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AUGUST 15: FEAST OF THE DORMITION OF OUR MOST HOLY LADY, THE

THEOTOKOS AND EVER-VIRGIN MARY

15 ΑΥΓΟΥΣΤΟΥ: Η ΚΟΙΜΗΣΙΣ ΤΗΣ ΥΠΕΡΑΓΙΑΣ ∆ΕΣΠΟΙΝΗΣ ΗΜΩΝ

ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΑΕΙΠΑΡΘΕΝΟΥ ΜΑΡΙΑΣ

THE PARAKLESIS TO THE MOTHER OF GOD – SEE PAGES 6-7.

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AUGUST 15: FEAST OF THE DORMITION OF OUR MOST HOLY LADY,

THE THEOTOKOS AND EVER-VIRGIN MARY Introduction

The Feast of the Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady, the

Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary is celebrated on August 15

each year. The Feast commemorates the repose (dormition and

in the Greek kimisis) or "falling-asleep" of the Mother of Jesus

Christ, our Lord. The Feast also commemorates the translation

or assumption into heaven of the body of the Theotokos.

Biblical Story The Holy Scriptures tell us that when our Lord was

dying on the Cross, He saw His mother and His disciple John

and said to the Virgin Mary, "Woman, behold your son!" and to

John, "Behold your mother!" (John 19:25-27). From that hour,

the Apostle took care of the Theotokos in his own home. Along

with the biblical reference in Acts 2:14 that confirms that the

Virgin Mary was with the Holy Apostles on the day of Pentecost, the tradition of the Church holds that she

remained in the home of the Apostle John in Jerusalem, continuing a ministry in word and deed.

At the time of her death, the disciples of our Lord who were preaching throughout the world returned to

Jerusalem to see the Theotokos. Except for the Apostle Thomas, all of them including the Apostle Paul were

gathered together at her bedside. At the moment of her death, Jesus Christ himself descended and carried her

soul into heaven.

Following her repose, the body of the Theotokos was taken in procession and laid in a tomb near the

Garden of Gethsemane. When the Apostle Thomas arrived three days after her repose and desired to see her

body, the tomb was found to be empty. The bodily assumption of the Theotokos was confirmed by the message

of an angel and by her appearance to the Apostles.

This great Feast of the Church and the icon celebrates a fundamental teaching of our faith—the

Resurrection of the body. In the case of the Theotokos, this has been accomplished by the divine will of God.

Thus, this Feast is a feast of hope, hope in Resurrection and life eternal. Like those who gathered around the

body of the Virgin Mary, we gather around our departed loved ones and commend their souls into the hands of

Christ. As we remember those who have reposed in the faith before us and have passed on into the communion

of the Saints, we prepare ourselves to one day be received into the new life of the age to come.

We also affirm through this Feast as we journey toward our heavenly abode that the Mother of God

intercedes for us. Through Christ she has become the mother of all of the children of God, embracing us with

divine love.

Orthodox Christian Celebration of the Feast of the DORMITION

The commemoration of the Dormition of the Theotokos and the preparation for the Feast begin on

August 1 with a period of fasting. A strict fast is followed on most of the days (no meat, dairy, oil, or wine), with

the exceptions of fish on the Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6) and the day of the Dormition. Oil and Wine

are allowed on Saturdays and Sundays.

On the weekdays before the Feast, Paraklesis services are held in most parishes. These consist of the

Great Paraklesis and the Small Paraklesis, both services of supplication and prayer for the intercessions of the

Theotokos.

The Feast of the Dormition is celebrated with the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom which is

conducted on the morning of the Feast and preceded by a Matins (Orthros) service. A Great Vespers is

conducted on the evening before the day of the Feast. Scripture readings for the Feast of the Dormition are the

following: At Vespers: Genesis 28:10-17; Ezekiel 43:27-44:4; Proverbs 9:1-11. At the Matins: Luke 1:39-49, 56.

At the Divine Liturgy: Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 10:38-42; 11:27-28.

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15 ΑΥΓΟΥΣΤΟΥ: Η ΚΟΙΜΗΣΙΣ ΤΗΣ ΥΠΕΡΑΓΙΑΣ ∆ΕΣΠΟΙΝΗΣ ΗΜΩΝ

ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΑΕΙΠΑΡΘΕΝΟΥ ΜΑΡΙΑΣ του Ιωάννου Φουντούλη

Η εορτή της Κοιµήσεως της Θεοτόκου, που

εορτάζει στις 15 Αυγούστου ο χριστιανικός κόσµος,

είναι η µεγαλυτέρα από τις εορτές που καθιέρωσε η

Εκκλησία προς τιµήν της Μητρός του Κυρίου, τις

θεοµητορικές εορτές. Ίσως είναι και η παλαιοτέρα

από όλες. Τις πρώτες µαρτυρίες έχοµε γι’ αυτήν

κατά τον Ε' αιώνα, γύρω στην εποχή που συνεκλήθη

η Γ' Οικουµενική Σύνοδος της Εφέσου (451), που

καθόρισε το θεοµητορικό δόγµα και έγινε αιτία να

αναπτυχθεί η τιµή στο πρόσωπο της Θεοτόκου. Για

πρώτη φορά φαίνεται ότι συνεστήθη στα Ιεροσόλυµα την 13 Αυγούστου και λίγο αργότερα

µετετέθη στις 15 του ιδίου µηνός. Είχε δε γενικότερα θεοµητορικό χαρακτήρα, χωρίς ειδική

αναφορά στο γεγονός της Κοιµήσεως. Ονοµάζετο «ηµέρα της Θεοτόκου Μαρίας». Κέντρο

του πανηγυρισµού αναφέρεται στην αρχή ένα «Κάθισµα», ναός επ’ ονόµατί της, που

ευρίσκετο έξω από τα Ιεροσόλυµα στο τρίτο µίλιο της οδού που οδηγούσε στην Βηθλεέµ. Η

σύνδεση της εορτής αυτής προς την Κοίµηση της Θεοτόκου, έγινε στον περίφηµο ναό της

Παναγίας που βρισκόταν στην Γεσθηµανή, το «ευκτήριο του Μαυρικίου», όπου υπήρχε και

ο τάφος της. Αυτός ο ναός πολύ σύντοµα πήρε τον χαρακτήρα του µεγαλυτέρου

θεοµητορικού προσκυνήµατος και η ακτινοβολία του έγινε αιτία η πανήγυρίς του κατά την

15η Αυγούστου γρήγορα να διαδοθεί σ’ ολόκληρο τον χριστιανικό κόσµο και κατά τον ΣΤ'

