Our Cell: Virtual Tour of the Flowers – Fr. Pimen Vlad

Please watch a lovely clip in which Father Pimen presents the flowers at our cell (the cell of the “Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple ” at Lacu Skete, on the Holy Mountain) after which Father Abbot will give us a word of benefit regarding them.

Enjoy!

Here we are again, my dear ones! Now I’d like to take you on a brief tour on the territory of our cell. You can hear the pounding of two stoneworkers working at some steps. They’ve also built some walls; because we are still doing a few things around the house. Here we have all sorts of flowers, I can hardly keep track of their names, but they are part of our joys. This one here, with the small white blossoms, is a type of myrtle. Its scent is stronger than any perfume.

Around here you see, the tiny white flowers here, a kind of “melissa” from Greek (honey), meaning they smell just like honey fresh from the hive. The green ones from here are the Queen of the Night. Here we see petunias and you can also see those red flowers whose name escapes me, and those are climbing geraniums alongside the regular ones. We have a type of lanterns that charge in the sun and cast a gorgeous vigil-light along the alley. Here I forgot to tell you, you see a large hydrangea bush which is about to bloom as well. It’s a sight to behold when it all blooms. Here we have dahlias, including some white ones. One just opened up, and it will be a magnificent bush, here it will be full of gladioli which, you may have noticed, are on the verge of blooming as well. And here I’ve made the traditional tires, which are always filled with flowers each year.

Now we go back and see the workers working on the steps, we’ll have other things to do as well, there are many. Over here you see the little train, my first little train. It has about 21 carriages, I made it a few years ago. Here you can also spot the colorful geraniums in three different hues. A few years ago, when I poured the concrete to support the escarpment, I thought about what I could invent as a railing would not work here. And I started working on it, pouring a wagon each day. I framed it and poured it, this is my labor.

Look at these beautiful geraniums, and begonias, again the melissa, the queen of the night, a bit of everything. That’s lavender, it has already bloomed a bit. I’ve scattered a few bushes in different spots. Here are the marigolds that have bloomed beautifully. Again geraniums, begonias. What else do we have here? I also planted some basil that grows quite large — about a square meter. Even though it’s late now, I still have a few freesias which bloomed late.

From February to March, we had a full display of carnations. And we go further, I’ll show you around a bit more to see the flowers I take pride in, so to speak, as this is my work, because I like them, I tend to them. Of course, some have faded now, this is where the dahlias start, the lilies are past their prime, also here there was a large, beautiful flower. I also planted plenty of chamomile, irises, flowers which are now gone.

Here also some are gone and there will be others. I also have a peony from this year; I see it’s a small bush, but I hope it will bloom. And there’s the peak of Aton, it’s a gorgeous view from here, the stoneworkers are joining in [with their noise], they are cutting the stone, and here is our little church. Take a look at the little flowers here. So beautiful. Geraniums of every kind. And over here, there’s a kind of climbing flower that doesn’t survive outside in winter; there are three bushes, I’ve put them in three corners.

Here you can see my place [grave] ready for when my time comes. I also call it studio apartment with a door in the ceiling, 2 meters by 1 meter, that’s all we need, nothing more. Continuing around, so you can see this part also, all the flowers, here we have irises – not irises – freesias, with a more delicate bloom. I planted some bulbs that someone sent me. They took a while to bloom, but they finally did. Here are some lovely flowers that last all year, though I don’t know their names. Look how it [a bee] is eating from it with gusto.

Of course, here we have the famous roses that have been delighting us with their beauty for months, blooming all year long. Down here you can also see, how beautiful they are. I have to do some weeding because the weeds have already sprouted, I didn’t have time for them anymore.

You see the little church again, and here is the honeysuckle, reaching up to the balcony, on this side, honeysuckle too. There are two bushes that climb up to the balcony, also a beauty. This area is for the birds. Now we go further. Here we have the guesthouse where we welcome and accommodate people. The upper floor serves as the guesthouse, while the lower part is a small shop with church items, and on the other side is the kitchen. We have basil and lavender here, and the oleander is ready to bloom as well. It’s a large, beautiful bush that lasts all year, next to another bush with white flowers that is just starting to bloom.

And here is the famous fountain we finished just two days ago. Do you see how beautiful it turned out? We made it so that the Christians who come to us have water to drink. They kept asking if there was a spring nearby. Now they have cold spring water right here. You see, plenty of flowers here, so that the water is better. Here you might remember from the videos, these are the tables where people sit, above we have kiwi vines providing shade. Before, we had a jug there from where people would get water. Here, we always keep a box or two of sweets for guests. Here I wanted to show off my beloved flowers a little bit. Here is the kitchen, there are flowers here too to give the cook some courage. The guesthouse is here, along with the cells. I’ll find a shady spot to sit and share a few more thoughts, after I bragged a little about all these things here.

