His family
Elder Porphyrios was born on the 7th of February 1906, in the village of
St. John Karystia, near Aliveri, in the province of Evia. His parents
were poor but pious farmers. His father's name was Leonidas Bairaktaris
and his mother's was Eleni, the daughter of Antonios Lambrou.
At baptism he was given the name Evangelos. He was the fourth of five
children, and the third child of the four that survived. His oldest
sister, Vassiliki, passed away when she was a year old. Today, only his
youngest sister, who is a nun is still alive.
His father had a monastic calling but obviously did not become a monk.
He was, however, the village cantor, and St. Nectarios called upon his
services during his journeys through the area, but poverty forced him to
emigrate to America to work on the construction of the Panama canal.
His childhood years
The Elder attended the school in his village for only two years. The
teacher was sick most of the time and the children didn’t learn much.
Seeing the way things were, Evangelos left school, worked on the family
farm and tended the few animals that they owned. He started working from
the age of eight. Even though he was still very young, in order to make
more money, he went to work in a coal mine. He later worked in a
grocer's store in Halkhida and in Piraeus.
His father had taught him the Supplicatory Canon (Paraklisis) to the
Mother of God (Panagia), and whatever else of our faith he could. As a
child he developed quickly. He himself told us that he was eight years
old when he first started shaving. He looked much older than he actually
was. From his childhood he was very serious, industrious and diligent.
Monastic calling
While he was looking after the sheep, and even when working in the
grocer’s store, he slowly read the life story of St. John the
Hut-dweller. He wanted to follow the example of the saint. So he set off
for Mt. Athos many times, but for various reasons he never made it and
returned home. Finally, when he was about fourteen or fifteen years of
age, he again left for Mt. Athos. This time he was determined to make it
and this time he did.
The Lord, who watches over the destinies of us all, brought about things
in such a way that Evangelos met his future spiritual father, the
hieromonk Panteleimon, while he was on the ferry boat between
Thessaloniki and the Holy Mountain [Mt. Athos] Father Panteleimon
immediately took the young boy under his wing. Evangelos was not yet an
adult, and so should not have been allowed on the Holy mountain. Fr.
Panteleimon said he was his nephew and his entrance was assured.
The monastic life
His elder, Fr. Panteleimon, took him to Kavsokalyvia to the Hut of St.
George. Fr. Panteleimon lived there with his brother Fr. Ioannikios. The
well-known monk, the blessed Hatzigeorgios had once lived there too.
In this way, Elder Porphyrios acquired two spiritual fathers at the same
time. He gladly gave absolute obedience to both of them. He embraced
the monastic life with great zeal. His only complaint was that his
elders didn’t demand enough of him. He told us very little about his
ascetic struggles and we have few details. From what he very rarely said
to his spiritual children about it, we can conclude that he happily and
continuously struggled hard. He would walk barefoot among the rocky and
snowy paths of the Holy Mountain. He slept very little, and then with
only one blanket and on the floor of the hut, even keeping the window
open when it was snowing. During the night he would make many
prostrations, stripping himself to the waist so that sleep would not
overcome him. He worked; wood-carving or outside cutting down trees,
gathering snails or carrying sacks of earth on his back for long
distances, so that a garden could be created on the rocky terrain near
the Hut of St. George.
He also immersed himself in the prayers, services and hymns of the
Church, learning them by heart while working with his hands. Eventually
from the continual repetition of the Gospel and from learning it by
heart the same way, he was unable to have thoughts that were not good or
that were idle. He characterized himself, in those years, as being
"forever on the move."
However, the distinguishing mark of his ascetic struggle was not the
physical effort he made, but rather, his total obedience to his elder.
He was completely dependent upon him. His will disappeared into his
elder’s will. He had total love faith and devotion for his elder. He
identified himself completely with him, making his elder’s conduct in
life his own conduct. It is here that we find the essence of it all. It
is here, in his obedience, that we discover the secret, the key to his
life.
This uneducated boy from the second grade, using the Holy Scriptures as
his dictionary, was able to educate himself. By reading about his
beloved Christ he managed in only a few years to learn as much as, if
not more than, we ever did with all our comforts. We had schools and
universities, teachers and books, but we did not have the fiery
enthusiasm of this young novice.
