Pentru Cleopatra, Miriam, Casandra, pentru Ștefan și Dina, Bogdan și Marta

Avem experiențe cu Dumnezeu și trăiri sfinte, spune Lewis, de cele mai multe ori când nu ne așteptăm și nu merităm harul Lui.
Tăcerea, frica, spaima, supărarea mă cuprinde când văd că Dumnezeu tace, cerul Lui e zăvorât, parcă-i plecat într-o călătorie în alte lumi, după ce a tras ceasul universului. Nimic nu-i mai înficoșător decât singurătatea sau gândul că Dumnezeu nu te aude, sau nu există. El e în altă lume decât a noastră, acolo unde și Radu nostru își continuă viața, adevărata poveste dincolo de tărâmurile Narniei. În astfel de momente nu atât gândul „că Dumnezeu nu există ” te pândește și îți dă târcoale cât acel gând că Dumnezeu există și face lucruri înfricoșătoare. Amăgitorul nu stă departe și ne șoptește minciuni.
Dumnezeu este și imanent, locuiește cu omul cu creația.

Pentru Radu n-a fost decât începutul poveștii adevărate. Toată existența lui în această lume și toată aventura lui pe Pământ n-au fost decât coperta și pagina de gardă; acum , în sfârșit, începe Capitolul Întâi al Măreței Povești, pe care nimeni pe pământ n-a citit-o; povestea care nu se sfârșește niciodată; povestea în care fiecare capitol e mai bun decât cel dinaintea lui.

Dar până să mă revăd cu el plâng. Plâng aidoma Domnului Isus văzând moartea care biruiește în veacul acesta, moartea care i-a răpus prietenul. Isus plângea(εδακρυσεν ο ιησους, edakrusen ho Iesous) la mormântul lui Lazăr.
Dumnezeu plânge,Dumnezeu suferă, Dumnezeul nostru a MURIT pe cruce! Nu înțeleg de ce nu rezolvă problma durerii așa cum voim și dorim noi. Nu înțeleg de ce nu stârpește RĂUL(păcatul original cu consecințele lui, boala, suferința etc) acum .
Când mă rugam pentru Radu Mureșan, fratele nostru, eram din tot sufletul meu aidoma evreilor care cer SEMNE(σημεια semeia, de unde și cuvântul semn). Îl aud parcă în străfundurile ființei pe Domnul Isus care mă mustră și-mi spune că pentru mine nu are decât SEMNUL lui Iona(το σημειον ιωνα to semeion Iona Matei 12:38). Aștept cu nerăbdare precum primii creștini a doua Venire(Parousia): lupta finală de la Armaghedon, eradicarea și abolirea RĂULUI, a păcatului, a diavolului, a morții. Maranata!
Crucea ne relevă că Yahweh este un Dumnezeu care simte, plânge, îndură iartă, e drept, nepărtinitor, îndurător, iubitor și puternic în slăbiciune. De asta trebuie să-L iubim.
Eu nu înțeleg de ce nu rezolvă problema durerii cum odinioară evreii, poporul Lui n-au înțeles asta. Acum 2000 de ani când a venit la ai Săi aceștia au fost dezamăgiți la fel ca mine. Aveau nevoie de un nou David care să alunge jugul roman. Un Mesia naționalist și pus pe fapte mărețe. Câtă vreme să mai rabde poporul Lui ca steagul roman să flutere semeț la templu?
Nu asta spun Scripturile? Ba mai mult: profețiile vechi testamentare promit că Mesia va birui moartea, păcatul și boala!

Noi știm că ei n-au putut înțelege „necompletarea” profețiilor, fiindcă în realitate sunt două veniri: cea care s-a înfăptuit acum aprox.2000 de ani, la Întrupare, și cea care va urma, la Parousie. Doar atunci nu va mai fi cancer, ulcer, moarte și boală. Atunci nu vor mai fi spitale, și din săbii și arme se vor contrui pluguri și unelte ale păcii și prosperității.

“Unde iti este biruinta, moarte? Unde iti este boldul, moarte?(που σου θανατε το νικος που σου θανατε το κεντρον pou sou thanate to nikos pou sou thanate to kentron).

Alioșa își ținea fața îngropată în palme și plângea amarnic, zguduit de suspine înăbușite. Rămase deci câteva clipe locului, uitându-se la el în tăcere.
-Liniștește-te, fiule,liniștește-te, dragă prietene, rosti el în cele din urmă cu un tremur în glas.
Ce faci? Se cade, oare, să plângi când ar trebui să te bucuri?
Au nu ști tu că aceasta este cea mai slăvită zi a lui?
Gândește-te numai unde se află acum, în clipa asta!
Aleoșa își descoperi obrazul buhăit de plâns, ca și al unui copil mic, și-i aruncă o privire, apoi, fără să scoată o vorbă, se întoarse și-și îngropă iarăși fața în palme.
- Poate ai dreptate, adaugă îngândurat părintele Paisie. Plângi, fiule. Lacrimile astea Mântuitorul ți le-a trimis.
Și se depărtă cugetând cu duioșie: „Lacrimile tale întristate îți vor aduce pacea sufletească și-ți vor însenina inima ta cea bună”.

