Română
New lecture of Archimandrite Vasileios of Iveron Monastery on Mount Athos, the author of “Hymn of Entry: Liturgy and Life in the Orthodox Church”.
In this video recording, Fr. Vasileios delivers a deep message on voluntary (spiritual) death and Resurrection. Thus, death and abandonment in God’s hand, becomes the source of new life.
Romanian translation was provided by Rev. Fr. Constantin Coman.
Video recording: Olivian Breda (Bucharest, December 10th, 2018, Romania)
Fr. Vasileios:
We have to learn to love failure in order to overcome all the difficulties…
It is what Lord says in His Gospel: “If the seed of grain does not die, it remains itself alone… but if it dies, it bears much fruit…” [John 12:24]
There is only one chance that we, as humans, have: we can die! We can go through the life-giving death! And thus not to experience the death-bringing death!
When we put the wheat seed into the ground, it dies and then sprouts! This is the life-giving death.
If we boil it, however, it dies and never resurrects!
Therefore we have to die in order to live… the hour of our death has to come…
Some people tried to take Christ by force and make Him a king, but He run away… they wanted to stone Him, but He ran away, but when the hour came, He went to death alone.
He says in the well-known prayer: “If it be possible, let this cup pass from Me… nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will…” [Matthew 26:39]
After Christ said this prayer three times, the hour came and he went to death.
When those who came to take Him heard that He was the one they were seeking, they fell down to the ground, which was a blessing to them. [John 18:6]
Lord said, “I am He” and they drew back and fell to the ground. “I, the One who said: Thy will be done”. He became free, entered the area of freedom…
We fight in our lives, we do everything we can, but the hour comes when we have to leave them all in the hand of God… We understand that this abandonment in His hand is a life-giving death!
What I can do only with my power is something temporary.
What rises within me through my abandonment and acceptance of death will never pass.
Ultimately, the searching is not how to succeed, humanly speaking, because even if you give me the whole world, it still does not fulfill me. But what will raise from my dead (voluntarily) self is without end!
