Mother Galaktia writes extensively about these subjects in her book.

 I will now read to you from Mother Galaktia.

"Elder, Mother Galaktia often emphasized that certain sins would bring great suffering upon humanity."

Yes, she spoke about these things often. Like Elder Ephraim of Arizona, whom she regarded as a great saint, she taught that sins against nature, whether committed within or outside marriage, as well as abortion and occult practices, would bring great hardships upon the world.

Modern theological thinking, however, attempts to justify the autonomy of sexual desire and separate it from the purpose God established for it. It refers to acts against nature simply as matters of personal choice.

Imagine how confused society has become.

As Saint Porphyrios told us, in our own time some theologians and clergy would embrace these practices, using clever arguments to claim that God has no place in what happens in the bedroom.

But because this represents a distortion of the Church's mission and of the path of salvation, God Himself will intervene.

These are very serious sins.

Mother Galaktia taught the same things.

I remember married friends who visited her telling me that she had the spiritual gift of recognizing those who had fallen into sins against nature. They said she could perceive the spiritual corruption associated with such sins.

On the other hand, those who lived faithfully within holy marriage and avoided adultery, fornication, and such practices were, according to her, spiritually fragrant.

She would kiss their hands and tell them, "You are pure. You shine."

She also possessed the gift of discerning these matters, much like Saint Ephraim of Katounakia.

Mother Galaktia strongly opposed abortion.

Using her own simple expression, she would say, "Do not use those killing devices to destroy your children," referring to intrauterine devices.

She was also opposed to deliberately avoiding children.

She did not approve of refusing parenthood.

"Are there really clergy who promote sins against nature and even abortions?"

Sadly, yes.

Abortion is presented here as a particularly grave sin, a deliberate act committed against a defenseless unborn child.

Father Georgios Metallinos also spoke strongly about this subject.

Saint Porphyrios once told us, with great sorrow, that an elderly clergyman, widely known in the media and especially influential among young people, would eventually turn his own passions into theology.

Instead of calling people to repentance, he would reinterpret immoral passions through psychological explanations and personal theories.

I love him and pray for his salvation.

May Christ even take years from my own life and grant them to him, so that he may recognize what is beneficial for his soul and sincerely repent.

There are, however, many faithful clergy who do not agree with these modern theological approaches.

The problem is that many are afraid to speak because of ridicule, criticism, or pressure, even from within Church leadership.

Some bishops, the speaker claims, silently tolerate abortion under exceptional circumstances.

If exceptions are invented in matters of sexual morality, then people will eventually attempt to justify even the most serious sins.

Faithful clergy often fear being labeled as fanatics, moralists, extremists, or homophobic.

Nevertheless, there are courageous pastors who continue to teach according to the Church's tradition with wisdom and love.

Saint Eumenios had the same position.

If he had taught differently, he would not be the saint we honor today.

There is a difference between sacrificial love for every sinner and uncompromising opposition to sin itself.

Near the end of his life, Saint Eumenios reportedly refused to receive a Romanian monk who wished to visit him concerning homosexuality.

The speaker says the saint perceived that the man was unrepentant and wanted to use the saint's reputation to suggest that holy people approved of such behavior in the name of love.

He even declined the refreshments the visitor had brought.

On another occasion, the speaker says, Saint Eumenios asked a young man to leave the sanctuary because he had engaged in acts the saint considered sinful within his marriage.

According to the speaker, such acts are forbidden even within marriage.

Therefore, we must love the person while hating the sin.

Love the person.

Hate the sin.

Both love and opposition to sin should be sincere and complete.

Mother Galaktia writes extensively about these subjects in her book.

She teaches that acts against nature are grave sins.

The speaker further claims that such acts committed within marriage can have harmful effects on children and urges parents to avoid them.

He concludes by saying that God blessed the natural union between husband and wife, not what he describes as immoral or unnatural acts.

He apologizes for speaking forcefully but explains that serious subjects require a strong voice.

Where correction is needed, he believes correction should be given.

Where love is needed, love should be shown.

He finishes with this message:

We hate the sin.

We love every human being, regardless of who they are.

Stay away from these sins, my brothers and sisters.

There was a priest standing by the side of the road, signaling for him to stop.

 I was once hosting a good young man from Piraeus. I will not mention exactly where he lived.

He drove a large delivery truck with a raised cab that transported food to supermarkets.

He explained to me, "I have to travel at night so the goods can be unloaded, stored, placed on the shelves, and be ready for customers when the supermarket opens in the morning."

So he always drove at night.

One night in February, around midnight, there was intense frost. There was only about half a meter of snow, but the cold had turned the snow on the road into solid ice.

He wanted to drive quickly, but he had to move very slowly because if anything suddenly appeared in front of him and he touched the brakes, the heavy truck would slide across the ice and crash into whatever stood ahead.

