St. Macrina, eldest sister of Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa

Saint Macrina (Feast Day - July 19)

Macrina was the eldest sister of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory of Nyssa. As a young virgin, Macrina was betrothed to a nobleman. When her betrothed died, Macrina vowed never to enter into marriage saying: “It is not right for a maiden once betrothed to a young man to seek another: according to the law of nature there must be only one marriage as there is but one birth and one death.” She further justified this by her faith in the resurrection, considering her bridegroom not dead but alive in God. “It is a sin and a shame,” says Macrina, “for a wife not to safeguard her faithfulness when her husband travels to a distant land.” After this, together with her mother, Emilia, she received the monastic tonsure in a convent, where they lived a life of asceticism with other nuns. They lived from the labors of their hands devoting a greater part of their time to godly thoughts, prayer and the constant uplifting of their minds to God. In time her mother died and, afterward her brother Basil. Nine months after the death of St. Basil, Gregory came to visit with his sister and found her on her death bed. Before her death, Macrina lifted up her prayers to God: “You, O Lord, Who gives rest to our bodies in the sleep of death for a time, will again awaken them [the bodies] at the last trump. Forgive me and when my soul divests itself of its bodily attire and presents itself before You, pure and without sin, grant that it may be as incense before You.” After that she traced the sign of the cross on the forehead, eyes, face and on her heart and gave up her soul. She found rest in the Lord in the year 379 A.D.

Saint Nikolai Velimirovich , The Prologue from Ochrid

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"Franks, Romans, Feudalism and Doctrine" Discussion - Part 1

Below is Part 1 divided in 3 sections of a video series being done by Greek Orthodox TV in which they discuss the illuminating book by Fr. John Romanides titled Franks, Romans, Feudalism and Doctrine. I highly recommend everyone to have a listen, as it serves as a pretty good introduction to the subject. Part 2 can be found here. Part 3 is here.

Franks, Romans, Feudalism, and Doctrine - PART 1A


Franks, Romans, Feudalism, and Doctrine - PART 1B


Franks, Romans, Feudalism, and Doctrine - PART 1C

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Astonishing Contemporary Miracles of Saint Marina on the Island of Andros

The Miraculous Icon of Saint Marina in Andros, Greece

The Miracle of Saint Marina for Andrea Vassiliou of Cyprus

In October of 2000, a family from Limasol, Cyprus, named Vassiliou received the following miracle.

In Greece they are well known from the televised requests they made in order to find a donor for their young boy Andrea, who suffered from leukemia. The donor was indeed found and the parents began preparing for their trip to Houston, Texas in the U.S.A where the bone marrow transplant was going to be performed. Meanwhile, they also prayed and begged Jesus Christ to save their boy.

Before they left for the U.S.A the parents heard of St. Marina's miracles and they called the monastery of St. Marina located on the island of Andros in Greece to ask for her blessing. The Elder of the monastery, Archimandrite Fr. Cyprianos, promised that he would pray to St. Marina. He also wished the parents for St. Marina to be with Andrea in the operating room, to help him. With Elder Cyprianos' blessing and with strong faith that St. Marina would help indeed, the Vassiliou family went to the U.S.A.

After the necessary pre-operation tests that Andrea had to undergo, he was taken to the operating room. A short time before the operation was to begin, a woman came to see the surgeon who would be operating on Andrea. She said that she was Andrea's doctor and asked to be allowed to observe the operation. The conversation that ensued proved that the woman was indeed a doctor. However, the surgeon replied that 'outside' doctors were not permitted to be present in the operating room and that his medical teams' policy was that no doctor other than those on the team be involved in such delicate operations. The persistence of the woman however, convinced the surgeon to allow her in the operating room. But before, he asked her to leave her coordinates [presumably, credentials] at the administration desk. The unknown doctor did as told and then entered the operating room with the surgeon. During the operation, she gave several directions regarding the progress of the procedure. The operation went well and in the end the surgeon thanked the woman and exited the operating room.

Andrea's parents immediately went to inquire about the outcome of the surgery and the surgeon replied that all had gone very well, adding that he could not understand why they had brought Andrea to him when they had such a fine doctor. The parents were surprised and responded that they had not brought any doctor with them. The surgeon insisted, however. He also told them that when he came out of the operating room Andrea's doctor had remained there for a little longer with the rest of the operating team and therefore, she would probably still be around. He recommended that they look for her. The search, however, proved pointless, as the "woman doctor" was nowhere around. The Vassiliou couple then concluded that it must have been a doctor from Greece or Cyprus who had decided to travel to the U.S.A and contribute to the delicate operation. They expressed the wish to know who she was so that they may be able to thank her, and at the surgeon's recommendation they then went to the administration desk to ask for her coordinates.

It was with utter surprise that they read that the unknown woman had signed with the name "Marina from Andros". Tears of gratefulness and joy filled their eyes as they recalled that the Elder at the monastery had said to them that he wished Andrea to have St. Marina in the operating room to help him. Andrea's parents shared with the media their joy both for the successful operation and Andrea's recovered health and for the miracle they received. The Vassiliou family made the vow that the entire family will be present at the saint's monastery every year on the saint's feast day (July 17) and Elder Cyprianos reports that the family has been making the annual trip from Limassol to Andros every summer to thank Saint Marina for saving Andrea.

Miracles performed by the Saints have never ceased to take place in the Orthodox Church. With these miracles, may our Lord Jesus Christ help us build our faith.

The telephone number to St. Marina Monastery on Andros is 2282024074.

The father of Andrew, Vasou Vassiliou, is embracing the 12 year old Andrea and is interviewed regarding the miracle.

12 year old Andrea who was healed by St. Marina of leukemia

The Miracles of St. Marina in Andros, Greece (Greek)


More miracles of St. Marina can be heard here.

At this link, below the video that is posted above, there are three audio recording from 2007 of a radio talk show in Greece called “Όπου γης” which can be heard on the site Πειραϊκή Εκκλησία 91,2 FM. The first audio is an interview with Fr. Cherubim who knows the Vassiliou family from Cyprus describing the above miracle of St. Marina for the young boy Andrea. The other two describes a miracle of St. Marina for a woman named Irene Yfanti who was healed of cancer - the first being an account she wrote of her miracle and the second an interview with Irene Yfanti herself.

The Miracle of Saint Marina for Irene Yfanti in Athens

Regarding the miracle of Irene Yfanti, the following took place:

The miracle took place in July of 2006. Irene was 28 years old and the mother of a 3 year old. She first visited St. Marina's in Andros in June 2006 after doctors found troubling signs that she may have cancer.

Irene's mother had been healed a year earlier of breast cancer during the Divine Liturgy while on a visit to Andros, and made sure to bring her daughter to Elder Cyprianos at St. Marina's in order to get his comforting advice. The Elder said that she would need surgery but to be calm because St. Marina would be with her. She returned to Athens and was checked at St. Savas Hospital. The results were that she had thyroid cancer.

Because the cancer was spreading, surgery had to be performed immediately. They travelled again to Andros. Elder Cyprianos told the worried mother: "St. Marina healed you of cancer. Do you think she will abandon your daughter?" He then gave the mother a piece of cotton that had been dipped in holy oil from the miraculous icon of St. Marina and ordered that her daughter keep it on her throughout the surgery. He then gave them some sweets before their departure saying: "When you come back again, you will bring the sweets." They returned to Athens.

As the surgery was being performed, the following miracle took place. The surgeon reported afterwards that at times his hand was guided in the surgery and at one point guided him to an infected area previously undetected by the doctors. It was in a well hidden area and he removed that successfully. In fact, the entire surgery was successful and the doctor reported saying that if he had not been guided to find that undetected piece, Irene would have had to undergo a second surgery to remove it.

Five hours after the surgery something started to go wrong as she was in recovery. She started to feel a numbness and extreme pain throughout her body. As the symptoms got worse, she was again brought into surgery. While strapped up with tubes, she could hardly move or speak due to the numbness, and worst of all her breath was fading. She wanted to ask the doctors for more oxygen, but she was unable to because of the tubes and the numbness.

