From the Fathers

FROM THE FATHERS

“DO NOT be negligent about your salvation, making excus- es with pretexts for sins to justify yourself. For Joseph served in Egypt, assuming not only the care of one household, but for the whole of Egypt, and yet he did not flee from the true path, and the Lord glorified him.” Ven. Ephraim the Syrian, + c. 379 A.D.

“THE DEMONS, as Saint Hilarion has said, are immaterial and sleepless, concerned only to fight against us and to destroy our souls through word, act and thought. We lack a similar per- sistence, and concern ourselves now with our comfort and with ephemeral opinion, now with worldly matters, now with a thou- sand and one other things. We are not in the least interested in examining our life, so that our intellect may develop the habit of so doing and may give attention to itself unremittingly.” Ven. Peter of Damascus, eleventh century.

“THE WORK of our salvation depends on our volition, on God’s help, and on cooperation. But the latter will not follow if the first does not precede it.” Ven. Ambrose of Optina, + 1891 A.D.

1 Homily on the Ascension of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessalonica + 1360 A.D.

THE JEWS celebrated the Passover according to the Law, their exodus from Egypt into the land of Palestine; and we celebrate the Gospel Pascha, our crossing over in the being of Christ from death unto life, from corruption to incorruption. What word can describe the distinction between our festival and the ancient one or can portray the basis of our present celebration? Human words cannot worthily explain its provenance. The hypostatic Wisdom of the Most High God, the Pre-eternal Word of God above all Being, Who in love for man was united with us and lived with us, now by His deeds shows us the basis of the celebration and the measureless greatness of its origin. For we now celebrate not the crossing over of our nature from the subterranean world to earth, but rather from the earth to the heaven of heavens and even fur- ther - to the Throne of the One, Who reigns over all things.

Now the Lord not only stands after the resurrection in the midst of His disciples, but He has departed from them and we see that He was taken up to heaven. He ascended and entered into the Holy of Holies, and is seated on the right hand of the Father, higher than all principalities and powers, above every name and eminence that is known and named in this present world or in that which is to come (see Eph. 1:21).

Just as there were several resurrections before the resurrection of the Lord, so there were several ascensions before His ascension: a spirit took Jeremias the Prophet and an Angel, Abba-

2 cum; and from among the others pre-eminently Elias is described as being taken into heaven in a fiery chariot. But the ascension of each one of them was, as it were, a kind of displacement, by which, although they were taken up from the earth, they did not entirely leave its regions. With Christ, however, as soon as He had risen from the dead, death had no more authority, and so when He ascended and was seated in the heights, every exalted thing proved to be beneath Him, everything bearing witness that He as God is above all. This is, according to Esaias (2:2), the mountain of the Lord’s house, the Lord’s body, being established in the top of all the rational mountains. For neither an angel, nor a man, but the Lord Himself came in the flesh and saved us, being made for our sake like unto us, and without change remaining God. Just as He came down without being changed, while condescending to us, so He returned back, not ascending in his Divinity, but raising up our nature, which He had assumed; for, in truth, it was necessary to offer unto God the first-born from the dead of our nature, asa first-fruit of the whole race.

For this reason, although several have resurrected and ascended, we do not celebrate even one of them as we do the resurrected and ascended Lord, because we do not participate and will not participate in those others. From those we will not receive anything more, as we do with the leadership in faith in the resurrection and ascension of our Saviour, in Whom we participate, and in Whom all will participate inasmuch as His is the resurrection and ascension of human nature, and not simply of human nature, but of all who believe in Christ and by their deeds manifest that faith.

For such as the Lord was made [i.e. man], He was made for us, being in His own Divinity uncreated. The life that He lived, He lived for us, showing us the path which leads to true life. What He suffered in the flesh, He suffered for us, healing our passions, and for our sins He was condemned to death; for us He rose and ascended, granting us resurrection and ascension unto the endless ages.

3 So then all those who are inheritors of that life, as far as they are able, emulate the way of His earthly stewardship. Holy Baptism serves us as the starting point of this emulation, being the image of the death and resurrection of the Lord; the middle is a virtuous life and undertakings in accord with the Gospel; and the end is victory over the passions with the aid of spiritual struggles, which yields life without pain, not subject to death, one that is heavenly, as the Apostle tells us: If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live (Rom. 8:13). Thus, those who live in Christ emulate His life in the flesh. Of course each of us dies in time, just as He also died in the flesh, but then they arise, as He did, glorified and incorrupt, if not now, then when the time comes, and at the end they are taken up, just as Paul speaks of this: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thess. 4:17).

