November
29th
(New Style) November 16th (Old Style)
The
Holy Apostle Matthew the Evangelist
Matthew,
son of Alphaeus, was a tax collector when the Lord saw him in
Capernaum and said: Follow Me. And he arose, and followed Him
(Matthew 9:9). After that, Matthew prepared a reception for the Lord
in his home and thus provided the occasion for the Lord to express
several great truths about His coming to earth. After receiving the
Holy Spirit, Matthew preached the Gospel to the Parthians, Medes and
Ethiopians. In Ethiopia he appointed his follower Plato as bishop, and
withdrew to prayerful solitude on a mountain, where the Lord appeared
to him. Matthew baptized the wife and the son of the prince of
Ethiopia, at which the prince became greatly enraged and dispatched a
guard to bring Matthew to him for trial. The soldiers returned to the
prince saying that they had heard Matthew's voice, but could not see
him with their eyes. The prince then sent a second guard. When this
guard approached the apostle, he shone with a heavenly light so
powerful that the soldiers could not look at him; filled with fear,
they threw down their weapons and returned. The prince then went
himself. Matthew radiated such light that the prince was instantly
blinded. However, the holy apostle had a compassionate heart; he
prayed to God, and the prince was given back his sight. Unfortunately,
he saw only with physical eyes and not spiritual eyes. He arrested
Matthew and subjected him to cruel tortures. Twice, a large fire was
lighted on his chest, but the power of God preserved him alive and
unharmed. Then the apostle prayed to God and gave up his spirit. The
prince commanded that the martyr's body be placed in a lead coffin and
thrown into the sea. The saint appeared to Bishop Plato and told him
where the coffin bearing his body could be found. The bishop retrieved
the coffin with Matthew's body from the sea. Witnessing this new
miracle, the prince was baptized and received the name Matthew. After
that, the prince left all the vanity of the world and became a
presbyter and served the Church in a God-pleasing way. When Plato
died, the Apostle Matthew appeared to the presbyter Matthew and
counseled him to accept the episcopacy. He accepted the bishopric and,
for many years, was a good shepherd until the Lord called him to His
Immortal Kingdom. St. Matthew the Apostle wrote his Gospel in the
Aramaic language. It was soon after translated into Greek and the
Greek text has come down to us, while the Aramaic text has been lost.
It is said of this evangelist that he never ate meat, but only
vegetables and fruit.
The
Venerable Sergius of Malopinega
Sergius
was a Russian parish priest who lived a God-pleasing life and served
for sixty-two years in the province of Vologda. He peacefully entered
into rest in the Lord on November 16, 1585, at the age of ninety-two.
Reflection
Does the
Lord's command about ceaseless prayer that men ought always to pray
(Luke 18:1), apply only to monks or to all Christians in general? If
it applied only to monks, the Apostle Paul would not have written to
the Christians in Thessalonica to pray without ceasing (I
Thessalonians 5:17). The Apostle repeats the Lord's command, word for
word, and issues it to all Christians without distinction, whether
monks or laymen. St. Gregory Palamas lived a life of asceticism for
some time as a young hieromonk in a monastery in Beroea. The elder
Job, a well-known ascetic whom everyone respected, lived in that
monastery. It happened that, in elder Job's presence, St. Gregory
quoted the Apostle's words, asserting that ceaseless prayer is the
obligation of every Christian and not just for monks. However, elder
Job replied that ceaseless prayer is the obligation of the monk only,
and not for every Christian. Gregory, as the younger of the two,
yielded and withdrew in silence. When Job returned to his cell and
stood at prayer, an angel in great heavenly glory appeared to him and
said: ``O Elder, do not doubt the truthfulness of Gregory's words; he
spoke correctly and you should think likewise and pass it on to
others.'' Thus, both the Apostle and the angel confirmed the
commandment that all Christians must pray to God without ceasing.
Not only without ceasing in church, but also without ceasing
in every place and at all times, and especially in your heart. For if
God does not for a moment tire of giving us good things, how can we
tire of thanking Him for these good things? When He thinks of us without
ceasing, why do we not think of Him without ceasing?
Contemplation
Contemplate
the creation of the world (Genesis 1):
1. How on the third day God divided the dry land from the water;
2. How He commanded the earth to bring forth grass and fruit-bearing
trees;
3. How this was according to the Word of God, and it was good.
Homily
On Christ's dwelling in
the hearts of the faithful
that
Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye (may be) rooted and
grounded in love (Ephesians 3:17).
With faith, Christ comes into the heart, and with Christ comes
love. Thus man is rooted and grounded in love. First then, there is
faith; then with faith comes Christ's presence in the heart; then with
Christ's presence, the presence of love; and with love, all ineffable
goodness. In a few words, the Apostle delineates the whole ladder of
perfection. The beginning is faith and the end is love; and faith and
love are joined in a living, undivided unity by the Living Lord Jesus
Christ's presence in the heart. By strengthening faith, we further
abolish the distance between ourselves and the Lord Jesus Christ. The
stronger one's faith, the closer one is to Christ. Ultimately, one's
heart is filled with Christ and cannot be separated from Christ, just
as one's lung cannot be separated from the air. Then a man may, with
tears of joy, communicate with Christ by the prayer of the
heart-``Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner''-and the heart
is imperceptibly filled with light and ardent love. In this way, love
is united with faith and hope; and when they are united, the
boundaries between them are lost, so that man cannot even think of
determining of how far faith goes, and where hope and love begin. When
the living Christ dwells in a man, then he no longer perceives faith,
hope or love in himself, nor does he name them. Instead, he sees only
Christ and names only Him. This is just like a fruit-grower in autumn
who considers the ripe fruit on the tree, and speaks no more of
blossoms and leaves but of fruit, ripe fruit.
