Forgiveness
Brother Gabriel was many years in the monastery, but he did not hurry to become a monk. When asked why he did not become a monk, he said, 'It is a great honor to be a monk, but I am not worthy of that honor.' But with his zeal, his work and obedience, there was not a better monk in the monastery.
With other things, Gabriel also had this custom. Every Saturday, before the bell for vespers, he passed by all the cells of the monks and novices saying, 'Bless me and forgive me the sinner.' And the father, knowing his custom, would say, 'May God bless you and forgive you.' And then the novice Gabriel would go on to the next cell until he had finished all of them.
Once I asked him why he did this, and he explained to me: "I read in an old book that every Saturday, after vespers, all the choirs of angels gather before the throne of God to hear the report of the guardian angels of humanity and each comes before the throne of the Heavenly Father and reports the activity of the person. And the angels of people who commit sins are sad, but the angels of the people who do good deads are joyful and brilliant. The Heavenly Father is happy with the good deads and 'there is joy in heaven over the sinner who repents.' Beyond the divine throne there stand two ranks of angels: one radiant and glorious and the other awesome and austere. Then God sends the radiant angels to reward the good people and the awesome to punish the sinners. Therefore I forgive others and ask their forgivesness so that my guardian angel might go up cheerfully with his report to the Heavenly Father and that I might escape the trial of the fearsome angels.
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A Hesychast Vigil
Once, when St. Nikodemos the Athonite was living in a cell in Kapsala, he set out to attend the vigil for the Dormition of the Theotokos at the great Monastery of Iveron of their feastday. On the way, he stopped at cell where there lived a good hesychast elder with his small synodia. His thought was to join them for the Small Vespers and then continue to the vigil festivities at the great Monastery.
As the Vespers began, after the opening psalm, the elder of the house began quietly with the Jesus Prayer. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy. . . . . He continued for some time, and when he stopped another of the monks picked up the prayer and continued. And so they went, round and round, from one to the other. To the Lord, to the Theotokos, to the saint of the house. For the monks, for the world, for the departed. In stillness, barely audible, in near complete darkness. Near dawn, when the bells at the Great Doxology were heard from the Monastery, the priest began the Divine Liturgy.
After receiving Holy Communion the fathers took a light meal. The Saint had forgotten to go on to the celebration at Iveron, but the compunctionate vigilance of the elder and his community had been a taste of heaven which he did not regret.
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A brother lived in a cell in Egypt and, with all humility, spent his life in asceticism. This monk had a sister who lived in the city and who was a prostitute. She had been the cause of many losing their souls each day. Thus, many times the Elders had urged the brother to go meet with his sister. At last one day they convinced him to go, that perchance his brotherly admonitions might have the desired effect and she might cease the sin that she was committing.
As soon as he arrived at the place where the sinful woman was staying, a certain acquaintance of theirs saw the monk and ran to inform her, saying: "Your brother is asking for you at the door below." The sister, on hearing this news, abandoned her sinful compatriots and, just as she was, ran down to greet her brother, without bothering, in fact, even to put a covering on her head. When the brother and sister saw one another and she, out of joy, tried to embrace her brother, he said:
"Truly, my sister, I pity your soul, beholding how you will suffer the bitter and unending torments of Hell, for not only have you lost your soul, but many others have also done so because of you."
The sister listened attentively to the sincere counsels of her brother and, overwhelmed by them, with true repentance said to him:
"Are you sure that, even now, I can be saved?"
"If you wish so, there is salvation," the kind brother answered with certainty.
With tears in her eyes, she then fell at the feet of her brother and doggedly entreated him to take her with him into the desert to be saved.
The brother, also moved by her sudden conversion, told his sister:
"Put a scarf on your head and follow me."
She, however, said to her brother:
"Come, come, let us go quickly. It is preferable for me and better for my soul if I leave this vile place and set forth on the way bare-headed, and not enter again into this workshop of sin."
