Diveyevo, Nizhny Novgorod Province, Russia, April 5, 2024
Photo: nne.ru
During this penitential period of Great Lent, four women have been tonsured as riassaphore nuns at the famous Diveyevo Monastery, known for its connection to St. Seraphim of Sarov who served as spiritual father for the sisterhood in the 19th century.
On Tuesday, April 2, His Eminence Metropolitan Georgy of Nizhny Novgorod tonsured the novices in the Church of the Joy of All Who Sorrow Icon of the Mother of God, reports the Nizhny Novgorod Metropolis.
The Metropolis notes that the prayer of the women who received the tonsure states:
We thank Thee, O Lord our God, Who in Thy great mercy hast delivered Thy servant N. from the vain life of the world and hast called her to this honorable vow. Vouchsafe therefore that she live worthily in this angelic life.
Photo: nne.ru
Following the service, Met. Georgy addressed the newly tonsured nuns with a pastoral word:
In our time, no one laughs at monastics (as was the case in the 20th century); on the contrary, they’re treated with respect and reverence. Externally, no one tests us to abandon our Christian, monastic life. If in those times the enemy of mankind tempted people with the external, now our struggle is internal. And when a person becomes filled with despondency and indifference, it’s usually not something that has come from the outside, but a sign that we have become spiritually lax. When there is a spiritual cooling due to our inattentiveness, then the services irritate us, as do the communal meals and prayer. Then we feel melancholy and bored, the external attracts us, and we dream about the life we led before the monastery.
Today, by the will of God, our sisters have taken the first step in the monastic life. Cherish the inner peace that lives in your heart, protect it, and don’t let anyone destroy it. Remember—God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, be gentle in your words and faithful in your actions. Learn to cut off your own will, to live by blessing and obedience. Obedience is above fasting and prayer. The Lord has judged you to be in a special place of the holy Russian land—the fourth lot of the Mother of God. You have before you a great intercessor and advocate, our Venerable Father Seraphim. At the same time, remember—to whom much is given, much will be required. Don’t squander your spiritual gifts, and then the grace of God will heal the weak and replenish the depleted.
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