monk Seraphim and was exhausted from tears, she saw in a dream the Monk himself. He was chopping wood with an ax and, turning around, said: “Are you still crying? Go to Moscow to Maroseyka to see Father Alexy Mechev. Your son will be found."
And so she, who had never been to Moscow, never heard the name of her father Alexy, decided on such a distant and difficult path at that time. I had to travel either in a freight train or in a passenger train. God knows how she got there. She found Maroseyka, the church and the priest, whom St. Seraphim pointed out to her. Tears of joy and tenderness flowed down her face. Already after the death of the father, it became known that this woman then found her son.
There are many testimonies of grace-filled help in various needs through prayers to the elder. Many such cases were noted during the restoration of the temple on Maroseyka. On the days of the memory of the priest, help unexpectedly came several times in the preparation of documents, in urgent matters for repair work in the temple and church house; donations were received. It is known from experience that when in sorrow they turn to him: “Father Father Alexy, help me,” help comes very soon, Father Alexy received great grace from the Lord to pray for those who turn to him.
At the Jubilee Council of Bishops in 2000, the elder in the world, Archpriest Alexy Mechev, was canonized as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church for general church veneration.
Currently, the relics of St. Alexis Mechev are in Moscow in the church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki.
Life according to the magazine:
Moscow Diocesan Gazette. 2000. No. 10-1. pp. 34-43.
My husband and I lost all our property, lost our only son, a wonderful boy, as everyone spoke of him; lost my grandmother, who raised me and replaced both of us mother. The external conditions of life were very difficult, and, having come to despair that everything around was collapsing, I began to look for a life that would give us peace, joy, and which no one could take away from us.
I heard more than once from my grandmother about some kind of spiritual life and about saints, but I always left it all without attention, but now I decided to see what this life is like, and began to read with greed without any system and at random French and Russian spiritual books. I was interested in only one thing in them: whether this life really gives joy and silence, which no one can take away. How this is achieved, I did not think about it then. I already had a spiritual father. He saved me from physical and moral death after the death of my son. Gradually, he taught me to confess and take communion more often than I had done before.
And once, after reading the conversation of Rev. Seraphim with Motovilov, and losing my head with delight, I rushed to my spiritual father, asking to “give me” what St. Seraphim was talking about.
This is where my search for the Christian life began. My husband did not deny God, some, but nothing more.
I thought I would find it myself and give him this new life. She was sure that she could reach this on her own. There wasn't a sermon that I didn't hear; there was no such solemn divine service that I would not attend. My husband was angry because I had already begun to neglect my household duties. The spiritual father persuaded me to endure, to live quietly, like everyone else, and that the Lord Himself will give everything I need in due time. But I didn't believe him then. And who would I trust then?
I had few books once written by someone, I had few very beautiful, but sometimes incomprehensible divine services - I needed to see a living saint in order to be convinced for myself that what the ancient Fathers of the Church spoke about can really be.
I had little idea of modern elders. We never visited the monasteries. I knew that somewhere, in some Optina Hermitage, Father Anatoly exists, to whom it is very scary to go, since he tells a person all his sins. She treated sagacious priests with prejudice. I wanted the life of the early Christian ages; I wanted the life described in the ancient Patericons, the only life I recognized as real.
Once a relative comes to me and says:
If you are “interested” in spiritual life, you should go and see this priest, whom I have already told you about. Aunt (my grandmother) always really wanted you to go to him, but then you were all in the household and were not interested in this. He is a wonderful priest and far-sighted even. (I winced). He helped me a lot in my life. His name is Father Alexei and his church is at the beginning of Maroseyka, to the left: small, pink, with a cast-iron door.
Quite a bit of time has passed. I thought why not go and see this priest. I come in the evening, the staircase is full of people. I liked this very much, because I lived with the people, lived by their faith, and everything that was dear to them was dear to me. I hear very good conversations: the priest comforted him, he directed him on the true path, he gave him good advice. They even told cases like miracles.
I saw that it was impossible to get out of line, and I went to church. There were many people there. Instead of choirboys, some nuns.
I squeezed forward, I was soon pushed back behind the archway. I didn't like everything about the church. Not a monastery, not a parish. Suddenly, during the “Praise,” the people became agitated, a whisper swept through: “Father Alexei is coming.”
I carefully looked at the passing priest: small in stature, kind face, but in general nothing special. The people, like a bishop, gave him the way. I began to follow all his movements, listen to his every exclamation.
They brought out the Gospel, Father Alexei began to bless. He looked into the distance with tired eyes and did not seem to notice the people approaching him.
Well, I thought, you are not a saint either, since you are tired of our infirmities. A saint must not and cannot be tired. Now, if you tell me now so that I can see that you know about my desire to get to you, then I will believe in you. I was one of the last to arrive; he just blessed me. I left the church because I didn't need the service; but nevertheless she decided to come here again; I wanted to know what's the matter here.
I put an end to the holiness of Father Alexei. More than once she came and every time people stood on the stairs and even in the yard. The “nuns” in the church were unfriendly and I couldn’t get any sense out of them. It started to hurt me to the core: you don’t give me, wait a minute, I’ll get to you anyway and find out what’s the matter.
