"Elder, where can we find the solution to our problems?"
*"Only holiness will solve your problems." *
The realm of the sacred and the transcendent, as expressed by that child of God and true man, Elder Porphyrios, belongs to the category of the unbelievable. It can however become believable because, «sin does not prevail where grace abounds”. Elder Porphyrios was a person filled with grace, a bearer of the power of the Holy Spirit, a child of the Kingdom, a genuine and true tree of paradise.
Whoever wishes to speak about the inner spiritual life of a saint, must be a saint himself. We, the writers of this book, are not saints. We are confined to what we saw and what we heard. We are amongst those many others, who, as St. Luke the Evangelist says, have “taken in hand to set in order a narrative.” We are not trying, with our poor and futile speech, to describe the life of a contemporary saint, but rather we are falteringly trying to express our joy in having met a saint; our joy that Christ lives yesterday, today and forever; our joy that holiness is not a thing of the past, that grace can be felt next to us, that our hands touched a “little father” who really lived the expression “I no longer live, for Christ lives in me.”
Until the Lord reveals the servant who was Elder Porphyrios’ eye-witness, who observed him throughout his life and in all his works and will write about his life accurately and fully, we are forgiven. For we have only seen “in part.” We describe, write about and speak of the miraculous things that God did for us through His servant, Porphyrios.
**
About the Author
Mr. Klitos Ioannides was born in Moutoutas, Cyprus in 1944. He graduated from Pedoulas Gymnasium and the Teaching Academy of Cyprus. He worked as a teacher for two years (1965 - 1967). Between 1967 and 1974 he studied Philosophy, Religious and Social Studies in Paris. In 1973 he was declared Doctor of Philosophy at the Sorbonne. He worked as a translator and professor in Paris and in Athens (1973 -1976). From 1977 he was a researcher at the Cyprus Research Center. He systematicaly occupied himself not only with Religious Studies, Philosophy and the History od Modern Cypriot Literature, but with academic research into the Biblical, Patristic and Mystical letters, with poetry, essays, articles, study, criticism, translation, co-writting and presenting radio and television programs. Thousands of his articles and essays have been accomodated within the pages of both the daily press and other periodicals. Poetry and other works of his have been translated into English, French, Russian, Italian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Hungarian and Spanish. Amongst other things, he was a founding member of the Cypriot Center of the World Association of Writers (PEN), secretary for a number of years, vice - president and now in charge of public relations. He is also, a member of the Administrative Council of the Philosophical Society in Cyprus, from its foundation. He is a corresponding member of the Philosophical Society of Greece and a member of the Society of Writers, Greece. He has represented Cyprus at many Greek and International conferences on philosophy and literature.
Description:
"Elder, where can we find the solution to our problems?"
*"Only holiness will solve your problems." *
The realm of the sacred and the transcendent, as expressed by that child of God and true man, Elder Porphyrios, belongs to the category of the unbelievable. It can however become believable because, «sin does not prevail where grace abounds”. Elder Porphyrios was a person filled with grace, a bearer of the power of the Holy Spirit, a child of the Kingdom, a genuine and true tree of paradise.
Whoever wishes to speak about the inner spiritual life of a saint, must be a saint himself. We, the writers of this book, are not saints. We are confined to what we saw and what we heard. We are amongst those many others, who, as St. Luke the Evangelist says, have “taken in hand to set in order a narrative.” We are not trying, with our poor and futile speech, to describe the life of a contemporary saint, but rather we are falteringly trying to express our joy in having met a saint; our joy that Christ lives yesterday, today and forever; our joy that holiness is not a thing of the past, that grace can be felt next to us, that our hands touched a “little father” who really lived the expression “I no longer live, for Christ lives in me.”
Until the Lord reveals the servant who was Elder Porphyrios’ eye-witness, who observed him throughout his life and in all his works and will write about his life accurately and fully, we are forgiven. For we have only seen “in part.” We describe, write about and speak of the miraculous things that God did for us through His servant, Porphyrios.
**
About the Author
Mr. Klitos Ioannides was born in Moutoutas, Cyprus in 1944. He graduated from Pedoulas Gymnasium and the Teaching Academy of Cyprus. He worked as a teacher for two years (1965 - 1967). Between 1967 and 1974 he studied Philosophy, Religious and Social Studies in Paris. In 1973 he was declared Doctor of Philosophy at the Sorbonne. He worked as a translator and professor in Paris and in Athens (1973 -1976). From 1977 he was a researcher at the Cyprus Research Center. He systematicaly occupied himself not only with Religious Studies, Philosophy and the History od Modern Cypriot Literature, but with academic research into the Biblical, Patristic and Mystical letters, with poetry, essays, articles, study, criticism, translation, co-writting and presenting radio and television programs. Thousands of his articles and essays have been accomodated within the pages of both the daily press and other periodicals. Poetry and other works of his have been translated into English, French, Russian, Italian, Serbian, Bulgarian, Hungarian and Spanish. Amongst other things, he was a founding member of the Cypriot Center of the World Association of Writers (PEN), secretary for a number of years, vice - president and now in charge of public relations. He is also, a member of the Administrative Council of the Philosophical Society in Cyprus, from its foundation. He is a corresponding member of the Philosophical Society of Greece and a member of the Society of Writers, Greece. He has represented Cyprus at many Greek and International conferences on philosophy and literature.