They thus departed for the desert, and the brother advised her tenderly, enumerating for her the fruits of repentance. She listened with silent attention, while Divine Grace slowly won over the soul of the repentant sinner.
Then at a certain point in their journey, they saw some wayfarers coming toward them from the opposite direction. So the brother, in order not to cause scandal to them, told his sister:
"Since not everyone knows that you are my sister get off the road just a little until these people pass by, so that we do not cause them scandal."
The sister immediately went away some distance from the road.
When the caravan had passed, the brother called to his sister.
But he received no answer at all. Curious, he searched the place where he expected her to be and, astonished, saw that she was dead. He noticed at the same time that her feet were torn to pieces from the trip, since she was barefoot.
The brother related these incidents to the Elders. They, taking counsel regarding the matter, all disagreed, some maintaining that she was saved, others insisting that she had lost her soul.
Finally, after praying, one of the Elders, who appears to have been more virtuous and insightful than the others, received the following revelation from God: "This sinner was saved, for as soon as Divine Grace, at the counsels of her brother, moved her heart, she repented and thought of no material thing. But rather, she gave no heed to her body and did not complain about the pain and wounds inflicted by the journey. For this reason, her repentance was accepted."
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The Monk Akakios of Sinai (29 of November) lived during the VI Century and was a novice at a certain monastery. The humble monk distinguished himself by his patient and unquestioning obedience to his spiritual-elder, a man of callous character. He forced the monk to toil excessively, starved him with hunger, and beat him without mercy. Despite such treatment, the Monk Akakios meekly endured the affliction and thanked God for everything. Not long surviving such harsh obedience, Saint Akakios died.
The elder after five days told about the death of his disciple to another elder, who did not believe that the young monk was dead. Then this teacher of Akakios called this other elder over to the grave of Akakios and loudly asked: "Brother Akakios, art thou dead?" From the grave was heard a voice: "No, father, not dead; whosoever beareth an obedience, is not wont to die." The startled elder fell down with tears before the grave, asking forgiveness of his disciple.
And after this he changed himself morally, he applied himself in his cell near the grave of Saint Akakios, and in prayer and in meekness he finished out his life. The Monk John of the Ladder Climaticus (commemorated 30 March) offers this tale in his "Ladder" as an example of endurance and obedience, and the rewards for them.
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In the life of St. Sabbas the Sanctified there is an interesting story that shows how he inspired his monks to be thrifty and frugal.
In the lavra's guest-house there served James the monk. This monk once cooked a large amount of beans, and he threw the leftovers out of the window into a ditch. The Saint saw this from the tower opposite the guest-house. Later, without being seen, he gathered them up.
A few days later he invited Fr. James to dinner. When the monk finished eating, the Saint said, "Forgive me, brother, that my cooking did not please you".
"On the contrary, Holy Father, I was very pleased. I confess I haven't tasted such delicious and well-cooked food for many years".
"So you liked it! Do you know which beans those were?"
"Which ones?"
"The ones you threw into the ditch a few days ago!"
The monk felt badly when he heard these words. Ashamed, he pondered the lesson that the Saint had given him. He understood that what belonged to the monastery, whether food or anything else, must be used carefully and economically.
***
It was nearly half a century ago that I first heard of this miracle wrought by St. Nicholas. Never had I chanced to read anything about it in the writings of the Church. I would not want this case of the saintly bishop's help to depart to my grave with me.
During the mid-1940s (I can't recall the exact date), I had to spend the night in the city of Munchen [Munich] in West Germany. The city was in ruins after the war, and I would be forced to spend the night outside. Fortunately, there chanced to be a "Good Samaritan" church-house in the city, and I was provided with its address.
There were two of us in the room. Myself, and a man unknown to me, some 40-45 years of age. We introduced ourselves, each to the other. I do not remember either his name or his surname--and they probably would not have been "real," anyway. We had to sleep on wooden benches and chairs. So, in order to pass the night more quickly, we fell to talking. I can't remember why, but my co-locutor, for some reason or other, asked me whether I was acquainted with the miracle of St. Nicholas that took place in Kiev in the 1920s. I did not know of it, and he related the following tale to me.
