Τρίτη 29 Μαρτίου 2022
Η Πανελλήνια Ένωση Θεολόγων για τον πόλεμο στην Ουκρανία
Η Πανελλήνια Ένωση Θεολόγων για τον πόλεμο στην Ουκρανία
Δελτίο Τύπου
Ρώσοι και Ουκρανοί,
«εἰρηνεύετε ἐν ἀλλήλοις… δότε τόπον τῇ ὀργῇ…
καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τῆς ἀγάπης καὶ εἰρήνης ἔσται μεθ' ὑμῶν»
Τα μέλη της Πανελλήνιας Ένωσης Θεολόγων, μέσα από την πνευματική περίοδο της Αγίας και Μεγάλης Τεσσαρακοστής που ζει η Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία μας, εκφράζουμε τη βαθύτατη οδύνη μας για τον συνεχιζόμενο πόλεμο στην Ουκρανία.
Σε μια εποχή που οι άνθρωποι και οι λαοί καυχόμαστε πως έχουμε φτάσει στο αποκορύφωμα της εξέλιξης και της προόδου στις τέχνες, στις επιστήμες και σε όλες γενικά τις πτυχές του πολιτισμού, η αποτυχία μας στην ανεύρεση πανανθρώπινων ειρηνικών λύσεων, σε περιπτώσεις διαφωνιών και αντιθέσεων, που θα αποτρέπουν τους φονικούς και καταστροφικούς πολέμους, δείχνει ότι στον κόσμο μας υπάρχουν ακόμα τεράστια πνευματικά κενά που ζητούν πλήρωση.
Η φρίκη, η αγριότητα και η βαναυσότητα των πολεμικών συρράξεων που βιώνουμε στην Ανατολική Ευρώπη, στις αρχές του 21ου αιώνα, κάνει ιδιαίτερα αισθητή την ανάγκη να βρεθεί, από κοινού, ένας μόνιμος, έγκυρος και αποδεκτός τρόπος, από όλους τους λαούς, που να αποκλείει σε όλους τη δυνατότητα χρήσης βίας ή απειλής βίας και πολέμου.
Ο πόνος της ψυχής μας, ως Θεολόγων και δασκάλων, είναι αβάσταχτος, όταν βλέπουμε και ακούμε μικρά ή μεγαλύτερα παιδιά να κλαίνε τους γονείς τους, τα αδέλφια τους, τους παππούδες και τους συγγενείς τους, που σκοτώθηκαν μπροστά στα μάτια τους, να φεύγουν από τα σπίτια και τα σχολεία τους που καταστράφηκαν, μαζί με εκατομμύρια άμαχους, ακολουθώντας τον δρόμο της προσφυγιάς, με ψυχές τραυματισμένες για μια ζωή από τον φόβο και την οδύνη του θανάτου, την απελπισία και την αδικία.
Σε τέτοιες απάνθρωπες καταστάσεις, όπου κυριαρχούν και θεριεύουν τα άγρια πάθη, κατανοεί κανείς πόσο σημαντική και απαραίτητη είναι η σχέση των ανθρώπων και των λαών με τον Αληθινό και Πανάγαθο Θεό, ο οποίος είναι ο Μόνος, που μπορεί να ρίχνει φως στο ψυχικό σκότος και να ενεργοποιεί τις συνειδήσεις προς το αγαθό της ειρήνης και της αγάπης.
H πολύπλοκη μορφή του παρόντα πολέμου, που, όπως διαπιστώνεται, έχει ήδη αρχίσει εδώ και μερικά χρόνια και η αδυναμία των διεθνών οργανισμών να βρίσκουν λύσεις, που είτε θα αποτρέπουν προληπτικά την έναρξη των πολέμων είτε θα σταματούν εν τη γενέσει τους, μας κάνει να πιστεύουμε, ακόμη περισσότερο, στην ανάγκη θείας επεμβάσεως.
Καλούμε όλους τους αγαθούς ανθρώπους να απευθύνουμε, με πίστη και ελπίδα, συλλογικό αίτημα προς τον Χριστό, τον Θεό της Ειρήνης (Β’ Κορ, 13, 11), τον κοινό προστάτη, βοηθό και οδηγό των λαών της Ευρώπης, για να δώσει Εκείνος τις δικές Του λύσεις στα δικά μας αδιέξοδα, όπως, άλλωστε, ο ίδιος μας έχει βεβαιώσει: «Τὰ ἀδύνατα παρὰ ἀνθρώποις δυνατὰ παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ ἐστιν» (Λουκ. 18, 27).
Το ΔΣ της ΠΕΘ
Κάποια μέρα παρουσιάστηκε ένας Αμερικάνος..
Κάποια μέρα παρουσιάστηκε ένας Αμερικάνος στον Όσιο Πορφύριο τον Καυσοκαλυβίτη και του είπε ότι είχε καταλήξει στο συμπέρασμα, ότι δεν υπάρχει Θεός. Ο Όσιος Πορφύριος δεν αντέδρασε, απλά του είπε:
"Πρόσφατα αγόρασες ένα κτήμα στην Καλιφόρνια. Τώρα που θα επιστρέψεις στην πατρίδα σου, πήγαινε στην ανατολική πλευρά του κτήματος, εκεί που είναι η βρύση, σκάψε σε βάθος 1-1,5 μέτρο και θα βρεις ισπανικά χρυσά νομίσματα και έναν αμφορέα. Πήγαινε, κάνε αυτό που σου είπα και έλα μετά να συζητήσουμε, για το εάν υπάρχει Θεός".