He said, "If I hadn't been driving so slowly, I never would have seen him."

There was a priest standing by the side of the road, signaling for him to stop.

"I was stunned," he said.

He stopped the truck and opened the door. The priest could not climb in because the cab was very high. So the driver leaned across from the passenger seat, grabbed him by the arm, and helped him inside.

As soon as the priest sat down, the young man laughed and said, "Father, where are you going at this hour of the night?"

The priest smiled and replied, "I live nearby. I could easily walk, but since I found a car, why not ride instead?"

They began talking.

"The priest was wonderful," the young man said. "He had a great sense of humor and kept making jokes."

After a while, the priest asked, "Do you have a spiritual father? Do you go to confession?"

The young man replied, "Please don't talk to me about priests. I can't stand them. If they were all like you, then I would go to confession."

The priest smiled again and said, "Very well. Then come to me."

The young man asked where he lived.

The priest looked around, opened the glove compartment, found a notepad, and began writing.

He wrote his full name, telephone number, and address, then handed the paper to the driver.

The young man glanced at it, saw the information, put it back into the glove compartment, and continued driving.

After a while, he noticed lights down below on the left.

The priest said, "This is where I live. Stop here and let me get out."

The young man worried that the elderly priest, who appeared to be over eighty years old, might slip on the icy road and break a bone.

He offered to drive him all the way home.

The priest laughed and said, "Don't worry. From here I can go by myself."

The priest got out of the truck.

The driver waited until he crossed in front of the headlights. The priest blessed him, crossed the road, and walked downhill into the darkness.

The young man continued his deliveries.

February passed, then March, April, May, June, July, August, and finally September.

In September he suddenly remembered the priest.

He found the paper in the glove compartment and decided to visit him.

The address led him to a women's monastery near Athens.

He handed the note to one of the nuns and said, "Please let Father know that he invited me to come and make my confession."

The nuns asked him to wait while they informed the priest.

He went into the church to pray and then returned outside, expecting the priest to appear.

Instead, several nuns came out holding the paper.

They asked him, "When did he give you this?"

He answered, "In February."

They asked, "Which February?"

He thought to himself, "What a strange question."

He replied, "This past February."

The nuns immediately burst into tears. They crossed themselves and began crying.

They told him that the priest whose name was written on the paper was Saint Porphyrios.

He had died five years earlier.

The young man had never even heard the name "Porphyrios."

He said, "How could I possibly have known his surname? We talked for an entire hour. I wasn't asleep. You cannot drive a truck like that while dreaming."

He added, "The handwriting on the paper isn't mine."

How could he have known Saint Porphyrios' surname when it was written on the paper? Even among people who know Saint Porphyrios, many do not know his family name.

The handwriting was not his own.

That is why the young man knew that someone who had died five years earlier was still alive, could see him, and could spend an entire hour talking with him.

He did not know how it happened.

But he knew that it happened because he experienced it himself.

That is why I said earlier that the human mind cannot understand everything.

There are many things beyond our understanding.

We accept them because we know them through experience.

That, the speaker concludes, is not merely faith—it is knowledge.

listen to father nikon

 But do not let fasting keep you away from Holy Communion. These things were not established only for monks—they were given for everyone.

Before Holy Communion, the priest reads a prayer asking that the Holy Mysteries may bring spiritual awakening to those who receive them, that their souls may be enlightened, and that the Kingdom of Heaven may be filled with Christians who partake of Christ.

Yet some people choose not to receive Communion because they have not fasted. They say, "I did not fast, so I will not receive." Do you see how the devil disguises himself? He appears reasonable. He even makes this seem like a virtue.

Do not confuse these things. All the saints kept the Church's fasting rules and also received Holy Communion frequently—Saint Gregory Palamas, Saint Nectarios, Saint Paisios, and Elder Ephraim of Arizona.

Some people insist that because they inherited a custom of fasting for several days before Holy Communion, they must always keep it. They say, "This is our tradition."

But what tradition is it? The speaker argues that any tradition that separates a person from Holy Communion is not God's tradition, but one that keeps people away from Christ.

Christ warned, "You leave the commandment of God and hold to the traditions of men."

Many people reply, "That is how my grandmother, my grandfather, or my family taught me."

When Elder Ephraim of Philotheou became widely known after leaving the caves and hermitages of Mount Athos, many people visited his monastery. I remember one occasion when a group of respected monks from Crete came. They were admirable ascetics, but I noticed they looked uneasy.

Someone explained that they thought the monks at the monastery received Holy Communion too often.

Do you understand what had happened?

The Mount Athos people know today is not the same Mount Athos I first knew. Today, frequent Holy Communion is common there because many have come to recognize its importance. Beginning in the nineteen seventies, after Elder Ephraim left the hermitages and revitalized monasteries on Mount Athos, a new spiritual era began.

