By Father Artemy (Vladimirov) of the Moscow Theological Academy
On one of the icons we see a priest in gorgeous garments. His eyes seem
to get to the very depths of the  heart
of anyone who stands in front of it. His gaze is intent and filled with
great love. His wide forehead, open and even, suggests a bright mind and
quick, piercing and powerful thought. An ascetic, stern face is evidence
of innumerable vigils and endless nighttime prayers, as well as prolonged
fasts this Russian priest was known for. A firm chin and pressed lips make
it quite clear that St.John of Kronstadt was a person if unbreakable will,
courage and energy. On his chest there is a cross with the crucified Saviour
of the World, Jesus Christ, somebody St.John lived for, prayed to and stood
in front of so many times to see Him with the eyes of his mind and heart.
In one hand he holds a holy cup filled with the body and blood of our Lord.
He seems to be inviting all Russia to take the Eucharist, for the one who
takes it unites himself with God and takes from the hands of the Saviour
eternal life.
We shall tell you about the gift of prophesy St.John of Kronstadt had.
St.John the Forerunner said: "No one shall be able to undertake anything
but the service of prophecy is open to man by his Creator."
St.John of Kronstadt was born on October 19, 1829 into a pious family of
Ilya Sergiyev in the remote region of Archangel, amid virgin nature. As
soon as the boy saw light, his life was in danger. There was no hope he
would survive. Yet, he was destined to become a prophet of the Russian
land and for that reason he could not but have God's help as soon as he
heaved his first sigh. He received that help in the sacrament of baptism.
As soon as the priest, invited to the newly-born baby, put it in the font,
the forces of life seemed to have entered the tiny body and to everybody's
surprise, the baby recovered promptly. His life was no longer in danger.
The boy's father and mother, Ilya and Feodora, were sensitive, religious
people having rich spiritual experience and they saw their son's recovery
as a sign of God. They were not mistaken.
The father was very particular about his son's religious education. He
avoided the mistake very many parents still commit these days: he never
alienated the boy from church. A poor rural church became the boy's school
of piety and divinity.
John didn't like noisy games in the company of boys and girls of his age.
When he was not in school or in church or busy at home taking care of his
numerous brothers and sisters, the boy sought seclusion in the countryside.
As he saw its greatness and God's blessing everywhere, he kept praying,
looking up in the skies.
A true prophet seeks help from God alone. A human being called to herald
the will of God, never seeks the sympathy of other humans, but opens his
soul to the Father of Heaven. The life of such a person, marked by God's
mercy, is sacred and seems strange to most people around.
The boy found it difficult to learn to read and write. He was a diligent
boy by nature and the poor performance in class made him unhappy. He found
it particularly hard to upset his strict but kind parents. One night such
thoughts kept him awake.
The boy got up from his bed, came up to the icons, kneeled in front of
them and sank into a prayer. The prayer filled his mind, lighted his heart
and his soul and body seemed to be praying together.
All of a sudden a miracle occurred. St.John recalled it later in these
words:
"My mind seemed to have opened up. I felt I was able to think very easily
and quickly. I imagined the homework I had for the next day in every detail.
I also felt that my heart was changing, too..."
To the surprise of his fellow pupils John started replying to the teachers'
questions easily, articulately and to the point. Very soon he became the
best pupil in the elementary church school, in the secondary school in
Archangel, in the seminary and in the Theological Academy in St.Petersburg.
The prophets of God, by virtue of their pure hearts, were destined to have
special revelations, or visions. While he was a student at the Theological
Academy in St.Petersburg St.John led an ascetic life and kept praying day
and night. One day he strolled along the alleys of the academy's gardens,
reflecting on his future priesthood. He thought he would like to be a priest
somewhere in the East of Russia. With that thought he finally returned
to his cell and went to sleep.
