The Humble Message of Christmas (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

 

By Archimandrite George Kapsanis

(Delivered in 1986 at Gregoriou Monastery)

In the entire mystery of the incarnate economy of the Lord, which we experienced today and truly enjoyed, as well as with the successful passing of the holy fast and the joyful arrival at this festival, which the sacred Chrysostom calls the Metropolis of Feasts [i.e. Mother of all the feasts of the Church], we admire the love of God the Father towards His creature, man. And we don't just admire. We are astonished when we see that the all-good God, rich in His divinity, entered the poverty and sickness of human flesh, to give us His Grace and union with Him.

Homily One for the Exaltation of the Honorable Cross (Archim. George Kapsanis)

 

By Archimandrite Fr. George Kapsanis,

Former Abbot of Gregoriou Monastery, Mount Athos

(Homily Delivered in 1981)

 

We celebrate the Universal Exaltation of the Honorable and Life-giving Cross of our Lord. And while today is a day of remembrance for the Church of the crucifixion Passion of the Redeemer, we nevertheless have a certain joy. And this joy is due to the fact that the Crucifixion of the Lord and the Cross, the instrument on which the horrible but simultaneous life-giving death of our Redeemer took place, is at the same time the glory of the Lord.

You will remember, when the Lord was walking towards the crucifixion Passion, He said the words: "Now the Son of man is glorified" (Jn. 13:31). From a human point of view, death on the cross was a disgrace, it was the ultimate humiliation and contempt of man.

Homily Two on the Dormition of the Theotokos (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

By Archimandrite George Kapsanis

(Delivered in 1981)

We all have joy because today is the real Mother's Day. Only the Lady Theotokos is our true mother, because she transmits to us our true Life, which is our Christ. And today all mothers should celebrate Mother's Day in an Orthodox manner, because every mother is recognized as a mother only if she aspires to be like and if she receives the blessing and grace of the Mother of God, the Most Holy Theotokos.

But the world with the worldly spirit, with secularization, which advances and erodes the soul and the heart and the mind of our people, has begun to artificially replace the feasts of Orthodoxy with secular holidays, such as the Mother's Day, Children's Day and others like it, such as birthdays, which people celebrate, while we should celebrate the memories of the Saints, whose names we bear. And all this is an attempt to alter the God-anthropocentric mindset of our people, and for our people to become anthropocentric and not have Christ as the center of their lives. Not to live an ecclesiastical life, but to live a life far from the Church and from our God-man Christ.

Homily Three on the Dormition of the Theotokos (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

 

 

By Archimandrite George Kapsanis

(Delivered in 1985 at Gregoriou Monastery on Mount Athos)

My fathers and brothers, throughout the holy vigil, and with the discourses of praise and with the sacred encomiums, our holy Church extols and praises and glorifies the Ever-Virgin Theotokos, and indeed today on her revered Dormition.

She ascended very high, higher than all men and Angels.

So it was said in the discourse of Saint Gregory Palamas that we read.

Of all the rational beings of God, the Panagia ascended higher and closer to God.

Why did she rise so high? Because she stooped so low.

If she had not descended in blessed humility and perfect obedience to the holy will of God, lower than all men on earth, she would not have risen higher than all.

This is the secret of the ascent of our Panagia, which presupposes her descent.

Homily One on the Dormition of the Theotokos (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

 By Archimandrite George Kapsanis

With the Feasts of our Panagia, the Feasts of the Mother of God, among them the greatest is the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, a small Easter, an Easter in the summer, giving us the opportunity to express our deep gratitude to the Mother of our Redeemer and our Mother for what she has done for the human race and for each one of us. Because, without her own synergy and offering to the Holy Triune God, the Word of God would not be incarnated. God was waiting for such a holy soul to be found, all-immaculate and all-pure, who would offer all their freedom to God, so that God would also offer Himself entirely to them.

And this was the blessed Mary, the humble maiden of Nazareth. We thank her. She gave us the most precious thing we have in our lives. Our Savior. What would we be without Christ the Savior? Despairing prisoners of death. The eternal prisoners of the devil. No hope. The fact we have a Savior and a Redeemer and a God, the Lord Jesus Christ our God incarnate, we owe it to the Mother of God.

Homily One on the Transfiguration of the Savior (Archim. George Kapsanis)

By Archimandrite George Kapsanis

We were mentally transported to Mount Tabor, where the Transfiguration of the Lord took place. We mentally saw our God-man Savior transfigured, shining like the sun, and His garments white as light. We saw the representatives of the Old Testament, the prophet Elijah and the prophet Moses, conversing with Jesus. We saw the holy Apostles in awe and marvel. And as those who visit Mount Tabor of the Transfiguration say, on this day of the feast the whole Mount is fragrant. With this sign, this heavenly fragrance, which the pious pilgrims of the Mount of Transfiguration sense today, the Lord gives one more proof of His presence and His Grace on this blessed Taborian Mount.