After a tour of my flowers, and delighting you with them… I showed you some of their beauty, of course we had others before, in the spring we had tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, all in their time, what you see now are of this period. And what you see here is my quiet place. I have roses here too, I have honeysuckle. Right here, look, it has bloomed again, as it had a series of roses. The rose here has a strong, unique fragrance. I have other roses too, but none have such a strong fragrance as this one, such a fine aroma, it’s beautiful. I have kept this one, I have taken care of it, because here it’s a shadier area and the flowers don’t bloom as much as in front of the house over there. But, it’s enough here for me to have a few flowers, if I like them…

I was reading somewhere that God gave us flowers from Heaven to always remind us of it. They remain pure, beautiful, and fragrant, they have something unique. Our lives begin with flowers; mothers receive them at childbirth. At baptism, name days, and when we go to the church, we bring flowers to the Mother of God, at weddings and throughout life’s events, flowers are always present, even at funerals. We see that flowers are part of our lives from birth to departure. They have their own beauty in joy and sorrow alike. They are present to remind us of Heaven, to remind us that life does not end here on Earth, and that we will return to where they come from, the place from where God gave them to us, in Heaven. Did you understand, dear ones?

What else should I tell you? Life is short, and we cling to it, always wanting to do a lot, we have big plans, yet, we don’t know if tomorrow is ours. We know today, but what lies ahead? I reflect on my own life. There were times when I built a lot. I still do some work around the house, but I’ve built a lot from scratch. A house and a church. First, the cell of Saint Artemios, and then here again from scratch, I started here in 2005 when there was nothing. There were times of construction, but the services continued without interruption. The Divine Liturgy was held daily at both cells.

But on a personal level, I was looking at how God works. I had periods when I translated six or seven books from Greek to Romanian. It was that period when I began to read in Greek, to like it, to desire to learn it and I eventually started translating. After that, I began writing books. With the help of the Mother of God I’ve written about fifteen books and a poetry booklet.

There was a time of many years when I received a lot of letters from people, and I can say I responded to thousands of them. Some may be upset now that I no longer respond – those who were used to me replying in the past – so there was a period of years when I was responding. Now we’ve reached this period, we live in the age of the internet, where people spend a lot of time on the internet. So, we decided to find a balance and began to do interviews. The first ones were about eight or nine years ago with Cristi Bumbenici (that’s the name of his channel) where I started giving interviews. At first, he asked me, “Father, let’s try to reach people!” Since the internet was becoming popular, we aimed to share some words of benefit. Each person took what they wanted from those interviews.

For the past two years, we’ve had our cell’s website, “chilieatonita.ro,” through which we try to connect with you. I make a video once a week through which to reach you. Lately, for some years, many people have come here, and I’ve spoken with them. Some days, there have been as many as five or ten groups and I’ve tried to chat with each one. But the time is coming when my “engine” (heart) can’t keep up any longer. I’ve grown weary of these interactions. I’m talking about direct conversations with people, the talking. The engine is failing. At first, I pushed  through even when I couldn’t do it anymore.

I have certain heart issues that require balance, I need to avoid exhaustion, the sun, sorrow, the things that weigh on me. I exaggerated a bit talking too much to people. I see it’s time to step back a bit. That’s why I’ve been slowly avoiding it for about ten days, two weeks.

Now, Father Theologos speaks to people. He comes out and speaks with folks in the evening at 9 and sometimes at noon from 11 to 12. I’ve started to avoid it because I’ve seen the heart can’t keep up, and what does that mean? That God, the Mother of God said, “Well, enough! You’ve talked for years, that’s enough for you!” That’s my cue to retreat a bit. In the last two years, so many people have come that I haven’t had time for anything else, not for writing or reading. Of course, we never miss church; I mean everything else. Gradually, I’ve come to understand that I need to stop talking to people here in the courtyard, because my heart can’t take it anymore. Through these weekly videos, with the help of the Mother of God, I’ll try my best not to miss it. These are not a problem; in my quiet space, it doesn’t tire me.

