Suivre le Christ.Saint Sophrony l’Athonite.

             

Fresque de la Présentation du Seigneur au temple.
Osios Loukas. Grèce.

Avec notre Dieu, tout est "à l'envers", "sens dessus dessous": la manière de penser du monde ne s'applique pas à la vie chrétienne.

Plus nous sommes attentifs à tout ce qui traverse notre esprit et pénètre dans notre cœur, mieux il nous faut connaître la voie menant à l'entrée du "sanctuaire de Dieu". Or, plus nous sommes attentifs, et plus nous avons l'impression que non seulement nous ne progressons pas spirituellement, mais que, bien au contraire, nous devenons toujours pires.

Quel paradoxe.!.. Plus grand est notre progrès, et plus nous sommes conscients de notre nullité. Ainsi, nous ne voyons pas de progrès dans notre vie ici: les années passent, et l'on se voit toujours le même, encore pire qu'avant.!.. Voilà pourquoi il nous faut connaître la voie jusqu'au bout.

Il y a dans ce livre génial, "Klimax" (L'Echelle), de saint Jean Climaque, un passage que je voudrais vous faire lire.Il s'agit d'un extrait de la Lettre au Pasteur.

"C'est de force spirituelle, vénérable Père, que nous avons besoin avant tout, afin que nous puissions prendre par la main et délivrer de la foule des pensées ceux que nous avons essayé d'introduire dans le Saint des Saints, et à qui nous avons entrepris de montrer le Christ reposant sur la Table mystique et sacrée, quand nous les verrons tourmentés et affligés par la foule des pensées qui veulent les arrêter, surtout quand ils sont sur le seuil, devant l'entrée.

Anecdotes About St. Joseph the HesychastHieromonk Ephraim, St. Nilus Skete, Alaska.

 Saint Joseph the Hesychast.

Elder Sophrony of Essex heard about Elder Joseph and found him on his own. Elder Sophrony visited him frequently because he had great reverence for him. He later said that Elder Joseph was one of the greatest ascetics of the Holy Mountain he had ever met. In a letter of his, Elder Sophrony wrote the following about their meeting: “I wanted to hear the words of this bearer of great grace. He spoke to me primarily about the hesychastic life of a hermit and that he himself had seen the Uncreated Light several times. My discussion with Geronda left a deep impression on me.... I had the impression that I had in front of me a spiritual general.” Indeed, he was “the teacher”—which is what pious monks of the wilderness of the Holy Mountain would call him out of reverence and respect.

Saint Nicolas Velimirović.Jean-Claude Larchet.

Saint Nicolas Velimirović.

Nicolas Velimirović, le futur saint Nicolas de Jitcha et d'Ochrid, est le né 23 décembre 1880, à Celije, un petit village situé à huit kilomètres de Valjevo, à une centaine de kilomètres au sud-ouest de Belgrade, dans une famille de modestes agriculteurs qui allait compter neuf enfants.

À cette époque les monastères dispensaient un enseignement à la fois religieux et scolaire, et c'est au monastère de Celije, que l'enfant reçut sa première éducation. L'ambition de ses parents se limitait à ce qu'il reçût une instruction suffisante pour qu'il fût capable d'aider les autres villageois à rédiger leur correspondance avec l'administration, mais le «petit Nicolas» montra très rapidement un zèle au travail et des capacités intellectuelles exceptionnels, si bien que ses premières études achevées, son instituteur demanda à ses parents de lui permettre de poursuivre ses études au lycée de Valjevo.

Une fois ses études de théologie terminées, il exerça un temps la fonction d'instituteur, près de Valjevo et aidait en même temps le prêtre du lieu dans les travaux de la paroisse.

À cette époque, il contribua à la fondation et à la rédaction de la revue Le Messager chrétien (Hriscanski vesnik).

En 1905, Nicolas, sur la recommandation des autorités ecclésiastiques, obtint une bourse du gouvernement afin de poursuivre ses études à l'étranger. Ces divers séjours lui permirent de lire et de parler sept langues étrangères, et d'acquérir une connaissance approfondie non seulement de la littérature et de la philosophie, mais encore de la mentalité européennes. C'est lors de ce cursus - en Angleterre surtout - qu'il étudia aussi la sagesse de l'Extrême-Orient et se plongea dans les livres religieux et philosophiques de l'Inde ancienne.

En 1908, alors qu'il était âgé de vingt-huit ans, ses études à Berne en Suisse furent couronnées par un doctorat en théologie, pour une thèse intitulée : “La foi en la résurrection du Christ, dogme fondamental de l'Église apostolique”.

