The Annual Appearance of the Snakes of the Panagia in Kefallonia

The following excerpt is from my study titled The Holy Snakes of the Virgin Mary: Examining the Mysterious Annual Appearance of Snakes in Kefallonia, which is available for purchase here.

The Annual Appearance of the Snakes of the Panagia

"In the middle of the month a horde of non-venomous snakes, unknown to science, embellished with black crosses upon their heads and skin like velvet, had wriggled out of apparent nothingness at Markopoulo. They had filled the streets with their writhing and creeping, had approached the silver icon of the Virgin, had installed themselves upon the bishop’s throne, and at the end of the service had disappeared as quietly and unaccountably as they had come."[1]

Such is the description of the annual appearance of the Holy Virgin’s snakes given by De Bernieres. It is a common description, yet not entirely true on certain fine points. One case in point is that De Bernieres chronicles this event to 1940, yet as was pointed out earlier, there was no such appearance in 1940. Another issue is whether or not these snakes are venomous; whether they are unknown to science or known; whether or not they appear only in Markopoulo or any place else on the island; and whether the crosses on the head and tongue of the snakes are black in color or, as reported by others, white. These are only a few of the typical contradictions and outdated information I encountered in my research that needed clarification.

As a sign posted on the bell tower written in both Greek and English informs the visitor, the snakes of the Holy Virgin make their annual appearance at Dormition Church between the Feasts of the Transfiguration of Christ and the Dormition of the Theotokos from August 6th to the 15th. As the days close in towards the Feast of the Dormition, so do the number of snakes increase, until finally they disappear at the close of the Feast not to be seen until the same time next year. Where they come from and where they go after the Feast is unknown.[2]

Though Markopoulo is most famous for this phenomenon, it is not the only village in Kefallonia where this occurs. A little further up Mt. Ainos is another small village called Arginia.[3] During this same time, from August 6th to the 15th, snakes appear in that village church as well with similar type festivities, since the church there is also dedicated to the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos. The church is built next to the village’s natural water spring. In fact, many of the pictures of the snakes posted on the internet and circulated are the ones that make their appearance in Arginia. Scientists who have tried to unravel the mystery of the snake’s appearance believe the wet damp route that runs from the fresh water spring in Arginia down the ravine to Markopoulo is a migratory path for the snakes, though there is no evidence for this. It could just be that they have their nests there year around.

The church of Markopoulo is built in the depths of a ravine. The bell tower on the other hand stands away from the church next to the street. It is very old with a strong foundation, grey in color and eroded by time, full of holes at its base. The style is Venetian, and the bells are unique to the island, jumping when they ring. It has been observed the snakes first emerge through the holes created for the bell ropes and those at its base. For this reason, some consider it a miracle the bell tower did not collapse during the great earthquake of 1953, being that it is from where the snakes emerge.[4]

In olden times it used to be the snakes would enter the church during the service on their own and slither towards the wonderworking icon of Panagia Fidousa. On the way, faithful pilgrims would pick some up to venerate them and place them on their bodies for a blessing. Some would go to the bishop and crawl up his episcopal staff, and during the Gospel reading they would crawl up the arm of the clergyman, rest on the pages of the Gospel book, and even bow their head until the reading was over. As one local priest, Father Ioannis Messoloras has explained:

"Today you don’t see as many snakes crawling around on the ground. The pilgrims simply pick them up before they reach the church, but in earlier days when there were more snakes and less pilgrims they had plenty of time to crawl into the church and honor the icon.

The snakes used to be more numerous than today, especially before the Second World War, I don’t know why. Some years they did not appear at all. These were bad years, such as the year in which the Germans exterminated all the Italian soldiers that before had been their allies. It has always been a bad sign if the snakes do not appear."[5]

The excited tourists prevent the full experience of the miracle from being realized these days. Today, it is common on the 6th of August to see the locals search for the snakes throughout the night with flashlights. Before the snakes even enter the church, the faithful take them and bring them to the icon and to the bishop as well. The locals say they do this to prevent them from being trampled on by the excited and numerous crowd that is unfamiliar with them, and also of course to receive a blessing. Whereas in the olden days the snakes preferred to stay in proximity to the icon, today the faithful prefer to handle them, since they are harmless and serene, and be photographed with them. When the service ends, it is customary that wherever the snakes are picked up from initially, there they are returned.[6] This is repeated every day until the 15th.

Pilgrims are always amazed how friendly the snakes are and how at home they are in the church amidst the crowd. The snakes have no fear during these days. They are small in size (no more than three feet in length), adorable, calm, harmless, and bear four mysterious dots in the shape of a cross on their head as well as the tip of their narrow tongue. Some wrap around the wrists, shoulders and chest of young and old alike, where few even allow them to enter their sleeves and escape through the other side. Others decorate the icons of the church, the crucifix, and even the bread offerings used during the services, with their presence. And, as mentioned earlier, they climb up the bishop as well as the priest who reads the Gospel as if they also are participating in the celebration. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the Garden of Eden, when the first formed man and woman lived peacefully with all the wild animals.

To prepare the visitors for this close interaction, the villagers say: “They will crawl to your chest, but by the Holy Virgin’s power they will not harm you. You will hold them in your hand and they will lick you like cats.” As it is also written in a famous verse sung by the villagers concerning a man who strongly desired to commit suicide because his heart was broken, but remembered the benevolence of the snakes: “I call upon the snakes from Markopoulo to eat me, but they are the Holy Virgin’s and so they only caress me.”

-----

[1] Corelli’s Mandolin, Ch. 12.

[2] One local priest relates how many people have searched the entire island for these snakes, but they cannot be found at any time of the year. Other snakes are found, but not these.

[3] A fork off the main road of Markopoulo leads to Mt. Ainos. The road passes through the village of Kolaiti with its astonishing view of the sea, and, a little further up is Arginia. The road from Arginia leads to a plateau in Ainos where the charming Zoodochos Pege Monastery is located. Arginia is a popular stop due to the cooling moments offered by the tall plane trees that shade the village’s natural water spring.

[4] Markopoulo suffered the most damage overall on Kefallonia in 1953.

[5] Interviewed in the documentary Holy Snakes of the Virgin Mary (International Vision Production).

[6] Also, a few snakes are usually placed in jars for the ten days to avoid anyone from taking, killing, or stepping on them.

Related links:

The Holy Snakes of the Virgin Mary in Kefallonia (1 of 2)

The Holy Snakes of the Virgin Mary in Kefallonia (2 of 2)

The Holy Snakes of Kefallonia and the Calendar Change of 1924

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Another Weapon Against the Devil : Exorcism

By Archimandrite Vasilios Bakoyiannis

What a Tibetan Occultist Saw

In 1970, an occultist from Tibet visited Athens. As he was walking along the street, he saw, by divine dispensation, devils who had attached themselves to people.

There was a devil on the neck, another on the ears, another on the nose, another on the mouth and so on. But the occultist also saw something that set him thinking, namely, that the devils were unable to approach priests. They went all around them, circling to find an opening, but were unable to do so.

“Who are these people with beards and black clothing?” the occultist asked a passerby.

“They are the priests of our Church, etc.” explained the other.

“And if you want to see a lot of them, and good ones at that, go to the Holy Mountain.”

He went to the Holy Mountain, where the monks directed him to Father Paisios (+ 1994). As a result, the occultist became aware of certain things. He repented. He was baptized . He became a Christian and took the name Theodore.

Why couldn’t the devil attach himself to priests? Because they belong to Christ’s priesthood. And through this office, they perform sacraments, which, as we shall see, cause the devil to tremble.

“Three things I Fear”

Our holy Fathers fought the devil hand to hand. Very often they talked to him and learned his “secrets.” In one such discussion, the devil was forced to confess to an ascetic, “There are three things I fear. First, what the Christians hang about their necks (the Cross). Second, the bath they take in church (confession), and third, what they eat and drink in church (Holy Communion).” Now note this: he feared these things so much that he wouldn’t even refer to them directly. And the devil added to the holy ascetic: “What I fear most of all is what the Christians eat and drink in church, provided, of course, they do so with a clear conscience.”

