On Thanksgiving and Sacramental Life
In the large cenobitic monasteries of Mount Athos, the bloodless sacrifice
of the Holy Eucharist is served daily. In the most dynamic and mystical way,
monasticism experiences the Eucharistic life of the Church and the mystery
of the communion in Christ, as well as the eschatological meaning of the
Lord's coming and the ultimate destiny of mankind. In addition to the
Eucharistic activities of the great cenobitic communities, liturgies are
also celebrated in the sketes and hermitages of the Holy Mountain as often
as possible.
Father Daniel, the great hesychast of St. Peter the Athonite's cave, was a
"liturgical spirit" and a "flaming fire," as is spoken of in Psalm 104: "He
makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flaming fire." He served the
Divine Liturgy daily. His liturgizing was indeed mystical, as if heaven had
come down to earth, or rather as if earth had ascended up to heaven. Many
say that he would celebrate St. Basil's liturgy so that it would last
longer. He read all the prayers slowly and with meaning. He was never in a
hurry.
If he experienced compunction — a frequent occurrence — he would stop the
prayers and cry with tears of joy. For sixty years he did this, every single
day. Each liturgy would last for several hours. What blessed moments and
times those were, during which souls were lifted up to angelic heights.
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There are many holy hieromonks who have this desire to liturgize every day,
if at all possible. Such was Father Gideon the Kafsokalyvitan, who would
celebrate forty liturgies in a row, almost daily. He had promised to be
tonsured a monk when he had come to Mount Athos as a hired hand. When he
went back to his village, not having fulfilled his promise, he was suddenly
and invisibly slapped on the face. This made him realize what he had done.
So he left the vain world and returned to the Holy Mountain to become an
ascetic in St. Alcaldes' hut.
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The Romanian monk Nectaries, who reposed in peace in 1 890, was most
ascetic, sang sweetly like an angel, and was -4 student of music teacher and
elder Theophilos.
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The famous spiritual father Germanos from Karyes knew the Divine Liturgy by
heart. He celebrated the entire service most of the time, absorbed and
elevated, with closed eyes.
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While in his cell the spiritual father Savvas, called the Chrysostom of the
Holy Mountain, resembled a little ball-a poor, round little monk. But when
he served the liturgy one could only admire him. As he prayed it, his face
gr~ bright, and he resembled an angel.
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Father confessor Ilarion the Iberian and his obedient monk Savvas, who left
behind the fame of a saint, celebrated the liturgy daily taking turns, in
the kathisma of St. lakovo belonging to Dionysiou.
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As his subordinate monk Theophylaktos told us, and was confirmed by others,
when Archimandrite loakim Spetsieris was serving the liturgy he would
experience an inner transformation which would be manifested in his face
which became bright with grace.
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Father Dionysios from St. Anne's would never allow a to go by without a
liturgy's being served; even if he' sick, he would get someone else to take
his place. If he k that another priest was sick, without checking what the
ness was, he would go to the cemetery church to celebrate the liturgy with
great longing and compunction.
Father Dionysios was never angry, nor neglectful of hi Jesus Prayer. His
obedience was iconography. While working at it, he always kept his thoughts
on the life of the saint represented. If the saint was a martyr, his thought
would be on the saint's death. If the saint were an ascetic, he would think
of his struggles.
For every difficult chore, Father Dionysios would be the first to run to do
it, thus becoming always a good example to the entire skete.
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After St. Neilos' cell, one passes through what is called "Sarran" and then
beyond Chairi and, going through a passage of southeast direction, comes to
the hermitage of Giannakopoula. In it lived a wonderful spiritual father
named Gabriel. He was a celebrant priest until very advanced in age, and he
served almost every day. Before and after the Divine Liturgy he did not
sleep on a mattress but rested only on a chair. He would say, "The adversary
is waiting to tempt us, so we should not go to sleep right after the
liturgy, because we do not want to become polluted and lose the grace given
to us in the Holy Mystery." During all of Great Lent he never ate food
cooked with oil. Dry bread, olives, onions and lettuce were his ascetic
meals.
