Letters by Elder Joseph of Vatopedi, No 4

“ Is obedience for everyone?”

25/3/1984 Sunday

Nea Skete

To my dearest A and M, I send my fatherly prayers.

I have received both the letter and the goods and we are most indebted to you, both Fr Athanasios (now Metropolitan of Limassol), who received the feloni, and I. Let’s see who will get tired first, us to receive, or you to send?

You have clearly asked about the issue of obedience to the holy Fathers and I say the following: No human is absolved of this duty; no matter how high he stands or what his status is even in the Church hierarchy. Not even Paul was absolved of this duty by the fullness of grace which resided in him.

We hear him say:”Three years later I went up to Jerusalem to tell Peter the story and stayed with him fifteen days”. And again:”Fourteen years later, I went up to Jerusalem again because of a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach… for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain”.

Here we find Paul confessing and accepting advice, he, who was given not a command but an order on what to do or say. So, who is exempt from this duty? No man, no matter where he is, is acknowledged by Grace, unless he receives advice.

Moses says:” Ask your Father and He will tell your elders what to say to you”.

“We only partly see, partly comprehend, and partly prophesize” says Paul, and goes on to explain that in this world we only see perfection “like a reflection in the mirror and enigmatically”. All this shows how deficient and weak man is.

“I, therefore, say to you that we have this treasure in a shell, in order for you to appreciate that our excessive power comes from God and not from us”. Here we see the humility of our fathers manifested, who always regarded as their duty to “measure up to each other”.

But the grace of God was not revealed to those who lived by themselves under their own auspices and not under the guidance of elder spiritual fathers. “For I say, pity the one that is alone”. And again: “It is not good for man to be alone”. And again: “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken”, but “if a man who is alone falls, who will help him get up?”

An advice to the sensible human beings is to actually practice humility, without which nothing can be done…

I wish you to live the rest of your days in peace and without hindrance and to receive the whole of grace during the Great day of Easter.

Your poor father,

Joseph, monk.