Ο Αμερικάνος δεν πίστεψε στα λόγια του Γέροντα, ωστόσο όταν επέστρεψε στην πατρίδα του και πήγε στο κτήμα του, σκέφτηκε να σκάψει από περιέργεια. Πράγματι έσκαψε στο μέρος εκείνο και βρήκε ακριβώς και τον αριθμό των νομισμάτων και την χρονολογία των νομισμάτων και τον αμφορέα, όπως του τα είχε πει ο Όσιος γέροντας. Ο Αμερικάνος συγκλονίστηκε. Το επόμενο καλοκαίρι πήγε ξανά στον Όσιο Πορφύριο και του είπε τα καθέκαστα. Ο Γέροντας τον άκουσε με προσοχή και στο τέλος του είπε:
"Παιδί μου, εσύ δεν ξέρεις μέσα στο κτήμα σου τί υπάρχει, πώς μπορείς να ξέρεις τί υπάρχει στον ουρανό;"
Πριν μερικούς μήνες ψάχνοντας για τον μαύρο θάνατο του Μεσαίωνα έπεσα στο ποίημα του 13ου αιώνα Carmina Burana και τον τροχό της τύχης:
Πριν μερικούς μήνες ψάχνοντας για τον μαύρο θάνατο του Μεσαίωνα έπεσα στο ποίημα του 13ου αιώνα Carmina Burana και τον τροχό της τύχης:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4077281889030577&id=100002464189399
Έκπληκτος είδα ότι το μεγάλο ποίημα του Ερωτόκριτου για την Αρετή ξεκινά με αυτό το μοτίβο:
Tου Κύκλου τα γυρίσματα, που ανεβοκατεβαίνουν,
και του Τροχού, που ώρες ψηλά κι ώρες στα βάθη πηαίνουν·
και του Καιρού τα πράματα, που αναπαημό δεν έχουν,
μα στο Kαλό κ' εις το Kακό περιπατούν και τρέχουν·
και των Αρμάτω' οι ταραχές, όχθρητες, και τα βάρη,
του Έρωτος οι μπόρεσες και τση Φιλιάς η χάρη·
αυτάνα μ' εκινήσασι τη σήμερον ημέραν,
ν' αναθιβάλω και να πω τά κάμαν και τά φέραν
σ' μιά Κόρη κ' έναν ’γουρο, που μπερδευτήκα' ομάδι
σε μιά Φιλιάν αμάλαγη, με δίχως ασκημάδι.
Ένας φίλος επίσης μου είχε επιστήσει την προσοχή για τον τροχό της τύχης
και της ζωής στη Μονή της Μεταμορφώσεως του Σωτήρος στο Βέλικο Τάρνοβο
Преображенски манастир "Св. Преображение" και τον ζωγράφο Ζαχαρία, από όπου και η φωτογραφία.
Για τις παραστάσεις του τροχού της τύχης ανά τον κόσμο:
https://bg.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9A%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BE_%D0%BD%D0%B0_%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B0
Βρε πως αλλαζουν τα δεδομενα στην Ιστορια
Βρε πως αλλαζουν τα δεδομενα στην Ιστορια
❕❗❕❗❕❗
*Ιδιαίτερη εντύπωση έχει προκαλέσει η πληροφορία πως οι Τσετσένοι που πολεμούν στην ρωσική πλευρά στην Μαριούπολη προστάτεψαν την κεντρική εκκλησία της πόλης από τους μαχητές του Τάγματος Αζοφ.
Οι μουσουλμάνοι Τσετσένοι δηλαδή δεν άφησαν τους Ουκρανούς ναζί που ήθελαν να τη χρησιμοποιήσουν ως θέση βολής, και μάλιστα η εκκλησία προστατεύθηκε με κόστος ζωές Τσετσένων.*
The Great Miracle that is hard to understand.
"Whenever God decides the laws of nature of are circumvented"
by
Metropolitan Nicholas of Mesogaia, Greece
The timeline is April 1985. Olga, a ten year old girl, with a brain tumor
is undergoing radiation therapy in order to shrink a cancerous growth. The condition has plagued her with terrible
pain and dizziness. Her parents are
simple, ordinary people from the City of Athens. The doctors in Greece determined from the
very beginning the very difficult location the tumor was in. The only hope for the girl’s recovery was God
and possibly medical care in America.
One of the family’s relatives lived in Boston and invited them to come
to that city where the best children’s hospital in the world was located. The family put their affairs in order and
travelled to the last place where there was hope for the recovery of their
daughter.
Their story is filled with
suffering and stress. How is it
possible for God to allow such things to happen? In seven years of marriage the wife could not
get pregnant. They are ordinary people
without having any special knowledge of faith.
As their hopes for getting pregnant were diminishing, God granted them a
baby girl. They glorified God for this
gift and they centered their lives on this gift they were granted. When the girl reached the age of ten, she
started to exhibit strange symptoms such as severe headaches and anxiety. They started a series of tests and diagnosed
the problem, a diagnosis that when a person hears it, their legs are cut from
under them. It is a diagnosis that
rattles one’s head, tears one’s soul asunder and rips the heart apart.
