The Missing Right Hand of Saint John the Russian Found and Returned After 100 Years

The sacred relic of St. John the Russian with its missing right hand replaced with a golden effigy.

The year 2024 marks the 100th anniversary since the relics of Saint John the Russian were brought from Prokopi of Cappadocia to New Prokopi in Evia, by refugees who did not want to leave their beloved Saint behind. On Wednesday, May 15th 2024, in celebration of the 100th anniversary, Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Halkidos revealed to the faithful that the missing right hand of Saint John the Russian, which was considered lost for decades, has been found. He also revealed that on the feast of the Saint, Monday the 27th of May, the right hand would be reunited with the incorrupt body of the Saint.

It appears that a portion of the right palm and fingers of the Saint were kept by a family from Cappadocia for 100 years. This family today, who are two siblings of the third generation that descended from the original owners from Cappadocia, decided with the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the relics of the Saint to Evia, to return it where it came from for a reunion with the body of the Saint, at the prompting of their spiritual father. Despite the personal loss of the relic, and the miracles they have witnessed through it, they attended the event of the reunion and knew it was the right decision. Up until now, a golden effigy of a right hand has been used as a replacement.

The Celebration of Saint Eumenios the New in Athens and Crete

On Thursday, May 23rd 2024, in an atmosphere of resurrection joy, the memory of Saint Eumenios the New was celebrated in the Chapel of Holy Unmercenaries at the General Hospital of Western Attica "Agia Varvara", where the Saint once served.  

 

In the solemn Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Alexios of Nicaea was flanked by clergy of the Metropolis and other Metropolises. The Divine Word was preached by His Eminence, who referred to the life of Saint Eumenios, emphasizing that: "The saints are our role models for us... From 1995 until the death of Saint Eumenios, I was found worthy to be with him. To officiate, to consult him. I remember that when I announced to him that I was building the Monastery of the Holy Fathers, he completely beamed and blessed me to complete it and consecrate it. And indeed the blessings of Saint Eumenios have caught on and today, 20 years after the foundation of our Monastery, it is a place of prayer, asceticism, sanctification and philanthropy" - His Eminence added.  

 

Eldress Mariam the Paralytic (+ 2004) - 1 of 2

 

 

Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol spoke the following in a recorded Livestream a few years ago:

I don't know if you met Mrs. Maroula in Limassol. Mrs. Maroula, that's what they called her - Sister Mariam later, when she became a nun - was a woman who lived a few houses from the Metropolis. I knew her long before I went to the Metropolis but she happened to be there near us.
 
She was a woman who had been paralyzed and bedridden since she was 18 years old.

For more than 35 years she was in bed all the time, locked in a room. As for her house, its a miracle that it didn't fall on her head! At one point, the floor of her house was so rotten that one day she sank with her bed into the floor.

She had nobody in the world. She was married and some ten years ago her husband died and she was left completely alone. She had no one in the world! There were some very distant relatives, but they had nothing to do with her. Her brother was in Australia, also old. This woman was completely alone, in the true sense of the word. Completely helpless, paralyzed in bed unable to do anything. She had not been out of her room for years. Her husband died and she couldn't go to his funeral because the condition she had was such that she couldn't even sit in a wheelchair. She was always in bed. A woman completely alone.

The File for the Canonization of Eldress Makaria of Mount Amomon Has Been Submitted

According to the exclusive information of ope.gr and the journalist Demetrios Stroumbakos, Metropolitan Kyrillos of Kifissia, Amarousi, Oropou and Marathon submitted a file to the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece which contains the information regarding the Canonization of Eldress Makaria Desypris, who was the one who discovered the Sacred Relic of Saint Ephraim of Nea Makri in January 1950.

This morning (May 30, 2024) the Metropolitan officiated at the Monastery of Saint Ephraim, on the occasion of the joyous event of the deposit of the file for the canonization of Eldress Makaria, which will then be transferred from the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The Cross of Empress Helen Dragas-Palaiologos (Later known as Saint Ypomoni)

 

The Cross of Empress Helen Dragas-Palaiologos, who later was known as Saint Ypomoni, dates to 1417 and is made of wood and silver with low and high relief, height 36.2 cm, length of large horizontal beam 18.8 cm, length of small horizontal beam 11.2 cm. The front depicts Christ Crucified, while the back depicts Christ Baptized. It has a resemblance to the so-called Cross of Constantine the Great at Vatopaidi Monastery, which probably also dates back to the Palaiologan Period. Artistically, the larger figures have a Western influence, while the smaller images are more Byzantine. It is stored in the Monastery of Dionysiou on Mount Athos.

Saint Amphilochios of Iconium on Mid-Pentecost

By St. Amphilochios of Iconium

Today's feast of Mid-Pentecost is also the Lord's. The Lord is the Mediator, in the middle also is the feast; the middle is always between two extremes. That is why today's feast has secured a double grace of the Resurrection. Situated between the feast of the Resurrection and the feast of Pentecost, on the one hand she indicates the Resurrection, on the other she points with her finger to Pentecost which is approaching, and she trumpets the Ascension. 

