Al-Safir on Hamatoura

Arabic original here.



The Monastery of Our Lady of Hamatoura: Firm as an Icon in the Heart of Nature

by Fadia Daboul

The Orthodox monastery of Our Lady of Hamatoura enjoys an outstanding location among the rocks on a mountain overlooking Kousba, standing out like an icon in the heart of nature. It draws the faithful in for prayer and pilgrimage and explorers to immerse themselves in its history, despite the difficulties faced by one aiming to go up the steep trail leading up the mountain.

 The monastery's history goes back to the fifth Christian century. It has remained firm despite the persecutions it has faced in different periods, especially during the Mamluk and Ottoman eras. In the days of the Mamluks, armies plundered the monastery's products and tormented and brutalized its monks. Families from neighboring villages would sneak in young men seeking shelter in the monastery and some families gathered around it and worked with the monks to found the village of Karbaraya, though in the past half-century its residents have moved to neighboring villages for work and education.

In addition to human violence, the monastery has been subject to a number of difficult natural circumstances, including a number of earthquakes, the most famous of which was in 1600, although monks remained there until 1917, when Lebanon was struck by a great earthquake that buried a large part of the monastery. Continuous efforts up to today have only managed to restore ten percent of the monastery's historical size.

 Manuscripts, the oldest of which goes back to the tenth century, testify to the monastery's deep history. A manuscript by a Russian traveller who visited the monasteries of Lebanon affirms that the monastery covered the entire mountain, according to its detailed description of it. The icons on its walls go back to different periods of history. Some are from the fifth and sixth century, but most of them were painted in the tenth century, after the conflict over iconoclasm, which began when the emperor at the time issued an order forbidding icons from being venerated in churches and sent his soldiers to damage and destroy them by various means.

The Monastery of Our Lady of Hamatoura resembles some monasteries in Turkey and others in Palestine with regard to its location and its extent over the entire mountain. From another perspective, it resembles Greek and Russian monasteries which, beside the main monastery, include a number of hermitages, small monasteries, and churches dependent on the one large monastery. Besides the Church of the Dormition of the Theotokos of Hamatoura, it includes a hermitage dedicated to Mar Elias and another to St John the Baptist, a church of St Michael, and a monastery of St George dependent on the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Pandeleimon Farah.

The number of monks in the monastery approached two hundred, but the number quickly fell following successive periods of persecution. Today there are ten monks. In 1992 a monk came to the monastery from Mount Athos in Greece who attempted to revive it, but he was unable to bear the difficulties of living in it in its ruined state, in addition to its location and the rugged path up to it, transporting things to it on foot or on the back of a donkey. In 1994 Archimandrite Pandeleimon Farah arrived there following a fire caused by candles lit by some of the faithful. He worked to restore it, which has led to the uncovering of icons from the sixth century. The monks had been unable to restore them following attacks by the Ottomans when they were destroyed in 1770, so they covered them with plaster, which cracked due to the heat from the fire.

In 2008, as the monks were completing a restoration project, they came across four bodies buried in the ground. It was clear that they belonged to martyrs who had been beaten, as their bones were broken. The head of one of the bodies was cut off, and it was surrounded by a layer of lime. According to scientists, the presence of a layer of lime on a body can be due to one of two factors-- First, the nature of the soil in which the body is buried, which may include lime. This is not the case with the soil under the church. The second is for bodies to be burned. Thus the monks were sure that one of the bodies belonged to Saint Jacob of Hamatoura, on account of the bodies' presence corresponding to the miraculous appearance of the saint, and the precise history of the martyrdom of the saint, who re-founded monasticism at the monastery during the time of the Mamluks.

Fr Pandeleimon (Farah) on St Jacob of Hamatoura

Today is the feast day of St Jacob of Hamatoura, whose life can be read here. The Arabic original of this sermon can be read here.


Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages, amen.

I wanted to congratulate you on this noble feast, since you have come from different places to spend the night, despite the cold, in prayer, to warm yourselves in your prayer and to be made holy through this great saint, the hieromartyr Jacob of Hamatoura.

What strikes in the readings that we heard today from the Gospel and the Epistle, is the part that pertains to education. It says that someone who wants to be an authentic son, not an illegitimate one, must endure his father's corrections and be obedient in order to practice, through this obedience, fulfilling his duty and realizing his sonship. One who is corrected by his father, he is an authentic son, but one who is not corrected is illegitimate-- that is, inauthentic-- and does not have the same traits as his father. Here it means belief and faith, not beauty or appearance or other inherited traits. This is because one who is corrected by the Lord bears and possesses the Lord's traits and in this way he is able to live within society but apart from society. "You are not of the world, though I have chosen you out of the world," but you are distinct from the world in your mentality and your behavior. A Christian cannot resemble the people of the world. People offer you lusts, they offer you whims,  they offer selfishness, and you cannot be that way. You are corrected by the Lord so that you will be different from this society and so that you will rise up to a holy, heavenly, society.

If we compare this text that we are hearing with our life in our Christian society today, we find ourselves embarrassed. This is because Christians in general do not act according to the Gospel, do not adhere to it, and do not practice and learn from it. They are far from it and for this reason witness and holiness are rare and the level of human thought is declining, because it is losing holy illumination. It is losing the effectiveness of grace because it receives it and makes it useless and does not put it into action. But one who practices the Lord's commandments, he receives grace upon grace from God and again and again practices developing this grace, cooperating with it, making it effective in his life in order to attain the holiness that the Lord wills for him.

Saint Jacob, despite the social circumstances  that surrounded his life in those times, practiced the love of the Lord to the utmost limits. This is why he accepted suffering and difficulty with joy and relish, and he did not accept to be saved by society which offered him false faith. He did not accept what reigned in his society. Rather, he accepted to be defiant, not out of selfishness or pride, but because he knew the truth. When we say this verb 'he knows', it means that he has experience with God, because true faith is for them to know that You, the true God, and Your Son whom You sent, Jesus Christ. 'That they know You,' not know about You  intellectually. The human intellect is not capable of comprehending divine thought. However, it is capable of getting to know you, that is to obtain practical, life experience through prayer, through the holy mysteries, and through reading the holy scriptures.

This is how the saint lived, unwavering, bearing suffering and hardships unto death, and slander just like we see today in our day. The thinking is the same because its source is the Evil One. A Christian does not return evil for evil, but he does stay firm in his struggle and rejects sin every day in his home, his work, his business, and his interactions with people. Then he is able to be a martyr. God did not allow persecutions to be continuous because we are weak and because we do not prepare every day to die for the sake of the love of Christ. We persist in our sins, far from His love. So He has mercy on us, since if the Evil One stirred up persecution against us, not one of us would remain steadfast. But we trust in His mercy, He who helps us, makes us capable, and extends His grace to us, so that we might continue in our struggle and be made holy. In the abundance of His love-- indeed, in the excess of His love-- He does not accept for us to perish. Rather, He wants us to be saved and be made holy. He waits for us. When we approach Him even a little, He rushes to meet and embrace us and make us steadfast in our holy struggle.