And so I asked my relative to give me a recommendation note, as I noticed that people with a note were skipping the line. I really did not want to do this, but I decided, seeing that it was impossible to penetrate otherwise. I had no opportunity to wait in line, I was constantly needed at home. The note read: “Please, dear father, help my cousin, very lonely." I had a note for a long time. Finally I felt ashamed. Reluctantly, she went, determined to achieve something at all costs. I come, the people let me through, I knock and submit a note.
I'll wait here for an answer, but I certainly need an answer, - I said.
She stood for a long time and asked St. Nicholas to get things done. He was the only saint whom I then recognized and prayed to. After a long wait, the door opened and I was led into the so-called "Batiushkin office."
Wait here, the father is sick, he lies with us.
Gradually, such fear attacked me that I wanted to run away, but stopped: they would think that I had stolen something; Well, yes, and once it came, you need to bring it to the end. I began to ask St. Nicholas to tell me what to ask this man. You can’t say that you came to look at him. I decided to ask about fasting and prayer. This interested me at the time and, in my opinion, was the most suitable for talking with this kind of people. Someone came in and asked me to sit down, but I continued to pray to St. Nicholas, shaking as if in a fever. And the Saint was wonderful, in a white frame, which I had never seen before. Finally they took me to the father. I opened the door and, with fear and trembling, crossed the threshold of the room of the priest of the Marosei church, Father Alexei Mechev.
Batiushka lay, leaning on his elbow, all in white, and staring straight at me. He seemed to be looking at me all the time as I walked toward him from that room. His face was like the sun, and he was all in radiance. Before me lay the saint from the icon, and some invisible force made me fall prostrate at his feet.
For the first time in my life, I bowed like this to my spiritual father, asking him to give me the grace of the Holy Spirit, and the second time to this priest who was completely alien to me.
Get up and sit down.
I got up and looked at him with horror, but in front of me was again a very kind, but the most ordinary priest.
Batiushka read the note and emphasized the word lonely. When I recovered, I immediately blurted out:
I am not at all lonely now, Father Alexei, I have many friends.
It seemed to me that it was shameful to feel lonely and I was afraid that the priest would take it into his head to help me.
Who are your friends?
Spiritual father, his wife and another neighbor.
Who is your spiritual father?
Father Konstantin.
At this name, the priest somehow shuddered all over, his face became so joyful, and he began to speak with extraordinary vivacity.
Very, very glad, I know him, he is a wonderful priest. We taught at the same high school.
And he began to ask all the details of the life of Father Konstantin and his family:
Bow to him very much and tell him to come by all means. Why does he never come? Completely forgot me. I am very, very happy for you that you got to him.
It turned out for sure that someone, by a lucky chance, seemed to be handing me over to Father Konstantin, but I believed that I myself came and did not owe him anything at all, and that we met to mutual pleasure.
Batiushka again looked at the note and asked what grief I had.
I lost my only son, father Alexei, it was a part of my soul. But then they took everything from us, but it doesn't matter.
Batiushka began to comfort me with the usual arguments. I thought: “You say the usual things that everyone says. That's not what I need from you."
Father looked into my eyes very sharply.
Do you believe in a future life?
Did someone tell you to believe, or did you do it yourself?
I flared up with inner pride: who could tell me to believe?
Herself. Who else? I have seen such dreams, but they should not be told.
Like who else? Your spiritual father.
It was quite wild. After all, there was no person on earth who could tell me to do something. I was already an adult. I looked at the priest in bewilderment, he just looked at me. He seemed to be thinking about something and listening to something.
Your son was a wonderful child and your grief is great. But understand that it was the will of God. He shouldn't have lived. You would have a hard time with him. There were many different people around him. There were difficult relationships between all of you. You couldn't have raised him well.
And the priest in bright colors described our entire inner family life. He said things that even those close to him did not know.
And now he is well - he is an angel with the Lord. After all, you know: children are angels of the Lord.
And the priest began to paint in such wonderful and bright colors the heavenly state of children's souls. He spoke about light, about peace, about eternal joy that reigns around the Lord. His voice was somehow velvety, soft, as if he was reading a prayer and seemed to be reaching out towards this sky, which he knew so well. Batiushka's eyes, from light blue, became completely dark, deep; He seemed to see right through you.
Remember what you were then: what you felt and thought.
And he began to tell me everything that I felt, thought, experienced in last days son's life and at his death. He told me things that only God and I knew. I did not take my eyes off the priest, and each of his words struck me like a hammer into my soul. I felt that the chair and the floor were leaving from under me, I did not dare to breathe.
Do not grieve, but pray for the repose of his soul, and he is praying for you there, - the priest finished his words.
His appearance became ordinary and I again came to my senses.
Why do you need me? he asked after a pause, in a businesslike tone.
I instantly thought and said:
Tell me, Father Alexei, about fasting and prayer. I don't get anything.
There was a request in the tone, I began to feel the strength of Father Alexei.
That's what I came here with, - he said in surprise. - Your husband?
What do you do?
So, I do something at home, there are still servants.
Do you live alone?
Yes, only one old woman, an old friend of her husband. My husband wants me to sit at home, but there is nothing to do at home (with a complaint).
Where do you live?
At the church ... that means, - the priest corrected me. - There was a very good priest, I knew him.
Yes? Father Alexei, he was my father, they raised me together with my grandmother. I love him very much.