The Annual Procession With the Lifesize Icon of the Archangel Michael in Chios

On the island of Chios is the 14th century lifesize icon of the Archangel Michael with the impressive dimensions of five feet and nine inches high by three feet and nine inches wide, which according to tradition was commissioned by the Archangel Michael himself to be made by a hieromonk named Parthenios. This icon today is still located at the Monastery of the Pammegiston Taxiarchon in Nenita, and every year on the Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women a procession takes place around the island with this icon as a blessing for all the people. A similar procession on the same day takes place in neighboring Lesvos, with the miraculous icon of the Archangel Michael of Mantamados. Photo is from the Sunday of the Myrrhbearers 2024.

 

See also: The Monastery of the Pammegiston Taxiarchon in Nenita of Chios and Its Lifesize Icon of the Archangel Michael 

 

Patriarchate of Romania Proposes Four New Saints for Canonization by the Ecumenical Patriarchate

 

 

The Synod of the Metropolis of Muntenia and Dobruja met on May 20th 2024 at the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest, on which occasion Patriarch Daniel announced that the founders of the Romanian Skete of the Honorable Forerunner (Prodromou) on Mount Athos are proposed to be canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate: Nektarios the Protopsaltis and Nephon of Prodromou.

The most important item on the agenda of the meeting was the approval of the liturgical texts that will accompany the canonization proposal of Venerable Nektarios the Protopsaltis to the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

"This Nektarios the Protopsaltis, or Nektarios the Vlach, was one of the greatest Romanian hesychasts who lived on Holy Mount Athos," explained Patriarch Daniel.

"He is generally known and appreciated not only by Romanians from Athos, but also by other residents of other ethnicities, and we also saw receptivity from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, because they also said that he was a great chanter, and he was called The Nightingale of Holy Mount Athos."

The Three Year Memorial In Honor of Eldress Galaktia

On May 20th 2024 three years had passed since the repose of Eldress Galaktia, and a special three year memorial was held in her memory at the Monastery of Panagia Kalyviani in Heraklion of Crete. 

 

For more than 90 years Galateia lived in the world as a lay woman in nearby Pompia, until she finally had her great desire fulfilled by becoming a Great Schema Nun and was tonsured with the name Galaktia, and from that time forward resided at the Monastery of Panagia Kalyviani.

 

Three years ago she suffered a stroke after Holy Communion and was automatically aspirated. First she was transferred to Moira Health Center in Heraklion and then to Venizelio Hospital, where she was hospitalized in the pathology clinic and then in the covid unit. The treating doctors found no trace of covid. She reposed on May 20th 2021. The funeral service was chanted in the Monastery of Panagia Kalyviani, in the presence of hundreds of believers, and she was buried there.

 

Homily Two for the Sunday of the Paralytic (St. John of Kronstadt)

By St. John of Kronstadt

Listen, my brethren, to the sermon for today’s reading from the Acts of the Apostles. This reading speaks of the healing by the Apostle Peter in the name of Jesus Christ of the paralytic Aeneas, a certain man in the city of Lydda, and of the resurrection from the dead by the same Apostle Peter in the city of Joppa (Jaffa) of one virtuous Christian woman named Tabitha, through prayer and the command to stand up (Acts 9:32–42). What is noteworthy about this reading? – The strong faith of the Apostle Peter in Christ the Savior and the divine, life-giving power of Christ are worthy of note.

Peter sees before him a paralytic man who has not moved for eight years, and immediately heals him in the name of Jesus Christ. "Aeneas!" he says to the sick man, "Jesus Christ heals you; get up from your bed." And he immediately stood up. The word was followed by deed. What a power of faith in Christ God! What power is in the name of Christ! It instantly revived dead limbs and gave them the strength of youth! But what a close union of Peter with Christ! What Peter wants, the Lord also wants! What Peter commands, the Lord also deigns, and the Lord immediately fulfills it. This is how closely Peter, who denied Christ, was united with Christ through repentance and faith! This is what unshakable faith he had in Him! What fiery love! Glory to the mercy of Christ, which accepts repentant sinners! Glory to the divine power of Christ, working miraculously in those who believe in Him!

Homily One for the Sunday of the Paralytic (St. John of Kronstadt)

By St. John of Kronstadt

Today, the story from the Gospel of John was read about the healing by the word and command of Christ of a paralytic in Jerusalem, who was at the Sheep Gate pool.

There was "a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, 'Do you want to be made well?' The sick man answered Him, 'Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.' Jesus said to him, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk.' And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, 'It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.' He answered them, 'He who made me well said to me, Take up your bed and walk.’ Then they asked him, 'Who is the Man who said to you, Take up your bed and walk?' But the one who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, a multitude being in that place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, 'See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.' The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well” (John 5:1–15).

Homily on the Sunday of the Paralytic: On Patience (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on the Sunday of the Paralytic

On Patience

By Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! The Gospel that was read today tells of the great miracle of the healing of the paralytic performed by our Lord Jesus Christ and of His mercy for suffering humanity. This Gospel bears the closest relation to each of us, and can serve as a great edification and comfort for us.