µε Ζ' αιώνα να επικρατήσει σε ανατολή και δύση σαν εορτή της Κοιµήσεως, του θανάτου,

της Θεοτόκου. Αργότερα εξήρθη η εορτή µε την προπαρασκευαστική νηστεία και την

παράταση το εορτασµού µέχρι της 23ης

ή και µέχρι τέλους του Αυγούστου και έγινε όχι

µόνο η µεγαλυτέρα θεοµητορική εορτή, αλλά και µία από τις σπουδαιότερες εορτές του

εκκλησιαστικού έτους. Αυτό βέβαια ήταν φυσικό να γίνει, γιατί η Θεοτόκος είναι το

προσφιλέστερο και ιερότερο πρόσωπο µετά τον Κύριο και γι’ αυτό συνεκέντρωσε την τιµή

και την ευλάβεια όλων των χριστιανικών γενεών. Αναρίθµητοι ναοί και µονές έχουν κτισθεί

προς τιµήν της Κοιµήσεώς της, θαυµάσιες τοιχογραφίες παριστάνουν σε κάθε ναό πίσω από

την κεντρική είσοδο σε εκπληκτικές συνθέσεις την ιερά της κηδεία, ύµνοι εκλεκτοί έχουν

διακοσµήσει την ακολουθία της και λόγοι λαµπροί και εγκώµια εκφωνήθηκαν από τους

Πατέρες και νεωτέρους κληρικού άνδρες κατά την ηµέρα της µνήµης της. Όλες οι

ανθρώπινες γενεές συναγωνίσθηκαν στην προσφορά ό,τι εκλεκτοτέρου είχαν να

παρουσιάσουν για να µακαρίσουν έργω και λόγω την Παρθένο Μαρία. «Ιδού γαρ από του

νυν µακαριούσι σε πάσαι αι γενεαί».

Για την κατανόηση του εορτολογικού περιεχοµένου της εορτής της Κοιµήσεως, όπως

και των άλλων θεοµητορικών εορτών, της Συλλήψεως, της Γεννήσεως και των Εισοδίων,

πρέπει να κάνουµε µία µικρά αναδροµή στις πηγές, από τις οποίες αντλήθηκαν τα

θεοµητορικά αυτά θέµατα. ∆ιαφορετικά είναι αδύνατο να ερµηνεύσει κανείς ότι συνδέεται

µε τον εορτασµό αυτόν, τα συναξάρια, την υµνογραφία και την εικονογραφία των. Οι

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αυθεντικές ιστορικές πηγές, τα Ευαγγέλια και τα άλλα βιβλία της Καινής ∆ιαθήκης, δεν µας

διέσωσαν πληροφορίες για το ευαγγελισµού και για τον µετά την ανάληψη του Κυρίου βίου

της Θεοτόκου. Πρόθεση των Ιερών συγγραφέων ήταν να αφηγηθούν τον βίο και το

σωτηριώδες έργο του Χριστού και ότι άµεσα συνεδέετο µε αυτόν και όχι να ικανοποιήσουν

την ευλαβή περιέργεια ή τα ιστορικά ενδιαφέροντα των αναγνωστών των. Η παράδοση

όµως της Εκκλησίας διέσωσε από στόµατος εις στόµα διάφορες πληροφορίες που

αφορούσαν στον βίο της Θεοτόκου προ συλλήψεως του Κυρίου και µετά την ανάστασή

Του. Αργότερα διάφοροι ευλαβείς, κατά το πλείστον, συγγραφείς περιέλαβαν τις

πληροφορίες αυτές και τις ανέπτυξαν µε την φαντασία των και για να έχουν περισσότερο

κύρος έθεσαν στους τίτλους των έργων των µεγάλα αποστολικά ονόµατα. Η Εκκλησία

απέρριψε και κατεδίκασε τα βιβλία αυτά και τα ονόµασε «Απόκρυφα» και

«Ψευδεπίγραφα». Σε µεταγενεστέρα εποχή πολλές από τις διηγήσεις αυτές, τουλάχιστον

στις βασικές των γραµµές, έδωσαν θέµατα στην διαµόρφωση εορτών, στην σύναξη

συναξαρίων, στην ποίηση ύµνων και στην εικονογραφία. Εξ’ άλλου καθώς είπαµε, ο πυρήν

των διηγήσεων αυτών είχε ως βάση του παµπάλαιες ιστορικές παραδόσεις γύρω από το

πρόσωπο της Θεοµήτορος.

Ειδικά το γεγονός της Κοιµήσεως της Θεοτόκου αφηγείται, εκτός των άλλων, και µια

απόκρυφος διήγησις, που φέρεται υπό το όνοµα του ηγαπηµένου µαθητού του Κυρίου, του

Ιωάννου. Μία περίληψη του εκτενούς αυτού κειµένου θα παρουσιάσοµε εδώ. Σε κάθε

σηµείο ο αναγνώστης του θυµάται αντίστοιχες φράσεις από τους ύµνους και το συναξάριο

της εορτής και λεπτοµέρειες από την εικόνα της Κοιµήσεως, που εφιλοτέχνησαν βυζαντινοί

ζωγράφοι: Η Παναγία µετά την ανάληψη του Χριστού καθηµερινώς πήγαινε στο ζωοδόχο

µνήµα και προσεύχεται. Μια Παρασκευή ο αρχάγγελος Γαβριήλ παρουσιάζεται µπροστά

της και την χαιρετά· «Χαίρε, η γεννήσασα Χριστόν τον Θεόν ηµών. Ο Κύριος άκουσε την

προσευχή σου και θα πορευθείς εις την ζωήν την αληθινήν και αδιάδοχον». Η Θεοτόκος

επιστρέφει στον οίκον της, θυµιά και προσεύχεται στον Χριστό να της στείλει τον Ιωάννη

και τους λοιπούς αποστόλους για να παρασταθούν στον θάνατό της. Η προσευχή της

εισακούεται και πρώτος φθάνει, αρπαγείς από νεφέλη, ο Ιωάννης και σε λίγο επί νεφελών

και οι λοιποί απόστολοι οι διεσπαρµένοι στα πέρατα του κόσµου. Την Κυριακή έρχεται µε

την απαστράπτουσα δόξα Του και µε χιλιάδες αγγέλους ο Κύριος να παραλάβει την ψυχή

της µητρός του. Εκείνη ευλογεί τους αποστόλους και τον κόσµο, δέεται για την σωτηρία

όλων και αφού λαµβάνει την υπόσχεση ότι «πάσα ψυχή επικαλούµενη το όνοµά της ου µη

καταισχυνθή, αλλ’ εύρη έλεος και παράκλησιν και αντόληψιν και παρρησίαν και εν τω νυν

