The biography of the young monk Savatie
is a wonder and a model at the same time. It is a model of the spiritual
rebirth of a man. How is it special ? Readers
may find an answer in the following interview. Some of the topics that
the interview tackles are: Stefan Bastovoi the
poet, the nation, science and
globalization.
“The man of the old ways
stays in us till our last
breath”
Father you have never
tried to hide your troubled past. Is it because you are not totally rid
off the “old-way man” you once were ? Is the
man you were, until you entered monasticism, now asleep in the depths of
your soul or your conscience – waiting for a moment to wake up – or, is
he “dead”, ever since you had your hair cut as a monk
?
Something dies in that moment, something still remains. It is as
it should be; it is as monasticism should be; and if you read the Writings of the Holly Fathers
you will find that it cannot be otherwise. Surely, the old ways man
remains in us till our last breath, waiting to wake up, as you said. But
one has to learn how to talk to his inner old ways man, sometimes to
reprimand him, other times to work him out. He has done more than enough
foolish things, now it is time to do something good, at least, as much
as he can do. About the past, what have I to hide
? I am just a man like the rest of us and my past is as common as
anybody else’s. I am not boasting myself with it, nor am I embarrassed
by it. I live with the belief that there is no
past whatsoever. Christ came and put an end to the past. I pray to Him that every moment of my life can be a new
beginning, a rebirth and not to consider my past anymore, because it
will always be an abyss full of dirt and misery.Because the past means death. Eternity has no
past.