Having this tragic diagnosis as
their companion, the couple leaves their jobs in Athens and the three of them
arrive in America. In taking this trip
of mercy, they do not know when, how or if all of them will return to their
home. But that which accompanies them is
a simple, genuine, and strong faith. A
year and a half before, a series of cassettes came into their possession. They are cassettes of sermons which totally
changed their outlook on life. These
sermons filled them with faith. It
filled them with a faith that comes from deep within a person. And what was the answer of God? When this couple did not attend Church, the
birth of Olga took place. As soon as
they turned to faith, cancer presented its ugly face! Why would God do these things? Why is not an opinion expressed about this
situation in a way that no one wants to say it? Is it possible that in the
final analysis, we believe in a God who does not exist and we do not know the God
of truth? Is it possible that we must
discover who He is and not how we want Him to be?
Olga cooperated very well with the
team of Dr. John Shillito at the Boston Hospital. He is possibly the best oncologist in the
Children’s Hospital of Boston. All the
attendants did everything possible with a spirit of love to help the
situation. They treated the girl as if
she was the only patient they had. All
indicators appeared initially that things were moving along well until suddenly
Olga slipped into a coma. This was
followed by a series of tests that showed that the tumor had spread extensively
in the brain. All hope seemed to vanish
with these tests. The only thing left to
do was to inform the parents. The
parents must be informed so that they can decide whether the child should stay
in Boston until the time they can later escort the body to Greece. Or they can take her to Greece before she
expires. If the parents decide to do the
latter, they must understand that there are international laws that regulate
the transfer of terminally ill patients.
The doctor of the hospital must certify that the patient will not die
during the flight.
All of this took place on Sunday,
April 28, 1985, on the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers. The parents at this point have not been told
anything. They are in agony and suspect
the worst. At 6 p.m. Dr. Shillito will
talk to them in detail about the situation.
None of the Greek-American volunteers at the hospital wanted to
translate the report of the doctor to the parents. They all avoided offering themselves. It is such a difficult thing to inform
parents that their child has no hope of survival and is dying.
Finally the responsibility for
telling the parents was mine. I had
heard about the situation but had not met either the child or the parents. I could not possibly avoid the responsibility
of telling the parents. I accepted to
lift along with the parents this truly unbearable burden. It is something that cannot be endured.
I took the elevator up to the
eighth floor, to the floor that houses the cancer afflicted children. I found it to be very difficult. I felt uptight, weak and uneasy as I
proceeded ahead. I entered the
corridor. I was perplexed when I entered
a room where there were three children in rocking chairs hooked up to tubes
dispensing chemotherapy. Some of the
children had bald heads and laughingly were watching cartoons on
television. On one side of the room
there was a little girl on a sofa. She was thirteen or fourteen years old and
deep in thought. She sat there lost in a
world of the unknown. Her eyes were
filled with pain. With deep piercing
eyes, we both made eye contact with one another. Why should these children suffer? Why is it that instead of being filled with
the sweetness of a future, they are now tasting the bitterness of a hospital
and suffering the grief of uncertainty?
Why is this so, my dear God? Just
a few minutes ago, before arriving at the entrance to the hospital, I passed a
local park with little children playing.
They were unaware of anything special happening in the hospital and
their adoring parents were laughing as they played. What a great difference, what an injustice, what
an unexplainable difference with what is happening in the hospital!
I then met three people who spoke
Greek. There were two men and a
woman. Without a doubt, two of them were
the parents of Olga and the third was Olga’s uncle. I approached them and we introduced
ourselves. They thanked me for being
there and before we were able to say two words, we were called into Dr.
Shillito’s office. As I entered the
office, my eyes focused on a triptych with three pictures. These are the daughters of the doctor. They were three adorable daughters that
brightened the doctor’s office. He was adoring them. It was a natural and blessed expression of
the doctor. Olga is in the adjourning
room, her face changed by her fight with death.
Her parents are crushed.
The doctor, after giving a short
introduction, went directly into the issue at hand. “Olga, as you know, has a tumor in the third
lobe of the brain which is not operable.
We attempted to shrink it with radiation. Initially, Olga responded very well, so much
so that we had hopes for her. But
unfortunately, the other day she slipped into a coma from which, as the tests
indicate, she will not recover.” The
parents were listening very carefully to every word. At hearing this, the father broke down into
sobs. The mother held back her emotions.
“In other words doctor, speak to us
frankly.” “I have determined that Olga
will not make it. She is slowly dying.” “What do you mean, she is slowly dying
doctor.” I dared to ask? “I mean as we
are talking, in a few hours, maybe during the course of the night she will
die. I believe, without any doubt, she
will not live through the night.
Theoretically I can give you a time that she might make it to tomorrow.” “In other words, doctor, only a miracle can
save her,” says the mother. “Yes, only a miracle,” repeats the doctor. The father continues to cry with controlled
sobs.
“Doctor, we want to thank you very
much for all that you have done for Olga for such a long time,” says the
mother. “We may be humanly losing the
battle but we are preparing for a miracle.
Either, in spite of your prognosis, our daughter may get well or she may
become a little angel at the throne of God.
Isn’t that a small miracle? Do
you realize what a good girl she is? We,
naturally, are praying with all of our strength only for the first option. That expresses how little faith we have. But if God should permit the second thing to
happen then we will also accept that as a gift.
Simply speaking, we now must turn our whole attention toward God. Our mistake is that we should have done this
from the beginning. You see, we first
believed in the doctors and then in God.”
“That is the way it is. Your faith
is that which will help you now,” said the doctor. “No, doctor, faith does not
help. That faith is human. It is our
thing. He who helps is only God
Himself.”
