The
Nativity of Saint John the Forerunner and Baptizer of the Lord
Six
months before his appearance in Nazareth to the All-holy Virgin Mary,
the great archangel of God, Gabriel appeared to Zacharias the high
priest in the Temple at Jerusalem. Before he announced the miraculous
conception to the unwed virgin (Mary), the archangel announced the
miraculous conception to the childless old woman (Elizabeth).
Zacharias did not immediately believe the words of the herald of God
and this is why his tongue was tied with dumbness and remained as such
until eight days after the birth of John. On that day, the relatives
of Zacharias and Elizabeth gathered for the young child's circumcision
and for the sake of giving him a name. When they asked the father what
name he wishes to give to his son and being dumb, he wrote on a
tablet: "John." At that moment his tongue became loosed and
he began to speak. The home of Zacharias was on the heights between
Bethlehem and Hebron. The news of the appearance of the angel of God
to Zacharias was spread throughout all of Israel, as well as of his
dumbness and the loosening of his tongue at thee moment when he wrote
the name "John." The news concerning this even reached
Herod. Therefore, when Herod sent soldiers to slay the children
throughout Bethlehem, he directed men to the hilly dwelling place of
the family of Zacharias to kill John also. However, Elizabeth promptly
hid the child. Enraged, at this King Herod sent his executioners to
Zacharias in the Temple to slay him (for it happened that it was
Zacharias' turn again to serve in the Temple of Jerusalem). Zacharias
was slain between the court and the temple and his blood coagulated
and petrified on the stone pavers and remained a perpetual witness
against Herod. Elizabeth hid with the child in a cave where she died
soon after. The young child John remained in the wilderness alone
under the care of God and God's angels.
Saint
Nicetas, Bishop of Remesiana
Nicetas
was a friend and the same age as St. Paulinus of Nola (January 23). It
appears that he was a Slav and, as such, preached the Gospel among the
Slavs in the region of Nish and Pirot. The kind of change that St.
Nicetas did among the Slavs is best shown in the hymn which St.
Paulinus composed about St. Nicetas: "O what a change! And how
fortunate!" Until then the impassible and bloody mountains
concealing robbers now converted into monks; cadets of peace. Where
once the habits of wild beasts, there is now the feature of angels.
The righteous one hides in a cave where earlier, the evildoer dwelled.
The episcopal see of Nicetas was Remesiana which some understand to be
Pirot. Along with his missionary service, St. Nicetas also wrote
several books such as the six books about Faith and a book about a
fallen maiden (which aroused many to repentance). Saint Nicetas
reposed in the Lord in the fifth century.
The
Holy Martyrs Orentius, Pharnacius, Eros, Firmus, Firminus, Cyriacus
and Longinus
They
were all brothers and Roman soldiers during the reign of Emperor
Maximian. When the Romans were waging war against the Scythians beyond
the Danube river, St. Orentius came forth to battle with Marathom, the
Scythian Goliath, and slew him. Because of this, the entire Roman army
offered sacrifices to the gods but Orentius, with his brothers,
declared that they were Christians and could not offer sacrifices to
the deaf and dumb idols. Regardless of their military merits, they
were condemned to exile to the Caspian region however, along the way,
all seven, one after the other, died from hunger and sufferings and
took up habitation in the Kingdom of Christ.
Reflection
One of
the differences between the eloquent philosophy of the Greeks
(Hellenes) and the Christian Faith is that the entire Hellenistic
philosophy can clearly be expressed with words and comprehended by
reading, while the Christian Faith cannot be clearly expressed by
words and even less comprehended by reading alone. When you are
expounding the Christian Faith, for its understanding and acceptance,
both reading and the practice of what is read are necessary. When
Patriarch Photius read the words of Mark the Ascetic concerning the
spiritual life he noticed a certain unclarity with the author for
which he wisely said: "That (unclarity) does not proceed from the
obscurity of expression but from that truth which is expressed there;
it is better understood by means of practice (rather than by means of
words) and that cannot be explained by words only." And this, the
great patriarch adds, "It is not the case with these homilies nor
only with these men but rather with all of those who attempted to
expound the ascetical rules, passions and instructions, which are
better understood from practice alone."
Contemplation
To
contemplate the miraculous recognition of the Elder Simeon the
Receiver of God: "And he came by inspiration of the Spirit into
the Temple. And when his parents brought in the child Jesus to do for
him according to the custom of the Law:" (St. Luke 2:27):
1. How
this holy elder recognized by the spirit the helpless Child as Lord
and Messiah, while the blinded scribes and priests did not recognize
Him neither then nor when He worked numerous miracles and revealed
unheard of wisdom;
2. How
also my soul, if it grew old in sin, cannot recognize the Lord.
Homily
Against
malicious rejoicing
"Rejoice
not when your enemy falls and when he stumbles, let not your heart
exult" (Proverbs 24:17).
He is a
man, do not rejoice in his fall. He is your brother, let not your
heart skip for joy when he stumbles. God created him for life and God
does not rejoice in his fall. And you also, do not rejoice at that
which grieves God. When man falls, God loses; would you rejoice in the
loss of your Creator, your Parent? When the angels weep would you
rejoice?
