Metropolitan Pavlos of Sisanion and Siatista (+2019) tells us an inspiring story of Saint Paisios: “where should we hide happiness so that men will never be able to find it?”
Video source: Άγιος Δημήτριος Ορθόδοξη Παρουσία
Church of St. Demetrios of Nea Elvetia of Vyronas, Athens, Greece, May 24th, 2016
Metropolitan Pavlos:
Today, we live in an age when all of us suffer. But each one thinks that the cause of his suffering is his fellow man. In reality, we suffer because of ourselves.
I will thus conclude, I am not sure if I have said it before, but I read it lately and I liked it a lot. St. Paisios used to refer to demons as “tagalakia”.
So I read somewhere the following. Once the “tagalakia” [demons] had a conference. “Where should we hide happiness so that men will never be able to find it?” One of them says, “I suggest hiding it on the world’s highest mountain. Who will be able to find it up there?”
The others say, “Nah, today men have so many means and [can] climb everywhere, they will find it [there].”
Another one says, “I suggest hiding at the depth of the biggest ocean. Who will be able to reach there?”
“They have submarines, they have so many things, they will find it.”
A small “tagalaki” [demon] was not talking. The others ask him, “You little one, what do you think?”
“I have another suggestion. To hide the happiness of men at a place where they will never believe it exists and this is the reason they will never manage to find it.”
The rest were impressed. “Good suggestion, but where is such a place?”
“I suggest you hiding the happiness of men inside their souls. They will never manage to find her because they will never believe it can be found there.”
This is our drama. God has told us so. “For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” [Luke 17:21]. We look for her outside and this is why we never find it.
I wish, and you do the same as well, to look with love and freedom at God, with love and freedom at men, to find the hidden inside ourselves happiness. To calm down and to find peace and then we will have found the purpose and the beauty of our soul.