αιώνι και εν τω µέλλοντι», παραδίδει την αγία της ψυχή στα χέρια του Yιού της. Οι

απόστολοι περιπτύσσονται το σκήνος και ψάλλοντες, µεταφέρουν την κλίνη µε το σώµα για

ταφή. Ένας Εβραίος ονόµατι Ιεφωνίας ορµά και επιχειρεί «κατά της κλίνης», αλλ’ άγγελος

Κυρίου µε «ξίφος πυρός» αποκόπτει τα χέρια του από των ώµων, που µένουν κρεµασµένα

στην κλίνη. Αυτός µετανοεί και κολλώνται και πάλι τα χέρια του, ενώ οι απόστολοι

ανενόχλητοι συνεχίζουν την εκφορά. Το σκήνος θάπτεται σε καινό µνηµείο στην

Γεσθηµανή, την Τρίτη όµως ηµέρα «µετετέθη… εν Παραδείσω». ----------------

* Περιοδικό Ποιµήν, Ιούλιος - Αύγουστος 2004

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THE PARAKLESIS TO THE MOTHER OF GOD by Matushka Ioanna Callinicos Rhodes

The following article was published in the "Behold, the handmaiden of the Lord" column in the volume 5 number 3 issue of The Handmaiden.

Editor’s note: One of the most beautiful services in the Orthodox Church is the Paraklesis

(Supplication) to the Theotokos. It is a service for the welfare of the living (as opposed to the service for

the welfare of the departed, which is a Memorial Service). If you are tired and weary of life’s problems,

of the physical and spiritual illnesses we encounter daily – know that the Mother of All – the Theotokos

and Ever-Virgin Mary is waiting to embrace you, and to intercede to the Lord to relieve you or help you

with these issues. Come to the Paraklesis Services. It is traditional to give to the priest the names of your

living relatives who you wish to pray for. +FrN.

When I was approached and asked to write an article about what the Paraklesis service to the

Theotokos (The Paraklesis is a service of supplication to the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God) means to me,

and how it affects me personally, I was extremely honoured by the request. Then later I thought, “What an

impossible task! Where do I even begin?” The Paraklesis is very dear and near to my heart. I was reared and

groomed with the Paraklesis service regularly present in my life. I especially remember as a child, during

the fifteen-day fast period of August, standing before the icon of the Theotokos in my parents’ bedroom

with my mother, singing together with her this most eloquent and awe-inspiring hymnographic text to the

Theotokos. I came to understand instinctively that whatever occurrence or tribulation might happen in my

life, it is this particular service to the Theotokos to which I could run.

In the prayers of the Paraklesis, we surrender ourselves totally to the help of the Theotokos. The

words of this service are to us the source of consolation, comfort, hope, peace, compassion, and

understanding. We ask ourselves, “How can this be?” It can be because it is the Theotokos who provides

and gives this to us. We must truly listen very carefully and very attentively to the text of the service to

come to the understanding of what is being said.

In the text of the service there are many occasions when we hear the Theotokos is our refuge, our

shelter, our protection, our rescuer from affliction and illness. Also, she is referred to as being the healer of

our soul and body. How is it possible that she is able to do all this for us? The answer comes straight out of

the service itself:

As Thou didst will, O our Saviour,

To dispense our salvation through Thine economy

Inside the womb of the Virgin;

Thou hast shown to all people

That she is our protectress;

O the God of our fathers,

Blessed art Thou our God.

We must understand that in being chosen to be the Mother of God, and freely accepting God's will,

Mary not only became the Mother of God but she becomes our Mother, too. As the Mother, she is able to

ask anything of her Son, as mothers often do of their children. From the love the child has for the mother,

the child complies with the mother’s request. Likewise, there are times the child makes a request of the

mother and, out of love, the mother complies with the request of the child. This is how we are making the

request of our Heavenly Mother, who then requests of her Son and God. Thus we say in the service:

Spotless One,

Who by a word, didst bring forth the eternal Word

Ineffably in the last days,

Do now plead with Him

As the one who has motherly boldness.

As I said earlier, my mother had a great devotion and love for the Mother of God, and she passed on

the tradition of the Paraklesis to me. After my mother revealed to me how the Paraklesis had helped her in a

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time of tribulation, the service became even more precious to me. My mother told me that when she was

unable to conceive a child, it was heartbreaking for her to endure this affliction. But her hope was the

Theotokos, and her heart and mind went to the Paraklesis. She fervently prayed to the Theotokos to grant

her a child. Her prayer was that she did not need an heir, but that she wanted a little girl. This happened just

at the time of the Dormition fast, which she kept very strictly, and for each night of the fast she sang the

Paraklesis to the Mother of God. Needless to say, by the close of the month she had conceived, and the child

she bore was I, her one and only child. From that time forth my mother vowed to keep those fourteen days

of the fast strictly and to sing the Paraklesis in thanks to the Theotokos, for the gift that was given. It was in

this environment that I was nurtured to have a devotion to the Theotokos. I owe her my existence. She is

truly honoured as my heavenly Mother, to whom I run in my own times of difficulty, affliction, and

tribulation.

So it came to pass for me, when the time came for me to deal with my own difficulty in conceiving a

child, it was natural that my hope and source of comfort during the long ordeal was the Theotokos. My

prayer was to her, my heart and my pain I offered to her. Now I truly knew the anguish and the pain my

own mother must have gone through during her time of desiring a child. My mother’s prayer now became

my own prayer. As she did, so I did. The Paraklesis became my prayer and consolation. All my trust was

placed in the Theotokos. Ceaselessly I prayed, asking and requesting not only for one child but for two

whether from my own womb or through adoption, it did not matter. I specifically prayed to the Mother of

God of Kathara, a wonder-working icon of the Nativity of the Theotokos from the island of Ithaca, Greece.

Then, she revealed to me in a dream, which I saw twice, “Do not worry. You will receive that which you are

seeking, but first Fr. Basil [my husband] must come and serve here on the eighth of September.” This was

her feast day. As she bid, that is exactly what we did; we took the leap of faith, and traveled to Greece.

When we arrived on the island of Ithaca, Fr. Basil received the bishop’s blessing to serve. On the

eve of the feast we arrived at the monastery for the all-night vigil. By the end of the vigil, when it was time

for the Paraklesis to be sung, the chanters were already extremely tired. It was now time for the women to

help. I found myself being taken by the hand by my cousin and brought to the chanters’ stand to sing the

Paraklesis antiphonally with the men. What an experience this was for me! Not only were we chanting, but

the majority of the congregation were chanting with us, from memory. I knew then that that particular feast

that year was meant for me. It was meant for me to participate in, and to feel and know that the Theotokos

was there for me, without a doubt.

