Watch Father Pimen Vlad visit the Prodromiţa Monastery in Romania where he answers various questions from the monastery’s pilgrims.
Enjoy!
Christ is risen!
Truly He is risen! How are you?
Greetings!
God help us! Greetings!
Father Pimen (FP): Thank you Father Abbot for welcoming us here at the Prodromița monastery from the Hârșova area.
Father Abbot (FA): We are very happy to have you in our midst.
FP: Look, I am here for the first time!
FA: With love, whenever you have the opportunity to come we are waiting for you with love.
FP: When the Mother of God appoints it and when she allows it. Because well, where we are we always have the Mother of God with us in her garden. And then, well, when she appoints for us to get to other parts… and here the monastery has the name of Prodromița after the icon from the Monastery of Prodromos in Athos….
Yes. I’m happy that there is a bit of an oasis here that gathers a few “sheep” like this, around. As we can see, even now we have a few “sheep.”
Pilgrim: “Rams”…
FP: “Rams,” everything.
FA: The monastery it’s not yet known, even if it’s from 2012, people don’t really know about it.
Pilgrim: Goats too?
FP: Now we leave that aside, that’s part 2. That’s what they were called there. But we say sheep, if they are around the church… If they are around the church it means they are “sheep” you know. If we were going to a beach somewhere then there would be the opportunity to meet all kinds… But here around the church we call them “sheep,” the little sheep of the Lord.
FA: The monastery really is not well known, even if it’s [been built] since 2012, not many know of the monastery.
FP: Alright, but was there an older place here, something?
FA: The old place is just supposed to have been.
FP: Oh, so like in many places, that is, there was something but it is not known, it is assumed.
FA: We believe that it was a metropolis and from here a bishop went to the first Ecumenical Council.
FP: That’s in ancient history, as an area, as they say. Well, you know what it’s like? The person sanctifies the place. Any place can become holy if there are also people who live after God and gather people who live after God there. And then the place becomes sanctified. So we see that all this Earth was made by God very well. That is, in a perfect order. And He made man and said, “Take it, master it, enjoy it, work it,” and so on.
So that’s why in our dominion as humans, let’s improve what God has given us. That is, when we say to improve, that is to draw closer to God and then all that is nature, animals and all become closer to us, that is through us, we have the connection with God. Because it is said, the moment man draws nearer to God, he acquires some of the smell of Adam, of “master.” We see, when God put Adam in Heaven, He said to him: You are the master of all animals, all beings. Of everything that existed in Heaven. He gave him this dominion, that is, Adam had a specific smell that [the animas] all said, “Our god!” and bowed down. Now, since the fall, that’s been lost.
Now when a person tries to draw near to God, to receive again from God’s Grace – we already see that in so many cases with the saints, where animals obeyed. We see St. Seraphim of Sarov, even at father Cleopas’, that a bear came every day, he had two potatoes a day to eat, one he gave to the bear, one he ate himself. So there is a bond formed with animals, but that’s up to us, how close we get to God.
And in this way we see these oases like there is here and in other places in the country. These have always existed in the olden days when in many areas there existed fortified monasteries. It was the safe place of the people. If a war was coming, they, the families, were all going to the woods, to the monasteries, and the men would go to battle.
So the Church has always been with man, in all moments: both hard ones, and easier ones and joyful ones. We see, at birth, he goes to baptism, also in the church. For the wedding, also in the church. So there are certain moments in life. After that, for the funeral, that’s also at the church.
So even in joy and in sorrow, it all goes through the Church. This is how God left it, the Mysteries of the Church, that through them, our salvation would also come. That’s why it is said, that without the Church, there is no salvation. Because the Mysteries of the Church are missing. No one can forgive your sins except as God has ordained: through the Apostles, bishops, priests, through the laying on of hands.
