“Why did all the holy apostles, every single one of them, accept the crown of martyrdom, die on crosses, were beheaded by the sword, and the Apostle John the Theologian lived to a ripe old age and died peacefully? - Father Alexy once asked, “because the Apostle John had such unparalleled, great, irresistible Christian love that even the tormentors submitted to its power, and she disarmed the persecutors, she extinguished their anger and turned it into love.” Father Alexy had just such a love for his neighbors, and all his instructions, sermons and words were about love. He was rich in this merciful love, and it seemed to everyone who came that Father Alexy loved him most of all.
Alexy Mechev born March 17, 1859 in Moscow in the pious family of the regent of the Chudovsky Cathedral Choir.
From birth, Father Alexy’s life is connected with the name of St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna. At one time, he saved Father’s father from death in the cold and, seeing God’s providence in this, he subsequently took care of the saved child, and subsequently of his family.
During the birth of Father Alexy (and the birth of his mother, Alexandra Dmitrievna, was difficult) he prayed together with Alexei Ivanovich Mechev for the successful release of his wife from the burden and predicted: “ A boy will be born, name him Alexy in honor of the saint we celebrate today. Alexy, man of God».
Alexy grew up in a family where there was a living faith in God, love, and a kind-hearted attitude towards people.
All his life, Father Alexy recalled with reverence the selfless act of his mother, who took in her sister and three children after the death of her husband, despite the fact that he himself was close to his three children - sons Alexei and Tikhon and daughter Varvara. We had to build a bed for the children.
Alexey had a quiet, peace-loving character; he loved to cheer, console, and joke. But he retreated from the noisy fun, and in the midst of the games he suddenly became serious and ran away. For this they nicknamed him “blessed Alyoshenka.”
Alexy Mechev studied at the Zaikonospassky School, then at the Moscow Theological Seminary, after which he dreamed of going to university and becoming a doctor in order to serve people most fruitfully. But the mother opposed this: “ You're so small, why should you be a doctor? Be better off as a priest" It was hard for Alexy to leave his dream, but he did not go against the will of his beloved mother. Subsequently, he realized that he had found his true calling, and was very grateful to his mother.
After graduating from the seminary, Alexy was assigned to the Znamenskaya Church of the Prechistensky Forty. The rector of the temple, Father George, was a tough and picky man. He demanded that the psalm-reader perform duties that were assigned to him, treated him rudely, and even beat him. But Alexy endured everything without complaint and made no complaints. Subsequently, he thanked the Lord for allowing him to go through such a school. Already being a priest, Father Alexy came to the funeral service of Father George, accompanying him to the grave with tears of gratitude and love.
« Such people should be loved as benefactors.“, he later taught his spiritual children. They point out shortcomings that we ourselves do not notice, and help us fight our “yes”. We have two enemies: “okayashka” and “yashka” - the priest called this self-love, the human “I”.
In 1884, Alexy Mechev married the daughter of a psalm-reader, 18-year-old Anna Petrovna Molchanova, and was ordained a deacon. Seminary suitors approached Anna, but she refused them all. But as soon as she met Alexy, she firmly told her widowed mother: “ I’ll go for this little one" His marriage was happy. Anna Petrovna had a “character” and in photographs of her early youth she looked out from under frowned eyebrows. But mutual love significantly improved this character. In subsequent photographs, this look warmed up, the tension in the facial features smoothed out. Anna dearly loved her husband and deeply sympathized with him in everything. But she suffered from a serious heart disease, and her health became the subject of his constant concern. In his wife, Father Alexy saw a friend and first assistant on his path to Christ; he valued his wife’s friendly remarks and listened to them the way another listens to his elder; immediately sought to correct the shortcomings she noticed.
Children were born into the family: Alexandra (1888), Anna (1890), Alexey (1891), who died in the first year of his life, Sergei (1892) and Olga (1896).
On March 19, 1893, Deacon Alexy Mechev was ordained as a priest of the small one-person church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Klenniki Sretensky forty. Father Alexy introduced daily worship in his church, while usually in small Moscow churches it was performed only two or three times a week.
« For eight years I served the liturgy every day in an empty church., - the priest later said. - One archpriest told me: “No matter how much I pass by your church, everyone calls you. I went to church - it’s empty... Nothing will come of it, you’re calling in vain«».
But Father Alexy was not embarrassed by this and continued to serve. According to the then-current custom, Muscovites fasted once a year during Great Lent. In the St. Nicholas-Klenniki Church on Maroseyka Street one could confess and receive communion any day. Over time, this became known in Moscow.
Once, a policeman standing at his post seemed suspicious about the behavior of an unknown woman at a very early hour on the banks of the Moscow River. When he approached, he learned that the woman had become desperate from the hardships of life and wanted to drown herself. He convinced her to abandon this intention and go to Maroseyka to Father Alexy. After this incident, people grieving and burdened with the sorrows of life flocked to this temple. Father hurried to pay attention and comfort to everyone.
A small wooden house in which Fr.’s family lived. Alexia, was dilapidated, half-rotten; the apartment was always dark and damp. Soon Mother Anna Petrovna began to develop cardiac dropsy with swelling and painful shortness of breath. She suffered so much that she began to ask her husband to stop begging her and died on August 29, 1902, on the day of the beheading of the head of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, John.
Father Alexy was inconsolable. The light had faded for him and he did not want to go out to people. At that time, the holy righteous father John of Kronstadt arrived in Moscow. O. Alexey had a meeting with him. " Have you come to share my grief with me?"- Fr. asked him. Alexy. " I didn’t come to share your grief, but your joy, - answered Fr. John. — Leave your cell and go out to people; only from now on will you begin to live... Enter into someone else’s grief, take it upon yourself and then you will see that your misfortune is small, insignificant in comparison with the general grief, and it will become easier for you».
The grace of God, abundantly resting on the Kronstadt shepherd, illuminated the life path of Father Alexy in a new way. He entered upon the path of elderhood, for which he had already been prepared by many years of ascetic life.
Father Alexy greeted everyone who came with cordial friendliness, love and compassion. It seemed to everyone that they loved him the most, pitied him, and consoled him. Father never imposed the burden of heavy obedience, pointing out that first of all one should weigh one’s strengths and possibilities. But what you have already decided on, you must do at any cost, otherwise the goal will not be achieved.
« The path to salvation, - Father Alexy constantly repeated, - lies in love for God and neighbors" We need to oppress ourselves for the sake of the people close to us, rebuild our soul, break our character so that it is easy for our neighbors to live with us. " Be everyone's sunshine- he said.
Father Alexy is now never left alone, from morning to evening he gives himself to people; for them he is no longer only a shepherd, but a father and a caring mother. Soon all of Moscow was talking about the elder. The church can no longer accommodate everyone, “from early morning until late at night there is a crowd of people, among ordinary people, professors, doctors, teachers, writers, engineers, artists, actors appear.” At one time, Father Alexy began to visit the nearby Khitrov market, which was notorious. He held conversations there with regulars of the city bottom. But soon, due to the increasing workload, he had to give it up.
Extremely meager in funds, Father Alexy still did not ignore the needs and grief of his neighbor. Once on Christmas Eve, the priest, who himself had a large family, left the entire contents of his wallet with a sick woman whom he had come to give communion. Arriving home, he thought bitterly: “ There is poverty there, and there is poverty, there are half-starved children, and there are half-starved children - did I do the right thing, that I gave everything to others, and left nothing for my own?“The Lord miraculously resolved the bewilderment of the righteous man. Unexpectedly, a benefactor appeared who donated a sufficient amount to Father Alexy.
He was never offended by any rudeness towards himself. " Am I... am I poor..." - he used to say. The priest avoided showing signs of reverence and respect towards himself, avoided lavish services, and if he had to participate, he tried to stand behind everyone. He was burdened by awards, they burdened him, causing him deep, sincere sorrow.
The priest's sermons were simple, sincere, they were not distinguished by eloquence. Their main advantage was that they carried practical instructions - how to be and what to do.
When asked how to improve the life of the parish, he answered: “ Pray!"He called on his spiritual children to pray during the funeral services: " Once again you will come into contact with the departed. When you stand before God, they will all raise their hands in prayer for you, and you will be saved».
Father did not approve when parents, rushing to church, left their children alone without supervision. Blessing the mother and child, and pointing to the baby, he impressively told her: “ Here are yours both Kyiv and Jerusalem».
In the lower residential floor of the temple, Father opened a parochial school, set up a shelter for orphans and the poor, and for 13 years taught the Law of God at the E.V. girls’ gymnasium. Winkler; contributed to the revival of ancient Russian icon painting, which gave way to painting, by blessing his spiritual daughter Maria Nikolaevna Sokolova (later nun Juliania) to paint icons.
Father Alexy greatly revered the shrine of the temple, the miraculous Theodore Icon of the Mother of God, and often served prayer services in front of it. One day, on the eve of the events of 1917, during a prayer service, he saw tears rolling down from the eyes of the Queen of Heaven. The pilgrims present also saw this. The priest was so shocked that he could not continue the service, and the priest who served had to end it.
Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki
Interior of the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki on Maroseyka
The number of worshipers in the temple increased. Especially after 1917, and among them there were many young people, students, disillusioned with revolutionary ideals. After the closure of the Kremlin, some of the parishioners and singers of the Chudov Monastery moved to the church of Father Alexy. Young educated priests began to serve in the church, helping Father Alexy in conducting lectures, conversations, and organizing courses on the study of divine services. Among them is the son of his father Alexy father Sergiy Mechev, ordained a priest on Maundy Thursday 1919, now also canonized as a hieromartyr.
During the difficult years of the civil war and general devastation, many wanted to move to the grain-producing southern regions of the country, to Ukraine. Father Alexy did not give blessings for the moves, citing the words of the Lord spoken to the Jews through the prophet Jeremiah not to flee from Babylonian slavery to Egypt, where death awaits everyone. Those who remain will be shown God's mercy and deliverance.
Father Alexy created an amazing spiritual community in the world. One of the few, this community withstood the times of the most terrible persecution and raised a new generation of zealous servants of the Church and pious church people. The tradition of agape in the community deserves special attention. On the night from Saturday to Sunday (from about 1919), an all-night vigil was served, then a liturgy, and after it, a meal was held in one of the premises of the temple with communication on spiritual topics and the reading of psalms. The meals were called agapes. Initially, Father Alexei himself organized the conversations using agapes, but gradually he began to transfer the situation into the hands of those gathered.
« Here in advance, whoever could, brought some vegetables, bread, sugar or caramel sweets for tea. Tables, benches, chairs were placed; the clergy and the priest came. Father took part in the common meal and, as at conversations on Wednesdays in his apartment, said something, touching on the most pressing issues of life and relationships. Did anyone present speak out?».
O. Alexy also built interpersonal spiritual and emotional relationships. He began simply with an attentive, responsible, compassionate attitude towards his spiritual children, then he began to establish relationships between them, constantly working “to create a close spiritual family.” He sent one of the sisters to visit another who was ill; He gave her something edible to take away, and when they returned late, he blessed one sister to spend the night with the other. And I rejoiced when the evening was spent reading good spiritual literature, and always in joint prayer at night. I didn’t bless going to places where there were more stories about news and other chatter. He blessed us to periodically gather without him, indicating what to read and what to pay attention to. Gradually Fr. Alexy taught his spiritual children to serve each other in whatever way they could, to live in each other’s joys and sorrows.
Father Alexy's true spiritual friends were his contemporary Optina ascetics - the elder Hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Potapov) and the monastery leader, Abbot Theodosius (Pomortsev). They were amazed at the feat of the Moscow elder “in a city as in a desert.” Elder Nektarios told someone: “ Why are you coming to us? You have o. Alexy».
Archimandrite Arseny (Zhadanovsky) revered the priest as “a wise city elder, bringing no less benefit to people than any hermit”; and His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, always taking into account the recall of Father in cases of consecration.
Twice the priest was called for an interview at the OGPU. They were forbidden to receive people. The second time the conversation was short-lived, as they saw that he was seriously ill and suffered from very severe shortness of breath.
Bishop Arseny said: “ But if prayer invigorates and refreshes a person, then taking on the suffering of others crushes the shepherd’s heart and makes him physically sick" Father Alexy began to suffer from a heart disease from which he later died...
In the last days of May, Father Alexy left for Vereya, where he had rested the previous years. He had a presentiment that he was leaving forever. Before leaving, I served the last liturgy in my church, said goodbye to my spiritual children and to the church.
- Father, how hard it is to think that you will be gone.
- Stupid, I will always be with you...
Father Alexy died on Friday, June 9/22, 1923. Death occurred immediately as soon as he went to bed.
The liturgy and funeral service were performed by Archbishop Theodore (Pozdeevsky), which the priest himself asked him to do in a letter shortly before his death. Vladyka Theodore was then in prison; on June 7/20 he was released and was able to fulfill his wish. Easter hymns were sung all the way to the Lazarevskoye cemetery. His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, who had just been released from prison and was greeted with delight by the people, came to see Father Alexy off on his final journey. Father’s words came true: “ When I die, everyone will be happy».