When
your enemy falls, pray to God for him that God will save him and give
thanks to God that you did not also fall in the same manner. You are
of the same material, both you and he, as two vessels from the hand of
the potter. If one vessel breaks should the other smile and rejoice?
Behold, a small stone, which broke that vessel waits only for
another's hand to raise it and then to destroy this vessel also. Both
vessels are of the same material and a small stone can destroy a
hundred vessels.
When one
sheep is lost, should the remaining flock rejoice? No. They should not
rejoice. For behold, the shepherd leaves his flock and, concerned,
goes to seek the lost sheep. The loss of the shepherd is the loss of
the flock. Therefore, do not rejoice when your enemy falls, for
neither your shepherd nor his shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ,
rejoices in his fall.
O Lord
Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, extricate malicious joy from our
hearts and in its place, plant in our hearts compassion and brotherly
love.
To
the Top
July
8th (New Style) • June 25th (Old Style)
The
Venerable Female Martyr Febronia (Fevronia)
Febronia
was the daughter of Prosphorus, a senator from Rome. In order to avoid
marriage with a mortal man, Febronia betrothed herself to Christ and
was tonsured a nun in the east, in the country of Assyria, in a
convent where her aunt Bryaena was abbess. Lysimachus, the son of a
nobleman, desired to wed Febronia but since Emperor Diocletian
suspected him to be a secret Christian, he sent Lysimachus to the east
with his uncle Silenus to apprehend and kill Christians. Silenus was
as cruel as a beast and exterminated Christians everywhere without
mercy. Lysimachus, on the contrary, spared the Christians wherever he
could and hid them from his beast-like uncle. Making Palmyra a
wasteland of Christians, Silenus came to the town of Nisibis close to
which was a convent with fifty ascetics among whom was Febronia. Even
though she was only twenty years old, Febronia was respected in the
convent and in the town because of her great meekness, wisdom and
restraint. In this convent the rule of the former abbess Blessed
Platonida was adhered to in that every Friday be spent only in prayer
and the reading of the sacred books without any other type of work.
Bryaena had designated Febronia to read the sacred books to the
sisters hidden behind a curtain so that no one would be distracted and
captivated by the beauty of her face. Hearing about Febronia, Silenus
ordered that Febronia be brought to him. But, when the holy virgin
refused to deny Christ and to agree to enter into marriage with a
mortal man, Silenus ordered her to be whipped, and after that to knock
out her teeth, cut off her hands, breasts then legs and finally to
slay her with a sword. However, a horrible punishment from God befell
the torturer the same day. A rage entered into him and he was overcome
by a deadly horror. In this horror he struck his head against a marble
pillar and fell dead. Lysimachus ordered that Febronia's body be
gathered and brought to the convent where it was honorably buried and
he, with many other soldiers, were baptized. Many healings have
occurred from the relics of St. Febronia and she appeared on the day
of her feast and stood in her usual place among the sisters and all
the sisters looked upon her with fear and rejoicing. St. Febronia
suffered and took up habitation in eternal blessedness in the year 310
A.D. In the year 363 A.D., her relics were translated to
Constantinople.
Venerable
Dionysius
Dionysius
was the founder of the monastery of St. John (Dionysiat) on Mt. Athos.
He was born in Koritza in Albania. His older brother Theodosius
withdrew to Mt. Athos where, in time, he became the abbot of the
monastery Philotheou. When St. Dionysius had matured he went to his
brother in Philotheou and his brother tonsured him a monk. By divine
providence, while in Constantinople on a work assignment for the
monastery, Theodosius was chosen and consecrated as metropolitan of
Trebizond. A wondrous light began to appear every night to Dionysius
on the spot where he later built the monastery of St. John the
Forerunner. Explaining the appearance of this light as a sign from
heaven that he should build a monastery there, Dionysius traveled to
Trebizond to seek help from his brother Theodosius and Emperor Alexius
Comnenis. The emperor gave him both money and a royal charter, which
is still preserved in the monastery. Dionysius founded the monastery
of St. John the Forerunner in the year 1380 A.D. At one time, when
pirates plundered the monastery, Dionysius again traveled to Trebizond
and died there at the age of seventy-two. The monastery of Dionysiat
still continues and flourishes even today. There is an icon of the
All-holy Birth-giver of God in that monastery called "The
Praise" which Emperor Alexius Comnenis donated to Dionysius.
According to tradition, the Akathist to the Theotokos (Birth-giver of
God) composed by Patriarch Sergius was read for the first time.
Reflection
St. Mark
the ascetic said: "Whoever desires to eliminate future
tribulations must bear the present tribulations with joy." Men
consider slander as a great tribulation and there are few men who bear
this tribulation without grumbling. O beautiful is the fruit of kindly
endured tribulation! Tribulation is given to us for good spiritual
commerce and we are missing the opportunity thus remaining
empty-handed at the market place. Behold, even Athanasius, Basil,
Chrysostom, Macarius, Sisoes and thousands of other followers of the
Most-slandered One were themselves slandered. But God, Who orders all
things for our salvation, had so ordered that on the thorn of slander
would sprout fragment roses of glory for all those who are slandered
for His Name. Had Stephen not been slandered would he have seen the
heavens opened and seen the glory of God in the heavens? And the
slander against Joseph the Chaste One, did it not serve to his greater
glory?