Be steadfast and learn from the Holy Bible, its morals and teachings, so that in your daily life you will truly be witnesses to Him, so that at your end you will be made worthy of the holy crown of martyrdom, so that you will attain the kingdom of heaven, joyous with the saints whom we celebrate every day, to whom we sing hymns so that we will be encouraged to imitate them and be made holy like them.

May Saint Jacob of Hamatoura intercede for all of us. May he make our way easy in every good work that pleases God. Let us be corrected by Him and let us walk in a way that pleases Him, scorning every lust and every desire that the world offers us, so that we may strip off, as the Lord said, this world, being raised up to His love. Amen.

Archimandrite Pandeleimon (Farah)
Abbot of the Monastery of Hamatoura
October 15, 2011

Fr. Pandeleimon Farah's Sermon for All Saints' Day, 2011

Arabic original here.


Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages, amen.

Today we commemorate all the saints who are throughout the world. We commemorate all those who shone, east and west, north and south, as well as those who will become saints. Holiness is not limited to a time or to a certain number of people but rather it spreads like light that disperses the darkness. In this way, Christ's grace spreads among humankind, and those who approach it possess holiness. The saints do not belong to a long-lost time that has passed. They are present now in our era and they will also be present after us. There is no limit to sanctity, so we commemorate them all in order to know that we are not limited by the feasts of saints whom we know and the dates of whose feasts we know and so celebrate at certain times. Rather, we commemorate all the saints as a result of giving glory to God, who gave us the grace of holiness.

This is an opinion that we must adopt and a teaching that we must follow in order to know that we are also called to holiness. Did we not receive this grace at baptism?! So we must cause it to bear fruit and be serious, as the Apostle Paul teaches about those whom he remembers in today's epistle, how they suffered, asking us to patiently struggle. This is what is asked of us, to be patient in our struggle, to be patient in or sufferings and our temptations. When we are patient, we will inevitably be victorious, because God, who arranged for us to undertake this struggle, is with us, struggling with us, sanctifying us, and ministering to us, so that we might be victorious and He might be pleased with our struggle.

In this way He looked upon the struggles of Saint Anthony in the desert. After being exhausted from toil and worn down and wounded by many blows from the devil, Anthony asked the Lord, "Where were you? I I called upon you often, and you did not come to me?" He said to him, "O Anthony, I was with you, rejoicing in your struggle and now I will appear to you in order to confirm to you that you are in a righteous struggle and on the true path." Do not ask for a miracle immediately. God is with you, so be patient in your struggle. When He sees your patience, He will help you even more and will reveal victory to you.

So let us struggle in patience and let us be persistent. What is the point of this life that we live, if it is not training for us to arrive at holiness? What use is it? It has no use, if it does not lead to holiness and the kingdom. This is the valley of the shadow of death, where man toils and grieves and sheds much sweat, but God will crown his patience with victory, holiness, and the life of the kingdom.

So struggle, especially early in life, because in this way you will become accustomed to following this path. When someone becomes accustomed to loose living and distances himself from the Lord, it is hard for him later to follow this path, just like with sports. If you have trained every day from your youth, then in adulthood and old age you will persist, because you have become used to this regimen. But if you come to train after seventy years of relaxation and immobility, then you will not move at all. So struggle while you are young in order to arrive at victory starting now. Then you will become accustomed to being victorious and evil will not overcome you. Do not be careless and do not allow yourself to submit to the temptations that come your way, lest you become negligent and in your negligence you will not be victorious. But in your struggling and your patience in the suffering, difficulty, and temptation,  that you go through, you will be victorious and your reward will stick to Christ and in this way you will become holy.

If you want to know more, you should read the lives of the heroic saints that the Church has announced, not in order to say, "we have many saints" but in order to say to your, "these are the guiding models, you should emulate them and walk in their footsteps." Then, in your familiarity with the righteous, you can come to Christ and in your daily prayer and reading of the Bible, you will be upright and set limits in your life, so that you do not deviate into sin. In this way you will preserve yourself through discipline and you will struggle with patience and steadfastness and so receive the great reward of being with Christ in the kingdom.

So let all the saints intercede for us, those whom we commemorate in every country and place. Notice that the Church is not limited to local saints. She seeks their intercession, but she commemorates and rejoices in all saints in every place, because they also bear the grace of the Lord and possess this grace in order to sanctify and enlighten us. So by learning from their biographies and their lives, we emulate them and are also filled with their graces, abundant blessings, we are made holy, strengthened, and advance in our struggle. May they bless us on this blessed morning and may they make our life story be in imitation of their story and their holiness, so that we too may receive blessed victory from the Lord. May His name be holy in us, amen.

Archimandrite Pandeleimon (Farah)
Abbot of the Monastery of Hamatoura
June 22, 2011

Open to me the doors of repentance- Fr. Pandeleimon (Farah)

Fr. Pandeleimon Farah Remembers Fr. Elias Morcos

The newest issue of the Orthodox Youth Movement's magazine is dedicated to recollections of the recently departed abbot of Deir el-Harf, Fr. Elias Morcos. I will translate a few of them, I think, as together they provide substantial testimony to the profound impact of Fr. Elias and the monastic renewal which he was a part on the contemporary life of the Church of Antioch. Fr. Pandeleimon Farah is abbot of the Monastery of Hamatoura. The Arabic original can be found here.




Blessed is the one You have chosen and accepted, O Lord, his memory is unto generations (Psalm 64:4)


After the repose of the esteemed Father Elias (Morcos), doyen of monks in all of Antioch, I wanted to recall some of his qualities that deserve attention that attracting souls to him so he in turn could draw them to God, like the expert fisherman who understands that his role is to work with God for our salvation.

Thus I will not write about what I heard from people, who are truthful in how they describe him, but rather about what I myself saw and experienced of him, leaving others open to talk about their own experiences. The first thing that attracted me to him was his apostolic simplicity that caused him to flee worldly glories, even though he was of a high station in his society, and to live in simplicity of heart and way of life, with humble clothing, food, and speech, such that he taught with his silence as much as with his words, without affectation or platitudes. He was precise in his analysis. He did not harm the listener, even if he chastised him. He did not exaggerate or use hyperbole, because he spoke in order to comfort and not to dispel hope. His hope was continuous, tied to faith and love.

In his meditations, he was precise, with an enthusiasm that did not allow for boredom. He encouraged his listeners and readers, spreading hope, because the people are our people, children of our Church that we must teach with love, patience, and faith.

He loved all, even at the cost of his rest and his schedule, despite the fact that he was precise and orderly. He loved them and them with patience and joy. This shows his humility and self-renunciation.

His clinging to the lord in deep and ardent prayer manifested itself the most at times of hardship and bitter crises, whether in the Church or the nation. At those times, you would find him calm, inviting you to prayer and reliance on God. He was not proud and made no account of himself, but he bore all in his heart, in imitation of his teacher Jesus, lifting them up in prayer with submission and contentment.

