† MACARIE TILLYIRIDIS, Timp şi veşnicie, conform învăţăturii Părintelui Sofronie
Elder Sophrony according to his own testimony was familiar with the issues of eternity and time. As
a young boy he used to converse with his friends with whom he was engaged in such conversations
of this great mystery of time and eternity. As he was growing he become even more interested to
the unseen, the indefi nite, more especially during the time of the First World War. The mystery of
eternity and time were deeply occupied a fundamental aspect in his conscience.
During our conversation with him, the issue of time was discussed in relation with prayer. The
question was when we pray are we outside time? The answer of Elder Sophrony was «We live in
the two realities [of prayer and created reality] but we must reach the stale when we ore no longer
limited to the created reality».
On another occasion Elder Sophrony said that «God never forgets a prayer even we forget it; prayer
is an eternal act and always it remains as such».
In another question whether is God’s eternity everlasting or outside time, Elder Sophrony answered:
„I think that in God there is no duration; He said I am”. He is the creator encompasses all. In other
words what Father Sophrony was saying was that although God is outside time. He embraces and
encompasses time, could be said that He englobes all eternity.
KEYWORDS: time, eternity, Elder Sophrony, God

MACARIE TILLYRIDIS