Category Archives: Pilgrimages

Flying in Kairos, or Kiss a Joy as it Flies

The travelling guide’s diary—1

I had never thought one can really “bend”, transcend Time until I spent last week together with my little Abouna. Together, we drove hundreds of miles, visited a number of Holy monasteries, met Gerondas, received holy words, but most importantly, for me at least, we transcended Time into Kairos, ie. made a Leap unto God’s Saving Time, God’s Providence for our salvation.

How many dimensions exist in reality? And which dimension were we travelling together with Abouna?! Which dimension is Love? Fifth? This ‘travelling’ has probably been one the most liberating, healing experiences ever in my life, especially since I was so stressed, worked out and nearly burnt out in my obediences the last twelve months. Though the truth is that I was really stressed, worked out and burnt out by my own mind.

“Time is relative; its only worth depends upon what we do as it is passing.” as Einstein wisely pointed out to us. And “ there are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle”. And: “God does not play dice with the universe.” Or with our lives. How true all these! And all this I experienced first-hand during these four days together with Abouna.

God is indeed the master of time and circumstance: “And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise And knowledge to those who have understanding.” Daniel 2:21

“The Lord gave us chronos time, calendar time, that we may turn it into kairos time, salvation time, time filled with opportunities for us to respond to God’s gracious invitation to the Kingdom”. ~Fr. Anthony Coniaris

Little did I understand those quotes and how literally they are to be taken before I became Abouna’s chauffeur, guide, interpreter and secretary for four days and a witness to how God scandalously intervenes in our lives and plans and provides the precise timing, reversals, cancelations and interruptions so that we meet the “right” people in the “right” place! I became a witness to all these miracles, but also to Abouna’s ease at this “normal”, swimming, flying, floating in Kairos.

***God has a way of surprising us and altering our plans.The visit to St Dimitrios shrine was full of such delightful God- intervening surprises.***

Indeed, a plethora of details is to follow, but let it suffice for the time being to say that this 4 days’ intensive course into Abouna’s daily time ‘management’ have drastically changed my experience of Time, and hopefully this ‘meta-noia’ will last. The list of my obediences after his visit is the same, or even longer, but I somehow have “more” Time, and I certainly have more Joy and Gratitude and Thanksgiving.

Time and stress seem to have loosened their grip on me. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34) I have also, immediately—in obedience— started taking two half days off for hesychia and have resumed my Byzantine chanting lessons which I had sadly given up before summer because “I had no time …”. And I feel that this is only the beginning in this so post-quantum, and yet so ancient, and so St Porfyrios, and indeed all the saints’ experience of flying in Kairos:

“Poor people… We live, we read books […] and yet we remain in a relaxed state, recklessly living without Christ. Christ is different. When He comes to a person, entering his soul, the soul changes. A soul [that knows Christ] lives everywhere: on the stars, in the spiritual world, in the Universe. Life without Christ is not real life. … Christ is the new life. Christ is everything. He is joy. He is life. He is the light, the true light, allowing a person to rejoice, to fly, to see everything and everyone. … Love Christ and prefer nothing to His love. He is the source of life, He is everything. Everything most beautiful is in Christ.”

Glory to God for all things! Vignettes from our 4 days together to follow soon  …

Creation is groaning … Another young wild horse of Petala found dead yesterday, after losing habitat

Abouna’s Feedback on my Reflection

*** God it seems bends time in order for those who seek Him to receive His grace . Time is not really measured in monasteries. Of course there are set times for worship and work but one does not sense time passing.***

***

“May it be blessed

 I think this is a most clearly distilled profile of our time with Christ. I don’t think it is in any way an alternative diary but a complementary (with an e) account of our joint experience. I too found this to be so true.

Indeed  in my first day’s  diary I think I mention  so many blessings in such a short time. I find St Porphyrios words  so poignant for they dispense our lived experience in Christ  in such a lyrical way.

The people that we met were so lovely. The Christian soul is often seen in the eyes. I wrote to Theologos and said when I met his family heart spoke to heart and spirit to spirit.

William Blake in his poem “Eternity” wrote

“He who binds to himself a joy Does the winged life destroy; But he who kisses the joy as it flies Lives in eternity’s sun rise.”

