TIMES WHEN A STRANGE SITUATION

REVEALS THE TRUE WORK OF GOD

 

Albert Einstein once said “Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience”.

We all experienced a strange, a curious or a bizarre personal situation at least one time in a life. Situations like having premonitions, dreams about another world, the feelings that we are not alone in the room, and so on. And yet we did not have a material response and we decided to bury the situation deep inside us. Why? Of fear. Because we are afraid. We are afraid of what people will think of us, we are afraid of what would happen if we would just be … ourselves. So, instead of admitting that all the subtle information we receive, and all the „strange” things that happen to us, are for a reason, we deny them with a nonchalance worthy of Napoleon himself.

In Orthodox Church, the main difference that separates this Christian religion from other religions is that Tradition occupies an important play. For example, orthodox people will not eat or drink anything before drinking the Holy water. On the other hand, they will not eat or drink anything that has red color or cabbage especially, during the day on which they celebrate cutting the head of the Saint John the Baptist, because red is the color of blood, and the cabbage was the veil on which the head of the Saint John was laid.

Combining the tradition of Orthodox and the experience of an orthodox monk, we will learn that maybe we should pay attention to the little or great bizarre things life shows us at some point.

 

So … God works in mysterious ways. This was the thought that a monk from an Orthodox monastery had for a long time while passing the deserted roads and the wild forests on his way to his new monastery. As the abbot of the monastery passed away, he had to move to another one, located very far away. After tree days, while trying to understand how God works and why the abbot died, he met another monk, who was going at the same monastery. He thought it would be nice to have a companion, to travel, to talk, to change opinions about questions that he had about how God works and to pray with along the way. But this monk did not meet his expectations, as he had a rule: under no circumstances any of them will ask questions, no matter what would happen, until they arrive at destination.  And so, they made a vow.  

So, they continued together the journey to the monastery. It was very hard for the monk to abstain from asking questions, but he decided to pray all the road and to be thankful just for having someone to travel with. After a while, they stopped to a poor family, who received them to eat some bread. The man and the wife excused themselves for not having anything else to eat, but in the last five years, a great sorrow occurred and they either could not find a place to work, or all of the sudden, they were kicked out without any reason. After they had finished eating and while thanking and saying goodbye, the monk saw the companion monk taking the single valuable thing that the poor family had, a goblet. Without anyone noticing, they left. On their way, the companion monk pulled the goblet from his pouch and threw it in a river. It was very hard for the monk to understand why he did that, knowing that the poor family could had sell the goblet and maybe buy some food, but he remembered that he would not ask any questions.

After another day, they arrived in a village and were invited for dinner and rest for the night. At dinner, the family talked about their life, about how wealthy they are, but sad in the same time, because the woman could not have children and they have no one to enjoy with all the wealth or to give the legacy. Instead, they had a very beautiful dog, who was like their child or more. So, the rest of the night they only talked about how proud are with their dog and how smart and beautiful he was. They left early in the morning, while the family was sleeping, but before leaving, the monk saw the companion monk killing the dog. He was outraged and starting to think what was going on with this monk.

But while continuing their way to the monastery, on the way to the next village, they saw an old church, with broken glasses, almost a ruin. And while passing through, the companion monk took some rocks, spat on them and threw them into the church, while cursing. The monk was shocked; he asked himself what kind of monk, of man of God, would do such a thing.

And just about when he was thinking to excuse himself, and continue the road alone, they entered the village, where they saw a drinking house, where people were drunk, fighting and throwing bottles to each other. And the next minute, he saw the companion monk taking bows in front of the bar, saying Our Father and making the sign of the Cross. They exited the village and straightened to the next one, and the last one before arriving at the destination.

Thinking that, the monk was relieved that the journey was about to end, but he had so many questions about what happened and what a cruel companion he had. So, he started to pray again. However, they arrived after a time in the last village, where they stopped because they saw two children crying in the front of a poor crashed house, because it was so old. After talking to the children, they found out that they became recently orphans, because their parents died in an accident, and the house was the only thing they had left, but almost destroyed. Nevertheless, they wanted to restore what it remained, so they could have a place to sleep at night. The monk offered them the last slice of bread that he had, and before saying goodbye, we said he would pray for them. However, the companion monk approached and started to break the rest of the house and burnt it, and they all witness how the house collapsed and there was nothing left for the children.

And they left … few hours passed by and they arrived at the destination. The monk exploded. He started to cry and asked why he did all that awful things. And why? The companion monk answered that he received information from God and all he did was for a greater good. For example, when he stole the goblet, nobody knew that inside it, it was written in ancient Latin that anyone who would possess the goblet, but the Royal family, it is cursed to live in poverty. So, after the goblet was thrown in the river, the family will get rich. Secondly, the rich family who could not have children was attached of the dog so much, as they made him their god. Killing the dog was good, because they were blind, and now God will give them a child. Still, the monk had questions. Why cursing the old church and worship a bar? Moreover, the companion monk answered that in the old church were demons, and by throwing with rocks at them, they went out. While worshiping at the bar was a good thing also, because among the people in the bar, there was the mayor of the village, who was talking to someone about rebuilding and restoring the old church, and asking for God’s help. Moreover, in the last village, he had to destroy the last part of the house, because underneath that part, their parents buried a treasure, and they would have never found out, because they were going to restore the house with the remaining pieces and live just like that, in poverty all their life. Therefore, finally the monk understood how God works.

If the source of knowledge is not information, but experience, this leads to a very interesting conclusion. What are we going to do, with the information that is given to us? We are going to transform it to experience, thinking that there is more to this, than meets the eye? Or are we going to ignore the „invisible”, the „strange”, the „paranormal”, just to feel at ease with this life? So, when was the last time you felt something strange?