That very might he had a vision. It was not just a dream, but something
greater than that. The paints an artist applied to the canvas dry up to
remain there forever. A true vision can never be completely erased from
the memory of God's prophet. John saw himself in a priest's garments standing
in the very center of a big cathedral. He saw all the objects and details
very clearly. The cathedral was so big that John felt himself small and
insignificant. He recognized that cathedral. It was the Cathedral of St.Andrew
the First-Called, in Kronstadt, near St.Petersburg.
When he woke up, the young man could not but admire the brightness and
importance of what he had seen. Several days later he was invited by the
priest of the Cathedral of St.Andrew the First-Called, in Kronstadt, to
marry his daughter Elizabeth. John had never thought of marriage before.
He was like an angel and his thoughts never wandered anywhere close to
the joys of matrimony. However, the coincidence of the vision and the invitation
of the priest were a sign from above to him. He married Elizabeth and very
soon was ordained priest...
However, the lives of prophets go their own way, different from those of
ordinary people. Their lives cannot be copied. They can be only admired.
As soon as Father John got married, he addressed his wife in the words
she found very difficult to bear.
"Elizabeth, dear, there are enough happy families without us. Just take
a look at the ocean of grief around. Let us serve the unhappy ones and
live a brother and sister."
A young, beautiful, buxom woman found it very difficult to accept this
offer from her husband whom she loved so much. It took her a while to reconcile
herself with the offer of angelical life. We know that people become monks
voluntarily, and not by force. Elizabeth's father told the bishop about
the strange behavior of the young priest that was now his son-in-law. Wasn't
he a victim of his own pride? Wasn't his left hand destroying what his
right hand had just built? Father John remained firm and deaf to what his
father-in-law and then the bishop were telling him. The situation was a
very dramatic one. However, very soon it was resolved by interference from
above, by God's providence. This is how it happened:
The bishop summoned Father John and again tried to persuade him to start
a normal marital life. However, neither threats, nor fatherly advice had
any effect. Father John replied with humbleness: "Your grace, there is
no God's will to fulfill what you are asking of me."
On the part of Father John it was a very wrong and improper thing to do
- he dared argue with the bishop himself, who pointed him to his mistake.
In Father John's presence the bishop already signed an order prohibiting
the young priest from serving in church until he corrected himself in his
family affairs. At that moment everything around turned black in the eyes
of the bishop and the oval image of the Mother of God his Grace wore on
a gold chain round his neck fell to the floor. No one could understand
how it happened. The bishop himself then fell to his knees in front of
the young priest to ask for his forgiveness. The young priest quickly kneeled
in front of the bishop and asked his forgiveness, too. The incident was
settled and accord restored.
Very soon Father John's wife Elizabeth reconciled herself with her lot
and became a true associate in all of her husband's undertakings. Their
life was invariably calm and peaceful.
Prophets serve God day and night. Father John accomplished something unprecedented:
during his whole life he served the divine liturgy every day. For that
he had to get up late at night to make himself ready for the  service.
When he was in the prime of his glory and authority, his day began at three
o'clock in the morning. At four he already came to the Cathedral of St.Andrew
the First-Called, which housed up to five thousand people. The human ocean
took in every word uttered by Father John. That was only natural. Prophets
always have people around them. Sometimes they do not have enough time
to eat because so many people seek their advice and help.
To tell the truth, Father John was not quick to rise to fame, even though
in his younger days the priest was a person of extraordinary self-sacrifice.
After his service in church he would go to the slums of Kronstadt, the
world of the outcasts. Just one talk with the priest and his blessing had
enormous effect on those people. It is impossible to narrate all such episodes.
However, a few things we can tell.
On many days Father John returned home to his wife without his own clothes,
boots or money, because he had given everything to beggars. Many ridiculed
his sentimentality and even slandered him. However, with time everybody
was able to see that his readiness for self-sacrifice was sincere and a
manifestation of commitment to the words of the Gospel: "Give those asking
of you."