We are like fire-breathing lions to the demons when we take communion (says St John Chrysostom). “As lions breathing fire, so do we depart from that table, having become terrible to he demons.”

A message

“Three things I fear,” said the devil. Yet these three things are all part of Christianity. It’s as if the devil were saying that of all faiths (Buddhism, Islam, etc.) he fears ONLY Christianity, because Christians alone have the appropriate weapons to fight him.

This means the following: Only by Christianity is the devil bound hand and foot. In the other religions he has a free range of action. “For all the gods of the heathens are devils, but the Lord made the heavens" (Ps 95:5). And, “They sacrificed to demons, not to God" (Dt 32:17).

Exorcism

Another very important weapon against the devil is exorcism.

At Baptism, according to the Holy Fathers, the devil is at the centre of the soul of the unbaptized. Through exorcism, he is expelled from the heart and the person is set free. “Depart from him/her, every evil and unclean spirit hidden and lurking in the heart.” So exorcism is a dreadful experience for the devil. He is challenged to depart from his victim. And like it or not, he departs.

Since the exorcism prayers at baptism are so specifically aimed at our salvation, St Symeon of Thessaloniki advises that they be said very clearly and not just once. Otherwise the devil will find a way to trouble the Christian.

In the early Christian Church, the reading of the exorcism prayers was a separate and impressive ritual.

● There were special priests who read the prayers, the “exorcists.”

● They were read many times: “Absorb yourselves in the exorcism prayers,” St Cyril of Jerusalem urged those under instruction for baptism.

● The catechumens covered their eyes and faces, so as not to have their attention distracted (as happens today at the ordination of a deacon, who covers his head and face with a “towel”).

For “Curses” and the Possessed

Our Church uses the exorcism prayers of St Basil the Great and St John Chrysostom, which are read over all those who are suffering from possession of curse.

The late Father Porphyrios, who knew much about demons, used to say about the exorcism prayers:

● They were not to be read unless there was a serious, specific reason.

● They were to be read silently (without those present being able to hear).

● Self-appointed exorcists, and those who read the prayers aloud in public, he berates.

● When the exorcism prayers are not read when and as they should be, then the devil assails the victim, the priest and those present.

Satan Infuriated

When the exorcism prayers are read over someone who is not yet baptized, Satan becomes infuriated. Something similar occurs when they are read over someone who is possessed.

The devil, who is “bombarded” by the prayers, is challenged to depart from his victim. He is called upon to do something he detests. And he becomes very angry!

The Victim

The furious devil takes it out on his victim! He tortures him horribly. He contorts him and makes him writhe.

The Priest / Exorcist

In December, 1996, a lady went to a church in the town of Patras in Greece and asked the priest (who later told the story) to read the exorcism prayers of St Basil the Great. The priest was willing and did as she requested.

As he made his way back home, stones began flying around him. He looked back but could see no one. Then, at midnight, something terrible happened. The whole house began to shake. The plates and the glasses in the kitchen sink were hurled against the wall and smashed. The cupboards in the house crashed to the floor. The priest quickly put on his stole, read the prayers which began “Holy God…” and the wickedness stopped.

It’s quite clear. The demons were infuriated by the exorcism prayers and attacked the “culprit”.

Onlookers

At the time of St John Chrysostom, possessed people would be brought to the Divine Liturgy. Some Christians who were present at one such service were not paying attention and were chatting among themselves. St John, who was an expert in the wiles of the devil, addressed his flock:

“Aren’t you worried, now that you’re making this noise, in case one of these demons leaps out and finds your soul vacant, like a house without a door, and just walks in? Even if you don’t care about your possessed brethren, take pity on yourselves. Close the door of your soul against the evil demon.”

So, when you attend an exorcism without due attention, you could become possessed yourself!

Humility

The experience of our holy Fathers teaches that what draws demons out of people is humility.

There was a father who had a daughter who was possessed. He took her to a hermit to have her restored to health. As soon as the possessed girl saw the hermit, she slapped his face. Not only did he not react but, in accordance with the Lord’s commandment, he offered the other cheek as well. This attitude of his (humility) was a blow to the demon. At once it began to cry: “I’m being driven out by the Lord’s commandment.” The possessed girl was made well again. Thereafter, the elders glorified God and said, “Nothing annihilates the pride of the devil so much as humility.”

A possessed person went to an Elder to be cured. Because the Elder considered himself unworthy, he refused. At the insistence of the relatives of the sick man, however, he relented:

“Get out of God’s creature,” he said to the demon.

“I’m going,” said the demon, “but tell me, who are the sheep and who are the goats?”

“I’m the goats,” said the Elder, brokenly. “As for the sheep, God knows them.”

“Your humility is driving me out!” wailed the possessed person, and he was then cured.

When they took a possessed person to Anthony the Great, he also, great saint though he was, considered himself unworthy of driving out demons. So he sent the possessed person to his disciple Abba Paul the Simple. As the disciple was exorcising the demon, it departed from the victim, crying, “Anthony the Great’s humility is driving me out!”

From the book Confronting the Devil, Magic & the Occult, Orthodox Book Centre, Athens 2003

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Saint Nikanor the Wonderworker of Mount Kallistratos

St. Nikanor the Wonderworker (Feast Day - August 7)

Saint Nikanor was born in 1491 in Thessaloniki of wealthy parents, John and Maria, who had great difficulty having children. Their faith however, displayed by their prayers, fasting and good deeds, helped them after many years to bear a son named Nicholas (the baptismal name of the Saint). His parents, who lived in the area of Saint Mina, from the beginning tried raise him according to the teachings of the Gospel by handing him over to a pious teacher for his education. From a young age, Nicholas wanted to devote his entire life to the Lord, and he spent his time in prayer, fasting, vigils and study. When Nicholas was 20 years old, his father died, and after a short time, so did his mother.

When his parents died, Nicholas found himself the inheritor of a great inheritance. He distributed all his wealth to the needy - the orphans and the poor - and became a monk taking on the name of Nikanor. His fame in the region became great for his charismatic gifts, and news of this reached the Metropolitan of Thessaloniki. The Metropolitan had Nikanor ordained a deacon then a priest to serve by his side.

However, the time came for Nikanor to serve in the capacity which God had ordained for him. One night as he was praying with tears, he heard a heavenly voice tell him: “Go to Mount Kallistratos, to struggle well there.”

Scarcely 27 years old at the time, Fr. Nikanor embarked for his destination together with the Righteous Dionysios of Olympus. During the journey their roads separated, and Nikanor alone reached Mount Kallistratos (known as Vermion Mountain, or Grevena), where with much effort he built his ascetical dwelling in the Monastery that was there, and which survives to this day, in the treacherous canyon rocks, on the banks of the Aliakmona River. Besides all of this, he would routinely descend to strengthen the faithful of the surrounding towns and villages, to remain steadfast in their faith, even to end of sacrificing their lives.

One night when he was praying, he again heard a heavenly voice, which called him to go to the summit of the mountain to find the icon of the Savior, which was hidden during the time of the iconoclasts, and to build in that place a monastery. In fact, the next day, that which was said by the voice was verified, and Nikanor at that place built a church and monastery dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord.

St. Nikanor fell asleep in the Lord on August 7th 1549, at the age of 58. His sacred relic was buried in the Chapel of the Precious Forerunner.

The contribution of the Monastery was invaluable during the struggle for the independence of Greece in the early 19th century, both because of its strategic location, and also its economic support.

The Monastery of Zavordas was known for its hospitality, and many would come from Grevena, Siatista, Kozani, Serbia, Deskate and other cities in the region of Western Macedonia. This tradition was sacred since the age when the Righteous Nikanor lived. Throughout all his years of service, those who would visit the Monastery would always find a plate of food and a glass of wine, from the large stores that existed there.

