Athonite Audio

(Part 3 of 4)

PART 2: Beginning with Chapter 5, continued: Averkios the rassophore monk Ending with Chapter 8: The God-Trodden Mount Sinai

From the Prologue: "With the help of God, and after the work of a great many years, our Sisterhood, propelled by our sacred obligation toward the Saint, who for twenty-eight years had guided and benefited us in so many ways, presents the publication of the Biography of Saint Paisios the Athonite. We also had the great blessing of gaining some insight into the immeasurable love the Saint had for God, his monastic exactitude, his absolute self-denial and the power of his fervent prayer. Having lived in such close proximity to him, we personally experienced his holy simplicity and his profound humility, his God-illuminated discernment, his noble love for each person, but also his deliberate efforts to conceal his virtues. We therefore deemed it our obligation to utilize all the materials - both information and knowledge bequeathed to us in order to compose, to the best of our ability, the biography of the saintly Elder. The contents of this Synaxarion stem primarily from our communication with the Saint - from the notes we had kept during the gatherings of the Sisterhood and the private conversations we had had with him; from his letters not only to the entire Sisterhood but also to each Sister; from the numerous verbal and written testimonies which had been entrusted to us by clergy, monks and lay-people who had met the Elder' as well as from information that had been gathered from the on-site research we had conducted in some of the areas where the elder had lived and struggled. From the Contents:- Prologue-- Chapter One: From Pharasa to Homeland of Greece- Chapter Two: The Years of his Childhood and Youth- Chapter Three: Military Service- Chapter Four: Preparations and Temptations- Chapter Five: At the Holy Monastery of Esphigmenou- Chapter Six: At the Holy Monastery of Philotheou - Chapter Seven: At the Holy Monastery of Stomion- Chapter Eight: At God-trodden Mount Sinai- Chapter Nine: At the Skete of Iveron of Saint John the Forerunner- Chapter Ten: At Desolate Katounakia- Chapter Eleven: At the Kelli of the Precious Cross- Chapter Twelve: At the Kelli of Panagouda- Chapter Thirteen: From Earth to Heaven

Saint Porphyrios the Prophet - Witnesses - Volume 1     The holy, God-bearing and miracle-working Porphyrios Kafsokalivitis, founder of the H.M. of the Transfiguration of the Savior in Milesi, it was that great morning star and prophet of our generation. Through him, the presence of the Holy Spirit in our times was confirmed once again.    The plenitude of his virtues, his saintly way of life, his great and ample charismata (divine clairvoyance, foresight, prophetic gift, healing) distinguished him as a potent beacon of spiritual light that will guide future generations. His charismata will stay with him, in all their magnitude, until the end of his earthly life and will attest to his being a Temple of the Holy Spirit.    The number of testimonies regarding his profound prophetic charisma reveals the Saint's communion with God. Christ was a friend to him. Because he had immediate knowledge of Him, he was able to disclose His will about future events, weights are for all of us are unknown, dark and impenetrable. There is no doubt that the Saint progressed rapidly through the stage of catharsis and reached enlightenment, attained theosis (godliness), theoria (vision of God) and Perfecting.    He experienced divine Grace to a great degree and inspired by the Holy Spirit, "ran" to the future and foretold what was to come with a sense of responsibility, in order to build up the souls of men in Christ. From the first years of his spiritual service people called him prophet-priest.    We come across prophets in the New Testament as well, as in the Old. The concept of prophet is attributed also to the Disciples and the Fathers of the New Testament.    Saint Prophyrios reposed on December 2, 1991, according to the new calendar, the feast of Prophet Avvakum, and on November 19 according to the Athonite old calendar, the feast day of Prophet Avdiou. He is celebrated, as a Prophet himself, shortly before Christmas. (From the prologue of the book)

This profound book written in 1851 and preserved in the library of our Sacred Monastery of Saint Xenophon represents the fruit of holy and spiritual revelations, painful struggles, and divine experiences and ascents of this humble, unknown ascetic of the Holy Mountain. -Very Rev. Archimandrite Alexios, Abbot of St Xenophon, Mount Athos

Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos wrote this book about Elder Sophrony as an expression of gratitude for his long association (17 years) with the Elder and “to share with readers the spiritual wealth that I unworthily received”. The first part of the book is a spiritual portrait of Elder Sophrony. After a brief survey of his theology, the author examines the Elder’s writings in the light of the experience of saints of the Church, particularly St Paul, St Symeon the New Theologian and St Gregory Palamas, thus placing his teaching in a wider context. There is a careful analysis of the Elder’s correspondence with David Balfour, which reveals “many subtle details of the spiritual life” but also how “a genuine spiritual father guides those entrusted to him”. The second part of the book records what the author learnt and experienced during visits to the Monastery of St John the Baptist in meetings and informal conversations with the Elder and as a concelebrant at the Divine Liturgy. Over the years he carefully recorded the Elder’s words and amassed an archive of notes that he publishes here. The subjects covered reflect both Father Sophrony’s and the author’s personal and pastoral concerns and include prayer (particularly the Jesus Prayer); monasticism and obedience; priesthood and the temptations it brings; giving spiritual guidance; the problems facing those who become Orthodox; and family life. The discussions also shed light on theological issues close to the Elder’s heart. The book shows us a “great hesychast and theologian, but also a wise, discerning and prophetic spiritual father” and brings us closer to the man in Christ.