Batiushka began to give me examples from his practice, when people, desiring to live a spiritual life, sought to leave the situation in which the Lord had placed them. The point is not in external life, but in the spiritual dispensation of a person who should put love for one's neighbor in the first place. In the name of this love, he must rebuild his inner self in order to make life easier for this very neighbor in everything. And neighbors are, firstly, family, and then in general all those with whom you have to live together.
That's what I remember from these examples. Once a person comes to the priest in tears and says:
Our father has been our grief all our lives. We never saw any support from him. Mother carried everything on her shoulders. Finally, he disappears somewhere. Without it, it became much calmer and better to live. Mother often went to church, went for advice to Father Alexei the recluse. And now, recently, as soon as she returned from him, her father appears and asks her with tears to forgive him everything and accept him. Mom, in annoyance, expresses everything that she has endured from him, and drives him out. We asked my mother to accept my father, but she remains her own. Then, in desperation, I decided to go to you right away, to ask you to influence her. The father ordered the mother to come. She comes and long and stubbornly explains the reason why she cannot accept her husband under any circumstances. After all, he left her with small children without funds, she raised them; he had a bad influence on them, he dragged everything he could from home, and now his repentance is not sincere, he came because he had nowhere to live, and if he was accepted, then life would again be unbearable.
And she didn’t want to listen to me,” the priest continued, “and she kept talking, saying her own thing. But she’s good, she goes to church, she helps the poor, she went to her father Alexei.
The father was especially struck by the fact that she could drive her husband away, having just arrived from Father Alexei: “Here she enters the hall, it’s cozy in the house: the table is set, the samovar is on the table. The children are welcome. Warm, light. I did not have time to undress - a call. The husband opens the door. Quietly, humbly asks, begs - nothing touches her. And this came from Father Alexei. I began to describe to her the inner state of her husband's tormented soul. How far away, in hunger and poverty, he remembered his wife, family, comfort at home and decided to go and ask to be accepted not * as a father-husband, but as the last beggar. I told her that her life was good, that her cares for her children and her soul were good, but that her house would not be covered if she did not accept her husband and forgive him everything.
And your children will rejoice at you and will love and respect you more. And what a good life you will live then. Your house will be covered and your conscience will be calm. She left me in tears. I forgave him, accepted and now they live well. She came to thank me.
This does not apply to you.
And so he told me after each example. And I thought: “Well, yes, of course, not to me. But then why is he telling me this?
Another one comes to me, - the priest continued, - and cries that she wants to pray, but her husband does not allow, she is angry. She says that her spiritual father gave her a very big rule. This means that she had to pray a lot, and generally read everything in a day, you know, what life is now. You need to cook, get food (you don’t have to do this), and even strangers live nearby (and you are alone in the apartment) and there is no separate room (and you have one), not like rooms, there is no corner. During the day he will get very tired, and in the evening, when the husband falls asleep, he lights a candle and begins to fulfill his rule. He falls asleep over the book, the candle burns out. Husband wakes up, angry. And once it almost started a fire. I explained to her that under such circumstances such a rule cannot be observed, that it is of no use to the soul, since she herself falls asleep and, due to fatigue, does not understand what she is reading; disturbs her husband's sleep and upsets him. He serves, works, tired during the day, he needs rest at least at night. She obeyed, began to pray, as I ordered her, and peace was established among them.
When the priest in this example compared the conditions of my life with the life of this person, his voice again sounded sharp, as if I was to blame for something and he didn’t like something in me very much. Then I realized that he condemned the dissatisfaction with our life, which was still much better compared to others.
Once a very rich and important gentleman comes to me, - continued the priest, - and complains about his wife. They lived together, well, and suddenly she stopped taking care of children, she does not want to receive guests, she neglects her duties as a hostess at home. Everything is running, everything is a mess. Everyone is surprised at her. He sits in his room, reading everything. Pray, everyone goes to church. Because of this, they often had disputes, relations deteriorated. Her husband loved her very much and regretted losing her. He came to ask me for help. “Send her to me,” I tell him. - She won't go. - "But still try, persuade." Comes. Lady. We start talking to her about her family life, about her husband. And she told me: “I am not interested in this anymore, I am very fond of the spiritual life.” And she began to tell what she reads, how she prays; that her greatest desire is to enter a monastery. I began to tell her that one could serve God and not only in a monastery. He began to tell her what a good husband she has, children, how everyone loves her. How her husband yearns that she abandoned him and the children. What can be combined with both. She was moved and asked to be taught what to do.
- "Give me your word here, on the spot, that you will do everything that I tell you, and now, upon arrival home, you will do it daily." - "I promise, father." - "Do you work at home?" - "Not. You just have to look after the servants. Yes, now everything is done without me, I abandoned everything. - “Do you visit children when they get up and go to bed and generally enter into their lives?” - "No, they have teachers and governesses for this." “So, when you get home, go up to your room and you will see a big mess in it. Clean everything, take a brush and sweep it yourself and do it every day. In the morning, go to the nursery and see how the children get up, if everything is all right with them. You will see that this is also a mess. Also put them to bed in the evening and do this every day and gradually enter the circle of your children. You have plenty of time to pray, read, go to church.” - Father cast a quick glance at me and again said sternly: "All this does not apply to you."
