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Bishop Maximos of Melitini: Our Memoriestranslated

July 4, 2026 · 1 min read

Our Memories

Maximos Pafilis, Bishop of Melitini

Speech on the Gospel passage Matt. 8.28 – 34, 9.1.

There are people who live in tombs without knowing it. I don't mean stone tombs, I mean those hidden areas where one retreats when life has hurt him long and hard, the closed rooms of the soul with the curtains down, the silence that at first seems like a refuge and slowly becomes a prison. The modern traveler knows this geography well. He walks it every night, when he closes the screen and is alone with his own noises.

The evangelical episode of the Gergesenes (Matthew 8, 28-34) takes place in such a place, except that there the desolation was also external. A land of heathens, without ties to the God of Israel, and the herds of swine grazing on its mountains were, to the eyes of a Jew, the visible proof that here the divine commandments had ceased to count. In this landscape lived the two possessed. Outside the city, far from society, almost cut off from themselves. Passers-by avoided that road. And who would blame them?

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💬 Comments (19) 🌐 Show original

Максим Иванов

I remember that my neighbor in the Siberian region always had his curtains drawn, just like in the article. After the death of his wife, he did not go out for months. It’s strange that I didn’t even see him in church until I came with a prayer for his repose.

Людмила Новикова

Yes, such curtains are just like the prison that the article is about. We also had one elderly parishioner in Munich; after the loss of her son, she almost didn’t go out for a year, only she could barely get to services. And then what about your neighbor, did he come out to people or did he remain in his “graves”?

Людмила Комарова

I remember that in Yaroslavl we also had one grandfather from our parish, after his wife died, he didn’t talk to anyone for six months, he just dug in the garden. And in the end, how did your neighbor, Maxim, come out of this seclusion or did he never make it?

Виктор Кузнецов

We also had such a case in Krasnodar - Uncle Kolya from our parish, after his wife’s stroke, sat in his room for six months, did not open the curtains, and even stopped going to work. And when the priest came in with the request and just sat with him in silence, he began to say at least a word. I wonder if those two demoniacs from the Gospel were completely healed or went back to their “graves”?

Степан Попов

Yes, these “curtains” really are like a cage, Lyudmila. In Samara, after a divorce, one man from our parish did not show up for meals after services for almost two years and sat at home. Then he slowly began to come, at first only for the Liturgy and immediately leave. Did your neighbor still get out or is he still in his “graves”?

Ana Kostić

Here in Kragujevac, there was a grandmother from the parish who, after the death of her husband, kept the curtains down for three years and hardly came to the service. Just as the bishop writes, these "mortuary" rooms eventually become prisons. I'm just wondering, did the two demonized ones from the Gospel ever get out of their graves after the pigs ran into the lake?

Jelena Popović

Yes, that's right, Anna, those drawn curtains are a real prison. Here in Novi Sad, an aunt had something similar after the war, so only when she started coming regularly to the liturgy did she slowly raise those curtains. And for those two demonized from the Gospel - I think they left, because Christ did not leave them there, I just wonder how long they lived normally among people after that.

Григорий Белов

Lyudmila, in Rostov, after the death of his wife, one grandfather from our church also sat within four walls for almost a year, without opening the curtains. Then his father slowly dragged him along to the cemetery, and there they started talking. Did your neighbor in Munich still come out to people or is he still hiding in these “graves”?

Ксения Тарасова

Thank you, Victor, for such a living example from Krasnodar. We also have one grandmother in Minsk, after the loss of her son, who did not leave the house for almost a year; she kept the curtains closed until her neighbor began to simply bring her soup and sit silently next to her. And it’s interesting about those Gergesin demoniacs that the Gospel says nothing more about them - maybe they really returned to their emptiness, if the heart has not changed. Our father once said that the main thing is not to be afraid to go there and just be.

Надежда Морозова

In Samara, we had a similar story with one parishioner after the loss of his daughter - he also sat behind the curtains for a month, only going out for services. Father didn’t go to the cemetery, but simply called him to the church early and helped him arrange the candles. Did your neighbor in Munich finally get out or what?

Александр Киселёв

In St. Petersburg, after my wife died, I also hardly went out for the first months, only to church and back. I really didn’t open the curtains, it seemed calmer that way. Did your grandfather from Rostov then completely move away from this, or sometimes he still pulls him back into the four walls?

Григорий Семёнов

Yes, Stepan, these “curtains” really drag in like a swamp. In Voronezh, after a serious illness, one guy from the circle also almost didn’t leave the house for six months, only to work and back. Did that man from Samara then move away completely or did he still get involved in parish life?

Григорий Голубев

Yes, Grigory, these “curtains” are really like a quagmire - at first they hide, and then they don’t let go. In Krasnodar, after the death of his wife, one neighbor also sat within four walls for almost a year, only occasionally going fishing. And that guy from Voronezh, did he eventually move away completely or did he return to the church?

Елена Соловьёва

At Victor’s, in New York, after the death of her husband, one woman from our parish also did not leave her room for six months, she just knitted in the dark and was silent. When Father Georgy simply came in with a prosphora and sat next to her, she began to tell how she used to walk in Central Park. And about those Gergesinskys - it’s interesting, however, whether they returned to normal life or went back into their emptiness, the Gospel is silent about this.

Софья Новикова

Yes, Stepan, these “curtains” are really like a cage, and often a person does not even notice how it slams shut. In Voronezh, after the death of her husband, one woman from the choir did not even bake her usual pies for the throne for almost a year, she sat at home. Did that man from Samara then return to meals or did he remain only at the Liturgy?

Тамара Семёнова

Yes, Elena, just like that woman from your parish - sometimes just sitting next to the prosphora and being silent is more important than any words. After my husband’s death, I also had the feeling that I didn’t want to go to the park, although I used to love it. And about the Gergesinskys, I think that many then still returned to their silence if they did not hold on to Christ tightly.

Евгения Козлова

In Tula, this also happens after heavy losses. After the army, my eldest son hardly left his room for six months, only sometimes helping me dig in the garden. Father then simply asked him to stay after the service and help sort out the missal. Did your Samara parishioner then move away completely or did he return to the community?

Антон Комаров

Yes, Sasha, my grandfather from Rostov, after my grandmother’s death, also almost didn’t go out for the first six months - only to the market for bread and to church for services. Then he slowly moved away, began to sit in the yard with his neighbors and fish, but sometimes he still says that he longs to go back to the silence and closed curtains. How are you doing now, has it become easier or is it still happening?

Ирина Комарова

Thank you, Evgenia, for sharing about Tula and your son. We have one such parishioner in Samara, after a divorce, who also sat in the “grave” for almost a year, and then slowly began to help with the garden in the parish plot - and returned. What about your son now, has he completely moved away from church or does he still come in sometimes?