REVIEW OF APOSTLE TO ZAIRE:  THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF BLESSED FATHER COSMAS OF GRIGORIOU by Demetrios Aslanidis and Monk Damascene Grigoriatis (Uncut Mountain Press, 2001)

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When I was a child my father spent a good deal of time working in Africa, and many of our bedtime stories were adventures set in that continent.  These sometimes had vivid scenes of witch doctors and black magic.  Even now, some forty years later, I remember wondering if black magic was really as potent as the stories made it sound; and if so, how could one protect oneself from it?

Such questions are more than a child’s fancy…as one  quickly finds when reading this  fascinating work on the life ands labors of  Blessed Fr. Cosmas of Grigoriou. 

Fr. Cosmas was born in Greece in 1942; from his youth he involved in work for the church, developing many practical skills.  In 1975 he was sent to Zaire to construct churches, which he did with great success; the next year he returned to his homeland, where Elder Paisios advised him to become a monk at the monastery of Grigoriou on Mt. Athos.  Fr. Cosmas followed the advice, spent a year there, and was ordained a priest; then he returned to Zaire, where he selflessly served the people till his death in 1989. 

While the book is not particularly well written or translated, it breathes the breath of spiritual life.  (I can’t think of anything but an Orthodox hagiography that can survive such treatment!)  In reading it one feels mystical ties to Fr. Cosmas, and kindship to our Zairian Orthodox brothers in Christ, who are sorely beset by spiritual foes.  

For those of us in the industrialized world who are accustomed to demonic powers veiling their work, the naked evil of Satan in Africa is almost shocking. 

Two forms of witchcraft are practiced there:  black magic and white magic.  Black witchcraft is is overtly devoted to murder, mayhem and destruction.  Sorcerers, aided by the demonic powers, slay babies in the womb, slaughter infants and children for body parts used in rituals, and curse and murder adults.

It is not surprising that black magicians are greatly feared by the people.  The populace go out of their way not to offend those possessing such powers; government officials are fearful of punishing their crimes, and even many baptized Christians are afraid of them.   

White witchcraft is ostensibly devoted to exposing black magicians; but in reality it is  demonically inspired also.  When a black witch is exposed, he is apt to meet a grisly end himself.  (Satan doesn’t treat his staff well.)  Hence, both versions of magic lead to the destruction of human life and degradation of society.   

This is illustrated in a memorable story in which Fr. Cosmas came across a great crowd of terrified people one day as he was driving to a city.  He saw that some men were carrying the coffin of a child; upon enquiry he found that the child had been killed by a black witch—and, what’s more, the coffin was supernaturally leading the crowd toward the sorcerer. 

Fr. Cosmas wanted to stop and pray for the departed child, so the mourners could go in peace; but he was told that if he did so the child’s loved ones would likely kill him, as they had already paid for the services of the white witch to expose the sorcerer.  (Witches, fortune tellers and the like do fee-based work, whatever part of the world they may live in.)

Later Fr. Cosmas learned that the coffin did lead the crowd to the sorcerer…and in fact, it had such demonic power that it struck the black magician a fatal blow to the head.  Thanks to the white witch, then, there were two murders rather than one.

However Satan does not have power over the human will or the body of Christ, and some witches—including some particularly powerful ones—converted to Orthodoxy in the course of Fr. Cosmas’s work.  In a short but fascinating interview he explains that when the sorcerers turn to Christ, renounce their magic, give up their implements, confess and are baptized they become quite invincible to demonic assaults. 

Baptism must be followed, of course, by regular confession and communion.  (Even so, one can’t fall into pride; openly challenging the demons is quite foolish.)  Holy water is a great aid in the spiritual warfare; the implements and body parts used by sorcerers are powerless against it.  Also, Fr. Cosmas would sometimes perform liturgies at night to counter the demonic rituals taking place.

This blessed priest was tireless in his missionary labors; he would do his traveling at night to save time, in spite of fatigue and treacherous driving conditions.  He translated many liturgical texts into Swahili, and founded a monastery, which is necessary in establishing the church in a new land.  During his labors there he baptized some 15,000 Zairians.  After his falling asleep he has worked many miracles; perhaps he will become that nation’s first saint.

