athos essay

8/13/2019 Athos Essay

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)hat is your con%ession? the guestmaster at :atopediou

Monastery had asked %our days ago &hen &e arrived at our %irst

monastery!

Catholic' I replied' unsure i% this &as &hat he &as asking'and unsure i% I am still a ;oman Catholic no& a%ter t&o years o%

avoiding Mass!

It says here you are Protestant' he said' pointing to a line

o% *reek letters' undecipherale to me on my diamonitirion!

I &as a Protestant until I married a Catholic and then I

ecame a Catholic! Is that 5


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ordinary men! .ome &ere oisterous and animated' gesturing

and laughing as they argued some issue or engaged in anter

&ith their %ello& travelers! 5thers sat in #uiet contemplation!

.ome sipped Amstel eer %rom right red and yello& cans!

5thers nodded o%%' succuming to serenity o% the &arm air andright une sun and lue &aters o% the Mediterranean .ea! )hat

had they in common? )as it a desire to escape the toil o%

everyday li%e and the stress o% &ork and %amily? )ere they

seeking a spiritual experience' re+uvenation' rededication' rest'

relaxation? Most gathered at the railings as monasteries came

into vie& along the coastline! I +oined them there! "ogether &e

politely +ostled %or good camera angles' they &ith their point9and9

shoots and me &ith my ulky .D; and interchangeale lenses!Maye &e &ere seeking similar things' similar experiences'

though y di%%erent means!

Already &e had sharply distinguished ourselves %rom other

pilgrims! "he monk at the guestmaster2s desk had greeted us

%ormally &ith a phrase highly religious in tone ut one I did not

recogniEe! Had he used the ;oman Catholic greeting "he Dord

e &ith you' I could have con%idently replied And also &ith you'

therey instantly identi%ying mysel% as a %ello& Catholic &ho

shares a set o% elie%s! Instead' I %umled %or something to say'

realiEing that my response instantly revealed that I &as an

outsider and #uite possily apostate!

"he guestmaster at :atopediou continued his gentle

#uestioning! Is this your %irst visit to Holy Mountain?

es' &e replied in unison!

And &hat are your names and occupations?

I2m Peter .chmunk' my colleague egan! Peter had

organiEed this trip! He explained that all three o% us are

pro%essors at )o%%ord College' a small lieral arts college o% aout

1,-0 students in .partanurg' .outh Carolina!

,


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)here is .outh Carolina? the monk pondered!

In the southeastern =nited .tates' near Atlanta' Peter said!

Ah' close to 7lorida' the monk guessed!

es' Peter said! He continued the introduction y stating

that he is a pro%essor o% art history &ith a strong interest in

;enaissance art' especially painting and architecture! He teaches

a variety o% courses in Art History and has recently gro&n more

%ascinated &ith 3yEantine art! He has long kno&n that the Mount

Athos peninsula' a )orld Heritage .ite' is a %aulous repository o%

3yEantine %resco and icon paintings and has studied pictures and

read descriptions o% the uildings comprising the monasteries and

hermitages! He explained that all three o% us share a love o% art'

a passion %or photography' and a %ondness %or outdoor adventure!

)e expect this pilgrimage hike to allo& us to simultaneously

en+oy all those things &hile learning more aout the 5rthodox

%aith and monastic li%e!

Peter descried our intent to hike the trails that &eave

across ridges and through ravines' connecting the monasteries

&here he had made reservations months %or us months inadvance! 5nly one day into this adventure' &e &ere already

a&are that nearly all pilgrims travel y us on dirt roads to visit a

series o% monasteries! )e had encountered perhaps three men

during our 4 mile hike %rom


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es' he said the diamonitiriaindicate that you are

pro%essors! )hat an interesting comination! )e have many

visitors &ho are interested in art' ut it is rather unusual to have a

chemist and iologist visit Holy Mountain! Most scientists are

cynical in matters o% religion!

Many o% our colleagues are' I o%%ered' hoping that %urther

explanation' including an expression o% my personal vie&s &ould

not e re#uired!

)ell' &e are happy to have you as guests' he concluded!

I &ill tell you aout our simple rules e%ore I sho& you to your

room! Pictures are not allo&ed! ou must dress appropriately at

all times! $o shorts! $o are %eet! $ot even as you go %rom yourroom to the sho&ers at the end o% the hall! ou &ill hear the

simandroat ,G,0 in the morning! Matins egins at F a!m! in the

katholicon! At the services you may sit in the %irst room only! ou

need not attend the entire &orship &hich concludes at aout

am! ou are %ree to come as early as you &ish and stay as long

as you like! ou have had a long hike today! Maye you &ill need

to sleep later in the morning! I% so' someone &ill come y your

room at /G,0 to &ake you! 3reak%ast is served in the trapezashortly a%ter the service ends! ou &ill take your meals there &ith

the monks and pilgrims! "here is no talking during the meal! A

monk &ill read %rom the scripture or the li%e story o% a saint &hile

you eat! "he meal ends &hen the reading ends and a ell rings!

ou &ill immediately rise and &ait %or the monks to process out

and then you &ill %ollo&! A%ter&ards you may +oin the pilgrims on

a tour o% the church! At that time you may venerate the holy

relics!8ven though Peter and Bave had learned aout the monastic

routine y reading guideooks and the &epages o% men &ho had

&ritten accounts o% their experiences here' &e &ere relieved to

have some clari%ication o% the schedule and &hat &as expected o%

us! "he guestmaster' &ho y no& had demonstrated a mastery

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o% the 8nglish language easily surpassing my o&n' had managed

to make us %eel &armly &elcomed! He rose %rom his desk to lead

us to our room! )e shouldered our ackpacks and %ollo&ed him

do&n a long &ide hall&ay &ith high ceiling and gleaming &ood

%loor! He opened a door to a room %urnished &ith three lo& singleeds' a large &indo& &ith a vie& across the courtyard to the

katholicon>monastic church' and a large elaorate %ixture

occupying an entire corner the might have een a shrine or altar!

ou &ill %ind the toilets and a sho&er at the end o% the hall

through a door to the le%t' he motioned! 8n+oy your stay' he

said' ever the gracious host! )e thanked him pro%usely as he le%t

us!

I collapsed on the ed y the &indo&' too exhausted y the

strenuous hike %rom

athos essay

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