SAINT NIKODEMOS THE HAGIORITE

 

 BY DIMITRIOS PANAGOPOULOS

Saint Nikodemos the Haghiorite is an offspring of the island of Naxos in the Cyclades Islands. While young, he studied Greek letters in Smyrne under Ierotheos the Teacher. He came to the Holy Mountain in 1775 and was tonsured a Monk in the Sacred Dionysiou Monastery being renamed Nikodemos from Nicholas. In 1809 on July 14th he reposed, at 60 years of age.

Saint Nikodemos is a Saint unknown to most people even today, despite the fact that our Church from 1955 has officially proclaimed him a Saint and celebrates his memory.

Many visitors to the Holy Mountain don't know that in Karyes, the Cell, of the Skourtaion, houses the relics of his Holy Skull, and due to this ignorance they are deprived of the blessing of this treasure.

The works of Saint Nikodemos need to be revealed need to be projected, need to be read. Our Church and our people are deprived of many things because they have not yet come to know the full work of Saint Nikodemos.

Saint Nikodemos has left a multitude of writings of incalculable spiritual Orthodox value which in summary are the following: The Philokalia, Evergetinos, Concerning Constant Divine Communion, Alphabetalphabetos, Handbook of Spiritual Council, All the Writings of Symeon the New Theologian, Confessional Handbook, Invisible Warfare, New Martyrology, Spiritual Exercises, Neon Eklogion, The extant Writings of St. Gregory Palamas, The Sacred Rudder, The Epitaphion Engomia, New Theotokarion, Christoetheia, Euchologion, The Catholic Epistles, Epistles of the Apostle Paul, Commentaries on the Psalms, Garden of Graces, Barsanouphios, Commentary of holy Haghiorite men, New Synaxaristes, Confession of his own Faith, Eortodromion, New Ladder, and a multitude of troparions, oikos asmatic canons and engomia to many Saints.

The Holy Skull of Saint Nikodemos is kept by Father Ananias, over 90 years old in our opinion. Furthermore it is Father Ananias' efforts to erect a church in Saint Nikodemos' name.

Saint Nikodemos the Haghiorite, does not only have an eminent place in the literature of the Greek Church, as a Father and Teacher who has written a multitude of writings, but by rights enters in as one of the greatest factors, in the area of the very stormy history of Orthodoxy. He lived at a very critical time of our Church's history, and the Venerable Nikodemos was called to play a primary role in the spiritual and religious life, clearing up the thickening clouds of Aristotelian scholasticism appearing from the West, and influencing a great number of his contemporary Greek Orthodox Scholars, who adopted this prevalent western spirit.

Saint Nikodemos the Haghiorite's work presents a very multifaceted radiance of the Spirit. Other than its voluminous side, the great role played by his work during that age of full illiteracy concerning pure Orthodox though, and the consequence which his very spiritual writings had on the subsequent course of the Church, has not been duly appreciated. However, Saint Nikodemos was fully conscious of the mission, which Divine Providence had for him. This is ascertained by his struggles against the Westerners and towards those "Orthodox", who perverted the Orthodox teaching.

Saint Nikodemos' work judged from the above mentioned viewpoint, in the time period of the final quarter of the eighteenth century creates the obligation for those occupied with it, to confess that the Venerable Father contributed, as no one else, during the post Byzantine years, in refuting the threatening wind, of western humanism, and in preserving the spiritual treasures of Orthodoxy.

At an age during which not only Orthodox spirituality was virtually unknown, but also those multifarious false beliefs, which were coming in "in sheep's clothing" in the courtyard of Orthodoxy," it would not be the least bit difficult for the rationalist spirit of "humanism" to infiltrate and satisfy those waning souls and have them accept the false spirit over the genuine one. The Venerable Nikodemos alone arose, to obstruct the foreign teaching and to reveal the sacred heritage of Orthodoxy to the Orthodox Church.

When the great personality of Saint Nikodemos draws more attention from the students of Church history and ends up an object of special research, then it will become apparent what work of huge importance proceeded from the holy mountain, through the most wise Saint Nikodemos the Haghiorite, and what consequences this work had for the later course of the religious life of the believers. Here we will limit ourselves to point out, that, had the Church not become familiar with the writings of Nikodemos, one after the other, which are very voluminous and completely faultless regarding truth and Orthodoxy, she would have undergone a period of uncertainty and would be ignorant of all that the divine pen of the Venerable Father wrote and organized with so much precision and fullness.

His great contribution is not only concerning the dogmas of the Church and the Sacred Canons, which he codified, simplified, and interpreted, but also the definition of the relationships between them and the points wherein they coincide in his Rudder. Also concerning the spirituality of Orthodoxy, which he wrote down in the "Spiritual Exercises", the "Unseen Warfare", and the "Eortodromion", and in General in all his writings, upon which he also placed the seal of holiness.

The very fact that one Ecclesiastical writer of tens of volumes of many pages manages to preserve the spirituality of Orthodoxy in a refined analysis, means that he "has the Spirit of God". Spirituality in the Orthodox understanding comprises the reflection of what proceeds from the heart, which is a product of a constant living of Christianity, of life in Christ.

It is difficult for one to truly apprise what sort of influence the work of Saint Nikodemos had on the course of the Church in an age, during which everything was characterized by lethargy and Orthodoxy comprised an unobstructed vineyard and easy pray for the "new demons" setting out from the West.

Our Holy Church honors her servant Nikodemos, because she did not present someone similar to him in the post Byzantine times. The Church also knows what a theologian means for that time, with the multi-faceted Grace of Nikodemos, with the rare talent of the Canonologist, the skill of the Academician, the elevation of the Hymnographer, the penetration of the Critic, the fullness of the Haghiologist, the mystagogicalness of the Liturgiologist, the experience of the Ascetical author, very rare charismas, all of which were wonderfully combined in one personality.