Ten years later, due to the closure of the Lazarevskoye cemetery, the remains of Father Alexy and his wife were transferred to the Vvedenskie Gory cemetery, popularly called German. Over his grave stood a marble monument with a small cross above it. In its lower part are carved the words of the Apostle Paul, so close to the heart of Father Alexy: “ Bear each other's burdens and thus fulfill the law of Christ«.
Relics of the holy righteous Alexy Mechev
At the Jubilee Council of Bishops in 2000, Archpriest Alexy Mechev was canonized for church-wide veneration. Father Alexy was canonized simultaneously with his son, Hieromartyr Sergius, and with many new martyrs and confessors of Russia. In 2001, the relics of the holy righteous Alexy of Moscow were found and transferred to the Church of St. Nicholas. Currently the relics of the holy righteous Alexy Mechev are in the Moscow Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki.
Holy Righteous Alexy Mechev
Troparion, tone 5:
Help in troubles, comfort in sorrows, / good shepherd, Father Alexy. / By the feat of eldership you shone forth to the world, / you confessed the faith and love of Christ in the darkness of lawlessness, / your heart ached for all those who come to you // And now pray to God for us, who honors you with love.
Kontakion, voice 2:
You have undertaken great works of love and mercy, / the righteous elder Alexie, / from the holy shepherd of Kronstadt you have received a blessing to help the suffering, / you have placed the troubles and sorrows of people like chains on your frame. / We, leading you boldly to the Lord as a prayer book, call to you with tenderness: // pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.
From the spiritual teachings of Elder Alexy Mechev
“In times of sorrow, one must not grumble or argue with God, but rather pray to Him with gratitude. The Lord is not like men; People, if they suffer something from someone, try to repay, but the Lord tries to correct us even in sorrows. If we knew how others suffer, we would not complain.”
“With tears, I ask and pray you, be the suns that warm those around you, if not everyone, then the family in which the Lord made you a member.”
“Be warmth and light to those around you; first try to warm your family with yourself, work on this, and then these works will attract you so much that for you the family circle will already be narrow, and these warm rays will over time capture more and more new people, and the circle illuminated by you will gradually become more and more increase and increase; so be careful to keep your lamp burning brightly.”
“The Lord says: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world,” by this He says that it is our duty to shine for others. Meanwhile, we ourselves walk in darkness, not only do we not shine for others, therefore we must turn to the Lord, ask Him for help, because no matter how strong we are, no matter what advantages we have, we are still without God is nothing; and then we have a great multitude of sins, and therefore we ourselves cannot achieve the goal of shining and warming others. And the Lord calls us to His Church and says: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Stop relying on your own self, seek help from Me. In such difficult times, can we say that death is far from us, no... it is very, very close to many of us. So hasten to fulfill your duty to which the Lord has called you, because, as He Himself said, when night comes, then no one can do; whatever we do, good or evil, is all over. Therefore, hasten to understand what your duty is, which we must fulfill with fear and trembling, what talent has been given to you from the Lord.
And I want to cry, and cry, and cry, seeing how many of you lived to see gray hair and did not see your duty, as if there was no grace, nothing touched them, as if they were blind from birth. You can’t abuse God’s mercy endlessly, spend your time in arrogance, anger, hatred, and enmity. The Lord is calling: come to Me while you are alive, and I will give you rest.”
“There are moments when you really want to help some person, this, undoubtedly, is the Lord’s heart for the salvation of another; just be pure vessels, so that He can act through you and have you as an instrument in His hands.”
“The Lord is not angry even from the Cross, he stretches out his hands to us and calls us. Although we all crucify Him, He is love and is ready to forgive us everything. With us, it is sometimes considered excusable when you get tired, get irritated or something else (allow yourself), but no matter what circumstances you find yourself in, no matter how tired or sick you are, you must do only as Christ commanded.”
God's Law. Holy Righteous Alexy Mechev
My husband and I lost all our property, we lost our only son, a wonderful boy, as everyone spoke about him; I lost my grandmother, who raised me and replaced both of us as a mother. The external conditions of life were very difficult, and I, having come to despair that everything was collapsing around me, began to look for a life that would give us peace, joy, and which no one could take away from us.
I heard more than once from my grandmother about some kind of spiritual life and about saints, but I always left it all without attention, but now I decided to see what this life was like, and began to read greedily, without any system and at random, French and Russian spiritual books. I was interested in only one thing about them: does this life really give joy and silence, which no one can take away. How this is achieved, I didn’t think about it then. I already had a spiritual father. He saved me from physical and moral death after the death of my son. Gradually, he taught me to confess and receive communion more often than I did before.
And once, after reading the conversation of Rev. Seraphim with Motovilov and losing my head with delight, I rushed to my spiritual father, asking him to “give” me what the Monk Seraphim spoke about.
This is where my search for the Christian life began. My husband did not deny any God, but that’s all.
I thought I would find him myself and give him this new life. I was sure that I could achieve this on my own. There was not a sermon that I did not hear; There was no such solemn service that I did not attend. My husband was angry because I had already begun to neglect my household responsibilities. My spiritual father persuaded me to endure, to live quietly, like everyone else, and that the Lord Himself would provide everything I needed in due time. But I didn’t believe him then. And who would I believe then?!
I didn’t have enough books once written by someone, I didn’t have enough very beautiful, but sometimes incomprehensible divine services - I needed to see a living saint in order to be convinced for myself that what the ancient Fathers of the Church spoke about could really happen.
I had little idea about modern elders. We never visited monasteries. I knew that somewhere, in some Optina Hermitage, there was Father Anatoly, to whom it was very scary to go, since he tells a person all his sins. She treated visionary priests with prejudice. I wanted the life of the early Christian centuries; I wanted the life described in the ancient Patericon, a life that only I recognized as real.
One day a relative comes to me and says:
If you are “interested” in spiritual life, you should go and see this priest I already told you about. Aunt (my grandmother) always really wanted you to go to him, but then you were all about the housework and weren’t interested in that. He is a wonderful priest and even visionary. (I winced). He has helped me a lot in my life. His name is Father Alexey and his church is at the beginning of Maroseyka, to the left: small, pink, with a cast-iron door.
Quite some time has passed. I thought, why not go and look at this priest. I come in the evening, the stairs are full of people. I really liked this, because I lived with the people, lived by their faith, and everything dear to them was also dear to me. I hear very good conversations: the priest consoled him, directed him on the right path, gave him good advice. They even told stories of things like miracles.
I saw that it was impossible to get in without waiting in line, so I went to church. There were a lot of people there. Instead of singers there are some nuns.
I squeezed forward and was soon pushed behind the arch. I didn’t particularly like everything about the church. Either a monastery or a parish. Suddenly, during “Praise,” the people became agitated, and a whisper rang out: “Father Alexei is coming.”
I looked carefully at the passing priest: short in stature, kind face, but in general nothing special. The people, like a bishop, gave him the way. I began to watch all his movements, listen to his every exclamation.
They brought out the Gospel, Father Alexey began to bless. He looked into the distance with tired eyes and did not seem to notice the people approaching him.
Well, I thought, you’re not a saint either, if you’re tired of our infirmities. A saint should not and cannot get tired. Now, if you tell me now in such a way that I will see that you know about my desire to get to you, then I will believe in you. I was one of the last to arrive; he just blessed me. I left the church because the service was not what I needed; but still decided to come here again; I wanted to know what was going on here.
I gave up on the holiness of Father Alexei. She came more than once and every time there were people standing on the stairs and even in the yard. The “nuns” in the church were unfriendly and I couldn’t get anything out of them. It started to hit me to the quick: you’re not giving in to me, but just wait, I’ll get to you anyway and find out what’s the matter.
And so I asked my relative to give me a note of recommendation, since I noticed that people with a note were allowed to jump the queue. I really didn’t want to do this, but I decided to, seeing that there was no other way to get in. I didn’t have the opportunity to wait in line; I was needed at home all the time. The note said: “Please, dear father, help my cousin, who is very lonely.” I had the note for a long time. Finally I felt ashamed. She reluctantly went, determined to achieve something at all costs. I arrive, people let them in, I knock and hand over a note.
“I’ll wait here for an answer, but I definitely need an answer,” I said.
I stood there for a long time and asked Saint Nicholas to make things work out. This was the only saint whom I recognized and prayed to at that time. After a long wait, the door opened and I was led into the so-called “Father’s office.”
Wait here, Father is sick, he is lying with us.
Gradually, such fear attacked me that I wanted to run, but stopped: they would think that I had stolen something; Well, yes, and once I’ve come, I need to see it through to the end. I began to ask Saint Nicholas to give me some advice on what to ask this man. You can’t say that you came to look at him. I decided to ask about fasting and prayer. This interested me at the time and, in my opinion, was the most appropriate thing for talking with this kind of people. Someone came in and asked me to sit down, but I continued to pray to St. Nicholas, shaking as if with a fever. And the Saint was wonderful, in a white frame, such as I had never seen before. Finally they took me to the priest. I opened the door and with fear and trembling crossed the threshold of the room of the priest of the Maroseya Church - Father Alexei Mechev.
Father lay with his elbow on his elbow, all in white, and looked straight at me. He seemed to be looking at me the whole time as I walked towards him from that room. His face was like the sun, and he was all in radiance. The saint from the icon lay in front of me and some invisible force forced me to fall prostrate at his feet.
For the first time in my life I bowed down to my spiritual father, asking him to give me the grace of the Holy Spirit, and the second time to this priest who was completely alien to me.
Stand up and sit down.
I stood up and looked at him in horror, but in front of me was again a very kind, but very ordinary priest.
Father read the note and emphasized the word lonely. Having recovered, I immediately blurted out:
Now I’m not alone at all, Father Alexey, I have many friends.
It seemed to me that it was a shame to feel alone and I was afraid that the priest might decide to help me.
Who are your friends?
Spiritual father, his wife and another neighbor.
Who is your spiritual father?
Father Konstantin.
At this name, the priest shuddered all over, his face became so joyful, and he began to speak with extraordinary liveliness.
I am very, very glad, I know him, he is a wonderful priest. We taught at the same gymnasium.
And he began to ask all the details of the life of Father Konstantin and his family:
Bow to him very much and tell him to come by all means. Why does he never come? Completely forgot me. I am very, very happy for you that you got to him.
It turned out for sure that someone, by a happy accident, seemed to hand me over to Father Konstantin, and I believed that I myself had come and did not owe him anything at all and that we met to mutual pleasure.
Father looked at the note again and asked what grief I had.
I lost my only son, father Alexey, it was a part of my soul. But then they took everything away from us, but that doesn’t matter.
Father began to console me with the usual arguments. I thought: “You are saying the usual things that everyone says. That’s not what I need from you.”
Father looked into my eyes very sharply.
Do you believe in a future life?
Did someone tell you to believe, or did you do it yourself?
I flushed with inner pride: who could tell me to believe?
Herself. Who else? I have seen such dreams, but they are not worth telling.
Like who else? Your spiritual father.
It was completely wild. There was no person on earth who could tell me to do anything. I was already an adult. I looked at the priest in bewilderment, but he just looked at me. He seemed to be thinking about something and listening to something.
Your son was a wonderful child and your grief is great. But understand that this was the will of God. He shouldn't have lived. You would have a hard time with him. There were a lot of different people around him. There were difficult relationships between you all. You couldn't raise him well.
And the priest described our entire internal family life in vivid colors. He said something that even those close to him did not know.
And now he feels good - he is an angel with the Lord. After all, you know: children are angels of the Lord.
And the priest began to paint in such wonderful and bright colors the heavenly state of children's souls. He spoke about light, about peace, about the eternal joy that reigns around the Lord. His voice was somehow velvety, soft, as if he were reading a prayer and seemed to be all reaching out to this sky, which he knew so well. Father’s eyes went from light blue to completely dark and deep; he seemed to see right through you.
Remember what you were like then: what you felt and thought.
And he began to tell me everything that I felt, thought, experienced in the last days of my son’s life and at his death. He told me what only God and I knew. I didn’t take my eyes off the priest and every word he said hit me like a hammer into my soul. I felt that the chair and the floor were disappearing from under me, I did not dare to breathe.
You should not grieve, but pray for the repose of his soul, and he is praying for you there,” the priest finished his words.
His appearance became ordinary and I came to my senses again.
Why do you need me? - he asked, after a short silence, in a businesslike tone.
I immediately realized and said:
Tell us, Father Alexey, about fasting and prayer. Nothing works for me.
There was a request in the tone, I began to feel the strength of Father Alexei.
That’s what I came here with,” he said in surprise. - Your husband?
What do you do?
So, I do some work at home, I also have a servant.
Do you live alone?
