Church, we achieve this through the sacraments of Holy Confession and Holy Communion. Our Orthodox faith teaches that we cannot truly know God unless we know ourselves. Once we know ourselves and become aware of our sins, the next step is Holy Confession. Confession is a form of spiritual check-up, a means of humbling ourselves before God and a way of receiving guidance from a spiritual father. Christ comes to us through Holy Confession to liberate and heal rather than to judge. Holy Communion is the sacrament which unites us with God. It is a deep seated human yearning to be part of something greater than ourselves. Jesus said “I am the living bread which came down form Heaven, if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh….. He who eats and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” (John 6:48-51). Nicholas Cabasilas, one of the Fathers of the Church said about Holy Communion: “All human striving reaches here its ultimate goal. For in this sacrament we attain God Himself, and God Himself is made one with us in the most perfect of all unions……..this is a great mystery.” One of the greatest things that modern man is lacking is self knowledge. Despite our technological and scientific advances, many people do not know who they are and what their purpose is in life. 2,500 years ago, Socrates recognised this as a major deficiency in his fellow man. Orthodoxy leads us to true self knowledge and ultimately, to union with God.

Volume 22, Issue 5 OCTOBER, 2007

«Λύχνος τοῖς ποσί μου ὁ νόμος σου καί φῶς ταῖς τρίβοις μου»

Ψαλμ 118, 105

ΛΥΧΝΟΣ A GREEK ORTHODOX PERIODICAL FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

P hilosophy is all about knowing yourself and understanding the world. It is not an abstract intellectual mind game. Each one of us is called to be a philosopher! One of the greatest philosophers of all time was Socrates. He lived in Athens about 500 BC. Socrates stated that the heart of his teaching was very simple. It was to follow with utmost truth and sincerity the saying carved on the Temple at Delphi – Know Yourself. Socrates felt that “a life which was unexamined was not worth living.” He believed that inner knowledge led to knowledge of the soul and was the most important knowledge we can learn, because it can transform our life. It is only by understanding ourselves that we are able to understand other people and therefore improve our life on this planet. Socrates was put on trial in his 70s for allegedly corrupting the youth of Athens. In his defence, he said that the core of his teaching was to go around Athens, persuading “young and old, to make your chief concern not your bodies or your possessions, but to care only for the most radical improvement of your souls. I will never stop telling you that wealth does not bring goodness, but instead it is from goodness that wealth and every other blessing comes to both the individual and to the state.” Socrates was truly enlightened. However, philosophy can only take us so far. As Orthodox Christians, we know that the fulfilment of all knowledge and philosophy is Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. We are truly healthy (physically, mentally and spiritually) when we are close to Christ. But how can we be close to Him? In our

Inside this issue: Adam ’ s Holy Tradition ……….. 2 St of the Month - St Hilarion the Great.... 2 Για Μικρούς και για Μεγάλους - Το Έπος του 40 ... 3 From the Holy Fathers - On Patience….. 4

Our Sacred Language - The Doxasticon………... 6 Book Review - Father Arseny………….. 6 Επίκαιρα Θέματα ( Current Issues ) …….. 7 News and Views - Winter Retreats…………. 8

From the Scriptures - The Parable of the Sower. 4 Questions and Answers - Is Faith a delusion?….. 5

Page 2 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

S t Hilarion was born in 292 AD at Tabatha, near Gaza in Palestine, from pagan parents. He was educated in Alexandria, where he became a convert to Christianity and was baptised. While in Egypt he visited St Anthony the Great, the Father of monks, who was at the height of his fame. After meeting and staying with him for a little while, Hilarion was inspired to devote himself entirely to the ascetical life like his mentor. After the death of his parents, he returned to Gaza where he gave away all his earthly possessions to the poor. He then left for the desert in Palestine, surrendering himself over to daily fasting and unceasing prayer. Living in a hut made from reeds, his regime was based on St Anthony's: eating only a moderate amount of figs, bread, vegetables, and oil. His ascetic life was so austere that he received Divine Grace to perform many miracles. Disciples came to learn from him and large crowds were attracted to him. To escape these ever increasing crowds, he left Palestine first for Egypt, then Libya, and then Sicily. His miracles attracted so much publicity, he finally decided to leave for Cyprus. He settled near Paphos, but later retired to a more remote site about 20 km distant. St Hilarion died at the age of 80 in 372 AD.