While there is a lurid element to the open spiritual warfare in Zaire, our “civilized” version is quite similar to theirs.  Demons kill the unborn (though in our case it is through “enlightened” goverments rather than sorcerers); demonic morality, apologetics and actions are a part of everday life, as seen on TV;  we practice polygamy—albeit in serial fashion—and we have white and black witches, with white witches presenting themselves as benevolent. 

One thing we can learn from this book is how important it is to make diligent use of the things God has given us for protection in our warfare against the demons.  The importance of frequent confession and communion can hardly be overstated; indolence leaves us vulnerable.  Holy water, too—common as it is—is more powerful than all the tools of Satan. 

Finally, this book reminds us how important it is to participate in the church’s work around the world.  In once sense Africa is  “mission field;” but in another sense the Zairians’ spiritual vitality and openness—their faith—is stronger than ours.  Those of us in the industrialized nations are in a “mission field” too—and are in great need of their gifts as the world around us slouches toward servitude to darkness.

Here’s a review from Randy Hay–

Here’s a review from Randy Hay:

Review of Dimitri’s Cross by Helene Arjakovsky-Klepinine (Conciliar Press, 2008)

“We have seen strange things today,” people said when they saw Jesus (Luke 5:26).  The same is true, to some degree, of the lives of all the saints; Christ Himself is in them, and so their lives are do not follow the “normal” course of human existence.   

Thus Orthodox hagiography plays a crucial and unique role in the world, manifesting the lives of the saints to all generations.  “Remember your leaders,” St. Paul says (Heb. 13:7); “Encircle Sion…encompass her; tell her story in her towers…consider her bulwarks” (Ps. 47:11-2 LXX).  Each hagiography is unique, as each God-bearer and each author is unique.

I find saints’ lives written by other saints particularly fascinating (for example, Athanasius’s Life of Anthony, Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian by Elder Paisios)…and the story of St. Dimitri Klepinine, written by his daughter, is wonderful in its own way.  I can’t think of any other hagiography written by a close family member.

Dimitri’s Cross tells the story of this humble Russian priest who lived in Paris during World War II.  He ministered to many poor and down-trodden people; when the Nazis began rounding up Jews he took it upon himself to write baptismal certificates for those in danger.  The Gestapo eventually discovered what he was doing and sent him to confinement and eventually the death camp Dora, known as the “Man-Eater,” where he reposed under brutal conditions.
  
St. Dimitri was zealous in his efforts to save Jews.  He didn’t wait for people to come to him for aid; he sought out those whom he believed needed help.  (Interestingly, the Nazis were not as thorough as one might expect in whom they sent to the death-camps; having a Jewish-sounding name might be sufficient cause.)   The certificates he signed starkly consigned baptismal witnesses committing perjury to the flames of hell; one Jewish lady insisting on actually being baptized when she realized what the priest was about to do. 

The saint was an associate of Mother Maria Skobtsova, who has also been glorified; that is an interesting sub-story.  The picture of life among the Russian exiles in France—St. Sergius Institute, the YMCA and Russian student movement, figures such as Nicholas Zander and Sergius Bulgakov—is fascinating too.

The author of this hagiography never saw her father after the age of four, and her memories are unfortunately few.  However, he wrote a number of letters home before his death, which are presented in this volume, along with photos and a sketch he drew of an improvised chapel when he was in confinement in France. 

I found the photo of him and his wife with the author quite poignant, along with the last words he wrote his family, on the day he was transported to Dora.  “Rejoice…we will be together soon.”

Elder Thaddeus of Vitovnica was one of the most renowned spiritual guides of Serbia in the twentieth century. As a novice he lived in obedience to Elder Ambrose of Miljkovo Monastery, a disciple of the Optina Elders. From him Fr. Thaddeus learned the Prayer of the Heart and the selfless love that came to characterize his whole ministry to the suffering Serbian people.  This book includes a short life and his writings, offerign valuable and wise guidance for those learning to guard their thoughts. We have already managed to sell out our first 10 copies of this book but will have more in soon.