O Lord Jesus Christ, supreme height of all our endeavors and the
destination of all our travels, draw near to us and save us.
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November
30th
(New Style) November 17th (Old Style)
Saint
Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea
This man
of God and powerful wonderworker was called a second Moses. Gregory
was born of pagan, but eminent and wealthy, parents. He studied
Hellenic and Egyptian philosophy and became aware of the meagerness
and insufficiency of pagan philosophy. He then turned to Christian
teachers, particularly Origen of Alexandria, with whom he studied for
several years and from whom he received baptism. Pure in body and
soul, he wanted to dedicate himself solely to Christ God, for which
reason he withdrew to the wilderness, where he spent much time in
rigorous asceticism. His fame spread everywhere. Bishop Phaedimus of
Amasea wanted to consecrate him Bishop of Neocaesarea. The clairvoyant
Gregory perceived Phaedimus's intention and hid from the bishop's
emissaries in the wilderness. Finally, Phaedimus consecrated him in a
strange way, and Gregory had to accept the office of bishop. The
Most-holy Theotokos and St. John the Theologian appeared to him in a
vision, and St. John, at the command of the Theotokos, gave him the
Symbol of Faith that is known by Gregory's name. Who can enumerate all
the miracles of this second Moses? He had power over evil spirits, and
over mountains and waters, healed every pain and infirmity, could
become invisible to his persecutors, and clairvoyantly perceived
distant events and men's thoughts. He ended his earthly life in the
year 270, in great old age. When he arrived in Neocaesarea as bishop,
he found only seventeen Christians in that pagan city. When he
departed this life, he left the city Christian, with only seventeen
pagans, and received the wreath of glory from his Lord in the Heavenly
Kingdom.
The
Venerable Nikon of Radonezh
Nikon
was a disciple of St. Sergius of Radonezh, and his successor as abbot.
When barbarians attacked Russia, Nikon prayed to God to remove this
misfortune from the Russian people. Then St. Sergius appeared to him
with St. Peter and St. Alexis (the reposed Metropolitans of Moscow)
and told him not to grieve, for the assault was by God's permission
and was for their good, but would pass and peace would reign once
more. Nikon renovated the Monastery of the Holy Trinity and served as
an example to many of asceticism. He entered into rest on November 17,
1426.
The
Venerable Gennadius of Vatopedi
Gennadius
was a monk of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, and had the obedience of being
steward. During his time as steward an empty barrel was miraculously
filled with oil. This miracle is ascribed to the Most-holy Theotokos,
to whom the monastery is dedicated, and especially to her icon, which
was nearby.
Reflection
Let the
following examples from the Life of St. Gregory show how God guards
and saves the righteous from assaults. While he was still at the
school of philosophy in Alexandria, St. Gregory preserved the purity
of his soul and his body, as he preserved it to the end of his life.
In this, he was an exception among the dissolute youth of that time.
This evoked envy and hatred among his companions. In order to debase
Gregory, they found a harlot to help them carry out an evil plan.
Once, when Gregory was standing in the square with eminent teachers
and philosophers, the foul woman approached him and loudly demanded
that Gregory pay her the remainder due for impure relations with her.
Some of the people present were scandalized, while others were angry
at this shameless woman and began to chase her away; but she shouted
even louder, demanding money. The innocent Gregory blushed, as any
decent man would before such coarse slander, but he displayed neither
anger nor hatred, and asked a friend to give her the amount that she
sought so she would leave. The friend heeded Gregory, and gave her the
money she wanted. But at that moment God let an evil spirit enter the
woman and she fell to the ground and began writhing and convulsing,
gnashing her teeth, and foaming at the mouth. Seeing this, everyone
was terrified. But St. Gregory, innocent as a lamb, prayed to God for
her, and the woman was healed and arose. Thus, instead of humiliation,
Gregory acquired even greater glory.
Another example: When a bitter persecution of Christians took place,
St. Gregory counseled Christians to hide, and he and his deacon hid on
a hill. But the imperial soldiers caught sight of them and pursued
them. When they were almost upon them, Gregory prayed to God for help,
and God rendered them invisible to their pursuers. The soldiers
searched for them in vain, and finally left without them.
Contemplation
Contemplate
the creation of the world (Genesis 1):
1. How God created the greater and lesser lights on the fourth day;
2. How He created the sun to shine during the day, and the moon and
the stars to shine at night.
Homily
On the breadth, length,
depth and height
That
ye
may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the
breadth and length and depth and height (Ephesians 3:17-18).
Behold the fruits of faith and love! Behold the royal gifts that
Christ the King confers when He dwells in a man's heart: the
understanding of salvific mysteries and the understanding of all that
is important to a man's life. This understanding is not personal or
exceptional, and it is not individual or novel. It is in accordance
with the understanding of the saints-for who are the saints, if not
those that are rich in faith and love? They were given the
understanding of the mysteries of God because of their faith and love.
