Optina Elders Leo and Theodore

.Book Review

Keep it simple, and God will not forsake you.
Life and teachings of St. Leo of Optina and St. Theodore of Neamts  
  by Serge Jumati

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© Gozalov Books, The Hague, 2022
Publisher Marijcke Tooneman
Telephone: +31703521565
E-mail: gozalovbooks@planet.nl
Website: www.hetsmallepad.nl
Russian edition:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9789079889556

ISBN 9789079889655; 978-90-79889-65-5
English translation of Russian book "Преподобный Лев Оптинсий by Serge Jumati
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=9789079889556

Editors: Convent of the Mother of God Portaitssa (caution: MP)
Trazegnies, Belgium, portaitissa@skynet.be;
Gouri Gozalov
Proofreading: Nikoli Bot
Illustrations: NataliKomarovskaya

                                      TABLE OF CONTENTS

           Publisher's Foreward, p. 4  
Ch.  1  Reviving of the Optina Monastery, p. 5  
Ch.  2  Quenchless Spiritual Thirst, p. 11  
Ch.  3  New father superior of the Beloberezhsky monastery, p. 16  
Ch.  4  Schemamonk Theodore, mentor and teacher of father Leo, p. 19  
Ch.  5  Conflicts in the Balaam monastery, p. 26  
Ch.  6  A school of monasticism in the Svirsky monastery, p. 34  
Ch.  7  Spiritual mentor of Optina monastery, p. 42  
Ch.  8  The history of the skete, p. 44 
Ch.  9  Working days in the skete, p. 55  
Ch. 10  Ill-feelings of some laity and Optina monks towards father Leo, p. 64  
Ch. 11  Life and Teaching of Father Leo, p. 77  
Ch. 12  Memories of father Leo by his spiritual children, p. 87  
Ch. 13  The last days of father Leo, p. 96  

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.   Amazon has a preview of pages 4–13 from the kindle version
https://www.amazon.com/simple-forsake-teachings-Optina-Theodore/dp/9079889652?asin=B0BFWRBSFN
  Aside from the two charcoal drawings shown in the Amazon preview, there are two more drawings in the book.  In the paperback the drawings are very small.  It is nice to see the kindle version drawings which can be magnified to show the details.

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QUOTE from page 77
Elder Leo "forbade his disciples not only to take up the elevated mental prayer, but even to speak about it out of fear that they could become of unsound mind."

     An important thing to keep in mind when reading about the Optina Elders: none of them acquired "prayer of the heart" on their own.  Having an accomplished guide is necessary.  St. Seraphim Rose warns us that there are no guides given to us in our times.  He tells us the Optina elders were the last true elders.  (Almost) any "elder" who comes after Optina days, like in the last 100 years or so, is probably a false elder.  To be on the safe side, do not trust any neo-elders.  The Optina elders already have given us more than we could master in a lifetime — there is no need to go searching for new elders, no reason to give in to "ears itching" for more and more sensational new news.

     False elders can be identified by when you notice a violation of truths we know.  Sometimes you can be read about a certain neo-elder for a long time before you notice something that just does not seem right.  A top clue is when you find out a neo-elder defends the new calendar; then you know he is a false elder.  A prime example is pseudo-elder Ephraim Moraitis who might pretend to be old calendarist at heart, but he abides in the EP.   But there are others who will even go so far as to criticize old calendarists.

    Another "elder," Sophrony Sakharov, supposedly received divine grace before he was even Orthodox.  We know such spiritual fruit is not produced outside the Church.  As Fr. Seraphim taught us in his book Orthodoxy and the Religion of the Future, Sophrony got his "grace" from demons.  And he brought it into the Church.

     Porphyrios, (book: Wounded By Love), is recognized as a false elder by what he said, "I see through the calamity to appear some very important person of God, who will rally and unite the world for good"   This very important person of God is the Antichrist, so this announcement makes Porphyrios a forerunner of Antichrist.
https://orthochristian.com/58060.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20171101050423/https://orthochristian.com/58060.html

     False elder Paisios is denounced by the GOC.  This is found on their website (Hotca) under the heading: Awareness.  The Greek page is ok, but the English translation link is broken today (2024Dec11).  It's archived here: 
https://web.archive.org/web/20220627152440/http://www.hotca.org/orthodoxy/orthodox-awareness/331-the-reading-is-from-the-false-prophecy-of-paisios 

     If this link is also not working...  email me and tell me to search my computer for "The Reading is from the (False) Prophecy of Paisios."  Also this article can be found in the August 6, 2009 edition of the newspaper «Ελεύθερη Ώρα» (Free Time), the article titled, “Grapsas, Paisios and the Prophecy!”

          Consider too that "Orthodox" cult leaders will use the Jesus prayer to keep their victims in a hypnotic-like state, brainwashed.  Cult members are not allowed to think — any thoughts contrary to the leader are bad thoughts to be pushed out by the Jesus Prayer.  Ephraim Moraitis used this method on good people.  He was destructive to many souls.  Remember Scott Nevins?  The excuses for this are just that: excuses.  Every monastery has critics, but Ephraim has far too many.  And why are they so afraid to come forward?  Etna also has too many. (Beware!)  These people can't all be disobedient, self-willed, whacked out or whatever labels the cult uses to black-ball nonconfirmists who would dare to speak against them.
 
     My spiritual father (Archpriest Gregory in Tennessee, †2016) knew well the danger of practicing the Jesus Prayer.  He did not go so far as to forbid anyone from praying it, but he said he was not qualified to be a guide for that practice, nor for the "revealing of thoughts."  He advised, though, that each prayer be said with seriously and with careful attention. This alone usually prevents trouble, because few people can really hold strict attention for more than 5 or 6 prayers.  After that it starts to get automatic, which is NOT an indication that the prayer "moved into the heart."  And when it gets automatic, it also gets "sing-song," like a tune that you can't get out of your head.  Again, this is not an indication of progress, but rather an indication that you are going in the wrong direction.

   Guidance in these modern times:  St. Seraphim Rose suggests the writings of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov and St. Theophan the Recluse.