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St. Nicholas Spiritual Life, 3780 Chemin du Souvenir, Chomedey, Laval, QC (2026)

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10/14/2026

📢 St. Nicholas Church Announcement

📖 Bible Study will resume at a later date. We will share an update once the new date is confirmed.

🙏 Beginning Wednesday, October 21, Holy Confession will be available every Wednesday from 4:00 to 6:00 PM with Fr. Anthony.

10/12/2026

A Testimony of a Near-Death Experience in the 7th Century

On the necessity of the soul returning to its body after death when it has not yet fulfilled a task entrusted to it.

Circumvolution of Grace
September 14, 2026

Account translated from Russian, from the website oprelesti.ru⁠.

The Account of Taxiot, Who Returned from the Dead, Concerning the Aerial Toll Houses and the Fate of Sinners After Death

There was a man named Taxiot living in the city of Carthage who led a sinful life.

One day, an epidemic struck Carthage, and many people died. Taxiot then turned to God and repented of his sins. He left the city with his wife and withdrew to a village, where he remained for some time, dedicating his life to the contemplation of God.

However, after some time, he fell into sin with the wife of a landowner. A few days later, he was bitten by a serpent and died.

Not far from where he had been staying, there was a monastery. Taxiot’s wife went to the monks and begged them to come and take the body of her deceased husband so that he could be buried in the church.

He was buried at the third hour of the day.

When the ninth hour came, a loud cry was heard coming from the grave:

“Have mercy on me! Have mercy on me!”

The monks immediately opened the grave and found Taxiot alive.

They were overcome with astonishment and asked him what had happened. But Taxiot was weeping so violently that he could not speak. He continually begged them to take him to Bishop Tarasios.

And so they brought him to the bishop.

For three days, the bishop urged him to tell what he had seen. But it was not until the fourth day that Taxiot was finally able to speak.

He then recounted the following:

“When I was dying, I saw Ethiopians standing before me. Their appearance was terrifying, and my soul was filled with distress.

Then I saw two young men of extraordinary beauty. My soul moved toward them, and immediately, as though we were flying above the earth, we began to ascend toward heaven.

Along our way, we encountered the toll houses that detain the soul of every person. At each one, the soul is examined concerning a particular sin: one for lying, another for envy, and a third for pride. Thus, every sin has those in the air who examine the soul concerning it.

I then saw a chest carried by the angels, containing all my good deeds. The angels compared them with my evil deeds.

In this way, we passed through these toll houses.

But I begged the angels not to make me return to my body.

‘Enter,’ they told me, ‘otherwise we will take you back to the place from which we brought you.’

So I entered my body, came back to life, and began crying out:

‘Have mercy on me!’”

Then Saint Tarasios said to him:

“Take some food.”

But Taxiot refused to eat.

He went from one church to another, prostrating himself on the ground and confessing his sins with tears and deep sighs.

And he said to everyone:

“Woe to sinners, for eternal torments await them!

Woe to those who do not repent while they still have time!

Woe to those who defile their own bodies!”

After his return to life, Taxiot lived another forty days, purifying himself through repentance.

Three days before his death, he was granted foreknowledge of his approaching end.

Then he departed to the merciful God, the Lover of Mankind, who descended into Hades and grants salvation to all.

To Him be glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.

⸻

Comment

“The Lord grants us time to invest in the work of our salvation. And when we fall, He gives us the opportunity to repent, to rise again, and to make a new beginning.

Time, therefore, is precious.

Let us not waste it.”

10/06/2026

THE ICON IN HELL

Panic in Hell

THE CIRCUMVOLUTION OF GRACE
August 31, 2026

“After his death, a man from Earth is taken to hell. But unlike the others, he wears an ICON around his neck, and, miraculously, no one is able to tear it from him.

The guardian of hell tries to rip it away, but in vain. A demon is urgently dispatched to the throne of Lucifer.

“Someone has arrived with the idol upon his chest. What are we to do?”