We do not know exactly when but certainly not long after reaching the
Holy Mountain, he was tonsured as a monk and given the name Nikitas.
The visitation of divine grace
We should not find it strange that divine grace should rest upon this
young monk who was filled with fire for Christ and gave everything for
His love. He never once considered all his labors and struggles.
It was still dawn, and the main church of Kavsokalyvia was locked.
Nikitas, however, was standing in the corner of the church entrance
waiting for the bells to ring and the doors to be opened.
He was followed by the old monk Dimas, a former Russian officer, over
ninety years old, an ascetic and a secret saint. Fr. Dimas looked around
and made sure that nobody was there. He didn’t notice young Nikitas
waiting in the entrance. He started making full prostrations and praying
before the closed church doors.
Divine grace spilled over from holy Fr. Dimas and cascaded down upon the
young monk Nikitas who was then ready to receive it. His feelings were
indescribable. On his way back to the hut, after receiving Holy
Communion in the Divine Liturgy that morning, his feelings were so
intense that he stopped, stretched out his hands and shouted loudly
"Glory to You, O God! Glory to You, O God! Glory to You, O God!"
The change wrought by the Holy Spirit
Following the visitation of the Holy Spirit, a fundamental change took
place in the psychosomatic makeup of young Monk Nikitas. It was the
change that comes directly from the right hand of God. He acquired
supernatural gifts and was vested with power from on high.
The first sign of these gifts was when his elders were returning from a
far-away journey, he was able to "see" them at a great distance. He
"saw" them there, where they were, even though they were not within
human sight. He confessed this to Fr. Panteleimon who advised him to be
very cautious about his gift and to tell no-one. Advice which he
followed very carefully until he was told to do otherwise.
More followed. His sensitivity to things around him became very acute
and his human capacities developed to their fullest. He listened to and
recognized bird and animal voices to the extent that he knew not just
where they came from, but what they were saying. His sense of smell was
developed to such a degree that he could recognize fragrances at a great
distance. He knew the different types of aroma and their makeup. After
humble prayer he was able to "see" the depths of the earth and the far
reaches of space. He could see through water and through rock
formations. He could see petroleum deposits, radioactivity, ancient and
buried monuments, hidden graves, crevices in the depths of the earth,
subterranean springs, lost icons, scenes of events that had taken place
centuries before, prayers that had been lifted up in the past, good and
evil spirits, the human soul itself, just about everything. He tasted
the quality of water in the depths of the earth. He would question the
rocks and they would tell him about the spiritual struggles of ascetics
who went before him. He looked at people and was able to heal. He
touched people and he made them well. He prayed and his prayer became
reality. However, he never knowingly tried to use these gifts from God
to benefit himself. He never asked for his own ailments to be healed. He
never tried to get personal gain from the knowledge extended to him by
divine grace.
Every time he used his gift of discernment, (diakrisis) the hidden
thoughts of the human mind were revealed to him. He was able, through
the grace of God, to see the past, the present and the future all at the
same time. He confirmed that God is all-knowing and all-powerful. He
was able to observe and touch all creation, from the edges of the
Universe to the depth of the human soul and history. St. Paul’s phrase
"One and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each
one individually as He wills" (1.Cor.12:11) certainly held true for
Elder Porphyrios. Naturally, he was a human being, and received divine
grace, which comes from God. This God who for reasons of His own
sometimes did not reveal everything. Life lived in grace is an unknown
mystery for us. Any more talk on the matter would be a rude invasion
into matters we don’t understand. The Elder always pointed this out to
all those who attributed his abilities to something other than grace. He
underlined this fact, again and again, saying "It’s not something
that’s learnt. It’s not a skill. It is GRACE."
Return to the world
Even after being overshadowed by divine grace, this young disciple of
the Lord continued in his ascetic struggles as before, with humility,
godly zeal and unprecedented love of learning. The Lord now wanted to
make him a teacher and shepherd of His rational sheep. He tried him out,
measured him up, and found him adequate.
Monk Nikitas never but never thought of leaving the Holy Mountain and
returning to the world. His divine all-consuming love for our Savior
drove him to wish and to dream of finding himself in the open desert
and, except for his sweet Jesus, completely alone.
