Feast Day: April 16th
The Life of Saint Amphilochios: Having preserved himself from worldly temptations, he decided to enter a Monastery at the age of seventeen…
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Prayers
Apolytikion: The pillar of piety and example for Priests, the friend of the Beloved, and new righteous one of Christ, o faithful, let us honour the Divine Amphilochios with Sacred hymns, crying out: O offspring of Patmos, intercede on behalf of us to Him Whom you stand before. Glory to Him Who granted you strength, Glory to Him Who sanctified you, Glory to Him Who grants to us through you, all greater things.
Kontakion: You abandoned worldly things, O Father, in order to struggle and gain Christ, and you rose above the things of the Earth, and headed as a victor towards the Heavens, having trampled upon the devices and wiles of satan. Therefore, do not cease to entreat on behalf of us who honour you, O wise Amphilochios, to the Compassionate One.
Oikos: The Prophet David prophesied in the book of the Psalms: “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His Venerable one.” Therefore, we find this fulfilled in you, O Divine Father Amphilochios. For you pleased your Master with Divine words and good deeds, giving Glory to Him instead. Therefore, we who have gathered today, honour you harmoniously, as the founder of Churches, Monasteries and Hermitages, as a precious vessel of Sacredness and a Soul-nourishing benefactor of Christians by your teachings and instructions. But, as the boast of the famed island of Patmos, as the follower of the Venerable Christodoulos, and the close friend of the missionary Evangelist and Virgin Disciple and man equal-to-the-angel [John the Theologian], you ceaselessly entreat on behalf of us to the Compassionate One.
Megalynarion: Rejoice, the Sacred offspring of the island of Patmos, O Father and Priest Amphilochios, who spoke of God, you showed forth the desert places to be full of the fruit through your Divine virtues and your struggles.
Icons and Photos
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Quotes by Saint Amphilochios
We must have our gaze fixed on Heaven. Then nothing will shake us.
Every day I Pray that I may see you amongst the ranks of women Saints.
When you cultivate Prayer, the tempter’s blusterings will not trouble you. Prayer diminishes his strength; he cannot do anything to us.
True wealth, for me, is to see you in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Cultivate the Jesus Prayer and a time will come when your heart will leap with joy, just as it does when you are about to see a person who you love very much.
Remaining faithful to Monasticism is considered to be a Martyrdom.
Christ often comes and knocks at your door and you invite Him to sit in the living-room of your Soul. Then, absorbed in your own business you forget the Great Visitor. He waits for you to appear and when you are too long in returning, he gets up and leaves. At other times, you are so busy that you answer Him from the window. You don’t even have time to open the door.
When the flame of love exists, it consumes whatever evil approaches.
Hospitality… the greatest of virtues. It draws the Grace of the Holy Spirit towards us. In every stranger’s face, my child, I see Christ Himself.
The person who loves Spiritually feels Prayerful, so that he can be found within God and his brother.
Christ is the same, yesterday and today, but we have closed our eyes and look into the darkness.
We must be ready for our defence and our Martyrdom.
I beseech the Lord to Sanctify you, so that I may see you in Paradise.
For God’s Grace to come during the Liturgy, you must be concentrated and untroubled.
The more a person loves God, the more he loves other people. He loves them with Holiness, respect and refinement, as Images of God.
Please put this commandment into practice: Cultivate love towards the Person of Christ to such an extent that, when you pronounce His Name, tears fall from your eyes. Your heart must really be aflame. Then He will become your Teacher. He will be your Guide, your Brother, your Father, and your Geron (Elder).
God’s protection diminishes temptation.
Because of widespread corruption, people cannot understand that spiritual love exists.
Worldly people tire you, because whatever is stored up inside them comes at you like waves of electricity. We must be people of Grace so much so that whoever comes to us may find rest.
Let us look upon everyone as our superiors, however weak they may appear. Let us not be harsh, but always bear in mind that the other person also has the same destination as us.