We are grateful to Anaphora Press for this classic Biography by Fr. Lazarus Moore which has been out of print for years. Now many will benefit from getting to know our beloved patron, St. Seraphim of Sarov.  This edition is available in hardback and in paperback and includes items that were not in the last edition, incuding a biography of Fr. Lazarus Moore, The Prayer Rules of St. Seraphim, and an Akathist to St. Seraphim.

Thou Has Proved Me, O God and Knowest…:The Life of Hieromonk Vasily of Optina

This is a life of one of the three New Martyrs murdered at Optina Hermitage in 1993.  It is a moving brief life of a contemporary struggler, a world class athlete who grew up under Communism but turned from the world and chose the kingdom of heaven. There are many inspiring insights from this saint:

People spend their entire lives straightening up at home, at work, in their gardens, but are careless about their souls. However the soul is more precious than the whole world. One should order oneself internally and come to love God, and nothing can hinder us from loving God.

The shorter life of St. Silouan the Athonite, a 20th century monk. a Russian peasant who became an Athonite monk, written by his disciple, Archimandrite Sophrony. This is abridged from the longer life which we usually also have in the store. The longer life is for the committed and experienced, I think. But we often hand this smaller book to those who have never read a saint’s life before. It’s not long enough to be intimidating, and inspiring and well written and St. Silouan has such a way of being interactive.

This book by Helen Konzevich, a spiritual daughter of Elder Nektary of Optina contains many valuable additions to the saints life that were not included in Father Lazarus Moores The Life of St. Seraphim, a Spiritual Biography. This latter book taken largely from the Divyeevo Chonicles has long been out of print but we are expecting to see it back soon courtesy of Anaphora Press.

Another book by Father Jerome Sanderson, this book gives short lives of each of the Saints of Africa which are depicted on the Saints of Africa icon on the cover–also pained by Father Jerome.  These are some of the best known saints of Africa but the work is far from conclusive. Northern Africa played a major part in the earlier church and helped catechize parts of Europe…like Great Britain. Why isn’t it better known that Christianity is very far from a “white man’s religion”???? Yes we usually have some posters and mounted icons of the Saints of Africa in the bookstore.

Unbroken Circle published by the Brotherhood of St. Moses the Black offers a collection of talks from the first five or so Ancient African Christianity/African American Orthodox Conferences. Authors include, Fr. Moses Berry, Orthodox Priest, pastor of Unexpected Joy Orthodox Church and founder of the African American Heritage Museum of the Ozarks, Dr. Albert Rabateau, Scholar, writer and professor at Princeton, Nun Katherine Weston, iconographer, Fr. Jerome Sanderson, iconographer, and pastor of the Christ the Saviour Orthodox Parish in Nashville Indiana, Fr. Paisius Altschul from St. Mary of Egypt parish and Reconciliation Ministries in Kansas City, among others. A worthy collection. After 14 confereneces, it’s time for another. Stay tuned: The conference will be in Indy next year.

If you only read one book this year, then it should either be this one or Elder Sophrony’s We Shall See Him As He Is. Better make it two books this year. This book contains a brief life of Elder Porphyrios , one of the “3 Ps” of modern Greece. (The other two being Elder Paisios the New and Elder Philotheos Zervakos) It also contains transcriptions of some of his talks. We’ve seen 4 or 5 different books on this elder. Most of them are simply lives with unending accounts of miracles. Wonderful as that is in itself, it isn’t an entry point for someone new to Orthodoxy. The life here also tells of many miracles and episodes of clairvoyance. But the Elders words are also very helpful in bridging the gaps that many beginners may have in their understanding of Orthodox praxis and spiritual life. Overall, one begins to understand that the overwhelming motivation for all Orthodox ascesis is the Love of God.

“Your most intense effort should be how you will encounter Christ, how you will be united to Him, and how you will keep Him in your heart.”–Elder Porphyrios