11. ADAM’S HOLY TRADITION ST HILARION THE GREAT Commemorated October 21st

T he consequences of the fall of original man involved the whole of humanity. However with the selection of Abraham (around 2000 B.C), God began to periodically enter the history of humankind. This helped maintain the historical details of the creation of the World and of Man himself. These details began to be passed down from one generation to the next as a holy Tradition, initially by word of mouth and from Moses (around 1500 B.C) in written form. This holy Tradition became stronger with the occasional intrusion of God into the lives of men, and eventually a group of people was formed like “a seed of the Lord”. These remained faithful to the true God of the holy Tradition and became the vanguard and forerunners of Jesus Christ. Their basic characteristics were: 1. Repentance. The terrible consequences of the Fall of the original man were deeply felt by some sensitive souls. The difficulties and tribulations of the life that ensued made them realise the error of Adam and Eve, and this led them to repent for this. So history after the Fall is not only the history of the apostasy of men, but also the history of the repentance of many, who realised the enormity of the error of apostasy and a life of independence from God. 2. Requesting the immediate intervention of God. Among the group of men who followed the holy Tradition, a push was formed asking for God’s intervention for the restoration and salvation of the human race. Repentance, like a bushfire, began to warm the conscience of many, with the result that there was formed “a generation seeking the Lord” (Psalm 23’ 6). The most inspired words, the best poems, the most beautiful thoughts, were written during this period of the turning of men towards God. 3. The hope of the immediate intervention of God. The period after the Fall was also a period of hope. A small number of men were the first who began to hope. During the winter of desperation, they were the ones who brought forth the spring of hope. And soon, they began to believe that God was going to intervene. These people formed the human element for the execution of the Divine plan for the Salvation of man: they formed the ground upon which landed the Son of God. They had done this with the tears of their repentance and the power of their hope.

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ΤΟ ΕΠΟΣ ΤΟΥ - 40

Μ έσα στις μέριμνες και στις πολλές φροντίδες της καθημερινότητας, οι Εθνικές μας γιορτές αποτελούν σταθμούς περισυλλογής και παραδειγματισμού. Μας βοηθούν να κατανοούμε βαθύτερα την ιστορική συνέχεια του Έθνους μας. Να καταλαβαίνουμε την αδιάσπαστη εσωτερική ενότητα της ιστορίας μας. Αυτές οι γιοτές διεγείρουν την ιστορική μας μνήμη και την εθνική μας συνείδηση, που θα μπορούσαν να αμβλυνθούν, αν το μεγαλείο των Εθνικών μας αγώνων δεν το επαναφέρουμε στη μνήμη μας και δεν το συνειδητοποιούμε. Υπάρχουν στην Ελληνική ιστορία μας γεγονότα – ορόσημα όχι μόνο για την Ελλάδα μας αλλά για την ιστορία ολόκληρου του κόσμου. Ένα από αυτά είναι η 28η Οκτωβρίου 1940. Όλη σχεδόν η Ευρώπη είχε υποταχθεί στον Άξονα Βερολίνου–Ρώμης. Στη Γαλλία, με την περίφημη γραμμή «Μαζινω» είχε στρέψει με ελπίδα ο κόσμος τα βλέμματα. Μ’αλοίμονο έπεσε σε λίγες μόνο μέρες!.. Την Μεσόγειο την ήθελε ο Μουσσολίνι “MARE NOSTRUM” «Iταλική Λίμνη», και καυχήθηκε πως μέσα σε λίγες μέρες ο στρατός του θα έκανε το στρατιωτικό του περίπατο μέχρι την Αθήνα. Η «Σιδηρά Συμμαχία» (Γερμανίας –Ιταλίας –Ιαπωνίας) φαινόταν πανίσχυρη. Πώς να αντισταθούν τα μικρά κράτη;... Η Αμερική ακόμα ανέτοιμη, με πτωχό οπλοστάσιο. Η Αγγλία μόνη έδινε καρτερικά την «μεγάλη μάχη της

επιβίωσης» στη Δυτική Ευρώπη. Και στην άλλη άκρη η μικρή Ελλάδα μας με τα 8 εκατομύρια κατοίκων τόλμησε να υψώσει το ανάστημά της απέναντι στις πολυάριθμες λόγχες της Ιταλικής Αυτοκρατορίας. Όταν στις 3 το πρωί της 28ης Οκτωβρίου 1940, ο Ιταλός πρεσβευτής Γκράτσι κτυπούσε τη πόρτα του πρωθυπουργού της