You confess and your sins are lifted. It is a gift that no one else has. Not the angels, no one. So this was given to the priests. And then God appointed that besides the parish priests in every parish, there would exist so many monasteries. Don’t we see? The moment you confess, wholeheartedly, without justifying yourself, you feel like you’re floating when you leave? It is God’s Grace that erases everything. Those sins are blotted out, they don’t remain.
And here, I said this before, let me tell you this: at that time, 5 years ago or more, what happened in that club, Colectiv, in Bucharest. Many were shouting then – there was an interest there, it was arranged – in the end it was found out that the fire was started intentionally, the government of that time had to fall, according to the madness of this world now.
Well, and a lot of people were manipulated into shouting after that “We want hospitals, we don’t want cathedrals!” That is, from there, they were turned against the Church. What was the Church’s business with that club? It was a club where young people went to have fun, it had no business. Well, among all these, there was also a young woman who also cried out there,
“Why are there so many churches? Tear them down and let’s make hospitals!”
This young woman was in medical school. After she finished medical school, short time after, she went to Germany for a bit of practice, to specialize more, at least for a year, to earn some money. It was the beginning period.
She had a boyfriend in Romania, who kind of thought similarly that the churches should be torn down and hospitals built, as that is [according to them] the basis of society and so on. As if the hospitals… May God make it so that there won’t be a need for hospitals as they say. Not to make hospitals, for what? Are we looking for more sick people?
And she went to Germany. Of course, there was hard work and studying. She studied for a month, two, three, after about half a year she reached a state of fatigue. She couldn’t keep going anymore. And there was a mental breakdown. She didn’t have something to help her. She tried talking to certain doctors in the hospital, as they were there in Germany, each with their own moral law.
And there was a very good doctor, he was praised, from the field of psychiatry – a psychiatrist, something. And she went to talk to him, working in the same hospital, she thought he would help her a little to recover, because she had mentally fallen a lot, that is, she could not sleep at night, she was tired. That guy said, ‘Wait, let me look in the diary. I’m sorry, in a month’s time I have time to talk.”
So there was no discussion that they were working in the same hospital… you had to have an appointment! “In a month’s time you can come and we can talk!” She was desperate. She started calling all the hospitals:
“[Come] in 2 months from now!” The soonest [she could go] was a month, or 2 months, 3 months. Out of all the hospitals in the area where she was there was no psychiatrist to talk to.
[She said] “That is when I realized what it means to be in one of these civilized countries, where there is no Orthodoxy. Everyone needed a psychiatrist. To make an appointment months ahead of time, and there was no space. So for everyone, that was their salvation.”
And in this way, the girl tried. Despondent, she got out of work that day, she couldn’t find anything and went for a walk on the streets, like a crazy lady as they say, [thinking] maybe she would recover a little bit and recuperate. It was late in the evening, tired, disappointed, in this state…
And at one point she sees in a place, on a fence it was written, “Romanian Orthodox Church.” She saw “Romanian,” and thought she will find a Romanian in here, to at least exchange a word with, [as] she had no one to talk to in that state she was in. She walks in there, finds the door open, goes inside, the priest was packing some packages in there.
“Good evening, God help us, can I sit for a little bit?”
“Of course, you are not bothering me!” he was there doing his work. She stayed that way for a bit and felt the need to tell someone what hurt her.
“Can I say something?”
“Yes. Of course!”
And the poor woman began to open up, to say all her trouble. The priest listened to her, gave her a piece of advice, while he was doing his work. And while she was talking to him, and he kept advising her, she began to feel relieved, somehow it was like a confession. Something she hadn’t tasted in her life. She had nothing to do with the Church.
To go back a bit, when she had arrived in Germany, she saw that a church was being torn down. She said, “Yes, sir! Here there are healthy people who know what they are doing! They are tearing down churches and building hospitals, which is what everyone should be doing.” This is what she was saying.
