Encomium to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul (St. Ephraim the Syrian)

Encomium to the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul 

By St. Ephraim the Syrian

Rejoice, Holy Apostles, kings of Christ; for to you He has entrusted the heavenly and earthly kingdom. He has given you the power to rule and to care for both thrones, wanting on the one hand that the inheritance of the earthly kingdom may be restored, on the other hand that glory may shine, beauty may abound, light may be revealed, mysteries may be known, the power of the heavenly kingdom may be proclaimed.

Rejoice, you who are the salt of the earth, which can never lose its power. Rejoice, you who are the light of the world (Matt. 5:13-14), who dwell in the east and shine everywhere, who enlighten those who are in darkness, who burn without wood. The lamp is Christ, and the lampstand is Peter, and the oil is the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Rejoice, you who are the light of the world, to which all night gives way; whom the cloud does not overshadow, the storm does not fight against, nor does the thunder approach, but rather the darkness within us is illuminated by it, the hidden things are revealed, the obscure are clarified, the thoughts are purified.

June: Day 30: Synaxis of the Holy Apostles

June: Day 30:
Synaxis of the Holy Apostles
 
(Brief Information About the Holy Apostles and Lessons From Their Lives - 
Imitation of the Holy Apostles in Following Christ)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On the day of the Synaxis of the Holy, Glorious and All-Praised Apostles, let us talk about the Holy Apostles. Since not everyone knows well enough in whose honor we celebrate, we think we will now offer you a short conversation about the Holy Apostles in general, and we will say: 1) who the Holy Apostles were, 2) how many of them there were, 3) what they did for our holy faith and for believers, 4) how they ended their holy life, and 5) in what we should imitate them.

II. a) Who were the Holy Apostles? The name apostle means "messenger," "servant," and the Holy Apostles were messengers of Jesus Christ, His servants. They were also called Disciples of Christ, because they were closest to Jesus Christ and listened to His holy teaching more than anyone else. Our Savior chose them to serve people when He Himself came out to serve the human race publicly, three years before His death on the cross. In order to reveal His omnipotence to the world, the Savior chose them almost all from poor and humble families; by origin, they were mostly simple fishermen, or publicans (tax collectors) - and some, although they were of more noble birth, later preferred poverty and dishonor to worldly wealth and vain glory. Having been called to the apostleship, they left their relatives, their homes and all their property and followed Jesus Christ inseparably. By order of their Divine Teacher, they preached throughout the cities and villages, willingly sharing with Him all the hardships and sufferings. For being the closest disciples of the Savior, they were repeatedly honored with special conversations with Him about the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, hidden from the people for a time; for being zealous servants of Christ, they were honored by Him with a special grace-filled power, which rested upon them in abundance - they were honored with miracles. And after the ascension of the Lord to heaven, on Pentecost, they received the Holy Spirit Himself in the form of fiery tongues, by the power of which they then performed the work of their service until death. Now they are honored with high honor in heaven, surrounding the throne of God. And at the Dread Judgment of Christ, sitting on twelve thrones, they will judge us and all people together with the saints. These are who the holy apostles were!

Homily Three on the Day of the Foremost Apostles Peter and Paul (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Three on the Day of the Foremost Apostles Peter and Paul 

By St. John of Kronstadt

"I will give you (Peter and in his person all the apostles) the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 16:19).

The Heavenly Kingdom, for which we are destined from the beginning of the world, was closed from the time of Adam's transgression due to his sins and the sins of his descendants. It was reopened anew through the cross and death of the Son of God, Who, by virtue of His divine-human merits, received from God the Father the authority to open and close it: to open for the penitent, and to close for the unrepentant. The Lord bestowed His authority upon the Apostles, and after them upon the Archbishops and Priests. For the first time, He promised to grant it to all the Apostles in the person of the Apostle Peter, when he confessed Him as the Son of God on behalf of them all. He said to him: "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven," etc. (Matthew 16:18). He did not say: I give, but – "I will give;" because at that time the sacrificial offering for the sins of the world had not yet been made, and the time to grant this authority had not yet arrived: it was given after the resurrection of the Lord from the dead, when He appeared to the Apostles, breathed on them, and said: "Receive the Holy Spirit: whosoever sins you forgive, they are forgiven them, and whosoever sins you retain, they are retained" (John 20:23). Hence, brethren, you see how holy, important, venerable, and necessary the office of the Apostles, and their successors, the Archbishops and Priests, is within the Church of Christ: they are the servants of Christ and the builders of God's Mysteries; they continue the work of Christ; they open and close heaven for people; without them there is no authority to bind and loose human sins – there is no salvation. God the Father has given all authority to Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ has given it to the Apostles and Priests. From this perspective, dear brethren, it is evident that the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven are perpetually available to those who earnestly seek to gain entry: these keys are entrusted to every priest, and one need only to sincerely repent of their sins before him, subsequently engaging in actions that demonstrate true repentance. How can those who choose not to seize this opportunity escape accountability – to enter the Kingdom of Heaven while disregarding the necessity of repentance and amendment, or feeling ashamed to confess to a priest, or dismissing confession as a mere human construct – and ultimately suffer the consequences solely due to their own negligence and inaction.

