http://groups.yahoo.com/group/orthodox- ... ssage/9572
From: StephenATL sbu@bellsouth.net
Date: Sun Nov 30, 2003 10:39 am
Subject: Nov. 16/29 - New Hieromartyr Philoumenos
The Holy New Hieromartyr Philoumenos of Jacob's Well (1979)
Father Philoumenos used to tell me about his years in Bethlehem,
where the bishop disapproved of education for monks lest they be tempted
to the priesthood. But because of his zeal for the neglected souls of
the Palestinian faithful, Father Philoumenos studied to become fluent in
Arabic, both literary and conversational, chanting the Holy Gospel more
easily than many Arabs, and preaching the Orthodox faith not only in
their language but in his Orthodox manner of life. What a good shepherd
he was, more worthy than some of the episcopate! Yet the policies and
needs of the patriarchate saw Father Philoumenos assigned to other
positions. Whenever Palestinian faithful were scandalized by some
unworthy priest, whenever Orthodox neglect or European money drove the
faithful to wonder whether they would not receive better pastoral care
from Uniates, it was Father Philoumenos that the Patriarch of Jerusalem
sent as the true defender of the Faith, a man of more than blameless
life, a man from whom no one could even imagine any immodest or improper
word, a man whose faith and integrity were a model for all.
It happened at times that the Patriarchate in difficult
circumstances was forced to appoint poor local Patestinian priests with
no priestly training and little education. Father Philoumenos was a
model of correction. The services would be done properly and exactly,
with appropriate respect, devotion and fear of God. There was no
nonsense; the martyr-to be showed fear of God in the quiet, reverential
way in which he approached the Holy Table, and the careless or erring
priest received firm and clear correction so that the error would never
happen again.
Three things were most remarkable about the blessed martyr. The
first might have been partly from nature, but assuredly aided by Grace:
this was his soft sweet voice, which I can still hear today. The second
was a meticulous fidelity to small things, but specifically to the
Divine Service. He never omitted one word of any day's service. When we
were alone in some remote monastery, particularly for Matins, he slowly
and carefully chanted each word of every psalm and canon. Not even at
the Monastery of St. Sabba was the reading done so well. But when there
were pilgrims for the Divine Liturgy and vespers, he made the usual
abridgements lest the service be too long and some be tempted to leave.
Later on, privately, he would read every word that had not been chanted
in the church. Those who stayed with him for some time saw the copies of
the menaion, horologion, synaxarion, etc. and noticed that the markers
were always in place and the volumes never dusty, which earned the
Divine Promise, Well done thou good and faithful servant, because thou
hast been faithful over little things, I will set thee over great things
Enter thou into the joy of the Lord (Matt. 25:21).
Third, and as unobtrusive, almost secret, was his humility. What a
perfect patriarch he would have made, and were the election by the
Palestinian faithful he might well have been. Instead, God gave him an
eternal crown and throne among the elders who offer incense before the
throne of the Lamb (Rev. 5:8 ).
His humility was so simple and unaffected that we not see it. We
all knew that this hieromonk did everything well. For all his strict
rule of prayer, he was the perfect pastor, always at the disposal of
whoever came to him. With what energy and zeal did he visit the small
outlying villages, using his own personal funds to try to save the
faithful from being seduced from the True Faith by the wealth, power and
education of the West. There was only one Father Philoumenos, but so
many rich seducers of the poor faithful. Yet now he bas been glorified
by God so that he who has eyes can see where the truth lies, and follow
virtue and truth.
One painful example will never leave my memory. Once, and only
once, we had a disagreement over a question of ecclesiastical policy
about which we both had strong feelings. There was a somewhat heated
discussion, but then it was time for night prayers and retirement.
Immediately the next morning, before I could make my way to church, this
holy old man, older than my earthly father, was on his knees asking my
forgiveness for any ill will he might have caused, and commenting,
'There is no place for nationalism in the Church. All are one in Christ."
Let me state that if I had not known the New Hieromartyr
Philoumenos, I might have lost my faith. I was troubled, as so many are,
that the Truth is so badly served. Every error thrives. We clergy are
rarely good shepherds, and those seeking God are not many, while
heretics and cultists draw throngs, no matter how evil their lives or
teachings. Only by keeping the image of Fr. Philoumenos before my eyes
do I persevere.
The glorious martyrdom of this servant of God came to pass in
November,1979. The week before, a group of fanatical Zionists came to
the monastery at Jacob's Well, claiming it as a Jewish holy place and
demanding that all crosses and icons be removed. Of course, our father
pointed out that the floor upon which they were standing had been built
by Emperor Constantine before 331 A.D. and had served as an Orthodox
Christian holy place for sixteen centuries before the Israeli State was
created, and had been in Samaritan hands eight centuries before that,
(The rest of the original church had been destroyed by the invasion of
the Shah Khosran Parvis in the seventh century, at which time the Jews
had massacred all the Christians of Jerusalem.) The group left with
threats, insults and obscenities of the kind which local Christians
suffer regularly. After a few days, on November 16/29, during a
torrential downpour, a group broke into the monastery; the saint had
already put on his epitrachelion for Vespers. The piecemeal chopping of
the three fingers with which he made the Sign of the Cross showed that
he was tortured in an attempt to make him deny his Orthodox Christian
Faith. His face was cloven in the form of the Cross. The church and holy
things were all defiled. No one was ever arrested.
His body was buried on Mt. Zion, and when it was exhumed after
four years, as is customary, It was found to be substantially incorrupt.
It is preserved in the seminary chapel. His official glorification by
the Patriarchate of Jerusalem might well provoke further violence. But
in the case of martyrs, no official or public ceremony by hierarchs is
necessary for the veneration of the saint, since no doubt can be
entertained about the circumstances of his death. Moreover, the state of
his relics and their veneration in the seminary chapel of the
Patriarchate clearly show the Church's desire to glorify the martyr.
However, we hope that the Church of Cyprus might begin public
glorification of its son until such time as pressures are removed from
the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Our martyred father used to say, "Our
Saviour Himself founded the Church of Jerusalem, and that is why it has
never gone astray, nor ever will, for he Himself is guiding it."
It has been ten years since this martyr and Sign of Our Times
perished at the hands of Jewish terrorists at Jacob's Well, near the
city of Samaria, now called Nablus (Neapoils). By God's Grace, I am
closer to my elder today than at the time of his martyrdom, when we had
been separated for some months. In fact, I was in America, with his
blessing, at the time. Otherwise I might have been with him when he was
"perfected" by martyrdom. Faithless as I am, I might have denied Our
Lord had I been tortured as he was, the holy three fingers of his right
hand, with which he made the Sign of the Cross, being chopped to bits in
an attempt to make him deny the Holy Trinity. Little did his
satanically-inspired tormentors know how great were his faith and love
for Christ, and with what kind of man they were dealing.