Therefore, test your understanding against their understanding, and if
you see a difference, know that it is you who are not in the right.
If, however, your understanding is in accordance with theirs, you have
attained the measure of their faith and love, and that means that
Christ dwells in your heart.
If that is so, then you will comprehend the breadth of God's love, by
which He embraced both Jews and pagans in the plan of salvation, and
the length of God's providence by which, from time immemorial, He
prepared and developed the plan of salvation through the Law, the
Prophets and many miracles. You will also comprehend the depth of the
humility of Christ, by which He personally descended into hades to
save the souls of the righteous, and the height of the glory of
Christ, which He received as a man after the completion of His saving
work on earth. Breadth and length and depth and height stand like
Christ's Cross: embracing all, explaining all, inviting all, showing
mercy to all, and exalting all.
O Lord Jesus Christ, our gracious Lord, have mercy on us and save us.
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December
1st
(New Style) November 18th (Old Style)
The
Holy Martyr Plato
Plato
was from the town of Ancyra in Galatia. He was a Christian by birth
and upbringing. While in his youth, he showed great perfection in
every virtue. Plato did not conceal his faith in Christ the Lord, but
preached it openly, denouncing idolaters because of their worshiping
lifeless objects in place of the Living Creator. For this, he was
brought to trial before Governor Agrippinus, and was interrogated and
harshly tortured by him. When the governor counseled him to avoid
death and save his life by worshiping the idols, Plato said: ``There
are two deaths, the one temporal and the other eternal; so also are
there two lives, one of short duration and the other without end.''
Then Agrippinus subjected him to even harsher tortures. Among other
tortures, red-hot cannon balls were set on the saint's naked body;
then they cut strips from his skin. ``Torture me more harshly,'' the
martyr cried out to the torturers, ``so that your inhumanity and my
endurance may be seen more clearly.'' When the torturer reminded the
martyr that his namesake, Plato the philosopher, was a pagan, the
martyr replied: ``I am not like Plato, nor is Plato like me except in
name. I learn and teach the wisdom of Christ, but Plato was a teacher
of wisdom that is foolishness to God.'' After that, Plato was thrown
into prison, where he remained for eighteen days without food and
water. When the guards were amazed that Plato was able to live in
hunger for so long, he told them: ``You are satisfied by meat, but I,
by holy prayers. Wine gladdens you, but Christ the True Vine gladdens
me.'' Plato was beheaded in about the year 266 and received his wreath
of eternal glory.
The
Holy Martyrs Romanus and Barulas
St.
Romanus was a deacon of the church in Caesarea and zealously preached
the Gospel in Antioch. One day, there was an idolatrous feast. The
Eparch of Antioch, Asclypiades, went to enter a pagan temple to offer
sacrifices, but Romanus stood in the way and said: ``You sin, O
Governor, when you go to the idols. The idols are not gods-Christ is
the only true God.'' The enraged eparch subjected Romanus to tortures
and had him flogged and scraped without mercy. During this, St.
Romanus saw a child by the name of Barulas, and said to Asclypiades:
``Even this small child has more understanding than you, old man, for
he knows the true God and you do not.'' The eparch questioned Barulas
about his faith, and he confessed Christ the Lord as the One True God,
contrary to false idolatry. Asclypiades commanded that young Barulas
be beheaded, and St. Romanus be strangled in prison. Thus, both of
these martyrs inherited the Kingdom of Christ in the year 303.
Reflection
But
whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other
also (Matthew 5:39), commanded the Lord. This is the shortest and
clearest teaching on humility. The evil demons fear nothing so much as
a humble man fulfilling the Lord's commandments. There was a rich
nobleman in Alexandria who had a young daughter into whom an evil
spirit had entered, and the daughter had gone insane. Someone told the
despairing father that none could heal his daughter except the monks
who lived in the wilderness and came to Alexandria from time to time
to sell baskets, their handiwork; but none of the monks would enter
the rich nobleman's house if he told them why he was inviting them. It
would be better for him to purchase baskets from the monks, then ask
them to come to his house for payment. Then, when they entered the
house, he could implore them to pray to God for all the members of the
household, and thus obtain God's help to cure the maiden. The father
obeyed and went to the marketplace on a certain day and met one of St.
Macarius's disciples as he was selling baskets. The man agreed to buy
the baskets, and invited the monk to his home to pay him. When the
monk entered the home, the possessed daughter leaped at the monk and
vigorously struck him on one cheek with her hand. The monk silently
turned the other cheek. The evil spirit cried out in anguish and
departed from the girl, and she became completely calm and rational.
When the monk returned to the wilderness, he told the elders what had
happened and they all glorified God, that He had given so much power
to those who fulfill His commandments.
Contemplation
Contemplate
the wondrous creation of the world (Genesis 1):
1. How, on the fifth day, God created the living things that live in
the waters and the fowls of the air;
2. How God blessed them and said: Be fruitful and multiply.
Homily
On love that surpasses
knowledge
to
know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge (Ephesians 3:19).