Do you see that in this way each one of us, if he so desire, could be a participant in the resurrection of the Lord and the ascension, an heir to God and co-heir with Christ? Wherefore we rejoice, celebrating the resurrection of our flesh [in Christ], its being taken up and its being established, as the beginning of the resurrection and ascension of each one of the faithful, and presenting evidence of this we now have the Gospel words read concerning how the Lord after His resurrection stood in the midst of His disciples.

And why did He stand in their midst, and accompany them on the way, as it is reported: He led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them (Luke 24:50)? In order to demonstrate that He Himself was completely whole and uninjured. His feet were healthy and sound and able to set off, even though they bore the marks of the nails, so as to show, for the verification of the saving sufferings, evidence of the wounds received by His being nailed to the Cross and pierced with the lance in His side.

4 Besides this, the words, stood in the midst of the disciples, manifest their confirmation in faith through the Lord’s being in their midst and His blessing them, for He not only stood in their midst, but He was found to be also in the heart of each one and therein strengthened their faith, so that each one of them could declare like the Psalmist: God is in the midst of him, he shall not be shaken (Ps. 45:5). From that time the Lord’s Apostles were made firm and unwavering.

So it was that the Lord stood in the midst of the Apostles and said to them: Peace be unto you; this was for Him a loving, customary and characteristic greeting. Peace has a double significance: that, which we have in relationship with God and which mainly engenders piety, and that which we have in relation to each other, and which derives from the Gospel calling. Both the one and the other peace the Lord grants solely by His word.

And just as He had enjoined them to work, when for the first time He had sent them forth, saying: Into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house (Luke 10:5), - He does the very same, when He appears in the house where they were gath- ered together. He immediately granted them peace. When He saw that they were fearful and disturbed by His unexpected and won- drous appearance (for they supposed, it says, that they had seen a spirit [Luke 24:37], that is they thought that what they saw was just a manifestation) then He, again revealing the thoughts of their hearts, and showing them that He is the One to Whom before His passion and resurrection they had said, Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee (John 16:30), He proposed that they be convinced by touching and feeling Him.

And when He perceived that they were ready to accept the truth, then with new evidence He confirmed them in the same: besides granting peace and personal contact, in their presence He partook of food. While, it says, they yet believed not (of course not from doubting, but) for joy, and wondered, he said unto them,

5 Have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them (Luke 24:41-43).

His incorrupt body accepted food after the resurrection, not because He had need of it, but so as to persuade them of the real- ity of the resurrection and to demonstrate that He was the very same person who even before the passion partook of food with the Apostles. It [His body] accepted the food not in accordance with the nature of mortal bodies, but through divine power, like, one might say, fire melts wax, but with this difference: for its very existence, fire requires materials to be burned, but the immortal body does not require food for its existence.

He ate a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb, which things served as signs of His mysteries. For to our nature, swim- ming like a fish in the fluids of an emotional and passionate life, the Word of God hypostatically unites Himself, and by the divine and unapproachable fire of His Divinity cleanses it of every passionate disposition, makes it Godlike and as it were hot. By means of the contact with fire [viz. the broiling], which the Lord came to send upon earth, He makes Godlike not only the perishable flesh, which He had received for us, but also every one of those worthy of communion with Him. And the honeycomb is like our nature, enclosed in the body as if in wax, and possessing a rational treasury as if it were honey, or better to say - such is it so with everyone that believes in Christ, for he has the grace of the Divine Spirit, kept in both soul and body like honey in the comb. The Lord tastes of it in that the partaking of food grants health to the being of each one who partakes. He Himself is not for Himself in need of that, but He imparts it to His disciples, because the disciples lead the believers to Him, separat- ing them from the unbelievers.

And so, while partaking of fish and honey on the comb before His disciples, the Lord reminds them of His words, which He spoke unto to them as He went to the passion, thereby truly re-

6 vealing Himself. And he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures and to recognise that what was written there has been fulfilled as it had been purposed, in that the Only-Begotten Son of God, in the immeasurable depth of His love for man, Who for the sake of man had been made man, had been borne witness to and glorified by the voice of the Father from on high and by the appearance of the Divine Spirit. He had been the subject of faith and wonder for His miraculous deeds and words, had been hated and betrayed by those who knew not the glory of God, nor even the glory of man, had been crucified and buried and had risen again on the third day, and it was incumbent therefore that in His name repentance and the forgiveness of sins be preached, beginning from Jerusalem, and that His eye-witnesses and ministers should be the preachers and witnesses, and He undertook to send upon them the promise of the Father from on high, that is the Holy Spirit. He enjoined them to stay in Jerusalem until they be endued with power from on high.