Work for him was first, with prayer and service, then the teaching came to you, "blessed is he who works and teaches" (Matthew 5:19).

He would surprise us with his reaction and response, as though he anticipated what was going through your mind. He always insisted on the connection to Christ, because he was sure in his experience of this two-way motion (as you strive to draw near to Christ, you find yourself being drawn to him. The more you draw near to the other, the more rooted you become in Christ.)

If one day I went to him to complain about some injustice, he would return me to myself to complain about myself instead, and so I was freed and could rest. He very often made us laugh with his habitual wit (a sign of his lively intelligence), replacing of our destructive grumbling with self-examination. Because he relied upon God, he spread within us this hope that is not afflicted with disappointment.

Finally, I will write about his pushing those with talents to work and to employ them in service of the Church. He helped every person to find himself within the Church through work that serves all.

To put it simply, he bore the heritage of the first monks and he honestly epitomized in himself philocalic experiences. I remember an article of our beloved Metropolitan Georges (Khodr) in an issue of our magazine "al-Nour" with the title "What We Need is a New St. Anthony" and there we had this obvious trailblazer answering the call in silence and humility.

I also must extol his graciousness in supporting Antiochian monasticism with prayer and work, and likewise his attracting the youth and children to the Church through his honorable behavior, his writings, his translations, his listening, and especially his simple and cogent solutions.

I call out to the Lord who granted him this qualities and virtues to make his memory to be eternal, joining with the joyous in heaven with abundant truth, and that He will grace us in the Church of Antioch with more like him so that the gift will continue to abound and the harvest will continue to be blessed, amen.

Fr. Pandeleimon (Farah) on the Angels

This sermon was originally given on November 8, 2009. The Arabic original can be found here.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages, amen.

Today we celebrate the holy angels and archangels. In truth, even if they are not seen they are present with us and always surrounding us. Every one of us has a guardian angel entrusted to us by the Lord from the time we were in our mother's womb, before we even became a complete person in body and spirit to watch over us until we reach our final end, glorifying in paradise with the Lord Jesus. At that time the angels come to take us with them and accompany us to our final destination on the path of holiness. If we notice that there are many things that happen in existence like injustice and abuse, and you do not have anyone to support you and give you your right, but they have no power over you. As a result, you accept what you must accept, and you remain in your peace and do not fear, as the Lord commanded to the one who had heard about his daughter's death. He said to him: Do not fear. Even standing on the verge of the abyss, do not fear. Stay firm in your faith. Only trust. At that point, the angels whom the Lord has entrusted cannot delay or be negligent in guarding you. They are able because they have grace and power and they are not ever defeated. It remains for you to not fear and to not be anxious. This anxiety is the way in which the Devil takes control over our minds and our life. He has no power and is not able to do anything except to cause us fear, and when we are weak, he dominates us. The angels, in their holy presence, do not let you feel their presence. They do not cause you fear, but rather fill your heart and your conscience with light, peace, and tranquility, and the anxiety stops. "Do not let your hearts be troubled," says the Lord, "because I give you peace, not as the world." The world greets you with peace to your face, but behind your back they betray you. They angels do not betray, because they have no other weapon besides obedience to the will of God. God sends them to serve you, and so do not have fear, because they will not abandon you and they have the power to fulfill the will of God. It is for you to respond to them and to imitate them in constant, unceasing prayer. Their constant work is to pray, to praise God, to glorify Him. So you respond with them in prayer. Perhaps a person's circumstances will put him under pressure and not allow him to pray with calmness, as we are doing today with long, blessed prayers, taking our time. However, when one is traveling, one is under specific pressure and has a reason for being disturbed and maybe cannot stand for an hour and pray. However at every moment, if he remembers that he is under the Lord's protection, he can give thanks to Him and praise Him, and so he prays more than one who stands for an hours while his mind is far from prayer. He imitates the angelic powers with constant prayer. Always, as when you're breathing, cry out to Him: Lord have mercy on me! May your name be praised, O Lord! Your will be done. Simple words. Easy expressions, but they pierce the heart and bring the Holy Spirit inside our being ,and they do not allow us to be far from Christ's love and care.

Thus we should celebrate these holy angels who are unseen but who are present with us at every moment when we are in danger or difficulty, helping us and sustaining us. This is not even to speak of the many situations where a person is at the limits of his weakness and doctors give up on him and friends pray for the rest of his soul, but God gives him strength and life because his angel did not yet want to let him die. Do you know why? Because he did not want to surrender him, or to let him fall into sin. As long as the holy angels hold on to him, they will not release him or fail him and the Evil One will not have power over him. This is how the Lord preserves us in all the circumstances of our life, with these holy lights and piercing intellects. They are bodiless, but they reach us and understand us and help us and they know how to achieve God's purpose for our salvation in this life.

Likewise, when we come across a good, holy, righteous person, a loving servant, we consider him to be an angel. He is a person, but his behavior is in this way beneficial to others and so we consider him to be an angel, like the honorable forerunner who lived a life full of purity and holiness and who was given the honor of baptizing Christ in the river Jordan. His life was angelic. Likewise likewise we consider angels the many fathers and martyrs who distinguished themselves with this rigor and purity in their conscience, their life, and their behavior. Even the Lord Jesus, when He wanted to describe human life in the Kingdom, He said that they will become like the angels, not marrying and not being given in marriage, which is to say that they have no bodily concerns but rather are like the angels. With what are the angels concerned? They are concerned with giving praise to the Lord, continuously chanting Holy Holy Holy Lord of Sabaoth. And so, beloved, when prayer becomes heavy for us, we must repeat part of this chant so that we remember that the angels are in heaven right now. Our angels are always in Christ's presence, bearing up to Him our hopes and our prayers, all our life. They cry out to Him: Holy Holy Holy Lord of Sabaoth. So then why should we not resemble those who intercede for us without ceasing, especially since their prayers do not stop!

Our hope in this feast is that we begin to take care to give praise to the Lord even more rigorously in our life, in our words, in our thoughts, and in all our behavior. This coming Sunday, by the grace of the Lord, the Nativity Fast begins, during which we prepare to receive the birth in the flesh of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So we must be attentive to this and begin with sincerity and enthusiasm. From today, we prepare for this blessed fast, accepting it with zeal and enthusiasm, so that we may pass every day of this life like the angels, cut off from pleasures and with continuous prayer so that our mind and our being will rise up to glorify the Lord, amen.

-Archimandrite Pandeleimon Farah, Abbot of the Monastery of the Dormition, Hamatoura

The Archdiocese of Aleppo holds a conference on St. Isaac the Syrian

The Arabic original can be found here. Photos can be found here, here, here, and here.


With the guidance and blessing of His Emminence Metropolitan Boulos, a practical theological symposium about Saint Isaac the Syrian was held on Friday, October 22, organized by the nuns of the Monastery of the Annunciation in Aleppo. It was part of the celebrations under the patronage of St. Simeon the Stylite which are organized annually by the archdiocese.