Contemplation
To
contemplate the miraculous fishing in the deep: "But when He had
ceased speaking, He said to Simon, ' Put out into the deep and lower
your nets for a catch' " (St. Luke 5:4):
1. How
the apostles went out into the deep and, with the blessing of the
Lord, caught an abundance of fish;
2. How I
am empty and hungry while I stand in the shallow (physical) senses and
here fish for power and wisdom;
3. How I
should enter into the spiritual depths, with the blessing of the Lord,
and there to catch a good catch.
Homily
About
today's day and tomorrow's day
"Boast
not of tomorrow, for you know not what any day may bring forth" (Proverbs
27:1).
Brethren,
let us not boast of that which is not in our power. The Lord has
placed the times and the years under His power and He disposes of
them. Only God Himself alone knows whether tomorrow's day will number
us among the living or the dead. Some have died on the eve of their
marriage; again, others have descended into the grave on the eve of
their coronation with a royal diadem. Therefore, let no one say that
tomorrow will be for me the happiest day of my life; tomorrow, I enter
into marriage! Or, tomorrow I will be crowned with a royal diadem! Or,
tomorrow I am going to a great feast! Or, tomorrow a great gain is
coming to me! O, let no one speak of the happiness of tomorrow's day.
Behold, yet this night your soul may depart your body and tomorrow you
will find yourself surrounded by black demons in the tollhouses (Mitarstvo)!
And yet, even this night, a man can be separated from his relatives
and friends, from wealth and honor, from the sun and the stars and
find himself in a totally unknown company, in an unseen place and at
an unexpected judgment.
Instead
of boasting of tomorrow's day, it would be better to pray to God to
"Give us this day our daily bread." Perhaps today's day may
be our last day on earth. That is why it is better to spend this day
in repentance for all our past days on earth rather than vainly
fantasizing about tomorrow's day, about the day which perhaps will not
dawn for us. Vain fantasizing about tomorrow's day cannot bring us any
good, but repentance for one day with tears can save us from eternal
fire.
O
righteous Lord, burn up the insane vanity that is in us.
To
the Top
July
9th (New Style) • June 26th (Old Style)
Venerable
David
David
was born in Thessalonica. At first, he lived a life of asceticism in
the proximity of Thessalonica in a hut built beneath an almond tree.
Later, he continued his asceticism in Thessaly. So much did he purify
himself by fasting, prayer and all-night vigils that he was made
worthy to receive great grace from God. Once he took live coals in his
hand, placed incense on the coals and censed the emperor without any
injury to his hand. Seeing this, the emperor bowed down to the ground
before him. He amazed many people by his numerous miracles. He died
peacefully and took up habitation in eternal blessedness in the year
540 A.D.
The
Feast of the Icon of Tikhvin
This
icon of the Holy Birth-giver of God (the Theotokos) was first in
Constantinople but in 1383 A.D., seventy years before the fall of
Constantinople in 1453 A.D., it suddenly appeared in the sky near the
town of Tikhvin in northern Russia. There, where it descended to the
ground, a monastic community and church were established. The icon is
named after the town of Tikhvin. Countless miracles were wrought from
this miraculous icon; especially many of the sick received healing
from it.
The
Feast of the Holy Icon of the Mother of God, the Guide (Hodigitria)
The
Evangelist Luke himself painted (wrote) this icon on wood. The
All-holy Birth-giver of God saw this icon and blessed it. St. Luke
donated this icon to the statesman Theophilus for whom he wrote the
Acts of the Apostles. From Antioch, this icon was later brought to
Jerusalem, from Jerusalem, Empress Eudocia took it and sent it to
Constantinople as a gift to the emperor's sister, the pious Pulcheria.
Pulcheria placed the icon in the church of Blachernae, her own
memorial church. The All-holy Birth-giver of God once appeared to two
blind men and led them into the church of Blachernae before her icon
and there, restored their sight. Because of this, this icon was called
Hodigitria the Guide. When the army of the Persian King Chozroes and
the Scythian King Kagan attacked Constantinople, Patriarch Sergius
brought this icon out to the ramparts of the city and processed with
it around the ramparts. The All-holy Birth-giver of God then saved the
Christians from the non-Christians. The armies of the adversaries
became confused, the sea became agitated, the boats sank and the
enemies who remained alive fled. From that time, the commemoration of
this miracle of the All-holy Birth-giver of God was instituted on the
fifth Sunday of the Honorable Fast Season (Lent) by chanting the
Akathist. During the time of iconoclasm, this icon was brought to the
monastery of the Pantocrator and there it was sealed in a wall and a
votive light was left there to burn in front of it. As it was sealed,
so it was later found.
Reflection
Until
his last breath ceaseless repentance is necessary for a Christian. St.
Mark the Ascetic says: "Think and you will see that the mystery
of devotion in the chosen ones of God was realized through
repentance." Repentance, even at the hour of death! This case
occurred: an old ascetic and renown spiritual father was dying and he
called for a priest to administer Holy Communion to him. Along the way
a robber joined the priest and desired to see for himself how a holy
man dies. The holy elder peacefully received Holy Communion and
peacefully talked with the priest. The robber then wept and said:
"Blessed are you! Alas, what kind of death will I be worthy
of?" The holy elder suddenly became proud and responded to him:
"Be as I am and it will be to you as it is to me!" The
robber returned along the road weeping all the time and lamenting over
himself and, at that moment, dropped dead. Then the people saw a
"fool for Christ" as he weeps over the holy elder and dances
and sings over the robber. When he was asked the reason for this, he
replied: "By the pride of that one (the elder) he lost all
merits; the repentance of this one (the robber) he reaped all the
fruits."