Conversing in this way about salvation with His disciples, the Lord led them out of the house, and took them to Bethany, and He blessed them and was parted from them, and began to as- cend into heaven, and using a cloud of light as if it were a chariot, He was manifest in glory. He entered into the Holy of Holies not made by hands, and sat on the right hand of the Majesty in the Heavens, making even our flesh, as being like unto God, participant in the majesty. And while the Apostles did not cease to gaze into heaven, they learned from the Angels that stood by, that He, who had been seen of all, would again come from Heaven. Translated from a Russian version published in the May 1978 issue of Pravoslavnaya Zhizn, Jordanville, N.Y. g g g g g g g g g “We should show great diligence not to fall away from the perfection which is attainable, but to acquire as much as is possible.” Saint Gregory of Nyssa, + 395 A.D.

7 GENUINE NOBILITY Monasticism and Sociability by Hieromonk [now Bishop] Klemes An Address Delivered on the Nameday of His Eminence, Metropolitan Cyprian [I] of Oropos and Fili 3rd October, 2005 (Old Style)

Our Most Reverend Spiritual Father, Holy Hierarchs, Reverend Fathers and Mothers, Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

I call upon your prayers and patience, that I might address the main theme of this year’s “Thanksgiving” celebration [in honour of the nameday of our First Hierarch, Metropolitan Cyprian], which bears the title: “Genuine Nobility: Monasticism and Socia- bility.”

A noble demeanour, or courtesy, is one of the more characteristic traits of the Christian and must, of course, preëminently adorn those monks and nuns who have dedicated themselves to God. A monastic who is characterized by a brusque, harsh, and quarrel- some manner shows that he has fallen short of the purpose of his existence and that he is under the sway of passions and evil spirits.

Courtesy, in our Faith, does not consist of a merely outward display of smiles and formal, frequently affected, polished, and civ- ilized conduct. Rather, it is an expression of holy inner experience, emanating effortlessly and naturally - like a breath of life - from the Grace-filled man of God, which makes fragrant, gladdens, arouses to compunction, refreshes, and serves as an example to all.

The biographer of Saint Antony the Great, Saint Athana- sius, Archbishop of Alexandria, tells us that even though the Saint would retreat for long periods of time into the inner desert, to be

8 entirely alone with God, there was nonetheless not even a trace of surliness to be seen in him.

On the contrary, he was always “gracious” and his speech was “seasoned with salt” (Col. 4:6), as the holy Apostle Paul would have it. That is to say, when he would speak, one felt a sense of Grace, a joy, and a sweetness. That is why no one felt jealous of him; rather, everyone rejoiced and scurried to be near him.1

Such is the true and genuine nobility of the sanctity which comes forth from the depths of the desert, from the man Divinely fashioned “in the image of God,” who has attained to the “likeness of God,” thereby becoming a chosen vessel of the Grace of God.

And this is not something which occurred only in the past, with the great Saints of old. A monk from Romania, an acquain- tance of the contemporary ascetic and zealot, Saint John the Ro- manian of Chozeva, who reposed in 1960 in the Holy Land and whose relics are preserved in a miraculous condition of total incorruption even to this day, writes: “He [the Saint] was a monk meek and calm in countenance. He was not perturbed by anything, never became angry with anyone, prayed much, and had a great love for everyone.”2

Precisely his is our common calling—monastics and lay people alike. And in the attainment of this love and this holiness, monastics are called to be luminous guides in a world filled with the spiritual gloom of inhumanity, violence, animosity, pain, divi- sion, conflicts, and mutual laceration. * * * But how can such a thing be achieved, one might ask, given that monastics withdraw from this problem-ridden human society, taking refuge in monasteries and convents?

The true monastic, Saint Nilus of Sinai tells us, is “separated from all things, yet in perfect harmony with all.”3 How is this so?

9 In his monastery, struggling martyrically unto death in submission, humility, and love - those three virtues, as His Eminence, Metropolitan Cyprian, our spiritual Father, emphasizes to us, that constitute the unshakable foundations of cœnobitic life - the monastic gradually becomes a dwelling-place of the Holy Triune God; indeed, he begins to acquire pure prayer, wherein the mind, free from images and distractions, constantly remains lovingly attached to God, having unceasing remembrance of God and ultimately being united by Grace with the spiritual heart, the very “organ” of Divine knowledge in man. If the monastic purely and truly loves God in this way, then he unfailingly also loves other people - or, rather, all people. He is united, through prayer and in his heart, with the entire world,4 even though he has withdrawn from the entire world! He is thus able to help the world in a substantial and beneficial way, serve as an example to it, and uphold it. And this is a great mystery of the Grace of God. * * * In His Holy Gospel, the Lord teaches us that all of the Di- vine and salvific commandments are summed up in love for God and for our neighbour.5 We attain to true love for our neighbour by way of true love for God; and, conversely, we will be unable to attain to love for God, Whom we do not see, if we do not make the effort to love our neighbour, whom we do see.6