June: Day 29: Teaching 2: Holy Foremost Apostles Peter and Paul

June: Day 29: Teaching 2:
Holy Foremost Apostles Peter and Paul

(The Apostles Teach Us By Their Lives the Truth That Without the Grace of God Man Is Very Weak)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Church gives great praise to the Apostles Peter and Paul, who are celebrated today. Their labors for the dissemination and strengthening of our holy faith and the Church are above all our praises. In this regard, it is enough for us to participate with mind and heart in the hymns of the Holy Church, composed in honor of the Holy Apostles. We cannot think of anything better. And why would we think of anything better, when the labors of the evangelism of the Apostles Peter and Paul are in full view of everyone and make everyone who reflects only revere them? However, it's only for those who reflect, as you can’t truly grasp their importance without considering the deeds of the apostles.

June: Day 29: Teaching 1: Holy Foremost Apostles Peter and Paul

 

 

June: Day 29: Teaching 1:
Holy Foremost Apostles Peter and Paul

(How Should We Endure the Troubles, Misfortunes and Sorrows That Befall Us?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Today is a feast in honor of the Holy Foremost Apostles Peter and Paul.

The Apostle Peter (Cephas, Simon) was a fisherman from Bethsaida, brother of the Apostle Andrew, called to the apostleship by Jesus Christ Himself. After the ascension of the Lord, he was the first of the apostles to begin preaching the risen Lord in Jerusalem, suffered much for this from the Jews and even suffered imprisonment, from where he was miraculously saved by an angel. Then he preached the gospel in Samaria, Syria, Pontus, Galatia, Bithynia, Asia and Egypt. He was an apostle primarily to the Jews. He completed his evangelistic feat in Rome, where during Nero's persecution, around the year 67, he was crucified on a cross, upside down, since he did not want to resemble his Divine Teacher in the manner of his suffering.

Second Sunday of Pentecost: Don't Insult the Priest!

  

Second Sunday of Pentecost

Don't Insult the Priest!

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

Here is a very instructive story of one priest: “My father,” said this shepherd, “was a priest for a long time at the Church of Saint Andrew, where I have served since 1824; he gave me the following obvious proof of the truth that it is dangerous to insult a priest. In his parish there was a certain Maxim, from the Little Russian Cossacks, a man of an obstinate character, especially when he drank, which, unfortunately, happened to him quite often. My father, in accordance with his duties as a shepherd, admonished him at every opportunity, urged him to reform and stop drinking. Once, seeing this Maxim, again behaving outrageously while drunk, he made a remark to him: 'How badly you act, Maxim, how you sin!' However, Maxim, instead of adhering to the counsel given, uttered a considerable amount of rudeness and foul language to his spiritual father, and in response to my father's remark, 'But I am your spiritual father,' retorted, 'May I never see you, even when I am dying.' Thus, the matter concluded there.

Second Sunday of Pentecost: The Election of a Bishop is Done By the Will of God

Second Sunday of Pentecost

The Election of a Bishop is Done By the Will of God

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

“I was left an orphan,” said Saint Jonah, Archbishop of Novgorod (John in the world), “at the age of three after the death of my mother and at the age of seven after the death of my father. God put it in the heart of the widow Natalia, the mother of Yakov Dmitrievich Medovartsev, to take me into her home, feed and clothe me, and send me to a deacon to learn to read and write. There were many students at the school where I entered; I was quiet because of poverty. One day the children were playing after vespers; and then I saw a blessed man walking down the street. The children rushed at him, began throwing pebbles at him, throwing dirt in his eyes, but I stood there without moving. The blessed one, leaving the children, ran up to me, grabbed me by the hair, lifted me higher than himself, and, not knowing me at all, called me by name. 'Vanyusha!'* he said, 'learn to read and write, you will be an archbishop in Novgorod.' Then he embraced me and ran away. It was Blessed Michael of Klopsk."

June: Day 28: Teaching 2: Venerables Sergius and Herman of Valaam

June: Day 28: Teaching 2:
Venerables Sergius and Herman of Valaam

(The Beneficial Influence of Monasticism on the Course of our History)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Today we celebrate the memory of Venerables Sergius and Herman, the Wonderworkers of Valaam. Venerables Sergius and Herman were the founders of monastic life on the Valaam Island of Lake Ladoga and lived in the first half of the 14th century. Orthodox Christianity began to spread in the vicinity of Lake Ladoga from the beginning of the 13th century, but in 1249 the Swedes, having conquered this region, began to introduce Catholicism by force. The Swedish king Magnus forcibly converted the people in the vicinity of the city of Oreshek (Shlisselburg), and many of those forcibly converted to Catholicism at the first opportunity again deviated to paganism. At this time, Venerables Sergius and Herman, having settled on Valaam, founded a monastery there and supported Orthodoxy both by teaching and by the example of their lives. The brotherhood of monks gathered by the Venerables was quite populous; the monastic rule was distinguished by its strictness. The death of Sergius and Herman occurred around 1353. Their relics rest under a crypt in the monastery katholikon Church of the Transfiguration on Valaam.

