Saturday, November 18, 2017

The Life and Work of St. Paisius Velichkovsky, a Great Hesychast Father

The Life and Work of St. Paisius Velichkovsky,

a Great Hesychast Father

Saint Paisius Velichkovsky (1722-1794) was a great figure of monasticism who lived a few years on Mount Athos and communicated in Slavic lands, especially in Ukraine, Moldova and Wallachia, but he spread throughout the Balkan and Russian lands and other areas.

He was a great prophetic figure in the field of monasticism in the 18th century, having reintroduced to monasticism in the Balkans and Russia its ancient patristic sources, since monasticism had changed under the reforms made by Peter the Great, when Russia leaned towards the enlightening and romantic spirit of the West.

St. John of Kronstadt brings homeless children to the shelter.

St. John of Kronstadt and the Education of Children

A child’s soul is divine beauty

St. John of Kronstadt considered love for children to be the foundation of a teacher’s work—a foundation that is very often denied by modern-day so-called technicians of secular educational sciences and activities. He said to the students of the gymnasium where he taught, “You are my children, for I gave birth to you and continue to give birth in you to the good tidings of Jesus Christ. My spiritual blood—my instructions—flow in your veins. You are my children, because I have you always in my heart and I pray for you. You are my children, because you are my spiritual offspring. You are my children, because truly, as a priest I am a father, and you call me “batiushka” (“little father”, an affectionate term for a priest).