In Kiev, at Podol (the northern section of the city), there dwelt an elderly widow with her son and daughter. The old woman dearly loved St. Nicholas and, in all cases of difficulty, would go to his church to pray before the image [obraz] of the saintly bishop [sviatitel'], always receiving consolation and the easing of her misfortune. Her son, seemingly a student, became an officer.
The governments of the city changed frequently: Whites, Reds, a Hetman, a Directory, Poles, Germans, etc. All former officers were arrested on the spot, the old woman's son among them. His sister rushed about from one "department" of the time to another. She ran her legs off, but achieved nothing. But the old woman ran off to St. Nicholas. Long did she pray before his ikon; then she returned home, consoled--the saintly bishop will help. She sat down to have a spot of tea, while her daughter's hands simply fell to her sides. O, woe! her brother had vanished!
The son returned home at dawn of the following day. Famished, beaten, dirty, weary. According to him, a large group of officers under a strong convoy of guards was being led off to Pechersk. This is the hilly section of town, opposite from Podol, by the Kiev-Caves Lavra. There was a large hippodrome there, where horse races were held. Beyond it, there was a grove, and rampart-trenches which had been dug in Peter I's day, as a defense against the Swedes. It was in that grove, by the rampart-trenches, that the shootings took place.
They had come up to the hippodrome when, suddenly, some little old man or other stepped out from around a corner. He approached the convoy-commandant and asked: "Where are you taking them?"
The commandant replied, rudely: "To Dukhonin's H.Q.!" (which meant, in the jargon of the time, "to be shot"). "Go away, old man!" The old man left, but, in doing so, he took the old woman's son by the hand and said: "Let him go. I know him."
Neither the commandant nor the escort-guards replied with even so much as a single word, nor did they hinder him. The little old man led the young fellow out around the corner and, saying, "Go on home to your mother," vanished away somewhere.
The old woman was overjoyed and immediately set off to thank St. Nicholas. The son wanted to do nothing more than to lie down and have a good, long sleep, but his mother took him along with her to the church. He had probably been there on previous occasions, but had been but little interested in anything.
The little old woman led him up to a huge image of the saintly bishop. The son turned ashen-pale and began to tremble. He could only whisper: "Mother, dear, but that's the very same elder who led me to freedom..."
Wondrous is God in His Saints.
Many of the details of this tale were precise and animated. Who had my co-locutor been? Perhaps he had been speaking of himself? I don't know...
***
Here is an example of how emperors seek counsel from the saints and how the saints avoid vanity and riches and how they counsel emperors. The Orthodox Bulgarian Tsar Peter set off with his retinue toward the Rila mountain driven by the insatiable desire to see St. John of Rila and to benefit from his instruction. The tsar sent men ahead to inform the saint of his arrival, but the saint did not agree to meet with the tsar. The saddened tsar again sent some men with foodstuffs and an ample amount of gold as well as a petition requesting the saint to write some counsel for him. John, accepted the edible things but returned the gold, not even wanting to touch it, replied to the tsar: "If you desire the heavenly kingdom, be merciful as the heavenly Father. Do not trust in injustice and do not be covetous; be meek, quiet and be accessible to everyone. Do not accept praises from your noblemen. Let your purple robe radiate with virtues. May the remembrance of death never depart from your soul. Humble yourself before the feet of Mother Church; bow your head before her prime-hierarchs so that the King of kings, seeing your sincerity, reward you with goodness such as never entered into the heart of man." Receiving that letter, the tsar kissed it, and after that read it freque
***
The absence of envy among the saints is a startling and wonderful phenomenon. Not only did the saints not allow envy to seize their hearts but, with all their might, labored to uplift their companions and to diminish themselves. On one occasion when St. Hilarion of Palestine visited St. Anthony in Egypt, St. Anthony exclaimed: "Welcome Venus, the morning star!" To that St. Hilarion replied: "Greetings and health be to you, the shining pillar who sustains the universe!" When they praised St. Macarius as a monk, the saint replied: "Brethren, forgive me, I am not a monk but, I have seen monks!" When some people told St. Sisoes that he attained the same level of perfection as St. Anthony, Sisoes replied: "If only I had but a single thought as does Anthony, I would be all aflame."
