Spring on Mount Athos, Greece

from Pemptousia
Please click on the wheel by the YouTube logo for HD

"Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent" (Luke 24:29).

  

Source

2014 Clergy Seminar Antiochian Diocese of the West

by

Monk Maximos from Simonopetra Monastery in 

Mount Athos, Greece

Professor of Theology
Hellenic College and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School
of Theology.Father Maximos appeared on CBS's 60 Minutes
Mount Athos program.

He is a native New Yorker, and a graduate of Hellenic College
and Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. He holds 

a Ph.D. in patristics, has twice been a fellow at Dumbarton
Oaks, and for many years was a professor at Holy Cross and
subsequently at Harvard Divinity School.

The author of many scholarly books, articles, and translations,
his edition and translation of St. Maximos the Confessor's
Ambigua will be published later this year by Harvard University
Press. Source
THEME:
"Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far
spent" (Luke 24:29).

These lectures are awesome! Fr Maximos presents the problem
of our distracted lives, broken attention, and excess gadgets. Then
he teaches on how to gather our distracted nous (our inner being)
and go inside and try to achieve inner stillness and prayer.

I think this information would be great for Orthodox schools and
for families with children, so we may teach them (and ourselves)
how to disconnect from the impersonal social media and gadgets
and heal ourselves from this inner dysfunction and brokenness.
At the beginning of the 1st talk, you will listen to the last words
of introduction to the talks by Archbishop Joseph. His words are
directed at his clergy in whose presence the talks were given.
Please wait a few minutes and the talk proper will begin.

Presentation 1

Presentation 1 Questions & Answers

Presentation 2

Presentation 2 Questions & Answers

Presentation 3

Presentation 3 Questions & Answers

Presentation 4

Presentation 4 Questions & Answers

Presentation 5

Presentation 5 Questions & Answers

Presentation 6

Presentation 7

"Arise, cry aloud in the night." Lamentations 2:19

Hermit in Mount Athos

"Arise, cry aloud in the night. At the beginning of the night watches; pour
out your heart like water before the Presence of the Lord; lift up your
hands to Him, " Lamentations 2:19

An old monk wearing a worn-out, patched-up black rasso wakes up in
the middle of the night, and rises from the floor of his cave in Katunakia,
Mount Athos, Greece, to pray. His meal the previous evening
consisted of a piece of dried stale hard bread and some rain water
collected in an aluminum can. He has been rising for prayer for the last
forty years and his legs no longer allow him to stand without pain but he is undeterred. His callous arthritic shaking hand reaches out for some
matches which he is able to find, always in the same place, in spite of the
stark darkness that shrouds him, and he lights up what remains of the
candle he used the previous night.

The Spartan conditions of his dwelling are intimidating. The cave is cold
and narrow. Its jagged walls are naked and the floor where he stands
consists of the dirt and lose rocks of the cave. Years ago he managed to
gather some thrown away wood, by the monasteries not so near him, and he was able to put together an iconostasis and an altar. The paper icons are few and damaged but the faces of the saints encourage him.

Holy Altar inside a cave in Mount Athos, Greece

As the monk begins the prayers with the opening benediction of the
Midnight Office, he considers himself to be the most blessed of men,
"Blessed is our God, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages."
The flickering candles communicate warmth, light and spiritual depth
to this sacred space. This cave is Heaven! When the time for the
Divine Liturgy comes, the priest-monk is already rapt in God, his face
radiant, like Moses, as one who clearly beholds the other world.

Elder Archimandrite Sophrony of Essex

Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos was once blessed to be present in
a cave like this one during one of these Divine Liturgies,

"There were only a few oil lamps lighting the church, enough to show the 
icons of the Saints and the Most Holy Mother of God and of Christ. The
three disciples with their Gerondas, stood motionless on the old pews
and lived the Mystery. They were not simply attending, but they were
celebrating the Liturgy with me! Their faces looked like the faces of the 
Saints in iconography. It was as if they had come down from the walls
and were living the resurrection. Their voices were soft, weak, stifled by
their compunction. Their chanting was coming out of a heart wounded
by divine love; it was coming out of the depths of their soul, which has
been pierced by divine love." from 'A Night in the Desert of the Holy Mountain'
p.173 by Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos, Trans. by Effie Mavromichali, Birth of theTheotokos Monastery, 1991
During the next few weeks, the blessed time of Lent, we will also arise
at night for prayer. The deserts of our cities are no less isolated than
the dwelling of the monk. The sumptuousness of our palatial homes is
no less jagged than the naked walls of his cave. With God's help we
will  arise, and cry aloud in the middle of the night, "Lord Jesus Christ
have mercy on me!". May God bless us with the warmth of His Grace
in our hearts, in that moment!