Yes, just one more old lady, an old friend of her husband. My husband wants me to sit at home, but there is nothing to do at home (with a complaint).
Where do you live?
At the church... that means,” the priest corrected me. - There was a very good priest there, I knew him.
Yes? Father Alexey, he was my father, he and my grandmother raised me. I love him so much.
Father began to give me examples from his practice when people, wanting to live a spiritual life, sought to leave the environment in which the Lord had placed them. The point is not in external life, but in the mental structure of a person, who must put love for his neighbor in the first place. In the name of this love, he must rebuild his inner self in order to make life easier for this very neighbor in everything. And our neighbors are, firstly, family members, and then generally all those with whom we have to live together.
This is what I remember from these examples. One day a person comes to the priest in tears and says:
Our father has been our grief all our lives. We never saw any support from him. The mother bore everything on her shoulders. Finally he disappears somewhere. Life became much calmer and better without him. Mother often went to church and went to her reclusive father Alexei for advice. And so, recently, as soon as she returned from him, her father appeared and asked her with tears to forgive him everything and accept him. Mom, in irritation, expresses everything that she suffered from him and drives him out. We asked my mother to accept my father, but she remains her own. Then, in despair, I decided to go to you right away and ask you to influence her. Father told his mother to come. She comes and long and persistently explains the reason why she cannot accept her husband under any circumstances. After all, he left her with her small children without funds, she raised them; he had a bad influence on them, he dragged everything he could out of the house and now his repentance is not sincere, he came because he has nowhere to live, and if he is accepted, then life will again be unbearable.
“And she didn’t want to listen to me,” the priest continued, “and she kept talking, saying her own thing.” But she’s good, she goes to church, helps the poor, she went to see Father Alexei.
Father was especially struck by the fact that she could drive her husband away, having just arrived from Father Alexei: “Here he comes into the hall, it’s cozy in the house: the table is set, the samovar is on the table. The children are greeted joyfully. Warm, light. Before I had time to undress, the phone rang. The husband opens the door. Quietly, humbly asks, begs - nothing touches her. And this came from Alexei’s father. I began to describe to her the inner state of her husband’s tormented soul. How far away, in hunger and poverty, he remembered his wife, family, the comfort of home and decided to go ask to be accepted not as a father-husband, but as the last beggar. I told her that her life was good, that caring for her children and her soul was good, but that her house would not be covered if she did not accept her husband and forgive him everything.”
And your children will rejoice in you and will love and respect you more. And what a good life you will live then. Your house will be covered and your conscience will be at peace. She left me all in tears. I forgave him, accepted him and they live well now. She came to thank me.
This doesn't apply to you.
And that’s what he told me after each example. And I thought: “Well, yes, of course, not for me. But then why is he telling me this?”
Another one comes to me,” the priest continued, “and cries that she wants to pray, but her husband doesn’t let her, he’s angry. She says that her spiritual father gave her a very big rule. This means that she had to pray a lot, a lot and generally read everything in a day, well, you know, what life is like now. You need to cook, get food (you don’t have to do this), and strangers live nearby (and you are alone in the apartment) and there is no separate room (but you have one), let alone a room - there is no corner. During the day he gets very tired, and in the evening, when the husband falls asleep, he lights a candle and begins to fulfill his rule. He falls asleep over a book, the candle burns out. The husband wakes up and gets angry. And once she almost started a fire. I explained to her that in such circumstances it is impossible to follow such a rule, that there is no benefit for the soul, since she herself falls asleep and from fatigue does not understand what she is reading; It interferes with my husband's sleep and upsets him. He serves, works, tired from the day, he needs peace at least at night. She obeyed, began to pray as I told her, and peace was restored to them.
When the priest in this example compared the conditions of my life with the life of this person, his voice again sounded harsh, as if I was to blame for something and he really didn’t like something about me. Then I realized that he condemned the dissatisfaction with our life, which was still much better compared to others.
Once a very rich and important gentleman comes to me,” the priest continued, “and complains about his wife. They lived amicably and well, and suddenly she stopped taking care of the children, doesn’t want to receive guests, and neglects her duties as a housewife. Everything is neglected, there is chaos everywhere. Everyone is surprised at her. He sits in his room, still reading something. Everyone prays and goes to church. Because of this, they often had disputes and their relationship deteriorated. Her husband loved her very much and regretted losing her. He came to ask me for help. “Send her to me,” I tell him. - “She won’t go.” - “But try anyway, persuade me.” He's coming. Lady. We start talking to her about her family life, about her husband. And she told me: “This doesn’t interest me anymore, I’m very interested in spiritual life.” And she began to tell me what she was reading, how she was praying; that her greatest desire is to enter a monastery. I began to tell her that you can serve God not only in a monastery. He began to tell her what a good husband and children she had, how everyone loved her. How the husband grieves that she abandoned him and the children. That you can combine both. She was moved and asked to be taught what to do.
- “Give me your word here, on the spot, that you will do everything I tell you, and immediately upon arriving home you will do it every day.” - “I promise, father.” - “Do you work at home?” - "No. You just have to look after the servants. Yes, now everything is done without me, I abandoned everything.” - “Do you ever visit children when they get up and go to bed and generally enter into their lives?” - “No, that’s what they have teachers and governesses for.” - “So, when you return home, go into your room and you will see a big mess in it. Clean everything up, take a brush and sweep it yourself, and do it every day. In the morning, go to the nursery and see how the children get up, if everything is in order. You will see that there is a mess here too. Also, put them to bed in the evening and do this every day and gradually you will become part of the circle of your children. You have enough time to pray, read, and go to church.” - Father glanced at me quickly and again said sternly: “None of this applies to you.”
Then she came to thank me,” the priest continued, “and said that when she left me, she thought: what a stupid priest Father Alexey is. ("That's what she told me," the priest said with a smile.) What advice did you give? How will I fulfill it? Yes, I won’t even think about doing this. And when I arrived, I suddenly remembered the word given to me, and fulfilled everything. And I really found dust and dirt: the children’s underwear was torn, everything was shabby. And she began to get involved in everything again and no longer quarreled with her husband. - And how good they all are. “How come I didn’t notice this before,” she finished. And he also came to thank me. And he was important, rich, - I have a completely different wife. Better even than it was,” he said.
Yes,” the priest said thoughtfully, “many educated people come to see me: communists come, bishops come to confess.
Father looked at me carefully. This was the answer to my thoughts: should I go see what this priest is like?
Father began talking about my life, as if he had known us for a long time. He spoke with affection, as if comforting me. I live better than many others: I have a room where I can go to read, relax and not have to work hard, and it’s cozy, warm, and good.
And what a good man your husband is. - And the priest began to tell me about my husband’s character and his spiritual qualities as if he had known him well and loved him for a long time. He said things that I alone noticed in my husband. He said how much I should love and pity him. - Tired, he comes home and he wants you to be with him. He loves you so much! “Father spoke so kindly, so convincingly, he painted a picture of our life for me so vividly that I felt ashamed that I didn’t sit at home much and abandoned my husband, whom I loved dearly. I felt “not good.”
Father looked at me lively, sat down on the bed, with his back to the wall, and asked:
What's his name?
His name is John,” I answered warmly. And suddenly the priest’s face transformed, lightning flashed from his eyes and rays of light seemed to reach me. He was all fire and light.
And he will lead (the priest folded his hands one on top of the other) Alexander John to where Alexander wants him. - Father Alexey looked at the sky, then straight into my eyes. It hurt me to look at him, but I didn’t take my eyes off him. My breathing stopped, I felt the floor disappear from under my feet. Before me was the saint again, in all his splendor. This lasted for several minutes, then everything went out as instantly as it had caught fire. A tired, sick priest with such a kind, good face was sitting in bed. “Go, you don’t need me anymore,” he said quietly. I stood up and not daring to ask for a blessing or touch him, full of horror and delight, without taking my eyes off him, I began to walk away to the door. She made a prostration at the threshold. Then I bowed to the great elder Father Alexei.
Sorrow immediately appeared in my soul that I would not see him again.
You are very nervous, I noticed it as soon as you came into my room. - And after a pause, he said in an authoritative loud voice: “Whenever you need me for any reason, know that I will receive you at any time of the day or night.”
Whenever the priest did not want to accept honor, be it in church or at home, he invariably said:
You are very nervous.
He wanted to show by this that there was nothing special about him, and all this was a manifestation of nervousness on the part of the person.
Lost with joy, I threw myself at my father’s feet.
It’s terrible how I thank you, Father Alexey.
Well, go, go,” he sent me out.
It is remarkable that during this first conversation, the priest did not bless me and did not say a word about fasting and prayer, but told me what was the secret of my soul and the purpose of my life, which only God knew, to whom I prayed daily as he said it. Father Alexey: “Lord, make it so that Vanya and I go hand in hand to the Kingdom of Heaven.”
I flew headlong down the stairs. People asked me, but I just answered:
How good he is. He is your saint.
I decided that the tram would take longer and trotted home. I didn’t feel the ground beneath me. I didn’t see anyone or anything around me. My soul was full of joy that I saw a “living” saint. I saw the grace of the Holy Spirit clearly working in him. I saw what the first Christians had. I saw what the Rev. wrote about. Seraphim. So it's not a lie, it means it's true. Man can achieve this on earth.
My joy was intensified by the fact that my father told me so well about my Vanya, that he loved him and my spiritual father so much.
I flew into my spiritual father and, without greeting him, said:
I saw him, and what he said to me was terrible.
Father Konstantin laughed and asked:
Whom?
I told you everything in detail. He didn’t know this side of the priest yet. After listening to everything attentively, he asked him to bow and say that he would certainly visit him.
I was in a daze for several days. I told someone else who could understand me, but even then not everything. I had a burning desire to take as many people as possible to Father Alexei. He can do anything, help everyone with everything.
I didn’t even think about going to his church, to his services, because I was afraid of him. He knows everything that goes on in a person’s soul.
Quite some time has passed. I kept looking for an opportunity to go to my father again. Suddenly, the husband gets sick with a hernia and decides to have surgery on himself. I was very scared of this. It seemed to me that my husband would die, but how could he die when he and I should live a Christian life. A terrible storm arose in my soul. I reproached God and Saint Nicholas for why they allowed this to happen. And what kind of damned spiritual life is this, I thought, when there is sorrow in it, and God does not listen to you. This is what I thought as I stood at the all-night vigil with Father Konstantin and cried bitterly. But since I still felt that this was not entirely good what was happening in my soul, I tried to hide everything from Father Konstantin as much as possible. After the service, I approached him and relatively calmly explained what was going on. A day later I receive a letter from him in which he invites me to talk somewhere nearby and thereby cleanse my soul. I flew to him to ask for forgiveness. I fasted with him, but I didn’t clearly realize my sin, but simply obeyed him, since it was always in my head that he could give me the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Father Konstantin ordered to go to the priest and ask him about the operation and also ask him to accept one suffering soul. I wrote a letter in the most respectful and refined terms, as if to some high-ranking official, asking him to forgive me for disturbing him and to accept my soul and give an answer about my husband. I didn’t write a word about the operation, thinking that the priest would accept it himself, and if he knew what was going on, he could convey the answer through someone. I walked and prayed to Saint Nicholas to cleanse me so that I could appear before the priest in the best possible way. Suddenly I feel like I'm not alone. I turn around and see the priest standing and looking at me with love and, as if with mockery. I hit my feet. Silence. I stood up and looked down. Father bent down and began to look into my eyes. I felt scared, I felt that the priest was dissatisfied with me. He looked like that for about five minutes, then he laughed strangely, as if he was holding back, and left. I fervently began to pray to Saint Nicholas so that he would save me from the priest. Father Alexey is dissatisfied and can, if he wants, throw a person into the abyss. I prayed like this for a long time. Suddenly I hear my father’s steps. I started to shake. He comes in, and as if he had just seen me, he calmly says:
Why don't you sit down?
How, Father Alexey, can I sit down without your invitation? - I muttered.
Father said kindly and sympathetically:
Sit down.
He sat down opposite me very close. He looked me closely in the eyes with mockery and said angrily:
Well... a parishioner. Do you live near the Church of St...
I shook my head.
And how many of you are there?
“I’m the only one there,” I answered quietly.
Does anyone else know how to write such letters?
“No, Father Alexey,” I answered even more quietly.
Who taught you to write like that?
Nobody, I myself... Forgive me, Father Alexey (with a prayer), I will never do it again.
I wanted to fall at his feet, but I didn’t dare move. He held me as if in a vice.
Father suddenly began to speak with liveliness:
Is it really possible to write such letters? Is it possible to address me like that? What is not written there: yes, if possible... yes, please, sorry for disturbing you. - And the priest in a very funny way began to convey to me all my expressions. - In this letter it’s impossible to understand what’s going on. What do you want from me?
Father jumped up and began to walk around the room, I stood up too.
This is all your intellectual habit of not doing anything simply and directly. Everybody beat around the bush. They themselves search for what they do not know, they argue about what they themselves understand nothing about.
