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Which act of the State prevents me from functioning as a priest, from being a Christian, and from living rightly? Tell me, which act? Beyond the filth they push on us and the lies — but that does not stop me from keeping a clear mind and overcoming it. From knowing where the lie is and where the truth is.

What act of any state whatsoever — even an anti-Christian one, even one that persecutes Christ (it is not yet like that now; outwardly it is not) — would dare to stop the Liturgy of the Church in the hearts of the faithful? No one! Because the Church is the one of whom it is said, “the gates of Hades shall not prevail against her.” No Hades, no State, no harsh measure can stop… the Church. It is impossible for that to happen, unless we ourselves, out of fear, weakness, and lack of faith, allow it. It cannot be that “the gates of Hades shall not prevail against her.”

We continue our Christian life beyond whatever abnormal, anti-Christian decisions they make. Nothing prevents us, and the Christian will not yield in times of persecution when it comes to celebrating the Liturgy.

Here, when you enter a church, you see a Holy Altar always in the center. That is how the Holy Altar of any church you see is structured today. If tomorrow a state authority forbids the Liturgy and says, “all Christians are being persecuted, no one will go to Liturgy, Liturgies are forbidden,” and they station soldiers outside — that is how it is structured (the Church / the temple). The priest who knows will take the Holy Altar in his pocket, as I say, the Antimension. There is a cloth called the Antimension — from the Latin *anti mensa*, meaning “instead of a table” — which is consecrated and replaces the Holy Altar. If I know that tomorrow morning an order has been issued that I must not celebrate the Liturgy, I take the Antimension, which is made and sewn in such a way, I fold it, and it fits into my small pocket. And I go to the mountains and celebrate the Liturgy with you, if you have the courage.

And if they even put me in prison and say, “you are crazy, you will not celebrate the Liturgy,” and they take the Antimension from me as well, then in prison, if we are imprisoned together, I will tell you, “lie down.” You will lie down, and I will celebrate the Liturgy on your chest without an Antimension! Every believer is an image of God. And because he is an image of God, every believer is a Holy Altar. I will place on your chest a plastic cup, a little bread that I find from the prisoners’ food, and any plate, and I will celebrate the Liturgy! Nothing stops us; we are determined for everything! Whether in the mountains or in the prisons, nothing stops us! What authority, then? How was the Liturgy celebrated during so many years of persecution? Have you ever thought about these things?

Father Virgil Gheorghiu describes these events beautifully, extremely well — these extreme cases. Because he lived under a regime that persecuted Christians. And in fact he was both the one who experienced it and the one who acted, in the sense that before he became a clergyman he was General Secretary of the Communist Party of Romania; he was no ordinary personality. And he knows the practical reality of the events when he describes them. The Church is Communion, and without Communion nothing happens! I have nothing more to say.

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*Transcribed excerpt from a lecture in the “Romanian Odyssey,” by Protopresbyter Father Konstantinos Stratigopoulos, on the subject “The First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to Timothy,” delivered on 4 April 2013.*  
[http://www.orthodoxia-ellhnismos.gr/2020/10/blog-post_63.html](http://www.orthodoxia-ellhnismos.gr/2020/10/blog-post_63.html)

Ποιά πράξη τῆς Πολιτείας μέ ἐμποδίζει νά λειτουργηθῶ καί νά ΄μαι Χριστιανός καί νά ζῶ σωστά; Πές μου ποιά πράξη; Πέρα ἀπό τά βρώμικα πού μᾶς πλασάρουν καί τά ψέματα, ἀλλά αὐτό δέν μέ ἐμποδίζει ἐγώ νά ΄χω καθαρό μυαλό καί νά τό ξεπεράσω. Νά καταλαβαίνω ποῦ εἶναι τό ψέμμα καί ἡ ἀλήθεια.

