Father Iulian Lazăr is nearly ninety years old (88), a life on earth which he has spent in ceaseless prayer. And because of the purity of his heart, God has deemed him worthy of many answers to questions that have not even been spoken. ‘The Elder’ of Prodromou – as the Athonites affectionately call him – is a spiritual father of a kind one increasingly rarely encounters on earth: a monk who weeps with you over your sins and always heals the wounds of your soul with his counsel and prayers. A great fulfiller of the commandments, he is one of those of whom it was said that ‘whoever does and teaches these things will be called great in the kingdom of heaven’ (Matthew 5:19). He has a pure soul that mirrors heaven because of the sincerity of his heart, and when he rejoices, his whole face lights up, and it is a true delight to be in his presence at such times, for you feel as though you are sitting on the lap of a grandfather with a long beard who cherishes the childlike innocence of your soul. And yet, although he has a ‘kind heart and a gentle hand’ (as Father Arsenie Papacioc would say of spiritual fathers), he can also be very stern with your sins when he sees you persisting in them. But even in his severity (against sin, and never against the sinner!) his love for people shines through.
Because of the purity of his life, God has deemed him worthy of always being able to see (before you do!) where the ‘crack’ in your heart lies: the place through which the passions invade your soul. And it is precisely that place that Abba Julian teaches you to heal.
I went to see Abba Julian at the beginning of February (AD 2014) to seek his guidance, together with three good friends: Marian, Sorin and George. And this is what the Elder said to us one evening, when we complained about our many worldly cares and the lack of time for prayer:
Theosis
I can see that you are very busy people, and there would be much to say – if it were necessary to say it – but I believe what matters is to prepare yourselves in this life for the life to come. For God has given us this time and this life so that we may go to Him prepared. And we do not know – for it is not given to us to know – neither the moment nor the hour when we shall go to the Lord to give an account. For God did not create us without a purpose. And He announced that purpose right at the beginning of the Bible, in Genesis 1:26: ‘Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness.”’ But the following verse says that ‘God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him’, yet it makes no mention of likeness, because that was to be achieved by Adam. Therefore, this is the purpose of our life: deification, for it is written: ‘Be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect!’ (Matthew 5:48).
Prayer and Holiness
We do not know what He looks like, for, as we read in John 1:18, ‘no one has ever seen God’. This is true, but we can encounter Him in prayer. Go into your room, into your inner chamber, into your heart, and, first of all, think carefully about whom you are speaking to, and then say as I, an old man, teach you: ‘Lord, I thank You, Lord, for bringing me here to speak with You—me… the most sinful of men!’ And then sit and speak with God. For what does He want from us? To cast out from within us all the sins that defile us. At midnight, or even in the middle of the day—for we sin all day long—enter the innermost chamber of your soul and speak with ‘the One who cleanses all your transgressions’ (Psalm 102). And say then: ‘Forgive me, O Lord, forgive me, for I did not realise that these things took place before Your eyes! Yet I was heedless and did not think of You’. Do this day after day and learn to stand before God, for in this way you will be cleansed and prepared for the coming judgement. And in this way you will see your own smallness and the multitude of your sins, but also the greatness of God, Who ‘desires not the death of the sinner, but that he should turn and live’ (Ezekiel 33:11).
All prayers are beautiful, and it is good to read those in the Book of Hours or the Paraclis of the Mother of God; but if you have little time, stand before God as I have taught you and speak to Him from the depths of your heart. Do this, and you will come to feel God’s presence! And you will be aware that everything you do, you do in His presence! And remember once more that when your prayer ceases, that is when sin begins! Even the ceasing of prayer is a sin, for God has said: ‘Be holy!’, and I have never heard of saints without prayer. And the Apostle Paul told us to pray… ‘without ceasing’! Without ceasing, not just now and then. In those days there were neither priests, nor churches, nor monks: there was only a community of Christians in a pagan world. The Apostle told them to pray without ceasing, and this exhortation is just as relevant for you, those who feel you have no time for prayer, for even those in apostolic times did not know how much time they had left for prayer, as they were constantly under persecution.
