Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Attica and Boeotia | January 30, 2026
Passing through the month of
January, we see it filled with feasts of great Saints who shone forth from the
angel-like Monastic State. Notably mentioned are: Basil the Great, Gregory the
Theologian, John Chrysostom, Athanasius, Cyril, Synkletiki, Macarius,
Theodosius the Cenobiarch, and, of course, among the least of the “Teachers of
the Desert,” Euthymios and Anthony the Great. But even the leader of the tenth
angelic rank, which will be formed by the holy Monks and Nuns—John the
Forerunner—is also splendidly honored during January.
On the occasion of all these holy
figures whom our Church, boasting, sets before us as examples to be emulated, I
wish to express certain thoughts regarding Monasticism.
To begin with, the world, which
is in complete ignorance or even under prejudice, considers Monasticism to be a
useless waste of a life, that one must be disappointed with life in order to
become a Monk, or that the Monastery is slavery. To all those who express
opinions without having knowledge (a fact which renders them unwise), the wise
Solomon responds:
“They (the Righteous) seemed, in
the eyes of the senseless, to have died, and their departure was considered a
misfortune, and their going from us a destruction; but they are in peace.”
So also in the case that concerns
us: someone dedicates himself to God, and many hasten to say, “what a pity” or
“poor child,” while in reality the Monk is peaceful and joyful, because, first,
he is fulfilling the desire of his heart, and second, he knows that dedication
to God is the highest thing a person can choose.
In contrast to characterizations
such as “servitude” or “slavery,” Monasticism constitutes the perfect path
toward the freedom of the soul, given that the Monk is called, through
obedience to his spiritual superior, to cast off his own will and to expel his
egoism. This is true freedom! It is not freedom for a person to be able to do
whatever he wants, for if circumstances at some point prevent him from
fulfilling his desire, then he will reveal his worst self: either he will
become aggressive, or he will fall into depression.
Monasticism is a spiritual
wrestling-ground, where at first it receives man spiritually weak and trains
him, so that he may be able to wrestle with the powers of evil and his passions
and emerge victorious, receiving the unfading crown from God Himself.
Monasticism is an exceptional university.
A university, indeed, even for material arts at times, but primarily a
university of holiness. Just as a young student enters a secular university
and, through proper guidance and personal toil, manages to obtain a degree and
become a scholar, so also when someone enters the Monastery, through the
guidance of the Abbot (or the Abbess, in the case of women) and through his
personal struggle and the mercy of God, he succeeds in becoming flooded with
the Light of holiness.
Of course, for all these things
to be accomplished, labor, self-denial, and above all, obedience are required
from the Monk. Without struggle, the crowns are not attained. If a Monk—or even
a layperson—receives a command from his spiritual father (who himself, of
course, is also obedient to his own spiritual superior), but this command does
not please him, resulting in his not carrying it out and instead pursuing his
own will, then clearly the Grace of God does not cooperate, and the Monk never
succeeds in reaching freedom, spiritual strength, and holiness.
All the above are, of course, not
the product of imagination, but a simple testimony of the experience of the
God-bearing Saints, as we are taught through their Synaxaria.
Characteristic is the example of
the Great and God-bearing Father Anthony. Without having attended universities,
without having left behind writings, without preaching eloquent sermons,
through the sole experience of the Angelic Life he had reached such a level of
holiness that he radiated a superluminous spiritual light and magnetized
multitudes of souls. Merely by seeing him walk—without even his face being
visible due to the cowl he wore—those in the world were captivated by his
sanctity and hastened to follow him, leaving behind the vain and perishable
things of the world. Thus, the Saint emptied the cities and filled the desert
with souls dedicated to God, meriting entirely the worthy title: “founder of
the desert.” And indeed, when hundreds of souls were placed under his spiritual
supervision, the Saint cared for one thing alone—with every sacrifice and at
any cost (even if some perhaps regarded him as “strict,” as is often the case
with those who seek order and progress): to cleanse souls from sin, to help
them attain holiness, and to lead them safely into the hands of the Living God,
into the Church Triumphant.
Moreover, the Monasteries are the
lungs of society, in the sense that they offer spiritual oxygen to the faithful
who, out in the world, often feel as though they are “suffocating” under
burdens, anxieties, and sin. In the Monasteries, they have the opportunity to
receive inner reserves to continue the struggle of life: they venerate
wonderworking icons, holy relics, and sacred heirlooms; they feel closer to
God; they receive counsel, consolation, and support from the Monks and Nuns;
and in many cases, they are even supported materially. For all these reasons,
the world must awaken and revive the habit that Christians once had: to visit
the Monasteries in order to regain their footing and to receive Light—for, as
Saint John of the Ladder says: God is the Light of the Angels, the Angels are
the Light of the Monks, and the Monks are the Light of the laypeople.
If now our society is in a tragic
condition, let us imagine in what state it will find itself if Monasticism were
ever to vanish.
Let us stand aright!
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