MYSTAGOGY RESOURCE CENTER: 2025

November 18, 2025

Holy Martyr Plato in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint Plato was from the country of the Galatians, from the city of Ancyra, brother of the Holy Martyr Antiochus. Because he confessed his faith in Christ, while still a young man, he was led before the ruler Agrippino. He was beaten by twelve soldiers and stretched out on a fiery bronze bed, while they were whipping him from above. He was then burned in the armpits and on the sides with fiery balls, while a strip of skin was removed from his back. Afterwards they scraped his flesh and sides so much that his appearance was altered. And then he met his end with the sword.

The Holy Hymnographer cannot fail to point out for Saint Plato what constitutes the treasure of every martyr: his living faith in Christ ("through your intimate active faith"), his upliftment with His love ("you are completely uplifted by the love of the Creator"), the constant contemplation and vision of His beauty and graces with the eyes of the soul ("contemplating with the eye of the soul, always gazing upon the comeliness of the Creator, and reflecting upon the ineffable beauty"), things that made him, on the one hand, clothed with the garment of prudence and the saving grace of God, transcending even the pains of martyrdom itself, and on the other hand, to be joyfully in the vastness of Paradise (“O glorious one, you measure the purest expanse of the eternal kingdom”). The poet even presents the Saint as a priest who offered himself as a sacrifice to Christ (“you have been shown as a divine priest, O Martyr, offering yourself as an unblemished sacrificial burnt offering”), and in a way as a spectator who observes himself, as if someone else were suffering (“as in another's body, most illustrious one, you endured suffering as if competing in the contest of another, becoming a spectator of the struggle in which you contended").

Prologue in Sermons: November 18

Through Humility, We Shame the Devil and Drive Him Away From Ourselves and From Others

November 18

(On Humility, Which Is What Demons Fear)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Since the devil, through pride, abandoned obedience to God's will and was cast out of heaven for it, it is clear that this sin is most contrary to God, as the chief sin of the devil, the enemy of God and the destroyer of human souls. From this, it follows that if pride is especially dear to the devil, then, of course, humility is especially unbearable. Yes, brethren, the devil cannot tolerate humility, and those who possess this virtue put him to shame and drive him far away, both from themselves and from others.

Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea was a rare man. The mere fact that when he went to Neocaesarea he found few believers (17 Christians are mentioned), while when he left, he left few unbelievers (also 17 in number), reveals the zeal of his faith, the power of his word, the power of the miracles that God granted him. The Holy Hymnographer cannot help but apply to him the prophetic saying: “the zeal of God has consumed you, Gregory.” Seeking to find figures similar to Gregory, the ecclesiastical poet, Saint Theophanes, resorts to the Patriarchs and Prophets of the Old Testament. The Saint resembles Moses, he says, who, like him, received the tablets of faith on the mountain of mystical theophany, legislating piety to the people: “You have become a new Moses through your deeds, receiving the tablets of faith on the mountain of the mystical theophany, legislating piety to the peoples.” He resembles the Prophet Samuel, who ascended the mountain of theoria: “ascend on high, like Samuel, to theoria.” He resembles the Prophet Daniel, who, just as the gift of interpreting dreams was given to him, the mystery of faith was revealed to him in a dream: “for as the dream was to him (Daniel), so the mystery of faith was revealed to you.”

Saint Hilda of Whitby (+ 680)

St. Hilda of Whitby (Feast Day - November 17)

Brief Life

Hilda, born in Northumbria in 614, was a grandniece of King Edwin of Northumbria and daughter of Hereric. Hild is her correct name and means "battle." Both she and her uncle were baptized by Saint Paulinus at York in 627, when she was 13. She lived the life of a noblewoman until 20 years later she decided to join her sister Saint Hereswitha at the Chelles Monastery as a nun in France. In 649, Saint Aidan requested that she return to Northumbria as abbess of the double monastery (with both men and women, in separate quarters) in Hartlepool by the River Wear.

After some years Saint Hilda migrated as abbess to the double monastery of Whitby at Streaneshalch, which she governed for the rest of her life. Among her subject monks were Bishop Saint John of Beverly, the herdsman Caedmon (the first English religious poet), Bishop Saint Wilfrid of York, and three other bishops.

Prologue in Sermons: November 17

One Can Attain Salvation In Any Rank

November 17

(A Sermon on Eucharistos the Shepherd)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

I have often said that salvation can be found not in a monastery, but in the world as well, and, indeed, in any rank, and to convince you of this, I have repeatedly cited examples of saints who, like you, were of humble rank and unlearned, and entered the Kingdom of Heaven. Now I intend to prove the same point again, and I believe the example I will give will be instructive for you.

Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint Matthew, sitting at the customs house, as a tax collector, heard the Lord say to him: "Follow me." At that very moment he got up and followed Him. He gave him great hospitality in his house, as the Gospel says, and he was numbered among the Apostles. He, after receiving the power of the Holy Spirit and learning divine things, wrote the Gospel according to him and sent it to the Jews. He taught the Parthians and the Medes, founded a Church, and after performing many miracles, he was then perfected by fire by the unbelievers.

