The
Holy Prophet Isaiah
This great
prophet was of royal lineage. Isaiah was born in Jerusalem of Amoz his
father who was the brother of Amaziah, the king of Judah. By the great
grace of God that was in him, Isaiah was made worthy to see the Lord
Sabaoth on the throne in heaven surrounded by six-winged Seraphims who
continuously sing: "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hosts (Sabaoth)"
(Isaiah 6:3). Isaiah prophesied many things to individual men as well
as to the people. On one occasion, he walked naked around the streets
of Jerusalem for three days prophesying the imminent fall of Jerusalem
by the Assyrian King Sennacherib, reminding the king and the leaders
of the people not to hope in assistance from the Egyptians or
Ethiopians for they, also, will be subjugated by the same Sennacherib,
but rather to trust in help from God the Most High. This prophesy, as
well as other prophecies, were literally fulfilled. Isaiah's most
important prophecies are the ones concerning the Incarnation of God,
the conception of the All-Holy Virgin, John the Forerunner and about
many other events of the life of Christ. ("Therefore, the Lord
Himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and
bear a son, and shall call His name Emmanuel" (Isaiah 7:14).
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). "The voice of him that cries
in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord and make straight in
the desert a highway for our God" (Isaiah 40:3).) This discerning
man, because of the purity of his heart and because of his zealousness
toward God, also received the gift of working miracles. Thus, when the
besieged Jerusalem suffered from drought, Isaiah prayed to God and
water flowed from beneath Mount Zion. This water was called Siloam
which means: "sent." Later, the Lord directed the man, blind
from birth to bathe in this water in order for him to see. During the
reign of King Manasses, when Isaiah thundered against the pagan
customs of the king and the leaders comparing that generation with
Sodom and Gomorrah, the anger of the leaders and the people rose up
against this great prophet. He was captured, led out of Jerusalem and
was sawed in half. Isaiah lived and prophesied about seven-hundred
years before Christ.
The
Translation of the Relics of St. Nicholas the wonder-worker of Myra in
Lycia
During the
reign of Emperor Alexius Commenus and Patriarch NicholasGrammaticus,
the body of this saint was translated from Myra in Lycia to the town
of Bari in Italy in 1007 A.D. This occurred because of the assault of
the Muslims on Lycia. The saint appeared in a dream to an honorable
priest in Bari and ordered that his relics be translated to this town.
At that time, Bari was Orthodox and under the Orthodox Patriarch.
During the translation of the relics of this saint many miracles
occurred either by touching the relics or from the myrrh (oil) which
abundantly flowed from his relics. "Also on this day, is
commemorated the miracle of St. Nicholas to the Serbian King, Stephan
of Decani: how St. Nicholas restored the sight to the blinded King
Stephan.
The
Holy Martyr Christopher
Christopher
was a great miracle-worker. He is especially venerated in Spain. The
people pray to him primarily for protection from contagious diseases
and great pestilence. He suffered for Christ and was glorified by
Christ in the year 249 A.D.
Reflection
Every
Christian can accept for himself martyrdom for the Faith, in time of
persecution as well as in time of peace. Abba Athanasius says:
"Be tortured by your conscience, die to sin, subdue earthly
organs and you will be a martyr according to your wishes. They (the
persecuted and the martyrs) fought with emperors and princes; you also
have the king of sins - the devil and demonic princes. Before, there
were idols, pagan temples and those who offer sacrifice to the idols.
And now, they exist as thoughts in the soul. He who is a slave to
debauchery worships the idol of Aphrodite. He who becomes angry and
enraged worships the idol of Ares. He who is avaricious and closed to
the pain and misery of his neighbor worships the idol Hermes. If you
refrain from all of this and preserve yourself from passions, you have
overcome idols, you have rejected an evil belief and have become a
martyr for the True Faith." Therefore, a man need not especially
yearn for persecution and martyrdom. Everyone can and at all times
endure martyrdom for the sake of Christ and His Gospel.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the Descent of God the Holy Spirit upon the apostles:
1. How all
the men wonder and marvel listening to the apostles speak in different
tongues;
2. How some
mocked them saying: "They have had too much new wine" (Acts
of the Apostles 2:13).
Homily
About the
curse of man who trusts in man
"Thus
says the Lord: cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who seeks
his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the Lord"
(Jeremiah 17:5).
When man
alienates himself from God in his heart he usually trusts in men and
in himself, for in who else can he otherwise trust when he untied his
rowboat from God's boat? Since he has already untied his rowboat from
God's boat, nothing else remains for him except to trust in his
rowboat or in the rowboat of his neighbors. Weak trust, but there is
no other for him! Weeping trust above the abyss of destruction, but
there is no other!
But, O
heaven and earth, why did man untie his rowboat from God's boat? What
happened to man that he flees from his security? What kind of
calculation did he calculate when he discovered it would be better for
him alone on the tempestuous waves than in the household of God and
near the hem of God! With whom did he make an alliance when he
breached the alliance with God? Is it with someone stronger than God?
Foolishness, foolishness, foolishness!
"Cursed
is the man who trusts in human beings." This, God spoke once and
men have repeated this thousands of times. Being disappointed in their
trust in men, men have cursed thousands of times those who have
trusted in man. God has said only that which men experienced only too
well and confirmed by their experience, i.e., how, indeed, cursed is
the man who trusts in man!
Brethren,
that is why we should have trust in God Who is the stable boat on the
tempest and Who does not betray. Let us have trust only in Him for all
other trust is a devilish illusion. In You do we trust, O Lord, our
fortress and refuge. Tie us along side You and do not allow us to
untie ourselves, if we, by our foolishness and cursedness, attempt to
untie ourselves from You.
To You be
glory and thanks always. Amen.
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May
23rd (New Style) • May 10th (Old Style)
The
Holy Apostle Simon, the Zealot
Simon was
one of the Twelve Great Apostles. He was born in Cana of Galilee. The
Lord Jesus, with His mother and His disciples, came to his marriage
feast. When the wine ran out, the Lord changed water into wine (St.
John 2: 1-11). Witnessing this miracle, Simon the groom left his home,
parents and bride and followed after Christ. Zealot means zealous.