Contemplation
To
contemplate the miraculous healing of the bent over woman: "And
behold, there was a woman who for eighteen years had a sickness caused
by a spirit; and she was bent over and utterly unable to look
upwards" (St. Luke 13:11):
1. How
the Lord placed His hands on the deformed woman and the woman
straightened up;
2. How
my soul is deformed as the woman and is bent over to the ground;
3. How
the Lord can put His hand on my soul, i.e., His Holy Spirit and the
deformity will immediately be straightened up.
Homily
About
the fear of the wicked man
"The
wicked man flees although no one pursues him; but the just man, like a
lion feels sure of himself" (Proverbs 28:1).
Wicked
men are even afraid of shadows; to them shadows of trees seem as an
army. Wherever something rustles, the wicked man thinks; the avenger
comes! The trembling of leaves, he hears as a sound of chains; he
takes the voices of birds as the shout of hunters who give chase after
game; he sees grass as a spy of his evil deed; water, as a witness
against him; the sun, as a judge; the stars, as those who taunt him. O
my brethren, how many lies are born out of fear? For fear is of sin,
sin is of the devil and the devil is the father of all lies.
Fear is
the first-fruit of sin. When Adam sinned, he hid from the face of God.
And when God cried out, Adam said: "I heard your voice in the
garden and I was afraid" (Genesis 3:10). Before sin, Adam did not
know about fear; neither did he hide from the face of God but, on the
contrary, always hurried to encounter God. And as soon as he sinned,
he "was afraid."
"But
the just man, like a lion feels sure of himself." Without sin,
without fear. Without sin, without weakness. The sinless ones are
powerful, very powerful and brave, very brave. The righteous ones are
strong and fearless. Such are the righteous ones, only the righteous
ones.
O
Sinless Lord, save us from empty fear but before that, preserve us
from sin, the parent of fear.
To
the Top
July
10th (New Style) • June 27th (Old Style)
Saint
Sampson, the Hospitable One who received strangers
Sampson
was born of wealthy and eminent parents in old Rome where he studied
all the secular sciences of that time and dedicated himself
particularly to the science of medicine. Sampson was compassionate and
an unmercenary and administered cures to the sick, both body and soul,
counseling everyone to fulfill the requirements of the Christian
Faith. Afterward he moved to Constantinople where he lived in a small
house from which he dispensed alms, comfort, counsel, hope and
medicine to all just as the sun disperses its rays of light and, in
general, gave help to the helpless, both spiritually and physically.
The patriarch heard of the great virtues of this man and ordained him
a priest. At that time, Emperor Justinian the Great became ill and his
illness, according to the conviction of all physicians, was incurable.
The emperor prayed to God with great fervency and God revealed in a
dream to him that Sampson would heal him. And indeed, when the emperor
learned of Sampson, he invited him to his court and just as the elder
placed his hand on the ailing place, the emperor recovered. When the
emperor offered him enormous wealth for this, Sampson thanked him and
did not want to accept anything saying to him: "O Emperor, even I
had gold and silver and other goods, but I left all for the sake of
Christ in order to gain eternal heavenly goods." But when the
emperor insisted on doing something for him, holy Sampson implored the
emperor to build him a home (hospice) for the poor. In this home
Sampson served the poor as a parent serves his children. Mercy toward
the poor and the helpless was natural to him. Finally, this saintly
man, completely filled with heavenly power and goodness, reposed
peacefully on June 27, 530 A.D. and was interred in the church of his
relative, the holy martyr Mocius. After his death, Sampson appeared
many times to those who called upon him for assistance.
Saint
Severus, the Presbyter
Severus
lived in central Italy and was a man of extraordinary sanctity. Once
he was summoned to hear the confession of and to administer Holy
Communion to a man who was dying but because of working in his
vineyard, he was late. The news reached him that the sick man had
died. Completely frightened as though he had killed the man, Severus
began to weep bitterly over the deceased. By his fervent prayer, God
restored life to the dead man. Then Severus heard his confession, gave
him Holy Communion and prepared him for a Christian departure from
this world. On the eighth day, the man again died.
Saint
Joanna, the Myrrh-Bearer
Joanna
was the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward: "Joanna the wife of Chuza,
Herod's steward" (St. Luke 8:3). When Herod beheaded John the
Baptist he disposed of his head in an unclean place. Joanna removed
the head of the Baptist and buried it honorably on the Mount of Olives
on Herod's estate. Later, during the reign of Constantine the Great,
the head of John the Baptist was discovered. St. Joanna is also
remembered as being present both at the suffering and at the
resurrection of the Lord. She died peacefully.