Saint Theophanes, the hymnographer of the service and of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, focuses our attention on two main points through his hymns about him: first, on the fact of his calling by the Lord, so that from a publican he could become an apostle; second, on the writing of his Gospel. In order to understand the significance of this conversion, one should know that the term “publican” at that time was identical with the term “sinner”. This is because the publicans were those who, by renting the taxes that the sovereign Romans had imposed on the Jews, later demanded them multiplied. They were therefore considered to be those who literally “sucked” the blood of the people, due to their great injustice. In fact, the following incident has been recorded about him, which very directly reveals the sinfulness of tax collectors. A tax collector who went to collect taxes from a poor Jew found that he had died a few days prior. So what did he do? In order to extort payment from the relatives of the deceased, he dug up the corpse and began to scourge it. Thus publican and sinner were identical terms.

Prologue in Sermons: November 16

For Lovers of Church Singing

November 16

(From the Words of our Holy Father Pambo to his Disciple)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

There are many Christians who love church singing and participate in it. Not to mention that church singing is generally a pleasant activity for singers, it is also beneficial for them. The Church of God specifically mentions them in one of its petitions to the Lord, thereby asking for His special favor.

But it's a great pity, brethren, that some singers sin only when they sing. They usually try to outshout others singing with them, thereby disrupting the overall harmony of the singing and tempting the congregation, arousing either anger or mockery. To admonish such singers, I believe it would be useful to offer the commentary of one of the Holy Fathers on inappropriate singing, and at the same time his lesson on what true singing should be.

Holy Apostle Matthew the Evangelist

August 16th

Matins Gospel Reading

Gospel According to Matthew 28:16-20

English

At that time, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age. Amen."

November: Day 15: Teaching 2: Holy Martyrs Gurias, Samonas and Habibus

November: Day 15: Teaching 2:
Holy Martyrs Gurias, Samonas and Habibus

(On the Severity of the Sin of Adultery)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On the feast of the Holy Martyrs Gurias, Samonas and Habibus, who appeared as terrible punishers of one Goth for adultery, combined with a false oath and perjury, it will be appropriate, my brethren, for us to reflect on the gravity of the sin of adultery, which is forbidden by the seventh commandment of the law of God and which, to the great sorrow of all true Christians, is quite often committed in our time with the sad weakening of Christian faith and piety.

II. We must speak to you, brethren, about this sin with extreme caution, so that its very censure does not become like the light of those lighthouses that contribute to the destruction of ships, although, in turn, they were intended to save them.

Prologue in Sermons: November 15

Even Sorrows Are Beneficial

November 15

(A Teaching of Saint John Chrysostom)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

In one of the Church teachings, the Prologue (August 7) says, among other things: “Let us not be indignant, but rejoice in sorrows; for they are medicines useful for our wounds, and although on the one hand they are bitter, on the other they are sweet... Let us be grateful to God for sorrows; for He does not send them without reason, but rather He does through them what is useful to our souls.” Is this true, brethren, what is said in the Prologue about sorrows? Is it true that they are medicines useful for our wounds? Is it true that they are, on the one hand, bitter, and on the other sweet? Is it true, finally, that God does not send them without reason, but rather He does through them what is useful to our souls? Yes, all this is absolutely true, brethren, as we will now prove to you from the words of the ecumenical teacher Saint John Chrysostom.

The Silence and the Speech of Saint Gregory Palamas

By George Mantzarides

Two days of the year are dedicated to the commemoration of Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki: the Second Sunday of Great Lent and November 14. On the Second Sunday of Great Lent, which comes as an extension of the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the victory of his teaching over the heretical views of his opponents is celebrated. On November 14, his departure to the Lord is commemorated. The Second Sunday of Great Lent reminds us more of the words of Saint Gregory. November 14th reminds us more of his silence.

On November 14th, 1359, Saint Gregory Palamas, who illuminated the archiepiscopal throne of Thessaloniki for twelve and a half years and guided its faithful with wisdom and self-denial, fell silent for good. The bearer of his silence is his holy relics, which constitute a priceless legacy for the Church of Thessaloniki. But the words of Saint Gregory Palamas, which are preserved to this day in his numerous writings, often refers to silence and quiet, which he himself practiced with such diligence in his life as a hesychast monk.

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

The hymns of our Church naturally emphasize, since he is an Apostle of Christ, and indeed one of the Twelve, “the foundations of the Church,” his election by the Lord – “Christ included him in the choir of disciples” – his participation in the flame of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, so that “filled with this flame, he might give life with the fervor of faith to those who had been frozen by atheism,” his presence in the world in general as “divine salt, in order to dry up the terrible rot of humanity worn out by passions,” and of course his glorified position in the Kingdom of God, in which “he sees Christ Himself not enigmatically, but clearly face to face.”

Prologue in Sermons: November 14

To the Orthodox Living Among Schismatics

November 14*

(From the Life of Saint John Chrysostom)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Why is it, O Orthodox, that those who live among you, who call themselves Old Believers, never experience miracles? And why is it that, while believing according to the same old printed books, they constantly quarrel among themselves and curse each other, and some are called Popovtsy, others Priestless, others Wanderers, others Begunys, others Undergrounders, and so on? This is why: because the Old Believers who live among you are heretics and schismatics. Heretics: for they mix their false teachings with the Orthodox Faith. Schismatics: for they have separated themselves from the Orthodox Church. And know this: such people never have had, nor ever will have, miracles, and the wrath of God, as it was before upon them, so it always will be.

