A Russian Orthodox Monk
A RUSSIAN ORTHODOX MONK
Father Lazarus, a monk of the Russian Orthodox Church, Mr Allen Lovekin, a young man from America who was studying
Theology in the United Theological College in Bangalore, the Rev. J. Nathaniel, one of our Presbyters, and his son Samuel had an elephant ride.
The American student was keen to visit the hill tribes and also to ride on an elephant in order to see the herds. of wild elephants and bison which are found on these hills.
In his parish leaflet Nathaniel wrote about a case of Divine Healing which took place at that time:
After the elephant ride on 16th April 1958, I took Father Lazarus and Mr Lovekin to some of the Paniya, Kurumba,
Kota and Chetty Settlements of hill tribes.
When we entered a colony of Paniyas, a woman named Nanjee came out of her hut, tightly holding her head with both her hands and asking me to give her some medicine for her acute headache.
She was unable to open her eyes and behaved like a mad woman.
We had no tablets of any sort, nor could we give her any medical aid.
Father Lazarus spoke to her about the Great Physician, the Lord Jesus Christ; after a short message, we made her kneel down; and all three laid our hands on her head;
Father Lazarus prayed in English and his prayer was translated into Tamil.
As we concluded the prayer, a miracle happened, and she was restored to normal health immediately.
After this incident I met her more than half a dozen times; she has been telling about this miraculous cure to her
' relations and others.
During a visit to this settlement, she said to me, 'Take me and change my name!'
She and many of her relations say the simple prayer, 'Jesus, Save me'.
Father Lazarus was an Anglican Priest and had joined the Russian Orthodox Church, attracted no doubt by its wonderfully rich liturgy, its many solemn rites and its abundant devotional
A, J. APPASAMY
literature.
He had a small Ashram at Kotagiri.
There were regular prayers in his Chapel every day, sometimes attended by a few worshippers.
He lived a simple life, eating vegetarian food and seeking to serve the people by his prayers.
His tall figure, clad in a white cassock, with his long brown beard and his head always covered with a white skull cap, was a familiar sight to the people of Kotagiri.
In May 1955, some time after he settled down at Kotagiri, he called on me when I was on holiday there.
He was then fiftythree years of age.
We began talking and I found that he was greatly interested in the biography of Sundar Singh which I was writing at that time.
'Would you like to read through the manuscript and make some suggestions?' I asked.
He readily agreed.
He came to see me several times, walking six miles to and fro each time he came.
He-was an indefatigable walker.
He worked through the manuscript carefully and I found his criticism and comments very useful.
Later we met occasionally, exchanged books and had long talks.
Of a literary bent of mind, Father Lazarus spent the greater part of his time every day in translating Greek and Russian services of worship and devotional books into English.
These were published in America for the use of the members of the Russian Orthodox Church who had taken refuge in that country.
The rising generation cannot read these books in Russian or Greek and their translation into English is a necessity.
Father Lazarus did this work with meticulous care.
Father Lazarus and I realized: clearly how necessary it was to wait and pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit; We prepared a Service for use on the Day of Pentecost (which came a few days later), printed it both in English and in Tamil and sent it to all the churches in the Coimbatore Diocese.
The prayers were taken largely from some beautiful Services used in the Greek Orthodox
Church during the season of Pentecost.
We reminded ourselves that in this Service we were using prayers which were said during Whitsuntide by millions of Orthodox Christians in different parts of the world.
This Service drawn up in Tamil for the Day of Pentecost was used in St George's Church, Wellington and the Rev. W. H.
A RUSSIAN ORTHODOX MONK
145.
Kuhrt of Madras preached an inspiring sermon.
The Service was attended by Tamil Christians from various churches on the Nilgiris.
Some of our C.S.I. Bishops and Presbyters asked for copies of this Service for use in their own Dioceses and Churches.
Father Lazarus translated into English The Ladder of Divine Ascent by St John Climacus of the late sixth and early seventh centuries.
The English poet, T. S. Eliot, became interested in the manuscript and arranged for its publication in England by Faber and Faber.
The Ladder of Divine Ascent in Greek was treasured generation after generation by the Greek world, and its Russian translation by the neighbouring Slav people.
I reviewed the book in the International Review of Missions, London (April 1962).
If St John Climacus were living at the present day, he would have made an excellent psychiatrist.
He probed into the springs of human conduct with remarkable accuracy.
The Ladder of - Divine Ascent is named after the ladder which Jacob saw at Bethel.
The Ladder has thirty rungs, like the thirty years spent by Jesus before He began His ministry.
In simple words, continually illumined by telling illustrations, the author describes the thirty steps to the Vision of God.
He is primarily an ethical teacher.
He speaks of prayer and heaven on earth, but he devotes far more . space to such subjects as detachment, poverty and meekness, all
preliminary stages of importance in the spiritual path.
Father Lazarus was always very friendly with the members of the Church of South India.
Some of our Presbyters in the Diocese invited him to preach in their crowded Services on such important occasions as Christmas, Good Friday and Easter.
He gladly accepted their invitations and the people heard him attentively.
He also read learned papers at meetings of our Presbyters and Lay Preachers.
Our people went to him for prayer for the sick and reported instances of recovery.
They also went to pray with him concerning their personal and family troubles.
Once he read to us a paper on Divine Healing, which showed how carefully he had studied the teaching of the Bible on this subject.
In 1963 Dr E. Stanley Jones established an Ecumenical Ashram at Sat Tal, near Naini Tal in Uttar Pradesh.
He invited Father Lazarus to live at Sat Tal all the year round and to help him in running the Ashram.
Father Lazarus accepted this invitation and moved from the Blue Mountains to the Himalayas.
He has