May we kiss this joy as it flies

William Blake

My love and prayers in Christ 

Little Abouna

Day 3 Thursday :the Angelic Habit

Monastery of St John the Forerunner at Metamorfosi

The drive from Thessaloniki to Halkidiki was furnished by olive trees but to remind us of the fragile nature of our planet there was the faint smell of smoke in the air. (*) As St Paul says in Romans 8″ creation is groaning “. Our first visit on the itinerary was the Monastery of St John the Forerunner at Metamorfosi. Although it has a strict typikon we were allowed to sing a glorious trilogy of apolytikia and Kyries. We were joined by Baia and Theologos.

… and four of their ten children.. Konstantinos overheard my English tones and introduced me to his wife Marina and mother Gabriela who lives in London. A most interesting exchange of spiritual experiences ensued. Gabriela studied at Lancaster university at the same time as I was studying by Post Graduate certificate of education at St Martin’s college now University of Cumbria ( Lancaster campus)and having been brought up in the middle east she is looking forward to Dmitry’s ordination to the diaconate in September in Arabic. Two priests joined us with their families for monastic hospitality “metrio cafes parakalo ” the most delicious cake, loukoumi and much needed water. It was after all 37c.

On to Ormilia monastery where Marta and Alexandra have stayed. We venerated the tomb of the founder Geronda Emilianos. K. said she wanted me to meet a nun who spoke better English than me ” if that’s possible” K. added with playful wit, ” This is Mother P. I was not at all offended or diminished by K. words, especially when I learned that mother P was born and brought up five miles from where I was born.

Ormylia monastery, Holy Convent of the Annunciation


We were in the company of people from Cyprus who had connections with our parish, a Belgian priest and a Serbian priest whose Metropolitan and Professor respectively sit on the same International Commission as me.Lunch time beckoned it was 4.00 after all. A wonderful local cafe near K’s beach house where we were joined by Nikos. We made the short journey to K’s beach house where we met the Romanian family who were staying there. You can’t get much closer to the sea! If you rolled over in bed you would be splashing in the gentle waves!

On to St Paisios Monastery where we met friends of Sayedna. We joined the queue to venerate the tomb of St Paisios. A little boy repeatedly took the blessing from priests in the queue. The light of joy shone in the eyes of the faithful, reflecting the Light of Christ. Everyone we met today, those wearing the angelic habit and those who were faithful Pilgrims were happy. God is glorified in his saints.

St. Paisios’ tomb
St. Paisios poem above his tomb

Above his tomb, inside the monastery yard, on a marble plaque is found a humble poem written by himself:

“Here life has come to an end

Here my breath has stopped.
Here the body will be buried,
And my soul will rejoice.
My Saint dwells here, [St. Arsenios of Cappadochia]
And that is my honour.
I believe he will pity

My miserable soul

He will pray to the Saviour

To have the Virgin Mary with me.”


“God wants us, above all, to be happy and to enjoy inner peace. God is not a tyrant who pesters and intimidates us, but instead he wants us to be free.”St. Paisios

(*) Due to fires raging all over Greece at the time of this pilgrimage

Dadia National Park

Day 2: Sharing Almonds

St David the Dendrite

Why are there so many cafes next to churches?a

Why are there so many cafes next to churches?
a priests like coffee; b to attract business; c a place to chat after the services. Well, maybe all of the above. The liturgy in the world is often conducted over food and drink. This is where friends make social discourse and where social discourse makes friends.

We were opposite to St Dimitrios church about to visit the catacombs, outside an icon shop. There we met two priests from Cyprus fr Andreas and fr Irenaeus. Fr Andreas with his Presbytera invited us to join them for coffee at a cafe. Our conversation outlasted the coffees as we made connections of places and people we knew. The Orthodox Church is both large and small. One can be sure that you will know someone in common.

The catacombs of St. Demetrios


After a long joyful conversation we parted friends exchanging contact details. Asked if I was on viber I shook my head. After visiting the quite remarkable catacombs of St Dimitrios, the intended visit to a clerical tailor did not materialise either metaphorically or literally. So we visited the monastery church of St Theodora where we venerated the relics of the saint and those of St David the tree dweller of Thessaloniki.