Saint John Chrysostom in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

If gold is one of the most precious metals that never loses its value, then correspondingly Saint John Chrysostom, according to his Hymnographer, is considered perhaps the most precious of all people, because gold flows from both his soul and his body. And not only that, but he also gilds everything with his words, like that Midas of old, who turned everything he touched into gold. “Golden in both soul and body, you gild all things with your words.” It is understood, of course, that this gold, which the Hymnographer speaks of, is considered from a spiritual perspective, in order for him to emphasize the spiritual height of the Saint and the power of his words, while giving him the opportunity to express himself in such a poetic way the very epithet of the Saint: Chrysostom. What specifically does the ecclesiastical poet want to emphasize? Finding himself unable to properly praise Saint John – “To the Maker of all I bow my knee, to the eternal Word I stretch out my hands, seeking a gift of speech, that I may hymn the venerable one” – he understands that he is dealing with a man who, beyond his most holy life, expressed with absolute clarity the word of God and the dogmas of the Church: “Rejoice (John)…the precision of high theology; the clarity of the Scriptures of the Spirit.” And this because “he learned the wisdom from on high and the grace of words from God,” which means he lived as a “vessel of God,” “always living in His light.”

Prologue in Sermons: November 13 (a)

Simplicity in Preaching

November 13

(From the Life of Saint John Chrysostom)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

To those of you who are accustomed to reading the Divine Scriptures, I especially often remind you to, whenever possible, read at least a little of the Scripture concerning what is necessary for life and piety to even the simple-minded seekers of salvation. But, unfortunately, I often hear discouraging feedback from the readers about their listeners: "Following your advice, we read to those who come to us seeking the Divine," they say, "and they understand nothing. What should we do in this case?"

Brethren who read and teach! How should I reason with you and your listeners? Should I admonish them to pay attention? Yet, it seems, it is impossible to rebuke them for their inattention; for if they had not wished to pay attention, they would not have come to you voluntarily. After all, no one is forcing them. Should I reproach you? But I fear offending you. In any case, knowing that a friend's scolding is more pleasant than an enemy's kisses, I hope you will hear what follows from me without offense.

Saint John the Merciful in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint John was a Cypriot, the son of Epiphanios, the ruler of the country. He married, according to his father’s wish, and had children. When his wife and children departed this life, he turned all the inclination of his soul to the performance of virtue and to pleasing God. Precisely because of his life, which was brilliant according to God, he was placed on the throne as Archbishop of Alexandria, after the people of Alexandria requested him as Archbishop from Emperor Heraclius. So John, after being placed on the lampstand, according to the Gospel, shone in the world like a torch. He was even the first to prevent the addition to the Trisagion hymn, when heretics with wicked intent added to the Holy Immortal, “Who was crucified for us.” The Saint excelled in the high priesthood for many years, and after performing numerous miracles and generously providing the necessities of life to those in need, a fact that earned him the nickname “Merciful,” and after becoming respected by all, even by unbelievers, as history and the books about him testify, he departed to the Lord.

Homily for the Commemoration of Saint John the Merciful (Fr. Daniel Sysoev)

Homily for the Commemoration of Saint John the Merciful

By Fr. Daniel Sysoev

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

I congratulate you all on the feast day of John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria! Mercy, co-eternal with the nature of God, was embodied in this great Saint, who shone forth in our Church in the sixth century. He was married and had children, but then both his wife and children died. After their death, he decided to dedicate his life to God. At the time, he was still quite young, about forty years old. One night, he saw a beautiful maiden come to him, dressed in a sparkling white tunic and wearing a wreath of olive branches on her head, a sign of mercy. This maiden told John that if he wished to receive a great reward, he must become her beloved. He asked, "Who are you?" The maiden replied that she was the eldest daughter of a great king: "My power is so great that I brought the Son of God to earth." John asked, "What is your name?" She replied that her name was Mercy. And the maiden became invisible.

Prologue in Sermons: November 12

The Saints Ask God for Forgiveness of our Sins

November 12

(The Miracle of Saint John the Merciful Concerning the Woman Whose Sin He Forgave After His Death.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

We all, brethren, implore the Lord for the forgiveness of our sins. Yet, being aware of our unworthiness and the impurity of our sins, feeling our separation from God because of them, we must also turn to the saints, as those close to God, with prayers asking them to intercede for the forgiveness of our iniquities. The saints, in the heavenly abodes granted close communion with the Lord Jesus Christ, the sole Mediator between God and men, who gave Himself as a ransom for all (1 Tim. 2:5), possess the grace to pray for their earthly brethren who are still burdened by sin, and they obtain for them the forgiveness of these sins and turn the wrath of the Lord from them into mercy.

