When
Elder Iakovos of Evia (1920-1991) was serving in the army before he became a
monk, he was granted permission to take all of Holy Week and Pascha off.
But
during the week, he noticed one of his fellow soldiers was very depressed. And
he asked him, “Why are you so sad, Mr George?”
“Papa-Iakove,
you with your religiosity, managed to convince the commander to give you the
entire week off. You will be fine with your chanting, your monk practices, but
how about me? I also want to go to my
village to spend Pascha with my fiancée. ”
“Okay,
George, now you want the day of Pascha off – do you also want a couple of other
days off?”
“Well, it
would be good to have Great Friday off, and even Thursday, so I can get to
church and hear a couple of gospels…”
“Don’t
worry George, I will take care of it.”
This man
of God, who lived for these services – this was his life, these hymns were his
breath – he sacrificed it all for his fellow man, and he stayed inside the
barracks – Holy Thursday, Holy Friday, Saturday and Pascha Sunday.
Out of
curiosity I asked him, “Very well, Elder, how did you pass these days?”
“I was serving
guard duty, and I was on a hill watching the citizens of Athens going to their
churches, and I was trying to repeat the prayer of Jesus. And on the night of
Pascha, when I heard the joyous bells, I sighed and I said, ‘O my Christ, now
our Christians are receiving Your Holy Light.’ And as I said this, the Holy
Light came to me as well!”
“How did
this happen, Elder?”
“Well, my
child, a light came from on high and rested on me, and I became all light!”
The man
of God had sacrificed the created light of the Pascha candle, and he received
the uncreated Light of Divinity. This was Elder Iakovos. This was inside his
nature – the willingness to sacrifice even his prayer and his personal effort
and struggle, for the love of his neighbour.
From a talk given by Bishop Neophytos of
Morphou, Cyprus
Source: https://www.lychnos.org/elder-iakovos-night-pascha/
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