By Fr. George Dorbarakis
The ecclesiastical Hymnographer, in his effort to extol the holiness of Saint Gerasimos, makes a bold and potentially contentious judgment: Saint Gerasimos is the greatest of all the Church’s more recent saints! In the Hymnographer’s own words: “No other newly manifested saint, Gerasimos, has ever proved your equal” (Ode 1). Why? For what reason? Is it because of the multitude of his miracles, which are indeed exceedingly numerous, and to which a large part of the hymns in his liturgical service refers? Is it because of his wise and profound theology? Is it because of some extraordinary gift not found in other saints, even those of more recent times? Certainly not. The Hymnographer knows what he is saying when he speaks hyperbolically, because he understands the spiritual life and the spiritual path of the Church: a saint is great and stands first on the ladder of holiness when he is foremost in humbling himself, that is, when he strives to maintain an awareness and a sense of his own lowliness and sinfulness. The truly great person is the one who stands first in humility.
Our Lord Himself points this out already in the Old Testament, and all the more so when He Himself came into the world as a human being: “God gives grace to the humble.” “He who humbles himself will be exalted.” The Apostle Paul likewise makes this point, revealing the very height of his own holiness when he declares: “Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost!” This is the paradox of the Christian understanding of being first, revealed in the person of our incarnate God, who humbled Himself to the utmost. It challenges the worldly mindset of humanity, fallen into sin, which constantly and endlessly seeks praise and recognition from others, as well as dominance over them. And here is the proof, given by Saint Gerasimos as a legacy and an unceasing exhortation to the nuns of his monastery, his disciples and those under his spiritual guidance:
“These were the words of the Abba to the nuns [before he surrendered his spirit to the Lord]: ‘Little children, live in peace among yourselves and do not set your minds on lofty things; rather, humble yourselves for the sake of Christ our God, who humbled Himself for us even to the form of a servant’” (Doxastikon of the Praises).
And what does this particular struggle for humility, which truly represents the measure of holiness, presuppose? The believer’s absolute devotion to the Lord, the object of his love and worship; in other words, his absolute love for Him “with all his soul, with all his heart, with all his mind, and with all his strength.” This means that the believer truly becomes an “imitation of Christ as well, insofar as is humanly possible,” to recall Saint John Climacus, the author of The Ladder.
This was also the case with Saint Gerasimos, and it is precisely this that demonstrates his spiritual stature and places him on an equal footing with the great saints of every age. Once again, the ecclesiastical Hymnographer is clear:
“Father Gerasimos, your all-night vigil and the outpouring of your tears extinguished all carnal desires, as you gave wings to your mind and to the eyes of your heart, hastening toward God” (Vespers sticheron).
Elsewhere, the Hymnographer offers the same overall assessment of Saint Gerasimos’s life:
“Having lived your life on earth in piety, you were revealed as a pure vessel of the Spirit, illuminating those who approach you in faith, O blessed one” (Doxastikon of the Matins Kathisma).
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