Cărțile ce mi le-am cumpărat

Luna trecută mi-am cumpărat mai multe cărți ca de obicei, fiindcă e luna cadourilor, și ziua mea și a soției.

„Şi cerul s-a umplut de sfinţi”, aşa se numeşte cea mai recentă apariţie editorială lansată de Centrul internaţional de studii asupra comunismului de la Bucureşti apărută în acest an la editura Curtea Veche. Cartea adună la un loc 18 comunicări ale istoricilor din mai multe ţări care au participat vara trecută la simpozionul organizat de Memorialul Victimelor Comunismului de la Sighet.

„Această carte se ocupă de tortura, de martiriul creştinilor în antichitate şi în secolul XX, pe ideea că practic prin credinţă se cultivă demnitatea umană şi că cei care şi-au apărat această demnitate de multe ori au devenit martiri şi exemple postume pentru generaţiile următoare.”, spune despre carte Romulus Rusan, conducătorul Centrului.

Ana Blandiana, care împreună cu soţul său Romulus Rusan a fondat Memorialul de la Sighet, a explicat şi de ce au fost alese pentru discuţii cele două perioade din istorie: „Ceea ce este comun între ele este că persecuţiile anticreştine erau persecuţii împotriva iubirii pe care creştinismul o aducea ca o noutate absolută în lumea antică. Iubire pe care comunismul, care aducea ura ca mecanism al istoriei, ca motor al istoriei, de asemenea s-a străduit să o distrugă.”

În 18 ani de activitate, Centrul internaţional de studii asupra comunismului a editat 88 de cărţi despre represiunea comunistă, iar recent Memorialul a avut şi ideea unei expoziţii itinerante, care să poată fi vernisată în mai multe localităţi, în România şi peste hotarele ei.

După Bruxelles, expoziţia care oferă publicului informaţii şi imagini din fosta închisoare de la Sighet a fost adusă la Chişinău şi va fi deschisă mîine la Biblioteca Naţională. Expoziţia a luat drept motto o frază pe care cei care au vizitat Memorialul nu au avut cum să n-o observe.

„Fraza este în Memorial scrisă peste tot”, spune Ana Blandiana. „Atîta timp cît justiţia nu este în stare să fie o formă de memorie, memoria singură poate fi o formă de justiţie.”, a mai spus scriitoarea.

Vorbind despre expoziţie şi despre activitatea Memorialului, Ana Blandiana a oferit un răspuns şi la întrebarea la ce bun să mai vorbim azi despre comunism.