However, severe pleurisy, finding him worn down from his superhuman
ascetic struggles, caught hold of him while he was gathering snails on
the rocky cliffs. This forced his elders to order him to take up
residence in a monastery in the world, so that he could become well
again. He obeyed and returned to the world, but as soon as he recovered
he went back to the place of his repentance. He again fell ill; this
time his elders, with a great deal of sadness, sent him back into the
world for good.
Thus, at nineteen years of age, we find him living as a monk at the
Monastery Lefkon of St. Charalambos, close to his birthplace.
Nevertheless he continued with the regime he had learnt on the Holy
Mountain, his psalms and the like. He was, however, forced to scale down
his fasting until his health got better.
Ordination to the Priesthood
It was in this monastery that he met the Archbishop of Sinai, Porphyrios
III, a visiting guest there. From his conversation with Nikitas he
noticed the virtue and the divine gifts that he possessed. He was so
impressed that on the 26th of July 1927, the feast of St. Paraskevi, he
ordained him a deacon. The very next day, the feast of St. Panteleimon,
he promoted him to the priesthood as a member of the Sinaite Monastery.
He was given the name Porphyrios. The ordination took place in the
Chapel of the Holy Metropolis of Karystia, in the Diocese of Kymi. The
Metropolitan of Karystia, Panteleimon Phostini also took part in the
service. Elder Porphyrios was only twenty-one years old.
The Spiritual Father
After this the resident Metropolitan of Karystia, Panteleimon appointed
him with an official letter of warrant to be a father confessor. He
carried out this new "talent" that was given him with humanity and hard
work. He studied the "Confessor’s Handbook." However, when he tried to
follow to the letter what it said regarding penance, he was troubled. He
realized that he had to handle each of the faithful individually. He
found the answer in the writings of St. Basil, who advised, "We write
all these things so that you can taste the fruits of repentance. We do
not consider the time it takes, but we take note of the manner of
repentance." (Ep.217no.84.) He took this advice to heart and put it into
practice. Even in his ripe old age he reminded young father confessors
of this advice.
Having matured in this way the young hieromonk Porphyrios, by God’s
grace, applied himself successfully to the work of spiritual father in
Evia until 1940. He would receive large numbers of the faithful for
confession every day. On many occasions he would hear confession for
hours without a break. His reputation as a spiritual father, knower of
souls, and sure guide, quickly spread throughout the neighboring area.
This meant that many people flocked to his confessional at the Holy
Monastery of Lefkon close to Avlona, Evia. Sometimes whole days and
nights would pass by with no let-up and no rest, as he fulfilled this
godly work, this sacrament. He would help those who came to him with his
gift of discernment, guiding them to self-knowledge, truthful
confession and the life in Christ. With this same gift he uncovered
snares of the devil, saving souls from his evil traps and devices.
Archimandrite
In 1938 he was awarded the office of Archimandrite from the Metropolitan
of Karystia, "in honor of the service that you have given to the Church
as a Spiritual Father until now, and for the virtuous hopes our Holy
Church cherishes for you" (protocol no. 92/10-2-1938) as written by the
Metropolitan. The hopes of whom, by the grace of God, were realized.
Priest, for a short time at the parish of Tsakayi, Evia and to the Monastery of St. Nicholas of Ano Vathia
He was assigned by the resident Metropolitan as a priest to the village
of Tsakayi, Evia. Some of the older villagers cherish fond memories of
his presence there to this day. He had left the Holy Monastery of St.
Charalambos because it had been turned into a convent. So, around 1938
we find him living in the ruined and abandoned Holy Monastery of St.
Nicholas, Ano Vathias, Evia, in the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan of
Halkhida.
In the desert of the city
When the turmoil of the Second World War approached Greece, the Lord
enlisted His obedient servant, Porphyrios, assigning him to a new post,
closer to his embattled people. On the 12th of October 1940 he was given
the duty of temporary priest to the Chapel of St. Gerasimos in the
Athens Polyclinic, which can be found on the corner of Socrates and
Pireaus Street, close to Omonia Square. He himself requested the
position out of the compassionate love he had for his fellows who were
suffering. He wanted to be near them during the most difficult times in
their lives, when illness, pain and the shadow of death showed the
hopelessness of all other hope except for hope in Christ.
