Elder Ephraim: How the demons hate the Jesus Prayer - The Jesus Prayer burns the demons

10.000 Euros Compensation to Vatopedi Monastery

 

Father Ephraim of the Holy and Great Monastery of Vatopedi, was suing Greek journalist, Kostas Vaxevanis for two of his articles published on the Internet and in print, concerning exchanges between the monastery and the state.

Vatopedi monk, 13 others to stand trial over land swap deal

 

Abbot Ephraim and 13 other suspects are to stand trial over the controversial land swap between the Greek government and the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos.

Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi intervenes through the Radio and during the Holy Liturgy

The following incident refers to a friendly family of mine, and it took place on the 2^nd of July 2009, a day after the blessed repose of Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi.

            A. and her husband were going through some very tough times for the last few years and particularly since last May. It has to do with how her parents in law view her and how they behave towards their own son. In effect they are trying to separate the couple, who already have four kids, one newly-born- through quarrels, slurs, and malicious behaviour with appalling letters full of vile and slurs. They even managed to turn other relatives against the couple. However, being the spiritual children of Elder Efrem of Vatopaidi, the couple does not return the fire but shows patience and perseverance in trying to protect their family.

            Nevertheless, being human, they are suffering. The wife reached the point where she thought that it is all her fault since everybody had turned against her and was desperate. Elder Efrem told her to forget about it and that it is not her fault. However, she cannot get rid of this thought.

            The day after Elder Joseph reposed to the Lord, while she was driving her children to school with her husband’s car, she heard on the radio a faint, husky voice saying quickly: ‘Do not allow Satan enter your house. You must get rid of him. He particularly likes to dissolve marriages and families. What is happening is not your fault. It is Satan who makes you believe it is your fault and gives you a hard time unnecessarily’.  When she returned home she told her husband that she had listened to a wonderful speech by an elder with a faint, husky voice, talking about their specific problem. When the husband got into the car, he listened to an interview which Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi gave to the reporter of the Metropolis of Limassol Radio, Mr Louka Louka. It was a very good interview but it was referring to irrelevant to their problem issues. 

He thought to ask for the CD to listen to it with his wife. They made a copy of Elder Joseph’s interview, broadcasted on the 2^nd of July 2009.  The following night he drove to the Machaira monastery to attend an all night vigil. He turned the CD on but at no time did the Elder talk about Satan and the need to drive him out of our homes. The husband thought it was weird. Then he remembered that the radio station broadcasts the Holy Liturgy live from the Holy Monastery of Asomaton Petraki at 7.30am everyday. He confirmed this with those working at the radio station. Indeed, the previous day the radio was broadcasting the Holy Liturgy at 7.30 and not anything with Elder Joseph speaking. What had happened was inconceivable in our logic. Elder Joseph spoke to his wife during the Holy Liturgy!

            This proved without any doubt that Elder Joseph, having found favour in the face of our Lord, intervened miraculously to calm down a devout soul which was unjustly suffering from slanders and slurs.

            This event astounded us very much and proved that not only Elder Joseph had gained favour in the face of the Lord but also the fact that there is life after death and that Our Lord is a Living God. Our Lord is neither a theory nor some man-made fiction. However, we, His creations, doubt Him.

            I mentioned this event to the Abbot of Vatopaidi, Elder Efrem. He was not surprised since he knew very well how his elder lived. The Metropolitan of Limassol Athanasios was also informed and confirmed again that at 7.30 every morning the station broadcasts the Holy Liturgy.

I have received the permission of the couple to reveal this astonishing ‘intervention through the radio waves’ by Elder Joseph, without mentioning their names.

NEARCHOS PANAGI

Dentist

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Ephraim, Abbot of the Vatopaidi - The theologian view on sudden death

Nowadays when science and technology are flying, when cultures converge and there is a crisis in values, even the word ‘death’ is avoided and anything reminiscent of it is ignored and discarded. Modern man views death as something negative and as a loss; we usually say for the departed: ‘We’ve lost him’. Whoever does not have the proper knowledge about this issue of death, he is trying to ignore it. Thus he lives an essentially neurotic life, drained of its true meaning.

 

The arrest of cardiac function and or the death of the brain -namely the biological, clinical death- is not a natural state for man and it is not a condition which is in accordance with God’s pleasure. “God made not death” (Wisdom of Solomon 1, 13). Death intruded into human nature and acts as a parasite. Death entered the world through the forefathers’ sin. It is not possible that evil originated from God, since God is good. 

When He created man, He did not make him mortal. Death appeared after the sin was committed. “For in the day that you eat of it (of the fruit from the tree) you shall surely die” (Gen. 2, 17) Indeed, says Paul the Apostle: “just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5, 12). That is, death as the result of the forefathers’ sin encroached into human nature and thereafter to the rest of the creation.

The Lord through His ineffable providence fended so that man’s time of death remains unknown to him. According to Orthodox Theology, if man knew the time he was going to die he would not stop sinning, disregarding virtue. The fact that the time of one’s death is unknown keeps him vigilant and ready. “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24, 42), namely either during your death or during His Second Coming.

However, this does not mean that the Lord takes pleasure when sudden death occurs. There is a prayer used during our Church services in which we beg the Lord to protect us from sudden death among other perils. “Again we pray that this sacred church and every church, city, town, and every country may be preserved from famine, pestilence, earthquake, flood, fire, the sword, the invasion of aliens, civil war and sudden death” (prayer from Midnight Office).

The Church prays not only for its active members, the faithful, but for the entire world and its prospective members. As a loving mother, she turns its attention and her affection to all her children throughout the world in order to protect them from all evil and grant them every goodness and blessing. For this reason the Church prays not just for all orthodox but also for “peace throughout the world…for those who travel by land, by sea, and by air, the sick, the sufferin, the captives, and their salvation”.

Sudden death for the non-believer, the atheist and the one who does not repent, becomes a horrid event with terrible consequences since the time gifted to him by the Lord was not utilized. He did not adopt a positive stance in face of the Lord, against his own self and the world. This is attested by the fact that he did not repent and did not live a life, mindful of the Lord. Thus, his communion with the Lord, his participation in the eternal, divine bliss becomes questionable after his death. The previously mentioned supplication to the Lord to protect us from sudden death refers precisely to such a person.

However, the faithful, the one who practices a true, orthodox spiritual life, cannot be spiritually harmed by sudden death, since it becomes irrelevant to him. The higher his spiritual state the less afraid of death he is; we would even say that such a person rather desires the advent of death. 

