I place
below a collection of questions to my ever-memorable Elder, Father Haralambos,
from his spiritual children and pious pilgrims, and the Elder's answers to
these.
Question: Elder, what is your opinion, since
you teach "noetic prayer", is it only for monastics or does it concern all
Christians?
Elder: From all that the Holy Fathers
write, but also from my experience, I can see that noetic prayer is for all
Christians. However, it's not for the heretics, and it's even more difficult
for the heterodox.
 |
"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God
have mercy on me, a sinner" |
- You
give us a lot of encouragement by saying that noetic prayer is also for those
of us who live in the world. However, we need help. We have tried to apply what
is written in the books but it seems hard.
- Of
course, it's hard. This work not only requires struggle, it also requires an
experienced guide. Do you have a spiritual father?.
- We
have, Elder. He is good, but he says that he doesn't know how to teach us about "noetic prayer".
- Let
it be. There is even worse. If you don't know, say that you don't know. But
don't impede the other from learning.
I will
tell you how to say the prayer. Divine grace is put inside a Christian when he
is christened. However, when he sins, he drives away grace. Sin separates us,
like a wall, from Christ. You shout, "Lord Jesus Christ ... "but the
door is closed. With repentance and confession, sin falls away. The wall falls
down. Man is reunited with God.
For
example, it's like you have a noble friend. At some moment, he blames you for
something and you break up. But you also need him. Whether you want to or not,
you humble yourself and make a reverence before him. Since you have been
reconciled, you have the courage to say to him, "Please, do me a favor,
friend." He will listen to you because of the friendship, won't he? Well,
how much more will Christ listen, when man is again reconciled with Him?!.
_ Oh,
Elder confession is good, but the world doesn't let us be saved. You leave the
confessional, and again you see the same things, you hear the same, you are
scandalized, you get angry, jealous, condemn others ...
_You’re not speaking correctly. Christ said that if your eye causes you to sin,
pluck it out. He didn't say pluck out the other person's eye. You see a woman
dressed indecently; she attends to her work and you to yours. Pluck out your
eye means lower it down, so that you don't carefully examine her. If you're so
weak and can't even do that, then don't blame the others. You should say to
yourself, "Woe to you, you wretch, hedonist, adulterer. So you like
sin!"
This is
a form of training. You see how much chastity you have. The perfect person sees
and doesn't get scandalized. The struggler avoids the causes, as much as
possible. The lazy person goes into the ardor of sin by himself and then the
others are to blame. Excuses, like Eve.
_ Elder
we make an effort, with the grace of Christ. We avoid things, as much as
possible, but it's impossible not to be polluted in society.
_ Well,
since you live among the causes, it's natural I can say that, with the grace of
Christ, I stood spiritually in the world.
However,
hesychia [freedom from distractions] has another form of grace. When you pray,
all the scenes of the day gather and are played in your mind like a tape. If
you hear rude or dirty words, if the eyes have seen certain things, and so on,
then all those things come and stand as an obstacle to prayer. But that's an
extra reason to force you, who are in the world, to say the prayer constantly.
I
remember that, many times, there were temptations in the world. Even to the
point that the evil one put bad women in my way to provoke me into sin. And
yet, that little prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me"
protected me. At the time of need, you also call out the name of Panagia, with
all your soul, "All Holy Theotokos, save me." Sometimes, you feel the
need to put your own words, "My Christ, my Panagia, come immediately; help,
I am in danger" and so on.
 |
| "noetic prayer is also for those of us who live in the world". |
From my
small experience in the world I saw that this small weapon, the prayer,
protects you from every evil. The evil people are training us. They are pushing
us to get closer to Christ.
-
Elder, I have another problem. I am a family man. I live honestly with my wife.
I don't hurt anyone. However, the other person comes and, without you troubling
him, creates a whole lot of problems. He is unjust to you, he steals, he
abuses, he threatens. You say to him, "sit still" but he gets even
wilder. How can you live peacefully with such a person? How can you love him?!. Rather, how can you not despise him?!. How can you not curse him to go to God's
wrath?...
- My
child, he has a demon. The Holy Fathers say to see Satan behind an evil person.
Satan, who is inside him, is also provoking you to curse him, to abuse him, to
hit him, so Satan can win you too.