Eventually Irene felt detached from her body and found herself in a place of extreme darkness, unable to feel any pain. She moved her arms, but the darkness was so great that she could not even see her hands move in front of her face. It was a lonely and hopeless place, she later reported. She wanted to pray for God to help her, but she said she could not pray because it was a place that seemed absent of God's presence. Feeling no real sense of time there, she believed she was there for hours and days on end and came to the conclusion that she died and was likely in hell for her sins. This made her feel very hopeless and in despair, until she heard a voice. She then screamed: "St. Marina, I can breathe!" Upon saying this she felt pulled back into her body.

Irene then woke up and saw herself surrounded by about 6-8 doctors and machines all around her. She could breathe normally and felt no pain. She had fully recovered and is today cancer free. The surgeons present told her that she had died and come back - one even said "Irene is risen!"

The Life of Saint Marina the Great Martyr

The Church of Saint Marina in Thissio

Saint Marina: The Protectress of Nephrology

The Supplication Service to St. Marina

Παρακλητικός Κανών Αγίας Μαρίνας

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Saint Marina the Great Martyr and Vanquisher of Demons

Saint Marina the Great Martyr (Feast Day - July 17)

Marina was born in Southern Anatolia, specifically from Pisidia in Antioch, at the end of the third century during the reign of Claudius II (268-270). She was the only daughter of noble pagan parents.

When she was five years old her mother died (some sources say she died shortly after childbirth), and since her father, Aidesios, was too busy carrying out his duties as a pagan priest to care for her properly, he turned her care over to a woman who happened to be a Christian.

This nanny lived in a small town about fifteen miles from where Marina was born. Away from her father’s idols and blasphemous practices her nanny taught her about the Christian Faith. As Marina increased in age, more so did she advance in knowledge, understanding, and compassion. Her faith in the Living God was so great that she desired the difficult path of Martyrdom. She told her father that she wished to become a Christian and to never marry so as to live a life of virginity. Her father despised her for her faith and disowned her as his daughter.

A new governor named Olymbrios was elected for the region and in time began a persecution against all Christians in the area. One day he caught a glimpse of the very beautiful fifteen year old Marina with her nanny. The Imperial Governor Olymbrios, seeing her great beauty, desired her for his wife. When asked her name, homeland, and faith, Marina answered: "My name is Marina; I am the offspring of Pisidia; I call upon the Name of my Lord Jesus Christ." Upon learning that she was a Christian, Olymbrios tried to dissuade her by flatteries, and by threats of torture.

"Nothing Will Separate Me From Christ"

Marina frankly replied to the man: "Have no vain hope for me, O governor, that I might cower before any number of torments. Nothing will separate me from Christ - neither affliction, famine, fire, sword, nor any other harsh tribulation - not even a violent and very painful death. Think not that you will entice me with honors, gold or other wealth, because all these things are perishable and temporal.

"The soul, by the grace of God, is immortal and desires eternity. For this reason, we, the Christians, wisely disdain these fleeting luxuries and enjoyments. We endure the sorrow and distress of the day that we might attain to everlasting life and eternal rest after our repose. If you think that I lie, here I am, try me, so you will know by deed the truth. Strike me, slay me, burn me, suffocate or test me with ten thousand torments. As much as you will worsen the punishment, so much more will Christ glorify me in the future life and blessedness.

"Many times in this life Christ grants us a small consolation as a pledge of that future exaltation. He draws us out of the depths of the sea, or rescues us from fire, or saves us from other torments, to your shame and condemnation. Therefore, I do not sorrow in this transient life. Readily I give my body to death, for my deathless God and Master, as the Sinless One, out of love for me, was crucified."

This rejection infuriated the governor and he put her to harsh torture so all the beauty of her body was disfigured. Not only the public sorrowed and wept and suffered due to her troubles but even the governor himself, unable to bear the horror of these tortures, hid his face in his hands. As broken up and destroyed as her body was, more so was her soul renewed and brighter.

"Great Is Your Faith, Marina"

Unshaken, she prayed with thanksgiving that the Lord count her worthy to be tormented for His love. As they tortured her, the Saint was looking up to heaven, and prayed: "To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O My God, I trust in you; let me not be ashamed; let not my enemies triumph over me. Indeed, let no one who waits on you be ashamed. Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Show me your ways, O Lord. Teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation. On You I wait all day. Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your loving kindnesses, for they have been from of old. For I withstand these pains because I confess Your holy name. Send Your mercy and compassion to me so my grief will become joy."

As the Saint was chanting and praising the Lord, the soldiers were beating her so severely that her flesh was torn and her blood flew profusely. The Archangel Michael, then, appeared to her and said to her: "Great is your faith, Marina. Have more strength, for it is by your good confession that your soul will survive, and you will gain the holy baptism."

The ruler ordered that Marina be thrown in prison. While she prayed there the Archangel Michael again came to comfort her and healed her of all her wounds. Seeing this the governor was amazed. He told her that he was sure then that she was a great magician. She said: "I am not a magician, but I am a worshipper of Jesus Christ. Now your defiled helpless idols have been exposed.”

The ruler was enraged. He ordered to saw her flesh with iron saws, and to cut her skin with knives. When he thought that she was dead, he ordered his soldiers to put her body back in prison until she rotted. Archangel Michael appeared to her again, strengthened her, and repeated what he said to her before. He, then, Crossed her, cured her and disappeared.

The Hammer of Saint Marina

A malicious demon, beholding that his servant, Olymbrios, could not vanquish one young woman and make her fall down before the idols of demons, became desperate and wished to test her himself. Taking on a dark and dragon-like guise, a demon appeared to Marina in the prison to frighten her. Fearlessly Christ's athlete seized him by the hair and, finding a hammer, beat him to the ground, completely humbling him. A great light appeared and illuminated the entire prison. All of Marina's wounds were completely healed and not even a trace of scarring remained on her body. It is for this reason that Saint Marina often holds a hammer and is sometimes depicted beating on a demon in her icons.

Baptized in Water and in Blood

The demented governor tortured her the next day by fire and water but Marina endured it all as if not in her own body. The ruler gave his orders to tie her to a pole and burn her. They did. Then he ordered that they tie her hands and legs, and put her in boiling water. When she was in the water, St. Marina looked up to heaven and said: "O God who dwells in heaven, I ask You to untie me, and to make this water a baptism for me. Dress me with the robe of salvation through it. Take away from me the old man and put on me the new man. Make me, with this baptism, worthy to inherit the life eternal, and make my faith steadfast.” A great earthquake then shook the place, Marina’s ties were loosened, and she immersed herself in the water three times in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. She came out of the water praising God. A voice came from heaven, and all the people who were gathered there heard it. The voice said: ”You are blessed, Marina. You were baptized, and became worthy of the crown of virginity.” Many of those who witnessed these events declared their faith, became Christians and were baptized. The ruler ordered all of them to be killed. They were beheaded, and gained the wreath of martyrdom. It is estimated that they numbered in the thousands.

Seeing that he could not overcome the Saint, the wicked governor finally sentenced Marina to death by beheading. She was beheaded at the age of fifteen in the time of Diocletian (284-305), but is numbered with the armies of martyrs, and remains alive in soul and power in heaven and on earth.

The sufferings of the Great Martyr Marina were described by an eyewitness of the event, named Theotimos.

Up until the taking of Constantinople by Western crusaders in the year 1204, the relics of the Great Martyr Marina were in the Panteponteia Monastery. According to other sources, they were located in Antioch until the year 908 and from there transferred to Italy. Now they are in Athens, in a church dedicated to the holy Virgin Martyr. Her venerable right hand was transferred to Mount Athos, to the Vatopaidi monastery. However, atop Mt. Langa in Albania overlooking Lake Ochrid, there is a monastery dedicated to St. Marina with a portion of her miraculous relics. Countless miracles have occurred and still occur in this monastery, whose witnesses are not only Christians but many Muslims as well. So much did the Turks have respect for this holy place that they never dared disturb either this holy place or the property of this monastery. At one time a Turk was the guardian of the monastery.

