Where Is Home? – Fr. Pimen Vlad

Where is “home” for a spiritual person? What are Father Pimen Vlad’s impressions after his pilgrimage in Romania?

Watch this video to find out!

Enjoy!

Here we are again, my dear ones. Like Romanians like to say: there’s no place like home! Do you understand? I tried to capture a bit of the Athon peak, but I don’t think it shows up here. I came up to the orchard because… I would have filmed in the yard, but since we have Christians and pilgrims coming all the time these days, I wouldn’t have been able to film there. So, I thought I’d run back to the orchard, where my escape is, since it’s more peaceful here. It’s higher up, [and] I escape a bit from the thoroughfare, as they say.

I don’t even know where to start. First of all, I give glory to God and I thank Mother of God, that I’m able to record a video from home again. As I said before, it’s good for a person to have a “home.” Of course, our “home” is in Heaven. That is where we came from, and that is where we are going back to. But during our time here on earth, it’s good to have a “home.” A home that is dear to you. A home you’re happy to return to no matter where you are in the world— a place you long for. And “home” becomes that place where you can rest, where you know you find yourself, you can stay connected to God, and—as they say—rest easy.

That’s how I’ll try to do it; I didn’t plan this video in advance or think about what I’m going to tell you, but since I’ve traveled a lot around [Romania], through many places— I hope you can hear me, because the autumn wind is blowing; autumn has started to make its presence felt, as they say, wanting us to notice it too; a little wind is normal at this time of year. Coming from [Romania], having been in contact with so many people—you’ve probably seen some of the footage from my travels around the country—I’ve come to understand a lot of things and learned a lot. I also met some wonderful, kind people—quite a few of them, in fact; that is, most of them.

So, what’s going on in this world? It’s up to us how we navigate the ups and downs of life. I’ve always said that life is beautiful, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Life has its challenges, but we should always look on the bright side—the beautiful side of life—and not just focus on our troubles, suffering, and pain, and get stuck in them. No. Let us look beyond them, and of course, to do so, we must constantly ask for the help of God and the Mother of God, for otherwise we cannot cope. That is necessary.

What can I say? As I traveled around the country, I saw that there are good people everywhere. I was truly delighted to visit His Eminence Teodosie in Constanța. A wonderful person, childlike, and full of love. We had a chance to chat for a bit, to look each other in the eye, as they say, and I was glad. A wonderful man, a man full of love—like a child, one might say—a good bishop. After that, who else have I run into more recently? The Metropolitan of Moldavia, His Eminence Teofan, who is also a grounded, calm, and peaceful man—just like a father, like a shepherd— someone you can turn to for advice. I actually sat down and talked with him, as they say; we discussed a few useful things, and His Eminence encouraged me as well—just like a father would, wholeheartedly, with great calm, peacefully, exactly as a father should be. Yes, wonderful people!

After that, when I arrived in Timișoara, I met His Grace Siluan of Hungary there— another bishop with a smile on his face, full of love. We really rejoiced; we hugged each other, and he was so full of joy, too. And there are many bishops, but I’m talking about the ones I’ve had direct contact with— the ones I’ve truly rejoiced with, and who have been like fathers to me, as they say.

Yes, after that, I met people everywhere, but I met many wonderful young people, wonderful and beautiful children. What can I say? Even there, in Timișoara, so many young people had gathered— they were all so beautiful. I saw them there, the future of the country, all smiling, their eyes smiling too. They were singing and rejoicing, so it was evident that God was with them, and I was truly glad about that—that I had the opportunity to connect with them during this gathering. I talked with them, listened to them, listened to them sing, and rejoiced together with them.

Wonderful, good young people who are the future of the country and who have a connection with God. That is why those who serve as shepherds in the Church should take care of young people. They should keep young people close and take the greatest care of them, because they are the future of the country. And to those who are now entering their middle age, I say that they will be well if there are good young people in our country who are growing up well, because they are the future of the country. And then the elderly will be able to have a peaceful old age. That is why we must care for young people, keep them close, with patience and love, and help them grow into good people.

