Acknowledgments, shocks, highlights, saints – Fr. Theologos

Watch a message in which we attempt to summarize the past year, highlighting the moments that made an impression on us and discussing how we can make things better.

We will also explain why we honor the saints—a topic that, unfortunately, requires clarification.

Enjoy!

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, and now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us! Amen.

Now at the end of the year I would like to thank the good God and Mother of God to the ground for helping us, brethren, helping us abundantly this year as well to be of service. Also a special mention, I would also like to thank St. Paul of Xeropotamou who is the patron saint of the Monastery of Saint Paul — the tutelary monastery — St. Demetrius, the patron saint of our hermitage and St. Artemius, St. John the Theologian, St. John Climacus and — in fact — all the saints who helped us out this last year.

Brethren, when I say this I don’t do it out of courtesy, but they really helped us in a very concrete manner, so you know, with all kinds of miracles related to the site, to our spiritual words and so on. I would not like to go into details now so it doesn’t seem like praise because all glory is of saints. Yes, as I was saying, we are nothing you know. We have obviously seen the help of the saints and of good God without Whom, truly, we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything out of all we have done. Of course, how much we have done because there are very few compared to others. However we are very glad because we have seen God’s help in concrete terms.

Like I said, I don’t want to talk so head-on about God’s help, maybe if I’m given the opportunity, every now and then. How good God gives… I once mentioned St. Paul of Xeropotamou who brought us a very good satellite antenna so that we can do our mission work and help you and ourselves through the love that comes from God the moment we devote ourselves to you. We really thank St. Paul because you need to know that telecommunications in our hermitage are a huge problem. I also said back then and right on the saint’s day there came the antenna, and thus we can communicate with each other, between the cells in the hermitage — because we have no signal here, 4G either, no other kind — and we can also communicate with you, as you see. You must know that we have fought tremendously for this…

I would also like to thank you, the community and website team for the tremendous support and noblesse you have shown this year. I truly mean this, I’m not just speaking from the tip of the tongue, brethren, out of courtesy. I would also like to apologize to everyone for the mistakes I have made personally and as a team in front of the community, in front of you. We ask you to forgive us and pray for us in order to be better next year with God’s gift, of course!

What I would like to tell you, beyond the gratitude I truly express to everyone, there are a few insights that I believe are important, that have impressed me at the end of this year and which, I believe, will help us become better in the coming year. First of all, I would like to tell you a small event that I think is emblematic: a few months ago, what can I say, a boy, angel of the Lord came to our cell. So he had an angelic face, quiet, kind, blue-eyed, gentle to the core. After the service, when they went outside and put on their shoes outside the chapel, I approached the child and asked him: “what is your name?” And he said: “David”. And I said to him, “Do you know why King David, whose name you bear, has remained in history?” And he was looking at me, he didn’t really know how to answer, well, he was a very young child, I don’t know how old he was, I think he was in primary school and he said: “no.” And I said: “King David has gone down in history for his gentleness.” And then the child looked at me, looked at the person accompanying him, most likely it was his father and asked me: “what is gentleness?” I was very impressed by this thing. His father then comforted him and told him that gentleness is consolation. Do you understand?

I think this is one of the main problems of our society today that at least I have encountered this year: meaning, young people no longer know what gentleness is, they no longer know what caress is. In fact, we all no longer know what gentleness is, and because of this we are unhappy. The Lord said: Learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Man will not be rested if he is not gentle and humble. Since we are not close to Christ because of this we are not gentle and have no peace. We are a civilization of barbarism, of war. Do you understand? We are all like that, more or less, of course — but this year it’s been seen at least online… you can clearly distinguish for better or for worse which ones are practicing Orthodox and which are not Orthodox at all, and this is evident by their hardness, by the echoes of the inner hell that surface under the protection of online anonymity.

I recall the case of Mrs. Emilia Eberle and Elder Efrem Frank Atwood. In the case of Mrs. Emilia who has all our respect — I don’t know if you have seen the post — in a touching interview Mrs. Emilia talks about the beatings she had to endure when she was a little girl from the gymnastics coaches of the famous Romanian national gymnastics team, that won so many medals at the Olympic Games and at the world championships. We were utterly impressed by the testimony of Mrs. Eberle, as well as the other former gymnasts who gave a similar testimony. We chose Mrs. Emilia’s clip because it impressed us the most. It was a personal preference; perhaps others have another preference. The community response and popularity of the post were also impressive in the good way.