Reflection
There is
no one so stupid as he who cannot see his own sins and cannot see the
virtues of others. There is no one so enlightened as he who can see
and recognize his own sins and the virtues of others. Those who only
see the faults of others and criticize them, St. John Chrysostom
equates them to flies that fall on the wounds of others, not in order
to heal them but rather to gnaw and to poison them more." God has
sent us here for penance (Epitimija)," these are the words of
Blessed Theophilus of Kiev (+1853). He who knows and feels that he is
here for repentance immerses himself in silence and contemplation
about his own sin, which has brought him to repentance. The same
Blessed Theophilus further said: "Weep also for the sins of your
fellow man; without this not one created human being will be
saved." To weep or to proclaim - how is it written my son? With
Blessed Theophilus, it is written: "To weep over one's own sins
but with Satan, to proclaim the sins of others." About himself,
Blessed Theophilus at the point of death left this testament to his
brethren: "Remember the odious Theophilus!" This is the
testament of the holiest human being in Kiev in the year 1853 A.D.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the miraculous healing of the man ill with dropsy:
"And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy" (St.
Luke 14:2):
1. How
the Lord touched the man with dropsy and he became whole and went
home;
2. How
my soul - being under the burden of "the love of the body" -
under the burden of the illness of dropsy;
3. How
only the Lord with one touch can heal the dropsy of my soul and free
it of the excessive burden of passionate dampness.
Homily
About
shelter from on high
"He
who trusts in the Lord is safe" (Proverbs 29:25).
The
righteous man is under the shelter of the Lord, under the shelter from
on high. Water will not reach him nor will the flood drown him. Even
the flood did not drown Noah for the Lord was the shelter from on
high.
However,
brethren, there is a flood worse than a watery flood, i.e., the flood
of passions. When the passions begin to burn, when they begin to smoke
and begin to turn black, when they emit and spread their stench all
around, where will man flee, and who will save him? Only under the
hand of the Lord, only under His shelter from on high. The flood of
passions had pursued David but he fled and found shelter under the
hand of the Lord; he saved himself from fire, from smoke and the
stench of pursuing passions under the shelter from on high.
A man
does not save himself from a flood only God saves. God is the Master
of the clouds and the tamer of passions. Indeed, He is the shelter
from on high. We flee to Him and hide ourselves under His garment. A
dog appears like a lion toward the beggar but, before the feet of his
master, the dog appears as an empty sack.
O Lord
Most-high, Who sits on the throne on high, You are our shelter on
high. Be merciful to us our Creator and extend Your hand that we be
lifted up to Your shelter. Save us from the turbulent waters
(passions) which rush to drown us.
To
the Top
July
11th (New Style) • June 28th (Old Style)
The
Holy Martyrs Cyrus and John
These
holy martyrs are celebrated on January 31. On that date, their lives
and sufferings are chronicled. June 28 commemorates the translation of
their relics from Canopus to Menuthis and the numerous miracles which
occurred over their relics. St. Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria, prayed
fervently to God to destroy the idolatrous impurity in the town of
Menuthis where a pagan temple was located and where the power of the
demons ruled. An angel of God appeared to the patriarch and told him
that Menuthis would be cleansed of its impurity if he translated the
relics of Saints Cyrus and John to that town. The patriarch did this
immediately. He translated the relics of the martyrs to Menuthis and
built a church there in honor of Saints Cyrus and John. Ammonius, the
son of Julian the mayor of Alexandria, was healed of scorfula; a
Theodore healed of blindness; Isidore of Menuthis was cured of a
decaying disease of the liver; the wife of Theodore from poisoning, a
Eugenia of dropsy as well as many other people were healed of various
diseases and torments by the relics of these saints. This all occurred
in the year 412 A.D.
Venerable
Sennuphius, "The Standard-Bearer"
Sennuphius
was a great ascetic and miracle-worker of the Egyptian desert. He was
a contemporary of Patriarch Theophilus and Emperor Theodosius the
Great. He is called the "Standard-bearer" because by his
prayers he once helped Emperor Theodosius to gain a victory over the
army of his adversaries. When the emperor summoned Sennuphius to
Constantinople, Sennuphius replied that he was unable to do so but
sent him his tattered monastic habit and staff. Setting out to battle
the emperor donned Sennuphius' monastic habit and carried the staff
and returned victorious from battle.
Venerable
Paul, the Physician
Paul was
a Corinthian by birth. Completing his schooling, Paul withdrew to a
monastery and was tonsured a monk. He had a difficult struggle with
the impure spirit of fornication. However, when with the power of the
cross he drove the impure spirit of fornication away from himself,
that spirit created a malicious falsehood, i.e., (the spirit) gave
approval to a depraved woman to say that she had given birth to a
child by Paul. The heretics then dragged him from the monastery,
placed the child in his arms and forced him to walk throughout the
town for the people to spit on him. The baby was only a few days old.
St. Paul prayed fervently to God and said to the people: "Behold,
let the child himself say who is his father." The child stretched
out its hand from the swaddling clothes and pointed to a blacksmith
and said: "That man is my father and not Paul the monk!" The
adversaries of Paul became ashamed and God granted great healing
powers to Paul so that when he placed his hand on the sick, they
became whole. Paul reposed peacefully in old age pleasing God by his
life on earth. He lived in the seventh century.