June: Day 28: Teaching 1: Translation of the Relics of the Holy Unmercenaries Cyrus and John

June: Day 28: Teaching 1:
Translation of the Relics of the Holy Unmercenaries Cyrus and John

(The Perniciousness of Pride and the Means of Combating It)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The sick turned to the holy unmercenary physicians Cyrus and John, whose translation of relics is commemorated today, not only during their lifetime, but also after their death. Thus, a certain city governor's son fell ill; local physicians treated him unsuccessfully. The father and son finally turned to the unmercenary physicians Cyrus and John, who appeared to the sick man and ordered him to "abandon his pride" and, as proof of his humility, demanded that he sweep their temple himself. The sick man fulfilled the demand - and was healed. When, after some time, he again forgot the lesson given to him, the illness returned. Now he had to carry water to the sick in order to be healed.

Why the Orthodox Church Considers Cyril Loukaris an Orthodox Saint and Not a Calvinist

In 1629, in Geneva, there appeared in Latin, under the name of Cyril Loukaris, who was then the Patriarch of Constantinople, the so-called "Eastern Confession of the Christian Faith," which was then translated and published into English, French and German in 1631, and finally translated into Greek in 1633. This text allegedly by the Patriarch of Constantinople was meant to be a response to Roman Catholics and contained Calvinist doctrines. The Synod of Constantinople in 1638 anathematized both this confession and Patriarch Cyril, but the Synod of Jerusalem in 1672, which dealt specifically with Cyril's case, completely justified him, testifying that the Synod of Constantinople cursed Cyril not because it considered him the author of the Confession, but because Cyril did not write a refutation of this work attributed to him.

Second Sunday of Pentecost: All Honest Work Is Pleasing To God

 

Second Sunday of Pentecost

All Honest Work Is Pleasing To God

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

Many Christians, to whom God has assigned hard, by human standards, work, grumble about their occupation, are often dissatisfied with their position and often envy noble and rich people. But... remember the words of the Apostle: "As the Lord has called each one, so let him walk" (1 Cor. 7:17). Any useful work, even if not honorable, is honorable and pleasing to God. Our Savior Jesus Christ Himself, living in the house of Joseph the carpenter, undoubtedly engaged in this craft, because he was in complete obedience to his parents (cf. Luke 2:51). The Apostles also fed themselves from the labor of their hands; thus, the Apostle Paul himself made tents, and other Apostles, for example Peter and John, caught fish. The Most Holy Theotokos was engaged in handicrafts. And the holy saints of God worked hard: some cultivated the land, others wove baskets, others chopped wood...

Let us take, for example, Saint Alexander, Bishop of Comana (August 12). Alexander came from noble parents and received an excellent education; he knew not only Christian wisdom, but also pagan wisdom, and was considered a philosopher. He could have held a prominent position and enjoyed great honor in society, but his holy soul sought higher honors: he chose the highest Christian feat - self-willed poverty. In deep Christian humility, he decided to live the simplest life, almost shameful in people's opinion - he became a charcoal burner; he burned coals in the forest and carried them to the city to sell, which is how he made a living. By his occupation, he appeared black, dirty, in patched clothes. Little by little, they forgot about Alexander as a philosopher and knew him only as a charcoal burner. Now, from time to time, even small children made fun of him, but Alexander did not pay attention to this. He thought he would end his life in this situation, but God's Providence judged him differently. In Comana, in Asia Minor, a bishop died. Presbyters and local bishops gathered to elect a new hierarch; Bishop Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea, renowned for his spiritual experience, was also invited. When those present began to point to one or another as a worthy successor to the deceased, referring to the nobility of his family, wealth, gift of eloquence, or the venerable years of the one being elected, Saint Gregory the Wonderworker, in turn, noted that when choosing a bishop, one must pay attention primarily to internal qualities, to the kindness of his heart and to God's direction, and he proved his idea with a well-known event from Old Testament history: the election of Jesse's youngest son, David, who had been a shepherd for his father, as king. Not everyone liked the Saint's idea. Many began to grumble and mockingly said: "If we are not to pay attention to appearance when choosing a bishop, then why not choose the coal miner Alexander as bishop?" At that time, Alexander was standing right there in the crowd. "And who is this Alexander?" asked Gregory of Neocaesarea , thinking at the same time: is this not God's indication of a worthy chosen one.

June: Day 27: Saint Sampson the Hospitable

June: Day 27:
Saint Sampson the Hospitable
 
(On the Virtue of Hospitality)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Venerable Sampson, whose memory is celebrated today, was a Roman by birth, the son of very noble and rich parents, who gave him a good education and from his early years instilled in him love for God and the desire to follow the law of the Lord. Loving his neighbors, as the Lord commands, Sampson learned the art of medicine in order to help the suffering. The Lord blessed his good intentions and gave him the miraculous power to heal any ailment.

After the death of his parents, Sampson inherited a rich estate, which he used for the benefit of his neighbors. He set all his slaves free, gave generous alms, received and fed the poor and the strangers. He loved solitude very much, but, caring above all for the benefit of his neighbors, he settled in Constantinople and built a house where he received the poor, the sick, and the strangers. He himself treated the sick and by the power of God worked many miracles. Out of humility, he tried to hide these manifestations of God's special mercy to him, but his holy life became known, and the Patriarch ordained him a priest.

Synaxis of the Lydda Icon of the Mother of God, also known as the Roman

The preaching activity of the Holy Apostles Peter and John the Theologian, before their departure to preach the gospel outside of Palestine, was concentrated mainly in the cities close to Jerusalem. Among other places, they also visited the city of Lydda, later called Diospolis. There they converted many to Christ and erected a temple in the name of the Most Pure Mother of God. 