Holy Great Martyr Menas in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint Menas lived during the reign of Maximian, and as a soldier he belonged to the order of the Noumeroi, called the Routalikon, under the ruler Argyriskos, in Kotyaeios of Phrygia. Because he could not bear to see the error of the idols prevailing, he climbed a mountain, striving to purify his heart with fasting and prayers. After he had sufficiently strengthened himself and ignited his soul with the divine desire for Christ, he came down from the mountain. So he went and stood in the midst of the idolaters and with power confessed his faith in Christ. For this reason they beat him, they scratched his flesh very much with hairy cloths and they put him in a burning cauldron. Finally, after they had wounded his whole body with his constant dragging on thorns, they killed him with a sword.

The eyes of the holy poet Theophanes, full of faith and God’s grace, become our spiritual glasses today, in order to see the other, hidden dimension of the martyrdom of the Holy Great Martyr Menas, but also of his post-martyrdom state. The spectacle that first reveals to us when the earth, sanctified by his blood, covers his holy body, is truly magnificent. As if we were in a spiritual planetarium, it guides us to see, together with him, the sunset of the Saint in this world and his glorious sunrise in the world of heaven, of the Kingdom of God. “Earth now embraces your steadfast body, O blessed one, having endured the contest; the spirit ascends to heaven with the spirits of the Martyrs, rejoicing, and shining with the most radiant glory.” The Saint, like the other Saints celebrating with him, Saints Victor, Vincent and Stephanie, constitute the jewels of the invisible heaven, of the Church, just as the stars adorn the created firmament of the sky. “The stars adorn the heavens, Compassionate one, but the Church is adorned with Menas, Victor, Vincent and Stephanie.” And yet: the Hymnographer takes us to the face-to-face relationship of Saint Menas with the Almighty Lord, Who “smelled” his fragrance like freshly baked bread from Menas’ martyrdom and his reference to Him like fragrant incense. “Being deified you now see Him face to face, Menas.” “You appeared as bread in the midst of a burning fire, being baked… and emitting a divine fragrance, which God perceived.”

Prologue in Sermons: November 11

On Almsgiving

November 11

(Saint John Chrysostom on Almsgiving)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Saint John Chrysostom speaks of almsgiving as follows: "Almsgiving possesses great boldness: it will loosen the bonds of the imprisoned, dispel darkness, quench fire, kill the worm, drive away the gnashing of teeth, and with great joy open the gates of heaven." Is Saint John Chrysostom's expression about almsgiving justified? Yes, know, brethren, that it is expressed quite correctly, and there should be no doubt whatsoever concerning the truth of his words.

Almsgiving "loosens the bonds of the imprisoned," that is, it frees a person from sins. This is evidenced by the account of the Lord's visit to the house of Simon the Pharisee. In this house, a woman, despised by all for her sins, offered alms to the Lord. She took an alabaster jar of precious ointment; upon entering the house, she knelt at Jesus' feet, weeping, and began to wash His feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair, kissing them, and anointing them with the ointment. Seeing this, the Lord said to Simon: "I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven, because she loved much." Then, turning to the woman, He said, "Your sins are forgiven you" (Luke 7:36–50).

The Experiential Study of Holy Scripture

By Archimandrite Kyrillos Kostopoulos

Study is an important element in man’s journey in search of truth.

To this end, from the earliest Christian times, believers were called to study the Law of God, the Old Testament. The Prophet David exclaimed: “How I love your law, O Lord! It is my study all day long” (Ps. 118:97).

Then the New Testament was added, in which the now revealed Truth is found, without the types and patterns of the Old Testament, insofar as our Lord Himself revealed about Himself that “I am the truth” (John 14:6).

Study is the voice of God to man, just as prayer is the voice of man to God. Saint Chrysostom tells us: “But the reading of the Scriptures is the speech of God” (PG 50, 90). He who loves the study of Holy Scripture, according to Clement of Alexandria, becomes a “theodidact” (cf. Stromata, Book 1, 20, 98, etc.).

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

We came to know Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian, called Hatzefentis, mainly from the book written about him by another Saint of our time, Elder Paisios the Athonite. He was the one who “charmed” Saint Paisios from a young age, already by their place of common origin, Farasa in Cappadocia, and for this reason he wanted to follow in his footsteps in life and become a monk, fully dedicated to God. And perhaps this turn of Elder Paisios towards the monastic life, apart from his own inclination, was due to a certain extent to the power of the prayer of Saint Arsenios, who saw in the person of the little Farasiotes (later Saint Paisios, son of the then President of the people of Farasa, Prodromos Eznepides), his own successor, as he even expressed this at the time of the child's baptism - it is known that at the time of naming, he "forced" the godfather to say his own name, Arsenios, instead of the name Christos. Saint Paisios' desire to write the life of Saint Arsenios was embedded in him for many years before this became a reality. And when he had already collected enough evidence, which over time increased after his own research and that of other acquaintances, and had somehow completed the book, Saint Arsenios after a miraculous appearance “applauded” the work of his disciple and “successor.”

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

This Saint was from the city of Tyana in Cappadocia. Because he confessed his faith in Christ, he was arrested by the emperor Maximinus, during the reign of Diocletian. Not persuaded to sacrifice to idols, but boldly confessing Christ as God, he was beaten with rods so hard that his entrails were torn out and visible from the outside. After that, he was led to the temple of the idols. There, with a simple blow on the idols, he immediately turned them into dust. Then he was delivered to prison and after seven days he appeared before Maximinus’s tribunal. And again, because they tried to force him to sacrifice and he was not convinced, they pierced his ankles with large nails and tied him with chains to a wild horse, which ran with great force, and after dragging him twenty-four miles from the city of Tyana, he gave up his spirit.