Ποιά πράξης μίας ὁποιασδήποτε πολιτείας, ἔστω καί ἀντιχριστιανικῆς, ἔστω καί διωκούσης τόν Χριστό, δέν εἶναι τώρα ἀκόμη ἔτσι, ἐξωτερικά δέν εἶναι, θά τολμοῦσε νά σταματήσει τήν Λειτουργία τῆς Ἐκκλησίας στίς καρδιές τῶν πιστῶν; Κανείς! Ἐπειδή ἡ Ἐκκλησία εἶναι ἐκείνη πού «πύλαι ἅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς», κανένας ἅδης, καμμιά Πολιτεία, κανένα σκληρό μέτρο δέν μπορεῖ νά σταματήσει... τήν Ἐκκλησία. Εἶναι ἀδύνατον νά γίνει, παρά μόνο ἄν ἐμεῖς λόγω φόβου, ἀδυναμίας καί ἀσπιστίας τό ἐπιτρέψουμε. Δέν γίνεται «πύλαι ἅδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς».

Ἐμεῖς συνεχίζουμε τήν Χριστιανική μας ζωή πέρα ἀπό τίς ὁποιεσδήποτε ἀνώμαλες, ἀντιχριστιανικές ἀποφάσεις παίρνουνε. Τίποτε δέν μᾶς ἐμποδίζει καί δέν θά ἐνδώσει ὁ Χριστιανός σέ καιρούς διωγμῶν νά λειτουργήσει.

Ἐδῶ ὅταν μπαίνετε σέ μία ἐκκλησία μέσα, βλέπετε μία Ἁγία Τράπεζα πάντα στό κέντρο. Ἔτσι εἶναι σήμερα δομημένη ἡ Ἁγία Τράπεζα ὁποιασδήποτε ἐκκλησίας βλέπετε. Ἄν αὔριο μία κρατική ἐξουσία ἀπαγορεύσει τήν Λειτουργία καί πεῖ «διώκονται ὅλοι οἱ Χριστιανοί, κανείς δέν θά πάει Λειτουργία, ἀπαγορεύονται οἱ Λειτουργίες» καί βάλουν ἀπ΄ ἔξω στρατιωτικούς. Εἶναι ἔτσι δομημένη (ἡ Ἐκκλησία / ὁ ναός), ὁ παπᾶς πού τό ξέρει νά πάρει τήν Ἁγία Τράπεζα στήν τσέπη του, ὅπως τό λέω, τό Ἀντιμήνσιο. Ὑπάρχει ἕνα πανί πού λέγεται Ἀντιμήνσιο, λατινικά anti mensa = ἀντί τραπέζης, πού εἶναι ἁγιασμένο καί ἀντικαθιστᾶ τήν Ἁγία Τράπεζα. Νά ξέρω πού αὔριο τό πρωί βγῆκε διαταγή νά μή λειτουργήσω, νά πάρω τό Ἀντιμήνσιο πού εἶναι ἔτσι φτιαγμένο καί ραμμένο, τό διπλώνω καί μπαίνει στό μικρό μου τσεπάκι. Καί νά πάω στά βουνά καί νά κάνω Λειτουργία μαζί σας ἄν ἔχετε τήν τόλμη.

Καί ἄν ἀκόμη μέ βάλουνε φυλακή καί ποῦν «εἶσαι τρελός δέν θά λειτουργεῖς», καί μοῦ πάρουν καί τό Ἀντιμήνσιο, τότε στήν φυλακή ἄν εἴμαστε φυλακισμένοι μαζί, θά σοῦ πῶ «ξάπλωσε κάτω». Θά ξαπλώσεις κάτω καί θά κάνω Λειτουργία πάνω στό στῆθος σου χωρίς Ἀντιμήνσιο! Ὁ κάθε πιστός εἶναι εἰκόνα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καί ἐπειδή εἶναι εἰκόνα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ κάθε πιστός εἶναι μία Ἁγία Τράπεζα. Θά βάλω πάνω στό στῆθος σου ἕνα πλαστικό ποτηράκι, λίγο ψωμί πού θά βρῶ ἀπό τό φαγητό τῶν φυλακισμένων καί ἕνα πιάτο ὁποιοδήποτε καί θά κάνω Λειτουργία! Δέν μᾶς σταματάει τίποτε, εἴμαστε ἀποφασισμένοι γιά ὅλα! Ἤ στά βουνά ἤ στίς φυλακές, τίποτε δέν μᾶς σταματάει! Ποιά ἐξουσία λοιπόν; Πῶς γινόταν Λειτουργία τόσα χρόνια διωγμῶν; Αὐτά τά σκεφτήκατε ποτέ;