There were other applicants with excellent credentials who were also
interested in the post, but the Lord enlightened the director of the
Polyclinic. Humble and charming, Porphyrios, who was uneducated
according to the standards of the world but wise according to God, was
chosen. The person who made this choice later expressed his amazement
and joy in finding a true priest saying, "I found a perfect father, just
like Christ wants."
He served the Polyclinic as its employed chaplain, for thirty whole
years and then in order to be of service to his spiritual children who
sought him there, voluntarily, for a further three years
Here as well as the role of chaplain, which he carried out with complete
love and devotion, celebrating the services with wonderful devotion;
confessing, admonishing, healing souls and many times bodily ailments
too, he also acted as spiritual father to as many of those that came to
him.
"Yes, you yourselves know that these hands were provided for my necessities and for those who were with me." (Acts 20:34)
Elder Porphyrios, with his lack of academic qualifications, agreed to be
chaplain of the Polyclinic for a salary of next to nothing. It was not
enough to support himself, his parents and the few other close relatives
who relied on him. He had to work for a living. He organized in
succession, a poultry farm and then a weaving-shop. In his zeal for
services to be celebrated in the most uplifting manner, he applied
himself to the composition of aromatic substances which could then be
used in the preparation of the incense used in divine worship. In fact
in the 1970’s he made an original discovery. He combined charcoal with
aromatic essences, now censing the church with his own slow-burning
charcoal that gave off a sweet fragrance of spirituality. He never, it
seems, revealed the details of this discovery.
From 1955 he leased the small monastery of St. Nicholas, Kallisia, which
belongs to the Holy Monastery of Pendeli. He systematically cultivated
the land around it, putting in a lot of hard work. It was here that
wanted to establish the convent which he eventually built elsewhere. He
improved the wells, built an irrigation system, planted trees, and
tilled the soil with a digging machine that he worked himself. All this
together with duty, twenty-four hours a day, as chaplain and confessor.
He valued work highly and would allow himself no rest. He learnt from
experience the words of abba Isaac the Syrian, "God and his angels find
joy in necessity; the devil and his workers find joy in idleness."
Departure from the Polyclinic
On the 16th February 1970, having completed thirty-five years of service
as a priest, he received a small pension from the Hellenic Clerical
Insurance Fund and left his duties at the Polyclinic. In essence,
however, he remained until his replacement arrived. Even after that he
continued to visit the Polyclinic to meet his great number of spiritual
children. Finally, around 1973, he minimized his visits to the
Polyclinic and instead received his spiritual children at St. Nicholas’
in Kallisia, Pendeli, where he celebrated the liturgy and heard
confession.
My strength is made perfect in weakness
Elder Porphyrios, in addition to the illness that forced him to leave
Mt. Athos, and that kept his left side especially sensitive, suffered
with many other ailments, at various times.
Towards the end of his service at the Polyclinic he became ill with
kidney trouble. However, he was operated on only when his sickness was
in its advanced stages. This was because he worked tirelessly despite
his illness. He had become used to being obedient "unto death." He was
obedient even to the director of the Polyclinic, who told him to put off
the operation, so that he could celebrate the services for Holy Week.
This delay resulted in him slipping into a coma. The doctors told his
relatives to prepare for his funeral. However, by divine will, and
despite all medical expectations, the Elder returned to earthly life to
continue his service to the members of the Church.
Some time before that, he had fractured his leg. Related to which is a
miraculous instance of St. Gerasimos’ (whose Polyclinic chapel he
served) concern for him,.
In addition to this his hernia, from which he suffered until his death,
worsened., because of the heavy loads he used to carry to his home, in
Turkovounia, where he lived for many years,
On the 20th August 1978, while at St. Nicholas, Kallisia, he had a heart
attack (myocardial stroke). He was rushed to the "Hygeia" hospital,
where he remained for twenty days. When he left the infirmary he
continued his convalescence in Athens in the homes of some of his
spiritual children. This was for three reasons. Firstly, he couldn’t go
to St. Nicholas, Kallisia, as there was no road and he would have to
walk a long way on foot. Furthermore, his house in Turkovounia did not
even have the most basic comforts. Finally, he had to be near to
doctors.