The symposum was richly attended by prominent Antiochian personalities from among the clergy and monastics and all those attending profited from learning about the life of Saint Isaac the Syrian, his asceticism, his theology, and his unique place in the history of the Eastern Orthodox Church in general.

The symposium was exceptionally well-atteneded. Representatives came from the leaders of the other confessions as well as members of our own flock in Aleppo whose number was around 350 participants who enriched the symposium with their coments and questions. A dinner was served, which a large number of the faithful shared with the attendees and guests.

The symposium began with a word from His Eminence, the shepherd of the archdiocese, and the program was presented by Sister Paula from the nuns of the Monastery of the Annunciation. Then the work of the symposium began, which was divided into three sessions, two in the morning and the third in the evening. In each session, there were three talks.

The first sessions was called "Saint Isaac the Syrian in the Patristic and Scriptural Tradition" and was chaired by His Emminence Ephrem Kyriakos, Metropolitan of Tripoli and al-Koura. Participating in it were:

His Emminence Metropolitan Boulos, with a talk entitled "The Life, Personality, and Works of Saint Isaac the Syrian in the Orthodox Tradition." He talked in it about the life of Saint Isaac, his origins, and his practice of monasticism according to the testimony of saints and theologians. He explained the basic points of the saint's theology, which has remained a valuable treasure and resource for Christians.

Chorepiscopus Joseph Shabo, assistent to His Emminence Yuhanna Imbrahim, metropolitan of Aleppo for the Syrian Orthodox, gave a talk entitled "The Life, Personality, and Works of St. Isaac the Syrian in the Syriac Tradition." In it he talked about the life of St. Isaac in the Syriac tradition and the most important works which influenced the saint's writings as well as the most important writers who studied and wrote about the works of St. Isaac.

Archimandrite Mousa al-Khasi, assistent to the metropolitan of Aleppo gave a talk entitled "The Use of the Bible in the Works of St. Isaac the Syrian." In it he talked about the place and importance of the Bible in the works of St. Isaac the Syrian and its influence on the the saint's writings. The clearest approach that St. Isaac takes to the Bible is as an otherworldly Christological book which is understood within the Christological life within the Church. It is explained by the Spirit which dwells in her and it becomes a means for God and the faithful to address and draw near to each other. The gifts of God are active in their daily life on earth and they remain until the Second Coming when they will live through it the otherworldly salvation of Christ.

There followed after the session a discussion about its topics, and the crowd asked questions to the participants.

After a short pause, the work of the conference resumed with the second session, entitled "Saint Isaac the Syrian and the Spiritual Life." It was chaired by Fr. Sim'an Nasri, and in it participated:

His Emminence Ephrem Kyriakos, metropolitan of Tripoli and al-Koura gave a talk entitled "The Contribution of St. Isaac the Syrian to the Contemporary Monastic Tradition." In it he explained the saint's thought about monastic solitude, which is distancing oneself from the world and unity with God. He also explained that the world goes at a pace accelerated by technology, but the monk is outside the world and even as he is contemporary to the world because he has risen above the material world.

Archimandrite Pandeleimon Farah, abbot of the Monastery of the Dormition- Hamatoura, gave a talk entitled "Spirituality and Social Life in the Works of St. Isaac the Syrian." He talked in it about the orders in the Church which are the clergy and the laity. The monk belongs to the rank of the laity, but he is also different from them. He explained the way of life that is explained in the "rule" of St. Isaac and commented on its way of living within the monastic life, as within the society of the faithful.

Brother Gregorius Estefan of the Monastery of St. Michael- Biq'ata gave a talk entitled "The Levels of Spiritual Knowledge according to St. Isaac the Syrian." In it he explained the three stages of knowledge-- bodily, psychic, and spiritual. He also explained faith's relationship to knowledge. Knowledge begets faith and faith is the basis of knowledge. Knowledge is the wall that preserves man's way, while faith is the heavenly way.

After the session there was time for discussion and questions, then there was a meal in the church hall.

At six in the evening, vespers was celebrated by Fr. Pandeleimon Farah and the choir of the Monastery of the Dormition- Hamatoura chanted.

After vespers came the third session, entitled "Saint Isaac the Syrian in the Life of the Church." It was chaired by Fr. Ghassan Ward and speaking in it were:

Archimandrite Andraous Morcos, Abbot of the Monastery of St. Anthony the Great- Mexico gave a talk entitled "St. Isaac the Syrian in Orthodox Hymns and Liturgy" in which he explained the liturgical services and the various traditions associated with the feast of St. Isaac the Syrian.

Archimandrite Youhanna al-Telli, abbot of the Monastery of St. George- Seidnaya, gave a talk entitled "The Pastoral Aspect of the Works of St. Isaac the Syrian." In it he talked about pastoral thinking according to the writings of St. Isaac the Syrian and he approached pastoral thought from the perspective of the monastic thought of St. Isaac.

Sister Anna Kafa of the Monastery of the Annunciation-- Aleppo, gave a talk entitled "Iconographic Portrayals of St. Isaac the Syrian." In it she showed examples of Byzantine icons which portray St. Isaac the Syrian.

After the session there was time for questions and discussion, and then the conference closed.
The next morning, Sunday, October 23, orthros and the divine liturgy were celebrated in the presence of all the participants and guests at the conference, as well as members of the archdiocese. It was served by Metropolitan Ephrem and Metropolitan Boulos, as well as a number of priests. The choir of the Monastery of the Dormition-- Hamatoura chanted. Then the participants went on a pilgrimage to the ruins of the Monastery of St. Simeon the Stylite to be blessed by the patron of the archdiocese. Afterwards, they had dinner and then departed.
The conference had particular resonance because it dealt with one of the great saints of the East who enriched the Orthodox heritage with his writings and left a treasure and inheritance for the Christians of every age.

Fr. Pandeleimon (Farah) on Icons

This sermon was given by Archimandrite Pandeleimon (Farah), abbot of the Monastery of Hamatoura on October 11, 2009. The Gospel was Luke 8:5-10. The Arabic original can be found here.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages, amen.

St. Luke focuses on the fact that those who bear fruit, bear fruit with patience. They do not grumble, but rather stay firm in their struggle and offer the best that they can for the love of Christ. So they bear fruit with patience and do not bear fruit hurriedly. As for those who want great results quickly, they act recklessly because the spiritual life does not come so randomly and hurriedly. It comes slowly and conscientiously, through the harmony of the work that God gives and the effort that man offers. In the second passage which we read, we hear him say: those who bear fruit also, they bear fruit exactly because of that cooperation between the grace of God and their effort. They live in accordance with that word and are made holy in it. They can only see in the Lord’s light what the Lord wants and what exactly His will is in their life, and how they should behave.