The Gospel tells us that not far from the Temple in Jerusalem was a sheep pool (something like a basin). An Angel of the Lord descended into this pool at a certain season, troubling the water and conveying miraculous power to it. Whoever went first into the water after its troubling by the Angel received healing from whatever illness he had. This healing power attracted many sick people to the water. Among them was a man who had suffered from a great ailment for thirty-seven years, but who had nonetheless never lost heart in the hope of healing.

Homily One for the Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women (St. John of Kronstadt)

By St. John of Kronstadt

“Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him” (Mark 16:1).

This Sunday is called the Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women, i.e. those disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ who, after His death on the cross on the third day, came early in the morning to His tomb with aromas and myrrh, i.e. fragrant ointment for the anointing of His life-giving body. Among the Myrrhbearers, all the Evangelists mention Mary Magdalene first of all, from whom the Lord expelled seven demons before His sufferings and death; after her is another Mary, the mother of the Apostle James and Josiah; Salome, mother of the Apostles James and John the Theologian; Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward; Susanna; and also Martha and Mary, sisters of Lazarus. All of them were so sincerely devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ that serving Him was considered their highest duty and greatest happiness; all of them, except Martha and Mary, were companions of the Lord Jesus Christ during His travels through Judea and Galilee preaching about the Kingdom of God, learned from Him the faith and the holy life and, possessing sufficient means of subsistence, served Him in earthly needs from their possessions. And Martha and Mary, the sisters of Lazarus, not accompanying Him, often received Him into their homes and here they expressed to Him their love, devotion and gratitude in caring meals and diligent attention to His word. During the last visit of the Lord to the family of Lazarus, Mary’s grateful love was poured out in the fact that she, taking a pound of pure spikenard precious myrrh, poured it on the head of the Lord Jesus and thus, even before the death and burial of the Lord, she entered into the rank of Myrrhbearers. The Lord said about her:  "Wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her" (Mark 14:9). This authoritative prophetic word of the Creator of the ages is fulfilled to this day during the reading of the Gospel in all churches in praise of her zeal for Jesus Christ, like the other Myrrhbearers.

The Conversation of Jesus Christ with Nicodemus (St. Luke of Simferopol)

Homily on the Conversation of Jesus Christ with Nicodemus

By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

(Delivered on August 17, 1948 - Tuesday of the 8th week of Pentecost)

I am asked to explain the conversation of the Lord Jesus Christ with Nicodemus. The conversation is mysterious, the conversation is extremely important and not understandable to everyone. Let's delve into it.

“Among the Pharisees there was a certain man named Nicodemus, one of the leaders of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to Him: 'Rabbi! we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do such miracles as You do unless God is with him'” (John 3:1–2).

One of the prominent members of the Sanhedrin, pure in heart, struck by the depth of His teaching and believing in Him, came to Him for a conversation. But how did he come? At night, secretly, so that other members of the Sanhedrin would not find out. This, of course, is not good, this is cowardice; this confuses us, for we know that he was a pure man, that together with Joseph of Arimathea he buried the Body of Christ taken from the Cross.

Homily Two on the Holy Myrrhbearing Women (St. John Maximovitch)

 By St. John Maximovitch

The Myrrhbearers prepared myrrh to anoint the body of Christ.

They failed to fulfill this, since Christ rose from the dead before they came to the tomb.

Nevertheless, their sacrifice was accepted by the Lord, since He looks at the hearts of people and accepts the intention as if done even though it could not be fulfilled, despite all the zeal and effort.

“A merciful intention will please God,” is sung on the Sunday of the Holy Myrrhbearers.

The Lord "both accepts the deeds, and welcomes the intention, and honors the acts and praises the offering” (Word of St. John Chrysostom for Easter).

Homily Two for the Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily on the Sunday of the Holy Myrrhbearing Women and Righteous Joseph

By St. John of Kronstadt

“Amen, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (Matthew 26:13).

This week, beloved, our holy mother Church remembers the holy Myrrhbearing women and the Righteous Joseph, who took down the body of the Lord from the cross. How good it is to serve the Lord Almighty with all your heart, no matter what! What a reward this man received from the generous God! The reward is within yourself - in your conscience, the reward outside of you - is in the grateful memory of people, but what is higher and dearer than all is the reward in the memory, in the eternal memory of you of the Lord God Himself and in eternal glorification from Him in heaven! Here is an example from the Gospel. Once, when our Savior was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, a woman approached Him with a vessel of precious ointment, broke the vessel and poured myrrh on His head, and anointed His feet, which she wiped with her hair. The whole house was filled with the fragrance of peace. When others were indignant at the waste of the precious ointment, the Lord praised her and said: "For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. Amen, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her" (Matthew 26:6-13).

Homily One on the Holy Myrrhbearing Women (St. John Maximovitch)

An Appeal from Bishop John

By St. John Maximovitch

(Delivered in 1936 in Shanghai)

When Christ was condemned to death by Pilate and carried His cross to Golgotha, many people followed Him.

Among Him walked both the enemies of Christ and His followers.

However, the majority of the latter hid their closeness to Christ, and only women openly cried and wept for their Teacher.

Therefore, Christ turned to them alone on His way to Golgotha.

Even after the crucifixion, Christ’s disciples did not dare to approach Him, except for one virgin, John the Theologian.

But the women who came with Him from Galilee, with His Most Pure Mother at their head, did not leave Him here either.

