Sfinții Apostoli - părintele Pimen Vlad

Let's make friends with the Holy Apostles,
they are great, wonderful saints. When you

can, try to read their lives and you'll
see how they've ended, how they struggled.

An Athonite Cell -
Joys from the Holy Mountain

Here we meet again, my dears. I am trying
to bring you into my world, the world of

flowers. You saw in the last video that I
have many flowers, but now there are even

more in bloom. I’ve shut the gate a bit;
I hope no one bothers me, as this is

a pass-through area where some come and
go. Look at these flowers of all kinds,

also there in the back, so rare in their
beauty! As I’ve said before, flowers are

from Heaven. What shall we talk about now?
We’ve reached the end of the fast.

We celebrate the Holy Apostles Peter and
Paul, the day after is the Feast of the

Synaxis of the Holy Apostles. We see one
thing, these two hold a special place

in the Church, even the Savior gave them
something more special. A day of

celebration was set: The Holy Apostles
Peter and Paul. Who were they?

Let's start with the Holy Apostle Peter.
He was the son of Jonah, a simple man,

a fisherman, and brother to Saint Andrew,
the first called apostle. St. Andrew was

the first called by the Savior, followed
by the Holy Apostle Peter. We can call

Saint Andrew the apostle of the
Romanians and also of those around us,

in the regions where he preached. The Holy
Apostle Peter, we come back, a simple man,

followed the Savior with all the love, but
let’s see, Holy Apostle Peter was married.

The Gospel tells us at some point that
his mother-in-law was ill, and the Savior

came and healed her. We’re also told that
he was a poor fisherman. The fishermen

at that time worked at night, pulling in
the nets to catch something, so he was

from the side of the poor. Despite his
fervor, saying “Lord, anything for You!”,

he eventually denied the Savior three
times. He even warned him, saying, “Peter,

don’t worry, before the rooster crows
tonight, you will deny Me three times.”

Did you see, the one who boasted he would
die for Him faltered in the end?!

What does the Savior want to show us?
The frailty of human nature, especially

when we rely on ourselves. “Me?! I’ll do
anything for God!” but when we face

real danger, we may be the first to flee,
we run away. We should never trust in

our own strength, in our selfishness and
our pride. Being fighters, “Lord, step

aside because I clean up the church!”.
No, never, on our own we are no good at

anything. We are but fragile beings, yet
through God’s grace, we gain true

strength, do you understand? So this is
what He wanted to show us.

The Holy Apostle Peter, who boldly
proclaimed he would follow Jesus

no matter what, denied Him three times.
Unlike Judas, who hanged himself, Peter

embraced repentance and sorrow. He cried,
feeling unworthy to face the other

apostles, doubting his place among them.
He was saying: “I have denied Him, how can

I still be an apostle?” When the Savior
appeared after the Resurrection,

seeing his repentance, He asked: “Do you
love me, Peter?”, “Yes, Lord, you know

I love you.” He asked three times to
restore Peter for each denial. As He was

asking him a second and a third time,
Peter felt his conscience ache deeper,

“Lord, you know everything. You know I
love you; why are you still asking me?

You know I feel remorse.” And the Savior
replied, “Feed my sheep!” So, He restored

Peter’s honor and granted him the keys of
the Kingdom. But why to a man who has been

married? Because he understands marriage,
struggle, family and the weight of

hardship. He has denied Christ, so he
knows what human frailty means when you

believe in yourself. And in this way, he
can be lenient with everyone. After being

forgiven by the Savior, Peter asked,
“Lord, how many times must we forgive

our neighbor, up to seven times?” “Not
seven times, Peter, but seventy times

seven!” This means we should forgive
endlessly, whenever our neighbor would

wrong us. He was prepared for what was
to come, and we see how much grace

God bestowed upon him afterwards. It’s
said that his shadow, wherever he passed,

healed the sick, and the cloths he touched
possessed healing power. God granted him

such gifts to teach us how far repentance
and remorse can take us. By having these,

we can reach holiness. Let us return to
the Holy Apostle Paul: this was originally

Saul of Tarsus. He was of Jewish descent
but born in Rome, as his parents had

returned to Jerusalem. Thus, he also held
Roman citizenship. Coming from a line of

Pharisees, fervent, Saul persecuted
Christians. When Saint Stephen was

persecuted, Saul was present, standing and
watching over Holy Apostle Stephen’s

clothes. He was young and said that he too
would've wanted to throw stones to kill

him. Filled with zeal, he thought he was
upholding the old law. He carried a paper

that allowed him to travel freely
throughout the Roman Empire, so not only

in Jerusalem, in Damascus, in order to
persecute and kill Christians. Exactly how

it says that “the time is coming when
whoever kills you will think that he is

offering service to God.” By persecuting
Christians, he believed that he was

serving God, persecuting and killing
others, in the name of the law. But on

the way to Damascus, the Savior appeared
to him in a blinding light and unprepared

for such a revelation, he fell to the
ground and became blind. “Saul, Saul,

why do you persecute Me?” “Who are You,
Lord?” Recognizing the immense light,

he realized He was God, “I am Jesus
Christ, Whom you are persecuting.”