Simon was called the Zealot because of his great and fiery zeal for
the Savior and His Gospel. After receiving the gift of the Holy
Spirit, Simon went to preach the Gospel in Mauritania in Africa.
Because he succeeded to convert many to the Faith of Christ, Simon was
tortured and finally crucified, as was his Lord, Who prepared for him
a wreath of glory in the immortal kingdom.
The
Holy Martyrs Alphaeus, Philadelphus and Cyprinus
All three
were brothers and the sons of Prince Vitalis in Southern Italy. They
were men of nobility and strong in faith. Condemned for their faith in
Christ they were led from one judge to another; from one torturer to
another. They were taken to Sicily and were slain there during the
reign of Emperor Licinius. Alphaeus' tongue was severed and having
shed much blood, he died. Philadelphus was burned on an iron grate and
Cyprinus in fire. Their incorrupt relics were discovered in 1517 A.D.
The three brothers appeared to St. Euthalia (March 2).
The
Venerable Isidora, Fool for Christ
Isidora
lived in the fourth century and was a nun in a convent in Tabennisi.
She pretended insanity in order to conceal her virtues and her
mortification. Isidora performed the most menial tasks, fed on the
leftovers on the dishes, served all and everyone and was despised by
all and everyone. At that time, an angel of God revealed to the great
ascetic Pitirim about Isidora's secret. Pitirim came to the convent
and when he saw Isidora he bowed down to the ground before her. And
so, she to him. Then the sisters informed Pitirim that she was insane.
"All of you are insane" replied Pitirim, "and this one
is greater before the Lord than I and all of you; I only pray that God
will render to me that which is intended for her at the Dreadful
Judgment!" Then the sisters became ashamed and begged both
Pitirim and Isidora for forgiveness. From then on, everyone began to
show respect for Isidora. And she, to escape the honors of men, fled
the convent to a place unknown and died about the year 365 A.D.
The
Blessed Thais
Thais was a
wealthy Christian maiden in Egypt. She decided not to enter into
marriage and distributed her property to the monks of the desert. When
she spent all of her possessions, she began to live a life of
debauchery. Learning about this, the hermits begged Abba John Colovos
to come to Alexandria and he did and began to weep before Thais. When
she heard that the elder was crying because of her sins, she repented
in an instant, left home and everything she owned and withdrew into
the wilderness with the saint. One night while Thais was sleeping and
while John stood at prayer, he saw where angels descended with a great
light and took the soul of Thais. John learned that her instantaneous
but warm repentance was more pleasing to God than the long years of
external repentance of many hermits.
Reflection
In one of
his prayers, St. Ephren the Syrian turns to God with these words:
"Lord, in that awesome and dreadful day You will say to us
sinners: `You men know very well what I have endured for you. What
have you endured for me?' To that, what will I, a repentant, cunning,
sinful and foul one respond? The martyrs will then point to their
wounds of torture, the severed parts of their bodies and their
forbearance to the end. The ascetics will point to their
mortifications, prolonged fasts, long vigils, philantrophies, tears
and their forbearance to the end. And I, slothful, sinful, lawless: to
what will I point? Spare, O Lord! Spare, O Merciful One! Spare, O
Lover of mankind!"
Contemplation
To
contemplate the action of God the Holy Spirit upon the apostles:
1. How from
the small, God the Holy Spirit makes great;
2. How He
from the fearful, makes fearless.
Homily
About how
the righteous endures ridicule because of the words of the Lord
"The
word of the Lord has brought me derision and reproach all the
day" (Jeremiah 20:8).
Who are
they who reproach the prophet of God, the bearer of God's word and the
bearer of the power and wisdom of God? His people reproach him and say
to him: you preach to us a steep path; even if it is from God, we
cannot walk upon it because for us, it is too steep.
Who are
they who reproach the trumpeter of the voice of the Lord when he
sounds the alarm because of fire which smokes in the distance and
draws closer to the city? The elders of the people reproach him and
say to him: why do you not keep your mouth closed; for you it would be
warmer and for us a clearer sky. That which seems to you is not a fire
but it is fog from the mountain dew!
Who are
they who still deride the man of God when he comes from God and
proclaims the will of God? He is reproached by his wife and is derided
by his brethren. They say to him: you abandon your work which feeds
you and you follow after someone else's work which humiliates you.
"The
word of the Lord has brought me derision and reproach all the
day." Thus the prophet could have said, so could the apostle, so
the martyr, so every zealot of the word of the Lord and of the law of
the Lord. Not one of them was frightened by reproach nor by derision,
nor turned away from witnessing nor led from the road to wayward
paths. The entire outside world reproached them and were sarcastic to
them. But the Lord strengthened and made them inwardly joyful. The
Lord overcame the world, and the saints of God overcame those who
reproached and derided them.
O Lord
All-good, strengthen us internally in our hearts so that the
reproaches do not disturb nor the derisions, hinder us for the sake of
Your Name.
To You be
glory and thanks always. Amen.
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May
24th (New Style) • May 11th (Old Style)
St.
Cyril and St. Methodius Equal to the Apostles
Saints
Cyril and Methodius were brothers from Thessalonica of distinguished
and wealthy parents, Leo and Maria. The older brother Methodius spent
ten years as an officer among the Macedonian Slavs and thus learned
the Slavic language. After that Methodius withdrew to Mount Olympus
and dedicated himself to the monastic life of asceticism. It was here
that Cyril (Constantine) later joined him. When the Khazarite king,
Kagan, requested preachers of the Faith of Christ from Emperor Michael
III then, by command of the emperor, these two brothers were found and
sent among the Khazars. Convincing King Kagan of the Faith of Christ,
they baptized him along with a great number of his chief assistants
and even a greater number of the people. After a period of time, they
returned to Constantinople where they compiled the Slavonic alphabet
consisting of thirty-eight letters and proceeded to translate
ecclesiastical books from Greek into Slavonic. At the request of
Prince Rastislav, they traveled to Moravia where they spread and
established the devout Faith and multiplied books and distributed them
to the priests to teach the youth. At the request of the pope, Cyril
traveled to Rome where he became ill and died on February 14, 867 A.D.