In all these things that are
happening, I am simply a translator and a startled listener. What power, what faith that woman has! And that, which she is saying, does not
indicate to us simply her psychological feelings; neither is it like a sermon.
It shows that it springs up spontaneously from within her like a sense of
joy. It is simple and is calmly assuring
us that whatever she says is a reflection of the clarity of her innermost
world. It is dignity, calmness,
politeness, self control, and truth that comes forth from her mouth. The same is true with her eyes, which for so
long have had an expression of hope and have not shed one tear.
We came out of the office and sat
together so that we could get to know one another better. At times like this, people get tied to one
another directly and strongly. But here
before me I had something unfolding that was unusually profound. This woman was
open with us yet very profound. The
words that came out of her mouth had the strength and persuasiveness of
heartfelt reality. I marveled at her
strength more than anything else.
We departed from one another with a
great deal of warmth. It was necessary
for me to leave, for I had an appointment.
I was going to visit that night at 10 o’clock with the hope that I would
find Olga still alive. Every so often, I
would call the hospital information office to find out how she was doing.
It is now 10:30 at night. Olga is still holding on. Mr. Costas and Mrs. Maria, those outstanding
parents, calmly are prepared for all eventualities, but they are hoping and
praying for a small miracle, as people say.
God who brought Olga into this world—is a great miracle in itself—can He
not now also protect her? Simply
speaking, they say the problem is their sins!!!
At 11 p.m. the hospital staff
arrived on the elevator with portable beds, pillows and sheets for those who
are staying the night with the patients.
That hospital is amazing. The
social services are prepared for all things.
The hospital policy is for the parents to be able to spend the night
with their children if they so desire.
But the parents of Olga have a hard time sleeping. They prefer to talk and keep vigil. In fact the doctor had said that Olga would
not live through the night. Their faith
was indescribable. They spoke of
miracles as if they were common natural things that happen. They were discussing eternity like we usually
talk about everyday life. They believed
that the will of God, whichever it would be, would be a great blessing to
them. Frankly speaking, on the one hand
they would experience boundless joy if she lived. On the other hand, they would again experience
the truth. The second instance, the most
difficult one, would be the most authentic.
But in the first instance, that is the most desirable.
I stayed with them until 1:30
a.m. I could not get enough of
them. In meeting these people I had met
truly faithful human beings. I had
never met this type of faith. That type
of faith not only functions after their loved one dies; but is a faith that
functions psychologically and as a means of consolation for them. It was also a faith that would be expressed
a few moments before the last breath of their only child. I must admit that it was the first time that
I have met people that had this type of faith.
Next to us was a motionless Olga, in a deep coma. She had no communication with the world
around her. Maybe she was communicating
with the other world which is unknown to us at this moment. Now and then the parents would steal a look
at the expressionless body of their daughter, with painful doubt of unjustified
hope.
Olga finally lived through the
night. The doctor’s timeline about her
death was wrong. Who knows? Maybe the medical opinion of the doctor would
fail. It is so wonderful sometimes when
science is proven wrong!
The following morning I called some
women and shared with them some of my profound impressions of the family. I
advised them to make another visit to Olga in order to give the family their
support and also so that their own lives would be reinforced by the
experience.
Olga continued to live throughout
all of Monday. That night, returning
from work, I visited with the family.
The parents had decided to return to Greece with Olga and allow her to
die there. During that Monday they made
all the arrangements for the trip.
Finally, they arranged for Olga to leave if she was still alive on
Wednesday, May 1, 1985 on an Olympic Airlines flight from New York. I again stayed with them quite late enjoying
the grace of these incredible people. I
was also awaiting the departure of Olga either on the plane for Greece or with
the angels to her eternal home. They
were intense moments, very real moments next to a world of living faith of
immense dimensions.
It was Tuesday morning, April
30th. My telephone rang. One of the three ladies that I communicated
with the previous day had spoken to her spiritual father, the well-known Elder
Porphyrios. He had the Grace of foresight.
He was internationally known as a holy man. He sees things where human vision cannot
penetrate. He said to her that he would
pray for Olga but they also should pray along with him and God will do His
thing. She came to the conclusion that
there was now some hope.
“Please”, I said to her, “do not
hasten to say anything about this. You
know the situation”. I knew the parameters of the issue; the girl is dying. I am perplexed that she is still living. You, yourself, have seen it with your own
eyes. It is best that we say very little
so that many things can happen” I said
to her, “It is better this way than for us to give them hope and then nothing
happens.”
Olga held on through Tuesday.
About ten o’clock that night, I arrived for my accustomed visit of faith
with the family. I entered the room and
saw an unusual scene for an American hospital.
Olga was in her bed, known to us in her blessedness. Mr. Costas was sitting away from her. Mrs. Maria, the mother, was with Mrs.
Vasilia, an exceptional Greek-American volunteer. She was truly the mother of all those
children. They were next to each other
saying an unknown service of supplication. It was a supplication that was
unknown to me. They had lit the incense,
a candle, placed an icon of the Holy Mother on the child, and they were
praying. I sat exactly next to the door.
In fact I was sitting half way in and half way out of the room. The nurse approached and asked me, “What are
they doing? What is that they are burning which smells like that? Do they belong to some strange Church?” I responded to her emphatically, “They belong
to the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church,” thinking that she would understand
something about our Eastern culture. She
left the room. The rest of us remained
in the room. I knew many prayers but the
prayers that I was hearing, I was hearing for the first time.