"My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning;
indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the
Lord; For with the Lord there is loving-kindness, and with Him is
abundant redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities."
Psalm 130:6-8

Repentance According to St Gregory Palamas

Icon of St Gregory Palamas in front of his reliquary in Thessaloniki, Greece

The article below appeared in the Orthodox blog Pemptousia. I am unable

at this time to link to the original document. The author seems to be

anonymous. Normally, I would only post a paragraph  or small portion and

then link to the original source. If anyone reading this is able to help me 

with the information I need, I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

As we all know, St Gregory Palamas is a great luminary of the Orthodox Church, who with the whole of his theology- the fruit of his life in Christ- managed, in his day, to revive Orthodox theology in all its profundity. It is said on the Holy Mountain that St Gregory Palamas’ theology covered all the ages from the past and the future.

The Athonite saint began his life on the mountain at the monastery of his
“repentance”, i.e. where he was tonsured, the Great Monastery of Vatopaidi,
being taught the tasks of the spirit and the ascetic life by St Nikodemos the
Hesychast the Vatopaidan. Illumined by the uncreated energies of the Holy
Spirit, St Gregory acquired spiritual wisdom and became an outstanding
teacher of the virtues and of the life according to God.

Following in the pure Patristic tradition, he did not accept a moralist view of the spiritual life, which some people were attempting to bring from the West and to project onto the sphere of Orthodoxy.

Throughout the whole of the Patristic tradition it is emphasized that repentance is not exhausted by certain objective improvements in behavior, nor in external formalities and patterns, but rather that it has to do with a more profound and more general change within a person. It is not a passing feeling of being crushed by the awareness of having committed some sin or other, but rather a permanent spiritual state, which means that the person turns steadfastly to God and has an enduring readiness for reform, cure and engagement in the spiritual struggle. Repentance is a new outlook, a new, correct spiritual direction which should accompany people until the time of their death. Repentance is the dynamic progression from the unnatural state of the passions and sin into the area of naturalness and virtue, it is the total rejection of sin and the road of return to God

Saint Gregory Palamas repeatedly points out this truth. “Repentance”, he says, is to hate sin and love virtue, to abjure evil and to do good”. It is perfectly clear from this definition that the holy father was unable to see repentance as a formal, mechanical change, since he defines it as an ontological renewal of the person. For precisely this reason, the fact of repentance cannot be objectivized within the dimensions of an impersonal recipe or tactic, but it is always a contingent personal revelation. “A person who repents from the soul reaches God by good intentions and avoidance of sin” (Homily 3, PG 151, 44B)

For Palamas and all the Holy Fathers in general, this personal nature of repentance precludes any of the shades of piety that the West has wanted to give to repentance, and in consequence, to the whole of the spiritual life. The holy Hesychast stressed that:
“Godliness is not in our words but in our actions”. (To Filotheos 6, Writings II, p.521)

But since repentance is the beginning and the end of the life in Christ and since it is the aim of that life, it follows that everything will be seen through it and will acquire merit or demerit. Even “faith is beneficial if people live their lives in good conscience and re-purify themselves through confession and repentance” (Homily 30, PG 151, 185A). This in any case is given as a promise and agreement at the moment of Holy Baptism.

A fundamental stage, which precedes repentance is the recognition and awareness of sins “which is the great cause of propitiation”, as the Holy Archbishop of Thessaloniki put it. (Homily 28, P.G. 151, 361C). According to Palamas, for people to come to repentance it is sufficient that they first arrive at recognition “of their own transgressions” and show remorse before God, to Whom they have recourse “with a contrite heart”. They cast themselves upon the sea of His mercy and believe, like the Prodigal Son, that they are unworthy of God’s clemency and to be called His children. And when with recognition and awareness of their sinfulness they draw upon themselves the mercy of God, they obtain complete release through self-censure and confession.

In his efforts to define all the stages of repentance, the wise Father said this: “Recognition of one’s own sins is followed by self-condemnation: this is the sorrow for one’s sins which Paul declared to be godly. He tells us that this sorrow is followed by confession to God with a contrite heart, by supplication and by the promise to avoid evil in the future, and this is repentance.

As a new condition in people’s lives, repentance is accompanied by certain consequences which, in biblical and Patristic language are called “the fruits of repentance”. The first of these is highlighted by Saint Gregory as being confession, since, through this, the cure and purification of the soul of the believer is gained and the new life inaugurated.: “For the confession of sins is the beginning of this cultivation, that is to say repentance and the preparation for people to receive within themselves the seed of salvation, that is the Word of God” (Homily 56).

Confession is not however, the only fruit of repentance. In calling people to repentance through his preaching, Saint John the Baptist urged people to embrace charity, justice, humility, love and truth, as well as confession, because these are the attributes of the transforming power of the truth.