Saint Marina is especially invoked for deliverance from demonic possession and cures innumerable diseases including cancer.

The right arm of St. Marina on Mt. Athos

Saint Marina As A Role Model For Young Women

What a role model for Orthodox Christian young women today! This 15 year old girl was raised a pagan, had a mother that died when she was young, her father shunned her for accepting Christ and desiring virginity, she rejected a life of marital happiness and love to live for Christ and abide in His love, she further rejected all the fame and fortune and worldly comforts associated with nobility, for her strong resolve in following Christ she was tortured brutally, she endured a demonic manifestation and temptations courageously, and finally she was tortured and martyred ruthlessly yet with a joyful heart with a desire to imitate the Saints.

Most teenagers today would probably find the early tragedies of Marina's life demoralizing, but her love for Christ overcame all her insecurities and strengthened her against all the temptations every teenage girl faces. She could have lived any type of life she wanted, but she chose a path that brought her supreme joy that no worldly happiness could ever surpass.

And now Saint Marina lives forever and is one of Orthodoxy's most powerful and beloved Saints. She still answers prayers, cures illnesses by the grace she received in enduring bravely for Christ, and is a notable vanquisher of demons. Saint Marina was no damsel in distress, but a true female heroine.

Before there was a Hollywood female heroine, there was Saint Marina the Vanquisher of Demons. Those are fiction, but her story is real and her miraculous icons and relics are a testimony to this besides her many visitations to the faithful. Her superpower was her faith and the grace of the Holy Spirit. There could be no better female teenage role model, as she herself imitated the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary who it is said also bore Christ at the age Saint Marina was martyred.

Maybe most young women won't have to go to such extreme tortures for their faith, but to be a faithful Christian in our society today will innevitably invite public ridicule, peer pressure, misunderstanding, unflattering stereotypes, insults and all sorts of temptations. Even in the midst of these types of "tortures", the example of Saint Marina can be a model on how to courageously endure and be strong. Young Marina's confident faith and great love for God should serve as an inspiration to look beyond all vanity of this life and focus on that which truly matters.

Hymns to Saint Marina

Άπολυτίκιον. Ήχος πλ. α'. Τον συνάναρχον Λόγον.
Μνηστευθείσα τω Λόγω Μαρίνα ένδοξε, των επίγειων την σχέσιν πάσαν κατέλιπες, και ένήθλησας λαμπρώς ως καλλιπάρθενος· τον γαρ άόρατον έχθρόν, κατεπάτησας στερρώς, όφθέντα σοι Άθληφόρε. Και νυν πηγάζεις τω κόσμω, των ίαμάτων τα χαρίσματα.



Apolytikion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
O Glorious Marina, once betrothed to the Logos, you relinquished all worldly concerns and brilliantly gave struggle as a virginal beauty. You soundly trounced the invisible enemy who appeared to you, O Champion, and you are now the world's wellspring of healing grace.

Kontakion in the Third Tone
Adorned with the beauty of Purity, O Virgin; crowned with the stigmata of martyrdom; stained with the blood of your struggles; and brilliantly radiant with healing wonders, piously, O Marina, you received the trophy of victory for your struggles.

Life of Saint Marina in Greek with beautiful icons


A wonderful website dedicated to Saint Marina can be found here (http://www.agia-marina.org/). It is all in Greek, but has her complete Supplication Service, many icons, and information on churches dedicated to St. Marina.

Read also:

Astonishing Contemporary Miracles of Saint Marina on the Island of Andros

The Church of Saint Marina in Thissio

Saint Marina: The Protectress of Nephrology

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The Priest Who Ate A Snake: A Miracle of the Holy Eucharist

"We do not support at any time that microbes from the new influenza can be transferred through the reception of Holy Communion," said Metropolitan Anthimos of Thessaloniki this past week according to Romfea.gr.

The Metropolitan further stated: "In accordance with scientific opinions, the microbes, if they exist, die upon impact with silver." The spoons used in Orthodox churches for Holy Communion are made of silver.

Noting the illogical thinking behind the controversy, he further argued: "It's as if we were to say to not use silverware in homes or restaurants out of fear that the influenza may be transferred."

He further maintained that his Metropolis would be guided by the Holy Synod and the Health Department for preventable measures without causing panic.

Metropolitan Anthimos of Thessaloniki

The logic of the Church on this matter has always been the question: How can that which is transformed by the Holy Spirit into the Precious Body and Blood of Christ for the purpose of giving life and healing to the Church be also the cause of illness and death through germs and microbes? Pandemics have existed throughout the centuries, but the Fathers of the Church never even considered addressing the common reception of Holy Communion in the Canons nor of excluding the faithful who are ill from praying in the same church as the healthy. Illnesses and death, according to the Apostle Paul, can only be transferred through Holy Communion to those who receive unworthily in a sinful state, but there is no example that this could be the means of transfer from one person to another. For this reason, that there is no justification to make changes in the Divine Liturgy, changes should not even be considered.

It is true that certain Papal and Protestant churches have enforced changes as precautions against transferring germs. For Orthodox however this is an act of faithlessness in the divine energies of the Holy Spirit which transform the bread and wine into the "medicine of immortality". Is not to deny the power and works of the Holy Spirit considered blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Mk. 3:29)?

The island of Psara

With today being the feast commemorating the discovery of the miraculous skull of Saint Matrona of Chios, as well as the current debate that is going on today in Greece and throughout the Orthodox world as to the possibility that germs and sicknesses can be transferred through the common reception of the Holy Eucharist, I thought the following miracle was appropriate to put an end to the nonsense.

Saint Matrona of Chios is very much revered on its small neighboring island of Psara, with its mere 400 or so inhabitants and over 60 churches. There is a miraculous icon there of St. Matrona which is responsible for working many miracles for the faithful. There is also a small chapel dedicated to the Saint in Psara in an area known as Saint Kioura (another name for St. Matrona). Near this chapel there used to be a monastery dedicated to St. Matrona in an area known as Fidolakkos (or Φιδόλακκος, which means "Snake Pit"). As the name suggests, this place had many snakes.

Miraculous icon of St. Matrona in Psara

During one Divine Liturgy at this monastery a small snake fell into the Holy Communion cup from the ceiling after its consecration. The priest saw this and desperately wondered what to do. He could not let the snake go because it was covered in the blood of Christ. He therefore emboldened himself to eat the snake. The grace of the Divine Gifts allowed for nothing to happen to the priest. However for doing what he did he wanted to make sure this never happened again. He therefore prayed fervently to the Lord that all snakes disappear from Fidolakkos and the island. The result is that ever since not one snake has ever been spotted on the island.

The Chapel of St. Kioura in Psara

This story is well known among Psara's 400 or so inhabitants. Outsiders like to test this tale, so when they bring snakes from neighboring islands and release them on Psara they always die within 3-4 meters. Many people take the dirt from Fidolakkos and bring it back to their homes or anywhere there is a problem with snakes and spread out this dirt and the miracle transfers to that area as well.

To conclude, germs and influenza are threatened by Holy Communion and not Holy Communion by germs and influenza!