That’s when he woke up, so to speak, “He
is God and I am persecuting Him?”

We know the rest of his life with Ananias,
the Apostle who healed both his physical

and spiritual sight, and thus Saul
awakened to the truth that Jesus Christ,

whom they had persecuted and crucified,
was indeed God, He is God. From that

moment he began to defend Christianity
with even greater zeal. At first, the

apostles were running away him, but they
soon trusted that his heart had genuinely

changed, meanwhile, other Jews and
Pharisees sought to kill him. The one

who was the strongest among them, the most
educated, turned against them. Many times

they tried to kill St. Apostle Paul.
Doesn’t it say how many times they

sought him and God saved him, in various
ways? After that, what did God do, what

did He say to Ananias? Even him, who had
healed him, hesitated, questioning why he

should help someone who had persecuted
Jesus, but God reassured him, saying,

“He is a chosen vessel for Me, to preach
My name to the Gentiles”—to all the pagan

nations. Thus, his ministry began. It is
said that Holy Apostle Paul was

the greatest missionary. He traveled
continuously through so many countries,

enduring persecution and violence, yet God
never abandoned him. God helped them,

He was with them, guiding them until it
was time for their own martyrdom,

when He deemed their earthly mission
complete and took them. We see that

all the apostles went to God through
martyrdom. So did Holy Apostle Paul,

for all that he went through and for his
humility, despite his early role as

a persecutor. God granted him great grace,
but he remained humble, always remembering

his past actions against Christians. He
witnessed their deaths and took pleasure

in it, but when praised, he remained
modest, reflecting on his earlier deeds,

which kept him grounded. The Holy Apostle
Peter was equally humble. You see that God

placed those who understood humility at
the forefront because they were aware of

their own weaknesses since they too fell
in their time. Even the other apostles,

each faced his own struggles. The Holy
Apostle Thomas journeyed through India,

spreading the faith despite countless
difficulties. From their lives, we see the

paths they traveled, the battles they
fought, and the wonders they performed.

Do you see what miracles? Twelve poor,
simple, illiterate men turned this world

upside down, they confounded philosophers,
wise men, and emperors everywhere.

They couldn’t grasp what was happening
because they couldn’t see that these

twelve were sent by God, they were God’s
Apostles. Their teaching wasn’t human;

that’s why no one could erase it, no
matter how much they persecuted

and tormented them. Even at the end, when
these apostles faced martyrdom and their

oppressors believed they had succeeded
—like the wheat that, when it rots,

gives rise to many new grains—these simple
men spread Christianity throughout the

world. Not by plane, not on the internet
or through mass media, but on foot,

rod in hand, walking from house to house.
Just think about the incredible feat they

accomplished; the sacrifices they made
were immense. Only one of the apostles,

the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John, was
persecuted and exiled to Patmos and

Ephesus, yet did not meet a martyr's end.
It is said of him that he was the beloved

disciple to whom the Mother of God was
entrusted and he was entrusted to her,

as her son. As we see, God allowed him to
live to a ripe old age instead of facing a

martyr’s fate. God’s work was done through
him; in Patmos, he penned the Revelation.

John is called the apostle of love, he had
very much love, even to the point of

sacrifice. And God allowed him to remain
on earth until the end. He cared for

the Mother of God as if she were his own
mother. Now, the Holy Apostles are

in heaven. The Savior tells us that at
Judgment, the Mother of God, whom

many hate, persecute, and curse, will
stand at His right. Whenever He makes

decisions, the Savior will always look to
her. On His left will be Saint John the

Baptist, the Forerunner of the Lord, who
baptized the Savior and met a martyr's

death. At their feet, on twelve thrones,
the twelve apostles. Did you understand?

The Savior together with the twelve
apostles will judge the world, because

they have Christianized it, leading all
back to God. The apostles now have

the right, along with the Savior, to judge
the world. Can you grasp the honor given

to them to stand with Him in judgment?
Therefore, know that their intercessions

hold great power with God. Pray to the
Holy Apostles, seek their help, and let’s

always keep their fasts to make them our
friends, they are great, wonderful saints.

