Feast Day: November 22nd
The Life of Saint Iakovos: He was a living Incarnation of the Gospel…
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Prayers
Apolytikion: The prototype of discernment and modesty, the Wonderworking leader of the Monastery of David the Venerable, who plowed and sowed love in the hardened hearts of the God-bearing people, O Father Iakovos. Do not neglect to intercede with Christ on behalf of those who call upon you in faith.
Kontakion: In Evia you lived practically, and were adorned with the pure roses of virtues, giving fragrance to your fellow refugees in these latter days, O Father, you who equalled the feats of the Sacred David [of Evia] and the most sympathetic deliverer of those who suffer, therefore we cry out: Rejoice, O Blessed Iakovos.
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Icons, Photos & Videos
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Quotes by Saint Iakovos
We must take care of our health, for God has given us doctors and medicine and we mustn’t be indifferent.
Pray with faith, counsel [your children]… with love, in a gentle way.
We are not Sanctified by the place in which we live, but by the way we live. We may be on the Holy Mountain but, in our thoughts, be in the world. Or we may be here [in the world] in body, but noetically on the Holy Mountain.
Do not hope in the world. Be careful in your social interactions. Never listen to what the world is telling you. Temptations come; we’re human. The devil has many feet, altars and traps. Everything will be faced during marriage with love, meekness and patience. Have faith in God and Prayer and everything will go according to the Will of God.
The Saint spoke with sweet words and with discernment in order to comfort the pained and exhausted mother, and with discernment and a smile he said to the father: “I was proud of you last night. You chanted all night and Prayed. Good job! But you would have had an even greater blessing and reward if you sat a half hour instead of three, near your wife helping her to feed the children and put them to bed, because for married people, your Prayer Ropes and prostrations are your children. When they grow up you will have time to do them, but “a brother is helped by a brother”. Let everything be done by mutual consent.
An uncountable amount of money has passed through my hands, but all of it has gone to where it was meant to go, to those who suffer, to the poor, to those in need.
However, a miraculous event took place within a few days of the Elder joining the Monastery. By my nature, I didn’t have any facial hair, only a few sparse wisps of hair. I was clean shaven. But it seemed to me that a Monk should be venerable and respectable with a full beard and mustache. I asked Panagia and Saint David for help to grow a beard. Miraculously, within one week a full beard and mustache began to grow which he kept until the end of his life.
Later in my life, when I was suffering from vertigo, I was informed that the Icon of Panagia Xenia of Almyros was visiting Limni in Evia… During the procession, we stopped to say the petitions and it was my turn to say the final exclamation, Hear us O God, our Saviour, the hope of all the ends of the Earth’ Then I saw in the Icon our Panagia was alive. She turned her head with her large eyes and looked at me, raised her hand and blessed me. I lost my voice and my feet stopped; with great difficulty I continued, Hear us our God, hear us our God, repeatedly.
One time we were praying the Small Compline with the fathers in my cell. I opened the door to go outside and I saw the devil appearing again as an immodest woman. She turned around and showed her “backside” saying shameless words. I grabbed my Icon of Panagia and went outside, saying, Under your compassion we take refuge, O Theotokos… And then, like a bullet whistling out of a gun, the devil was shot over the roof of the Monastery and exploded on the hill across the valley with a loud, echoing noise.
During the trial of the incredible poverty of the Monastery, the Elder undertook the virtue of fasting to such a degree that he not only fasted from foods, but also drank water sparingly. The Lord granted him such continence that he only drank water on the weekends. Within his Soul there flowed a stream, “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life,” and drinking water was no longer necessary. Christ became his food, his clothing, his rejoicing, and his gladness; and in this way, his physical needs were satiated and he no longer needed material nourishment.
In our Prayers, we should be very careful about what exactly we are asking for; because we do not know if He will give us what we are asking for and if we will be able to endure it.
One cannot imagine how much pain was hidden by the Elder’s smile. Many visitors to the Monastery did not know how poor his health was, and they congratulated him on looking so good. All his good efforts happened in secret. Underneath his kind words, his paternal love, and the Heavenly sweetness of his face, there was an ascetic who was being willingly crucified, just as it says in the hymn: ‘Holy Father, you did not allow yourself to remain a clay vessel, but you were transformed by tribulations and became like brass and were put to good use by the Master Christ.