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.
A couple of terns at the lake of Kastoria, dying together from exhaustion, in each other’s wings, after their last migration journey back from Africa. Source: Time Machine
Dear Friends and spiritual children in Christ,
I was praying for you and I offer three of my poor poems in humility for your strengthening! Two of them are directly related to the Feast of the Transfiguration on 6th. the first for spiritual sons (and daughters).
But first some words from St Porphyrios:
“Whoever wants to become a Christian must first become a poet. That’s what it is! You must suffer. You must love and suffer–suffer for the one you love. Love makes effort for the loved one. She runs all through the night; she stays awake; she stains her feet with blood in order to meet her beloved. She makes sacrifices and disregards all impediments, threats, and difficulties for the sake of the loved one. Love towards Christ is something even higher, infinitely higher.
And when we say ‘love’, we don’t mean the virtues that we will acquire, but the heart that is pervaded by love towards Christ and others. We need to turn everything in this direction. Do we see a mother with her child in her arms and bending to give the child a kiss, her heart overflowing with emotion? Do we notice how her face lights up as she holds her little angel? These things do not escape a person with love of God. He sees them and is impressed by them and he says, ‘If only I had those emotions towards my God, towards my Holy Lady and our saints!’ Look, that’s how we must love Christ our God. You desire it, you want it, and with the grace of God you acquire it.”
― Saint Porphyrios, “Wounded by love “ The Kite
John 3:8 “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
Look upward to the sky
And allow your wings to fly
Upon the glorious breath of God
In the sunrise of your youth.
Soar swiftly with an eagle’s strength,
Measure the height, breadth, depth and length.
Reach heavenward, dear son by the sacramental
strings on earth,
Hold firm to the lifeline and anchor of new birth.
Let the Holy Spirit lift you high
And allow your wings to fly
Upon the glorious breath of God
In the sunrise of your youth.
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Amma Syncletica said, “In the beginning there are a great many battles and a good deal of suffering for those who are advancing towards God and, afterwards, ineffable joy. It is like those who wish to light a fire. At first they are choked with smoke and cry, until they obtain what they seek. As it is written, “Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:24); so we also must kindle the divine fire in ourselves through tears and hard work.”
The Transfiguration
Mark 9:2 “Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James and John and led them up on a high mountain apart by themselves; and he was transfigured before them.”
Possess your soul with patience,
Let the seasons bear their own time.
Lighten your heart with love,
For passion beats to an uncertain pulse.
Provide your mind with peace
Since idle imagination is a deadly weapon.
Still your tongue with silence
So that you may allow the Word to speak to you.
Open your hands to offerings
In order to give generously and to receive gracefully.
Guard your eyes with goodness
To become a pupil of Light.
Place your feet in poverty.
That you may walk in the way of the saints.
Feed your stomach with friendship
So that you may nourish and sustain the lonely.
Breathe into your nostrils the air of beauty
For the Holy Spirit gives life to the canvass of creation
Humble your ears to holiness
That you may become deaf to the whispers of pride.
Wash your skin with wisdom
That you may be clean from the accretions of the world.
Commend your life to Christ
So that you may be transfigured into His likeness.
“My soul, seek the Only One . . . My soul, you have no part with the earth; for you are from heaven. You are the image of God: seek your First Image. For like strives after like. Each object finds its rest in its centre and element — fish in water, fire in its upward movement everything strives to its centre. My soul, you are an immaterial spirit, immortal. . . In Him alone you will find your rest.”
St. Tikhon of Voronezh
Changed
Luke 9:29:
“As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered and His robe became white and glistening.”
They ascended Tabor’s mountain heights, to contemplate and pray,
But Peter James and John, the friends, had a revelation on that day.
Blazing glory in the flesh of Christ, they saw the uncreated Light
Which was hidden for a season, now clear within their sight.
Blinding, glistening, ultra- white was the appearance of His face,
The splendour of the Godhead could be seen within our race.
Moses and Elijah from of old appeared full bright within the cloud,
Peter said “Let’s build three booths, if we are allowed!?”
He was silenced by the Father’s voice and filled with holy fear.
The friends shine in glory now like Christ and with Him appear
In heaven: the blessed communion is transferred to us on earth
To help us scale the heights of Tabor and to aid our spiritual birth.
May we indeed acquire the Spirit and grow into the likeness of the Son
May we be changed to shine like Him, and them, when our earthly course is run.
Abba Pachomius said,
”A sinner like me does not ask God that he will see visions, for that is against His will and wrong. Hear all the same about a great miracle: if you see a man pure and humble, that is a great vision; for what is greater than such a vision, to see the invisible God in His temple, a visible man?”
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
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!
After every trial comes a blessing. I went to collect the icon of St Amphilochios. Ioanna had it ready and gave it as a gift. She was so pleased I had introduced her to this saint who she didn’t know that she offered to paint an icon for our Parish. Dimitri from church kindly translated my thankyou letter.I bought some more komboskini and crosses and blessed them on the relics of St Lazarus. As I was praying with my hand on the relics for some of our people I felt a surge of energy through my fingers and joy.
As it was my last full day, I went to my favourite cafe and had prawns with chips and a glass of local white wine. No Octopus! Sophia( I named her) the cat spotted me ( ah here is the clerical guy) sat at my feet pleading once more for the prawns tail ends. Yet again I gave in to her petition.I have so many gifts that I needed to distribute some of them otherwise my suitcase would be too heavy I was given a rose cordial and some basil from my visit to Nicosia.Together with an icon of the Mother of God of Patmos I gave them to the daughter of a priest Pater Makarios who fell asleep in the Lord in 2019.
