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An excerpt from the homily of Elder Ephraim of Arizona on Orthodox Monasteries
In this recording, Elder Ephraim of Arizona shows us an example of a little girl who was not afraid to confess her Christian faith in front of her teacher. Elder Ephraim has built eighteen Orthodox Christian monasteries in North America and fell asleep in the Lord on December 7, 2019.
Audio source: ΓΕΩΡΓΙΟΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΟΣ ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΟΣ (Ι.Χ.Θ.Υ.Σ)
For this, let us pray that God blesses, illuminates and establishes in this new world [America] small shelters of God which will enlighten the world and burn sin and help build a steel front in order to confront the future Antichrist who will appear, maybe at first abroad, because the ground is more suitable for him there. Let him confront a steel front of pious Christians and a strong youth. Likewise, a small girl, although one wonders what a small child can learn by listening to 4-5 things, and yet silently, she embraces them inside her and we witness fruition. I will give you one of the many examples.
In a state of America, for years now, during one of my trips, I found myself there and I confessed [people] in a church.
The teacher who was also presbytera [priest’s wife] asked me to see the children of the elementary school. She brought them next to the Altar. The little ones were sitting cross-legged with their eyes and their ears open to listen to one or two things. Such yearning they had. I gave them some counsels relevant to their age.
A small girl says to me, “Father Ephraim will you also visit us next year?”
I ask, “Why do you want me to come back next year, my child?
“We love you, father!”
“Since you love me, [indeed] I will come back!” I keep visiting them every year.
This small girl, the next day, Sunday, came first for confession. Every year, she would come first for confession. She is a girl now.
One, two years ago, I remember her coming to confession. “Father, I want to tell you a worry, a sorrow of mine!” “What is it? What is going on?” She says, “Father, I was at school. The teacher told us that we should abolish Christian holidays because they are good for nothing and are redundant. He also said some other anti-Christian things. I am sorry father but no Greek child raised his hand.”
[Fr. Ephraim]: “What did you do?”
“I raised it!”
[Fr. Ephraim]: “And what did you do?”
“I confessed my faith!”
[Fr. Ephraim]: “What did you say?”
“I told him. Professor, if you are opposite to Christian holidays and do not believe, it’s your right. But you will not try to teach us their abolition. Because Christmas is coming, Christ came on earth to save us. We celebrate his divine birth. The New Year is coming, we celebrate St. Basil, the hierarch of our Church. The Feast of Theophany, our Holy Trinity. You cannot abolish them. If you are stingy and you do it for the gifts, then do not make any. But you won’t touch the [Christian] feasts!”
The teacher was left speechless before the confession of a little girl.
I [Fr. Ephraim] told her, “My girl, I will give you one more blessing now. I wish that if the Antichrist arrives in your days, I want you to be brave! To confess faith to our Christ and to be martyred and become a Great Martyr of Christ. But even this little thing you did, although it seems like nothing to you, let me tell you what you did. You did not cower before the teacher and you were not ashamed to confess your faith before so many classmates. When you leave life and ascend to heavens, your little soul, Christ will present you before the angels and He will say, ‘My angels, this little soul, at a moment when everyone was silent and a teacher was humiliating me before all the children this soul, this little child confessed Me. Let us chant a hymn in her honor.’ Do you see, my child, what you have achieved?” I wish you to confess your faith likewise. Do not be afraid wherever you are. Because the confession of our Orthodox faith is a great honor, a great glory. It is the glory of a martyr and a confessor. For this, always do it, my child, wherever you are. In a restaurant, on the streets, on a wagon make the sign of the cross. Say the “Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me.” Never be ashamed. It’s in your honor. Because we should be ashamed when we perform evil deeds, when we say words we should not, then we should be ashamed. [But], when we achieve such feats, we should hold our head high. Because by this, you show that you are a man of God and confess faith to God.