Indeed, our brother, our fellow man, constitutes the foundation and the roof of our spiritual edifice. Abba John the Short, one of the great Fathers of Sketis, in Egypt, said: “One cannot build a house beginning at the top and finishing at the bottom. He must begin at the foundation and work his way up.” His disciples asked him: “What do these words mean?” The Elder answered: “The foundation is your neighbour, whom you must win, and this you must do first; for on him depend all of Christ’s commandments.”7

About this Saint Antony the Great, too, said: “From our neighbour come life and death. If we win our brother, we win God; and if we cause our brother to stumble, we sin against Christ.”8

10 The very life of the Church is structured precisely according to this perspective. Our Lord Jesus Christ is sacrificed gloriously and in a God-befitting manner upon the Holy Table of the Eucha- rist, St. John Chrysostom tells us: “For whose sake was He slain, and for what reason? To bring peace to things in Heaven and things on earth..., to reconcile you with God, though you are His enemy and adversary.... This sacrifice took place that you might be at peace with your brother.”9

Organically and inseparably linked to this clear and pure Eucharistic vision is the ascetical vision: therein, to the extent that a man is beset by the passions and sins of love of glory, hedonism, and avarice, he is thought to become bestial and remains “impla- cable;”10 that is, irreconcilable with God, man, and creation. In contrast, to the extent that he redirects the faculties of his soul through repentance and godly striving, he acquires, among other things, a heart that is gentle, peaceable, good, calm, and full of com- passion and cheerfulness; and thus, his soul does not rebel against itself, but, instead, is “opened” to the rays of the Divine Spirit.

Hence, the Eucharist and asceticism naturally lead us to the therapeutic and reconciliatory notion of the communion and unity of all of the members of the Body of the Church with God and with each other.

For this reason, the Divine Chrysostom characteristically concludes: “Let us, therefore, meld ourselves into one Body, not mixing our bodies together, but joining our souls together through the bond of love.”11

Such is the ethos of the Church and the basis for the nobility and sociability of Her members. * * * Monasticism is precisely a model society, with social members, in which love reigns as a Divine gift and a binding tie. Mo- nasticism without love is inconceivable. Thus, monastics are social

11 beings par excellence, since only through love can they do obedience, communicate with each other, and deal with the difficulties which arise in their lives.

My neighbour, my brother, is a member of my body, and mutual respect, mutual submission, self-abnegation, and self-sacrifice must predominate in our relations with each other. In this way, we see our brother as an image of God, worthy of honour, attention, forbearance, forgiveness, love, praise, and justification, and we endeavour not to hurt him, not to disdain him, not to disparage him, not to despise him, not to condemn him, not to wound his conscience, not to burden him, not to take revenge on him for some evil that he may have done to us, not to make demands on him, not to lure him into any evil, not to scan- dalize him, and not to entertain base suspicions about him.

In our encounters, we should be “occasions for joy,” though, of course, with a sense of moderation and sobriety. We should be cheerful of countenance and speech, while preserving inner mourning. Our speech should be gracious and edifying. We should be distinguished by affability and not by brusqueness, and we should also be gentle even when it is incumbent upon us, by virtue of our position, to correct someone. It is good for us to be radiant and to have a smile on our face before we speak, and to show genuine joy over the successes and accomplishments of our neighbour and genuine sorrow over his afflictions and trials. * * * Since all of us, to a greater or lesser extent, are inexperi- enced novices, the holy Desert Fathers give us guidance even in seemingly small and trivial details regarding our relations with others, in order to aid us in a paternal and practical way. Their guidance represents a distillation of their authentic experience and is of inestimable value.

Such marvellous counsels were left to us sixteen centuries ago (!) by Abba Isaiah the Anchorite. We have succinctly singled

