The splashing of the waves and the incense of the Monastery rise along with the prayers of the Faithful at this place of infinite spirituality, where nature, humanity and divinity blend to a unified wholeness and holiness
Labels: At Mount Athos, Xenaphontos Monastery
posted by Chandrankunnel at
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Mount Athos – Thousand Years of Asceticism and Spirituality
Mount Athos is the embodiment of asceticism, spirituality, silence and Orthodox religious life and Byzantine culture. There is a saying in the Orthodox Church that ‘when Mount Athos is healthy (with numerous monks), then Orthodox Church is healthy. Almost thousand years of uninterrupted coenobitic life and ascetic practices identified with hard work and incessant prayer still flourish in this island of isolation, solitude and prayer. Common people come to this place to recharge themselves with the experience prayer life, stillness that pervade in the peninsula of Athos. All kinds of external temptations of the mind are eliminated, including the presence of all varities of females including women and instruments like camera, video and even tape recorders. Monks with long beards who cover their heads with long dark veils continuously recite the prayer, ‘Lord Jesus, have mercy on me’ (known as Jesus prayer) and count the number of the thousands of these recitals in the rosaries they carry along with them to concentrate their mind on the eternal and to contemplate on the Divine mysteries. Athos is in Greece, the land of Plato, who proposed that the goal of human life is the contemplation on the One, the Good and the Beautiful synonymous with the Indian terms, Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram. The heart of Athos is the twenty Christian Orthodox monasteries that were established from the very beginning of Christianity onwards.
Mount Athos haunted me after reading the book ‘A pilgrim’s Trails’ translated into Malayalam by the Sri Ramakrishna Monk Swami Siddhi Nadhanada in the early seventies. I devoured the book at a stretch and fascinated by the spiritual experiences of a Russian pilgrim, reciting the Jesus prayer thousands of times a day while travelling from Monasteries to Monasteries in Russia and ultimately travelling towards Mount Athos. A friend of mine who was also fascinated by the book tied a few rosaries together and started the Jesus prayer making the number even to 15000 a day. Later, a book on Mount Athos in the Dharmaram Library, Bangalore with the beautiful pictures of the Monasteries and the picturesque environment gave me the spiritual contours of the Mount Athos. Last year, a stay in the St. Gregory Palamas Orthodox Monastery in Mansfield, Ohio, USA intensified my dream of visiting Athos. The opportunity to visit Athos came as an invitation to the Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece, by Dr. Angeliki Ziaka. I stayed four days in two different monasteries during the Pentecost Celebrations. It was an enchanting experience with a spiritual effervescence.
In most of the monasteries, the evening prayer begins by 5.30 in the evening. I stayed in the Great and Holy Monastery of Vadopaidi, said to be established by the first Christian emperor, Constantine the Great, which was destroyed by Julian the Apostate and refounded by Emperor Theodosius as a thanks giving to the Blessed Virgin for saving his son from drowning, miraculously bringing him safely to the shore close to a bramble bush (vato – bramble bush; paedion – child) in the rough sea near Mount Athos. It was again re-established by three monks, Athanasius, Nicholas and Antonius in the 10th century after it was destroyed by the Arab pirates. At present, the monastery is flourishing with 100 monks and every year more than 20,000 Orthodox Christians make pilgrimage to this venerable place. The abbot, known in Greek as Igumenon, restricted the entry of new monks fearing that the closeness of the community might be lost by admitting more members. These 100 monks are from fifteen different countries. Majority are from Greece and a few from the English speaking world. Father Mathew, from USA, accompanied me in my stay in the Vadopaidi monastery. As usual everywhere, the monks donot disclose their previous life and Father Mathew was reluctant to speak about his past. He showed me and the other English speaking pilgrims, around the monastery, describing its historicity, spirituality and introduced us to the Venerable relics and the icons of the monastery. The Mount Athos monasteries and the Orthodox Churches have great veneration to the holy relics of the saints. The holy girdle of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the most important of all. It was belonging to St. Thomas the Apostle who came to India and somehow it reached in the hands of the Serbian King lazar who donated it to the Monastery in the 13th century. The other relics are, the skull of St. John Chrisostom, St. Gregory the Theologian, and the relics Apostle Andrew, the first martyr St. Stephen and a host of great orthodox saints relics are kept reverentially in the monasteries and exhibit it publicly during solemn liturgical celebrations and bless the community with them. The right ear of St. John Chrisostom who wrote the commentary to the letters of St. Paul, is still without decay. The tradition is that, St. Paul dictated the commentary to his right ear and hence it was still without defilement. Another interesting relic is that of St. Eudokimios. The saint’s name or any other details are unknown and hence the name means an unknown saint. In the nineteenth century when the cemetery was open, the saint’s body was found with fragrance and his hand holding a book. The members of the monastery believe that when the monk knew that his time was due went to the cemetery by himself and lied down there reading the Holy Scripture, awaiting death so that he might not give any trouble to his community members. His life was so exemplary that the relics emanated fragrance.