“What idol, creature of darkness? I do not understand.”

“The idol… the idol…” And, seized by spasms, he struggles to pronounce a name that seems to torment him.

“Say it once, and I will punish you severely!”

“Someone has come with the ICON upon his chest…”

At the very utterance of the word, everything trembles.

“What are we to do?”

“Tear it away!”

“We cannot…”

“Bring him here.”

And so, accompanied by a horde of demons, the soul of the man is brought before Lucifer’s throne.

He is a man over fifty years old, tall and resolute. His eyes are clouded with tears, and deep remorse covers his face. Upon his chest he wears an ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD, holding the CHRIST CHILD in her arms.

“Why do you wear this ‘idol’ upon your chest, impious man? Do you not know that your teachings forbade it?”

“The ICON is not an idol. It bears witness to the INCARNATION OF GOD. Through the visible Face, GOD REVEALS HIMSELF to the world.”

“Do you worship wood and paint?”

“When matter represents the FACE OF GOD, it becomes a participant in GRACE, a visible bridge toward the INVISIBLE.

“In the Old Testament, such representation was forbidden because CHRIST had not yet become INCARNATE, and no one yet knew His visible likeness. After His INCARNATION, His visible reality can be represented in an ICON without becoming an idol.

“Thus, the ICON is the VISIBLE BODY of an INVISIBLE TRUTH.

“And the material that bears the Image comes to participate in that Image and becomes a living icon, that is, something made alive through the Image.

“An idol, by contrast, is an image confused with the material thing itself.”

“You dare teach us, wretch! Strike him one hundred times across the mouth!”

And the demons carry out Lucifer’s command.

“Now remove the ‘idol’ from your chest, and for a time we will spare you from all labor.”

“I, a soul,” the man replies, blood running from his mouth after the blows, “have always prayed before the ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD, even though I often fell into grievous sins.

“Once, She appeared to me in reality and rebuked me for what I was doing. Then I begged Her that, even if I should end up in hell, She would not allow me to be separated from Her ICON, which I have worn around my neck since childhood.

“My great-grandfather, a priest, passed this icon of the Virgin Mary down from generation to generation. It was to be given to the first-born son. This precious gift eventually came to me, although I was unworthy of it.

“And behold, even though I am condemned because of my sins, the promise of the Virgin Mary remains.

“One day I went to an hermit and told him about this. He answered me:

‘You have received a great gift. You will create a little corner of Paradise even in hell. This is the mystery of sinners who do not despair and who do not forget the love of God.’

“And so I pray to the Virgin Mary that I may continue to bear Her icon upon my chest, even if I end up in hell.”

“We will show you what awaits you in hell…”

Lucifer orders that fire directly from his throne be placed upon the man’s chest, a fire said to consume even demons.

But miraculously, the fire of hell seems to dissolve before the ICON. The demons stand powerless before it.

Then Lucifer casts the deepest darkness upon him.

Again, it has no effect.

Instead, the FACE within the ICON seems to shine even more brightly.

“Lock him in the cellar, and we will decide what to do with him.”

The cellar is a kind of infernal prison, a dungeon where torment never ceases.

After some time, the man is brought before them again.

“You alone can remove the ICON… the idol… from your chest.”

“How?”

“Turn away from it. Spit upon it. Defile it with your own filth.”

“I will not.

“I am a sinner worthy of hell, but there remains within me a fragment of love for GOD.

“And so, even here in hell, I will WORSHIP HIM and I will PRAY to Her.”

“Wretch! Do you still think you can gamble with us? Your freedom has grown…

“Force him to profane the ‘idol,’ by any means necessary!”

And so begin the most elaborate torments imaginable, all intended to force him to mock and desecrate the ICON.

They cut him into pieces.

They mix him in a cauldron with filth.

They take the filth and throw it upon the ICON.

They pull out his tongue and try to force him to lick the impurity.

They compel him to spit upon the ICON.

They set him on fire.

They drown him in soot.

