"Instead of giving their lives to God, people in a panic are trying to save it”

"Instead of giving their lives to God, people in a panic are trying to save it”

Advice from the Athos elder Gabriel of Karey and a story about the appearance of the Mother of God.

At the time of difficult trials, it is very important to remember the main and most important  thing:

A man who had lost his faith once said to a little girl,

“I will give you an orange if you show me where God is.”

To this he heard the child's unusual reply:

"And I'll give you an orange if you show me where there is no God."

God is everywhere, and this is the most important thing we need to remember.

Look around, what do we see in our life? Absurd. The world purposefully destroys its followers and admirers, and they clung to it like crazy and stubbornly follow it. They selflessly continue to believe him - their own killer. Instead of dedicating their lives to God, people in a panic try to save it.

Meanwhile, just read the words of Nicodemus the Holy Mountaineer, spoken by him on the day of remembrance of the Holy Fathers who shone on the Holy Mount Athos. Saint Nicodemus says: “Why did the fathers leave their estates, families, their homeland, went to a foreign land and gathered here on the Holy Mountain? Yes, because they believed the promise of the Most Holy Theotokos, the promise given by Her to St. Peter of Athos. And we also believe the promise of St. Nil the Myrrh-streaming, that while the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God remains on the Holy Mountain, no danger awaits the Athonites.

Previously, Athos monasteries were arranged in such a way that every monk, living in a monastery, could find himself an elder. And so the elder and his novice lived in the same monastery. And one day the novice said to the elder:

“Geronda, I want to leave the Holy Mountain.

The elder tried to convince the young man to stay, but he did not want to listen to anything. And finally, he finally decided and was going to leave the next day. And the elder prayed for him all this time.

And at night, this novice sees the Most Holy Theotokos, dressed in abbot's clothes and with an abbot's rod. Because She is the Abbess of the Holy Mountain. In the vision, She was surrounded by many monks and moved from monastery to monastery, visiting the monastery tombs. And when She entered the tomb of a monastery, all the monks resting there were resurrected.

She went from monastery to monastery, and soon all the monks on the Holy Mountain were resurrected. Immediately they all ended up at the temple of Panagia on the very top of Athos.

And the novice of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Mother of God saw. And to the right of Them stood all the resurrected monks who had ever lived and rested on the Holy Mountain.

The Lord turned to the Most Holy Theotokos:

“My Mother, all these monks are worthy to stand at My right hand. Look at their wounds, ulcers and diseases. They endured all this in labors for My sake.

At this time, all the monks were in fear and trembling, realizing that a judgment was taking place. And the Most Holy Theotokos answered:

- Well, they fulfilled their promise, left their families, their property, their homeland. I have to do mine too. Since they came to the Holy Mountain and stayed here for My sake, so be it, Lord, according to Your word!

The novice, who saw all this, ran in awe at night to the elder, woke him up and said:

– Geronda, I will never leave the Holy Mountain for anything.