Athonite Fathers and Athonite Matters

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Elder Paisios of Mount Athos

Athonite Fathers and Athonite Matters

The author, Elder Paisios, was blessed in being able to associate with many righteous Athonite fathers, "athletes" of Christ, or to hear others tell of them. He was deeply impressed by their holy simplicity, their unshakeable, genuine faith; he was moved by the generosity of spirit in which they struggled; he admired their self-denial unto death and their devotion to the ascetic ideal; he tasted and was sweetened by the honey of their virtues; and, being animated by the same spirit of Christian struggle, he imitated their godly achievements.

Paperback
size in cm:14Χ20
210 Pages
Language: English

Note of Introduction

Continuing our work, with God's help, on the translation into English of the books by the blessed Elder Paisios the Athonite († 1994), we now offer our English-speaking Orthodox friends the third book in the series: Athonite Fathers and Athonite Matters.

It is, one might say, a small Gerontikon. It deals with the lives or some particular circumstances in the lives of Athonite fathers who were vessels of divine grace and lived approximately in the period from 1840-1980.

As a conclusion to the book, the author offers a distillation of his own experience and God's wisdom, with the title: "Return to God from Earth to Heaven."

Elder Paisios, as a beginner, but also later on in his monastic life, was blessed in being able to associate with many righteous fathers, "athletes" of Christ, in the Garden of the Mother of God, or to hear others tell of them. He was deeply impressed by their holy simplicity, their unshakeable, genuine and unadulterated faith; he was moved by the generosity of spirit in which they struggled; he admired their self-denial unto death and their devotion to the ascetic ideal; he tasted and was sweetened by the honey of their virtues; and, being animated by the same combative spirit, he imitated their godly achievements.

He later undertook to record as much as his memory and heart had retained out of reverence and a sense of sacred duty towards the holy fathers, and also out of love for his fellowmen, because every day he was painfully aware that in the spiritual life of people today -lay people and monastics- logic rather than faith prevails.

The lives of the Athonite fathers, as described in these pages, help us all to understand how much we have deviated from the genuine line of thought of the fathers of the Church and how we are to return, so as to find the true meaning of our own lives.

We extend our warmest thanks to all those who have assisted us and laboured to complete this translation. May the Good Lord reward their generous-hearted efforts in the way He knows best.

Through the prayers of our righteous Athonite fathers and the Mother of God, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy upon us. Amen.

Holy Convent
of the Evangelist John the Theologian

June 29, 1999
The Feast of the Holy Apostles Paul and Peter

Note of Introduction	11
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit	15
Father Tychon	25
Elder Evlogios (the Disciple of Hadji-Georgis)	55
Elder Pachomios (the Disciple of Elder Evlogios and Grandson of Hadji-Georgis)	58
Father Seraphim, the Anchorite of Athos	59
The Unknown Anchorite (Probably One of the Anchorites of Athos Who Live Invisibly)	61
Hieromonk Anthimos, the Fool for Christ	63
The Prodigious Father Daniel	72
Elder Cosmas of the Monastery of Pantocrator (the Wine-Grower)	74
Father Philaret, the Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Constamonitou	80
Elder Peter (Petrakis)	83
Elder Augustine	93
Father George, the Anchorite	101
Elder Philaret	105
Elder Ephraim, the "Wretch"	109
Elder Constantine, the Fool for Christ	111
Father Savvas of the Monastery of Esphigmenou	116
Elder Tryphon	117
Father Cyril, the Ascetic of the Skete of Coutloumousiou Monastery and Later Abbot of the Same Monastery	123
The Hieromonk Who Was Tormented by the Tempter Because of a Prideful Thought	127
The Unprepared Clergy Who Were Prevented by God and Did Not Celebrate the Divine Liturgy	128
Elder Habakkuk	129
The Two Pretend Monks Who Became Deluded	131
The Strong-Willed Disciple	133
The Devout and Obedieng Disciple	134
The Strong-Willed and Negligent Beginner Monk	135
The Negligent Young Monk	136
The Negligent Elderly Monk	137
An Angel Castigates the Idiorrhythmie Monstery of Xeropotamou	138
The Brother Who Was Saved Without Effort Because He Didn't Judge	138
Foreknowledge of the Death of Father Methodios and Father Joachim	140
The Disciple Who Was Not Obedient to His Elder and Was Saved, Because He Hoped in God	141
The Chanter Who Attended a Feast with a Brother Who Had Been Dead for Six Months	143
Our Most Holy Lady Anoints a Devout Beginner	144
A Young Monk with Strong Faith and Philotimo Is Cursed by Christ	145
Illnesses Are Beneficial and Rewarded in Heaven, When We Patiently Endure Them	146
The Assigned Monk Who Complained	147
The Careless Talk of a Simple Monk Who Received Corrective Punishment from God	148
Our Most Holy Lady Protects and Watches Over the Monks in Her Garden Like a Good Mother	150
The Righteous Martyr Damianos Cures a Young Monk	150
The Value of the Monk	151
The Power of the Monk's Prayer	152
The Power of the Komboskini, of the Jesus Prayer	153
The Power of the Jesus Prayer	154
The Jesus Prayer with Labour	154
The Monk's Spiritual Unhappiness Comes from Worldly Convenience	155
Secular Logic Brings Spiritual Ruin	156
Quietude and Freedom from Wordly Care Are the Most Important Prerequisites for Spiritual Life, in Which our Most Holy Lady Rejoices	156
Monks Must Be a Good Example for the Laity	157
Saing George Caters for His Feast	158
Saing Spyridon Caters for the Feast	159
God's Blessing Comes When We Give a Blessing	160
The Providence of the "Sweetly-Kissing" Mother of God Towards the Holy Monastery of Philotheou	162
The Callous Monk Who Become Deluded, Because His Ascesis Was Sterile, Without Love and Discretion	165
The Monk Who Was Saved from Dreadful Delusion	168
Pleasant Events	171
Angel of the Eighth Age	176
The Return to God from Earth to Heaven	178
Maps	206

Athonite Fathers and Athonite Matters

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Note of Introduction

Table of contents

Athonite Fathers and Athonite Matters

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Note of Introduction

Table of contents

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