In Homily 23, the saintly Athonite hierarch emphasizes that people who really live their repentance do not return to their former sins, nor attach themselves to people and things of corruption, nor engage in doubtful pleasures, but rather they scorn the present, look to the future, struggle against the passions, pursue the virtues, are vigilant in prayer, do not seek unfair profits, are lenient to those who have done them harm, compassionate towards those who plead, and willing to help, with words, deeds or even sacrifices those who have need. And when Saint Gregory urges Christians to acquire works of repentance, he particularly stresses a humble outlook, compunction and spiritual grief. Summarizing all the attributes of those Christians who live their repentance, he says that they are serene and calm, full of mercy and sympathy towards others, they desire justice, seek purity, have peace and bring it, suffer pain and trouble patiently and feel joy and satisfaction in persecutions, insults and slander, losses and anything else they suffer for the sake of justice and truth (Homily 31, PG, 151, 392C).

The path of correction through repentance, of escape from enslavement to the passions and of asceticism in order to follow the divine commandments is that of holy beings who have been glorified. Starting with this truth, Saint Gregory emphasizes the following: “If not all Christians can equal the Saints and the great and wonderful achievements which characterize their lives and are, as a whole, inimitable, they can and should emulate and follow them on their path towards repentance. Because on an everyday basis, “they are unwittingly at fault in many things” and the sole hope of salvation for all of us remains, according to Saint Gregory, the embracing and experiencing of “abiding in repentance” (Homily 28, PG, 151, 361C).

Remorse as a condition for asceticism

A fundamental condition for the escape from the bonds of the passions and, at the same time, for the beginning and source of repentance is godly remorse, what the Fathers call “mourning”. In his texts, Saint Gregory refers very frequently to this mourning and to the painful but also joyful condition through which Christians have to pass if they want to live the real life. This is why he does not hesitate to call Great Lent the supreme period of mourning and spiritual struggle, as a symbol of the present age and a pre-condition for resurrection for the lives of the faithful.

Saint Gregory, who really did live godly repentance and who said that his deep sighs “illumined my darkness”, rightly could not see how anyone could pass from the life of sin into “real life” without remorse and repentance. He said that when the faculty of direct perception, the “nous”, is liberated from every perceptible thing, it rises above the maelstrom of earthly things and can see the inner person, since it is able to perceive what he calls the “hateful mask” which the soul has acquired through its vagrancy among worldly things. At this point it hastens to scour the defilement with tears of repentance (Discourse on Peter the Athonite, PG, 150). The more people distance themselves from worldly cares and return to themselves, the more receptive they become as regards divine mercy. Christ commended those who mourn for their sins and for the loss of their salvation, which is caused by sin. This is, in any case, the reason why this remorse is called “blessed”.

While according to the Patristic and ascetic tradition, mourning is a fruit of God, it still presupposes the co-operation of people themselves, and this requires humility, self-censure, mortification, fasting, vigilance and above all, prayer. And this persistence in cultivating the virtues and striving to achieve godly remorse is reinforced by the experience of hesychasm, which testifies that this mourning does not cause debility and hopelessness but creates in people the conditions to experience spiritual gladdening, comfort and, according to Palamas “the procurement of sweet joyfulness” (to Xeni, PG 150) And when it assists the nous to lift the veil of the passions, it softly introduces it into the true treasuries of the soul and habituates it in the prayer “in secret” to the Father.

There are many reasons which should cause the faithful to mourn. Just as the Lord’s disciples were saddened when they were deprived of the “truly good teacher, Christ”, so we, who experience the same deprivation and absence of Christ from our lives, ought to have within us and cultivate this same sorrow (Homily 29, PG, 151). But there is another reason to mourn: the ejection from the realm of truth in Paradise to that of pains and passions. This fall is so painful because it contains the whole drama of the banishment from God, the withdrawal of the “person to person” discourse with Him, of eternal life and co-glorification with the angels. Saint Gregory asks; who has ever completely realized the deprivation of all these things and not mourned? And he urges all the faithful who live “in awareness of deprivation” to mourn and to wash away with godly remorse “the stains of sins” (Homily 29, PG, 151). This exhortation on the part of the saint is completely in accord with the exhortation and experience of the Church, which in the hymnography for the Sunday of Cheese-week, calls upon Christians on the eve of the Great Fast, to remember their banishment from forfeited Paradise and to mourn their loss.

According to Saint Gregory, mourning is the most natural and spontaneous expression of the soul wounded by sin and coming to repentance. The saint uses a wonderful simile to prove that it is people’s wounds that cause the pain, not the fact of repentance itself, which brings only joy and comfort to the soul. Just as, if someone’s tongue has suffered damage, honey might seem tart to them and they need to be cured in order to taste the sweetness, the same is true of the fear of God: in souls where it is endangered, on hearing the message of the Gospels, it causes sorrow, since these souls are still surrounded by the wounds of their sins: but as soon as they cast these off, through repentance, they feel the joy of the good news (Homily 29, PG, 151). This is , in any case, why godly sadness is also called “joyous”.

Investing the Lord’s second beatitude, which refers to mourning, Palamas justifies Christ’s placing of it immediately after the beatitude about spiritual poverty by the fact that mourning co-exists with spiritual poverty.