In fifteen minutes they finished
with the prayers. They had acquired a
little olive oil from a votive light from the famous shrine of the Holy Mother
of Tinos, Greece and from the Holy Mother of Kanala. It was the first time I heard the name “Holy
Mother of Kanala”. They anointed Olga in
the sign of the Cross on her forehead, on her chest, and on her right and left
hands. The child was motionless. As soon as they made the sign of the Cross on
her left foot, Olga lifted her leg, put it down and repeated the movement
again. There was nothing else. The two women broke out in prayerful
shouts. “Holy Mother, do your miracle,”
and they repeatedly made the sign of the Cross while kissing Olga on her
forehead. Olga remained immersed in her
own world.
The child is motionless. In a short while the mother approached. The mother asks of Olga “Do you hear me dear
Olga?” Olga nods affirmatively. “Open
your eyes my dear child.” The child
tries unsuccessfully to open her eyes.
“Give a kiss to Mrs. Vasilia.”
Rhythmically she moved her lips.
“I am now rationalizing. Surely we have seen a burst of life. I ask Debbie, the nurse, if she has all the
papers ready for the next nurse that is coming on duty. The shifts change at 11p.m. for all
indications show that within a little while the child will die.”
Time passes by. Olga returns to her previous state. She is totally quiet and immobile. She has no sense of communication with the
world around her. No one dares to disturb her.
It is now past midnight. Mrs.
Maria cannot control herself anymore.
She bends over and kisses her daughter on the forehead. She seemed to respond to that, but it was
rather her imagination. The women are
sure that something has changed. Mr.
Costas emotionally is following what is happening with doubt. I am again rationalizing. I can’t get it out of my head that in the
best of situations we are talking about small changes. The child in reality is finished. I do not have the slightest hope for a
recovery. Mrs. Vasilia tells me that I
do not have faith. Who knows? Maybe she is justified in saying this.
The doctor was saying that Olga
would die Sunday night. Today is
Wednesday and the child steadily, if not slightly, is showing signs of the
breath of life and communication. We are
divided between those who believe in her recovery and those who are skeptical
and are waiting for death. I live
amongst the coldness of the second group, having logic as my companion. I bid farewell to the family who is leaving
for Greece. A special ambulance
transports the child to New York in the condition that we have just
described. The child is escorted on her
trip by a nurse and she travels to Greece on a bed. It has been decided that there she will die.
That next Friday we called a number
in Greece that someone had given us to find out what was happening with the
child. They told us that Olga is
steadily improving but she is still lethargic.
Simply speaking she is somehow communicating. They are going to do more tests on Saturday. We arranged to communicate by telephone on
Tuesday. This will be ten days after
hearing the diagnosis of her impending death.
We attempted many times to call them.
There was no answer. We surmised
that Olga had died and her parents had taken her to the village to bury her and
to allow them to get some rest. After two more weeks we found a priest in
Boston and had a prayer read for the dead.
This was a prayer from our hearts.
The month of May arrived, then the
month of June went by, and we had even entered the month of July. We had not received any news, and the same
scenario continued for us in Boston.
Other children had arrived at the hospital from Greece, and the usual
stress mixed in with joy and pain was the daily routine.
On July 8th, as soon as I arrived
in Athens from London, I decided to make some telephone calls. I called Mrs. Maria and Mr. Costas. Maybe they have returned from the
village. “Who is this please?” I hear a little childish voice on the other
end of the line. “Who are you?” I asked
quite startled. “I am Olga,” answered
the childish voice. “You are Olga, which
Olga?” I asked with embarrassment.
She gave me her whole name and with
a sense of excitement she expressed her suspicion at who I was. She said: “The Holy Mother did her
miracle.” Olga invited me to visit her
house so that I may ask her questions about geography, arithmetic, etc. She is inviting me, the person who rushed to
have a prayer service for her death. I
asked for her mother. “How great God is
who is our God,” Mrs. Maria said to me from the bottom of her heart. I ended the conversation and left immediately
for their home. When I got there a
lovely little girl opened the door for me.
Her hair had begun to grow back again.
She was a little hyperactive, impressionable and filled with life. I asked her the questions that she had asked
me. She answered with joy. I found myself playing with her. I felt that I had been betrayed by my
logic. I could not believe that which I
was seeing. Previously I believed in
that which I did not see. The life of
Olga constitutes the strongest beating that I have ever received for my
disbelief.
Twenty five years have since
passed. Olga has graduated from the university.
She gives joy and happiness to her parents. She has also acquired a
younger sister. She has grown to be a
young lady. She has made liars of the
greatest scientists in the world. She
has torn asunder the logic of proven statistics. She has certified that “whatever God decides
negates the laws of nature.” And surely
in our days the Lord of Hosts lives.
This
miracle is taken from the book “Wherever God decides the laws of nature are
circumvented.” It was written by
Metropolitan Nicholas Mesogaias and Lavriotiki, Greece. It was first published
in 2009. The real life miracle is taken
from the first section of the book pages 51 to 68.
Glorified
is the name of God in his Holy Saints
Metropolitan
Nicholas or Mesogaia
Translated
from the Greek by:
+Fr.
Constantine (Charles) J. Simones, Waterford, CT, USA, January 2, 2015
FROM THE SAYINGS OF THE ELDER PORPHYRIOS TWELVE SPIRITUALLY EDIFYING SAYINGS
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1.
The soul is a profound being and only God understands it.