Leave all your concerns to the hands of God. Ask for whatever you want, like a child asking from its father.
Prayer is a gift from God. Always ask with hope.
I don’t want to be in Paradise without you, my children.
Our deeds, dear sister, will not save us; God’s infinite mercy will.
We must have Love, even if they do us the greatest harm, we must love them. We will be able to enter Paradise only with love.
Do not neglect evening Prayer. Pray with eagerness like those who are going to a feast. They are awake and feel joy alone. Thus, since you are going to speak with your Bridegroom, do not listen when the tempter tells you various things in order to hinder you, because you know there is Someone Who cares for you.
Everything seems dark and difficult to a person without Christ.
Question: “Elder, how must we picture Christ?” Answer: “We must always bring Christ to mind with love. We could be holding the photograph of someone in our hands, but since we do not know them, we do not love him, we are not moved. Whereas, when we pick up a photograph of our mother, our Soul immediately leaps and cries out with love.”
You are royalty, destined for the Heavenly Bridal Chamber.
A person can be raised up above the earth by two wings, one is simplicity and the other is purity of heart. You must be simple in your actions and pure in your thoughts and feelings. With a pure heart you’ll seek God and with simplicity you’ll find Him and be glad.
Self-denial must be cultivated with discernment; otherwise we may reach the point of suicide.
We are on the high seas of life, sometimes there are storms and at other times calm. God’s grace does not leave us. Otherwise, we would have sunk, if he had not held us up.
Prayer is Grace. God gives it when zeal and humility exist.
Repentance must occur, not from fear of punishment but because we have sinned before God.
Give your whole self completely over to the Protecting Veil of the Panagia.
Love giving hospitality, my child, for it opens the Gates of Paradise.
The Saints submitted to whatever God sent them, with childlike simplicity, “That’s the way You want it. Let Your Will be done.”
Question: How do you manage to have such patience and perseverance in everything? Answer: The Grace of God helps. I always believe in the power of God, my child, Who alters and adjusts everything for the benefit of our Soul.
God is visiting you when tears come during Prayer.
Where there is fear of God, wisdom is given.
I want you to be calm so that we can meet. When you’re tired the wireless doesn’t work.
The Christian is a true human being He is courteous and polite. He doesn’t want to sadden anybody.
The Grace of the All-Holy Spirit makes a person send out rays.
Take Communion regularly, Pray warmly, be patient and you will see a strong Hand holding you.
Once you have cultivated the Jesus Prayer, you will become children of the Palace. You will know the King’s language and the ways of true Royalty.
When someone opens your heart, I’d like him to find nothing there but Christ.
When our heart has no love for Christ, we are like ships that have no fuel, no gas in their engines. We must always remember Christ with love. Then our Soul will leap for joy.
The Spiritual life has great joys. You fly away and leave this world and don’t take anything else into consideration. You become a child and God lives in your heart.
Do you know that God gave us one more commandment, which is not recorded in Scripture? It is the commandment “love the trees.” When you plant a tree, you plant hope, you plant peace, you plant love, and you will receive God’s Blessing.
Prayer has filled Heaven with so many Holy people. There is no other way of purification and Sanctification apart from noetic Prayer. The Psalms are good and generally all Ecclesiastical Hymnography. We use them, though, to attract and touch the world. We Monastics, however, must speak to the King mystically.
The Saints always had the next life in mind. The recollection of death is a gift.
Do not be afraid because of your Orthodoxy; because as an Orthodox Christian in the West, you will often be isolated and always in a small minority. Do not make compromises but do not attack other Christians. Be neither defensive nor aggressive; simply be yourself.
When a person takes Communion, he receives strength, is enlightened, sees new horizons and feels joy. Each is different, in accordance with the disposition and ardor of his Soul. One feels joy and peace, the other – the world, the third – the spirit of fidelity and the fourth – indescribable compassion for everything.
My child, in the face of every stranger, I see Christ Himself.
Strive for the union of your Soul with God.