The sickness of the soul
Now let’s look at it another way: we will pass on to the next life. We will die to this world: we suffer here, we suffer there… And when something hurts, we rush to the doctor and look after our bodies. But what about the sickness of the soul? Why do we not care for it in the same way? It may be that your soul is sick and you do not know why it is suffering. When your body falls ill, you go to the doctor seeking healing. In the same way, when your soul is in pain, you must seek solace and healing from your spiritual father. Know that the truly healthy person always has God in their heart. In the Gospel of Luke 17:21, if you have read it, you will know that it says: ‘The kingdom of God is within you’. And similarly, in 1 Corinthians 3:16, we find another passage that supports this: ‘Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?’ You see that the Apostle Paul poses the question: do you really not know that God dwells within you? This means that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. That is why the bodies of some saints do not decay, or give off a sweet fragrance, because throughout their earthly lives, they glorified God within themselves. All their lives they strove to sanctify themselves.
But what about the sickness of the soul? Why do we not care for it in the same way? It may be that your soul is sick and you do not know why it is suffering. When your body falls ill, you go to the doctor seeking healing. In the same way, when your soul is in pain, you must seek comfort and healing from your spiritual father. Know that a truly healthy person always has God in their heart.
Love and mercy
You know that ‘God is love’; indeed, the Apostle John writes in his first epistle: ‘Whoever does not love has not known God, because God is love’ (1 John 4:8). But in Luke 6:36 it says: ‘Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.’ Love and mercy. So this is what God seeks to find in the human heart: love and mercy. And if He finds them, then His kingdom will be in that heart. Everyone must ask themselves: is the kingdom of God within me? Do I possess such love and mercy? And if this is the case—and it certainly is, for God does not lie—then one ought to ask oneself: what thoughts ought to arise from my mind, if I am the temple of the Holy Spirit? That is why guarding one’s thoughts is of the utmost importance in the struggle against the adversary. Yet wickedness could not reach your hearts if they were full of love and mercy, for the Lord also says: ‘Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you’ (Matthew 5:44). What evil would still trouble you if you loved your enemies?
This is what God seeks to find in the human heart: love and mercy. And if He finds them, then His kingdom will be in that heart.
You must also know, however, that in 2 Timothy 3:12 it is written that ‘all who wish to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted’. So you must expect tribulations and troubles if you desire the kingdom of God, and as for those who persecute you, the Saviour tells you to pray.
Injustice and self-righteousness
The first thing that sickens the soul is a sense of entitlement. A strong-willed person can endure an ‘injustice’ peacefully and without hating the one who caused it.
St Isaac the Syrian says that ‘he who can endure an injustice and is able to right it has received comfort from God’.
This is certainly true. What would it be like if, instead of responding with hatred to an injustice, you were to smile kindly at your persecutor and pray for him? A good Christian ought not to have enemies. At least not of his own free will and knowledge. And not only for their sake: if you know that someone is taking offence because of you, go and ask their forgiveness; for if you harbour anger against them, two people will be caught up in hatred; but if you reach out to them with love, you might win them over and both of you may find peace. God has said to forgive, for then you too will be forgiven. And who does not need forgiveness? So why should you deny yourself forgiveness and take the law into your own hands, when you know that God will do it better, for He alone knows the hearts of men? Leave justice and reward to the Lord, and your soul will find peace in this way.
Zeal for God
And if your soul has found peace, seek now to have zeal for God. Spend as much time as possible in conversation with Him and keep the commandments He has given you so that you may attain eternal life. Persevere in fasting and prayer, for ‘without Christ we can do nothing’. Therefore, as far as possible, let us observe the fasts, for through them we protect ourselves. We are not murderers of the body, but we must humble it and discipline it through fasting and asceticism so that we may heal our souls. And we cannot do this without a spiritual father. When a person goes to their spiritual father and weeps for their sins, confessing them right from the time of their childhood, then that person becomes spiritually healthy. And if you become spiritually healthy, you cannot remain indifferent to the inner turmoil of others. And out of love for your neighbour, you must try to save their soul. You must, however, exercise discernment, for Christ said, ‘Do not give your pearls to swine, lest they trample them underfoot and, turning, tear you to pieces’ (Matthew 7:6). From now on, you must also be very wise, like serpents, so that you may win other souls for Christ and bring them to salvation.