The reason I recall this post is to specifically thank the gymnast ladies for their sacrifice and we bow to their suffering. Little girls they were and they got into a mixer where they didn’t even know what was waiting for them. Unfortunately, however, I recall this also for another reason: I want to remind — please forgive me for doing this! — and the 1% who were of unimaginable toughness, brethren, at least for me, who approved the beating and barbaric treatment of some little girls on the grounds that “discipline achieves performance”. Folks, that’s not discipline, that’s tyranny! The little girls were being watched by security, and even if they weren’t, I don’t know if some medals justify beating up some little girls constantly. What can I say, brethren? If they would’ve been their parents, they could have somehow threatened them as a scare if they were much younger and completely disobedient, but by no means should force have been used, and especially as they’ve used it. No way!

Also shattering is the testimony of Mrs. Mihaela whom we salute, in the comments on the website, in response to the accusations of lying that an unknown has brought online against her former national team colleague, Mrs. Emilia Eberle. What terrifies me is the harshness of these ignorants. Because Mrs. Mihaela was also a gymnast. Do you understand? Ladies, you have all our respect, prayer and all our love in Christ. May he be defamed he who judges crookedly!

The case of the happy-in-remembrance Father Ephraim Atwood who was executed in Arizona’s prison was somewhat similar in our discussion. After decades of imprisonment, brethren, with weak health, people rejoiced at his death, that they executed him, killed him. Brethren, the man was unjustly killed, but even if he had done the deed of which he was accused, we should’ve had a little compassion. Do you understand?

The thing is seen, and there are enough studies that delve into this topic, that those who live more online without having a spiritual life are much faster in thinking, but on the other hand much more superficial from a human point of view even if they are more analytical and much more brutal in expression, but without consciously wanting this. That’s how they’re used to it. The Internet gives us the feeling that we know something, that we have knowledge and, therefore, that we have harsh, aggressive opinions, sometimes even without reading anything — not even the description of the post, brethren!

A lot of harshness online… Let me tell you a case: a clip was viral on WhatsApp in which it was said that the Mother of God… or an unseen hermit two weeks ago on Athon… Brethren, I took the clip, I could not resist anymore, I reposted it and explained the phenomenon. It was about a creature that appeared and disappeared or was somewhere in sight. Brethren, it is a natural phenomenon, it is called the Brocken spectrum. It’s about a man projecting his shadow onto a surface, usually on clouds, fog, and so on, and you see that person’s shadow there. At some point, he also has an aura, a rainbow, around his head due to the tunneling effect of light rays. It’s a natural phenomenon. I posted this and said it’s a shadow of someone, of a mountaineer climbing a mountain and has a powerful light source behind him, usually the sun. So brethren, this is neither the Mother of God nor the unseen hermit on Athon, let us be clear. I described it very clearly.

Well, brethren, there were some comments, you can’t imagine. Okay, most of the comments were and we even received from metropolises in the country — thank you, father, for posting this — but on the other hand, there were two, three comments where you could see that they didn’t even read the description of the post, not only did they not read it, but they were very self-confident and gave all kinds of explanations. Do you understand? Totally outside of reality. Even a reply saying, “I understood that even Portaitissa is no longer at Iveron”… and when I tried to explain it to him, he replied, “You are in Athos to preach Orthodoxy, not science.” And regarding the icon, he says, “That’s what a father told me, that there’s a copy instead.” Brethren, the night of the mind. What science? It’s about the projection of the shadow onto a surface, and of course after that he took me with chips, that man came out of the monkey, that this is science… Brethren, sometimes it’s better to be silent, not to insist.

Sometimes it’s better to talk to certain Western-born Protestants who are well-intentioned, and who, even though they have ignorance and issues with the heresy they suffer from, they know that they are limited due to ignorance, to heresy. And then a certain humility appears. And they acknowledge at least partially these dangers of socializing, of the Internet, and you can chat with them. Do you understand? It’s not good to hold so much against something. We do not judge the man, but analyze the phenomenon that is an emblematic one. This is the pseudo-self-confidence that the internet gives us.

We must be very careful, brethren, and not venture into areas where we do not have the expertise. Well, now we talk about shadow, I mean, what expertise? Brethren, a little critical spirit and let’s calm down a bit. If we, however, express an opinion, it is very good to have the flexibility of humility, brethren, to learn to love. In fact, this is why good God gives us the time: in order to learn to love. As long as we are lacking in love, there is the need for time, the need for a future here on earth. Do you understand?

We have to destroy this hard and dark horn of our own will, of selfishness, the horn of Adam in us, and that takes time. We must curve this hard vein, this helm that took a wrong, distorted turn and that carries our life boat through storms to its destruction. But as with a real boat or a real car, if you turn the rudder or steering wheel suddenly, your boat or car will tip over, beyond the fact that you can drive into the jungle or into ravines. It takes time to let go of our own habits, passions and weaknesses, and learn the virtues. We must not give up, but brethren, we must be very determined and not waste time, not saying yes, I cannot and suddenly turn around and quit. No, all of a sudden. But that doesn’t mean I have to despair the moment I fail.

