Saint Amphilochios of Iconium in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint Amphilochios, having passed through every ecclesiastical rank from a young age, and shining with asceticism and divine knowledge, by the vote of the people he was appointed Bishop of the city of Iconium, in the times of the emperors Valentinian and Valens, while his life was prolonged until the reign of Theodosius the Great and his sons. He, because he became a teacher of the Orthodox faith and strongly opposed the heretical error of Arius, endured many persecutions and sorrows from the impious, becoming a co-struggler with the blessed Fathers against the blasphemy of Eunomius. Amphilochios was one of the one hundred and fifty Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Synod (381 AD) and fought hard against the pneumatomachos Macedonius and the disciples of Arius. After the reign of Theodosius the Great had prevailed and he had handed over all the power of the West to Valentinian the Younger, and after Theodosius had returned victorious after having destroyed the tyrant Maximus, the great Amphilochios came to him and urged him to drive out the Arians and give the churches back to the Orthodox. But since the emperor did nothing, the wonderful man devised the following scheme: He went to the palace and greeted Emperor Theodosius, but did not greet his son Arcadius, disdaining him. The Emperor, resentful of this incident, considered the dishonor that Amphilochios had shown to his son to be an insult directed at himself. He then very wisely revealed the purpose of his action and said: "Do you see, O Emperor, how you do not suffer the dishonor of your child, but are resentful? Believe, then, that in a similar way God also abhors and hates those who blaspheme the Son of God." Then the Emperor understood and wrote laws that forbade the associations of heretics. This fearless man, after shepherding the flock of Christ for many years and composing Orthodox discourses, reached a deep old age and rested in peace.

Homily Four for the Entrance of the Theotokos (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Four for the Entrance of the Theotokos 

By St. John of Kronstadt

"The angels, beholding the Entrance of the Most Pure One, were amazed: 
how the Virgin entered the Holy of Holies." (9th Ode of the Canon)

Today, beloved brothers and sisters, we celebrate two feasts: the Resurrection of Christ and the Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple; one is a weekly feast, the other an annual feast; one is the Lord's feast, the other is the Theotokos's feast. The subject of our discourse will be the Theotokos's feast.

In remembering the sacred event which the Holy Church now solemnly celebrates, our entire being should be filled with joy and awe. For what do we remember and celebrate today? The Entrance of the three-year-old Maiden, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, into the Temple of God, so that in the Holy of Holies she might be nurtured for the Lord, that is, prepared to be the dwelling place of God. O unspeakable joy! For the Lord Himself desires, through the youthful Maiden, pre-purified by the Spirit, to enter into the closest union with mankind and to pour out upon them His immeasurably great blessings, which surpass all understanding: to enrich human poverty with Divinity, to clothe our nakedness, to make the ugly beautiful, to purify the impure, to enlighten the darkened, to renew the corruptible, to strengthen the weak. But joy is involuntarily combined with awe. For the God, Who is without beginning, great, unapproachable, and terrifying even to the angels, enters into the closest communion with frail human nature; the Most Holy One with sinners, even those cleansed by repentance. Thus, let us meet the Lord, coming to unite with our frail nature, let us meet Him with joy and trembling — with joy because of the greatness of God's blessings, with trembling because of our sins.

Homily Two on the Ninth Sunday of Luke (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Two on the Ninth Sunday of Luke  
(26th Sunday After Pentecost)

On the Foolish Rich Man
Luke 12:16–21

By St. John of Kronstadt  

 

Today we read the Gospel of Saint Luke about the foolish, selfish rich man who collected only for himself and did not share his wealth with those in need (Luke 12:16–21). This is a parable; therefore, its meaning is obviously much broader than it seems at first glance. By a rich man we must understand people of every rank, title, and condition, endowed by God with every good and material prosperity, and not only landowners and people of taxable status. Likewise, by a good harvest of the field we must understand not only natural, plant products, that is, wheat, rye, and the like, but all material prosperity: a rich inheritance, a large salary received from the state treasury, rich income provided by some place or position, direct or indirect, overt or secret - good, profitable trade, a good income from renting out houses, a profitable craft, and so on. Thus, this parable, like a net, catches very many and, in a word, all those who have good means of living. 

Prologue in Sermons: November 23

Ambivalent Attitude Toward the Admonitions Sent From God

November 23

(The Narrative of a Certain Young Man's Vision, Extremely Useful)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

In the lives of Christians, to lead them to repentance, the Lord God is pleased to sometimes manifest certain special acts of His Providence. Thus, some are granted extraordinary visions and revelations for their own enlightenment; others often see various unusual events and circumstances in their lives in which the punishing and merciful hand of God is clearly revealed. These inscrutable ways of God's Providence can be viewed in two ways; the following example will illustrate how.

A Short and Reverent Memorial to the Venerable Iakovos Tsalikes (1920-1991)

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

The blessed elder Iakovos Tsalikes fell asleep in the Lord on November 21, 1991, the feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos, while he was hearing the confession of a believer.

Elder Iakovos, abbot of the Sacred Monastery of Venerable David the Elder in Evia, was a rare personality who, during his lifetime, was the support and hope for thousands of people around the world. He was literally what our Church calls an “Elder,” that is, a spiritual guide, a charismatic leader, who opens roads and paths, where human logic is unable to provide any explanation. Thousands of people have numerous testimonies to give regarding the resolution of their various problems, which referred not only to the sphere of their spiritual life, but also to their everyday life and immediacy.

What was it that made the blessed elder have these abilities? Was it some special psyche or some other natural qualities? Certainly not. The answer lies in what constituted a qualification of every saint of every era in our Church: the grace of God. In other words, Father Iakovos, we are certain, was a divine man, a graceful soul who was richly irrigated by the graces of the Holy Spirit. This presence of the Spirit of God within him made him discern the otherwise indiscernable problems of people. For it is a common belief of our Church that, when the Spirit of God illuminates people, then they acquire the virtue of discernment, which enables them to directly discern good from evil, divine energy from demonic energy.