Ελλάδος στη Κηφισιά και του ζητούσε να του παραδώσει τη πατρίδα μας, σύσσωμο το έθνος με τους εκπροσώπους του απάντησε με το σταθερό ‘OXI’ . Και το θαύμα έγινε. Μέσα σε 15 μέρες «τα φανταράκια μας» καταδίωξαν τους Ιταλούς πέρα από τις βάσεις της εξορμήσεώς τους. Η Πρεμετή, οι Άγιοι Σαράντα, η Κορυτσά, το Αργυρόκαστρο, το Πόγραδετς, η Χειμάρα, η Κλεισούρα υποδέχτηκαν με δακρύβρεκτα μάτια τον ελευθερωτή της Βορείου Ηπείρου μας, ένδοξο Ελληνικό στρατό.

Η μικρή Ελλάδα κατατρόπωσε και εξευτέλισε την Ιταλική Αυτοκρατορία και έσβησε τα κοσμοκρατορικά όνειρά της. Μα ανάγκασε και τους Γερμανούς να αναβάλλουν την επίθεση εναντίον της Ρωσσίας. Έτσι ο Χίτλερ παρά τις πρώτες εντυπωσιακές νίκες δεν κατόρθωσε τις ημέρες της καλοκαιρίας ούτε και τη Μόσχα να καταλάβει, ούτε τη Πετρούπολη, ούτε να φτάσει στα

πετρέλαια του Καυκάσου. Τον πρόλαβε ο τρομερός χειμώνας και ματαίωσε τα σχέδιά του. Η καθυστέρηση των Γερμανικών στρατευμάτων για τη κατάκτηση της Ελλάδος και της Κρήτης υπήρξε μοιραία. Η απώλεια επίλεκτων αλεξιπτωτιστών και στρατιωτών του Γερμανικού στρατού ήταν τέτοια, που ήταν αδύνατο πια να αναπληρωθούν. Και αυτοί ακόμα οι Ιταλοί και Γερμανοί ηγέτες στις εμπιστευτικές ανακοινώσεις και τις αποκαλύψεις τους, ομολογούν πως τα πολεμικά τους σχέδια «σκόνταψαν» πάνω στην Ελληνική αντίσταση και ανδρεία. Και έδωσε στον κόσμο η μικρή Ελλάδα μας το μεγάλο μάθημα ότι και τα μικρά έθνη όταν αποφασίζουν να αμυνθούν με όλες τους τις δυνάμεις για τις ιερές αξίες τους με πίστη στο δίκαιο Θεό, που δικαιώνει τους τίμιους αγώνες, έχουν την δυνατότητα να επηρεάζουν βαθειά τις διεθνείς εξελίξεις, να αλλάζουν την όψη του κόσμου. Κατορθώνουν νίκες νέες κοσμοϊστορικές και μεγαλουργούν.

ΝΑ ΔΙΑΒΑΣΤΕΙ ΑΠ’ ΟΛΗ ΤΗΝ ΟΙΚΟΓΕΝΕΙΑ

«έδωσε στον κόσμο η μικρή Ελλάδα μας το μεγάλο μάθημα ότι και τα μικρά έθνη. ........ έχουν την δυνατότητα να ... αλλάζουν την όψη του κόσμου».

Page 4 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

S t John Climacus wrote: “Patience turns faults into victories”. Abba Poemen, a great monastic father of our Church, taught that patience has great power to overcome evil thoughts: “If someone shuts a snake and a scorpion up in a bottle, in time they will be completely destroyed. So it is with evil thoughts: they are suggested by the demons; they disappear through patience.”

Elder Ephraim of Mount Athos wrote: “We should not find it strange if the passions and sicknesses war against us, but rather we should entreat God to give us patience, that great balm for the wounds of the soul as well as of the body. Patience is the one and only diamond which beautifies the Christian and makes straight the rough road of our salvation. Patience is the fortitude of the soul, the support, the deep root that holds the tree when the winds beat against it and the streams strike it.”

St Thalassios says: “ Patient endurance is a continuous effort for the soul”.

A person asked Father Paisios “Geronda, I tire easily when I work. I do not know what to blame?” Father Paisios response was “What you seem to be lacking is patience. And the reason you cannot be patient is that you undertake too many things. You spread yourself too thin and you tire easily.”