The steadfastness and spiritual strength of the soul of the Holy Martyr Orestes is what is particularly emphasized in his Service by the ecclesiastical poet. The Martyr, according to him, has such inner strength that the considered all-powerful tyrant did not dare even to endure the brilliance of his words. “The tyrant could not stand the brilliance of your words... he was powerless.” The cause of this power of the Saint was certainly none other than the power given to him by the Holy Spirit, Christ Himself, on whose rock of love he had established his existence. The hymns on him are wonderful: “The torrents of sufferings that piled up could not shake the tower of your soul, blessed martyr Orestes. For you had been established on the rock of the Lord’s love, you who are worthy of admiration." “Strengthened by the power of the Paraclete.” “Jesus Christ made you resolute by divine grace.”

Prologue in Sermons: November 10

How Should a Christian Act During Illness?

November 10

(Saint John Chrysostom, the Healing of Archelaus, and his Repentance)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Brethren! When one of us is struck by illness, especially a serious and prolonged one, we usually spare nothing to cure it, seeking help from doctors, spending money and medicine on them; but very often it happens that their help is completely useless. The illness persists, our spirits fail, and we completely despair of recovery. The situation is terrible! What are we to do about it?

Saint Nektarios the Wonderworker of Aegina in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint Nektarios is considered by all the faithful of the Orthodox Church as one of its most beloved saints. Not only because God performs numerous miracles through him every day – “healings flow forth everywhere” and “abundant healings of the sick flow forth miraculously every day with the grace of God,” according to the well-known late elder hymnographer Gerasimos Mikragiannanitis – but also because he is a Saint of our time, “the Saint of the twentieth century,” and indeed no less than the other great holy hierarchs of the Church who lived in earlier times. And this means that with Saint Nektarios, on the one hand, we feel the grace of God abundantly, mainly through his holy relics, which are understood as a “fountain of healings” and “diffusing a heavenly scent and a divine fragrance to all,” on the other hand, we receive an answer to the reasonable question that is posed: “why do we not have great saints today?” The old Hymnographer therefore points out this equality of Saint Nektarios with the previous great saints, even giving the explanation: Nektarios tried to follow in the footsteps of the ancient saints, with the purity of his life, that is, in reality to live according to the gospel of Christ. “By the light of your works, you manifest the light of the gospel, father, wondrously to all the people." “You followed, Nektarios, the footsteps of the ancient high priests of Christ, with the purity of your life, and you appeared equal to them and a partaker of their glory.”

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

Homily Two on the Seventh Sunday of Luke
(24th Sunday After Pentecost)

By St. John of Kronstadt

Today during the Liturgy, the Gospel of Saint Luke was read about the resurrection by Jesus Christ of the dead daughter of Jairus, the ruler of the Jewish synagogue, and about the healing of the woman with a hemorrhage through a single touch of the hem of Jesus' garment (Luke 8:41–56).

Let us rejoice for the happy Jairus, who once again saw his deceased daughter alive; let us celebrate the recovery of the woman who had suffered from her ailment for twelve years and had completely despaired of help from earthly physicians, yet was healed by a single touch to the garment of the divine Wonderworker. Let us honor both for their great faith in Jesus Christ, for through faith in Him alone did they receive the greatest, miraculous help and mercy. “Do not fear, only believe,” said the Savior to the synagogue ruler, “and your daughter will be saved.” “Take courage, daughter! Your faith has healed you,” said the Lord to the healed woman. Yet let us also emulate their faith; and today, each according to our own needs and spiritual and bodily necessities, we will receive from the Lord the granting of our requests through the prayer of faith; for the Lord even now remains with us constantly, invisibly by His divine omnipresence, grace and power, and visibly in the Holy Mysteries of His Body and Blood. "Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20), He Himself says. "Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

Prologue in Sermons: November 9

One Should Not Impose Upon Oneself Heavy and Hard-to-Bear Burdens

November 9

(From the Paterikon About Venerable John the Kolovos and His Obedience)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Many inexperienced in the spiritual life, relying solely on their own strength and believing, in their fervor and conceit, that they can overcome all obstacles on the path to salvation, often impose upon themselves heavy and unbearable burdens, laborious and unbearable feats. This is highly unwise and dangerous. While they attempt to climb high, experience shows that they fall low; they often become a laughingstock and a temptation to others, and they can perish altogether if they do not come to their senses in time, repent, and learn humility under the guidance of experienced people.

On the "Guslitsa Saint" John the Gardener

By Tatyana Nikitichna Nechaeva,
Head of the Research and Collection Department, Andrei Rublev Museum of Ancient Russian Culture and Art

and

Mikhail Alekseevich Chernov,
Director of the Icon Section, Antikvariat Magazine

While studying the artistic culture of the Guslitsa region, we noted icons depicting the angel's healing of John the Gardener, painted primarily in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Works with similar themes are unknown in iconography from earlier periods, and they are also rarely found in other centers outside the Guslitsa region.

