00:01Simeon Ivanovich Antonov was born into a family of Russian peasants in 1866.
00:07From a very young age, he was marked by a profound faith.
00:10but also knows the temptations of youth and the desire for a worldly life.
00:16After a powerful spiritual experience and a vision of the Mother of God,
00:20He left everything at the age of 26 for Mount Athos, in Greece.
00:24this important site of Orthodox spirituality, often called the garden of the Theotokos.
00:30There, at the Russian monastery of Saint Pantelemon, he became a monk under the name of Silouan.
00:38His beginnings were difficult.
00:40He is going through a period of intense spiritual dryness, even despair.
00:45struggling against the demons of pride and loneliness.
00:49It was then that he had a dazzling experience.
00:52Christ appears to him, and an indescribable light floods his soul.
00:57This encounter radically transforms him, anchoring him in a deep communion with God.
01:05However, this grace does not exempt him from struggle.
01:09To maintain the humility necessary for this relationship,
01:12He is given an inner instruction that will become the cornerstone of his teaching.
01:24This phrase means that one should always consider oneself the greatest of sinners.
01:30unworthy of grace, but never cease to hope in God's infinite mercy.
01:36It is a path of radical repentance and absolute trust.
01:42Silouane was not a writer.
01:45His wisdom has come down to us through his disciple, Archimandrite Sophronia,
01:50who faithfully collected his words and teachings after his death.
01:55Her writings highlight the importance of universal love,
01:59unceasing prayer for the whole world, even for enemies,
02:04and radical humility as a path to God.
02:08He stressed the need to pray for all of humanity.
02:12so that all may know Christ.
02:15Today, Saint Silouan the Atonite, canonized in 1987,
02:21is a powerful guide for all those seeking inner peace
02:25and an authentic spiritual life.
02:28He reminds us that holiness is accessible to everyone.
02:32even at the heart of the deepest struggles.
02:35His life is a living testimony to the power of prayer
02:39and boundless love,
02:41inviting us to see Christ in every person
02:44and to pray unceasingly for the unity and salvation of the world.
02:50His famous formula remains a compass for the soul
02:53in search of truth and divine mercy.
02:56A call for profound humility and unwavering hope.