„Afişul la care ţin cel mai mult al Memorialului, se află şi în expoziţie de altfel, arată doi copii care privesc prin vizeta unei uşi a fostei închisori, actualul muzeu, iar deasupra scrie: vreţi să înţelegeţi România de azi – vizitaţi Memorialulo victimelor comunismului. Pentru că pînă la urmă asta-i problema. Memorialul şi memoria nu este un drum spre trecut, este un drum spre viitor. Trebuie să înţelegi ce a fost ca să înţelegi care sînt reziduurile, adică de ce ne împiedicăm, de ce nu funcţionăm normal, pentru că trăim încă rămăşiţele pe care trebuie să le înţelegem.”
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Pe data de 24 noiembrie a.c. Institutul Teologic Penticostal a găzduit un eveniment deosebit de important pentru teologia penticostală din România: lansarea cărţii Botezaţi în Duhul de Frank D. Macchia. Au mai fost prezentate alte două cărţi al căror subiect comun este, de asemenea, lucrarea Duhul Sfânt: Pavel, Duhul şi poporul lui Dumnezeu (Gordon Fee) şi, respectiv, 2000 de ani de evidenţe ale manifestării Duhului Sfânt în viaţa Bisericii (Eddie L. Hyatt). Evenimentul, organizat în colaborarea cu editura Casa Cărţii din Oradea a „strâns” în amfiteatrul Facultăţii de Teologie pastori penticostali, studenţi şi profesori de teologie, precum şi credincioşi care au dorit să afle mai multe despre activitatea Duhului în zilele noastre.
După deschiderea făcută de Rectorul ITP, Pastor Conf. univ. dr. Corneliu Constantineanu, care a prezentat, sumar, importanţa noilor publicaţii pentru teologia penticotală din ţara noastră, au luat cuvântul invitaţii serii: Pastor Conf. univ. dr. John F. Tipei, Pastor Lect. univ. dr. Ioan Brie, Asist. univ drd. Ciprian Bălăban şi dl. Vasile Gabrian, directorul Editurii creştine Casa Cărţii .
Vorbitorii au accentuat, deopotrivă, perspectiva nouă pe care Frank Macchia o propune în studierea lucrării Duhului, anume cea eshatologică, o integrare reuşită a celorlalte două prespective, cu care a operat teologii penticostali până în prezent: perspectiva harismatică, specifică scrierilor lucane, respectiv cea soteriologică, întâlnită la Pavel. Pentru Macchia, observă dr. Tipei, botezul Duhului nu este un donum superadditum, un „lux” al Bisericii, ci o „revărsare a dragostei divine”, conform Rom. 5:5. Dacă mişcările penticostale au o doctrină atât de diversă, unitatea este dată de experienţa comună, o veritabilă „intoxicare cu Duhul”, o „îmbătare cu vinul extatic al lui Dumnezeu”, prin care ne transcendem pe noi înşine şi ne revărsăm spre alţii, ne reînnoim propria viaţă spirituală, tânjim după sfinţire şi ne închinăm după voia lui Dumnezeu.
Dr. Ioan Brie, la rândul său, a arătat că scopul clar al cărţii Botezaţi în Duhul este dialogul interconfesional: Macchia lasă deoparte celelalte teme teologice în jurul cărora s-a purtat dialogul ecumenic până acum (hristologia, teismul, misiologia, lupta pentru pace etc) şi propune botezul în Duhul Sfânt, care ar trebui să-i intereseze, deopotrivă, pe toţi creştinii. Având acest scop în minte, autorul nu va preciza foarte clar, din păcate, sensul personal al botezului Duhului şi nu va susţine că acest botez ar trebui să fie o experienţă ulterioară convertirii, evidenţiată normativ prin vorbirea în alte limbi, cu toate că, din descrierea propriei experienţe (prezentate la începutul lucrării), putem înţelege că aşa au stat lucrurile în cazul autorului însuşi.
Asist. univ drd. Ciprian Bălăban a prezentat cartea al cărui referent ştiinţific a fost, anume 2000 de ani de evidenţe ale manifestării Duhului Sfânt în viaţa Bisericii, punctând cu obiectivitate atât meritele, cât şi punctele slabe ale scrierii. În „zelul” de care dă dovadă pe parcursul întregii lucrări, autorul tinde, uneori, să fie foarte elogios sau să exagereze meritele unor personalităţi cu o ortodoxie îndoielnică, dar care au manifestat interes pentru experienţele de tip harismatic (cazul lui William Branham). Cu toate acestea, apariţia cărţii este foarte importantă pentru credincioşii români, care au acum la dispoziţie un instrument ajutător în justificarea credinţei lor, instrument ce le oferă istorice concrete care dovedesc că nu sunt rupţi de creştinismul apostolic, dimpotrivă sunt continuitorii lui.
Nu în ultimul rând, lucrarea Pavel, Duhul şi poporul lui Dumnezeu este „o teologie echilibrată, care ia în calcul atât aspectul harismatic, cât şi cel soteriologic al botezului în Duhul Sfânt”, susţine Vasile Gabrian. Prin Duhul se realizează o „invadare a Împărăţiei în viaţa prezentă a bisericii şi a credincioşilor”, El fiind o împlinire de tipul „deja - nu încă” a promisiunii lui Hristos cu privire la instaurarea noului veac, a Împărăţiei lui Dumnezeu.

Prietenul meu Emanuel Conțac nu pierde vremea la catedră și ne dăruiește aproape trimestial câte o carte scrisă,tradusă sau editată de către domnia sa. Am speranțe mari de la tânara generație de teologi și filologi români.
Mă încântă faptul că găsesc ceva de citit proaspăt de la Emanuel Conțac, Marius Cruceru, Cristian Bădiliță, Mihai Neamțu și alții din generașia lor.
Cei din generația trecută abia și-au scris teza de doctorat, și aceea de interes minim pentru credinciosul de rând. Mulțumesc bunului Dumnezeu pentru ei!

Caietul auriu (1962) este povestea unei scriitoare, Anna Wulf, a celor patru carnete in care isi inregistreaza viata si a incercarii ei de-a le uni, in final, intr-un al cincilea carnet, auriu. Anna Wulf este in acelasi timp personajul unei nuvele, intitulata Femei libere, „care scrie patru carnete, si nu doar unul pentru ca, dupa cum ea insasi recunoaste, trebuie sa separe lucrurile intre ele, pentru a evita haosul, informitatea, esecul...” – noteaza, in prefata romanului, Doris Lessing.
Astfel incit cele patru carnete ale Annei se impletesc cu fragmente dintr-o realitate aparenta, a vietii ei, a copiilor ei, a fostilor amanti. Stilul postmodern este o trasatura de baza a cartii, desi autoarea insista ca lectura sa tina seama mai degraba de temele serioase ale romanului. Carnetul negru inregistreaza experientele Annei in timpul razboiului, cel rosu momente din perioada in care era membra a Partidului Comunist, cel galben povestea unei iubiri, iar cel albastru amintiri si visuri. Este un roman cu mai multe povesti, iar autoarea ne anunta inca de la inceput sa fim atenti la o tema anume, a esecului, „care, uneori, atunci cind oamenii se prabusesc, devine o modalitate de a-si vindeca propriile false dihotomii si separari”.
Copilărie este primul volum al trilogiei autobiografice Scene de viaţă provincială.
Viaţa unui băiat de zece ani se schimbă odată cu mutarea familiei sale în provincie. Şcoala nouă, colegii noi, regulile şi ritualurile la fel de noi sunt tot atâtea provocări pentru copilul a cărui ambiţie este să fie cel mai bun din clasă. Pe de altă parte, viaţa într-un orăşel din Africa de Sud a anilor '50 îi deschide ochii asupra unor probleme pe care până atunci nu le bănuise – relaţiile între părinţii săi, locul său în familie, prejudecăţile rasiale şi provinciale, inegalităţile sociale, cruzimea copiilor şi a adulţilor – şi pe care încearcă să şi le explice. Aşa cum încearcă să răspundă întrebărilor tot mai tulburătoare legate de propriile sale simţăminte şi trăiri, pe care şi le descoperă treptat, cu uimire şi teamă. Doar iubirea pentru veld (câmpia nesfârşită unde se află paradiziaca fermă a bunicilor lui) îi dă sentimentul de apartenenţă la un spaţiu ce pare imuabil.