12 out the following pertinent exhortations, from among a large number, as being indicative of the benefit that they confer on all of us, monastics and lay people alike: • Be serious when you are alone, but joyful when brothers arrive. • Do not stretch out your hand before others at table. • Do not yawn in front of others. • Do not gape (guffaw) when you laugh. • Do not sit in a careless manner. • Do not make noise when you eat or drink. • Do not give orders to others. • Do not boast. • Do not regard yourself as being superior to others. • Do not grieve anyone. • Do not drive away peace. • Be obedient to everyone. • Give preference to the interests, comfort, and will of your brother in all things. • Do not say unprofitable things and harm another. • Do not walk in front of one who is older than you. • Do not remain seated when he stands up to talk to others. • Do not allow one who is older than you to carry things when you are with him. • Do not quarrel over prices when buying and selling. • If you have been given something on condition that you return it, return it as soon as you have finished with it, without waiting to be asked; but if you have lent something, do not ask for it when it is not given back, and especially if you have no immediate need of it. • If the food set before you is not well prepared, do not mention this to the one who prepared it - that will be death to your soul. Think how you would feel if you were told something of the sort. • If you are chanting, and someone makes a mistake over a word, do not tell him immediately, lest you upset him.12

That Hesychast and devotee of the desert, Saint Isaac the Syrian, adds:

13 • Do not interrupt or contradict one who is speaking. • Avoid familiarity. • Do not expectorate or cough in front of another, but first turn your face aside. • Wherever you may find yourself, do not look around with curiosity. • Do not enter suddenly into someone else’s room without first knocking on the door. • Speak with meekness and look with modesty. • Do not enter into judgment with anyone, but endure being condemned, even when you are not at fault. • Prefer to be despised than to despise, to be wronged than to do wrong. • Avoid loquacity and do not get involved with irascible, contentious, and arrogant people. • “Pour mercy upon all and be detached from all”13 * * * Observing these commandments brings the Christian - monastic or layman - to great and lofty heights of virtue, because progress in the virtues is achieved through the observance of details, to which most people ascribe no significance. All of the above presupposes a profound inner spiritual work and cultiva- tion and show that meekness, humility, and love exist within a person. Wherever compassionate love for others exists - a love which makes the burdens of one’s neighbour his own and which constitutes a most lofty expression of inner mercy - the Divine fragrance of universal love is then diffused, outwardly and in- wardly, as a foretaste of the Heavenly Kingdom and as an image of the Divine life in communion of the Holy Trinity:

“As the three persons of the Godhead ‘dwell’ in one another, so we must ‘dwell’ in our fellow humans, living not for ourselves alone, but in and for others. ‘If it were possible for me to find a leper,’ said one of the Desert Fathers, ‘and to give him my

14 body and take his, I would gladly do it. For this is perfect love.’ Such is the true nature of theosis” [union with God by Grace— Trans.].14 * * * Here is the eloquent and captivating portrait of a contemporary monk who achieved deification, Saint Silouan the Athonite (†1938), as painted by his disciple, the late Archimandrite Soph- rony (Sakharov):

“The Staretz was possessed of real, profound humility - humility before God and other people. He liked to give preference to others but to be unconsidered himself, to greet others before being greeted. He set particular store by the blessings of bishops and abbots, and, indeed, of all in Holy Orders, but he was never obsequious or ingratiating. He had a genuine respect for people of rank and education but no feeling of jealousy or inferiority - possibly because of his profound realisation of the transience of worldly position or authority, wealth or even scholarship. He knew ‘how greatly the Lord loveth His people,’ and his love for God and man made him really value and respect everyone.

“Simplicity stamped the Staretz’ outward manner but his demeanour did not mask his aristocracy of spirit. Even the most perceptive intuition brought into contact with Father Silouan, whatever the circumstances, could have found nothing ignoble in him. He did not know what it was to spurn or disregard. He was a stranger to affectation. He was a really noble spirit in the way only a Christian can be noble.

“The Staretz never laughed aloud, never expressed himself equivocally, never derided or made fun of people. Occasionally a faint smile would cross his quiet, serious face but his lips did not move unless he were speaking.

“Anger, as a passion, had no place in his heart, yet for all his astonishing gentleness, rare unassumingness and docility, ev-

15 erything that was false, evil, ugly he opposed absolutely. Back- biting, pettiness, narrow-mindedness and the like found no place in him. When he encountered them he would show himself in- flexible, yet contrive not to wound the man guilty of them, either by a visible reaction or, more importantly, by an impulse of his heart—for a sensitive man would feel that, too. This he attained through inner prayer, which kept him serene and unreceptive of any evil.

