John Goncharov Biography

So called Archpriest John Goncharov spiritual child for his gift of the preacher. It is always difficult to write about a person who has just left the world about a person who has just left the world. I want silence to understand the loss later, when the whole visible path of a person to the line where his invisible, eternal dimension opens up by bit. Talking about Archpriest John Goncharov, who completed his earthly wandering on September 29, is both difficult and easy.

It is difficult - because the magnitude of his personality, his almost half -century pastoral ministry, a variety of missionary and educational activities still have to collect and study. And easily - because it was available, open, easy to contact everyone who comes to him. And this "everyone" had its own history of the meeting. And anyone could say after her: “Grace comes from this father!

He was whole. His words were absolutely consistent with his own life. Of course, like every person, he could make mistakes in something of everyday life. But the main thing is that he knew how to see, understand and correct these mistakes, and taught his flock to the same way. He taught repentance. One of the favorite expressions of Father John was: “Forgive my stiffness! Through the jungle of the total, which is completely enough in any one, he tried to get to the “real person”.

All these beautiful “sparkles” of in goodwill, varnish flooded in the hearts under the penetrating gaze of his clear blue eyes. He, as it were, “read” a person instantly, but never showed him this, but, on the contrary, tried to speak his language, looking at his age, status, his state of mind. That's why people with grateful enlightened, "washed" confessions from him departed from him.

His key was magical. The key to the heart. And “Magic” this consisted in a constant prayer, in self -discipline, in the thirst for transformation and himself and everything around. As if heavenly light was reflected in his eyes, the light pouring love, mercy, joy. Although recently, the priest has sincerely mourned about the God -resistant phenomena of the modern world, I was calm about the moral state of society, I was not afraid to openly expose liars, slanderers, molesters, apostates from the truths of Orthodoxy, he was attended by the purity and preservation of faith, its winning and elevating essence.

His word reached the farthest depths of the soul, pulling out, shaking all the slow mud of our sins. You look at him - and the image is already with a crack. ” Especially often, the priest spoke of the preparation for the personal feat of every Christian, reminded of the internal “hardening” before the upcoming temptations. It is so strange: Father John was short, not at all heroic addition, with a quiet, slightly cracked voice, but when he preached, as if he had become higher, and the strictest silence reigned in the temple.

Everyone tried to absorb his speeches, and she was sometimes so figurative, emotional, in a way, lifting that it seemed to fly away on high notes to the dome itself. This is about him. A special preaching gift. The gift of the word. The gift, which smoothly flowed into books, interviews, conversations, lectures, records on YouTube. Thanks to the latter, by the way, the priest had many admirers from other cities and neighboring countries.

You read the Batyushkins books - as if you plunge into the pages of the Golden Age of Russian thought! The Archpriest John knew how to tie the eternal, gospel day, with a single thread, with today, to show the clearly relevance of the words of the Savior, to put them in the flesh and blood of the problems of the modern citizen, to give them a new impetus. Father loved beauty.

He constantly talked about her. Beauty is harmony, it is a reasonable relationship of individual parts in a single whole. The beauty of nature, the beauty of act, the beauty of relations highly appreciated friendship. His beloved toast on the festive gatherings was: “For the health of our friendship! And these gatherings were wonderful! Especially in the new Buyan, where Archpriest John Goncharov served long 12 years, for which he managed to revive the Kazan Temple from the ruins, build a Sunday school and a house with guest cells, met all the incoming cordiality and bakery.

What were the gatherings! After Easter or Christmas all -nights, a man was gathered up to a hundred at a common long table! They brought who could. The priest asked the tone for a joint festive meal, sometimes answered questions, paid attention to some important things, but all this was somehow warm, vividly, without “academicism”. It was joyful, the energy of love and the spirit of the Christian community was felt.

Indeed, in a city where there are many temples, there are a lot of “crafts”, it is difficult to create a similar degree of relations, and the farther into the hinterland - the more closely. And, of course, the priest knew how and loved to joke. His natural artistry, condescending irony, good nature, popular simplicity in communication attracted and built our souls.

Father John did not stop self -figured all the time. The book was a discovery for him. Until the last day, he urged us to read as many spiritual instructions as possible, the lives of saints, and necessarily the gospel.He directed in the choice of spiritual literature, recommended any particularly important authors. He also appreciated the word in poetic refraction, in folk art, especially in a song in which the very essence of the Russian soul.

Often on gatherings and in a narrow circle I could ask to sing something together. And how good it was, free when the voices merged in the general choir! Now they rarely sing. The time is different - isolated. And the priest sang.

The song is also a prayer. Well, how: to live in a village house and can’t be able to? Could plant a garden, and to stole the bathhouse, and drink, to build, and will be pleased to make food reserves. I joked: "Here are hungry times - I will feed you all." I was very pleased with the life in the village, among forests and lakes, in a modest village house. And we all ordered us to have at least some kind of piece of land.

The locals respected him, and for the advice they came from all volosts. The main measure of the life of a real person should be a conscience, ”the father emphasized. Once he told me, crushing about the loss of money due to scammers: “Do not be afraid to lose money, do not be afraid to lose health, do not be afraid to lose even a house-be afraid to lose your conscience!

In case of hardships, the loss of strength in caring for the seriously painful advised “be patient a little more,” reminded of the “heavenly savings bank”, where our good deeds are invested. But more than anything, the priest loved the liturgy. Even when I went beyond the state after three! When Father John raised his hands in a prayer petition to God, his fiery burning was felt, and this mood spilled throughout the temple.

The last time I saw the father of John at his name day on September 11, on the day of the bends of the head of John the Baptist. According to the old tradition, many came to congratulate their beloved spiritual father, to please him with gifts with good wishes. He was awake, communicated joyfully, said something special to every spiritual child, sorry for someone’s hand tightly, he acquired someone.

And all the following days were also in the movement, in the speed of completing the autumn season of affairs. I have the name of the name on September 29 to St. Lyudmila Czech. And she always tried to take communion on this day. And this time I thought for some reason: “What if it doesn’t work to take communion? A new job may not allow the schedule. I’ll go to the Batyushkins named after.

” And he was gone. On my day an angel. I was told that on the eve he asked him to write a list of all his spiritual children Lyudmil in order to remember us all about health in the morning. He was discovered with a prayer book in his hands almost at the end of the morning rule his face was calm and light, and even many small wrinkles somehow smoothed out on their own.

The Christian death of our abdomen, painless, inconsistent, peaceful, and good answer to the terrible judgment of Christ, he asked, he saw a dream, as a prophet. He himself understood this, and therefore shared. It is as if it stands at the border of some beautiful place that cannot be described, since it is impossible to compare with anything earthly. And he sees that many would like to get there, but not all let everyone go.

And only those whose conscience is clear. And so he passed! He had such a joy, and he "so fun was to wake up." It is clear where he went. The doors of paradise opened to him!