At that time, the persecution of Christians, after the murder of the Holy Archdeacon Stephen, ceased for a time. Tiberius Caesar, who had heard much about Christ, even forbade the persecution of Christians, which is mentioned in the Book of Acts: “Now the churches throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace" (Acts 9:31).

Having established a community of new Christians in Lydda, the apostles returned to Jerusalem and begged the Virgin Mary to come to Lydda, see the temple and bless it. The Virgin Mary answered them:

"Go with joy: I will be there with you."

The Oikos to Venerable David the Dendrite of Thessaloniki

Fresco in the Cemetery Church of Saint Nicholas in Vevi of Florina, c. 1460

By St. Gerasimos Mikragiannanitis

The Oikos

From youth, wise one, with unwavering desire, you followed Christ, laboring diligently in the life-bearing commandments and divine precepts, appearing a proven laborer with utmost zeal, and with a heart inflamed by divine eros; for you renounced all worldly pursuits, and were seen competing with Angels in your steadfast self-control and every other virtue of a prudent ascetic discipline; and even further, being exalted to the Lord, you ascended a tree and entered into the shade of high contemplations, having been wholly purified, and you were divinized in the theurgic union. Therefore, Thessaloniki rejoices in you, and celebrates your memory crying out: O David, most genuine servant of God. From the divine gifts with which you have been enriched, grant us, O Venerable One, a share.

Ὁ Οἶκος

Ἀπὸ νεότητος σοφέ, ἀπεριτρέπτῳ πόθῳ, κατηκολούθησας Χριστῷ, τῶν ζωοφόρων ἐντολῶν, καὶ θείων προσταγμάτων, ἐργάτης δόκιμος φανείς, ὁλοτρόπῳ, σπουδῇ, καὶ φλεγομένῃ θείῳ ἔρωτι καρδίᾳ• πᾶσαν γὰρ ἠρνήσω του κόσμου προσπάθειαν, καὶ πρὸς Ἀγγέλους ἁμιλλωμένους ὤφθης συντόνῳ ἐγκρατείᾳ καὶ πάσῃ ἄλλῃ ἀρετῇ ἀσκητικῆς ἐμφρόνως ἀγωγῆς• καὶ ἔτι μεταρσιούμενος Κυρίῳ, ἐπὶ δένδρου ἀνῆλθες, καὶ πρὸς γνόφον ὑψηλῶν θεωριῶν εἰσῆλθες, ὅλος καθαρθείς, καὶ θεουργικῇ ἑνώσει ἐθεώθης, καὶ θείων χαρισμάτων ἐπληρώθης. Διὸ Θεσσαλονίκη ἐν σοὶ ἀγαλλιᾶται, καὶ τὴν σὴν ἑορτάζουσα μνήμην κραυγάζει, Δαβὶδ Θεοῦ θεράπων γνησιώτατε. Ἐκ τῶν θείων δωρεῶν ὧν κατετρύφησας, καὶ ἡμῖν μετάδος Ὅσιε. 

 

June: Day 26: Celebration of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God

June: Day 26:
Celebration of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God
 
(Lessons From the History of the Feast: 
a. The Mercy of the Mother of God to our Fatherland, and 
b. With Our Sins We Bring Upon Ourselves the Wrath of God)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, the celebration of which is held today, was first in Constantinople, but 70 years before the fall of this city it appeared in Russia, within the boundaries of Novgorod, over the waters of Lake Ladoga. This was in 1383, during the reign of Grand Prince Dmitry Donskoy. The icon traveled through the air, carried by angels, and stopped at the Tikhvinka River. During its procession, many saw it, and where it stopped, churches were later built. At the site of its last stop, a wooden Church of the Dormition was built. Despite repeated fires in this church, the icon remained unharmed. Through the zeal of Grand Prince Vasily Ioannovich, a stone church was built in place of the wooden one, and in 1556, 173 years after the appearance of the icon, the Tikhvin Monastery for men was built here. 

In 1613, the monastery suffered from the Swedish commander De la Gardie. Embittered by the failures in the war, De la Gardie surrounded the monastery and began to attack it incessantly. The monks, along with many local residents, locked themselves in the monastery and placed all their hope in God and His Most Pure Mother. At that time, the Mother of God appeared to a pious woman, Maria, who had come to the monastery two years before and was healed of blindness, and said: “Tell everyone to take My icon and walk around the walls and see the mercy of God.” When a religious procession with the icon of the Mother of God was held around the monastery, the enemies were confused and fled. 

Second Sunday of Pentecost: Every Good Deed is Supported by God Himself and His Saints

Second Sunday of Pentecost

Every Good Deed is Supported by God Himself and His Saints

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

"Without God,  you can't get anywhere" – says an old proverb. Indeed, what can we, the weak, accomplish without the help of the Creator, the Almighty and the Providence of God?! He is our Creator, who has given us breath and life; He is our Providence, who cares for all that we need in life, particularly for that which leads us to salvation. "If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do its builders labor," as it is written in the word of God (Psalm 126:1). 

Once the Apostles of Christ fished all night, but there was no catch. The Divine Teacher came to them and ordered them to cast the net... And in an hour, or even less, the catch was so great that the Apostles could hardly pull the net out, and the boat even began to sink from the multitude of fish. What did such a successful catch depend on? On the blessing of God. "We have worked all night and caught nothing," the Apostles said to the Savior. Everyone works, they work with zeal, but everyone complains that their work is in vain. Why is this? Because their work was undertaken without God's blessing.

