Athos elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit is known in the religious world, and especially widely - in his homeland, in Greece. About a dozen books have been written about him. The best and most complete are "Memories of Elder Porfiry" by Anastasisos Zavara, as well as "Elder Porfiry - Spiritual Father and Mentor" by George Krustallaki. Almost all books are written in Greek and have not been translated into Russian.
Biography
Elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit was born on February 7, 1906 in the village of Agios Ioannis, which is located on the Greek island of Euboea. Named Evangelos Bairaktaris at birth. His family was very poor but pious.
Received only a few grades of primary education. In 1918 he was admitted to the Kavsakalyvian monastery, which is located on Mount Athos. Received the monastic name Nikita and lived there for 6 years as a novice.
In 1924 he went to Avlonari, to the monasteryHieromartyr Harlampy. The reason was the strongest ailment, which was successfully cured in this sacred place. The elder himself had a miraculous gift of healing.
For a long time he lived in the monastery of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, located in Ano Vafea, where he devoted himself entirely to serving God and people.
In 1938 he received the rank of archimandrite for his many services.
In 1940, Elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit moved to Athens, where he became the parish priest of the Church of St. Gerasimos. This place became his home for many years, until his retirement in 1973.
But even in retirement, the priest continued to benefit others. In subsequent years, he founded the Hesychastirium of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Miles.
Having received the news of his imminent death, the clergyman returned to his cell of the Kavsokalyvian skete, where he humbly met death away from worldly life.
Date of death of Elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit - December 2, 1991.
The face of saints
This is a list of the names of people who have been canonized, that is, canonized for eternal veneration. It includes clergymen who have made a great contribution to religion with their labors.
Porfiry was glorified as a saint by the Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople on December 1, 2013.
Name naming
In 1926, the priest met with fellow countryman Porfiry Sinai.
As a sign of admiration for the spiritual qualities of the young monk, the honorary archbishop named him after himself and ordained him inthe rank of presbyter (“elder”, “elder” is the canonical, oldest name for the priesthood of the second degree in the Christian religion).
Certainly, this was a great honor for the priest. Elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit - this name is known to many in modern spiritual society. The clergyman proudly carried it through his life.
Serving God
Religion from childhood helped and supported Elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit. According to the Bible and liturgical books, he managed to study the initial reading and writing. At the age of 12, he discovered the life of St. John Kalyvit. As often happens with great people, I was inspired by creativity and decided to follow his path, devoting himself to serving God.
After that, as a child, he ran away from his parents and boarded a ferry that went to Mount Athos. There he met two elders from the Kavsakalivian skete, who took him under their spiritual guardianship. They raised him in absolute, unquestioning obedience, which in adulthood grew into humility. This quality and love for God permeate all his advice and instructions.
Crowds of people were waiting for the opportunity to get to him for confession. The priest worked tirelessly from day to day. Confessions lasted for many hours almost without interruption. This went on for many years.
During his religious activity, Elder Porfiry helped thousands of people heal from spiritual and physical wounds.
Love for Athos
Attachment to the native land and the first place of service - St. George's cell, priestcarried through life.
Destiny was such that he could not be there for most of his existence. This is due to a serious illness - pneumonia, which he received at the age of 18. Despite the treatment, the return to Athos caused a relapse of the disease, so the elders were forced to send him away forever. The monk was very upset by this, as he dreamed of settling in this cell forever.
Fortunately, in the last years of the priest's life, the Lord decided to fulfill his desire and allowed him to return to his homeland. The elder spent two years there.
On the holy Mount Athos, Elder Porfiry was buried. His last words were lines from the Gospel: "Let all be one".
Literary heritage
The young priest, like St. John Kalivitus, who so admired him, wrote several works. His literary works have made a huge contribution to religion.
It is worth noting that these works were not compiled into collections by the priest himself. The books of Elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit about life were published by the Monastery of the Picturesque Spring.
Life and words
The main and most popular of them is the work of the elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit "Life and Words". The collection was translated into Russian in 2005.
The unique text is a real storehouse of wisdom, captivates the reader with its simplicity and liveliness from the first lines.
The work is a transcribed recording made on a tape recorder by the spiritual children of a clergyman.
In it, the elder describes the events of his life,tells many amazing stories that happened to him. He says that it is not worth telling a lot, but he does it out of love for his spiritual children and God.
The publication of the book in Russian caused mixed reviews in the religious community. Some people found it very interesting and exciting. Scripture based teachings.