Then she came to thank me, - continued the priest, - and told me that when she was traveling from me, she thought: well, this priest, Father Alexei, is stupid. (- So she told me, - the priest said with a smile.) What advice did he give. How am I going to fulfill it. Yeah, I don't even think about doing that. And when she arrived, she suddenly remembered the word given to me, and fulfilled everything. And she really found dust and dirt: the children's linen was torn, everything was neglected. And she began to enter into everything again and no longer quarreled with her husband. - And they are all good for me. How did I not notice this before, - she finished. And he also came to thank me. And he was important, rich, - I have a completely different wife. Even better than it was, he said.
Yes, - the priest said thoughtfully, - a lot of educated people come to me: communists go, bishops come to confession.
Father looked at me carefully. It was the answer to my thoughts: unless I go to see what this priest is like.
Batiushka began to talk about my life, as if he had known us for a long time. He spoke with affection, as if consoling me. I live better than many others: I have a room where you can go to read, you don’t have to relax and work hard, and it’s cozy with us, and warm, and good.
And your husband is a good person. - And the priest began to tell me about the character of her husband and his spiritual qualities as if he had known him well and loved him for a long time. He said things that I alone noticed in my husband. He told me how I should love and pity him. - Tired, he comes home and he wants you to be with him. He loves you so much! - Father spoke so affectionately, so convincingly, so vividly painted a picture of our life for me, that I felt ashamed that I didn’t sit at home much and abandoned my husband, whom I loved dearly. I felt "bad".
Batiushka looked at me with liveliness, sat down on the bed, with his back to the wall, and asked:
What is his name?
John is his name, - I answered hotly. And suddenly the father's face changed, lightning flashed from his eyes and rays of light seemed to reach me. He was all fire and light.
And he will lead (the father folded his hand one over the other) Alexander John to where Alexander wants to go. - Father Alexei looked at the sky, then straight into my eyes. It hurt me to look at him, but I did not take my eyes off him. My breath stopped, I felt the floor slip away from under my feet. Before me was the saint again, in all his splendor. This lasted for several minutes, then everything went out as instantly as it caught fire. A tired, sick priest with such a kind, good face was sitting in the bed. "Go, you don't need me anymore," he said quietly. I got up and not daring to ask for blessings or touch him, full of horror and delight, not taking my eyes off him, began to move towards the door. At the threshold she laid her bow to the ground. Then I bowed to the great old man Father Alexei.
In my soul, grief instantly appeared that I would not see him again.
You are very nervous, I noticed it as soon as you entered me. - And after a pause, in an authoritative loud voice he said: - Whenever you need me for any reason, know that I will receive you at any time of the day or night.
Whenever the priest did not want to receive honor, whether in church or at home, he invariably said:
You are very nervous.
He wanted to show by this that there is nothing special about him, and all this is a manifestation of nervousness on the part of a person.
Beside myself with joy, I threw myself at the feet of the priest.
Horror, how thank you, Father Alexei.
Well, go, go, - he escorted me out.
It is remarkable that during this first conversation, the priest did not bless me and did not say a word about fasting and prayer, but told me something that was the secret of my soul and the goal of my life, which only God knew, to whom I prayed daily as he said it. Father Alexei: “Lord, make sure that Vanya and I go hand in hand to the Kingdom of Heaven.”
I flew headlong up the stairs. People asked me, but I only answered:
How good is he. He is your saint.
I decided that it would take longer to ride the tram and trotted home. I didn't feel the ground underneath me. I didn't see anyone or anything around me. My soul was full of joy that I saw a “living” saint. I saw the grace of the Holy Spirit clearly working in him. I saw what the first Christians had. I saw what Rev. Seraphim. So it's not a lie, it means it's true. Man can achieve this on earth.
My joy was intensified by the fact that the priest told me so well about my Vanya, that he loves him and my spiritual father so much.
I flew in to my spiritual father and, without saying hello, said:
I saw him, and he told me the horror of what he said.
Father Konstantin laughed and asked:
Whom?
I told everything in detail. He did not yet know the father from this side. After listening to everything carefully, he asked him to bow and say that he would certainly visit him.
I was in a daze for several days. I told someone else who could understand me, but even then not all. I had a burning desire to take as many people as possible to Father Alexei. He can do everything, help everyone and everything.
I did not even think of going to his church, to his services, because I was afraid of him. He knows everything that is going on in the human soul.
Quite a bit of time has passed. I kept looking for an opportunity to go to the priest again. Suddenly, the husband falls ill with a hernia and decides to perform an operation on himself. I was very afraid of this. It seemed to me that my husband would die, but how could he die when we should live a Christian life with him. A terrible storm arose in my soul. I reproached God and Saint Nicholas why they allowed this. And what kind of damned spiritual life is this, I thought, when there is sorrow in it, and God does not listen to you. So I thought, standing at the vigil at Father Konstantin's, and wept bitterly. But since I still felt that it was not entirely good what was happening in my soul, I tried to hide everything from Father Konstantin as far as possible. After the service, I approached him and relatively calmly explained what was the matter. A day later I receive a letter from him, in which he invites me to speak somewhere nearby and thus purify my soul. I flew to him to ask for forgiveness. I also spoke with him, but I did not clearly realize my sin, but simply obeyed him, since it was in my head all the time that he could give me the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Father Konstantin ordered to go to the priest to ask him about the operation and also ask him to accept one suffering soul. I wrote a letter in the most respectful and refined terms, as if to some high-ranking person, asking you to excuse the trouble and take heart, and give an answer about the husband. She didn’t write a word about the operation, thinking that the priest would accept it himself, and if he knew what was the matter, he could pass on the answer through someone. I walked and prayed to St. Nicholas to cleanse me, so that in at its best appear before the father. I suddenly feel like I'm not alone. I turn around and see - the priest is standing and looking with love and, as it were, with a mockery at me. I thump in the legs. Silence. I got up and bowed. Batiushka bent down and looked into my eyes. I was afraid, I felt that the priest was dissatisfied with me. He stared like that for about five minutes, then somehow wonderfully laughed, as if restraining himself, and left. I fervently began to pray to St. Nicholas that he would save me from the father. Father Alexei is dissatisfied and can, if he wants, sink a person into the abyss. For a long time I prayed. Suddenly I hear the footsteps of the father. I started to shake. He enters, and as if he had just seen me, calmly says:
Why don't you sit down?
