Atheism! Great title and boast of the contemporary man. Whoever receives it (to receive it you only need to be “tonsured a monk of the faithless”) he appears to others as wise, even if he is illiterate; serious, even if he is ridiculous; official, even if he is insignificant; important, even if he is unimportant; scientist even if he is incompetent.

I do not refer to the person who truly wishes to believe but cannot, even if the deep rooted reason of unbelief is always pride, this viper that hides so cunningly in man, that he cannot understand. Whatever it may be, the people who struggle and fight against their faithless self, they have our sympathy. For them we, who believe, beg God to help them believe as He did to the father with his sick child, by begging Christ to heal him. And He replied If you believe, everything is possible to the believer. And the father cried loudly and with tears replied, I believe Lord. Help me in my little faith.

The unbelievers we refer to here are not so. They not only never cried before to open with pain and contrition the closed door, the door of repentance, as that tormented father did, as written in the Bible but were not even moved neither felt any bitterness from their unbelief, nor assumed any responsibility or blame. All the blame is God’s who does not appear to them to tell them, “Come, poke me, touch me, talk to me as you talk between yourselves, analyze me with your chemistry, dissect me with your anatomy blades, weigh me, measure me, satisfy your faithless feelings, and satiate your insatiable logic.”

These self-appointed unbelievers, when they show off their smartness, pumped up by airs of pride and the cunning agility of their brains, are not in a position to understand how silly and narrow minded they appear to those who believe. Because to believe, they demand certain proofs that make the believer pity them for their limited view they have on the spirit and spiritual matters.

The believer is well aware how far the pondering of the unbeliever can get, for he too as a person has the same logic, the logic of the flesh, the worldly logic. While the unbeliever is unaware of what is within the believer, and what is beyond practical knowledge, namely the mysteries that are hidden from the eyes and because of this he believes they do not exist. With his foolishness he feels smug, and talks with disdain for those that are in a position to feel the deeper meaning of the world, while the unfortunate one is blind and deaf and believes he can hear everything.

The believer has spiritual sight and spiritual hearing as well as some type of “super feeling.” The unbeliever, how could he comprehend that mystical world with the coarse means at his disposal, namely the bodily feelings? How could he touch the fine and odd messages of the world, when the poor one does not have the aerials that are needed to receive them?

Apostle Paul in his first epistle to the Corinthians, in his way known only to himself, writes about what it is possible for a believer to sense and what can an unbeliever sense. We preach, he says, the wisdom of God that is embedded in mystery and is hidden; the wisdom that God destined before time, for our glory and none of the rulers of this world came to know (namely, the wise men of worldly wisdom). And He uncovers it, that which according to the scriptures no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, nor has ascended to the heart of any man, the things that God prepared, for those that love Him. For us, God revealed them through His Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit probes everything, even the depth of God.

What man knows the means of man but only the spirit of man that is within him? Likewise the mysteries of God no one knows but only the Spirit of God. We did not receive the spirit of the world (namely the philosophy and worldly knowledge) but the Spirit of God to understand all the things that He gave us. And these (the gifts) are not expressed with words that human wisdom uses but words that the Holy Spirit teaches, speaking spiritually with spiritual people. Unfortunately, a man of worldly knowledge (rational) does not accept what is spoken by the Spirit of God, because he believes it to be nonsense and is thus not in a position to understand how to examine it spiritually. The spiritual man examines every person while he cannot be examined by anyone.

The unbelief existed always. However today with the atrocious vanity that consumes us, we display it as if it accords us great value. Whoever believes in God and the revealed truth is ignored as narrow minded and foolish, and is the brunt of all jokes. He is looked at as “defective” by most people, especially the people that know how to achieve in this life, they are “successful,” make money and have a good time, giving not a cent to anyone, according to the saying, “Let’s eat and drink for tomorrow we die.” For this, he who believes in God needs to be courageous and ignore the worldly honours and material interests.

For the one that boasts that he believes in nothing: (1) The world has him in high regard and respect, even so the more of a non-believer he claims to be, that much more regard and respect is shown to him by the clever and serious world. Such a man frowns upon others, is of few and heavy words, is short tempered and gruff, and is seen as a “positive man,” a “strong man.” (2) Everything happens to him conveniently and is neither bothered nor is he worried for anything. He has no responsibilities or is pestered by anything. He says to himself and all that listen to him: “Down here is both hell and paradise. Life is to be enjoyed, for us clever ones. Those sleeping or drugged, well, let them die...”

So you see, there is indeed no easier thing than to be an unbeliever! Just press one switch and everything comes conveniently. Did the devil not tell Christ, “kneel and worship me and the stones will become bread”?

Thus, the smart atheist proudly proclaims: “For man to sit with four hundred brains, waste time with stupidity like the old women, with gods, with hell and paradise, with candles, censing, with chalices, priests and nuns! And at what age? In our age where science sends men to planets! Listen my friend can you believe how stupid is the world?” That is what they say about the believers, the smart ones and the honourable of this world, who are applauded by many, who regard them as sensible in everything because they do not chase shadows but are strong minded and succeed in everything they try.

Yes, they succeed in short, for unbelief is “a wide gate, and a broad road” which the unbelievers do not believe “it leads to perdition” as Christ said, but “to worldly prosperity.” Where belief is “a narrow gate and a grief-stricken road” which the unbelievers do not believe “it leads to life” but “to worldly unhappiness and disdain.” The words of our Lord proclaim clearly: Many are they that enter through the wide gate according to our Lord, and few are those who find the narrow gate.

All the unbelievers say that if they witness a miracle they would believe. However, belief does not happen by force but with the involvement of the soul. For this, to all who ask for a miracle to believe it is not granted, according to our Lord’s address to the Pharisees: “This evil and adulterous generation, demands for a sign to be given it.” However, even if an unbeliever witnesses a miracle, his pride would not allow him to believe for he fears that he may be seen as gullible and become disdained.

Some time ago I wrote five or six brief articles on the miracles that were happening in a village on the island of Mytelene, with the title “Amazing Mysteries.” Many readers were moved a lot, especially the humble and illiterate people, “the babes of the world and the weak ones.” The clever ones however paid no attention to it and a few of them mocked me and wrote me that I write nonsense. But “God is not mocked.” From then to now the miracles have not ceased and progressively became more numerous and terrifying. People that see them, write me about them in detail and I compile them in a book that will be like a hot iron for the unbelieving mouths.

During this age, discoveries are made of ancient churches with relics of those who appear living to simple people, in their sleep or while they are awake or in icons and other heirlooms. Everything could have been found and could have quickly and completely uncovered this terrible crater, that would have swept the unbelievers with its sacred lava, if there were greater means at the disposal of the poor ones who dig with fire like faith.

However, whatever it may be, with God’s grace “the healer of the sick and the replenisher of those lacking,” it will come to a good end, this blessed task and will triumph our indestructible faith, and will be heard to the ends of the world with a thundering voice saying: Who is God as great as our God? You are the God who alone does marvels.

He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.