This is not because he hates this life or views his body as a prison and wishes to be rid of it like the Platonist philosophers believed, but because the Christian loves life and desires his communion with the true Life, who is Christ Himself. Thus he professes along with Paul the Apostle: “to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Philippians 1, 21-23).

Similarly, blessed Elder Joseph, the Hesychast, exhibiting this fervor, this divine Eros for Christ, this desire to enjoy the true life, used to say: “Death is a mighty, terrible thing for many people; for me death is a repose, something very sweet” ( Elder Joseph the Hesychast: An expression of monastic experience). Thus he used to advocate: “Blessed is he who remembers death day and night and prepares to greet him. Death becomes a pleasurable event to those who expect him but it becomes bitter and tough (as sudden death) to those who do not expect him”.

St Silouan the Athonite presents a very nice instance of sudden death. Let us suppose, he says, that there is a King who lives in sin, in opulence and has acquired all the riches of the earth. If somebody were to tell him that he was going to die while sitting on his throne surrounded by princes and all his escorts, enjoying a feast in all his glorious might, he would become upset and tremble in fear. If however, one were to tell the same thing to a pauper, who was loaded with God’s love, he would peacefully say: “Let the Lord’s will be done. Praise be to the Lord for remembering me and for wishing to take me to the place where the robber entered first”.

Nevertheless, it is best if man knew the hour of his death so that he could pray and hand his soul over while praying, as it happens with the righteous, pious Elders. Thus blessed Elder Joseph, the Hesychast, knew beforehand- had been informed by the Most Holy Lady- that he would repose on the day of her Dormition, on the 15th of August. But also many saints of our Church had been informed of this event, like St Simon, the pole dweller, St Gregory Palamas and others. St Theognostos says that no matter how many virtues or charismas one has acquired “he must not pray to be absolved of his flesh without being previously informed about his death; but indeed he must pray extensively for this” (St Theognostos: Filokalia, vol. 2).

“The Lord’s designs are like the deep abyss” (Psalms 35, 7) and “who has known the mind of the Lord” (Romans 11, 34). In His unfathomable designs and decisions, the Lord always weaves the deliverance and the spiritual perfection of man, even if to his finite mind it seems that he is harmed and suffers injustice. Thus the Lord has permitted that many saints die a sudden death, like Jacob the brother of the Lord and Apostle, St Moses, Ethiopas, St Stefan, the New, the 38 elders killed at Sinai and the 33 elders killed at Rietho, even the great reformer of hagiorite monasticism St Athanasius, the Athonite, and others. These people, as spiritual fathers, have taken upon themselves the sins of the people and have been sacrificed like Christ for the deliverance of the world. They have also become the cause for the awakening and revival of their generation. As St Anastasios of Sinai says: people ought to marvel on the sudden death of a righteous person and wonder: “If such a thing happened to a saint what is going to happen to us, sinners?”

Sometimes the Lord allows the onslaught of sudden death to wipe out numerous sins.  In the book of Gerontinko it is said that when a monk committed fornication, two of his former co-ascetics, who had already died, begged the Lord to allow a lion to devour him in order to wipe out his sin in such a painful way and have him ranked among them and those saved. The prescient, blessed Elder Porfyrios used to say that scientists have come very close to the discovery of the cure for cancer, but the Lord does not give His permission since Paradise is filled with cancer-patients.

Pain is intertwined with living. Occasionally, we find ourselves cracking from the many, fierce hardships that befall us, especially if we do not have enough faith. For instance, if we know that somebody will die soon from an incurable disease we find it hard to accept it, despite having prepared for it psychologically. How much more difficult would it be to remain calm and peaceful in the event of a young person suddenly dying?

Death is an unnatural, perverted and abhorrent event. It will always be man’s last enemy. From ancient times until recently, man would scrutinize death with intense existential interest. Nowadays however, despite everyday viewing through the media many collective or violent deaths in wars, accidents or crimes, man has lost his existential attitude towards death and thinks it is something natural.

When a Christian speaks about death, he is not being pessimistic or compromises in a fatalistic way; neither does he regard it as something natural; He considers death as an enemy he must win over through Christ. “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (A Corinthians 15, 26). “The Word was made flesh” (John 1, 14) “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2, 14). God was incarnated to abolish death and sin and to beat the devil. Christ took over a mortal flesh subjected to passions in order to win over death with His own flesh. 

Through His crucifixion and His Resurrection He beat death and gave man the ability to also thrash it, after being united with Him. Thus, after the incarnation of Word God, death has changed its name and its direction. It is no longer called ‘death’ but ‘repose’ and becomes the bridge towards eternal life. The righteous one “passes from death to life” (John 5, 24).

St Nicodemus the Hagiorite advises us not to forget that “death shows up like an unexpected thief and we do not know how or when he will visit us. He may appear today, at this hour, at this very moment and you, who woke up feeling fine, will not last until the evening, while you, who have reached the evening, may not wake up…Therefore, my brother, take heed and tell yourself: “If I die suddenly, what will become of the wretched old me? What would be my benefit even if I enjoy all the pleasures of the world?…. ‘Get thee behind me, Satan and evil thought! I do not wish to obey you and commit a sin’” (St Nicodemus, the Hagiorite: Exomologitarion).

According to the Fathers and the experience of our Church our reposed brothers- especially those who have departed suddenly- benefit a great deal from the memorial services and the customary forty- liturgies we offer them, as well as from our prayers, almsgiving and our own righteous way of living which is reflected on their souls  as light.

In concluding our short presentation in which we have briefly touched upon some aspects of the issue of sudden death from a theologian point of view, we would also like to stress that death, namely the separation of the soul from the body, constitutes a mystery on which only the Ruler of life and death has a say. It is up to the Lord’s unanswered judgments whether we will die a sudden death or not; but we must firmly believe and totally assimilate with all our might the fact that through the Resurrected Christ, “death has no more dominion” (Romans 6, 9) and that “the gift of God is eternal life” (Romans 6, 23).

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Ephraim, Abbot of the Vatopaidi Monastery - The theologian view on sudden death

Nowadays when science and technology are flying, when cultures converge and there is a crisis in values, even the word ‘death’ is avoided and anything reminiscent of it is ignored and discarded. Modern man views death as something negative and as a loss; we usually say for the departed: ‘We’ve lost him’. Whoever does not have the proper knowledge about this issue of death, he is trying to ignore it. Thus he lives an essentially neurotic life, drained of its true meaning.