Then Methodius returned to Moravia and labored to strengthen the Faith
of Christ among the Slavs until his death. Following his death - he
died in the Lord on April 6, 885 A.D. - his disciples, THE FIVE
FOLLOWERS, with St. Clement, the bishop at the head, crossed the
Danube River and descended to the south into Macedonia, where from
Ohrid they continued their labor among the Slavs begun by Cyril and
Methodius in the north.
The
Priest-Martyr Mocius (Mucius)
Mocius was
Roman by birth and a presbyter in Amphipolis, a town in Macedonia. He
suffered during the reign of Diocletian. By prayer he destroyed the
statue of the god Dionysius which embittered certain pagans against
him and others he converted to the Faith. He was beheaded for Christ
in the year 295 A.D.
St.
Nicodemus, the Archbishop of Pec
This great
hierarch was a Serb by birth. He lived a life of asceticism on Holy
Mt. Athos and was abbot of
Hilendar Monastery. Following the death of Sava III, he was elected as
the Archbishop of "All the Serbs and the Coastal Lands" in
the year 1317 A.D. Nicodemus crowned King Milutin in the year 1321
A.D. He translated the Jerusalem Typikon into Serbian. (The Typikon is
a book containing the rubrics (directions) for the celebration of the
Divine Mysteries and other offices of the Orthodox Church.) In the
introduction of this book, Nicodemus says: "Almighty God, Who
knows our weaknesses, will give us spiritual strength, but only if we
first display effort." He sincerely loved the ascetical life and
labored to strengthen it throughout the Serbian land. He labored
relentlessly to uproot the Bogomil heresy and to strengthen the
Orthodox Faith. He died in the Lord in the year 1325 A.D. His
miracle-working relics repose in the monastery in Pec.
Reflection
In the
encampment of the Saracens they asked St. Cyril: "How could
Christians wage war and at the same time keep the commandment of
Christ about praying to God for their enemies?" To that, St.
Cyril replied: "If two commandments were written in one law and
given to men for fulfilling, which man will be a better follower of
the law: the one who fulfills one commandment or the one who fulfills
both?" To that, the Saracens replied: "Undoubtedly, he who
fulfills both commandments." St. Cyril continued: "Christ
our God commands us to pray to God for those who persecute us and even
to do good to them; but, He also said to us: greater love cannot be
shown in this world than if one lay down his life for his
friends." "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay
down his life for his friends" (St. John 15:13). That is why we
bear the insults which our enemies do to us individually and we pray
to God for them; and, as a society, we defend one another and give up
our lives, that you would not somehow enslave our brethren, would not
enslave their souls with their bodies and would not kill them in body
and soul.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the action of God the Holy Spirit upon the apostles:
1. How from
the simple, He makes wise;
2. How from
the inarticulate, He makes them eloquent.
Homily
About the
irresistible will of God
"I say
to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more.
But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my
bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it" (Jeremiah
20:9).
If anyone
still doubts that God spoke through the prophets, let him read this
confession of the great prophet Jeremiah and let him doubt no more.
The prophet confesses that he had decided not to speak anymore in the
Name of the Lord. Why? Because so few paid attention to his word. If
anyone heeded his word the prophet endured "reproach and derision
daily" (Jeremiah 20:8). But, when he decided to remain silent,
did he, in fact, remain silent? No, he could not: "I grow weary
holding it in, I cannot endure it!" He was so pressed by the
irresistible power of the Spirit of God upon him to speak and he had
to speak. It is, therefore, not the affair of the prophet whether he
is going to speak or not: that is the affair of the All-powerful
Spirit of God. The prophet is merely the chosen vessel of the
All-powerful Spirit of God. All of Holy Scripture is written thusly -
not according to the will of man but according to the will of God, and
not according to the mind of man but according to the mind of God.
How does
the word of God feel when it enters the prophet from the Spirit of
God; this the great Jeremiah explains from his personal experience:
"It becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my
bones." That means, inspiration from the All-powerful Spirit of
God. Under such irresistible internal pressure - as under the pressure
of fire imprisoned in my bones - wrote the holy man of God. And many
of them cried out: "I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure
it anymore." Who will go against the Spirit of God without
punishment and destruction? Who will withstand Him when He wants to
say something or to do something?
Only my
brethren, the action of God the Holy Spirit is irresistible!
O
All-powerful Spirit of God, direct us irresistibly on the path of
salvation.
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May
25th (New Style) • May 12th (Old Style)
St.
Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus
Epiphanius
was a Jew by birth and, witnessing the Faith of Christ, was baptized
with his sister Callithrope. At age twenty-six, he was tonsured a monk
in the monastery of St. Hilarion. Later, he established a separate
monastery where he became famous throughout all of Palestine and Egypt
because of his asceticism, spiritual wisdom and miracle-working.
Fleeing from the glory of men, Epiphanius withdrew to Egypt. Enroute,
he met up with the great Paphnutius who predicted that he would become
bishop on the island of Cyprus. Indeed, after many years, by the
Divine Providence of God, Epiphanius arrived at Cyprus where he,
unexpectedly was chosen as bishop. At the age of sixty, he became the
bishop of Salamis and, as such, governed the Church of God for
fifty-five years. He lived a total of one-hundred fifteen years on
this earth and rested from this life so as to live eternally in the
kingdom of Christ. Before his death, he was summoned to Constantinople
by Emperor Arcadius and his wife Eudoxia to an assembly of bishops
which, according to the wish of the emperor and the empress, should
have condemned St. John Chrysostom. Arriving in Constantinople,
Epiphanius went directly to the palace of the emperor where the
emperor and empress detained him for a long while trying to persuade
him to declare himself against Chrysostom. The citizens and Chrysostom
heard that Epiphanius agreed with the emperor against Chrysostom. That
is why Chrysostom wrote him a letter: "Brother Epiphanius, I
heard that you advised the emperor that I be exiled; know ye, that you
will never see your throne again." To that Epiphanius replied to
him: "O suffering John, withstand insults; know ye, that you will
never reach the place to which you are exiled." And both
prophecies of these saints were quickly fulfilled. Not wanting to
agree in anyway with the emperor to the exile of Chrysostom,
Epiphanius secretly boarded a boat and departed for Cyprus, but he
died on the boat. The emperor banished Chrysostom into exile to
Armenia. But, this saint died enroute. St. Epiphanius rested in the
year 403 A.D. Among the many works of St. Epiphanius, the most famous
is the Medicine Chest (Panarium) in which eighty heresies are listed
and refuted.