When the last verse was chanted from the verses after the exapostilarion, I understood the

awesomeness of it all. The verse makes reference to the Theotokos nursing Christ, but the actual Greek

word is galouhis, which means “suckle”, a much more earthy and basic term. The verse is as follows:

Thou art a gold-adorned tower,

A twelve-walled surrounded city,

A sun-drenched throne,

A royal seat of the King.

O inexplicable wonder,

How do you nurse (suckle) the Master?

It is in this verse that I came to understand that it is impossible to understand anything. It is all a

matter of faith - faith to understand that this is a mystery, which is not meant for me to understand and

cannot be explained. Just as the verse states, this is an “inexplicable wonder” meant for me to accept,

absolutely, without question and without any doubt.

After we returned from the trip, there were many times people would ask me if I had given up yet.

My response to them was, “How can I give up on what the Theotokos promised me?” It was three years

later the Theotokos allowed my husband and me the blessing of the adoption of our daughter. Two more

years passed before we adopted our son. And now, through her prayers, there is a possibility for a third child

if it is her desire for us. In all this process, the Paraklesis has been the source of strength for me. No matter

how it all turns out, she will always be there for me.

Matushka Ioanna Rhodes is the wife of Father Basil, pastor of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church (OCA) in Saratoga, California.

8

SCHEDULE OF DIVINE SERVICESSCHEDULE OF DIVINE SERVICESSCHEDULE OF DIVINE SERVICESSCHEDULE OF DIVINE SERVICES August 2008August 2008August 2008August 2008

SUNDAY 3 +7TH

SUNDAY OF MATTHEW. STS. DALMATOS, ISAAKIOS & FAUSTOS.

ORTHROS 9:15AM; DIVINE LITURGY 10:30AM.

TUESDAY 5 THE SERVICE OF THE SMALL PARAKLESIS

TO THE MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS, 7:00PM

WEDNESDAY 6 +THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR

LORD GOD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. ORTHROS 9:15AM; DIVINE LITURGY 10:15AM.

THURSDAY 7 THE SERVICE OF THE SMALL PARAKLESIS

TO THE MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS, 7:00PM.

SUNDAY 10 +8TH

SUNDAY OF MATTHEW. ST. LAURENCE THE DEACON.

ORTHROS 9:15AM; DIVINE LITURGY 10:30AM.

TUESDAY 12 THE SERVICE OF THE SMALL PARAKLESIS

TO THE MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS, 7:00PM.

THURSDAY 14 VESPERS: THE DORMITION OF THE THEOTOKOS. 7:00PM.

FRIDAY 15 +THE DORMITION OF THE THEOTOKOS. ORTHROS 9:15AM; DIVINE LITURGY 10:15AM.

SUNDAY 17 NO SERVICE.

SUNDAY 24 NO SERVICE.

FR. NIKOLAOS WILL BE TRAVELING TO GIMLI, MANITOBA WITH THE YOUTH OF OUR COMMUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN CAMP

METAMORPHOSIS WEST, THE GREEK ORTHODOX COMMUNITY CAMP IN WINNIPEG. IN CASE OF EMERGENCY, YOU CAN CALL HIM

ON HIS CELLULAR PHONE (807) 472-1341.

FRIDAY 29 +BEHEADING OF JOHN THE FORERUNNER & BAPTIST. (STRICT FAST) ORTHROS 9:15AM; DIVINE LITURGY 10:15AM.

SUNDAY 31 +11TH

SUNDAY OF MATTHEW. ORTHROS 9:15AM; DIVINE LITURGY 10:30AM.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

AUGUST 6 - 10, 2008

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9

!"#$% ! !"#$% ! !"#$% ! !"#$% ! &'()'*+,-.//&'()'*+,-.//&'()'*+,-.//&'()'*+,-.//8888

ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ 3 +ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ Z’ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΥ. ΟΣΙΟΥ ∆ΑΛΜΑΤΟΥ, ΙΣΑΑΚΙΟΥ, ΦΑΥΣΤΟΥ.

ΟΡΘΡΟΣ 9:15ΠΜ, ΘΕΙΑ ΛΕΙΤΟΥΡΓΙΑ 10:30ΠΜ.

ΤΡΙΤΗ 5 ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΜΙΚΡΑΣ ΠΑΡΑΚΛΗΣΕΩΣ

ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΥΠΕΡΑΓΙΑΝ ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΝ. 7.00ΜΜ

TEΤΑΡΤΗ 6 +Η ΜΕΤΑΜΟΡΦΩΣΙΣ ΤΟΥ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ. ΟΡΘΡΟΣ 9:15ΠΜ, ΘΕΙΑ ΛΕΙΤΟΥΡΓΙΑ 10:15ΠΜ.

ΠΕΜΠΤΗ 7 ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΜΙΚΡΑΣ ΠΑΡΑΚΛΗΣΕΩΣ

ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΥΠΕΡΑΓΙΑΝ ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΝ. 7.00ΜΜ

ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ 10 +ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ Η’ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΥ. ΑΓ. ΛΑΥΡΕΝΤΙΟΥ ∆ΙΑΚΟΝΟΥ.

ΟΡΘΡΟΣ 9:15ΠΜ, ΘΕΙΑ ΛΕΙΤΟΥΡΓΙΑ 10:30ΠΜ.

ΤΡΙΤΗ 12 ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΜΙΚΡΑΣ ΠΑΡΑΚΛΗΣΕΩΣ

ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΥΠΕΡΑΓΙΑΝ ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΝ. 7.00ΜΜ

ΠΕΜΠΤΗ 14 ΕΣΠΕΡΙΝΟΣ: Η ΚΟΙΜΗΣΙΣ ΤΗΣ ΥΠΕΡΑΓΙΑΣ ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΥ.

7.00ΜΜ

ΠΑΡΑΣΚΕΥΗ 15 +Η ΚΟΙΜΗΣΙΣ ΤΗΣ ΥΠΕΡΑΓΙΑΣ ΘΕΟΤΟΚΟΥ. ΟΡΘΡΟΣ 9:15ΠΜ, ΘΕΙΑ ΛΕΙΤΟΥΡΓΙΑ 10:15ΠΜ.

ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ 17 ∆ΕΝ ΕΧΕΙ ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΙΑ.

ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ 24 ∆ΕΝ ΕΧΕΙ ΑΚΟΛΟΥΘΙΑ. Ο Π. ΝΙΚΟΛΑΟΣ ΘΑ ΣΥΜΜΕΤΕΞΕΙ ΣΤΗΝ ΕΛΛΗΝΟΡΘΟΞΗ ΚΑΤΑΣΚΟΙΝΩΣΗ ΜΕ ΤΑ ΠΑΙ∆ΙΑ ΤΗΣ ΝΕΟΛΑΙΑΣ ΜΑΣ ΣΤΟ GIMLI, MANITOBA.