Second Sunday of Pentecost: On Obedience to the Will of Christ

 

Second Sunday of Pentecost

On Obedience to the Will of Christ

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

A wonderful example of true obedience to the word of God was shown to us by the Apostles of Christ. One day Jesus Christ was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and He saw two brothers, Simon and Andrew, casting nets. “Follow Me,” He said to them, “and I will make you fishers of men.” And they immediately left their nets and followed Him. They went on, and Jesus Christ saw two more brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father and mending nets. And He called them. And they immediately left the boat and their father and followed Him.

Oh, if only we Christians were as ready to listen to the word of God and to fulfill the Gospel law! But, unfortunately, how many excuses we give for not following Christ, not fulfilling His Holy law. For example, Sunday or some feast day comes; the bell rings, prompting us to leave worldly affairs and inviting us to go to God’s temple to pray. What then? Do we obey the call of our Orthodox Church? Unfortunately, not always and not all. “We are overcome by the cares of life,” some say, “that is why there is no time to go to God’s temple.” What an unreasonable concern for daily needs! Do we not know that success in our affairs depends on God?! Listen to what is told in the “Prologue”: 

June: Day 25: Teaching 1: Holy Martyr Febronia of Nisibis

 

June: Day 25: Teaching 1:
Holy Martyr Febronia of Nisibis

(Do Parents Have the Right to Force Minor Children to the Service of God?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Febronia, who is remembered by the Church today, was given to a community of ascetics in the third year of her life, which was in Mesopotamia and founded by the deaconess Platonida. Mesopotamia at that time was one of the regions of the vast Roman Empire. When Febronia reached the age that allowed abstinence, she began to eat every other day on the advice of her aunt, the pious Bryene, who was then the abbess of the monastery. Since Febronia's health did not suffer at all from fasting, she soon increased her abstinence and ate the smallest amount of bread and water. To this she added the strictest life, slept on a narrow and short board, often got up at night and read the Holy Scriptures or prayed. 

Meanwhile, a persecution of Christians arose in the Roman Empire, and to persecute them, the Emperor Diocletian sent his dignitaries Lysimachos and Selenos to Mesopotamia. Selenos was a cruel man and in his hatred of Christians he was not inferior to the Emperor himself. Lysimachos, who was only twenty years old at the time, was kind and gentle and had heard many good things about Christians from his mother in his childhood, who, being a Christian herself, had bequeathed to her son before her death to protect Christians. Having sent Lysimachos to Mesopotamia, Diocletian did not particularly trust him, suspecting his inclination towards Christianity, and therefore gave him Selenos as his leader. The inhabitants soon heard with horror about the cruel actions of Selenos in Mesopotamia and Syria, how he exterminated Christians with the sword and gave them over to be torn apart by wild beasts. Many of the Christians, among them presbyters, hermits and the bishop himself, fled when Selenos approached. 

Homily One on the Nativity of the Honorable and Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily One on the Nativity of the Honorable and Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1960)

Prophet and Forerunner of the coming of Christ,
We are at a loss to praise you worthily,
We who honor you with love.
(Troparion of the Nativity of the Forerunner, Tone 4)

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

Dear brothers and sisters, today we honor the memory and joyfully celebrate the glorious birth of the great Prophet of God and Forerunner of the coming of Christ, the glorious John the Baptist. The Lord Himself teaches us to honor and glorify Saint John the Baptist, saying that among those born of women there has not arisen one greater than he (see: Matthew 11:11). Today is the day of his birth; let us listen to how the Holy Gospel tells about it.

1960 years ago in the Holy Land, a two hour journey from the holy city of Jerusalem, in the mountain city of Hebron, lived a pious couple - Zechariah, a priest of the Temple in Jerusalem, and his wife Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, walking according to all the commandments and statutes of the Lord blamelessly (Luke 1:6). But they had no children, for Elizabeth was barren, and both of them were already well advanced in years.

June: Day 24: Teaching 1: The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

June: Day 24: Teaching 1:
The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist

(Good and Pious Children Are the Fruit of the Fervent Prayers of Their Parents)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The nativity of the great Forerunner of the Lord is very remarkable for the fact that his birth itself was unusual and miraculous, that it was the fruit of the fervent, lifelong prayers of his parents, the reward of their faith and hope, their righteousness and piety, their patience and devotion to the will of God.

The holy parents of the Forerunner of the Lord were righteous and pious. Yet, these great righteous figures faced a temptation that was more unfortunate than any affliction recorded in the Old Testament Church. "They had no children" from the beginning of their married life until old age, which at that time was considered a clear indication of God's disfavor and seemingly an act of rejection by God. One can imagine, dear brethren, how fervent were the prayers of these pious spouses, who, despite their diligence in following God's law and their earnest efforts to "walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly," found themselves deprived of God's blessing; so, all these prayers seemingly went unheard. But in heaven, all their prayers were heard, all their sighs and tears were counted; there was prepared for them such a reward that abundantly fulfilled their long-standing deprivation. To them, in their old age, when they themselves had ceased to hope, they were granted such a son, "one greater than He has not risen among those born of women," whose birth was a cause of universal joy, whose life was a wonder to the holy angels, an object of reverence to the entire people of Israel, who was sent by God to prepare the way for the coming Redeemer of the world. A righteous reward for long-standing, lifelong patience and hope!

