Maximilian Irkutsk biography

Society, from the first lips, Metropolitan Maximilian: “I experienced a panic won by prayer” Metropolitan and Angarsky Maximilian Klyuyev was appointed to the Irkutsk department a year ago. During this time, important structural changes have occurred in the diocese. But the greatest changes in the life of the Church were made by the Pandemia of Coronavirus. Vladyka Maximilian told how he himself was ill with Covid and how Metropolis is experiencing a pandemic.

Metropolitan Maximilian: “The main thing is to maintain our rhythm of worship, church life. It is important that the liturgy has been performed in the temples, one could confess, take part, be baptized "" Despite all the difficulties, the need to observe sanitary norms and distances, the temples are not empty "" It is necessary to reconstruct the Znamensky Monastery complex, another corps is necessary " - coronavirus has become a test for everyone, and for the church too.

Temples were closed, mass events were canceled, and priests and laity finally hurt and died. How should you relate to these events from a spiritual point of view? Even before the New Year, we once read the akathist to St. Innocent, eight priests gathered. And I suddenly realized that only three of them were not sick. That is, among the priesthood, most of the coronavirus has already been ill.

I myself was sick, managed to lie down in a hospital and even in intensive care. When you are sick, especially in severe form, you feel very sharply that it is impossible to live without God. You do not have enough air, which is given in vain at the usual time. Someone at that moment just begins a panic. For example, since childhood I had one of the biggest fears - to suffocate.

In a dream, I dreamed that I was choking, and from this I woke up. The ability to breathe is what the Lord gives us for nothing, but we do not notice this, we forget to thank him. But, when this gift is taken away, all its value is more acute. In the “red zone” of the hospital, no one explains anything to you. There everyone acts on the protocol. Maybe because the disease is new and no one knows what to expect from it in each case.

Here, I would like to express special gratitude to the doctors and everyone who helped fight the disease. It is not known how the virus will behave, and this unknown is more afraid of. For a few minutes a day you are asked about your feelings, and then you are left with God alone and understand that no one except him can help you. When there is not enough air and inner confusion begins, you create a short prayer, call God, and help comes right away.

It is tangible both physically and spiritually. I experienced on myself how panic wins with a prayer. In the soul, peace occurs, confusion disappears, the heartbeat rises, and even breathing becomes easier. All the most difficult days I was saved only by a short prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, have mercy on me, sinful", "The Most Holy Theotokos, save us." And so on.

Believers rethink their lives, their relationship with God and give him some vows. A person thinks about life and sees that there are things that prevent him from living a spiritual life. Naturally, he decides for himself: this is what I will try to fix. For example, I will quit smoking or I will do something else. Only our attitude to what is happening depends on us. A person can perceive the disease as a visit to God.

It can, thanks to the disease, come to God, for example. To realize that it is necessary to appreciate life, to thank God for it every day and fill with good deeds. And it can perceive it somehow differently and not change.

They pray, observe posts, go to services. Does it really help? For sins, he will be asked from each person, but he will be asked strictly from Christians. The first should concern us the disease so that we revise our lives. Actually, this is what happens. Therefore, the church is no exception. But I would like to have the opportunity to stop again for every person, to think about his life.

We must contact God, go to the temple. It seems to me that this is a natural conclusion for a person. To see that the Lord can help you personally and those for whom you pray. For church people, this is obvious. In the world, it is more difficult for people. An informational noise presses them, too many negative examples are unfolding in front of them. But there is always a way out, and the Lord leaves no one.

If the Lord created us as beloved children, He wants attention and response from us. How do you feel about vaccination? But I do not think that vaccination is bad, I don’t see any mystical subtext here, I do not associate with a global conspiracy and so on. Medicine always tried to save humanity. For the past few centuries, we have been observing how humanity with the help of vaccines successfully copes with many terrible diseases.

If the vaccine protects people from coronavirus, this is good. Just like vaccination from smallpox or polio. The state needs to survive, you need to save the economy. For this, it is necessary that as many people as possible remain healthy. Therefore, the state is interested in the vaccination of people. Maybe I have developed antibodies and there is no need for vaccination.Indeed, with any vaccination, there is a risk that the vaccination will give some side effect.

A person must decide on his own, he goes to this risk in order to protect himself from illness or not. Someone may have contraindications for this vaccine. In general, everything is very individual. In my opinion, vaccination to the field of faith does not apply. Due to the pandemic, almost all planned events fell. For example, there were no celebrations dedicated to the years of the return of the relics of St.

Innocent, for the first time in many years the children were left without a summer program, without a camp. Whatever we plan that year, almost nothing happened. We held the general meeting of the clergy even before Easter, and after that we already stopped holding large -scale mass events. Cathedral services tried to minimize, reduce joint meals. During a joint meal, as life shows, the risk of infection is very high.

If there is at least one infected at the table, the infection will almost certainly spread. This happened in Ust-Kut, for example. In this sense, the meal is much more dangerous than the service. In the service, everyone stands face in one direction and for the most part is silent. As you know, infection occur mainly by airborne droplets. Still, the diocese is very waiting for this.

There are no complaints against us. In some metropolis, bishops combine several departments for two to three years. While the Patriarch believes that we are doing here, the question of the election of the fraternal bishop can be postponed for some time. It’s just due to the fact that it is necessary to solve things that are more urgent for the life of the Church. What changes have happened since then in the metropolis?

On the other hand, to bring the good experience that we managed to accumulate in the fraternal diocese. But first of all, one must try to adhere to general church decisions. The structure of the church is hierarchical, and at each level it implies collegiality: in making decisions, discussions, expressing its opinion. For example, in Bratsk, we felt on ourselves that collection helps to avoid many problems.

Diocesan meetings and diocesan councils were regularly held. They discussed all the main issues that concern church life. If the bishop decides something himself, it is always possible to say the rector of the arrival: it was the decision of the Lord, and it did not work. And the decision, adopted at the diocesan council, in which authoritative priests participate, has a different weight.

The bishop is still responsible for the decision, but discusses him with the priests, takes into account their opinion. Priests begin to get involved in processes, to actively participate in the life of the diocese. There is another very important point. I noticed: if priests are not collected, parishes begin to live separately from each other, unity disappears.