We must not waste time because you see that time is our most prized possession. How to lose our most precious fortune? Our incompleteness is seen in the wasting of time. Only the saint, the perfect one, does things that only increase the love, constructive things for eternal life; the rest of us also do rough stuff, we also do acts that work hatred, that harm love, meaning, we sin as an expression the hardness, the barbarity within — echoes of inner hell, as I was saying. Because of that, God uses the continuum of space-time to soften our hearts. That’s what we need to do, brethren. We must soften our hearts by cutting our will, by obedience, by bearing the trouble that comes upon us.

Unfortunately, however, we do not accept this, also because of our hardness, of course, and we often rebel against God and say, “Why? Why? Why?”. Well, brethren, fr. Joseph of Vatopedi was saying that “Why?” is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Of course that the sin against the Holy Spirit is hopelessness, which, however, is generated by this “Why?” without answer. Brethren, isn’t God in charge of everything? Who takes care of everything? We continually rise up against God. St. Sophronius of Essex was telling that you should not say that there has existed a Christian state in history. The entire history of Christianity for more than 2000 years is a history of fighting against Christ and His Gospel. Do you understand?

I know it takes time — you tell someone or we even tell ourselves to calm down, and you see that after a few days — or even sooner — he’s starting again: Why? Why? Why? Why am I not married? Why am I here? Why is this not happening? Why not that? Why not the other? You tell him — he says: Yes, father. After a short time he begins again and looks for all sorts of ways out in a situation where God does not give the way out. Brethren, if God does not give, do not force the door. It’s not going to be good! St. Paisios says — if God closes a door, (you) do not break the doorknob because you will repent afterwards. Do you understand?

Let us be patient and know that the problem is on our end, brethren, and since we have time, it is certainly solvable. Of course there are also the others, but leave them alone because God knows, God takes care, and they will answer. Let us pray to the good God to help us. But let’s not believe that the solution is as we imagine it. Not at all, brethren. We are not smarter, more knowledgeable, and we don’t see more than God. Let us soften our hearts a little and humble ourselves, brethren.

The fact that for many years we have wanted a thing or want something intensely and God does not give it to us does not mean that what we want is good. On the contrary; most likely it is not, since God does not fulfill it. Let’s leave it alone, let’s look at things more simply and give ourselves over to God’s will. Let us renounce those wills strengthened in time. We must learn to stop our chaotic, uncontrolled tendencies. We must learn to control ourselves, brethren, so that we have a fluid and peaceful cohabitation with others.

Here we must be wise and understand that we cannot do this on our own and, thus, we need God’s help. Brethren, first and foremost we need prayer. Prayer to God and His Saints. Saints — especially Mother of God — have great boldness before God because they are much closer to Him than we are, because they have used their time correctly. Do you understand?

Brethren, time is given to us in order to draw us closer to God and to partake of His attributes, and not to scatter it away through waste, delights and vain knowledge. The moment someone comes closer to God, he acquires, by grace, the attributes of God, and this is seen at saints how they also become, so to speak, somewhat almighty, through God’s grace. Because of that let’s pray to them. Because they have this power of divine love that can solve a lot of our problems. Do you understand?

Our prayer to them is effective, and saints have countlessly shown us with God’s help how many miracles they have performed throughout the history of the Church. Brethren, there are hundreds of books — if not thousands — that document the miracles performed by the saints. Inclusively Holy Scripture and the saints’ relics have performed miracles. I no longer remind you of the whole stacks of books, but just of the Holy Scripture. We see that in the Old Testament in the 4th book of Kings, chapter 13 verses 20 and 21 where it tells about a dead man cast into Elisha’s tomb and who resurrected in contact with the bones of the prophet. The scriptural text says something like Elisha died and they buried him, and in the following year the Moabites entered the land. But behold, when they were burying a dead man, it happened that those who were burying him saw one of these groups, and, out of fear, threw the dead into Elisha’s tomb. Falling down, he touched Elisha’s bones, and rose up on his own feet. Do you see, brethren? The holiness of Elisha also remained in his relics, performing a miracle, and not any kind of miracle, but resurrecting a dead man! Do you understand? I say this mainly for the sectarians and ignorant people who commented in a very aggressive way on the video of the exhumation of the bones of Saint Dionysius of Colciu.

Beyond Holy Scripture, there are thousands of other examples of relics that work wonders — and I will tell you one now that has happened in plenary, amidst many people and which I know firsthand, so that you will not accuse me of having read it from somewhere, nor that I’m the only one that knows it and I am fabulating. There was a man who had a child and the child, being little, went to the vineyard to play. And his father, not knowing that the child was in the vineyard, went to shoot sparrows because they were eating their grapes. And unfortunately, as he was shooting after the sparrows, at some point bullets got into the eyes of the child and he went blind. And great drama in that family, especially since it was also a relatively poor family. And out of desperation, because he was totally blind, they took him out to beg. And the child was begging in the streets, being blind.

