– Tell us, Elder, something about the Panagia.
– What can I say? You put me in a very difficult
position. To speak about the Panagia, one must first live and experience Her.
– Elder, does the name of the Panagia also have
spiritual power, as does the name of Christ?
– Yes. Whoever has deep devotion to the Panagia
hears Her name and is transformed. Or, if he sees it written somewhere, he
venerates it with reverence and his heart leaps with joy. And when he venerates
Her icon, he does not feel that it is merely an icon, but that it is the
Panagia Herself, and he falls down overwhelmed, dissolved by Her love.
– Elder, tell us something about your pilgrimage to
the Panagia of Tinos.
– What can I say? Such a small icon, and yet it is
filled with so much Grace! I could not bring myself to leave it. I only stepped
aside so as not to hinder the others who were waiting to venerate.
– Some people, Elder, are scandalized by the many
offerings that adorn the miraculous icons of the Panagia.
– Let me tell you what once happened to a very
simple and devout pilgrim. He went to Iveron Monastery and venerated the
Panagia Portaitissa. There, the icon is covered with coins and offerings. On
his way back, as he was going toward Stavronikita Monastery, he began to have
thoughts: “My Panagia, I wished to see You in another way—simple, without all
these coins.” And what happened then? Suddenly, he was seized by a sharp pain,
he became dizzy, and he collapsed in the middle of the road. In distress, he
began calling upon the Panagia for help: “My Panagia, please heal me, and I
will offer You two coins!” At that moment the Panagia appeared to him and said:
“This is how they brought Me the coins. Did I ever ask for them? Did I want
them?” And immediately the pain ceased. You see, because he was sincere and had
great faith, the Panagia helped him.
Sometimes, in my little cell, when I want to pray
to the Panagia, I think: “How can I go before Her empty-handed to ask for
help?” So I gather a few wildflowers, place them before Her icon, and say: “My
Panagia, receive these flowers from Your Garden.” Before I ever went to Mount
Athos, I used to hear people say that it is “the Garden of the Panagia,” and I
expected to see flowers, fruit trees, and the like. But when I arrived and saw
wild chestnut trees, I understood that the Garden of the Panagia is spiritual.
And later, within that Garden, I came to feel Her presence.
– Elder, how will I be able to feel the presence of
the Panagia, so that my heart may be warmed?
– Since you bear the name of the Great Mother of
Christ, and by grace the Mother of all mankind, you should constantly call upon
Her: “My Panagia, help me to live in a way that is pleasing to You. Others are
moved just by hearing Your name, and what am I doing?” I pray that our Panagia
will always remain close to you and shelter you, as a mother bird covers her
little chicks beneath her angelic wings.
