Tikhon of Zadonsk

Tikhon of Zadonsk
Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk

Icon of St. Tikhon of Zadonsk
Bishop of Voronezh, Wonderworker of All Russia
Born 1724
Korotsk
Died 1783
Zadonsk
Honored in Eastern Orthodox Church
Canonized 1861 by Holy Governing Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church
Feast August 13 (Repose)
May 14 (Uncovering of Relics)
Attributes Vested as a bishop, often holding a Gospel Book or scroll, with his right hand raised in blessing

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk (1724–1783) was a Russian Orthodox bishop and spiritual writer who has been glorified (canonized) a saint of the Orthodox Church.

He was born in the village of Korotsk, in the Novgorod region, Russia. He was tonsured a monk at the age of thirty-four. He was later consecrated Bishop of Voronezh. He served as bishop for a little under seven years and retired to the monastery of Zadonsk because of poor health and lived there until he died. During his lifetime he created many spiritual works and because of his great wisdom, holiness, and asceticism, he is considered an equal to the Holy Fathers of the Orthodox Christian Church.

On May 14, 1846, during the construction of the new cathedral at Zadonsk, Saint Tikhon's relics were uncovered and were found to be incorrupt. His relics were kept in Zadonsk, and due to the reports of the many miracles that occurred near his relic he was made a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church in 1861. His feast day is celebrated on August 13, Julian calendar (August 26, Gregorian Calendar). As a result, another feast day, the Uncovering of the Relics of Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk was instituted to be celebrated annually on May 14.

The life and works of St. Tikhon inspired Dostoyevsky, and are reflected in several of the characters in The Brothers Karamazov.[1]

Several sayings of Tikhon of Zadonsk

"Try to know yourself, your own wickedness. Think on the greatness of God and your wretchedness. Meditate on the suffering of Christ, the magnitude of Whose love and suffering surpass our understanding. Ascribe the good that you do to God alone. Do not think about the sin of a brother but about what in him is better than in yourself .... Flee from glory, honors and praise, but if this is impossible, be sorry that such is your lot. Be benevolent to people of low origin. Be freely and willingly obedient not only to those above you but to those below .... The lowlier we are in spirit, the better we know ourselves, and without humility we cannot see God."[2]

"Just as the body has an ear, so also does the soul. Not everybody has an ear that is open, nor does every soul. God commands the soul: do not kill, do not steal, do not commit adultery, turn away from evil and do good, etc. The soul whose ears are open, hears and listens to God speaking and does what God commands. Truly, such a soul cannot but hear God and obey His commandments if it has its ears open. Men listen and carry out the commands of earthly kings and lesser authorities, and will not a soul listen to God speaking if it has its ears open? Of course ! And with what fervor and delight will it not listen and say to Him: Ready is my heart, O God, ready is my heart (Ps. 107:2)"[2]

"For love does not seek its own, it labors, sweats, watches to build up the brother: nothing is inconvenient to love, and by the help of God it turns the impossible into the possible .... Love believes and hopes .... It is ashamed of nothing. Without it, what is the use of prayer? What use are hymns and singing? What is the use of building and adorning churches? What is mortification of the flesh if the neighbor is not loved? Indeed, all are of no consequence .... As an animal cannot exist without bodily warmth, So no good deed can be alive without true love; it is only the pretence of a good deed."[2]

References

This article incorporates material from the public domain 1906 Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary.

  1. ^ See Gorodetsky, Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk: Inspirer of Dostoyevsky
  2. ^ a b c Orthodox America Web Page

External links


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