Finally, the Athonite Gerontikon, relates the story of elder Artemios of the Monastery of Gregoriou, who once complained “My Lord, why am I suffering so much?” The pious elder then saw a vision of Christ. He showed him His hands and His side, saying: “See how much I endured? And you, for my love’s sake, can’t you be patient?”.

The Parable of the Sower Luke 8: 5-15

A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hun-dredfold. And when he had said

these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be? And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the king-dom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. (Luke 8: 5-15, KJV)

T he parable of the sower reminds us of the tremen-dous power of the Word of God and of the vital im-portance of regularly connecting with this power in our daily life. This message is conveyed by the parable’s central com-parison – the Word of God is like a seed. A small seed which falls into the right ground can release tremendous power and grow into a tree which bears much fruit. Yet the Word of God, when received by the right soul, can release much more power and bear even more important spiritual fruit. The Word of God, being loaded with divine grace, can break through the rocks in a person’s soul and grant new life to that soul. It sheds light on the dark corners of the soul and on the soul’s illnesses and wounds. By com-pletely renewing a person’s internal spiritual state, the Word of God enables that person to bear much spiritual fruit by becoming a shining light in the world. Yet the Word of God, despite its tremendous power, can-not bear fruit on its own. Just like the seed in the parable, it requires the right ground. The soul that is hard and su-perficial, or which lacks patience and faith during times of trial, or which is caught up with worldly cares, cannot ef-fectively receive the Word of God and bear fruit. This is why our active participation in the life of the Church (including the regular reading of the Bible) is so important. Through prayer, fasting, repentance, as well as regular participation in the sacraments of the Church, whatever obstacles may exist to our effectively receiving the Word of God are removed. It is the Church which both provides the Word of God to us and which at the same time also prepares our soul so that it is in the best state to receive this “seed” and to release the tremendous power it contains.

On Patience

Page 5 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

I f we think deeply and sincerely, and meditate on we see and feel around us and within us, then we could suspect that being an atheist is a delusion. Indeed, to believe that all that we see around us and within us is simply here by an enormous fluke, that we are part of a vast and purposeless universe, is surely a lot harder to believe than belief in God. Deep inside us we all have an intuition, something that we cannot express in words or with reasoning, that there is a purpose to life, that the beauty we can experience cannot be there by a fluke, and that there is a God. As the famous mathematician Pascal once said, “The heart has its reasons that reason knows not.” Some of you may be thinking that the beauty of nature etc does not prove that God exists, because science has been able to explain how this diversity and order came about. It is true that science has offered explanations for a lot of phenomena, however as science progresses it has introduced new questions, and many good scientists feel that science has if anything increased their faith in God. For example, in recent years physicists have realised that the universe contains some very basic constants, for example the speed of light, the force that binds protons and neutrons together, and if these were even a fraction of a percent different then there would be no solar system, no life. The probability of all these constants being “just right” to enable planets to go around the sun, to enable the formation of carbon, and ultimately to make life possible is so incredibly unlikely that it seems absurd to believe that it all happened without a creator. The most remarkable molecule in the universe is without a doubt DNA. Evolution cannot explain the formation of DNA, this molecule, and the fact that it very occasionally makes a mistake when it replicates, is the basis of evolution. It has been worked out by scientists that the chance of

random chemical reactions forming DNA is 1040,000. This number is really huge! The number of atoms is the universe is about 1080! If you are an atheist then you would have to believe that the mind is explained only by the electrical circuits that occur in your brain, you would not believe in the soul. In recent times philosophers and brain scientists have increasingly delved into this difficult area. They have identified what they call the “hard problem.” Aspects of the mind such as memory, the ability to play chess, etc, are not trivial but not “hard”. For example computers can play chess and have memory. What is “hard” to understand, and what no computer can do, is aspects of the mind such as self awareness. What we can be more sure about than anything else is the fact that we are aware of our own selves, we can not only think and love and feel, we are also aware of ourselves thinking and feeling these things. No computer can do this. Is this self awareness due to physical circuits in my brain? If we think deeply about these things - think about our own thinking - then we can come to a conviction that surely we have inside us something that is beyond the physical, what we in the Church call soul. There is a lot more one could say, but space does not permit. Many of the readers of this article may have experienced miracles in their lives, very many of you may have experienced how beautiful it is to be a Christian, how the ways of the Bible and of the Church really work, really do bring peace and happiness, a peace that is different to what the world offers (John 14:27). Ultimately, what can lead us to true and genuine faith, a faith that can change our lives and make us want to give ourselves to the Church and into the hands of Jesus, is not scientific or philosophical arguments, but the Grace of God. Faith is a gift - a gift to the humble and to the genuine and sincere.

