Once upon a time, Rev. Nectarius of Optinsky asked the writer S. A. Nilus:

- Do you know how many true communities there were from the creation of the world to the present day? You better not bother thinking, I’ll answer you myself. Three!

- Which?

- The first is in Paradise, the second is in the Christian community in the days of the apostles, and the third... - He paused... - And the third - in Optina in the presence of our great elders.

— And Noah’s Ark? - Nilus objected.

- Well, - the old man laughed, - what kind of hostel is this? For a hundred years Noah called people to him, but only cattle came. What kind of dormitory is this?

Rev. Macarius Optinsky loved flowers very much. He planted them near his cell, so that very soon there were many imitators. The elders themselves, like heavenly flowers, were fragrant with their holiness.

What is holiness?

Archbishop John (Maximovich) of blessed memory defined holiness in the following words: “Holiness is not just righteousness, for which the righteous are rewarded with the pleasure of bliss in the Kingdom of God, but such a height of righteousness that people are so filled with the grace of God that it flows from them to those who communicate with them. Great is their bliss, which comes from beholding the glory of God. Being filled with love for people, which comes from love for God, they are responsive to people’s needs and their prayers, and are intercessors and representatives for them before God.”

This is the holiness that attracted everyone Russia to Optina Pustyn - this “Paradise on Earth”. A special form of holiness flourished there. In this Garden of Eden, the eldership was planted and cultivated.

The gracious eldership is one of the highest achievements of the spiritual life of the Church, it is its flower, it is the crown of spiritual exploits, the fruit of silence and contemplation of God. It is organically connected with the monastic inner feat, which has the goal of achieving dispassion.

The gracious elder, who through his personal experience went through the school of obedience, sobriety and intelligent-heart prayer, who, thanks to this, perfectly studied the spiritual and mental laws and personally Having achieved dispassion, he himself becomes capable of leading beginners in “invisible warfare.” He must penetrate to the very depths of the human soul, see the very origin of evil, the causes of this origin, establish an accurate diagnosis of the disease and indicate the exact method of treatment. The elder is a skilled spiritual doctor. He must clearly see the structure of his disciple, the character of his soul and the degree of his spiritual development. He must certainly possess the gift of reasoning and “discernment of spirits”, because he always has to deal with evil, striving to transform into an angel of light. As someone who has achieved dispassion, the elder usually possesses other spiritual gifts: clairvoyance, miracle-working and prophecy...