St.
Herman, the Patriarch of Constantinople
Herman was
the son of the head imperial senator who was killed by Emperor
Constantine Pogonatus. This same evil emperor castrated the senator's
son, Herman, and forcibly banished him to a monastery. As a monk,
Herman shone like a star by his life and good works. Because of that,
he was chosen as the first bishop of Cyzicus and, when Anastatius II
was crowned emperor, Herman was elected as patriarch of
Constantinople. As patriarch he baptized the ill-reputed Copronymos
who, during the time of his baptism, soiled the water with his
uncleanliness. Then the patriarch prophesied that this child, when he
becomes emperor, will introduce into the Holy Church some impure
heresy. And this happened. When Copronymos became emperor, he restored
the heresy of the iconoclasts. Leo Isaurian, the father of Copronymos,
initiated the persecution of icons and when Patriarch Herman
protested, the arrogant Leo cried out: "I am emperor and
priest!" He removed Herman from the patriarchal throne and
banished him to a monastery where this saint lived for ten more years
until the Lord called him to Himself and to the heavenly kingdom in
the year 740 A.D.
The
Holy Martyr Pancras
Pancras
came to Rome from Phrygia where, as a fourteen-year-old boy, he was
tortured and killed for Christ in the year 304 A.D. This saint is
greatly revered in the west. In Rome, there exists a church dedicated
to him and, in this church, his holy relics repose.
Reflection
Saint
Clement of Alexandria tells of a horrible custom among the barbarians.
He says that when they capture their enemy, they tie him alive to the
corpse of a dead man, and leave them both alone that the living and
dead decay together. If only it could be said: "Thank God, that
this barbarian custom is past!" In essence, it has not passed,
rather, it reigns today in full force. Everyone who ties their living
spirit to the flesh deadened by barbarian passions is the same as the
one who ties a living man to a corpse and leaves them both to decay.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the action of the Holy Spirit on the apostles:
1. How from
fishers of fish, He makes them fishermen of men for the kingdom of
God;
2. How from
shepherds of the irrational flock, He makes them shepherds of the
rational flock.
Homily
About how
men, in prosperity do not listen to the law of God
"I
spoke to you in your prosperity; but you said: `I will not hear'
" (Jeremiah 22:21).
The Lord of
Hosts raised this complaint against Jehoiakim, the king of Judah and
against the people of Judea. Are not these words in effect even today
when they are spoken in the face of our people and almost, with few
exceptions, to every one of us individually? When we feel ourselves
prosperous, we leave God in the shadows and we render His words to
oblivion; but as soon as misfortune encompasses us with its dark
wings, we turn to God and cry out to Him for help. In misfortune, the
commandments of God seem to us as sweet as honey but in prosperity,
they seem as bitter as medicine. Is not then misfortune better than
prosperity? Is not misfortune more salvific in which we seek God, than
prosperity in which we forget God?
"O
earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord!" (Jeremiah
22:29), cries out the true prophet of God. Man is the earth; the word
of the Lord is life planted into that earth. Will the earth prefer to
remain without the living crops and be cursed or will it nurse the
crops entrusted to it and be blessed? O how ugly is the bare ravine
and the barren field and how beautiful is the cultivated field covered
with rich crops! O man, you are the one and the other field. Choose:
death or life! Not one-householder values the field at all if it does
not bear any kind of crop on it. Will God then be less intelligent
than an ordinary householder and give some value to the field that
fails to bear fruit from every seed that is sown on it?
What will
become of man who, in his prosperity, does not listen to the words of
God? "And he shall be buried with the burial of an ass"
(Jeremiah 22:19). Thus spoke the prophet to King Jehoiakim and his
word was realized. When the Chaldeans captured Jerusalem, they killed
Jehoiakim. They dragged his body beyond the gates of the city and left
it to the dogs. And that which happens to the asses, so it was with
the unheeding king. O man, O earth! Hear in time the word of the Lord
that the anger of the Householder does not pour out on you as on a
barren field and that your end not be as the end of an ass.
O
Long-suffering Lord, save us from the stoniness of heart and darkness
of mind; from those two bitter diseases, the miserable consequences of
those hours of life which men call prosperous. Save and have mercy on
us, the Lord of Hosts!
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May
26th (New Style) • May 13th (Old Style)
The
Holy Female Martyr Glyceria
Glyceria
was the daughter of a Roman governor. Becoming impoverished after her
father's death, Glyceria settled in Trajanopolis in Thrace. During the
reign of the nefarious Emperor Antoninus, Glyceria was taken to offer
sacrifices to the idol of Jupiter (Zeus). She traced the sign of the
cross on her forehead and when the Prefect Sabinus questioned her
concerning her lamp, (for all of them carried lamps in their hands),
Glyceria pointed to the cross on her forehead and said: "This is
my lamp." As a result of her prayer lightning struck the idol and
smashed it to pieces. The prefect became angry and ordered her flogged
and thrown into prison. The prefect sealed the doors to the prison,
determined to starve the virgin to death. However, an angel of God
appeared to Glyceria and administered heavenly food to her. After a
period of time, when the prefect thought that the virgin must have
died from hunger, he opened the doors of the prison and was astonished
when he saw her healthy, radiant and joyful. Witnessing this miracle,
Laodicius, the jailer confessed Christ the Lord and was immediately
beheaded. After that Glyceria was thrown into a fiery furnace but
remained unharmed by the fire. Standing in the midst of the fire and,
remembering the miracle of the three youths in the Babylonian furnace,
Glyceria praised the Lord. Finally, she was thrown to the lions and,
praying to God, this holy virgin gave up her soul to the Lord for Whom
she bravely endured many tortures. She suffered honorably in the year
177 A.D. A healing oil (myrrh) emitted from her relics which healed
the sick of the gravest diseases.
The
Holy Martyr Alexander
Alexander
was a Slav. As an eighteen year old soldier in the army of Emperor
Maximilian, he refused the order of the emperor to give honor to the
Roman idols and for that which he was handed over to Captain Tiberian,
to either counsel Alexander to deny Christ or else torture and kill
him. Since all the counseling was in vain, Tiberian took Alexander
with him across Macedonia to Constantinople where he traveled for
duty. In every town along the way, the young Alexander was cruelly
tortured but, in every town, Christians came out before him and begged
him for a blessing and they encouraged him in his mortification.
