Tag Archives: monastics

Monasteries are not places of refuge.

November 13, 2025love, monasteries, quotescommunity, Elder Aimilianos, monastics, relationships, societyGretchenJoanna

“The world thinks that when someone becomes a monk in a monastery, he leaves society and becomes wild. They say this because they are unaware that monks are the most sociable of human beings. You should know that no one can become a monk if he is not sociable, that is, if he cannot communicate and deal openly and directly with all the difficulties encountered in a life shared with others. If a man has had difficulties in marrying or establishing a family, chances are he won’t be a good monk. He must feel secure in his life. Monasteries are not places of refuge. Consequently, a monk is someone who may have formerly attained success in such relationships, and loved them, too, and thus he doesn’t reject them, he doesn’t condemn them, he doesn’t despise them, but rather prefers something superior for himself.”

-Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra, in The Church at Prayer: The Mystical Liturgy of the Heart

Abba Poimen

August 27, 2025quotes, saintsDesert Fathers, monastics, Sayings of the Desert Fathers, St. Poimen the GreatGretchenJoanna

St. Poimen (or Pimen, or Poemen) the Great was born in Egypt in about 340. He and his two brothers joined themselves to a monastery in Scetis. After raids on Scetis caused the monastics to disperse, they began to assemble the Sayings of the Desert Fathers (the Apophthegmata Patrum), in which St. Poimen is the abba or poemen (“shepherd”) most often quoted.

“For many of the monks, Saint Pimen was a spiritual guide and instructor. They wrote down his answers to serve for the edification of others besides themselves. A certain monk asked, ‘If I see my brother sinning, should I conceal his fault?’ The Elder answered, ‘If we reproach the sins of brothers, then God will reproach our sins. If you see a brother sinning, do not believe your eyes. Know that your own sin is like a beam of wood, but the sin of your brother is like a splinter (Mt. 7:3-5), and then you will not enter into distress or temptation.'”

“Once, a monk from another country came to the saint to receive his guidance. He began to speak about sublime matters difficult to grasp. The saint turned away from him and was silent. They explained to the bewildered monk that the saint did not like to speak of lofty matters. Then the monk began to ask him about the struggle with passions of soul. The saint turned to him with a joyful face, ‘Now you have spoken well, and I will answer.’ For a long while he provided instruction on how one ought to struggle with the passions and conquer them.

“Saint Pimen died at age 110, about the year 450. Soon after his death, he was acknowledged as a saint pleasing to God. He was called ‘the Great’ as a sign of his great humility, uprightness, ascetic struggles, and self-denying service to God.” oca

Getting to know Elder Gabriel.

November 2, 2023church, history, saintsmonastics, Republic of Georgia, Soviet Union, St. Gabriel Confessor of GeorgiaGretchenJoanna

St. Gabriel Fool-for-Christ of the Republic of Georgia fell asleep in death on this day in 1995. That is a modern saint! I was advised last year to “get to know” St. Gabriel, and one way I’ve learned about him was through the several videos about his life, which include a multitude of stories from people who knew him well.

Gabriel served in the Soviet army as a youth, and later was tonsured a monk. He became famous in Georgia when on May 1, 1965 he set fire to a giant poster of Lenin at a Worker’s Day parade. That prompted his arrest, confinement in a mental hospital, and torture for seven months.

This movie about St. Gabriel is a very good one, which I never get tired of watching: “I Am Waiting for You at Samtavro;” it gives many details about his life and has the English translation dubbed in. His sister, his doctor, priests and monastics and others share about the love and miracles they experienced through his life and intercession before and after his repose. In the last ten years he has been recognized as a saint by the Georgian Church and then more widely throughout the world. From the movie narration:

“The saint and god-pleaser Gabriel is not only a great intercessor before God, but at the same time he is a role model for us on earth. His whole life was composed of great and brotherly love and it continues after his blessed repose. Being in the light of the Holy Trinity, Elder Gabriel is with us in an invisible, and sometimes visible way. He strengthens people in the faith and guides everyone, showing them the right path, cheering them up, and instilling hope.”