The contribution of the Righteous one was invaluable, both in life and after his repose, as faith in him and the Church has shone a great host of miracles up to today, especially regarding healings of plagues and diseases. The Saint is a protector of shepherds and animals.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
As an Angel in the flesh you lived on earth, and received the crown of victory in the heavens from God, O Righteous one, therefore receiving the grace of miracles, you ever grant deliverance, O God-bearing Nikanor, to those who hasten to your divine intercessions in faith.

For more on St. Nikanor and his Monastery, see here. For more photos of the Monastery, see here.

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Saint Theodora of Sihla

St. Theodora of Sihla (Feast Day - August 7)

Saint Theodora, the greatest of Romania's holy ascetics, was born in the village of Vanatori, Neamts in the first half of the seventeenth century, and was the daughter of Stephen Joldea and his wife.

She was married to a man of Ismail, but had no children. Therefore, she and her husband decided to enter the monastic life. Her husband went to the Skete of Poiana Marului, where he was tonsured with the name Eleutherius. He was also ordained to the holy priesthood.

Theodora also received the monastic tonsure in the Skete of Poiana Marului. In just a few years, she advanced in obedience, prayer, and asceticism, acquiring the grace of unceasing prayer of the heart.

When her skete was destroyed by the Turks, she fled to the Buzau Mountains with her spiritual mother, Schemanun Paisia. They lived for several years in fasting, vigil and prayer, enduring cold, hunger, and demonic temptations. When her spiritual mother fell asleep in the Lord (1670-1675), St Theodora was led by God to the mountains of Neamts. After venerating the wonderworking Neamts Icon of the Mother of God (June 26) in the monastery, she was told to seek the advice of Hieromonk Barsanuphius of Sihastria Skete. Seeing her desire for the eremetical life, and recognizing her great virtues, he gave her Holy Communion and assigned Hieromonk Paul as her Father Confessor and spiritual guide.

Fr Barsanuphius advised Theodora to go and live alone in the wilderness for a year. "If, by the grace of Christ, you are able to endure the difficulties and trials of the wilderness, then remain there until you die. If you cannot endure, however, then go to a women's monastery, and struggle there in humility for the salvation of your soul."

Fr Paul searched in vain for an abandoned hermitage where St Theodora might live. Then they met an old hermit living beneath the cliffs of Sihla. This clairvoyant Elder greeted them and said, "Mother Theodora, remain in my cell, for I am moving to another place."

Fr Paul left Theodora on Mount Sihla, blessing her before he returned to the skete. St Theodora lived in that cell for thirty years. Strengthened with power from on high, she vanquished all the attacks of the Enemy through patience and humility. She never left the mountain, and never saw another person except for Fr Paul, who visited her from time to time to bring her the Spotless Mysteries of Christ and the supplies she needed to survive.

St Theodora made such progress in asceticism that she was able to keep vigil all night long with her arms lifted up toward heaven. When the morning sun touched her face, she would eat some herbs and other vegetation to break her fast. She drank rainwater which she collected from a channel cut into the cliff, which is still known as StTheodora's Spring.

When Turks attacked the villages and monasteries around Neamts, the woods became filled with villagers and monastics. Some nuns found St Theodora's cell, and she called out to them, "Remain here in my cell, for I have another place of refuge." Then she moved into a nearby cave, living there completely alone. An army of Turks discovered the cave, and were about to kill the saint. Lifting up her hands, she cried out, "O Lord, deliver me from the hands of these murderers." The wall of the cave opened, and she was able to escape into the woods.

As St Theodora grew old, she was forgotten and there was no one to care for her. Placing all her hope in God, she continued her spiritual struggles, and reached great heights of perfection. When she prayed her mind was raised up to Heaven, and her body was lifted up off the ground. Like the great saints of earlier times, her face shone with a radiant light, and a flame came forth from her mouth when she prayed.

In time her clothes became mere rags, and when her food ran out, she was fed by birds like the Prophet Elias (July 20). They brought her crusts of bread from the Sihastria Skete. Seeing the birds come to the skete and then fly away with pieces of bread in their beaks, the igumen sent two monks to follow them. Night fell as they walked toward Sihla, and they lost their way in the woods. They decided to wait for daylight, and began to pray. Suddenly, they saw a bright light stretching up into the sky, and went to investigate. As they approached, they saw a woman shining with light and levitating above the ground as she prayed.

St Theodora said, "Brethren, do not be afraid, for I am a humble handmaiden of Christ. Throw me something to wear, for I am naked."

Then she told them of her life and approaching death. She asked them to go to the skete and ask for Fr Anthony and the hierodeacon Laurence to come and bring her Communion. They asked her how they could find their way to the skete at night, for they did not know the way. She said that they would be guided to the skete by a light which would go before them.

The next day at dawn, Fr Anthony went to Sihla with the deacon and two other monks. When they found St Theodora, she was praying by a fir tree in front of her cave. She confessed to the priest, then received the Holy Mysteries of Christ and gave her soul to God. The monks buried her in her cave with great reverence sometime during the first decade of the eighteenth century.

News of her death spread quickly, and people came from all over to venerate her tomb. Her holy relics remained incorrupt, and many miracles took place before them. Some kissed the relics, others touched the reliquary, while others washed in her spring. All who entreated St Theodora's intercession received healing and consolation.

St Theodore's former husband, Hieromonk Eleutherius, heard that she had been living at Sihla, and decided to go there. He found her cave shortly after her death and burial. Grieving for his beloved wife, Eleutherius did not return to his monastery, but made a small cell for himself below the cliffs of Sihla. He remained close to her cave, fasting, praying, and serving the Divine Liturgy. He lived there for about ten years before his blessed repose. He was buried in the hermits' cemetery, and the Skete of St John the Baptist was built over his grave.

St Theodora's relics were taken to the Kiev Caves Monastery between 1828 and 1834. There she is known as St Theodora of the Carpathians.

St Theodora was officially glorified by the Church in 1992.

Source

Troparul Sfintei Cuvioase Teodora de la Sihla (glas 1)
Cele pământeşti părăsind şi jugul pustniciei luând, te-ai făcut mireasă lui Hristos, fericită; cu postul, cu privegherea cereştile daruri luând şi cu rugăciunea pe îngeri ajungând, firea omenească ai biruit şi la cele cereşti te-ai mutat, lăsându-ne spre mângâiere peştera şi sfintele tale moaşte. Pentru aceasta, Sfântă Preacuvioasă Maică Teodora, roagă pe Hristos Dumnezeu să mântuiască sufletele noastre.

Troparul Sfintei Cuvioase Teodora de la Sihla (glas 8)
Cele pamantesti parasind si frigul cel aspru al pustniciei in pesterile schitului Sihla asupra ta luand, te-ai facut mireasa a lui Hristos, fericita Teodora. Cu rugaciunea pe ingeri ajungand, cu postul si lacrimile de diavoli arzand, ai biruit slabiciunea firii omenesti si pe multi sihastri din Carpati intrecand, la cele ceresti te-ai mutat, lasandu-ne noua mangaiere pestera si pilda vietuirii. Sfanta, Preacurata Teodora, roaga-te lui Dumnezeu sa ne mantuiasca sufletele noastre.

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The Holy Snakes of Kefallonia and the Calendar Change of 1924

The following excerpt is from my study titled The Holy Snakes of the Virgin Mary: Examining the Mysterious Annual Appearance of Snakes in Kefallonia, which is available for purchase here.

Because this miracle was so localized to the village of Markopoulo and the surrounding island, we only have stories of the contemporary villagers based on oral tradition and eye-witness accounts to rely on for its history, together with the few archives of the Metropolis of Kefallonia and government records.