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Saint Nicholas (Planas) of Athens, Greece.
A certain priest without a parish of his own, in cooperation with the council members of St. Panteleimon, kicked him out of his parish and sent him to the Church of Saint John, ("the Hunter" as they called it then) in Vouliagimeni. The new parish was very poor and was comprised of eight families. His payment as a priest was one piece of meat from the fattened lamb of Meatfare Sunday or Christmas. This did not brother him, however, because fasting was most important in his life. So long as he had a church in which to liturgize, he was happy.
His having been kicked out of St. Panteleimon, however, bothered him a lot. One night, as he was leaving St. John to go home, he was crying on the road. The place was deserted at that hour. Suddenly he saw on his path a young lad said to him, "Why are you crying, Father?" "I'm crying, my child, because they kicked me out of St. Panteleimon's." "Don't be said, Father. I am always with you." "Who are you, my child?" "I am Panteleimon, who lives in Neo Kosmo." And immediately he vanished from in front of him.
Every year, on the feast of St. Panteleimon, he would go to the Saint's church in Neo Kosmo and do a vigil. One year, as he himself reated, he was sick and had a fever. His relative did not allow him to go for his customary vigil. But because of the love which Father Nicholas had for the Saint, he went anyway. "That night," he himself said, "after the Liti, exhausted, I leaned on the edge of the Holy Table. In the delirium of the fever I saw the Saint in front of me, young and vigorous, holding a small glass full of medicine, and he told me, 'Drink it, my Father, to become well.' I took it from the hand and drank it and became completely well. The fever left me. For a whole week out through the Royal Gate and said, 'My children, I was very sick tonight, and at this moment Saint Panteliemon gave me medicine and I drank and became well.' Everyone believed it and knelt down, glorifying the Saint."
The children who were in church would see him shining with heavenly light, doing unexplainable gestures, or remaining for a long time attentive, as if something were happening to him. These were the moments when he was communicating with the saints and being dreanched with the light of Paradise. Many times they would see him not standing on the ground. A little eight year old child once came out white from the altar and told his mother "Mo-o-om, Father Nicholas is this high off the ground" and he showed her with his hand a half cubit above the ground. "Don't be afraid, my child, all priests are elevated off the ground that way when they liturgize," his mother responded, doing her cross to settle him down.
The children would see him being elevated to the sky and not stepping upon the ground, because he scorned all earthly and material things. His mind was high up, on Him Who He worshipped, and he would not turn his eyes to look at what the people call material goods.
***
Saint Nektarios, metropolitan of Pentapolis the wonderworker
Saint Nektarios was a great Wonder-worker even while alive.
While he was still young, the Saint visited the Holy places to worship. During the voyage, however, there was a great storm in which the ship was in danger of sinking, the captain, faced with this impasse, gave orders that the lifesaving equipment be prepared for use, and "may God be our helper." If anyone were able to save himself, well enough, otherwise, the ship would sink with every man aboard.
The Saint (the little Anastasios Kephalas, then) looked at the sea, heard the captain and his despairing commands, and his eyes filled with tears, seeing that truly there was no way out. Then, at a moment when even the last hope of salvation had been lost and all were awaiting the captain's command to abandon ship, the little one spontaneously went up next to the captain, and taking hold of the ship's helm crying and looking to heaven, he prayed, saying, "My God, I do not want to die, I want to preach You. Why do You permit this?" He repeated these words many times. Then he let go of the helm, took out the Cross he wore, which his grandmother had given him, and which contained a piece of the Venerable Cross, tied it to his belt, and went to the side of the ship and dipped it into the water, commanding the sea, as the Lord did, with the words: "Silence! Be still." He repeated this thrice, whereupon, O Thy wonders, Christ God!, after the third immersion and exhortation, the wind ceased and great calm followed to the amazement of all. Having, therefore, glorified God, they continued the voyage with great joy -- except for the little wonderworker, Anastasios, who was saddened even unto death. For the Venerable Cross, which had been a gift of his grandmother, had fallen into the sea.