Homily Three for the Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women (St. John of Kronstadt)

By St. John of Kronstadt

Today the Gospel was read about the burial of the dead and life-giving body of Christ by Joseph of Arimathea, about the journey of the Myrrhbearing women with spices to the Holy Sepulcher to anoint the body of Christ, and about the joyful news of the Resurrection of Christ from the Angel sitting in the tomb. There is an instructive lesson to be learned from this present Gospel for men and women, rich and poor, high and low.

The rich and noble Joseph serves as a good example of faith and zeal for Christ for all the rich and noble, who even now can demonstrate in various ways, prove their faith and zeal for Christ spiritually or materially, although not to Him personally, but to His members, the lesser brethren, the poor and unfortunate, the sick and ailing, immersed in ignorance and vices, dying in squalor and poverty.

The Myrrhbearers serve as a good example of the zeal and ardor of love for Christ for all women, who even now can, in various ways, according to their strength, means and circumstances, express their ardent love for Christ who died and rose again, with various virtues, for example: sympathy and condolences for the mourning, fidelity to one’s Christian and family responsibilities, charity to the poor, etc.

Homily for the Sunday of Saint Thomas (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily on the Sunday of Thomas

By St. John of Kronstadt

Christ is Risen!

Beloved brethren, Bright Week has passed and taken our deeds with it to the throne of the heavenly Lord and Judge: there, brethren, there now are our deeds. I say this in order to frighten with the fear of heavenly judgment those who spent the feast of the Holy Resurrection of Christ unworthily and in a non-Christian manner, and to console those who spent it in abstinence and spiritual joy.

How did many people celebrate and spend the feast of Bright Resurrection? I would not like to bring to mind the wicked deeds of men, but we must remember them and condemn them on behalf of God, along with the persons who did them. The all-bright feast was greeted after the bright Paschal service with dark deeds: intemperance and drunkenness, fights, foul language and every kind of sin. You might think that we fasted before the feast only in order to rush with greater greed into all carnal sinful deeds, so that with greater shamelessness and impudence we could indulge in all kinds of lawlessness. Alas! woe, woe to us!

Homily Two for the Sunday of Thomas or Antipascha (St. Luke of Simferopol)

“My Lord and My God!”

By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

(Delivered on April 28, 1946)

You know how difficult it was for the holy apostles to believe in the resurrection of Christ. You know that even when they saw the Lord appear with their own eyes, some of them doubted, thought that it was a ghost. The most difficult was for the Apostle Thomas to believe.

How can we explain his disbelief? Is it possible to think that his mind was similar to the mind of materialists who believe only in what they can touch, what they can know through rational thinking? Of course not! Saint Thomas, like all the apostles, was very far from this way of thinking, and yet you see how difficult it was to believe.

The fact is that the Apostle Thomas had a fervent, ardent mind. This fervor of mind manifested itself more than once, and was especially pronounced when the Lord Jesus Christ, at the call of Martha and Mary, decided to go to Bethany to resurrect their dead brother Lazarus. His disciples were horrified and said to Him: “Rabbi, how long have the Jews been looking to stone you, and are You going there again?” (John 11:8). And the Apostle Thomas said: “Let us go and we will die with Him” (John 11:16).

Rare Icons of Saint Nicholas the New of Vounenis in Gortynia

Saint Nicholas the New of Vounenis is especially honored in the Peloponnesian region of Gortynia where there are many temples dedicated to him and rare icons of him. The Doctor of Byzantine Archaeology, Father Nektarios N. Pettas, with the blessing of Metropolitan Jeremiah, spoke on this topic at the 9th International Conference of the Peloponnesian Studies Society, which took place from 10/30 to 11/2/2015 in Nafplion, with the support of the Municipality of Nafplion. The presentation was titled: "Depictions of Martyr Nikolaos Vounenis in the Peloponnese."

Among other things, Father Nektarios announced:

The original text of the Saint's biography was written by another Nicholas, around the middle of the tenth century. The lack of rich biographical material combined with the later adaptations, modifications and additions of fictional elements to the original text, have sufficiently altered the image we have today of the life and activities of Saint Nicholas of Vounenis. It should be noted that the altered texts were published several times and caused no small amount of confusion, making it impossible to find the truth. However, in the year 1972, the brilliant Doctoral thesis of the late Demetrios Sophianos was published, which shed a lot of light on the case and laid the appropriate scientific foundations for further research into the Saint's life. The same researcher in his next work titled "Saint Nicholas the New of Vounenis (10th century)" provides additional evidence, anecdotal hagiological texts of Maximos (1620) and others, and confirms the historical truths about the Saint, based on new elements that have come to light in recent years.

Paschal Pastoral Encyclical 2024 (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Paschal Pastoral Encyclical 2024

 

To the Clergy, Monks and Laity
of our Sacred Metropolis

Beloved children in the Lord,

We once again celebrate the Resurrection of Christ as a historical event, which took place during the time when Pilate as a Roman governor was in charge of the administration of Palestine, but also as a spiritual and ecclesiastical event. All the historical events connected with the incarnation of the Son and Word of God, His Passion, His Cross, His Burial and His Resurrection are connected with the salvation of man. Thus we celebrate the event of the Resurrection of Christ, as seen in the Service of Matins and in the Divine Liturgy that follows.