Lunch time is very flexible in Greece ,late afternoon seems as good a time as any other. My eremital instinct was beginning to re emerge so my kind hosts allowed me to take some quiet in my room or as my host said ” escape.”


” Wishing for a quiet life, St David fled to the seclusion of an almond tree.”

Fellowship and hesychia are both needed in the Christian life.

Little Pilgrimage to Thessaloniki, Day 1, Part 2

St. Demetrios’ Relics

Sometimes one can fit a lot of events into a short space of time. The planned itinerary however has a way of being changed. God has a way of surprising us and altering our plans.The visit to St Dimitrios shrine was full of such delightful God- intervening surprises. K. and I had been talking about the visit of the ladies choir from Thessaloniki some years ago to Holy Cross for Great week. Lo and behold who should walk into St Dimitrios but Maria the ladies choir director! K. and I then sang the supplication to St Dimitrios and the apolytikion for Holy Cross and Ti Ypermaho for the Mother of God. A lady asked me for a blessing who was surprised i was an English Orthodox as she lived in London. Then another lady spoke to me about a certain pilgrimage she was on led by a certain Abouna Justin from Lebanon from whom we learned that he was a student at Balamand of Abouna Samir some years ago.After our two hours with St Dimitrios we went for a long walk to various churches and bumped into Maria again quite by “coincidence.”

St. Gregory Palamas Relics

Outside the Holy Church of the Virgin Mary Acheiropoietos (Ιερός Ναός Παναγίας Αχειροποιήτου) Holy Church of the Virgin Mary Acheiropoietos (Ιερός Ναός Παναγίας Αχειροποιήτου), we met a fr Spyridon who gave us a beautiful icon of the Mother of God. Then we went to the 4th c. St Sophia’s Church in the city centre followed by veneration St Gregory Palamas in his church. An amazing coincidence I had said the Jesus prayer for all the passengers!Later as we were seated at a local fine taverna toasting our Dmitry we learned of Dmitry’s success at his PhD. Strange that we had been with St Dimitrios most of the evening. 🤔

C.S. Lewis once wrote:
“A secret Master of the Ceremonies has been at work. There are no “coincidences” when you walk with Jesus”


“Life of the soul is union with God, as life of the body is union with the soul. As the soul was separated from God and died in consequence of the violation of the commandment, so by obedience to the commandment it is again united to God and is quickened. This is why the Lord says in the Gospels, ‘The words I speak to you are spirit and life’ (Jn. 6:63).”St Gregory Palamas

Little pilgrimage to Thessaloniki, Day 1, Part 1

Tuesday 22nd August.

The dark grey skies of Manchester belie the future sun 3 hours to the east. We pass through dark days physically and mentally as human beings and often assume ” that is how it is.” Yet how much more we appreciate the sun when our usual weather is rain, and how much more we appreciate the rain when we have unremitting heat.The” wings” of the iconostasis were repaired yesterday by two of the faithful. Great! “Ready for take off!”one of the faithful e mailed me to say. Me too….as we are called to board the flight.

The sun comes out as we climb the steps into the aeroplane. I pray the Jesus prayer for all the passengers and crew 33 rows x6 plus pilot,copilot and 4 crew…you do the maths. Then I say prayers for all the faithful. Descending onto terra firma one is hit with the wall of heat 34c. It was a great joy to see two other English Orthodox priests fr S and fr D as we pass through customs. Fancy that! Three Othodox priests all bound for Thessaloniki and all three English men, not a Greek priest in sight. God has a sense of humour. K. is there to meet me at the airport,a great joy. The years and distance slip away.

We drive to the city centre and go for a refreshing Greek Salad at a local Taverna by the sea. My room at the hotel is rather too spacious and although a siesta beckons (I have been awake since 2.30 this morning) I am not really tired, plus I have a very important appointment with St Dimitrios at 6.00 p.m. Greek time 4.00 p.m. British time.
To be continued…

Diary of a Pilgrim: Reflection

Kykkos monastery, Cyprus

Thursday15th

Glory to God through your prayers I have returned home.The title of my diary was set really by one of our parishioners when , before I left , he wished me a :”blessed pilgrimage.” At first I thought this a little odd, a good holiday, yes, which means holy day, but pilgrimage? It is not as though I was going to Jerusalem ( well not until October). I understand the spiritual element of the word but looking up the Latin origin “peregrinus” it means “a foreigner.” The Romanian word is the same for pilgrim.


