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✨️The Life of St Silouan the Athonite ✨️ Born in the year 1866 to a peasant family near Tambov, Russia, Silouan, at the age of 26, travelled to Mount Athos in Greece, where he entered the Russian monastery of St Panteleimon. While still a novice, he beheld an overwhelming vision of the Divine Light, and within it, the presence of the Living Christ. The grace of this experience remained with him for six months! However, having been granted this extraordinary gift, especially since he was only beginning his monastic life, Silouan was greatly tempted by pride. A long period of spiritual darkness and anguish ensued. He prayed without ceasing, sleeping no more than an hour each night; but the demons assailed him, and his torments were literally those of the damned in Gehenna. Silouan fully identified with Adam’s lament: when the first man, having beheld God in Paradise, was then cast out from His presence. At last, after fifteen years of agonizing struggle, he could bear it no longer, and begged Christ to tell him what he must do to be saved. In that moment, Christ clearly spoke these words to Silouan: “Keep your mind in hell, and do not despair.” Understanding immediately that pride was his greatest enemy, and that these fiery torments were in fact God’s mercy and love for him, intended to purify his soul, Silouan received this commandment with joy, and willingly plunged his mind into the fire of Hell, knowing now that Christ was present there, to sustain him. He valued and sought humility above all; and gradually, Grace returned to him. Silouan was so grateful, that his prayer became an outpouring of love for the whole world – that all, through the Holy Spirit, might come to know God in this way. Obedient and hard-working, he was eventually made a steward, placed in charge of the monastery’s works and supplies; but throughout his life, due to his deep humility, practically no one had any idea of his spiritual magnitude. Eventually, St Sophrony, who had been at the monastery for some time, and was already well experienced in prayer, recognized Silouan’s rare sanctity, and became his disciple. The erudite Sophrony was amazed at how this unlearned peasant had such tremendous knowledge of divine mysteries. Before he died, the Staretz (or elder) left a short collection of writings with Sophrony. These are among the exceptional patristic texts which explicitly convey direct inspirations from the Holy Spirit. Of chief importance in his teaching is Love of Enemy, which he considered to be the ultimate criterion of the knowledge of God. Silouan peacefully fell asleep in the Lord in 1938, at the age of 72. Sophrony published his precious legacy of teachings, and Silouan immediately became known to the world as a true Theologian of our day. He wrote: “If the Lord saved you along with the entire multitude of your brethren, and one of the enemies of Christ remained in the outer darkness, would you not, along with all the others, set yourself to imploring the Lord to save this one unrepentant brother?... The Holy Spirit teaches the soul to love all men, and to have compassion on those who have gone astray. The Holy Spirit teaches us this same compassion, even for those in Hell – even the enemies of the Church. I could not speak of it if the Holy Spirit had not taught me this love.” St Silouan, pray to God for us! 🙏

With all your might, brethren, humble your souls, that the Lord may love you and have mercy on you. But His grace will not be in us if we do not love our enemies. By the Holy Spirit my soul came to know the Lord, and so it is pleasant and easy for me to think on Him and on the works of God; but without the Holy Spirit the soul has no life, even though she be informed with all the knowledge of the world. St Silouan the Athonite