Homily One on the Glorious Prophet Elijah (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

By Archimandrite George Kapsanis

(Delivered in 1984)

For all Christians, in whatever situation they are in, the Prophet Elijah is a model and an example. For those living in the world, he is a model and example with his faith and devotion to God, and the faithful observance of His holy commandments, and the spiritual zeal he had. For the pastors of the Church, because he did not retreat from seeking the statutes of the Lord God Almighty. But also for the monks, because the Prophet also loved the solitary life, and noetic and secret prayer he is considered a teacher and initiate, but also of virginity he was a lover and representative, and in fact one of the few men of the Old Testament who had the gift of virginity. For all these reasons we feel the Prophet Elijah very close to us, we love him, we honor him, we ask for his intercessions and we admire his life, his works, his faith, his love for God, but also his boldness which he had before the Lord.

Five Reasons God Allowed New Martyrs To Be Revealed During the Turkish Occupation

 

 By Archimandrite George Kapsanis,
Abbot of Gregoriou Monastery on Mount Athos

Why did God reveal the holy New Martyrs during the years of the Turkish occupation?

According to the lover of martyrs Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite, there are five reasons that God allowed to be revealed the holy New Martyrs of modern times. These reasons show the great importance of the confession of the New Martyrs.

Homily Two for the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

 By Archimandrite George Kapsanis

We celebrated with spiritual joy the memory of the two foremost Apostles of our Christ, the holy glorious and all-praised Peter and Paul. Their contribution to the Church of Christ, to humanity, is so great that one must have a Chrysostomic mouth in order to be able to praise them worthily.

You are aware, after all, that Saint Chrysostom also wrote famous discourses praising Saint Paul the Apostle, for whom he had and nurtured the greatest admiration, and whose disciple and follower and perfect imitator was this holy Father of our Church.

Homily on Saints Symeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

 By Archimandrite George Kapsanis,
Former Abbot of Gregoriou Monastery on Mount Athos

The feast of the Reception has a great meaning. It is a Messianic feast. The Messiah, whom the people of Israel were waiting for, begins to appear - while still an infant of course - at the forefront of history and in the heart of Judaism, which was the Temple of Solomon - where all the hopes of Israel were, where the eyes of the pious Israelites were fixed. From all over the universe, wherever the Jews were, their eyes were always turned to the Temple of Solomon.

The Extreme Humility of the Incarnation of the Lord (Archimandrite George Kapasanis)

By Archimandrite George Kapsanis

With the Panagia Theotokos, Saint Joseph the Betrothed, the angels, the shepherds and the Magi from the east, we worship, thank, praise and glorify our incarnate Lord, who for our salvation was born in the cave, lay in the manger and was baptized in the Jordan.

His extreme humility is not only seen in His death on the Cross, but also in His Nativity in the cave of Bethlehem and His Baptism in the Jordan River.

With this humility He defeated the devil, who thought that with his pride he would reign in the world.

Discourse on Love (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

By Archimandrite George Kapsanis,
Former Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Gregoriou

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ handed down to us the perfect teaching on salvation. And he himself was the first to implement what he taught. It is he who ‘practices and teaches’ (Matt. 5, 19). He also gave us the parable of the Good Samaritan as an example of real love. But the most outstanding Good Samaritan is Christ himself, who took upon himself our nature tortured by robbers, that is the demons, the passions, and human wickedness, then raised it and gave it life through his death on the Cross and his resurrection.

Homily for the Sunday After the Elevation of the Honorable Cross (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

By Archimandrite George Kapsanis,
Former Abbot of Gregoriou Monastery on Mount Athos

(Delivered in the Refectory in 1985)

We have heard the word of the Lord again today, my brethren, in the Holy Gospel: "If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Mk. 8:34). This is the Sunday after the Exaltation of the Honorable Cross. The day before yesterday we had the feast of the Exaltation of the Honorable Cross. And that is why the Church today is talking about the Cross again. The Cross of the Lord, which must become our cross. For if we do not lift up our cross, if we do not partake of the Cross of Christ, what kind of Christians are we? Because a Christian is one who imitates Christ, hence they are a Christian. And he imitates Christ throughout his life, even His crucifixion. And he is crucified with Christ in order to be with Him and to walk "in the newness of life" (Rom. 6:4), as the divine Apostle Paul says.

Homily Three on the Transfiguration of the Savior (Archim. George Kapsanis)

By Archimandrite George Kapsanis,

Former Abbot of Gregoriou Monastery on Mount Athos

Just as all the events narrated to us by the Holy Evangelists took place for the salvation of men, so also the Divine Transfiguration of the Lord took place for us and for our salvation. There is nothing in the life of our Lord that has no salvific significance, that has nothing to do with our salvation. That is why, after all, He became a human being - for our salvation.

And the Transfiguration of our Lord shows us not only the divinity of the Lord and the glory which He had near His Heavenly Father, before the creation of the world, eternally - which He revealed to His Disciples for a short time, though He did not reveal His full glory, but something of His glory, as it was possible, as the hymnography of the Church says -, but even so He showed us who He is and the purpose of our life.