ΑΝ ΥΠΑΡΞΕΙ ΑΝΑΓΚΗ, ΝΑ ΤΟΝ ΠΑΡΕΤΕ ΣΤΟ ΚΗΝΗΤΟ ΤΗΛΕΦΩΝΟ ΤΟΥ 472-1341.

ΤΕΤΕΡΤΗ 29 +ΑΠΟΤΟΜΗ ΤΙΜ. ΚΕΦΑΛΗΣ ΑΓ. ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ ΠΡΟ∆ΡΟΜΟΥ. ΟΡΘΡΟΣ 9:15ΠΜ, ΘΕΙΑ ΛΕΙΤΟΥΡΓΙΑ 10:15ΠΜ.

ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ 31 +ΚΥΡΙΑΚΗ ΙΑ’ ΜΑΤΘΑΙΟΥ. ΟΡΘΡΟΣ 9:15ΠΜ, ΘΕΙΑ ΛΕΙΤΟΥΡΓΙΑ 10:30ΠΜ.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

AUGUST 6 - 10, 2008

SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY!

10

ΜΝΗΜΟΣΥΝΑ

Tελευταία τείνει νὰ ἐπικρατήσει μιὰ συνήθεια ἰσοπεδώσεως της Παραδόσεως. Ἔτσι εἴθισται ὀρι-

σμένοι ἀπό τούς πιστούς μας κατὰ τὰ μνημόσυνα τῶν κεκοιμημένων τους νὰ μὴν προσκομίζουν

στὸ ναὸ κόλλυβα, ἀλλὰ ἀντὶ αὐτῶν κουλουράκια, πίτες καὶ διάφορα γλυκίσματα. Ἀντὶ τοῦ

ζυμωτοῦ προσφόρου νὰ προσκομίζουν ἕτοιμα βιομηχανοποιημένα πρόσφορα. Ἀντὶ τοῦ

προσφερομένου κόκκινου οἴνου νὰ προσκομίζουν λευκὸ οἶνο. Ἀντὶ τῆς πατερικὴς φιλανθρωπίας

νὰ ἐμφανίζεται μιὰ τάση ἐπιδείξεως καὶ δωρεᾶς πρὸς σωματεῖα καὶ ἱδρύματα ὂχι μὲ σκοπὸ τὴ

χριστιανικὴ βοήθεια. Στὴν ἴδια σειρὰ τείνουν νὰ ξεχασθοῦν καὶ πολλὲς ἄλλες ἀκόμα πα-

ραδοσιακὲς συνήθειες, ὅπως: συνεχεῖς μνημονεύσεις τῶν κεκοιμημένων κατὰ τὶς Θ. Λειτουργίες,

ψυχωφέλιμες ἐπισκέψεις στὰ κοιμητήρια ἂφ' ἐνὸς μὲν γιὰ τὴ φιλοσόφηση τοῦ μυστηρίου τοῦ

θανάτου καὶ ἂφ' ἑτέρου γιὰ τὴν κοινωνία μετὰ τῶν κεκοιμημένων μας προσφορὰ προσφορῶν

καθ' ὃλην τὴν διάρκεια τοῦ ἐκκλησιαστικοῦ ἔτους καὶ ἰδιαιτέρως κατὰ τὰ ψυχοσάββατα· δωρεὲς

καὶ φιλανθρωπίες στὰ ἐκκλησιαστικὰ καθιδρύματα καὶ τέλος τακτικὴ τέλεση θ. Λειτουργιῶν,

Τρισαγίων καὶ προσευχῶν.

Συνηθίζεται σήμερα τὸ κόλλυβο νὰ ἀνατίθεται στὰ γραφεῖα μνημοσύνων κι οἳ συγγενεῖς νὰ

ἐφησυχάζουν ὃτι ἐκτελοῦν τὸ χρέος πρὸς τὸν κεκοιμη-μένο τους. Οἱ ναοί, ὃταν τελοῦνται

μνημόσυνα, τείνουν νὰ μοιάσουν μὲ ἀνθόκηπους. Ὑπάρχει μιὰ συνήθεια Δυτικῆς

προελεύσεως νὰ ὡραιοποιεῖται ὁ θάνατος ἢ μὲ ὁποιοδήποτε τρόπο νὰ περνᾷ ἀπαρατήρητος

ἀπὸ τοὺς ζωντανοὺς ἀνθρώπους. Ἡ συνήθεια αὐτὴ τῶν μεγάλων στολισμῶν πρέπει νὰ

περικοπεῖ καὶ νὰ ἐπικρατήσει τὸ πατερικὸ μέτρο. Εἰδικώτερα χρειάζεται μιὰ ἐπιστροφὴ στὴν

παράδοση ποὺ συνίσταται στὴ γνώση τῶν τελουμένων κατὰ τὰ μνημόσυνα καθὼς καὶ στὴν

ὠφέλεια ποὺ πρέπει κι ἐπιβάλλεται νὰ κομίζουν πρωτίστως οἱ μὲν κεκοιμημένοι μας ἀπό

αὐτά, δευτερευόντως δὲ καὶ οἱ ἐπιτελοῦντες αὐτά.

Στὰ παραπάνω πρέπει νὰ τονίσουμε καὶ τὴ σημασία τῆς συμμετοχῆς τῶν συγγενῶν τῶν

κεκοιμημενων στὴ Θ. Εὐχαριστία, ἡ ὁποία συνδέεται ἄρρηκτα μὲ τὸ μυστήριο τῆς μετανοίας.