2.
Why do we chase after shadows? We should turn on the Light and the shadows will
dissipate of their own accord. We should
allow Christ to fill our souls and the demons will leave on their own.
3.
A person may speak about his sins and then brag about them while another person
will speak of his sins and will be humbled by them.
4.
A lazy person cannot become a Christian.
It requires a great deal of work, a lot of work.
5.
If you desire, you can become a saint in Omonia Square. (This is in reference to the years that the
Elder Porphyrios lived and ministered to the faithful in Omonia Square in
downtown Athens, Greece.)
6.
God loves us very much. He constantly has us in His thoughts and He protects
us. We must believe this reality well and not be afraid of anything in life.
7.
You must ask God to forgive your sins.
And God, from whom you ask this with pain and humbleness, will forgive
your sins and He will heal your bodily ills.
8.
Morbid grief and worry is not from God, it is a trap of the devil.
9.
God concerns Himself with all the details of our lives. We must understand that He is not indifferent
to our needs. We are not alone in this
world. (I learned this spiritual truth in a revelation that I received in the
altar of St. Sophia Church).
10.
You should fill up your souls with the presence of Christ, with divine love,
with joy. The joy of Christ will heal
you.
11.
You should not be concerned whether or not people like you, but you should be
concerned about loving Christ and all your fellow human beings. Only in this way will your soul be filled
with Jesus Christ.
12.
The most important thing in our lives is to love Christ and then all our
problems will be resolved.
Translated
from the Greek by: +Fr. Constantine J. Simones, August10, 2012.
Saint Porphyrios on Overcoming Depression
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"Nowadays
people often feel sadness, despair, lethargy, laziness, apathy, and all things
satanic. They are downcast, discontent and melancholy. They disregard their
families, spend vast sums on psychoanalysts and take anti-depressants. People
explain this as 'insecurity.' Our religion believes that these states derive
from satanic temptation.
Pain
is a psychological power which God implanted in us with a view to doing us good
and leading us to love, joy, and prayer. Instead of this, the devil succeeds in
taking this power from the battery of our soul and using it for evil. He
transforms it into depression and brings the soul into a state of lethargy and
apathy. He torments us, takes us captive and makes us psychologically ill.
There
is a secret. Turn the satanic energy into good energy. This is difficult and
requires some preparation. The requisite preparation is humility. With humility
you attract the grace of God. You surrender yourself to the love of God, to
worship and to prayer. But even if you do all in the world, you achieve nothing
if you haven't acquired humility. All the evil feelings, insecurity, despair
and disenchantment, which come to take control of the soul, disappear with
humility. The person who lacks humility, the egotist, doesn't want you to get
in the way of his desires, to make any criticism of him or tell him what to do.
He gets upset, irritated and reacts violently and is overcome by depression.
This
state is cured by grace. The soul must turn to God's love. The cure will come
when we start to love God passionately. Many of our saints transformed
depression into joy with their love for Christ. That is, they took this power
of the soul which the devil wished to crush and gave it to God and they
transformed it into joy and exultation. Prayer and worship gradually transform
depression and turn it into joy, because the grace of God takes effect. Here
you need to have the strength to attract the grace of God which will help you
to be united with Him. Art is required. When you give yourself to God and
become one with him, you will forget the evil spirit which drags at you from
behind, and this spirit, when it is disdained, will leave. And the more you
devote yourself to the Spirit of God, the less you will look behind to see the
spirit that is dragging at you. When grace attracts you, you will be united
with God. And when you unite yourself to God and abandon yourself to Him,
everything else disappears and is forgotten and you are saved. The great art,
the great secret, in order to rid yourself of depression and all that is
negative is to give yourself over to the love of God.
Something
which can help a person who is depressed is work, interest in life. The garden,
plants, flowers, trees, the countryside, a walk in the open air -- all these
things tear a person away from a state of inactivity and awake other interests.
They act like medicines. To occupy oneself with the arts, with music and so on,
is very beneficial. The thing that I place top of the list, however, is interest
in the Church, in reading Holy Scripture and attending services. As you study
the words of God you are cured without being aware of it.
Let
me tell you about a girl who came to me. She was suffering from dreadful
depression. Drugs had no effect. She had given up everything -- her work, her
home, her interests. I told her about the love of Christ which takes the soul
captive because the grace of God fills the soul and changes it. I explained to
her that the force which takes over the soul and transforms the power of the
soul into depression is demonic. It throws the soul to the ground, torments it
and renders it useless. I advised her to devote herself to things like music
which she had formerly enjoyed. I emphasized, however, most of all her need to
turn to Christ with love. I told her, moreover, that in our Church a cure is to
be found through love for God and prayer, provided this is done with all the
heart."
-Saint
Porphyrios
Kykkos icon of Mother of God "Merciful"
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The
name of this icon comes from that of Mt. Kykkos in the north-western part of
Cyprus. The holy image, which, according to a legend, was painted by the
Apostle St.Luke, was sent by him to the Egyptian Christians. In Egypt, however,
disturbances broke out and. in order to save the icon, it was translated to a
secluded island. On the way there it was seized by Arabs, but soon Byzantines
recaptured it and sent it to the imperial palace in Constantinople. In the
reign of Emperor Alexius Comnenus (1081-1118), the icon was translated to
Cyprus. There exist numerous legends associated with this event, which tell about
countless cures of members of the imperial family and common people. This
miracle-working icon has one interesting feature: no one can see its original,
for it is kept under a coverlet. He who dares lift the coverlet will suffer
God's punishment. In 1699, Patriarch Gerasimus of Alexandria removed the
coverlet and was punished. Only after he offered a prayer to the Mother of God
was his wrongdoing forgiven. Apparently, it was in the 17th century that copies
of this miraculous icon appeared in Russia. Feast day; November 12/25.