Previously, many monks received Communion only on major feast days, as though the feast itself made someone worthy.

The Mount Athos of today emphasizes both frequent Holy Communion and the continual prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me," taught by Elder Joseph the Hesychast.

It is this spirit that continues to resist secularization, modernism, and everything that distances people from Christ, even when it appears attractive.

That is why those who wish to weaken Mount Athos often criticize Joseph the Hesychast, Elder Ephraim of Arizona, and those who followed their spiritual teaching.

The devil knows what he fears. He does not fear fasting by itself. He fears Holy Communion.

One elderly monk once remarked, "They are good monks, but they receive Communion too often."

Because of this, some even compared those who practiced frequent Communion with controversial figures from the past.

Be careful. Any virtue that ultimately distances you from Christ becomes spiritually dangerous.

The devil possesses many things that resemble virtues. He has no body, so he never commits bodily sins. He never eats, so in one sense he "fasts" continually.

No matter how much we fast or practice self-control, we will never surpass him in these external things alone.

What destroyed him was pride.

Therefore, humility is greater than outward asceticism.

Do what the Church teaches with humility. Sometimes the fasting rules may seem difficult or even puzzling, but the purpose of fasting is to humble our pride, something the devil can never do.

Christ humbled Himself, descended from heaven, became man, and was obedient even unto death on the Cross.

The devil chose pride.

We should imitate Christ's humility rather than merely imitate the devil's outward abstinence.

Holy Communion is both medicine and a weapon.

Christ said, "Without Me you can do nothing."

Saint Nicodemus the Hagiorite explains that when we struggle against anger, pride, gluttony, or lust by ourselves, we fight alone. But after receiving Holy Communion and becoming united with Christ, Christ Himself fights these battles within us.

That is why the devil would rather see someone fasting while remaining separated from Christ than united with Him through Holy Communion.

When the priest comes out with the Holy Gifts, he proclaims, "With the fear of God, with faith and love, draw near."

He does not say, "Come only if you have not eaten yogurt."

How foolish it is to turn away from meeting Christ because of such reasoning.

It would be better to eat something for a serious reason and still receive Holy Communion than to fast while staying away from Christ.

This does not mean fasting should be abolished. Fasting is a great virtue when united with Holy Communion.

Saint Paisios once explained this to me.

I asked him how people could receive Communion regularly if they believed they had to fast for several days beforehand. If someone wished to receive every Sunday, such a rule would require fasting almost the entire week.

I asked where this custom had come from.

He replied that over time, violations had become traditions, while true traditions had come to be treated as violations.

A practice that was never required gradually became accepted as obligatory, while receiving Holy Communion every Sunday—the ancient tradition of the Church—began to be viewed as strange.

We should keep the practices handed down by the saints. We should not abolish fasting.

Christ Himself fasted, and we should fast as well.

But the same Christ also taught that the Pharisee was not justified simply because he fasted.

The problem is reducing fasting to food alone.

Nowhere does the Church define fasting before Holy Communion only in terms of particular foods. Fasting is important, but it should never become an obstacle to receiving Christ.

A priest once told me about a woman with an advanced pregnancy.

Because the baby was drawing calcium from her body to develop its skeleton, her doctor instructed her to eat cheese, yogurt, and drink milk to protect her own health.

She felt troubled because these foods were not fasting foods.

She asked her priest.

He replied, "You are not setting fasting aside out of contempt. You are doing this because your health and your baby's health require it. Eat what the doctor prescribed. You have my blessing to receive Holy Communion."

She left, but later ignored the advice because she wanted to keep fasting.

Her condition became so serious that both she and the baby were in danger.

When the priest learned what had happened, he firmly instructed her that for as long as necessary, she was to eat the foods required for her health and then receive Holy Communion.

Only afterward could she return to the normal fasting discipline.

Some people mocked her for eating cheese, eggs, and yogurt while still going to Communion.

She lowered her head, said nothing, and continued.

Now she was truly fasting—not from food, but from her pride and her own self-will.

That is a kind of fasting the devil can never imitate.

she would have an abortion.

Well, how should we, as parents who have had an abortion, pray?

The first thing is that the parents must repent. Listen carefully to this. The first thing parents who have had an abortion need to do is repent.

Second, they should go to confession, and their spiritual father should give them a rule of prayer or repentance, whether small or great. This responsibility does not belong only to the woman. She did not do it alone.

If this happens—if the couple becomes aware of the gravity of this sin, repents sincerely, and confesses it—then the soul of the child, which is in heaven, begins to receive light.

Our repentance brings light to those who have departed, and even more so to our own children.

Then the mother, because she has a special blessing from the Virgin Mary, should light a candle at every Divine Liturgy for the child or children lost through abortion, especially if the abortion took place when she was spiritually immature.