The love that surpasses knowledge, that exceeds our understanding,
is the love of Christ. No one can have even an inkling of the quality
or the greatness of this love until Christ enters into him. Can anyone
who has never tasted honey have any idea of its taste? Only when
Christ enters into the heart of man by faith, does man know the
inexpressible taste of the love of Christ-its sweet and intoxicating
fragrance and incomparable comprehensiveness. Just as a man who has
Christ in his heart touches the breadth, length, depth and height of
the knowledge of divine wisdom, so this man with Christ in his heart
also touches the limitless open seas of the divine love of Christ. O
my brethren, how feeble are words when one needs to speak of the love
of Christ-words are never weaker than in this situation. Indeed, what
can one say before such astounding proofs of His love? He created us
out of love, He was incarnate out of love, and out of love He accepted
mockery and death for our sake. He opened the heavens for us out of
love, and He revealed to us the immortal glory prepared for us! Even
all this is only a part of the inexhaustible wealth, glory, beauty and
life-creating sustenance that is the love of Christ. Oh, if only we
too would be made worthy by faith, so that the Lord Jesus would enter
our hearts, and that we would taste of His ineffable love!
O Lord Jesus Christ, our Life, our Wisdom and our Love, cleanse us and
enter into us.
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December
2nd
(New Style) November 19th (Old Style)
The
Holy Prophet Obadiah
Obadiah
was born in the village of Betharam in the region of Shechem. He lived
at the court of King Ahab, but when the king turned away from true
worship and bowed down to idols, Obadiah did not follow the king, but
continued to serve the one, true God. When the evil Queen Jezebel, in
her hatred of Elias, raised a persecution against all the prophets of
God, Obadiah gathered a hundred of them, hid them in two caves, and
fed them to the end of the persecution (I Kings 18:4). A contemporary
of the great Prophet Elias, Obadiah revered him greatly and served him
in all things, as his follower and disciple. He lived nine hundred
years before Christ and entered peacefully into rest.
The
Holy Martyr Barlaam
Barlaam
was born in Antioch. Because of his faith in Christ the Lord, the
impious judge tortured him harshly. Finally, the judge decided to mock
him by forcing him to offer sacrifice to the idols. For this he took
him to the pagan temple and set a burning coal on his palm and incense
on the coal. The judge thought that the pain would cause the martyr to
shake the coal and incense off his hand before the idols, and thus
involuntarily cense them. However, the soldier of Christ heroically
held the burning coal on his palm with no thought of casting it before
the idols, until his fingers were burned through and fell off and his
palm was completely burnt. St. Basil the Great said: ``He had a right
hand more powerful than fire: although the coal burned his hand, his
hand still held the fire as if it were ash.'' Chrysostom writes: ``The
angels looked from the heights. The archangels beheld-the scene was
majestic, in truth transcending human nature. Behold, who would not
wish to see a man who made such an ascetic endeavor, yet did not feel
that which is characteristic of men to feel; a man who was himself
both the altar of oblation and the sacrifice and the priest?'' When
his hand burned off, elder Barlaam's whole body fell to the ground
dead and his soul went to the eternal rest of our Lord the Savior.
This glorious, heroic elder suffered in the year 304.
The
Venerable Barlaam and Ioasaph the Heir
Barlaam
and Ioasaph were Indian ascetics. Ioasaph was son and heir to King
Abenner. By God's providence, elder Barlaam visited him, taught him
the Christian Faith and baptized him. After that, the elder withdrew
to a mountain to live a life of asceticism, but Ioasaph remained to
struggle with many temptations in the world, and by God's grace, to
overcome them. Ioasaph finally succeeded in bringing his father to
Christ. After he was baptized, King Abenner lived four years in deep
repentance-for he had committed grave sins in persecuting
Christians-and then ended his earthly existence and went to the better
life. The young Ioasaph turned over the rule of the kingdom to his
friend Barachias, and entered the wilderness to live a life of
asceticism for the sake of Christ. His one desire on earth was to see
his spiritual father, elder Barlaam, once again. The merciful God
fulfilled his desire, and one day Ioasaph stood before Barlaam's cave
and cried out: ``Bless me, father!'' Elder Barlaam labored in
asceticism in the wilderness for seventy years and lived one hundred
years in all. St. Ioasaph himself left his kingdom at the age of
twenty-five, and went into the wilderness where he lived for
thirty-five years. They both had great love for the Lord Jesus,
brought many to the true Faith and entered into the eternal joy of
their Lord.
The
Holy Martyr Heliodorus
Heliodorus
was from the town of Maggido in Pamphylia and suffered for the
Christian Faith in the time of Emperor Aurelian. During his harsh
tortures, he heard a voice from heaven: ``Be not afraid, I am with
thee!'' Thrown into a glowing-hot brazen ox, he fervently prayed to
God and God saved him. All at once, the glowing ox cooled, and
Heliodorus emerged alive. The judge cried out to him that he had
performed some magic. To this, the martyr replied: ``My magic is
Christ!'' He was beheaded and went to the Lord.
Reflection
A tale
of the Elder Barlaam to Ioasaph: A man was fleeing from a terrifying
unicorn. Fleeing thus, he fell into a pit, but grabbed hold of a tree.
