Elder Isidore - Salt of the Earth

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joasia
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Elder Isidore - Salt of the Earth

Post by joasia »

Hi All,

I'm reading a wonderful book of memoirs, on Elder Isidore, by St. Fr. Paul Forensky (1882-1943), martyr. Fr. Paul was sent to one of the Gulags. There are details of his life, in the introduction. Elder Isidore fell asleep in Christ on Feb. 3, 1908. He was a simple man (priest-monk), but everyone witnessed the Grace of God with him. They even felt it in his humble cell. He lived at the Gethsemane Hermitage.

I'm not suggesting to buy the book at this website. I just wanted to show the cover.

http://www.sainthermanpress.com/Catalog ... t_book.htm

Elder Isidore would give everyone this prayer to say. It helped them in their spiritual struggles with whatever they were fight.


Where does it hurt?

Placing the hand on the forehead, say:
Lord, Thou Who art crowned with thorns upon Thy head, to blood and marrow, for the sake of my sins;

Lowering the hand to the right foot, say:
Jesus, Whose right foot was pierced with an iron nail for the sake of my sins;

Placing the hand on the left foot, say:
Christ, Whose left foot was pierced with an iron nail for the sake of my sins;

Raising the hand to the right shoulder, say:
Son, Whose right hand was pierced with an iron nail for the sake of my sins;

Transferring the hand to the left shoulder, say:
Of God, Whose left hand pierced for the sake of my sins; and Whose side was punctured by a spear; from Whose side flowed blood and water for the redemption and salvation of our souls;

Through the Mother of God, grant me understanding.

Turning one’s face towards the icon of the Mother of God, say:
And through Thee Thyself, through Thy soul the weapon pierced, so that from many hearts will be revealed a spring of the repentant, thankful and heartfelt tears of all mankind.

*The initial words from each line of this prayer comprise the first phrase of the ancient Jesus Prayer


He also loved the poem (which is a prayer) by N.V. Gogol about the Theotokos. He loved this prayer. I think this is an amazing prayer. I'm especially amazed because of the English translation and the rhymes that work so well. Obviously, Gogol's works were in Russian.

O Holy Mother, pure and blessed,
To Thee I dare my voice to raise.
My face with tears is washed, caressed:
Attend the words my heart conveys,
Accept this passionate petition,
Save me from misfortune, wrath,
Fill my heart with sweet contrition
And set me on salvation’s path.

May I be free, with Thy direction,
And be prepared to give up all.
Through bitter times, be my protection-
My death from utter grief forestall.
Thou refuge for all those in need,
Our intercessor with the Lord!-
O, shelter me when all pay heed
And judgment strikes all like a sword,
When agelessness breaks into time,
The final trumpet wakes the dead,
And burdens of my every crime
From books of conscience shall be read.
Truth’s wall Thou art, its vindication!
With all my soul I pray to Thee:
Save me, O my consolation,
And with Thy love encompass me!

N.V. Gogol (1809-1852) was a well-known Russian author and his form of writing was considered the quintessential expression of Russian literature. I found two of his works which I downloaded to my e-book: The Cloak and Dead Souls. I haven't read them yet. If anyone has or is interested in reading his works, we can start a new thread. Dostoyevsky expressed that Gogol was a definite influence of his own works.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (Ps. 50)

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Barbara
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Re: Elder Isidore - Salt of the Earth

Post by Barbara »

How funny to find this book mentioned !

For I have been carrying it around in my car ever since i can remember, thinking I will read it
when waiting for appointment or something like that.

I never have been able to really pick it up and launch into a concerted reading of this.

I love the title, Salt of the Earth, and always feel good just looking at it in the passenger seat.

What you wrote inspires me to actually READ the text of the book. Thank you for bringing up this
classic and giving a few highlights.

Was Fr Paul Florensky really a Saint, though? I thought he was an icon for the OCA or something?
Maybe I am mixing him up with someone ELSE.