As I have said before, it is possible to give the child a name. I once had a case involving a very good young woman who confessed to having had an abortion. I told her to give a name to her daughter.

She had an abortion while she was a university student in France. Later, she returned to Cyprus, found a job, met another man, and became pregnant before they were married. The man told her that he would not marry her. He said he had never promised marriage. Sadly, this kind of attitude has become fashionable today.

She became pregnant, and she came to me asking what she should do. I told her to ask him to marry her. He replied that he would acknowledge the baby after birth, give the child his surname, provide financial support, and pay for the child's education, but he would not marry her.

She then said that if this was his decision, she would have an abortion.

The man came to me in tears, saying she was going to kill his baby. I asked him, "Can she kill the baby by herself? Is it not your child as well?"

When we reach such dead ends, we kneel in prayer.

They both knelt, and we prayed that God would enlighten her and help her keep the child.

Less than two weeks later, she came back to my office. At first, when I saw her, I thought she had come to confront me. Then I remembered the baby and looked at her stomach.

She asked, "What are you looking at? To see if my stomach is smaller? The baby is still here."

She said she had come to tell me something that had happened during those days.

She explained that while she was sitting at home crying, she suddenly saw a girl about twelve or thirteen years old, dressed in beautiful pink clothes, standing before her.

The girl said, "Mother, don't you remember me?"

She replied, "Are you my daughter?"

The girl answered, "Yes, I am your daughter. Have you forgotten when you were studying in France? You killed me."

The mother said, "But if you were killed, how are you alive?"

The girl replied, "I am alive in heaven."

Then she pointed to her mother's womb and said, "Please don't do the same thing to my little brother."

The mother asked, "What should I do?"

The girl answered, "Do whatever the bishop tells you."

The woman then came to see me and said she would do whatever I advised because she had not known that souls are alive.

I told her, "Since your little girl appeared to you wearing pink, let us call her Rosa. Whenever you go to church, light this candle for Rosa."

As for the little boy, I told her to keep the child and that we would baptize him after he was born.

I also told her to leave the rest to me.

The young woman wept, but she agreed.

In time, we baptized the baby in one of our villages. The child's father also came and stood quietly at the back, deeply moved.

Later, God allowed the child to develop a serious eye condition that could only be treated in England.

The parents traveled there together with the child I had baptized.

Through their shared suffering and concern for their son, they grew closer to one another.

I advised them to attend the Divine Liturgy regularly, pray, and go to confession before receiving Holy Communion.

I told them that, because of their sins, the child was suffering.

They confessed to a good priest at a monastery, returned home, and eventually set a wedding date.

I had the joy of celebrating their marriage.

These are the beautiful things of our faith.

This is the story that the good woman who heard this message was referring to when she spoke about it.

 Ή γερόντισσα Γαλακτία "" μέχρι τά βαθειά γεράματα, σκορπούσε, έδιδε "τοίς πένησι". Ήταν γερόντισσα πιά, χειρουργημένη καί στά δύο πόδια, αλλά έστηνε μία μεγάλη κατσαρόλα φαγητό γιά νά μήν στερηθούν οί μοναχικοί γέροντες τής γειτονιάς. Γι'αυτό, λίγο πρίν τό τέλος, τήν επισκέφθηκαν ανάμεσα σέ άλλους, οί επτά Αρχάγγελοι πού μεταφέρουν τίς προσευχές τών Αγίων από τή γή στόν ουρανό. Τής συστήθηκαν μέ τά ονόματα τους, πού δέν τά λησμόνησε, αλλά τά ενέταξε στήν καρδιακή μνήμη της : Μιχαήλ,  Γαβριήλ,  Ραφαήλ, Ουριήλ, Ραμαήλ, Φαναήλ, Θαναήλ.

 Ό Ουριήλ τής είπε ότι φυλάει τήν άβυσσο. Σήκωσαν ψηλά τίς ρομφαίες καί τίς έκαναν "ρεκάπιτο, όπως είπε, γιά νά περάσει. Τήν οδήγησαν σέ ένα πάγχρυσο

παλάτι. " Είναι ό τόπος τής κατοικίας σου", τής είπαν. Στή μέση ξεχείλιζε ένα ολόχρυσο δοχείο πού ανέβληζε κρυστάλλινο νερό. Ρώτησε: "Τί είναι αυτό;" "Είναι τό δοχείο τής καρδιάς σου", απάντησαν " καί ξεχειλίζει ή αγνότητά σου, ή σιωπή σου, ή ταπεινοφροσύνη σου καί οί ελεημονιές σου"!!!

.

🇬🇷 Ελληνικά

Οι οδηγίες του Αγίου Κοσμά του Αιτωλού για τις ημέρες που ζούμε

71. «Όταν ακούσετε ότι ο πόλεμος πιάστηκε από κάτω, τότε κοντά θα είναι».