How, Father Alexei, can I sit down without your invitation? I muttered.
The father spoke tenderly and sympathetically:
Sit down.
He sat down opposite me, very close. He looked into my eyes with a sneer and said angrily:
Well... parishioner. Do you live near the church of St...
I shook my head.
And how many of you are there?
I'm the only one there, - I answered quietly.
Does anyone else know how to write letters like this?
No, father Alexei, - I answered even more quietly.
Who taught you to write like this?
No one, I myself ... Forgive me, Father Alexei (with a plea), I will never do it again.
I wanted to fall at his feet, but I did not dare to move. He held me like a vise.
Batiushka suddenly began to speak with vivacity:
Is it possible to write such letters? Can you address me like that? What is not written there: yes, if you can ... yes, please, sorry for bothering you. - And the priest in a very funny way began to convey to me all my expressions. - In this letter, it is impossible to understand what the matter is. What do you want from me?
Batiushka jumped up and began to walk around the room, I got up too.
This is all your intellectual habit of doing nothing simply and directly. Everyone go around and around. They are looking for what they do not know, arguing about what they themselves do not understand anything.
To classify me with the intelligentsia, which at that time I deeply despised, recognizing only the peasants, was very insulting to me. Batiushka just whipped me with a whip. I blushed, but said nothing.
All of you there are like that,” he said with contempt. - Unfortunate parish, poor priest who deals with such. Father Alexei cannot write such letters. He needs to write everything simply. Say exactly what you need. “Dear father, I need to get this and that from you,” and a signature. And nothing more. And all these: respected, revered... I dare not ask... This is not necessary at all. Understood? I am here so that everyone can come to me and tell me everything that he needs, and to the best of my ability, with God's help, I must help him - this is my business.
Father Alexei, but I'm a stranger to you. My personal business is not important, there (on the stairs) many things are more important than mine, how can I make you more difficult?
For everyone who comes to me, his work is the most important. There is no need to think about it, whether it makes me difficult or not. Yes, no one thinks about it. (It turned out that I was the only one so stupid that I thought this.) And you should always think that your personal business is the most important, - the priest said affectionately. He sat down, and so did I.
Batiushka spoke like this, seeing that there was a really deep feeling in my soul that I was the last of all those who came here, and my business was the least important.
Forgive me, Father Alexei, I will never, never again. - And I myself thought: how can I ever dare to write to him like that?
Well, did Father Konstantin also get it from you when he was your priest?
I don’t know, Father Alexei, Father Konstantin loves the intelligentsia very much and knows how to mess around with it, - I answered cheerfully, pleased that Father’s thunderstorm had passed.
Batiushka looked at me incredulously.
Is he good there? (in the new parish).
Yes, oh, Alexei, he is much better off there, there is more income, but here they were dying of hunger (Batiushka’s face expressed great suffering), and we were unable to help them in any way, it’s just terrible. Now somehow the children will get out on the road. They are all very good for him. And A.P. (his wife) is so good.
Well, S. was my student (daughter), - the father said affectionately, affectionately. - She's good, very good. A.P. do you love?
Watch, love and respect her.
I shook my head in complete agreement. Batiushka looked at me, tears appeared in his eyes, his voice trembled.
Poor father Konstantin, how kind he is, what a good soul he has, how he pities you (you, not worth pity), and Yarmolovich offends him, offends him very much. She hurt his soul very much.
(I wanted to cry: when and how did I offend Father Konstantin?) I, not good, not kind. Offend such a spiritual father!
Where else would she find it? And he didn't say anything to her. And how he suffered for her!
I sat in horror and did not understand anything.
Really, I didn’t do anything like that, Father Alexei! Why did I offend him? I spoke in desperation.
How did you offend? - flashed the father. - Isn't it enough that you did for his vigil? - And he began to explain to me the state of my soul exactly how it was then. - Is it possible to come to such despair? Is it possible to be angry with God? What happened? Yes, absolutely nothing. And you fell into such despair, grumbled at God, instead of asking Him to help you, instead of praying for Vanya's health. You have forgotten everything, you have forgotten yourself, you have forgotten everything Father Konstantin taught you. He already saw your condition and how he later suffered for you.
And the priest described to me the state of the soul of Father Konstantin, his suffering during these two days. The suffering of the spiritual father for the soul of his child, who fell into a strong temptation. The priest spoke with horror that such a priest, such a spiritual father, suffered because of me, such a vile and insignificant creature. I don’t remember Batiushka’s expressions, but one thing was clear to me: that Father Konstantin was an amazingly high-spirited spiritual father, and I was an insignificant, dirty, worthless creature.
