By Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou

Very difficult moments for humanity are coming. It seems that these difficult moments are just now starting. When this virus will end in May, other grievances will come; far greater than this one.

Therefore, we will need even more patience and even more faith. Now we are in the stage of practice, and of exams. These exams will pass, and more difficult ones will come.

That is why I am asking you, and I have said this in other places as well, in every town the priest should find ten prayerful people. If he finds more, all the better!

Give each of the ten people to read every day, at any time they can, two Kathismas from the Psalter of David.

Two Kathismas (16 Psalms) take about 15 minutes. That’s why we call them Kathismas.

And where it writes, “Glory be to the Father…”, we get up and make three crosses (prostrations).

At the end, we will commemorate the names of the living and the dead, those who love us and those who hate us, those who serve us and those who harm us, and the people who are in pain (suffering).

There are many people who are in need of being commemorated and in need of our love.

This is the best way, which God has enlightened me with, and which I have received as counsel from enlightened people, so that we can build bastions of faith in every village and in every place. Let’s do concrete things, not just words and sermons!

As you can see, the situation is worsening; the times are worsening.

What should the Christians do? Are they only capable of putting on masks to protect themselves from these things? During the next illness we will not be able to protect ourselves with masks, nor with “shots” (vacc—s). What will we do then?

“Shots” will prove themselves to be very dangerous for people. In the same way we have genetically modified food, we will have, slowly, slowly, modified people.

Therefore, Christians must do the things which are difficult. Christians are meant for the difficult things. Atheists are meant for the easy things; who think they can change the world, but in fact they cannot even change themselves.

The Christian is the who one can change, he is the one who can transform, the one who can be sanctified. Us Bishops have a great responsibility!

If we cannot influence the many, we can help through the mediation of the few. God can do His work even with only two or three people!

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20.)

P.S.

Isiah 22:12 – 13

In that day the Lord of hosts called for weeping and mourning, for baldness and for girding with sackcloth. But instead, they celebrated in joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, so as to eat and drink wine, saying, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

Commentary: The enemy is at Jerusalem’s gates, yet the people answer the call of the Lord of hosts for repentance by throwing a drunken feast.  “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (Rom 14:17)