A typical attribute of those who mourn in a godly way is the refusal to transfer or pass off the responsibility for their sins onto other people. It is a basic principle which Palamas sets out, in discussing godly remorse, that we should flay ourselves for our sins and avoid transferring the responsibility for them unto others (Homily 29, PG, 151 369C). In any case it was Adam and Eve’s transfer of the responsibility for ignoring God’s commandment that deprived them of the salvation of penitential mourning
(Gen. 3:12-13). Because, since God gave Adam and Eve self-determination and they received, according to Palamas, “the imperial office over the passions within the realm of their souls” and “there was nothing withheld from or imposed upon them” (Homily 29, PG, 151 369C), then, through self-censure and Godly sorrow they would have been able to regain what they had lost by their refusal to accept responsibility for their sin. This is why Saint Gregory, in an effort to give a definition of mourning says, “for this is godly sadness for our salvation, to find the reason in ourselves and not in any of the things which other people have done inadequately. And we should be sad ourselves and, through the confession of our sins and sorrowful contrition over them conciliate God” (Homily 29 PG, 151, 369C).

Self-censure is an integral state of the soul where there is humility. Initially, it leads to fear of Hell. It brings to mind the dreadful punishments, as described by the Lord in the Gospel, which become even more terrifying by the eternal dimension they acquire. So people who mourn their sins here and censure themselves because of them, avoid the useless, comfortless and endless mourning engendered in those who come to recognition of their sins through punishment. There, with no hope of redemption or salvation, the pain of mourning is increased by the unwanted reprimands of the conscience. And this permanent and abiding mourning, since it has no end, causes more mourning and dreadful darkness and searing heat, with no respite, and this leads to the inexpressible depth of dejection (To Xeni, PG, 150, 1076D-1077A). In contrast to Adam and Eve, Palamas refers to Lamech as an example of someone who came to self-censure and contrition for his sins (Homily 29, PG 151, 369D).

It should be especially emphasized that within Orthodox Christian tradition, asceticism is completely interwoven with grief. The pain of the fall and the joy of the resurrection are experienced by monks with joyful mourning. With bodily poverty and humility, which is hunger, thirst, hardship and affliction of the body, means by which the sensations of the body are brought within rational control, not only is mourning engendered, but also tears begin to flow. Saint Gregory gives a clear explanation for this spiritual state in his letter to the nun Xeni. He says that, just as bodily ease, relaxation and pleasure cause callousness, insensitivity and a hard heart, so plain, meager fare, eaten with restraint bring a broken and contrite heart. Through these, the activities of evil are thwarted, and inexpressible and sweetest joy is given to the soul. Without a contrite heart, no one can be liberated from the passions. And the heart comes to contrition only through restraint as regards sleep, food and bodily comforts. When the soul is liberated from the passions and the bitterness of sin through contrition, it then receives spiritual delight (To Xeni, PG 150, 1076B). This is the comfort which the Lord says will be the portion of those who mourn. Only in this way can we explain how the alteration of sorrow into joy, about which the Lord spoke to His disciples, becomes an experience with which the monk is acquainted on a daily basis. Mourning becomes joyful and blessed because it brings to fruition in people the pledge of eternal joy.

Self-censure and sense of sinfulness are the conditions which prepare the soul for mourning. For a long time, says Saint Gregory, like an intelligible weight on the scrutinizing part of the soul they press down and crush in such a way that the saving wine “that gladdens people’s hearts” is distilled. This wine is contrition, which, thanks to mourning and the active part of the soul, also crushes the passionate aspect. And once it liberates it from the dark weight of the passions, it fills the soul with blessed joy (to Xeni, PG, 150, 1077B).

However painful this mourning may be in the initial stages, because it exists alongside the fear of God, so much greater with the passing of time and as the soul prospers spiritually, so does it become joyful because people really do see blessed sweet fruits. The longer mourning lingers the soul, the more the love of God increases and in a manner beyond conceiving is united to it. When the soul experiences mourning profoundly, it tastes the consolation of the benevolence of the Comforter. For the soul, this is such a sacred, sweet and mystical experience that those who have no personal taste of it cannot even suspect its existence. (To Xeni PG 150, 1077B).

A fundamental view in the theology of mourning is that it is not only the soul that participates but also the body. And the “consolation” which the Lord said would be a blessing for those who mourn is a fruit which not only the soul, but as Saint Gregory says, “the body also receives in a variety of ways” (On the Hesychasts 1, 3, 33). The clearest proof of this reality, he says, is “the sad tears with which they mourn their sins” (Ibid.)

Another fruit of Godly remorse is that people become steadfast in virtue since, as the Apostle says: “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret” (II Cor. 7:10). Because, according to Palamas, people can become poor in a godly manner and be humbled but unless they also acquire remorse, their disposition alters easily – they may well return to the inappropriate and sinful actions they have abandoned and once more transgress against God commandments, given that a desire and appetite for a sinful life will again arise within them. But if they remain in the poverty that the Lord declared blessed, and cultivate spiritual mourning within themselves, then they become steadfast and secure in the spiritual life, thus expelling the danger of returning to the point where they began (To Xeni, PG 150, 1085C)

So this Godly mourning does not merely draw down consolation and God’s forgiveness, offering the pledge of eternal rejoicing, but at the same time, guards the virtues the soul has, since according to Saint Gregory, the soul that has learned to mourn is much less likely to be moved to evil (To Xeni, PG 150,1085D).

