16,951
edits
Changes
m
link
At the time Schema-Nun Theoctista, a spiritual daughter of St. [[Tikhon of Zadonsk]] lived in Yelets and was a popular advisor to the people of town. Anticipating a marriage of Nicholas to his daughter of one of his workers, the merchant advised Nicholas go to the nun for a blessing. This he did. But instead of marriage, the Schema-nun advised him to go to Optina Monastery to see Fr. [[Hilarion of Optina| Hilarion]]. Nicholas followed her advise and arrived at Optina in 1876 with only a copy of the [[Gospel]] in his knapsack.
After meeting the superior of the skete, Fr. [[Hilarionof Optina|Hilarion]], he was sent to the Elder [[Ambrose of Optina| Ambrose]] who saw Nicholas immediately and spoke with him for two hours. Following their conversation, Nicholas remained in the [[skete]] and never returned home. For the next twenty years he was the [[disciple]] of his spiritual father Anatolius (Zertsalov) although at times he sought the counsel of the Elder Ambrose. These elders led Nicholas along the strict path of [[monasticism]].
His first obedience was the care of the flowers. Later, he was appointed sacristan. Although his [[cell]] opened into the [[church]], Nicholas spoke to no one except to the Elders Anatolius and Ambrose for twenty five years. His reading was not only of spiritual texts but also the world literature of Milton, Dante, Shakespeare, Pushkin, Tolstoy, and others as well as the world of science, mathematics, and art. In conversations he was able to relate all human knowledge to the spiritual world and the wonder of God's gift of creativity.
