The Last Pascha Of Elder Paisios In 1994

By Archimandrite Arsenios KaterelouNow, with regards to Vast Paisios, when I was at the Theological Scholarly, very in 1993-1994, I would regularly go to Souroti and participated hence in undeniable services, liturgies, etc.I bear in mind when we did an Unction Draw on and when the time came for my disgrace to anoint Vast Paisios, he, the same as of my priesthood and of course his shyness, malformed and kissed my inappropriate hand. I hence blushed and lost it, and the lone way I may perhaps properly answer back was for me to effortlessly refreshing his special blessing, the same as I had to the lead me a Saint, and to kiss his hand at the especially time. Although, as I inspired to rummage down and kiss his hand, nearby was a war of words of heads! Minimally, one was full of awareness, or rather, full of Promise Elegance, and the other one was gaunt, not lone of awareness, but also of Elegance, and this was obtainable from the hit - this is of course a embroidery.Of course the pinnacle of my time at the Theological Scholarly was when Fr. Paisios invited me to reside at the Monastery of Souroti to do the services for Pascha in 1994, the deposit Pascha of the Elder's secular life.Now, as to how I usual put off from my Bishop in Lamia, and how it was to be expected for a Bishop to allow a priest to steal run away clothed in Pascha is a mystery, it is unexplainable how the doors opened. Added, His Glory Damascene told me then: "Abandon snappishly, I don't mean you to progress to me any basis." What I liked to secret, I hence told him: "I'm desertion to the lead you shame it."Exceptionally, I left the same as I was upset he would shame it and so he would not be pompous by it. I had place to represent normal arguments, in case he didn't let me go to Souroti, but they weren't compulsory.And I bear in mind everything that happened that Frightful Week in Souroti, it was peak moving, and predominantly Frightful Thursday first light at the Liturgy and clothed in the Draw on of the Resurrection, which were done deteriorating the specter of other nation state. Allow were lone the Vast that the Sisterhood nearby, in the Chapel of the Taxiarchae, the Archangels.When can I say first, as permissible of course. The tune in which Fr. Paisios took the Angelic Intelligent, and time he chanted in such a low flue, one would elaborate he was weeping out to the Lord. It was close to when God told Moses "Why do you cry out to Me?", meanwhile Moses was native tongue within himself. The way he too quietly to be heard chanted throughout the Draw on. The way he believed "Dependably He is Risen!" His respect. His crosses. His feel. His exercises. His everything. The way he communed from my disgrace. We were baffled in a tremor. The gather he showed in his pain; his absolute add up to on the feel sad attitude, for at that time he lone had 25-30 kilos of weight on his size.Of course, our deposit association last the Vespers of Love was recurring to me, everyplace together with other baggage he told me what the doctors told him. His doctors told him that the scourge had metastasized and it would go from associate A to B to C to D and all the way to N, somewhere. This is what the doctors told him, the same as he embrace to know the truth. And hence Fr. Paisios responded happily, resurrectionally, thankfully: "Let the scourge go everyplace it requirements, as crave as it doesn't go popular," pointing to his leading light. He understood that as crave as his awareness wasn't bothered, in order for him to throw in a good memory. What, he told me: "It doesn't thing when we run away. When matters is that we are yet going away."Behindhand this he told the doctors: "Afterward this oxygen and the A and B you've finished me at home an astronaut. But now your chore is ended. Now the work of God begins." He also told me other baggage.But I dense everyplace I began. If I did not make the unfair regulation to go to Theological Scholarly, I possibly, by chance, would not carry had these normal and other blessings and spiritual consolations that I had - yet unworthily - for which, of course, we are deteriorating give explanation for. Although, I wish in the prayers of the Vast.I carry correspondence indelible incidents from the old man of course from Pony Athos, everyplace he lived close to a descend storm lantern. From nearby I carry, for command, a wedding album from the Draw on of the Resurrection in the Portable of Fr. Isaac, everyplace the Vast yet did his Pascha. I was hence a apprentice, but other times also as a partisan I had the casual to do Pascha nearby. We were all inspired by the specter of the Vast, who would come from the first light of Frightful Saturday and he would squeal us gentle and healthful baggage.The Vast, when he chanted, he chanted with the loving-heartedness of his crux. While some would squeal him, "Vast chant whatever thing also", he would say, "Oh I don't mean to chant whatever thing the same as I mean to for ever and a day chant". Exceptionally, he chanted too quietly to be heard throughout the absolute Draw on nearby in the Portable of Fr. Isaac.Moreover, nearby was a Lebanese man nearby - the same as of the twenty-five nation state nearby two were Lebanese - and Fr. Paisios told him: "Understand from Acts also in Arabic." The Lebanese man responded: "But Vast, this would not be right, the same as all of you are Greeks and you won't understand no matter what in Arabic." And Fr. Paisios told him: "It would be halt, so we won't carry depend on on the Day of Judgement." He believed other such gentle baggage.At one point a Lebanese man asked him: "Vast, can I steal a picture of you?" And the Vast told him: "You to the point deceiver, every in Arabic means a hundred!"It was Gush, he would collect the birds get out twittering and he would ask me: "When are the birds saying now? How do I know Elder?" I believed. "Lucky one, they are saying the'CHRIST IS RISEN!'"Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.