Published by: Holy Convent of the Transfiguration of the Savior - Athens, 2007. "Elder, where can we find the solution to our problems?" "Only holiness will solve your problems." The realm of the sacred and the transcendent, as expressed by that child of God and true man, Elder Porphyrios, belongs to the category of the unbelievable. It can however become believable because, "sin does not prevail where grace abounds."  Elder Porphyrios was a person filled with grace, a bearer of the power of the Holy Spirit, a child of the Kingdom, a genuine and true tree of paradise. Whoever wishes to speak about the inner spiritual life of a saint, must be a saint himself. We, the writers of this book, are not saints. We are confined to what we saw and what we heard. We are amongst those many others, who, as St. Luke the Evangelist says, have “taken in hand to set in order a narrative.” We are not trying, with our poor and futile speech, to describe the life of a contemporary saint, but rather we are falteringly trying to express our joy in having met a saint; our joy that Christ lives yesterday, today and forever; our joy that holiness is not a thing of the past, that grace can be felt next to us, that our hands touched a “little father” who really lived the expression “I no longer live, for Christ lives in me.” Until the Lord reveals the servant who was Elder Porphyrios’ eye-witness, who observed him throughout his life and in all his works and will write about his life accurately and fully, we are forgiven. For we have only seen “in part.” We describe, write about and speak of the miraculous things that God did for us through His servant, Porphyrios. Amin.

From his earliest years Iakovos Tsalikis wanted to become a monk, but he would have to wait. The world had to get to know him and he had to get to know the world. Born in Livisi, a picturesque village in Asia Minor, the Tsalikis family was forcibly uprooted from their ancestral homeland. Leaving the life they knew behind, they took with them what was their true life - their Faith. Resettled in Northern Evia, the future Saint was raised in piety and trained in virtue by his grandmother Despina and mother Theodora. Iakovos worked hard alongside his father, Stavros, and eventually became the provider for the family. At the age of 32, he realized his calling in life by entering the Monastery of Saint David the Elder in Evia, living the rest of his life there as a monk. He rose above insurmountable obstacles, labored ascetically beyond what is human and suffered greatly for the sake of Christ. He received divine gifts as his reward, including clairvoyance and miracle-working, becoming an Elder of great stature. The author of this book, Professor Stylianos Papadopoulos, was blessed to know the Elder personally. His intimate knowledge of the Elder’s life together with his literary talent make the story on these pages come alive. God has not left us without Saints in our age of falsehood and agnosticism. Saint Iakovos intercedes for us today, now glorified among the Saints in heaven. From the vivid, lively stories in this book, may we be moved to glorify God and ask Saint Iakovos to intercede for us!

An Interpretation of the Divine Liturgy Based on Actual Events and Experiences of Holy Priests, Monks and Lay People (Piraeus, Greece, 2008) "It is a fact that numerous interpretations of the Divine Liturgy which were mainly based on the enlightenment and Grace of the Holy Spirit, were handed on to us by the Church Fathers. What makes this current analysis of my spiritual child Fr Stephanos Anagnostopoulos, of the Divine Liturgy noteworthy as well as beneficial, is the fact that it is offered through the experiences and revelations of worthy Liturgists of the Most High, older and more recent ones.I, as well as its author, wish that this book will lead us all to the genuine liturgical conscience and life in order to urge us in a spirited way, as grateful servants to try to rest the heart of His feelings so that He will be comforted, according to the Psalter: ‘. . . and because of His servants shall He be comforted’ (Ps. 134:14). May we sense that which God offered us and thus rejoice in the beauty of His eros. Amen. (p. 11)" - Saint Ephraim of Philotheou & Arizona

Translated into English and published by: Orthodox Kypseli Publications - Thessaloncia, Greece What is the work of a prudent government? The impiety of people has reached a high point Repentance is the only means of salvation Remain firm in the Orthodox Faith Be careful that you not be deceived A Christian is in constant battle Not the place, but the manner saves The judgements of God are an abyss Concerning the calendar Be careful do not get frustrated but thank God No one cowardly in battle The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force Concerning the separation of the soul Wicked days Strive to be light Chase the demon of despair far away O Woe to us!