72. «Αν ο πόλεμος πιαστεί από κάτω, λίγα θα πάθετε· αν πιαστεί από πάνω, θα καταστραφείτε».

73. «Οι βράχοι και οι λάκκοι θα είναι γεμάτοι από κόσμο».

74. «Ξαφνικά είτε το βόδι στο χωράφι είτε το άλογο στο αλώνι θα αγριέψει».

75. «Λυπηρό είναι να σας το πω· σήμερα, αύριο θα αντιμετωπίζουμε δοκιμασίες, μεγάλες στενοχώριες, όπου θα χρειάζεται να δώσουμε χιλιάδες φλουριά και να μη βρίσκουμε λίγο ψωμί».

76. «Μετά τον πόλεμο, οι άνθρωποι θα τρέχουν δρόμο μισής ώρας για να βρουν έναν άνθρωπο και να τον κάνουν αδελφό».

🇬🇧 English

The Instructions of Saint Cosmas the Aetolian for the days we live in

71. “When you hear that the war has been seized from below, then it will be near.”

72. “If the war is seized from below, you will suffer little; if it is seized from above, you will be destroyed.”

73. “The rocks and pits will be full of people.”

74. “Suddenly either the ox in the field or the horse in the threshing floor will become angry.”

75. “It is sad to tell you; today, tomorrow we will face trials and great hardships, where we will have to give thousands of florins and not find even a little bread.”

76. “After the war, people will walk half an hour’s distance to find a person and make him a brother.”

🇷🇺 Русский

Наставления святого Космы Этолийского о днях, в которые мы живём

71. «Когда вы услышите, что война схвачена снизу, тогда она будет близко».

72. «Если война будет схвачена снизу, вы мало пострадаете; если она будет схвачена сверху — вы будете уничтожены».

73. «Скалы и ямы будут наполнены людьми».

74. «Внезапно либо бык в поле, либо конь на гумне станет свирепым».

75. «Печально говорить вам: сегодня, завтра мы столкнёмся с испытаниями и большими трудностями, когда нам придётся отдавать тысячи флоринов и не находить даже немного хлеба».

76. «После войны люди будут идти полчаса, чтобы найти человека и назвать его братом».

ONLY WW3 WILL STOP THIS

 I want to tell you, my children, what Satan is preparing to do to you now. What is being planned now is far beyond common sense in various ways.

Through food, through the water you drink, through the air you breathe, they will put tiny nanoparticles inside you.

And when they put them inside you, they will wait for some time. Then the frequencies of mobile phones, satellites, and anything that emits a frequency will change.

For what reason? Because they will have new capabilities. And just as a mobile phone receives updates from time to time, they will have the power through satellites to send commands to the nanoparticles they have placed inside you to reorganize themselves, to self-program, and to have the ability to create new robotic mechanisms.

Because these nanoparticles that they will put inside you in various ways are high-level nanotechnology robotic mechanisms. What will they do?

I am telling you this, my children, so that you know what will happen. These nanoparticles will have the ability to enter your blood and circulate through all the tissues and cells of the human body.

They will have the ability to interfere with your nervous system. At first, they will create a parallel nervous system. Then the artificial nervous system will begin to affect the human nervous system, and people will go crazy.

They will have the ability to enter your DNA and change parts of your DNA—useful parts, the ones that until now help the mind think correctly and the body function correctly.

God created the body and the soul according to divine logic because He gave humanity His divine breath, the Holy Spirit.

Satan cannot change this because it is God’s choice, a built-in design in our bodies from the moment a person is born, and Satan cannot change it. He can only damage it, but he cannot do that alone. We must give our consent.

That is why in heaven, the angels who willingly accepted what Lucifer said were the ones who changed. The same will happen now.

They will try in a cunning way to put these things inside you. That is why God will not allow it anymore.

Now, some very great unpleasant events will happen on a global level so that people understand what mistake they have made. So that when the real Antichrist comes, they will know how to act and have full responsibility.

All these things that you have inside you every day are given to you through chemical substances that are put in food.

There will come times when you will not eat real meat; these meats will come from factories. And because you do not know this, I will tell you what will happen: they will make meat from human cells, and you will not know it.

That is why, my children, you will carry your cross. You will not eat or drink anything without making the sign of the cross.

You must begin to pray, because prayer is a frequency. And everything is frequencies.

Satan will fight you with two weapons: frequencies. The satellite has a frequency. Everything is frequencies. Medical tools have frequencies.

But based on these frequencies, Satan will now try to fight you and try to destroy the frequencies of divine logic that your brain has.

How will you fight it? Only through prayer. All prayers have power, but none is as powerful as the prayer that is made with love for God.

The frequency of prayer, the bright frequency of prayer, is so powerful that it will be like an anti-radar, and the satanic spirit will not be able to affect you.