“A rare strong will but devoid of obstinacy; simplicity, freedom, probity and valour together with gentle goodness; humility and obedience without a trace of sycophancy - Father Silouan was a man in the original sense of the word, made in the image and likeness of God.15 * * * Our Most Reverend Spiritual Father:

We thank you, for you have always cultivated for us, in deed and word, the spirit of genuine nobility and sociability, through obedience, humility, and love, and through insistence on the small details of everyday life. Forgive us for having brought forth such meagre fruits. We beseech you to continue your holy work, for we are all in need of it. We wish you many years, replete with mercy and good works, and a rich and manifold recompense from the Lord! Notes 1. St Athanasius the Great, Life and Conduct of our Holy Father Antony (§73), Patrologia Græca, Vol. XXVI, col. 945B. 2. Monk Damaskenos Gregoriates, Travelogue of the Romanian Orthodox Church (Piræus: Ekdoseis “Athos,” 1986), p. 109. 3. St Neilos of Sinai, Discourse on Prayer (§124), P.G, Vol. LXXIX, col. 1193C. 4. Metropolitan Hierotheos of Navpaktos and Hagios Vlasios: Orthodox Mo- nasticism As a Prophetic, Apostolic, and Martyric Life (Pelagia: Ekdoseis Hi- eras Mones Genethliou tes Theotokou, 2002), p. 146. 5. Matt. 22:37-40. 6. 1 John 4:20-21. 7. An Elder Said..., The “Gerontikon” Rendered into Modern Greek, tr. Vasileios Pentzas (Athens: Ekdoseis “Aster,” 1974), p. 114 (Abba John the Short, §10).

16 8. Apophthegmata of the Fathers, Abba Anthony, §9, P.G., Vol. LXV, col. 77B. 9. St John Chrysostom, “Homily I ‘On the Betrayal of Judas’” (§6), P.G., Vol. XLIX, cols. 381-382. 10. St Nicetas Stethatos, First Century of Practical Chapters (§14), Vol. II, p. 176 11. See note 9. 12. Abba Isaiah, Twenty-Nine Discourses (Volos: Ekdoseis S. Schoina, 1962), pp. 186-192. 13. St Isaac the Syrian, Ascetic Discourses, “Discourse VII” (Athens: Ekdoseis Ch. Spanos, n.d.), pp. 32-36. 14. Timothy Ware [Metropolitan Kallistos of Diokleia], The Orthodox Church, 2nd ed. (London and New York: Penguin Books, 1993), p. 237. 15. Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov), Saint Silouan the Athonite, tr. Rose- mary Edmonds (Tolleshunt Knights, Essex: Stavropegic Monastery of the St. John the Baptist, 1995), pp. 53-54. g g g g g g g g g How to live in accord with the Gospel A translation of a Booklet published by the Synodal press in Russia in 1905, somewhat adapted to meet the needs of our times.

Continuation [THE LORD tells us:] “Up to now, in the midst of the gen- eral, depressing lawlessness, in the hearts of several chosen ones of the earth there had been hidden, but only as a glimmer, a great hope for a better future. Now it has been destined to be realized. The time has been fulfilled. The Kingdom of God draws nigh. It is close; it is here now, right beside you, all around you, but it is necessary that it percolate through and be enclosed by you within your heart, that source of every activity and the guiding impulse of a person’s life. Cleanse in your heart a place for God; provide

17 in your life an expanse for truth and goodness, freed up from the rule within you of falsehood, violence and gross self-love.”

Indeed, whoever wishes to seriously address the question of how to live cannot by-pass the Gospel. Only therein is the fun- damentally true answer to the question concerning the meaning of life. “Christianity struck the Jewish and pagan world with the unaccustomed novelty of its teaching on faith. The novelty was contained in the fact that it presented righteousness of life as an indispensable requirement for achieving salvation, but that this condition might be activated depends completely and unambigu- ously on the condition that one accept the historical fact of the death upon the Cross and the resurrection of Christ, as being that of the true Son of God. According to Christian preaching, apart from this fact there is no righteousness that can save man. And until the fulfilment of that event, people only thought of salvation and strove for it, but in actual fact they did not attain it, not even those of the people to whom God Himself had promised His salvation. Actually not one person then saw salvation or received it (Heb. 11:4-13, 17-39), because before the sacrificial death of Christ there could not be any cleansing from sins, and until the saving resurrection of Christ from the dead, there could not be any deliv- erance from perdition.”

In the Gospel the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself is set forth, therefore whoever wishes to follow Him must become His constant disciple, and must give himself up to Christ with his whole heart. Only an unquenchable thirst for God’s truth, firm faithful- ness and love towards Him can make us His chosen ones.

“The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matt. 11:12), and sanctity is achieved by force, and only those who utilise force attain to it. This “force,” this “violence” is that without which it is impossible to “delight” in the heavenly kingdom or to achieve sanctity. Without it, it is impossible to have a firm good will, and without a firm good will it is impossible to strengthen within us, and constantly train ourselves in, holiness.