Now she realized that no hospital helped her, she came there and the priest, slowly, slowly, advised her and helped her so that she recovered. She felt so good, she began to gain some courage, some joy, after the advice he gave her and she said:
“Father, can I come back tomorrow? Or can I have your phone number so we can keep in touch?”
He said, “I’m sorry, it is not possible anymore.”
“Why?”
“You see, I’m packing, I got an order, because I rented this church from the Catholics and tomorrow it’s being demolished. They told us to pack our bags and leave.”
When she heard this, she said,
“How can they demolish the church?? After all the good it did for me!” That’s when she woke up when she felt that no one had helped her except that father at the church and she went out from there and kept saying, “How can they tear down the church, which helps so many people!”
She also realized what the Church meant. And of course, in her path, she slowly returned to Romania and drew near to God. She realized that in fact, this is where the salvation is, with God through the Church, by confession. Otherwise, the hospitals get filled with the mentally ill, as she found in Germany, where she could not find a spot for an appointment for a discussion. I mean, everybody needs something like that there.
Why? Because they don’t have a church, they don’t have confession. If you get to these things, you don’t need anything else. You confessed, you unburdened yourself. That does not mean that you no longer have hardships, you carry your cross, but it becomes much lighter.
So we see a person who does something out of love… let’s say hoeing. You go because you love a woman there and you go and you help her hoe. And because she’s dear to you, you don’t even feel like you are hoeing next to her all day, right? And another is paid to hoe and the man looks up and the day drags on. He is paid for the day but he is hoeing, and his hands hurt and everything. So that one is a mess – he’s forced because he has to earn a penny. You see both are doing the same work, one of them doesn’t feel the burden because he’s doing it out of love. Well, that’s what we have to do in life. Whatever we do, let’s do it out of love! And that thing becomes easy. In the world, in marriage…
No one marries because it will be as the Greeks have “meli gala,” that is honey with milk, everything perfect. No! There’s going to be difficulties, things like that, but they’re facing them together. This is what I say, in a marriage the two hands become one. If you put your hand out to pick up a table, you cannot, immediately the other hand comes and helps! For picking up something, it is the same. They never contradict each other. The left hand does not slap the right, [saying] “Why did you do that?” It jumps to help it. That’s what a marriage means. Quickly the hands help each other side by side to move on. That’s what happens and that’s how it should be in a marriage.
And the same in everything. We must be lenient with each other, help each other, and not always feel that we are the good and the wronged and the others are bad and who knows what. No! Always let’s see and try to put ourselves in each other’s shoes.
Like I was telling someone today: What you don’t like to have done to you, don’t do to someone else! Put yourself in the place of the other. Would you like them to behave like that? Would you like them to tell you so? You don’t like it! Don’t do it either! It’s not for nothing that the elders said this word.
That is, to always put yourself in the place of the other: you feel like mocking someone, you see him on the street, he is a bit lousier, think about you being in his shoes and being mocked. Would you like that? No. You will see how you will zip your mouth. And in anything… do you want to steal from the other? What if they stole from you?
So all these things we should put through a filter a little bit and we would be much more calculated and behave better with the people around us and we wouldn’t judge them so quickly. I’ll take another sip of coffee.
FA: Yes.
FP: I worked, I deserve it!
Pilgrim: You were saying about the wild animals that they are docile in the presence [of saints]… I remembered that you, too, in Athos, feed the foxes?
FP: Well, not only me. I mean, they’re all over there, the foxes come, the jackals… They are all over there. They live near the house and get along with the tomcats. We actually have some cats that are special, a cat had kittens with a wild tomcat. And they have a lion’s mane, everyone marvels:
“What breed is it?”
“It’s an unique breed!”
A cat from there that lives in the forest and just comes for a month in the spring, had kittens with a wild tomcat and they came out as if they have a lion’s mane and they are not afraid of either the jackals or the foxes, they don’t leave, they have their territory! But they live in the forest, they only come down to eat. I know when the cook is there because the tomcats are in front of the kitchen, it means that the cook is in the kitchen.