Nicolas passa l'année suivante à Oxford, où il prépara un doctorat de philosophie, mais c'est à Genève et en français qu'il soutint sa thèse intitulée La philosophie de Berkeley.

Have we found paradise?.Archimandrite Aimilianos Simonopetra.

On Thursday, May 9, Archimandrite Aimilianos, the former Hegumen of Simonopetra Monastery, and spiritual father of many monks, nuns and lay people, reposed in the Lord, at the Monastery of the Annunciation in Ormylia (Chalkidiki) at the age of 85, after a long illness. Memory Eternal!.

“the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Delight to cultivate and keep it” (Gen 2.15).

Archimandrite Aimilianos
 Simonopetra.

 Those plants were like a robe of divine beauty, forming a natural world, a natural expression, of God's majestic holiness. The nat­ural world was a reflection of God's grandeur, and through nature God was visible to the eyes of our first ancestors. In tending the garden they were attending to the glory and majesty of God, care­fully tilling and cultivating the living things around them.

In the first place, then, comes work. We can never experience God without work. People who don't work bard and succeed at their earthly labors are not likely to find much Success in their spir­itual lives. We have to work.

After placing Adam and Eve in the garden, God said to them: “you may eat of any of the trees in paradise” (Gen 2.16). Don't be sur­prised by this. Eating is also a spiritual task, because paradise is a place that relates both to the senses of the body and to those of the intellect. Adam communed with God by means of the fruit of the trees, which was a figure of the food of heaven, about which Christ says: Take, eat, and drink (Mt 26.26-27). By eating of the food of the garden, Adam wasn't merely nourishing his body, but also his soul. It was a way for him to participate in God. And thus when we hear the words: Take, eat, drink, we hear the voice of God calling us to the communion of paradise. But whereas Adam's food was the fruit of the garden, we eat of the bread which came down from heaven (Tn 6.32-35).

The noetic prayer is for all Christians .Abbot Haralambos Dionysiatis.

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.

Well, since you have a confessor, I don't need to confess you.

Geronda Gregory abbot of Dochiariou Monastery.

The brethren of the Dochiariou monastery, who recently bade farewell to their Geronda Gregory (Zumis), offer this text in his memory.

Geronda Gregory (Zumis)

In October 9/21, 2018, around 10:30 pm, Gerondas Gregory , the hegumen of the Dochiariou monastery for 38 years, reposed in the Lord . The monk-ascetic, the charismatic leader, distinguished by an enlightened mind and a critical spirit, a skilled orator, loving spiritual father, renovator and new builder of the ancient monastery Dochiariou.

Geronda Gregory spiritually “grew at the feet” of Saint Amphilochius of Patmos and Saint Philotheos (Zervakos), abbot of the monastery of Longovard on Paros.

At the age of 29, he became the abbot of the “Mirtie” monastery in “Etoloakarnanii” and then the monastery of “Prusso” in “Evritania”. And, finally, since 1980, he became the hegumen of Dochiariou monastery in Mont Athos.

Love. Saint Paisios of Mount Athos.

Conscience is the first law of God, which He deeply carved in the hearts of the First Created, and conse­quently, each one of us takes it as a "photocopy" from his parents when he is born. Those who have managed to sensitize their conscience through the daily study of themselves, feel themselves estranged from this world; and, as a result, worldly people are dumbfounded by their discerning behaviour. Those, however, who do not examine their conscience, are neither benefited by spiritual study, nor by the advice of the Elders, nor are they even able to keep God's commandments, since they quickly become insensitive.

The Testimony of the Saints. Archimandrite George Kapsani.

Father Georges Kapsani.

Archimandrite George, the former Abbot of St. Gregorios Monastery (1974-2014), was well known throughout the Orthodox world both as a theologian and spiritual father. He has written many books and articles on theology and the spiritual life. His works have been translated into many languages. He reposed in the Lord, the day of Pentecost, 8 June 2014. 

The Church is the place of our meeting with the Holy Trinity and the Epiphany where the fullness of Grace and the real gifts of the Spirit exist. Where everything is perfect, since "the divine Fathers put everything in its proper order". They were driven and guided by the authenticity of the omniscience of God and "having recollected all the science of the soul" have passed on to us authentically" the great mystery of piety". The real piety, not the fake, not the in­dividual piety according to everyone's personal opinion, but piety of the Church.

We, the Orthodox Christians, in our honorable struggle daily die according to the old man and go from admiration to admiration and from surprise to surprise. We act as such even when we take up our cross, each one personally his own, despite our human passions and weaknesses.