Among the other things that we observe in the Resurrection Divine Liturgy is that we chant instead of the Trisagion Hymn ("Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us"), the "Those who have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ. Alleluia!" And we sing this not only at the Divine Liturgy on the evening of Christ's Resurrection, but throughout Renewal Week until the Saturday before Thomas Sunday.

Homily on Holy Pascha -1905 (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily on Holy Pascha

The Victory Over Death and the Triumph of Eternal Life.
The Triumph of Truth and the Shaming of Falsehood.

By St. John of Kronstadt

(Delivered in 1905)

“When I [John the Theologian] saw Him [Jesus Christ; this was on the island of Patmos], I fell at His feet as if dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, 'Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death'” (Rev. 1:17–18).

Christ is Risen!

Glory to God - Christ has risen from the dead! The Sun of Truth, though temporarily was as if extinguished and hidden in the grave, shone again and illuminated the whole world with all-joyful, life-giving rays. In the past days of the Passion of Christ, these sufferings brought upon us great sorrow, and in some they brought forth tears — either of compassion for Him who suffered for us, or tears of repentance for our sins, which caused such suffering to our Lord, who bore upon Himself all our punishments for our sins. And now, on the day of resurrection, a common joy illuminated the hearts and faces of all believers, for our life has again shone from the grave, granting everyone forgiveness of sins and the hope of resurrection and eternal life, "for Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Cor. 15:20). Where is the malice and envy of the scribes and Pharisees, where is the mockery of the dead by the Jewish high priests? Where is Pilate's guard? Where are the seals of Christ's tomb? Everything disappeared, everything changed with the resurrection of Christ: the enemies were put to shame; all their machinations served only for the greater glory of the Crucified and Risen One, and, most importantly, for the salvation of the whole world; all the fears of the apostles and all the faithful disappeared with the rise of Christ from the tomb; death itself, the terror of all earthly beings, has been defeated; hades, which laughed, has been destroyed; the gatekeepers of hades, guarding the eternal prison, scattered from fear. The Risen One took possession of the keys of hades and death, having snatched them from Satan, "who had the power of death" (Heb. 2:14), and reigns forever in heaven and on earth.

Homily on the Name Day of the Most Pious Empress Alexandra Feodorovna - 1905 (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily on the Name Day of the Most Pious Empress Alexandra Feodorovna

By St. John of Kronstadt

(Delivered on April 23, 1905)

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul” (Matthew 10:28; Luke 12:4).

Today the Church celebrates the glorious memory of the Holy Great Martyr George and the Martyr Empress Alexandra, the former wife of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, and all of Imperial Russia celebrates the name day of the royal wife, Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. The Holy Empress Alexandra suffered for her firm confession of Christ as the true God when she looked at the inhuman cruel torture of the Great Martyr George by the executioners. The emperor condemned her to death. This was during the persecution of Christians in the 3rd century. The whole pagan and Jewish world then took up arms with ferocity against the confessors of the name of Christ. To incline them to the pagan faith, the most cunning ingratiations and promises of earthly benefits and the most terrible tortures and torments were invented and used. There seemed to be no more terrible torment left than those that, in multitudes, up to a thousand types, were newly invented specifically for Christians. Today's throwing of deadly, explosive projectiles would then be considered a mercy for the martyrs if they were used against them - compared with the torture and torment of that time.

Homily on the Name Day of the Most Pious Empress Alexandra Feodorovna - 1904 (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Homily on the Name Day of the Most Pious Empress Alexandra Feodorovna

By St. John of Kronstadt

(Delivered on April 23, 1904)

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: 'For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter” (Rom. 8:35–36; Psalm 43:23).

The Holy Church now commemorates the Great Martyr George the Trophy-Bearer and the Martyr Empress Alexandra, wife of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who lived and suffered for the confession of the faith of Christ at the beginning of the third century after the Nativity of Christ; and today the Church and State celebrate the name day of the Most Pious Empress Alexandra Feodorovna with common prayer.

Saint George was a brave commander of a detachment of Roman troops. The pagan emperor Diocletian at first loved and respected him; but, having learned that George was a Christian, he ordered him to be imprisoned.

Homily on Holy Pascha -1904 (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily on Holy Pascha

By St. John of Kronstadt

(Delivered on March 28, 1904)

“I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death” (Rev. 1:17–18).

“Thus says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens” (Rev. 3:7).

Christ is Risen!

On the bright Resurrection of Christ, I greet you all and on such a great and holy day I want to speak with you, dear brothers and sisters, about the above words of Holy Scripture; and I call you dear because you are very dear to our Lord Jesus Christ, who redeemed us all at an immeasurably dear price - with His most pure Blood, shed on the cross for our salvation. Remember this, and do not forget, do not forget what you were redeemed from at a great price: from sin, the curse and death, temporary and eternal death. Beware with all your might of sin, which has caused so many troubles in the world, and is even now creating all sorts of troubles, even the real Japanese war: - may the Risen and almighty King of creation, the Lord Jesus Christ, end it, and may He break the weapons of our adversaries, and with His omnipotent power establish peace on earth, which our Tsar together with Russia so much desired and desires. So I repeat again: Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!