Finally, the Athonite Hesychast and Archbishop of Thessaloniki, in his essay on the passions and the virtues, which to a great extent is dedicated to mourning, uses a most expressive example to demonstrate the path people follow towards remorse. He compares the beginning of mourning with the return of the Prodigal Son, which is why the remorseful person is cheerless and is brought to repeating the words: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight”. And then again, he pictures its end with the imperative and wide-opened embrace of the Father “in which the richness of the incomparable poverty he had suffered, and having acquired great joy and frankness through it, kissed and was kissed, and on entering, sat down with the Father, both enjoying heavenly bliss” (To Xeni, PG 150, 1085C). This is why the term “bright sorrow” , which is commonly used by ascetics to describe the experience of eschatological transcendence of pain, is perhaps the most expressive symbol of the whole of their ascetic life, a life mostly of tears and mourning (see G. Mantzaridis “H peri θεωσεωσ didaskalia” in Palamika 1973, p..215). 

In this brief, and one might say rough presentation of the position of Palamas on repentance, we see that Saint Gregory, as the outstanding person of the inner life, was interested not only in us correcting our external shortcomings, but in our inner repentance, with mourning and tears. Saint Gregory was himself a man of repentance and also a true preacher of it.

Now that the period of Great Lent is approaching, we humbly pray that in what is according to Saint Gregory the principal period of repentance, we may “fall down and weep before our God” so that we may taste the blessedness of His Kingdom. Let us not forget that correction of ourselves, and indeed of society as a whole, begins and is founded upon the personal repentance of each of us. In any case, “enduring repentance” is, as Saint Gregory emphasizes, the spirit of Athonite monasticism.

Amen.

Mount Athos; the Monastery of Vatopaidi and Karoulia

The Russian crew of 'Channel One" films the Russian
monks and hermits in Mount Athos for the film
"Athos - to Reach the Heavens."

"The way (of life of) the characters of this film is not
by chance called heroic. The monks are different
from other people; Greek and Russian, Serbian and
English, even the Brazilians. They live outside the
world, but their prayer keeps the world. Athanasius
from Russia, Sergey from Ukraine, Feodoh from
Georgia. The three fates, three roads came together
to God in the Holy Mount." From the YouTube site

This video is amazing, especially the part where it
shows the hermits in Karoulia. You  can see a monk
walking on the steep side of a mountain while
holding onto a chain until he reaches his cave. 

Here one can also see how much love the monks
have for their departed brethren and how they
preserve their relics.

The video is in Russian with no subtitles, sorry,
but very much worth seeing. 

The Baptism of Petros Restovitch of Belgrade, Serbia

In this photo, a White Dove rests upon Peter after his baptism.

The Serbian student Petros Restovitch of Belgrade. Who was

an avowed atheist and unbaptised up until age 19, found his

faith and asked to be baptised at Chilandarion monastery of 

Mt.Athos. At the baptism, a friend of his took a picture of him.

It was at that very moment that God permitted the appearance

of something from His invisible Grace to be revealed in the

photo that was developed later. Everyone observed in

astonishment and holy wonder, a white dove perched on the

head of the newly enlightened young man!

There are no words to describe how moved this young man 

was, upon seeing this photo! The event occured in 1980 

at the Holy Monastery of Chilandarion on Mt. Athos.

(Translated in English by V.Chryssikos)

Source

A Thousand Years are as One Day

"Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments,
for I delight in it.
Turn my heart to your decrees,
and not to selfish gain.
Turn my eyes from looking at vanities;
give me life in your ways." Psalm 119:34-37

"Arise, cry aloud in the night." Lamentations 2:19

Hermit in Mount Athos

"Arise, cry aloud in the night. At the beginning of the night watches; pour
out your heart like water before the Presence of the Lord; lift up your
hands to Him, " Lamentations 2:19


An old monk wearing a worn-out, patched-up black rasso wakes up in
the middle of the night, and rises from the floor of his cave in Katunakia,
Mount Athos, Greece, to pray. His meal the previous evening
consisted of a piece of dried stale hard bread and some rain water
collected in an aluminum can. He has been rising for prayer for the last
forty years and his legs no longer allow him to stand without pain but he is 
undeterred. His callous arthritic shaking hand reaches out for some
matches which he is able to find, always in the same place, in spite of the
stark darkness that shrouds him, and he lights up what remains of the
candle he used the previous night.

The Spartan conditions of his dwelling are intimidating. The cave is cold
and narrow. Its jagged walls are naked and the floor where he stands
consists of the dirt and lose rocks of the cave. Years ago he managed to
gather some thrown away wood, by the monasteries not so near him, and
he was able to put together an iconostasis and an altar. The paper icons
are few and damaged but the faces of the saints encourage him.