The arrest of cardiac function and or the death of the brain -namely the biological, clinical death- is not a natural state for man and it is not a condition which is in accordance with God’s pleasure. “God made not death” (Wisdom of Solomon 1, 13). Death intruded into human nature and acts as a parasite. Death entered the world through the forefathers’ sin. It is not possible that evil originated from God, since God is good. When He created man, He did not make him mortal. Death appeared after the sin was committed. “For in the day that you eat of it (of the fruit from the tree) you shall surely die” (Gen. 2, 17) Indeed, says Paul the Apostle: “just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Romans 5, 12). That is, death as the result of the forefathers’ sin encroached into human nature and thereafter to the rest of the creation.

The Lord through His ineffable providence fended so that man’s time of death remains unknown to him. According to Orthodox Theology, if man knew the time he was going to die he would not stop sinning, disregarding virtue. The fact that the time of one’s death is unknown keeps him vigilant and ready. “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24, 42), namely either during your death or during His Second Coming.

However, this does not mean that the Lord takes pleasure when sudden death occurs. There is a prayer used during our Church services in which we beg the Lord to protect us from sudden death among other perils. “Again we pray that this sacred church and every church, city, town, and every country may be preserved from famine, pestilence, earthquake, flood, fire, the sword, the invasion of aliens, civil war and sudden death” (prayer from Midnight Office ).

The Church prays not only for its active members, the faithful, but for the entire world and its prospective members. As a loving mother, she turns its attention and her affection to all her children throughout the world in order to protect them from all evil and grant them every goodness and blessing. For this reason the Church prays not just for all orthodox but also for “peace throughout the world…for those who travel by land, by sea, and by air, the sick, the sufferin, the captives, and their salvation”.

Sudden death for the non-believer, the atheist and the one who does not repent, becomes a horrid event with terrible consequences since the time gifted to him by the Lord was not utilized. He did not adopt a positive stance in face of the Lord, against his own self and the world. This is attested by the fact that he did not repent and did not live a life, mindful of the Lord. Thus, his communion with the Lord, his participation in the eternal, divine bliss becomes questionable after his death. The previously mentioned supplication to the Lord to protect us from sudden death refers precisely to such a person.

However, the faithful, the one who practices a true, orthodox spiritual life, cannot be spiritually harmed by sudden death, since it becomes irrelevant to him. The higher his spiritual state the less afraid of death he is; we would even say that such a person rather desires the advent of death. This is not because he hates this life or views his body as a prison and wishes to be rid of it like the Platonist philosophers believed, but because the Christian loves life and desires his communion with the true Life, who is Christ Himself. Thus he professes along with Paul the Apostle: “to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better” (Philippians 1, 21-23).

Similarly, blessed Elder Joseph, the Hesychast, exhibiting this fervor, this divine Eros for Christ, this desire to enjoy the true life, used to say: “Death is a mighty, terrible thing for many people; for me death is a repose, something very sweet” ( Elder Joseph the Hesychast: An expression of monastic experience). Thus he used to advocate: “Blessed is he who remembers death day and night and prepares to greet him. Death becomes a pleasurable event to those who expect him but it becomes bitter and tough (as sudden death) to those who do not expect him”.

St Silouan the Athonite presents a very nice instance of sudden death. Let us suppose, he says, that there is a King who lives in sin, in opulence and has acquired all the riches of the earth. If somebody were to tell him that he was going to die while sitting on his throne surrounded by princes and all his escorts, enjoying a feast in all his glorious might, he would become upset and tremble in fear. If however, one were to tell the same thing to a pauper, who was loaded with God’s love, he would peacefully say: “Let the Lord’s will be done. Praise be to the Lord for remembering me and for wishing to take me to the place where the robber entered first”.

Nevertheless, it is best if man knew the hour of his death so that he could pray and hand his soul over while praying, as it happens with the righteous, pious Elders. Thus blessed Elder Joseph, the Hesychast, knew beforehand- had been informed by the Most Holy Lady- that he would repose on the day of her Dormition, on the 15th of August. But also many saints of our Church had been informed of this event, like St Simon, the pole dweller, St Gregory Palamas and others. St Theognostos says that no matter how many virtues or charismas one has acquired “he must not pray to be absolved of his flesh without being previously informed about his death; but indeed he must pray extensively for this” (St Theognostos: Filokalia, vol. 2).

“The Lord’s designs are like the deep abyss” (Psalms 35, 7) and “who has known the mind of the Lord” (Romans 11, 34). In His unfathomable designs and decisions, the Lord always weaves the deliverance and the spiritual perfection of man, even if to his finite mind it seems that he is harmed and suffers injustice. Thus the Lord has permitted that many saints die a sudden death, like Jacob the brother of the Lord and Apostle, St Moses, Ethiopas, St Stefan, the New, the 38 elders killed at Sinai and the 33 elders killed at Rietho, even the great reformer of hagiorite monasticism St Athanasius, the Athonite, and others. These people, as spiritual fathers, have taken upon themselves the sins of the people and have been sacrificed like Christ for the deliverance of the world. They have also become the cause for the awakening and revival of their generation. As St Anastasios of Sinai says: people ought to marvel on the sudden death of a righteous person and wonder: “If such a thing happened to a saint what is going to happen to us, sinners?”

Sometimes the Lord allows the onslaught of sudden death to wipe out numerous sins.  In the book of Gerontinko it is said that when a monk committed fornication, two of his former co-ascetics, who had already died, begged the Lord to allow a lion to devour him in order to wipe out his sin in such a painful way and have him ranked among them and those saved. The prescient, blessed Elder Porfyrios used to say that scientists have come very close to the discovery of the cure for cancer, but the Lord does not give His permission since Paradise is filled with cancer-patients.

Pain is intertwined with living. Occasionally, we find ourselves cracking from the many, fierce hardships that befall us, especially if we do not have enough faith. For instance, if we know that somebody will die soon from an incurable disease we find it hard to accept it, despite having prepared for it psychologically. How much more difficult would it be to remain calm and peaceful in the event of a young person suddenly dying?

Death is an unnatural, perverted and abhorrent event. It will always be man’s last enemy. From ancient times until recently, man would scrutinize death with intense existential interest. Nowadays however, despite everyday viewing through the media many collective or violent deaths in wars, accidents or crimes, man has lost his existential attitude towards death and thinks it is something natural.

