| St. Arsenios of Paros: Qualities of a True Spiritual Father Dr. Constantine Cavarnos The Holy Elder Philotheos (Zervakos) points out the qualities of the good Confessor or Spiritual Father using St. Arsenios of Paros (1800-1877) as his exemplar. These qualities are particularly the following: humility, gentleness, patience, discernment, compassion and love. These virtues, he says, Father Arsenios eminently possessed. Thus, he remarks: “St. Arsenios received all with love and paternal affection, and gave to all with understanding and discernment the ‘medicines’ necessary for the therapy of their souls. Besides other necessary ‘medicines’ he used to give to all two common ones: the medicine of repentance and the medicine of God’s compassion and love. He exhorted all to repent sincerely, and not to despair on account of their many sins, but to have hope in God’s immeasurable compassion, realizing that God accepts sinners when they repent. As proof of God’s great compassion he cited the examples of the Prodigal Son, the Thief, the Harlot, the Publican, and many others. Through love and gentleness Arsenios led many to repentance and salvation.” Father Philotheos Zervakos goes on to give a very moving example of how St. Arsenios the New acted as a Confessor. It is as follows: “A certain girl from the island of Syros(One of the Cyclades Islands, not far from Paros.) went to the Convent of the Transfiguration of Christ on Paros to visit her sister, who was a nun there. The latter had previously been informed that her sister had deviated from the right path; and when she was notified that her sister was outside the gate of the convent and wanted to see her, she at once began to scream and say: ‘Go away, go far away from the convent, because you are defiled and will defile the convent of the nuns.’ “And taking along with her as helpers some other nuns, she went outside the convent. When she saw her sister waiting outside the gate, instead of feeling compassion for her for having been wounded by the soul-destroying enemy, instead of sharing her pain, embracing the kissing her, and taking care to heal her wounds, and leading her to repentance and confession, thereby saving her, she dashed against her like a lioness. And aided by other nuns, she struck her in the face, on the head, wounded her seriously, and with wild shouts and threats drove her away. ‘Go away,’ she kept telling her, ‘you foul harlot, who came here to the convent, to this holy place to defile it also. Go away, I will kill you, to wash away the shame you have brought to our family.’ She replied: ‘I erred, forgive me, my sister, don’t you share my pain?’—’No,’ she replied, ‘you are not my sister, you are a harlot.’— ‘Where shall I go?’ asked her sorrowful sister. ‘Go and drown yourself, go and kill yourself,’ replied the other. |
| He loved the poor and he would often turn his friends’ views of the poor upside down. His dad owned several fields and thieves were often caught stealing the harvest. As a young man he became responsible for the fields, and once a thief was caught. When Fr. Epiphanios heard the thief’s story, not only did he not punish the thief, but he told those holding him that this man had endured far more than his family, and decided that from then on they would set aside a portion of their fields for the thief every harvest, to take care of himself and his family. He didn’t want the man to have to look for other fields to steal from. He now had his own land to work, harvest, and sell. In 1949 he moved to Athens at about twenty-two years of age and enrolled in the spiritual school and studied both sacred and secular literature very broadly, on the model of the Cappadocian Fathers. St. Gregory and St. Basil had studied the great secular works of the Greek Empire as well as the Holy Fathers and Scriptures in Athens. He often visited the monastery of Logovardo on the island of Paros, the home of the very famous Elder Philotheos Zervakos, who served as his spiritual father until his own death in 1980. He said if he wasn’t a priest he would have studied either medicine or law, because medicine is the most philanthropic of the sciences, and law enables one to champion the cause of the good and the just and to protect the innocent. Photo: He was ordained a deacon at twenty-five, the canonical minimum age and published his first book entitled Holy Scripture and Evil Spirits. He published twenty-two books in all, and many articles. Unfortunately there is a small amount of his material translated into English. There is Counsels for Life, which I already mentioned, which is a thematic collection of his teachings, and there is also the wonderful book Precious Vessels of the Holy Spirit which collects the lives of contemporary elders from Greece, including Elder Epiphanios. Hopefully more will be translated into English. |