Saint Xenia of Rome

Saint Xenia of Rome, in the world Eusebia, was the only daughter of an eminent Roman senator. From her youth she loved God, and wished to avoid the marriage arranged for her. She secretly left her parental home with two servants devoted to her, and set sail upon a ship. Through the Providence of God she met the head of the monastery of the holy Apostle Andrew in Milassa, a town of Caria (Asia Minor). She besought him to take her and her companions to Milassa. She also changed her name, calling herself Xenia [which means "stranger" or foreigner" in Greek].

At Milassa she bought land, built a church dedicated to St Stephen, and founded a woman’s monastery. Soon after this, Bishop Paul of Milassa made Xenia a deaconess, because of her virtuous life. The saint helped everyone: for the destitute, she was a benefactress; for the grief-stricken, a comforter; for sinners, a guide to repentance. She possessed a deep humility, accounting herself the worst and most sinful of all.

In her ascetic deeds she was guided by the counsels of the Palestinian ascetic, St Euthymius. The sublime life of St Xenia drew many souls to Christ. The holy virgin died in 450 while she was praying. During her funeral, a luminous wreath of stars surrounding a radiant cross appeared over the monastery in the heavens. This sign accompanied the body of the saint when it was carried into the city, and remained until the saint’s burial. Many of the sick received healing after touching the relics of the saint.

The Holy Apostle Timothy

The Holy Apostle Timothy was from the Lycaonian city of Lystra in Asia Minor. St Timothy was converted to Christ in the year 52 by the holy Apostle Paul (June 29). When the Apostles Paul and Barnabas first visited the cities of Lycaonia, St Paul healed one crippled from birth. Many of the inhabitants of Lystra then believed in Christ, and among them was the future St Timothy, his mother Eunice and grandmother Loida (Lois) (Acts 14:6-12; 2 Tim. 1:5).

The seed of faith, planted in St Timothy’s soul by the Apostle Paul, brought forth abundant fruit. He became St Paul’s disciple, and later his constant companion and co-worker in the preaching of the Gospel. The Apostle Paul loved St Timothy and in his Epistles called him his beloved son, remembering his devotion and fidelity with gratitude.

He wrote to Timothy: “You have followed my teaching, way of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, and patience” (2 Tim. 3:10-11). The Apostle Paul appointed St Timothy as Bishop of Ephesus, where the saint remained for fifteen years. Finally, when St Paul was in prison and awaiting martyrdom, summoned his faithful friend, St Timothy, for a last farewell (2 Tim. 4:9).

St Timothy ended his life as a martyr. The pagans of Ephesus celebrated a festival in honor of their idols, and used to carry them through the city, accompanied by impious ceremonies and songs. St Timothy, zealous for the glory of God, attempted to halt the procession and reason with the spiritually blind idol-worshipping people, by preaching the true faith in Christ.

The pagans angrily fell upon the holy apostle, they beat him, dragged him along the ground, and finally, they stoned him. St Timothy’s martyrdom occurred in the year 93.

In the fourth century the holy relics of St Timothy were transferred to Constantinople and placed in the church of the Holy Apostles near the tombs of St Andrew (November 30) and St Luke (October 18). The Church honors St Timothy as one of the Apostles of the Seventy.

In Russian practice, the back of a priest’s cross is often inscribed with St Paul’s words to St Timothy: “Be an example to the believers in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12).

Saint Euthymius

Saint Euthymius the Great came from the city of Melitene in Armenia, near the River Euphrates. His parents, Paul and Dionysia, were pious Christians of noble birth. After many years of marriage they remained childless, and in their sorrow they entreated God to give them offspring. Finally, they had a vision and heard a voice saying, “Be of good cheer! God will grant you a son, who will bring joy to the churches.” The child was named Euthymius (“good cheer”).

St Euthymius’ father died soon after this, and his mother, fulfilling her vow to dedicate her son to God, gave him to her brother, the priest Eudoxius, to be educated. He presented the chid to Bishop Eutroius of Melitene, who accepted him with love. Seeing his good conduct, the bishop soon made him a Reader.