In this life we sometimes go through hard times where we are asked to do things we are not yet prepared to do, but which are nevertheless asked of us. What is the attitude that we must take? When we read the Gospel, our minds are illumined and we are lifted up to heaven and we try to apply these saying that we hear and learn. When we apply them, the affairs of our life and the people around us oppose us, but God has the power at that moment to illumine our minds if they are truly directed towards Him and to teach us what is the good way and the helpful words that should be said at that moment. Let us not fear, rather let us stand firm in our struggle and in our works and most of all in our patience, until we bring forth good fruit. “The one who does good and teaches it, he is called great in the kingdom of God.” But the one who grumbles is speaking from his mid while his heart does not yearn for God and so his actions do not correspond to his words, or one can say that he teaches what he doesn’t do himself. So he enters into matters of which he has no experience and consequentially does not bear good fruit because he does not pour out his heart, he does not offer his efforts, but rather he reads in books and says what he read or what he heard from other people. But his personal experience is completely foreign to all this, and so he does not bear fruit. He is hasty because he gives solutions and offers analysis that does not come out of his experience and which he did not learn from being in harmony with God’s will and teaching, and so he sins. His words are in vain because he is not accurate, he is not beneficial, and he does not build. Even if he uses holy words, his words are in vain because they do not help him, they do not build himself and others up.

And so we must be patient. Patience does not mean that we stay idle. It means that we continue in our work and do not consider it to be a routine that strangles and kills us, but rather as a field for our daily self-examination. Every day, we ask ourselves, do we know the Lord’s will? Do we love the Lord’s will? Do we do it with yearning and love? For example, the monk who first comes to the monastery, no matter what he read about monasticism or self-sacrifice and the spiritual life and service, he read it from a distance. So very quickly he is surprised once he is in the monastery that he is not able to be obedient, for example, that he cannot sacrifice. If he is hasty, he does not stand firm and does not bear fruit and he leaves himself to boredom and despair, and departs. The one who knows himself perfectly, that he cannot be obedient, that he cannot be humble, that he does not possess true virtues, in his patience and his harmony with monastery’s order and discipline, becomes holy because he acquires these virtues with patience and he bears good fruit. Then, when he talks to you about discipline, you can understand something. If he talks to you before having gained experience, before having reached this point of brokenness, sacrifice, and obedience in all humility, he cannot talk to you because all you hear out of his mouth is gibberish and incomprehensible words, since they do not spring from experience. For this reason it says: they bear fruit with patience, that is that they persist in this every day. Virtue does not come so quickly and we do not quickly become great saints, because it’s not magic and it’s not just a button that we push. It takes the whole life and sacrifice until death in order to bear good fruit.

And so, my beloved, on our celebration today of the Holy Fathers who gathered at the Seventh Ecumenical Council and affirmed the correct belief that we should venerate icons, they teach us that they are signs which draw us in to the presence of Christ and the saints. They are not Christ Himself nor are they the saints, but they are signs that show us the presence of the saints and the presence of the Lord Jesus. Likewise, the sign of the Holy Cross is not magic, but it raises our minds up to the event of the Lord’s death upon the Cross and the salvation that comes from this death and the Resurrection. At the same time, we do not bow down to them because they are a god, but because we express our respect through this humility because we are certain that the grace of God and the Holy Spirit is present in this icon, because grace is found in this person whom the icon represents. We honor it because it bears grace and is not simply a decorated wooden board. It bears the grace which God gives this saint in his life and struggles and toils and which is present in all his goals, in everything he undertakes, and in everything he gives attention to. This divine grace is also present in icons, because through them we are made aware of God’s presence and the presence of the saints with us. We keep icons in our homes, but not in just any place, but in a fitting place where we give them honor and respect, because through this we express our love for Christ and for His saints. We express our respect for our Lord and for His saints through whose presence he gives blessings and among whom His name is magnified. When we find ourselves surrounded by those saints, we feel rest in our toil and our daily struggles and we are filled with blessings and joy because we participate with them. We become a community with them, as though we are one with them. They come down to us and we raise our minds up to them. We come to be on the same level when we are aware that we struggle for the sake of the love of Christ. And so we bear fruit and His name shines within us.

Let your light shine before the people, so that you do not just venerate icons but so that you yourselves will become icons which will show the presence of Christ and will make all creation draw near to Him. When they see you, they love the God Whom you represent and Whom you bring to them and so you make yourselves and all creation holy. May the Holy Lord bless your life on this blessed morning and may He make every one of you a shining light which will show the life of Christ and His salvation and may it bear good fruit through holy effort, with firm patience, through which it may be established in the Paradise of the Lord, amen.

Fr. Pandeleimon (Farah) on Reading the Bible

This is a sermon that was given by Fr. Pandeleimon, abbot of the Monastery of Hamatoura, on Sunday, October 4, 2009. The original can be found here.


Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages, amen.

Sometimes I feel like I’m repeating myself, but the subject is very important for our lives as Christians. We notice that people neglect reading in general, and more specifically spiritual reading. In this way they lose every connection with Christ and their behavior changes. They do not know the true way that the Lord Jesus wants, what He taught, how we must behave. This is because they do not read the Holy Scriptures and so they do not know the words of the Lord Jesus, even though they are holier than the holy things, because He spoke them himself from His holy mouth when He was on the earth. So we need to grab them and hold on to them as tightly as possible and try to apply them in our life with seriousness and exactitude so that we can behave like Christ and be worthy of being Christians. It is not because of a name or because of society that we are Christians.

There is a great problem in the whole world where people confuse nationality, race, ethnicity, and religion. If you’re Greek, this means that you’re Orthodox, but not all Greeks behave in the same way, with the same love and the same faith! If you’re Lebanese, you must be Maronite. Christ does not know boundaries and gives no weight to tribe or ethnicity. When we go to the countries of the diaspora, if you say that you are an Arab, this means that you are Muslim. They do not understand that you could be from any country and from any race and that you have a different idea because you base your teaching, your life, your behavior on the Gospel, on the Letters of the Saints and on their lives and teachings. People claim that they are Christians, especially in our country, where the basis for everything is lies, deceit, and procrastination. Everything. They say to the priest “your honor” but they do not honor him and they do not love him and they do not value him as he is worth. Not only with regard to his personality as a human, but with regard to his work. In his priestly service he is distinguished in that he brings us into the presence of God and brings down upon us the grace and mercy of the Lord during the Divine Liturgy and in all the circumstances of his life. This is because we do not know Christ’s actions as we should and we do not study it. We need to go back and read them over and over until we have them memorized and absorbed and until we know how to behave. There are brothers who do not love each other and who do not talk to each other or help each other out and so instead they act as enemies with knives at each others' throats, all while being called Christians! How does this happen?! They go to church and take communion while they act as enemies! They behave randomly like pagans in their morality and their life, and then they go church and take communion like they are worthy Christians! This lack is on account of not reading! Reading stimulates the mind makes a person know and grasp things. One who knows bears more responsibility than one who does not know and who is ignorant of how to behave in life. Likewise with regard to spiritual matters, knowledge alone does not suffice but it presses you when you read the Holy Bible to take a blessed attitude as is fitting.