18 Consequently, the one who wishes to live according to the Gospel, must first of all thoroughly and constantly watch over and observe himself. When people set about to build some sort of large building, observe with what attention they watch over the laying of every brick, because they are aware that even if one brick is askew it might be the cause of the collapse of the whole building. Christians, you act in the same way! Attentively watch out lest in that kingdom for God, which you are called upon to build in yourself while on earth, there is not one carelessly laid brick, not one bad deed.

A drop of dirt from the marsh, if it falls into a pure spring or brook, might be unremarked by the eye, but dissolving in the crystal clear streams, it carries with it certain waste materials and could well serve as the source of a multitude of disease-spreading micro-organisms or bacteria. Such is the law of the natural world, and just as in the material world, so it is in the spiritual. Wherefore be attentive to yourselves even in your most personal, private mo- ments. Poison, in whatever doses it is taken, is always poison, and evil is always evil, although it might seem to be insignificant.

Thus it is that from the disciple of Christ constant and to- tally serious work is required. In what direction must we set about this work? Naturally in that which was revealed to the Christian by the eternal example of Jesus Christ. And that means, the Chris- tian must emulate Christ. … to be continued with “The Way of Eternal Life.” g g g g g g g g g

“DO not be lethargic in any labour; for labour, hardship, and silence give birth to humility - and humility forgives every sin. Know this: that to the extent that a man is careless, he thinks in his heart that he is a friend of God; but if he is freed from the passions, he is ashamed to raise his eyes to Heaven in the presence of God, because he then sees how far away from God he is.” Abba Isaiah, from “The Evergetinos”

19 POINTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE

“A QUESTION for the correspondence section of The Shep- herd: Is God just an idea?” - M.R., Manchester, M12.

THE ANSWER to this is an emphatic No! Such a notion would contradict the whole experience of the Church and the witness of the Saints through the ages. Furthermore, as there is nothing that exists in heaven and the spiritual sphere or in the material universe which was not created by God, one would have to ask if it were suggested that He is only an idea: Whose idea? g g g g g g g g g

NEWS from the Richmond Diocese of the Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece

BISHOPS’ VISITS OVER the weekend during which the Great Feast of the An- nunciation was celebrated this year, there had been hopes that Met- ropolitan Fotii of the Traditionalist Orthodox Synod in Bulgaria, would visit along with Bishop Ambrose and Bishop Sofronie. Sadly, because of ill-health the Metropolitan was unable rd th to come. In the event on the Friday evening, 23 March / 5 April, Bishop Ambrose came to Brookwood, and with Fr Sabbas, led the Akathist service, after which he gave a short address about the significance of that beautiful Hymn. In the morning he celebrated the Divine Liturgy with the Brotherhood clergy, and preached on the spiritual danger of untruth. After the parish breakfast, he returned to London to celebrate the Great Feast of the Annunciation with the sisters at the Convent. His Grace also brought a full set of priest’s vestments which he had made for Fr Sabbas, whom

20 he had ordained on Christmas Eve. Bishop Sofronie had remained in London on that day and served an Unction service there and pastorally cared for the Romanian-speaking peoples. On the day of the feast, the Sunday, Fr Borislav Popov assisted Bishop Am- brose at the Convent, and Bishop Sofronie came to Saint Edward’s to celebrate the Liturgy, accompanied by Fr Nicolae Capitanu. As His Grace entered the church here he was greeted by the clergy with the Gospel and the icon of the feast, and was loaded with bunches of flowers by the faithful. The church was full to over- flowing for the occasion, and the Romanians formed a choir, so that most of the service was conducted in Romanian. Afterwards a rather sumptuous lenten meal was provided for everyone in the Old Mortuary Building. It had been arranged that the two Bishops would serve in separate churches on the feast, lest there be over- crowding at the Convent, where accommodation is limited, and this also permitted the sisters to have much of their festal service in Slavonic.

DOUBLE FEAST

th th ON Saint Patrick’s Day, Saturday, 17 / 30 March, Fathers Borislav, Nicolae and Hieromonk Sabbas concelebrated the Divine Liturgy at Saint Edward’s, and at the end of the service the Romanian children in the congregation presented the clergy with yellow roses. Fr Alexis was also given an epigonation adorned with icons of St Alexis the Man of God. It was a gift from Daniel Ci- upercovici, and had apparently been made by Fr Nicolae’s sister, who is a monastic. In the evening we had the Vigil for the Holy Cross and for Saint Edward, it being the day of his martyrdom. A number of pilgrims from the Russian Cathedral in London arrived early to venerate the sacred relics. And on the Sunday, again with the church full, we celebrated the Divine Liturgy, and afterwards had the usual Parish Breakfast in the Old Mortuary. Our thanks to all who helped and contributed to the celebration.

