Icon of Christ in Glory, egg tempera on panel by St Sophrony, Tolleshunt Knights, 1974.
Image © The Stavropegic Monastery of Saint John the Baptist, Essex
St Sophrony the Athonite (1896-1993)
On Wednesday evening, 10th July 2024, we celebrated our first vigil service as a Community. To many it felt like Easter!
The vigil was for the feast of St Sophrony the Athonite, who fell asleep in the Lord on Sunday, 11th July 1993.
Our service began with Vespers, with the three appointed Old Testament readings, followed by the Divine Liturgy at which many were able to receive communion.
Fr Nikita concelebrated with Fr David Walker, who visited us for the feast.
The chanting was led by Liliana Banev, supported by our readers Georgios Antonopoulos and Symeon Banev.
Glory to God, who is wonderful in His saints!
St Sophrony at the Old Rectory, Tolleshunt Knights, c.1960.
Image © The Stavropegic Monastery of Saint John the Baptist, Essex.
"Our life on earth is temporary. It is not here that we reach our end, our perfection to become persons and full images of God. Yes, here is a hard question to Christ and to the Father and to the Holy Spirit…
Come and abide in us, O Holy Spirit, the Good Comforter.
Empires crumble before our eyes, millions of people die of hunger, of illness. ‘Where are you, who created us?’ And the Lord answers, ‘This is needed for eternity!’
Man was created in the image of God and in His likeness. He has to embrace with his love not just the human race but the entire creation. And the Lord rejoices when we pray for those who suffer. But He Himself delays His coming and His healing. Why? – Because he can do all things. He says, ‘Do not fear those who kill the body but can do no more afterwards; rather fear him who even after killing can bring greater punishment’.
This means that God is also able – even after killing and after our death – to raise us in a state of greater glory. Perhaps we shall never be the same as we experience ourselves to be in this life – deprived of love and of light."
St Sophrony, ‘Talk to the Community’ on 8 February 1993, in A. Sophrony, Беседы, vol. 1, pp. 315-316.
K. Banev, Questions of War and Peace in the Theology of Archimandrite Sophrony Sakharov (1896-1993). The Journal of Eastern Christian Studies, 66/3-4 (2014): 91-123
In this video, you can hear the voice of St Sophrony, speaking in Russian to his monastic community, with English subtitles.