Elder
Porphyrios: Testimonies and Experiences, by Klitos loannides.
In
our question of “How can we, who live in the world, in the bustle, turmoil and
schizophrenia of contemporary life, meet God,” Elder Porphyrios told us the
following story, presented here in brief:
Shortly
after he was appointed chaplain to the Church of St. Gerasimos in the Athens
Polyclinic, by Omonia Square, he
had a problem at the time of the Liturgy. Directly across the street from the
Church was a store that sold gramophones and records. The shopkeeper played
records on the gramophone in order to attract customers. He played them so
loudly, however, that Elder Porphyrios could not bear it. He had reached the
point where he thought of resigning even though he wanted the post very much.
In
this situation, as throughout his whole life, Elder Porphyrios did not put his
own wants first, but with much prayer and humility, asked God to show him what
he should do.
Therefore,
following three days of fasting and prayer he found a notebook that belonged to
the son of a Church council member, in the corner of the Church. He was a student
at the University. It was a physics notebook, -Lord, we always marvel at your
works- which gave Elder Porphyrios the solution to his problem.
Leafing
through the pages, he found some notes that referred to acoustic waves.
Studying it, he had a thought. If you throw a pebble into a lake, the water is
disturbed and circles form. If, on the other hand, you threw a rock into
another section of the lake, new bigger circles are created which neutralize
the first circles.
This was the answer from God that Elder
Porphyrios was waiting for. The next day, he tried to concentrate all his spiritual
and mental powers into the prayers and the acts of the Divine Liturgy. Thus, on
the basis of the reasoning he had done about the lake, he formed circles in his
mind and his heart that canceled out the circles that were formed by the
gramophone. It no longer disturbed nor distracted him from the Divine Liturgy.
Orthodox Heritage
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