Saint Paul says, “You are a temple of the Living God. ‘I shall dwell in you,’ says the Lord, ‘and shall walk among you and I will be your God and you will be My people.’” You are not a tribe. You are the people of Christ, because you accept the Christ’s dwelling among you and you behave like one for whom this name is fitting. “And so I will bring you out from among them.” Come out from amongst the nations who do not know the Christian life. This exit does not mean isolating oneself far from people. But, while you are in the midst of the city you can life as one believing in and knowing the Lord Jesus, different from others through your actions. So don’t annoy people when you want to listen to the radio or watch television, don’t annoy others like they annoy you. Give your child a peaceful and orderly wedding, without throwing raucous parties. People go into debt in order to throw wedding parties. What foolishness! What great accomplishments! Even more than that, they are negligent and make noise all night and annoy other people, spending their money for no use, without doing anything good with it even for themselves. So instead of waiting for people to give you presents and alms, give to yourself so you can make a fitting household where you will be at rest with your wife without the pride and grandiosity that is an expression of emptiness. How can you start your life when you’re in debt? How can you spend what you don’t have? Christ asks you to be simple, loving, helping. How can you be an enemy to others when the Lord asks you to pray for them, to love them, that means to treat them well. Love is not an abstract feeling, it is a motion from within you from your self towards the other. “Be my sons and daughters,” says the mighty Lord, “and I will accept you and be your Father, because you have not accepted to become unclean but rather you desire to live according to the will of the Lord.” Within this alienation from society which tries to pollute you, to distort the image of Christ within you, to make your efforts to be in vain, you persevere so that you will be worthy to become sons and daughters-- “and I will dwell among you and I will be your Father.” “I will be your Father” means you will be completely under my care and you will not fear the difficulties and hardships and persecution that will come to you. Indeed, they will confirm that you are children of God! Those who want to live in piety will be persecuted, as the Apostle Paul teaches. The devil does not let us rest, he always presses us to return to sin and die. He rejoices when he finds everyone separated from Christ and alienated from him. For this reason the Apostle says in the end: “since we have these promises to be sons” that is, that we will be under His protection, in His mercy, the heirs of His good things, “so let us purify ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit and let us perfect holiness in the fear of God.” So let us live this life fulfilling God’s commandments as is fitting and distancing ourselves from every impurity in thought and in the body, purified from everything the world throws at us.

Every day the Evil One comes to present himself to us, to present his thoughts to us. And every day we must remember the promise we made on the day of our baptism when we said: I accept Christ. I reject the Devil and all his works. Every moment you must pause in the face of temptation and say: I reject you, Satan and I spit upon you and I make you my enemy because I want to be of Christ. This is how we possess the fear of God in our hearts because we feel His presence, we feel His being there with us. Let us distance ourselves from all things that separate us from Him and from everything that defiles our souls and our bodies. What is your virtue if you love those who love you? Or if you help those who help you? Each thing is symmetrical to the other. You did nothing. But the one who is kind and generous is in a state of imbalance since no one can return his generosity and for that reason he is kind and generous and has a pure soul. So lend, that is give, without seeking anything in return. God is the one who provides for you before you give and he will provide for you after you give and He will abundantly increase your harvest. You will not lack anything because you are the sons and daughters of the Most High. You will be in this love and you will keep away every stench, every bit of selfishness and all its delights. In them there is sin because when we care for ourselves and our desires we distance ourselves from Christ. But when we ignore them and we work for the service of others and for the love of them, we love Christ and we put into His hands all our abilities and all our possibilities and He blesses us, increasing them and returning them to us in their proper order.

May the Holy Lord enlighten us, while we are on the threshold of the Nativity Fast, with His great humility. May we try to emulate Him and participate with Him every day by closely reading the Holy Scriptures, from the beginning to the end. Let us not grow tired or impatient with them but rather let us continue until they are preserved upon our hearts. This is not in order for us to petrify it in words that we repeat, but so that we know how to respond to every situation that we encounter in our life and so that we bear the thought of Christ and not our own selfish thought. Mothers and fathers need to read from the Holy Scriptures in front of their children every day, even if it’s just in summary, in order to show them through this motion that they should read too and so that they will learn how to absorb the Christ’s thought and His will and His noble sayings. The priest carries God’s Holy Bible in the church and lifts it above the holy altar before all the people and says: This is the wisdom of God. Let us stand up straight according to this wisdom. This is what it means when he says, “Wisdom, let us stand aright.” It is the book of God’s wisdom. It is Jesus Christ, who is the Wisdom of God, written in this book. Let us stand up straight in accordance with what the Lord says in the Gospel. May the Holy Lord allow us to read and to understand and to act in accordance with this reading, learning to love the Lord more than anything, amen.

Video of the arrival of St. Seraphim's relics

Carol Saba on the 3 D's

The French original, along with other recent Antiochian news can be found here.

An Editorial in Three D's

I D as in Dynamic: The current period is characterized by a certain dynamic. Pope Benedict’s historical trip to the land of the Anglican Church. In the East, the final plans for the Vatican’s special synod on the Middle East. The future of Eastern Christians at the heart of the discussions! On the Orthodox level, a small gathering of primates from the Middle East. A coordination of common witness. But also the challenges which face the Christians of the East are on the agenda. In the middle of August, the Synod of the Orthodox Church of Antioch took place in Damascus. Plenary session. All the metropolitans from all parts of the world took part. This has not happened in quite a while. Many essential issues, both internal and external to the church were discussed. In anticipation of a roadmap for mobilizing the Antiochian charism. Last May, Patriarch Bartholomew was in Moscow. His visit was judged to be “historic” in how it occurred and also possibly in its results. Cooperation seems to take over from confrontation. Then, in June, Constantinople visits the churches of Poland and Bulgaria. The visit to the Patriarchate of Romania will be in October. The process accelerates in anticipation of the Great and Holy Council. The current pan-Orthodox momentum seems favorable. The new Orthodox geopolitical reality is also ready. All the churches are ready to face together the many challenges of our age. So are we now in a dynamic of convergence that will witness that much-anticipated great pan-Orthodox council? In peace let us pray to the Lord that it may be so. The major challenge for such a conciliary encounter? The direct expression of Orthodoxy in today’s world. Beyond difficulties and opposition. Putting the Orthodox witness into the heart of the city, into a positive and daring dialectic with regard to the unity of the Church and the diversities of her expressions and charismas. Is that too much to ask? Is it too much to hope to be faithful to the Nazarene crucified and risen from the dead for us?

II D as in donation of relics. Russian Orthodoxy once again exerts its attraction for the Christian East. The relations between Antioch and Moscow are longstanding. In the 10^th edition of the Chronicles, for May 10, 2010 we discussed how from the time of Ivan the Terrible, through Gregory IV of Antioch, who presided in 1913 over the festivities for the 300^th anniversary of the enthronement of the Romanovs to the time of Ignatius IV who in 1988 participated in the celebration of the millennium of the Baptism of the Rus. There are the saints who are connected through the new ascetic “momentum” of exchange. Russia sends to Antioch relics of one of her greatest popular saints and Antioch in turn gives her relics of one of her martyred saints from the Mamlouk period who was tortured in the body and was a witness to Christ on that holy mountain of North Lebanon, Hamatoura, today dedicated to the Theotokos, an Athos away from Athos. The bodies of the saints stretch out to create, beyond boundaries, borders, and distance a shield of holiness, an ascetic umbrella, which should be for each of us a call to deepen and revisit these models of holiness Do our prayers not end with the prayers of our holy Fathers? “ By the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God have mercy on us and save us!”