St Euthymius later became a monk and was ordained to the holy priesthood. At the same time, he was entrusted with the supervision of all the city monasteries. St Euthymius often visited the monastery of St Polyeuctus, and during Great Lent he withdrew into the wilderness. His responsibility for the monasteries weighed heavily upon the ascetic, and conflicted with his desire for stillness, so he secretly left the city and headed to Jerusalem. After venerating the holy shrines, he visited the Fathers in the desert.

Since there was a solitary cell in the Tharan lavra, he settled into it, earning his living by weaving baskets. Nearby, his neighbor St Theoctistus (September 3) also lived in asceticism. They shared the same zeal for God and for spiritual struggles, and each strove to attain what the other desired. They had such love for one another that they seemed to share one soul and one will.

Every year, after the Feast of Theophany, they withdrew into the desert of Coutila (not far from Jericho). One day, they entered a steep and terrifying gorge with a stream running through it. They saw a cave upon a cliff, and settled there. The Lord, however, soon revealed their solitary place for the benefit of many people. Shepherds driving their flocks came upon the cave and saw the monks. They went back to the village and told people about the ascetics living there.

People seeking spiritual benefit began to visit the hermits and brought them food. Gradually, a monastic community grew up around them. Several monks came from the Tharan monastery, among them Marinus and Luke. St Euthymius entrusted the supervision of the growing monastery to his friend Theoctistus.

St Euthymius exhorted the brethren to guard their thoughts. “Whoever desires to lead the monastic life should not follow his own will. He should be obedient and humble, and be mindful of the hour of death. He should fear the judgment and eternal fire, and seek the heavenly Kingdom.”

The saint taught young monks to fix their thoughts on God while engaging in physical labor. “If laymen work in order to feed themselves and their families, and to give alms and offer sacrifice to God, then are not we as monks obliged to work to sustain ourselves and to avoid idleness? We should not depend on strangers.”

The saint demanded that the monks keep silence in church during services and at meals. When he saw young monks fasting more than others, he told them to cut off their own will, and to follow the appointed rule and times for fasting. He urged them not to attract attention to their fasting, but to eat in moderation.

In these years St Euthymius converted and baptized many Arabs. Among them were the Saracen leaders Aspebet and his son Terebon, both of whom St Euthymius healed of sickness. Aspebet received the name Peter in Baptism and afterwards he was a bishop among the Arabs.

Word of the miracles performed by St Euthymius spread quickly. People came from everywhere to be healed of their ailments, and he cured them. Unable to bear human fame and glory, the monk secretly left the monastery, taking only his closest disciple Dometian with him. He withdrew into the Rouba desert and settled on Mt. Marda, near the Dead Sea.

In his quest for solitude, the saint explored the wilderness of Ziph and settled in the cave where David once hid from King Saul. St Euthymius founded a monastery beside David’s cave, and built a church. During this time St Euthymius converted many monks from the Manichean heresy, he also healed the sick and cast out devils.

Visitors disturbed the tranquillity of the wilderness. Since he loved silence, the saint decided to return to the monastery of St Theoctistus. Along the way they found a quiet level place on a hill, and he remained there. This would become the site of St Euthymius’ lavra, and a little cave served as his cell, and then as his grave.

St Theoctistus went with his brethren to St Euthymius and requested him to return to the monastery, but the monk did not agree to this. However, he did promise to attend Sunday services at the monastery.

St Euthymius did not wish to have anyone nearby, nor to organize a cenobium or a lavra. The Lord commanded him in a vision not to drive away those who came to him for the salvation of their souls. After some time brethren again gathered around him, and he organized a lavra, on the pattern of the Tharan Lavra. In the year 429, when St Euthymius was fifty-two years old, Patriarch Juvenal of Jerusalem consecrated the lavra church and supplied it with presbyters and deacons.

The lavra was poor at first, but the saint believed that God would provide for His servants. Once, about 400 Armenians on their way to the Jordan came to the lavra. Seeing this, St Euthymius called the steward and ordered him to feed the pilgrims. The steward said that there was not enough food in the monastery. St Euthymius, however, insisted. Going to the storeroom where the bread was kept, the steward found a large quantity of bread, and the wine casks and oil jars were also filled. The pilgrims ate their fill, and for three months afterwards the door of the storeroom could not be shut because of the abundace of bread. The food remained undiminished, just like the widow of Zarephath’s barrel of meal and cruse of oil (1/3 Kings 17:8-16).

Once, the monk Auxentius refused to carry out his assigned obedience. Despite the fact that St Euthymius summoned him and urged him to comply, he remained obstinate. The saint then shouted loudly, “You will be rewarded for your insubordination.” A demon seized Auxentius and threw him to the ground. The brethren asked Abba Euthymius to help him, and then the saint healed the unfortunate one, who came to himself, asked forgiveness and promised to correct himself. “Obedience,” said St Euthymius, “is a great virtue. The Lord loves obedience more than sacrifice, but disobedience leads to death.”