Second Sunday of Pentecost: The Lord's Calling of the First Disciples

Second Sunday of Pentecost

The Lord's Calling of the First Disciples

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

Upon seeing two young brothers – Simon, called Peter, and Andrew, casting nets into the sea, the Savior, almost in passing, said to them: "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19). The brothers did not inquire of their Divine Master – who He was, what authority commanded them, or where He would lead them; rather, they immediately left their nets and followed the Savior. As He walked further with them, Jesus Christ saw two more brothers – James and John, sitting with their father Zebedee in a boat, mending their nets. The Son of God, who perceives the hearts and innermost beings of men, called these young men as well; and they immediately responded with complete readiness to the calling voice: they left their father, the boat, and the nets and went after Jesus.

Homily for the Second Sunday After Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints Who Shone Forth in the Russian Land (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily for the Second Sunday After Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints Who Shone Forth in the Russian Land

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1964)

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

Beloved in Christ! Today the Orthodox Church solemnly celebrates the bright memory of all the saints who shone forth in the Russian land, glorified by God for their God-pleasing deeds and holy life. These are the firstborn of the Orthodox Russian people, redeemed by the priceless Blood of Christ and sanctified by the grace of the Holy Spirit, brought to God the Father by Jesus Christ. These are the blessed fruits of the holy Orthodox faith, Christianity, planted among our Russian people.

Remember what our Fatherland was before the adoption of Christianity? A wild, barbaric country where human sacrifices were made to idols, where life was spent in wars, debauchery, cruelty and violence. But as soon as the ray of Christian faith shone in Russia, the life of the people was immediately reborn. From a cruel, depraved pagan people, under the influence of the Christian faith, our people became a meek people, distinguished by a rare kindness of soul, simplicity of faith, devotion to Jesus Christ and the Mother of God, such devotion that for the Orthodox faith, Russian people were always ready not to spare even their own lives.

June: Day 22: Holy Hieromartyr Eusebius of Samosata

 

June: Day 22:
Holy Hieromartyr Eusebius of Samosata
 
(On Obedience To Civil Authority)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Eusebius, whose memory is celebrated today, lived in the 4th century and was bishop in the city of Samosata (on the Euphrates River) in the Antiochian metropolis. He waged a long and tireless struggle against heretics and suffered much under Constantius, who patronized the Arians. Under Emperor Julian, Eusebius, hiding his bishopric, went around various regions to confirm Christians in the faith and support them. At this time, he also restored several churches and ordained many priests and deacons.

Upon the ascension of Jovian, Eusebius and other holy figures were restored to their thrones. The pious emperor respected them, while the heretics feared them. However, the Church did not enjoy peace for long, as Jovian soon passed away; after him, Valens ascended to the throne and once again instigated persecution against the Orthodox faith, exiling shepherds into banishment. Eusebius was imprisoned in Thrace, and in his stead an Arian was appointed. Eusebius learned of his exile while in Samosata; preparing to leave the city, he asked the messenger to keep this matter confidential, so that the people would not harm the messenger bringing news of their separation from the bishop. Under the cover of night, he left the episcopal residence, but upon crossing the Euphrates, he was halted by the townsfolk who had learned of his departure, and they wept, beseeching him to return. Eusebius persuaded them not to resist royal authority and to return to their homes, and, having blessed everyone, continued his journey to Thrace, from where he returned during the time of Gratian, who summoned the exiled bishops back to their flocks. However, he soon died from a wound inflicted upon him by an Arian woman who had thrown a vessel from the roof, which struck the bishop on the head... As he was dying, he bequeathed that the woman should not be punished.

Homily Three for the Second Sunday of Matthew (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Three for the Second Sunday of Matthew 
(2nd Sunday of Pentecost)

By St. John of Kronstadt

"And they (Peter and Andrew) immediately left their nets and followed Him (i.e. Christ)" (Matt. 4:20).

The Gospel of Matthew, read today, tells of the calling of four simple and uneducated fishermen to the apostolic ministry: the two brothers, Peter and Andrew, the sons of Jonas, and James and John, the sons of Zebedee the fisherman. It speaks of their immediate and resolute following of the Savior for the great work of the salvation of mankind; of the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom by Jesus Christ throughout Galilee, and of His healing of all kinds of diseases and infirmities among people. Let us strive, through pious reflection and discussion, to derive benefit from the Gospel read today. 

What lessons can we learn from this Gospel? The exemplary act of the simple fishermen towards Jesus Christ is quite instructive for us; their firm, unquestioning, and unwavering resolve to immediately follow Christ in all things and everywhere, their perfect obedience without any hesitation, their selflessness and impartiality towards earthly so-called goods, which are so dear to everyone – namely: to home, to parents, to wives, to other relatives, to the joyful and honest occupation of fishing and others. But you may say: we cannot emulate the apostles, we cannot leave everything behind and follow Christ, who now does not visibly walk the earth.

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

Homily Two for the Second Sunday of Matthew 
(2nd Sunday of Pentecost)

By St. John of Kronstadt

Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).