Another interesting place is the store room of the monastery. The oil for the lamp and the food are kept in huge concrete containers. Until recently, they had kept the oil in the ancient sarcophagus and the concrete containers are made in the same shape. The oil in the monastery was tested and said to be that it contains very minimal amount of acid in it. The monastery lives by the large endowments it receives from the lands it hold in different parts of the Orthodox Christendom. Many emperors and kings supported it with large endowments and land donations. However, many were taken back by other princes and had a tough time during the Turkish occupation. They were not physically harmed, but due to the burden of the excess of taxation, the monastic communities were broken and the monks distributed into small communities and it was almost dying with only twenty monks.
Many illustrious sons of Vadopaidi rekindled the flame of monasticism in Athos. Gregor Palamas, the great hesychast is one among them. He was the son of the Senator of Constantinople and joined the Vadopaidi monastery and revived the monastic communities. Later he became the Archbishop of Thessaloniki and gave leadership for the Orthodox Church. The Emperor John VI Catacuzene (1347-1354) supported the monastery with donations and gifts and embraced the monastic community after resigning from his post and taking tonsure as a monk with the name Joasaph. There were other princes and kings who joined the Vadopaidi monastic community. The king of Serbia who took the name as Symeon, his son Sabbas who followed his father and later became the Archbishop of Serbia and many Patriarchs of Constantinople like St. Niphon were the illustrious members of the Vadopaidi monastic community. Alfonso, the King of Spain, Francesco Morosini, the Commander of the Venetian Republic, Pope Eugenius were also protectors of the monastery and urged the Catholics to support the monastery financially.
There are three miracle working icons of Blessed Virgin Mary. These relics are the holy treasures of the monastery and they are very proud of proclaiming and exhibiting it. The Paramythia icon of Blessed Mother is a peculiar picture. As if Child Jesus is shutting her mouth with his little hand and the mother is pushing that little hand down and speaking. The legend behind the icon is that when the key of the gates is to be given by the gate keepers to the abbot after the night prayers in front of the icon of Blessed Mother, Blessed Mother started speaking and her mouth was shout by the Child Jesus in her hands and spoke “please mother, let them perish because they are not following the rules and are not to my heart”. Hearing this Blessed Mother pushed down the little hands and warned the abbot that the next day they should not open the gates because the pirates were hiding behind the gates to enter and pillage the monastery and hence be watchful. Also she admonished the abbot to listen to her son and change the life of the monks so that it might become pleasing to her son. So the icon depicts the care and the compassion of the blessed Mother towards the monks and the wider humanity. The other icon is named “Antiphonetria” meaning the one who retorts. There are different versions of the legend, some say that Pacidia, the daughter of Emperor Theodocious and others, Theodora, wife of Theodosius, arrived at the Holy Mountain Athos and ventured to enter the Church breaking the custom where only the monks were expected to enter and then the icon cried aloud that “this place reserved for the monks”. This cry established the restriction of women in the Holy Mountain. Even the female animals are not allowed to enter. One monk told me that the reason behind that is the animals will have to be taken care and the rearing of those animals can distort the prayer life of the monks and hence that was also prohibited.
On the Pentecost day it was so solemn. The whole monk community assembled in the Katholikon, (the Church) started chanting psalms and other prayers. The abbot Ephraim, on this special occasion dressed up with distinct official colourful vestments attached with small bells and the official staff led the prayer. The melodious musical prayer of the abbot takes the participants to an ethereal level. As the sun sunk down, the Katholikon (church) is lighted with tens of olive lamps covered with glasses of different colours hung from the ceiling in different heights. There is a huge circular crown hanging from the ceiling at the centre of the church decorated with ostrich eggs and numerous candles. A huge chandelier is also hanging in the middle of the crown, is also lighted with wax candles of different dimensions and olive oil lamps. As the prayers reach its zenith and the singing heightens the chandelier and the crown is swung by a monk. No electrical lights or instruments are used in the chapel. The wall paintings, the silver and golden decorations around the sacred icons and the Church are illuminated by the candles and lamps and the glittering reflections from the golden and silver decorations and the moving shadows along with the rising rolls of incense and the ringing bells along with the monks’ deep ethereal voice of chants create a divine milieu of indescribable beauty and unfathomable holiness that takes the soul of the participant to a spiritual ecstasy. The prayers and the chanting went on till very early morning, almost 2.30 am. It was one of the magnificent liturgy I ever participated whose impressions would ever be imprinted and immortalised in my mind.