The first significant moment of this miracle in the 20th century took place in 1924. Whereas previously all Orthodox Christians followed the Julian Calendar, a Pan-Orthodox Congress gathered in Constantinople in 1923 to propose a canonical update for the calendar to the more accurate Revised Julian Calendar. This caused tremendous confusion and protests amongst the pious faithful throughout Greece, many of whom considered this a disguised anti-Orthodox innovation rather than a mere correction. The residents of Kefallonia were not exempt from this confusion. Because they could not make up their minds, they decided to leave the issue to the guidance of the All-Holy Virgin through her tiny snakes. Since the snakes come out yearly during the specific days of August 6th to the 15th then disappear, they wanted to see if the snakes this particular year would come out during the normal Old Calendar reckoning or according to the New Calendar, a thirteen day difference. To everyone’s amazement the snakes appeared according to the New Calendar reckoning, confirming in their conscience the will of God. For this reason the entire island followed the New Calendar with a clear conscience.

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The Apostle Peter and the Noetic Mount Tabor

This “Ascent” was ventured with the aid of the following blessed texts from our Sacred Tradition: “Interpretation of II St. Peter” (chapters 1 and 3), “Interpretation of I St. John” (chapters 1 and 7), and “Interpretation of the second Canon of the Transfiguration,” (Ninth Ode, second Troparion), works of the sublime Hesychast, St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite. Source.

The Divine Light of the Transfiguration and the Enhypostatic Illumination of our Hearts

A sacred ascent to the noetic Mount Tabor with the eyewitness of the Divine Majesty, the Holy Apostle Peter, as our guide.

“We were with Him on the Holy Mount” (II St. Peter 1:18).

A. All “equally precious” according to the Faith

The Holy Apostle Peter, as a genuine spiritual Shepherd, addresses himself to Christians in his God-inspired epistles, in order to draw up their minds to great heights, to another noetic Tabor, so that they, also, might become “eyewitnesses of the majesty” of Christ our Savior.

The method employed by the Chief Apostle in drawing us up is genuinely pastoral. He knows that he is addressing himself to people who are still “novices and imperfect” and who “have not been vouchsafed noetic illumination of the heart”; consequently, the constant banishment of lethe (forgetfulness) and ignorance from their minds is needed, by means of remembrance and knowledge in Christ, so that, shaking off indolence, they might embark on the sacred ascent.

“I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things”; “I think it is meet to stir up your sincere minds by way of remembrance.”

The Chief Apostle gives us a powerful first impetus upwards when he reminds and assures us that we are “equally precious” with the Holy Apostles as regards the “Faith,” which affords us equal privileges and equal honor:

“to those who have obtained like precious faith with us [the Apostles].”

Living and active Faith purifies the hearts of the simple and “insignificant” believers no less than the hearts of the prominent and notable, and unites them with Christ our Savior.

All of us Christians have been vouchsafed the lofty gift of receiving “one and the same rebirth” and have become “children of God.”

“Since Christians are born of one and the same Father, even God; and from one and the same Mother, the Church; and from one and the same womb, the holy Font, they are, for this reason, all one kind, and receive one and the same form,” and, in consequence, they are “equally precious” according to the Faith.

The Chief Apostle, then, greatly consoles the believers who are yet “novices and imperfect,” so as to awaken them from their indolence and draw them towards higher things, for “just as they are equally precious with him according to the Faith, so shall they become equal in glory as well, should they come to love Christ with the same measure of the Faith whereby he also loved Him.”

Even though it is bestowed “equally,” the sacred Faith nevertheless either increases or decreases:

“It increases and grows in Christians who are virtuous, perfect, and of noble conduct; but it decreases inversely and diminishes in Christians of little faith, who have a worldly and base mentality."

B. “As unto a light that shineth in a dark place”

But how, O Holy Apostle Peter, are we to rise above our worldly and base mentality, that the purifying, illuminating, and deifying Faith might increase in us?

The Chief Apostle now puts us in remembrance of the revelatory experience he was vouchsafed on Mount Tabor and, at the same time, impels us yet higher.

“We were eyewitnesses of his majesty,” “being with Him on the holy mount.” We saw the raiment of our Master Christ shining like light in the Divine Transfiguration! We saw our Savior in His Divine glory, “covered with light as with a garment”!

Of course, the Chief Apostle elucidates, our material and created eyes saw on Tabor the uncreated Light of Divinity, which flashed forth in a strange manner through the created human nature of our Lord; our eyes did not, however, see the immaterial Light simply by their natural power alone, but only after having been strengthened “by the supernatural Grace and powers of God.”

Hence, now “the word of prophecy is more sure.” And “insofar as you are novices and imperfect, and have not been vouchsafed noetic illumination in your hearts,” it is good and beneficial to take heed of words of prophecy.

Such words, though superior to the Law, are nevertheless inferior to the words of the Gospel; that is why they illumine your hearts and confirm them in the Mysteries of Christ, but only faintly. Therefore, the light of Faith is sufficient for the present, now when you are yet “novices.” Take heed of it, “as unto a light that shineth in a dark place.”

However, it must be increased and augmented!

C. The deifying “Dayspring” in our hearts

Until when, O Chief Apostle, shall we take heed of the imperfect “word of prophecy”?

Not forever, the Divine Peter consoles and bolsters us, not even your entire life long. But “until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts.” Until the noetic Day and the Daystar, Christ our Savior, “mystically arises in your hearts through the illumination of the Holy Spirit.”

Then, “He, the Giver of the Law and Lord of the Prophets, Who inspired the Prophets with the prophesies—He, I say, dwells in your hearts by Grace and His Divine Light; and He mystically teaches you not only the Mystery of the Incarnate OEconomy, but also other mystical and secret dogmas of higher theology, to the extent that they can be comprehended; and He gives you inner assurance and makes you established believers!

Our Shepherd, Who speaks of the mysteries and loves His children, has already drawn us up to the peak and summit of Tabor!

And how, O Chief Apostle, is this strange-sounding and supernatural illumination of the Divine Comforter brought about in our hearts? How are we to start, and what follows next? And how is this sacred activity brought to completion?

“Firstly,” says the Chief Apostle, “it is brought about through the practice of all of the life-giving and deifying commandments of the Lord.”

“Secondly,” he continues, “through the acquisition of all of the virtues—as much the practical ones as the theoretic—and, indeed, principally by means of noetic and unceasing prayer meditated in the heart with a mournful spirit.

Through all of these things, “and especially through mourning and tears, the heart and all of the inner man are purified of predispositions and passions, as much the bodily—such as gluttony, hedonism, carnality, and the rest—as the spiritual, namely arrogance, vainglory, unbelief, cowardice, and the rest.

Further assiduous work is needed, however; for following the purification of the heart of such terrible passions, “the person then takes care also to acquire the golden sequence of godlike virtues: peace from thoughts, which is a gift containing spiritual gifts; humility, wrought by the Holy Spirit; meekness, fraternal affection, and the pinnacle of all of the virtues, love.”

In the meantime, “the more illumined” the Christian “becomes by his works of light, and the more he approaches the true and first Light, God”— being continuously purified “of every sin” through partaking of the Immaculate Mysteries “with fear and a contrite heart”—, he thereby all the more completes the arduous stage of purifying ascent, whereupon “his mind has returned—and not only his mind to itself through noetic restoration in the heart, but it has also returned all of the other powers of the soul to itself, and has rendered them noetic, too, in a way.

In this supernatural state, the person “has ascended above every sensible and noetic being and every thought of such beings, and presents himself, deaf and dumb, to God; and, like an unformed substance, he is formed and shaped by Divine Grace.”

Then, oh, then! the Chief Apostle continues, the cloud of Tabor descends upon the zealot of the Divine Glory. His heart is illumined; that is, it receives the illumination of the Holy Spirit and “is enlightened by a noetic, but at the same time real, enlightenment of the Holy Spirit—Who abides in the heart—that is not dispersed as are knowledge” and illumination brought about through thoughts, which illumination “exists momentarily, as a flash of lightning, simultaneously appearing and disappearing, wherefore it is called unhypostatic.”

Divine illumination, on the other hand, which “remains in those who are illumined” because “it is deeply engraved,” “that is, it does not appear and disappear, but remains in the soul,” is called by the Saints “enhypostatic” and “hypostatic light,” which is both “personal” and “enhypostatic.”