Pimenia, his mother, followed after him. During the course of this
travel, an angel of God appeared many times to Alexander soothing his
pains and encouraging him. In one place, Carasura, the martyr
performed a miracle through prayer: when thirst overcame him and the
soldiers who escorted him, he brought forth a well of cold water from
an arid place. On the shore of the Ergina river, Tiberian ordered the
executioner to behead Alexander and to toss his body into the water.
When the executioner swung at the martyr's head, he saw radiant angels
of God around Alexander and became frightened and his hand dropped.
Alexander asked him why his hand dropped and the executioner replied
that he sees some radiant young men around him. Yearning death and
union with the Lord, Alexander prayed to God to withdraw the angels
from him so that the executioner would not be frightened. And thus,
the executioner carried out his work in the year 298 A.D. Pimenia
removed the body of her son and honorably buried him. Many healings
occurred at the grave of the martyr. After death, the martyr appeared
to his mother and informed her of her imminent translation to the
other world.
The
Venerable John, Euthymius, George and Gabriel of the Monastery Iviron
(Mt. Athos)
All four
venerables were the founders of the famous Iberian (Georgian)
monastery on the Holy Mt. Athos. At first, St. John lived a life of
asceticism in the Lavra (Monastery) of Athanasius and, after that,
founded his monastery, Iviron. John died in the year 998 A.D.
Euthymius and George translated the Holy Scripture into the Georgian
language. Euthymius died in the year 1029 A.D. and George died in 1066
A.D. Gabriel was found worthy to receive the miracle-performing Icon
of the Mother of God which arrived at the monastery by way of the sea.
Reflection
Concerning
the power of death and the power of the Cross of Christ, St.
Athanasius writes: "Whose death ever drove out demons? And whose
death have the demons been afraid of as the death of Christ? Where the
Name of Christ is only invoked, there, every demon is driven out. Who
in such a measure tamed spiritual passions in men that the prostitutes
live a chaste life and murderers do not use the sword anymore and the
fearful become courageous? If not the Faith of Christ? If not the sign
of the Cross? And who else has so convinced men in immortality as the
Cross of Christ and the resurrection of the Body of Christ? The death
of the Sinless One and the Cross of the Lover of men have brought a
greater and more lasting victory than all the earthly kings with many
multi-millions of armies. Which army was able to defeat a single
demon? Meanwhile, only the mention of the Name of the Crucified One on
the Cross peels to flight the army of demons. O, if all Christians
would know what treasure they have in the Name of Christ, and what
kind of weapon they have in the Cross of Christ!
Contemplation
To
contemplate the action of God the Holy Spirit upon the apostles:
1. How the
apostles, led by the Holy Spirit, travel throughout the whole world
without means and without friends;
2. How they
converted the rich and the poor to the Faith of Christ by their word,
life and miracles alone.
Homily
About how
God uses the unbelievers in order to punish the believers
"Nebuchadrezzar,
the king of Babylon, my servant" (Jeremiah 25:9).
Is not this
a difficult saying? Who can be fed by it? The pagan king, the
idolatrous king, the Lord call him His servant. If the servant of God
is one who knows the True God and who adheres to the law of God, how
then can one be a servant of God who does not know the True God and
who does not adhere to the law of God? Truly, the true servant of God
is he who knows the True God and who keeps the law of God but when he,
to whom God has given the knowledge about Himself and His law,
perverts knowing into unknowing and law into lawlessness, then God
takes as His servant that ignorant one so as to punish the apostates.
For, an apostate from god is worse than a pagan and an apostate from
the law of God is lower than an idolater by birth.
Therefore,
when Israel, as the ancient Church of God, alienated itself from God
and the law of God, God chose Nebuchadrezzar for His servant to punish
Israel, the Apostate.
Therefore,
when the Christian peoples in Asia and Africa through numerous
heresies alienated themselves from God, God took as His servant the
Arabs to punish Christians in order to bring them to their senses.
And when
the Christian peoples in the Balkans alienated themselves from God and
God's law, God invited the Turks as His servants to punish the
apostates that by punishment to bring them to their senses.
Whenever
the faithful alienate themselves from God, God weaves a whip from the
unbelievers to bring the believers to their senses. And, as the
faithful consciously and willingly turn away from God, so the
unbelievers unconsciously and unwillingly become servants of God; the
whip of God.
But God
takes the unbelievers only temporarily in His service against the
believers. For the land of Nebuchadrezzar, the same Lord says, He will
visit it for its lawlessness and "make it perpetual
desolations" (Jeremiah 25:12), then will a servant against a
servant be found? For God did not take the Babylonians for a servant
because of their goodness and faith, rather because of Israel's
wickedness and unbelief.
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May
27th (New Style) • May 14th (Old Style)
The
Holy Martyr Isidore
During the
reign of Decius, Isidore was drafted by force from the island of Chios
into military service. From childhood, Isidore adhered to the Faith of
Christ and spent his entire life in fasting, prayer and good works.
But when in the army Isidore declared himself a Christian, the
commander seized him, required of him an answer and counseled him to
deny Christ and offer sacrifices to the idols. The saint replied:
"Even if you kill my body, you have no authority over my soul. I
possess the True, Living God, Jesus Christ Who now lives in me and
after my death, He will be with me and I am in Him and will remain in
Him and I will never cease to confess His Holy Name as long as my soul
is in my body." First, the commander ordered that Isidore be
whipped with oxen tails and after that they cut out his tongue. Even
without his tongue, Isidore, by the Spirit of God, spoke and confessed
the Name of Christ. Meanwhile, the punishment of God came upon the
commander and he, suddenly, became mute. Finally, the mute commander
gave the sign to behead Isidore. Isidore was elated at this sentence
and after praising God went to the scaffold where he was beheaded in
the year 251 A.D. His companion, Ammon buried his body and following
that also suffered and received the martyr's wreath.
