Ephraim and Joseph of Vatopaidi |
The Abbot of Vatopedi monastery,
Archimandrite Efrem, spoke on the radio programme “ Gisa somewhere else”
of SKAI 100,3 FM on Saturday 14th August 2010, on the eve
of the feast of the Dormition of our Lady, Mother of God. Elder Efrem
was celebrating the feast at the Vatopedi Metohi of Porto Lagos.
Here is the full text of the interview.
Gisa: Geronta you are in Porto Lagos to celebrate the feast of the Dormition and I was wondering why could not women attend?
Elder Efrem: Excuse me. This is the monastery’s metohi and women can visit as well.
Gisa: Up to there, but what about further up?
Elder Efrem: The Holy Mount Athos as you
know is inaccessible to women and this is the tradition spanning
hundreds of years. The reason why it is inaccessible is not because the
monks hate or scorn or wish to degrade women. But it is because The Holy
Mountain is a man’s Parthenon.
Gisa: Anyway, where you are now we can all of us meet.
Elder Efrem: Absolutely.
Gisa: And it is a blessed place.
Elder Efrem: Yes, of course. It is a
place where our Lady’s grace dominates. There is a chapel devoted to her
and another one devoted to Saint Nikolas.
Gisa: Are there a lot of people up there now?
Elder Efrem: Quite a lot. We have three
spiritual fathers who are continuously taking confessions from people
who are getting ready to take the Holy Communion during the feast.
Gisa: Geronta, how is confession helping people?
Elder Efrem: Confession is a very
helpful means because through this mystery a person starts to condemn
himself, blame himself and hold himself responsible. Not only he holds
himself responsible in a non verbal way in front of the icon, as they
say, in front of Christ, but also in front of the priest who is also
another human being. He comes to confess his sins. However, this meeting
is not just a meeting which has man in its epicenter but a meeting with
Christ, because it is a mystery of the Church. A person will then
definitely feel the forgiveness for his sins, through the grace of the
Holy Spirit. This is a very important issue.
Gisa: Geronta, which is the message
which the feast of the Dormition offers to modern man? We are living
through very difficult times down here…
Elder Efrem: We are living through
difficult times but I think this feast of the Most Holy Lady is one
which offers a spiritual message, a message of purity and cleanliness
and devotion to the Lord. Our Lady was the first after The One, who
devoted herself entirely to God. She stayed in the Holy Sanctuary (Ayia
ton Ayion?) ever since she was three years old. She is the person who
experienced the grace of the Holy Spirit more than anyone else in the
world. This alone bestows such a huge honor to our Lady. That’s the
reason we are calling her «Most Blessed», «Most Honored», «Most
Gracious» and this is the model which we must present to the world. She
is the one most honored by everybody, especially the monks, and also in
the Holy Mountain. Sometimes, you know, people say that no women are
allowed in the Holy Mountain and that monks do away with women. On the
contrary, they honor our Lady more than anywhere else in the world. They
offer her this comprehensive tribute and all this devotion because she
is the one who loved Christ completely.
Gisa: Does she become a great sanctuary for man even these days, doesn’t she?
Elder Efrem: Absolutely. The Most Holy
Lady is a great sanctuary for all of us. People flock here with such
pain with so much suffering, with illnesses and toil and troubles and
three hundred meters away we see them kneel and come to worship her
icon, to fulfill the promise they have made for their troubles. Then we
see them again when they leave. They have been comforted and consoled
and have such sweetness in their faces.
Gisa: This is funny, geronta. Faith is
not diminished with the passing of time but it is as if it becomes
stronger sometimes. How can this be? Is there an explanation?
Elder Efrem: Faith is a strong spiritual
weapon which is given to man because he is created in the image and
likeness of God. Sometimes faith can be ridiculed and scorned by some,
but it is a strong weapon not used by many, but which remains hidden
inside them until the time of trouble comes, when one is really tested.
Then he takes out this bag full of treasure, this great power called
“faith” and uses it. And faith bears fruit.
Gisa: Since no one has ever taught us
about this spiritual work, how do we find such resilience and at the
time of trouble we call out to our Lady?