To be considered among the intelligentsia, which at that time I deeply despised, recognizing only peasants, was very offensive to me. Father seemed to hit me with a whip. I flushed, but remained silent.
“You’re all like that there,” he said with contempt. - Unhappy parish, poor priest who has to deal with such people. You can’t write such letters to Father Alexei. He needs to write everything simply. Say directly what is needed. “Dear father, I need to get this and that from you,” and a signature. And nothing more. And all these: respected, revered... I don’t dare ask... This is not necessary at all. Understood? I am here so that everyone can come to me and tell me everything that he needs, and to the best of my ability, with God’s help, I must help him - this is my business.
Father Alexey, I’m a stranger to you. My personal business is not important, there (on the stairs) many people have more important things to do than mine, how can I bother you any more?
For everyone who comes to me, his business is the most important. I don't have to think about it, whether it makes me difficult or not. Nobody even thinks about it. (It turns out that I’m the only one so stupid that I think this.) And you should always think that your personal business is the most important,” the priest said affectionately. He sat down, and I sat down too.
Father said this, seeing that in my soul there was a really deep feeling that I was the last of all to come here, and my business was the least important.
Sorry, Father Alexey, I will never, never do it again. “And I thought to myself: how will I ever dare to write to him like that?”
Well, did Father Konstantin also get it from you when he was your priest?
I don’t know, Father Alexey, Father Konstantin loves the intelligentsia very much and knows how to tinker with them,” I answered cheerfully, pleased that Father’s storm had passed.
Father looked at me somehow incredulously.
Is he happy there? (in the new parish).
Yes, oh, Alexey, he is much better off there, there is more income, but here they were dying of hunger (the father’s face expressed great suffering), and we were unable to help them in any way, it was simply terrible. Now somehow the children will get out on the road. He has all of them very good. And A.P. (his wife) is so good.
Well, S. was my student (daughter), - the priest said kindly, kindly. - She is so good, very good. A.P. do you love?
Look, love and respect her.
I shook my head in complete agreement. Father looked at me, tears appeared in his eyes, his voice trembled.
Poor Father Konstantin, how kind he is, what a good soul he has, how he pities you (you, not worth pity), and Yarmolovich offends him, offends him very much. She hurt his soul very much.
(I wanted to cry: when and how did I offend Father Konstantin?) I, bad, unkind. To offend such a spiritual father!
Where else will she find something like this? But he didn't tell her anything. And how he suffered for her!
I sat in horror and did not understand anything.
Really, I didn’t do anything like that, Father Alexey! How did I offend him? - I said in despair.
How, what did you offend? - the priest flared up. “Isn’t it enough what you did during his all-night vigil?” - And he began to explain to me the state of my soul exactly how everything was then. - Is it possible to become so desperate? Is it possible to be angry with God? What happened? Yes, absolutely nothing. And you fell into such despair, you grumbled at God, instead of asking Him to help you, instead of praying for Vanya’s health. You have forgotten everything, you have forgotten yourself, you have forgotten everything that Father Konstantin taught you. He already saw your condition and how he suffered for you later.
And the priest described to me the state of mind of Father Konstantin, his suffering in these two days. The suffering of a spiritual father for the soul of his child, who fell into strong temptation. Father spoke with horror that such a priest, such a spiritual father, suffered because of me, such a disgusting and insignificant creature. I don’t remember my father’s expressions, but one thing was clear to me: that Father Konstantin was an amazingly high-spirited spiritual father, and I was an insignificant, dirty, worthless creature.
And this makes such a person, such a spiritual father, suffer! - he finished.
It was absolutely clear to me that I had committed two terrible things: 1) I had made my spiritual father suffer, and such a one at that; 2) grumbled at God and gave in to despair. The first, according to the priest, was more important. I was horrified that Father Alexey knew everything, as if he were in church with Father Konstantin. I knew very well that they had not seen each other during this time.
Father Alexey razed me to the ground, completely destroyed me. I didn't know what to do. Father looked at me from the side, as if watching me.
Throughout this conversation, I tried to see that light again in his eyes, but he hid it from me in every possible way. He often did this afterwards.
Father sharply moved away from the table, looked down and, as if embarrassed by something, said:
You ask in your letter whether your husband needs surgery?
I was stunned: I didn’t write about this in the letter. Father lowered his head even lower and, after a pause, said without raising his eyes:
The operation can be done or not; it doesn't matter to him. If he wants, let him do it. Do not interfere with him as he wants. It will work out well. John... - Father smiled affectionately. - Why do you consider this a matter of little importance to you? It is much more important and really more important than much that they will tell me (and the priest pointed towards the stairs). “Be calm,” he said fatherly, “everything will turn out well.”
In his humility, the priest was embarrassed to show his insight. He only allowed himself to show it in exceptional cases.
And you look after him, calm him down. What do you have? - Father looked at me intently. - Meekness?.. Yes, there is, you can see it from your face. (Well, no, I think you were mistaken.) And you also need humility and prayer. Without humility nothing can be achieved. Well, yes, we still need to add love. You have to work hard to acquire all this.
In my soul I had joy and deep gratitude to my father for my Vanya. If he had told me to throw myself into the fire, I would have done it immediately, without hesitation. I felt tender love and deep gratitude for my father. Father Alexey became for me not only an elder, but also a “father.”
Well, who is she? - After a pause, he asked.
I realized that it was about the soul that wanted to see the priest, and I began to talk about it.
This was a lady from the aristocracy. Her husband was shot. She could not be consoled and somehow looked terribly stupidly and stubbornly at her grief.
Her husband was an empty nester and they did not live particularly happily. With displeasure, I conveyed to the priest the time when she asked to see her (she set the time). Father, apparently, had an idea about her, considered her a “lady.” After listening to everything, he set a time for her to come to confession in church. She was very pleased, although she did not receive from the priest what she thought. She wanted him to take away her grief, to give her joy, peace of mind, faith in a future life without the participation of her will. Father could not do this, since it is always necessary that a person himself wants to be renewed and tries to do this himself. But still, the priest’s prayers helped her. Now she has become calmer and has come to terms with her grief.
Father stood up to let me go.
Forgive me, father, for everything and, if possible, bless me.
He made a big cross over me, who was on my knees, and said slowly:
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
This was my first blessing received from him.
Father always said these words especially. He truly felt the Trinity, whose grace he called upon the person standing in front of him.
I left my father with a light heart, as everyone always left him. They always left everything with him, all their sorrows, needs and sins. He took everything heavy and dark from us and gave us light, bright, joyful things in return. He himself handed over everything we had to God; and still here on earth, he boldly prayed before the throne of his altar to his Savior for all those whose names were written as if alive in his heart.
From the priest I immediately ran to Father Konstantin to ask for forgiveness. He was very amazed by everything I told him and said:
God will forgive. Yes, we need to go to him,” he added after a pause.
I could no longer live without my father. It was very difficult to get to his house, and you had to wait for a special occasion for this. And so I decided to see how things were going with him in the church.
I really liked everything about the church now. There were always a lot of people and the people were all so serious and praying. And it was good to see how semi-literate people prayed and how they correctly understood the service. There were always a lot of clergy, people came to see the priest. The service was long, but not tiring. Among the clergy, one stood out, especially for his ardor and unusually serious attitude towards the services - That was the son of Father Alexei - Father Sergius. When I found out who he was, I began to look closely at him from afar. I was terribly afraid of him.
In Father’s church one could learn to understand the service, here one could learn to pray. The canon was especially good to read. The singing and reading were very clear, unlike in other churches.
I started going to the Maroseya Church because of the priest, and gradually the service itself began to attract me. I listened to everything, understood everything, and what was not clear to me, I asked my father Konstantin. Prayer was felt in everything and everyone; and Father Alexey covered everything and everyone with his grace.
He simply served. I expected to see something special, or some kind of foolishness, as is often found in this kind of people (I really didn’t like this), but there was nothing of the kind here. There was not the slightest foolishness, nor the desire to hide his righteousness under some strange actions.
He was either a priest, or a priest Alexei Mechev, or an elder Alexei, depending on the circumstances. But in all his forms he was completely simple and truthful. When he wanted to hide his righteousness, he did it in such a way that those around him simply stopped noticing it in him.
His movements were very lively and fast. He sometimes read his prayers very hastily, but one thing was undeniably felt in him: that he was talking with God, who was alive to him, and that heaven was always open to him. Even though he was all about prayer, he always saw everything and everyone in the church.
Father’s voice used to sound wonderfully good; so low, chesty, when prayer was happening especially strongly in him. It happened that at a prayer service he would turn sharply to give a blessing, and the gaze of his dark eyes, burning with an inner sacred fire, seemed to pierce right through the crowd. And his “peace to all” sounded solemn and holy.
How good it was during the all-night vigil, when the priest blessed us with the icon of the holiday on major holidays. It happened that he would stop with her at the royal doors, turn sharply to the people and shower the people with a great blessing on her. And at that time he seemed so big, big.
And the people fell on their faces before the blessing of the great elder Father Alexei, the servant of God. And how his blessing felt. And how dear it was to us...
( /var/www/perejit/data/www/site/cache/blocks/templates/block_value_4.php)Elder Alexy spoke about his birth like this: “When the birth came, the late mother felt very bad. The birth was difficult and so long that she was close to death. In grief and anguish, the father went to the Alekseevsky Monastery for mass, which on the occasion of the holiday was celebrated by Metropolitan Philaret himself...”
Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow and Kolomna fervently prayed for the wife of the regent of the Cathedral Chudov Monastery, Alexandra, who was dying from difficult childbirth. After the prayer, the Metropolitan handed Alexei Ivanovich Mechev a prosphora and said: “God is merciful, everything will be fine. A boy will be born, name him Alexei in honor of St. Alexy, man of God."
When Alexey Ivanovich returned home, he was greeted with joyful news: a boy was born.
Elder Alexy often recalled with gratitude the care and affection of Metropolitan Philaret for their family, and told how Vladyka once saved his father from imminent death. In winter, by order of the Metropolitan, musically gifted boys were brought in to “replenish the Metropolitan Choir with them.” The children were unloaded from the sleigh and brought into a warm room. Suddenly Vladyka quickly got dressed, went out into the yard and began to search the sleigh himself. By the light of a lantern, in only the sleigh, he found a sleeping boy. This was the son of the priest of Kolomna district - Alexey. Later, when Alexey Ivanovich graduated from the Seminary, the Metropolitan invited him to become the regent of the Metropolitan Choir.
Alexey Ivanovich’s son, Alexy, first studied at the Zaikonospassky School, then at the Moscow Theological Seminary, and after graduating from the Seminary he entered the psalm-reading class at the Church of the Sign on Znamenka.
In 1884, Alexy married Anna Petrovna Molchanova.
November 18, 1884 was ordained a deacon at the Nikitsky Monastery by Rev. Misail, Bishop of Mozhaisk. On March 19, 1893, he was ordained a priest by the Rev. Nestor. The young priest inherited the poor parish of the small church of St. Nicholas on Maroseyka. Great faith was needed so that, despite the difficulties, one would not lose heart. Elder Alexy sadly told the spiritual children:
“For eight years I served the Liturgy every day in front of an empty church, one archpriest told me: “No matter how much I pass by your church, everyone rings your bell.” I came to see you - it was empty. Nothing will work out for you, you’re calling in vain.”
Unfortunately, Father Alexy’s wife became seriously ill, and he alone had to take care of the children and care for his bedridden wife. In August 1902, his father's wife Alexia died.
By God's providence, at that time Fr. came to Maroseyka for charity. John of Kronstadt. The great shepherd said Fr. Alexy: “You complain about grief and think - there is no grief in the world greater than yours, it’s so hard for you. And you, be with the people, enter into someone else’s grief, take their grief upon yourself, and then you will see that your misfortune is small, insignificant in comparison with the general grief; and it will become easier for you.”
It happened about. Alexy and concelebrate with Fr. John of Kronstadt in one of the Moscow churches. After this significant meeting, Fr. Alexy “becomes completely absorbed in someone else’s grief, dissolving his own grief in the general grief.”
Father Alexy is now never left alone, from morning to evening he gives himself to people; for them he is no longer only a shepherd, but a father and a caring mother. Soon all of Moscow was talking about the elder. can no longer accommodate everyone, “from early morning until late at night there is a crowd of people, among ordinary people, professors, doctors, teachers, writers, engineers, artists, performers appear.”
Elder Alexy said that he gave him the faith of a child. Eyewitnesses said that during the service he was transformed. His childhood faith was often revealed in tears, especially during the Divine Liturgy. Often he found it difficult to utter the exclamations: “Come, eat...” or “Thine from Thine.” At these words, from his changed voice, everyone in the temple understood that he was crying. His face was full of tenderness, and his crying captured those who served him.”
“And I cried, bending down to the throne,” said the deacon who served him.