Reflection
Protestants
have rejected the miracles of God through material things. By doing
this they thought to despiritualize the Christian Faith however, in
doing this, they have impoverished and deformed Christianity. They
have rejected the action of God's power through icons, through the
relics of the saints, through the Cross and, finally, some of them
even through the power of Holy Communion. If they were to follow this
erroneous path, they would have to reject even the miracles which have
occurred from the living body of the Lord Jesus, for His body was
material; the same with the miracles by the touch of the apostles'
hands and the hands of the saints, for these hands are also material
and not even to mention the rod of Moses, or the vesture of the
All-holy Birth-giver of God, of the handkerchief of the Apostle Paul
and so forth. In their rejection, Protestants stand in contradiction
to the entire ancient Church. Here is one out of thousands and
thousands of proofs that God acts through things, especially when He
wants to glorify His saints: there was a tall pillar erected in
Alexandria bearing the statue of Emperor Theodosius dressed in
monastic habit and with a monastic staff in his hand. This pillar
served as a memorial of the emperor's victory which he, clad in the
monastic habit of St. Sennuphius and with Sennuphius' staff in his
hands, carried against his adversaries. When God wills, then even one
garment of a saint conquers the powerful armies of unbelievers. Who
would dare to limit the actions or the methods of action of the power
of the Almighty God?
Contemplation
To
contemplate the miraculous healing of the ten lepers: "And as He
entered into a certain village, there met Him ten men that were lepers
which stood afar off" (St. Luke 17:12):
1. How
the Lord by the power of His word healed the ten lepers who prayed to
Him;
2. How,
even I, spiritually and morally leprous, the Lord can heal if I cry
out to Him.
Homily
About
holiness
"But
as the One who called you is holy, be you also holy in all your
behavior" (1 Peter 1:15).
Brethren,
holiness is a virtue which encompasses all other virtues. Hence
brethren, a saint is a man adorned with all virtues. But if a man is
prayerful and is not compassionate, he cannot be called holy. Or, if a
man endures but without faith and hope he cannot be numbered among the
saints. Or, if a man is very compassionate but without faith in God in
truth, such a man cannot be numbered among the saints. A saint is a
perfect man such as Adam was in Paradise; or even better, such as the
New Adam was, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the Saint above the
saints. This is the Sower of holiness on earth and the Nurturer of the
saints in history. He called us to the dignity of the saints. He
showed us the example of a true saint. He is the prototype of the
saints as He is the arch-type of man. A true man, my brethren, does
not mean anything else but a saint. A saint and a man, that is one and
the same. He showed us what it means to be a man and what it means to
be a saint. The Apostle Peter commands us: "Be you also holy in
all your (living) behavior!" A saint is not a saint in one aspect
of his life but rather in every aspect of his entire life. We must be
holy in every work and aspect of our life in order to be numbered
among the saints, i.e., among men according to the prototype of the
saints and the arch-type of man, the Lord Jesus Christ.
To
the Top
July
12th (New Style) • June 29th (Old Style)
The
Holy Apostle Peter
Peter
was the son of Jonah and the brother of Andrew, the First-called. He
was of the Tribe of Simeon from the town of Bethsaida. He was a
fisherman and, at first, was called Simon but the Lord was pleased to
call him Cephas or Peter: "And he brought him to Jesus. And when
Jesus beheld him, He said, You are Simon the son of Jonah: you shall
be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, a rock" (St. John
1:42). He was the first of the disciples to clearly express faith in
the Lord Jesus saying: "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
living God" (St. Matthew 16:16). His love for the Lord was great
and his faith in the Lord gradually strengthened. When the Lord was
brought to trial, Peter denied Him three times but after only one
glance into the face of the Lord, Peter's soul was filled with shame
and repentance. After the descent of the Holy Spirit, Peter appears as
a fearless and powerful preacher of the Gospel. Following one of his
sermons in Jerusalem, three-thousand souls converted to the Faith. He
preached the Gospel throughout Palestine and Asia Minor, throughout
Illyria and Italy. Peter worked many powerful miracles; he healed the
sick, resurrected the dead; the sick were healed even from his shadow.
He had a great struggle with Simon the Magician who proclaimed himself
as god but in reality Simon was a servant of Satan. Finally, Peter
shamed and defeated him. By order of the evil Emperor Nero, Simon's
friend, Peter was condemned to death. Installing Linus as Bishop of
Rome, counseling and comforting the flock of Christ, Peter proceeded
joyfully to his death. Seeing the cross before him, he begged his
executioners to crucify him upside down for he considered himself
unworthy to die as did his Lord. Thus the great servant of the Great
Lord reposed and received the wreath of eternal glory.
The
Holy Apostle Paul
Paul was
born in Tarsus of the tribe of Benjamin. At first, he was called Saul,
studied under Gamaliel, was a Pharisee and a persecutor of
Christianity. He was miraculously converted to the Christian Faith by
the Lord Himself Who appeared to him on the road to Damascus. He was
baptized by the Apostle Ananias, was called Paul and numbered in the
service of the great apostles. With a fiery zeal, Paul preached the
Gospel everywhere from the borders of Arabia to Spain, among the Jews
and among the Gentiles. He received the title "Apostle to the
Gentiles." As horrible as his sufferings were, so much more was
his super human patience. Throughout all the years of his preaching
Paul, from day to day, hung as one on a weak thread between life and
death. Since he fulfilled all days and nights with labor and suffering
for Christ, since he organized the Church in many places and since he
attained such a degree of perfection he was able to say: "It is
now no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians
2:20). Paul was beheaded in Rome during the reign of Emperor Nero at
the same time as the Apostle Peter.
