Another blessing of Mount Athos Gregoriou Metohion in Thessaloniki and Father Deacon Nephon and his synodeia.
During this pilgrimage, even before arriving at the monastery, I had the blessing to hearmoving Confessions, such as that of:
an old lady, Konstantina, who told me (andtruly meant it) how she had wasted all her life, saw only errors and sins behind her, had grown old and had not yet started repenting about all this;
a young student, Eirini, who told me how she was visited by Saint Luke Symferoupol during a scary hospital stay, decided to become a surgeon like him, dedicated her life to the Church and has been together with this Saint at every step of her life since;
a young invalid, Pandelis, and his tragic story: how first his father, and later his mother, abandoned him because they could not bear his disability since birth, the fact that they had to take care of a ‘half’ son (see photo below), and how he now lives all alone, but together with God and with the help of some of the faithful;
a courageous middle-aged widowand artist, Anna, and her martyrdom in taking care of her invalid husband after a car accident;
a brilliant architect, Anastasia, and her cancer martyrdom …
All these stories, together with lots of tears and prayers, were on our way to the monastery, and many more during our visit and on our way back to Thessaloniki. Stories of suffering, yet transfigured into joy, by His Love.After each Confession, especially Pandelis’, I felt even more shame for my own faintheartedness and unmanliness in my struggles and tiny Cross.
This Monastery honours the Dormition of the Theotokos and was founded in the 12th century according to a document in the National Library of Athens. Since then the Monastery has been serving ceaselessly the Holy Liturgy until 1822. During the period of the Greek Revolution, it was one of the most important national and religious centres of the region. It was here that the actions of Chief Karatassos were developed, and it was here, unfortunately, that the Turkish authorities were successful in dealing with them. The Monastery was burned in 1822, and his abbot, Hieromonk Gerasimos, was hung.
The Monastery was reformed in 1995 as a Cenobitic Monastery for Men.
The Katholikon whichremains to this day was built in 1844.
In the year 2005, the brotherhood of the Monastery became acquainted with the newly-revealed Saint of the Russian land, St. Luke the Surgeon and Wonderworker, the Bishop of Simferopol. The holy Monastery preserves a portion of the Holy relic of the Saint.
The many miracles and the palpable presence of the Saint in the Monastery and in the surrounding region immediately made the Saint known, and at the initiative of the Metropolitan and through the support of pious Christians, the first large church in honour of St. Luke the Surgeon, at least in Greece, was founded on the grounds of the Holy Monastery. Every Saturday Divine Liturgy is served, and every Tuesday evening Vespers and Paraklesis are served in the Holy Church of the Saint under construction. Each of the faithful has the opportunity to venerate his grace-flowing relics.
In the area of the Monastery also are the ecclesiastical camps and the educational centre of Byzantine Arts (iconography, mosaics, woodworking, and preservation).
Panagia Dobra’s famousHoly Water and one of the many monastery cats swimming in it and sipping it joyfully
My spiritual father’s wish for the New Year: “Hope for the New Year is a gift from God along with faith and love. We should embrace these graces; we will be blessed as peacemakers and become wise if we love His Commandments.”
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Jan 2 +Seraphim the Wonderworker of Sarov
May the holy one pray for us. Back to home, work, hospital/ emergency rooms, crises, implosions, explosions, yet with more hope. Theophany is at the end of this long, dark tunnel.Glory to God!
“You cannot be too gentle, too kind. Shun even to appear harsh in your treatment of each other. Joy, radiant joy, streams from the face of one who gives and kindles joy in the heart of one who receives.” St Seraphim of Sarov — If only I could interact like thiswith some difficult family members!
*One of our friends K. who was in hospital and 3 times came near death, got back home! When his mind was in a haze in hospital, and he thought he was at work and gave orders to his employees, and he would not recognise even family members, yet when they prayed the Trisagion, he made his cross! And when one of the doctors was explaining to family members how that particular treatment brought him back to life, the unconscious K. corrected him and told him that it was not that medicine but God who had brought him back! And then, he returned to his coma!