II D as in Discernment. To have the ability to say true and right things. To confront wrong in order to edify. To reorient souls towards the good, the just, the true. To highlight the right path, not that of our attitudes but of the Church, of Her doctrine and her truth. Archimandrite Touma (Bitar), abbot of the Monastery of St. Silouan at Douma (North Lebanon) cultivates week after week, on his blog and in his editorials, such a posture of discernment on many different subjects. The governance of the Church, marriage, the relationship between fathers and sons, titular bishops and auxiliary bishops, the organization of spheres of communion within parishes, the participation of all in the edification of the body of the Church, the role of involved laypeople, the Orthodox Youth Movement, its necessary role and the limits of its mission within the Church… As well as fundamental questions posed to the ecclesial conscience of all the faithful who are aware of the requirements of their baptism and the progress of their life in Christ. Geronda Touma’s abundance of writings is welcome. More and more, they are a reference which help to resituate discussions in a good ecclesial and spiritual direction. In the Church, it is important to have the ability to discuss any subject, even those that are controversial, in a spirit of edification rather than in a spirit of partisanship in order to avoid adding to already existing tensions. Speaking the truth in peace, in an irenic, clear, and spefic manner, within a logic of “continuum” and not of partisanship of one against another. It is the confusion of genre, carelessness, and a lack of discernment which rapidly transform a given moment into a confrontation. To resituate things according to the measure of the Church is an absolutely necessary attitude, especially in our times. An attitude which one should cultivate and develop from day to day. Since there is no authentic and just witness “in truth” without such an attitude of discernment. The Church should constantly be in “movement”, constantly in “mission”, to transfigure the world. This can only happen through audacity and discernment. The Church cannot suffer to stay in place without running the risk of being lukewarm. And to be lukewarm is the worst of spiritual attitudes. The Book of Revelation has no place for the lukewarm: “Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16).

Carol Saba is the media and communications director for the Orthodox Bishops' Assembly of France.

Tripoli: New Patristics Center and Relics of St. Seraphim

The original can be found here.


The Center's Strategy and Aims

To undertake studies of Patristic personalities.

To research topics connected to the thought of the Church Fathers.

To return to Patristic sources and learn from precious texts and thoughts.

To publish texts and documents.

To organize study groups and intellectual seminars.

The goal of the Pastoral Center for Orthodox Patristic Heritage is to transmit the Tradition of the Holy Faith, "delivered once to the saints" (Jude 3) to the people in contemporary language.The Archdiocese of Tripoli, al-Koura and their dependencies has taken the initiative, whose first goal is to instill Orthodox Patristic culture in our children, both clergy and lay. Acquaintance with the roots of the culture of the Church allows us to have a conscious openness that is fruitfull in our surroundings and in our world today.

The Center's work has two aspects: One is theoretical and centers on bringing to light the Patristic heritage, with special focus on the Antiochian aspect and will include the preparation and publication of Patristic studies. The second is practical and includes the creation of an education center to educate the clergy and laity with monthly seminars which will discuss new and old topics.

And so there will be study, teaching, internal and external evangelization. May the Holy Spirit breathe on us anew for the salvation of our souls and of the world.

+Ephrem

Metropolitan of Tripoli, al-Koura and their Dependencies



And also:


Relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov, a Gift from His Monastery in Russia to the Monastery of Our Lady of Hamatoura and their Reception this Thursday at Balamand Monastery

The Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos at Hamatoura and the Patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand are pleased to invite you to participate in the reception of relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov which are arriving from the Patriarchate of Moscow as a gift to the Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos at Hamatoura.

The reception is at the Patriarchal Monastery of Our Lady of Balamand on Thursday Sept. 23, at 5pm and is followed by vespers in the monastery chapel with the blessing of the holy relics.

Update: This is following a visit of Fr. Pandeleimon and some of the monks of Hamatoura to Nizhny Novgorod and Diveevo. News about this visit, with pictures can be found here. A video can be found here.

Murr TV Visits Lebanese Monasteries

So, even if you can't understand Lebanese, this episode of a travel show on Murr TV (owned by a politically prominent Orthodox family) is worth looking at. It goes north along coastal highway and visits several Orthodox churches and monasteries. Visually it gives exactly the feeling of a Saturday afternoon drive in the summer up the coast... the soundtrack, however, is left me alternately giggling and wincing... actually, it's the worst soundtrack ever. But don't let that scare you off!


11 minutes in is the absolutely gorgeous Dayr el-Nouriyyeh, one of my favorite views in Lebanon....

Around 26 minutes is the new, fancy, Church of St. Nicholas which is quite beautifully frescoed. Though they don't show it ,I think this is the church that has a fresco of the Last Judgment to the back with a car being driven out of Tripoli and into the jaws of Hell.... Like just about everywhere in the Orthodox world, the unfortunate aesthetic choices of the 18th and 19th centuries are avoided in newer churches and monasteries in favor of the neo-Byzantine style, often enough done by Romanians...

Around minute 29 is Hamatoura.... interestingly, the monks there did not have a blessing to talk in front of the camera, though the cameras were allowed lots of access to the monks' daily life and they were allowed to narrate off-camera...

Around minute 55 is Dayr Natour, which is built almost on top of the water.

So if you've never been to Lebanon or want to have a bit of a nostalgic trip, this video is very pleasant...

Watch it here.

Metropolitan Ephrem on Isaac the Athonite

Metropolitan Ephrem’s homily on the twelfth Anniversary of the repose of Archimandrite Isaac Atallah, delivered at the Church of St. George in Hamatoura July 16, 2010-08-04. The Arabic original can be found here.

Be Brave

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.

Beloved, we have come here on this day to pray and raise a living memorial for the Monk Isaac on the twelfth anniversary of his repose. He lived for a time in this monastery and practiced asceticism here before being forced by historical circumstances to leave to go and be an ascetic on the Holy Mountain.

This memorial is fitting for us, so that we might remember and know all those monks and ascetics who lived and practiced asceticism and consecrated themselves to the Lord, so that we the faithful might know the substance of monasticism, the reason why it came into being and why God permitted it to exist in this world! Monasticism spread strongly from the fourth century and this, as you, is after the end of the first persecutions against Christians and the victory of Saint Constantine the Great and his establishing the Byzantine Empire.

At this point in history many people became Christians according to the faith of their leader. This is well-known. It led to the Christian life becoming colder. For this reason some Christians zealously wanted to closely maintain the life of the Gospel, imitating the Lord Jesus Christ and following the Gospel commandments. Thus some started to leave the cities and the world in order to hasten to quiet. This quiet is necessary for beginners because man is affected by his surroundings because of his weakness. But they went further than that in their imitation of the Lord Jesus and His teachings because they did not only seek external quiet but also interior quiet that is, to quiet their nerves, their desires, their passions. They were helped to achieve this by grace, the grace of God. Through this they are able to be consecrated to the Lord, in the love of the Lord.