In the Vadopaidi monastery, then seven in the morning by six monks along with the abbot conducted the mass. During the mass, the six holy relics are taken in procession and the celebrants blessed the community with them. In the Orthodox Church, the mystery aspect of the Jesus event is given more importance and hence the Church is divided at the altar with many icons and there are only three windows through which the deacons and the ministers come and bless the people. So there is not much the faithful can see at the altar. The deacons and the main celebrant come a few times with the incense, and also for blessing. During important occasions the faithful venerate the icons by bowing before it and kissing them. At the end of the mass, communion is distributed and only a few receive it. The others are given blessed bread and wine. After the mass, there is breakfast which is almost like a brunch.
The Athonite monasteries are vegetarians and during feasts fish is allowed. A sumptuous meal was prepared for the guests and the monks. Almost 100 guests and the 100 monks altogether, the large refectory was full. The main table of the abbot was facing the altar in the church and the community waits for the arrival of the abbot. He comes with the special vestments and the long tunic is held in hand by one of the monk attendants. As the abbot is coming, the bells attached to the vestments started ringing and the rhythmic sound, resembled the arrival of a majestic elephant in my country, India. As he arrived, there was a prayer song initiated by the abbot and the monks and the faithful sat in different places. At the top, on a reading table, a monk started reading from one of the spiritual books and it continued till the abbot made the signal for the close of the meal which was ended again a prayer.
Huge fish chops were served along with wine, bread, smashed potatoes and a mix of vegetables. It was indeed a delicious meal. After the meal, again a piece of bread and wine is distributed. Only the Orthodox Christians are allowed to receive it just like the case of communion. The hurt of centuries, due to the attack and pillage on the Byzantine Church and the monasteries by the Catholic Crusaders, the Spaniards and the French still imprinted in the members of the monasteries. In the 13th century, emperor Michael VIII Palaeologus tried to bring reunion between the Christian East and West and organised the Council of Lyons (1271). The supporters of the reunion returned from the council and imposed their ideas on the Athonite monasteries and those who opposed it were brutally attacked and hanged the abbot Euthymius and St. Cosmos, the administrator of Vadopaidi and drowned 12 monks in the bay of Kalamisti. I prayed during the services, for the unity of the Church, so that all Christians may come together and celebrate the mysteries of the divine saviour. The walls of misunderstanding and prejudices are yet to be torn down from all sides.
Due to the flood of many pilgrims, Fr. Mathew arranged for me another monastery, Xenophontos. Before departure, he specially gifted me with relics that touched the girdle of Blessed Mother and three small jars of oil filled from the Church lamp which all has the power of miracles. When I asked him, whether I can have a photograph with him and he told me that he should have the blessing from the abbot. Fr. Mathew and Fr. Nicodemus were my guardians and they gifted me with their friendships and addresses and were requesting me to come back again and stay with them for more days. With the smile and chanting still lingering in my mind with the play of shadows and glittering light imprinted in my heart with full of joy, excitement and spiritual thrill I descended the mountain and boarded the ship again to reach the Xenophontos monastery.
It is near the sea shore and the room allotted to me was very close to the sea shore. I could see the blue sky reflected on the water and the splashing of the waves on the shore as if like a repetitive recitation of the Jesus prayer. As usual, at 5.30 in the evening there was evening prayer and as I was going for it after my rest, I met the abbot Alexios, and he gave me big smile of welcome and hug. He could not speak English and listening to me, he announced in Greek to the pilgrims who are around the courtyard that were there anybody who could translate and there came a person whom I later found to be a three star General from the armed forces of Greece. He welcomed very cordially and invited me for the services. I told him that I am Catholic priest from India, belonging to the Syro Malabar Church and he was so pleased to hear about the Thomas Christians of India. Many pilgrims came from Athens and they support the monastery who became very good friends of mine.
The holy and great Xenophontos monastery is dedicated to St George was founded by Blessed Xenophon around 998 AD. In 1078, it was refounded by Stephen, a senior judge in the Court of Constantinople who renounced the world powers and joined the community of monks with the name Symeon. With his wealth and the imperial grants, he rebuilt the monastery and embellished the Katholikon. The imperial charter established the monastery and ever after it received the protection of the emperors. The monastery has the relic of St. George and some of the beautiful icons of St. George reflects, his regal as well as saintly personalities. The icon of Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Hodegetria (she who guides) is one of the famous miracle working icons in the possession of the monastery.