La fête…l'allégresse du cœur.Archimandrite Aimilianos Simonopetra.

Portrait de L'Archimandrite Aimilianos

offert par Père Elisée, higoumène de Simonopetra, 

au monastère Saint Jean-Baptiste, Liban.

L’Archimandrite Aimilianos (Vafeidis) fut l’higoumène du monastère Simonopetra  dès 1974 jusqu’à 2000. Comme jeune enthousiasmé, il avait l’intention de devenir un missionnaire à l’étranger, mais en tant que moine il a vécu une expérience spirituelle spéciale qui l’a transformé en un moine enflammé de zèle pour la rénovation de la vie monastique. C’est ainsi que fut renouvelée la vie monastique au monastère Simonopetra au Mont-Athos, et fondé le monastère de L’Annonciation à Ormilia en Grèce.

         Je suis très heureux de pouvoir, enfin, vous réunir après les jours si denses que nous venons de vivre. Nous pouvons dire que ce temps liturgique, celui de la Grande Semaine, fut le plus beau de l'année.

Les fêtes sont passées. En nous résonnent encore les hymnes de la Passion, auxquelles ont succédé les cris jaillissant de nos cœurs devant le Seigneur ressuscité. Personne ne peut nier que nos fêtes étaient splendides. C'était les fêtes de Dieu, et non de ces fêtes dont on dit: «Je méprise vos fêtes», car elles ont rendu nos cœurs joyeux dans le Christ Jésus.

“Pray… some donor may appear out of nowhere” Kyriakos C.Markides.

His eminence Athanasios
Metropolitan of Limassol.

Father Maximos spent most of the morning in his office chatting with two fellows in their mid-twenties. They had arrived at the monastery two weeks earlier and were staying in a cell reserved for visitors. I assumed at the time that they were potential novices exploring the option of a monastic life. But Stephanos, being a kind of lay father figure to the younger monks and therefore having intimate knowledge of the goings-on in the monastery, informed me confidentially that the newcomers had a very severe drug problem. They had arrived with the aim of freeing them­selves from their deadly addiction, and were not primarily concerned with the salvation of their souls. Father Maximos was their therapist and the monastery was serving as a detoxification center of a sort.

“Chante et ne cesse jamais de chanter”...Saint Jean Coucouzèle et l'icône Notre Dame Coucouzelissa.

    Notre Père Jean Coucouzèle naquit à Dyrachion (ou Justiniana Prima) en Illyrie sous la dynastie des Comnènes (12e s, ou, selon certains, seulement à la fin du 15e s). Orphelin de père, il fut confié par sa mère aux meilleurs maîtres et reçut une éducation soignée. II fut bientôt remarqué pour sa voix angélique et devint le meilleur des chantres de la cour et le favori de l'empereur. Ce dernier désirait marier Jean avantageusement, mais, secrètement, le jeune homme n'aspirait qu'à quitter le monde et à embrasser la vie des moines. Une visite de l'higoumène de la Grande-Lavra fut l'occasion que Dieu lui offrit. Il se présenta à l'higoumène sans dévoiler son identité et, après une épreuve de quelques jours, celui-ci le revêtit de l'habit angélique et l'emmena avec lui sur la Sainte Montagne.

When I read the book of Elder Silouan...Elder Iliy on St. Silouan the Athonite .

Schema-Archimandrite Iliy (Nozdrin), spiritual father of His Holiness, Patriarch Kirill, ascetically struggled on Mt. Athos for more than ten years in one of the sketes of St. Panteleimon Monastery—the Old Russikon. Namely there, at the mill just a few decades earlier Venerable Silouan the Athonite carried out his obedience. In 1967 the book of his life and teachings became a spiritual guide for the now-revered elder, then novice Alexei of the Pskov Caves Monastery.     

   When I read the book of Elder Silouan it opened up a bright expanse for me where I found what I needed—answers to my various questions. Generally speaking, the book gave a clear and concise presentation of the content of our faith.

    Elder Silouan is a modern ascetic. In him there was no hypocrisy, no delusion. He wrote and spoke by the grace of God. That which the Lord revealed to him by the Holy Spirit he heard and repeated. He was a man without higher education, although he did have some schooling of course. His book became acclaimed. He didn’t write it himself, but rather wrote it from his words. It was translated into I don’t know how many languages, but more than ten for sure. Believers who turn to this book seeking truth— the Truth, find it. I can’t speak about this book with high enough praise and gratefulness to Elder Silouan.