| saints. Why is it that St. Herman, St. John of Shanghai, St. Innocent, and the rest of our saints, are so important to us? Well, it’s because we admire them, and we also have a secret wish to be like them. I say a secret wish because most of the time we pay very little heed to that little voice that whispers in our souls: “be holy, as I am Holy.” The very word “Saint” means “one who is Holy.” It comes from the same root as the word “Sanctified.” St. John of Shanghai once said that “the closer a man is to God, the holier he is. Saints are those” he says,” who have partaken of the Divine and made it their own.” Abba John, in the Gerontikon, or ‘Sayings of the Desert Fathers’ says: “The saints are like a group of trees, each bearing different fruit, but watered from the same source. The works of one may differ from another, but it is the same Spirit that works in all of them.” So the saints are near to God, and become like Him. But the saints are also near to us. The following is taken from a sermon of St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, on the occasion of the celebration of the Feast of All Saints of Russia: “The saints enjoy blessedness because God is blessed. From them comes light for men. Through them the power of God is revealed. Saints retain all that is characteristic of the human condition; they know everything that pertains to us. They are near to God, but they are also near to us; they walked and lived among us. The people of Holy Russia venerated them, kissed their icons and holy relics, wanted to be as close as possible to the saints, and by touching that holiness, the Russian land was filled with it…(But) do not think that contact with holiness is the fate of only the Russian nation. No! All peoples can live in the Spirit in which Holy Russia lived and continues to live. And when they do, they shall draw near and begin to understand each other.” These are important words for us today as Americans. It is vitally important that we draw near to the saints. “Cleave to the saints” says St. Clement of Rome, “for they who cleave to them shall be made holy.” We draw near to them by attending the services celebrated in their honor. We draw near to them by praying to them and enlisting their intercession, for as St. Nectarios of Pentapolis says: “The saints listen to our entreaties..and pray to the Lord, becoming bearers of the grace and mercy of the Lord.” We draw near to them by reading their lives. Agapios Landos of Mt. Athos once said: “A person is touched more profoundly by reading one beautiful life of a saint than by all discourses and philosophies.” We draw near to them by seeking to be like them. And this returns us to the beginning of the homily. Why is it that we suppress that still, small voice that says: “You too are called to be holy?” Because we know that it is not easy. The elder Philotheos Zervakos says, “Why is it that today people do not become saints? The reason is the fact that they do not want to.” |
| The Holy Monastery of the Life-Giving Spring, on the Greek island of Paros, was founded in 1638. It was abandoned between 1800 and 1825, but was revived and enjoyed its “golden age” from 1825 to 1930. In recent times the monastery is especially noted for the abbacy of the greatly-revered Elder Philotheos Zervakos , who guided the monastery from 1930 until his repose in 1980. The monastery celebrates its feast on Bright Friday when the feast of the Life-Giving Spring of the Theotokos is served. A full translation of the abbot’s letter with further details is forthcoming from Orthodox Ethos . 20 марта 2017 г. скрыть способы оплаты скрыть способы оплаты Смотри также Комментарии Paok 5 мая 2017, 18:38 Really great news! Thank Hod for such orthodox bishops! Isidora 30 марта 2017, 10:51 Praise God! for the increasing army against the heresy of ecumenism and its poisonous tentacles. I especially pray for the anathematizing of the New Calendar infection which turns our Orthodox worship into a disjointed mess, just so worldly orthodox can have their Christmas holiday in step with Catholics and Protestants. I have actually been told by " Orthodox " priest that it would be okay to go to a Catholic Mass but it " s wrong to attend services at a so-called Old calendar monastery! CAROLE AVDELIS 27 марта 2017, 16:40 ECUMENISM IS DEFINITELY A HERESY. AND THOSE WHO ARE AGAINST THIS MOVEMENT WILL BE DECLARED SAINTS AS WAS ST. NEKTARIOS OF AEGINA loulou saybaa 21 марта 2017, 09:24 the Reverend abbot is right in this issue,we must express our views when it comes to heresy Anthony 20 марта 2017, 23:06 hee hee hee. The plot thickens. Looks like the three anti-ecumenist " " ringleaders " " Pater Theodoros Zizis, Mitr. Serafim, and Amvrosios standing against the CIA shill Phanar, have increasing support by the day. Axios! Axios Axios. We need a Council NOW. To condemn Ecumenism for the accursed heresy that it is. Along with a number of anathemas placed on anyone who refuses to renounce and repent of their grievous prelest riddled ways. And for scandalising us the faithful flock. Starting with the Phanar, his stooges John Zizoulas; Anthimos - Thessalonikis; and Chrysostomos - Kyprou. |
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