The
Venerable Serapion, the Sindonite
Sindon
means "linen cloth" in which the bodies of the dead were
wrapped. Serapion was called the Sindonite because he covered his
naked body with a single linen cloth. He carried a Book of the Gospels
in his hand. Serapion lived like a bird without a roof and without any
worries moving from place to place. He gave his sindon to a needy
person who was shivering from the frost and remained completely naked.
When someone asked him: "Serapion, who uncovered you?" He
pointed to the Holy Gospels and said: "This!" After that he
even gave the Book of the Gospels away as a ransom for a man in debt
whose lender was threatening him with prison for this debt. Once in
Athens, he did not eat anything for four days because he had nothing
available and began to cry out from hunger. When the Athenian
philosophers asked him why he was crying out so, Serapion replied:
"I was indebted to three; two of which I have satisfied but the
third one is still tormenting me. The first lender is carnal lust
which tormented me from my youth; the second lender is avarice and the
third lender is the stomach. Those two have left me, but the third one
still torments me." The philosophers gave him a gold coin to
purchase bread. He went to a baker, purchased only one loaf of bread,
left the gold coin and departed. In his old age, he presented himself
peacefully to the Lord in the fifth century.
Blessed
Isidore, "Fool for Christ"
Isidore was
a German by descent. Having come to Rostov, he fell in love with the
Orthodox Faith and, not only became a communicant of the Orthodox
Church, but assumed the difficult life of asceticism as a "Fool
for Christ." He walked around completely in rags. Pretending
insanity through his madness, he spent the entire day teaching men and
at night, he spent in prayer. He spent nights in a hut made of
branches which he had built in a muddy terrain. Great and awesome were
the miracles which this saint performed both during life and after
death. To a merchant, who was thrown from a boat and was drowning in
the sea, Isidore appeared walking upon the water and led him to the
shore. When the servants of the Prince of Rostov refused Isidore a
glass of water that he asked for and drove him away from the door,
then all the vessels with wine dried up. When Isidore died in his hut
on May 14, 1484 A.D., the whole of Rostov smelled from a wonderful
aroma. The merchant whom the Blessed Isidore saved from the sea,
erected a church in his honor over the spot where his hut was located.
Reflection
Sin which
serves as a scandal to others is a two-fold sin. A wise man strives
not to scandalize anyone and does not lead anyone into sin by his
sinful example. Saint Ambrose praises such sagacity of the Emperor
Valentian who died at an early age citing these examples from his
life: "The emperor, hearing that he was talked about throughout
Rome as a passionate hunter and a lover of wild beasts - which, in
reality he was not - and how this passion was taking the emperor away
from his duties of State, immediately ordered that all the wild beasts
in his preserve be slain. Again, upon hearing how certain malicious
people spread the rumor that he ate lunch early (wanting by this to
present him as being gluttonous), the emperor imposed a strict fast on
himself both privately and publicly. Before the public lunches he was
rarely seen to place a morsel of food in his mouth. And again, when
his sisters disputed with a certain man over some property, the
emperor, even though he had the right to judge the dispute, directed
the case to the open court so that he would not be accused of
partiality." Indeed, with great fear, this pious emperor upheld
the words of the Lord: "Woe to him who shall offend (scandalize)
one of these little ones" (St. Matthew 18:6).
Contemplation
To
contemplate the action of God the Holy Spirit upon the apostles:
1. How the
Holy Spirit leads the apostles through all sorrows and tribulations,
filling their hearts with consolation and joy;
2. How the
Holy Spirit makes that seed of the Gospel grow and succeed which the
apostles sow throughout the world, even where it seems to have been
scattered in vain.
Homily
About
Christ as the Branch of David
In those
days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to
grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in
the land" (Jeremiah 33:15)."
With these
words, the holy Prophet Jeremiah prophesies the coming of the Holy
Savior of the world from the lineage of David. The Branch of
Righteousness is Jesus Christ Himself. These words could not have
referred to anyone else, since, at the time of the coming of the Lord
Jesus, a prince from the lineage of David did not sit any longer on
the throne at Jerusalem but rather a foreigner, Herod the Idumean.
Neither from then until today was there any other prominent branch of
David, neither as a worldly ruler nor a spiritual ruler. At the time
of the nativity of Christ, there were but a few people from the Tribe
of David and they were unknown and impoverished. Among these were
numbered the All-Holy Virgin and the righteous elder Joseph, the
carpenter. It is clear therefore, that for the past thousand years
since this prophecy was spoken, no other majestic branch from the
lineage of David appeared, except the Lord Jesus. This becomes more
clear from the following words: "As the host of heaven cannot be
numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the
seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister to Me"
(Jeremiah 33:22). These words could only apply to the spiritual
descendants of David through Christ the Lord, i.e., upon Christians,
for only the number of Christians (and not the physical descendants of
David of whom there are not any at all), for these twenty centuries
can be measured with the stars in the heavens and with the sand in the
sea.
O my
brethren, let us rejoice that even we Christians belong to this
countless number of people of God; to the greatest people in the
history of the world both as to numbers and as to character. Let us
rejoice even more that we belong to this heavenly Branch of David Who,
by His Blood redeemed us from foreigners and adopted us and made us
heirs and co-heirs of the kingdom eternal. O, All-good Lord, You have
redeemed us prodigal sons from the contemptible humiliation and hunger
and made us sons of the kingdom.
To You be
glory and thanks always. Amen.