The strongest is the prayer that comes from a heart in love with God. Satan cannot pass through his satanic power.

Bless the Lord, O my soul.

The second weapon with which we fight against Satan is Holy Communion, that is, receiving the holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ with humility and tears, constantly watching over our thoughts and heart, with continual prayer from a loving heart, and with the blessing of our spiritual father.

Receive communion as often as possible, at least once every three weeks, and even better, every week and on feast days.

Do not worry, this will not make you careless or indifferent toward the holy mysteries. There is no more powerful weapon than Holy Communion and the name of Jesus.

Because these are not ordinary weapons, these are not tools by which we save ourselves—it is Christ Himself who fights and has won the victory for us.

Whoever does not use the prayer of the name of Jesus and whoever does not receive Communion will not be able to endure what is rapidly coming upon humanity.

And already some people shout, "Do not receive Communion often. Do not call upon the name that is above every name.”

This is like when the old ones used to say, "Do not read; you may go crazy from too many books.”

Can reason cause unreason? Or can union with Christ the Savior through seeing one’s own sinfulness cause destruction of the human soul?

Do not abolish God’s law through human traditions and human teachings, through isolated, non-liturgical, and non-universal nonsense from certain elders whose fairy tales are placed above the words of the Apostles and the Fathers, who all clearly tell us:

Receive Communion, brothers and sisters. Christ is above all and above everything.

Everything for Christ. Christ for nothing.

To the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Forever and ever. Amen.

Οταν ρωτήθηκε ο άγιος Παΐσιος

 

Elder, I have a problem. My question may seem a little vague.

Please, just help me a little. Let’s say that someone goes at night to pray only with the Jesus Prayer (the monologue prayer). Is it, let’s say, a little sad that some other hymns should be read? I only have this question, my elder, please tell me: what would happen if someone prayed only with the Jesus Prayer, only the monologue prayer? Is it correct?

Let us say that we have our prayer, we pray, thank you very much. The purpose is to pray. There are no magical prayers that someone must read. I cannot say that now I must pray for 20 minutes every night or half an hour. I know how much time each person has and is able to pray.

Now, whether you pray with the monologue prayer, or read the Psalms of David, or read a canon, the Akathist, the Supplication to the Virgin Mary or to a saint, or read the Holy Gospel, or make prostrations — all of these are prayer.

Let us not remain attached to only one kind of prayer and say that only this one must be read, or that you must read all these services, or so many Psalms and so many chapters of the New Testament. I think it is not bad for someone to say freely: “Every day I can pray for 20 minutes or half an hour.” In this half hour I can say a prayer; I like to say the Jesus Prayer — good, say the Jesus Prayer. Or I like to make a supplication to the Virgin Mary — say the supplication to the Virgin Mary. Or I like to read the Psalms standing — I read the Psalms of David. Or I like to make many prostrations — I make prostrations.

Someone can go to church, worship God, and say the prayer at the same time. A person prays, and prayer has results. Or someone can say: “I can pray with my own words.” I open my heart before God and cry before God, saying: “My God…” My confessional prayers, in my own words, with what I feel, I offer them to God. Do this — and this is a prayer.

All prayers are good and holy because they are directed toward God, but above all because they attract divine grace. In the end, the purpose of prayer is the grace of the Holy Spirit. May the Holy Spirit come into our soul, into our being, to sanctify us, to cleanse us, to enlighten us, to give us the blessing of God’s presence in our heart.

And if someone feels this, sometimes he wants to step away from what he does every day and say: “Today I don’t feel like reading the prayer rope; instead, I want these 20 minutes, when I can say the Jesus Prayer.” He says the Jesus Prayer — he is not harmed.

It is true that the Jesus Prayer is emphasized by the Fathers as beneficial because we can say it everywhere, always, and at any time. But all the Fathers do not underestimate other forms of prayer, such as the Psalms, the hymns, the services of our Church, and the readings.

All these prayers, even for us who are lay people and weak in spiritual exercises and spiritual struggles, help us and strengthen our heart and soul, so that we are not completely isolated from certain things.

LEARN THE TRUTH ABOUT THE HOLY LIGHT

 Who lit them, since many times before the Patriarch came out, these are the candles of the people. They lit by themselves on the day when we were there, before the Patriarch came out to give the Light. I was standing right next to them. As soon as the Light came from the Patriarch and we received it from there, the people were shouting: “The Holy Light is coming!” Look up at the dome of the Holy Sepulchre, at the Holy Tomb of the Lord.