Homily One for the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

 By Archimandrite George Kapsanis,
Former Abbot of Gregoriou Monastery on Mount Athos

(Delivered in 1988)

We thank the Holy God who found us worthy to celebrate today the memory of the holy, glorious and all-praised foremost Apostles Peter and Paul, the two great pillars of the Church of God.

The more one approaches in the Church these holy Apostles of Christ, two most bright figures, the more one is in awe and wonder. Their work as human beings is inexplicable. Only a great love for God and for the incarnate Christ justifies their sacrifices and hardships and the sufferings they gladly suffered, and finally the death they faced.

Homily on George the Holy Great Martyr of Christ (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

By Archimandrite George Kapsanis,
Former Abbot of Gregoriou Monastery on Mount Athos

We thank Saint George, because he showed us what a great thing it is for a man to give himself completely to God and to give Him his own life. And how God accepts this sacrifice, and how the sacrifice of those thus given to God becomes a source of sanctification for the whole world. We also felt today that Great the Martyr of Christ was the officiant of our holy vigil and feast.

The Church praises him, among others, "as a liberator of the captives." And, I think, it is opportune today to ask him to heal us and help us free ourselves from two captivities, which hinder our spiritual path.

Saint John Climacus and the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

 By Archimandrite George Kapsanis,
Former Abbot of Gregoriou Monastery on Mount Athos

(Delivered in 2008)

Saint John Climacus, whom our Church especially honors today, is a precious gift of God to our Church, because he left us a valuable legacy, the Ladder, with which he teaches us two great things.

First, progress in the spiritual life must be made like a science, not without a plan, not impromptu, not without consistency, but with care and effort to strive to shake off the passions and become acquainted with the virtues.

And secondly, in this struggle one cannot reach perfection from one moment to the next, but one must gradually ascend the virtues, pursue them, desire them, pray for them until one reaches the highest virtue, which is love.

Homily for the Sunday of Saint Gregory Palamas (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

In 1341 the teachings of Barlaam the Calabrian were condemned at the Synod of Constantinople and the Ecumenical Patriarch ordered his writings to be burned, while the teachings of St. Gregory Palamas were vindicated.

 By Archimandrite George Kapsanis,
Former Abbot of Gregoriou Monastery on Mount Athos

(Delivered in 1987)

Today we celebrated the memory of Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki. Saint Gregory is a great theologian of our Church, a great spiritual teacher, a great Hierarch of our Church.

In the fourteenth century westerners, as today so also then, were imbued with the spirit of rationalism and could not understand what divine Grace is and how God's Grace works in man. They tried to rationally interpret what is the Grace of God.

The Panagia, our True Mother (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

 By Archimandrite George Kapsanis,
Former Abbot of Gregoriou Monastery on Mount Athos

Among the blessed and holy traditions of our Church is this beautiful typikon that we have: To read the Salutations of the Panagia every Friday night during the period of Great and Holy Lent and to gather all the Orthodox in the churches and to say "Rejoice" to our Panagia, a "Rejoice" that is not only a "poetic license", but mainly expresses the deepest gratitude of our soul to the Mother of God and Mother of us all, to whom we owe so much.

And if we did not have the holy and blessed Theotokos, we would not have our Lord and God and Savior. That is why our Church, as you know, pays great homage to our Panagia, and where Christians gather to praise the Savior Christ, they praise together with Christ our Panagia also.

Homily for Cheesefare Sunday (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

By Archimandrite George Kapsanis,
Former Abbot of Gregoriou Monastery on Mount Athos

Today is the Sunday before Great Lent. Tomorrow Great Lent begins, the period of fasting, asceticism and the most intensive prayer. The Church today reminds us of the exile of the First-formed from Paradise. While in Paradise they were considered happy, because they lived with love, loving God and loving one another, when they let selfishness enter into them with their disobedience to their Heavenly Father, they could no longer live in Paradise. Why is this? If Paradise is love for God and for people, turning away from love is exile from Paradise. So as soon as they replaced the law of love with the law of selfishness, they fell from the Grace that God had given them. As the hymns of our Church beautifully say, while at first they were dressed in a God-woven outfit - and this outfit was the Grace of God - as soon as they sinned, this beautiful outfit they wore was removed from them and they were left naked. And then they were dressed in another outfit, which did not look beautiful and brilliant, but looked awful and frightful. This outfit was death. Because once they sinned, that is, they removed love and God out of their lives, it was natural for them to die. The First-formed would not have died if they had not sinned. As soon as they sinned, they began to enter the process of decay and death. And, as the Holy Fathers say very well, how could it be possible for a man not to die when he was separated from God? God is the true life of man. If you separate yourself from God, it is inevitable you will die. ("God is life, the absence of life is death. Therefore by departing from God, Adam prepared death. As it is written: 'For behold they that distance themselves from thee shall perish'." - Basil the Great, That God is Not the Cause of Evils) How can you live without true life?