In the last years of his priesthood Father John handled big sums of money,
up to one million every year. However, he remained very modest, and the
more money he received, the more he handed out. The more he handed out,
the more he received. Father John's money virtually revived Kronstadt.
He opened a special establishment where hundreds of beggars could earn
a living. He had no end of workshops, shelters for homeless built, a hospital
and a school for street urchins. Besides, he had an impressive monastery
built in St.Petersburg and several convents and monasteries in all parts
of Russia. To such servants God Himself opens not only the destinies of
the world and people, but human hearts, too.
One day, Father John, a 30-year-old priest was returning home from church
along the streets of Kronstadt. In a park he saw a young lady sitting on
a bench. Her face was terribly pale. Father John approached the lady, greeted
her in the most polite was and said: "I see sadness on your face. Can I
help you?"
The priest and the young lady started talking. Later the girl recalled:
"I sat there on a bench with the intention of taking my own life. My life
was so terrible that I could not even think of praying. The devil kept
whispering into my ear the quickest way of ridding myself of the burden
of life that seemed unbearable. Father John saw that darkness and burden
in my soul and saved me."
The girl and the priest talked for more that ten minutes. In the end the
young lady’s soul thawed. She got up with hope, thanked the priest and
went away. Very soon she became an affectionate member of the parish.
The prophet of God often addresses himself to God with some kind of inner
certainty that his message will be heard. This is exactly what the Saviour
expects of us. He used to say: "Ask and you will be given." When you pray,
do believe in earnest that you will get what you are asking for. Don't
have a shade of doubt, don't let your thought divide in two. Many resorted
to Father John's prayer and he never turned down a single request to pray
for a sick or distressed person. Each time he ended his prayer with these
words: "Oh, Lord, bring Your holy will on him! Help him and ease his suffering!"
One day a pious old woman came up to the priest and told him:
"Father, pray not for just helping a person, but for curing him as well.
God wishes this."
Father John saw a prophecy in what the woman told him. Very soon he found
himself capable of producing cures and working miracles. That was a gift
from above. Here is just one of the examples of that gift, because all
of them are too numerous to count.
Father John was invited to St.Petersburg to a noble woman who found it
very difficult to be delivered of a child. When the priest arrived, the
medical people - all of them celebrated - threw up their hands in despair.
"It's all over," they said. "The child died in the womb. It's too late.
Poisoning is inevitable. The poor mother is doomed."
Father John asked everybody to leave the room, where a poor Christian woman
was moaning. Father John kneeled by her bedside, raised his hands up to
the sky and with great passion prayed to merciful God for the triumph of
life over death. He prayed so hard that sweat streamed down his face.
The prayer lasted for about an hour. To everybody waiting in the hall it
seemed to be eternal... Suddenly the doors of the room swung open. Father
John walked out, his cheeks blushing and eyes shining with divine light
and what he said everybody found difficult to believe.
"It was Our Lord's will to revive the baby. It is a boy. The mother is
alive, too!"
The miracles God worked in response to Father John's prayer, were everybody's
asset. However, the press, swept by the dirty waves of godlessness and
corruption, not only kept quiet about him but dared spread falsehoods about
the Russian priest and prophet.
We have eyewitness accounts of the church services conducted by Father
John. His voice would sound like a tight string or lower to a whisper.
On many days Father John wept during the services, but he took no notice
of that. He was so concentrated on the prayer, he had such a remarkable
power of seeing the invisible God, that everything around him ceased to
exist for a while...
During the service many notes and telegrams were brought to the altar with
requests for praying for this or that person. They arrived from various
Russian cities and from abroad. Father John prayed for all. His prayer
helped Orthodox Christians, Protestants, Catholics, Judaists and Muslims.
Everybody felt attracted by Father John because they understood that the
God he was praying to was a God of mercy and love.
The ritual of confession held by Father John looked particularly impressive.