And such a person, such a spiritual father, this makes suffer! he finished.
It was quite clear to me that I had done two terrible things: 1) made my spiritual father suffer, and even such; 2) murmured against God and gave herself over to despair. The first, according to the priest, came out more important. I was horrified that Father Alexei knew everything, as if he had been in church with Father Konstantin. I knew very well that they had not seen each other during this time.
Father Alexei razed me to the ground, destroyed me completely. I didn't know what to do. The father looked at me from the side, as if watching me.
For all the time of this conversation, I tried to see that light again, in his eyes, but in every possible way he hid it from me. And so he often did afterwards.
Batiushka abruptly moved away from the table, looked down and, as if embarrassed by something, said:
Are you asking in your letter if your husband needs surgery?
I was stunned: I didn't write about it in the letter. Batiushka lowered his head even lower and, after a pause, said without raising his eyes:
The operation can be done or not done; it doesn't matter to him. If he wants to, let him do it. Don't disturb him as he pleases. It will turn out well. John ... - Father smiled affectionately. - How do you think this is an unimportant matter for you. It is much more important and indeed more important than much that they will tell me (and the priest pointed towards the stairs). “Be calm,” he said paternally, “everything will turn out well.”
In his humility, the priest was embarrassed to show his insight. He only in exceptional cases allowed himself to manifest it.
And you take care of him, calm him down. What do you have? The father looked at me intently. - Meekness? .. Yes, there is, you can see it in the face. (Well, no, I think you made a mistake.) And you also need humility, prayer. Nothing can be achieved without humility. Well, yes, there is still love to be added. Above all this one must strive to acquire.
In my soul I had joy and deep gratitude to the priest for my Vanya. If he had ordered me to throw myself into the fire, I would have done it immediately, without hesitation. I felt tender love and deep gratitude for the priest. Father Alexei became for me not only an old man, but also a “father”.
Well, who is she? he asked after a pause.
I realized that it was about the soul that wanted to see the priest, and I began to talk about her.
It was a lady from the aristocracy. Her husband was shot. She could not be comforted, and somehow terribly dull and stubbornly looked at her grief.
Her husband was an empty fellow and they did not live very happily. With displeasure, I conveyed to the priest the time when she asked to receive her (she appointed the time). Batiushka, apparently, had an idea about her, considered her a “lady”. After listening to everything, he appointed a time when she should come to confession in the church. She was, remained very pleased, although she did not receive what she thought from the priest. She wanted him to remove grief from her, give her joy, peace of mind, faith in a future life without the participation of her will. Batiushka, however, could not do this, since it is always necessary that a person himself wants to be renewed and would himself try to do this. But still, the father's prayers helped her. Now she has become calmer and reconciled with her grief.
Father got up to let me go.
Forgive me, father, for everything and, if possible, bless.
He made a big cross over my knees and said slowly:
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
This was my first blessing received from him.
Batiushka always said these words especially. He really felt the Trinity, the grace of which he called upon the person standing in front of him.
I left the priest with a light heart, as everyone always left him. They always left everything with him, all their sorrows, needs and sins. He took everything heavy and dark from us and gave us something light, bright and joyful in return. He handed over all of ours to God; and while still here on earth, he boldly prayed before the throne of his altar to his Savior for all those whose names were written as if alive in his heart.
She immediately ran from the father to Father Konstantin to ask for forgiveness. He was very impressed with everything I told him and said:
God will forgive. Yes, you need to go to him, - he added after a pause.
I could no longer live without my father. It was very difficult to get to his house, and one had to wait for a special occasion for this. And so I decided to see how things are with him in the church.
I really liked everything in the church now. There were always a lot of people and the people are all so serious, praying. And it was good to see how semi-literate people prayed and how they correctly understood the service. There were always many clergy, they came to see the priest. The service was long, but not tiresome. Among the clergy, one stood out, especially in his fervor and unusually serious attitude to services - That was the son of Father Alexei - Father Sergius. When I found out who he was, I began to look at him from afar. I was terribly afraid of him.
In Father's Church one could learn to understand the service, here one could also learn to pray. The canon was especially well read. The singing and reading was very clear, not like in other churches.
I started going to the Maroseya church because of the priest, and gradually the service itself began to attract me. I listened to everything, understood everything, and what was incomprehensible to me, I asked my father Konstantin. Prayer was felt in everything and everyone; and Father Alexei covered everything and everyone with his grace.
He simply served. I expected to see something special, or some kind of foolishness, as is often found in such people (I terribly disliked this), but there was nothing of the kind here. There was not the slightest foolishness, nor the desire to hide their righteousness under some strange actions.
He was either a priest, or priest Alexei Mechev, or elder Alexei, depending on the circumstances. But in all his forms, he was completely simple and truthful. When he wanted to hide his righteousness, he did it in such a way that those around him simply stopped noticing it in him.
His movements were very lively and fast. He read prayers at times very hastily, but one thing was undoubtedly felt in him, that he was conversing with a living God for him, and that heaven was always open to him. Despite the fact that he was all in prayer, he always saw everything and everyone in the church.
