Most people nowadays have been educated
in a secular way, so they live their lives rushing here and there with a
high ‘’secular’’ speed. Since they do not fear God, – the fear of the
Lord is the beginning of wisdom(Ps 111:10) – they have no use for
brakes, and as they speed everywhere without restraint, they fall off
the cliff. People are troubled by all kinds of questions; they walk
around in a daze. They have lost their direction. Everyday, more and
more people are losing control of their lives. If those who visit the
Holy Mountain are so confused and full of anxiety, imagine the confusion
of those who live their lives far from God and the Church.
In all nations, storms are
gathering; minds are confused. May God save this poor world of ours that
is blowing steam like a pressure cooker! Look at those in power! The
schemes they come up with! They throw it all into a pressure cooker, and
leave it, boiling and boiling; the cooker is whistling now! The steam
valve is ready to explode! I once asked a man who had a very high
position, ‘’Why do you neglect the things that matter most? What will
become of us?’’ He replied, ‘’Father, the evil that started as a few flakes
of snow has now turned into an avalanche. Only a miracle can save us.’’
Even the few who try to help are only making things worse. Instead of
taking the proper measures for improving education, for example, they
are making it worse. Rather than stop the avalanche, they are making it
bigger. At first, you only see a few flakes; but as the snow picks up,
it gets thicker and thicker. Chunks of it start rolling downhill turning
into snowballs. On their way down, they gather more snow, pieces of
wood and rocks, and as the whole thing keeps growing, it becomes an
avalanche. That’s what has happened with evil. Little by little it has
turned into an avalanche and is now coming down on us full speed. We
will need explosives to stop it.
- Are you agonizing over this,
Geronda?[An Elder(Gerondas) is a monk distinguished for his holiness,
his long experience in the spiritual life, and his special gift for
guiding the souls of others]
- Oh, why do you think my beard has
turned white? It hurts me twice. First, because I see evil things coming
and I shout warning to people, but no one pays attention – and it’s not
out of disrespect for me. Then, when something horrible happens, they
come and ask for my help. I can understand now what the prophets must
have gone through! They were the greatest of martyrs even though only a
few of them died a martyr’s death. The martyrs suffered much, but only
for a short time. The prophets, on the other hand, suffered all the time
because they could see what was really going on. Although they shouted
warnings, people went on with their usual ways. When, finally, it was
time and the wrath of God came on account of their deeds, the prophets
who lived among them were also affected. You see, back then, people did
not know any better; they had abandoned God and were worshipping idols.
Today, we may know and understand more things, but our idolatry is even
greater.
We have not yet realized that
the devil has set out to destroy God’s creation and all His creatures.
He has put together an alliance to destroy the world. And he is in a
rage, seeing how people are taking notice and are rightly concerned. He
has become even more vicious now because he knows that he has but a
short time(Cf. Rev 12:12). He resembles a criminal, who, when
surrounded, thinks to himself, ‘’There is no way out; they will get
me,’’ and he starts destroying everything around him. Or, he is like
soldiers at war who, having run out of ammunition, draw their bayonets
or swords and start slashing away at everything because they have
nothing to lose. They say, ‘’We are going to die anyway; let’s get as
many of the enemy as we can.’’
The world is on fire! Do you
understand? There is so much temptation. The devil has started such a
blaze that all the fire-fighters in the world will not be able to put it
out: it is a spiritual fire! There’s nothing left. And there’s no other
help for us: only prayer can save us now. We must pray to God to take
pity on us. You see, when a fire spreads and the fire-fighters can do
nothing about it, people are forced to turn to God and pray for Him to
send a heavy rain. It’s the same with the spiritual fire started by the
devil: we must all pray to God for Him to help us.
Wherever one turns, one thing
is clear: things are falling apart! It’s not, for example, that we have a
house, and we need to fix a window or something else. No; here it is
the entire house that is in shambles- worse yet, the entire village.
Things are spinning out of control. Only God can step in and stop it. He
has to roll up his sleeves, take a screwdriver, tighten the loose
screws, and with a slap here and a caress there, fix the mess. The world
has an inflamed wound, full of pus, that needs to be opened and
treated. But it’s too soon to open it now; evil must first run its
course as it did back in Jericho(Cf. Josh 6), a long time ago.
(ELDER PAISIOS OF MOUNT ATHOS-SPIRITUAL COUNSELS-WITH PAIN AND LOVE FΟR CONTEMPORARY MAN)
(”Γέροντες της εποχής μας”)
(”Γέροντες της εποχής μας”)