When a Christian speaks about death, he is not being pessimistic or compromises in a fatalistic way; neither does he regard it as something natural; He considers death as an enemy he must win over through Christ. “The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death” (A Corinthians 15, 26). “The Word was made flesh” (John 1, 14) “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2, 14). God was incarnated to abolish death and sin and to beat the devil. Christ took over a mortal flesh subjected to passions in order to win over death with His own flesh. 

Through His crucifixion and His Resurrection He beat death and gave man the ability to also thrash it, after being united with Him. Thus, after the incarnation of Word God, death has changed its name and its direction. It is no longer called ‘death’ but ‘repose’ and becomes the bridge towards eternal life. The righteous one “passes from death to life” (John 5, 24).

St Nicodemus the Hagiorite advises us not to forget that “death shows up like an unexpected thief and we do not know how or when he will visit us. He may appear today, at this hour, at this very moment and you, who woke up feeling fine, will not last until the evening, while you, who have reached the evening, may not wake up…Therefore, my brother, take heed and tell yourself: “If I die suddenly, what will become of the wretched old me? What would be my benefit even if I enjoy all the pleasures of the world?…. ‘Get thee behind me, Satan and evil thought! I do not wish to obey you and commit a sin’” (St Nicodemus, the Hagiorite: Exomologitarion).

According to the Fathers and the experience of our Church our reposed brothers- especially those who have departed suddenly- benefit a great deal from the memorial services and the customary forty- liturgies we offer them, as well as from our prayers, almsgiving and our own righteous way of living which is reflected on their souls  as light.

In concluding our short presentation in which we have briefly touched upon some aspects of the issue of sudden death from a theologian point of view, we would also like to stress that death, namely the separation of the soul from the body, constitutes a mystery on which only the Ruler of life and death has a say. It is up to the Lord’s unanswered judgments whether we will die a sudden death or not; but we must firmly believe and totally assimilate with all our might the fact that through the Resurrected Christ, “death has no more dominion” (Romans 6, 9) and that “the gift of God is eternal life” (Romans 6, 23).

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Elder Ephraim: Like Anselm, we must not view the Lord through the prism of legal justice

WHAT manner of justice is that, to give eternal life to one that deserves eternal death?

Whence then, O good God, good both to the good and to the evil, whence is it that Thou savest the
 evil, if to save the evil is not just, and yet Thou doest nothing that is not just? Or is it because Thy goodness is incomprehensible that this lieth hid in that light unapproachable which is Thy dwelling-place?

Verily it is in the most deep and secret abyss of Thy goodness that there lieth hid the fountain, whence floweth the river of Thy mercy.

Anselm of Canterbury, “Proslogion”, Chapter IX, tr. Clement C. J. Webb (1903).

 

Elder Ephraim, Abbot of the Vatopaidi monastery on Mount Athos, greets a fellow monk.

WE must not view the Lord through the prism of legal justice. [...]

God will not inflict punishment. We must abandon the notion of a vindictive God. 

“God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). “Word became flesh” (Jn 1:14) so “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb 2:14).

The purpose and the cause of the divine incarnation, as well as Christ’s emptying Himself on the Cross, was to abolish death, corruption and the Devil, who is the father of deceit and of all sin. 

According to Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) Christ, through His sacrifice on the Cross, does not gratify divine justice but “saves the sheep that went astray” (Mt 18:11), reconciles man with God and grants him deification.

St John Chrysostom says that the Lord was never vindictive but it is us, humans, who are spiteful.

The Lord does not need anything. He does not offer salvation in order to gain something. He offers salvation because he loves man; and He loves him because He wants to. 

Elder Ephraim of the Vatopaidi, in Αρχιμ. Εφραίμ Βατοπαιδινού Καθηγουμένου Ι. Μ. Μ. Βατοπαιδίου, Αθωνικός Λόγος, Ιερά Μεγίστη Μονή Βατοπαιδίου, Άγιον Όρος 2010, translated here by Olga Konari Kokkinou. 

O THOU mercy of God, from how abundant a sweetness, from how sweet an abundance flowest thou forth unto us! O boundless goodness of God, how ought we sinners to be moved by love of Thee! 

For Thou savest the just, justice assenting; but deliverest the wicked, when justice condemns them; Thou savest the just by the help of their deserts; Thou deliverest the wicked against their deserts; Thou savest the just, acknowledging in them the good which Thou didst give them; Thou deliverest the wicked, pardoning the evil which Thou hatest. 

O immeasurable goodness, passing all understanding, let that mercy be shed upon me, which proceedeth from the great riches of that goodness!

Anselm of Canterbury, “Proslogion”, Chapter IX, tr. Clement C. J. Webb (1903).

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Εcumenical Patriarchate Denounces Russian Interference in the Ephraim Case

Τhe Ecumenical Patriarchate denounced the interference of the Russian Orthodox Church in the case of Abbot Ephraim of Vatopedi, after the Holy Synod concluded on Tuesday.

In its official announcement, the Patriarchate points out that Mount Athos lies within the jurisdiction and borders of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and though it may include Orthodox monks of different national backgrounds, its matters hold no pan-orthodox interests. Therefore, no other Autocephalous Church is allowed to interfere with the operation and issues of Mount Athos in any way.

The announcement followed a long discussion on the issue of the pretrial detention of Abbot Ephraim of Vatopedi. The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew expressed his regrets over the whole situation surrounding the case of Abbot Ephraim.

The announcement also emphasizes that the Ecumenical Patriarchate has always avoided intervening with any judicial matters and investigations, due to respect of judicial independence, and will continue its policy, especially as far as this case is concerned, in which the Patriarchate does not know the content of the relevant papers in the case.

The Ecumenical Patriarchate had asked Abbot Ephraim to leave his post until the judicial control of the Monastery’s affairs was over. This suggestion was followed by Abbot Ephraim at first, but later on a second decision of the Monastery’s Council allowed him to return to his duties.

