The same lady remembered the following: “Once the Elder said to me, “Many of you women go and throw away whatever broken and useless thing you’ve got - old pans with holes in them, furniture, shoes and other worn out things. You put them in some storeroom out of the way. Then you lock the door and forget about them. But you don’t know that the moment will come when that junk will be found and you’ll be exposed.”
I was amazed by the Elder’s words. At the time, I was reading books on pastoral psychology, which spoke about the repression of traumatic life-experiences from the conscious to the subconscious of the psyche, and of their re-emergence at an unexpected time. The Elder’s vivid example of the storeroom full of junk told me a lot more than all the scientific handbooks.
The symbolism was more than clear. It referred to our sins, which we have not wiped out through our repentance and confession. Instead, we’ve hurriedly chucked them into the storeroom of forgetfulness, in order to escape their annoying presence. God will “find” them, and bring them back to mind, on the day of judgement. He already knows it, while we are ignorant of it.
From the Book: “With Elder Porphyrios. A spiritual child remembers“, by Constantine Yiannitsiotis
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Πληροφορίες γιὰ τοὺς τίτλους τῶν Ἐκδόσεων τοῦ Ἱεροῦ Ἡσυχαστηρίου μπορεῖτε νὰ βρεῖτε ἐδῶ
Our Holy Father Saint Porthyrios could see the depth of our soul and mind and consciousness and bring to light all our sins. I remember when Saint Paisios sent me to Saint Porthyrios to make some microsurgeries to my soul, we visited him in his new lot where he had just moved to build his Monastery. He was into his little small room recovering from multiple heart attacks. The lades who were taking care of him told us that he can not see anyone as the Doctors do not permit this. We were very sad to hear this. Then we asked if we could go silently inside and kiss his hand to receive his blessings. One woman went inside and asked she said that we may do this but very silently without to talk and leave. We went in we kissed his hand and we were ;leaving silently. Looking at him who was laying on the bed with closed eyes to get as much as we could from him. He opened his calm loving eyes and looked to us. He said I am sorry that I can not talk to you go in peace you have my blessings. Then he turned to me and said you come and sit here. I was surprised because I had not mentioned anything to anyone about Elder Saint Paisios. I told about this and he said that Panagia had sent me to him. That I should start visiting him and we should go all the way back to find all small openings that evil came inside me and we will cure it. This was exactly what Saint Paisios meant now I understood. I started since then to go and stay with him the weekends and the days and periods that I could. What a love and Grace of God what a humble and loving Father, I have never met anyone in my life close to his charismas and never thought I should a man of God like Saint Porphyrios. May His blessings follow us always. Amen