Two of the brethren became overwhelmed by the austere life in the monastery of St Euthymius, and they resolved to flee. St Euthymius saw in a vision that they would be ensnared by the devil. He summoned them and admonished them to abandon their destructive intention. He said, “We must never admit evil thoughts that fill us with sorrow and hatred for the place in which we live, and suggest that we go somewhere else. If someone tries to do something good in the place where he lives but fails to complete it, he should not think that he will accomplish it elsewhere. It is not the place that produces success, but faith and a firm will. A tree which is often transplanted does not bear fruit.”

In the year 431, the Third Ecumenical Council was convened in Ephesus to combat the Nestorian heresy. St Euthymius rejoiced over the affirmation of Orthodoxy, but was grieved about Archbishop John of Antioch who defended Nestorius.

In the year 451 the Fourth Ecumenical Council met in Chalcedon to condemn the heresy of Dioscorus who, in contrast to Nestorius, asserted that in the Lord Jesus Christ there is only one nature, the divine (thus the heresy was called Monophysite). He taught that in the Incarnation, Christ’s human nature is swallowed up by the divine nature.

St Euthymius accepted the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon and he acknowledged it as Orthodox. News of this spread quickly among the monks and hermits. Many of them, who had previously believed wrongly, accepted the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon because of the example of St Euthymius.

Because of his ascetic life and firm confession of the Orthodox Faith, St Euthymius is called “the Great.” Wearied by contact with the world, the holy abba went for a time into the inner desert. After his return to the lavra some of the brethren saw that when he celebrated the Divine Liturgy, fire descended from Heaven and encircled the saint. St Euthymius himself revealed to several of the monks that often he saw an angel celebrating the Holy Liturgy with him. The saint had the gift of clairvoyance, and he could discern a person’s thoughts and spiritual state from his outward appearance. When the monks received the Holy Mysteries, the saint knew who approached worthily, and who received unworthily.

When St Euthymius was 82 years old, the young Sava (the future St Sava the Sanctified, December 5), came to his lavra. The Elder received him with love and sent him to the monastery of St Theoctistus. He foretold that St Sava would outshine all his other disciples in virtue.

When the saint was ninety years of age, his companion and fellow monk Theoctistus became grievously ill. St Euthymius went to visit his friend and remained at the monastery for several days. He took leave of him and was present at his end. After burying his body in a grave, he returned to the lavra.

God revealed to St Euthymius the time of his death. On the eve of the Feast of St Anthony the Great (January 17) St Euthymius gave the blessing to serve the all-night Vigil. When the service ended, he took the priests aside and told them that he would never serve another Vigil with them, because the Lord was calling him from this earthly life.

All were filled with great sadness, but the saint asked the brethren to meet him in church in the morning. He began to instruct them, “If you love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). Love is the highest virtue, and the bond of perfectness (Col. 3:14). Every virtue is made secure by love and humility. The Lord humbled Himself because of His Love for us and became man. Therefore, we ought to praise Him unceasingly, especially since we monks have escaped worldly distractions and concerns.”

“Look to yourselves, and preserve your souls and bodies in purity. Do not fail to attend the church services, and keep the traditions and rules of our community. If one of the brethren struggles with unclean thoughts, correct, console, and instruct him, so that he does not fall into the devil’s snares. Never refuse hospitality to visitors. Offer a bed to every stranger. Give whatever you can to help the poor in their misfortune.”

Afterwards, having given instructions for the guidance of the brethren, the saint promised always to remain in spirit with them and with those who followed them in his monastery.St Euthymius then dismissed everyone but his disciple Dometian. He remained in the altar for three days, then died on January 20, 473 at the age of ninety-seven.

A multitude of monks from all the monasteries and from the desert came to the lavra for the holy abba’s burial, among whom was St Gerasimus. The Patriarch Anastasius also came with his clergy, as well as the Nitrian monks Martyrius and Elias, who later became Patriarchs of Jerusalem, as St Euthymius had foretold.

Dometian remained by the grave of his Elder for six days. On the seventh day, he saw the holy abba in glory, beckoning to his disciple.”Come, my child, the Lord Jesus Christ wants you to be with me.”

After telling the brethren about the vision, Dometian went to church and joyfully surrendered his soul to God. He was buried beside St Euthymius. The relics of St Euthymius remained at his monastery in Palestine, and the Russian pilgrim igumen Daniel saw them in the twelfth century.

Saint Macarius the Great

Saint Macarius the Great of Egypt was born around 331 in the village of Ptinapor in Egypt. At the wish of his parents he entered into marriage, but was soon widowed. After he buried his wife, Macarius told himself, “Take heed, Macarius, and have care for your soul. It is fitting that you forsake worldly life.”

The Lord rewarded the saint with a long life, but from that time the memory of death was constantly with him, impelling him to ascetic deeds of prayer and penitence. He began to visit the church of God more frequently and to be more deeply absorbed in Holy Scripture, but he did not leave his aged parents, thus fulfilling the commandment to honor one’s parents.