They do everything they can so that the ICON might disappear forever.

And they fail.

Each time, the FACE WITHIN THE ICON becomes clearer and clearer.

Powerless, the demons stop.

They continue to deliberate, but they can find no solution.

“For now,” Lucifer says, “we will keep him isolated so that no one may see him. In the end, we will destroy him…”

And the man is taken to a secluded place.

There, what the Hermit had told him is completely fulfilled:

a little corner of Paradise in hell.

He hopes that one day he will be drawn out of hell, precisely because one can still pray in hell.

It is said that in hell one can no longer pray.

Yet he, with the ICON upon his chest, can pray.

During his earthly life, every day he lit a candle before the ICON. Despite all his sins, he bowed before it and asked forgiveness.

And now, behold, those prayers are bearing fruit.

The ICON is Paradise that even hell cannot destroy.

Truly, the IMAGE OF CHRIST is the SAVIOR, even from the depths of hell.”

Avva Ghelasie
Excerpt from Memorii ale originii

Commentary: The Icon, a Shield Against the Abyss of Hell

This intimate bond is illustrated by the mystical account of “The Icon in Hell.”

The soul of the sinner, cast into the abyss of disintegration, continues to cling to the Icon of the Mother of God that he carried during his earthly life.

Even within the darkness, the Icon remains a living presence, the Viu Hristic, the Living Christic Presence, preventing the soul from being utterly destroyed.

For the Icon preserves within the soul the capacity for relationship and dialogue, something that even the fire of hell cannot consume.

Prayer before the Icon during one’s earthly life engraves within the human person an indestructible memory of the Origin.

10/05/2026

Join us this Saturday with Father Anthony for 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲 𝐚𝐭 𝟐:𝟑𝟎 𝐏𝐌, followed by 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝟒:𝟎𝟎 𝐏𝐌. 📖☦️ A beautiful opportunity to grow in faith, ask questions, and prepare our hearts for Sunday.

10/02/2026

Elder Paisios and the Monk Who Had Fallen into the Passion of Drinking

Elder Paisios knew a troubled monk who had fallen into the passion of drinking. He would invite him to come and cut wood for him, and he treated him with great love because the monk had suffered injustice and had not received the help he needed.

One day, a journalist interviewed this monk.

“Are there saints here on Mount Athos?” he asked.

“I am not a saint,” the monk replied, “but I know a saint: Elder Paisios.”

“Why is he a saint? Has he performed any miracles?” the journalist asked.

“I have never seen a miracle,” the monk answered, “nor do I know whether he keeps great fasts, vigils, or prayers. But I do know something.

“As you can see, I drink and get drunk, and the Fathers do not want me around. But Elder Paisios calls me every year to cut his wood. And although there are other good and virtuous monks who even have machines to do the work, he calls me because I have no other way to earn my bread.

“I go there and he asks me, ‘How much do you want?’

“‘Four thousand drachmas,’ I tell him.

“And he says, ‘I will give you six thousand because you are poor and you are a good man.’

“Then, while others leave me to work alone, he comes and helps me. Every so often he says, ‘Father, you must be tired. Sit down for a little while and rest.’

“He even makes sure that on that day he has canned food and w**e so that I can eat well.

“And whenever a visitor comes, he praises me and says, ‘Go and receive the Elder’s blessing.’

“I believe that this man does these things because he is a saint.”

In the end, this monk received the help he needed, and afterward he lived his monastic life faithfully and consistently.

Fr. Georgios, Pilgrim
October 1, 2026

Fr. Anthony’s Commentary

When one asks, “How can we show love to our fellow man, as our Lord commands us?” St. Paisios gives us a perfect example.

Let us try to have such a “sensitive heart for others, whoever they may be.”

09/30/2026

A circle turning endlessly,
time rolls on, always the same.
Now it pauses, now moves forward,
breaking apart, then joining again.
Hours and days and nights,
deaths, pain and sorrow,
illnesses, but also joys,
misfortunes and blessings.
And in Your wisdom, Father and Word,
You ordained it to be so:
that all things should be changing and unstable,
so that within us may grow the longing
for that which never changes.

