Days pass, years go by, and certain thoughts come to my mind that I would like to share with you.

Days pass, years go by, and certain thoughts come to my mind that I would like to share with you.

What were people and the world like many years ago?

People lived with God, loved God, and relied on God. Our monasteries were full of monks and nuns. When someone visited a monastery, its courtyards were fragrant with beautiful flowers that monks and nuns had planted in pots and gardens while praying.

When you entered the monastery's main church, your whole soul would be filled with the sweet fragrance of incense that had just been offered to God as a sacrifice. You would see smiling monks and nuns with humble, lowered eyes inviting you into the guesthouse to offer you the customary hospitality. There they were ready to listen to everything weighing upon your soul, speaking words of spiritual comfort so that your heart might find peace and your mind, troubled by everyday life, might be calmed.

You would leave the monastery saying:

"My soul has found peace."
"My mind feels lighter."
"I've recharged my batteries."

But time passes...

We have come to the present day.

The monasteries still exist.
The main church is still there.
The guesthouse is still there.

But, sadly, there are no monks or nuns to welcome you and offer you a spiritual word.

We have reached the year 2025.

The monasteries have become deserted.

There are very few monks and nuns left. Most monasteries are closed. Some remain open, but only a handful of souls still dwell within them. They struggle to keep the vigil lamp of the Most Holy Theotokos burning. They have grown old; their hands tremble. As they light the lamp before the Mother of God, they wonder:

"I too will die... and then what? What will become of everything, my Most Holy Mother?"

The world moves forward. Events unfold at an astonishing pace. There are more people than ever before, yet hardly anyone thinks about God.

Today, no one thinks of giving themselves to God.

Today, no one hears God's call to become a monk or a nun.

We suppress that call, bury it deep within ourselves, and refuse to let it come forth.

God speaks within us, but we do not listen.

"Me? Become a monk? What's wrong with me? Should I ruin my life? Give up my youth?"

Everyone agrees with this way of thinking.

The whole world thinks the same.

A monk is considered a failure.

He is seen as useless, lazy, someone running away from life and responsibility.

But we monks must know that we are neither lazy, nor selfish, nor failures. Rather, we willingly choose not to succeed according to worldly standards (humanly speaking), so that we may succeed spiritually, as Saint Paisios of Mount Athos teaches.

Where are our young people today?

Why does no one wish to dedicate themselves to God?

What have we become?

Let us be careful not to reject the Lord's invitation into the heavenly order of monastics because of laziness and negligence, lest we stand without excuse before the great and awesome Judgment, as Saint John Climacus warns us.

Do you know what it means to be a monk?

First—to love God.

Second—to weep and grieve throughout one's life for all humanity, as Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia tells us.

You may ask:

"How can I know if this is truly what I want? How can I feel it?"

Once again, Saint John Climacus answers:

"A person is moved to become a monk for one of three reasons:

a) for the sake of the Kingdom to come;
b) because of the burden of many sins;
c) out of love for God.

If someone becomes a monk for none of these reasons, then his departure from the world is without wisdom."

Are there still young men and women who think about these things?

I believe there are—but they remain hidden.

Do you wish to become a monk or a nun?

What are you waiting for?

Waiting and postponing are always the devil's trap.

"Just a little longer. I'm still young. I have time. There are a few more things I need to sort out first."

And so the devil has already defeated you.

You have given him a firm foothold.

That is exactly what he was waiting for.

When a young man falls in love with a young woman, what does he do?

He gets to know her. He takes steps to approach her, to speak with her, to know her more deeply.

The same happens with a young man or woman who desires to become a monk or a nun.

They seek out a monastery that brings them peace, one that draws their heart.

They come to know an elder or an abbess.

They draw ever closer to God.

They ask the elder or abbess to teach them about God.

They devote themselves to knowing Him.

And where does the elder lead that person?

To the knowledge of God—and ultimately, to Paradise.

The Greek alphabet has twenty-four letters.

The alphabet of monastic life has only two phrases:

"Bless me."
"Blessed be."

Saint Iakovos Tsalikis says:

"If God calls you and you become a monk, let two things always dwell within you: humility and love. For these will lead us into Paradise."

Whoever wishes to become a monk must humble himself and renounce his own will.

Have you become a monk while insisting on your own will? Then Satan has become your counselor.

Have you become a monk while following only your own thoughts, believing yourself incapable of error?

Then you will be full of mistakes and will never accomplish anything rightly, as Venerable Anthimos of Chios teaches.

So then—

Do I love God?

If the answer is yes, then make your decision and move forward with the blessing of your spiritual elder.

Do not be consumed by endless thoughts—thinking and rethinking, confused and scattered.

Entrust your life to Christ.

Leave everything in His hands.

Go forward, listening to God who speaks in your heart, because He knows.

Do you desire this?

Fr. German