Just when he thought that he was out of danger, he looked down below
the tree and saw two mice, one black and one white, gnawing
alternately but continuously at the roots of the tree, so as to gnaw
through and bring the tree crashing down. Looking down even further,
he saw a huge, terrifying serpent which, with its jaws wide open, was
waiting to devour the man when the tree would fall down. He then saw
four smaller poisonous snakes around his feet. Looking upward, the man
saw a little bit of honey on a branch, and forgetting all the danger
that surrounded him, extended his hand to reach that little bit of
sweetness in the tree. The interpretation is this: The unicorn
represents death, which from Adam to now pursues every man to kill
him; the pit filled with all sorts of dangers is this world; the tree
is the path of our life; the white and black mice are days and nights,
that continue one after the other to shorten our life; the huge and
horrible snake is hell; the four poisonous snakes are the four
elements from which the body of man is composed; the little bit of
honey on the branch of the tree is the little sweetness that this life
offers to man. Oh, if only men would not be captivated by that
inconsequential sweetness, forgetting the terrible dangers that
surround them and draw them down to eternal ruin!
Contemplation
Contemplate
the wondrous creation of the world (Genesis 1):
1. How on the sixth day God created the cattle and the small creatures
and the wild beasts after their own kind;
2. How God saw that it was good.
Homily
On glorifying God
because of Christ the Lord
Unto
Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world
without end. Amen (Ephesians 3:21).
Glory be to God! Glory be to God in the Church! Glory be to Him
because of Christ Jesus! Glory be to Him throughout all generations!
Glory be to Him unto ages of ages! No one befits being glorified as
does God, nor does anyone glorify God as does the Church of God.
Christ is the revealer of God: hence, all the glory given to God must
go through Christ the Lord. The Church will endure beyond all races
and generations to the end of time; the Church is the most pure body
of Christ, filled with might, wisdom and miracle-working; and hence
the glory of God is proclaimed from the Church: from the holy place to
the Holy One, from purity to the Pure One. Glorification from the
Church is most pleasing to God also, because there are many souls and
voices in the Church, but they are all of one accord and of one voice.
Therefore, let no one separate himself from the common glorification
of God, and let no one even think that his own glorification of God in
isolation and separation is better than the glorification of God in
the unity and fullness of all the faithful. It is not true that one
member is lost in the multitude, that his voice is not heard before
God. Does not the hand do its work only when it is inseparably bound
to the body? And so it is with each member of the body, just as it is
with each of the faithful. When he prays in and with the Church (and
even if he is in the desert he can pray in and with the Church), not
separating himself from the Church, he is better heard and seen by
God. His soul finds a much repeated echo in the souls of the other
faithful, and so he is greatly distinguished and recognized in his
prayer within the unity of the body of the Church rather than outside
of it.
O Lord Jesus, only from Thee, in Thee, and through Thee can we glorify
God.
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December
3rd
(New Style) November 20th (Old Style)
The
Venerable Gregory of Decapolis
Gregory
was born in Isaurian Decapolis of prominent and devout parents,
Sergius and Mary. After he had completed his schooling, his parents
desired that he marry, but he fled to the wilderness and was tonsured
a monk. He lived in various places: Byzantium, Rome and on Mount
Olympus. Wherever he was, he amazed men by his asceticism and
miracles. At times a heavenly light illumined him and angels of God
appeared to him. He gazed upon the beauty of the angels and listened
to their sweet chanting. He lived a long and God-pleasing life and
died peacefully in the ninth century in Constantinople, his soul
taking up its abode in the joy of his Lord.
Saint
Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople
Proclus
was a disciple of St. John Chrysostom. In the year 426 he was
consecrated Bishop of Cyzicus, and in 435 was chosen Patriarch of
Constantinople. He governed the Church of God as a prudent hierarch.
During his tenure, two significant events occurred. The first was the
translation of the relics of St. John Chrysostom from Comana to
Constantinople, at the desire of both the emperor and the patriarch.
Emperor Theodosius the Younger was then reigning with his sister,
Pulcheria. The second event was the great earthquake in Constantinople
and the surrounding countryside. Many of the largest and most
beautiful buildings were destroyed by this terrible earthquake. Then
the patriarch, with the emperor, many of the clergy, nobles and
people, came out in a procession of supplication. As they were praying
to God, a child was miraculously lifted high in the air, until he was
out of sight. Then he returned and was lowered gently to the ground.
Asked where he had been, the child replied that he had been lifted up
to heaven among the angels and that he had heard the angels sing:
``Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us!'' Upon
hearing this, all the people in the procession began to sing it and
the earthquake ceased immediately. From that time on, this beautiful
hymn was adopted by the Church. The child soon reposed, and was
interred in the Church of St. Irene. In all, St. Proclus served as a
hierarch for twenty years and reposed peacefully in the Lord in the
year 446.
The
Holy Martyrs Eustathius, Thespesius and Anatolius
Eustathius,
Thespesius and Anatolius were blood brothers from Nicomedia. Their
parents, Philotheus and Eusebia, were pagans who received the true
Faith from St. Anthimus, Bishop of Nicomedia, as did their sons.
Philotheus was ordained a presbyter. When he and his wife reposed, a
terrible persecution of Christians was perpetrated under the evil
Emperor Maximian, and Philotheus's three sons were brought to trial.