The father's voice used to sound wonderfully good; so low, low, chesty, when prayer was especially strong in him. It used to happen that at a prayer service he would turn abruptly to give a blessing, and his gaze dark eyes, burning with inner sacred fire, seemed to pierce through the crowd. And his "peace to all" sounded solemnly and sacredly.
How good it used to be at the Vespers, when the priest big holidays blessed us with the icon of the holiday. It happened that he would stop with her at the royal gates, turn sharply to the people and overshadow the people with a great blessing. And at that time he seemed so big, big.
And the people fell on their faces before the blessing of the great elder Father Alexei, the servant of God. And how it felt to be his blessing. And how precious it was to us...
( /var/www/perejit/data/www/site/cache/blocks/templates/block_value_4.php)The Holy Righteous Alexei Mechev was born in Moscow on March 17, 1859, into a pious family of Aleksey Ivanovich Mechev, regent of the Chudovsky Cathedral Choir.
From birth, the life of Father Alexy was associated with the name of St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna (Comm. 19 November). Saint Philaret saved his father from death in the cold when he was a child. Seeing the Providence of God in this, the saint continued to take care of the saved child, and then of his family. At the time of the birth of Father Alexy (the birth of his mother Alexandra Dmitrievna was difficult), Metropolitan Filaret prayed with Alexei Ivanovich Mechev for the successful release of his wife from the burden and predicted: “A boy will be born, name him Alexy in honor of Saint Alexy, the man of God, celebrated by us today ".
Alexy grew up in a family where a living faith in God, love, and a kind-hearted attitude towards people reigned. He studied at the Zaikonospassky School, then at the Moscow Theological Seminary, after which he dreamed of entering the university and becoming a doctor. However, his mother opposed, wanting to see her son as a priest. It was not easy for Alexy to give up his dream, but he did not go against the will of his beloved mother. Subsequently, Alexy Mechev realized that he had found a true calling.
After graduating from the seminary, Alexy served as a psalmist in the Znamenskaya Church of the Prechistensky Magpie. Here he was destined to pass a severe test. The abbot demanded from the psalmist the fulfillment of such duties that lay on the watchman, treated him rudely, waved a poker at him and even beat him. But Alexy endured everything resignedly, did not complain and did not ask for a transfer to another temple. Subsequently, the saint thanked the Lord for allowing him to go through such a school. Already a priest, Father Alexy, having heard about the death of this man, came to the funeral service, with tears of gratitude and love accompanied him to the grave, to the surprise of those who knew the attitude of the deceased towards him.
Later, Father Alexy said that when people point out shortcomings that we ourselves do not notice, they help us fight our “yashka”. (We have two enemies: “okayashka” and “yashka” - this is how the father called pride, the human “I”, which immediately declares its rights when someone, willy or unwillingly, offends and infringes on it.) “Such people must be loved as benefactors,” – he later taught spiritual children.
On November 18, 1884, he was ordained a deacon and began to serve in the Church of the Great Martyr George in Lubyansky Proyezd. Father Alexy outwardly showed the greatest simplicity, but inwardly he experienced a fiery zeal for the Lord.
In 1884, Alexy married the daughter of a psalmist, Anna Petrovna Molchanova. His marriage was very happy. But Anna Petrovna suffered from a serious heart disease, and her health became the subject of constant concern for Father Alexy. Children were born in the family: daughters Alexander (1888) and Anna (1890), sons Alexei (1891), who died in the first year of life, and Sergey (1892), as well as the youngest daughter Olga (1896).
On March 19, 1893, Deacon Alexy Mechev was ordained a priest at the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki. The consecration took place in the Zaikonospassky Monastery, performed by Bishop Nestor, head of the Moscow Novospassky Monastery. The parish of this church was small, because there were large famous temples nearby. Although Father Alexy was preparing for pastoral work in the countryside, having received a parish in the capital, he completely surrendered himself to the will of God and began to work, putting prayer and spiritual vigilance at the foundation.
Having introduced daily worship in his church, Saint Alexy served for eight years in an empty church, almost alone. Over time, people grieving and burdened with sorrows reached out to this temple, and from them a rumor went about its good rector.
The life of the clergy of small parishes of that time was financially difficult, living conditions were poor. Mother Anna Petrovna was seriously ill, she developed dropsy, accompanied by large edema and excruciating shortness of breath. She suffered so much that she began to beg her husband to stop begging her ... On August 29, 1902, on the day of the Beheading of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John, Anna Petrovna died.
Father Alexis was very sad. He closed himself in his room and poured out his soul before the Lord. At this time, the righteous John of Kronstadt arrived in Moscow. He was invited to his home by a merchant family very close to Father Alexy, who were connected with the Kronstadt shepherd by charity. It was in this house that the inconsolable priest met him.To the question of Alexy Mechev: “Have you come to share my grief with me?” - Father John answered: “I did not come to share your grief, but joy: the Lord visits you.” Subsequently, Father Alexy will say about himself: "The Lord visits our hearts with sorrows in order to open the hearts of other people to us." St. John advised him: "Be with the people, enter into someone else's grief, take it upon yourself - and then you will see that your misfortune is small, insignificant in comparison with the general grief, and it will become easier for you."