Holy Altar inside a cave in Mount Athos, Greece

As the monk begins the prayers with the opening benediction of the
Midnight Office, he considers himself to be the most blessed of men,
"Blessed is our God, always, now and ever, and unto ages of ages."
The flickering candles communicate warmth, light and spiritual depth
to this sacred space. This cave is Heaven! When the time for the
Divine Liturgy comes, the priest-monk is already rapt in God, his face
radiant, like Moses, as one who clearly beholds the other world.

Elder Archimandrite Sophrony of Essex

Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos was once blessed to be present in
a cave like this one during one of these Divine Liturgies,

"There were only a few oil lamps lighting the church, enough to show the 
icons of the Saints and the Most Holy Mother of God and of Christ. The
three disciples with their Gerondas, stood motionless on the old pews
and lived the Mystery. They were not simply attending, but they were
celebrating the Liturgy with me! Their faces looked like the faces of the 
Saints in iconography. It was as if they had come down from the walls
and were living the resurrection. Their voices were soft, weak, stifled by
their compunction. Their chanting was coming out of a heart wounded
by divine love; it was coming out of the depths of their soul, which has
been pierced by divine love." from 'A Night in the Desert of the Holy Mountain'
p.173 by Metropolitan Hierotheos Vlachos, Trans. by Effie Mavromichali, Birth of theTheotokos Monastery, 1991

During the next few weeks, the blessed time of Lent, we will also arise
at night for prayer. The deserts of our cities are no less isolated than
the dwelling of the monk. The sumptuousness of our palatial homes is
no less jagged than the naked walls of his cave. With God's help we
will  arise, and cry aloud in the middle of the night, "Lord Jesus Christ
have mercy on me!". May God bless us with the warmth of His Grace
in our hearts, in that moment!

"My soul waits for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning;
indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the
Lord; For with the Lord there is loving-kindness, and with Him is
abundant redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities."
Psalm 130:6-8

Elder Sophrony Sakharov- His Holy Way of Life in Mt. Athos

Archimandrite Sophrony Sakharov Source

"Besides all those I have mentioned up to now, it is worthwhile

to mention especially the two select fathers, the wise Russian

priest-monk, Father Sophronios Sacharoff, and the "violent"

hermit, Father Gabriel.

The former (Fr Sophrony) lived at the time a little further down

from our kalyva. I had the blessing and special honor to make

him my confessor with the permission of my elder, when the

confessor of our group, Father Christopher, moved from 

Karoulia to the Skete of Vatopedi.

Close to Father Sophronios I found out how much the life of

solitude and prayer enriches the soul. I enjoyed his knowledge,

his experience, and his sanctity. The grandeur of that soul had

captivated me, and I would never want to leave Karoulia, even

though there were so many hardships for me, since I was young

and a beginner.

Father Sophronios had a prodigious education. He knew 

several languages, among them Greek and especially ancient 

Greek. But it wasn't his education which fascinated me. His virtue,

spiritual radiation and cultivation of prayer attracted me the most.

He described to me the many ways of prayer of the hermits in 

Karoulia. One way which he himself used - may he forgive me for
revealing a strict personal fold of his spiritual life - was the 
repetition of the Lord's Prayer, "Our Father", with the lifting up
of the hands toward heaven. This repetition was done slowly,
syllable by syllable, so that mind and heart with seize and make 
theirs, the content of each word of the God-taught prayer, 
penetrating its deepest meaning. He began the prayer at night
and would finish at sunrise. Of course, Father Sophronios would
have practiced the prayer of the heart also. But he made known
to me the former way with the, "Our Father" also, like a preparation,
and perhaps a training, for the perfect, the spiritual prayer of the
heart.


Father Sophronios is now in England. He is the founder of the 
Stavropegiac Monastery of the Holy Forerunner in Essex, near
London, and will surely remember, just as I do, with nostalgia,
life in Karoulia". Archimandrite Cherubim


(Please note that Archimandrite Cherubim wrote these words 
before Elder Sophrony's repose in 1993)


From the book, 'Recollections of Mount Athos'  pp.191-192, 
Archimandrite Cherubim Karambelas , Holy Cross
Orthodox Press 1987, Brookline, MA 02146
ISBN 0-917651-44-8 (pbk)