St. Gregory the Theologian (Nazianzus),
“On the Paths of Life”

“To long for that which never changes “, the author has in mind the Kingdom of God, which is eternally the same. -Fr Anthony

09/27/2026

“CHRIST EVERYWHERE!!!” — St. Porphyrios

“Christ in your mind!
Christ in your heart!
Christ in your entire being!
Christ everywhere!”

— Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia (1906–1991)

09/24/2026

“There Is No ‘Forgive Me’ Here!”
From the life of Saint Tikhon of Mount Athos

“Come on, hurry up, Elder! There is no forgiveness or ‘forgive me’ here!”

The young police officer abruptly pulled Father Tikhon along. He was in a hurry; there was no time to waste. They had to get to Ierissos as soon as possible, to the police station, where Father Tikhon was to give his testimony to the investigating officer.

The kind old monk was bewildered. To be taken by force to the police station? He simply could not understand it. He had forgiven the thief with all his heart. What more did these people want?

In his mind, the events of one night the previous week began to replay.

Suddenly, he had felt a man fall upon him. Before he could fully understand, in the dim light, what was happening, the stranger began shouting and beating him:

“Where is the money? Tell me! Tell me, or I’ll kill you!”

What money?

Father Tikhon had no money. He did not even keep food in his cell. Whatever people sent him, he gave away. He gave food to elderly people living in Kapsala. On the few occasions when someone gave him money, he would immediately go to Mr. Theodore the grocer, a good and kind-hearted man, and buy bread for the poor.

And so it had happened this time as well.

Father Tikhon had been informed that he needed to go to the post office to collect something. When he arrived, the postal worker told him that someone from America had sent him a money order in dollars.

He signed the papers the postal worker gave him, received the money in drachmas, and immediately headed toward Mr. Theodore’s shop.

How many hungry people would be fed with this money! How many cries of “Glory to You, O God!” would rise toward the throne of the Almighty!

Father Tikhon rejoiced like a little child and glorified God for this blessing.

In his joy, however, he had not noticed that directly behind him stood a tall, strong man who had realized that this simple monk had received money from America. When Father Tikhon bent down to sign the papers, the man even managed to see the value of the money order.

“This monk must have plenty of money!” he thought.

Immediately, he devised a plan.

It was not difficult to discover where the Elder’s cell was. That same evening, the man hid among the trees near the little hut.

A faint light shone through the small window, showing that the monk had not yet gone to bed.

“He must be saying his prayers,” the would-be thief thought.

He waited patiently until the light went out. He waited a little longer and then, moving carefully, suddenly entered the cell and attacked him.

“Where is the money?” he shouted fiercely, striking Father Tikhon in the face.

“I don’t have any money, my child,” Father Tikhon replied.

The thief laughed.

“You don’t have any, huh?”

Then he began beating him everywhere, on his head, his body, and his hands. He struck him with force, rage, and fury.

And the more Father Tikhon assured him that he kept no money, the angrier the man became.

“Now you’ll talk, whether you want to or not,” the thief said cruelly.

With one hand, he wrapped a thick rope around the defenseless monk’s neck. With the other, he slowly began tightening it.

Not suddenly. He did not intend to kill him. He wanted to frighten him enough that he would reveal where his hidden treasure was.

But the old monk did not react as the thief expected.

He was suffering. His eyes bulged as he struggled desperately for a breath. Yet no matter how long the torment continued, he repeated again and again that he had already spent the money and that there was no other money in his cell.

Only then did the thief finally believe that he would not be leaving with his pockets full and that he was wasting his time.

So he released him.

As the thief opened the door of the cell to leave, Father Tikhon gathered what little strength he had left, raised himself slightly, and said in a weak voice:

“May God forgive you, my child!”

The thief hurried away.

