From the new book by the Holy Monastery of Saint David:
“A
Contemporary Saint ~ Saint Iakovos (Tsalikis)"
Once,
my children, I was serving the Divine Liturgy in a small village nearby. I
served there for about 30 years. I would travel there by mule to celebrate the
Liturgy for the people. One day, after the service, a parish council member
said to me:
“Come
along, Father, and have a coffee.”
“My
child, I don’t visit people’s homes,” I replied.
“If
you don’t come, Father, it is a grave offense to us. We truly respect and
esteem you, Father.”
I
turned to Father Cyril, who was with me, and asked:
“Shall
we go together, Father, for the sake of company?”
As
soon as we arrived, an elderly woman was there, and she began to exclaim:
“What
a beautiful priest! The way he chanted ‘Let us lift up our hearts’—it was so
exquisite! He seemed like a second God, a second Christ.”
Suddenly,
my children, a cold sweat broke out over me—it was the ‘evil eye’ (baskania).
Forgive me, but I prayed:
“Saint
Elijah the Prophet, I have been serving in your church here for so many
years—what is this that has happened to me now?”
I
said to Father Cyril:
“Father,
let us get up and leave.” “But they’re making coffee, aren’t they?” said Father
Cyril.
“Father,”
I told him, “I feel like I’m about to die right this instant.”
When
we arrived back down at the monastery, Father Cyril said to me:
“Father,
that old woman must have cast the evil eye on you.”
“Father,
what could an old woman possibly do to me? What great beauty or charm did I
have?”
“Father,
it was her words. Let me bring you some holy water.”
“But
I just celebrated the Divine Liturgy and received Holy Communion, Father! Could
the evil eye really affect a priest—someone who has just celebrated the
Liturgy?”
“Yes,
but the woman said those words to you *after* the Liturgy,” Father Cyril
replied.
“Well,
in that case, bring me some holy water.”
He
brought some holy water—forgive me, my children—and I made the sign of the
cross and drank it. My eyes cleared up immediately; before that, everything had
been blurry, I felt dizzy, and I was breaking out in a cold sweat—but I
recovered instantly.
That
is why, my children, you should always keep holy water in your homes.
Did
you see, my children, what that old woman said? The ‘evil eye’—or the harm
caused by someone’s words—is a real evil, my children.
That
is why you should always turn to the Church. Pray, my children—offer prayers
and supplications. Have a priest read prayers over you. Make sure to have a
priest who can pray for you to ward off the evil eye. If you do not have a
priest, then have holy water, my children.
As
for incantations, the "forty-day" rituals [for casting spells],
reading coffee cups, and such things—these, my children, are all works of the
devil.
Go
to the Church; go to the Fathers of the Church. My children, let us be careful
not to cause scandal. One day, we shall depart. The earth will consume all
beauty, just as it will consume our bodies.