Δυστυχῶς, συνηθίζεται σήμερα πολλοὶ ἀπό τούς πιστούς μας, ὅταν πρόκειται νὰ τελέσουν τὸ

μνημόσυνο συγγενῶν τους, νὰ μὴν προσέρχονται ἀπό νωρὶς στὸ ναό, ὅπου τελεῖται τὸ

μνημόσυνο ἀλλὰ νὰ παρίστανται τὴν τελευταία στιγμὴ ποὺ θὰ διαβαστεῖ μόνο τὸ δικό τους

μνημόσυνο. Μὲ αὐτὸ τὸν τρόπο παραβλέπεται ἕνας βασικὸς παράγοντας ποὺ ὀρίζει, ὃτι ἡ

τέλεση τοῦ μνημοσύνου συνδέεται ἄρρηκτα μὲ τὴν προσφορὰ τῆς ἀναιμάκτου Εὐχαριστίας

ὑπὲρ ἀναπαύσεως τῶν κεκοιμημένων. Αὐτὸ πάλι ἔχει σὰν προϋπόθεση ὃτι τὸ μνημόσυνο

πρέπει νὰ συνδυάζεται μὲ προσευχὴ καὶ προετοιμασία, γιὰ τὴν κοινωνία τοῦ Ποτηρίου, μέσα

στὸ ὁποῖο συνευρίσκεται ἡ ἀληθινὴ κοινωνία τῶν ζώντων καὶ τῶν κεκοιμημένων ἐν ὀνόματι

τοῦ ἐν Τριάδι Θεοῦ μας. Ὅταν λοιπὸν ἔχουμε μνημόσυνο, ὀφείλουμε κυρίως γιὰ τὸν

κεκοιμημένο μας νὰ βρισκόμαστε ἀπό νωρὶς στὸ ναό, νὰ προσευχόμαστε ὑπὲρ ἀναπαύσεως

11

τοῦ καθ' ὃλη τὴ διάρκεια τοῦ μυστήριου τῆς Θείας Εὐχαριστίας καὶ ὁπωσδήποτε νὰ

συμμετέχουμε σ' αὐτό.

Ἀκόμη καὶ οἱ φίλοι καὶ γενικώτερα οἱ προσκεκλημένοι στὰ μνημόσυνα ὀφείλουν νὰ καταθέ-

σουν ὡς προσφορὰ τὴν προσευχή τους, γιὰ τὴν ἀνάπαυση τοῦ κεκοιμημένου φίλου τους.

Σήμερα συνηθίζουν πολλοὶ νὰ περιμένουν ἔξω ἄπο τὸ ναό, μέχρι νὰ φθάσει ἡ ὥρα ν ἀρχίσει ἡ

ἀκολουθία τοῦ μνημοσύνου. Ὅταν δὲ ἀρχίσει τὸ μνημόσυνο παρατηρεῖται ἕνας στιγμιαῖος

συνωστισμός, ποιὸς θὰ πρωτοβρεθεῖ πιὸ κοντὰ στὸ κόλλυβο καὶ ἰδιαιτέρως πιὸ κοντὰ στὰ

συγγενικὰ πρόσωπα τοῦ κεκοιμημένου, γιὰ νὰ δείξει ὃτι εἶναι συνεπὴς σ' αὐτὴν τὴν ἐκδήλωση

συμπαθείας, ὅπως εἴθισται τελευταίως νὰ ἀποκαλεῖται τὸ μνημόσυνο. Ὅμως τὸ μνημόσυνο

ἔχει ὡς σκοπὸ τελέσεως του τὴν προσφορὰ τῆς προσευχῆς γιὰ τὴν ἀνάπαυση τοῦ κε-

κοιμημένου.

Ἕνα ἀκόμη στοιχεῖο ποὺ πολλὲς φορὲς τείνει νὰ γίνει συνήθεια εἰς βάρος τῆς ὠφελείας τῶν

μνημοσύνων, εἶναι καὶ οἱ ἀναξίως προσερχόμενοι στὰ ἄχραντα μυστήρια. Πολλοὶ ἐκ τῶν

συγγενῶν τοῦ κεκοιμημένου συμμετέχουν στὰ ἄχραντα μυστήρια μόνο γιὰ τὸ θεαθῆναι καὶ

γιὰ «τὰ μάτια τοῦ κόσμου». Τὴ συνήθεια αὐτὴ τὴ στηλιτεύουν πολλοὶ ἀπό τούς Ἁγίους

Πατέρες τῆς Ἐκκλησίας μας καὶ ὑπάρχουν καὶ ἱεροὶ κανόνες ποὺ ἀπαγορεύουν τὴν χωρὶς

προετοιμασία Θεία Μετάληψη. Πρωτ. Θεµιστοκλέους Χ. Χριστοδούλου, ∆ρ Θεολογίας

Ἐκεῖνος ποὺ ἔχει ἀγάπη: • Δὲν ἀποστρέφεται ποτὲ κανέναν. Οὔτε μεγάλο. Οὔτε μικρό. Οὔτε φτωχό. Οὔτε πλούσιο.

• Γίνεται γιὰ ὅλους τὸ ἀκάθαρτο σφουγγάρι, ποὺ ὅλα τὰ σκουπίζει (Ἀ' Κόρ. 4, 13). Ὅλα τὰ σκεπάζει.

• Ὅλα τὰ ὑπομένει.

• Δὲν ὑπερηφανεύεται ἐναντίον κάποιου. Δὲν ξιπάζεται. Κανένα δὲν κατακρίνει. Ἀλλὰ κι αὐτοὺς ποὺ

κατακρίνουν, τοὺς ἀποφεύγει.

• Δὲν σκέφτεται μὲ δόλο. Δὲν ἐξαπατᾷ τὸν ἀδελφό του.

• Δὲν ζηλεύει. Δὲν φθονεῖ. Δὲν συκοφαντεῖ.

• Δὲν χαίρεται μὲ τὰ σφάλματα τῶν ἄλλων. Δὲν διασύρει αὐτὸν ποὺ ἁμάρτησε. Ἀλλὰ λυπᾶται μαζί

του. Καί του, συμπαραστέκεται.

• Δὲν ἀγνοεῖ τὸν ἀδελφό του, ὅταν βρίσκεται σὲ χάπια ἀνάγκη. Ἀλλὰ τὸν βοηθᾷ μὲ κάθε τρόπο. Καὶ

ἐν ἀνάγκῃ πεθαίνει μαζί του.

• Ἐκτελεῖ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ εἶναι μαθητής Του. Γιατί ὁ ἴδιος ὁ καλός μας Δεσπότης Χριστὸς

εἶπε: «Ἀπὸ αὐτὸ θὰ μάθουν ὅλοι ὅτι εἶσθε μαθητές μου, ἐὰν ἔχετε ἀγάπη μεταξὺ σας» ('Ἰω. 13,35).

Ἀντίθετα ἔχεινος ποὺ δὲν ἔχει ἀγάπη: • Θυμώνει εὔκολα. Ὀργίζεται. Μισεῖ. Χαίρεται μὲ τὴν ἀδικία τῶν ἄλλων.

• Δὲν συμπάσχει μὲ αὐτὸν ποὺ ἁμάρτησε. Δὲν ἁπλώνει τὸ χέρι του νὰ βοηθήσει αὐτόν, ποὺ ἔπεσε.

Δὲν συμβουλεύει αὐτόν, ποὺ παρασύρθηκε. Δὲν στηρίζει αὐτόν, ποὺ κλονίζεται.