† Fr. D. K.

Some atheists use science to say our “faith is a delusion”.— How can we respond?

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Α great mystery of life is that even under the harshest cruelty, a certain few not only survive but emerge as beacons of light and life. Father Arseny, former Professor of Art, became Prisoner No. 18736 in the brutal "special sector" of the Soviet prison camp system. In the darkness of systematic degradation of body and soul, he shone with the light of Christ's peace and compassion. The two books are compiled from accounts by Father Arseny's spiritual children and others he brought to God. When first translated into English the first book had already sold 400,000 copies in

Russia. The essays describe a Russian priest through the eyes of many who knew him, during his years in a communist prison camp, and in the town where he lived till his death in 1975. Father Arseny's compassion and humility embrace you and make you want these two wonderful books never to end. One beautiful miracle serves to illustrate. Father Arseny, a Russian Orthodox priest imprisoned in a Soviet work camp, intervenes in a fight to help a young prisoner named Alexei. For "troublemaking," he and Alexei are sentenced to 48 hours in an unheated cell, with the cold reaching 30ºC below zero. This was certain death…

They heard the outer door close, the locks click, the voices and the steps of the guards fade away. The cold seized them and constricted their chests. Through the small window with iron bars the moon shone its milky light into the cell. "We are going to freeze, Father Arseny," moaned Alexei. "We are both going to die. We need to keep moving, to jump up and down, but it is impossible to keep that up for 48 hours. Why don't you say anything, Father Arseny?" As if from somewhere very far away Father Arseny's voice answered, "I am praying to God, Alexei!" "What's there to pray about when we are going to freeze?" Alexei muttered. "We are here all alone, Alexei; for two days no one will come. We will pray. For the first time God has allowed us to pray aloud in this camp, with our full voice. We will pray and the rest is God's will!"

The guards expected to find both men dead when they unlocked the door 48 hours later. Instead, they found the prisoners rested and radiant, with a thick coat of frost on their clothing. As the young man described it later, when he collapsed in despair he saw the dark cell flooded with light, and Fr. Arseny praying in priestly garments. The young man, like most others who knew Fr. Arseny, was transformed by his encounter.

O n three Sundays of the year we remember the Holy Fathers of Ecumenical Councils of our Church. On those Sundays we sing the above hymn to a long and beautiful melody.

The Ecumenical Councils were meetings of bishops who resolved disagreements in the Church about the nature of God, the place of icons and other issues. The teachings they gave us are fundamental in our faith.

The hymn uses military terms - a host of warriors, impregnable towers - because the Holy Fathers fought against false beliefs that threatened the Church. They stuck to what they knew was right, even when it seemed the whole world was against them.

The Fathers are also described as brightly shining stars, pure golden mouths, sweet-scented flowers. These men - people such as St Basil, St Athanasios, St Nicholas, St Spyridon and many others - were beautiful people, who by their personal struggles and the Grace of God were full of love, humility, self-sacrifice and service to others, and were given the power to discern the truth and defend it.

Father Arseny, 1893-1973: Priest, Prisoner, Spiritual Father. Published by St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 244 pages, ISBN: 0881412325. Father Arseny: A Cloud of Witnesses. Published by St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 277 pages, ISBN: 0881411809. Both books translated by Vera Bouteneff

A wide range of Orthodox Christian books in Greek and English is available from

The Orthodox Bookstore, 31A Enmore Rd, Enmore.

Τ ῶv ἁγίωv Πατέρων ὁ χορός, ἐκ τῶν τῆς οἰκουμένης περάτωv συvδραμώv, Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ καὶ Πνεύματος Ἁγίου, μίαν οὐσίαν ἐδογμάτισε καὶ φύσιν· καὶ τὸ μυστήριον τῆς θεολογίας, τρανῶς παρέδωκε τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ. Οὓς εὐφημοῦντες ἐν πίστει, μακαρίσωμεν λέγοντες· Ὦ θεία παρεμβολή, θεηγόροι ὁπλῖται, παρατάξεως Κυρίου· ἀστέρες πολύφωτοι, τοῦ νοητοῦ στερεώματος· τῆς μυστικής Σιών, οἱ ἀκαθαίρετοι πύργοι· τὰ μυρίπνοα ἄνθη τοῦ Παραδείσου· τὰ πάγχρυσα στόματα τοῦ Λόγου· Νικαίας τὸ καύχημα, οἰκουμένης ἀγλάϊσμα, ἐκτενῶς πρεσβεύσατε, ὑπὲρ τῶv ψυχῶν ἡμῶν.