Then you see them, sometimes they contradict each other, I could see that the big [cat], the boss was missing, there was another one, and he was eating a piece of fish, and the fox came, saying “Give it to me!” The cat, nothing! The fox stood, it kept waiting, it was patient for a while, and at one point it smacked the tomcat and takes the piece of fish. The cat was this big, the fox was that big, you know! And eventually [the fox] said, “Well, are you mocking me? You ate half of it, aren’t you going to leave me something?” Something like that.
The animals live around humans. We always have leftovers for them as well. Or we have the wild pigs – we take the leftovers to one place, and when the father took them, he would tell me, “While I was leaving the scraps there, I could see at the edge of the forest how they were sticking out their heads and waiting for me to leave so the wild boars could come and eat.” There was a herd of them, of about 6-7, and they would go around there.
Or we have a family of crows. As soon as the car leaves to take the leftovers away they fly up and follow it and if somehow they see that it is not going to throw the leftovers, they start screaming. They see the it’s going somewhere else, they watch to see. Everyone comes to get their portion. The pigs, and eagles, the jackals, the crows also come, they all come to get what is theirs.
FA: There were two hermits and a family who knew both of them came, and they went to the first hermit and when he heard that they were coming, he took out the best of what he had. And he seats them at the table, and they all eat and he hears,
“Look how well these monks live.”
And the father was grieved, “I set out the best I have and you criticize me?”
They said, “Father, we want to go to the other father as well.”
“Yes, you want to go? Tell him not to water the weeds anymore!”
FP: “Stop watering them because I have watered them!”
FA: So when they went there, there was fasting, nothing, he put them to prayer, to vigil, the only food – breadcrumbs. They said, “Boy, let’s get out of here because it’s not for us!”
FP: But not only that, the elder said to his spiritual child, “Let’s do our prayer,” that’s how the elders had a habit of praying and afterwards eating or something else. He said to his spiritual child, “Stretch out the prayer, then also add the psalter.” And instead of 1 hour of prayer, they had 6 hours of prayer; [the family] was desperate now.
After 6 hours of prayer, it was nighttime, they took out a bit of dry bread with water and he says, “You know, we usually do 10 hours of prayer, but for you, we stopped at 6. We eat every 2 days, but because you have come, come on, look, I took out some dry bread with water.” When they heard that, after eating the dry bread, they asked where the path was so that they could go!
FA: Because the father said not to water the weeds anymore.
FP: Yes, they had their understanding, he told him “Stop watering the weeds because I’ve watered them.”
FA: For these guys who say we live like this.
FP: Well yes, it’s the joy of seeing each other again. The Mother of God arranges for there to be plenty on the table. It doesn’t mean that if they are on the table you should eat them all. You rejoice in them.
There was someone in Brasov: and after some discussion, the Mother of God here, the Mother of God there and he stops at some point and says, “Father, wait a minute, I’ve spoken to many fathers, and they would all tell me about God, about the Savior, but I only hear you speaking about the Mother of God. What’s the deal, why do you only speak of the Mother of God?”
I said, “First of all, I live in the Garden of the Mother of God, She’s my direct boss! Who should I talk about? From there on out she handles passing on my desires, my joys to God. It’s normal, she’s my direct boss! So every day, as they say, I have contact with her: it is her I talk to, her I ask for help, she helps me, she’s the direct chief. The Mother of God! I tell her everything that hurts me.
FA: In general, monks speak more of the Mother of God. They love her very much.
FP: Monks were accused of hating women, and things like that, but they don’t realize that it is exactly the monks who are most in love with a woman: the Mother of God. I mean, I love her above all else.
Pilgrim: Will you allow me to say something father?
FP: Yes!
