Becoming a Missionary without Speaking
“My dear man I am envious of you, I envy you. You can become the greatest missionary in the Monastery without speaking at all. You will pray for everyone in silence. You will pray for the whole Church, for the clergy, and for the Monks. Our Church is undergoing a crisis today.
“Above all pray for your spiritual family.”
“Leave your heart completely open to Christ, filled with love, and filled with worship. If we do not do this, the Spirit of God abandons us. It leaves us when we ask why this or why that. Oh, if I were only young again like you so that I could live in obedience! There is no greater happiness than to do whatever they tell you to do and to immerse yourself in the love of God.”
“Prosilosis (1). Do you know what that means? It is (in Greek) from the pros (towards) and ilos (nail). It means being nailed to that which you love. You should nail yourself to Christ.”
“I love Christ very much and I believe in His power. My dear man, the Apostles would pass by and their shadows would heal the faithful. Isn’t our Christ the same? Did He change? We have changed! What do anxiety, nervousness and psychiatric illnesses mean? I believe that the devil exists in all of these.
“We don’t submit to Christ with love. The devil enters and mixes us up. Oh, if I could live like you! To be subservient in a monastery (in Greek: coenobium!) I am envious of you! I love you very much in the name of Christ. And I want you to become a true monk.”
Forgiveness
“There are monks who say forgive me. They confess this and yet inside there still exists animosity against the other person. With this kind of attitude the Grace of God doesn’t come to us.”
“I had a craftsman working here. He was a neighbor, and he did various jobs and he was getting paid for his work. I don’t know how it happened but he started badmouthing me to everyone, both here and elsewhere. I was saying to myself what can I do? How can I help him?”
“One day I went to his house for a visit. As soon as he saw me he lost control. He became defensive and turned yellow. He thought that I went there to scold him. I began telling him about his trees and that I was amazed at their abundant fruit. We spoke about hospitality. That was it. His heart began warming up. And from that moment, he never failed to come here and to do various jobs. In such cases a good way to handle someone is needed.”
“Some time ago, they brought me a stationary bicycle so I could exercise in my cell. I also asked the cardiologist about it. He told me that it is good for my heart. I should exercise lightly. In the morning I wake up at about two or three o clock. My mind is clear and I pray. Afterwards, instead of prostrations, I exercise on the stationary bicycle and constantly say the prayer.”
~Adapted from Monk Agapios, The Divine Flame Elder Porphyrios Lit in My Heart
1 Prosilosis means undistracted concentration of the mind.