* * *

“Come, let us ascend the Lord’s mountain!” The purifying climb is arduous. The spiritual darkness of lethe, ignorance, and indolence, “of the thrice-gloomy darkness of ignorance,” deters the soul from Divine ascents.

The Chief of the Apostles exhorts us: let us make a start! Let us have “sincere minds,” such that they might be “stirred up” and begin the godly ascent.

And, on our toilsome journey, let us constantly chant: “Shine forth on us sinners Thine eternal light, through the intercessions of the Theotokos, O Giver of Light, glory to Thee!”

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Ways Of Inviting and Repelling Demonic Influence

By Archimandrite Vasilios Bakoyiannis

An Invitation to the Devil

When you want to invite an acquaintance of yours to a wedding, a baptism and so on, you send them an invitation. The invitation is a way of showing that you want this particular person to be present. Invitations are also sent to the devil.

Games, Charms and Jewellery

“Good-luck Charms”

There are “specialists” who make good luck charms with invocations to the devil. Unsuspecting people then wear these and, in ignorance, invite the devil into their souls.

To the same category belong bats’ bones, horseshoes, the pentagram and so on.

Games

The former queen of black magic, Doreen Irvine, says, from her experience, that there are games, such as the ouija board, which are exceptionally dangerous for children. The former Satanist Sean Seller also speaks from experience when he remarks that there are things like jewellery and games, which, unfortunately, are often considered harmless. Now this is worth noting. Here are two people who formerly worked for Satan telling us from their experience that not all these games are what they seem to be.

Some years ago, an Athenian visited India. On his return, he brought a native game back as a souvenir for a friend of his. One day, as his friend was gazing at it curiously, it gave out a strange noise and all of a sudden, Satan himself appeared before the man!

Jewellery

Sean Seller tells us that behind every idol worshipped in India there’s a hidden devil.

What is the Cross? It is simply inanimate material (wood, metal, etc.) in a particular shape. But it’s this shape that repels the devil. An idol is similarly an inanimate object in a particular shape. And just as the shape of the Cross repels the devil, the shape of the idol attracts him. So jewellery in the form of idols attracts the devil.

There are some vain women who, to create an “effect”, decorate their homes with all sorts of objects of unknown provenance. How can they be sure, poor things, that by doing this they aren’t inviting the devil into their homes?

St John Chrysostom was quite clear about this: “...For if you decorate your house in another way (i.e., not Christian), you invite the devil and his company.”

Meditation

Even the meditation practiced by gurus and adherents of the New Age is an invitation to the devil. Through their “prayer” and concentration they communicate with him. In the autumn of 1989, for example, I was told the following by a young girl:

She had been led astray by a group of young people who followed a guru. While they were all sitting cross-legged, holding hands and meditating, she did a test. She had a New Testament with her and said the Lord’s Prayer, silently and in repentance and contrition.

The result was that no one in the group could concentrate or meditate! The leader of the group “smelled a rat,” became thoroughly unpleasant, and got rid of her.

The New Testament, the word of God, along with the Lord’s Prayer, tore up the invitation they were sending to the devil through their meditation.

Foul Language / Blasphemy

St John Chrysostom also teaches that foul language is another form of invitation to the devil: “Foul language also besmirches and invites demons.” Songs with dubious lyrics and certain kinds of music are also invitations to the devil.

If you tell somebody to go to hell, that’s an invitation to the devil.

An inhabitant of a village in Achaia, Greece, related the following to me.

His married daughter, who lived in the nearby town of Patras, lost her temper and told her son to go to the devil. Satan promptly appeared in her house. From the waist down, he had the body of a man, but from the waist up that of a jet black goat, with horns! And he had his mouth open.

Another eye-witness told me that, in his village, a father became very angry and said to his child: “May the devil enter you.” And suddenly there was the devil before them. “You called me and I’ve come”, he said to the father.

“Curiosity”

Studying Magic Books

At the time of St Dionysios of Olympus, there lived in Verria a learned Christian. One day, a book of magic came into his possession. Out of curiosity, he began to read invocations to the devil. The result was that night, he saw, as in a dream, a gigantic demon.

“I came because you called me,” said the demon.

“Come on, then. Bow down before me, if you want me to serve you.”

“I bow only to my Lord, and He alone do I worship,” replied the terrified Christian.

“Since you won’t bow to me, why did you call me?” answered the enraged demon, who began to beat his victim relentlessly.

The Christian awoke in a cold sweat. He felt unbearable pain about the face. He started shouting and crying. His condition worsened. His face was so bruised and swollen that his eyes were closed. In the end, he was healed by the prayers of St Dionysios of Olympus.

Experimentation

Recently (August 1998), the following happened in a suburb of the town of Patras, in Greece:

A high school student heard that she could invite the devil into her home if she lit a candle, bound the Holy Scriptures with a rope, held them upside down and muttered some “prayers.” If the Scriptures began to swing backwards and forwards, that would be a sign that Satan was on his way. The young 16-year-old followed the prescribed “ritual.” The hanging Scriptures did, indeed, begin to swing, the table oozed blood and there, suddenly, was the devil himself.

Magic

Any kind of magic, however “innocent” and “harmless” it may appear to be (spells and so on), is an invitation to Satan. In the book “Miracles of our Lady the Eikosifinissa,” we learn that an Athenian woman, a Mrs Xanthaki, was having trouble with her husband. He was deceiving her. In order to find a solution to her problem, she visited a “good woman” who was a medium. The latter read some magic for her and gave her nine chickpeas to put in her house, so that her husband would come to his senses. (What childishness!) The woman did as she was told. But from then on, every night, she had nightmares. She dreamt of a savage man with hideous features (the devil), who kept telling her, “I’m going to kill you.” In the end she was cured by the intervention of the Mother of God.

Weapons against the Devil

Fasting and Prayer

The Lord said: “This kind will not depart except by prayer and fasting.” Fasting concerns the body, prayer the soul. So we have body and soul, the whole person, against the devil.

Fasting

The power of the devil lies in the belly. In other words, when people eat and drink without restraint, this becomes a weapon in the hands of the devil, which is turned against them. So, fasting disarms the devil. This is borne out by the experience of the hymnographer who wrote, “For not even the wanton insults of the demons dare to be brought against those who fast” (Triodion, Vespers on Monday of Cheese-fare Week). We have many instances in the lives of the saints in which the devil is put to flight by the weapon of fasting.

Prayer

Let’s recall how the evil spirit was thrown into a panic at the name of Jesus. The medium, despite being in a “trance,” leapt up from his chair and then collapsed in a dead faint.

It’s also typical of the possessed that they can’t actually say the name “Christ.” When they talk about the Lord, they say “Him” or “That one,” but never “Christ.”

Tell a possessed person to say the word “Christ” and they'll certainly refuse.

Thus, the prayer “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me” brings fear and trembling to the demons.

Taking Holy Water

Water that has been blessed by a priest through special prayers is a receptacle of Divine Grace and, as such, is fire that burns the devil.

In 1925, a possessed person visited the Holy Monastery of Dionysiou on the Holy Mountain. Fr Vessarion, a monk of the monastery, gave him a glass of water, into which he had secretly poured some holy water.

“Have a little drink to quench your thirst,” he told him.

The possessed man took the glass and had no sooner wet his lips than he howled:

“You’ve burned me, monk!” And he spat out the water that was in his mouth.

A certain resident of the province of Achaia, in Greece, told me that he himself had once sprinkled a possessed person with holy water and the latter had shrieked, “You’ve scalded me! You’ve scalded me!”

From the book Confronting the Devil, Magic & the Occult, Orthodox Book Centre, Athens 2003

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The Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Savior

By George Mantzarides
Professor at the School of Theology,
University of Thessaloniki

The Transfiguration of Our Savior has a central place in the Orthodox Church and in Orthodox theology.

It is the event that reveals the glory of the Church and of the faithful. It is a witness to the new reality introduced by the coming of Christ in history.

