A Story About Caring For A Tree by Monk Raphael

The following passage is from the book, The Ascetic of Love, chapter 13, “House of
Angels”:

“One of her ‘children,’ D., a musician, related to us a charming event showing St. Gavrilia’s love for trees. D. had planted some new cypresses in his garden. A few days later, he was offered a job in Cyprus for the summer season. He was between two minds: Should he accept? And if so, what would become of the little trees that would be left untended?

He went to the House of Angels and asked Mother Gavrilia, who told him: ‘Go, and see that you water every day another thirsty young tree over there, and God will water yours…’ 

This is what he did. To his colleagues’ surprise, he carried water to a small tree on the mountain every day for three whole months… When he returned to Greece and went to see his cypresses, he found them taller and thriving.”

By the great mercy of our Lord, I am a disabled solitary Orthodox Christian Monk. I first encountered The Ascetic of Love many years ago when I was working on my Doctorial studies. There are an abundance of wonderfully beautiful teachings and stories included in The Ascetic of Love.

The passage quoted above is very striking to me because of its startling profound simplicity. It is a powerful example of St. Gavrilia’s deep compassion and her ability to attentively listen to the intimate struggles of the persons who she encountered in her daily life. Living a very prayerful life, St. Gavrilia drew upon her abiding trust in the love of God to help persons to grow in humility, peace, and love.

Years ago, I had the opportunity to ask a beloved Orthodox Christian Nun now departed the following question: When considering prayerful repentance amid the joys, sorrows, and struggles of your own particular circumstances, what do you find to be most helpful or inspiring about the life of Gerondissa Gavrilia?

In response to this question, Mother listed the following: “—her trust in God; total freedom from depending upon money or possessions, her abandonment to God, guided by the hand of God everywhere and in all things, her ability to love, to teach about Christ through her loving presence, the importance of her spiritual Father in guiding her life in Christ, how her home in Athens became a place of peace for those seeking love, seeking hope…”.

As I reflect upon my life as a disabled solitary monastic, my own response to this same question would pick up similar themes. Throughout my whole life, my particular circumstances have confronted me with many obstacles and limitations. Reading The Ascetic of Love helped me to see my particular circumstance not as an obstacle to be overcome but as a God-given gift to be cherished and embraced. With the help of God, my particular circumstances were transformed into “a workshop of prayerful repentance.”

Living in the present moment, little by little and day by day, my life opens more deeply to the love of God and to the love of those persons who I encounter along the way.

Monk Raphael (Brown)

Calgary, Alberta, Canada