Until his parents died, St Macarius used his remaining substance to help them and he began to pray fervently that the Lord might show him a guide on the way to salvation. The Lord sent him an experienced Elder, who lived in the desert not far from the village. The Elder accepted the youth with love, guided him in the spiritual science of watchfulness, fasting and prayer, and taught him the handicraft of weaving baskets. After building a separate cell not far from his own, the Elder settled his disciple in it.

The local bishop arrived one day at Ptinapor and, knowing of the saint’s virtuous life, ordained him against his will. St Macarius was overwhelmed by this disturbance of his silence, and so he went secretly to another place. The Enemy of our salvation began a tenacious struggle with the ascetic, trying to terrify him, shaking his cell and suggesting sinful thoughts. St Macarius repelled the attacks of the devil, defending himself with prayer and the Sign of the Cross.

Evil people slandered the saint, accusing him of seducing a woman from a nearby village. They dragged him out of his cell and jeered at him. St Macarius endured the temptation with great humility. Without a murmur, he sent the money that he got for his baskets for the support of the pregnant woman.

The innocence of St Macarius was manifested when the woman, who suffered torment for many days, was not able to give birth. She confessed that she had slandered the hermit, and revealed the name of the real father. When her parents found out the truth, they were astonished and intended to go to the saint to ask forgiveness. Though St Macarius willingly accepted dishonor, he shunned the praise of men. He fled from that place by night and settled on Mt. Nitria in the Pharan desert.

Thus human wickedness contributed to the prospering of the righteous. Having dwelt in the desert for three years, he went to St Anthony the Great, the Father of Egyptian monasticism, for he had heard that he was still alive in the world, and he longed to see him. Abba Anthony received him with love, and Macarius became his devoted disciple and follower. St Macarius lived with him for a long time and then, on the advice of the saintly abba, he went off to the Skete monastery (in the northwest part of Egypt). He so shone forth in asceticism that he came to be called “a young Elder,” because he had distinguished himself as an experienced and mature monk, even though he was not quite thirty years old.

St Macarius survived many demonic attacks against him. Once, he was carrying palm branches for weaving baskets, and a devil met him on the way and wanted to strike him with a sickle, but he was not able to do this. He said, “Macarius, I suffer great anguish from you because I am unable to vanquish you. I do everything that you do. You fast, and I eat nothing at all. You keep vigil, and I never sleep. You surpass me only in one thing: humility.”

When the saint reached the age of forty, he was ordained to the priesthood and made the head of the monks living in the desert of Skete. During these years, St Macarius often visited with St Anthony the Great, receiving guidance from him in spiritual conversations. Abba Macarius was deemed worthy to be present at the death of St Anthony and he received his staff. He also received a double portion of the Anthony’s spiritual power, just as the prophet Elisha once received a double portion of the grace of the prophet Elias, along with the mantle that he dropped from the fiery chariot.

St Macarius worked many healings. People thronged to him from various places for help and for advice, asking his holy prayers. All this unsettled the quietude of the saint. He therefore dug out a deep cave under his cell, and hid there for prayer and meditation.

St Macarius attained such boldness before God that, through his prayers, the Lord raised the dead. Despite attaining such heights of holiness, he continued to preserve his unusual humility. One time the holy abba caught a thief loadng his things on a donkey standing near the cell. Without revealing that he was the owner of these things, the monk began to help tie up the load. Having removed himself from the world, the monk told himself, “We bring nothing at all into this world; clearly, it is not possible to take anything out from it. Blessed be the Lord for all things!”

Once, St Macarius was walking and saw a skull lying upon the ground. He asked, “Who are you?” The skull answered, “I was a chief priest of the pagans. When you, Abba, pray for those in hell, we receive some mitigation.”

The monk asked, “What are these torments?” “We are sitting in a great fire,” replied the skull, “and we do not see one another. When you pray, we begin to see each other somewhat, and this affords us some comfort.” Having heard such words, the saint began to weep and asked, “Are there still more fiercesome torments?” The skull answered, “Down below us are those who knew the Name of God, but spurned Him and did not keep His commandments. They endure even more grievous torments.”

Once, while he was praying, St Macarius heard a voice: “Macarius, you have not yet attained such perfection in virtue as two women who live in the city.” The humble ascetic went to the city, found the house where the women lived, and knocked. The women received him with joy, and he said, “I have come from the desert seeking you in order to learn of your good deeds. Tell me about them, and conceal nothing.”

The women answered with surprise, “We live with our husbands, and we have not such virtues.” But the saint continued to insist, and the women then told him, “We married two brothers. After living together in one house for fifteen years, we have not uttered a single malicious nor shameful word, and we never quarrel among ourselves. We asked our husbands to allow us to enter a women’s monastery, but they would not agree. We vowed not to utter a single worldly word until our death.”

St Macarius glorified God and said, “In truth, the Lord seeks neither virgins nor married women, and neither monks nor laymen, but values a person’s free intent, accepting it as the deed itself. He grants to everyone’s free will the grace of the Holy Spirit, which operates in an individual and directs the life of all who yearn to be saved.”