How the Great and Holy Monastery of Vatopedi is helping people at Porto Lagos (Greece)

Human pain and the numbers of people who lack even the most basic goods have increased because of the economic crisis. Many people seek refuge in the Church. This is what people do in times of hardship. On the day of the feast of the miraculous icon of Pantanassa, Fr. T talked with Fr. Nifon, who heads the Porto Lagos Metohi, 

Firstly this discussion gives some historical details and then it refers to the service which the monastery provides to ease the hardships of those who seek refuge there. “Love in real terms”… This is a story brimming with the presence of the Lord…

Fr T: Let’s start with the history of the Metohi of St Nicholas

Fr. N: The church of St Nicholas was built in order to cater for the worshiping needs of the monks since the place was a metohi. Earlier there was a church dedicated to the two Saints Theodores and its ruins have been found outside Porto Lagos. It is for this reason that there is the icon of the two saints on the Templo (icon stand) in the church. Tradition has it that St Nicholas appeared in person and said that from then on “he would be the patron saint of the metohi, since he was the patron of the seas”. Thus the church was renamed after him. The present church was built in 1904 on top of the ruins of previous churches. This is attested by the fact that the icons, which we have recently restored, date around 1850. The monks from Vatopedi would visit the metohi regularly to attend to its needs since it has been owned by the monastery since the 11^th Century. On this basis we guess that the metohi was created on the small island many years ago, but the church is more recent. We have also recently built the bridge connecting the mainland with the small island which houses the chapel of the Most Holy Lady Pantanassa. Earlier people would use small boats to visit the chapel. Indeed we will need many hours to describe how many miracles were performed here not only to Christians but to Muslims too.

FR. T: Is the chapel more recently built?

Fr. N: The chapel was built eighteen years ago. Our Elder, Blessed Joseph built it and brought over from the Holy Mountain the miracle performing icon of Pantanassa. This icon has since become the consolation of the people in Thrace, not just because of the many miracles the most Holy Lady performs but because of her perceptible presence. We will need many hours to account for all those miracles. Today, a Muslim lady came and crossed the bridge kneeling instead of walking, carrying two planted pots. She said that two months ago she had pleaded for her grandson who had a tumour and now the tumour has disappeared.

Fr T: How was the metohi populated over the years?

Fr. N: Occasionally the Vatopedi monastery would send over somebody as an overseer while the monks would visit on the feast days. They would also cooperate with the local fishermen in benefiting from the pond. Many monks, who served here, like Ignatios hieronmonk, are remembered in inscriptions seen on the bell tower and the icon stand. The last fifty years however, because of the peculiar status of the monastery and the fact that it was sparsely populated, no fathers resided here. However, there was always a paid keeper in view of the political situation which prevailed in the area. During the civil war, a wonderful incident took place which was described to us by the couple who was looking after the metohi. Now that they are old came recently to see me. They stayed at the metohi as soon as they got married. However, since it was isolated and remote they had decided to send a letter to the monastery offering their resignation. They were about to send the letter the following day. On the same night they saw a priest walking on the bridge who was covered in bright light, even though it was already dark. He was holding the Gospel in one hand and had a white omophorio on his shoulders. When they went to ask who he was, he told them not to leave and that he was going to look after them. “I am the owner of the place. My name is Nicholas of Myron” he said and disappeared. It was St Nicholas and thus they took heart and stayed.

We, the brotherhood of Elder Joseph, assumed the responsibility of the Vatopedi monastery at a time when only ten elderly monks were living there. We had our hands full in trying to restore the ruined monastery and as we were only eighteen monks, had no time to deal with outside affairs. At the time there was an elderly priest living at Porto Lagos with his wife, who had subsequently left. Then another priest was appointed and was guarding the place with his family. When Vatopedi was re-established as a coenobium and regained its former glory, more monks joined the brotherhood and thus the monastery decided to deal with Porto Lagos. Elder Joseph started coming here and gained first hand experience of the desolation and poverty in the area and ached for the hardships that people faced. He then decided to revive it, since God’s providence wished to keep our presence in these lands, bordering with Turkey. Thus he built the chapel to Pantanassa and fervently wished to populate it and establish it as a tiny monastery. This happened in 2003 with the blessing of our Abbot, Elder Efrain. Thus a small brotherhood of three was sent here, which resumed the liturgical services daily. I think this is the greatest gift we could offer to people; namely, to hold the divine service daily. There is no greater value than that derived from the Divine Liturgy since the whole place is sanctified and thousands of names are being read during the paraklisis and the liturgies. We firmly believe in God’s providence and we do not lose our hope… 

  

FR. T: We hear that ever since you came here you have been busy…

Fr N: As soon as we arrived we met with many difficulties but with God’s help we survived. We have been trying with our limited abilities and the assistance of the monastery and the blessing of our Elder Efrem, to stand by the people who suffer and share in their pain, which is overflowing.

Everyday, more and more people arrive here, wanting assistance and we have reached the point where we can not cope. With God’s help we have also started assisting people in jail. Every Saturday we hold meetings with students. On the 24^th September we will start again and Elder Efrem will come and speak. Even though we are far away, the youngsters visit us every week. Every Sunday afternoon, we hold meetings open to everyone and every Wednesday night we hold a night service at the chapel of St Nektarios. This chapel was miraculously built despite the strife that was started against its establishment. They have even imposed a fine on us for building it. I do not mind that our Muslim brothers build their own mosques since they live here. But I object to the double standard imposed by the authorities. They have withdrawn the 700,000 Euro fine imposed on the Mosque which was built but they insisted that we paid our own fine. Nevertheless, we place our faith in the Lord and we are not overcome by these things. However, it is quite hard, when one is facing such temptations…

Fr T: A lot of things have been said about the Vatopedi Monastery. How did you deal with all these?

FR N: This last temptation was substantial and especially hard for our Abbot. I have been in Greece for almost thirty years and have never heard such insults thrown against anyone in so many television shows, in so many newspaper articles as was done against our Abbot. Nevertheless, no one speaks about it any more. It has blown over. If people knew what Vatopedi does for people, they ought to be grateful. During the military disaster in Asia Minor, the monastery gifted 35,000 acres in Halkida to the Greek state, on condition that it will abandon its claim on the Visthonida pond and the surrounding areas. The monastery out of sheer love for the refugees gave all its property at the time. Only 3% of its assets are left outside the Holy Mountain nowadays. Unfortunately the authorities wanted to oust the monastery from here. They wanted us out of here and this was strange. The monastery did not want to proceed with the land exchanges because it did not wish to abandon the pond and the surrounding areas; the state decided to do this. We should be concerned about the condition imposed that the areas to be exchanged should be outside the Thrace area. Why? Is it to obliterate the memory of the monastery from the area? Is it because they did not want the presence of the Ecumenical Patriarchate here? Therefore, whom did they want to leave Thrace to?