This gift of tears, which Father possessed for his humility, was especially manifested in him when reading the Great Canon of St. Andrey Kritsky. He did not read it, he pronounced these troparia as his own words from the depths of a contrite heart, shedding tears. The whole church merged with him in tenderness...”
From the memoirs of Elder Alexy’s spiritual son: “The image of Fr. Alexia. One cannot forget either his small, small, but soulfully gazing blue eyes, glowing with greetings, or his purely Russian, native, blissfully smiling face, on which was written so much kindness and warmth that it seemed there would be more than enough of it for everyone who had the good fortune to see each other and meet him. After a great family grief - the loss of a loved one - I hurried to Maroseyka. With his sensitive heart, Fr. Alexy understood the depth of my grief and consoled me without any words with just his blissful appearance. At the end of the memorial service, in a burst of gratitude, I involuntarily burst out: “Good Father!”
One woman who lived in Tula, whose son went missing, was advised to go to the church “Nicholas in Klenniki” to see the elder. A woman came to Moscow, came to church, and was very surprised when, after the liturgy, she heard the words of an elder holding out a cross to her over the heads of the people walking in front of her:
– Pray as if you were alive.
The woman’s surprise knew no bounds, because the priest saw her for the first time and could not know about her grief. And later, during a personal meeting, Elder Alexy said:
“My mother was here the other day: she’s worried about her son, but he’s quietly serving in Sofia at a tobacco factory.
Then he blessed the woman and presented her with a paper icon with the words:
- Well, God bless.
Later it became known that the woman soon received a letter from her son from Bulgaria in which he said that he worked in Sofia at a tobacco factory.
Eyewitnesses recalled how one day a drunken, “tattered, shaking man” entered the church and turned to Elder Alexy:
- I completely died, I drank myself to death. My soul is lost... save... help me...
The elder came very close to the unfortunate man, looked lovingly into his eyes, put his hand on his shoulder and said:
- Darling, it’s time for you and me to stop drinking wine.
- Help, Father, pray!
Elder Alexy took the suffering man by the right hand and led him to the altar, solemnly opened the royal gates and, placing him next to him on the pulpit, began a prayer service. After the prayer service, Elder Alexy blessed the unfortunate man three times, gave him prosphora and kissed him three times. After some time, a decently dressed man approached the candle box in the church and expressed a desire to serve a thanksgiving prayer service. Seeing the elder, the man threw himself sobbing at his feet. The elder recognized him as that unfortunate man and exclaimed: Vasily, is that you?
Vasily told how, through the elder’s prayer, he stopped drinking and was accepted into a “good place.”
From the memoirs of the elder’s spiritual daughter:
– Father never demanded attention, any signs of respect, and not only did not demand them, but also shunned them... In 1920, the Chudov sisters raised the issue of rewarding Fr. Alexia. In March 1923, he celebrated 30 years of service as a priest... The day came when Father was called to the patriarchal service and awarded a cross... In the evening, everyone gathered for the evening service and waited with excitement for Father to come... After a short During the prayer service he addressed the people... Covering his face with his hands, he spoke of his unworthiness. His word was a nationwide, stunning confession of his insignificance, his complete insufficiency, worthlessness and weakness in everything. It seemed that this cross with pebbles completely crushed him. In a tearful confession that shocked everyone, Father bowed to the ground with deep humility, asking everyone for forgiveness.
From the memoirs of nun Juliana:
– Father, especially during divine services, seemed to glow with some special, incomparable inner light. The abundance of grace that rested on him sometimes manifested itself externally for some: he stood in the air and sparks seemed to fall from his eyes. When one of the believers innocently told him how she saw him, he replied: “Don’t tell anyone about this until my death. You should have seen me, a sinner, by God’s mercy, in spirit. Remember: this is only God’s love and mercy for me, a sinner.”
The elder noted: “You need to endure a lot of sorrows in order to learn to pray. The shepherd’s heart must expand so much that it can accommodate all those who need it.”
Bishop Arseny said: “But if prayer invigorates and refreshes a person, then taking on the suffering of others crushes the shepherd’s heart and makes him physically sick.” Father o. Alexy began to suffer from a heart disease from which he later died... The year 1923 came. Father was getting worse. It was a pity to watch him suffocate from painful shortness of breath... Everyone who saw Father this winter noticed that he was somehow especially bright, glowing with some special, spiritual, unearthly, imperishable light, which combined the same unearthly, quiet joy.
- Father, how hard it is to think that you will be gone.
- Stupid, I will always be with you...
Shortly before his death, he said to his other spiritual daughter:
– Pray for me, and I – for you, love does not die after death. And if I gain boldness before God, I will pray to God for everyone that you will all be there with me.
From the memoirs of the elder’s spiritual daughter: “Nina was next to him. She leaned towards him with sorrow and concern. Father took her head with both hands and pressed it to his chest... At that moment she heard a strong sound in his chest, as if a spring had burst. Father’s hands weakened and fell. The eyes closed forever. It was Friday 9/22 June 1923.”
In August 2000, the Jubilee Council of Bishops determined that Presbyter Alexy Mechev of Moscow should be canonized.
Prayer to the Holy Righteous Alexy, Presbyter of Moscow
To you, O righteous Father Alexy, we, sinners and unworthy, flow and with tenderness we cry to you: now look mercifully from your holy heights on our Fatherland and on us who glorify you. You who have accepted the hardships of people in your life and have borne their sorrows with a merciful heart, accept into your prayerful intercession also us, burdened with many sins and weary with the vanity of this world.
In you, O wondrous elder, the Lord is glorified, revealing you to be the secret place of God’s mercy. We call upon you relentlessly: be a physician to our souls and bodies, a comforter to the despondent, bestow boldness on the faint-hearted, teach forgiveness to those darkened by malice, promote abstinence. Inflame our cold hearts, O good worker of the grapes of Christ, with the zeal of your service, teach the prayer of unceasing and active love with oppression for ourselves for the good of our neighbors. Strengthen the children of our Church with your prayers, so that we may live in love and peace, and may those outside the church fence understand the Truth of Christ and, together with us, glorify the Life-giving and Indivisible Trinity and your merciful intercession forever and ever. Amen.
Remember your mentors who
preached the Word of God to you, and, looking
at the end of their lives, imitate their faith.
Hebrews 13:7
Believing Muscovites are well familiar with the name of the perspicacious priest Archpriest Alexei Mechev and his son Archpriest Sergius, rector of the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki on Maroseyka. Two or three decades ago there were still people who personally communicated with Father Alexei, and his name was remembered with reverence not only in Moscow, but also in distant Central Asia and the Baltic states, where the elder’s spiritual children performed priestly service. By the providence of God, fast-flowing time did not remove, but brought the priest closer to us. In 1990, the Church of St. Nicholas, closed in 1932, was returned to the Church, and the newly formed Marosei community feels its continuity with the spiritual children of Father Alexei and Father Sergius. Now we have the opportunity to read in printed publications those memories of the Marosean shepherds that for more than half a century were passed on from mouth to mouth, copied by hand, and typed on a typewriter. Particularly valuable for us are the already two editions of “The Biography of the Moscow Elder Alexei Mechev,” compiled by his spiritual daughter, the outstanding icon painter Nun Juliania (Maria Nikolaevna Sokolova), and the luxuriously designed third volume from the series “Russian Orthodoxy of the 20th Century,” which contains enormous material from the archive another spiritual daughter of Father Alexei, Elena Vladimirovna Apushkina, who had the good fortune to live to see its publication.
The special role of Father Alexei in the history of the Russian Church lies in the fact that he put into practice the idea of a “monastery in the world”, created an Orthodox community, which, after his death, stood the test of time and, in the era of the most severe struggle of the state with religion, served as the leaven of the Christian way of life, testifying faith and love for God and people about the eternal Gospel Truth. For Father Alexei, Christianity was not an abstract doctrine, a set of rigid rules or a cultural tradition, it was life for him, and he could say with the Apostle “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20). He introduced his flock to this life in Christ, carefully delving into the essence and soul of each person, embracing everyone with his merciful love, taking upon himself the grief and hardships of everyone. This experience of upbringing with love is still infinitely dear and necessary for us, and in order to assimilate it, we must internally get closer to the personality of the priest, enter with our hearts into the life that he lived. For this purpose, we offer the reader a short biographical sketch, compiled on the basis of published works about the blessed elder.
Biography of Archpriest Alexei Mechev
Archpriest Alexei Mechev was born on March 17, 1859 into the pious family of Alexei Ivanovich Mechev, regent of the metropolitan choir of the Chudov Monastery in the Kremlin. A.I. Mechev was the son of a priest of the Kolomna district of the Moscow province and in childhood was saved from death in the cold by Saint Philaret of Moscow himself, who made the boy his pupil. Saint Philaret followed the life of the Mechev family and more than once showed insight in relation to the son of the regent, the future father of Alexei. The very birth of Father Alexei took place with the prayerful assistance of the Saint. On the day of remembrance of St. Alexis, the man of God, he celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Alekseevsky Monastery and drew attention to his beloved regent, who was heartbroken. Having learned that Alexei Ivanovich’s wife was dying in childbirth, Saint Philaret consoled him with the words: “Let’s pray together... God is merciful, everything will be fine. A boy will be born, name him Alexei in honor of Saint Alexius, the man of God, whom we celebrate today.” And Father Alexei revered the memory of Saint Philaret all his life, remembered his care for their family, considered him the highest example of shepherding, and he himself followed the example of the Saint in his self-sacrifice and ruthless demands on himself in the performance of his pastoral duty. In the home life of the Mechevs, the character of the future “people's father” was formed: love and cordiality, openness, hospitality, and a willingness to sacrifice one’s own comforts for the benefit of one’s neighbor reigned here; the two-room apartment was always full of people, so little Leni never had his own corner; from childhood he was accustomed to being in public, invariably remaining simple-minded and peaceful.
The future priest studied first at the Zaikonospassky School, and then at the Moscow Theological Seminary. Wanting to devote himself to serving people, he was going to go to university after seminary and become a doctor, but his mother wanted to see him as a priest, and the young man, out of obedience to his mother, took on the duties of a psalm-reader at the Church of the Mother of God of the Sign on Znamenka. Here he had to endure a lot from the abbot, who treated the psalmist harshly, insulted and even beat him. The meek Alexei endured everything with patience and subsequently thanked God for allowing him to go through such a school, and remembered his abbot, Father George, as a teacher with great love.
In 1884, Alexey Mechev married Anna Petrovna Molchanova and was soon ordained a deacon. The ordination took place in the Nikitsky Monastery, and the young deacon was assigned to the Church of the Holy Great Martyr George, which is in the passage of the Polytechnic Museum.
Father Alexey loved his family. Anna Petrovna also dearly loved her husband, completely understood him and sympathized with him in everything, was his first assistant on the path to Christ, he valued her friendly remarks and listened to them as another listens to his elder; immediately corrected the shortcomings she noticed.
On March 19, 1893, Deacon Alexei Mechev was ordained a priest. He was ordained by His Eminence Nestor, director of the Moscow Novospassky Monastery. From that day on, Father Alexei’s entire life was inextricably linked with the small church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki in the very center of Moscow, at the beginning of Maroseyki Street, where he carried out the feat of priestly service for thirty years.
The spiritual life of most small Moscow parishes of those years was like rocky, barren soil: services were not held here every day, rarely anyone attended, parishioners usually fasted once a year during Lent, following custom rather than the desire of the heart. When starting pastoral service, Father Alexey Mechev set himself a clear goal - to eliminate the gap that had formed between the people and God, to soften human souls, to make them capable of perceiving the richest treasure of the Orthodox liturgical and ascetic tradition. Returning to people the treasure of patristic spiritual experience, the young priest began by establishing in his church the daily celebration of Matins and Liturgy, at first only in the morning, but soon supplemented it with evening services. “I wanted to give Moscow,” the priest later said, “one church, where every believer on his birthday, if he wished, could hear the magnification of his saint on the day of his Angel.” The true churching of the parish could not happen instantly; it required years of humble prayer by the priest for the souls entrusted to him by the Lord. According to Father Alexei himself, he served the liturgy daily in an empty church for eight years. And the power of his love melted the ice of indifference. What this love is like is evidenced by one incident that took place at the beginning of his pastorate. On the very eve of Christmas, he was invited to give communion to a sick woman. At the end of the morning service, the priest immediately went to the address he had left. With difficulty he found somewhere in the attic a small, tattered room, completely empty. A seriously ill woman lay here, and pale, half-starved children sat and crawled around her on the floor. This extreme poverty shocked Father Alexei. He came straight from the temple, he had money with him, and when leaving, he did not hesitate to leave his wallet there. I returned home without a penny. The family began asking for money to buy something for the holiday. Pretending that he was extremely busy, the priest ordered him to wait; Meanwhile, he himself fell into thought: did he do the right thing, leaving nothing for himself... there are children and there are children; there is poverty and here there is poverty. He began to pray earnestly. They ask for money again and tell me to wait. Already in the evening, shortly before the start of the all-night vigil, the bell rang: they brought a package of money and a note with a request to remember such and such relatives. Father was amazed by this mercy of God for the mercy shown, and just as he himself was forever established in the faith, so in others he later strengthened the faith in the never-slumbering Providence of God.