For more on Elder Sophrony, please read here, here, and here 

The Cell of Elder Sophrony in Mount Athos

Stories That Warm Up The Heart-The Fragrance of Holiness

Patmos- The Cave of The Revelation to St John


The Fragrance Of Holiness

“ Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” Rev. 5:8

An amazing transformation happens in the minds and hearts of those who journey to Mount Athos in pilgrimage. Peace and freedom of cares quiet the soul making it possible to pray. As I walked pass the massive steel gate of the monastery of Philotheou and into the inner courtyard, it was as if I had never left. I could hear my friends, monks S. and D. calling me, but even as I greeted them, my inner being was still. “ Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me”. The words come, continuously and effortlessly, “ Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me” and the world behind me is forgotten.
When the talanton called us to Vespers, I entered the main church and was embraced by the darkness inside. Only a few lamps were lit and in the twilight of the candles, the icons of the saints appeared as living and terrible as an army ready for battle; their faces very holy and radiant but also, imposing in their steadfastness.
I bowed down before the icon of our Panagia, the Sweet Kissing, and thanked Her for bringing me safely to Her Holy Garden. The evening service was already in progress. I took my place among the faithful, as I silently prayed; ”Let my prayer be set before Thee as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” Psalm 141:2 .It was very difficult to move my eyes away from the faces of the Holy Warriors all around me. They seemed to call out with God’s words to Joshua, son of Nun:” Lo! I have commanded thee; be strong and courageous, be neither cowardly nor fearful for the Lord thy God is with thee in all places whither thou goest”. Joshua 1:9
After the evening services, Fr. S. asked me to follow him into the forest. He walked ahead silently until we found ourselves walking on a very narrow path. There was a precipice to our right and to our left a massive stonewall with sharp edges pushing us in the opposite direction and into the precipice. And the sight of the beautiful trees around us was conspiring into making me lose my step. Father S. walked ahead decisively and with confidence. I was not so sure. And without any superfluous words of introduction, the monk started to narrate for me from the lives of saints; “when the moment of death came for a holy monk and he was already experiencing the life to come; a demon appeared to the dying monk saying...now you have vanquished me, you have won. But the holy monk, in humility responded, while I’m still alive, I fear a fall and I will be watchful! And the enemy vanished!” Throughout the duration of my pilgrimage, the urgency and seriousness of Father S.’s warning remained alive in my consciousness.
The next day I visited the osteophilakio with Fr. S. This is the house where all the bones of the departed monks of Philotheou are kept. Among them Fr. S. showed me the skull of Fr. Athanasios who was the brother in the flesh of elder Joseph the Hesychast. I held his skull close to my heart and said a prayer for him. When I realized the significance of what was happening, I could only weep inside. And why is this blessing given to me, that I may hold elder Joseph’s brother in my arms? I cannot fathom these things.
Father D. showed me the garden under his care that day, sometime in the afternoon; after we were done picking green beans. And he told me that insects do not bother his crop. He never has the need to use insecticides so his vegetables are very healthy. Miracles are a way of life in Mount Athos. They are received naturally, without affectation, as the familiar and even expected outcome of daily life. And alongside the extraordinary, the daily routine is lived out in humility and with courage.
And so, I followed the daily schedule expecting the ordinary but praying for a little gift of grace and mercy. Thursday morning, after the Divine Liturgy, monk S. and I left Philotheou and drove to Karyes where we visited a few of the holy sites. Among them, the icon Agion Estin of the Theotokos is now in a small chapel near the Protaton, while restoration of the old church takes place. At St Andrew skete we venerated the skull of the Apostle Andrew that is very fragrant. The aroma seems to penetrate the depths of my being. It is very difficult to walk away. In this skete’s main church there are many icons. Among them, there is an icon of St. Sergios of Radonez that has a piece of the holy man’s coffin in it. There is also an icon of St. Seraphim, which contains a piece of the rock upon which he prayed for many days. Fr. Ephraim explained to us that the rock exploded into many pieces during the glorification of the saint. When we arrived at Vatopaidi it was almost time for vespers. After dinner we venerated some of the wondrous relics of the monastery like the Belt of the Theotokos, a large portion of the Cross, the skulls of St. Gregory the Theologian and St John Chrysostom and the arm of St. Panteleimon. Among the relics are the bones of St. Evdokimos, an unknown holy monk found at the monastery. When the relics were found, they were fragrant and their sanctity was manifest. Later on, the saint appeared in a dream to one of the living monks and revealed his name to be Savva, but he said that he accepted the name given to him by the monastery. While we were at the guesthouse I had the blessing of meeting some pilgrims from Serbia. One of them, a student from Belgrade, showed me a book autographed by Justin Popovich, and offered it to me as a gift, but I thankfully declined.
The next day was Friday and we were in the main church for Matins. During the service, after the 6th ode of the Canon and the Magnificat, a relic of St. Silouan was brought out of the sanctuary in solemn procession, carried by a priest in the midst of incense and chanting. We all bowed to the saint and, one by one, offered our veneration. After Matins, some of us went to the chapel of the Holy Girdle of the Theotokos, for the Divine Liturgy. That morning Fr. S. and I went back to Philotheou. On Saturday, after morning services, I helped the monks pick up and sort out apples. Even priest E. was there carrying baskets full of apples, like everybody else. It was a lot of fun to be there, working with the monks. They looked so content!
