...continued from part one.
Always frugal, simple, vigilant, fasting and praying. Selectively silent, taciturn, attentive, strict and serious. Although he loved the sick, was disabled and weak, he was not lazy, restless and yielding in his brave asceticism. While in great need, he himself visited the poor and sick. He had been helped a lot himself with his long, humble struggle and thus could help others crucially. At the Holy Proskomide he commemorated thousands of names of the living and the deceased, like his contemporary Saint Nicholas Planas of Athens. In fact, he noted certain names and, after the end of the Divine Liturgy, he called the particular relatives and told them precisely the problems of the living or the deceased and how they ended their lives. Pure and innocent people and young children saw him as a liturgist who hovered over the ground, like his contemporary, the late Elder Hieronymos Simonopetritis († 1957).
In the daily bloodless divine sacred ceremonies, the thrice-blessed one was bright, peaceful, serene, joyful, and beautiful. He concelebrated with angels and saints, like Saint Spyridon. “I rarely liturgize alone,” the venerable Elder used to say. He had, as we have said, a special reverence for the Panagia, the Honorable Forerunner, and the Holy Great Martyr George. Many sick people, out of great humility, he would send to various saints and with his blessing they would be healed. His humility did not allow him to be honored. He had a sincere sense of his unworthiness. He sought only the glory of the Most Holy God and His friends, the saints. He called the saints his guests. He had good company with them. He had the grace to see the state of the soul of churchgoers. He used this grace with discretely only for the correction and benefit of souls.
Venerable George was a strict keeper of the Holy Canons of our Church. He was not easy on impermissible “oikonomias”. Justifiably he was quite strict with the unrepentant. The ministry of Spiritual Father he held in high regard and had taken it strictly. He did not want followers to flatter him, follow him and advertise him. He did not want followers at all. With everyone he was always discerning in strictness. He systematically aimed towards bring the confessor to a state of humility, true contrition and repentance, a hatred of sin, a love of virtue, the essential connection with the living Christ, the salvation and redemption of immortal souls, for whom the Life-Giver Lord shed his immaculate Blood on the honorable and life-giving Cross.
The fervent faith, the ascetic lifestyle, the pure life, the modest behavior, the humble conduct, the Orthodox ecclesiastical ethos and style graced him splendidly. According to Abba Isaac the Syrian: “It is impossible for him, after being crushed and humbled, to be left without signs from God.” Indeed, the Venerable George Karslides, for his genuine, unadulterated, unhypocritical, pure humility, was a well-documented sign-bearer. God illuminated his spirit, permanently turned towards Him, to see the distant as near, the past as present, the hidden as apparent, the future as present. He revealed unconfessed passions, not to shame, but so that they might be redeemed and healed by miraculous repentance, by his healing tearful stole. With great emotion, many of his spiritual children recount many such supernatural and inconceivable things for the human mind. Some distrusted and doubted the gifts of the venerable Elder. However, they did not take long to get to know him and to realize that he was truly a true man of God, a genuine child of His, who steadfastly walked the path of the Lord and His saints. The all-wise Elder always used his gifts only for the help and salvation of souls and certainly not to expose anyone or to boast and promote himself.
With tears he spoke of the coming sufferings: the occupation of 1940, the Bulgarian invasion, the civil war. He saw the hearts of people as if they were an open book. He was very sad when they deliberately hid sins in the Mystery of Holy Confession. In a way he tried to catch them, in order to free people from the nets of terrible sin. Sometimes, in order to remain in the security of humility, he pretended to be foolish, foolishness for Christ's sake, an effective method of maintaining humility, though a difficult path, of rare holiness. Virtue, my dear brethren, requires much effort to acquire and even more to preserve it unscathed and intact. The Saint, whose feast day is celebrated for the first time today, was a humble spectator of the unseen and a strong, brave and fearless opponent of the ancient and arch-enemy of mankind, whose elaborate traps he systematically and for many years skillfully and effectively destroyed. The demon had found his match in him.