Homily One for the Feast of Saint George (St. Luke of Simferopol)

By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

(Delivered on April 23, 1947)

"The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them." (Wisdom of Solomon 3:1)

How was this torment not felt by the Holy Great Martyr George the Trophy-Bearer? How were the torments not felt of multitudes of martyrs?

From the lives of the saints it is known that there were many martyrs, including Saint George the Trophy-Bearer, who did not feel their torments.

This may seem paradoxical, impossible to you, but it is a fact that does not only concern the martyrs. This fact is quite well known in history: when in the Middle Ages they subjected to torture the unfortunate women, whom they considered to be witches, then it was often observed that during the torture these unfortunate women fell into a state of bliss. At first they cried out, they were tortured, they suffered, then when the tortures intensified, when they became unbearable, their faces lit up with the feeling of bliss, they did not feel the tortures.

Homily on Holy Pascha (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on Holy Pascha

By Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov)

 

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! Christ is Risen!

I congratulate you, dear brothers and sisters, on the great, joyful feast, the worldwide joy of the Bright Resurrection of Christ! In the language of church hymns, the feast of the Holy Resurrection of Christ is called the feast of all feasts and the celebration of all celebrations. The bright Resurrection of Christ is the triumph and affirmation of our Christian faith, the triumph of our Christian hope and the affirmation of Christian love. The triumph and affirmation of all that is good, bright, holy and dear to us.

We said that the Holy Resurrection of Christ is the confirmation, the triumph of our Christian faith. Our Lord Jesus Christ, having incarnated on earth, taking upon Himself our human nature, taught the human race the true teaching about everything that exists: about God, about His being, His nature and His works; and about the origin of man, his nature, purpose, present state and future destiny; and about the world, the origin of the world, its nature, the purpose and future fate of the world. But what can be a firm guarantee that the true teaching about everything that exists, taught to us by our Lord Jesus Christ, is Divine teaching, the true revelation of God? He who taught it is the true God. And that is why the very teaching of Christ bears the stamp of Divine origin both in its character and in its content and dignity, and it is, of course, more sublime and holier, and differs radically from the teaching of the sages of this world. There is no foreign admixture of truth, lies and delusion in it, which we notice in the works of people with a limited human mind.

Homily on Holy Saturday: At Last Death Has Been Trampled (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

 

Homily on Holy Saturday

At Last Death Has Been Trampled

By Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov)

(Delivered in 1964)

 

"Let all mortal flesh keep silent, and stand with fear and trembling, and in itself consider nothing earthly; for the King of kings and Lord of lords cometh forth to be sacrificed, and given as food to the believers...."

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Today the Holy Church commemorates the descent of the Lord Jesus Christ into hades and His bringing out from there the souls of all the Old Testament righteous who were imbued with faith in the coming Messiah.

The present day, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, once became a day of decisive and final struggle, a struggle for life and death between two kingdoms - the kingdom of darkness and evil and the kingdom of good and light. Satan, disgraced by Jesus Christ in the desert, has by now managed to inflame the hearts of the Savior’s enemies with the strongest anger against Him - to such an extent that no human is ever able to reach.

The Seven Sayings of Christ from the Cross (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos) - 2 of 2

...continued from part one.

4. "My God! My God! Why have You forsaken Me?"

The fourth saying of Christ on the Cross is a misunderstood saying for many, but not for the Fathers, which is: "My God! My God! Why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 16:46), that is, Christ said this to His Father.

This saying is a mystery, because Christ as God was never separated from His Father. Is it possible for the Son and Word of God to be separated from His Father? We know that they have the same essence, the same energy, the Word of God is of one essence with the Father. He Himself said to His Disciples that they will abandon Him and leave Him alone, but He will not be alone, because "the Father is with Me" (John 10:32).

Then why does He say "My God! My God! Why have You forsaken Me?" Does He say this because the two natures were separated in Christ? We know that in Christ the two natures, the divine and the human, were united in the hypostasis of the Word. Could it be, then, that on the Cross the divine nature left the human nature for a while, as some say, so that Christ could suffer a lot? This did not happen, because the Fourth Ecumenical Synod confessed that the two natures in Christ are always united ""unconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably," therefore, the two natures were never separated and never divided.

The Blessing of the Sheep on Good Friday: A Unique Tradition from a Monastery in Crete

 

 

Again this year, the flocks of sheep whose fold is close to the Sacred Monastery of Saint George in Epanosifis, a village of Heraklion, Crete, received the blessing of the God-man Christ, just hours before the proclamation of His Resurrection.

Hundreds of believers gathered on the evening of Good Friday in the beautiful centuries-old Monastery to take part in the Procession of the Epitaphios, and of course to pass under it themselves, as is the tradition before re-entering the church after the outdoor procession, to be blessed and sanctified.

At the Monastery of Epanosifis, the procession takes place both around the katholikon (central church) of the Monastery as well as the cells of the monks, then a few hundred meters further down to the cemetery of the Monastery and a nearby barn of a cattle breeder.