• Ἔτσι γίνεται φίλος τοῦ διάβολου καὶ ἐφευρέτης κάθε πονηρίας. Γίνεται ἐργάτης τῆς ὑπερηφάνειας

καὶ σκεῦος τῆς ἀλαζονείας.

Ἁγίου Ἐφραὶμ τοῦ Σύρου

12

Mother Gavrilia:

“A Holocaust to

His Love” by John Brady

The roster of 20th-century saints includes some who lived very

public lives, such as Russia’s Royal Martyrs, and not a few who strove

to live “hid with Christ in God.” Saint Silouan of Mount Athos might

have passed without a worldly trace if God had not sent Archimandrite

Sophrony to record his life for our benefit.

Likewise, Mother Gavrilia (+1992), an undoubted Saint (not

yet officially glorified) of the Church, lived only to love and serve

God in humility — “not to exist” as she herself said. By God’s

providence her spiritual daughter and namesake, nun Gavrilia, has assembled for us a radiant biography and

collection of the Gerondissa’s sayings, Ascetic of Love, which may prove to be one of the great spiritual

testaments of our time.

Avrilia Papayanni was born in 1897 to a wealthy Greek family in Constantinople, which remained

her home until 1923, when the family was deported to Thessalonika as part of the infamous “exchange of

populations.” Avrilia entered the University of Thessalonika as the second woman ever to enroll in a Greek

university. Though the path to worldly distinction seemed open to this intelligent, unconventional and

privileged young woman, she chose another way: in 1932, responding to a command (as she later described

it) of Christ Himself, she moved to Athens to live alone and work in nursing homes. She then traveled to

England (arriving with one pound to her name) and studied physiotherapy in London. In 1947 she opened

her own physiotherapy practice in Athens. Already her nearly-unique path of combined service and

hesychia was beginning to emerge: though she had many wealthy clients, she donated her services to the

poor, said the Jesus Prayer constantly during her treatment sessions, and healed many by her prayers, often

using her medical procedures as “cover” for her wonderworking intercession.

In 1954 her beloved mother died. The moment was a pivot in her life: she wrote that her mother’s

death “severed the last tie that had kept me bound to normal, material life on this Earth. Suddenly I was

dead… I was dead to the world.” She spent that entire night awake, her room filled with a blinding radiance

coming from the icon of Christ. Within a year she had closed her therapy practice, given all her money and

belongings to the poor, resolved to live in absolute poverty, and (now aged almost sixty) headed for India

with no plan, but a strong sense that Christ had called her there. (In this time of heightened enmity between

Islam and the West, it seems a miracle in itself that only fifty years ago she traveled alone, by bus, from

Jordan through Iraq and Iran, to India — and that at every stop she was invited to enter the local mosque to

“pray to her God.”)

Avrilia arrived in India with one dress and a Bible (her only reading at that time) and stayed for five

years, at first giving free physiotherapy to lepers and the poor at several clinics and ashrams. She worked

and mingled freely with Hindu gurus and protestant missionaries, making no distinctions in her loving

openness to all. A casual reader of her biography might fear that she was careless or syncretistic in her

Orthodox faith, but a closer reading will put any such concerns to rest. Throughout her years away from

Orthodox churches or contacts, she kept the fasts strictly and never prayed with non-Orthodox, Christian or

13

not. (When invited, she would answer “I do not pray aloud and never in company. I pray alone or at

Church… but do come and tell me your news over a nice cup of tea.”) The only example that I have found

of her ever speaking severely to anyone came when, on a speaking tour, a protestant made a disparaging

remark about the most holy Theotokos. Mother Gavrilia immediately took aside the person in charge and

said “Brother, I am sorry but I must tell you that as of tomorrow I will no longer be with you… I cannot

hear such words for Her, Whom I love most after our Lord Jesus Christ.” Suitable apologies were

forthcoming, and the tour continued.

Toward the end of her time in India, the same Voice that had called her to give her life to the poor

led her to spend eleven months in eremitic solitude in the Himalayas. During this time she received the call

to monastic life. In 1959 she entered the Monastery of St. Lazarus in Bethany, where she was tonsured a

nun after a three-year novitiate, receiving the name Gavrilia.

The next twenty years were a heady mix of monastic quietude alternating with speaking tours, three

years of missionary service in East Africa, and another three years in India working with Fr. Lazarus

Moore’s Orthodox community. Archimandrite Sophrony asked her to become abbess of his women’s

monastery in England, but she declined — one of the few times that she refused any of the calls to service

that repeatedly drew her away from her increasingly cherished silence and solitude.

In 1979 she was given free use of an apartment in Athens that over the next ten years became known

to her disciples as the “House of Angels.” Here she would spend half of each day in prayer, receiving no

one, the other half in counseling and healing a stream of visitors. In her last few years she moved to a

hermitage in Aegina, then to Leros, where she received the Great Schema in 1991 and reposed in peace the

following year.

Her biography includes (but does not emphasize) a startling series of miracles: a sudden, complete

healing from the last stages of Hodgkin’s disease, regeneration of a lens after cataract surgery, out-of-body

travel to Mt Sinai, to name a few — but, as one of her spiritual children told me, the most significant

miracle for those who knew her was her own presence and her all-pervading love for all. As Nun Gavrilia

wrote, “Mother Gavrilia’s entire life, which was a hymn to the Lord, became thanks to Him, a burnt

offering, a holocaust to His love.”

The sweetness and openness of Mother Gavrilia’s character was fed by a quiet but constant askesis

and awareness of the rigor of Christ’s commandments. (I was brought up short by her statement that the

Christian religion “is for the very few.” By the standards to which she held herself, I am very far from being

one of those few.) Even as she extended herself without reserve to serve others, she felt the relative

smallness of her service. While living at the New Jerusalem Monastery in Greece (1967, aged 69) she

offered free physiotherapy to residents of the Russian Old People’s home. She wrote “You can imagine my

joy at being here and treating these aged people… I joke and laugh and see their mournful faces change.

What a pity all is so temporary… Unless Joy comes from within — that is from its Source — it does not

last. As soon as I leave, it is as if I had never shared His Joy with them. Here I understand the words of

Christ: My joy I give unto you: not as the world giveth…”

Mother Gavrilia’s life obliterated the inane distinctions that we so often make between prayer and

service, contemplation and action. She had no theories about the Church, society, the Christian life, or

anything else. Her only “program” was to love with the love that proceeds from complete abandonment to

Christ, and to act as that love dictated. At one time this might express itself in “social action,” at another

time in secluded hesychia. The difference was immaterial because the Source was the same.