These words were spoken, my brethren, by Jesus Christ to two fishermen and blood brothers: Peter, who later became the foremost apostle, and Andrew, who was subsequently called the First-Called. “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men;” that is, "follow Me" in My footsteps, in the footsteps of selflessness, total love for God and for humanity, towards the true, heavenly, eternal homeland; in the footsteps of meekness, humility, patience, and gentleness, with complete self-denial: "and I will make you fishers of men," meaning that instead of fish, you will catch people, drawing them from the abyss of sin into holiness, from the turbulent sea of this life into the Kingdom of Heaven.

But why did the Lord say to Peter and Andrew that He would make them fishers of men? He said this in relation to their trade or their vocation, so that they might understand their future calling more easily from His brief words, and to make their transition from one occupation to another — from the similar to the similar, from catching fish to catching men — more convenient, so to speak. Today, we will discuss with you, brethren, what spiritual fishing for men is, what it should be like, what one we should aspire to, and what we should avoid.

Heresy and Theological Methodology

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Usually, heresy is limited to theoretical teaching and one who deviates from the established dogmas of the Church is considered heretical. However, we should see heresy in terms of its inner dimension. For, just as dogmas are an expression of revelation, and the application of dogmas leads to experience, so heresy is a deviation from revelation, but at the same time it destroys the path to theosis. It is as if there were a hospital that cannot heal human beings.

The reversal of the experience of Pentecost occurs because heretics deny the teaching of the deified Fathers of the Church, that is, abandoning the revelatory truth, they rely mainly on their reasoning, their reflection. This means that heretics rely more on philosophy, which is full of thoughts, reflections and fantasies, and do not rely on the revelations of God. Because they rely on philosophical principles, in reality they also deny the teaching that leads to the vision of God. The heretic cannot know God, because he does not know the method of theology. Every science has a theory and this is confirmed by experiment and every verification of the experiment leads to the same theory.

June: Day 21: Holy Martyr Julian of Tarsus

June: Day 21:
Holy Martyr Julian of Tarsus
 
(On Heavenly Blessedness)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Martyr Julian, whose memory is celebrated today, after the death of his father, a pagan, lived with his Christian mother in the Cilician city of Tarsus and was raised by her in the Christian faith. During the persecution of Christians under Diocletian, the young Julian, the son of a former senator, was persecuted and tortured for his faith. For a year he was tortured in various ways in different places in the Cilician region. His mother followed him everywhere and was finally seized in the city of Aegeus, when she asked permission to visit her son in prison, under the pretext of persuading him to renounce Christ, while she herself begged him to remain firm in the faith even to death. Then she, too, was given over to torture along with her son; the heels of her feet were cut off; and Julian, after terrible torments, was condemned to a cruel death: he was thrown into the sea in a sack filled with reptiles. He suffered at the age of 18, in the year 290.

Nicholas Cabasilas, A Model Orthodox Theologian

By Elder Vasilios Gontikakis, 

former Abbot of the Monastery of Iveron

Nicholas Cabasilas assures us that “the Church is expressed in the Mysteries.” And with Cabasilas himself – as a true and holy believer – the whole Church is expressed and revealed, because within the Church he has become Christ by grace and all his ethos, namely his speech and behavior, have the grace and character of the Divine Liturgy and the God-man Lord.

We can see this in the interpretation he makes of the Divine Liturgy and in the fourth discourse of “The Life in Christ,” which he dedicates to the mystery of the Divine Eucharist.

A

He begins the presentation of the Divine Liturgy simply and humbly. He speaks of what the liturgist does and says in it. He mentions the formalities. He speaks of the Holy Prothesis. He shows it as symbolizing the cave of the Nativity. He speaks of the asterisk that is placed on top of the holy diskarion, covers the Lamb and symbolizes the star, which came and stood above where the Child was.

June: Day 20: Holy Hieromartyr Methodios of Patara

June: Day 20:
Holy Hieromartyr Methodios of Patara
 
(On Dissatisfaction With One's Condition)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Hieromartyr Methodios, whose memory is celebrated today, lived at the end of the 3rd century and was a bishop in the city of Patara in Lycia. From his youth he was distinguished by his love for God and the Church, so he entered the Church clergy and became a priest, and then a bishop. He was a very learned man. 

In his time there were disputes about Origen's teaching on the pre-existence of souls and evil spirits, and many were carried away by this teaching. Saint Methodios, through his teachings and writings, exposed the error. He suffered many sorrows for this. Finally, he accepted a martyr's death for the faith of Christ. Saint Methodios left many works written very eloquently.

In his essay on free will, Methodios, in rebuking those who are dissatisfied with their participation, says: “To grumble about the lack of earthly blessings is not wise: a person should be above everything earthly; God created a person for activity, and not for pleasures that relax the soul and body. Perfect equality is impossible – diversity is an attribute of perfection; poverty is allowed either as a punishment for sins, or as a warning against sins.”