In the icons, John the Gardener is depicted lying on a bed inside his home. An angel bends over him, extending his right hand toward him in a two-fingered blessing gesture and touching his bare shin with his left. In the center of the composition, above John's bed, is a half-length image of the Savior, mounted on the wall of the home. Some icons feature a lengthy inscription in the upper margin explaining the subject: "The Holy Angel of the Lord healed the leg of John the Gardener". The entire icon surface is filled with images of chambers, shown both inside and out. The architecture of buildings may vary across different works; artists depict houses with gable roofs or columns, but their tripartite division is preserved in all versions.

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

The holy hymnographer John of Damascus, with strong faith and knowledge of the entire Holy Bible, Old and New Testaments, opens our eyes to see mentally the spiritual world of angels and archangels, as well as the other incorporeal heavenly powers. That is, to see that creation of God, which preceded the rest of created creation and man, a creation that is in absolute obedience to the will of God and in constant glorification of His holy name. However, he emphasizes par excellence the position and work of the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. And for Michael, he presents the triple characterization, as he does in every reference to him, such as in his well-known miracle at Chonae, of being Parastatis ("supporter" or "one who stands next to"), Protostatis ("the one who stands first" or "stands in front"), and Prostatis ("protector"), namely that Saint Michael is “the parastatis of the most bright three-sunned divinity,” “the protostatis of the angelic brigades,” and of course “our prostatis,” “walking with us at all times and protecting us all from every evil circumstance.” As for Saint Gabriel, he reminds us that he was the one who “revealed to us a divine and truly great mystery”: “that the incorporeal God should be incarnated in a Virgin’s womb and become man in order to save man,” and even before that “to bring the joyful news of the birth of a child to Zechariah the priest,” so that “the voice of the Word, John, would be born.”

November: Day 8: Teaching 2: Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers

November: Day 8: Teaching 2:
Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers

(The Seven Archangels of God)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On the day of the Archangel Michael and other Heavenly Bodiless Powers, let our word be about the seven highest archangels of God.

II. In heaven, brethren, despite the mutual love, joy, and blessedness of each and every one, there is nonetheless not that equality which some, in their utter foolishness, seek on earth; there, some govern and preside, others obey and follow. Essential and complete equality is found only among the three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Prologue in Sermons: November 8

God's Angels Protect Man and Help Him in Times of Need

November 8

(Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Michael and Other Bodiless Powers. The Tales of the Miracles of the Archangel Michael and Other Angels.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Our holy faith teaches us to remember that, by the goodness of God, who always cares for us, good Angels are close to us, at times granting us blessings, caring for us as elder brothers care for younger ones, and protecting us from visible and invisible enemies and from all evils, misfortunes, and calamities. Can this truth, brethren, be demonstrated in practice? Yes, we answer; know that it can be, and it can be done easily, as we are about to convince you.

Homily on the Venerable George Karslides (Monk Moses the Athonite) - Part 3 of 3

...continued fro part two.

Venerable George foresaw and accurately predicted his blessed end. Having been prepared for a long time, he awaited it with longing and desire, increasing his prayer, tears, and giving his last advice to his beloved spiritual children. Three days prior, the Mystery of the Divine and Holy Anointing Oil was celebrated. He partook of the Immaculate Mysteries for the last time, as a provision for eternal life. He forgave from the heart, blessed from the soul, and prayed for all. On November 4, 1959, the last words heard from his lips were: “Open the gate of compassion, blessed Theotokos.” The Theotokophile Saint invoked the compassion of the Mother of God and of men, the Lady of the world who is full of grace, the Unwedded Bride of Gennesaret, the Ever-Virgin Most Holy Theotokos. She opened the gate of salvation for him, so that her Son and God, the Heavenly Bridegroom, the Crown-Giving Christ, our Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of the Universe, might welcome him.

An orphaned, mournful and inconsolable crowd followed him to his last residence, behind the sacred Temple of the Ascension, where he had served for about thirty years. His face was peaceful, cheerful and bright. His dead body was flexible, like that of the children of the Panagia, the Hagiorites. The two cypress trees next to his grave bowed down to adore him, as he had said. Many birds gathered at the time of his burial, without fear of the large crowd, to bid him farewell. Everyone was now certain that a saint was being buried. He asked to be buried with his vestments, his cross and his liturgical books, which he had brought from Georgia.

Venerable Lazarus the Stylite (Feast Day - November 7)

Verses

Prepare your bosom, Father Abraham,

For after your Lazarus comes Lazarus.

