The Cave of “Rejoicing”

Greek source: The Invisible Hermits of Athos, by Monk Vlasios the Athonite, Tertios Publications, pp. 127–128.

 

 

Opposite the cell of Saint Neilos, to the north, lies the solitary kellion of Saint Euthymios.

Today, five or six monks live in asceticism in this cell. Their Elder is the very aged and highly experienced ascetic, Father Joachim.

He himself related the following story to me:

“My Elder, the spiritual father, Father Nektarios, had a fellow brother-monk named Gerasimos.

One day, then, the monk Gerasimos took a basket and went out—after it had rained—to gather snails.

About an hour’s walk from our cell, toward ‘Krya Nera’ [‘Cold Waters’], lies the solitary cell of Saint Artemios.

Father Gerasimos was making his way up this path, gathering snails as he went.

About midway between these two cells—that is, half an hour above our cell—he turned off to the left of the path into rough and rocky terrain, searching for snails.

At one point he found himself before a cave. As soon as he caught sight of the cave, he perceived a fragrance and felt a sense of rejoicing in his soul.

For the entire time that he was looking at and examining the cave, he felt this rejoicing in his soul.

Little by little, without realizing it, he moved away from the cave as he continued searching for snails.

Once he had found enough, he returned, descending toward our cell.

When he met his fellow brother-monk, Father Nektarios, he told him about the cave he had seen and about the rejoicing he had felt in his soul.

Father Nektarios immediately asked him to go with him to the place where he had seen the cave.

When they had gone up and made their way well along the path, and had reached approximately that place, no matter how much they searched and no matter how hard they tried, they were unable to locate the cave that Monk Gerasimos had seen.”

 

Online: https://armenisths.blogspot.com/2011/07/blog-post_2470.html