21 NEW ORTHODOX PARISH TO OPEN

AS our parishioners and readers will know, for several years the large and growing community of Old Calendarist Roma- nian faithful have been worshipping at the Convent in London and at Saint Edward’s, and during that time they have greatly helped th both communities. On 10 April, the day of the Great Canon, led by Fr Nicolae Capitanu, they purchased by auction a former Methodist Chapel and church hall in Naphill, High Wycombe, which will, we hope, become the centre of a newly established parish. At the time of going to press their trust is finalizing a loan to finance the purchase, and will no doubt be issuing an appeal for funds both for the repayment of the purchase cost of the building and for its refurbishment and preparation as an Orthodox Church. We ask your prayers for their support and that you will, when asked, give generously to their appeal.

NEW ICONS BISHOP AMBROSE, when he came for the Annunciation, brought us an icon which we had commissioned from the Con- vent of the Holy Angels in Afidnai. It depicts the holy Peers of the Apostles Vladimir and Olga and Saint Mstislav of Smolensk. The late Reader Mstislav Perott, who served at the old Russian Church in Exile Cathedral at Emperor’s Gate, London, and his wife Olga Daphne left us a legacy and so in thanksgiving we commissioned this icon in their memory, and we have also had Olga’s name added to their tomb stone. We included St Vladimir, thinking that had we had only Sts Mstislav and Olga, most people would have assumed it was Sts Vladimir and Olga in any case! The Convent of Saint Philothei in Swe- den have also completed an icon of St Niphon the Patriarch of Constantinople, which we also commissioned in memory of Stan and Ingrid Clapham, who are laid to rest in our cemetery. Ingrid was a parishioner at the Patriarchal Romanian Parish of St George in Holborn, and her husband converted near the end

22 of his life. They ended their days in nearby Chertsey and also left us a legacy. As they seemed not to have name saints, we chose St Niphon, because of his close connections with Romania. A third icon, one of St Philaret the Merciful, has been given us by the sisters at the Holy Angels’ Convent. St Philaret is of course the pa- tron of the Women’s Guild in Greece which does such valuable charitable work there, and he was the name saint of St Philaret the New Confessor of New York, who gave his blessing for the founding of our Brotherhood here at Brookwood.

BURIAL AT SAINT EDWARD’S CEMETERY ON GREAT TUESDAY, Cornelii Cantle of Caversham was laid to rest in the cemetery adjoining our Brotherhood. He was a convert to Holy Orthodoxy, having been baptized towards the end of his life, and the funeral had been conducted by Archpriest Joseph Skinner at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Knightsbridge. At the interment, Fr Joseph served and his ma- tushka served as a choir. Unfortunately, because of their commit- ment to the lenten services, they were unable to stay for refresh- ments here. May Cornelii find mercy and rest with the Saints, and may his widow, Marina, and his loved ones be comforted in their bereavement.

VISITORS FARNBOROUGH and District Historical Outings Society, led by Barbara Allday, visited Saint Edward’s on th Thursday, 4 April. There were sixteen people in their group and they stayed for an hour asking questions in the church before being given hospitality in the Old Mortuary. On Sunday, 14th April, Eileen Rogers of the Brookwood Cemetery Society, brought the Christian Walking Group,

23 about a dozen members in all, to see the church, and they stayed for approximately an hour and a quarter asking about our practices. g g g g g g g g g PRACTICAL TIP

OUR CONTEMPORARIES, more often than not, order their lives on false and destructive bases. This does not simply ap- ply to people who are quite obviously astray: criminals, addicts, alcoholics, the sexually dissolute, and those whom St Paul distinguished as “filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,” but also to people who are seemingly “decent.” Perhaps indeed the problem begins with parents, because from the earliest years now we are trained to live self- centred lives. “I am the centre of all that matters.” The Christian path is, of course, diametrically opposed to this. As one monastic father who lived in the last century used to remark, “The Cross is ‘I’ crossed out.” It is something that we need continually to bear in mind, because without the Cross there can be no resurrection, and yet very often, protecting our self-centredness, even we Orthodox Christians are tempted just to be slack, to consider, “Well, that is the way I am; nothing can be done about it.” Or perhaps: “God is merciful, so I can let things ride as they are.” This is contrary to the whole witness of the Church through the centuries. We are urged to struggle, to push ourselves towards the good. Now in these festal days, after the Great Fast, we are perhaps particularly prone to just let things ride, go with the swim of the world, and thus grow cold regarding our Faith and our salvation. Be aware of this. In the festal period, the tone of our struggle changes, but the struggle itself should continue. Ever bear in mind that we cannot profitably adopt a “stop and go” policy throughout the Church Year, much less a “stop and do nothing” one!