And some clergy have strongly criticized the work, saying that it contains spiritual charm (delusion and deceit, charm caused by something).
Instead of simple moralizing, the elder told stories from his life. Perhaps if he had given a dry lecture or talked about what he had read somewhere, his advice would not have become so known. It is easier for each person to understand their mistakes by the example of other people.
Elder Porfiry did not separate spiritual and worldly life, as is customary for most people. He believed that this impoverishes and belittles the greatness of human life, such as God created it.
Speaking of love for God, the elder noted that it is similar to natural love, only it does not have a carnal character. Divine love is more serene, poignant and deep.
The priest himself was a whole person and helped other people to become one - to find their place, to find peace and humility. Live a happy life.
The spiritual teachings of Porfiry Kavsokalivit are relevant and uplifting. They encourage you to believe, pray, and love Christ.
Flower book of advice
Elder PorfiryKavsokalivit wrote another, no less famous book - "The Flower Book of Councils".
Let's take a closer look at what it is about. The work contains chapters with main characteristics on the following topics:
1. Love of Christ:
- Existence without Christ is meaningless. He is life, joy and light.
- Love for God is boundless.
- Love for him makes life easier, frees from committing sins.
- Nothing spiritual comes without suffering.
- Humility and love make life happy.
- Don't expect love from others, but love everyone yourself.
2. Diseases:
- The main thing is the he alth of the soul.
- Bodily ailment has an enlightening meaning.
- No need to ask God to get rid of the disease.
- Bodily weakness is a silent sign of the Lord's love.
- The medicine is important, but not of paramount importance.
- During an illness, do not reject the advice and recommendations of doctors. But the most important thing is to have confidence in God's love.
3. Suicide:
- People who are suicidal, Porfiry Kavsokalivit's "Flourist" of advice recommends changing the environment that has a negative impact;
- relatives should pray a lot for them;
- to communicate with deeply religious people;
- only prayers, not advice and condemnation, can save a person from suicide.
4. Marriage:
- God is pleased with both family life and monastic life;
- God gives the kind of spouse you ask for.
5. Quarrels:
- if there is humility in the heart, then it sees good in everything;
- strong relationships with loved ones help to enter unattainably into the Love of Christ.
6. Loan:
- better to lend without expecting a return;
- you cannot fight against temptation with impatience and selfishness;
- humility and other virtues purify from passions.
7. Judgment:
- need to respect the freedom of every person, looking at the world around with infinite mercy;
- God through the events of life suggests the answer;
- no need to condemn a person, because then evil only grows;
- the color book of Elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit says that everyone needs to enter the Uncreated Church, otherwise they will not get into the Heavenly Church;
- The Church is eternal and uncreated;
- relationships with church leaders are very important, they will help prayer be heard by God.
8. Prayer:
- mother of all blessings;
- born out of love for Christ;
- best help for those in need;
- personal sanctification is the greatest mercy towards loved ones.
Let's dwell here in more detail, since Porfiry Kavsokalivit treated prayer with extreme reverence.
Man seeks joy and consolation in prayer, God teaches him to pray. Every soul is looking for something heavenly, everything that exists is turned to it.
Prayer is a conversation with the Lord, love it. It brings divine light into the human soul. After all, in it is the kingdom of God within you.
The holy spirit itself intercedes for what to pray for,sighs inexpressible.
It is necessary to turn to God in prayer as humble slaves, with a begging and pleading voice. Then she will be pleasing to the Lord.
Before the crucifixion, stand in reverence and ask for mercy.
Accepting grace from God, a person himself becomes grace-filled. Sees the world around him with different eyes.
The result of diligence will be fun, divine joy.
Prayer can't be learned, the other person won't teach. Only the Lord himself can do this.
Let the imperishable light of divine knowledge shine on everyone who prays and believes in our Lord.
Thus, we imperceptibly love God without violence, effort and exploits.
9. Repentance:
- confession is the path of a person's movement towards God;
- Christianity is freedom;
- after confession, it is better to convey your love to parishioners.
10. Praise:
- Wise words of Elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit: "First reprimand, and then praise";
- through praise, a person feels your love.
11. Love:
- everyone has the right to choose between conjugal and God's love;
- marriages should be for love and spiritual we alth, keeping the commandments of Christ.
12. Death:
- do not turn to faith just for fear of death;
- death is only the road to eternity;
- for those who are in the Church of Christ, there is no death.