As I was about to leave the church I saw the Russian lady who I met on the first day in church. We sang some hymns together in Russian and Greek…..others started quite spontaneously joining in with usI shared the last of my icon cards, St Dimitrios to a lady whose son just happened to be called…
Online apps are a world and age away from my simple technology of pen and paper. Having to obtain my boarding pass online for returning to the UK has proved a testing time this morning. The reception could not help me so they suggested I took a taxi to the airport. There was no TUi desk there, I went to Swiss Air, they said “You have to download the app but didn’t show me how and the information desk didn’t think I needed to download it! The phone call I made to the travel agent gave me a series of options, none of which I wanted. No tui representatives at the hotel.
In the end, I had reached a point of frustration with my own incompetence and so I called my secretary and spiritual son Dmitry.
In a few minutes, he diffused my panic and solved the problem.
Yet my concern remains for the ever-advancing voracious monster of Artificial Intelligence consuming reality and feigning the image of God.
One of our great saints, St Kosmas Aitolos spoke words of prophecy. He predicted many things before his martyrdom in 1779, some of which have come to pass, others yet to be fulfilled.
” the time will come when people will speak from one far place to another, for example, from Constantinople to Russia as though they were in adjoining rooms.”
” you will see in the plain a carriage without horses which will run faster than rabbits.”
” you will see people flying in the sky like blackbirds and hurling fire on the earth.”
A blessed Apostles fast to you all. We are allowed fish wine and oil. God is so gracious!
An Icon shop near the church of St Lazarus had some komboskini and holy bracelets in the window. In the morning I bought some to give to our children. I ordered a small icon print on wood of St. Amphilochius of Patmos. Maria the Iconographer and shopkeeper said she would have it ready for tomorrow afternoon. Some things happen very quickly in Cyprus!
I took the bracelets and komboskini and placed them on the Holy relics of St Lazarus for blessing to give to our children at church.
Wherever we go in accordance with Saint Amphilochius’ instructions we should buy a tree in memory of a loved one, as a gift to others, as an act of contrition for our sins and to bear the fruit of goodness.
The prophet Nehemiah has a recurring theme in his book in the Old Testament :
“Remember me O my God for good.” It is the prayer of a pilgrim in this life who whilst knowing his sins, asks God to remember the good deeds he has done through following His commandments:
“Blessed art Thou, O Lord,
teach me Thy statutes. The choir of the saints has found the fountain of life
Prince Vladimir/Volodymyr of Kyiv (AD 958-1015) sent his emissaries to tour the world in search of the True Faith. Upon their return, they reported to him as follows:
Then we went to Greece [Constantinople], and the Greeks (including the Emperor himself) led us to the edifices where they worship their God, and we knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth. For on earth, there is no such splendour or such beauty, and we are at a loss how to describe it. We only know that God dwells there among men, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of other nations. For we cannot forget that beauty. These words came to mind after the 3-and-a-half-hour service of Matins and the Holy Liturgy from 6.30 to 10 00 a.m. As we are beginning the liturgy at home everything is finished here. I was able to be at the altar of St Lazarus church in Larnaka, a most ancient and beautiful church. I remembered you all at the proskomede and the names which I had written on Wednesday were read out by another priest. I lost count of the number of huge baskets of antidoron blessed. I took two prosphora given to me by K’s mother and C’s mother.
A late lunch before the fast. The local cafe cat spotted me as a soft and easy target for food. Looking deep into my eyes and with a pleading meow I gave in to the cat’s supplication.
A long, busy, eventful, fruitful and most joyful day.
Trying to shake off the nuisance of a cold, induced by my temperamental air conditioning I suspect, I gathered myself for a tight schedule of visits. C arrived at the hotel at 11.00.
He was my guide, chauffeur and auditor on our many visits. Thank you, C.
Our planned itinerary of several monasteries had no relation to what took place. Our first visit however was to the Monastery of Mavrovouni and an audience with Geronda Symeon the translator being monk Porphyrios.
A beautiful Monastery is next to the fields where St Spirydon kept his sheep and goats. They are building a new church made completely of stone. A stone cutter was working whilst we were there.
C’s car overheated and we stopped. I could understand it because it was a hot day. I shared some sympathy with the automobile, indeed I was overheating a little also! We made it to the garden centre and the car overheated again. I bought two olive trees in line with St Amphilochios’ 11th commandment “Love the trees.” We were in Nicosia when the car decided to overheat again. We tried to make it to C’s’ parents’ house but the car had had enough and so we called C’s father to come and collect us. We had an amazing meal…the first of many that day…
” We have no grandmas( giagiades) in this community; you are the Church. ” This was my reply to a group of Cypriot students who, when faced with my request for them to build and decorate the Epitaphion for Pascha ten years ago, exclaimed ” but father our giagias do this in Cyprus.”
Meeting A… today took me back in time to those days when we had to build a church every week…
.. Then, we made our way to the Metropolis where his grace Bishop Nektarios of Kition afforded me more than 30 minutes of his precious time.
The time we offer to others is indeed a grace reflecting the time that God gives to us. We will find when we allow the Lord into our schedule and daily agendas, time is stretched.
We must not think that time belongs to us or even that we can manage time. If we are not interrupted then we are of no use to God or humans. We only have to look in the Gospels to see that our Lord Jesus Christ was continually interrupted in His earthly ministry. Time belongs to God alone.
Metropolitan Philaret writes: “In unforeseen events let us not forget that all are sent by God.” When we seek first the kingdom of God, everything falls into place and time(kairos).
I recall trying to persuade some anxious students to come to church during their exams. I said : Don’t worry God will give you more time, a clear mind and a peaceful spirit for your revision!”
ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN FAITH AND LIFE 