Homily on Holy and Great Saturday (St. John of Kronstadt)

By St. John of Kronstadt

"O Life, how can You die?" (Lamentations of Holy Saturday Matins)

Come, all creation: let us offer parting hymns to the Creator. Countless hosts of heavenly powers! All rational earthly inhabitants! Come, let us offer parting hymns to our common Creator, Who, after the most severe suffering, rests peacefully in the tomb!

Let us draw closer to Him and ask Him: “Why are You counted among the dead, Who lives in the highest, and Whom the heavens cannot contain, and now strangely lies in the tomb?” How is it that You, the immortal Creator of life, tasted death Yourself, and how was it that You were laid in the tomb? How did it happen that Your feeble but wicked creatures, people, brought You to the tomb? It is clear You deigned to ascend the cross with Your flesh, otherwise, who would dare to touch You, O Almighty? Clearly there is a great mystery here, which Your enemies and the prince of darkness himself did not know. And in fact, people did not know what they were doing to Jesus. It is clear that from this extreme condescension of Yours towards people, much good took place on their behalf, because You do everything only to increase the goodness and blessings of creatures. You must have suffered out of great need, with the most gracious and wise purpose: You “have created all things with wisdom” (Ps. 103:24), and You are “good to all” (Ps. 145:9).

Homily on Holy and Great Friday (St. John of Kronstadt)

By St. John of Kronstadt

“My God, My God! Why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

Thus, the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus, cried out for the sins of the world, and therefore for you and me, brothers and sisters. “My God, My God! Why have you forsaken me?" He cried out because of His human nature, which had weaknesses and not sins. But how could God the Father, who sent Him into the world to save the world, abandon His only begotten, His beloved Son? The Divinity was inseparable and will remain inseparable forever along with the human nature of Jesus Christ. This abandonment means, beloved brethren, that human nature in Jesus Christ was exposed to all the torment, all the horror of the sufferings on the cross, all the terrible, mortal grief that He experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane before His capture by a gang of villains led by Judas Iscariot. He then began to be horrified and grieved, and said to his disciples: “My soul grieves unto death; abide here and watch with Me” (Matthew 26:38). Imagine what the physical torment was like, what was the sorrow of the all-righteous and all-loving, sensitive soul of the God-man, who suffered execution for all human sins, for the sins of Adam and Eve and all their descendants without exception, and therefore for you and me! And you and I, brethren, are more sinners and are guilty of countless punishments for our countless iniquities.

A First Look at the Holy Light (Holy Fire) of Jerusalem 2024

Today in Jerusalem the Holy Light, known in the West as Holy Fire, once again descended into the Tomb of Christ as Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem knelt in prayer within the Holy Sepulchre. This ceremony has taken place just about every year for hundreds of years on Holy Saturday, shortly after 2:30pm. With 33 candles in each hand he distributed the Holy Light to the many present. Following the Holy Light ceremony, the flame is taken by plane to other Orthodox communities in countries such as Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Bulgaria, Georgia and Romania. In Greece the Holy Light is usually received with the welcome of a Head of State.

Given the security situation in the Middle East, and following consultations with Israeli police, clergy in charge of the 2024 event ruled that no more than 4200 people could be in attendance in the church and its courtyard for the Holy Light ritual. According to the Russian news agency Sputnik, the number of visitors this year is much lower than in previous years due to the escalation of the conflict in Gaza and the resulting logistical problems. Many airlines, in fact, continue to avoid flying to Israel.

The Seven Sayings of Christ from the Cross (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos) - 1 of 2

 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Christ was crucified on Friday at twelve noon, or the sixth hour as it was called at that time, and He remained on the Cross until three o'clock in the afternoon on Friday, that is, until the ninth hour. So He remained on the Cross for three hours. Saint John Chrysostom says that this event is our feast: "Today our Lord Jesus Christ is on the cross, and we celebrate it, so that you may know that the cross is a spiritual feast and celebration."

During these three hours darkness fell on the whole creation. During these three hours on the Cross, in the darkness, Christ spoke seven sayings. When I say sayings, I don't mean that He gave sermons and speeches, but He said a word or a phrase. When one reads the Gospels, one sees exactly these seven sayings that Christ spoke on the Cross, which have great theological power.

I will analyze, as quickly as possible, the seven sayings that Christ said on the Cross, which also show the theology of Christ's Passion and His Crucifixion, since, according to the sacred Chrysostom, "the cross is the symbol of the kingdom." "I proclaim him king, therefore, because I see him crucified, for it becomes a king to die for his subjects." Christ speaks as the King of heaven and earth, as the Lord of life and death.

Thus, today "standing beside the King, let us observe this feast, celebrating the memory of the cross," we celebrate the Cross of Christ and are initiated into the theology of the Cross and the theology of glory.

Homily Four on Holy and Great Friday Before the Shroud (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

By St. John of Kronstadt

I see a man tortured, killed, wrapped in linen and placed in a tomb. But who is it? Who is this victim of malice and revenge? Not only a man, but the God-man, the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ. Why was the innocent, sinless, righteous and immeasurably loving God-man killed? Who killed Him and where are the killers?

He was killed because He loved people as no one had ever loved; and those who needed to understand this love did not want to understand.