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The ever memorable father Tychon was an ascetic for fifteen years in the
most remote desert of Karoulia, feeding only on dry bread. He fell asleep in
the kathisma of Stavronikita's holy monastery. Father P. would say of him,
"Frequently Father Tychon while serving the Divine Liturgy would be taken in
a vision, sometimes lasting for a half hour or more. We kept singing the
Cherubic Hymn over and over until he would come to himself and respond. Once
I begged him to tell me what was happening to him and he said this:
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'My child, my child, my angel takes me where the Cherubim and Seraphim
praise God. Then when he brings me back, I come to my senses and realize
that I am in the church, serving the liturgy'."
He would not let anyone be in the sanctuary while he was serving the
liturgy.
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I once met the ever memorable father Matheos from Karakalou, a very simple
man who had been ordained by Metropolitan Hierotheos of Militoupolis in 1
940 when that hierarch was staying on Mount Athos. From the day of
ordination to the day his earthly life ended, or forty- five years
altogether, he celebrated the liturgy daily. He did not like it if he had to
miss even one day. Even if he was not the celebrant priest in the katholikon,
he would serve a liturgy in one of the little side road chapels. He would
read innumerable names during the proskomidi, for the "souls to be
benefitted," as he would say.
When one of the brothers told him that it was time for him to rest after so
many years of serving the liturgy daily, he replied: "I will celebrate the
liturgy to my last breath." The amazing thing was that Father Matheos never
lost his piety and first enthusiasm, right through the last liturgy that he
ever served. When I visited him during the time I was collecting materials
for my Profiles of Contemporary Agioritam, he spoke with great respect about
his elder, Father Kuthraton.
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It was the feast day of Annunciation in 1984 in Kafsokalyvia. After the
Divine Liturgy ended, Father Isaias asked me to go with him to his hut to
give Holy Communion to Elder Simeon, who was sick. This elder was in his
nineties and, though blind, could see God in his heart. We had known Father
Simeon and had visited him many times to listen to his words which were like
honey. He was also the skete's most ancient pillar. He and his subordinate
monk, Isaias, were impoverished. Their small hut was poor and ascetic too,
without a garden to grow vegetables, and neither comfortable nor restful.
Part of' the elder's ascesis was not to wash himself, so his hair fell long
to his waist like that of those ancient ascetics who had long, matted hair
for countless years.
I accepted the invitation with great joy. I put on my stole, and I held the
holy chalice as we proceeded, saying without interruption "Through the
prayers of the Holy Fathers. . . ." Ahead of me Father Isaias walked,
holding a small lantern to light us through the thick darkness and the
treacherous, narrow paths. It was pouring rain. We were drenched, but it did
not seem to matter. I will never forget that procession in the rain, holding
the Holy Mysteries and moving in prayer and darkness towards the sanctified
skete. Also never to be forgotten was the face of Elder Simeon after we had
arrived in the hut's tiny church which was dedicated to St. Simeon the New
Theologian, who had praised the divine eros and lived in piety.
1 waited on the solea for the subordinate monk to go and bring his elder.
"Receive the Body of Christ, taste the Fountain of immortality."
In the trembling light from the oil lamps and the candles burning in front
of the Holy Chalice, the blind elder appeared with his hair loose, barefoot,
groaning and holding on to the wall and to his subordinate. He came to the
chalice and crossed himself. His blind eyes moistened with tears of piety
and holy desire. "Tremble, O man, as you approach the Divine Blood." He
communicated, prostrated, crossed himself again, and with great difficulty
returned to his cell. Such holy images, portraits, before which even angels
would want to bow.
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the way of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the
Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night.
(Psalm 1:1-2)
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An Agioritan white-bearded elder wrote:
We on Mount Athos ask at every liturgy: 'Please pray for those who are poor,
unfortunate, and destitute.' And many hieromonks on Mount Athos listen and
pray for the very poor people. And in their sleep those prayed for come to
thank them. We have witnessed many miracles when the priests pray for the
dead. Some sick people who have been discouraged by the doctors sent their
names to be prayed for at the liturgies and they were immediately cured. And
their relatives marvelled at the cure of sometimes hopelessly incurable
diseases.
