On Piety, Order, Accuracy, and Respect
toward the Venerable Fathers
The fathers of earlier times were pious, careful and/strict. They were
unconcerned about their outward appearance, their face and hair, caring not
whether their face or hair looked good. Their rasos were short. They kept
their heads down with piety and respect and avoided a direct gaze at
anyone's face. They were shy. They did not converse or laugh. In the church
they wore slippers.
Once the monk Modestos had a new pair of shoes that made a noise when he was
walking. The other monks called to him and asked that he wear the new shoes
when he was at home and the old ones in church.
"We were afraid to look up at the elderly fathers an ascetic said, meaning
that there was fear, respect and piety towards them. "It used to be so. How
is it now? O what times these are!"
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Elder Antonios the Kafsokalyvitan was a perfect example of order and
exactness in Agioritan rules. He was a pious monk, simple and humble. He was
always uttering "God bless," or "may it be blessed," or "through the prayers
of our Holy Fathers." He always wore his raso. All the elders remember him
with nostalgia.
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Once we asked an ascetic who was over eighty years old to tell us something
that would benefit us, about the fathers of the past. He then replied
laconically: "What can I tell you? The past fathers were different. They
were pious."
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There was a blessed group in Vigla's hut of the Three Holy Children. The
pious elder M. from Kerasia told me all abol this group. Their elder
Dositheos was very strict. The mo senior subordinate to him was the monk
Agathodoros.' most pious of all was Father Akakios, who had a beard which
reached to his waist. He predicted his own death, and mo of the time he had
tears of joy in his eyes. When there was a visitor he would sit down with
his hands crossed. The were all reverent and silent. Only the elder would
speak. "I dead person does not do anything," they would say. Until the elder
told them to do so, they would not offer any thin to their guests. They knew
nothing of anger. They judged no one. They were filled with inner prayer,
joy, happiness Even in their sleep they saw Christ.
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On the eve of a monk's tonsure, the ever memorable] hegumen Gabriel ate
olives. For that reason, the tonsure was postponed, as he told us. He should
have eaten on plain bread, as he did the following day, even though it was
the feast of the Annunciation.
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Even though the seventy-nine year old Dionysiatan monk Nikiphoros was dying,
suffering as he was from asthma and myocarditis, he refused to take a bit of
milk or fish during the Great Fast. "If I ate, Elder," he said "would I not
die? I thank you for your fatherly love, but for sixty years now I have not
spoiled a Great Lent. It does not feel right to do it now. A little bit of
soup made with oil is good enough for me. Give me the sacrament of Holy
Unction, for in five or six days I an departing to the Lord."
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Venerable elder lakovos of Dionysiou was famous for his piety. The ever
memorable hegumen Gabriel and Father Lazaros told us all about his admirable
life. One year while Elder lakovos was typikaris, during a feast day his
fellow Monks offered him a glass of wine after the meal in the wine cellar
of the trapeza, which they call "spolokanis," but he n fused. They insisted,
but he kept telling them that it would be harmful to him. They accused him
of pride. Finally the simple elder, who was very exact in his monastic
rules, to prove to them that they were pressuring him because of the devil
picked up the glass full of wine with his left hand and made the sign of the
cross over it with his right. Immediately the glass shattered, and before
everyone's eyes, all the wine poured out of it. Elder lakovos explained that
while he was being pressed to violate his rule and drink the wine, lie could
see the devil in the glass, boldly making fun. It was then that he realized
that the devil was behind the brothers' supposed kindness.
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There are monks who feed spiritually on saints' lives. They constantly
communicate with the saints. They talk with them. They feel the presence and
activity of all the saints of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic triumphant
Church They are scholars of saints' lives, experts in chanting, in typikon,
in feasts and vigils, in miracles. Such was the most simple elder
Theoktistos from Dionysiou, who was bent over by years of ascetic labour.
There is no pilgrim to the monastery of St. Dionysios who will not be taken
willingly or unwillingly by Theoktistos to visit the cell of St. Niphon and
venerate the icon of Christ on the wall there. With child-like love and
piety, Theoktistos will draw the visitor to this icon, which had been
revealed to St. Niphon in a vision. He will also bring him to the nearby
cell of St. Nikodemos.
Because Elder Theoktistos is from Epiros, he especially favours Epirotan
saints—all of them, of course. He reads the saints' synaxaria every day,
being careful not to miss even one, not even any of the neomartyrs. He is
willing. meek, and never angry about working at any task. I remember when
Elder Lazaros was still living, he who worshipped the divine Name of Christ
and said always the Jesus Prayer. He had the junior father Theoktistos under
his protection, because the latter was tested by many monies who scolded
him, thinking him either stupid or crazy. But this simple monk would endure
these tests with rare patience rejoicing at all his sufferings. Elder
Lazaros once told me in confidence that he knew a monk, who is still living,
out of K hands wild birds would come and eat. I think I understand whom he
meant.
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Always there were, and there still are ascetic Agioritan monks who keep
strictly all the typikon, all the fasts, all the vigils, all the traditions.
Such a one was Father Neophytos. He celebrated in New Skete's huts. His
constant desire was to liturgize. Once Deacon Seraphim, one of the
Abrahamite fathers, fell asleep during a vigil. Father Neophytos would not
allow him to participate in the Liturgy. He said to him the same thing he
would have said to any of the clergy: "Father, you cannot celebrate in the
Liturgy because you slept during the vigil, and you have not read the
prayers before Holy Communion."