13. Conviction:
- you can't make others responsible for your troubles;
- don't judge sin even if you see it;
- not everyone who committed a crime is a villain.
14. Monks:
- you need to choose monasticism at the call of your heart;
- should try to help worldly people in every possible way;
- choose a monastery of your own choice.
"The Flower Book of Advice" by Elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit can teach a lot, but in general I would like to conclude that the main thing for a person is to be at peace not only with God, but also with himself. Otherwise, a person is forced to do things that are not characteristic of him. This is a terrible state, characteristic of people in whom absolute confusion reigns in their souls. At the same time, a person experiences a strong emotional shock.
To prevent this from happening, you need to monitor your condition. Always turn to prayer, to God. This is the path to release and acceptance.
Separately worth talking about the topic related to pregnancy, childbirth and parenting.
Elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit about children
The priest paid a lot of attention to this issue. Elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit's words about the upbringing of children also referred to unborn babies. Here are the main elements of his worldview:
- The upbringing of a child begins from the moment of conception. If there is no love between spouses, the child will have a problematic character.
- Children whose parents do not give enough love are the same orphans as in an orphanage.
- It is better not to hold back indignation at children, because by doing so you cause them a huge emotionalwound.
- One should not think badly either of children or of one's other neighbors.
- You can't underestimate little kids because they don't understand anything.
- Fear and anxiety are passed on from mother to child.
- Pregnancy is a sign of high reverence from God.
- During pregnancy, you need to talk to the baby and stroke the belly.
- Because of the sins of the parents, the child may get sick.
- Love is more important than education.
- You can't swear in front of children.
- Elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit also spoke about the upbringing of children of confused parents. When they conflict with each other, a negative atmosphere sets in at home. And problems in such families with the upbringing of children have been going on since the woman's pregnancy.
In general, we can conclude that any problems with children come from their parents. Speed, lack of desire to commit sins, patience, meekness and peacefulness will provide the child with a calm and happy life.
Prayer is the spiritual “caress” of a child. Parents should not forget to practice it.
The more the mother prays, the more the child feels and accepts pious thoughts.
With all the importance of prayer, church rituals, confession, we must not forget about the simple joys of life: a beautiful sunset, the fragrance of flowers, the meaning of water. Because everything is the creation of the Lord. Enjoying the beautiful nature, we also communicate with him. Also art - music comes from God. It has a beneficial effect on the human soul, heals it.
Byzantinesinging
We have briefly reviewed the most important topics in Porfiry's teachings. There are many more useful tips, you can get acquainted with them in detail in the works of the elder themselves. And we will talk about singing, another aspect that the priest was extremely worried about.
Porfiry Kavsokalivit loved Byzantine singing, believed that it was permeated with humility. Athos singers, in his opinion, sang simply and touchingly, trying to help the praying monks with their music.
The singing of civilians is also beautiful, but sometimes smug. It interferes with enjoying the performance.
You need to sing humbly, avoiding excessive facial expressions and waving hands and other movements. On the kliros (elevation near the altar) stand silently and calmly.
In order for the music to reach the worshipers, it is necessary to live it, let it pass through you. Causes bliss, joy, thanksgiving.
Music should be pious, kind. Then it will be useful - these qualities will be transferred to the parishioners.
Byzantine church chant is a whole teaching. Called to soften people, awaken in them the love of God or strengthen it as much as possible.
Remembering his favorite holy Mount Athos, Porfiry Kavsokalivit assured that everyone should come there and listen to the local monks sing. Their singing, in which they put their whole soul and faith in God, causes great tenderness and humility, takes them to the spiritual world.
Secular music, in his opinion, is not so preferable. But if you want to listen to it, it is better to choose works without words. This kind of music has a spiritual impact.
Athos elder
Elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit devoted his life to serving man and God. Possessed many spiritual qualities: healing people, love for everything around, patience and meekness. He could see the very essence of objects and phenomena, and also looked deep into the human soul.
The instructions of the Athonite elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit have a variety of directions. They also concern the family, the relationship of spouses with children and among themselves, human sins and other issues that concern worldly residents.
Despite the poor he alth and illness that brought him suffering, the clergyman never asked God to heal him and lived a long life.
The great legacy of the elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit "Life and Words" contains many teachings and wise advice. They help people live, believe in God to this day.
The importance of the advice of Elder Porfiry Kavsokalivit on raising children is immeasurable. Prayer is the main way to fill a child's heart with joy and piety.