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Jan 3 + The finding of the Holy Relics of St. Ephraim in N. Makri, Attica (1950) + Alexandros Papadiamandis Repose
Cleaning, tidying, cooking, skype prayer sessions, lots of telephone calls and Papadiamandis, the Saint of Greek literature! Papadiamandis’ desire to glorify God is shown even more in the way he ended his life and in his attitude toward death. In a prayer he offered at the end of a poem entitled, “To the Little Panagia in the Turret,” he beseeches her, “comfort me, as well, my Panagia, before / I depart and will be no more.” In a letter written by Papa-George Rigas, we learn about the last moments of Papadiamandis’s life on Earth:
His repose took place as follows: He became ill on the 29th of November 1910. On the third day of his illness, he fainted. When he revived, he asked, “What happened to me?” “It’s nothing, a small fainting spell,” his three brothers who were at his side told him. “I haven’t fainted,” Alexandros said, “in so many years; doesn’t it seem that it’s a prelude to my repose? Get the priest immediately and don’t delay.”… Soon after, having been called [by his brothers], the priest and the doctor arrived at the same time. Papadiamandis was, above all things…a pious Christian. So, as soon as he saw the doctor, he asked him, “What are you doing here?” “I came to see you,” the doctor told him. “Keep quiet,” the sick man told him. “I will first follow the ecclesiastical path [and call upon the help of God], and then you can come later.”…
Papadiamandis death bedin his cell
He had control of his faculties until the end and wanted to write a story. Until the end, his mind was dedicated to God. On his own, a few hours before his repose, he called for the priest to come so he could partake of Holy Communion. “Perhaps later on I won’t be able to swallow!” he explained. It was the eve of his repose and, as irony would have it, it was the day they told him that he would receive the medal of the Cross of the Savior. On the eve of his repose, the second of January, he said, “Light a candle [and] bring me an [ecclesiastical] book.” The candle was lit. The book was about to be brought. However, Papadiamandis wearily said, “Don’t worry about the book; tonight I will sing whatever I remember by heart.” And he began to chant in a trembling voice, “Thy Hand Touching” [a troparion from the 9 the Hour of the eve of Theophany].
Papadiamandis sang this final hymn and, as day broke between the second and third of January of his sixtieth year, he wearily fell asleep. After passing through the furnace of pain and trials and tasting many of the bitter dregs of life while faithfully living the liturgical life of the Church, he now stretched out his strong wings to fly to the upper chapel of the angels, toward which he had oriented his whole life. It snowed on the following day and, like Uncle Yiannios in the story, “Love in the Snow,” Papadiamandis lay down his worn-out body, presenting himself, his life, and his work before the Judge, the Ancient of Days, the Thrice-Holy. This was, finally, the only judgment with which he was concerned as he passed through life. Though his life and struggle in this world have ended, his work will continue to give witness to his devotion to the liturgical tradition of the Orthodox Church for generations to come.
Jan 4 + Forefeast of the Theophany of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, St. Nikiforos the leper
Theophany carols to cancer hospitals, spastics society and autistic foundation centres.
Jan 5 + Eve of the Theophany of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
Vespers Holy Liturgy in church and the visit of our new BishopPhilotheos. Such a humble and full of God’s love this Bishop he is!He discreetly emerged from the Royal Doors and joined us, chanting and blessing us- no special ceremony!Such a beautiful, brief homily and chanting! May the Lord richly bless him!We all wanted to stay all day, every day, with him!
Jan 6 + The Theophany of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ- The Blessing of Jordan
Church service, blessing of waters at the Thessaloniki harbour, blessing of our house by the parish priest and lots of telephone calls from dear brothers and sisters, Glory to God! Turning point to this descent to Hades! Epiphany!Ascent to Heavens!
1917, Blessing of waters in Thessaloniki harbour, same location with 2024
Meanwhile, somewhere in the UK …
The blessing of Jordan
The brightness of Theophany
Jan 7 — Synaxis of John the Holy Glorious Prophet, Baptist, & Forerunner, Afterfeast of the Theophany of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus
SAINT JOHN THE FORERUNNER AND BAPTIST
Thirty years of fasting and silence–
This, not even the mountain beasts can endure!
The lion alleviates his hunger with the music of roaring,
And the tree rustles when the wind approaches.
But you neither rustle, nor moan.
Neither your lament nor your song through the wilderness echoes!
Tell me, are you a man? What is your name?
Will you ever want to speak with someone?
“The voice, the voice, the voice: I am the voice–
But the Word of God, He is.
To the children of Israel I was sent to cry out:
Repent, O people; behold, He comes.
Bring forth good fruit, each according to your strength.
Behold, behold He comes–oh, wonder of wonders!
In the midst of the water, fire from heaven is concealed!
Behold, the Lamb of God, among the wolves, walks.
Wolves, your lupine temper in the water, cleanse!”