The monastery does not belong to Elder Efrem or to Fr Arsenios or Fr Nifon. It belongs to the people. They said that we had accepted bribes. However, the monastery is a public institution and not private. Renowned lawyers like Konidaris said that the state took money from one pocket and put it in the other. This is where misinformation and wickedness lead one. Nevertheless, we take no heed. We look ahead. Many, friends and foes alike, used to say that the monastery waw going to be dissolved. I must say that we are more united than ever and our bond has been strengthened. We must all bow our heads in front of our Abbot who lasted for so long under such slanderous onslaught. He lasted because he is a man of prayer and humility. Camera crews were camped here permanently. We made the front pages in the newspapers. All television programmes would start in the morning and not stop even in the evening talking about this issue. They even caricatured him in the carnival. Nevertheless, he lasted without holding grudges against anyone; he continues to love them all, and we get on with our jobs. We could just stay put inside the metohi. But we do not do it. We continue to fight to save the young and all those who ask for our help. Occasionally we are upset because we do not have anything to give to the people who ask for our help.

Fr T: Has the number of those who seek refuge here increased under the present economic conditions?

FR N: Where else are people going to get assistance if not from the Church at times of crisis? Our people come here, at the monasteries, and that’s why it is imperative that monasteries own property so that they are able to help our aching brothers. Where else can they go? Even Muslims come here. The numbers went up dramatically and as I see it, this trend will continue. Many times we cannot cope and we are upset. This is what the monastery and Elder Efrem wanted to do in the area. That’s why there were companies who wanted to get involved in developing the place. Even Prince Charles wanted to contribute in creating bicycle lanes and developing the pond, even building a byzantine village, but the authorities could not appreciate it.

Last year, we had to pay 8600 Euros in rents for destitute students. We also paid for the schooling of needy children and supported the families of those in jail. This is part of the welfare aspect of Vatopedi. All these are possible because the monastery and ordinary people assist us. A lot of Cypriots contribute to the expenses of various children and thus we are able to help them. The monastery also assists us since it is very hard to offer hospitality to thousands of people. Two days ago a father who was made redundant told us that he was feeding his small child water with sugar because he had no money to buy milk. Is this imaginable in Greece in the 21^st Century? Monasteries and the monks become the recipients of human suffering.

We are also sending many young drug addicts to the recovery centre which our own brother, Metropolitan Athanasios, has built in Cyprus: “Ayia Skepi”. We have already sent over fifty kids from the area and there are currently twenty five attending at the centre and more are outside recovering from their addiction. These things are only known to the parents who come here in anguish.

We have also taken over the Institution of Saint Theodores. When the kids, drug addicts, die, the parents have nowhere to go. They often are old and they may get sick. Who is going to look after their child, who is addicted? The centre owns a plot of land and we are trying to build it. It is being difficult. I told them that I will become a beggar for these kids. With God’s help we managed to collect some money. Unfortunately there is a delay in the issue of the building permission. We are not seeking recognition. We do it for love and for our Lord’s command. But we are facing a lot of obstacles. “One hand must not know what the other hand is doing”. However, we have to talk about this task, which is not ours, but the Church’s, so that people now that the Church is working quietly and is not publicizing its work.

Fr T: Who supports this work?

Fr N: It is not carried out solely by us because our means are limited as a result of the closure of the monastery’s bank accounts. The love of people supports us. We will not stop, we go on. It is not right to talk about such things, but we must fight for the prevalence of the truth. People in Thrace know about these issues.

Fr. T: What you are doing with the people in prison is also well known. What exactly is your mission there?

Fr N: For the last seven years I have been visiting the prisons. I also invite imams and muftis to come along to help their own people. But, I am alone. I do not discriminate when I go there. There are about 300 prisoners, mostly foreigners. They do not have a shaver, or soap, or a phone card to call their children. There are people in prison for the last six years and no one visits them. There are people who come to me and say: “I do not need anything. I only want to speak to someone!” You get really emotional when you meet them. Last year they were feeling the cold since the prison authorities were cutting back on costs. Who wants to know what needs these people have? Christ says: “I was in prison and you did not visit me.” Of course it is not Christ who is in prison. They said to Him: “When did we see you in prison and did not visit you?” Those jailed, for whatever reason are described by Christ as His brothers. “Since you did not do it for my brothers, you did not do it for me either”. Anyone of us can find himself in this position. Not all of them are murderers or thieves. There are people who owe monies to the state, whom we release by paying for their debts. Many people do not like this. This week a boy of 18.5 is coming out. He was put in jail for one month for begging. It cost 600 Euros to buy his sentence. This is how Greek justice is satisfied: to put a youngster 18 years old in prison because he was selling balloons without permission. His mother 

came to us crying. We went and paid off his sentence.

This is not all we do for the prison system. With the permission of the prison director we have renovated the whole institution. When I first went there, the state of the buildings was abysmal. We managed to take off the iron bars from the meeting room, since children would visit their parents in prison and it was not right to have bars on the windows. We replaced the glazing and tiled the yard. We had managed to buy the tiles but did not have the money to pay for the cement. I went everywhere but no one was interested. If they do not wish to thank us, at least they should not place obstacles in our way.

Fr T: With all that has been happening, there is a lot of talk about Paisios’ prophesies. How should we deal with them?

Fr N: Both Elder Paisios and our elder Joseph and all the Fathers look for the cause of the economic crisis. It is the result of a spiritual crisis. Our Elders used to warn us about these consequences. They used to urge us to return to our roots, to our values, to repent. We were in awe of the European culture, which we had given them, and now we are left behind. We omitted giving our Children the faith in Christ and the love for our country. All our values, our customs, which St Kosmas was calling upon us to safeguard, have been abandoned. Does anyone dare speak about chastity, humility or prayer? When there is a spiritual crisis there is a financial crisis as well. This crisis is not doing us any harm. It will wake us up. As a nation we have been used to lavishness. We had it all and threw it away. I believe that if all these people who are protesting at Syntagma square, and they are correct in doing so, were to lift up their hands in prayer just as they did at Nineveh , the Lord would change His plans. We have the Lord who is Love and we have abandoned Him, we run after different gods. If we return to our base and show repentance and cry for our sins, you will see that everything will change. Our nation has gone through many occupations and times of poverty, but because we believed and fought for Christ and our country we survived as a nation and as people. Let us now proceed to the giver of Life and not lose hope. We must not discourage our young people either; but on the contrary we must urge them to have hope and tell them that the Lord is with us; He will not abandon us.

Fr T: Doesn’t the Church bear any responsibility for what is happening?