The special prayers for the Pentecost were started and it was like in Vadopaidi, very moving. The lighting of the lamps, the candles, the swinging of the chandler along with the crown were all so fantastic and the Greek chanting of prayers written by the great monks of the Orthodox tradition. There were several genuflections and the blessing with the relics all followed. The Katholikon of the Xenophotos monastery is so richly decorated and that itself shows the ethereal beauty and holiness of the place. After that supper was arranged for all then I went for a walk in the Monastery premises.
The premises are very beautiful with the vegetable gardens the monks cultivate. They have planted chilly, beans, potatoes, tomato etc. Some of plants are heavy with their fruits and hence each plant was strengthened with a support. I saw some monks were plucking leafs from the branches of a tree and I also joined with them. They were collecting leaves to be mixed with flowers and to be poured on the floor of the cemetery chapel because the next day was the celebration of the memorial for the dead. The leaves have fragrance and the collection of the leaves and the decoration of the church went very late in the evening. In the cemetery chapel, the remains of the monks are collected together. There are 1500 skulls of the past inmates of the monastery and all of them are kept in sections like, skull together, large thigh bones and arm bones in a well ordered manner. The monk who was cleaning the premises was dealing with these remains as a relic. An awesome experience of the death and the hope of resurrection were in the air.
The prayer started early in the morning and it was again an experience of joy and hope symbolised by the rich liturgical signs in the mass and the prayers which was translated to me by the pilgrims. The significance of the impending death of man and the certitude of resurrection reflected in the faces of the celebrants and the faithful. With his ethereal voice, the abbot Alexios who led the celebration enchanted the community. As usual, the solemn procession with the relics and the blessing with them are followed. Communion was distributed and the abbot was kind enough to greet me with a piece of bread which was a much more open gesture from the Vadopaidi monastery. When the whole celebration was over, the pilgrim community greeted the abbot and the monks and I had a wonderful interaction with the members of the monk community and the pilgrims. The forty member pilgrim group from Athens support the Monastery and they are there for the major feasts. Some of them were leaders in the society, playing the roles of Generals, Commanders, doctors and ordinary business men. Some of them, especially Anastasios Malamas, a commander in the Greek Navy, with his son Alexandros, a employ in the Greek bank Alpha, became very good friends of mine. A sumptuous brunch with fish followed which was very tasty.
Mount Athos is now healthy; each monastery is thriving with new members. Many are aspiring to become members and they are on wait. Pilgrims come and give life to the monasteries, to share the experiences and bring back to the external world the spirituality that is often discarded from the globalized world led by market forces. To the soulless globalization, it is spirituality that gives life and places like this and many others are once again becoming relevant. The twenty monasteries that is in Mount Athos is now on renewal; the fire of asceticism and detachment led many youngsters to seek refuge and discover meaning there. One could find specialized medical doctors with master degrees, professors, scientists, lawyers and from all walks of life leading the ascetical life. The spiritual renewal of Athos is led by Father Joseph the elder who joined the Athos as a very young seeker and went through trials and tribulations and reached the highest stage of spirituality, capable of reading others minds and spiritually elevating them. His followers are invited to lead six monasteries and his close follower is instrumental in the rejuvanization of Vadopaidi, Xenophontos etc. Rationalism, humanism, secularism and many other intellectual movements that denied and ignored the immediacy of the spiritual and separation of faith from rationality in the twentieth century, are retreating, accepting the power of the spirit and the presences of the Divine and Its revelation in human history.
The four days after immersing myself in the spirituality of the Mount Athos, I left Athos with the pilgrims from Athens and Thessaloniki. Spiridion and Nikolas from Thessaloniki, two practicing lawyers, gave me a lift in their car to Thessaloniki and I was picked up by my friend Dr. Angeliki Ziaka. This spiritual abode of peace, solitude and asceticism calls me always back with its deep impressions of holiness and disenchantment with the world reminding us to be alone with the One, the Good and the Beautiful, as Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram, emphasized by both the Western and Eastern Masters alike..
By
Chandrankunnel, at 7:59 PM
Dear Fr.Chandrankunnel,
I wish you all success in your search for truth in the complex world of different religions,cultures and the present day tendency to simplify everything digitally.
Living in harmony should be the aim for humanity.It is the duty of world leaders to transcend boundaries to nable populations to live in harmoy and benefit from merits and assets of each other.
From,
Dr.MJ Jacob
Delhi,
India.
By
MJ Jacob, at 12:19 AM
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