The choir of holy Fathers, having hurried together from the ends of the whole world, proclaimed the doctrine of the one being and nature of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and clearly delivered to the Church the mystery of the godhead. Praising them with faith, let us call them blessed as we say: O godly host, inspired warriors of the Lord’s battle-line, brightly shining stars of the spiritual firmament, impregnable towers of the mystical Sion, sweet-scented flowers of Paradise, pure golden mouths of the Word, Nicea’s boast, the whole world’s ornament, intercede insistently on behalf of our souls.

The Doxastikon of the Holy Fathers of the Ecumenical Councils

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Μνήμες Κατοχής Το ακόλουθο άρθο είναι απόσπασμα απ’ το βιβλίο «Μνήμες Κατοχής στην Αυστραλία», γραμμένο απ’ τα μέλη του Ορθοδόξου Χριστιανικού Κύκλου Ελληνίδων Σύδνεϋ. Το κείμενο περιγράφη τις μνήμες μιάς Κυρίας που έζησε στην Θεσσαλονίκη κατά την εποχή του πολέμου και της Κατοχής:

Σ το δρόμο βλέπαμε σκελετωμένους ανθρώπους, οι περισσότεροι μικρά παιδιά, πρησμένοι από την πείνα, χωρίς ελπίδα για ζωή. Απ' το φόβο μας ψάχναμε και τα δικά μας πόδια, τα γεμάτα σημάδια από τα συρματοπλέγματα των Γερμανών, μην είναι πρησμένα και πεθάνουμε και εμείς. Ευτυχώς που οι Χριστιανοί, με επί κεφαλής το μακαριστό πατέρα Λεωνίδα Παρασκευόπουλο και τον αείμνηστο κύριο Αθανάσιο Φραγκόπουλο με τα συσσίτια που οργάνωσαν τάισαν και έσωσαν εκατοντάδες ελληνόπουλα. O αδελφός μου, πνευματικό παιδί του πατρός Λεωνίδα, δεν πήγαινε σε αυτά τα συσσίτια, για να μη στερήσει το φαγητό από τα άλλα παιδιά. Εμείς τους τρέμαμε τους Γερμανούς. Θυμάμαι μια μέρα, την ώρα που φεύγαμε από το σχολείο με άλλα παιδιά, είδαμε ένα Γερμανό να κυνηγά μια γυναίκα. Εκείνη η καημένη, λαχανιασμένη έτρεχε με ένα μωρό στην αγκαλιά. Μπήκε σ' ένα σπίτι που βρέθηκε μπροστά της και σκαρφάλωσε στη σκάλα. Ο Γερμανός την έφτασε και χωρίς έλεος τη σκότωσε με το όπλο του... το μωρό έπεσε από τα χέρια της και κατρακύλησε σπαρταρώντας κοντά στα πόδια μας. Ο άκαρδος ούτε το αθώο πλασματάκι δε λυπήθηκε. Έβγαλε ένα μικρότερο πιστόλι από την τσέπη του και το σκότωσε και εκείνο μπροστά στα μάτια μας.. Ακόμα ανατριχιάζω που το θυμάμαι... Τι τρομερή εικόνα!... Τι φρίκη, Θεέ μου!...… Αξέχαστη θα μείνει η μέρα εκείνη που έφυγαν οι Γερμανοί από τη Θεσσαλονίκη. Θυμάμαι τον ουρανό. Ηταν κατακόκκινος από τα πυρομαχικά, τα έπιπλα και τα χαρτιά που έκαιγαν οι Γερμανοί, για να μην πέσουν στα χέρια των Ελλήνων. Τους βλέπαμε από το μπαλκόνι μας και πετούσαμε από τη χαρά μας, που επί τέλους έφευγαν. Η μητέρα μου έβγαλε τη Σημαία, την έπλυνε και πεντακάθαρη βιάστηκε το ίδιο κι όλα βράδυ να την κρεμάσει στο μπαλκόνι μας. Ο πατέρας μου, οι γειτόνισσες προσπάθησαν να την εμποδίσουν: «Όχι ακόμα, όχι κυρά Αριάδνη..., περίμενε το πρωί...», πού να ακούσει εκείνη: «Έφυγαν οι Γερμανοί! Έφυγαν οι Γερμανοί!» έλεγε και ξανάλεγε. Και κλαίγοντας από χαρά, την έβαλε στο κοντάρι, να κυματίζει περήφανα στο μπαλκόνι μας.