Accused, interrogated and tortured in various ways, they were finally
condemned to death. Angels appeared to them many times in prison and
gave them manna to eat, filling their young hearts with strength,
courage and endurance. When they were led to the place of execution,
two friends, Palladius and Acacius, approached them and spoke with
them. While they were still speaking, the holy martyrs gave up their
souls to God. The soldiers then severed their lifeless heads and took
them to show to the judge. They suffered for Christ the Lord in about
the year 313, and took up their habitation in the Immortal Kingdom of
Christ.
Saint
Isaac, Archbishop of Armenia
Isaac
was born in Constantinople when his father was an envoy of the
Armenian king to the Byzantine court. Isaac was the tenth Archbishop
of Armenia, and in that calling, governed the Church for fifty years.
His episcopacy was distinguished, among other things, by the
translation of the Holy Scriptures into the Armenian language. He was
told in a vision that the Armenians would eventually fall away from
the pure Faith of Orthodoxy. This eminent hierarch entered peacefully
into rest in the year 440 and reposed in the Lord.
The
Three Holy Virgins
All
three were Persians. At the time of King Sapor, these three virgins
were persecuted as Christians, and were finally cut to pieces with
knives. Three fig trees grew out of their graves that healed all
manner of pains and illnesses.
Reflection
No
mortal has interpreted the Epistles of the Apostle Paul with greater
love and depth than St. John Chrysostom. Had St. Paul himself
interpreted them, he could not have interpreted them better. Behold,
history tells us that it was Paul himself who interpreted them through
the mind and the pen of Chrysostom. When St. Proclus was a novice
under Chrysostom, during the time that he was patriarch, it was his
duty to announce visitors. A certain nobleman was slandered before
Emperor Arcadius and the emperor had expelled him from the court. This
nobleman came to implore Chrysostom to intercede with the emperor on
his behalf. Proclus went to announce him to the patriarch but, looking
through the partly opened door, saw a man bent over the patriarch,
whispering something in his ear while the patriarch wrote. This
continued until dawn. Meanwhile, Proclus told the nobleman to come
back the next evening, while he himself remained in amazement,
wondering who the man with the patriarch was, and how he managed to
enter the patriarch's chamber unannounced. The second night the same
thing happened again, and Proclus was in still greater amazement. The
third night the same thing happened again, and Proclus was in the
greatest amazement. When Chrysostom asked him if the nobleman had come
by, he replied that he had already been waiting for three nights, but
that he couldn't announce him because of the elderly, balding stranger
who had been whispering in the patriarch's ear for three nights. The
astonished Chrysostom said that he did not remember anyone entering to
see him during the previous three nights. He asked his novice what the
stranger looked like, and Proclus pointed to the icon of the Holy
Apostle Paul, saying that the man was like him. Therefore, it was the
Apostle Paul himself who was directing the mind and pen of his
greatest interpreter.
Contemplation
Contemplate
the wondrous creation of the world (Genesis 1):
1. How the Holy Trinity took counsel together about the creation of
man;
2. How God created man in His own image.
Homily
On behavior in
accordance with one's calling
that
ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all
lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering (Ephesians 4:1-2).
Be not proud, be not angry, be not faint-hearted; for these are
unworthy of a Christian calling. This calling is so elevated and
wonderful that it is difficult for a man to safeguard himself from
pride; yet it is difficult to keep oneself above faint-heartedness
when dangers and losses occur. Against these three unhealthy states,
the Apostle emphasizes three healthy states: against pride, lowliness;
against anger, meekness; against faint-heartedness, longsuffering. It
must be said that these three virtues-lowliness, meekness and
longsuffering-do not express in full measure the loftiness of the
Christian calling. But then, nothing in this world can fully express
the height of the Christian calling. The preciousness and richness of
this calling cannot be seen here on earth: it is like a closed chest
that a man carries through this world, but only opens it and avails
himself of its riches in the other world. Only someone who could raise
himself to the highest heavens and see Christ the Lord in glory with
the angels and the saints could assess the loftiness of the Christian
calling; for there is the victorious assembly of all God's chosen ones
from earth who were made worthy of this exceedingly high honor.
O Lord Jesus Christ our God, Thy name is the name most dear to us.
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December
4th
(New Style) November 21st (Old Style)
The
Entry into the Temple of the Most-holy Theotokos
When the
Most-holy Virgin Mary reached the age of three, her holy parents
Joachim and Anna took her from Nazareth to Jerusalem to dedicate her
to the service of God according to their earlier promise. It was a
three-day journey from Nazareth to Jerusalem but, traveling to do a
God-pleasing work, this journey was not difficult for them. Many
kinsmen of Joachim and Anna gathered in Jerusalem to take part in this
event, at which the invisible angels of God were also present. Leading
the procession into the Temple were virgins with lighted tapers in
their hands, then the Most-holy Virgin, led on one side by her father
and on the other side by her mother. The virgin was clad in vesture of
royal magnificence and adornments as was befitting the ``King's
daughter, the Bride of God'' (Psalm 45:13-15). Following them were
many kinsmen and friends, all with lighted tapers. Fifteen steps led
up to the Temple. Joachim and Anna lifted the Virgin onto the first
step, then she ran quickly to the top herself, where she was met by
the High Priest Zacharias, who was to be the father of St. John the
Forerunner. Taking her by the hand, he led her not only into the
Temple, but into the ``Holy of Holies,'' the holiest of holy places,
into which no one but the high priest ever entered, and only once each
year, at that. St. Theophylact of Ohrid says that Zacharias ``was
outside himself and possessed by God'' when he led the Virgin into the
holiest place in the Temple, beyond the second curtain-otherwise, his
action could not be explained. Mary's parents then offered sacrifice
to God according to the Law, received the priest's blessing and
returned home. The Most-holy Virgin remained in the Temple and dwelt
there for nine full years. While her parents were alive, they visited
her often, especially Righteous Anna. When God called her parents from
this world, the Most-holy Virgin was left an orphan and did not wish
to leave the Temple until death or to enter into marriage. As that
would have been against the Law and custom of Israel, she was given to
St. Joseph, her kinsman in Nazareth, after reaching the age of twelve.