Elder Efrem: We may have never been
systematically taught but do not forget that we live in Greece, where
the environment and the tradition have always been helping man to turn
to Church in times of trouble. I think the person to whom man looks up
to for help in times of trouble is our Lady.
Gisa: Geronta, do miracles happen today?
Elder Efrem: Of course! Look here at our
metohi at the Visthonida pond. So many miracles take place. So many
people have found cure, there are so many offerings, so many letters!
One is in awe when one witnesses all these miracles performed by our
Lady with her icon, which is a copy of the Panayia Pantanassa icon,
which is found in Vatopedi. As you may very well know the Vatopedi
Monastery is the only one in the world which is adorned with seven
miraculous icons of our Lady and also by her Holy Girdle.
Gisa:, Are we never going to see these since we are women?
Elder Efrem: You will see these when we
are occasionally asked to take them out of the Holy Mountain. But
especially we agree to take them out every now and then so than women
can see them.
Gisa: What is the liturgical regime at the garden of our Lady, where you are now?
Elder Efrem: As you know today is not
the feast of our Lady according to the old calendar we use at the Holy
Mountain. But here at the metohi we celebrate the feast with the new
calendar. We have an all night vigil this evening which will last up to
five hours. The fathers from the monastery arrived here so that they can
chant in the way it is done in the Holy Mountain. We are expecting a
lot of people. We also hold a second liturgy at a different chapel for
those who have children and cannot attend the all night vigil.
Gisa: Do you think that the world will change at some point for the better?
Elder Efrem: We are only left with the
hope which as Saint Paul says “it does not embarrass us”. I think that
hope must never leave a man’s heart.
Gisa: Is hope stronger than faith?
Elder Efrem: Hope is derived from faith and it is a prerequisite.
Gisa: What would you say to someone who does not believe in God?
Elder Efrem: I would say to him to try
to live in the way we do. I think that if he experiments in this way he
will experience something. Since even one who does not believe has an
immortal soul inside of him.
Gisa: If one does not live a Church life does it mean that he does not possess the Lord’s grace?
Elder Efrem: He may not live the life of
the Church now, but we do not know what will happen at the end. As this
great, modern Saint, Father Paisios Ayioritis said, we will be met with
a lot of surprises during the Second Coming of Christ. We do not know
how each man will end his life.
Gisa: One last question, geronta. This
entire furor surrounding your name, which reminds us a little of the
Christian persecutions of past times, did it leave you shaken at all?
Elder Efrem: With God’s grace, I have
not been shaken, since as I have told you faith is great force. We are
devoted to our duties; we are not expecting to hear praises from people.
As you know, our holy forefathers, whom we read and imitate, have
always been controversial figures. First it was Christ himself. A monk
does not concern himself whether he will acquire a good name; He is only
interested in diligently fulfilling his absolute duty: his complete
devotion to God.
Gisa: Are n’t you afraid that people’s faith will be shaken?
Elder Efrem: I do not
think so. A person, who is struggling spiritually, will recognize the
methods and the descriptions and the reasons behind this furor. I think
that common sense recognizes that it something not worth mentioning.
Gisa: You are saying
that the truth will be revealed to someone sometime but in a way which
may not be easily comprehensible these days.
Elder Efrem: Many times
a person does not recognize the truth because of the way he lives. On
our part, we pray for the whole world, the whole universe and we always
maintain a loving attitude for everybody. This is our position and our
mission”.
Gisa: It is very important to say that your mission is this. What would you ask for those who hear you today and those who don’t?
Elder Efrem: I humbly
pray that people will recognize that man is a spiritual creature and to
start caring for the salvation of his immortal soul. As Saint Basil the
Great, this grand Saint said: we must take care of our souls which are
immortal. It is only when someone starts taking care of his immortal
soul that he will come to comprehend that our Lady is present, the
saints are present and that faith is a great force for the orthodox
people and especially for our Greece.
Gisa: Geronta, I thank you with all my heart.
Elder Efrem: I wish you well and may our Lady be with you.
Gisa: You too. Give us your blessing!
Elder Efrem: May you have our Lord’s blessing.
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