And I’ve mentioned this before—you’ve probably heard me talk about it— somewhere in Giroc, at a church, there was a wonderful priest, a good priest, the kind of priest, as they say, who has a lot of love for the faithful, but especially for young people. I was really happy at his church that two thousand people had come. Plus, we met up for a bit that evening. He also invited some of the volunteers who had helped at ITO – this meeting of Orthodox youth. And hundreds of young people came, and we enjoyed a spiritual evening. So, it really was something wonderful and beautiful.

More priests should be doing this—bringing young people together and organizing various meetings with them. Not just at church, but also outside, on certain days, in the evening, to meet up with them, to talk with them, to go out with them, organize a camp—because this priest actually does organize them. After that, he showed me various things—on major holidays, like Christmas, at the Nativity—how they prepare packages and deliver them to all the poor families, but he does all this with the help of young volunteers. So, together with them—he involves them in doing good. You have no idea how valuable this is. This should be expanded as much as possible. Priests should get involved, and, of course, from the top. The bishops should encourage this and support the priests who are actively involved in this work, because young people need to be brought to church, to God—you need to know this. Otherwise, if we somehow prevent young people from coming to church, we will bear a heavy responsibility before God. Because if even one soul is lost because of us—due to our pride, our indifference, or our self-interest—we will have much to answer for before God; we will have to give an account. It doesn’t matter what position we hold, from top to bottom.

So, the Church leadership must take the lead, followed by the priests, and then the Christians, because let’s not forget that we all make up the Church. From the clergy down to the last Christian—as the saying goes, from the bishop to the peasant— we are all part of the Church, and we all have a duty to get involved, not only for our own benefit—be it physical and spiritual—but for the benefit of the entire community. Because otherwise we will have to answer to God. And I say this based on my experience traveling these roads, having seen and learned a lot. But as I said, those young people have truly remained in my heart. And wherever I went, do you know where I rejoiced the most? Visiting families, places where there were lots of children.

Being surrounded by the children brought me immense joy. Children don’t ask anything of you; they just give you their love. They’re coming to give you a hug; they’re coming to rejoice with you. So, they don’t wear you out; they give you rest and nourish you. You feel like you’re gaining strength among them. And I was actually talking with the kids—each with their own stories, as I’ve mentioned before—a girl of about 13 told me, since she knew certain things in the family…, that is, I saw her struggle to be as close to God as possible. So, she would pray all the time, and for everything should would make the sign of the cross. Even when she was walking down the street, the moment something came to mind—any thought—she would make the sign of the cross. Whenever she took a glass of water or a bottle of water to drink, she would make the sign of the cross over it. And she did this all the time—at school, on the street, and wherever she happened to be eating—she was never ashamed to make the sign of the cross, because she felt the power of the Holy Cross. And that was always her weapon. Whatever she did, she made the sign of the cross and moved on. To see a 13-year-old doing this—something that even those with a whole life behind them might be embarrassed to do. It really makes me happy.

After that, there was a girl around 16 years old who said to me, “Father, I have a small icon of the Mother of God, and I take it with me to school and put it on my desk among my things, so I can see it there. I always pray to her whenever I have an exam; when I’m at high school, I always pray to the Mother of God, and she helps me. I couldn’t live without the Mother of God, without the Church, without God. I always ask her for help, in every situation!” …Without being embarrassed that maybe some people might laugh at the fact that she has that icon there. No! So, with all her courage, she kept going and prayed, knowing that this was her only hope. She said, “I couldn’t live without this!” As it’s said, the children are teaching us lessons!

Or I met, again, some little kids at another family’s house—two little boys, just the same, full of joy and life, because their parents were just like that too. They were there for them, raising them well, and would get involved together. I remember another family; they had 12 children. How beautiful! There was so much joy there—even though they didn’t have enough materially, but they played together and always found ways to be together and do things together! You have no idea how much this matters!

Come to think of it, I’ve been to so many places, and that’s exactly what I’m trying to recall. You know, I remember a family that adopted four little girls—one, two, three, four—one after another, like little angels, raised right. I’m telling you, there are plenty of families with natural parents who aren’t that involved. [They were raised] with so much love. They were all dressed the same; I was there with the family. All four of them gathered around me, took me in their arms, and said, “My dear, precious father!” They were just like little angels. Yes, so you see, that’s how it is with children, and many people run, they avoid having children, because “It’s hard….” It’s not easy, but doesn’t it say [in Scripture] that, “she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness…” And by raising them, of course. When they’re little, it might be a little harder at first, but after that, little by little…, God helps! So, here on earth, we cannot run away from the cross that God has given us. We have to struggle, do our best, and even if we fall, we have to get back up.

