Elder Symeon Kragiopoulos (+30 September, 2015 )

Archimandrite Symeon Kragiopoulos was a lecturer, preacher, and confessor in the Metropolis of Thessaloniki, Greece. His spiritual lectures often drew on his study of psychology. Thirty books have been published in Greece based on his lectures. He founded two monastic communities, Holy Trinity for men and the Nativity of the Theotokos for women.

A Memorial Service was performed in the Church and a Trisagion at the cemetery.

Such gladdening sorrow, bright sorrow as hundreds of his spiritual children prayed with tears for him … to him.

At the homily one Mount Athos Elder described  Elder Symeon as “the eye through which Thessaloniki, and indeed all the world, saw God” + Memory Eternal!

 

“My heart is torn apart…”

 

It tears me apart, every time I speak

with a person in pain.

My heart is crushed, in a good sense.

I would have regretted it a thousand times, if I hadn’t been hurt,

if I hadn’t empathised with the pain of this person.

Hurting and empathising in such a way is one thing

but sinking and despairing is totally another.

The latter is no good.

∞

There is no end to suffering in this world.

There is no end to pain.

But in all this suffering, a great mystery is hidden!

Nothing else does to us such great good as pain.

Our very own pain

and the pain of our own people.

All the rest can be accommodated.

But pain, which you can feel on your own body,

nobody can take away from you.

You may even be a king: If pain seizes you,

you’ll have to bear it.

You may be given some pitiful aid

to be comforted, which will barely suffice.

Especially when you are dealing with soul pain.

∞

The miraculous thing is that God

when you least expect it

and while you have little awareness of it,

condescends and doesn’t take pity on you,

but allows you to get hurt and suffer something

which is more than a single pain,

precisely because he wants to grant you His mercy.

 Archimandrite Symeon Kragiopoulos

Holy Hesychasterion “The Nativity of Theotokos” Publications

 

To read more of Elder Symeon’s God-inspired words check out this link.

*”His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire” (Revelation 1:14)