Στα πολύ παλιά χρόνια, πριν περάσουν τετρακόσια χρόνια από την γέννηση του Ιησού Χριστού μας, γεννήθηκε στα Μύρα της Λυκίας ένας από τους μεγαλύτερους αγίους της Ορθοδοξίας, ο Άγιος Γεράσιμος ο Ιορδανίτης.
Τα Μύρα ήταν αρχαία πόλη της Μικράς Ασίας, που ήταν Ελληνική από τα πανάρχαια χρόνια. Την εποχή του Βυζαντίου τα Μύρα γιναν πρωτεύουσα της επαρχίας της Λυκίας και μέχρι τον 17ο αιώνα ήταν έδρα επισκόπου. Ένας από τους επισκόπους των Μύρων, ήταν και ο Άγιος Νικόλαος ο προστάτης των θαλασσών. Ο Άγιος Νικόλαος λάμπρυνε με την παρουσία του τον επισκοπικό θρόνο των Μύρων κατά τον 4ο αιώνα και πέθανε λίγα χρόνια πριν γεννηθεί ο Άγιος Γεράσιμος. Τα ερείπια που σώζονται δείχνουν ότι τα Μύρα βρίσκονται τέσσερα χιλιόμετρα μακριά από την θάλασσα.
Ο ευλογημένος Γεράσιμος γεννήθηκε όταν αυτοκράτορας του Βυζαντίου ήταν ο Ζήνωνας, μεταξύ 376 και 391 μ.Χ. Οι γονείς του ήταν πλούσιοι, ευσεβείς και ευλαβείς χριστιανοί. Τα άφθονα υλικά αγαθά δεν τους εμπόδισαν να έχουν αυστηρές ηθικές αρχές. Τον πολυαγαπημένο τους γιο τον ανάθρεψαν σύμφωνα με τα αθάνατα διδάγματα της Αγίας μας Ορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας. Του έδωσαν μια τέλεια χριστιανική ανατροφή.
Όσο μεγάλωνε ο χαριτωμένος Γεράσιμος, τόσο πιο πολύ πλουτιζόταν με άφθονες αρετές, που του χάριζε ο φωτοδότης Χριστός. Δεν ήθελε να ζει όπως οι πιο πολλοί νέοι της εποχής του και να φροντίζει μόνο το σώμα του, παραμελώντας την αθάνατη ψυχή του. Ήταν φρόνιμος και προσεκτικός. Καταλάβαινε πως η ζωή του ανθρώπου πάνω στην γη είναι προσωρινή, ενώ ο Παράδεισος είναι παντοτινός και αιώνιος. Ο μεγάλος σεβασμός στο Θεό ριζώθηκε για καλά στα τρίσβαθα της ψυχής του από τα παιδικά του χρόνια. Οι γονείς του τον αφιέρωσαν από βρέφος στον Θεό και από παιδί ζούσε την μοναχική ζωή σε κοινόβιο μοναστήρι.
Ρώτησαν τον αββά Ησαία τι είναι ταπείνωση, κι εκείνος είπε:
-Ταπείνωση είναι να θεωρούμε τον εαυτό μας πιο αμαρτωλό απ΄ όλους τους ανθρώπους και να εξουθενώνουμε τον εαυτό μας ότι τίποτε καλό δεν κάναμε ενώπιον του Θεού.
Και η εργασία της ταπείνωσης είναι η εξής: Να σιωπούμε, να μη ψηφίζουμε τον εαυτό μας σε καμιά περίπτωση, να μην είμαστε φιλόνικοι, να είμαστε έτοιμοι για υποταγή, με το βλέμμα χαμηλωμένο, τον θάνατο να έχουμε πρό οφθαλμών, να μην χρησιμοποιούμε το ψέμα και τον αργό λόγο.
Να μην αντιμιλούμε στον μεγαλύτερο, να μη θέλουμε να περάσει ο λόγος μας, να υπομένουμε τις περιφρονήσεις, να μισήσουμε την ανάπαυση, να βιάζουμε τον εαυτό μας σε κάθε περίπτωση, να είμαστε νηφάλιοι, να κόψουμε το θέλημά μας, να μην προκαλούμε κανέναν και να μη φθονούμε κανένα».