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May
28th (New Style) • May 15th (Old Style)
The
Venerable Pachomius the Great
Pachomius
was born in Egypt and, in his youth, was a pagan. As a soldier, he
fought in battle with Emperor Constantine against Maxentius. Following
that, he learned of the One God from Christians and witnessing their
devout life, Pachomius became baptized and withdrew to the Tabennisi
wilderness, to the famous ascetic Palamon with whom he studied the
ascetical life for ten years. Then, an angel appeared to him in the
habit of a Schema (The Great Angelic Habit of a Monk) over the place
called Tabennisiot and gave him a board upon which was written the
Monastic Rule (Constitution) for the Cenobitic Life, ordering him to
establish such a monastery in that place, prophesying to him that in
this monastery many monks will come for the sake of salvation of
souls. Heeding the angel of God, Pachomius began to build many cells
even though at that place there was not anyone except his brother John
and himself. When his brother reproached him for building unnecessary
cells, Pachomius simply said to him that he is following the command
of God without regard as to who will come to live there and when. But
soon, many men gathered at that place moved by the Spirit of God, and
began to live a life of asceticism according to the Rule of Pachomius,
which he received from the angel. When the number of monks increased,
Pachomius gradually established six more monasteries. The number of
his disciples amounted to about seven thousand. St. Anthony is
considered to be the founder of the hermitical life but St. Pachomius
as founder of the monastic cenobitic way of life. The humility, love
of labor and abstinence of this holy father was and remains a rare
example for the imitation of the vast number of monks. St. Pachomius
worked numerous miracles but endured numerous temptations from demons
as well as men. He served men as a father or a brother. He inspired
many to follow the path to salvation and directed many on the path to
truth. He was and remains a great light of the Church and a great
witness to the truth and justice of Christ. He died peacefully in the
year 348 A.D. in the seventy-fourth year of his earthly life. The
Church has included many of his disciples in the ranks of the saints,
such as: Theodore, Job, Paphnutius, Pecusius, Athenodorus, Eponymus,
Sorus, Psoi, Dionysius, Psentaesis and others.
St.
Achilleus, Bishop of Larissa
Achilleus,
this great hierarch and miracle-worker, was born in Cappadocia. He
participated in the First Ecumenical Council (Nicaea, 325 A.D.) at
which he shamed the heretics and, by his learning as well as by his
sanctity, he commanded great astonishment. Taking a rock, St.
Achilleus shouted to the Arians: "If Christ is a creation of God,
as you say, then say: `let oil flow from this rock.' " The
heretics remained silent and were amazed at such a request from St.
Achilleus. Then, again the saint said: "And if the Son of God is
equal to the Father, as we believe, let oil flow from this rock."
And, indeed oil did flow to the amazement of all. St. Achilleus died
peacefully in Larissa in the year 330 A.D. When the Macedonian King
Samuel conquered Thessaly he translated the relics of Achilleus to
Prespa to an island in a lake which was called and even today is still
called Achilleus or Ailus.
The
Venerable Silvanus
At first,
Silvanus was a comedian; impersonating all and everyone. After
that,inflamed with the love of Christ, he became a disciple of St.
Pachomius. "I am ready to give my life," St. Silvanus would
say "only to receive forgiveness of my sins."
Reflection
When a
tyrant commits violence against the righteous out of greed, then the
violence brings about one benefit and one detriment i.e., a detriment
to the tyrant and a benefit to the one who violently suffered. Boris
Godunov murdered Dimitri, the eight-year old crown prince in order to
gain control of the throne without competition. The imperial days of
Boris ended quickly and the tyrant was given over to decay and
accursedness and Dimitri was proclaimed a saint. After fifteen years
of lying in the grave, the body of Dimitri was exhumed and found to be
uncorrupt and miracle-working. There were forty-five miraculous
healings which occurred over his body. Whose, therefore, is the
detriment and whose is the benefit from tyranny? If the tyrant knew,
that by his tyranny, he would help his opponent to be included among
the saints and that he would prepare defeat and damnation for himself,
he would desist from planned violence. But a crooked-thought is the
forerunner and companion of tyranny.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the action of God the Holy Spirit upon the apostles:
1. How, by
the Holy Spirit, the apostles receive the mystical visions of the
other world;
2. How, by
the Holy Spirit, the apostles perceive the mysteries in the hearts of
men.
Homily
About the
prophesied and actual destruction of the idols of Egypt
"And
the houses of the gods of the Egyptians shall burn with fire"
(Jeremiah 43:13).
Who will
burn them? Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon my servant, said the
Lord. This prophecy came true. Nebuchadrezzar conquered Egypt and he
destroyed the houses of the false gods by fire; the idols of the
Egyptians. He burned them but he did not destroy them forever. For
after that came the destruction of Babylon, again according to the
prophecy of the holy Prophet Jeremiah and Babylon became and, even
until today, remains "heaps, a dwelling place for dragons, an
astonishment and a hissing, without an inhabitant" (Jeremiah
51:37). But, in a tradition which was recorded by St. Epiphanius of
Cyprus, there remained the other prophecy of Jeremiah about the final
destruction of the idols of Egypt: "All the idols will
fall," says this prophecy, "and all that is made by hand
will be destroyed at the time when the Virgin Mother comes here with
the young Child born in a cave and placed in a manger." And this
prophecy was preserved by the pagan priests themselves who, from the
time of Jeremiah, introduced the custom of depicting the Virgin as she
reclines on a bed and her young Child wrapped in swaddling clothes
lying in a manger.
Nebuchadnezzar,
the servant by God's permission, could only have mowed evil but not
pluck it out by the roots. But mowed evil, like mowed grass, grows
again. When the Lord came to earth, He plucked out evil by the roots.
Nebuchadnezzar, the servant, burned the temples and the idols but the
temples were also rebuilt and new idols were made for they were not
plucked out from the souls of men. When the Lord came and began His
reign in the souls of the Egyptians, the temples and idols fell
forever. So it is the same with the disobedient Jews who waged battle
against God. Nebuchadnezzar, the servant, had taken them into bondage
for seventy years and the offended Lord scattered them throughout the
entire world where many of them find themselves in dispersion today
even after two-thousand years. This scattering of the Jewish people
throughout the entire world was clearly prophesied by Jeremiah. And
so, time justified the prophet of God in all his words.
O
All-seeing Lord, grant us that we adhere to the words of Your true
prophet.
To You be
glory and thanks always. Amen.
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May
29th (New Style) • May 16th (Old Style)
The
Venerable Theodore the Sanctified
Theodore
was a disciple of St. Pachomius. He was born and raised as a pagan but
as a young man came to the knowledge of the True Faith and was
baptized. Learning about St. Pachomius, he secretly fled from his
parent's home to Pachomius' monastery. St. Pachomius tonsured him a
monk and admired him because of his unique zeal and obedience. When
his mother arrived to ask him to come home, Theodore did not even want
to appear before her but prayed that God would enlighten her with the
truth. Indeed, not only did her son not return home, but she herself
did not return home. Seeing a convent not far away which was under the
spiritual direction of Pachomius' sister, she entered the convent and
was tonsured a nun. After a period of time Paphnutius, Theodore's
brother, also came to the monastery and was tonsured a monk. In time
the bishop of Panopolis called St. Pachomius to establish a monastery
for those who desired the monastic life. Pachomius took Theodore with
him and entrusted him with the duty of establishing this new
monastery. After the death of Pachomius, Theodore became the abbot of
all Pachomius' monasteries and lived to a ripe old age. Theodore lived
a life pleasing to God, directing the many monks on the road to
salvation. He died peacefully and took up habitation in the kingdom of
Eternal Light in the year 368 A.D.