Under the acceptable role of one betrothed, she could live in
virginity and thus fulfill her desire and formally satisfy the Law,
for it was then unknown in Israel for maidens to vow virginity to the
end of their lives. The Most-holy Virgin Mary was the first of such
life-vowed virgins, of the thousands and thousands of virgin men and
women who would follow her in the Church of Christ.
Reflection
Submit
yourself to the will of God and do not pry too closely into God's
judgments, for you can lose your mind. The judgments of God are
innumerable and unfathomable. A monk in the wilderness, imagining that
he had attained perfection, prayed to God that He would reveal to him
His various judgments in the lives of men. God put the thought in his
mind to go to a distant place to inquire of a spiritual elder
concerning this. However, while the monk was on his way, an angel of
God in the form of an ordinary man joined him, saying that he too
wanted to go to that elder. Thus traveling together, they came upon
the house of a God-fearing man, who treated them well, giving them to
eat from a silver platter. When they had eaten, the angel took the
platter and threw it into the sea. The monk found this both amazing
and unjust, but he remained silent. The second day they came upon the
house of another hospitable man who cordially received and treated
them as kinsmen. Before leaving, that man brought out his only son for
the travelers to bless. The angel of God then took the child by the
throat and strangled him. The monk was greatly angered and asked the
angel who he was, and why he had committed such misdeeds. The angel
meekly replied to him: ``The first man was pleasing to God in all
things and had nothing in his house that was attained by injustice
except that silver platter. By God's judgment, I threw that stolen
platter away, so that the man would be righteous before God in all
things. The other man was pleasing to God and had nothing in his house
that would bring down the wrath of God except his son, who-had he
matured-would have become a great criminal and a demonic vessel.
Therefore, by God's judgment, I strangled that child in time to save
his soul, for the sake of his father's goodness, and to save the
father from many miseries. Behold, such are the mysteries and the
unfathomable judgments of God. And you, elder, should return to your
cell and not strive vainly by inquiring into that which is in the
authority of the One God.''
Contemplation
Contemplate
the wondrous creation of the world (Genesis 2):
1. How God created man from the dust of the earth;
2. How He breathed the spirit of life into his nostrils;
3. How man became a living soul.
Homily
On the faithful as one
body and one spirit
There
is one body and one spirit (Ephesians 4:4).
The Holy Apostle counsels the faithful to strive to be one body
and one spirit. By one body is understood ``one Faith,''
without divisions, without heresies and without self-will: the whole
Church is one body of which Christ is the Head. By one
spirit is understood ``love,'' the ardent love of all the faithful
for Christ, from which proceeds mutual love. The many become as one;
many men become as one man. This is the miracle of the Christian Faith
and Christian love. There is no power in the world which can be a
stronger bond among men: not the same blood, or the same language, or
the same hearth, or the same parents, or any type of common material
interests. None of these is even nearly as powerful a bond as
Christian faith and love. By this powerful, irresistible bond, all the
members of the Church are bound to each other. The Church of God
stands as one man, in time and in eternity-one body and one spirit.
There is nothing more contradictory to this wondrous unity than the
pride of individual men. Pride distorts faith, cools love, creates
heresies, divides the Church, and sacrifices the good of the whole for
individual satisfaction. Pride, in essence, is the absence of both
faith and love. Brethren, may God save us from pride, the primal
infirmity of the human race, that we may always be one body and one
spirit in our Lord Jesus Christ.
To Thee, O Lord Jesus; to Thee, the Head of the Church, be glory and
praise forever. Amen.
December
5th
(New Style) November 22nd (Old Style)
The
Holy Martyr Cecilia
Cecilia
was born in Rome of wealthy and eminent parents. She had great faith
in Christ the Lord and a great zeal for the Faith. Vowing life-long
virginity to God, St. Cecilia wore a coarse hair shirt beneath the
costly raiment that her parents gave her. When her parents coerced her
into marriage with Valerian, a pagan, Cecilia counseled her bridegroom
on their wedding night to go to Bishop Urban to be baptized, and then
live in chastity. Accepting the Christian Faith, Valerian also
converted his brother Tiburtius. Soon after, both brothers were
condemned to death for their faith. But their faithfulness did not
falter, even in the face of death. Led to the place of execution,
these wonderful brothers also succeeded in converting the captain of
the guard, Maximus, to the Faith. Then all three suffered together for
Christ the Lord. St. Cecilia buried their bodies together. Cecilia was
then brought to trial, for she tirelessly won pagans over to the
Christian Faith. In only one evening, she won over four hundred souls.