As they sailed on, there were heard disturbing knocking sounds below the ship's water line. The captain sent some sailors to investigate the cause, but they returned having found nothing. Finally they reached harbor and all began disembarking, the little wonderworker, Anastasios Kephalas, among them. At that moment, however, when the passengers were leaving, knocking sounds were heard once more in the hold of the ship. The captain again ordered a search to find out what was knocking. He also gave command that they take a small boat and examine the hull of the ship. Upon examining the hull of the ship, one sailor discovered that at the place from whence the knocking was heard there was stuck the lost Venerable Cross of little Anastasios.
One can imagine what took place then. The sailor immediately reported his finding, and the captain began calling to the little Anastasios, who had already disembarked from the ship and had gone some way. He shouted to him, "Kephalas, Kephalas! Turn back. Come here!" and waved to him with his hand. The little Anastasios returned and received "his Treasure," and henceforth he wore it always. This Cross is most conspicuous in the picture where the Saint is seen wearing his monastic skoufa.
***
In 1904, our Saint founded a monastery for women in Aegina, the Holy Trinity Convent. Under his guidance the Convent flourished. In 1908, the Blessed Nektarios, at the age of 62, retired from the Rizarios Ecclesiastical School and withdrew to Holy Trinity Convent in Aegina. There, for the rest of his life as a true monk and ascetic. He served as a confessor and spiritual guide to the nuns and even priests from as far as Athens and Piraeus. His Holy and pious life shone forth like a guiding light to all near him. Many would come to him for healing. Saint Nektarios was a great Wonder-worker even while alive
On September 20, 1920 one of the nuns took him to the local hospital, in spite of his protest. He was convulsing in pain from a long-standing ailment. He was admitted, and placed into a ward reserved for the poor and unwanted. There he stayed for two months among the sick and dying. At 10:30 in the evening of November 8th, although in the midst of terrible pains, in peace and at prayer he gave up his spirit unto God at the age of 74.
As soon as the Saint gave up his Spirit, a nurse came to prepare him for transfer to Aegina for burial. As the nurse removed the Saints sweater, she inadvertently placed it on the next bed, on which a paralytic lay. And O, strange wonder!, the paralytic immediately began to regain his strength and arose from his bed healthy, and glorifying God.
Some time after his repose, strangely a beautiful fragrance was emitted by his Holy body, filling the room. Many came to venerate his Holy relics prior to his burial. With amazement, people noted a fragrant fluid that drenched his hair and beard. Even after 5 months, when the nuns of the convent opened the Saints grave to build a marble tomb, they found the Saint intact in every respect and emitted a wonderful and heavenly fragrance. Similarly three years later, the Holy Relics were still whole and radiating the same heavenly fragrance.
Many people had regarded Nektarios as a Saint whilst he was still alive, because of his purity of life, his virtues, the nature of his publications, his gift of foreknowledge and the miracles he performed. The recognition of him as a Saint spread rapidly after his repose. God confirmed the Sanctity of Nektarios at his repose and by the miracles attributed to the Saint after his repose. The Orthodox Church proclaimed him as a Saint on April 20, 1961. His Blessed memory is celebrated by the Church on November 9th.
Apolytikon of St. Nektarios
"Offspring of Silyvria and the guardian of Aegina,
the true friend of virtue who hath appeared in the last years,
Nektarios, we faithful honour thee as the Godly servant of Christ,
for you pour forth healing on everyone who piously cries out:
Glory to Christ Who hath glorified thee,
Glory to Him Who hath magnified thee,
Glory to Him who through thee workest healings to all".
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