And after years – everyone knew that this child was blind and begging – it happened that the young man that had become, to be at a procession with the relics of St. Dionysius of Zakynthos and the procession passed before the blind man. And then the blind man said to those around who did not know him: have mercy, I’m kindly asking you, put me in the middle of the road so that the people, the procession pass over me with the relics. You know that people carried on their shoulders the reliquary with the saint’s relics, which are whole relics. And to pass over him as a blessing. They put that man in the middle, the blind, and the moment they passed with the reliquary, the blind man suddenly jumped like in rugby and took hold of the reliquary, saying: “Saint, don’t leave me, help me see!” And at that moment the man regained sight, brethren! Do you realize? Phenomenal! Do you understand? This is how we should pray, brethren! This is the power of saints’ relics!

This case was famous, everyone knew the blind man on the street and, of course that at the procession when the miracle happened there were plenty of people as there should be at the saint, the entire population was outside. There are many other cases of miracles that saints performed while alive and after death. Beyond the books, for example the Lives of the Saints, see the posts of Father Abbot Pimen who narrates many of these miracles with special grace, I like it very much and because of this I do not speak of the lives of the saints. It’s father abbot.

It is good to get informed, to read the history of the Church before we speak, because otherwise we remain in the ignorance and loneliness of hatred. It is sad to say that you are a Christian and have no Saints because holiness is the fruit of Christianity. Saints are the fruit of the Church, brethren. Do you understand? The Holy Spirit, through the mouth of the Holy Scripture, commanded, God commanded: Be holy, for I am holy! He commanded us to be holy. It is written in the Gospel, not elsewhere. Be very careful that holiness doesn’t mean “to be a good boy”, but to overcome death from this very life. God is wonderful and works miracles. As well as the people that get close to Him, meaning, the Saints.

Let us not forget that the Saints are alive, as the Lord himself said that God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — that is, the God of the living and not of the dead — as it is written right in the Holy Scripture at Matthew 22:32 and Luke 20:38, where it is even said that all live in Him. So do not say about the relics that they are bones of the dead. Be very careful! Saints are those who have come close to God, meaning, those who have used their time to grow their love for God and others, and this must be seen in our behavior both online and in real life, in relation to God and those around us.

If we do not use our time properly, then we end up in the extremes of hell, of which we mention here only two: callousness and agoraphobia. Both lead to loneliness, you know. If we are callous, then — especially online — we talk, in fact we write, absolutely anything — we repel all our visceral hatred based on the bad thoughts we have towards others, hatred that, first of all, consumes ourselves. The others only feel the echoes of this inner hell. Those who suffer from agoraphobia — meaning, they are afraid to appear in communities, whether online or real — are usually the victims of the first.

It is with great affection that I say to everyone: God is great and He is waiting for us to open up to Him! Let’s soften our hearts! Let’s humble ourselves, let’s have the flexibility of humility. Brethren, let us be more sympathetic! That way we will have a happy time, a happy new year! I wish you a Happy New Year and joys in eternity with Christ! Let’s be together!

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us! Amen.

Online commemoration lists and donations

May the Lord help us!

Online Commemoration Lists and Donations

May the Lord help us!

If you have a bank card and wish to send commemoration lists and donations online using your card, and/or to support our philanthropic activity, including this site, please fill out the form below to make a small donation. The form is secure – we use Stripe for payment processing – a world leader in this field. We do not collect your personal data.

If you do not have a card, or do not wish to use it, visit the webpage for Online Donations and Commemoration Lists.

We will pray for your loved ones! (Please do not include inessential details like wishes, degree of kinship, introductions etc. JUST the name!)

Especially for recurring commemoration lists, we ask that you please keep them to under 20 names long. If you include a member of the family, we add “and for their families.”

Pomelnice online și donații

Doamne ajută!

Dacă aveți un card și doriți să trimiteți pomelnice online și donații folosind cardul dumneavoastră, sau/și să susțineți activitatea noastră filantropică, inclusiv acest site, vă rugăm să introduceți datele necesare mai jos pentru a face o mică donație. Forma este sigură – procesatorul de carduri este Stripe – leader mondial în acest domeniu. Nu colectăm datele dvs. personale.

Dacă nu aveți card sau nu doriți să-l folosiți, accesați Pagina de donații și Pomelnice online .

Ne rugăm pentru cei dragi ai dumneavoastră! (vă rugăm nu introduceți detalii neesențiale precum dorințe, grade de rudenie, introduceri etc. Treceți DOAR numele!). Stripe limitează lungimea textelor și din cauza asta vă rugăm să fiți scurți. Dacă puneți un membru al familiei, noi adăugăm „și familiile lor”.

Dumnezeu să vă răsplătească dragostea!