Cyril Pavlov, elder Cyril, Kirill Pavlov, elder Kyrill (in Russian: Кирилл Павлов), in life: Ivan Dmitrievich Pavlov (born 1919, Kasimov, Ryazanskaya oblast, Russia) living Russian Orthodox Christian mystic, elder, wonder-worker and Archimandrite, confessor to Patriarch Alexy II. He was also confessor to the previous patriarchs Alexy I and Pimen. He is held in such reverence among Russian Christians that many await seeing him for months and even years.
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Cyril Pavlov was born in the peasant family in Kasimov, Ryazan Oblast of Russia. After finishing the polytechnical college worked as technician at the metallurgic plant. Cyril Pavlov fought altogether 6 years, starting yet in Soviet-Finnish War, went through Stalingrad battle. He was awarded a medal "For defence of Stalingrad".
In one of the most bloody days lieutenant Pavlov found among the ruins the Gospel, opened, started reading and took it as a sign from above. He collected all the pages of the Gospel and never abandoned them. So began his way to God. In one of the interviews he recollected "When I started reading the Gospel - my eyes got opened upon everything surrounding me, upon all the events...I walked with the Gospel and was not afraid. Never. Such was the inspiration! Simply God was next to me and I was not afraid of anything...". As soldier, Pavlov reached Austria, participated in the battles at the lake Balaton. In 1946 he was demobilised from Hungary and came to Moscow. At the Yelokhov cathedral he asked if there is any theological institute and was sent to the newly opened theological seminary at Novodyevichiy monastery. Pavlov arrived there in the military outfit and was gladly met by pro-rector father Sergius. This way in 1946 yesterday's sergeant became the seminarist. Having finished the seminary, he studied at Moscow Theological Academy and in 1953 took postrig becoming a monk, refusing the glory and awards. He completed the academy in 1954 already not as Ivan Dmitrievich Pavlov but hieromonk (priest-monk) Cyril. Father Cyril lived at Trinity-Sergius lavra and became brotherly spiritual guide to the monks.
Many regarded him to be the same hero of Stalingrad as the sergeant Yakov Pavlov, after whom the house was named. However father Cyril rejected such statements. Today father Cyril, prefers not to speak about his military past. To those who approach him with this type of question he answers, "That had remained in the other life". It is said, that once archimandrite was called into the Military Commission of Sergiev Posad and asked what to say to Moscow chiefs about the defender of Stalingrad, Pavlov. The elder Cyril answered, "Tell, that I died...".
Orthodox tradition prohibts to speak about the miracles of a living elder. But fame of miracle worker after father Cyril got already wide spread. The nuns of Trinity Sergius lavra claim, that they themselves saw as during prayer father Cyril ascends over the ground. Many sick people just after having seen father Cyril become healthy. Father Pavlov is endowed with gift of consoling people. He amazingly feels a person. After speaking to him, depressed and saddened people loose any feeling of sadness.
Today father Cyril lives in Peredelkino, in the residence of the Holy Patriarch of all Russia Aleksiy II, to whom he has been the spiritual father for many years already. Today he is over 80, he is not in a good health. Every morning since early dawn dozens of people come to Peredelkino. These piligrims stand patiently next to iron doors and wait for his appearance with question or request, for council and blessing. At the little piece of paper it is accustomed to write one's most important question or request. It is said, that the elder Cyril does not even read them - just takes pieces of paper in hands and sees immediately: this persona needs him and the other one is not yet ready to communication. Some keep sending him notes for weeks. Usually, he receives the clergy, monks and his spiritual followers and afterwards the preference is given to the needy from faraway cities. Some people wait meeting with elder for months and even years. However for those lucky who have seen him the tiresome awaiting happens to be not vain. It is witnessed that those who come out after seeing him, are as if are shining inside.
Elder Cyril, prior to moving to patriarch's residence in Peredelkino did not travel or leave the premises of the monastery of blessed Sergius.
The elder encourages people to work on perfecting themselves, studying, working on themselves as long as Lord gives time one needs to fight with one's own sinful inclinations, one's own vices, removing from one's soul all what is evil, bad, viceful as no one knows neither day or time of Christ coming. Here is the goal and sense of life according to elder Cyril. In one of the interviews he named sorrow to be one of seven mortal sins and calls upon fighting sorrow, claiming that sorrow might be also caused by demonic temptation. To free oneself from this spirit of despondency and sorrow - he refers to Holy Fathers who appeal to patience and tells that it is needed to get armoured with patience engaging at the same time in prayer, reading of God's Word.
In answering the question how to overcome the passion of idle talk, he calls upon putting a lock on the mouth and considers fear of God to be essential to overcome idle talk, so is the memory of what Lord said: "That for every idle word people will answer on the Judgement Day." According to elder Cyril, this should frighten and everyone should remember that at the God's judgement all this will be put in accusation. One needs to be watchful and guard his mouth.
Elder Cyril claims that soul has simple spiritual indestructible being and can not get decomposed into separable parts as does the body, and can not die. The body itself witnesses about its mortality since it is destroyable and divisible. He calls that the truth of immortality of human soul should be admitted by a sound human sense. Cyril tells to look attentively at the human: "What does his heart seek, to what does it aspire to? Why does his soul does not get satiated with anything nor satisfied in this world?" Pavlov claims that each human has a calling from God.
In one of his preachings he spoke about the fate of deceased sinners and said that while there is on earth the Military Church, the fate of deceased sinners can be yet changed to the better. For that he provides the example described by 3rd-century martyr Perpetua about her deceased sinful brother Dinocrates and how her prayers changed his state to the better in the other world. This story had also been explained by blessed Augustine to whom the elder refers as well.
On January 10, 2002, elder Cyril delivered a sermon about our times that has been tape-recorded and published consequently online (*in Russian, see link below). There he said that approaching and breath of antichrist is being felt and this should not be concealed. One should not panic with this at no case. The signals are coming which set us to be closer to God and to each other, leaving behind one's negligence and becoming more serious as to question of one's salvation and one's correction. Here he continues that nowadays consciousness is being subtly manipulated, gradually the consciousness will be regenerated, that devil fights God, referring to devil repeatedly as godfighters and speaks about the new age and the new laws stating that this age will be the age of totalitarianism.
According to elder Cyril the most important in these circumstances is to preserve love avoiding enmity and schisms. The thoughts leading to enmity and schism are from the enemy who is afraid of peace. Cyril recalls as an example when at the times of the revolution there emerged the renovators from the Russian church milieu, the bishops-renovators. Elder Cyril was convinced that the Christians are coming to face tests and that with faithful faith in Lord God Christ and mutual love even if one is faced with some trials they will be easily overcome in such case. He wishes the brotherhood to be unanimous, forgiving each other referring to Saint Paul's passage about love.
On August 28, 2002, on the occasion of celebration of Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God, elder Cyril delivered another sermon at the Trinity - Sergius lavra (Troitse - Sergiyeva Lavra) which also had been tape-recorded, decoded and published online (* in Russian, see link below). In this sermon he repeatedly calls everyone to pay attention to internal spiritual life, to one's internal behaviour, internal state since only those who will reach the purity of heart will manage freely to pass from this life to the next alike to the passage from this life of Mother of God, her dormition. He appeals to people to spend this life as pleasing to God, as worthy of God, bringing good fruits in every good work and fulfilling the will of God which had been announced by the Holy Gospel and holy apostles.
Translated by Roman Zakharii from Russian sources