«Ας μη μιλάει η γλώσσα σου, αλλά η πράξη. Ο λόγος σου να΄ ναι ταπεινός περισσότερο απ΄ ό,τι η πράξη.
Μην μιλήσεις ερήμην της συνειδήσεώς σου και μη διδάξεις χωρίς ταπείνωση, για να δεχθεί η γη τον σπόρο σου».
ΓΕΡΟΝΤΙΚΌ
The Elder, according to his custom, spent the night praying. Once, while praying, about 1 a.m. he was "informed" by Divine grace that, at that moment, someone in the world, called John, was in danger. Upon receiving this information, the Elder immediately lit a candle and began to pray for John. Approximately half an hour later, the Elder’s soul received was "informed," that John was out of danger. But, the Elder still did not understand, what had happened.
The next day a young man came to the Elder and told him, what the Divine grace had concealed, i.e. that he, depressed because of a multitude of problems, found himself at a dead end, and decided to commit suicide.
Getting on his motorcycle at 12.30 a.m, he left the city, heading towards a distant district, in order to drive off a precipice and crash.
Around 12.50, while he was driving along the highway, he had a thought: "They say so many things about this Paisios on the Holy Mountain, maybe I should visit him, and if nothing happens there, then I shall crash."
That was that very John, about whom the Divine grace instilled the Elder to pray, when the young man was approaching the abyss.
And of course, when the young man returned home, he did not drive to that abyss, but to a confessor, to whom he confessed his sins. Thus, by the prayers of the Elder, the youth started on the right path.
Elder Paisios
Our sole care will be to continue in the word of Christ, to become His disciples and cease to be servants of sin.
Elder Sophrony Sakharov
And was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried.
In the fourth article of the Creed, it is stated that the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross for us during the reign of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor over Judea; He was crucified for our sins and for our salvation, because He Himself was without sin. At that time, He really suffered, died, and was buried.
Of course the Saviour suffered not as God, Who cannot suffer, but as man. He suffered not for His sin, of which He had none, but for the sins of the whole human race. After His death, His body was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. But from the time of the burial until His Resurrection, He descended in soul into hades and liberated all those who believed in Him, beginning with Adam and Eve.
Hades is the name of the place of estrangement from God, devoid of light or bliss. There Satan reigns. In regard to the soul the word "hades" signifies a condition of great affliction and torment.
The Lord Jesus Christ, as perfect man and Son of God, because He by one word is able to annihilate all enemies, voluntarily offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of people through crucifixion on a cross. Execution by hanging on a cross was the most infamous, cruel, and terrible form of capital punishment. It was the symbol of every human evil, and the most striking display of the power of the Devil. This terrible execution, devised by men according to the suggestion of the Devil, subjected people to hate, malice, embitterment and death. The Saviour, having endured disgraceful execution on the Cross, died, but rose from the dead. Through the Cross, life shone forth! Christ destroyed the main support of the Devil, and turned the Cross into an instrument of eternal victory over evil and death. The Lord sanctified the Cross with His pure blood and by His sacrificial heroic feat of love. The most terrible criminal, if he be repentant, is not rejected by the Saviour. From this moment, neither suffering nor death are able to deprive us of eternal bliss if we are with Christ the Saviour. On the contrary, the way of the Cross has become the path to eternal glory in the Kingdom of God.
The words in the Creed "suffered and was buried" were directed against some heretics who falsely taught that the Lord did not suffer torment on the Cross, but that His suffering only appeared to be suffering and death.
The words "under Pontius Pilate" point out the true historical event of the suffering of Christ, which occurred at this specific time. During the hours of Christ’s suffering on the Cross, there was darkness over all the earth (Luke 23:44), states the Evangelist. Early historical writings of the Roman astronomer Phlegontus, Thaddeus, and Julius Africanus note this darkness.
One of these exclaimed, "One of the gods has died!" A well-known philosopher from Athens, Dionysius the Areopagite, was at that time in the city of Heliopolis, in Egypt. Observing the sudden darkness, he said,..".either the Creator is suffering, or the world is coming to an end." Afterwards, after the preaching of the Apostle Paul, Dionysius accepted Christianity and became the first bishop of Athens.
Glory to Thy long-suffering, O Lord! Before Thy Cross we bow down, O Master, and Thy holy
Resurrection we glorify.
The Resurrection of Christ is discussed in the following, fifth article of the Creed