One of the most valuable portions of Ascetic of Love is a luminous collection of her sayings. I can

find no better way to close than to quote the first and last of these: “Any place may become a place of

Resurrection, if the Humility of Christ becomes the way of our life.”

John Brady is treasurer of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship in North America. He also is responsible

for the web site “God is Wonderful in His Saints” — www.abbamoses.com.

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Fluent in five languages: Once when I was there where I was, some foreign missionary came and said to me, “You may be a good

woman, but you’re not a good Christian.”

I said, “Why?”

“Because you have been here so long and you only go about speaking English. What local languages have

you learned?”

I said to him, “I haven’t managed to learn any of the local languages, because I travel a great deal from

place to place. As soon as I learn one dialect, they start speaking another. I’ve only learned ‘Good

morning’ and ‘Good evening.’ Nothing else.”

“Bah, you’re no Christian. How can you evangelize? All the Catholics and Protestants learn all the local

dialects in order to . . .”

Then I said, “Lord, give me an answer for him.” I asked it with all my heart, and then I said, “Ah. I forgot

to tell you. I know five languages.”

“Really? What are these five?”

“The first is the smile; the second is tears. The third is to touch. The fourth is prayer, and the fifth is love.

With these five languages I go all around the world.”

Then he stopped and said, “Just a minute. Say that again so I can write it down.”

With these five languages you can travel the whole earth, and all the world is yours. Love everyone as your

own — without concern for religion or race, without concern for anything.

MORE SAYINGS FROM MOTHER GAVRILIA:

1. Any place may become a place of Resurrection, if the Humility of Christ becomes the way of our life.

2. You may sleep, as long as you are in a state of watchfulness.

3. There are some who stay awake for a few, and some who stay awake for all.

4. Orthodox spirituality is knowledge acquired through suffering rather than through learning.

5. Do not wish for many things, whether they are within or out of reach. Instead, take care to sanctify the

little you have.

6. To learn how to love God: this is the one and only Education.

7. There is nothing cheaper than money.

8. Better Hell in this world than in the other.

9. It is not what we say, but what we live. It is not what we do, but what we are.

10. I put on the Rasson (Monastic habit) and do not speak unless I am asked. The Rasson speaks.

11. If you have love for all the world, the whole world is beautiful.

12. Someone said that a Christian is he who purifies love and sanctifies work.

15. Our purpose should be to have the Paraclete* in our heart, even when we have the...Parasite in our head.

16. We become a reflection of Heaven by saying: 'Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven'.

17. He who loves is not aware of it, as he is not aware of his own breathing.

18. When doors are open in Heaven, they are also open on Earth.

19. When the mind is not distracted by worldly matters and remains united to God, then even the 'Good day'

that we say becomes a blessing.

20. By saying 'no' and by refusing, we forfeit our purpose.

21. We must not 'exist' in the presence of the other person, who is God's 'image and likeness'.

22. In the early steps of our life we need the presence of someone we love. As we advance, the One, God,

fills us with His Love and Joy so much that we no longer need anyone. The soul does this at the beginning

because she does not know yet Whom she loves, and thinks it is this or that person.

23. Many times what God expects from us is the intention rather than the act itself. Our readiness to follow

His Commandment is enough for Him.

24. Jesus Christ gave us the golden mean: both alone and with others.

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25. When God created us, He gave us Life and breathed His Spirit into us. This Spirit is Love. When love

deserts us, we become as dead as corpses. We are not alive any more.

26. A Christian must have reverence for the Mystery of Existence in everyone and everything.

27. To reach the state of non-existence, love and love and love until you identify yourself completely with

the Other One, whoever this may be at the time. Then, at the end of the day you may ask yourself: Is there

anything I want? No. Is there anything I wish 'No. Is there anything I lack' No... So, that's it!

28. The spiritually advanced person is the one who has reached a state of "non-existence" and has deeply

understood that whatever happens to him is either because God Wills it or because God Permits it.

29. True inner progress begins only when a person stops reading anything but the Gospel. It is only then

that, united with God through the Jesus Prayer, he can hear God's Will.

30. Never wish for anything but the Will of God and accept with love any trials that may come your way.

31. Never identify a person with the wrong way in which he is treating you, but see Christ in his heart.

32. Never ask:” Why has this happened to me" 'When you see somebody suffering from gangrene or cancer

or blindness, never say: "Why has this happened to him"' Instead, pray God to grant you the vision of the

other shore... Then, like the Angels, you will be able to see things as they really are: Everything in God's

plan. EVERYTHING.

33. A wise man said: If you are to live only for yourself, it would have been better if you had not been born.

36. A person's most vulnerable spot is found in much talking and discussing.

37. To be meek is to wish never to have a guilty conscience.

38. When thoughts of passing judgment on another person cross your mind, pray God to take them away at

once, so that you may love this person as He does. Then God will help you see your own faults. If Christ

were visible, could you have such thoughts?

39. If you do not like somebody, think that you see Christ in that person. Then, you would not even dare

utter a word of criticism.

40. We must love people and accept them in our hearts as God presents them to us. It has been thus

ordained by the Lord Himself and by the Orthodox Tradition.

41. No one should become the servant of another man. We are only servants of God. 'For ye are bought with

a price', says the Apostle (1Cor.6:20). Therefore, there should be no servility in human relations.

42. What we say remains in Eternity.

43. Only when you are perfected in Love can you reach the state of Dispassion (Apatheia).

44. Only those who act without true love face adversities.

45.The faculty of judgment (Krisis) comes naturally to man. Criticism (Katakrisis) and reproval spring from

malice. Discernment (Diakrisis) is a gift from God and we should pray for it. It is essential to our protection

and progress.

46. The life of the Church extends beyond moral discipline and religious duty. It is the transcendence of

Morality to Spirituality.

47. An irresolute person does not participate in life.

48. When we must be helped, God will send someone to us. We are all fellow travellers.

49. The voice of God is silence.

50. Whoever lives in the Past is like a dead man. Whoever lives in the Future in his imagination is naive,

because the Future belongs to God. The Joy of Christ is found only in the Present, in the Eternal Present of

God.

51. Our destination is to worship God and love our fellow men.

52. We find happiness and peace only by living according to God's Commandments.

53. The most essential act of Philanthropy is to speak well of our fellow-men.

54. I could not get worried, even if I tried. When we worry it is as if we say to God: "I do not agree. You

don't do things right". Besides, this is sheer ingratitude.

55. To speak in the presence of Beauty is superfluous. It disturbs its harmony.

56. Through the invocation of the name of Christ, we batter our Ego.

57. It is the oil-lamp of our soul that must be always lighted, burning forever.

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Little guy gets to ring the church bells at a monastery in Montenegro.