Man cannot love God or love his neighbor if he only loves himself! This is why the Lord Jesus said, “he who wants to follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” This is the ascetic way that many have walked since the fourth century, and especially in our lands because it arose in Egypt and Syria and extended to Iraq and Mesopotamia and to Iran to the Far East and then to Asia Minor, Turkey and Greece.

What good is this ascetic way for the world?

The monk purifies himself but he also purifies his surroundings! Because when God’s grace ‘sits’ in a person, when it fills the heart, it pours out to others. A single holy ascetic changes his surroundings an builds around himself a whole world! This is what we need today and at all times so that the entire world does not fall into sin and worship idols! That is, worship their passions and all the material things in this word, especially corruption. We need that so that the world worships the living God mentioned in the Gospel today when it spoke about the Prophet Elijah and John the Baptist. This is how man becomes holy.

This is the way in which Abuna Isaac walked! Those who saw him know this, his brothers who are present here today. From his youth he yearned for quiet and he fled from him home to the wilderness where he could be alone with God and be filled with His Holy Spirit. This is the way in which he walked and in which he was raised. God wanted him to go to Balamand Monastery and from there to this Monastery of Our Lady of Hamatoura and afterwards to the Holy Mountain where he ended his life in peace and repentance.

Father Isaac was hard on himself at first because he was persistent and watchful in order to be with God and to follow His commandments. He brought up his disciples in this way, just as he brought other up. His good memory is deep on the Holy Mountain. He was a brave and courageous man who spoke the truth and did not fear.

This way requires courage. This courage can only come from God because man is weak and fearful. However he was not afraid because he was a man who exerted great effort on himself and God gave him this power. For this reason his memory remains deep in all those who knew him. Father Isaac bore witness that God is the only necessary thing. This world and the material things in it, food and drink, none of them are necessary, but God alone is what is sufficient for us. This was the witness of Father Isaac. He was not attached to this world. He showed all that the world does not suffice and that there is eternal life with Jesus Christ waiting for us all, amen.

Carol Saba on Hamatoura

As promised. The original can be found here.


Antiochian Monastic Renewal in the 20^th Century Part I: Hamatoura

I. “It is an Athos outside of Athos.” This is what the website NOCTOC (a very nice site, in Greek and English, hardily recommended, about monasticism and the treasures of Orthodoxy and Orthodox monasticism) calls the Monastery of the Dormition of the Mother of God at Hamatoura, “a hidden treasure of Orthodoxy.” The article notes the monastic work that has been undertaken there for several years by the abbot, Archimandrite Panteleimon (Farah), resuming a very ancient monastic tradition that goes back more than 1600 years, in the tradition of Mount Athos. It is more particularly in the tradition of two great ascetics of Mount Athos, an Antiochian, the archimandrite Father Isaac Atallah the Athonite (1937-1998) and a Greek, his spiritual father the Elder Paissios of Athos (1924-1994), one of the greatest spiritual figures and of Orthodox sanctity in the 20^th century, beside Saint Nectarios and Saint Silouan. His spiritual son, Father Isaac, dedicated a book to him, “The Elder Paissios of Mount Athos” which is one of the most important references for the life and spiritual journey of the Elder Paissios.

II. Thus is Orthodox monasticism. A story of fatherhood and sonship. Sonship in tradition. In spiritual combat. Which awakens vocations. Forms spiritual strugglers. Encourages new foundations. Nourishes the seeds of new monastic works wherever the Lord calls for them to start. Which become centers of healing, awakening, and spiritual discernment. Centers of testimony which, in their turn, also recreate the link, regenerating a new line of spiritual sonship. A spiritual chain which, link after link, remains tied to the image of images, the icon of icons, the face of the invisible.

III. Hamatoura. The call for rebuilding. Restoration of ruins. Building up of the new community. Archimandrite Panteleimon, one of the most beautiful voices of the Patriarchate of Antioch. For us other chanters, he rocks our ears. For us, he is like other names like Nicholas Malek, the benchmark for the teaching and mastery of Byzantine psalmody, the prayerful chant of the angels. He lived for several years on Mount Athos with two great ascetics, Isaac and Paissios. It was on Mount Athos that he had several visions of the martyrdom of Saint Jacob and of others martyred for Christ by the Mamluks in the 13^th century in the region of the Monastery of the Mother of God at Hamatoura where they were living out their faith. He experienced these visions as a call and they caused him to return to Lebanon towards the end of the 90’s, equipped with the blessing of his spiritual father, to renew the monastic tradition at the monastery of Hamatoura, abandoned for at least seven centuries.

IV. The work of refounding, of restoring the ruins, of building up the community, was a great challenge. In monasticism, one does not speak of the person who works, but rather of works. And of who has the blessing to undertake them. Exactly who matters little. Whatever he may have done, with monasticism he undertakes a new life. According to Athonite tradition, as recounted by Father Sophrony in his book about Saint Silouan, each new postulant, when he arrives on the Holy Mountain, should spend several days in retreat to write down his sins and go to confession. The confessor then said to Brother Symeon (the future monk and saint Silouan), “You have confessed your sins before God. Know that they have all been forgiven… from this moment on begin a new life…” Following this observation, we will not speak further about Father Panteleimon, but of the works that he has taken in his new struggle to revive monastic life in the Holy Mountain of the Mother of God at Hamatoura. Some twelve years later, not only the stones have been reconstructed, but also the spiritual fervor. Services, spiritual fatherhood, iconography, Byzantine chant, wakefulness and discernment, Hamatoura is once more erected as a spiritual lighthouse, a center of witness that nourishes the entire region.

Also, be sure to watch this video (in Lebanese Arabic, but still worth it).

Downloadable Divine Liturgy in Arabic

UPDATE:  Here is an excellent, fully-voweled  pdf of the the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom in Arabic.

The indispensable Cypriot blog NOCTOC comes through with another gem--- a link to a download of the entire Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in Arabic. The priest serving is Fr. Pandeleimon Farah, abbot of the Monastery of the Theotokos at Hamatoura and the choir is from the Ecclesiastic Music School of Mt. Lebanon.

It can be downloaded by linking from here. And if you like it, buy it.


For liturgical texts online in Arabic, go here, with the text of the Divine Liturgy in pdf here.

Fr. Pandeleimon of Hamtoura and Isaac the Athonite

Here is a wonderful article in Greek and English about Fr. Pandeleimon, abbot of the monastery of Hamtoura. It has several pictures of him and of the brothers of the monastery, as well. Scroll halfway down to find the English....!

http://noctoc-noctoc.blogspot.com/2008/08/elder-panteleimon-of-hamatouraa-hidden.html

Also, to hear Fr. Pandeleimon's excellent voice click here.