In the early days of his priesthood Father John confessed those coming
to him one by one, as this should be done. But what could he do when several
thousand people came to him for confession in one day? On such occasions
he declared a common confession for all prepared for it. When he appeared
on the ambo to read confessional prayers, a wave of repentance swept the
church, sighs and sobs were heard everywhere. Father John himself wept
with the tears of sympathy for the repenting sinners. At a certain moment
the church was filled with the exclamations of the repenting: "I have seduced
my own child!", "Father, I have killed three innocent people!", "Oh, Lord,
forgive me! I am a grave sinner. I left my mother who brought me up without
subsistence. She has died by hunger far away from people."
Repent you, seducers, repent you, murderers. Repent you, cheaters and bribe-takers!
Repent everybody who has abdicated Christ and those who have concluded
a contact with the devil through witchcraft and magic!''
All those in the church wept like one soul, like one living creature and
in that repentance they found a spiritual remedy. Some particularly sensitive
and spiritually pure people could see our Lord Jesus Christ standing next
to Father John. That vision of Jesus Christ looked very much like His icons
showing Him in long garments and with His hands stretched out towards His
lost flock, that has gone astray...
Fame was a heavy burden for Father John. When he traveled about Russia,
crowds of people followed him everywhere. When he traveled by ship up or
down the Volga pious Christians gathered on the banks. Now and then they
went down to their knees to greet the approaching Russian priest and prophet.
In some Russian cities up to 60 thousand people gathered to attend his
services. In such cases the church and the streets around it were crowded
to such an extent that an apple would find no place to fall.
Father John was revered not only by ordinary mortals, but by monarchs,
too, to whom he always dared tell the truth. In the last days of his life
Czar Alexander III told Father John: "You are a holy person, a righteous
one. This is the reason why the Russian people love you so much..."
Father John was very much worried by what was going on in Russia. He said:
"The Russian Czardom has become a Czardom of unheard-of horrors. Rebellions
seditionaries are devastating Russian land. Those villains are about to
overthrow the powers that be to take their place... If things go on in
Russia this way, if atheists and anarchists are not punished by law, if
Russia fails to clear itself of the weeds, it will be barren, like those
ancient kingdoms and cities, wiped out by God's justice from the face of
the earth for their atheism and lawlessness."
Nihilists, socialists, revolutionaries and atheists of all sorts were mercilessly
castigated by Father John, for which they hated him with all their zeal.
The hatred of enemies had no mercy on that righteous man. One day he was
lured into a rich household on the pretext a person was dying there and
needed the Eucharist. Father John was crucified on a bed and stabbed in
the groin several times.
When Father John died, that was in 1908, the whole of Russia seemed to
have gathered in St.Petersburg. There had never been a funeral like that
before.
After Father John's death many cures occurred near his grave. Here is one
of such cases, narrated by a young man who experienced exorcism when he
was brought to the site where St.John of Kronstadt was buried.
"As soon as I came to Father John's tombstone, some forces raised me up
in the air and brought to the other end of the church. There I fell on
the floor unconscious. While I still was in that condition, I saw the sky
open up and Father John of Kronstadt come towards me down a long stairway
the end of which could not be seen for blinding, divine light. His face
was surprisingly light and happy. He came up to me, put his hand on me
and said: "You will be fully cured at the hermitage through the prayer
of elder Varfolomei. In any case, you will feel much better right now.
Remember, that very soon people coming to this temple will be praying not
for the calm of my soul, but will be calling me as a saint in prayers."
I came round to feel I was absolutely healthy. The disease would never
remind of itself."
The Russian Orthodox Church abroad canonized Father John of Kronstadt in
1964. However, the Russian people revered him as a saint already during
his lifetime. These days, when our long-suffering country is going through
unbelievably difficult times, we are praying to him again. We come up to
the icon of Father John with veneration, see his eyes of a prophet, full
of love and try to hear his voice:
"Russia, do return to the holy, immaculate faith of yours, and to the holy
church, your mother. And you shall be triumphant and glorious, like in
the good old days, when faith was strong among the people. Amen."
|