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Elder Daniel Gouvalis Passes On To The Heavenly Jerusalem

Elder Daniel Gouvalis (+ July 11, 2009)

Relatively unknown in the West, Elder Daniel Gouvalis passed away on July 11, 2009 and his sad yet joyful funeral took place July 12. He was a holy man who possessed many spiritual gifts, and considered by many of his spiritual children to be a saint. He was especially well known in Malakasas, a small suburb of Athens, and was known as the Elder of Malakasas serving as a priest and spiritual confessor there. His first meeting with holiness was in the person of the Russian Elder Tryphon, who was also spiritual father of Elder Paisios the Athonite (who it should be noted passed away on July 12, 1994), when he visited Mount Athos in his youth, and in his latter days was among the closest disciples of Elder Porphyrios in Athens. A man of deep theological education Elder Daniel cultivated every virtue and enlightened many in a humble and reverential manner in the ways of Orthodox faith and piety. He wrote many books and was on the Synodal Committee for Heresies for the Church of Greece in which he helped many involved in cults to turn back to Orthodoxy. His most famous work is the highly romanticized and inspiring book called Η ΑΝΩ ΙΕΡΟΥΣΑΛΗΜ (The Jerusalem Above) in which he expressed his longing to enter Paradise and be with his protectress St. Paraskevi, his Elder Tryphon, his patron saint Daniel the Prophet, the Apostle Paul and St. John the Theologian. He was especially known for his charitable nature, and in imitation of the Saints kept nothing of his possessions or money for himself but instead distributed it to those in need. He passed away quietly and in peace, just as he lived his life, being given the heavenly gift to know when his life was to end. The Elder was buried at the convent founded by his spiritual father Elder Porphyrios (where he also is buried) in Milesi next to Malakasas.

Below are two videos from his funeral on July 12. May his memory be eternal and keep us in his prayers!

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Elder Daniel Gouvalis Interviewed About His Elder Porphyrios

Elder Porphyrios

ELDER PORPHYRIOS
Testimonies and Experiences

Archimandrite Daniel Gouvalis
Theologian, writer.

K.I.: Fr. Daniel, you had God's great blessing to have known Elder Porphyrios very well for many years. I would like to ask you first to give us an outline of his personality, and then we shall see manifestations of God's grace within his person.

Fr.D.G.: Elder Porphyrios was a gift from God towards the Church. He sent us great light within the darkness in which we live, through Elder Porphyrios. We thank the Lord for giving us such a great gift in our times, indeed, keeping him in life for eighty-six whole years.

You felt comfortable next to Elder Porphyrios. He pressured no-one. He wanted whoever came to him to do it out of their own free will. He always told confessors that when we as spiritual fathers guide the life-journey of those who confess to us, we must always respect their freedom. He always stressed that Christianity is freedom.

He often referred to the event according to which Christ once said something that scandalized many people. The result was they all started to leave until only the disciples remained. In which case the Lord told them that if they too would like to leave, they were free to do so. He quoted the Gospel of St. John, word for word , "From that time many of his disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, 'Do you also want to go away?"'( Jn.6:66- 7)

Elder Porphyrios had a highly cultivated ecclesiastical awareness. He respected Church people and the Church hierarchy. He said "If I fall out with the bishop, if the bishop is angry with me, my prayer won't rise up to heaven."

He loved hymnography very much. He studied and paid attention to the Canons for the great feasts, both of the Master and of the Mother of God. He carefully studied the meaning of each and every word of the Canon.

He frequently liked to talk about love. He said, characteristically, that hate soils the soul. He also said that when our brother has a problem we should gather many of us together and say a common prayer about it.

He constantly spoke about love towards Christ. "When we love Christ" he said, "our soul is freed from fear." He frequently used the words of St. John the Divine "Love casts out fear."

Elder Porphyrios never allowed himself to be occupied with negative things; he wanted everything to be bright and positive. He typically told us, "You find yourself in a dark room and you wave your arms, trying, in that way, to drive away the darkness. The darkness doesn't leave like that though. Open the window so that the light can come in, and the darkness will leave by itself. The light will drive away the darkness. We should study Holy Scripture, the lives of the saints, the Fathers; that's the light that'll drive away the darkness." He used the image very often.

K.I.: Is there something Fr. Daniel that has moved you particularly?

Fr.D.G.: One day, during the German Occupation, Elder Porphyrios was walking towards the vicinity of Lykavittos. As he was walking along he came across an unpleasant scene. A German soldier had intentionally driven a young girl into a corner, by the basement of some house, and wanted to dishonor her. She looked like a little bird that had fallen into the claws of a hawk. You could see the horror etched on her face. She let off some weak cries of struggle and pain from her mouth. The German tried to calm her down with sweet words. The entire neighbourhood had heard the commotion, and were now looking out of their windows and doorways to see what would happen. They saw a priest walking towards the scene.

When Elder Porphyrios found himself facing this scene he felt great internal anguish. He had to find a way of saving the girl. Ignoring the danger he was in from the brutal German, the Elder directed his footsteps towards him. He prayed silently and intensely for divine strength to manifest itself. As soon as he got close enough he raised his hands up high. It looked like he was either appealing to the German or that he was asking God to show His mercy.

The sight of a priest with his hands raised high, the bright countenance of his face, and what's more the divine strength that he had hidden within him, worked its miracle.

The German softened, abandoned his intentions and let the girl free. As Fr. Porphyrios continued on his way the people who had followed events from their houses demonstrated their applause for him. They cheered as much as they could for as long as they could in those difficult times.

K.I.: What do you have to tell us about his gifts of discernment and foresight?

Fr.D.G.: Both of these gifts of his would always leave us speechless. There are countless incidences. We'll talk about just a few examples.

At the time when Elder Porphyrios was at the Polyclinic, he asked someone, who had gone there for confession, where he came from. He told him he was from a village in Eleia . He then asked him if he had a house out in the fields. When the man said yes, Elder Porphyrios told him that a river flowed underneath the property, where that house could be found. The man was lost for words, he never suspected anything of the like.

Many years afterwards a foreign company went to that area with the aim of drilling to find oil. When the drilling had reached four hundred meters deep, a huge river of water shot up. If they hadn't caught it in time, the whole area would have been flooded.

K.I.: So much

Fr.D.G.: Yes

I'll also tell you this story. A student who did his military service at a base near here where I live, asked me to take him to see the Elder.

As soon as we got there the Elder asked him where he came from. The student replied that he came from a village in the Western Peloponnese. Then the Elder said to him "What strong winds blow in those mountains by your village!" And the student said "Do you know what the villagers call those mountains? They call them the Wind Mountains."

K.I.: That's wonderful

Fr.D.G.: Once I went to his cell. It was the 19th of October, late in the afternoon, I interrupted him without wanting to, because at that hour he could be "found" in Cephallonia, at vespers for the feast of St. Gerasimos. He saw, as he told me, the priests, the bishops, countless people and heard the chanting. He described to me in exact detail what was taking place at that hour at St. Gerasimos on Cephallonia.

Once he telephoned Brussels where a spiritual child was serving in the navy there on a NATO submarine. He told him that there was a shoal-reef there where the submarine was circulating under the sea, and that they ought to be careful. The officer checked the spot that the Elder had pointed out, located the reef, and gave orders for the submarine to avoid that spot.

K.I.: The gifts of Elder Porphyrios are really so many and so surprising that one doesn't know what to mention first and which are the most wonderful!

Fr.D.G.: On the 15th July 1974 he was traveling with some spiritual children of his to Macedonia, Northern Greece. On the car radio they heard that a coup d'etat had taken place in Cyprus and that Archbishop Makarios had been murdered. He turned around and said to his spiritual children "That is a mistake. Archbishop Makarios has not been murdered." And in truth, with the next newscast they learnt that Archbishop Makarios was still alive.

K.I.: That's astonishing.

Fr.D.G.: The incidents that demonstrate his gifts of foresight and discernment could fill whole volumes, alone.

When I first met him on Mt. Athos he told me that in my village of Panourgia in the Phokhidos Parnassian mountains near Amfissa there are some caves where people lived during the Turkish Occupation. He also told me that in my village there are three country churches. He saw my village in its past, present, and future phases, because when he spoke to me there were only two churches; today there are three. On the other hand, he saw that in the past, during the the Turkish Occupation, men-of-arms and klephts had lived in the caves near my village.

He often happened to tell me something which at the time appeared puzzling and 1 couldn't understand it or interpret it. One day, as we were walking, he said, "Many people will listen to you." I thought that we would have some kind of festival, we would put up some loudspeakers, and lots of people would hear me. When, however, years later, two church radio stations went on the air with a large audience, only then, having taken on some of the programs, did I understand what the Elder meant.

