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| Jesus heals the Canaanite's daughter. |
It is not at all easy for a monk to bear the burden of being a confessor. On the one hand it is beneficial for him personally when people think poorly of him, since censure fosters humility. More urgent prayer rises to God from the ailing heart. It is easier for him to cry to God for the salvation of the world, since he himself exists by suffering, like the suffering of the great majority of the inhabitants of the earth. On the other hand, if he is engaged in the work of a spiritual father, every negative word about him instils distrust in him on the part of people in need of exhortations, comfort and support. His sorrow is twofold: for himself as being unworthy of his calling, and then for the harm brought on the whole Church, on all mankind, when the authority of the priest is undermined. Unheeding a spiritual father's injunctions is tantamount to rejecting the word of Christ Himself. (He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiserh you despiseth ... him that sent me,")
It is vitally important that priests and bishops should have the
most genuine mutual respect and deference; that they should stop accusing each
other, struggling for supremacy and envying superior talents. Even if one or
the other servant of the Church exhibits certain shortcomings (and who is
perfect?), it is better to encourage the penitent to have confidence in the
priests who are available to them, either geographically or for other reasons.
The very fact of being trusted will inspire a priest to utter true counsel. We
know from the Lord's own words that unworthy men 'sat in Moses' seat' , yet
Christ enjoined the people to observe and do whatsoever they bid, without
emulating their way of life or their works.
Sraretz Silouan did not have a settled spiritual father during all
the years of his monastic life. He turned to whoever was at hand and available
at the particular moment. He would pray beforehand that the Lord would be
favourable unto him, and through the confessor grant him remission of sins and
healing for his soul.
When I am dealing with the sick my attention concentrates on their
spiritual state: whether they know God and do they trust in Him? Their
sufferings, their pain and even life's catastrophes recede into the background.
However trifling their cause may seem, a man's woes cannot be
ignored. Often - too often even - the source of people's misery lies in their
indefatigable pursuit of sinful pleasures. Even in such instances the confessor
has only one thing in mind - how best to heal this soul that has approached
him. The slightest incident may occasion acute pain to the destitute and
overburdened, and the priest's prayer is directed to the heart of the
suffering. Sympathy for every form of human grief naturally evokes prayer in
the confessor's soul. And it is characteristic of the servant of Christ to see
this preoccupation with the pleasures of the flesh as the rootcause of all the
distress and difficulties of the universe. The sufferings of the whole world
accumulate in his heart, and he prays with sorrowful tears for each and every
man.
Contact on the Holy Mountain with monks who were ill was
considerably easier than were encounters with the sick after my return to
Europe. Monks are inwardly inclined towards God, and everything is translated
on to the spiritual plane, whereas in Europe the psychological stresses prevail
- which compels the priest to show interest on that level also, if he is to
help people. Sitting at their bedside it would sometimes happen that I entered
into their sufferings, in spirit, mentally and even physically, so that my
body, too, prayed for them. It did not occur often but there were cases when
God heard my prayers and fulfilled my petition.
It is still not clear to me why less intense prayer on my part
might occasionally cause the illness to take a favourable turn, whereas at
other times more profound supplication brought no visible improvement.
I noticed that if in the course of prayer for someone the grief in
my heart resolved into peace and joy, that was always a sure sign that my
prayer had been heard, and healing granted.
I did not seek the gift of being able to heal physical illnesses.
When praying for the sick I would commit all things to the will of God, Who
knows what each man needs for his salvation. I am not at all convinced that
this avoidance on my part of any personal presence caused my prayers to be
ineffectual. I had no wish whatever to be a 'miracle worker' - the idea alarmed
me. And yet, contrariwise, so to speak, there were occasions - when prayer bore
no fruit and left the believer saddened - when the thought would occur that it
is vital for priests to have confirmation from God that He hears their prayers
and fulfils their petitions. Upgrowth of help for those who pray for help
through a priest would strengthen the faith of many in the Church. Moreover,
the Lord Himself prayed to the Father: 'Father. . . glorify thy Son, that thy
Son also may glorify thee.'
Reference:
On Prayer. Archimandrite Sophrony Sacharove.
1996.