The people’s candles lit by themselves, and a grandmother who was outside the door of the church, in the courtyard, had her candles lit by others. Her name was Eleftheria, from Athienou. She was crying because they would not let her enter, and she sat down on the ground crying because she had not come to the Holy Tomb and would not receive the Holy Light. When she closed the door, her candles lit by themselves at the time when the celebration of the Holy Light had finished. The rejoicing began, and we started the Divine Liturgy of Holy Saturday before our eyes. I was chanting, and I was at the Beautiful Gate. Suddenly, a flame from the lamp of the Beautiful Gate, which was by itself… I tell you, the Patriarch could have a lighter and could light the place, but how did all the other things light? How did they all catch fire? We saw it with our own eyes. How could it be an illusion? How did I see it? I saw it like blue lightning, moving like this. I said, “But lightning comes from above downward. How is it moving like this?” The monk standing next to me saw nothing. Another person nearby saw a sphere, a ball of fire. Another saw something like a cloud. If it were artificial, we would all see the same thing. If it were something artificial, you and I and everyone else would see the same thing. Why did I see it and you did not? Why did I see lightning and you saw a sphere, another saw a cloud, and another saw something else? I am not saying I can confirm what the Patriarch brings out from inside. I cannot, because I was not standing beside the Patriarch to see. But I have two things to say. First of all, if it were a deception—because if it is not as we say, then it is a deception—how could it have continued for so long? And secondly, when the Patriarch enters, the Armenian Archbishop also enters with him. The Armenian wants very much to remove the Orthodox Patriarch so that he himself can enter. He is the only one who stands outside and can see the Patriarch. The Armenian bishop can see what the Orthodox Patriarch does inside the Holy Tomb. If the Orthodox Patriarch were doing something fake, the Armenian would expose him and humiliate him. He would say: “What are these things you are doing? What lies are these?” But he also comes and receives the Light from the Orthodox Patriarch, kisses the hand of the Orthodox Patriarch, and the Latins, the Armenians, the Monophysites, and everyone receives the Light from the Orthodox Patriarch. Why can nobody else bring out the Light except the Orthodox Patriarch or an Orthodox bishop? There is also that historical story: at one time, they bought the right from the Turks, removed the Orthodox from the Holy Tomb, and an Armenian entered to bring out the Holy Light. While the Orthodox were praying outside, the Light came out of the column. The column can still be seen today, burned and cracked. You may not believe it. That is your right. But we can see it until today. And we have historical testimonies about the Holy Light from centuries ago. This is not something that happened today. This tradition of the Holy Light has existed for many centuries. Because this tradition exists, and we have heard it ourselves, even younger people who have not gone to the Holy Tomb know about it. But there are clear statements from some theologians that this is, in some way, a deception. I advise them to go and see it themselves. Whoever has a theological school paper is not necessarily a theologian. Now someone else wanted to say something. The woman here is Mrs. Giota. In the Holy Land, Father, there is a small church of Saint Constantine, which is above the Holy Sepulchre. I went once at Easter, and on the night when the Holy Light was supposed to come out, they put some of us up there so we could see the Holy Light. Others from our group entered the small church of Saint Constantine because there was no space, and all the lamps and candles were extinguished. All the lamps and candles were completely off. When the Holy Light came out, we had people from our group who saw it entering through the little window on the left side of the church. A blue light entered, and all the lamps lit at the same time. This happens every year. People who were with me saw it. There are countless testimonies about this. Something else that has troubled many people is that candles can supposedly be dipped in a liquid, and after some time, they can light, and this was even shown on television. Look, something else people said is that officially, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem has not stated that the Holy Light is a miracle. I do not know what the official Patriarchate says. I know what history says, what the testimonies of pilgrims have said for centuries, and what we ourselves have experienced and seen with our own eyes. Now that woman Eleftheria from Athienou—she dipped her candle in something. Why did it not light five minutes earlier? The candles are bought from the beginning, from the first day people arrive. The woman carries them with her. I say: Do we need a miracle in order to believe in Christ? No. Even if the Holy Light did not exist, we would still believe. So let people say whatever they want. I also want to say that miracles are not the foundation of faith. The Apostle Paul says we do not need the Holy Light to believe in Christ. But one thing we saw with our own eyes and read in our history is that this happens continuously and happens before thousands of people every year. So how can you dismiss it so easily? I told you: perhaps the Patriarch does not light it himself—the light may come from God. I do not know what happens there. But I have these two questions: What happens with the Armenian who sees the Patriarch? And what happens with the people whose lamps light by themselves? I was also told that Bishop Timothy’s mother used to go to the Holy Tomb at Easter, but one year she was not allowed to go because she had difficulty walking. They told the old woman to stay upstairs in his cell, which was in the courtyard of the Patriarchate. She sat on the balcony crying because she was not allowed to go down and see the Holy Light. And her candles lit by themselves while she was on the balcony of the house. How could the candles have been prepared with fire and then lit? They lit at the time of the Holy Light. Some say there is a liquid which, after a certain time, reacts with oxygen and other elements and catches fire. Yes, but you would have to dip them a little while before, and after so much time, they would ignite. But people buy the candles from the Arabs, from the Jews, from whoever sells them, and carry them with them. It does not make logical sense. Anyway, may God enlighten us all about what we see, what we hear, and what we say.