Perhaps he had not been fortunate with the gentle Elder, but surely he would get something that night. So he immediately went looking for his next victim, another monk who lived alone and whom he believed kept money in his cell.

He surprised and frightened the monk, but instead of ending up with money in his hands, he ended up with handcuffs on his wrists at the police station.

There, he confessed everything.

According to the law and the procedure followed in such cases, the other victim also had to be called to give testimony: Father Tikhon.

The gentle Elder was puzzled and deeply saddened.

“But why do I need to go?” he asked the surprised commander, weeping. “I have already forgiven him with all my heart.”

“It has to be done this way,” the commander replied, although his words did nothing to comfort him. “We must record exactly what happened before his punishment is decided.”

At the word punishment, Father Tikhon could no longer contain himself.

He began sobbing.

“Because of me? Because of me he will be punished? No! No! I have forgiven him! What more do you want?”

The commander finally realized that the ragged monk with the radiant face standing before him possessed the heart of a little child.

So he told the police officer to let him go.

Years later, Father Tikhon remembered all these things and would say to his disciple, Saint Paisios:

“My, my, my, my child! These worldly people have a different way of doing things. There is neither ‘forgive me’ nor ‘may God forgive you.’”

Source
Excerpt from the book Gerontikon of Contemporary Saints, published by Ear Editions, containing 250 accounts from the lives and teachings of modern Orthodox saints, including Saint Paisios of Mount Athos, Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia, Saint Joseph the Hesychast, Saint Ephraim of Katounakia, Saint Sophrony of Essex, Saint Tikhon of Mount Athos, and many others.

09/23/2026

Saint Tikhon of Mount Athos: “Every day we chant together with the little birds!”

Father Tikhon’s cell, as well as the entire area surrounding it, was home to all kinds of living creatures. The Saint loved them all with boundless love and cared for them with great tenderness.

When someone once asked him whether he lived alone, he replied:

“No, my child! I am with God and the Panagia. The little birds are my companions. Every day we chant together. What joy it is every morning to hear them singing!”

He always shared the little food he had with the flies that permanently lived in his cell, along with all sorts of other little creatures, mosquitoes, fleas, and mice. With the fleas, he even shared his little bit of blood, without becoming annoyed or complaining.

As for the mice, they shared an old quilt with the Saint, which was spread over the wooden boards that served as his bed. More precisely, they shared the cotton filling inside the quilt.

Whenever a mother mouse was preparing to give birth, the “father of the family” would come and take a little cotton from Father Tikhon’s quilt to make a warm nest for the babies.

The holy man was filled with joy whenever he saw the mice happily coming and going across his quilt.

One day, a pilgrim who had come to receive his blessing and hear precious advice from his sanctified lips happened upon this scene.

“Elder,” he said thoughtfully, “your cell is full of mice. Would you like me to bring you a cat?”

“Why?” Father Tikhon replied calmly. “I have a cat!”

“You do?” the visitor asked in obvious surprise, looking around at the mice wandering freely through the cell.

“Of course I do!” the Elder continued. “She is rather large, about one and a half times bigger than an ordinary cat. She comes here, I feed her, I pet her, and afterward she goes back to her little shelter to rest.”

Indeed, the Saint had a charming little animal that regularly came to enjoy his love and affection.

There was only one problem with calling it a cat: it was rather too large to belong to the cat family. And it wasn’t only its size that didn’t quite fit. There was also its reddish coloring, and most of all… its tail.

It was long and bushy.

Father Tikhon’s regular visitor was, in fact, a sweet and charming little fox. 🦊

Source: Gerontikon of Contemporary Saints, by Niki Katsiapi, edited by Christian Student Action, Ear Publications, 2026, pp. 443–445.

09/23/2026

Join us this Saturday, September 26 for our final Bible Study and Confessions with Father Anthony.

📖 Bible Study • 2:30 PM
🙏 Confessions • 4:00 PM

All are welcome.

St. Nicholas Spiritual Life

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