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The loneliness of Christtranslated

August 1, 2026 · 1 min read

Fr. Dimitrios Bokos writes

Christ fed five thousand men with five loaves and two fish. Immediately after the miracle, Christ forced his disciples to enter the ship and cross to the opposite shore of Galilee, so that they would not be carried away by untimely excitement, like the crowd that ate the loaves and wanted to proclaim Christ their king. He himself remained behind, dismissed the mobs, and then ascended the mountain to pray in private. When night fell, he was there all alone (Matthew 9 Sunday).

Man usually fears solitude, especially in the wilderness and especially at night. The devil takes advantage of this natural fear to drive the departing monks from the desert. And he is not satisfied with the natural wildness of the night and the desert (darkness, wild animals, etc.), but also creates additional fears himself with his turbulent presence, as in Saint Anthony and many other ascetics.

But man is perhaps much more afraid of another loneliness, even in the midst of a crowd, when there is no man of his own near him. When no one knocks on their door, not even to say good morning. When he says: "I don't have a person", not only for illnesses...

Source: Orthodoxia News Agency  ·  Read the full story →
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