During His Transfiguration, Christ revealed the Uncreated Glory of His Divinity within His human nature. At the same time, He took up those surrounding Him into His Uncreated Divine Glory. Moses and Elias participated in the same radiance as Christ. The only difference is that Christ is the Source of Divine radiance, whereas the others are recipients thereof.

The reason why Christ was transfigured before His Disciples was that the day of His Crucifixion was approaching: “That when they should see Thee crucified, they might know Thy Passion to be voluntary....”1

By His Transfiguration, Christ, on the one hand, bears witness to His Divinity, which His Disciples had confessed shortly before through the mouth of the Apostle Peter; and, on the other hand, He offers an initial experience of the coming of His Kingdom.

The fact that we celebrate the Transfiguration on August 6 perhaps does not help us to remember its direct relationship with the Cross of Christ. Only when we consider that a few weeks later, on September 14, we celebrate the Universal Exaltation of the Precious Cross — which is reminiscent of Great Friday — do we find its historical connection with the Feast.

In other words, as an historical event, the Transfiguration took place a few weeks before the Passion. From an historical standpoint, we would place it in the ecclesiastical Calendar a few weeks before Pascha — perhaps as many weeks as now separate it from the Exaltation of the Precious Cross.

And we should not reckon it fortuitous that the Church has instituted another Feast in this place: the Feast of the Theologian of the Light of Mt. Tabor, St. Gregory Palamas. Thus, the Second Sunday of Great Lent, five weeks before Pascha, is dedicated to St. Gregory Palamas.

Moreover, it is significant that in all three Synoptic Gospels the event of the Transfiguration is related immediately after Christ’s declaration that “there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the Kingdom of God come with power.”2 Hence, as Patristic Tradition also emphasizes, the Transfiguration of Christ comes as a revelation of the Kingdom of God “with power.”

By His Transfiguration, Christ confirms and strengthens faith in His Divinity, which His Disciples had already confessed.

During His Transfiguration, Christ did not assume something that He did not previously possess; rather, He reveals — once again, according to the measure that His Disciples could receive it — the Glory that He always possessed as God-Man. In other words, the Glory that His Disciples saw on Mt. Tabor was not some transitory phenomenon, but rather the eternal Light of the Divine Nature of Christ. One of the hymnographers of our Church declares this when he says: “Thou wast transfigured on the mountain, O Christ our God, showing to Thy Disciples Thy Glory as each one could bear it.”3

The Light of the Transfiguration is the Uncreated Light of the Kingdom of God, which came into the world with the coming of Christ. Of course, the Kingdom of God, being without beginning or end, is not limited by time; rather, it transcends and transforms time. It does not begin at the end of history, but rather already exists within and above it, and it will continue to exist beyond history.

In reality, that is, the coming of the Kingdom of God “with power” is nothing other than its revelation “with power.” This is not the arrival of something that did not previously exist; instead, that which existed and will always exist is revealed.

Just as the Uncreated Light, which was revealed during the Transfiguration to the Disciples, existed from before the ages and abides eternally in the Theanthropic Hypostasis of Christ, so also the Kingdom of God, which came into the world with Christ, is sometimes revealed to the faithful as a precursor of the Age to Come.

The Christian Faith is not based on some moral principle or ideology; rather, it is founded on the revelation of the Kingdom of God in Christ within history. The testimony of the Apostle Peter, in which he makes precise reference to his experience of the Transfiguration in order to proclaim the truth of the Christian message, is striking: “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.”4

Without experience of the Heavenly, man is not freed from earthly temptations. The Apostles of Christ, Martyrs, Saints, and ascetics of the Church would not have been able to gain victory over the world and to offer everything to Christ had they not had some taste of Heavenly bliss.

One obtains adoption in Christ in the present life. “Now are we the children of God,” writes the Apostle John the Evangelist, “and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.”5

Man acquires a sense of adoption in Christ in his life by keeping the Divine commandments. By self-abnegation and offering oneself to God and to the Will of God — which constitutes a form of death — the believer becomes a participant of the Divine Life and Kingdom.

The taste of eternity does not begin after the Cross, but rather with the Cross. Obedience to the Will of God “unto death” already constitutes participation in the resurrection. Just as the Glory of Christ begins with the Cross, which crushes the powers of the Evil One, so also the glory of Christians begins with voluntary acceptance of death for Christ, Who crushes the old man and reveals the new.

The Transfiguration of Christ is preparation for the Cross. And the Cross of Christ is the commencement of His Glory as man. By His Transfiguration, Christ does not acquire anything new; rather, He strengthens His Disciples in view of His Crucifixion. His Disciples are in need of this strengthening, in order to face the Cross of their Teacher, as well as their own cross, later, for the Name of their Teacher.

The gate of the Kingdom of God is the Cross, and the Glory of God in the world begins with the Cross. Every revelation of the Glory of God within history, whether before or after the coming of Christ, constitutes a model or an extension of the Cross of Christ. Every experience of the Glory of God during this present life presages or accompanies an experience of the Mystery of the Cross.

___________

1. Kontakion for the Feast.
2. St. Mark 9:1; cf. St. Matthew 16:28, St. Luke 9:27.
3. Apolytikion for the Feast.
4. II St. Peter 1:16.
5. I St. John 3:2.

Source: Orthodoxe Martyria, (Cyprus) No. 49 (Spring-Summer 1996), pp. 8-10.

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Saint Evgenios the Aitolos (+ 1682)

St. Evgenios the Aitolos (Feast Day - August 5)

Evgenios Yiannoulis was born in the village of Megalo Dendro of Trichonida near Patras in 1597. At a young age he went to the Monastery of Panagia Vlochou in Agrinio. He then fled to the Monastery Trovatou in Agrafa, where he associated with virtuous elders and increased grammatical knowledge. At the age of seventeen he became a monk and after two years was ordained a deacon in the Monastery Tatarna in 1616.

With his elder Arsenios he visited Mount Athos. Evgenios formed a relationship with the scholarly and virtuous bishop Haralambi in Xeropotamou Monastery. Elder Arsenios departed for Jerusalem, and after a long time Evgenios learned of his death. He returned to the Monastery Trovatou. Mount Athos was nostalgic in his memory. Afterwards he visited Alexandria, where he was ordained a priest by Patriarch Cyril Lukaris of Alexandria at Sinai Monastery in 1619.

He returned to his homeland and remained in the Monasteries Vrangianon, Varnakova and Tatarna. As a lover of studies he pursued education in Kefallonia, Zakynthos and Constantinople from renowned teachers. He founded schools and taught in Arta, Messolongi, Aetoliko, Agrinio, Karpenissi, and the Monastery of Saint Paraskevi in Vrangianon. He acquired many good students, who in turn excelled and established schools themselves. He built churches, preached constantly, wrote many letters - around five hundred, and engaged in writing and hymnography.

Evgenios came to the point that he was even deposed by the Turkophile and Latin-minded Patriarch Cyril Kontaris, but later, in 1639, Patriarch Parthenios restored him triumphantly.

He reposed in prayer, being aware of his impending end, on 5 August 1682 in Vrangianon Monastery, surrounded by his beloved students. He was entombed in the narthex of the katholikon. His biographer was his faithful disciple, the Hieromonk Anastasios Gordis (1703). The recognition of Evgenios as a saint came by the Ecumenical Patriarchate on July 1, 1982. A full service of praise was produced by the monk Gerasimos Mikragiannanitis.

The entire work of St Evgenios manifests his great love for God and the people. He was a tireless worker in difficult spiritual times for the Greek Nation, a virtuous teacher and an illuminator. His rhetorical skills, education, vast memory, courage, dedication and outstanding commitment helped rectify his enslaved brethren. In Karpenissi there are two chapels dedicated to him. His memory is celebrated on August 5th.

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Demonic Possession or Mental Illness?