Later, when he had settled into a temporary shelter in Milesi, the site
of the convent he founded, he had an operation on his left eye. The
doctor made a mistake, destroying the sight in that eye. After a few
years the Elder became completely blind. During the operation, without
Elder Porphyrios’ permission, the doctor gave him a strong dose of
cortisone. The Elder was particularly sensitive to medication, and
especially to cortisone. The result of this injection was continuous
stomach-haemorraghing which returned every three months or so. Because
of his constantly bleeding stomach he couldn’t eat regular food. He
sustained himself with a few spoonfuls of milk and water each day. This
resulted in him becoming so physically exhausted that he reached the
point where he could not even sit up straight. He received twelve blood
transfusions, all of them in his accommodation at Milesi. In the end,
although he was again at Death’s door, by the grace of God he survived
From that time on, his physical health was terribly compromised.
However, he continued, his ministry as a spiritual father as much as he
could, all the time confessing for shorter periods and often suffering
from various other health problems and in the most frightful pain.
Indeed, he steadily lost his sight until in 1987 he became completely
blind. He steadily decreased the words of advice he gave to people, and
increased the prayers he said to God for them. He silently prayed with
great love and humility for all those who sought his prayer and help
from God. With spiritual joy he saw divine grace acting upon them. Thus,
Elder Porphyrios became a clear example of St. Paul the Apostle words,
"My strength is made perfect in weakness."
He builds a new convent
It was a long held desire of the Elder’s to found a holy convent of his
own, to build a monastic foundation in which certain devout women, who
were spiritual daughters of his, could live. He had vowed to God that he
would not abandon these women when he left the world because they had
been faithful helpers of his for many years. As time went on it would be
possible for other women who wanted to devote themselves to the Lord to
settle down there.
His first thought was to build the Convent at the place in Kallisia,
Pendeli, which he had leased in 1955 from the Holy Monastery of Pendeli.
He tried to persuade the owners many times either to donate or sell him
the land required. It was to no avail. It now seemed that the Lord, the
wise regulator and provider of all, destined another place for this
particular undertaking. So the Elder turned his sights to another area
in his search for real estate.
In the meantime, however, with the co-operation of his spiritual
children, he put together the legal charter for the foundation of the
Convent and submitted it to the proper church authorities. Since he had
not yet chosen the specific place where his convent would be built, he
identified Turkovounia in Athens as the place where it would be founded.
Here he had a humble little stone house, which, without even the basic
comforts, had been his impoverished abode since 1948.
Elder Porphyrios did not do anything without the blessing of the Church.
Thus, in this instance he sought and received the canonical approval
both of His Eminence the Archbishop of Athens and of the Holy Synod.
Although the relevant procedures had started in 1978, it was only in
1981, after overcoming much procedural bureaucracy and other
difficulties, that he was privileged enough to see the "Holy Convent of
the Transfiguration of the Savior" recognized by a Presidential decree
and published in the governmental gazette.
The search for a suitable site to establish the Convent had been started
by the Elder long before his stroke, when he was more than certain that
it wouldn’t be at Kallisia. With extreme care and great zeal, he
searched tirelessly for a site which would have the most advantages.
When his strength had moderately recovered after the stroke and when he
felt he could, he continued the intense search for the place he wanted.
He spared no effort. He traveled around the whole of Attica, Evia and
Viotia in the cars of various spiritual children of his. He looked into
the possibility of building his convent on Crete or some other island.
He worked unbelievably hard. He inquired about hundreds of properties
and visited most of them. He consulted many people. He traveled for
thousands of kilometers. He made countless calculations. He weighed up
all the factors; and finally he selected and purchased some property on
the site of Hagia Sotira, Milesi by Malakasa, Attica, near Oropos.
Early in 1980 he took up residence on this property at Milesi, which had
been bought for the construction of a convent. For more than a year at
the start, he lived in a mobile home under very difficult conditions,
especially in winter. Afterwards he settled into a small and shabby
house in which he suffered all the hardship of three-months of
continuous stomach-haemorraghing and where he also received numerous
blood transfusions. The blood was donated with much love by his
spiritual children.