Pilgrim: Until the Great Lent, I did not pray to the Mother of God, I watched you in that video, I began to cry, I prayed to the Mother of God, she worked so many miracles with me, she gave me a house in a neighborhood called Santa Maria (Saint Mary), in [the city of] Constanta. That is, the Mother of God worked some miracles with me, including here, that I got to the father abbot and we have some projects, maybe the Mother of God can help us solve our problems. And I want to tell you, that thanks to you, I began to pray to the Mother of God.
FP: It is thanks to the Mother of God. She worked to put in my mind what to say. In fact what was it? All I spoke of the Mother of God was my wish. Let’s put it this way, you’ve all been in love, when you’re in love you always talk about that person that you love. That’s what it’s like for me with the Mother of God. I try to love everyone, but I can’t fall in love again. Because I am already in love. And then I talk all the time about that.
I have tried to pass on my love of the Mother of God to others. I have always tried [to show] the value of the Mother of God for us humans. It surpasses anything. The Mother of God has power to override the will of the Savior, because she is His mother and He does not refuse her. And even if He decides something: “That’s it, I’m smiting them!” the Mother of God comes and intervenes.
Look, I’ll tell you one thing, since we were talking about Father Ephraim from America, in Arizona. At one point, he saw the Savior very angry with Greece, after it had approved these marriages, the civil partnership. And He was upset, “That’s it. Greece burns with fire!” And then the father began to pray to the Mother of God and the Mother of God appeared and prayed to the Savior not to punish Greece.
The Savior said, “No. I’m very upset and I can’t bear them anymore!”
And somehow the Savior disappeared. And the Mother of God seeing that she was not listened to, she took off her vestment and threw it over Greece. Like a cover. Because she knew that the Savior would not go over her cover. That is, she somehow took Greece in her arms, under her cover, because father Ephrem was praying for Greece.
So the Mother of God has the power to persuade the Savior. She is the most powerful weapon that we have in relation to God. That’s why, what the devils have done to most Christians, not to the Orthodox, but to those which appeared, the thousands of sects: they do not believe in the Mother of God and the Holy Cross the most powerful weapons of Christians.
Why do all Christians wear the cross on their neck, there is a cross in the church, when you do something, eat something, you make the sign of cross, “Lord help!” – you make the sign of the cross. And it’s scientific, they took water full of bacteria, made the sign of the cross over it, and they saw that it all disappeared from it. So [see] how much power the Cross has!
And also the Mother of God, her intercessions, they are weapons wherever we go. That’s why I say, [have a] cross on your neck, an icon of the Mother of God in your pocket, in the car, anywhere, you have the most powerful protection. When I go on the road with the car, this is what I do [makes sign of the cross],
“Mother of God, take control, if you leave me behind the wheel, I will crash into the first fence.” And I know that the Mother of God drives the car. I once drove from Suceava to Bucharest and scared myself! I had promised someone that I would arrive at a certain hour and it was impossible, I was dead tired. And I drove in slow motion, I almost couldn’t see; I just had my hand on the steering wheel and was changing gears. And I got there on time.
I said I will never do this again, knowing that the Mother of God held me in her arms but I was driving continuously overtaking others. From Suceava to Bucharest, I was continuously overtaking, without anyone stopping me, I was just changing gears, and I ended up getting to where I had to meet in that impossible time. Because I had promised a certain hour, and I have a bit of a craziness when it comes to this, if I said a certain time, I have to be there no matter what. And then I arrived, but I said I won’t do this anymore because I realized that the Mother of God held me in her arms because it was impossible to arrive like that.
Sometimes we take advantage of the goodness of the Mother of God. I often ended up asking her for things that seemed impossible, that weren’t in their right place. And I could see that she was giving them to me like that! I said, “Oh, Mother of God you gave me that too? I didn’t say it so seriously.” But to show us her kindness. So we don’t realize who the Mother of God is, how much love she has, she’s permanently like that mother who is attentive, permanently [saying]
“Yes, what is it my child, what do you need?”
“I need this.”