Reflection
Simon
Peter and Simon the Magician. The enemies of Christianity frequently
like to cite examples of great miracle-workers among the pagans in
order to deceive the gullible, to humiliate the Christian Faith and to
elevate paganism, sorcery, soothsaying, Satanism and every other
charlatanism. There is no doubt that Satan through his servants also
attempted to perform miracles but all of the miracles of his servants
do not emanate out of love for man, compassion and from faith in God
but rather from pride, selfishness, vanity and hatred for mankind. A
Christian should learn from the history of the apostles to
differentiate divine miracles from satanic deceits and fantasies. Let
the Christian only remember the Apostle Peter and Simon the Magician.
Let the Christian compare the miracles of Peter with the so-called
miracles of Simon. The apostle converted the stony hearts of men into
noble hearts, cured the sick, and raised the dead and all of this by
prayer and faith in the Living God. However, Simon the Magician amazed
men with the devil's illusions. The Apostle Peter was a friend of God
and Simon the Magician was a friend and protege of the perverted
Emperor Nero who ended his life by suicide. The miracles of the pagan
fakirs belong to the category of illusions and deceits of Simon the
Magician. Just as from a distance hot sand resembles water so also the
"miracles" of the fakir resemble the life-creating miracles
of Christianity.
Contemplation
To
contemplate the miraculous healing of the blind Bartimeus: "And
they came to Jericho. And as He was leaving Jericho with His disciples
and a very great crowd, Bartimeus, a blind man, the son of Timeus, was
sitting by the wayside begging" (St. Mark 10:46):
1. How
Bartimeus prayed to the Lord: "Have mercy on me!"
2. How
the Lord said: "See!" And he saw;
3. How
the word of the Lord can give sight to my blinded soul if I pray.
Homily
About
the fear of God
"Conduct
yourselves with fear in the time of your sojourning" (1 Peter
1:17).
These
are the words of the great Apostle Peter, words that have a dual
foundation: heavenly inspiration and personal experience. By divine
inspiration, Peter, a simple fisherman, became a teacher of the
people, a pillar of the Faith and a powerful miracle-worker. According
to his own experience he learned that all of his wisdom and power was
of God and, because of that, one should possess the fear of God. No
other fear, except the fear of God.
The
foolish one becomes frightened only when lightning flashes and thunder
cracks but the wise man fears God every day and every hour. The
Creator of lightning and thunder is more awesome than both of them and
He does not appear before you, from time to time, as lightning and
thunder rather He is continually before you and does not move away
from you. That is why it is not enough, from time to time, to have
fear of God, but one must breathe in the fear of God. The fear of God
is the ozone in the suffocating atmosphere of our soul. This ozone
brings purity, easiness, sweet fragrance and health. Until he had
become strengthened in the fear of God, Peter was only Peter and not
an apostle, hero, teacher of the people and miracle-worker.
O my
brethren, let us not rejoice before the harvest. This, our life, is
not a harvest but rather, it is a sowing, labor, sweat and fear. The
plower lives in fear until he has gathered the fruits from the field.
Let us also delay our rejoicing for the day of harvest, for now is the
time for labor and fear. Will I be saved? This question should torment
every one of us, in the same way that the plower is tormented by the
question: "Will I reap the fruit of my labor in the field?"
The plower labors and fears everyday. Let us also labor and fear
"all the time of our sojourning" on earth.
O
awesome and powerful Lord, sustain us in Your fear.
To
the Top
July
13th (New Style) • June 30th (Old Style)
The
Assembly of the Holy Glorious and Praiseworthy Apostles
Even
though each one of the Twelve Great Apostles has their own special day
of celebration throughout the year, nevertheless the Church has set
aside this day as a festal assembly of all the apostles together and
with them, Paul. These are the names and the separate days of the
celebrations of the Holy Twelve:
Saint
Peter, June 29 and January 16
Saint
Andrew, November 30
Saint
James, the Son of Zebedee, April 30
Saint
John the Theologian, September 26 and May 8
Saint
Philip, November 14
Saint
Bartholomew, June 11 and August 25
Saint
Thomas, October 6
Saint
Matthew the Evangelist, November 16
Saint
James, the Son of Alphaeus, October 9
Saint
Thaddeus or Jude, the Brother of James, June 19
Saint
Simon the Zealot, May 10
Saint
Matthias, August 9
Saint
Paul, June 29
Let us
also mention how each one of these most holy and most beneficial men
in the history of the world ended their earthly life:
Saint
Peter was crucified upside down; Saint
Andrew was crucified; Saint James, the son of Zebedee, was beheaded;
Saint John the Theologian
died in a miraculous manner; Saint
Philip was crucified; Saint Bartholomew was crucified, scrapped, and
beheaded; Saint
Thomas was pierced with five spears; Saint
Matthew the Evangelist was burned alive; Saint
James, the son of Alphaeus, was crucified; Saint Thaddeus or Jude, the
Brother of James, was
crucified; Saint
Simon the Zealot was crucified; Saint
Matthias was stoned and then was beheaded after death; Saint
Paul was beheaded.
