Experiencing every year the unique and unprecedented events of the Passion of our Lord in the Church, we come closer to Him, they make us bend before the magnitude of His love and give us new possibilities to strive and draw closer to Him. Anyone who has lived or interacted with the Athonite monastic life is amazed at how not only do the monks not tire of the repetitive and sometimes exhausting sequences, but it seems (and it is true) that they are inspired and thus engage even more in this ascetic life and experience.
For years now, God’s grace has brought us to the African region to help God’s thirsty and troubled people. Once, in a solitary meeting, my blessed holy Elder Fr. George told me that “I too benefit from my interaction with Christians who approach me, ask me questions and confess.” Indeed, this is true, the grace of God is diffused, evident in souls who are struggling and seeking salvation, and we have much to say on this subject. I see the struggle of our dark-skinned brothers and sisters and not only admire it, but I am also motivated to more spiritual struggles.
So we began this holy season with the blessed Triduum and the Sunday of Forgiveness, and immediately the will to strive and the good thoughts of our Christians became apparent. We announced to them the schedule of the sacred services and began on Clean Monday morning, half an hour earlier than usual, to read the Orthros, the First and Thirteenth Hours, Vespers and the Great Dinner.
Several people came to the holy services and, initiated into them, repented like old Christians and listened attentively to the holy service, and came and came again and again, a sign that they had a good, sacrificial spirit.
After the first week I began to leave the Centre in the mornings and afternoons, either for the services or for Divine Liturgies, but above all to boost the morale of our Christians and to teach and motivate them in spiritual struggles. I found that most of our Christians were not without spiritual struggles, and their participation in the services and chants demonstrated that they had a church and liturgical spirit.
In some parishes their enthusiasm was very intense, measured and cautious. They asked for a spiritual director for confession and a theologian to teach them more about the spiritual life. In the parish of St. John the Baptist in Katanga, I saw that they knew how to chant the Ninth Hour accurately, Vespers, the Preceding Mass, Holy Communion and much more.
This year, after five years, I was able to go to the distant Kalemi on Lake Tanganyika, where the Greeks in 1970 built a beautiful temple in the name of Saint Nicholas. There I received a very warm welcome. They persistently asked to hear God’s word and to learn what the life of the Church in general is like and their zeal and love for our true holy Church was evident the next day at the Divine Liturgy. I was wondering what it was that motivated and excited them so spiritually, and then looking around I saw that Fr. and their current priest Fr. Andronicus have worked well and have enlightened the world quite well on many subjects.
Holy Week was the culmination of devotional life and we experienced this intensely from Palm Sunday, all the holy days until the glorious Resurrection of our Lord, despite the adverse weather conditions with torrential rains. Up until the 10th hour before the Resurrection, the rain fell heavily and unceasingly.
At the Vespers of Love, in the Church of St. George in Colosse, the people came and exceeded the standards. We handed out 1800 red eggs and we all praised the Most Merciful God for giving us such spiritual days.
†O Katangas Meletios