‘Have you seen your neighbour? You have seen God,’ said Saint Clement of Alexandria.
Yes. As I said earlier about the image of God in man. Or as the Fathers used to say, ‘From your neighbour comes both your salvation and your condemnation’. If you have gone to your confessor and have not concealed any sin from him (or from God) and if you keep the canons… you will go to Heaven. But you must be sorry for your sins, otherwise you will not receive forgiveness from God. However, if you remain in contact with your spiritual father and endeavour to follow his advice, you will have a healthy soul and a zeal for holy things. Care must be taken, however, to ensure that no sins remain unconfessed, because in the world, in secular churches, the sacrament of repentance is difficult to fulfil. This is because there are many Christians, very few priests, and even fewer spiritual fathers. Consequently, the spiritual father no longer has enough time to examine the Christian’s soul, and the Christian may return home with sins (committed out of ignorance, for example) that have not been confessed. In days gone by, people used to keep a little notebook in which they wrote down their sins so as not to forget them at confession, but now, after communism has taken its toll on these poor people, this wholesome habit has been lost altogether.
In days gone by, people used to keep a little notebook in which they would note down their sins, lest they forget them at confession; but now, after communism has also taken its toll on these poor people, this wholesome habit has been lost altogether.
Penances
I remember that Abba Iustin Pârvu also used to mention this custom. May I ask you something, Father: is one permitted to go to confession whilst under a penance and barred from receiving Holy Communion?
Of course. If your conscience weighs heavily on you because of a sin you have committed, hurry straight to your spiritual father and confess. Do not remain in sin and, above all, do not put off your repentance. For it is written in Revelation 21:27 that ‘nothing impure shall enter the city, nor anyone who practises abomination or falsehood!’
But if you find yourself in the same situation—you have been given a penance and happen to die without having received Holy Communion, before you have completed your penance—what happens to that soul?
It is saved. As long as they are under the penance and carry it out, they are forgiven their sins. But… I once read, a long time ago, in a ‘village’ newspaper, about a nun from Bessarabia who fell to the ground whilst putting on her shoes, hit her head and remained for several days in a state of unconsciousness, or perhaps a coma. In any case, she did not die, as her heart was beating regularly. When she came round, she told the whole community how she had met the former abbess in a marvellous place, and that the former abbess had confessed to her that she had not been there from the start, but that the nuns’ prayers had brought her to that state six weeks after her death. That abbess had died without having received Holy Communion, and it was only the community’s prayers that brought her to that blessed place.
Does this mean that even someone who dies under excommunication does not go exactly where they ought to go: ‘to a place of light… from which all pain and sorrow have fled’?
They may reach it only through the prayers of the Church—of those still living. I have known many elders who, before their death, would ask us: ‘Pray for me!’ Perhaps that is so. God knows. But a person who has grown in the Spirit feels compassion for every soul and would like everyone to go to Heaven; and so they pray for their neighbour as they would for themselves (or even more so!). The Apostle James says: ‘Pray for one another’, and Saint Paul tells us to ‘pray without ceasing’.
A Word
And a word of advice, Father?…
Well, as sound advice, I shall remind you of the words of the Apostle James, ‘the Lord’s kinsman’, who said that ‘Friendship with the world is enmity with God. Whoever, then, wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God’ (James 4:4). It is up to you whose friends you wish to be…
For all these reasons, and for many others which Abba Julian told me, I dare to believe that he is one of ‘the perfect ones, who do not speak of their own accord but speak only what the Spirit gives them’…