HAVE YOUR MIND ON GOD AND YOUR HEART WILL LEAP FOR JOY SPONTANEOUSLY
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Source:
“Wounded by Love: The Life and Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios, ”
published
by Denise Harvey, Limni, Evia, Greece (2005), pp. 122-126.
Listen
and I’ll tell you about something that happened to me a few days ago. A monk
who practices the Jesus Prayer came here from the Holy Mountain and he asked
me:
—How
do you say the Jesus Prayer? Do you sit on a low stool? Do you lower your head
and concentrate?
—
No, I replied. I say, Lord Jesus Christ... clearly in my mind, giving attention
to the words. LordJesus Christ, have mercy on me... Lord Jesus... That’s how I
do it in my mind and pay attention only to the words.
—That’s
not right at all, Elder, he said. The way you describe it is quite erroneous,
not to say deluded. The mind needs to be in the heart. That’s why it’s called
“prayer of the heart.”
—I’ll
tell you something else, I said to him. Sometimes when I would be facing some
temptation, I would bring into my mind the image of Christ on the cross with
his transfixed hands and feet dripping blood and with the crown of thorns
piercing his brow and with myself kneeling before him and saying to Him, Lord
Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.
—-And
you didn’t bring your mind into your heart?’ he interrupted.
—No,
I replied.
—
You are deluded, he said to me. The mind must be in the heart. Again, that’s
why it’s called “prayer of the heart.” Delusion!
He
got up to leave.
—Elder!
I said to him. Listen and I’ll tell you something. When I am repeating the
prayer in my mind, sometimes my joy becomes more and more intense. Moreover,
when my joy becomes ever stronger with the words, Lord Jesus Christ..., I feel
my mind leaping within me along with my heart. That is, I feel my mind
plummeting into my heart and there I experience all this joy as I say the
prayer.
I
begin with the mind and then my mind moves on its own when joy comes.
—So
that’s how you pray! That indeed is the way!’ he said to me. Forgive me for
accusing you of “delusion.”
It
is the mind that thinks. The heart does not think. Have your mind on God and
your heart will leap for joy spontaneously. It will feel compunction. For
Christ to enter your heart you must love Him. In order to love Him, He must
first love you. God must first know you and then you Him. He will stoop to you,
if you first seek Him. In order for Him to love you, you must be worthy. In
order to be worthy, you must prepare yourself.
First,
you must shun all self-interest. Prayer must be entirely selfless. Everything
must happen mystically and without self- interest. That is, do not think that
if you concentrate with your mind then grace will come into your heart also and
you will experience that leap of joy. Do not pray with that motive, but with
simplicity and humility. Aspire always to the glory of God. What did I tell you
about the nightingale? It sings without anyone seeing. Be like that—selfless.
Give yourself over to the worship of God in secret.
However,
be careful! As we said, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is
doing.
(Mt
6:3). Do not let your malicious self know what is going on. Live in Paradise
and do not let your evil self-know and envy it. Do not forget that there exists
the envy of the evil one.
Preparation
is also to learn to keep the commandments of God. To expel the
passions—condemnation, anger, etc.—in a subtle way.
That
is, do not strike at the evil directly, but, disdaining the passion, turn with
love to God. Occupy yourself with singing hymns, the triumphant hymns of the
saints and martyrs and the Psalms of David. Study Holy Scripture and the Church
Fathers. In this way your soul will be softened, sanctified and assimilated to
God. It will be ready to hear the disclosures of God. ‘Gradually grace will
visit you. You will enter into joy. You will begin to live in peace and then
you will become stronger by virtue of the divine grace. You will not become
angry, or irritated, you will not be offended, you will not judge others, but
rather receive everyone with love. You will have that which
Saint
Paul describes: Love does not boast... it does not behave in an unseemly
manner... it does not rejoice in injustice, but rejoices in truth; it covers
and protects all things, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all
things. Love never fails, (Cor 13:4-8). The prayer purifies the soul and keeps
the mind in check. The most perfect work is done in the depths of the human
soul, which is hermetically sealed and known only to God. And so we witness
something extraordinary: people who are transformed into children of God, even
though they had reached the very depths of their self-destructiveness.
And
I, too, wretched and crocked-up fellow that I am, make this effort. I do not
give myself over openly in prayer, but secretly I pray. Do you understand? The
grace of God comes and overshadows you too. It brings a freshness and joy to
youalso as we live together, eat together, talk and pray and simply keep
company with one another. Do you understand?
Only
someone who is thoughtless, someone who is “thick-skinned” and cannot be moved
by prayer, remains a stranger to grace.
Pray
for God to reveal to you the unseen things. There is much that we do not know.
Say to Christ, “Whatever You want.Whatever Your love desires.” He will lead
you. Look to Him.Prayer of the Heart Is Impossible Without a Spiritual Guide
If
you are going to occupy yourself with prayer of the heart exclusively you must
have the guidance of a spiritual father. Prayer of the heart is impossible
without a spiritual guide.
