Priest Savatie Baștovoi
My dears, my beloved!
I want to say a few words to all of you who are worried and disoriented because we can`t gather anymore in the churches at the Holy Liturgy as you used to do. Do not be afraid and do not worry. The Holy Spirit of God blows wherever He wills.
What I am going to tell you are not some words conceived by me for a momentary human consolation, but the expression of a millenary experience of the Church, founded on the revelations of the Saints and on the dogmatic of our great masters and hierarchs. I spent many years reading the books of the Holy Fathers and I got close to their experiences, thing which only a few still have the chance to do in the conditions of the actual life, full of worries and duties.
Many saints, wonder makers, deeply seeing the divine mysteries had periods of times in their lives when they did not have the chance to take part at the common prayer from the church and did not commune from the Holy Chalice as you all desire now. Your desire is good and true. But do not be afraid that you will be deprived of the grace of God because of the troubles, because exactly this fear and worry may petrify your hearts. The grace of the Holy Eucharist pours over all the believers no matter where they would be, if their hearts are kind. All the prayers of the Holy Liturgy ask for the grace to come over the gifts and over the believers not only over the alive but also over the dead ones. After the transformation of the gifts, the priest prays that this grace to descend over the ascetics, over those who live a pure life and over every right soul which reposed in good faith. Therefore, the saints who live in deserts and in the cracks of the earth commune from this grace, according to what saint Paul the Apostle tells us. Thus it pours over you all as well, my beloved, over all of you who seek the love of God and love the adornment of His Church.
In the book of abba Dorotheus of Gaza we are told about a monk who had his listening in the kitchen. Many times, when he made the fire, the grace of God descended over him and he got filled of the Holy Spirit. Once he asked his elder if in such moments he should have stood up and pray. His elder told him to do what he did, because the grace was given to him for his obedience and if he had stood up to pray he might have lost it. So you should be in absolute peace and convinced that grace seeks the man when he has a kind heart and the fruits of your obedience towards your hierarchs in these times will fill your hearts of the Holy Grace.
No hierarch or priest stopped the gatherings now out of fear, but out of a forethought each one of them knows it. The Holy Liturgy did not stop, only the gatherings. The grace of the Holy Liturgy continues to pour over the world and over every faithful soul. For this you needn`t stand like in a spell watching to see from where it comes the grace from which Church and at what precise time, since in every moment and in all places the saints of God raise their hands and accomplish the great sacrament.
Therefore, in perfect peace and with absolute faith pray in your homes and ask for the grace of the Holy Spirit to come over you and your houses. In a short time God will show us what is to be done for strengthening the Church and for the peace of the whole world.
Be blessed and love each other. Do not despair, knowing that nothing shows a lack of faith more than despair. Let us keep our hearts up!
Christ is in our middle!