Personally, I had the feeling that I had a prophet before me, like the prophets in the Old Testament, and that he had the Holy Spirit within him.

Whatever he heard, whatever was said to him, he was always completely calm. Just like the calmness of St. Anthony.

When people who were facing difficult problems came to me, I took them to the Elder and he gave them perfect advice. His advice was always faultless and perfect. I'll give you one such example.

A gentleman once visited us who came from a village in Corinth. He had a large property and was in a dilemma as to whether to plant olive trees or lemon trees. He didn't know which was best and he couldn't arrive at a decision. We took him to the Elder; note that this took place at the end of the 1970's.

The Elder told him about the needs the countries of the EEC would have regarding such produce in the future: that a method would be found for the quick harvesting of olives and so there would be an overproduction of olives. He advised him to plant lemon trees; lemons would always be in demand in those countries and in the countries of the north. That, as events proved, is what actually happened.

K.I.: The impressive thing is that Elder Porphyrios was interested in everything, in all kind of problems that concerned people.

Fr.D.G.: Very true.

K.I.: How did he himself deal with those gifts of his?

Fr. D.G.: First, we must mention that he acquired his gift of discernment at Kavsokalyvia when he was only seventeen years old. It is a surprising case because these gifts
as a rule are only acquired after many decades of ascetic practice.

Elder Porphyrios, speaking about the gifts that God had given him, said that for the Church to function, God gives different gifts to some people at times for the good of the Church. He felt that his gifts were an ecclesiastical function.

He kept these gifts until the end of his life. Others have also at times been given various gifts. Afterwards however, they were found unworthy and deprived of them.

Figures like Elder Porphyrios appear within the Church once every hundred or two hundred years. The things that we read about in the lives of the saints that amaze us, happened next to us because the Elder was a living saint. And now we're informed about miracles that he performed after death.

K.I.: Fr. Daniel, from what I know, you have many direct experiences of Elder Porphyrios' healing gift. Could you give us a few indicative examples?

Fr.D.G.: Personally, I knew different people that had cancer and were cured after a prayer and blessing from the Elder.

One high-school teacher had a breast tumor and was scheduled for surgery. She went to the Elder, who blessed her, and the tumor disappeared without needing an operation.

One other young girl in the Athenian district of St. Paraskevi had decided to commit suicide because she was severely reprimanded at home. She had bought some strong weed-killer and was going to drink it. Suddenly, Elder Porphyrios appeared before her, took the weed-killer from her hands, and said to her, "Don't be afraid. Everything will be all right. You'll marry, you'll have children and you'll be fine." That's just what happened.
K.I.: "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see
God."

Fr.D.G.: Occasionally the Elder used to visit stores where business was not going too well. He gave a blessing and customers started to arrive immediately, one after the other, and indeed, to shop for things in bulk.

K.I.: What did he say about politics?

Fr.D.G.: I'll tell you this one characteristic thing, as we shouldn't get into details. He said, "When a country is in a lot of sin, then its political life, instead of being straightforwafd, will be crooked."

K.I.: Elder Porphyrios, from what I understand, had a concern for married couples, Fr. Daniel?

Fr.D.G.: Very much so. He helped countless couples whose problems were so great that their marriages had started to dissolve. He helped them with his gifts and he restored their relationship.

I remember one moving incident when he was traveling in a taxi. He had the following conversation with the driver:
"Do you have a wife?" "Yes, I do."
"How many years have you lived apart?" "Five."

The conversation continued and the ending was a happy one. The taxi-driver was so impressed with what this unknown priest had said to him that he immediately went and found his wife and re-established their marriage.

With his gifts the Elder knew what each situation required. For example, he said to one married lady, "When your husband finds himself in a difficult situation, do not say a word. Pray and ask others to pray. Because otherwise you'll make things unpleasant for him. He won't find warmth and happiness near you, and he'll start looking around." He would, each time make recommendations according to the situation which contributed to the peace of that particular family.

He talked about "mixed-up" children; children who have psychological problems because their parents have a bad relationship with one another so there isn't a good atmosphere in the home.

He talked about "mixed-up" children of "mixed-up" parents. Indeed, it happened that I myself took some of these parents of children with problems to see the Elder. He said that these children already had problems, this "mix-up", from the womb. When the child's mother was pregnant she didn't try to put her life in order, to be calm, peaceful, to pray and to partake of the Sacraments of the Church.

I remember that he once advised a mother of five children to stay away from her house for a month. Her behavior was such that her children would fight amongst themselves every day. They couldn't reason with their mother so they would take their anger out on one another.

Because of his great discernment he would treat each situation accordingly. He didn't deal with people uniformly; the Elder knew what advice each person could bear. Ten people could ask him about the same matter, and he would give them ten different answers. This is called pastoral individualization.

K.I.: He carried out his pastoral work with discernment because he had exactly that manner about him.

Fr.D.G.: Elder Porphyrios used the word "mixed-up" which I mentioned earlier, a lot, when he wanted to say that someone had internal problems. Indeed, he used that word when the subject of heresies was brought up. He said that all the "mixed-up" people join heresies.

K.I.: How did he deal with people’s external appearance, the way they dressed?

Fr.D.G.: Elder Porphyrios didn't concern himself with people's external appearances. This was confirmed by all the people who went to see him without, let us say, the proper attire. He would look to the deeper cause within the soul. He knew that if man is sorted out on the inside then the outside will sort itself out automatically.

K.I.: What other features of his personality would you like to tell us about Fr. Daniel?

Fr.D.G.: Something fundamental, that characterized Elder Porphyrios is that whatever passed through his hands he wanted it to be perfect. Just to give you one example, when he was about to build the convent at Milesi. He was concerned about the passage of the sun, so that in winter those who lived there would not have sunless rooms. He also looked into the matter of dampness, wind direction etc., so that everything would be perfect. He wanted, as much as possible, completeness and perfection.

He spoke about the work of St. Gregory of Nyssa, "Whatever St. Gregory has written is very well constructed; his words, his concepts, his paragraphs." He added, "Just like a builder who puts down strong foundations, he lays the bricks evenly, he builds the ground floor first and then goes on to the second floor. St. Gregory of Nyssa, having taken care of those things that belong to the first paragraph , then goes on to the second paragraph and then the following one."

K.I.: Personally, I have a passion for studying the works of that great Father of our Church, who, in the words of that distinguished poet of Byzantium, George Pisidis, was the "the most mystical."

Fr.D.G.: Elder Porphyrios advised me to study St. Gregory of Nyssa's works a great deal.

K.I.: Your words have filled me with enthusiasm Fr.
Daniel.

Fr.D.G.: Something especially impressive about Elder Porphyrios was that he admired and exploited technological inventions. He was amazed by the fact that God had given Man the ability to make such discoveries, and he advised his spiritual children to make use of technology. "Should it be allowed," he asked "for God to help Man make so many discoveries, then for the devil to use them and us Christians not to use them?"

K.I.: That's very good.

Fr.D.G.: He made use of the telephone a lot. He spoke to his spiritual children and others by phone on a twenty-four hour basis. Not only in Greece, but also abroad, on all the continents. He helped untold numbers of people through the telephone.

K.I.: The telephone, in the hands of Elder Porphyrios, really was a gift for all those who needed it.

Fr.D.G.: He loved the Church radio. He said that through it the wish and prophecy of St. John Chrysostomos was fulfilled, "I will rise up high to speak about Christ and all the world will hear me."

K.I.: Truth will be shouted from the rooftops.

Fr.D.G: Elder Porphyrios was very hard-working. He loved hard work and always spoke out against indolence. He characteristically said, "He can't even pick his feet up off the ground, and he comes to me for advice on how to be lifted to the heights of spiritual life." He always stressed that when we pray we ought to also pray with our body making full prostrations .