The grace of God, richly resting on the Kronstadt shepherd, illuminated the life path of Father Alexy in a new way. He accepted Father John's call as an obedience entrusted to him. He was undoubtedly prepared for the acceptance of the grace of eldership by many years of a truly ascetic life, when he devoted himself entirely to prayer and service to people. And now, in the words of one of the spiritual children, he "has become a faithful and irreplaceable guardian of the mournful human heart."
All those who came to the church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki and sought help, Father Alexy met with cordial friendliness, love and compassion. Joy and the peace of Christ were instilled in their souls, there was hope for the mercy of God, for the possibility of renewing their souls. The love shown by the priest evoked in everyone the feeling that he was loved, pitied, consoled more than anyone else. Saint Alexis was filled with love. He did not know the cruel word "punish", but he knew the merciful word "forgive". “The path to salvation lies in love for God and neighbor,” Father Alexy said.
He did not impose the burden of heavy obedience on his children, he did not demand special feats from anyone. At the same time, emphasizing the need for at least the smallest external feat, he pointed out that one must weigh one's strengths and capabilities and carry out at all costs what one has decided on. Endowed with the blessed gift of clairvoyance, the saint, out of deep humility, tried not to show the fullness of this gift.
An indication of what to do in this or that case, the priest expressed only once. If the visitor objected, Father Alexy would withdraw from the subsequent conversation without explaining what unreasonable behavior would lead to. For those who came with a repentant feeling and were filled with confidence, he provided prayerful help, interceding for them before the Lord and bringing deliverance from difficulties and troubles.
In the lower residential floor of the temple, the priest opened a parochial school, set up a shelter for orphans and the poor, for 13 years he taught the law of God in the women's gymnasium E.V. Winkler; contributed to the revival of ancient Russian icon painting, blessing his spiritual daughter Maria Nikolaevna Sokolova, later nun Juliana, to paint icons.
The priest's sermons were simple, sincere, they touched the heart with the depth of faith, truthfulness, and understanding of life. The prayer of St. Alexis never stopped. Filling the temple with herself, she instilled in those present the confidence that, with all the hustle and bustle of life, one can be far from everything earthly, have unceasing prayer, a pure heart, and stand before God even here on earth. When the priest prayed, according to the reviews of those who saw him, he burned in prayer, listened to every word of prayer eagerly, as if afraid to miss a moment of spiritual delight. The elder taught that personal prayer, conversation with the Lord and turning to Him is a reliable and saving means for strengthening one's faith in God's Providence.
Father Alexy greatly honored the shrine of the temple - the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God (to this day it is in the church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki), served prayers before it. Once, on the eve of the events of 1917, during a prayer service, he saw tears flow from the eyes of the Queen of Heaven. This was seen by everyone present.
Great was the humility of Father Alexy. He never took offense at rudeness, eschewed the manifestation of signs of respect and respect for himself, and avoided magnificent services. "I what? I am poor…” he used to say. Once, having forced his spiritual daughter to recall in confession that she spoke badly about her relative and did not attach any importance to this, he said to her: “Remember, Lydia, that there is no one worse than you and me in the whole world.”
The true spiritual friends of Father Alexy were his contemporary Optina ascetics: the elder Hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Potapov), now glorified as a reverend (Comm. 30 July), and the head of the skete, hegumen Theodosius. They were amazed at the feat of the Moscow elder, who lived "in the city as if in the desert." Father Anatoly sent Muscovites who came to him to Father Alexy. Elder Nectarios said: “Why are you coming to us? You have a father, Alexy.”
Holy Patriarch Tikhon always considered the recall of the priest in cases of consecration and even suggested that he take upon himself the task of uniting the Moscow clergy.
Twice father Alexy was summoned for an interview at the OGPU, they were forbidden to receive people. The second time he was released immediately, because they saw that he was seriously ill.
In the last days of May 1923, Father Alexy left for Vereya, where he usually rested. He had a premonition that he was leaving forever. Before leaving, he served the last liturgy in his church, said goodbye to spiritual children, leaving, said goodbye to the church, shedding abundant tears.
Saint Alexy died on June 9 (OS), 1923. The coffin with his body was taken to the church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki. Until the very morning of the next day, the church communities of Moscow said goodbye to the deceased and served memorial services. Patriarch Tikhon, who was released from prison that day, arrived at the Lazarevskoye cemetery to see off Father Alexy on his last journey. His Holiness celebrated the departed lithium, lowered the coffin into the grave, and was the first to throw a handful of earth into it.
Ten years later, in connection with the closure of the Lazarevsky cemetery, the remains of the holy righteous Alexy and his wife were transferred to the Lefortovo Vvedenskoye cemetery. The father's body was incorruptible.
Father Alexy Mechev canonized as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. His canonization took place at the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on August 20, 2000.
In 2001, on the feast of All Saints who shone forth in the Russian land, the relics of St. Alexis were uncovered. When the lid of the coffin became visible, a wonderful fragrance spread in the air, reminiscent of the aroma of the holy world.
Currently, the relics of the holy righteous Alexy Mechev are in the Moscow church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki.
There are many testimonies of grace-filled help in various needs through prayers to the elder. Many such cases were noted during the restoration of the temple where the saint served. It is known from experience that when in sorrow they turn to him: “Father Father Alexy, help!”, Help comes very soon, for the holy righteous Alexy received great grace from the Lord to pray for those who turn to him.
Compiled by Hieromonk Macarius of Simonopetra,
adapted Russian translation - Sretensky Monastery Publishing House