Fr. N: Of course it does. We are not free from blame. When there is a cultural and material crisis everyone is to blame, the Church, the educators, the state. But we must all assume our personal responsibility for what is happening rather than blaming others. If each and every one of us says that he is to blame and tries to become a better person, then the whole will become better as well. The Church must be the bearer of Light. Unfortunately people do not see the true beacons that light up the Church. If there is something wrong in the Church or if a clergyman, as human has made a mistake, then this is publicized. Are there no priests who do good for the Church? We do not see that. But, nevertheless, we are all to blame. We must all drop to our knees, cry and plead with our Most Holy Lady to help us and our nation. We are going through tough times and we do not know what tomorrow will bring. We must all painfully cry and pray and plead and give a helping hand to those who are in need, if we are to be able to go on.

A letter- testimony written by a hooligan follower of AEK.

This letter is found in the book kept at Porto Lagos for those who wish to leave their thoughts in writing. We copy it here.

“ I thank the Lord because I am healthy and I am free and out of prison. My name is G. G. and I stayed 11 months at the Komotini prison. The reason was the violence I did in the name of my great love- the football club- AEK. I was set free yesterday but decided to come here first in order to thank the young man who stood by my side all these months in prison and who with his love and his kindness gave me courage and taught me to view the world and life in a better light.

He taught me that my primary love should be God from now on. I promised him I will not get into trouble and instead of being a hooligan I will become a good person and a good Christian. Thank you, Fr Nifon, for what you have done for me. I will never forget you. I cannot express my heartfelt feelings for you, who are such a kind person. But also no one can understand what it means for a prisoner to find love and consolation in one man. Fr Nifon, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you did for me. I have found at last someone who loves and helps all people. He is the consolation of all the prisoners. In the jungle of Athens I only met with hatred and wickedness. I thank the Lord for going into prison and meeting you, Fr Nifon, because I was able to discover that there are people who are able to offer love. You will always be my father and my supporter.

The AEK- hooligan from Athens, G.G. 23.2.2007.”

source

Abbot of Vatopaidi Elder Efrem’s interview on Skai

The Abbot of Vatopaidi monastery, Archimandrite Efrem, spoke on the radio programme “Gisa somewhere else” of SKAI 100,3 FM on Saturday 14^th August  2010, on the eve of the feast of the Dormition of our Lady, the Mother of God. Elder Efrem was celebrating the feast at the Vatopaidi Metochi at 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  women cannot attend?

Elder Efrem: Excuse me. This is the monastery’s metochi 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 men’s Parthenon.

Gisa: Anyway, where you are now we can meet together.

Elder Efrem: Absolutely.

Gisa: And it is a blessed place.

Elder Efrem: Yes, of course. It is a place where our Lady’s grace reigns. There is a chapel dedicated to her and another one dedicated to Saint Nicholas.

Gisa: Are there a lot of people up there now?

Elder Efrem: Quite a lot. We have three confessors who are continuously confessing people who are getting ready to take Holy Communion during the feast.

Gisa: Geronta, how does confession help 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 does he hold himself responsible in a non-verbal way before the icon, as they say, before Christ, but also before 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 point.

Gisa: Geronta, what is the message that 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, the Holy of Holies, from the time 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 great honor on our Lady. That’s the reason we call her «Most Blessed», «Most Honored», «Most Gracious» and this is the model which we must present to the world. This is this daughter who is so highly honored, especially by the monks; and also on the Holy Mountain. Sometimes, you know, people say that no women are allowed on 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: She is a great refuge for man even these days, isn’t she?

Elder Efrem: Absolutely. The Most Holy Lady is a great refuge for all of us. People flock here with such pain, with so many trials, with illnesses and toil and troubles and we see them coming on their knees from three hundred meters away to venerate her icon, to fulfill the vows they have made for this or that trial. Then we see them again when they leave. They have been comforted and consoled and have such sweetness in their faces.

Gisa: It’s curious, 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, which however 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.

source 

Elder Ephrem of Vatopaidi: Creation· the end of ages (part 2)

The greatest ecological disaster described in the Scriptures is the flood during Noah’s times; it took place because “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6, 5). Man rebelled absolutely against God and against anything which had to do with his spiritual existence. Because of the prevailing wickedness those days, which was the result of man abusing his freedom, the Lord is forced to say: “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh” (Genesis 6, 3).

By ‘flesh’ it is meant ‘man’s carnal attitude, his beastly and full of passions life’. Thus the flood was not imposed by the Lord as a punishment but was caused by the comprehensive rebellion of mankind. There is a similar situation in the case of Sodom and Gomorra. In the conversation between Abraham and God, it is revealed that not even ten righteous people could be found in these cities, which would have aborted their destruction (Genesis 18, 20-33). However, in the case of Nineveh, peoples’ repentance annulled the city’s destruction (Jonah 3, 10). That is, man’s good intention cooperates with God’s will to shape history. The Lord is not the Judge, the Critic. We must not view the Lord through the prism of legal justice.

In the Old Testament we have many passages regarding the end of ages, describing the signs of those times in the writings of the prophets: Amos, Joel, Nahum Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel. However, Jesus, the only Savior of mankind, gives an account of the hardships and the destruction which will precede the end of ages. This has been handed over to us by Evangelist Matthew, the Lord’s disciple and the Evangelists Marc and Luke. Similarly Peter and Paul, the Apostles, inform the faithful about the circumstances which will prevail during the end of ages and Christ’s Second Coming.

If one studies the passages in the Old and the New Testament which we have mentioned, he will recognize that during those days there will be a general apostasy similar but greater than Noah’s times, since the ‘son of lawlessness’, Antichrist, will reign for a short time. The last book of the New Testament, the Revelation, describes the events which will take place during the end of ages. However, because it is a prophetic book, it remains indecipherable to the many, sealed with ‘seven seals’ (Revelation, 5, 1). Only those who themselves possess the prophetic charisma are able to comprehend other prophets; therefore, the only authentic explanation of the Revelation is given by the Fathers of our Church.

We will not give an explanation of the Revelation, here; neither will we refer to the specific events mentioned, whether they have already taken place, or determine the time they will happen, since this does not have such significance for theology, neither affects our salvation. Because of its contents, this book attracts the interest of both the faithful and the heathen and intrigues them to examine it. For instance, from 1970 to 1987, 700 papers were presented on the issue. One can only imagine how many more presentations were written after the Gulf war in 1991. We, however, will only focus on the main figure of the Revelation, Christ, ‘the Alpha and the Omega’ (Rev. 22. 11) and the main event which is the establishment of God’s kingdom, namely the regeneration whereby ‘a new heaven and a new earth’ (Rev. 21, 1) will be established.