The
Blessed Virgin Musa
St. Gregory
the Dialogues speaks about her: she was only nine years old when, on
two occasions, the All-Holy Birth-giver of God, surrounded by radiant
virgins, appeared to her. When Musa expressed her desire to also be in
such a radiant company of the Queen of Heaven, the Birth-giver of God
said to her that, in one month, she would return to her and take her.
She also instructed Musa how to live for these next thirty days. On
the twenty-fifth day, Musa took to her bed. On the thirtieth day, the
Holy Most-pure One appeared again calling to her in a soft voice to
which Musa answered: "Behold, I am coming O Lady, behold I am
coming!", and she gave up her spirit. Musa was translated from
this life into life eternal in the fifth century.
St.
Nicholas Mysticus, Patriarch of Constantinople
Nicholas
was famous because of the unusual severity of his life. When Emperor
Leo the Wise married for the fourth time, the patriarch refused him
entrance into the church and defrocked the priest who performed the
marriage. As a result of that, the emperor deposed the patriarch and
banished him to a monastery. The delegates of the Roman Pope Sergius
II approved of the emperor's fourth marriage. When the emperor died,
Nicholas was again restored to the patriarchal throne and called an
assembly in the year 925 A.D., at which a fourth marriage for a
Christian, in general, was forbidden. He died in the year 930 A.D.
Nicholas is often surnamed Mysticus (The Mystic) and was a member of
the emperor's secret council. At first, this saint was a high ranking
courtier after which he left the vanity of the world and was tonsured
a monk. He died peacefully in the year 930 A.D.
The
Neo-Martyr Nicholas
Nicholas
was born in Epira. He was tortured by the Turks for the Faith of
Christ and beheaded in Trikkala in 1617 A.D. A reliquary containing
the head of this martyr is preserved today in one of the Meteora
monasteries in Thessaly. He performs many miracles, heals the gravest
diseases and is especially known to repel grasshoppers from fields.
The
Venerable Martyrs of the Monastery of St. Sabas the Sanctified
During the
reign of Emperor Heraclius, about the year 610 A.D., forty-four monks
from the monastery of St. Sabas the Sanctified near Jerusalem suffered
for the Faith of Christ. Their heroism and sufferings were recorded by
the eyewitness, St. Antiochus (December 24).
Reflection
When
Theodore the Sanctified was in Panopolis with St. Pachomius, his
spiritual father, a philosopher came to him and offered to debate with
him about the Faith. The philosopher then posed these three questions
to Theodore: "Who was not born, but died?" "Who was
born and did not die?" "Who died and did not decay?" To
these questions, St. Theodore replied: "Adam was not born and
died. Enoch was born and did not die. Lot's wife died and did not
decay." And the saint added this advice to the philosopher:
"Heed our sound advice; depart from these useless questions and
scholastic syllogisms; draw near to Christ Whom we are serving and you
will receive forgiveness of sins." The philosopher became mute
from such a pointed answer and being ashamed, he departed. From this,
the enormous difference is clearly seen between a pagan philosopher
and a Christian saint. The one (the philosopher) looses himself in
abstractions, in cleverly twisted words, in logical provocations and
in thoughtful sport while the other (the saint) directed his whole
mind on the Living God and on the salvation of his soul. The one is
abstract and dead, while the other is practical and alive.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the action of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles:
1. How the
Holy Spirit miraculously guides the feet of the apostles to distant
lands;
2. How the
Holy Spirit assembles them in Jerusalem from distant lands for the
burial of the All-holy Birth-giver of God.
Homily
About the
appearance of the prophet Jeremiah from the other world
"This
done, in like manner there appeared a man with gray hairs and
exceeding glorious, who was of a wonderful and excellent majesty. Then
Onias answered, saying, This is a lover of the brethren, who prays
much for the people and for the holy city, to wit, Jeremiah the
prophet of God" (2 Maccabees 15:13-14).
This was
the vision which was seen by the courageous Judas Maccabees. The first
to appear to him from the other world was Onias the high priest and
after that the holy Prophet Jeremiah. Just as Moses and Elijah were
seen in glory by the apostles on Mt. Tabor, thus, at one time Judas
Maccabees saw the Prophet Jeremiah in glory. Not even before the
resurrected Christ did God the Merciful leave men without proof of
life after death. In Christian times, however, those proofs are
without number and without end. Whoever, even after all of this,
doubts in life after death, that one stands under the curse of his sin
as under his grave stone. As inanimate things cannot see the light of
day, so neither can he see who doubts life which is and to which there
is no end.
But, behold
with what kind of glory is the Prophet Jeremiah wedded in the other
life! "Gray hairs and exceeding glorious." Around him a
certain indescribable dignity, a certain bright aureole, a certain
inexpressible pleasure and beauty. He who was dragged and beaten by
men to whom he communicated and imparted the will of God and who was a
captive in prison and a martyr in a fetid hole and who was ridiculed
as folly and was tried as a traitor and finally, as a transgressor,
was stoned to death. However, one is the judgment of sinners, another
is the judgment of God. The most humiliated among men became wedded
with angelic glory before God.
And yet
behold how heaven calls one, whom the earth called false, a traitor
and a transgressor! "Lover of the brethren" this is how
heaven called him. "Lover of the brethren" who prays much
for the people. Finally, see how the saints in heaven pray to God for
us! Not sleeping, they are praying for us while we are asleep; not
eating, they are praying for us while we are eating and have
over-eaten; not sinning, they are praying for us while we are sinning.
O brethren, let us be ashamed before so many of our sincere friends.
Let us be ashamed, let us be ashamed of so many prayers for us by the
saints and let us join with their prayers. O Lord All-wonderful,
forgive us our sinful slothfulness and dullness.
To You be
glory and thanks always. Amen.
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