The love of Father Alexei, combined with the deepest faith and prayer, not only encouraged him to give his last to those in need, but was capable of something much more: it had the audacity to snatch a person who despaired of himself from the pit of destruction. An example is the following case: “Once after an early mass, on a weekday, a drunken, ragged man, shaking all over, approached the priest, and, barely uttering the words, turned to the priest: “I’m completely lost, I’m drunk. My soul has perished... save me, help me... I don’t remember being sober... I’ve lost the image of a person...” Not paying attention to his disgusting appearance, the priest comes very close to him and, looking lovingly into his eyes, puts his hands on his shoulders and says: “Darling, it’s time for you and me to stop drinking wine.” - “Help, dear father, pray.” The priest, taking him by the right hand, leads him to the pulpit and, leaving him there, goes to the altar. Having opened the curtain of the royal gates of the main Kazan chapel, solemnly throwing open the royal gates, a prayer service begins, saying in a majestic voice: “Blessed is our God...” and, taking the dirty ragamuffin by the hand, places him next to him at the very royal gates. Dropping to his knees, with tears he begins to diligently offer a prayer to the Lord God. The ragged man's clothes were so torn that his body was exposed when, following the example of the priest, he bowed to the ground.
At the end of the prayer service, the priest crossed the unfortunate man three times and, giving him prosphora, kissed him three times.
After a short time, a decently dressed man approached the candle box and, buying a candle, asked: “How can I see Father Alexei?” Having learned that the priest was in the church, he joyfully declared that he wanted to serve a thanksgiving prayer service. The priest who came out to the pulpit exclaimed: “Vasily, is it you”?! With a sob, a recent drunkard threw himself at his feet, the priest also shed tears and began a prayer service. It turned out that Vasily got a good place and settled down well.”
Gradually, those who were toiling and burdened, looking for support and consolation, learned more and more about Father Alexei. Pilgrims from all over Moscow flocked to Maroseyka, to the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki, and the priest began to be invited to services in different parts of the city. On all holidays and Sundays, the priest delivered teachings, usually on the topics of the day's Apostolic and Gospel readings or the life of the celebrated saint. In the mouth of Father Alexei, the Word of God acquired all its inherent Divine power, penetrated into the innermost recesses of the soul and evoked a response in feelings of guilt and repentance. Father encouraged people to receive regular communion, more often than was customary in parish churches. He tirelessly reminded parents of their duty towards their children, the duty of moral education and constant care, taught everyone love for God, close and merciful, and for His sake - love for neighbors, selfless, sacrificial love, which begins with attention to oneself, with struggle with our own shortcomings and then extends to those with whom the Lord brings us together in everyday life. Love is the energy and engine of Christianity, and reason is only the labor force of the heart, the priest believed. To be with people, to live their lives, to rejoice in their joys, to be saddened by their sorrows - this is what he saw as the purpose and way of life of a Christian, and especially a shepherd. Here are excerpts from some of Father Alexei’s sermons and conversations:
“...With tears, I ask and pray you - be the suns that warm those around you, if not everyone, then the family in which the Lord made you a member.
Be warmth and light for those around you; try to warm your family first, work on it, and then these works will attract you so much that for you the family circle will already be narrow, and these warm rays will over time capture more and more people and the circle illuminated by you will gradually increase and increase...
The Lord says: “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” By this He says that our duty is to shine for others.
Meanwhile, we ourselves walk in darkness, not only do we not shine for others, therefore we must turn to the Lord, ask Him for help, because no matter how strong we are, no matter what advantages we have, we are still without God is nothing; and then we have a great multitude of sins, and therefore we ourselves cannot achieve the goal of shining and warming others...” (From a sermon for the week about the blind man, 1919).
“...There are moments when you really want to help some person, it is undoubtedly the Lord who disposes his heart to save another; just be pure vessels, so that He can act through you and have you as an instrument in His hands.
The Lord is not angry even from the cross, he stretches out his hands to us and calls us. Although we all crucify Him, He is love and is ready to forgive us everything. In our country, it is sometimes considered excusable when you get tired, get irritated, or do something else (allow yourself), but no matter what circumstances you find yourself in, no matter how tired or sick you are, you must do only as Christ commanded...
Only the Lord can embrace everyone with love, and therefore we can love everyone only through Christ...
A priest must belong to the people, come and take what I have, everything that I am rich in, and I am rich in church services, in tears, I cry for my sins...
There is no need to be angry with those who insult you, because for the sake of their malice, hatred, they are moving away from God, which means they are losing everything, because without God what is a person good for, and the Lord gives you a chance to save them if he brings you together with them, and if so, it means they lead you to God, to heaven, to bliss, is it possible to be angry with them?..
We must imitate the love of God. An opportunity to do good to someone is God’s mercy towards us, so we must run, strive with all our souls to serve another. And after every deed of love, your soul becomes so joyful, so calm, you feel that this is what you need to do, and you want to do good again and again, and after that you will look for how to caress, console, and encourage someone else. And then the Lord Himself will dwell in the heart of such a person: “We will come to him and make an abode with him.” And once the Lord is in the heart, such a person has no one to fear, no one can do anything to him...
Prayer is an important and necessary thing. You need and can pray always and everywhere. Whenever a thought appears, you feel tempted to sin, you see that you are about to fall, you need to turn to the Lord and to the Mother of God: “Mistress, help me, I want to be good, help me to be Your pure son,” and for now we will pray , the evil thought will disappear. And then we will get used to it and will always pray. Every business must begin with prayer.
We shouldn't irritate each other; when we see that a person is having a hard time, we need to approach him, take on his burden, lighten it, help in any way possible; By doing this, entering into others, living with them, you can completely renounce your Self, completely forget about it. When we understand this and prayer, then we will not be lost anywhere, no matter where we go and no matter who we meet” (From a conversation on the life of St. Macarius the Great).
Father Alexei's pastoral work was not limited to the walls of the church; he also worked in the Public Reading Society and opened a church school for the poorest children of his parish. Quite a few spiritual children gradually rallied around him. By the tenth anniversary of the priest’s ministry, the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki had already been thoroughly renovated by the diligence of wealthy parishioners, and new, high-quality vestments were purchased. Anyone who entered here felt as if they had unexpectedly found themselves in an earthly paradise, where everything rejoiced with sincere, simple, holy joy. The living exponent of this joy was the priest himself; his very sight removed all the ice of deadening sin from the heart, destroyed all the partitions separating people. He strove to give his parishioners what people thirsting for spiritual life sought and found in monasteries; he instilled a love of worship and taught the harsh science of self-denial, instructing them on the path of active love for their neighbors.
In 1902, Alexei’s father suffered a severe personal grief; his mother Anna Petrovna died, leaving four young orphans. Subsequently, the priest recalled the grief he experienced in this way: “The Lord visits our hearts with sorrows in order to reveal to us the hearts of other people. It was the same in my life. I experienced great grief: I lost the friend of my life after many happy years of life together. The Lord took her and the whole light darkened for me. I locked myself in my room, didn’t want to go out to people, poured out my grief before the Lord.” The Kronstadt shepherd brought the grief-stricken priest out of this internal crisis and placed him in a new field of serving people. A family close to Father Alexei invited Father John, who had arrived in Moscow, to their house, and here a meeting of the two shepherds took place. “Have you come to share my grief?” asked Father Alexei. “I did not come to share grief, but joy,” answered Father John, “the Lord is visiting you; leave your cell and go out to people. Only from now on will you begin to live. You complain about your sorrows and think - there is no sorrow in the world greater than yours, it is so heavy for you. And you, be with the people, enter into someone else’s grief, take it upon yourself, and then you will see that your misfortune is small, insignificant in comparison with the general grief, and it will become easier for you.” Father John immediately pointed to prayer as the first most powerful means in the proposed feat.
After the first meeting with Father John, Father Alexey had the opportunity to concelebrate with him in one of the Moscow churches. The grace of God, which rested abundantly on Father John, illuminated Father Alexei’s entire life path in a new way.
“I obeyed the words of Father John - and the people before me became different. I saw the sorrow in their hearts, and my own sorrowful heart was drawn to them; My personal grief was drowned in their grief. I wanted to live again, to console them, to warm them, to love them. From that moment I became a different person: I truly came to life. At first I thought I was doing something and had already done a lot; but after I had to see Father John of Kronstadt, I felt that I had not done anything yet.”
The holy righteous John of Kronstadt elevated Father Alexei to a new level of pastoral feat, and the humble Marosei priest carried him for two decades until the end of his days during the years of three Russian revolutions and the First World War, when the whirlwind of a revolutionary hurricane swept away the thousand-year-old foundations of Orthodox statehood and culture. The Church of Christ then stood face to face with the power of the world ruler of this century, which tried to destroy this Church from the outside and from the inside. At the beginning of the 20th century, the tradition of Christian piety was still quite firm and strong, and the spirit-bearing elders of numerous monasteries guided the verbal flock of Christ on the path of spiritual life. By the providence of God, this tradition was destined to be interrupted almost entirely: after 1917, the era of persecution of religion, the closure and desecration of churches and monasteries, and the physical extermination of the clergy began. The ministry of Father Alexei Mechev was the preparation of the people of God for Christian life in new conditions. The rector of the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki had neither secular nor theological higher education, did not have a representative appearance and a natural gift of eloquence, and many, entering this temple for the first time, left disappointed, having met a simple, seemingly rural priest. However, those who knew him closely revered him as a saint, visionary and completely entrusted their lives to him. There was nothing flashy in him, something that is valued by carnal people, but in him there was the radiance of the image of God, the Christian way of life was active in him; Father created a temple of God not made by hands in human souls, laying the foundation of spiritual life for those who were to carry out their Christian feat in the 20s, 30s and later years. With special love, Father Alexey sowed the seed of Christ's faith into children's hearts. Soon after the death of his mother, he took on the duties of a teacher of law at the private girls’ gymnasium of E. V. Winkler at the junction of Maroseyka and Chistye Prudy. Colleagues at this gymnasium later recalled with what love and care the priest treated his students, how skillfully he overcame formalism, turning his lesson into a lively conversation about Christian morality. It was here that his future spiritual daughter Tanya Fomina, the daughter of a university medical professor, met the priest, who then went to Anosina Hermitage and accepted the feat of confession (Magdalene in monasticism).
In early adolescence, Maria Sokolova, the orphaned daughter of Father Nikolai Sokolov, rector of the Church of the Assumption in Gonchary, came to Father Alexei for confession and became his spiritual daughter. From her very first confession, the girl wrote down the priest’s words and kept her diary constantly until his death. The spiritual guidance of Father Alexei determined the entire further life and creative path of Maria Nikolaevna, the future nun Juliania, an outstanding icon painter and biography of the priest.
For orphans and children of poor parents, Father Alexei established an orphanage and an elementary school in the lower floor of his church; Thanks to his care, the children participated in the life of the temple and subsequently went out into life as useful workers. Father taught lessons in the law of God at his school, and took a trip to the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in the summer with his children. He communicated with children in his apartment, always using love and affection as the most effective means of education.
An episode related to the events of 1905 testifies to how the priest, defeating evil with good, was able to influence even revolutionary youth: “... a whole crowd of students came to the priest’s church during Matins. Father was in the altar and heard men’s voices and dance tunes. Those who entered were so outrageous that the frightened psalmist barely finished the sixth psalm. Someone advised the priest to drive them out, but he only prayed fervently. One of the students separated from his comrades and entered the altar. The priest, standing at the altar, quickly turned around and affectionately greeted the madman: “How nice it is to see that young people begin their day with prayer... Have you come to remember your parents?” Struck by such an unexpected heartfelt appeal, the newcomer muttered in amazement - “Yes-ah...”.
At the end of Matins, the priest addressed those who had come with a word in which he reminded these young people, striving to fight for broad happiness, about family, about parents who love them, have hopes for them, that when they receive an education, they will become their breadwinners... He said so from the heart, so sincerely and lovingly that he touched them, many cried; some stayed to sing mass, and then became his friends and pilgrims, and some became his spiritual children. They admitted to the priest that... they had come to “beat” him... the student who entered the altar was supposed to provoke a scandal.