The Venerable One in his pastoral work showed special attention to women, who, due to the wealth of their emotions, easily overvalue honors, exaggerate sympathy, increase flattery, are moved by emotions, have hypersensitivity and create small or large problems between themselves. Thus, sometimes he was forced not to accept their gifts, their honors, their admiration and their many words. Sometimes he even became quite strict with them, sending them to the villages to beg, to humble themselves, since they did not consider abortion a great sin. However, he hid a big heart with a lot of love for everyone. A love for God and fellow man, since Christian love is always two-faced, sacrificial and humble. The fruit of his love for his neighbor was his rich almsgiving, which was usually secret, unadvertised. He had some trusted people, his own, and as soon as it got dark, he would send them secretly, with necessary food and clothing, to the known houses of poor friends. The bereaved, widows and orphans he comforted, and he carefully cared for the dead. He loved children, gave them loving advice and generously distributed gifts to them. He always hid himself and did not want to be seen or honored. The Venerable Elder of Sipsa never wanted anyone to leave his monastery hungry. He cooked, kneaded and baked bread, and distributed blessings to everyone. He was hardworking, tireless, merciful, hardworking, honorable, loving and philanthropic. He lived for others. He lived for God. He had put himself aside and neglected for years. He rejoiced in giving and not in receiving. If he received something, he immediately shared it with great joy.
The faithful had immense respect and great love for all of this. Venerable George lived in the hearts of everyone. He accepted the love of his children, to make them happy, but he did not provoke it or desire it. He was humble and especially loved to talk about holy humility. Ultimately he lived in a sacred solitude. Most people did not understand his suffering for a divine, virtue-loving and godly life, and some even misunderstood him and considered him strange, capricious, cunning, strange and foolish. Few, very few, could fully understand the depth of his ascetic work, his hesychastic life, his Orthodox spirituality. This did not prevent him from continuing his secret work. He lived to please God and not people. He lived to convey what pleases God to the world and not what pleases the world to the Church, which constitutes unholy secularization, my beloved brethren.
PART THREE
Always frugal, simple, vigilant, fasting and praying. Selectively silent, taciturn, attentive, strict and serious. Although he loved the sick, was disabled and weak, he was not lazy, restless and yielding in his brave asceticism. While in great need, he himself visited the poor and sick. He had been helped a lot himself with his long, humble struggle and thus could help others crucially. At the Holy Proskomide he commemorated thousands of names of the living and the deceased, like his contemporary Saint Nicholas Planas of Athens. In fact, he noted certain names and, after the end of the Divine Liturgy, he called the particular relatives and told them precisely the problems of the living or the deceased and how they ended their lives. Pure and innocent people and young children saw him as a liturgist who hovered over the ground, like his contemporary, the late Elder Hieronymos Simonopetritis († 1957).
In the daily bloodless divine sacred ceremonies, the thrice-blessed one was bright, peaceful, serene, joyful, and beautiful. He concelebrated with angels and saints, like Saint Spyridon. “I rarely liturgize alone,” the venerable Elder used to say. He had, as we have said, a special reverence for the Panagia, the Honorable Forerunner, and the Holy Great Martyr George. Many sick people, out of great humility, he would send to various saints and with his blessing they would be healed. His humility did not allow him to be honored. He had a sincere sense of his unworthiness. He sought only the glory of the Most Holy God and His friends, the saints. He called the saints his guests. He had good company with them. He had the grace to see the state of the soul of churchgoers. He used this grace with discretely only for the correction and benefit of souls.
Venerable George was a strict keeper of the Holy Canons of our Church. He was not easy on impermissible “oikonomias”. Justifiably he was quite strict with the unrepentant. The ministry of Spiritual Father he held in high regard and had taken it strictly. He did not want followers to flatter him, follow him and advertise him. He did not want followers at all. With everyone he was always discerning in strictness. He systematically aimed towards bring the confessor to a state of humility, true contrition and repentance, a hatred of sin, a love of virtue, the essential connection with the living Christ, the salvation and redemption of immortal souls, for whom the Life-Giver Lord shed his immaculate Blood on the honorable and life-giving Cross.