By Archimandrite Vasilios Bakoyiannis

The Common Symptoms

It is certainly possible for a person who is mentally ill or suffers from nerves to display the same symptoms as someone who is possessed. For example: The possessed person might not want to say “Lord have mercy” or to go to church, to confess or to take communion. (An unbeliever might also refuse to do these things, but that doesn’t mean that the unbeliever is possessed).

It is possible, according to psychiatrists, that someone who is mentally ill, faced with the Precious Cross or the relics of saints, or in attendance at the Divine Liturgy, might shout “I’m burning, I’m burning,” without that meaning that they are possessed. We know of such cases. Any sins which they might have committed, the psychiatrists go on to say, in conjunction with their stricken conscience, would suffice to make the sufferer feel as if he or she were burning when brought face to face with the sacred objects of our Faith.

Imagine, a case like that, in which a sufferer needs the immediate attention of a specialist practitioner and we are trying to do what we can with exorcism!

When the prayers of exorcism are read over a person who’s mentally ill, that person feels a certain temporary relief, because “something” has been done to alleviate their illness. Unfortunately, this can be taken as a sign of or symptom that the sufferer is possessed.

The Difference

Possession is one thing and mental illness another. They may have the same surface symptoms, but these symptoms cause very different underlying behaviour.

When possessed persons are faced with the Precious Cross or the relics of a saint, they are seized with a “fit” and become unrecognizable. Their heads turn right round, their tongues stick out and they begin to howl. It is the reaction of Satan. Mentally ill people, however, react very differently. They are neither distorted nor altered. They always retain their human countenance.

In addition, during their “fits” people who are possessed:

*Break chains, escape from restraint etc.

*Reveal “secrets”.

This, of course, is utterly impossible for people who are mentally ill.

Bewitchment or Psychological Problem?

Witchcraft may also produce the same symptoms as certain psychological problems.

A spouse who is bewitched may not be able to enjoy conjugal relations with his or her partner. This can also happen to someone who has a psychological problem in this area.

Someone who is under a spell may lose their appetite and suffer from constant weight loss. This may also be true for someone who has a psychological problem.

How are we to tell the difference?

If the sufferer continues to be a member of the Church, with a conscious sacramental life, then his or her problem is not due to bewitchment. Magic doesn’t affect pure and conscientious Christians. The problem is psychological and requires the assistance of a specialist practitioner.

If the person is outside the Church and living in sin, then the sickness may be due to witchcraft, although, again, we must not rule out a psychological problem. But a proper diagnosis will require cooperation between a priest and a God-fearing doctor.

The Ruler of This World

“The prince of this world” (Jn 12:31).

We live in a sinful world. Every day a thousand and one evils are committed (theft, robberies, murder), not only in one place but all over the earth. They happen so frequently that these terrible things have become common place.

And it’s not only today that they are happening. It has always been like this, from the beginning of humanity right down to now. In other words, in the many thousands of years since the Fall there hasn’t been a single period when love, justice, peace and altruism reigned in this world. It would seem, then, that the prince of this world is the devil. He’s the ruler of the world!

Well, he may seem to be, but he isn’t.

The Cause of Evil

Let us remind ourselves that the Devil simply puts the idea of evil into each of our minds. From then on, it is each of us individually who undertake to carry the idea out. To be more specific: the devil puts it into your mind that you should steal. But you are the one who plans where, when, how and what you are going to steal. You may plan one thing today, another tomorrow and something else entirely the day after. Furthermore, you may have laid your plans to perfection and have started out to commit the robbery, yet on the way, you may have thought of something else and put the whole operation off. You have gone home, making new plans. Now, what if you set out again and this time you actually do steal? Was it the devil that made you steal, or yourself? Was it he who laid your plans, who opened your hands so that you would take something that did not belong to you? Or was it you?

You were in charge of the game. You stole, not the devil.

The same is true for any action you perform, as well as for any bad things you do. You do it. The same thing is true for your friend, for any acquaintance and for people you’ve never even heard of. In other words, it’s not the devil that does evil, but you in your weakness. If the devil did it, you would be innocent and then, of course, you wouldn’t be punished. No matter what crimes you had committed, you would go to Paradise. And only the devil would go to hell.

The “All-powerful” Devil

We’ve seen how the devil torments the possessed. But there is something we have not paid much attention to, namely that he does not torment his victims night and day, but only at intervals. In most instances he leaves them alone and does not bother them. Why? Why such mercy, such sympathy?

He does not do it out of mercy, nor out of sympathy, but out of weakness. In other words, he does not torment his victim whenever he feels like it, but only when the Lord permits him to. Without the Lord’s leave, the devil cannot bother anyone. Before he tormented Job the Righteous, he had to ask permission from the Lord.

He can’t even bother dumb animals without getting permission from the Lord! Remember how the demons asked His permission to enter the Gadarene swine. And once they had done so the swine did not merely wander off, but rushed headlong over the cliff into the sea. There’s mania for you!

The devil does not have any score to settle with swine, though he does with people, especially Christians, because they believe in Christ, Who is his enemy. Now, if the devil exterminated the swine so abruptly, just imagine how much he would like to exterminate people. He would love to enter each one of us, to make us rush headlong over cliffs and into seas and to go to our perdition, so that not a single person would remain on earth, particularly a Christian, to worship his enemy. And yet ALWAYS, throughout all the ages, people have survived, including Christians. So the Lord of All keeps the devil confined. In that case, who is really the Prince of this world?

God is Good

Since God holds in check the “all-powerfulness” of the devil, it means that He Himself is all-powerful, and thus more powerful than the devil. Therefore: He is able at any moment to do wonderful things. He can make the whole earth tremble for hours with one glance and the whole world will bow down before Him as Lord and God. He can immobilize the thief who is on his way to steal. The same can happen with the murderer and so on, so that evil would disappear from the earth once and for all. He could make the world a paradise on earth.

But God does not do this. He can, but does not want to – while the devil wants to but can’t! He does not want to because He is a good God. He wants us to do good freely, not under pressure from Him. He leaves everything up to us.

From the book Confronting the Devil, Magic & the Occult, Orthodox Book Centre, Athens 2003

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Archeologists May Have Discovered Emperor Constantine’s Palace in Sofia

Siyana Sevova
August 5, 2011
Standart Daily

The metro station in Sofia downtown may soon happen to house the residence of Byzantine Emperor Constantine I. The archeologists have not confirmed for sure the identity of the findings as excavations continue. All facts for now, however, lean towards the variant that the palace of the first Christian Emperor lies just under the square in front of St Nedelya Church.

Yesterday Bulgaria’s Minister of Culture, Vejdi Rashidov and Sofia Mayor, Yordanka Fandakova presented the latest archeological findings. A unique dwelling and a church from the 4th century have been the most recent sensation that came up from Sofia’s underground depths. “The well-preserved building must have belonged to a noble citizen of Serdica,” explained archeologist Mario Ivanov from the Bulgarian Academy of Science. There is a bathroom, yard and a bakery in the building. The most precious finding, however, is the 30sq.m of mosaics. Such a large mosaic preserved with all the ornaments is vary rare to find, so far only separate parts have been discovered, experts commented.

Read also: Bulgarian Archaeologists Hope to Find Constantine's Palace

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Kosovo Serbs Facing Food Shortages...

IC/XC
NI/KA

Press Release

FOOD SHORTAGES IN NORTHERN KOSOVO

PLEASE SHARE WITH OTHERS....

Decani Monastery Relief Fund

Beloved in Christ our Lord,

May our Gracious God always bless you!

Some of us have heard for the last couple of weeks of problems at the borders of Kosovo, and currently NATO troops are securing the borders due to the fact the Albanians have tried to take over the borders. Cars can pass through the borders it has been reported, but not trucks that are carrying supplies such as food and medicine among ethnic Serbs living in northern Kosovo.

