Abba Pambo To His Disciple
From The Gerondikon*
And I'll tell you this, my child, that the days will come when the Christians will add to and will take away from, and will alter the books of the Holy Divine Prophets, and of the Holy Fathers. They'll tone down the Holy Scriptures and will compose troparia, hymns, and writings technologically. Their nous will be spilled out among them, and will become alienated from its Heavenly Prototype. For this reason the Holy Fathers had previously encouraged the monks of the desert to write down the lives of the Fathers not onto parchment, but onto paper, because the coming generation will change them to suit their own personal tastes. So you see, the evil that comes will be horrible. Then the disciple said: So then, Geronda,** the traditions are going to be changed and the practices of the Christians? Maybe there won't exist enough priests in the Church when these unfortunate times come? And the Holy Father continued: In these times the love for God in most souls will grow cold and a great sadness will fall onto the world. One nation shall face-off against another. Peoples will move away from their own places. Rulers will be confused. The clergy will be thrown into anarchy, and the monks will be inclined more to negligence. The church leaders will consider useless anything concerned with salvation, as much for their own souls as for the souls of their flocks, and they will despise any such concern. All will show eagerness and energy for every matter regarding their dining table and their appetites. They'll be lazy in their prayers and casual in their criticisms. As for the lives and teachings of the Holy Fathers, they'll not have any interest to imitate them, nor even to hear them. But rather they will complain and say that "if we had lived in those times, then we'd have behaved like that." And the Bishops shall give way to the powerful of the world, giving answers on different matters only after taking gifts from everywhere and consulting the rights will not be defended; they'll afflict widows and harass orphans. Debauchery will permeate these people. Most won't believe in God; they'll hate each other and devour one another like beasts. The one will steal from the other; they'll be drunk and will walk about as blind. The disciple again asked: What can we do in such a state? And Elder Pambo answered: My child, in these times whoever will save his soul and prompt others to be saved will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.***
* Gerondikon (pronounced yeh-ron-dee-KOHN). The Gerondikon is a very famous book of sayings of the Gerondes (i.e. Elders...... Spiritual Fathers), known to every pious (Greek) Orthodox Christian.
** Geronda (YEH-ron-dah), means Elder (Starets, in Russian)....... who is a spiritual father/elder of a Christian.
*** While this is an acient prophecy of Elder Pambo, stated many hundreds of years ago...... it is very telling of current times in many Orthodox churches, of many bishops, clergy, monastic and lay people....... It should also be taken as a reminder to reform our lives, and return to a True, Christian, Orthodox way of life!
