I went to
Greece almost every summer during my child and teenage years and, without fail,
would visit various monasteries during my stays.
During
the summer’s major feast days — especially the Dormition of the Theotokos
commemorated on August 15th — city dwellers and village folk alike would gather
together in monasteries to celebrate, fostering a sense of community unity and
love.
From our
village’s main monastery built unbelievably onto the face of a mountain to the
marvellous Meteora, something about the monastic life tugged at the strings of
my soul.
Despite
being largely ignorant of the monastic way of life, it nonetheless intrigued
me: the mannerism of monks; the simultaneous detachment from, but love for, the
world; the traditional black garments worn.
It was
not until years later when I began visiting monasteries as an adult that I came
to better understand this sacred pathway to Paradise.
I
recently met a nun who encapsulates all that is good and healthy with Orthodox monasticism.
Humble;
free from anger; devoted to prayer; blessed with discernment; obedient to the
Church and Her leaders; and, above all, full of love, not just in word — as
some are apt to be — but in deed.
In
today’s society where self-promotion is especially pervasive, this nun was
concerned with connecting people to Christ, not to herself.
Christ is
“the Alpha and the Omega” (Rev 22:13) and we need Him to be the centre of our
lives; as St. Paul instructs, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (1Co
11:1).
Christ
became incarnate (Theanthropos) so we can become “God by grace” as the Church
Fathers teach. This door is not opened only for clergy, monks and nuns, but for
all people who are mindful always of God and seek Him with humility.
Recall
that although St. Paul exalts the virtue of chastity, he also writes, “For it
is better to marry than to burn with passion” (1Co 7:9). Our common quest is
for holiness, be it in a monastery or marriage.
In addition
to the many married saints of the Holy Orthodox Church, monastics have served
as a guiding light and inspiration for hundreds of years.
If you
study the lives of the saints of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church
you will uncover countless men and women — from Anthony the Great and Xenia the
Deaconess of Rome in the first few centuries of Christendom, to Sts. Methodia
of Kimolos and Porphyrios of Kafsokalyvia in the 20th century — who struggled
in asceticism to reach human perfection.
As our Venerable
Father John Climacus writes in his wellspring of spirituality and most edifying
book, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, “Angels are a light for monks, and the
monastic life is a light for all men” (Step 26:31).
The nun
whom I was blessed to meet is like a full moon in the desert night, abounding
with light (and love). For in today’s society, clergy and monks and nuns alike
should focus on respecting the freedom of man and teaching God’s truth in a
spirit of love, not on the praise of the people or other spiritual dryness
(such as Facebook which often births excessive self-love).
This last
point is imperative; the above instruction of St. John actually includes the
following, “Therefore let monks strive to become a good example in everything,
giving no occasion for stumbling in anything in all their works and words. For
if the light becomes darkness, how much darker will be that darkness, that is,
those living in the world.”
The good
example in everything of this nun reminded me of why from a young age visiting
monasteries in Greece with my family I came to love the liturgical life and
centuries-long tradition of Orthodox monasticism.
Simple
faith; brotherly love to and for all; self-sacrifice; and, a detached mind free
from worldly cares and the anxieties produced by them.
The
monastic life may be for few but those who have been called to it and carry out
their responsibilities correctly become the salt of the earth and the light of
the world (cf. Mt 5:13-14) - like my new mother and sister, the humble nun.
By Evagelos Sotiropoulos
Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/evagelos-sotiropoulos/why-i-love-orthodox-monas_b_6922862.html
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