example

a story about Saint Paisios,

and why a Priest was needed. 

Saint Paisios was a Monk, a Gherondas, a Saint,

but not a Priest. 

after my first visit on his house,

he told me, i am to be considered  ...his friend!

and that i was allowed to go visit him

as often as i wished!!

 

so for a long period i felt my work there at Holy Mountain was,

to see and watch people coming there at Karyes,

the "capital" of Holy Mountain,

whom among them looked like he might be in need,

and walk him to Saint Paisios

-and always, the same miracle:

he d call them straight by their name

and in just few words, using simple stories and facts,

would show where the person was actually hurt

and how to be cured.

 

one person one day,

seemed completely ...lost.

he was young, early 20s, Orthodox from France,

knew not a single word in Greek or English.

and had no idea what he was looking for.

when i approached him, 

he explained me, that "bad luck" was chasing him badly, 

and had just recently even  lost his money, his passport,

and looked like he lost his mind as welL,

so i told him, lets take a walk,

and we went to the ...Doctor.

 

i was foolishly proud thinking i could help with the translation, 

with my few French words,

but that was not ...needed, as it turned out.

 

immediately when Saint Paisios saw him,

he told him, there is something in his past that he has done,

and he needs to confess it.

 

the guy, puzzled, asked,

from how far his past? after he went to the army?

-"No, no, before that".

-"While I was in the army?"

so Paisios turned to me and said: 

 -"Ah, this guy will delay us fo ever.

if he will continue like this,

so i have to tell him instead and explain him:

in your teens, you met a girl, right?

and in order to get in relationship with her,

you promised her, you will marry her, yes?

but after some time, you left her and never spoke to her again,

so she went to a magician, and placed a curse on you.

you need to go to a priest and confess this."

 

so right away, off we went, to the near by Monastery,

found the Abbot being a Priest, and confessed, 

the Priest read him the forgiveness prayer,

and he smiled at last and looking in peace,

then back we went to Paisios, 

just to make sure he was cleared.

he saw us from far approaching, 

lifted his hand to stop us there where we were,

explaining there was no need to visit him again, and saying:

"he had this sort of a "black light" above his head 

all the time following him,

but now, i see it clearly,

with the confession and the forgiveness,

the cord wire was chopped,  that "light" is off,

all well now."