The forthcoming ecological disasters will be take place not because God will inflict them but because man is abusing his freedom. The human race will become perfectly irrational and there will be a general apostasy. The cause of such irrationality, partly seen today, is man’s unclean mind. St Maximus, the Confessor, stresses that the misuse of thoughts causes the abuse of things (St Maximus, The Confessor: Chapters on Love 2, 78). Indeed, man during the end of ages will be constantly abusing things as well as the world itself.

God will not inflict punishment. We must abandon the notion of a vindictive God. “God is love” (A John 4, 8). “Word became flesh” (John 1, 14) so “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2, 14).

The purpose and the cause of the divine incarnation, as well as Christ’s emptying Himself on the Cross, was to abolish death, corruption and the Devil, who is the father of deceit and of all sin. According to Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109) Christ, through His sacrifice on the Cross, does not gratify divine justice but “saves the sheep that went astray” (Matthew 18, 11), reconciles man with God and grants him deification. St John Chrysostom says that the Lord was never vindictive but it is us, humans, who are spiteful. The Lord does not need anything. He does not offer salvation in order to gain something. He offers salvation because he loves man; and He loves him because He wants to. He saves man by the free and operative love of the body of Christ. In other words, He saves us through His Church.

In the Church one experiences the end of ages as time at hand. He experiences the Kingdom of God through the Grace of the Holy Spirit. Particularly during the Holy Eucharist, the entire creation participates and is being offered to the loving Lord for ‘the unity of all’ and not just the faithful, the saints or the angels. The Divine Liturgy is not only about the salvation of the soul. The priest or the congregation does not supplicate for the Lord’s grace in order to sanctify his soul alone but he also prays for his material needs and for the rest of the creation. “For favorable weather, an abundance of the fruits of the earth and temperate seasons. …For travelers by land, sea, and air, for the sick, the suffering, the captives, and for their salvation…. For peace of the whole world”. 

By praying for the whole world during the Divine Liturgy and by giving thanks for the creation, it is demonstrated that the world has never stopped being God’s world.  It also indicates that who we are, what we do, the natural environment in which we live in, can and must go through the hands of the priest as ‘anafora’ to the Lord, so that it does not remain deformed by sin but is regenerated into ‘being good always’, as St Maximus the Confessor says.

Whoever has been initiated into the mystery of the Divine Liturgy experiences it with awareness and full consciousness and comprehends that the eternal life will be an incessant Divine Liturgy, a feast of the resurrection. After His Second Coming, Christ, ‘the Lamb’ according to the Revelation, will reign jointly with all the saints and all those saved. According to St Nicholas Kavasilas: “He will be a God amongst gods; beautiful amongst the beautiful, leading the chorus” (St Nicholas Kavasilas: On life with Christ). Man, as a person, can never become a non-being or be led into a non-existence. St Simon, the New Theologian, says that the Second Coming will take place primarily for the people who gratify their passions and live in sin and not for the saints who already experience the presence of Christ (St Simon the New Theologian: Moral issues).

Hell and Paradise do not exist because of God but because of man. Indeed, Hell and Paradise exist as two ways of living but God did not cause their creation. God Himself is paradise for the saints and those saved; the same God is hell for the sinners. That is, both the righteous and the sinners will perceive God and will have their nature regenerated as an eternal entity, but the sinners will not be able to participate in the bliss and glory of the Lord. In other words, human will and freedom will not be restored; the Lord will not infringe upon man’s freedom. Righteousness indicates that the soul is healthy; sin is a sign of disease. Therefore, it is not God who punishes; rather, man has not been healed during his abode on earth.

In His Second Coming, Christ will not only restore human nature but the entire creation. Since the rest of the creation fell because of man, it will be regenerated by the sanctified man. When man attains sanctification, his surrounding environment is also sanctified. We find many such examples in the lives of the saints. A lion was attending the needs of St Gerasimos of Jordan; St Seraphim of Sarov was feeding a bear as if it was a tame lamb; elder Paisios, the Hagiorite, was known to be keeping company with snakes and other wild animals.

Along with the resurrection and regeneration of man, nature will also be absolved of corruption. According to St Simon the New Theologian, nature will become non-material and eternal. “During the regeneration, nature will become a non-material abode, beyond human perception” (St Simon, The New Theologian: Moral issues, 1, 5).

God has created time, space and substance “from what was not”; these will be regenerated into eternity “beyond perception” in the kingdom of God; they will be eternal, immaterial and incorruptible. All these gifts are granted to man by the love of the Lord. However, if man is to receive the Lord’s love, his heart must be open to Him. And that which will open a person’s heart is humility. The more humble one becomes, the closer he comes to the Lord. The more one comprehends the Lord, the more humble he becomes. At the same time, the more selfish one is the further away from God he turns.

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4, 6). If man properly appreciates the love of the Lord, he will be enthused to fight “the good fight” (A. Timothy 6, 12) so that not only he will attain eternal life in the kingdom of God but he will also show his love for his brethren and his respect for the environment, while still alive.

The righteous always respect the environment. St Silouan, the Athonite, writes: “Our heart must sympathize and not only love our brethren but also ache for every being, for everything the Lord has created. Behold! This is a green leaf and you have cut it off for no reason. Even though it is not a sin, how can I say it, it causes an ache; the heart which has learnt to love, feels even for the leaf and for the entire creation” (Arch. Sofrony: St Silouan, the Athonite). Blessed Elder Joseph, the Hesychast, viewed nature as an instrument which gives thanks to the Lord. He wrote: “It is nice here, after spring-that is, from Easter up to the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Lady in August.

The pretty rocks and the rest of the creation carry on theologizing, as theologians without voice- each with its own voice or its lack of it. If you touch a small twig, it immediately cries out very loudly with its natural fragrance: ‘Ouch! You don’t see me, but you’ve hurt me!’ And so on…Everything has its own voice. As soon as there is a breeze, everything moves in harmony with each other and offer melodic praises to the Lord” (Elder Joseph: An expression of Monastic experience).

He who has been cleansed from passions through divine Grace and has attained illumination “is watchful and somber in every circumstance”. He becomes a perfect person and is able to deal successfully with the issues of our times, especially with that of the environment. However reading from the Scriptures and the Holy Fathers, he recognizes that one day this world will end when Christ will regenerate it during His Second Coming.

According to the Revelation, He will regenerate it into the city of the Lord, where the temple and the light will be the Lamb Himself (Revelation, 21, 22-23).

Let us, therefore, be spiritually prepared at every moment of our lives; so that we are be able to cry along with St John, the Theologian and writer of the Revelation: “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation, 22, 20).

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