The construction work, which the Elder followed closely, also began in
1980. He paid for the work from savings that he, his friends and his
relatives had made over the years with this aim in mind. He was also
helped by various spiritual children.
The building of the Church of the Transfiguration
His great love for his fellow man was centered upon guiding them to the
joy of transfiguration according to Christ. Together with St. Paul the
Apostle, he implored us, his brothers and sisters, through God’s
compassion "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good and
acceptable and perfect will of God." (Rom.12:2). He wanted to guide us
to the state in which he lived, according to which, "We all with
unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being
transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the
Spirit of the Lord." (2 Cor.3:18)
This is why he also called his Convent the "Transfiguration" and why he
wanted the church to be dedicated to the Transfiguration. Finally,
through his prayers, he influenced his fellow workers in this venture
and succeeded in his aim. After much consultation and hard work on the
part of the Elder, a simple, pleasing and perfect design was arrived at.
In the meantime, through the canonical intervention of His Eminence the
Archbishop of Athens, the local Metropolitan (whose seat falls within
the Athenian Archdiocese), gave permission for the church to be built
within his jurisdiction, at Milesi.
The laying of the foundations took place at midnight between the 25th
and the 26th February, 1990 during an all night vigil in honor of St.
Porphyrios, Bishop of Gaza, the Wonderworker. Elder Porphyrios, sick and
unable to climb the eleven meters down to the ground where the
cornerstone was to be laid, with great emotion, offered his cross for
the cornerstone. From his bed he prayed, using these words: "O Cross of
Christ, make firm this house. O Cross of Christ, save us by Your
strength. Remember, O Lord, Your humble servant Porphyrios and his
companions..." Having prayed for all those who worked with him, he
directed that their names to be placed in a special position in the
church, for their eternal commemoration.
The work of building the Church (out of re-enforced concrete) began
immediately. Accompanied by the Elder’s prayers, it progressed without
interruption. He was able to see with his spiritual eyes - for he had
lost his natural sight many years before -, the church reaching the
final stages of that phase of its construction. That is to say, at the
base of the central dome. It actually reached this point on the day of
the Elder’s final departure.
He prepares his return to the Holy Mountain
Elder Porphyrios had never emotionally left Mt. Athos. There was no
other subject that interested him more than the Holy Mountain, and
especially Kavsokalyvia. For many years he had a hut there, in the name
of a disciple of his who he visited on occasion. When he heard in 1984
that the last resident of St. George’s hut had left for good and taken
up residence in another monastery, he hastened to the Holy Great Lavra
of St. Athanasios, to whom it belonged and asked that it be given to
him. It was at St. George’s that he had first taken his monastic vows.
He had always wanted to return, to keep the vow made at his tonsure some
sixty years earlier, to remain in his monastery until his last breath.
He was now getting ready for his final journey.
The hut was given to him according to the customs of Mt. Athos, with the
monastery’s sealed pledge, dated 21st September 1984. Elder Porphyrios
settled different disciples of his there in succession. In the summer of
1991 there were five. This is the number, that he had mentioned to a
spiritual child of his some three years before as the total that
indicated the year of his death.
Return to his Repentance
During the last two years of his earthly life he would frequently talk
about his preparation for his defense before the dread judgment seat of
God. He gave strict orders that if he should die here, his body should
be transported without fanfare and buried at Kavsokalyvia. In the end,
he decided to go there whilst he was still alive. He spoke about a
certain story in the Sayings of the Fathers:
A certain elder, who had prepared his grave when he felt his end was
near, said to his disciple, "My son, the rocks are slippery and steep
and you will endanger your life if you alone take me to my grave. Come,
let us go now that I am alive." And surely his disciple took him by the
hand and the elder lay down in the grave and gave up his soul in peace.
On the eve of the Feast of the Holy Trinity, 1991, having gone to Athens
to confess to his very old and sickly spiritual father, he received
absolution and left for his hut on Mt. Athos. He settled in and waited
for the end, prepared to give a good defense before God.
Then, when they had dug a deep grave for him according to his
instructions, he dictated a farewell letter of advice and forgiveness to
all his spiritual children through a spiritual child of his. This
letter, dated June 4 (Old Calendar) and June 17 (New Calendar), was
found amongst the monastic clothes that were laid out for his funeral on
the day of his death. It is published in full on pages 57-58 of this
book and is just one more proof of his boundless humility.
