“I HEAR THE PULSES OF THE UNIVERSE!”

“I HEAR THE PULSES OF THE UNIVERSE!”

Testimony of Ms. Olga Venizelou. Tour Guide, Athens

Many years ago, it was extremely rare

for a rasophore to visit a museum and begin to observe the

naked statues. Saint Porphyrios loved visiting archaeological sites and museums, because

they helped him to be transported to ancient times and to “see” events that unfolded in the depths of the centuries.

 One Sunday, in the 1950s, the Saint entered

the National Archaeological Museum of Athens and at that

moment Mrs. Teresa Seiradaki, a tour guide from Chania, was

speaking to a group of Greeks about the naked bronze statue of

Zeus who was throwing a thunderbolt at people. A statue

with a terrible anatomy and astonishing details.

As soon as Teresa saw the Saint, she said to the group: “Look

at a priest, different from the others…”  And when the Saint approached, he asked him: “Grandpa, Grandpa, how do you see the statue?” The Saint told them that he admired the idolatrous artist, because he made his God, Zeus, punish people, but he made his face serene, that is, he made him punish with dispassion. This unknown artist, while not knowing the true God, was able to understand that God has no passion.  God

does not punish people, but people themselves

torture and suffer when they stray from the

path of God.

The Saint, by the Grace of God, revealed other things to St. Teresa, who was thrilled and, while turning away from the

saints, loved the Saint very much and through him the Church.

Life-movement-pulse

I also came to know the Saint through St. Teresa.  It was a Sunday, many years later, when I visited the Byzantine Museum,

because I wanted to watch how other colleagues who were more experienced than me were giving the tour. There

I met Mrs. Teresa giving a public tour to a

group and I admired the way she connected

ancient art with Byzantium. She also connected it with God and

it uplifted you spiritually! At one point she said:

-I personally know a priest who many times during

the Divine Liturgy hears the pulses of the universe!  This Pappoulis told me: “Everything that has life also has movement. And everything that has movement also has a pulse. The universe is all moving, because all the heavenly bodies

move and have a pulse. At the Divine Liturgy..., at

the time of the Divine Eucharist, I hear the pulses of

the universe!” What I am telling you was revealed to me by the

charismatic priest himself!

I was impressed by what I heard and, when the

tour ended, I approached and asked her about the priest who hears the pulses of the universe.  She spoke to me with joy about Fr. Porphyrios who was at the Athens Polyclinic. I went immediately and met him. He didn’t say much to me, he smiled at me and showed me so much love and kindness that I liked him and immediately made him my Spiritual Director.

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SAIOPAULITIAN HOLY CELL OF SAINT THEODORES OF THE HOLY MOUNTAIN.