Elder Proclu: A Pedagogy from the Holy Spirit

He wanted a person to taste a bit of love and receive encouragement that he has something to live and fight for.

What should young people, who feel rather lost today, learn from Elder Proclu’s life?

I once took my younger brother, who felt lost, to speak with the Elder. I understood from what Elder Proclu conveyed to my brother and what my brother received that he encouraged him, telling him that God never abandons us. That is, our life unfolds before His eyes and this is the most important thing. A child grows and develops before the eyes of its parents and knows that it is protected. The Elder wanted to convey the fact that God protects us, is present in each moment of our life, and this should encourage us to have more determination, responsibility, and awareness of the importance of our life.

I remember an event from Saint Porphyrios’ life, when he was visited by some motorcyclists and had a discussion with them without emphasizing the faith or Christ very much. Someone reproached him for not upbraiding those young people for their sinful life. Elder Porphyrios told him that those young people were not yet ready to be bombarded by such things, but needed to feel a little bit of love. Elder Proclu, whose pedagogy came from the Holy Spirit and not from books, would do the same thing; he wanted a person to taste a bit of love and receive encouragement that he has something to live and fight for. 

—Hieromonk Ambrosie Ghinescu, Hegumen of Pocrov Skete, Neamț

Source:

File de Pateric: Părintele Proclu (Mănăstirea Sihăstria Putnei, 2018) p. 69.