I remember the description of him as a Renaissance man, of all talents, a remarkable genius.
But was he actually a Saint - if so was it from becoming a New Martyr ?

Finally, St Herman Press HAS printed good texts. They are only translating or sometimes just
publishing the translations of other people of some important Lives of Saints and other Russian Orthodox material.
They deserve credit for the GOOD work they have done, certainly, even if they have wandered into different
pastures in later decades.

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Re: Elder Isidore - Salt of the Earth

Post by jgress »

I'm pretty sure Fr Florensky was a sophianist. He's only considered a saint by the cult that grew up around the Platina monastery after Fr Seraphim Rose's death (Fr Seraphim himself, of course, was completely Orthodox).

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joasia
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Re: Elder Isidore - Salt of the Earth

Post by joasia »

Barbara, it really is so spiritually edifying. I felt like I was transported back to that time. Elder Isidore had an extraordinary character. His humility is a wonderful example of living a life with Christ's love in our hearts. He never complained and he never spoke a bad word about anyone. And he had the Grace of God that softened the hardest hearts. This was during the time of the revolution when many people were turning away from God. But, he was able to be who he was and just by that all kinds of people came to him. Read the book then you'll understand what I mean. It's so difficult to put it into words. If you like, we can discuss it here. I think it will be very spiritually beneficial.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (Ps. 50)

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Re: Elder Isidore - Salt of the Earth

Post by joasia »

Jon,

He's not canonized, but God led him to martyrdom. He could have escaped persecution by hiding under the wing of Sergei, but he stood up in defense of his Orthodox faith. And for that, they killed him. The new-martyrs that suffered such persecution, as we have never experienced ourselves, should be respected for the fact that they stood up for their Orthodox beliefs in the face of such evil. They are martyrs and therefore saints of God. Read The Gulag Archipelago , by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and then you will see what sufferings they went through. He mentions Fr. Paul. It was horror of horrors and terror of terrors. We should remember them in our prayers and not judge. We have no idea what kind of suffering that was. Saints and martyr-saints have been recognized long before they were canonized. And some are never known, but God knows them.

Whatever their faults were, they did die for Orthodoxy and that's good enough for me. This is not my own personal idea. The holy fathers did explain this.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (Ps. 50)

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Re: Elder Isidore - Salt of the Earth

Post by jgress »

Many sergianists also "died for the faith" in the 1930s. I'm not judging them, but e.g. ROCOR never decided to include them in the list of New Martyrs. The Church has to be clear about who is inside and who is outside the Church. I don't think we can clearly say that Fr Florensky died in the True Church. You yourself admit that he hasn't been canonized, which he surely would have been if what you say about him is known for certain.

And, he was a sophianist. Does that not count?

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Barbara
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Re: Elder Isidore - Salt of the Earth

Post by Barbara »

Thank you, Joasia, for the suggestion !
I in fact looked at my copy today, sitting facing me as I jumped in the car. Time to pick it up and READ it.
Yes, then we can discuss it.

I know i was hesitating all these years because of what Jonathan mentioned, which is true.

But your description makes him sound better than those others who fell into that camp.

As an aside I would like somewhere to obtain input on the other - to me - not real saints who are
idolized by OCA and maybe MP, I am not sure about the latter.
I mean that doctor, Luke of Simferopol and the [nun?] Maria Skobtsev [spelling?] who died at Ravensbruck I believe.

Some other thread, I suppose. I am not clear about them, so I would appreciate finding out why they weren't quite right.
[I think both were given short shrift by Metropolitan Philaret's Rocor and then all the way up to the fake union ]
I just could never even LOOK at books about either of them !

Now I WILL read Salt of the Earth ! The title is so compelling itself.

If Solzhenitsyn mentioned Fr Paul Florensky, that is quite interesting.
The Gulag Archipelage is certainly the most monumental book of the 20th century, I would think.

Anyway the book is about the Elder, so it shouldn't tarnish anything related to the story of Elder Isidore's life.

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