“Here’s that too!”
“I want a piece of…”
“Take the whole tray, it’s OK!”
So that is who the Mother of God is for us. So we have the most beautiful mother, the kindest, the strongest! And then why should we be afraid? Because many say:
“Father, I’m afraid …”
“Why?”
“Well, if the virus comes and you see [people] with three rows of masks…”
Folks you have gone crazy. We are all in debt with one death. If we leave ourselves in the care of the Mother of God nothing can affect us. Or if the time comes to die, we die because the time has come. Do you think that if you shut yourselves in a glass cube that’s it, you’re going to live for decades, you’re going to become I don’t know what? No! So our faith is too weak. If we really have faith, it all becomes easy, you know how? We fly! That is how I look at life, as an adventure, and everyday I say,
“Mother of God, what surprise do you have in store for me today?”
When I go on the road, I drive alone and I go everywhere, and I always say, “Mother of God, today let’s see” I never make plans.
Yes, I’ll leave to get somewhere, if the Mother of God ordains on the way for me to get there, or for me to deviate to somewhere else. Because look, last year, I was going from Oradea… I’ve said this one before…
[I was going] from Oradea to reach Suceava. And I set the GPS. It would usually take me on the big road but I saw that it was taking me to the left, and bringing me close to the Ukrainian border, through the woods, I was the only car, that’s how I went. I said: “The Mother of God knows why!” And I went.
In one spot there was a village of gypsies, I stopped to move them out of the away because they were laying in the middle of the road. I kept going and it took me to Beclea, a little further from Bistrita, somewhere there, it’s a small town. Well, it was 3 in the afternoon, I hadn’t eaten anything that day and I saw warm pretzels on the side of the road. I stopped. It was a parking space right next to it. I stopped there and there were 3 meters to the pretzel shop.
I took off my sunglasses, because it was sunny, summertime, warm, and I went and got two pretzels. At that time, a woman was parking a bicycle, paying attention to a bike. The moment I returned with the pretzels she lifted her head, I was going towards the car when she cried all of a sudden:
“I can’t believe it! Father Pimen!”
She left the bike, I in the meantime left the pretzels in the car, she came, took me in her arms and was crying hysterically. Well, meanwhile, there were about 3 gypsies there, they came quickly, because if we are dressed in black clothes [monastic habit], they are attracted like magnets – to ask for something. And they got bored, because she kept me in her arms for about 5 minutes and she was crying continuously. And one of the gypsies said:
“Oh, father, but this woman really loves you!”
I finished there, I gave her about 5 books – I always have the trunk full of books. I gave her about 5 books written by me, I exchanged 2 words, the woman worked, she had come to Romania for a bit, she was in Spain.
Well, time passed, this was last year in the summer. I went to Athos, this spring a man came, he said, “Father, I’m the husband of that lady you met there. We work in Spain. Poor woman, do you know how many years she was praying to God and the Mother of God to meet you? She would watch all the interviews and say, ‘Mother of God, somehow arrange for me to meet him!'”
And she was saying [to her husband], “Yes. You’re going to go to Athos, you’re going to meet him, but I am not going to meet him.” But then she comes home one day and says [to her husband], “Well, look at that, I met him before you!” After that he came and he told me.
And I said, “This is how the Mother of God works!” She took me down a road she never took me on before. And it wasn’t the first time I was driving that road and following the GPS. And she took me, diverted me completely on other roads, because I had to be there at that time for that lady. Because of how much she cried out to the Mother of God. I mean, things that seemed to have just happened! Never! There’s nothing accidental in our lives.
If you meet a person, you meet them for a reason. God knows why. You say, “Oh, I met so and so.” No. Maybe you need help or that person needs that meeting, a word, something, a look, to overcome something. That’s why we should not pass by others indifferently, because nothing is indifferent! They all have an ordinance.
Alright, that’s it, we move on! Thank you for all your love and all your patience!
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