In the book of Leviticus we read:
“When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not wrong him. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

Our Lord, His most holy Mother and Joseph were also foreigners in Egypt when Christ was a child. Our Lord met with the Samaritan woman, the Syrian phoenician woman and commended the one grateful leper of the ten who were healed , “has no one returned to thank God except this foreigner?” Our Lord Jesus Christ said “love your neighbour as yourself “echoing the words of the Old testament law and when asked who is my neighbour , he used the example of a Samaritan, a foreigner.


Luke 13:29
And they shall come from the east and from the west, and from the north and from the south, and shall sit down in the Kingdom of God.


There are no boundaries in God’s kingdom and no foreigners.

Diary of a Pilgrim — Day 8 — Wednesday — Part B

The taxi driver was surprised to learn that I had never been to Mount Athos. He used his komboloi prayer beads with great alacrity as he drove me to the airport. Whether out of faith or stress I cannot say. I gave him a tip and he kissed my hand. Again I am not sure if these two events were concomitant.


I have passed through the checks and security. Indeed one kind lady official seeing me with my rasson( cassock) ushered me into the fast priority lane. The irony is that my flight is delayed by more than one hour. Nevertheless, it was considerate of her and I am not sure if the same level of respect would be offered in Manchester.


Passing through the shops I saw some traditional Cypriot crafts including icons and “ancient ” vases. My curiosity was aroused when I saw some loaves of bread. I couldn’t resist picking one up to discover that it was made of pottery/ ceramics!


Recognising the fake from the real, the false from the true is a matter of discernment and one which we should seek, especially in spiritual matters since it is a gift of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 12: 10

Diary of a Pilgrim — Day 8 — Wednesday — Part A

Traveling light : Luke 22:35
“Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?”
“Nothing,” they answered.”

The packing is almost completed. One can just imagine what it would be like for Britain’s largest family with 22 children. Of course they are from Morecambe. I recall years ago when Pilgrimage to Orthodoxy met with his Beatitude Ignatios ( of thrice blessed memory) in Paris I took a small case for the weekend. On the coach to meet with his Beatitude from the hotel I asked one of our brethren where was his case, he pulled out a tooth brush from his top pocket with the words: ” here it is !” Some of you know him. He now has the longest beard in the Archdiocese! Once again I find myself in that waiting period but making the most, quietly, of the time here amongst new friends.The reception staff ,one Cypriot one Romanian, last evening talked with me about monasteries in Cyprus and Romania. It was a joyful conversation. They said “why don’t you come and live here in Cyprus father? ” I replied with a wry smile” I don’t think my Archbishop or my people would like it!”
Such are the vagaries of the English language that a word can have more than one meaning which can be confusing but sometimes revealing!
It is important not only that we travel light, but perhaps more importantly that we travel with the Light of Christ , bringing it to all He has given us to meet.
Be a traveling light!

Archangel Michael Monastery in Pella

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The monastery of Archangel Michael is a precious and invaluable adornment of the whole region.

Its rich and long history, its national and religious offer, its imposing bearing and the frescoes of the interior of the temple, distinguished by the unique sweetness in the faces, as well as realism in its movement, its revival and its upward course tends to highlight it in one of the largest pilgrimages of Northern Greece, as its surrounded by rich flora and fauna.

Tradition wants the Monastery to be built on an ancient sanctuary dedicated to the Artemis hunting goddess due to the rich flora and fauna of the area.

Today it is proved, by documents that are saved in the Holy Monastery of the Greatest Lavra of Mount Athos, and by elements of the previous century, that it was dedicated to Saint John the Baptist. From various documents, such as the “Chrysoboulos Logos” of Alexios Komnenos, published in 1082, it seems to have existed since the 11th century as a glebe land of the Greatest Lavra of Athos.

Regardless of the above, it remains a fact, that one and a half centuries after the restoration of the Monastery, it is dedicated and has its protector and guide Archangel Michael. In fact, in 1858, the monastery was rebuilt with a charter of the Sultan, and was renamed this way, because the monastery was burned on September 6th, the day of the Miracle of Archangel Michael at Chonae, and as a sign of gratitude by many residents of the area, who survived harmless on the day of destruction by certain death. In 3/1182, the monastery of Greatest Lavra, founded a glebe in the form of a regular monastery in the village of Hostiani (today’s Archangelo).