Blessed
Peter, the Crown Prince
Peter,
by descent, was a Tartar and the nephew of the Tartar King Berkai. He
heard the words of salvation from Bishop Cyril of Rostov and those
words adhered to his heart. And yet when he witnessed the miraculous
healing of Berkai's son, by the help of Bishop Cyril's prayer, he
secretly left the Golden Horde and fled to Rostov where he was
baptized and where, with all his soul and mind, dedicated himself to
asceticism and the study of the honorable Faith. Once at night, Saints
Peter and Paul appeared to him in a dream on the shores of the lake
and commanded him to build a church in their name on that same place
and along with that, Blessed Peter received from the saints the
necessary amount of money for that purpose. Indeed, Blessed Peter
built a most beautiful church there in which he in old age, following
the death of his wife, was tonsured a monk. Blessed Peter died
peacefully in ripe old age on June 29, 1290 A.D. and his church became
and remains a monastery called the Petrovski Monastery.
Venerable
George, the Iberian (Georgian)
George
was born in Iberia (Georgia) in 1014 A.D. and was a relative of the
Georgian kings. George received a good classical education in his
childhood but his heart drew him to the spiritual life. He lived a
life of asceticism with the famous spiritual father George in the
Black Mountain. He fled to Holy Mount Athos and continued his
asceticism in the monastery Iveron. George became the abbot of Iveron.
With the help of Emperor Constantine Monomachus he restored Iveron and
covered the monastery church with lead. That lead roof remains even
today. He translated the Holy Scriptures, the Prologue and books of
the Divine Services into the Georgian language. King Bagrat invited
him to Georgia to teach the people. George was royally welcomed in his
homeland. He traveled everywhere and taught both the clergy and
people. In his old age, he desired to die on Mt. Athos where he set
out for but death overtook him in Constantinople in the year 1067 A.D.
His relics were translated to Iveron. Even though he died on May 24,
the monks of Iveron commemorate his memory on June 30 considering him
to be as "equal to the apostles."
Reflection
Concern
for the good of all people! That concern filled the exalted spirits
and noble hearts of the holy apostles. Writing about the Apostle Paul,
St. John Chrysostom calls him: "The universal father of the
world." "As though he", says Chrysostom, "gave
birth to the entire world that he anxiously labored and tried to being
all into the Kingdom." Indeed, most exalted is this title:
"Universal father of the world" and if this title could be
attributed to anyone, other than God, it could only be attributed to
the apostles of Christ. By their parental concern for the entire
world, they in truth, were "the universal fathers of the
world." There are many mothers in the world who care less about
their own children then the apostles were concerned about the good of
their persecutors and adversaries. The Apostle Peter twice saved his
most bitter adversary, Simon the Magician, from death: once when the
people wanted to burn him and another time when a dog wanted to tear
him to pieces. Just think, how the world repaid these their
benefactors! As if they were the greatest robbers and criminals. O how
true are the words of St. Cyril who says: "As long as we are in
the body, the same occurs to us Christians as to pagans, the
difference is only in the spirit."
Contemplation
To
contemplate the miraculous repentance of the thief on the Cross:
"But the other one rebuked him: 'Have you no fear of God seeing
you are under the same sentence?' " (St. Luke 23:40):
1. How
the sensible thief in his suffering senses God's closeness, repents
and prays to God for salvation while the suffering of the insensible
thief incites him to blaspheme God;
2. How
because of sin I am a thief and because of sin I should be as that
sensible thief whose suffering does not estrange him from God but
rather draws him closer to God; God and salvation.
Homily
About
the power and the efficacy of good works
"For
such is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence
the ignorance of foolish men" (1 Peter 2:15).
Brethren,
it is difficult to argue with an atheist; it is difficult to talk with
an unreasonable man; it is difficult to convince an embittered man. It
is difficult to convince the atheist, the unreasonable man and the
embittered man with words. You will convince them easier by deeds.
"They may through observing you by reason of your good works
glorify God" (1 Peter 2:12). Do good deeds to those who wish to
argue with you and you will win the argument. One deed of compassion
will bring the unreasonable man to his senses and will pacify the
embittered man quicker than many hours of conversation. If atheism,
unreasonableness and bitterness stem from ignorance, that ignorance is
as a fury, which can quickly be restrained by good works. If you argue
with an atheist in his own rabid manner, you strengthen the fury of
atheism. If you converse with the unreasonable by derision, the
darkness of unreasonableness is increased. If you think you will
overcome the embittered man with anger, you will stir up a greater
fire of bitterness. A meek and good deed is like water over a fire.
Always remember the holy apostles and their successful methods of
behavior with men. If an atheist provokes you, the man does not
provoke you but the devil provokes you: man by nature is religious. If
the unreasonable man scolds you, the man does not scold you but the
devil scolds you: man by nature is reasonable. If the embittered one
persecutes you, then it is not the man who persecutes you but the
devil who persecutes you: for man by nature is good. The devil
provokes you to lengthy arguments and unfruitful conversations and
flees from good deeds. Do good work in the Name of Christ and the
devil will flee and only then will you have dealings with men, with
true men; religious, reasonable and good men. Therefore whatever you
do, do in the Name of the Lord.
O
All-good Lord, help us to do good and by good to conquer in Your Name.
To
the Top