A few days later, the female students came with the same intention, began to talk defiantly to the priest, trying in every possible way to prick him, that he was only serving, but he should help the poor... The result was the same. Father's love defeated them. It was from this time, the priest said, that student youth began to visit his temple.” Father Alexei was a very special person, incomparable to any of the Moscow pastors of his time. He walked his own path, walked the higher path - the path of love. He now completely immersed himself in someone else’s grief and someone else’s suffering, dissolving his sadness in the general sorrow. Those who came to him felt relieved and joyful, despite their deep grief. By a mysterious act of prayer, Father Alexei transferred their troubles to himself, and passed on his grace and joy to them, becoming for everyone not only a shepherd, not only a father, but also a caring mother. In his tender heart, human grief was experienced very acutely and painfully: months, years passed, and he, shedding tears and groaning as if from severe physical pain, recalled the deplorable circumstances of some strangers and people he had seen for the first time. There were always people crowding around Father Alexei's house - on the stairs, in the courtyard. Professors, doctors, teachers, engineers, artists, and performers appeared here among ordinary people. Non-Orthodox (Armenians), Mohammedans, Jews, and even non-believers came to him. Some came in deep melancholy, others out of curiosity, wanting to look at the famous person, some as enemies, in order to expose or offend. And they established their own special, individual relationships with everyone. Everyone got something from him. Many forever connected their spiritual life with him. There were so many who, once they got to the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki, stayed here forever. This is exactly how the Marosei community was formed, which in its diversity can be compared with Russia: all classes, conditions, ages, professions, degrees of development, and nationalities found their place here. Without any formalities, legal ties or rules, the community existed as a closely knit whole; everyone who voluntarily joined it voluntarily carried out their labors and sacrifices for the benefit of the community.
“The Marosei community,” Father Pavel Florensky wrote in 1924, “was, in its spiritual meaning, the daughter of Optina Hermitage: here life was built on spiritual experience. Father Alexei taught with his life, and everyone around him lived, each in his own way and to the best of his ability, participating in the growth of the spiritual life of the entire community. Therefore, although the community did not have its own hospital, numerous professors, doctors, paramedics and nurses - the spiritual children of Father Alexei - served the sick who turned to Father Alexei for help. Although there was no school of its own, a number of professors, writers, teachers, students, also the spiritual children of Father Alexei, came with their knowledge and their connections to help those who needed it. Although the community did not have its own organized shelter, nevertheless, those in need or who asked for help were clothed, given shoes, and fed. Members of the Marosei community, penetrating into all sectors of life, everywhere with their work helped Father Alexei in the matter of “unloading” the suffering. There was no external organization here, but this did not prevent everyone from being united by one spirit.” There were people in the community who went to church every day, and there were people who went to church once a year. There were people who prayed every day, and those who prayed occasionally. There were people who were already ready for monasticism, and people who had not yet properly entered the Church. Father was everything to everyone. Coming to the elder Father Alexei, he encountered power based on experience and experimental knowledge of himself and others. He called everyone to this experienced Christianity.
What people received from the Marosei priest, what his nourishment of human souls consisted of, is evidenced by the memoirs of his close friend, the Most Reverend Arseny Zhadanovsky: “Merciful love - that’s what Father Alexey was rich in, that’s why so many spiritually healed left him; That is why the priest had many cases of turning to the path of salvation of people who, being in the cycle of life, considered themselves lost, despaired, did not dare to go to an ordinary confessor, but were looking for someone outstanding, special, and this is what they found special in Father Alexei.
So, Father Alexei was burning with love, and if he did not talk about love, then his gaze and every movement testified to it. By his attitude towards people, he preached what we read on Easter in the touching Word of St. John Chrysostom: “Come all to the great Feast of the Resurrection of Christ - those who fasted and those who did not fast, those who came early and at the last hour - all come, without hesitation. On this great day, the doors of Divine love are open to everyone.” Further, Father Alexey had common sense and a discerning mind, which gave him the opportunity to develop great spiritual experience, which, due to his constant vigilance over himself, manifested itself in the ability to heal people’s sinful ulcers. Father Alexei understood without words the feelings of everyone who turned to him as a spiritual father; he knew human weaknesses well and, without indulging them, somehow especially carefully, delicately, tenderly touched the soul of everyone<…>
Father Alexei was also helped to guide the soul of a person by his insight, based on the same spiritual experience. When he began to talk with his interlocutor, the latter noticed that his entire inner life, with mistakes, sins, perhaps crimes, was fully known to Father Alexei, that his gaze somehow physically saw everything, not only what was reflected in external events and actions, but not even from the depths of thoughts and experiences. Father Alexey not only understood and saw someone else’s life, but was able to find its solution, often unknown to the person who came.
Father Alexey not only knew how to talk about the symptoms of mental illness and their deep causes, but also indicated radical means to cure them.
First of all, he demanded repentance, but not formal, but deep, sincere and humble, with tears, capable of bringing about rebirth, a renewal of the entire inner nature of the sinner. Therefore, Father Alexey did not like confession by note, but demanded a conscious attitude towards his actions, a firm intention to improve. “Always consider yourself guilty,” he said, “and justify others.”
To repent for the priest meant, according to the word of the Apostle Paul, to put aside the old way of life of the old man and put on the new man created according to God (Eph 4:22-24; Col 3:9-10). And since such repentance is often hampered by our weak, flabby will, paralyzed by bad habits and passions, then, according to Father Alexei, everyone who wants to lead a life in Christ should pay attention to strengthening this will.
Ties of spiritual kinship connected the Marosei priest not only with the abbot of the Chudov Monastery in the Kremlin, Bishop Arseny, but also with the great lamps of Optina Pustyn, primarily with the monastery leader Father Theodosius and Father Anatoly the Younger (Zertsalov), with whom Father Alexey was personally acquainted and about whom responded with the words: “He and I are of the same spirit.” Father Anatoly always sent Muscovites to Father Alexey, and Father Nektary once said to someone: “Why do you come to us, you have Father Alexey.” The fact that the Moscow city elder did one thing in common with the monastic elders is evidenced by the memoirs of Serafima Ilyinichna Stezhinskaya, the spiritual daughter of Elder Barsanuphius of Optina. After the death of her elder, this woman had a hard time experiencing her spiritual orphanhood. She knew nothing about Father Alexei. One evening, towards the end of the all-night vigil, she went into the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki, stood before the Feodorovsky image of the Mother of God and began to fervently pray that the Mother of God would send her a spiritual father and mentor. The service is over, but she still stands and does not take her eyes off the face of the Queen of Heaven. Suddenly, Father Alexey appeared from behind the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God, approached S.I. and, joyfully blessing her, said: “Don’t grieve, come to my house tomorrow, you will live with me, and I will be your spiritual father.” S.I. accepted these unexpected words as an answer to her prayer and from then on settled with the priest and served him until his death.
The thunderstorm that broke out in 1917 awakened all layers of society from spiritual slumber; people went to churches. The small church in the center of Moscow, where the famous priest served, now more and more accepted under its prayerful protection people who had lost property, security and ground under their feet, who were desperate, mired in sins, who had forgotten God. Here they encountered warm hospitality, compassion and love, received support, and came into contact with the Divine light, joy and peace of Christ. Their souls were filled with hope for God's mercy. And not only the desperate came here, but also spiritually developed people seeking elder guidance. After the closure of the Kremlin, the rector of the Chudov Monastery, Bishop Arseny Zhadanovsky, blessed his spiritual children, the “Chudov orphans,” to be cared for by Father Alexei and join the Marosei community. During these years, the clergy of the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki was replenished with young zealous priests, among them Father Sergius Mechev, the son of the priest, who was ordained in 1919, Father Sergius Durylin, Father Lazar Sudakov. Now each clergyman held a conversation in the temple once a week. Father Alexey talked on Mondays, explaining the active path of Christian exploits using examples from the lives of saints, and from the end of 1919 he conducted additional conversations on Wednesdays in his apartment, sharing with those gathered his vast personal experience of communicating with the flock. The favorite topics of these conversations were confession, repentance, Christian marriage, and raising children. The priest invariably warned his brothers on the altar against a formal attitude towards the human soul.
The numerical growth of the Marosei community and the addition of “Chudov sisters” to it allowed Father Alexei to make his parish church even more like a “monastery in the world” and to introduce statutory services in it. He instructed the Chudovskys to sing and read in church and gradually brought the worship in his church to the monastic rite. The priest’s son, Father Sergius, spoke beautifully about the significance this had for the internal, spiritual life of the parish in one of his sermons:
“We know that in our time, worship in parish churches is distorted to a large extent: one festive service, one service similar to another, because everything that complicates and does not entertain is left out, and in its place completely inappropriate things are inserted divine services are concert hymns, and the divine service is not a preparation for eternity, but for the same life from which a Christian must flee, in relation to which he must “become worldly”...
And so the priest, understanding all this, did something that first of all causes confusion and condemnation for many. He understood that it was necessary to give believers a real, genuine divine service, not a surrogate, not an imitation, an eternal divine service, consisting in the Orthodox liturgical experience. Without such worship, Christian work is unthinkable. Here, first of all, it is not the practice of the parish church or even the monastery that is taken, but the divine service according to those books according to which it should be performed, and it begins to be performed day after day, begins to be performed both in the evening and in the morning - to the amazement of some, the confusion of others and, perhaps, ridicule of the third, a true communion with eternity begins through worship.
And then true spiritual life begins, which, it seemed, could not exist in the world. Father works on us as a confessor and as an elder: he begins the work of spiritual dispensation, which many, many Russian people strived for and which they previously received only in the setting of a monastery, and it seemed to them that it could not be otherwise.
Father proceeded not from theory, but from life, from knowledge of the human heart. He understood life very well and in his spiritual creativity, in his spiritual creation, which he showed so unexpectedly and often not in the way we would like, he proceeded from a genuine knowledge of the human soul and the situation in which we are all placed.”
Father Alexei's pastoral ministry extended far beyond the boundaries of the parish of St. Nicholas. Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow, turned to him for advice when the question arose about the ordination of someone, since the elder knew everyone. The saint always took his feedback into account, but now he offered to take upon himself the work of uniting the Moscow clergy. Father lovingly accepted the will of the Patriarch and worked with enthusiasm in this matter. At the meetings that took place in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior under his chairmanship, the priest shared his experience of pastoral leadership. The authority of the elder was recognized by many, but not all; the ferment of minds also extended to the clergy. Father warned religious youth who united in circles to study the New Testament against unauthorized interpretation of the Holy Gospel and advised them to do this under the guidance of a priest.
The year 1920 was especially eventful in terms of the breadth of all-round activities of Father Alexei and his co-servants, of whom there were five at the church, in addition to the deacons. The priest’s strength was already falling, but he still received people; Sometimes the reception of visitors ended around two in the morning.
In the fall of 1921, the People's Theological Academy of Moscow was opened in the Church of St. Gregory the Theologian, in which anyone could study. Father gave an introductory lecture here: “The height of pastoral service and what a priest should be,” which seemed to sum up his own life’s achievements. The elder developed in detail the idea that the basis of pastoral service is prayer, love for parishioners, attending to their needs and sincere worship; the priest must pray for all the people entrusted to him by God, and through prayer and love heal their infirmities and mental illnesses. Classes at the Academy did not last long and were soon to end.
On holidays the priest continued to serve. As before, every time he came out with a sermon, and his favorite topic was the word about love. During these days, when anger, cruelty, sorrow and grief seemed to grow to the limit, he often cried while preaching. His heart ached for everyone.
In 1922, even more difficult times came for the Church. Sorrows and unrest were also approaching Father Alexei, but they were still crushing his spirit. It was forbidden to commemorate St. Tikhon, a questionnaire was sent out about the registration of religious organizations, and a decree was issued on the confiscation of church valuables in connection with the famine in the Volga region. The confiscation of valuables from the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki cost the priest dearly. Some Moscow priests signed forms, saying: “We cannot destroy our family with our own hands,” and came to Father Alexei with repentance. And he said in a voice full of love and compassion: “I cannot demand martyrdom from them. God didn't tell me to do this. And I... I myself... My business is different... special... I am alone, sitting in a “den”. I decide only for myself, there is no one behind me. I won’t sign.” He asked the person to whom the priest said these words not to pass them on to anyone: “Everyone is looking at me to do as I do.” And you should have seen the expression with which he said it! The man bowed at the priest’s feet and left.
In late autumn, the priest was summoned to the GPU. In his absence, Father Sergius and all his spiritual children who lived near the temple fervently prayed for the priest in the temple. Father returned, but the reception of visitors was now stopped completely. They said that Father Alexey was sick and did not accept.
The year 1923 arrived. Father was getting worse. Everyone who saw the priest that winter noticed that he was somehow special, bright, glowing with a particularly spiritual, unearthly, imperishable light, which was combined with the same unearthly, quiet joy. On Forgiveness Sunday, the priest served the Divine Liturgy, after which, as usual, he went to the pulpit to preach; Without holding back his tears, he asked everyone for forgiveness: “I won’t be with you for long... I have nothing against any of you, and if I gain the courage, I will pray for all of you. Maybe I couldn’t, I couldn’t give any of you what you expected from me... forgive me... forgive me, a great sinner.” And the priest bowed to the people to the ground.