Because He did them many, countless good deeds, which no one has done; and meanwhile, these benefits were interpreted incorrectly.

Homily Three on Holy and Great Friday Before the Shroud (St. John of Kronstadt)

By St. John of Kronstadt

“If I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all things to Myself” (John 12:32), that is, if I am lifted up on the cross, then with My sufferings on the cross I will redeem the whole world, and by the power of My cross I will draw to Me a multitude of the elect. This is what our Lord Jesus Christ said, by the way, not long before He suffered for us. Oh Christ, our love, and again I will say: oh Christ, our love! What has Your love for us brought You to? You were spat upon, strangled, wounded, and died in the unspeakable suffering of the cross. Oh Christ, our love! How deeply You loved us!

Your sufferings for the world are immeasurably great, but the fruits of your sufferings are immeasurably greater: “By your wounds we are all healed” (1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:5). You endure suffering in order to free us from passions; accepted the crown of thorns so that our hearts would not be tormented, like prickly and burning needles, by the thorns of sins; accepted wounds so that repentant sinners could take refuge in Your wounds from the arrows of heavenly wrath; endured the cross in order to give us a strong weapon against our invisible enemies, who are strongly fighting against us; and I will say finally, you endured the fierce torment of the cross in order to deliver your faithful followers from the cruel, unceasing torments of hell, and the end of all this is to draw us to Himself and unite us with Himself forever.

Homily Two on Holy and Great Friday Before the Shroud (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

By St. John of Kronstadt

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29)

Behold, my brethren, the Lamb of God, who took upon Himself our sins, my sins, the sins of each of you. Here is the incarnate Son of God, the only begotten, tormented by human envy and malice! What humanity! Oh, how gloomy and disgusting is the picture of human malice! Let us fall down before Him in confession and weep before the Lord who created us and at the end of the ages suffered and died for us. With fear and love, let us fall with our hearts and lips to these wounds; with fear: for until now our sins stink before Him and cry out for punishment for us; with love: for these wounds and His death were taken by Him out of inexpressible love for us, and naturally call us to love!

Homily One on Holy and Great Friday Before the Shroud (St. John of Kronstadt)

By St. John of Kronstadt

“Behold the man!” (John 19:5)

This is how our sinless and most holy Lord Jesus Christ was mocked, wounded, and tortured! What need was there for the impassible God to suffer so terribly from people in His flesh? What need did the God-man Himself have to endure these seemingly hellish torments on earth? There was no need, brethren, for God to subject Himself to such dishonor and such suffering on earth: His self-sacrifice was completely voluntary, and He could not but be incarnate, suffer and die. Only then would we all, as sinners and as enemies of God, be forever captives and slaves of the devil and would all perish forever. Then there would not be these two sides: right and left, and it would not be said that the righteous will go into eternal life, and sinners into eternal torment, but there would be one terrible fate for everyone - eternal torment. And it’s scary to think about!

The Judases of the Church (Fr. George Metallinos)

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Metallinos

1. Shortly before His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ comes to Bethany. He visits His friend Lazarus and His other friends there on a farewell visit before His passion. Someone even invited Christ to dinner.
 

During the dinner, Lazarus' sister Mary, overwhelmed by the secret joy of the Lord's presence, lets her gratitude for her brother's resurrection overflow. So she takes a precious myrrh and anoints Christ's feet with it. And the quantity and quality of the myrrh show the love and devotion of the woman to the Master. That is why her initiative, which has the meaning of adoration and honor towards the Great Benefactor of mankind, Christ, would certainly emotionally move, as it still emotionally moves us today, as a manifestation of faith and reverence.

2. However, there is also someone who thinks differently. It is the dark Judas, who hastens to criticize the woman's actions. Unmoved by the magnificent spectacle of grateful love, cold and indifferent to the touching event, he lets his materialistic disposition show. However, he does not dare to reveal his true self. He covers the sterility of his heart with the veil of hypocrisy. He wears a mask, a phantasmagoric mask. It is the mask of a philanthropist and lover of the poor that is presented protesting (allegedly) on behalf of the poor. "Why was this myrrh not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?"

Homily on Great Wednesday (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

By St. John of Kronstadt

Brethren! This day is the day of betrayal towards the suffering and death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Faithful souls know how to appreciate and feel the greatest self-sacrifice for our salvation, that of the Lord and friend common to all of us!

From this day forward, guard your heart in the most careful way for Him alone, and do not let anything worldly, corruptible, or any passion take possession of you.

The Traitor Judas and the Harlot Woman (St. Luke of Simferopol)

The Traitor Judas and the Harlot Woman

By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

(Delivered on May 2, 1945)

On Great Wednesday we remember the prodigal woman, about whom our Lord Jesus Christ said that as long as the gospel is preached in the world, her deed will be remembered. We also remember the most vile, shameful, most terrible of all human deeds - the betrayal of our Lord Jesus Christ by the Apostle Judas.

And here before us is the state of the hearts of these two people - the harlot woman and the apostle of Christ, who accepted the great grace and honor of being chosen as one of the twelve closest disciples of Christ. The harlot, rejected by everyone, poured precious ointment on the feet of Jesus, and the closest disciple betrayed Him.