 

Morfou Neofytos-what will happen when…

Very close to this threat, Hellenism will become fearful and withdrawn and will come to great repentance.

Listen to what the result of that fear will be. It will be positive. This repentance, arising from fear, intimidation, and threats from the Turks, will lead the Greeks to the events that follow, which I will mention briefly and in summary.

Greece and Cyprus will be among the only countries offering great safety for our children and our people when other countries in Western Europe, America, Russia, the Middle East, and neighboring regions are experiencing a world war.

Greece and Cyprus, however, will not be affected in the same way and will therefore be safe places where others can come to live and seek protection.

Some people of faith say that what is happening now with Turks leaving Turkey because they cannot endure the Erdoğan regime, moving to the Greek islands and other parts of Greece, buying or renting homes, seeking asylum, and feeling that Greece is a place of safety despite its problems, was foretold by saints.

They say these people will come to love Greece and Orthodox Christianity so deeply that they will freely choose it. Then, when Turkey recovers from the great disasters caused by its arrogance, its leaders, and its people, they will become missionaries in Turkey.

These are described as extraordinary events, yet they are said to already be unfolding through developments that have begun.

After these events, Russia, for its own reasons and not out of affection for us, will wage a terrible war against Turkey lasting only a few days.

Understandably, Russia would want to secure its southern flank, particularly in the Caucasus region and the countries surrounding it.

Georgia will play a role in this and is said to pay a heavy price. Russia will attack Turkey and, in the process, bring destruction not only upon Turkey but also upon Georgia, because NATO is establishing a monitoring base there to observe Russian missiles.

This will become the pretext, while other Eastern powers and the Chinese will allow Russia to strike Turkey.

The speaker wonders whether this might even be something agreed upon behind the scenes. Turkey, he says, will be struck mercilessly, not because of its actions in the Aegean or its threats, but because of broader geopolitical interests.

One frequently discussed strategic interest is the Montreux Convention, which governs the passage of Russian and other ships through the Bosporus Strait.

Turkey knows very well that if a military conflict occurs in the Aegean or elsewhere, it has the right to close the straits.

This would mean Russia could not supply its base in Tartus or other conflict zones with weapons and military equipment.

The situation is therefore described as extremely volatile.

As a result of this major conflict, Turkey would be forced to withdraw its troops. This would include a complete withdrawal of the Turkish military from Cyprus.

At that point, great wisdom would be required in managing an occupied northern Cyprus left without military forces. The speaker stresses that this would not be simple.

It would require restraint not only from Turkish Cypriots and settlers but especially from ourselves.

Above all, it would require control over our own emotions and patience to see our lands free.

A time is said to come when Cypriots will walk down the streets and, out of every five people, three will be foreigners, and only two will be Cypriots.

People will supposedly search for donkeys and be unable to find them.

The speaker jokingly adds that this would not be for picturesque farms or tourist attractions. He comments that everything in Cyprus has become focused on tourism, and some people tell him not to speak about such matters because it could harm tourism.

Out of fear, he says, people want to present Cyprus as a safe country.

All of this, he explains, means that Cyprus is part of humanity, and humanity as a whole will suffer.

The world war that is said to follow the events involving Turkey will emerge when people see a massive crisis developing there.

If Western powers intervene, a major war could break out around Constantinople (Istanbul) and its surrounding areas, leading to a very complex and severe conflict.

 

Saint Porphyrios

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The Elder Porphyrios was lying on his little bed and said to me:

“Tell me, here where I am sitting, can you sit too?”

“Of course, Elder,” I replied. “Why wouldn’t I be able to?”

“Well,” he said to me in his gentle and charming way, “are you crazy? You will fall on top of me and I will suffocate!”

“Well yes, Elder, you must stand up so that I can sit,” I added, correcting myself.

“Ah! Bravo, bravo. That is how it happens with our soul in relation to Christ and the Antichrist. When Christ is enthroned in our soul, can the Antichrist have any place there?”

“No, Elder.”

“That is why, my child, I tell you this. We do not have Christ in our soul. If we did, the devil would not even come near us.

Unfortunately, we are not careful, and the accursed one enters inside. Christ, who is very gentle, stands at the door and knocks. If we open to Him, He enters.

But the devil — if he finds even a tiny opening, he enters shamelessly, and once he gets in, he does not leave easily! That is why we must be very careful in our lives, so that we do not give the devil a place.

Many times we are careless and either we mention him, or we send our children, our wife, our husband, or other people towards the devil through our words and actions…”

Saint Porphyrios

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