We could name Saint Nikodemos, a plaster cast of all the Christian virtues, a vessel of the unblemished and infinite cluster of gifts, an astonishing icon of Orthodox dogma, and a Teacher of universal authority!

Because we don't know many people in Orthodoxy doing "noetic pray" and authoring at the same time, preparing a "Handbook of Spiritual Counsel", while they are using the two-pointed mattock with the prayer rope in the left hand and the pen in the right hand, as the Venerable Nikodemos lived and also fought unto his last minute.

Dimitrios Panagopoulos

*Editors Note- This original Greek text written by lay-teacher Dimitrios Panagopoulos was published more than twenty-five years ago. Since then a number of this Saint's works have been published in many languages and Saint Nikodemos is becoming a teacher of universal authority. His books occupy a central position in the shelves of the traditional Orthodox world wide.

Translating and Editing: Palis and Zalalas

By: http://www.saintnicodemos.com/articles/saintnikodemoshagioritearticle.php

Who is in Paradise ?

 

There was a very poor woman that was living in a small village in the center part of Greece and she had three children. She was able to raise them with incredible difficulties and in immense poverty. However, she never lost her integrity and her love for Christ. Her name was Vasiliki. She died one day before the celebration of our Mother, the Theotokos, in 1998. The next day which was the 15th of August, her body was in a very cheap coffin on the pickup track of the priest on the way to the cemetery to be buried.  On the way to the burial site, there were a few people from her village following and they were talking about how difficult was her life, when suddenly the entire area started smelling incredibly nice like there were a thousand flowers at this spot. Among the people following her there was a spiritual child of Elder Ambrosios Lazaris (1912-2006). When the Elder learned about the incidence he said: “This woman is among the Saints in the Heaven and do you know why? Because she never complained in her life. God wants people like her to fill the Paradise and to have the Second Coming.”

Elder Ambrosios Lazaris of Dadiou Monastery

A visit by Father Fotis.

 One time late in the day, the hieromonk Father Fotis visited a house in our town Mytilene of the island of Lesbos, and he stayed there over night. Before he fell asleep, he gave the following command to the owner of the house: “Tomorrow morning we have a job to do.”

Upon waking up the next morning, they left Mytilene and went to Father Fotis’ sanctuary, where he quickly took the sacred utensils and his priestly attire. Together they headed to the picturesque church of the Mother of our God the “Milk-Giver”, within the old castle of the city.

Once there, Father Fotis performed the Holy Liturgy and then picked up the Holy Gifts and as he was fully dressed in his priestly vestments he headed to one of the brothels which, in those times, used to be in that area.  There, the Father administered last rites to a dying prostitute named Evlambia (last rites in the Orthodox tradition consist of the Sacred Mysteries of Confession and the reception of Holy Communion).  The woman, immediately after receiving communion found “Rest in our Lord” and died.

Later on, the house owner asked him about this incident, and Father Fotis said:

 “Incidents such as this have happened many times before. One woman close to the Church of Saint Symeon told me of such occasions, and so I started visiting the troubled souls in the brothels. They allowed me in with respect and courtesy. I was talking to them about the repentance from sins, the salvation of their souls, and the life to come. I never talked meanly to them, but lovingly, and I would tell them to repent and that Jesus would take care of them and would fully restore them in his heart. Many of them repented.”

Father Fotis then told the man: “You asked if I was scared. Who should I be afraid of? We only fear God when we sin. I do not care about what people will say; I was acting for Christ!”

Father Fotis Lavriotis (of the monastery of Great Lavra)

Daily Prayer

 

Lord, Holy One, dwelling on high and beholding things below, observing all, with your all-seeing eye and keeping watch over all creation, to you we have bowed the neck of our soul and body, and we beseech you, Holy of Holies: stretch out your invisible hand from your holy dwelling and bless us all. And if we have sinned in anything, willingly or unwillingly, as the Good who loves mankind, pardon us, granting us your good things both in this world and beyond.

St. John of Cronstadt from Russia narrates this vision he had on January 1901.

 ‘The blessed people of God would not betray their faith not even with one word".

     Following the evening prayers, being tired, I laid down for a while to relax in my poorly lit cell. My lampada was hanging in front of the icon of the Mother of God. Half an hour had hardly passed when I heard a creak. Someone touched my left shoulder and with a gentle voice told me, "rise servant of God John, and follow the Will of God!"

     I rose and I saw near the window a glorious elder (staretz) with grizzly hair, wearing a black mantia  and holding a cane in his hand. He was looking at me tenderly and I had difficulty standing up because of my great fear. My hands and feet trembled, I wished to talk but my tongue would not oblige. The elder made the sign of the Cross on me and soon I was filled with peace and joy. I then crossed myself.
     In turn, he indicated with his cane the western wall of my cell, so that I would observe a specific sign. The elder had scratched the following numbers on the wall: 1913, 1914, 1917, 1922, 1924 and 1934. Suddenly the wall disappeared and I walked with the elder in a green valley and observed a large number of crosses, in the thousands, as markers of graves.

     They were wooden, ceramic or gold. I asked the elder what was the reason for the crosses. He answered peacefully, "the crosses were for those who suffered and were murdered for their faith in Christ and for the Word of God and became martyrs". We continued to walk.

     Suddenly I saw a whole river of blood and I asked the elder, what is the significance of this blood and how much was spilled. The elder looked around and answered, "This is the blood of the true Christians!"  He then pointed at some clouds and saw a large number of lit oil lamps that burned with a white flame. They began to fall to the ground one after the other in tens and hundreds. Having fallen their light went out and they turned into ashes.