Saint Silouan

 This is a good book about the Russian peasant and Orthodox saint Silouan (1866-1938) who after military service lived as a monk in Mount Athos.

Just one little extract where a presumably learned priest was mystified and perhaps affronted by the growing impression this unlearned man was having on others, and particularly visiting scholars:

“I can’t understand how a scholar like you can take pleasure in going to see Father Silouan, an illiterate peasant. Haven’t we anybody cleverer than that? . . . I wonder why you all go to him? After all, he reads nothing.”

“He reads nothing but fulfils everything, while others read a lot and perform nothing,” was the reply.

Though while he obviously was not centred on intellectualism, I presume he was literate. Another extract I see from the previous page to the above, when Silouan was asked by a priest about something he’d been reading about in a newspaper:

“What do you think, Father Silouan?”

“Batioushka, I don’t like newspapers with their news.”

“Why not?”

“Because the reading of newspapers darkens the mind and hinders pure prayer.”

“How odd. We live here in the wilderness seeing nothing, and gradually the soul forgets the world and becomes shut up in herself. But when I read newspapers I see how it is with the world, how people suffer, and that makes me want to pray, I entreat God for all mankind, for the whole world.”

“When the soul prays for the world,” said Father Silouan,”she know better without newspapers how the whole earth is afflicted, and what people’s needs are. She can pity men without the help of papers.”

“How can the soul know of herself what goes on in the world?”

“Newspapers don’t write about people but about events, and then not the truth. They confuse the mind and, whatever you do, you won’t get at the truth by reading them; whereas prayer cleanses the mind and gives it a better vision of things.”

“I don’t quite see,” said the father-confessor.

We all waited for Father Silouan to reply but he sat on in silence, head bent, not suffering himself to explain in the presence of a father-confessor and older monks how the soul can, in spirit, know the life of the world and the needs and tribulations of men when, remote from things, she prays for the universe.

Father Silouan was too unassuming to do more in general conversation than give an intimation of what he thought; and because of this his great wisdom and quite exceptional experience often escaped the notice of those who talked with him.