There
is a danger of the soul being deluded. Care is needed. Your spiritual guide
will teach you how to get into the right order for prayer, because if you do
not get into the right order, there is a danger of your seeing the luciferic
light, of living in delusion and being plunged into darkness, and then one
becomes aggressive and changes character and so on. This is the splitting of
the personality.
Do
you see how delusion is created? If, however, you progress in prayer with the
counsels of a spiritual father, you will see the true light.
The
spiritual guide must be experienced in prayer of the heart. If he prays mechanically and has not
experienced prayer with the grace of God, he is unable to tell someone else how
to pray. Certainly, he will be able to say what he has read in books and what
the Fathers say. Whole books have been written which talk about prayer. And so
many people read them and none knows how to pray. “But,” you will object, “we
read these books, we learn the method of prayer, we prepare ourselves and God
gives His blessing and sends us His grace and we understand them.” That is all
very well, but it is a mystery. Prayer is a mystery, and above all prayer of
the heart is a mystery.
The
most dreadful delusion can be created by spiritual prayer. Other prayers are
prayed to a large extent by our mind. We simply say them and our ears hear
them. They aresaid in a different way. But spiritual prayer is something else.
And
if in this spiritual dimension desire is enkindled, not by your good self, but
by the other self, the egotistical self, then undoubtedly you will begin to see
lights, but not the light of Christ, and undoubtedly you will begin to
experience a pseudo-joy. But in your outward life, in your relations with other
people, you will be ever more aggressive and irascible, more quick-tempered and
fretful. These are the signs of the person who is deluded. The person who is
deluded does not accept that he is suffering from delusion. He is fanatical and
does harm. This is what happens with zealots, those who act with a zeal that is
not tempered by divine knowledge. Listen to an example of this: Saint Makarios,
the famous Desert Father, had decided to go to a church festival along with the
monk who was sub- servient to him. The young monk had gone on ahead. He was a
beginner and had a beginner’s zeal. As he was walking along he met an idolater,
a priest of a pagan temple. He spoke harshly to him and said:
—Where
are you off to, you deluded soul?
The
priest was enraged and attacked the novice, leaving him virtually unconscious.
A
short time later the priest met the elder. When Abba Makarios, blessed as he
was by divine grace, saw the man in a state of shock and aggravation, he said
to him:
—Good
man of God, where are you going to?
As
soon as the priest heard these words his heart softened, he stopped in his
tracks, and said:
—Your
words have calmed me down.
—Yes,
said Abba Makarios. I see you’re in a hurry, only you don’t know where you’re
hurrying to.
But
he said it in a humble and brotherly tone of love.
—When
you speak, said the idolater, your words open my heart, but a short time ago
another monk spoke to me in a very different way and I gave him a good beating.
Abba Makarios spoke to him in such an inspired way, that the idolater gradually
changed his beliefs, became a monk and was saved. With his good words and
manners he com- municated the good spirit. He communicated the uncreated energy
and entered the soul of the idolater. The novice, on the contrary, communicated
a spirit of anger and aggression from the spirit he had within him.
Do
you see what delusion means? When you have a spiritual guide you are not in
danger of delusion. When you have a good, God-inspired elder you learn the
secrets of prayer.
You
pray with your elder and you gradually begin to enter into the spiritual life
and to learn how the elder prays. He is not able to tell you, “Do this or do
that.” But you do what you see him do. When you go to your elder, certainly, he
tells you about the prayer of the heart. You need to know, however, that if he
does not experience the prayer of the heart himself, he will not be able to
communicate anything.
But
when the elder has experienced (and continues to experience) the prayer of the
heart, something mysterious takes place. The mystery is that the novice hears
his words, but more importantly, he sees the way his heart opens and how he
speaks to God in his heart. His soul watches him. And not only this, but soul
communicates with soul and the one soul senses the other. The novice feels how
the whole “frame of mind’ is created, how this state is created through divine
grace.
This
is not a simple matter. This is the teaching. We say that prayer cannot be
taught, but in point of fact it can be taught when you live with someone who
truly prays. When you take a book about prayer and read it, it may be that you
do not understand anything. However, when you have an elder next to you who
prays, whatever he tells you about prayer you understand and take to heart. You
enter into his prayer, and you pray too without realizing it. You communicate.
It’s not the book or the knowledge, it’s the sensation, it’s the manner, it’s
the opening of the heart, it’s the embrace of prayer.
And
is not what we are doing now as I am speaking to you, is this too not a prayer?
Am I not speaking from my heart and do we not feel that leaping sensation of
joy and impellent desire? If this is not prayer, how can it be explained that
we have such a sense of strong desire?
It
is a great art to succeed in having your soul sanctified. A person can become a
saint anywhere. He can become a saint in Omonia Square (the commercial center
of Athens, also synonymous with vice and corruption), if he wants. At your
work, whatever it may be, you can become a saint through meekness, patience,
and love. Make a new start every day, with new resolution, with enthusiasm and
love, prayer and silence — not with anxiety so that you get a pain in the
chest.
Our
religion is perfectly and profoundly conceived. What is simple is also what is
most precious. Accordingly, in your spiritual life engage in your daily contest
simply, easily, and without force. The soul is sanctified and purified through
the study of the Fathers, through the memorization of the psalms and of
portions of Scripture, through the singing of hymns and through the repetition
of the Jesus Prayer. Devote your efforts, therefore, to these spiritual things
and ignore all the other things.
St.
Porphyrios the Kapsokalivite (+1991) Orthodox Heritage Vol. 15, Issue 07-08
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