Memories of the Occupation The following is an excerpt from a recently published book “Remembering Greece’s Occupation” written by the Greek Orthodox Ladies Group of Sydney. The excerpt describes the memories of one member who lived in the city of Thessaloniki during the occupation of Greece by Germany in 1941-1945:

O n the streets, there'd be people who looked like skeletons, most of them were young children. They were swollen from hunger and didn't have any hope of surviving. We were scared. We'd check our legs (that were covered with scratches from the Germans' barbed wire) to see if they were swollen and if we too would die. Thank God that the Christians, under the leadership of Father Leonidas Paraskevopoulos, and Athanasios Frangopoulos, both now departed, organised soup kitchens and saved hundreds of children. My brother, a spiritual child of Father Leonidas, didn't go to the soup kitchens so he wouldn't deprive other children the opportunity of getting some food. We were frightened of the Germans. I remember one day, as we were leaving for school, we saw a woman holding a baby in her arms being chased by a German. She ran into a house and climbed the stairs. But he caught up to her and without mercy killed her with his gun. The baby fell from her arms and rolled, crying, in front of our feet. The heartless German didn't even pity the innocent child. He took out a smaller gun and killed it in front of our eyes. I still shiver when I remember it... how frightening! What horror, my God! …… I'll never forget the day the Germans left Thessaloniki. I remember the sky was bright red from the ammunition, the furniture and the papers the Germans were burning so the Greeks wouldn't get a hold of them. We could see the Germans from our balcony and we were jumping with joy that they were finally leaving. My mother took out the flag, washed it, and hung it on the balcony, that same night. My father and the

neighbours tried to stop her. "Not yet, Mrs Ariadne, not yet, wait until

the morning." But she didn't listen. "The Germans have left, the Germans have left," she kept repeating. Crying with joy, she put

the flag on its pole, to fly proudly on our balcony.

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Page 8 ΛΥΧΝΟΣ

Panagia Pantanassa and Holy Cross. They provided an excellent opportunity for all participants to experience the Liturgical life of our Church through various services conducted at the Monasteries, as well as fostering an environment of Christian friendship and spiritual edification. With God’s help, more retreats will take place during Summer 2008.

Winter Retreats

D uring the months of August and September, a number of winter retreats took place for members of the boys’ Omathes of Sydney, the Orthodox Ladies Fellowship and the young men of the Greek Orthodox Christian Society. These retreats were all held in Lower Mangrove, Gosford, near the Orthodox Monasteries of

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« ΛΥΧΝΟΣ » is a bimonthly publication of the

Greek Orthodox Christian Society, 31a Enmore Rd, Newtown, NSW, 2042,

under the auspices of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.

For subscriptions and inquiries, phone: (02) 9567 3542.

e-mail: editor@lychnos.org

The boys Omathes of Bankstown, Belmore, and Earlwood during their winter retreat in August at the Monastery of Panagia Pantanassa with monks Fr Arsenios, Fr Eusebius,

and Fr Nectarios .

The young members of the 3rd Group of the Greek Orthodox Christian Society with Fr Eusebios and Fr Nectarios at their winter retreat in August, inside the

main Church of the Monastery of Panagia Pantanassa still under construction.

Women of the Orthodox Ladies Fellowship at the Small Compline Service conducted at Holy Cross Monastery, officiated by Fr Stephanos Pantanassiotis during their winter retreat in September.

Ακούτε το ραδιοφωνικό πρόγραμμα «η Φωνή της Ορθοδοξίας»

κάθε Κυριακή 10:45 π.μ. στο 2MM-ΑΜ 1665

11:00 π.μ. στο 2ΕRΑ-FΜ 151.675 (scanner) 5:30 μ.μ. στο Galaxia FM 151.850 (scanner)

και κάθε Πέμπτη 3:30 μ.μ. στο Radio Club AM 1683