Reverend Father Nicodim, first of all, I would like to thank you for taking the time to speak to us briefly, for the benefit of the priests and the faithful in Romania, through the magazine Martyria. I would also like to thank Father Filoteu, who is translating our conversation.
Your Reverence, you have been the abbot of Filoteu Monastery for 15 years. You are visited almost daily by many bishops, priests, monks, theologians and ordinary Christians on pilgrimage, all seeking a moment of spiritual rest.
Yes. That is true. The Holy Mountain has its own fragrance of holiness because here many monks have laboured, waged the battle against the passions and attained the heights of holiness. Their prayers, which rise like blessed incense to heaven together with our humble prayers, are what sustain the flame of the Spirit, which brings joy and rest to those who come here with sincerity and zeal.
We live in a very troubled, turbulent world. I have noticed that Your Holiness are very well informed. The Holy Community constantly calls upon you to find solutions to contemporary problems, whilst, on the other hand, those who come here tell you everything that is happening in the world, so that you are well aware of what is taking place outside the Holy Mountain and you also recognise the wounds inflicted upon us by the worldly spirit.
In these times, the world is in turmoil because it forgets and neglects the purpose of life. If people were to weigh up this fleeting life against immortality, they would not hesitate. ‘Beware of all greed,’ says the Saviour, when He gives us the parable of the rich man whose fields had yielded a bountiful harvest. Greed was the problem, not wealth. A lack of moderation, and man’s hardening in his countless desires, have led to the point where he no longer knows how—and can scarcely bring himself—to stop accumulating, possessing, and constantly sorting out this and that. In this way, failing to stop in time, he no longer has time for prayer, nor for worship, nor even to listen to his own thoughts. We are often rushing about, even whilst carrying out tasks for the Church, but this must not supplant prayer or distance us from God. Let us do all things in moderation, except for love for one’s neighbour, which is a divine commandment. Here on the Holy Mountain we have night services which many believers enjoy. You have seen that they are held without fail. Almost no one is absent. Everyone is present every day, including a large number of pilgrims. It is from here that we must draw strength, from the divine altar.
Now you have touched upon another issue which I wished to bring to your attention. In the monasteries of Romania, the monks—especially those in the provinces (where they are most numerous)—work hard, excessively so. Fatigue robs them of the strength to take part in the holy services or the focus needed to pray. I shall not go into the issue of the cell canon here. How do you see a balance between work (obedience), church services and the cell canon?
As I said earlier: the poor monks, too, are affected by the pace of the world. Indiscriminate labour destroys, it does not build. Let us remember that the Egyptians, in order to make the Jews forget God, subjected them to continuous, exhausting labour. Now we also recall that parable which teaches that we cannot simply remain in contemplation; that is to say, we must also work for our daily bread. The balance between work, prayer and study, I would say, must be achieved by the abbot of the monastery. He carefully apportions each person’s duties so that no one is disadvantaged. Abbots will give an account before God for the way in which their monks were saved or, God forbid, lost. This reality frightens me, but I must say it. That is why, although here we have orchards and large gardens, a forest and a stone quarry, and countless duties at the church where we spend about 6–8 hours a day on ordinary days, no one misses a service without a valid reason. The elders of the monastery have a long-standing tradition of prayer, and we younger ones look to them when we tend to get carried away with administrative matters. Moreover, we often seek their advice and draw on their discernment in matters of the sacred.
‘Work without discernment destroys, it does not build… The balance between work, prayer and study, I would say, must be achieved by the abbot of the monastery. He carefully balances everyone’s duties so that no one is left at a disadvantage.’
Since we are on the subject of work and prayer, what can we say about the ordinary person who has long since moved away from an 8-hour working day, working instead 10, 12 or even 14 hours? Spouses no longer see each other, children do not see their parents, and on Sundays people would rather sleep than go to the Divine Liturgy. How can these people—parents, family men and women—be saved in this context, which is so discouraging for the life of the soul, and ultimately for the attainment of immortality?