Thirty years of silence and fasting:
Of your body, what remains, save your voice?
Your withered body is but a shadow of your voice,
Which proclaims the news: Behold, God is come to us!
Your withered body was a reed, which Herod broke.
But the voice goes on and on, with no one to silence it.
Whose voice is that, at which even the centuries tremble?
Dec 24 — Eve of the Nativity of Christ, Eugenia the Righteous Nun-martyr of Rome and those with her
Suddenly our friend D. is in hospital, and soon in intensive care. Agony, heartache and a complete mess at work.
Dec 25 — THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST
Thank God, we made it to church and received Holy Communion. Only our Christmas meal got cancelled as our hosts got down with the flu. So we brought them chicken soup, exchanged presents and wishes in the balcony, and spent the remainder of the day in hesychia.
Dec 26 — SYNAXIS OF THE HOLY THEOTOKOS
Thank God, an invitation from dear brothers and sisters from the Metochion of St. George to rescue us from our ‘lockdown’. These days are difficult when you are alone or together with difficult family members. The meal, the company and the carols were a great blessing despite the little temptation on our way when both of our back tyres got flat/ punctured (a neighbour’s prank) and we had to call road assistance etc.
The greatest blessing of all was our hostess, A., a widow and a valiant Christian soul. When that car hit her husband’s car, cut him half and left him paralysed from the waist down, she bore bravely the Cross for 10, even more, years, becoming the pillar of her family, until her husband reposed in the Lord, supporting her orphan young boy. This day brought me even closer to dear A., and I am sure I can learn a lot how one should live, just by being next to her and observing her.
Dec 27 — STEPHEN, ARCHDEACON & FIRST MARTYR
Back to work and hospital/ doctors check about D. Thankfully, lots of chanting rehearsals too.
Dec 28–20, 000 Martyrs burned in Nicomedia, Simon the Myrrhbearer, Founder of Simonopetra, Monastery of Mount Athos, Afterfeast of the Nativity
Dec 29–14,000 infants (Holy Innocents) slain by Herod in Bethlehem
St. Anysia’s relics
The evening at St Demetrius’ church, in front of St. Anysia’s relics, was a blessing words cannot describe. The choir’s hymns were celestial.
Look at this little Romanian pilgrim venerating the Saint! Isn’t she beautiful?! She is real!
Dec 30 — Anysia the Virgin-martyr of Thessaloniki
Christmas carols to local charity stores, hospitals, orphanages etc, with St George Metochion choir of all the faithful. Father Deacon Nephon on the right (2.17 m tall) is the heart and soul of all our activities, and such a help and consolation in our lives!
The highlight of the visit was, of course, Konstantina, a little girl, suffering from a range of diseases, kidney failure to terminal cancer, pleading God, as Fr. Deacon Nephon told us, to end her life as she could take no more suffering. We sang carols to her, offered her presents and lit a birthday cake.
This tour to hospitals and orphanages made me realise how little I am suffering bearing my own Cross, whereas I believe that my burden is sooo heavy. Little did I know!
Later in the afternoon, we drive to Serres to spend the weekend and New Year’s Day together with dear friends. Such a blessing again not to be left alone these days. These Christmas blues … But it seems that we can never have enough of hospitals these days. Three hours after our arrival, V.’ mother nearly collapsed and we had to take her to Serres’ hospital. We spent a long vigil there until 03:30, but thank God, although she had to stay in hospital, her condition was stabilised.
Dec 31 —Apodosis of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Melania the Younger, Nun of Rome,
I barely made it to church in the morning with just three hours sleep, and then slept most of the day after we got back. We welcomed the New Year in church, in a vigil, and it was the first time in my life that while we were on our way to Holy Communion, we could hear all the fireworks and celebrations outside. The vigil took place in a beautiful, new church, dedicated to St. Spyridon.
I forgot to mention that in the evening of Dec 30, right after our arrival in Serres, Father Ioustinos from Jacob’s Well in Jerusalem, 83 years young, called me, after so many years, and together with his news, he offered to make an icon, possibly of St Spyridon!!!
Jan 1–Circumcision of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia
Today, we made a pilgrimage to the monastery of St. John the Forerunner in Serres.
This is a monastery I have visited in the past, but this time our friend V. led me inside a hidden chapel-within- the-chapel from 1270! Of course, it was dedicated to St Spyridon!
Nature was so beautiful outside and everywhere little chapels awaited us to be discovered.
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN FAITH AND LIFE 