My
Elder used to say that you can't fix evil with evil. It's a big temptation.
This also requires struggle. We should do what Christ says, "bless and
pray ... ".The evil person is pushing you with forcefulness towards Christ.
Say, "Christ, forgive him, he doesn't know what he is doing. Enlighten
him. Repel the cunning demon, so that he can realize his mistakes."
Then we
turn again to the prayer, so that we gather strength, "Lord Jesus Christ
have mercy on me," continuously.
-
Elder, can I publicly confess something?!... Many times, I say inside me, "I
am going to hit him on the head, knock him down, and I may as well go to
prison."
- Well,
see!. See where Satan is pushing you!. To go to courts, to prison, and to leave
your family to the mercy of God. No, my child. Don't listen to him. Satan wants
your destruction. Listen to what Christ says and you will see that it will
turn out for good. With your good behavior, he will either correct himself, or
Christ will provide the solution. As long as you, and your wife, pray with all
your heart. And actually, take Holy Communion frequently, so that your soul is
strengthened.
- What
do you mean to pray and take Holy Communion, in such a state?
-
That's exactly why you should. Prayer and Holy Communion are required even
more because of this plight. But I told you, before you pray for yourself, pray
for your enemy.
- But,
Elder, the priest and all the people know that we don't talk to each other. How
am I going to take Communion?.
- If
that depends on you, then of course you can't take Communion. If that depends
on the other, then you are free. You will try both to talk to him and to be
reconciled with him. If the evil one makes him hard so that he doesn't talk to
you as long as he lives, then what can you do?. Will you die without taking
Communion?. Where did we get that?.
Struggle,
my child, as much as you can. If you win him with your good ways, then know
that you have taken a soul out of the snares of the devil. Your reward will be
great. If you can't, then pray that God, Who has the power, to make him come to
his senses.
-
Elder, what you are saying is somewhat hard. Nevertheless, I will try to apply
it.
- Well
done. May God bless you, my child. Try, and I will try with you. Write down the
names of your family for me. Write that lad's name too, who is stirring you. We
will all pray, and God will provide the solution.
Author's
note: The above brother, as soon as he was informed that a book would circulate
about the ever-memorable Father Haralambos, confided in me the above dialogue
with the confirmation that since he followed the Elder's advice, gradually
everything went as he hoped.
They
have been so reconciled with their neighbor that they have even become related
(through a christening). And in his house reigns prayer, love, and peace.
 |
| Abbot Haralambos Dionysiatis. |
*Abbot Haralambos Dionysiatis: The Athonite Elder Haralambos Dionysiatis was another of that
luminous generation of eminent elders hailing from the southern region of the
Athonite peninsula, the caves of Little Saint Anna.
Elder Haralambos was born in Russia in 1910 to pious Greeks who had
emigrated from Pontos. He was popular in the world, capable and sociable, with
a bright future available to him. However the call to the angelic habit
consumed him in a way no calling of a life in the world could. Even prior to
the day of his renunciation, Haralambos lived in the world as an ascetic. He
would work through the day and keep prayerful vigil through the night.
In 1950, upon his arrival at New Skete, he was welcomed to the
brotherhood with a rule of 3,000 prostrations. The strict asceticism practised
by the brotherhood was coupled with a program of nightly vigils and unceasing
prayer. The Jesus prayer and prostrations immediately set the novice’s heart
aflame with divine zeal. His guide was the ever-memorable Elder Joseph the
Hesychast, who recognised and developed Haralambos’ thirst. He received an
education in the patristic traditions and excelled in obedience, hesychia and
prayer.
After the repose of Elder Joseph in 1959, Elder Haralambos was
tricked into becoming spiritual father of the brothers of the Holy Monastery of
Dionysiou. He remained there until retreating in 1967, but his reputation as a
gifted spiritual guide had spread throughout Athos and beyond. After humbly rejecting
calls to become abbott of Dionysiou, he finally yielded in 1979. He implemented
change to the Monastery’s typikon introducing, among other things, frequent
partaking of Holy Communion. Above all, he taught noetic prayer and the life of
hesychasm.
Reference:
Abbot Haralambos Dionysiatis. Monk
Joseph Dionysiatis. (2004)
https://www.lychnos.org/elder-haralambos-of-dionysiou/