Teachings of Saint Porfyrios

Agios Porfyrios Kafsokalyvitis (born Evangelos Bairaktaris, Agios Ioannis, Evia, February 7, 1906 – Mount Athos, December 2, 1991), was a Greek hieromonk who became widely known for his life and work. He was declared a saint of the Orthodox Church by the Ecumenical Patriarchate on November 27, 2013. He was born in the village of Agios Ioannis in today’s Municipality of Taminaion in Evia. His secular name was Evangelos Bairaktaris and from very early on he showed an inclination toward monasticism. At the age of 13 and having only finished the second grade, he went to the cloister of the Holy Trinity, the well-known Kafsokalyvia of Mount Athos, where he lived for the next 6 years, as a submissive to two elderly monks, taking the name Nikitas. Then, due to a serious illness, he was forced to return to Evia, where he settled in the Holy Monastery of Agios Charalambos in Lefkes, Evia, in Avlonari, Evia.

QUOTES

-Every time you say ” Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on my child”, your child will receive good thoughts from Christ.

The more you pray, the more good thoughts will be acquired by your child.

– You don’t become holy by fighting evil. Let evil be. Look towards Christ and that will save you. What makes a person saintly is love.

– There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love

(A’ John 4,18)

– When people are empty of Christ, a thousand and one things come and fill them up: jealousy, hatred, boredom, melancholy, resentment, a worldly outlook, worldly pleasures. Try to fill your soul with Christ, so that it’s not empty.

– God loves us very much; He has us in mind in every moment and He protects us; we should know this and not be afraid of anything.

– Complete trust in God, that is what holy humility is. – A person can become a saint anywhere; at your work, whatever it may be, you can become a saint through meekness, patience, and love. Make a new start every day with a new resolution, with enthusiasm and love, prayer and silence.

– Christ is our friend, our brother, He is whatever is beautiful and good. He is everything. Christ is joy, light, the true light, which makes man glad, makes him fly, makes him see all people. Suffer for all people and want all people to be with Him, close to Him.

– When you find Christ, you are satisfied, you desire nothing else, and you find peace. You become a different person, and you find peace. You live everywhere, wherever Christ is. You live in the stars, in infinity, in heaven with the angels, with the saints, on earth with people, with plants, with animals, with everyone and everything. When there is love for Christ, loneliness disappears. You are peaceable, joyous, full.

– There is only one religion, the Orthodox Christian Religion. And this Orthodox spirit is true. The other spirits are spirits of error, and the teachings are confused. Only the Religion of Christ unites, and we should all pray for them to come to it. This is how union will take place, not by believing that we are all the same and that all religions are the same. It’s not the same… I pray God will give you enlightenment to understand that it is not related to our Religion, our Orthodoxy, with other religions. I know that the hour of death is for everyone the Second Coming of the Lord.

– Our religion is perfectly and profoundly conceived. What is simple is also what is most precious. Accordingly, in your spiritual life engage in your daily contest simply, easily, and without force. The soul is sanctified and purified through the study of the Fathers, through the memorization of the psalms and portions of Scripture, through the singing of hymns, and the repetition of the Jesus Prayer.

More on Saint Porfyrios’ life :