Τά περιγράφει πανέμορφα, πάρα πολύ ὡραία αὐτά τά γεγονότα ὁ πατήρ Βίργκιλ Γκεοργκίου, αὐτές τίς ἀκραῖες περιπτώσεις. Γιατί ἔζησε σέ ἕνα καθεστώς πού ἐδίωκε τούς Χριστιανούς. Καί μάλιστα ἦταν ὁ βιώσας καί ὁ πράξας, ὑπό τήν ἔννοια ὅτι πρίν γίνει κληρικός ἦταν Γενικός Γραμματέας τοῦ Κομμουνιστικοῦ Κόμματος Ρουμανίας, δέν ἦταν τυχαία προσωπικότητα. Καί ξέρει τήν πράξη τῶν γεγονότων, ὅταν τά περιγράφει. Ἡ Ἐκκλησία εἶναι Κοινωνία καί χωρίς Κοινωνία δέν γίνεται τίποτε! Δέν ἔχω νά πῶ κάτι ἄλλο.

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*Ἀπομαγνητοφωνημένο ἀπόσπασμα ὁμιλίας ἀπὸ τὸ «Ῥωμαίικο Ὁδοιπορικό», τοῦ πρωτοπρεσβυτέρου πατρός Κωνσταντίνου Στρατηγόπουλου, μέ θέμα «Α' πρός Τιμόθεον Ἐπιστολή τοῦ Ἀποστόλου Παύλου», ἐκφωνήθηκε 04-04-2013.*  
[http://www.orthodoxia-ellhnismos.gr/2020/10/blog-post_63.html](http://www.orthodoxia-ellhnismos.gr/2020/10/blog-post_63.html)

Author Michael Nikoletseas, creator of athosforum.org, was brutally attacked by Abbot Prodromos and bishop Chrysostomos, was ordered to unpublish his book and was expelled from the monastery of Megisti Lavra.

The book: THE CAIQUE FROM LAVRA

A priceless time capsule of the thousand-year monastic spirit of Megisti Lavra, the greatest, oldest Athonite monastery. A true record of the spirit of monasticism, the search for God on the Holy Mountain that is no longer. Athos is now a place of recreation, a destination of guided tours, a place of luxury living.

Read it at the Library of Harvard University.

Christmas 2023-a message in the spirit of Orthodox Athos And it came to be that the world stands at the threshold once we cross it there is no return new unpredictable and mostly unimaginable events and states occur geologically politically morally and it came to be inevitably paradoxically the work of Science and the consequence of ignoring Science The Earth is dying, our souls are dying, the Christian world is dying Athos the Agion Oros is dying

α' Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν. β' ἡ δὲ πόλις ἦν ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστος, καὶ φόβος ἐπάνω τῆς ἀβύσσου, καὶ πνεῦμα Θεοῦ ἐπεφέρετο ἐπάνω της πόλεως. γ' καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός let it be in this hour of darkness let it be there will be an answer Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be

The Caique from Lavra, by Michael Nikoletseas - a review This is the story of Mikail, his journey to Athonite monasticism. If you are looking for a book on sermons, admonition and miracles, look elsewhere. If you have read "The Bear" by William Falkner and found it boring, if you have been wondering why such a big fuss about it, you will feel the same reading The Caique.
Michail visits Athos and for unexplained reasons he feels anxiety or fear overcoming him. This triggers a flight around Athos and a desperate attempt to leave Athos instantly. An experience with the police at the airport of Thessaloniki has such a profound effect on him that he cancels his flight and returns to Athos.
He spends the summer at the monastery of Megisti Lavra. As fall approaches he decides to leave. He goes down the hill to the little port of the monastery to catch the caique. The events that follow are such that the reader becomes aware of the universality of this story. This story is about dark paths man's soul traverses in life and death.
Here I have confined myself to the manifest content of the story. The real story is in the realm of the spiritual. That is for later. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Buy on amazon

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