The Elder Porphyrios' (then Evangelos) entrance into the Holy Mountain left his family without his support, leaving the commandment to honor your father and mother undone:
Was there a wrong committed?
What insight would you give to someone who cannot, yet see God's providence in this situation?
I really had a hard time at first, and really judged the actions of the Monk who took him in - but decided to try not to judge and pray about it.
Basically, from the time he was young, he was a man - sent out to fend for himself. It never says that he sent any money home - I wonder if it was just basic survival for himself and himself alone. In any case, I am not of the culture nor did I suffer the hardships his family did. The definitions of what is the proper way to raise a family in this age and even a generation ago are completely different from what they were a hundred years ago.
He did honor his parents by praying for them. I think this is a time where I was guilty in thinking, 'well *hands on hips* that's all they did when they could probably needed his help. . .
Prayer - he prayed. . .He gave his parents to the God of all - THE inheritance. . . THE all in all. . .if one has Him who Is, doesn't he have everything? And I would discount his prayers in a heartbeat in looking at this through the eyes of someone who only sees the poverty. They became exceedingly rich the minute he took his oaths as a monk.
I can be short sighted forgetting to look at the eternal picture and instead, concentrate on the picture of how their hearts must have been broken over losing their son. They lost their son. . .they gained a warrior who would fight for them for eternity.
So. . .when I think about this, and wow. . .this was something huge for me to get a hold of and bit on. . .had to chew on it for a while. . . and pray about it for a while. It never ceases to amaze me how I, in my flesh am so utterly blind, though it shouldn't. . . heh. I guess I'm often blind to being blind. *smirk*
The thing that opened the door to this train of thought was the fact that he was off on his own providing for himself. His parents were still his parents, yet even though he was a child, he was emancipated . . .a man and in so being - called to make a very grown up man's decision.
And The Lord not only opened a door that appeared for all practical purposed to be 'sealed' (He has a way of doing that, doesn't He?!) but He actually took child up in His arms and carried him through the 'sealed' door.
