Where We are Powerless, The Only Remedy Is Prayer
A Reflection from Optina Hermitage on the Commemoration Day of the Venerable Confessor Nikon of Optina.
The future venerable Nikon (Nikolai Belyaev) grew up in a pious and devout family. When the boy was eight years old, he fell seriously ill and was on the verge of death, but through his parents’ prayers, God granted him miraculous healing—marking his path and calling for the rest of his life. As he matured, Nikolai first chose the monastic path, and only later—through casting lots—was he led to Optina Monastery, of which he had previously known nothing.
In 1907, he arrived in Optina with his brother, and Nikolai was assigned to the obedience of Elder Barsanuphius, who recognized in the young man a worthy heir to his spiritual legacy. The elder passed on all his experience and knowledge to the novice, laying a solid foundation for the building of a "spiritual house" to the glory of God. Many of the elder’s prophetic words were fulfilled before Nikolai’s eyes years later.
Monk Nikon, along with the brotherhood, endured many trials during the revolutionary years. They worked in an agricultural commune; some labored in the museum that was established in the former monastery; and all suffered persecution, arrest, exile, and imprisonment.
In 1923, Monk Nikon began his salvific spiritual struggle. Left without a monastery, cast out of the cloister, he took upon himself the duties of spiritual father and elder for pilgrims and monastics—remaining in Optina as long as possible, and later in Kozelsk—accepting all reproach and humiliation, saying, “I am a monk.”
In 1927, Hieromonk Nikon was convicted and sentenced to a labor camp. After his term, he lived in internal exile near Arkhangelsk, where he endured scorn even from his landlady almost until his final days. Despite these severe living conditions, the future Optina confessor refused to change his circumstances, accepting everything as the will of God. He continued corresponding with his spiritual children without interruption.
At the age of 43, Hieromonk Nikon reposed in the Lord. Miraculously, though scattered throughout the world, the Optina monks preserved the spirit of the monastery and, spiritually speaking, did not allow their sacred brotherhood to be destroyed. Hieromonk Nikon was the last to leave the monastery in 1927.
In 1988, on the eve of his commemoration day, the blessing came to begin the uncovering of the relics of the Optina elders—Venerable Nikon, as it were, blessed this new stage in the life of Optina. Together with the elders, he was glorified for universal Church veneration in the year 2000.
The grave of Venerable Nikon, the confessor, has been lost, but we know that he remains with the brotherhood of the monastery in prayer. And so we pray to him—for the strengthening of our faith and of our souls.
Selected Sayings of the Venerable Confessor Nikon of Optina
"Glory to You, my God, for the sorrow You have sent! I receive it as deserved according to my deeds. Remember me in Your Kingdom. May Your holy will be done in all things!" —Optina Monastery, October 1/14, 1923
"Whoever sincerely loves the Lord always and everywhere compels himself to keep His commandments, for 'the Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force' (Matt. 11:12). And if you only wait for favorable conditions for salvation, you will never begin a God-pleasing life." —Prison, 1927–1928
"Human pride says: we will act, we will succeed! — and we begin building a Tower of Babel, demanding explanations from God, wanting to rule the universe, dreaming of thrones above the clouds. But no one and nothing submits to this pride, and man’s powerlessness is made glaringly evident through bitter experience.
Observing this pattern in both ancient and present history, I come to the conclusion: the ways of Divine Providence are incomprehensible to us. We cannot understand them, and therefore we must with full humility submit to the will of God." —Optina Monastery, November 15/28–16/29, 1922
"Do not fall into despair. Even in sorrowful experiences is hidden the mercy of God. The Lord arranges our life in ways unfathomable to us." —Kem, Spring 1928
"Where we are powerless, the only remedy is prayer. The Lord arranges everything—even our life—beyond our understanding. May His will be done, and may we always remain in it and with Him." —Kem, March 2/15, 1929
"Repentance, according to the teaching of the Holy Fathers, opens the eyes, it grants spiritual sight for our sins. After repenting of one sin, a person begins to see others—and others after them—until he begins to recognize as sins those things he never before considered sinful. He recalls long-forgotten sins, once unconfessed. Repentance is a great power!" —Optina Monastery, January 31/February 13, 1924
"Sorrow is nothing other than the experience of the heart when something happens against our desire, against our will. For sorrow not to become tormenting, we must renounce our own will and humble ourselves before God in all things.
God desires our salvation and arranges it in ways we cannot comprehend. Submit to the will of God, and you will find peace for your sorrowing soul and your heart.Of sorrow and human tribulation the Holy Gospel says: ‘See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass’ (Matt. 24:6; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9).
Our task is to preserve ourselves in the faith and to guard ourselves from every sin. Everything else must be entrusted entirely to the will of God. That brings peace to the heart." —Kozlovka, April 30, 1931
"When you feel antipathy, anger, or irritation toward someone, pray for those people, regardless of whether they are at fault or not. Pray with simplicity of heart, as the Holy Fathers advise:
‘Lord, save and have mercy on Your servant (name), and through his holy prayers help me, a sinner!’ — such prayer calms the heart, even if not immediately.You can pray, even in public, without any outward sign—sitting, walking, lying down—because God sees the heart. And when this temptation comes upon you, pray right then and there, without delay and without being embarrassed by the setting." —Kozelsk, January 22/February 4, 1925
"'Glory to God, glory to God! Glory to God for all things!'
From these wondrous, holy words, dark thoughts and heaviness flee. Into the soul comes peace, consolation, and joy.
Thy will be done, O Lord! Glory to God for all things. Amen."
Originally published by the Press Service of the Optina Hermitage Monastery on July 7, 2021
St. Nikon of Optina, pray to God for us!
