Some time ago, when I was visiting
Mount Athos, I found myself, a younger priest at the time, in the steep cliffs
of the remote site of Katounakia. There was a monk there who had reached a high
level of holiness. He looked more like an angel than a human. His face shone
with the grace of God. On this trip to Katounakia I had with me two Theology
professors and a student from the school of Engineering. We found the Elder
after a long ascent on the rocky site. He welcomed us with immense love and
joy. “I have great joy,” he said. “A priest is visiting my cell!” We sat down
and one of the professors asked: “Elder, can you tell us something about the
scent of the Holy Spirit?”
The Elder became more thoughtful and
asked: “What do you mean?”.
The professor said: “I am taking
about the fragrance emitted by the Holy Relics and the sacred icons, can you
please tell us about that?”
“Ah, ah,” said the Elder, and as he
wondered how to answer, he bent his head, and silence spread everywhere. Then …
oh, a scent flooded the whole place. I raised my eyes and saw that the eyes of
the other three visitors were full of tears looking at me. The Elder kept his
head bent. A sweetness flooded our hearts, a situation that reminded me what
the great Apostle Paul wrote: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have
entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who
love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). The Elder lifted his head like a shy child and
said, “Forgive me, I did not know how to explain it to you, so I asked God to
show it to you.
”
From the homily: “A Few Flowers from
The garden of Saint John of Sinai” by Archimandrite Chrysostom, Abbot of the
Holy Monastery Saint Nikodimos the Hagiorite located in Pentalofos Peonias at
Kilkis Greece.
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