I’ve also been to Iași—as some of you may have already seen. About two thousand people gathered there. It was with the Metropolitan’s blessing; he gladly gave it to me so I could speak to the Christians there one evening. It was actually for three hours—and I was very happy to see their faith and piety, and how lovingly they came, people of all walks of life, including children, and young people, people of all ages—not a single one moved for three hours. So that means there is still faith in our country. Returning to Venerable Paraskeva [of the Balkans]. You saw— there haven’t been this many people at St. Paraskeva’s in any other year. So their estimate—just a rough idea, since no one has counted exactly— but generally, they did a survey: there were over 350,000 people, [that came to the feast day of St. Paraskeva]. Do you realize what that means? I don’t know about the countries around us—apart from Russia, where there are so many people —but in the other countries, I wonder if so many people still gather anywhere to celebrate a saint. You realize, these people didn’t come for nothing; they felt the Saint’s help, and that’s why they came there great love. We have wonderful saints, and I’m glad that people stay close to them and ask them for help!

What else was I going to say? Also at the feast of Saint Demetrius, again, I saw that this year was beautiful because the relic of the hand of the Holy and Glorious Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki was brought [to Bucharest], along with the icon of the Mother of God, Panaghia Soumela of Veria, which is among the first icons ever painted by the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke during the lifetime of the Mother of God, and this icon is miracle-working. In other words, it was a tremendous gift for Bucharest and for all of Romania. I was also able to be in Bucharest at that moment to take part in the “Way of the Saints”—as the procession with the holy relics was called— and we rejoiced together. After that, the next day I went to Thessaloniki; I arrived on the evening of the 25th and was there for the 26th, the feast day of Saint Demetrius the Great Martyr, and I rejoiced in the saint’s service. It really was very beautiful and uplifting.

And I, also having some health issues—I mean, I’m not going to sit here and complain, but I have some pretty serious back problems; I can’t stand for very long anymore. The problems are what they are. And I was at St. Demetrius, somewhere up on the balcony, and all the seats were taken, so I was standing there leaning against a pillar. And I stood there for about an hour until I felt like I couldn’t do it anymore. My back was aching, I was breaking out in a cold sweat and feeling dizzy, and I knew I couldn’t stand much longer, but I said, “Saint Demetrius, this is it—I’ll hold on as long as I can, when I’ll collapse—I don’t know.” And at one point I said to him, “St. Demetrius, I’m feeling dizzy!” I felt like I couldn’t take it anymore, but I couldn’t ask anyone to give up their seat for me—I just couldn’t do that—so I ended up holding onto that pole. And I said, “Saint Demetrius, if you think—not that I deserve it, because I certainly don’t deserve it— if you think it would be helpful for someone to bring me a chair, then please arrange for someone to bring me one,” because there were no chairs there; there were only these wooden benches, tied together in groups of three. And I said, “…you could arrange for someone to bring me a chair because you see I’m already getting dizzy.”

It was only a few minutes—five at most—since I said that, when I felt someone touch me from behind and bring me a plastic chair with a backrest. He just motioned to me, put it there for me, and left. I sat down and said, “Thank you, Saint Demetrius!” So, out of that whole crowd—the balcony was packed—someone brought me a chair; in other words, Saint Demetrius took care of it. He knew I’d been standing long enough, so he gave me that chair. It was a gift from Saint Demetrius the Great Martyr, and I have always thanked him, saying, “Saint Demetrius, help all those who have come here. Look, you took care of me so quickly—as soon as I said I couldn’t go on, you brought me a chair from right where there weren’t any.” Yes, Saint Demetrius the Great Martyr and all the saints are great protectors, you should know.

I’ll wrap it up here, and if the Mother of God, the Saints, and the Benevolent God will it, we’ll hear from each other again. May the Mother of God and all the saints help us and intercede before the Benevolent God for us! May the Lord help us!

And don’t forget—there’s no place like home!

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