Studying both the Old and the New Testament we see that each time the Lord called a prophet or an apostle, he called them while they were working. One was called while he was shepherding sheep, another while plowing, another while threshing, yet another while mending nets etc.

He wanted people to be busy, to be constantly using all the limbs of their body, not to be idle. He would in no way accept indolence and laziness.

K.I.: We would like you to tell us, Fr. Daniel, about the Elder as priest?
Fr.D.G.: He liked his work at the Polyclinic. He comforted the sick. He heard their confessions. He gave them communion. He did serve as a consoling, guardian angel.

The liturgical life of the St. Gerasimos' Church also developed beautifully. The church had a choir, and the voice of the priest had to correspond with the singing of the choir and to avoid being musically offensive. This is why he went to a school of music where he made notable progress. He completed a course of studies. He also learnt to play the piano. However, as a musical instrument, he loved the organ the most.

Later, the place of the choir was taken in the church by the official cantor, Spyridon Peristeris, who was destined to become the chief cantor in Athens as First Cantor at the Metropolitan Church. Their harmony was excellent. If on occasion somebody at the lectern made a mistake, or said something irregular, the Elder didn't speak and didn't ruin the atmosphere of the Divine Liturgy. Once when a visiting priest took his place a great confusion was created. He started to say to the cantors "Not that apolytikion , the other one. Look for the other one." They looked for it and couldn't find it. What a commotion! This unfortunate incident made that the cantor and his helpers appreciate the politeness and tact of Elder Porphyrios.

The Alevizatos brothers were university professors. There were many university people in their circle. All of them went to church at St. Gerasimos'. Professors from the Theological School also went there, like that great religious expert Leonidas Philippides, who revered the Elder immensely. A whole University congregated in the church of St. Gerasimos. The Liturgy was truly uplifting. The Elder delivered the Gospel reading with special grace and life. Indeed, during Holy Week, at the Service of the Passion, the reading of the Twelve Gospels had that special something that remains unparalleled. Fr. Porphyrios, with the grace that he had, saw Christ suffering and was shaken. Filled with emotion, his voice would often break and he had difficulty in continuing the reading. Once he couldn't bear anymore, and he stopped reading. Then he wiped his face that was washed in tears, sought forgiveness from the congregation and making a great effort, he continued. It is needless to say what moving emotions were conveyed to the Christians present. It was like they found themselves at Gethsemane, at the Praetorium, at Golgotha, they followed the divine drama with bated breath. One certain time, he had a priest of his own with him at the Service of the Passion. He was a spiritual child of his and he had told him to be ready. If he was forced to stop reading the Gospel, then the other priest should take over.

When the time came for St. John Chrysostom's Catechetical Homily, during the Paschal Liturgy, unprecedented emotion and pious enthusiasm were created.

He recited the text from memory, slowly, solemnly, and most beautifully. He loved all of St. John Chrysostom's sermons, but he especially loved this one. He said it quietly, elegantly, little by little, without holding a book, holding only the paschal candle. The height of this grandeur was when he said, "Hades was embittered when below he met You face to face. He was embittered, for he was set at naught..." and the people repeated, "He was embittered." Unrepeatable spiritual emotions.

He adored every Church prayer, every reading from a sacred text. They had to be said in the most suitable way. Throughout his life he helped countless priests, monks, cantors and lectors to chant and to read in the best possible way, in a way worthy of God.

K.I.: One could talk with you, Fr. Daniel, for hours on end about Elder Porphyrios. Unfortunately, a radio program, as you well know, has its time limit. Of the great number of stories and examples that you didn't manage to tell us, which one would you like to end with?

Fr.D.G: At the end of his life, he asked me to bring him Holy Communion after the Divine Liturgy. During the time when he was preparing to receive the divine gifts a heavenly state prevailed; such was his love and his longing for the Immaculate Mysteries. Once he spoke to me about the aroma of Holy Communion; I understood it to mean that he sensed a fragrance in the Holy Communion.

He always urged Christians to participate actively in the sacraments of the Church.

He said that with the sacrament of Confession, whatever has fallen down is raised up again. He told us the moving story of a monk who had gone to the Holy Mountain in his youth. He had so many gifts that he felt like he lived in Paradise. One day he was disobedient to his elder. All that gracious state left him. When his elder returned, he heard his confession and read the prayer of forgiveness. The gracious state that he had iost returned to him immediately.

Elder Porphyrios always stressed that when we are within the Church, when we participate in the sacraments of the Church, then we are in Paradise. Also, as much as we participate in the sacraments, we are that much more in eternal life. That is why he always reminded us of the Lord's saying, "He who believes in the Son has life eternal."

K.I.: What did he say about our departed brethren who can now be found in the Church Triumphant?

Fr.D.G.: He said that we are all one and we should pray as much for the living as we do for the departed. He stressed that we shouldn't say, "Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on so-and-so" or "have mercy on us," but that we should say "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon me." As he explained, since the Christ's Church is one bodv, within the "have mercy on me" are included all the living and the dead. And if prayer is not extended to all people, then it is not ecclesial.

He told us that whenever he went to holy places, to Mount Sinai, to the Cave of the Apocalypse on the isle of Patmos or to Jerusalem he had indescribable life experiences. He always stressed the sanctity of the places, that the places can sanctify, that they are saturated with God's grace.

He characteristically told us that when he struggled at a certain place in order to reach a certain spiritual state through prayer, he needed a quarter to a half of an hour of struggle. But when this happened at a sanctified place things were different. "I enter, for example, a holy cave," he said, "like the caves of St. Niphon or St. Neilos on the Holy Mountain, or the Cave of the Apocalypse, and I don't even begin to pray and immediately that sanctified place lifts me up."

He said again and again that, "God is everything" and he stressed that without praying to God nothing is accomplished. "Prayer," he said "is the mother of all good things, provided that it is always done with humility, without any egotism, and with love towards Christ."

K.I.: We thank you very much, Fr., Daniel, for all the manna from heaven, that, you've had the goodness to share with us.

Fr.D.G.: May we have the blessing of Elder Porphyrios and let us give thanks to God, Who sent us such a gift in the twentieth century.

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Significant Increase in Number of Practicing Believers in Romania

July 13, 2009
http://portal-credo.ru

The Romanian Patriarchate's information agency, "Basilica", released details of research, showing an increase in the number of practicing believers in Romania, reports "Patriarhiya.Ru". In 2008, nearly half (48%) of Romanians attended church at least once a month.

In 1993 the figure did not exceed 30%. This trend is typical for all age groups, except for those born before 1929 - because of the natural decline in their physical abilities.

Already in 2005, Romania ranked first in Europe in the number of practicing believers -- 25% -- ahead of Poland and Italy and almost twice the average European rate of those who attended church at least once a month. The lowest numbers in Europe are for Sweden, Norway, Finland, France and Russia.

In 2008 85% of the population had confidence in the Romanian Orthodox Church. According to this index, it is significantly ahead of all other public and State institutions in the country.

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Two "Ape" Nuns Invade Loutraki

On Tuesday July 14th the police in Loutraki, Corinth arrested two women posing as nuns to deceive the faithful. They were selling icons, crosses, prayer ropes, and incense saying that they were raising money for a holy purpose. Loutraki prosecutors discovered they in fact had ill intentions. A lawsuit was filed against them to face prosecution. Greek newspapers have been calling them the "ape" nuns.

This is actually more common than this one incident. Someone once told me about meeting some questionable nuns trying to raise money somewhere in Greece. When he asked them from which monastery they were from, they said they were from Mount Athos!

PS. For those not aware, Mount Athos is an exclusively all male community.

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Patriarch Pavle of Serbia Today

Patriarch Pavle of Serbia receiving Holy Communion

Referred to by some as a "walking saint" based on his simple lifestyle and humility, as of right now Patriarch Pavle is 95 years old and still leader of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Whereas bishops around the world are often wrongly criticized for the cars they drive and despite the fact that every bishop in Serbia owns a car to travel around their diocese, he did not. When asked why he never obtained an automobile, he replied: "I will not purchase one until every Albanian and Serbian household in Kosovo and Metohija has an automobile."

