“The Holy pilgrimages of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem: The spiritual pearls of the Orthodoxy as well as of the Romiosini”

Amphitheatre of the War Museum of Athens
Saturday 30th and Saturday 31st of May 2009

Introducer: Mr. Athanassios Paliouras, Professor of Byzantine Archaeology of the University of Ioannina

Subject: "The Holy pilgrimages of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem: The spiritual pearls of the Orthodoxy as well as of Romiosini"

Every person being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, through the passing by of the centuries, has always had a dream: to visit the Holy Pilgrimages of the Holy Lands to kneel and pray on the Tomb of Christ, to kiss the Tomb of Our Lady, to go around there that have been engraved the saint narrow streets to the path steps of Jesus, in order to walk along the Road of Martyrdom and up to the Golgotha. And during an all aromatized and heavenly smelling morning to enter into the garden, where there was the sculptured tomb, and there meet the angel of Resurrection, as he announces the joyful message.

And inside of all these things to sit at the Patriarchal table and go around the Patriarchal areas, where are at the Patriarchal Vestry the centuries have mounted lots of artistical treasures, of the expression of the faith, the masterpieces of human hands, the golden embroidery vestments of the patience, the holy implements of workrooms that have travelled towards all lengths and widths of the Christian land, the feeling and left objects of adoration, "the giantly great achievements of faith".

All and everything the to-day pilgrimage of the Holy Land I should call as the "spiritual and artistical fruits of Orthodoxy and Romiosini". Of the Orthodoxy, as it is here very clear and in a resume that the truth, as it has been preserved woundless and lipid, for it put very long apart of falsies and smoggy uncertainties and through battles, and difficulties has survived, triumphed and achieves great goals. Of the Romiosini, as the difficulties, the dreams, bitternesses and hopes of the Hellenes of Easte and West, North and South, have kneaded with the sighs and the dreams, that are tasted every time in Jerusalem. The eagerness for Jerusalem and the Holy Land is dream of life for the Orthodox people, is a fully living and a hidden longing for all Greeks. What is the meaning to a Greek person if he was not able to visit the Sacred places, even he has an untold interest? It has a meaning the fact that he carries for a long life period inside him an enormous treasury, an extremely expensive pearl and multi glorious, a light and joy to all humanity. Humble, simple and unnoisy the Patriarchate of Jerusalem has not one and of any point of view whatever comparison and relation with the riches on earth, the treasures of the world. Its spiritual property emanates from the empoundered sandals of the feet of Christ, from the redemptive voice of Apostols, from the bloods of so many martyrs, from the sacrifice of the monks and hermits, from the decision of Holy Tomb brothers, who have dedicated their lifes to keep "The Thermopiles of the faith", from the continuous assistance of Greeks in order not to leave never all holy and sacred ideals upon them they have been fed: "In case I shall forget you, Jerusalem, to be as well as forgotten my right hand, to be glued my tongue to my throat if not remember you (Psalm 136, 5 - 6). And if in any given time would come strong rainstorms and cloudbursts to the part of human insufficiencies, the assistance of God that everything is under his control. For just these hours he had informed, in poor periods, that great Athanassios of the brother Patriarchate of Alexandria: "Just a light cloud it is and very soon it should be passed".

On the other hand the way is wonderful. We shall remember here the Hineraria, those sacred absences from the West to the East towards Jerusalem, Sinah and Alexandria as well as the publications of the "Pilgrimages" to all European languages, that counted miracles and more miracles, wonderful stories of the Holy Lands, of saint humans, hermits of the dessert and excited the imagination and prepared the believers, as they were planting in their heart the eagerness and the holy desire of visiting the pilgrimages. This way Europe was thinking and acting. But in the East the Hellenic ideal has had his own overruns.

Cities and villages, known names and beloved to all, geographical and historic signs over all the sphere of the earth, just there where the Great Teacher has walked, at the shore place where He met His disciples, the city where resurrected the only son of the window, on the Mount of the Beatitudes, where he codified the moral life of societies in a world-wide dimension, the magic mount that dressed the light teaching the reforming to the man, on the most unimportant and down graduated hill in Jerusalem and the transformed by His crucification into a mankind symbol: Golgoltha, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Bythania, Emmaous, Arimathaia, Joppih, Gazah, Lake of Tiberiadah, the sea of Galilea, the Jordan river. The history of Earth that has been written through the storms and glims of the sky. There, in that historical and sacred earth roots, named Patriarchs, humble clerics and hermits who had dreams, whole armies in the going of centuries, have had devoted their lives, living a life of hunger and dept, resistance and creation, praying and waiting for, in order to come until our days tactless and untouched the holy and sacred ideals of Orthodoxy and Hellenic spirit.

This is the spiritual beauty and sacred charm of the tradition and faith of ours: from the rock comes out the water, from the suffering is being born the liberty, from the resistance comes out the creation, from the practice and inside life comes out the most difficult virtue, the humbleness, from death rises the Resurrection. These are the Jerusalemian colors of Orthodoxy, that feed up to the ends of the world the destiny of Hellenism, that has vaccinated with all these virtues: the spiritual bread and water, liberty, creation and rebirth, humbleness and generosity, resistance and resurrection. And certainly kindheartedness and pride.

City of Agrinio, 25-05-2009