The monastery of Ossiani until the 18th century has a lively presence in the area, to the point where it founded a subsidiary monastery at the foothills of Voras outside the village of Promachi. The monastery is Saint’s Hilarion, Bishop of Moglenoi. The monastery was besieged by the Turks in the 18th century. The Turks decimated the monks and burnt the monastery, while a one of them escaped alone, and gory beetled along to the Great Monastery.

The danger to the monastery was great. At the same time, the inhabitants of the current village of Notia adopted the religion of Muslim. At that time, took also place the tragic incident of the burning of the Monastery, by the neophyte Muslims, who also destroyed the surrounding building facilities. The homesteads, the fields and the forests, were destroyed and the pastures were granted to new owners, and the neighbors and the animals of the Monastery were dispersed.

Desolation lasts more than half a century, but already in 1858, with the permission of the sultan, the burnt monastery is reconstructed, and Valis of the Vitolioi returned the land that had been appropriated. From now on, an economic robustness began and the monastery provided dynamic assistance to the region’s poor. The monks undertook initiatives in the fields of education, moral support and national orientation of Karatzova.

The 19th century is one of the cruel times of Turkish slavery. Nevertheless, the Monastery of Archangel Michael is a robust presence in the northern Almopia. Inside this hive of the monks and ordinary people, the cells were transformed into hidden school rooms. The children were taught the ancestral wisdom and the ancient Greek letters. So, returning to their place, they became priests or teachers.

In the high mountains of Jena and Koziaka, a generation of young patriots was manned. The same period of time, was surrounded by violence and terror, and the propaganda of Bulgarians and Romanians contributed to this. In the Macedonian struggle the Holy Monastery was the center of Hellenism and the stronghold of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

As for its national offer, many brave chieftains were dressed as monks, led by Archangel Michael, to encourage and guide the Macedonian men and the frightened inhabitants of the region. A typical example, is the brave chieftain Captain Matapas who, with the nickname Papa Christos and based in the Monastery of the Archangel, organized rebelliously the region of Aridaia and Goumenissa of Kilkis.

Other brave chieftains used the Monastery as a base and hideout, such as George Kakoulidis, Nicholas Vlachos and Emmanuel Skountris, who won victories against the Bulgarians at Promachoi.

For some decades the monastery was a chapel of the parish of the village of Archangelos. Today the Monastery operates with a cenobitic rite. The rhythm of the temple is a three-aisled basilica and its walls are one meter thick. The katholikon of the temple is painted by frescoes of folk painters from Krousouvo.

Indeed, the most famous frescoes are scenes from the martyrdom of Saint Chrisi and the hagiography of Saint Hilarion, Bishop of Moglenoi, which is unique throughout Greece. Finally, the miraculous icon of Archangel Michael is preserved.

The monastery

The surrounding hills

Quick, While There’s Still Time!

 

I too meant to share with you but I am having problems with my laptop 😦 I tried to yesterday but was not able to … It is such a beautiful documentary! Even if someone is not so interested in the life of Elder Joseph the Hesychast, the scenery is breathtaking, the monastery “sightseeing tours”amazing,  and Jonathan Jackson’s acting is so good!

Update Saturday, 23 May: Actucally, there is time. You can watch the whole documentary on the great 20th-century Athonite spiritual father “Saint Joseph the Hesychast: ELDER JOSEPH THE HESYCHAST FILM (Άγιος Ιωσήφ ο Ησυχαστής)” , starring the Emmy-award winning Jonathan Jackson.

here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCZT8KvCsjU&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR2HqjqLGcpfIL4jlPzhEQsngfJT19nN8z7pPPS-ekcGDB1YPAxgP7RC9rc

 

or, here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep9H5fM7d8c

matushka constantina's avatarlessons from a monastery

Christ is risen!

For a few more hours you can watch the full documentary of the life of Elder (Saint) Joseph the Hesychast for free!

I meant to include this link in my earlier post as a “treat” to share with you on my name’s day and completely forgot. Forgive me!

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