Fr. Simeon (Zaharia) of Sihastria Monastery, Romania, gives us his last advice, his last words before death. He is now 94 years old and lives in a hermitage in the Romanian mountains. “My last words: ‘pray, pray, pray without ceasing, wherever you are.’ When our mind is elsewhere we don’t benefit from it. God wants us not to forget Him for a moment. I hope… but I can’t force God to do what I want… I just pray, I humbly pray. Humility and again humility…”
© TRINITAS TV, Romanian Orthodox Church, August 2022
Watch the full interview on TRINITAS TV channel
My last words: “pray, pray, pray!” Because we live in very difficult times.
I am 94 years old. I am old. Think about this, at this old age, what else can I do? I can’t hear well, I can’t see well anymore… I wait for my departure hour from this life at any moment.
For any of us, when we leave this world, as no one stays here, we all leave, we’ll see… we should pray as much as possible. Let’s go to bed praying, let’s get up praying. And let’s not have malice against anyone, let’s not remember the wrong. Whatever he or she did to us, whatever they told us, whatever they wronged us with, we forgive… As the Lord has forgiven us all. That’s how we owe it to each other to forgive. We should pray anytime and anywhere.
Prayer never stops on earth thanks to Christian monks and nuns. It always rises to heaven, to God. Without prayer there is no salvation. The first step of the prayer: “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me!” But actually it has no steps, that’s all. “Have mercy on me” or “save me” is the same thing… If we know the theory and don’t do it, then we have no benefit…
When our mind is elsewhere… we don’t benefit from it. God wants us not to forget Him for a moment. No one brags about praying, if they really pray. Prayer is done with humility. It is not easy to keep your mind “at home” [i.e. focused] permanently. The mind wanders, what she sees, what she hears, what interests her… But the one who prays has no interest, except to pray, not to weaken the connection to God through holy prayer.
Day and night, wherever one will be and however one will be, he must take care that his mind is close to God, that it does not run wildly to vain things…
Now that I’m old, I’m more considerate. When I was young, my mind also ran here and there… but I still mastered it, but with greater difficulty. But now that I am waiting for the moment of my soul’s departure, at any moment, day and night, now I pray more. I’m waiting, but I don’t want to leave unforgiven. Because there is no repentance in the afterlife, only here. And I hope… but I can’t force God to do what I want… I just pray, I humbly pray. Humility and again humility…
My last words are the same, I repeat: “pray, pray, pray without ceasing, wherever you are” Brothers and sisters, I’m tired…
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