During the years of the reign of the Arian emperor Valens (364-378), St Macarius the Great and St Macarius of Alexandria was subjected to persecution by the followers of the Arian bishop Lucius. They seized both Elders and put them on a ship, sending them to an island where only pagans lived. By the prayers of the saints, the daughter of a pagan priest was delivered from an evil spirit. After this, the pagan priest and all the inhabitants of the island were baptized. When he heard what had happened, the Arian bishop feared an uprising and permitted the Elders to return to their monasteries.

The meekness and humility of the monk transformed human souls. “A harmful word,” said Abba Macarius, “makes good things bad, but a good word makes bad things good.” When the monks asked him how to pray properly, he answered, “Prayer does not require many words. It is needful to say only, “Lord, as Thou wilt and as Thou knowest, have mercy on me.” If an enemy should fall upon you, you need only say, “Lord, have mercy!” The Lord knows that which is useful for us, and grants us mercy.”

When the brethren asked how a monk ought to comport himself, the saint replied, “Forgive me, I am not yet a monk, but I have seen monks. I asked them what I must do to be a monk. They answered, ‘If a man does not withdraw himself from everything which is in the world, it is not possible to be a monk.’ Then I said, ‘I am weak and cannot be as you are.’ The monks responded, ‘If you cannot renounce the world as we have, then go to your cell and weep for your sins.’”

St Macarius gave advice to a young man who wished to become a monk: “Flee from people and you shall be saved.” That one asked: “What does it mean to flee from people?” The monk answered: “Sit in your cell and repent of your sins.”

St Macarius sent him to a cemetery to rebuke and then to praise the dead. Then he asked him what they said to him. The young man replied, “They were silent to both praise and reproach.” “If you wish to be saved, be as one dead. Do not become angry when insulted, nor puffed up when praised.” And further: “If slander is like praise for you, poverty like riches, insufficiency like abundance, then you shall not perish.”

The prayer of St Macarius saved many in perilous circumstances of life, and preserved them from harm and temptation. His benevolence was so great that they said of him: “Just as God sees the whole world, but does not chastize sinners, so also does Abba Macarius cover his neighbor’s weaknesses, which he seemed to see without seeing, and heard without hearing.”

The monk lived until the age of ninety. Shortly before his death, Sts Anthony and Pachomius appeared to him, bringing the joyful message of his departure to eternal life in nine days. After instructing his disciples to preserve the monastic Rule and the traditions of the Fathers, he blessed them and began to prepare for death. St Macarius departed to the Lord saying, “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.”

Abba Macarius spent sixty years in the wilderness, being dead to the world. He spent most of his time in conversation with God, often in a state of spiritual rapture. But he never ceased to weep, to repent and to work. The saint’s profound theological writings are based on his own personal experience. Fifty Spiritual Homilies and seven Ascetic Treatises survive as the precious legacy of his spiritual wisdom. Several prayers composed by St Macarius the Great are still used by the Church in the Prayers Before Sleep and also in the Morning Prayers.

Man’s highest goal and purpose, the union of the soul with God, is a primary principle in the works of St Macarius. Describing the methods for attaining mystical communion, the saint relies upon the experience of the great teachers of Egyptian monasticism and on his own experience. The way to God and the experience of the holy ascetics of union with God is revealed to each believer’s heart.

Earthly life, according to St Macarius, has only a relative significance: to prepare the soul, to make it capable of perceiving the heavenly Kingdom, and to establish in the soul an affinity with the heavenly homeland.

“For those truly believing in Christ, it is necessary to change and transform the soul from its present degraded nature into another, divine nature, and to be fashioned anew by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

This is possible, if we truly believe and we truly love God and have observed all His holy commandments. If one betrothed to Christ at Baptism does not seek and receive the divine light of the Holy Spirit in the present life, “then when he departs from the body, he is separated into the regions of darkness on the left side. He does not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but has his end in hell with the devil and his angels” (Homily 30:6).

In the teaching of St Macarius, the inner action of the Christian determines the extent of his perception of divine truth and love. Each of us acquires salvation through grace and the divine gift of the Holy Spirit, but to attain a perfect measure of virtue, which is necessary for the soul’s assimilation of this divine gift, is possible only “by faith and by love with the strengthening of free will.” Thus, the Christian inherits eternal life “as much by grace, as by truth.”

Salvation is a divine-human action, and we attain complete spiritual success “not only by divine power and grace, but also by the accomplishing of the proper labors.” On the other hand, it is not just within “the measure of freedom and purity” that we arrive at the proper solicitude, it is not without “the cooperation of the hand of God above.” The participation of man determines the actual condition of his soul, thus inclining him to good or evil. “If a soul still in the world does not possess in itself the sanctity of the Spirit for great faith and for prayer, and does not strive for the oneness of divine communion, then it is unfit for the heavenly kingdom.”

The miracles and visions of Blessed Macarius are recorded in a book by the presbyter Rufinus, and his Life was compiled by St Serapion, bishop of Tmuntis (Lower Egypt), one of the renowned workers of the Church in the fourth century. His holy relics are in the city of Amalfi, Italy.