I return to the point from which I began. The weapons possessed by the monks must also be adopted by the laity. Firstly, faith as devotion and the concern to be with Christ troubles you when you no longer see your wife or husband, when you are no longer raising your children, and when, quite simply, we eat, work and sleep. So only true faith can help us to endure. Let us be content with less (of earthly things), but let us make time for daily prayer, which is our spiritual oxygen. A lack of trust in God’s will and care makes our days agonising and stressful. These tensions and dissatisfactions can even lead to physical illness. Christians should therefore make time for regular confession to their spiritual father. Who can put into words just how cleansing and soothing the forgiveness received in confession is, and the clarity of thought we experience after we have confessed? Do you realise that this cleansing of the soul renews us? It brings the forgiveness that we can obtain from no one but Christ through the hands of the priest, through whom He works according to His own promise and command. People should teach their children from a young age to pray, take them to confession and to receive Holy Communion, but first explain to them why such things are good.
I was asking you how Christians can be saved in today’s world?
They should pray whilst out and about, whilst driving, and listen to prayers on the radio – I understand you have a Church radio station and a TV channel.
Yes, Radio Trinitas and Trinitas Television.
You can’t even imagine how much good these bring into people’s homes. Of course, they mustn’t replace going to church with listening to or watching religious programmes. But we must create ways to remember God. I tell everyone to read the Psalms, prayers to the Mother of God, to the Saviour, and to their patron saint during work breaks and whenever they have a spare moment. How could God not help them when they do not forget Him and trust in His power, mercy, forgiveness and help? Let us not offend God by asking Him for money or worldly success. Let us be serious: He knows these things and grants them to us in abundance when we are obedient to His will, to His commandments which free us from our lusts and from destructive sins. Do you know the story of that holy hermit whom, upon seeing him, the Christian pilgrims coming to his monastery forcibly made him a bishop in their city? And the poor man, seeing the affairs of the diocese, began to rush about trying to resolve them, neglecting his former routine—that is, the prayer which entrusts all one’s cares and thoughts to God. As things went on like this, in time he began to feel anxious and lamented that he could not resolve them all. One sleepless night, consumed by his worries, he saw the Saviour in a vision and, falling at His feet, asked Him through his tears why he no longer had the peace he had enjoyed before becoming a bishop. Why did he now have so many worries and see no progress, whereas in the desert everything had gone smoothly of its own accord? The Saviour replied: ‘When you were a hermit, you entrusted yourself to My care and you lacked nothing; now, because you worry and rush about trying to sort things out on your own, without asking for My help, I have left you to manage on your own.’ So we see that, however busy we may be, we must not neglect to speak to the Saviour, to ask Him to help us. In this way, all our labours are transformed into prayer. This is the key. Let us not separate our daily tasks from prayer, from Christ, and we shall have joy, prosperity and salvation.
I must confess that I am impressed that Your Holiness has found a middle way between concern for the world and concern for the soul. In fact, the Holy Mountain has always offered balanced answers inspired by God. I would like to ask you, Most Reverend Father Abbot Nicodim, about priests. Your Holiness has served at the altar for over 20 years. Confessions, problems of all kinds and many other temptations that arise in the lives of priests are real challenges. I would like to ask you what priests should do to ensure their ministry is as effective as possible? How can they draw Christians closer to Christ?
My years of ministry, discussions with countless priests who come to our monastery and throughout the Holy Mountain seeking advice, and consultations with countless hierarchs from all over the world who visit here, havehave shown me that the most serious problem we spiritual fathers have to resolve is confession—that is, providing guidance and discernment on how a Christian can attain salvation, depending on the context in which they live and the preparation they have received. For to whom much has been given, much will be required. That is to say, first and foremost we must provide an answer, a testimony in this fallen world.
What testimony?
