By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas
For the Religious, September is the leader month of the Indiction, and thing its leader day it is a New Meeting. On this day, the leader month of September, our Religious celebrates the bulwark of the regal Symeon the Stylite.
In the midst of the choir of the Venerable Ones of our Religious portray are individuals sandwiched between our Saints who are called "Stylites". They chose as a way of severity to be economical with the truth on a corroborate ("stylo"), which is how they standard the name.
The regal Symeon the Stylite came from a hamlet called Sisan which was to be found involving the sphere of Syria and Cilicia. He lived in the fifth century, like the emperor was Leo the Magnificent and the patriarch of Antioch was Martyrios. He treasured prayer and severity from a young age, and with the help of his spiritual teachers he reached well along stages in the spiritual life. As soon as living the cenobitic life in the beginning, he proceeded to quieter areas and located himself in a dry well to active in hesychasm, that is, prayer and severity. Having next contracted in a monastic perforation, he acquired older suggest and common went to see him. As a subsidiary he might not find composure, which is why he collection in the earth a high corroborate of thirty-six cubits on which he remained standing day and night. Under the corroborate of the Venerable One crowds of kin flocked to see him and shot his inspiring and peaceful words, and common from other religions were baptized.
"Among his drapes sum he imitated the life of the angels, so ominously that some wondered whether he had a bodiless upbringing." (St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite, "Synaxarion")
He absent this desertion life at the age of fifty-six. In such a irritable time he reached such older heights of integrity that he led thousands of kin to the knowledge of God, and he benefited and continues to pleasant with his intercessions and the common miracles he performs.
Saint Symeon the Stylite, by his way of life, reveals:
Eminent, the way in which the saints exercised rustic and missionary work. And this way, as load keep up unconscious, is the greatest extent effective. They teach, tell off and console by their way of life and with their words, which are not erudite and improving, but regenerative and life-giving, in the same way as it spoils out of a enjoyable focus that is regenerated and full of the diplomacy of the Blessed Strength. He did not rummage to keep up kin nearby him, and even in addition so he did not rummage to procure gang. He did not beckon the multitudes, but otherwise he fled from them and sought after composure. As ominously as he required invisibility and composure, so ominously did suggest pursue him. He climbed down a well to VDT and they found him. He climbed a elevated corroborate and they ran to be under him and waited using heat and flu to shot one of his words, one of his admonitions, by which he reassured, solved problems, and healed wounds. By his prayers he healed kin really and mentally. He regenerated them, leading them to naming and the nibble of the life in Christ. It seems tough that the remit that is done with standard and distinguished prayer, with meditative and sacrificial love, has salvific stuff.
Jiffy, the saints are the fastest benefactors of mankind. They offer kin what is indispensable greatest extent of all: answers to our fastest existential questions which domineer us, and the way by which we can find meaning in our life. Equally the fastest assignment of man, today and irretrievably, is to find meaning in his life. To be confirmed that his life has some meaning, some deduce, thereby making it lucrative to active. And that which gives wear and tear and meaning to the life of man is the uncreated diplomacy of God, which helps him transcend death within the ends of his line life and in this way acquires "life and more than life". To nibble the death of death and nibble life impartial. To come out of the cell of the wits, where his passions keep up held him convict and blocked off, and to glory in his freedom; true liberation from a life of slavery to sin and the devil. The corroborate of Saint Symeon is a symbol of true liberation, true love towards God and man, and the due life which has meaning and deduce, in the same way as it is destined for theosis, for communion with the Blessed Triune God.
The greatest extent get better establishment of God is man, and he is the fastest blessing for establishment like he skeleton a man or more, like he progresses progress and becomes a god by diplomacy. At the exceedingly time the biggest and greatest extent ferocious beast on earth is equally man, like he is in prison to his passions and loses his compassion.
In a greedy age such as ours that is characterized by selfishness and egoism, by self-love and an dependent state to the passions of materialism, vanity and sensuality, the life and work of the regal Symeon is a powerful investigate to levitate. To subjugate one's passions is actually not an easy thing. It takes strength of character, lifelong pull and prayer. But like it is attained, next a man regains his lost compassion and becomes a true man. He becomes a immeasurable source of joy and blessing for the kin harshly him, and for the whole freedom.
Source: "Ekklesiastiki Paremvasi", , September 2001. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.