Sunday night we had the vigil for the Elevation of the Cross. It lasted over nine hours! And I did not notice! That morning, after the Divine Liturgy, I returned to Thessaloniki. While in Thessaloniki, I revisited some of the places I enjoyed during my previous pilgrimages. Tuesday night I took the midnight express train to Athens. Athens is a modern and vibrant city with an excellent Metro (subway) train system. When I beheld the Acropolis for the first time, I could not believe my eyes! The Parthenon, the theater of Dionysius and all the ancient temples one reads about in history books, were really there, in all their awesome wander! I learned that the Parthenon was used as an Orthodox Church for over a thousand years; much longer than it was a pagan temple.
Not too far from the Plaka is the Church of Panagia Kapnikarea. This is a thousand year old church in the center of Athens. The icons of the church were written (painted) by blessed Photios Kontoglou. Then I walked to the Metropolitan Cathedral where I venerated the relics of St. Philothei of Athens. The bones of the saint are visible through the glass that covers the reliquary. The reliquary of Patriarch Gregory V of Constantinople is there also. He was hanged by the Turks and thrown into the sea, but his relics remained incorrupt and floated. They were rescued and enshrined in the cathedral in Athens, where they can be venerated today.
Then, I walked to a nearby little church where a priest received me. He was very kind and warm and gave me directions on how to get to the church of Papa Nicholas Planas. I was not prepared for the sight that awaited me when I got to the Church of St. John the Baptist, where the relics of the holy priest are. The building is immense and very beautiful. The reliquary of St. Nicholas Planas is in the main hall inside, and the relics are visible through the glass. He appears dressed with the stole of a priest. God has given us great gifts of Grace in His priests. My heart was overwhelmed with a sense of thanksgiving and all I could do at that moment was to pray for all the priests that in one way or another have touched my life, during my sojourn as an Orthodox Christian.
I did not have much time left, before my flight to Cephalonia but I had to go to Nea Makri to venerate St. Ephraim the newly revealed. A very nice old lady helped me take the right bus and asked the driver to drop me off at the park in the center of town. When I got to the monastery of the Annunciation, I heard a loud growl coming from a chapel by the main gate. A service of exorcism was being done on behalf of a poor woman possessed by a demon that was speaking through her with a male voice. It broke my heart to see her like this. It was also very frightening.
Next to the main church there is a small building that houses the remains of the tree from which the saint was hanged. Near by, there is also a water fountain that has healing properties. When I entered the main church I walked a few steps down and to the left, where the dwelling of the saint is preserved. The reliquary of St. Ephraim is in the nave, to the right of the church entrance and it is beautiful. It is made of carved wood with a glass cover through which the relics are clearly visible. And I was in tears as I begged the saint to free the demon-possessed woman from her torment. I will never forget the sound of her lament.
That very night, I boarded a plane to the island of Cephalonia. In the city of Argostoli, by the sea; I was able to find a very cozy little room where to spend the night. Next morning, after visiting the town’s church, I took a bus to the town of Omala. And what a nice road trip that was! The island is an earthly paradise, with wide canopy trees and flowers everywhere I looked. When I arrived to the Monastery of St Gerasimos, I was surprised to see a newly built church at the entrance of the monastery, which is dedicated to the saint. I walked inside and spent quite sometime venerating the newly painted icons adorning the murals of the cathedral. There were signs of work in progress all around, and the murals! Oh! I was speechless, what beauty, what holiness! Nothing less than holy Tradition portrait in egg tempera and gold!
St Gerasimos lived in the sixteenth century and was of noble lineage, of the Notaras family. After becoming a monk at the skete of St. Anne in Mt Athos, he traveled to Jerusalem where Patriarch Germanos of Jerusalem ordained him priest. Later he traveled back to his homeland, Greece, where he settled in the island of Cephalonia. There he founded a convent and restored the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos. There he lived a holy life and reposed in the Lord. The saint is particularly known because of the healing he offers to the demon-possessed.
While remembering his life, I walked passed the oak tree planted by the saint and into the little Church of the Dormition, where St. Gerasimos awaits the day of resurrection. The church is built over the two-room cave where St Gerasimos lived. I descended into the cave and wandered how could anyone live in that damp and desolate place!
When I climbed the ladder back to the main nave of the church, I had the opportunity to meet Fr. Panagiotis, who is the priest of the monastery. He asked for my name so he could remember me during the supplicatory service to St Gerasimos. The service was about to begin. Within moments the abbess came and opened the reliquary, so that we could venerate the relics directly. While the priest chanted prayers for all of us, I made a prostration and with great awe and reverence approached the holy one that layed before my eyes. He was intact and very fragrant! As I kissed his epitrachelion (stole), I reached and touched his hand. It was warm and soft! And this is the power of the resurrection! Our Lord Jesus Christ is risen! And the bodies of His saints, though sleeping, already show signs of the life of the age to come!
And while the priest censed the sacred place, the words of Malachi the prophet were fulfilled:” For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name shall be great among the Gentiles; In every place incense shall be offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations, Says the LORD of hosts.” Malachi 1:11

A pilgrimage to Greece
By David R. 2004