When the judge asked her from whence such boldness came, she answered:
``From a pure conscience and undoubting faith.'' After cruel torture,
Cecilia was condemned to beheading. The executioner struck her three
times on the neck with the sword, but he was unable to kill her. She
was only wounded, and blood flowed from her wounds, which the faithful
collected in handkerchiefs, sponges and bowls for the sake of healing.
Three days after this, the martyr and virgin of Christ gave her soul
to her Lord, with Whom she eternally rejoices. St. Cecilia suffered
with the others in about the year 230. Her relics lie in Rome, in the
church dedicated to her. In the Western Church, St. Cecilia is
regarded as the patroness of church singing and music.
Saint
Callistus, Patriarch of Constantinople
Callistus
is called ``Xanthopoulos'' after the cell of that name on Mount Athos,
where he lived for a long time in asceticism with his companion,
Ignatius. With this same Ignatius, St. Callistus wrote in one hundred
chapters of his personal experience of a life of stillness. This work
occupies a very prominent place in ascetical literature. Callistus was
greatly influenced by his teacher, St. Gregory of Sinai, and wrote his
Life. Having become Patriarch of Constantinople, St. Callistus became
ill and reposed while on a journey to Serbia. Before he undertook his
journey this was prophesied to him by St. Maximus of Kapsokalyvia of
the Holy Mountain.
The
Holy Martyr Menignus
Menignus
was born on the Hellespont. He worked as a linen-bleacher, for which
he was called ``the Fuller.'' At the time of Emperor Decius, he tore
up the imperial decree declaring a persecution of Christians. For
this, he was thrown into prison, where the Lord Himself appeared to
him and encouraged him, saying: ``Be not afraid, I am with thee.'' At
that moment his chains melted like wax, the prison opened of itself,
and he went out. He was arrested again and tried. They tortured him
inhumanly, severing his fingers and toes and beheading him. At night,
his severed head glowed like a lamp.
The
Holy Righteous Michael the Soldier
Michael
was a Bulgarian by birth. With his companions, he fought in the Greek
army against the Hagarenes and Ethiopians, where he displayed
marvelous fearlessness. He killed a terrible serpent and freed a
maiden. Soon afterward, this righteous man took up his abode in
eternal life. He lived and reposed in the ninth century. He was first
buried somewhere in Thrace, but Emperor Kalo-John translated his
relics to Trnovo in 1206.
Reflection
Every
effort of learning is in vain without the effort of attaining purity
of faith and life. The heavenly world is revealed not to the learned
but to the pure. When St. Cecilia was led to the bridal chamber with
her bridegroom Valerian on the first night, she said him: ``I want to
tell you a mystery: standing here is an angel of God, the guardian of
my virginity, whom you do not see. He stands ready to protect me, his
handmaid, from assault. If you only touch me, he will kill you.''
Valerian begged Cecilia to show him the angel, so that he could see
it, too. The virgin replied: ``You are a man who knows not the true
God. You cannot see the angel of God until you cleanse yourself of the
foulness of your unbelief.'' When Valerian was baptized, he saw the
angel in great light and ineffable beauty. So, too, when Valerian's
brother Tiburtius changed his life from impurity to purity in baptism,
he saw holy angels and spoke with them. Maximus their fellow sufferer
as well, when the two brothers were beheaded, vowed with a great oath
before the executioners and the people, saying: ``I see angels of God
shining like the sun, taking the souls of these martyrs from their
bodies like beautiful virgins from the bridal chamber, and leading
them to heaven with great glory.'' But that which he saw, none of the
impure unbelievers were able to see.
Contemplation
Contemplate
the wondrous creation of the world (Genesis 2):
1. How God planted a paradisal garden in Eden and placed man there;
2. How God made trees in Paradise, beautiful to look at and good for
food;
3. How God brought all the animals before man and he named them.
Homily
On that which
constitutes the unity of the faithful
One
Lord, one Faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all (Ephesians
4:5-6).
Here is the all-important and extremely obvious reason for all
Christians to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
(Ephesians 4:3) and be one body and one spirit (Ephesians 4:4).
For the One Lord Jesus Christ is our Creator, Redeemer and Resurrector.
There are not two true Christs, that there should be division among
us. One and the same blood was shed upon the Cross for us all, just as
one and the same mouth prayed for us all in Gethsemane. We have one
Faith in the Holy Trinity, undivided and life-creating-the Father, Son
and Holy Spirit, one in Essence and three in Persons-the Unbegotten
Father, the Begotten Son and the Spirit proceeding from the Father. We
have one Baptism in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit. This Baptism is by threefold immersion in water, for death to
sin and the devil, and for the resurrection and life in Christ the
Lord. One God and Father of all-the Father of the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God, Who through Christ and because
of Christ adopts us and gives us the right to say to Him, Our
Father.
Do you see, my brethren, how strong are the bonds that unite us? Not
even the stars themselves are bound by stronger bonds, nor the water
to the earth, nor fire to the air. Do you see the overwhelming reasons
that we have for unity? Everything else that, from the left hand,
would urge us to division is inconsequential compared to these
reasons, like a grain of sand compared to the high mountains. The
devil cannot destroy our unity if we do not help him. The devil can
never conquer us if we do not surrender ourselves to him.
O Lord Jesus, sweet and gracious, how firmly Thou hast bound us for
eternal good! Keep us, we pray, in this bond.
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