The fervent faith, the ascetic lifestyle, the pure life, the modest behavior, the humble conduct, the Orthodox ecclesiastical ethos and style graced him splendidly. According to Abba Isaac the Syrian: “It is impossible for him, after being crushed and humbled, to be left without signs from God.” Indeed, the Venerable George Karslides, for his genuine, unadulterated, unhypocritical, pure humility, was a well-documented sign-bearer. God illuminated his spirit, permanently turned towards Him, to see the distant as near, the past as present, the hidden as apparent, the future as present. He revealed unconfessed passions, not to shame, but so that they might be redeemed and healed by miraculous repentance, by his healing tearful stole. With great emotion, many of his spiritual children recount many such supernatural and inconceivable things for the human mind. Some distrusted and doubted the gifts of the venerable Elder. However, they did not take long to get to know him and to realize that he was truly a true man of God, a genuine child of His, who steadfastly walked the path of the Lord and His saints. The all-wise Elder always used his gifts only for the help and salvation of souls and certainly not to expose anyone or to boast and promote himself.
With tears he spoke of the coming sufferings: the occupation of 1940, the Bulgarian invasion, the civil war. He saw the hearts of people as if they were an open book. He was very sad when they deliberately hid sins in the Mystery of Holy Confession. In a way he tried to catch them, in order to free people from the nets of terrible sin. Sometimes, in order to remain in the security of humility, he pretended to be foolish, foolishness for Christ's sake, an effective method of maintaining humility, though a difficult path, of rare holiness. Virtue, my dear brethren, requires much effort to acquire and even more to preserve it unscathed and intact. The Saint, whose feast day is celebrated for the first time today, was a humble spectator of the unseen and a strong, brave and fearless opponent of the ancient and arch-enemy of mankind, whose elaborate traps he systematically and for many years skillfully and effectively destroyed. The demon had found his match in him.
The Venerable One in his pastoral work showed special attention to women, who, due to the wealth of their emotions, easily overvalue honors, exaggerate sympathy, increase flattery, are moved by emotions, have hypersensitivity and create small or large problems between themselves. Thus, sometimes he was forced not to accept their gifts, their honors, their admiration and their many words. Sometimes he even became quite strict with them, sending them to the villages to beg, to humble themselves, since they did not consider abortion a great sin. However, he hid a big heart with a lot of love for everyone. A love for God and fellow man, since Christian love is always two-faced, sacrificial and humble. The fruit of his love for his neighbor was his rich almsgiving, which was usually secret, unadvertised. He had some trusted people, his own, and as soon as it got dark, he would send them secretly, with necessary food and clothing, to the known houses of poor friends. The bereaved, widows and orphans he comforted, and he carefully cared for the dead. He loved children, gave them loving advice and generously distributed gifts to them. He always hid himself and did not want to be seen or honored. The Venerable Elder of Sipsa never wanted anyone to leave his monastery hungry. He cooked, kneaded and baked bread, and distributed blessings to everyone. He was hardworking, tireless, merciful, hardworking, honorable, loving and philanthropic. He lived for others. He lived for God. He had put himself aside and neglected for years. He rejoiced in giving and not in receiving. If he received something, he immediately shared it with great joy.
The faithful had immense respect and great love for all of this. Venerable George lived in the hearts of everyone. He accepted the love of his children, to make them happy, but he did not provoke it or desire it. He was humble and especially loved to talk about holy humility. Ultimately he lived in a sacred solitude. Most people did not understand his suffering for a divine, virtue-loving and godly life, and some even misunderstood him and considered him strange, capricious, cunning, strange and foolish. Few, very few, could fully understand the depth of his ascetic work, his hesychastic life, his Orthodox spirituality. This did not prevent him from continuing his secret work. He lived to please God and not people. He lived to convey what pleases God to the world and not what pleases the world to the Church, which constitutes unholy secularization, my beloved brethren.
PART THREE