"Suppliers from Serbia have been unable to deliver bread and milk to the towns of Lesak, Leposavic and northern Mitrovica, the Belgrade-based Beta news agency reported." Local shops in the towns are on the verge of selling out of meat and sugar products, and customers have been trying to stockpiling flour and yeast. Bottled water is also in short demand. Local doctors at the main health centers in Mitrovica expressed concern over shortages of medicine, the Beta said. In addition long lines now at local fuel stations throughout the region.

The Independent Kosovo government has created all of these severe difficulties for thousands of Serbs, as it was also decided earlier this monthly to implement a new ban on imports from Serbia, At this time as it has been indicated no trucks with supplies are allowed to enter Mitrovica or Northern Kosovo.

As the days continue onward and months Serbs will indeed be facing a humanitarian crisis from the lack of fuel, water, food, and medicine.

If talks begin about the problems at the borders NATO will perhaps in the end grant further freedom to the Independent Kosovo government in allowing them to control the borders! This will be a humanitarian disaster! for Serbs living in Mitrovica and in Northern Kosovo. Thousands of Serbs will starve and many will perish due to the lack of medical help!

How did many of these problems begin in the first place?

Peace-keeping troops have been taken out of the region for the protection of Serbs!

Local Serbian Orthodox Churches and monasteries have limited protection at this time, as well as local towns and villages!

Then we have reports of vandalism of local Serbian Orthodox cemeteries!

Now we will have starvation and serious medical problems for the Serbs with no one to assist them or offer any help! The eyes and ears of many of us will be closed!

We must as loving Christians open up our hearts and offer any assistance possible to help the Serbs in the Kosovo region, and the way to do this is to please support the Decani Monastery Relief Fund, -send a donation of your choice to this fund. The monks at the Decani Monastery will offer as much as possible further assistance throughout these towns and villages.

Our love and kindness is needed at this hour, and let us together bring some comfort and hope to our brothers and sisters! Offer as well your humble prayers.

God love and bless you!

Decani Monastery Relief Fund Inc.
C/O Very Rev. Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes
2618 West Bannock Street
Boise, Idaho 83702

Cell phone: 208-860-2479

Facebook: The Decani Monastery Relief Fund

Thank you most humbly!
Peace to your soul!

God love and bless you!

Humbly in Christ our Lord,

+ Very Reverend Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes

President of The Decani Monastery Relief Fund Inc.

Who prays for you and with you!

I have run to the fragrance of your myrrh,
O Christ God, for I have been wounded by your love;
do not part from me, O heavenly Bridegroom.

- "Wounded by Love, The Life and The Wisdom of Elder Porphyrios"

Read also: Kosovo Crisis: Serbs Facing Food Shortages, Albanians Burning Serbian Products

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Croatia Celebrates While Serbia Mourns Anniversary of Operation “Storm”

August 4, 2011
Free Republic

Croatia on Thursday celebrated the 16th anniversary of military operation “Storm” which crushed a Serb rebellion and sparked an exodus of some 200,000 Serbs, while Serbia commemorated victims of what it calls the worst ethnic cleansing in Europe after World War Two.

Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said operation “Storm” was a “brilliant military action” and a great victory which re-united the country. “The Day of Victory we celebrate in peace and freedom, taking our place in the European family of states and nations,” Kosor said.

Serbian president Boris Tadic said the anniversary was a date of “sorrow and remembrance”. Justice has been partly served by the fact that Gotovina and Markac were in jail, but a lot more remained to be done, he added.

Tadic attended a commemoration in Belgrade’s St. Mark church for the victims of the operation “Storm”. Religious rites were held by the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church patriarch Irinej.

Croatian forces launched an offensive on self-proclaimed Republic of Serb Krajina on August 4, 1995 and in only two days re-conquered a third of its territory held by local Serbs who rebelled against Croatia’s secession from the former Yugoslavia.

According to Serbian sources, 1,205 civilians, including 522 women and 12 children, were killed in the operation and some 200,000 fled to Serbia. According to Croatian Helsinki Human Rights Committee, 677 Serb civilians were killed.

The United Nations War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia last April sentenced two Croatian generals, Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac, to 24 and 18 years in jail respectively for crimes committed in the operation.

According to the indictment, they were a part of a “joint criminal enterprise”, headed by late Croatian president Franjo Tudjman, aimed at expelling minority Serbs from the country. Gotovina and Markac have appealed the sentence.

Croatia is expected to join the European Union in 2013, but Belgrade insists Zagreb should first facilitate the return of refugees, resolve their property claims and create conditions for normal integration into society.


Victims of Operation Storm Remembered

August 4, 2011
B92

Today marks the 16th anniversary since the beginning of Croatian army and police Operation Storm that led to the exodus of more than 200,000 Serbs from Croatia.

Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) Patriarch Irinej held a memorial service at St. Mark’s Church in downtown Belgrade for the victims of the 1995 military operation aimed against Serb areas of Croatia.

The memorial service was attended by Serbian President Boris Tadic, Deputy Prime Minister in charge of refugee issues Jovan Krkobabic, and by other government officials.

Representatives of more than 100 refugee and home clubs associations of Serbs from Croatia said they will hand the Croatian Embassy in Belgrade an open letter for Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor and Deputy Prime Minister from the Serb community Slobodan Uzelac.

The representatives are demanding from Croatia to return all the property that belongs to the Serbs who had to flee Croatia, and also to pay the people the pension arrears and their savings in banks, before the country enters the EU.

On August 4, 1995 the Croat armed forces in cooperation with Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina launched Operation Storm which claimed lives of nearly 2,000 Serbs and sent about 340,000 people to expulsion.

Nearly 2,000 Serbs were reported missing and 220,000 were expelled from the Republic of Serb Krajina during Operation Storm which was shortly followed by Operation Mistral, in which around 655 Serbs were killed and 125,000 driven from their homes in 13 municipalities in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

According to the data of the NGO Veritas, a total of 1,011 Serbs are still registered as missing, including 660 civilians, 337 of whom are women.

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The Innumerable Miracles Worked Through Prayer

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

This is how Valerian begins the biography of his companion, St. Pontius: "Who can believe, if God does not grant it? Who can lead a life of asceticism, if the Lord does not help? Who can receive the wreath of martyrdom, if Christ does not give it?" God can do all and God wills all that is for the salvation of men, if only men pray to Him. By prayer, St. Nonna converted her husband Gregory and her son, Gregory the Theologian, to Christianity. By prayer, Monica brought Augustine back from a wayward life to the path of good works and faith. By prayer, St. Basil converted his teacher Evulios. By prayer, King Hezekiah prolonged his life for fifteen years. By prayer, St. Simeon the Stylite turned back the Persians and Scythians that they not attack the land of Greece with an army already prepared. Furthermore, all the stars in the heavens will be more readily counted then all the miracles worked on earth by prayer.

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The Monastery of Panagia Panahrantos in Andros

The Monastery of Panagia Panahrantos in Andros was established by Emperor Nikephoros Phokas in the tenth century.

It's origins go back to the discovery of the Sacred Icon of Panagia Panahrantos by two ascetics living in a nearby cave, who every night would see a bright light in the area where the Monastery stands today. The two ascetics found the icon in a cave by tracing the source of the strange light, and after venerating it brought it back to their monastic cell. At night, however, the icon would return to its original cave. This happened many times. Enlightened by the grace of the Theotokos, the two ascetics abandoned their monastic cells and settled near the cave where the icon established itself. The All Pure One (the literal translation of "Panahrantos") indicated to the monks to build the first church there to house the Sacred Icon, and the Monastery was eventually established around this church.

The Katholikon (central church) of the Monastery is cross-shaped with a dome and dedicated to the Dormition of the Theotokos, celebrating its feast day on August 15th. Some believe the Sacred Icon of Panagia Panahrantos is the work of the Evangelist Luke. Since this church also houses the skull of Saint Panteleimon, it also celebrates on his feast day which is July 27th.

The Monastery is famous also for being the final resting place of Monk Christoforos, or "Papoulakos", in the 19th century, and a recent miracle from May of 2009 where the skulls of former monastics were discovered on the grounds of the Monastery together with many which have been exuding a fragrant myrrh.

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