"Through my coming to you again"
Elder Porphyrios left Attica for Mt. Athos with the hidden intention of
never returning here again. He had spoken to enough of his spiritual
children in such a way that they knew they were seeing him for the last
time. To others he just hinted. It was only after his death that they
realized what he meant. Naturally, to those who would not be able to
stand the news of his departure, he told them that he would be coming
back. He said so many things about his death, either clearly or in a
cryptic way, so much so, that only the certainty of those around him
that he would survive like all the other times (a hope born of desire),
can possibly explain the suddenness of the announcement of his death.
Maybe he himself hesitated like St. Paul the Apostle, who wrote to the
Phillipians, "For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to
part and be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless, to remain in
the flesh is more needful for you." (Phil.1:23-24) Maybe...
His spiritual children in Athens were constantly calling upon him and he
was twice forced to return to the Convent against his will. Here, he
gave consolation to all those who needed it. On each occasion he stayed
only for a few days, "that our rejoicing for him would be more abundant
in Jesus Christ by his coming to us." (Paraphrasing the words of the
Apostle, Phil. 1:26.) He would then hurry back to Mt. Athos as quickly
as possible. He ardently desired to die there and to be quietly buried
in the midst of prayer and repentance.
Towards the end of his physical life he became uneasy over the
possibility of his spiritual children’s love affecting his wish to die
alone. He was used to being obedient and submitting to others. Therefore
he told one of his monks. "If I tell you to take me back to Athens,
prevent me, it will be from temptation." Indeed, many friends of his had
made different plans to bring him back to Athens, since winter was
approaching and his health was getting worse.
He sleeps in the Lord
God, who is all-good, and who fulfills the desires of those who feared
him, fulfilled Elder Porphyrios’ wish. He made him worthy of having a
blessed end in extreme humbleness and obscurity. He was surrounded only
by his disciples on Mt. Athos who prayed with him. On the last night of
his earthly life he went to confession and prayed noetically. His
disciples read the Fiftieth and other psalms and the service for the
dying. They said the short prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy upon
me," until they had completed the rule of a great schema monk.
With great love his disciples offered him what he needed, a little
bodily and lot of spiritual comfort. For a long time they could hear his
holy lips whispering the last words that came from his venerable mouth.
These were the same words Christ prayed on the eve of his crucifixion
"that we may be one."
After this they heard him repeat only one word. The word that is found
at the end of the New Testament, at the conclusion of the Divine
Apocalypse (Revelation) of St. John, "Come" ("Yes, come, Lord Jesus")
The Lord, his sweet Jesus came. The saintly soul of Elder Porphyrios
left his body at 4:31 on the morning of the 2nd of December, 1991 and
journeyed towards heaven.
His venerable body, dressed in the monastic manner, was placed in the
main church of Kavsokalyvia. According to custom, the fathers there read
the Gospel all day, and during the night they held an all-night vigil.
Everything was done in agreement with the detailed verbal instructions
of Elder Porphyrios. They had been written down to avoid any mistake.
At dawn, on the 3rd of December 1991, the earth covered the venerable
remains of the holy Elder in the presence of the few monks of the holy
skete of Kavsokalyvia. It was only then, in accordance with his wishes,
that his repose was announced.
It was that time of day when the sky becomes rose-colored, reflecting
the brightness of the new day that is approaching. A symbol for many
souls of the Elder’s transition from death to light and life.
A brief sketch
The chief characteristic of Elder Porphyrios throughout his whole life
was his complete humbleness. This was accompanied by his absolute
obedience, his warm love and his unmurmuring patience with unbearable
pain. He was noted for his wise discretion, his inconceivable
discernment, his boundless love of learning, his extraordinary knowledge
(a gift very much from God and not form his non-existent schooling in
the world), his inexhaustible love of hard work, and his continuous,
humble, (and for that reason successful) prayer. In addition to this,
his pure Orthodox convictions, without any kind of fanaticism, his
lively but for the most part unseen and unknown, interest in the affairs
of our Holy Church, his effective advice, the many sides of his
teaching his long-suffering spirit, his profound devotion, and the
seemly manner of the holy services that he celebrated and the lengthy
offering which he kept carefully hidden unto the end.
