Monday 11 February 2013

Reverence in the Temple of God - Life of Fr. Mettaos El-Suryani





His Work in the Monastery:


“I know your works, your labor, your patience,… and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. (Revelations 2:2-3).

After he became a monk he was assigned by the monastery the work of an ecclesiarch (sacristan
[1]), he was responsible for the cleanliness of the church and in providing for what it needs from candles, incense and consecrated wine. He organized the church and prepared it for different occasions. Also, he took care of the lanterns (icon lamps) by cleaning them, changing their wicks, filling them with oil and in lighting them.

In the year 1955, former Metropolitan of El Monofeya, Bishop Benyamin (Benjamin) visited the monastery. When he returned to his episcopal see (bishop’s throne), he sent a letter of thanksgiving to the late Bp. Theophilus abbot of the monastery, explaining to him what drew and pulled his attention from the good things he saw and observed during his visit to the monastery.

Among the things that drew his attention and of which he commended was the cleanliness of the churches of the monastery, their good organization and order, and the evident concern for the lighting of the lanterns inside the church.

Here is what he mentioned in the letter:

 “The entrusted concern for the churches is a concern to be mentioned and thanked for, especially in the lighting of the lanterns (icon lamps)”. Truly,
The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. (John 10:25). H.G. Bishop Macarius El-Artiry (The Eritrean) – general bishop who lived in Der El-Suryan in the early 50s by the name of Monk Botros (Peter) El-Suryani – told us of how when Fr. Mettaos was a sacristan (the one responsible for the church as we mentioned earlier) after he cleaned and swept the churches of the monastery, he would keep the dust in cans and containers. When he gathered a good amount of it, he would take it to the outer garden – which was taken care of and cultivated by H.G. Bishop Domadius, metropolitan of Giza (may God prolong his life) when he was a monk in the monastery by the name of Monk Mettias (Matthias) El-Suryani- where he would spread and sprinkle the dust on the garden for two reasons:

The first is his confidence that that dust is blessed, so it is good to bless this newly reclaimed land for cultivation (behind the ancient monastery). The second reason is his being convinced that it is not befitting for the church’s dust to be dumped in any place or placed with the rest of the monastery’s regular waste.

Let us contemplate my beloved, this delicate spiritual awareness and this careful balanced attentiveness that is free of exaggeration and extremism!!

In his interesting conversations on his old memories of the first years of his blessed monasticism, Fr. Mettaos told us how many times after the Vespers Prayers (Sunset prayers not the service of vespers) he would sweep the ancient monastery all the way from the ancient door to the eastern door which led to the outer garden which he would water afterwards.

Sometimes the late Monk Youssef El-Suryani the Great would join him in this work that one of the fathers, the late Hegumen Armanios El-Suryani would joke with him saying, “Easy easy, the monastery will dissolve!”

You should know my dear reader that the ancient monastery which Father used to sweep and water, had a length from east to west of about 146 m and a width from north to south of about 45 m approximately. He used simple primitive means which were available to him in these days like using palm branches for sweeping and old cans for carrying and transporting water. He did all of this on his own and without being asked by anyone. He did it out of his passion for his beloved monastery and zeal for this holy place which he lived inside of its walls joyous and merry. He reminds us of what David the psalmist and prophet said, “Because zeal for Your house has eaten me up
” (Psalm 69:9).

 





[1] An ecclesiarch, or sacristan, in the Orthodox Christian Church is an officer of the church who is charged with the care of a church and its properties particularly in monasteries. His position resembles that of a sacrist in the Western Church.

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