During the entire Great Lent, except for the reading of the canon of St. Andrew of Crete, the priest served only once, on his name day (March 17, O.S.). When he was taken home, barely alive, a second summons to the GPU awaited him at home. For a long time they didn’t know how things would end. However, the priest returned again and said: “...They were afraid of my shortness of breath, they were afraid that I would die with them, that’s why they let me go so quickly...”. He pronounced these words easily, but it was clear how hard this second interrogation was for him.
The elder openly transferred all care of the flock and the church to his son, Father Sergius. On one of the last days of May, during the service, the priest cried a lot, he served his last liturgy, after the service he blessed everyone with icons, leaving, turned to the altar, crossed himself and bowed three times, said goodbye to his temple. In this last month of his life, he sought to quickly leave for Vereya, where he usually vacationed in the summer. Now he was going there to die, he wanted to write his funeral eulogy in freedom. On Friday, June 9/22, Father Alexey died. The news of the elder's death arrived in Moscow on Saturday, and only on Wednesday morning the modest funeral cart with a white coffin stopped at the temple. In the arms of spiritual children, the coffin was carried into the temple while singing “From the spirits of the righteous...”. In the evening, two funeral vigils were served to give everyone the opportunity to pray. The temple did not close all night. Church communities in Moscow, led by pastors, came continuously; they sang dirges and said goodbye to the deceased until the morning.
On June 15/28 at ten o'clock the liturgy began, which was performed by the rector of the Danilov Monastery, Bishop Theodore (Pozdeevsky), co-served by thirty priests and six deacons. In his will, Father Alexey turned to Bishop Theodore with a request to serve the liturgy and funeral service for him. Vladyka Theodore was then in prison, but, released on June 7/20, he was able to fulfill the elder’s wish on June 15/28.
About eighty clergy came to the funeral service. It ended at four o'clock in the afternoon. At the end, the priest’s word to his spiritual children was read and several funeral speeches were delivered. Everyone was given the opportunity to say goodbye. The spiritual children followed their elder all the way to the Lazarevskoye cemetery.
Saint Tikhon, who had been released from prison a few hours earlier, arrived at the cemetery to meet the deceased. The High Hierarch of the Russian Church served a litany for the deceased; When the coffin was lowered into the grave, he was the first to throw earth on it and began to bless the people. The full memorial service was served by the priest's son, Father Sergius. People from all over Moscow gathered for this great spiritual celebration. On the one hand, there was strong grief over the loss of an irreplaceable shepherd, and on the other, everyone was overcome with joy on the occasion of the unexpected release of His Holiness. And Father Alexei died, as it were, so that this joy would be given to the Church.
During his lifetime, Father Alexey often told his children to come to his grave and share with him their spiritual needs, spiritual requests and problems. And many at first went to the Lazarevskoye cemetery to visit his grave. Then, when in 1934 the priest’s body was transferred to the Vvedenskoye (German) cemetery, they began to go there and still go to his new grave.
Now, thanks to stories and books about Father Alexei, many people who did not know his grave ask for his prayers and help in various matters, and receive consolation from the priest.
The holy righteous Alexy Mechev was born in Moscow on March 17, 1859 in the pious family of the regent of the Chudovsky Cathedral Choir, Alexei Ivanovich Mechev.From birth, Father Alexy's life was connected with the name of St. Philaret, Metropolitan of Moscow and Kolomna (November 19). Saint Philaret saved his father from death in the cold when he was a child. Seeing the Providence of God in this, the saint continued to take care of the saved child, and then of his family. During the birth of Father Alexy (his mother Alexandra Dmitrievna’s birth was difficult), Metropolitan Philaret prayed together with Alexei Ivanovich Mechev for the successful release of his wife from the burden and predicted: “A boy will be born, call him Alexy in honor of Saint Alexy, the man of God, who we celebrate today "
Alexy grew up in a family where there was a living faith in God, love, and a kind-hearted attitude towards people. He studied at the Zaikonospassky School, then at the Moscow Theological Seminary, after which he dreamed of going to university and becoming a doctor. However, his mother opposed, wanting to see her son as a priest. It was not easy for Alexy to give up his dream, but he did not go against the will of his beloved mother. Subsequently, Alexy Mechev realized that he had found his true calling.
After graduating from the seminary, Alexy served as a psalm-reader in the Znamenskaya Church of the Prechistensky Forty. Here he was destined to undergo a difficult test. The abbot demanded that the psalm-reader perform duties that lay on the watch, treated him rudely, swung a poker at him and even beat him. But Alexy endured everything without complaint, did not complain or ask to be transferred to another church. Subsequently, the saint thanked the Lord for allowing him to go through such a school. Already a priest, Father Alexy, having heard about the death of this man, came to the funeral service, accompanied him to the grave with tears of gratitude and love, to the surprise of those who knew the attitude of the deceased towards him.
Then Father Alexy said that when people point out shortcomings that we ourselves do not notice, they help us fight our “yashka”. (We have two enemies: “okayashka” and “yashka” - the priest called this self-love, the human “I”, which immediately declares its rights when someone, willy-nilly or not, touches and infringes on it.) “Such people must be loved as benefactors,” – he later taught spiritual children.
On November 18, 1884, he was ordained a deacon and began to serve in the Church of the Great Martyr George in Lubyansky Proezd. Father Alexy outwardly showed the greatest simplicity, but internally he experienced fiery zeal for the Lord.
In 1884, Alexy married the daughter of a psalm-reader, Anna Petrovna Molchanova. His marriage was very happy. But Anna Petrovna suffered from a serious heart disease, and her health became the subject of constant concern for her father Alexy. Children were born into the family: daughters Alexandra (1888) and Anna (1890), sons Alexey (1891), who died in the first year of his life, and Sergei (1892), as well as the youngest daughter Olga (1896).
On March 19, 1893, Deacon Alexy Mechev was ordained a priest at the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki. The ordination took place in the Zaikonospassky Monastery, it was performed by Bishop Nestor, who runs the Moscow Novospassky Monastery. The parish of this church was small, since there were large famous temples nearby. Although Father Alexy was preparing for shepherding in the village, having received a parish in the capital, he completely surrendered himself to the will of God and began to work, putting prayer and spiritual wakefulness as the basis.
Having introduced daily worship in his church, Saint Alexy served for eight years in an empty church, almost alone. Over time, mourning and burdened people flocked to this temple, and rumors spread from them about its kind abbot.
The life of the clergy of small parishes of that time was financially difficult, living conditions were poor. Mother Anna Petrovna was seriously ill; she developed dropsy, accompanied by large swelling and painful shortness of breath. She suffered so much that she began to beg her husband to stop begging her... On August 29, 1902, on the day of the Beheading of the Head of the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John, Anna Petrovna died.
Father Alexy was very sad. He locked himself in his room and poured out his soul before the Lord. At this time, Righteous John of Kronstadt arrived in Moscow. He was invited to their home by a merchant family very close to Father Alexy, who were connected with the Kronstadt shepherd in matters of charity. It was in this house that the inconsolable priest met him.To Alexy Mechev’s question: “Have you come to share my grief with me?” - Father John replied: “I did not come to share your grief, but joy: the Lord is visiting you.” Subsequently, Father Alexy will say about himself: “The Lord visits our hearts with sorrows in order to reveal to us the hearts of other people.” Saint John advised him: “Be with the people, enter into someone else’s grief, take it upon yourself - and then you will see that your misfortune is small, insignificant in comparison with the general grief, and it will become easier for you.”
The grace of God, abundantly resting on the Kronstadt shepherd, illuminated the life path of Father Alexy in a new way. He accepted the call of Father John as obedience entrusted to him. He was undoubtedly prepared to accept the grace of old age by many years of truly ascetic life, when he devoted himself entirely to prayer and serving people. And now, in the words of one of his spiritual children, he “has become a faithful and unchangeable guard over the sorrowful heart of man.”
Father Alexy greeted everyone who came to the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki, looking for help, with cordial friendliness, love and compassion. The joy and peace of Christ were infused into their souls, hope appeared in the mercy of God, in the possibility of soul renewal. The love shown by the priest gave everyone the feeling that he was loved, pitied, and consoled more than anyone else. Saint Alexy was filled with love. He did not know the cruel word “punish”, but knew the merciful word “forgive”. “The path to salvation lies in love for God and neighbors,” said Father Alexy.
He did not impose the burden of heavy obedience on his children, and did not demand special feats from anyone. At the same time, emphasizing the need for even the smallest external feat, he pointed out that one must weigh one’s strengths and capabilities and carry out what one has decided on at all costs. Endowed with the grace-filled gift of clairvoyance, the saint, out of deep humility, tried not to show the fullness of this gift.
The priest gave instructions on what to do in a given case only once. If the visitor objected, Father Alexy withdrew from the subsequent conversation, without explaining what unreasonable behavior would lead to. To those who came with a repentant feeling and were filled with trust, he provided prayerful assistance, interceding for them before the Lord and bringing deliverance from difficulties and troubles.
In the lower residential floor of the temple, the priest opened a parochial school, set up a shelter for orphans and the poor, and for 13 years he taught the law of God in the girls’ gymnasium E.V. Winkler; contributed to the revival of ancient Russian icon painting, blessing his spiritual daughter Maria Nikolaevna Sokolova, later nun Juliana, to paint icons.
Father's sermons were simple, sincere, touching the heart with the depth of faith, truthfulness, and understanding of life. Saint Alexis's prayer never stopped. Filling the temple with herself, she instilled in those present the confidence that, despite all the bustle of life, one can be far from everything earthly, have unceasing prayer, a pure heart and stand before God here on earth. When the priest prayed, according to the reviews of those who saw him, he was passionate about prayer, he listened to every word of the prayer greedily, as if afraid to miss a moment of spiritual delight. The elder taught that personal prayer, conversation with the Lord and turning to Him are a reliable and saving means for strengthening one’s faith in God’s Providence.
Father Alexy greatly revered the shrine of the temple - the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God (it is still located in the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki), and served prayers in front of it. Once, on the eve of the events of 1917, during a prayer service, he saw tears rolling down from the eyes of the Queen of Heaven. Everyone present saw this.
Great was the humility of Father Alexy. He was never offended by rudeness, avoided showing signs of deference and respect to himself, and avoided pompous services. "I what? I’m wretched...” he used to say. Once, having forced his spiritual daughter to remember in confession that she spoke badly about her relative and did not attach any importance to it, he told her: “Remember, Lydia, that there is no one worse than you and me in the whole world.”
The true spiritual friends of Father Alexy were the Optina ascetics of his time: the elder Hieroschemamonk Anatoly (Potapov), now glorified as a venerable one (July 30), and the monastery leader, Abbot Theodosius. They were amazed at the feat of the Moscow elder, who lived “in a city like in the desert.” Father Anatoly directed Muscovites who came to him to see Father Alexy. Elder Nektarios said: “Why are you coming to us? You have Father Alexy.”
Holy Patriarch Tikhon always took into account the recall of the priest in cases of consecration and even invited him to take on the work of uniting the Moscow clergy.
Twice Father Alexy was summoned for an interview at the OGPU and was forbidden to receive people. The second time he was released immediately, because they saw that he was seriously ill.
In the last days of May 1923, Father Alexy left for Vereya, where he usually rested. He had a presentiment that he was leaving forever. Before leaving, I served the last liturgy in my church, said goodbye to my spiritual children, and when I left, I said goodbye to the church, shedding copious tears.
Saint Alexy died on June 9 (old style), 1923. The coffin with his body was taken to the Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki. Until the very morning of the next day, the church communities of Moscow said goodbye to the deceased and served memorial services. The holy Patriarch Tikhon, who was released from prison that day, arrived at the Lazarevskoe cemetery to see off Father Alexy on his final journey. His Holiness served a litany for the deceased, lowered the coffin into the grave and was the first to throw a handful of earth into it.
Ten years later, due to the closure of the Lazarevskoye cemetery, the remains of the holy righteous Alexy and his wife were transferred to the Lefortovo Vvedenskoye cemetery. The priest's body was incorrupt.
Father Alexy Mechev is canonized as a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. His canonization took place at the Divine Liturgy in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on August 20, 2000.
In 2001, on the feast of All Saints who shone in the Russian land, the relics of St. Alexis were found. When the lid of the coffin became visible, a wonderful fragrance filled the air, reminiscent of the aroma of holy myrrh.
Currently, the relics of the holy righteous Alexy Mechev are in the Moscow Church of St. Nicholas in Klenniki.
There is a lot of evidence of grace-filled help in various needs through prayers to the elder. Many such cases were noted during the restoration of the temple where the saint served. It is known from experience that when in grief they turn to him: “Father Father Alexy, help!”, help comes very quickly, for the holy righteous Alexy acquired from the Lord the great grace to pray for those who turn to him.
Compiled by Hieromonk Macarius of Simonopetra,
adapted Russian translation - Sretensky Monastery Publishing House