As an Epilogue
a) "The one who comes to me I will by no means cast out." (Jn. 3:37)
Elder Porphyrios throughout his whole life received all those who came
to him; becoming, like St. Paul, "All things to all people in order to
save them."
All kinds passed by his humble cell; both holy ascetics and sinful
thieves, Orthodox Christians and people of other denominations and
religions, insignificant people and famous personalities, rich and poor,
illiterate and literate, lay people and clergy of all ranks. To each
one he offered the love of Christ for their salvation.
This does not mean that all those who went to the Elder or who knew him,
for however long, adopted his message or acquired his virtue, and thus
were as worthy of our complete trust as he was. A great deal of care,
vigilance and good sense is required, because as the Elder becomes well
known, the temptation will come to some people to claim some type of
attachment or connection with him. They will want to boast or to create
the false impression that they are speaking for him. Apart from pure
devotion and true love, apart from humble approach and honest learning,
there is also conceit and personal gain. Naivety exists, but so does
guile. Ignorance exists but so does error and deception.
In his final years Elder Porphyrios grieved about this a lot. That is to
say, many people passed themselves off as his spiritual children and
let it be hinted that they did what they did with the Elder’s blessing
or approval. However, the Elder neither knew them nor sanctioned their
activities. In fact he twice requested that relevant notices to be
written for the briefing of Christians. On both occasions he revoked the
order for their publication.
Here is one example. The Elder had taken a certain stance regarding
various ecclesiastical issues that were dividing the faithful. This was
known to very few people, who should have kept it confidential.
Sometimes, however, people came who followed or expressed the opinion of
one side or the other. It is not right to suppose that because a
certain person saw the Elder, the opinion which that person held was
then blessed by the Elder. If only we were obedient to the Elder! If
only those of us who approached him had embraced his advice and in
general his spirit!
His spirit generally speaking was one of absolute submission to the
"official" Church. He did absolutely nothing without her approval. He
knew from experience in the Holy Spirit that the bishops are bearers of
divine grace quite independent of their personal virtue. He perceptibly
felt divine grace and he saw where it was acting and where it wasn’t
acting. He graphically emphasized that grace is opposed to the proud,
but not to sinners, however humble.
For this reason, he didn’t agree with actions that provoked disputes and
conflicts within the Church or verbal attacks on bishops. He always
advised that the solution to all the Church’s problems should be found
in the Church and by the Church with prayer, humility and repentance. It
is better, he said, for us to make mistakes within the Church than to
act correctly outside it.
b) "Stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel." (Phil.1:27)
The Elder taught that the basic element of the Spiritual life in Christ,
the great mystery of our faith, is unity in Christ. It is that sense of
identifying with our brother, of carrying the burdens of one another,
of living for others as we live for ourselves, of saying "Lord Jesus
Christ have mercy upon ME" and for that "ME" to contain and to become
for ourselves the pain and the problems of the other, of suffering like
they suffer, of rejoicing like they rejoice, their fall becoming our
fall and their getting up again becoming our getting up again.
This is why his last words, his last entreaty to God, his last prayer,
his greatest desire was that we "become one." That was what he ached,
wished and longed for.
In this wonderful and simple way, how many problems were solved and how
many sins were avoided. Did my brother fall? I fell. How can I blame him
since I am at fault? Did my brother succeed? I succeed. How can I envy
him since I am the winner?
The Elder knew that because it’s our weakest point, it is here that the
evil one does greatest battle. We put our own interests first. We
separate ourselves. We want to flee the consequences of our actions for
ourselves only. However when such a spirit prevails, there is no
salvation for us. We must want to be saved along with everyone else. We
should, together with God’s saint, say, "If you don’t save all of these
people, Lord, then erase my name from the book of Life." Or, like
Christ’s apostle, wish to become accursed from Christ, for the sake of
my fellow man, my brothers and my sisters.
This is love. This is the power of Christ. This is the essence of God.
This is the royal way of spiritual life. We should love Christ who is
EVERYTHING, by loving His brothers and sisters, for whom the least of
which Christ died.
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