Today Patriarch Pavle is the oldest living Patriarch in the Orthodox Church, and unable to walk, bound to a wheelchair. On November 13, 2007 Pavle was institutionalized in the Belgrade Military Medical Academy and has remained there ever since. On May 17, 2008 the Holy Synod took over all Patriarch Pavle’s duties owing to his inability to carry out his functions following a long illness. On October 12, 2008 His Holiness was reported to have asked the Holy Synod to accept his resignation due to declining physical ability. Because of the great love and honor the people and clergy have for His Holiness, on November 11, 2008 the Holy Synod decided to ask Patriarch Pavle to remain on the throne for life.

Today Metropolitan Amphilochios of Mavrovounio visits the Patriarch daily to administer for him Holy Communion, as he has been doing now every day for two years.

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Bulgarian Orthodox Synod Says "NO" to Dialogue With Papal Church

Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church

On June 28, 2009 a delegation representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate met with Pope Benedict XVI in Rome to participate in the festivities in honor of Sts. Peter and Paul.

The participation of the Orthodox delegation in the late-June liturgies “reminds us of our common commitment to the search for full communion,” Pope Benedict said.

"You already know this, but I am pleased to confirm today that the Catholic Church intends to contribute in every way to making it possible to re-establish full communion in response to Christ’s will for his disciples,” he said.

Pope Benedict said the International Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue Commission would meet in October in Cyprus “to face a theme crucial for relations between the East and West, that is the ‘role of the bishop of Rome in the communion of the church in the first millennium.'” Ecumenical experts believe agreement on how the pope, the bishop of Rome, exercised his ministry before Christianity split into East and West is essential for discovering the way the papacy could be exercised in the church if Catholics and Orthodox successfully reunite.

“I want the participants in the Catholic-Orthodox dialogue to know that my prayers accompany them and that this dialogue has the complete support of the Catholic Church,” Pope Benedict told the Orthodox delegation.

"With all my heart, I hope that the misunderstandings and tensions encountered by the Orthodox delegates during the last plenary session of the commission have been overcome in fraternal love so that this dialogue will be more broadly representative of Orthodoxy", the Pope said. At the last plenary gathering, held in Italy in 2007, the Russian Orthodox delegation walked out to protest the presence of a delegation from the Estonian Orthodox Church, recognized as autonomous by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople but not by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Interestingly at the 2007 meeting the Bulgarian Orthodox Church sent no representatives.

According to a news report by Romfea.org on July 9, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church has rejected the invitation once more to the International Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue Commission that was to meet between October 16-23, 2009 in Cyprus.

The Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church examined the letter/invitation sent by the organizers of this Meeting and after discussions decided to send no representatives. They analyzed the fact that prior dialogues between the Orthodox and Papal Church didn't lead in the least to any reconciliation between Orthodox and Papal doctrines.

Apparently the Bulgarian Orthodox Synod did not like the topic for discussion and simply just does not want to waste its time or resources, but did agree to meet with Papal delegates in the future to discuss mutual problems relating to human issues.

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Does Atheism Really Make Sense?

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An Orthodox Christian Attitude Towards Swearing

A few days ago a study was released that appeared just about everywhere in the news, where researchers at Keele University made the "discovery" that swearing can reduce the feeling of pain by increasing aggression. Behind the purpose of this study is to determine why evolution has made it common place around the world for humans to swear. Dr. Richard Stephens, who conducted the study at the university's school of psychology, concluded:

"We think it could be part of the flight or fight response. In the volunteers who swore, we also found they had an elevated heart rate, so it could be increasing their aggression levels. Increased aggression has been shown to reduce people's sensitivity to pain, so it could be swearing is helping this process."

It's hard for me to comprehend why grants are released for such studies when it should be known by experience that swearing is coupled with every high emotional state, whether its for pain or pleasure, aggression or humor. Because it is coupled with all of these high emotional states is what makes it so wrong for those who love virtue. For those who cannot maintain a sober and prayerful attitude, using loose sexual or blasphemous remarks (which most swears are) may help to increase the pleasure and decrease the pain, but these usually are associated with activities or thoughts that Christians are called to not associate themselves with. Should not the martyrs of Christianity be a testimony to the fact that even under extreme torture, both piety and virtue can be maintained and swearing and blasphemy avoided with a higher attitude than mere aggression?

However another news story was released at the same time about pop star Katy Perry and how she wrote her hit song "I Kissed A Girl" in order to rebel against her "comically strict" Evangelical parents. She talks in the article about being forbidden to swear in her childhood even over the most silly or trivial matters, such as not being allowed to use a Dirt Devil vacuum cleaner or refer to her eggs as "devilled" (she had to call them "angelic eggs"). She explains further that if she stubbed her toe she had to say something like "Jiminy Christmas" and if for any reason she even said "Hell no" she would get in trouble.

What happened to Katy Perry through the influence of her parents is a common reaction Christians make to fight against the use of swearing. There is, however, a danger where Christians can turn such reactions against sin into moralizations that verge on the extreme (as we see above). In Katy Perry's case she was expected to meet the standards of her parents that was not a part of her own attitude. To say swearing or blaspheming is wrong for the sake of being wrong is dangerous because it is in reality an offspring of one's spiritual state. To focus on the particulars is like focusing on the letter of the law instead of its spirit. If it is not a natural outcome of one's spiritual state to refrain from swearing but merely a reaction against guilt, then in social settings, where swearing and blasphemy are common and such corny reactions as "Jiminy Christmas" are ridiculed, rebellion is to be expected as a reaction against guilt.

What, therefore, is the proper attitude Christians should take to be in such a state that swearing becomes unnecessary and even unnatural? As I read the above two stories a few days ago I chanced upon an interesting story in the life of Elder Paisios the Athonite that perfectly illustrates an Orthodox Christian attitude. I could not overlook the connections between the three stories, since the above two articles reveal the two extremes about swearing, while this story of Elder Paisios reveals how a sober and prayerful attitude makes swearing and blasphemy unnecessary and even almost impossible.

The following dialogue took place between the Elder and some young men who came to visit him:

-- "Elder, some devout young men are troubled while serving their military duty by those who are abusive and curse. What should they do?"

--"This requires discernment and patience. God will help.

"The wireless operator that I worked with in the army was a blasphemous, unbelieving doctor. Every day he would come to the administrative unit to brainwash me with ideas! He talked to me about Darwin's theory of evolution, and other such things; things entirely blasphemous. But after a particular event, he began to understand a few things.

"Once we were on a mission and we had loaded the wireless equipment and the carrier on a large mule. On a downhill and slippery path, I was holding on to the mule's tail and the doctor was pulling on the reigns. Suddenly, as the carrier slightly touched the animal's ears, the mule gave a strong kick with its hind legs and threw me with force to the side. As I recovered, I realized that I was still walking! The only thing I remember is shouting, "My Panagia!" [an expression of praise for the Virgin Mary]. Nothing else. The mule's hoofs were imprinted on my body; my chest was all black and blue. The animal had kicked with such force! The doctor was very surprised to see me walking. We continued on our mission.

"A little further on the doctor lost his footing on a rock, fell and could not get up. He started shouting, "My Panagia! My Christ! What will become of me, who will help me?" He was afraid of being captured. "Don't worry", I told him, "I will stay with you; if they capture you, they'll capture me." The poor fellow then started thinking, "Arsenios [this was the name of the Elder before becoming a monk], even though the mule kicked him so hard and threw him flying, did not suffer a thing, while I, who merely lost my footing, am now unable to walk".

"After a while, he got up with difficulty and I helped him as he limped. The others in the unit had moved ahead. The doctor got a good lesson that day. Every day he was spouting his blasphemies without restraint, and then, at a time of danger, instead of swearing he started shouting, "My Panagia, my Panagia!" The Panagia was now convenient for him! Another person, a motorcyclist in the army, had broken his leg twice and still he continued to curse and be abusive."