When you can, try to read their lives and
you will see how each one’s ended,

how they struggled. Dear ones, I wanted to
share a bit about the Holy Apostles.

What else can I tell you? As summer
approaches, take time to truly enjoy it.

Gather your family and head to the sea or
the mountains, wherever you like, but

let it not be just fun. Combine them a
little bit. Wherever you go, explore and

find places of worship, perhaps a little
monastery somewhere. It doesn't mean

that if you're at the seaside and it's a
holiday or Sunday, there's no church

anymore. Go so that you can attend a
Holy Liturgy. Don't forget about God;

not everything should be worldly. Enjoy
your time with family, no matter where

you are, but also remember we have a soul,
which is eternal and has its own needs.

We mustn't nourish only our bodies, for
the body will one day fade, but the soul

goes to God and we'll regret not doing
more for it, not caring for it properly.

Yes, dear ones? Combine, as they say, the
useful with the beautiful! There are

so many wonderful places! I’m not
insisting you come to Greece, but here

you’ll find everything: magnificent blue
seas and countless wonderful places of

worship. From here, there are daily
cruises around Mount Athos, with two or

three trips from Ouranopoli to Saint Anna,
during certain times, on the other side

from Ierissos to Vatopedi Monastery as
well, where the Belt of the Mother of God

or the holy relics are brought out, and on
this side I’ve mentioned from Ouranopoli

to here, at the Xenophontos Monastery they
also take out the relics. So, those

who want, can come to Ouranopoli: they
find beautiful sea, they can take a cruise

and if they get the chance, men with their
sons can head to Athos while women can go

on a cruise. Or they can head to other
parts of Greece: at Souroti is Saint

Paisios, at Thessaloniki there is Saint
Demetrius, Saint Gregory Palamas,

Saint Theodora, many other places there.
Further, in Evvia, there is Saint John

the Russian, a bit higher up is the
monastery of Saint David, Osios David,

where you'll find Saint Elder Iakovos
Tsalikis, with plenty of miracles

to behold. Even further on towards Athens,
at Volos, you've got the Panagia

Kato Xenia Monastery, where it is a piece
of the girdle of Mother of God

and her miracle-working icon. In Athens,
at Nea Makri is the monastery of

Saint Ephraim, a great wonder worker. From
there, as I mentioned before, we can head

to Saint Nectarios in Eghina, a wonderful
island I discovered last year when I spent

a few days there. There's plenty to see on
that wonderful island and you can even

take a short break there - it's a
beautiful place. In Patra, you’ll find

Saint Andrew, in Kefalonia, there’s Saint
Gerasimos, in Zakynthos is St. Dionysius;

both have whole holy relics. If you’re
traveling to Thassos from Kavala,

you can also go to Lesbos Island by boat.
The journey takes about nine hours,

but it’s picturesque. There, on Lesbos
Island we find Saints Raphael, Nicholas,

and Irene, about whom I’ve written two
books. They work so many miracles,

the Saints Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene on
the island of Lesbos, they are so

wonderful. There at Mytilene is the town,
there is the port where the ship pulls in

and from there you can go to the saints.
And also, just thirty minutes, about an

hour from Saint Raphael lies Mandamados,
where is Saint Archangel Michael, there’s

a monastery. I’ve spoke of how many
miracles St. Archangel Michael does there.

So many beautiful places await your
enjoyment. Remember to combine them

a little and don’t forget about the soul.
Don’t totally forget, don’t get lost on

exotic islands far away, where you are
distant from God. Those places may

seem more beautiful, promoted with flashy
ads, but perhaps they are without God.

There might not even be a church nearby,
and some areas are steeped in sin, you

don’t really know what you gain from such
visits. Try to strike a balance, keeping

your soul in mind wherever you go! I will
end it here. May the Mother of God

help us, watch over us, but let us not
forget her either! As I've said before,

let's befriend the saints and they will
aid us. And the Mother of God, as

our queen, as our caring mother and who
stands at the right hand of the Savior -

let us never forget about her, ask for
help, and she will help us a lot. She will

take us into her arms, she will take care
of us all, either great or small.

Always keep an icon of the Mother of
God in your pocket and seek her help.

When you leave the house: “Mother of God,
help me!” when you return, say:

“Mother of God, thank you.” Do that and
you'll see how much help we receive.

May the good God, the Mother of God
and all the saints help us! Lord, help us!