Saint Lazarus the Stylite and Wonderworker of Mount Galesion (+ 1053)

November: Day 7: Venerable Lazarus of Galesion

The Birth of Saint Lazarus of Mount Galesion

The Education of Saint Lazarus of Mount Gelasion

Saint Lazarus of Mount Gelasion and the Greedy Monk

The Life of Lazaros of Mt. Galesion: An Eleventh-Century Pillar Saint (pdf)

SAINT LAZAROS OF MOUNT GALESION – HEAVENLY MAN OR EARTHLY ANGEL

Feigning Demonic Possession For Profit

Saint Lazarus of Mount Gelasion and the Greedy Monk

By Gregory the Cellarer

While Lazaros was sitting in the narthex after the completion of the early morning service, he saw a monk going into the church to pray. When he came out, Lazaros went up to him and asked him where he was from and where he was going. Then, since he heard from the <monk> that he came from Paphlagonia and was traveling to the Holy Land, he fell at his feet and begged him to take him along. The monk encouraged Lazaros to follow him readily, since he had nothing to fear from him, and so he left that place and went on his way with him. But the monk was perverse and did not want to travel straight <there>, or rather he was unable to because of the wicked habit which he had. He would thus turn aside from the direct route and go round on a detour to the villages where he would beg and collect bread and whatever else anyone offered him; he would put these things into a bag and give them to the youth [Lazaros] to carry. Then, wherever they were when evening fell, they would go in, whether it was to a village or a local market, and he would sell these things and pocket the price <he got> for them.

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

These Saints labored under the emperors Diocletian and Maximian. Hieron was valiant in body and pious in soul, a farmer by profession. The servants of the idols met him in a certain place. And wanting to rob him, they were unable. For after he had taken out the iron from the handle of his agricultural tool, he used the wood as a weapon against them, with the result that he sent them all fleeing, covered in blood and sweat. But he himself afterwards went on his own to the ruler and after being asked by him about the incident and whether he was a Christian, he confessed Christ, whereupon his right hand was cut off from the elbow. The rest of the Saints were thrown to the ground and beaten with whips. And the next day, after their beating had continued for many hours, they were led outside the city of Melitene and their heads were cut off.

By Archimandrite Vassilios Bakoyiannis

Some non-Christians resort to the Old Testament to prove that the Christian God is harsh. This view, however, is only half the truth. The whole truth is that God was equally merciful in the Old Testament as well. Here is an overview.

God in the Old Testament had to deal with a fallen world unlike any before, a world with its own psychology and nature. Accordingly, it required a special approach, one that aligned with this reality.

Its defining trait was hardness of heart. Parents burned their children alive, offering them as sacrifices to their gods (2 Kings 23:10).

In such a world, murder was an easy matter. With what ease Cain killed Abel; with what ease the meek Moses slew an Egyptian who was mistreating a fellow Israelite (Exodus 2:12).

Prologue in Sermons: November 7 (b)

Sins and Lack of Faith Are the Causes of Illness; But Repentance for Sins and Strong Faith in God Are the Causes of Healing.

November 7

(About a Man Healed by Saint John Chrysostom)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Brethren, from the day we are born, we are all plagued by various illnesses. What is the cause of these illnesses? And are there any truly effective means of curing them? In our opinion, the answer to this question should be as follows: the main causes of illness should be recognized as our sins and lack of faith; and the most effective means of healing should be recognized as a strong faith in God and repentance for sins. How, you ask, can this be proven? We answer that with the following example.

Prologue in Sermons: November 7 (a)

About the Fear of God

November 7

(From the Life of the Holy Martyr Theodotos the Innkeeper)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Reading the lives of the saints, we often find accounts of many robbers, harlots, and other great sinners abandoning their evil lives, turning to God, becoming the most zealous servants of God, and subsequently, for their holy lives, even being granted the gift of miracles. Tell me, brethren, what was the reason that the aforementioned people turned from the enemy of our salvation to God, from sin to virtue, and from the path of destruction to the path of righteousness? We do not know which reason you will point to for all this, but we, for our part, believe that the main reason for the sinners' conversion to repentance and correction of their lives was the fear of God. Hearing this, you may ask: how is this evident? We answer that it is evident from the following examples.

Saint Paul the Confessor in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Paul the Great Confessor was from Thessaloniki and became a notary and secretary to Alexander, the most holy Patriarch of Constantinople, and a deacon of this Holy Church. After the death of Alexander, the Orthodox nominated him to be Patriarch of Constantinople. However, Emperor Constantius, because he was a follower of the Arian heresy, when he returned from Antioch, removed him from the throne and put Eusebius, Bishop of Nicomedia, in his place. Paul then went to Rome, where he found the great Athanasios also deposed from his throne by Constantius. So by letters from Emperor Constans both were restored to their thrones, but were again expelled by Constantius on the advice of the Arians. Then Constans wrote to his brother Constantius that "if they do not regain their thrones, I will come with military force against you." So the divine Paul took the throne for a short time, but after the death of Constantius he was exiled to Cucusus in Armenia, and there, after being locked in a small house where he was officiating, he was strangled by the Arians with his omophorion, and thus he surrendered his soul to the Lord.

Prologue in Sermons: November 6

How To Act in Times of Public Calamity

November 6

(Commemoration of the Philanthropy of God After the Falling Ash)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

It happens, brethren, that by God's permission we are sometimes visited by public calamities: for example, drought, poverty, pestilence, famine, and other misfortunes. What should we do during such calamities to be delivered from them? We must first of all consider that the calamity that befalls us is the consequence of our sins, then weep for our sins and repent of them, and finally, hold public prayers asking God for mercy.