-- "Couldn't you tell him something, Elder?"

-- "What could I tell him? Here I was telling him nothing and he was constantly cursing Christ and the Panagia on purpose, just to annoy me. Once I realized that, I only prayed. And you know, while at first he and others cursed for no good reason, later, when they experienced some difficulty and were about to curse, they would bite their tongue! When someone is cursing, blaspheming, or being imoudent, it is better to pretend to be busy and not listening and to say the Jesus Prayer. For, if he sees that you are paying attention to him, he may continue to curse all the more, and you can then become a cause for his demonic influence. If, however, one is not impudent but is conscientious and curses out of a bad habit, you can say something to him. If, again, one is conscientious but has a great deal of egoism, you must be careful not to speak sternly to him but, rather, you have to be as humble as you can and speak to him with pain. What does Saint Isaac the Syrian say?

"'Confute those who dispute with you by the strength of your virtues and not by the persuasiveness of your words. By the meekness and quietness of your lips put the impudence of the obstinate to silence. Reprove the wanton by the nobility of your life, and those who are shameless as regard the senses, by the modest curbing of your eyes.'"

Within this dialogue Elder Paisios seems to answer all the questions the other two articles press towards for an Orthodox response. An Orthodox attitude towards pain, instead of inspiring aggressiveness which is barbaric, is best approached with courage and bravery while remaining true to yourself. Isn't this the attitude of the much-suffering Job who blessed God in his pain rather than "curse God" as his wife suggested? Isn't this the attitude that Jesus had when he was crucified, or is the above study suggesting that Jesus would have been better off swearing to lessen the pain on the Cross? Or what of the two thieves on the cross next to Jesus; who was really better off in enduring their pain? By suggesting that evolution guides our behavior reduces man to his animalistic passions which christians are called to rise above and transform. And by doing this within our own lives, we become an example to our friends, family and children that swearing and blaspheming can be controlled and ultimately unnecessary.

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Photios Kontoglou: A Prophet of Suffering Romiosini

Yesterday marked the 44th year since the passing of the ever-memorable and blessed Photios Kontoglou (November 8, 1895 - July 13, 1965), the foremost iconographer of Greece in the 20th century.

Following the Asia Minor tragedy in 1922, Kontoglou was exiled to Greece and would come to have as his main goal to bring back to Greece all the best that Romiosini had to offer as opposed to the European spirit which was oppressing the Greek soul. So in 1923 he travelled to Mount Athos, a fashionable destination for the most prominent intellectuals, and became awe-struck upon his discoveries. He writes:

"I must say I had not expected to find such perfect art in the monastery churches. From what I had read about Byzantine art I had formed the idea that it was less worthy of attention than the art of the Italian Renaissance... [but] on Mount Athos there are paintings of the most superb artistry, such as the Archangel Gabriel and St. Mercurios by Katelanos. So far as I am in a position to judge, it is very seldom that one comes across paintings executed with such shrewd artistic judgment and charged with such powerful rhythm. I approached these paintings with a feeling which arises from a cast of mind similar to that of the Byzantines and from a strict Christian upbringing" (The Art of Athos, c.1923, quoted in Nikos Zias, "The Greek Tradition and Fotis Kontoglou", Zygos, vol. III, Athens, 1984, p. 58).

It is this experience which initiated a revival in traditional Orthodox iconography throughout the world and would many years later compel Kontoglou to confess the following:

"Byzantine art is for me the art of arts. I believe in it as I believe in Orthodox religion. Only this art nourishes my soul through its deep and mysterious powers; it alone quenches the thirst that I feel in the midst of the arid desert that surrounds us. In comparison with Byzantine art, all the others appear to me trivial, 'troubling themselves about many things, when but one thing is needed'."

Besides inspiring a revitalization in the culture of Romiosini (which included upholding all the traditions of Orthodoxy such as Byzantine Music, traditional clerical attire and appearance, faithfulness to the canons, etc), Kontoglou was also a prolific writer and theologian. Speaking against the cerebral, scientific and liberal forms of theology that Greeks were bringing to Greece from the West, he said:

"Such theologians regard traditional Orthodox theology, which comes from the roots of Christianity and from the Greek Fathers, as ossified, and they come as renewers of it. Actually, they lack real faith, lack interior, spiritual life. They view theology as a science, comparable to chemistry and physics, which employ discursive reason as their instrument and give rationalistic explanations" (Constantine Cavarnos, Meetings With Kontoglou, p. 128).

He would further write of such theologians:

"Todays theologians have become scientists, like the doctors, chemists and engineers, because by presenting themselves as such they will be honored by the world. And they go to Europe, the place of spiritual darkness, to receive a degree. They stuff their heads with a multitude of ungrounded and vain philosophies, and come to our land to transmit their unbelief instead of the Faith…. They do not enter into the Heavenly Kingdom, and hinder others from entering, as our Lord has said. Their punishment is that they do not see any of the wondrous things that are seen by believers, and hence they lack contrition and are cold. They are separated from God and His Kingdom, because they love the glory of men, instead of the glory of God" (Semeion Mega [A Great Sign], 1962, pp. 16-17).

In another book, Papa-Nicholas Planas, which was published three years later, again emphasizing the importance of faith and piety, he says:

"They endeavor today, with the plight of the Church, to find its causes, and hold that the answer is to be found in scientific theological education. But the evil is to be remedied only by education in piety…. What will it benefit the Church if students go to (say) Geneva? They will return with Protestant principles. We are told by these same persons that our Church has remained behind a whole century. How good it would have been if the members of the Church today had the piety of those who lived a century ago! External [secular] scientific education is fine when it is joined to piety" (Athens, 1965, p. 46).

The inculturation of the European spirit in all its forms was seen by Kontoglou as a threat to Orthodox culture in Greece (and of course even to Orthodox outside of Greece). This caused him to lament, what he called, "suffering Romiosini":

"Romiosini came out of Byzantium, or, to say it better, Byzantium in its last years stood the same as Romiosini. Even in the time of Phocas its characteristics appeared clearly, and in the years of the Paleologoi, even as the kingdom was at the point of death, tortured Romiosioni became stronger, a brand new Greece. Christian Greece grew in the midst of agony, because pain is the new mark of Christ. Romiosini is suffering Greece. Ancient Greece might have been glorious and strong, but the new one, the christian one, is much deeper, because pain is something that is much deeper than glory and joy and of whatever else. The people who live with pain and faith imprint much deeper their character in the hard rock of life, and they are marked with a mark that does not erase with misfortune and unbearable persecution, but they become more uneraseable. With such a mark is Romiosini marked. The nations which redeem every hour of their life with blood and agony, bear fruit with spiritual joys, which are unrecognizable to people who live the good life. These remain poor of both spiritual treasures as well as of human, because the good life weighs down the inner man."

The influence of Kontoglou in contemporary Orthodoxy as an artist and intellectual is unmistakable, and his faith and piety is inspiring. His life is worthy of emulation by all Orthodox men in the world, as his sanctity is testified by his incorrupt relics which lie in the Monastery of Saint Ephraim the Newly-Revealed in Nea Makri of Athens.

Below are some links to gain a deeper understanding of the life and writings of Photios Kontoglou:

The Life and Writings of Photios Kontoglou

Various Icons, Drawings and Pictures of Photios Kontoglou

What Orthodox Iconography Is

On Byzantine Music

Various Articles in Greek

On Spiritual Life and On the Holy Spirit

On John the Blessed

Christianity and Islam - Two Related, Yet Different Religions

A Letter to Elder Philotheos Zervakos Concerning the Ecumenism of Patriarch Athenagoras

On the Works of Dr. Constantine Cavarnos

The Small Churches of Maroussi

The Great Wager Between Believers and Unbelievers

The Myth of the Octopus - Smiling Enemies

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