“Monasticism is flesh of the flesh of the Church, a dynamic expression of the ascetic spirit and the eschatological yearning of its life. Devoted in soul, mind, and body to Christ, ‘strangers and pilgrims in this world,’ ‘turning nights into days, living in thanksgiving and psalmody,’ ‘seeking the things above,’ monks persistently and patiently knock on the door of the eternal Kingdom, according to the Lord’s word: ‘Everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened’ (Matthew 7:8). It is significant that countless believers find in the holy monasteries answers to their existential quests, comfort and rest, discovering the truth of a life dedicated to Christ, to prayer, and to divine worship, to reverence for God’s creation, and to the significance of Eucharistic participation in that creation. Monasticism has contributed to the formation of a high culture of divine knowledge and human understanding, a community of life, theology, and inspired wisdom, the marvels of doxological art, iconography, hymnography, psalmody, and church architecture. Truly, a living Church is unimaginable without monks.”
– Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew
There is no doubt that monasticism is one of the most magnificent holy mysteries in the Church of God. On one occasion, our Elder, Bishop Parthenius, said that “it is an invaluable gift from God, a path to the transformation of the human heart and deification. The monk is the one who has forsaken earthly vanity and enclosed himself in the embrace of Christ’s love, seeking to fulfill God’s will with his entire being. Monasticism is a mystical endeavor, where through blessed obedience the mind is freed from worldly cares, and the soul is led toward unceasing prayer and union with God. The monk’s life is a constant struggle against the passions, a direct confrontation with the powers of Hell, but also the sweetness of heavenly grace. The monk takes upon himself the Cross of Christ, confessing God with every breath and offering his love to Him, dedicating himself wholly to the Church and the salvation of the world. Monastic life is the mystery of silence, where words are few but prayer is constant; a life of obedience, humility, and spiritual joy, filled with the praise of God” (Homily at a monastic synaxis).
And so, it was on this blessed path of self-denial and spiritual joy that three new monks of Christ set out last evening—spiritual children of the Bigorski father of fathers, our holy and beloved Elder, His Grace Bishop Parthenius of Antania. Following our ancient monastic practice, on the eve of the feast of the Beheading of the Honorable Forerunner and Baptist John, during the Vespers service, our dear monastic-loving Pimenarch, His Eminence Metropolitan Timothy of Debar and Kichevo, with his fatherly pastoral hands, performed the sacred rite of monastic tonsure for our brothers: Jaika Silkkola from Kuopio, Finland, Dean Bozhinov from Radovish, and Oliver Markovski from Kumanovo, who voluntarily took up the cross of self-forgetting for the sake of Christ and offered before the earthly and heavenly Church their eternal vows of voluntary obedience, non-acquisition, and chastity, receiving their new monastic names: Elisha, Panteleimon, and Eustathios.
In the moment when our new brothers, shielded by the spiritual fatherly mantle of our Elder and supported by his prayerful tears, were clothed in the monastic insignia and garments, a sense of new birth filled the Church of the Forerunner, radiating with the light of the feast and the greatness of Saint John the Baptist, the spiritual prototype and guide of all monks. Without a doubt, our dearest and most beloved Protector, the Forerunner of the Lord, is the first monk and the heavenly guardian of monasticism, the one who established the model of spiritual struggle and holiness with his life. Through his retreat into the wilderness, where his heart was continually absorbed by the presence of God, Saint John opened the path for those who would follow the way of monastic renunciation and asceticism. He is the symbol of deep repentance, unceasing prayer, and ultimate humility—a living witness of how the soul can become a pure vessel for God’s grace. His voice in the wilderness was not only for his time—it still echoes in the hearts of those who seek inner silence and the transformative power of Divine love. As the protector of monks, Saint John leads those who love God to choose the wilderness of the heart, where every thought and desire is reduced to one: to prepare the way of the Lord, to purify the inner person, and to become worthy of His second coming.
Witnesses to the unfolding of this spiritual and sacred history of the Bigorski Monastery, besides the angels and saints of God, were also the many pilgrims of the Honorable Forerunner who gathered last evening, including our dear fathers and brothers: Archimandrites Matthaios and Cherubim, along with Fathers Theonas and Kyrillos from the Church of Greece, and Fr. Petar from the Orthodox Church of Romania. A special adornment of our monastic celebration was the prayerful and heavenly singing of Fr. Cherubim and his angelic choir, who lifted our thoughts and feelings into a higher spiritual dimension.
An exceptional gift for all of us, and especially for the new monastic brothers, was the profound monastic instruction from our holy arch-pastor, Metropolitan Timothy, delivered in his homily following the rite of monastic tonsure.
May your new spiritual birth be blessed, our dear brothers, in the angelic monastic rank! May your hearts always remain humble and open to obedience to our holy Elder, through whom you will be led into the unceasing light of Christ’s beauty. With the cross of obedience, humility, and love, may you walk the path of deification, so that you may attain heavenly peace and be united with Christ in His eternal Kingdom. Saint John the Baptist, our powerful Patron, the first monk and guide, may he be your constant inspiration and protection in your spiritual struggle. The prayers of the Metropolitan, the Elder, our holy monastic community, and all the saints be with you at every step!
Amen.