That God exists, that priests are worthy of belief through their devoted lives, faithful to Christ. People do not judge us, the priests, as they do ordinary people, with our failings and weaknesses; they do not accept that we should behave in the same way as they do, and quite rightly so. You cannot see the one to whom you confess arguing with neighbours or harbouring animosity towards people. You cannot see a priest walking about drunk, without his cassock, involved in revelries and practices that are reprehensible. If we turn the priesthood into a means of livelihood, of making money, by asking people for money for services, then we will lose the flock. Herein lies wisdom and faith: if we know and firmly believe that Christ guides and protects us, we need not fear being left without money. So He will give us everything we need. This is the advice I have given to the young priests who come to us: not to ask for anything, but to let Christ help them. Believe me, those who listened to me told me, with tears in their eyes, that it is incredible how much God has helped them so that they lack nothing. What I am telling you is true. Otherwise, we turn into tax collectors; we lose the holiness of the altar. Here in Greece, great care is taken to maintain the order of the church. Priests do not shorten the services and keep the churches spotlessly clean. It is a great sin, a desecration (a mockery of what is holy), to keep the church neglected and dirty, with the candlesticks and the censer uncleaned for years. What holiness, what a sense of awe can a person’s soul feel when entering a neglected church? You know what is said in Holy Scripture about those who desecrate holy things. If we have chosen the priesthood, we must accept the responsibility that comes with it. We are no longer ordinary people, with ordinary habits. Let us not forget this; we no longer belong to ourselves. That is why ordination is granted to those who have first been married. Why? Ordination is the final, supreme covenant we make, and it is irrevocable... So priests should seek out in their homes those people who do not come to church, not to make demands of them, but to get to know them. They should make time to talk to them, to give them books, to read from them; priests should appear to the laity as if from another world: the cassock, the beard, and bodily cleanliness are also aspects that make our message more readily accepted. Then, they should hear their confessions patiently, read prayers to them when needed, and perform their baptisms and weddings at a leisurely pace, without haste and with the fear of God. They should continually guide them. How can you bring them to church if there are no services? A young priest told me that people do not come to services and asked what the point was in holding them any longer. I told him that, out of love for his parishioners and for God, he should hold the services and pray that they would come. In the meantime, he should serve them as best he could. What do you think? He came back after about two years and told me it hadn’t been in vain. Now his church is full, after having had just two or three people at services for a whole year. You see, Your Holiness, it also depends on the shepherd. It is because of the shepherd that the sheep wander astray… The priest should look after the children, help them grow fond of the church, assist the elderly, and not be indifferent to their needs. In other words, he should be a true father to them all. But for this, true faith and a calling are needed. Woe betide those priests who are negligent or indifferent. God’s rebuke will catch up with them even in this world. But blessed will be those pastors who love their flock. I have seen how much light and joy, and how much meaning, there is in their lives. May His mercy spare us from punishment.
‘Herein lies wisdom and faith: if we know and firmly believe that Christ guides and protects us, we do not fear running out of money… Otherwise, we become tax collectors and lose the holiness of the altar.’
Most Reverend Father Abbot, please convey a message to the priests and Christians who will read the guidance you have given thus far.
We see that today the work of evil is overt; ironically, it is enshrined in law under the guise of freedom and human rights. But because we did not give ourselves life, it must be lived in balance, love and faith. Only faith in Christ brings about these things. Man becomes free when he is no longer ruled by passions or destructive desires. He is not free when he indulges them, but when he exercises self-restraint. Faith in God brings us immortality; it is worth living out our faith as the only necessary reality. Who can rule over the earth? We perish, as the Psalm says, like the grass of the field, as though we had never even been on earth. But God, through His love, makes us eternal if we obey Him and love one another. Those who lead others to the faith have a great chance of salvation. Anyone who believes they are living out their faith whilst being indifferent to those around them is terribly mistaken.
Archimandrite Nikodim is the abbot of the Holy Monastery of Philotheou on Mount Athos, the 12th in the sequence of the 20. The interview was conducted in the summer of 2016 by the Most Reverend Archimandrite Dr Policarp Chițulescu, a clergyman at the Radu Vodă Monastery in Bucharest and Director of the Holy Synod Library.