(106) Remembering ~ Reflections on what I have been given

You know how you vaguely know that there are many people you are not deeply aware of but how have touched or even changed your life?  

Or that you never stopped to fully consider the implications of that person? 

Or maybe you or I or all of us don't stop that much to think 

about the fact that there may be others in our lives, 

in our world, whose life was lived in a way that causes our life to be saved.  

I think we all love stories of how a person's kindness can impact another's life 

and then that person's life impacts another's life and 

somewhere along the line, someone's life is dramatically changed

 or spared because of a person who someone else who was impacted

by an person earlier on....  

I have been trying to think of how to explain a little of who Elder Ephraim is

 to you, dear friends and readers, who may not know a lot about 

Orthodoxy or Monasteries, etc.  

And I don't know (compared to others esp!) much about Elder Ephraim 

though I knew of his holiness for many years now; 

but perhaps this is better, that I know very little 

so I can explain to those who are not in the Orthodox Church...  

I don't even know how to really begin trying to explain how the Greek Monasteries 

that began by Elder Ephraim's work and guidance, have impacted my life.  

The main Monastery for me remains the Romanian one in Michigan 

that long time readers know that I love very much.  

My love of monasticism and monasteries began there.  

Well, when I lived in Ottawa, there was and is a Greek Monastery 

about 1 hour 20 minutes outside of Ottawa.  

I went there various times, including when I was really struggling 

(job-wise and health-wise).  

I don't have time to fully explain how God used this Monastery

 to bring my now Husband and I from writing to 

each other to professing our interest in the other 

and how we began dating because the Abbess told my Husband 

to come to her Monastery 

(and thus he said maybe we can meet there and I said, MEET ME you want to MEET me?

 Define Our Relationship, is something changing??)

 and within a few days, we were dating.

  I figured that meant marriage in a year (I was right or off by one week!)

Our wedding icons, our wedding crowns, candles... they are all from this Monastery.  

They were praying for us.  The Abbess gave me instruction on what to do at my wedding

 (pray the Jesus Prayer, i.e. Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on me) 

and miraculously I was able to pray this.  

Miraculously I say because when I am really happy and excited

 I inwardly very bouncy and quite unfocused.  

My Husband has been to 8 or 10 of 17 North American Elder Ephraim's monasteries.  

This fact was one of the many that not only drew me to him 

but pretty much blew my "what I want in a Husband" list out of the water.  

Anyway, Elder Ephraim was a monastic from his early 20s on Mount Athos 

which is a peninsula in Greece that is inhabited ONLY by Monks, 

as in men monastics and only men are allowed on the island. 

 (It's been that way for 100s of years and is so that the men monks don't get distracted in prayer).  Anyway, Elder Ephraim prayed a lot and grew in the Holy Spirit to a great degree.  

He radiated the love of Christ to others and his deep holiness drew many to him.  

His love of Christ, deep prayer life, his humility and how the Holy Spirit 

was so strongly with him, helped him repopulate monasteries on Mount Athos 

there are many monasteries there; it's beautiful, 

my Husband has been about 2 decades ago, 

my friend AR from Romania just got back recently from 

being there again for spiritual refreshment). ...

Later Elder Ephraim was lead by God to move to 

America when he realized what spiritual poverty 

so many of his own people (from Greece) had come to there.  

And he began his work in America and Canada this way.  Like others "plant churches" he planted monasteries - both for monks (men) and for nuns (women). 

And his main monastery he planted in the desert of Arizona 

where there was no water known.  It was the desert after all! 

 One of the first stories I heard about

 Elder Ephraim was that God showed him where to find water there.  

Like he told the people who look for water (to drill for it) where to drill...

water, where no water is...

 

My dear friends, when my Husband and I visited in 2018 in March, being there was like being in a garden of Paradise.  You will see this by the pictures.  

This Monastery is in the middle of the desert and the water that was found,

and the prayer that was continually poured out, 

and the enormous effort and hard work, such beauty! Such gardens! 

So beautiful that tourists come by the the busload 

just to take a tour of the beautiful gardens.   

This does not even mention the beauty of the many churches and chapels there.  

1995 6 monks came there.  And now, this monastery! this garden! this oasis! 

You can see it from my pictures...the beauty of it! 

When I was staying there and my Husband was waiting for me on the path

(woman and men are in separate buildings there, it's really great actually,

it's like a sleep over with all woman friends or all men friends) and when I opened the door

on that beautiful sunlit morning, I literally felt like I was in a dream

and was seeing my Husband in a garden in Paradise... 

My Husband and I's lives are both impacted deeply because of Elder Ephraim's Monasteries.  Elder Ephraim's funeral is Wednesday.  

My local priest, who is my spiritual father now, said a beautiful homily recently and in part talked about how we are called to love, love love, 

to care and care and care, to give, give, give of our selves... 

I pray that by Elder Ephraim's prayers that we can love Christ more and have greater love and forgiveness and peace in our families, in our relationships with others.... 

Many many are coming to Elder Ephraim's funeral; I just know this.

His impact was very vast. 

***

I can't imagine the grief that others are in; though I know grief myself;

I recognize it; I see it and know that it with God one can be saved even 

in the flood of grief... 

***

Think of them this week, as they go to their beautiful oasis, the 

miracle of the garden in the desert.

I can only thank and praise God that He allowed me to be there at this 

beautiful Monastery with such gardens!

May Elder Ephraim's Memory be eternal!

May we grow in Christ through the prayers of this holy Elder Ephraim!