In the eighteenth year of the reign of Emperor Leo of Greece, on the sixth day of November, at noon in Constantinople, the entire sky was first covered with dark clouds, and then fiery clouds appeared. This phenomenon lasted for forty days. Everyone believed they would be scorched by fire, and they were terrified and confused. But fortunately, this did not last long. The people soon realized that their only remaining hope was God's help, and they resorted to this aid. Emperor Leo and Patriarch Gennadios, along with all the people, began to hold daily processions around the city, offering prayers at every church, and everyone, from the least to the greatest, shed bitter tears. "Many tears," says the legend, "came from the Christians, and fierce weeping, from the very depths of the heart, with groaning and heartfelt sorrow... that the Lord would take away the evil, smoky flame." And such tearful prayers were not in vain. The Lord, the Lover of Mankind, showed His mercy to those praying, and the disaster ceased.

Homily on the Venerable George Karslides (Monk Moses the Athonite) - Part 2 of 3

...continued from part one.

Always frugal, simple, vigilant, fasting and praying. Selectively silent, taciturn, attentive, strict and serious. Although he loved the sick, was disabled and weak, he was not lazy, restless and yielding in his brave asceticism. While in great need, he himself visited the poor and sick. He had been helped a lot himself with his long, humble struggle and thus could help others crucially. At the Holy Proskomide he commemorated thousands of names of the living and the deceased, like his contemporary Saint Nicholas Planas of Athens. In fact, he noted certain names and, after the end of the Divine Liturgy, he called the particular relatives and told them precisely the problems of the living or the deceased and how they ended their lives. Pure and innocent people and young children saw him as a liturgist who hovered over the ground, like his contemporary, the late Elder Hieronymos Simonopetritis († 1957).

In the daily bloodless divine sacred ceremonies, the thrice-blessed one was bright, peaceful, serene, joyful, and beautiful. He concelebrated with angels and saints, like Saint Spyridon. “I rarely liturgize alone,” the venerable Elder used to say. He had, as we have said, a special reverence for the Panagia, the Honorable Forerunner, and the Holy Great Martyr George. Many sick people, out of great humility, he would send to various saints and with his blessing they would be healed. His humility did not allow him to be honored. He had a sincere sense of his unworthiness. He sought only the glory of the Most Holy God and His friends, the saints. He called the saints his guests. He had good company with them. He had the grace to see the state of the soul of churchgoers. He used this grace with discretely only for the correction and benefit of souls.

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

The Saints celebrated today are both spouses and monastics, who belong to that group of Christians who followed the so-called white marriage: which means that while they are spouses, they do not have carnal relations. The Hymnographer even expresses this double paradoxical relationship with a very beautiful phrase - and not only with this: the Saints are "renowned in marriage, a great wonder of the unmarried." Our Church does not promote white marriage as an example to be imitated. White marriage is a choice of certain spouses, who, appreciating their strengths and the entire purpose of their lives, decide that maintaining their virginity, even within marriage, constitutes a choice that facilitates the interests of their souls. The Hymnographer notes this: "Both interests being in harmony." Something similar perhaps happens with the gift of foolishness: while it is a gift from God, it is not proposed as a way of life by our Church. And this is something that shows how down-to-earth and sympathetic the Church is towards the faithful: each time it emphasizes the middle path, without however excluding those who wish for something different as a transcendence. Because what is sought by Her is not the path, any path, but the relationship with Christ. This constitutes the end and She does not interfere much with the means to achieve the end.

Prologue in Sermons: November 5

To Young Lovers of Monastic Life

November 5

(From the Life of Saint John Chrysostom)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The fifth commandment, "Honor your father and your mother," among other things, imposes upon children the duty to feed and comfort their parents in times of poverty, illness, and old age. Unfortunately, we often encounter children violating this duty in various ways. For example, some young people, after spending some time in a pious, strictly Christian life, sometimes fall into spiritual pride and begin to think that it is not worthwhile for them to remain in the world, that they can and should leave it and begin a monastic life. And so, you see, a young man abandons his aged father and mother to their fate and leaves. He leaves, and they, poor things, struggle like fish against ice, in cold and hunger, and are forced, like beggars, to beg from their neighbors for alms. Are such young people behaving well or not? I don't know what you would say to them; I, for my part, would advise these lovers of monastic life to act in the same way as the aforementioned Saint of God acted in this case.

Homily on the Venerable George Karslides (Monk Moses the Athonite) - Part 1 of 3

Homily on the Venerable George Karslides

By Monk Moses the Athonite

(Homily at the end of the Festal Great Vespers of the first annual commemoration of Venerable George Karslides at the Sacred Monastery of the Ascension in Sipsa on November 3, 2008.)

Today, my beloved brethren, we honor an unknown hieromonk, a poor priest, a nearly illiterate cleric, a compassionate man. He was hidden, invisible, inglorious, unknown to many, sometimes misunderstood, hunted, without outwardly flashy qualifications in scholarship, rhetoric, high acquaintances, dynamic interventions in social life, a large entourage and publicity. Where did God find him? What was it that made him prominent? We will immediately say that he attracted the grace of God with his great and eternal love for Him and His creatures and his constant and genuine humility. “On whom shall I look, if not on the meek and humble of heart.” There the Spirit of God rests and there His grace dwells.