by Orthodox Teaching of the Elders 134 views
An emotional testimony of Archbishop Justinian (✝️2016) of Maramures and Satu Mare (Romania) in which he recounts a beautiful memory of how he entered Rohia Monastery at a young age in March 1941.
Subtitles: English, Romanian
Video source: Documentary "This is my life" (2007) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFwEvLVcUkI
Archbishop Justinian Chira:
When I arrived in Rohia village [Romania], it was already evening, I met a man,
"Sir, where is the monastery?" I noticed that I was almost out of the village...
"There, there, why do you keep asking me?" He yells at me...
It was a shock to me... I thought that in Rohia people have little 'wings'... and this answer shocked me terribly...
In my village there was no such thing... there were good people, meek, patient and kind...
He was a widowed man and... when one remains alone, he becomes gloomy... becomes irascible...
And then I entered the gate of the monastery and started to climb, night was rapidly approaching... I was desperate because it was starting to get dark, but then I heard a rooster singing.
And then I looked up the coast and I saw the church of the monastery. And I climbed straight up toward the top (like my mother would do later), I didn't walk on the path...
And I entered the monastery's yard. There were three people cutting wood... One was tall and thin, one looked like a simple man and another one...
The atmosphere gave me a negative impression. A negative impression... A darkness, a haze... has dawned upon my soul... but I said nothing about it...
And I told them, "I have a letter from the archpriest for the father superior, I want to talk to the abbot". The tall and thin one says, "I will go myself." He entered the front door and came back and he said to me:"The abbot is waiting for you, come in!"
I entered the door and arrived in a hall where there were two doors, left and right. Which one should I choose? I said to myself, "I take the right one". When I enter on the right I find there a small monk, bent, without beard... Another shock for me! Is this the father superior?! I expected the abbot to have beard and long hair... And I give him the letter from the archpriest and he said: "Oh, it's for the abbot!" Then I realized that he was not the abbot... He left with the letter, he came back in a minute and said, "The father superior is waiting for you!"
The abbot was in the next room, he was sitting on his chair, I saw him bright, extraordinary...
And I said, "I am... the priests have recommended me... I want to come to the monastery..."
He says, "Well, my dear... welcome, relax, we will see..."
But I was waiting for a firm answer, whether he accepts me or not...
And then I repeated: "but you know, I want to stay here, to become a monk!"
He: "Yes, yes, well, I'm glad, relax... we will see..."
And then I repeated the third time and started crying:
"I didn't come as a visitor, I want to become a monk, to stay here!"
And the abbot got up from his chair, came to me, hugged me, he started to smile and said, "Okay, my dear, I'm glad, but I wanted you to stay to see if you like it, if you can stay, if... but we welcome you, we welcome you!"
I say, "When?"
He: "Now!"
It was such a happy moment for me as I came out like a flying lamb and I went to those three people...
Someone started beating the semantron... So beautiful!
I hadn't heard my entire life such beautiful music as the semantron...
And all of a sudden, when I heard the beating, the sky suddenly opened, that negative state disappeared, the impressions I had suddenly disappeared, suddenly the whole horizon became illuminated, and a joy and happiness descended into my soul which has never ceased to this day! And I attended the service, Vespers...
This is how I started my monastic life on March 12th, 1941...
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