When I am in solitude, surrounded by the beauty of flowers and nature, this doesn’t tire me. This way I’ll keep speaking, to be of use, as long as the Mother of God allows, though I’m not sure how much longer I can. I’ve noticed that these simple words that the Mother of God places in my mind reach people’s hearts. As long as I can be of some use, I will continue to share. There were times I thought about stepping back, but I see that people are asking, they are in pain, facing troubles, and they need solace.

So, I’ll say a few words as long as I can. What else should I tell you so I don’t go on too long? I’ve made that point long enough. Of course, our website will continue. Father Theologos is still managing it and responding to messages; I just provide a weekly video. I’m not skilled with the internet, it tires me, thus I find my escape in the flowers you’ve seen, I take care of them. It brings me peace. And I also do what I can around the house, because we have to maintain it here.

Another thing I want to tell you is: love your homeland, don’t kick it aside. Don’t believe what the media always says, that we have a poor, miserable country. No! We have a beautiful, rich country and good, merciful, faithful people. We still have this. That’s why there’s a constant effort to make us lose faith in our country and our people, and the biggest battle is to undermine trust in the Church. This is where the big fight lies, because the Church has always provided balance.

When man faced hardship he ran to the Church, in any circumstance, when society and everything around him doesn’t understand him, he runs to the Church. He seeks confession and a way to escape, to find relief for his soul, that’s what he truly needs. Even if he possesses all the riches of the earth, he remains spiritually unfulfilled. What helps him is escaping to God, through the Mysteries of the Church, through Confession and through everything I have said so far. Do you understand?

That’s why, let’s strive to stay close to God. Let’s be kind to one another, and not discredit our nation. Someone once asked me: “Father, with all this madness in the world and the war, whose side are you on?” I’m not on anyone’s side, I’m on the side of Romania because I am Romanian too. That doesn’t mean I don’t pray for everyone. I remember one thing, Father Paisios the Hagiorite prayed for everyone, saying, “Lord, take care of everyone, all the people, help them, but hold our Greece in Your arms and put it close to Your heart!” He was holy, yet when it came to Greece, that’s what he was saying. I do the same for Romania, asking God and His Mother to embrace it and watch over it.

War always serves the interests of those who instigate it. I can’t take sides because there are too many interests at play, and a lot of dirty dealings that the media doesn’t reveal. These are just to manipulate people’s minds. There are countless things that don’t reflect reality, and that’s why I prefer to stay out of it. And to show that we also cared about this war, that we wanted for there to be peace, for a year, until recently, we had a special prayer at every Divine Liturgy, near the end, when we all knelt. The priest recited this long prayer in front of the Holy Table on his knees. We kept this up for a year, praying for peace, to enlighten those who provoke the war to calm down, and for the souls of those who died to rest. But after a year, we stopped when we saw that people don’t want that, and if they don’t, then God doesn’t end it. Everyone is fueling this war, adding gasoline, firewood, anything to keep it burning. No one wants it to end because there’s too much profit in it. Those who profit from there know. We, the small ones, are just caught in the crossfire and destroyed. That’s all.

Romania has invested a lot of money and things there and has received nothing – not only nothing, just losses, not even gratitude, in return; that’s the reality. Because of this, Romania should mind its own corner, its own poverty, its own needs. Just look at the teachers now, poor souls. Let’s take it step by step by categories; always, the family, father and mother are the first who must educate the children properly, followed by the Church. Parents should take their children to Church for Communion and, as they grow up, to confess, to teach them the connection with God – so the Church. And thirdly, there is school. Teachers, education, plays a crucial role in shaping a child into a good member of society and for the country.

Right now, there’s a fierce battle to undermine these three pillars. Efforts are being made to strip parents of their rights in educating their children. Then the Church is constantly attacked to limit its involvement. Meanwhile, teachers, who are vital to children’s education, are constantly hit. Miserable wages and many other obstacles, preventing them from dedicating themselves to nurturing a good generation. Do you see? It is a battle of the devil, through those in different positions, to destroy the very foundations of forming a good society. Because of this, our only escape lies with God. We return to the quote from the Psalter that says, “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation!” Salvation is not there, salvation is with God.

That’s why we must stay close to God, seek the help of the Mother of God, who is our connection to Heaven and then we will witness true miracles. And because it is the Fast of the Holy Apostles, do not let it pass unnoticed. Confess, receive Holy Communion, strive to fast for a while, because it is an easy fast, so that you can prepare yourselves, because tomorrow is uncertain. We have only today; let’s live it beautifully, rejoice in it, and remember to thank God and the Mother of God daily!

Do you understand, dear ones? May the Mother of God help us and watch over us always! Lord, help us!

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