June: Day 19: Teaching 2: Venerable Paisios the Great

June: Day 19: Teaching 2:
Venerable Paisios the Great

(How Should Parental Love for Children Be Expressed?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Venerable Paisios, whose memory is celebrated today, lived in the 5th century, was a native of Egypt, the son of rich and pious parents, who generously gave charity to all those in need. While still a youth, he lost his father and lived under the care of his mother, who of her seven sons especially loved Paisios, as the youngest. Paisios's mother often thought about what awaited her son in life. One night, an angel appeared to her in a dream and said: "God, the Father of orphans, has sent me to you. Why are you sad, caring for your children? It is not you alone who cares for them, but God too; leave your sadness and dedicate one of your sons to His service." "All my children belong to God," answered the mother, "and if any of my sons pleases Him, let Him take him." Then the angel, taking Paisios by the hand, said: "This one is pleasing to God." - "Better take one of the older sons, who is more intelligent," asked the mother. "Do you not know," replied the angel, "that the power of God is revealed even in weaknesses, and therefore God chose your younger son, as more capable of pleasing him." With these words, the angel became invisible. In the morning, Paisios' mother offered a fervent prayer to God, then she asked that Paisios be accepted into the Church clergy. Her request was fulfilled, and Paisios began to diligently fulfill the duties entrusted to him. Having reached his youth, Paisios became a monk and became famous for the holiness of his life and the gift of clairvoyance and miracles.

June: Day 19: Teaching 1: Holy Apostle Jude

June: Day 19: Teaching 1:
Holy Apostle Jude

(On Eternal Torment)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. About the Holy Apostle Jude, whose memory is celebrated today, the Church historian Nikephoros writes: “The divine Judas, not Iscariot, but another, who was also called Thaddeus and Lebbaeus, the son of Joseph, the brother of James, who was thrown from the roof of the Temple, cast the net of the holy gospel first in Judea, Galilee, Samaria, Idumea, then the cities of Arabia, Syria and Mesopotamia; finally he came to the city of Edessa, which belonged to King Abgar, and where another Thaddeus, one of the 70 Apostles, preached Christ even before him.”

According to tradition, it is also known that the Apostle Jude preached the gospel in Persia, from where he wrote a Catholic Epistle to believers, short but edifying, in which he protects against false teachers and threatens that as it was with Sodom and Gomorrah, “so it will be with these dreamers, speaking evil of what they know not, grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts (ungodly and lawlessly); whose mouth utters pompous words.” “These are stains in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” The Holy Apostle Jude further writes in his epistle that the Lord, who did not spare even the angels, will punish every sinner who does not try to correct his life.

The Holy Apostle Jude died a martyr in Mesopotamia (around 80 A.D.); he was crucified on a cross. His burial place remains unknown.

June: Day 18: Teaching 2: Holy Martyr Leontios of Tripoli

June: Day 18: Teaching 2:
Holy Martyr Leontios of Tripoli

(The Conquering Power of Christian Kindness)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Martyr Leontios, whose memory is celebrated today, was a Greek, served as a commander in the Roman army under Emperor Vespasian and lived in the city of Tripoli, near Mount Lebanon. He professed the Christian faith. This is how he was awarded the crown of martyrdom from the pagans together with two warriors, Christians, Hypatios and Theodoulos. Hadrian, a Roman dignitary, a zealot of paganism and an enemy of Christianity, went to Phoenicia to persecute Christians there. Having learned about Leontios, who himself rejected idols and turned others away from worshiping them, Hadrian sent the tribune Hypatios with soldiers after him. Near the city Leontios himself met them with his soldiers and, promising to show them whom they were looking for, invited them to his house for rest, offered them a meal, received them with the same cordiality with which we receive our dear friends, and after the meal announced that he himself was Leontios, a friend not of the pagan gods, but of the Christian. Then Hypatios and the soldier Theodoulos fell at his feet and said: "We too want to be Christians." Leontios prayed; suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed Hypatios and Theodoulos, and rain fell on them from the cloud. Saint Leontios called upon the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and thus baptized them.

June: Day 18: Teaching 1: The Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God

June: Day 18: Teaching 1:
The Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God

(Can We Always Hope To Receive What We Ask From the Mother of God?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Eternal monuments of the miraculous help of the Queen of Heaven to suffering Christians are Her numerous miraculous icons, which adorn the Russian land. Among them, the Bogolyubov Icon of the Mother of God, the feast in honor of which is now celebrated, has been reverently venerated in Holy Rus' since ancient times. This miraculous icon was painted in the twelfth century, by order of the Holy Grand Prince of Vladimir, Andrew Yuryevich Bogolyubsky. In 1157, when the pious prince was leaving Vyshgorod to return to his homeland, the land of Suzdal, he took with him the Vladimir icon of the Mother of God that had been in the Convent of Maidens, upon the advice of his boyars. During his journey from Vyshgorod to Rostov, he did not cease to perform prayers before the icon of the Mother of God. When they were approaching the city of Vladimir, at one place near the Klyazma River the horses harnessed to the sleigh in which the holy icon was being carried stopped. They changed horses several times, but none of them could move the sleigh. The Grand Prince then ordered the tents to be pitched and then, together with those accompanying him, he prayed for a long time before the icon of the Mother of God. The Mother of God then appeared to him with a charter in her hand and commanded him to remain forever in Vladimir, and on that place (ten miles from the city) to build a monastery and a church in the name of the Nativity of the Mother of God. The pious and God-fearing prince did not hesitate to fulfill the command of the Queen of Heaven and erected a monastery on the site of Her appearance, calling it Bogolyubov. At the same time, to glorify this miraculous event, he ordered icon painters to depict the radiant face of the Mother of God in the form in which She appeared to him. The newly painted icon was called Bogolyubsky ("the God-lover") and was to be celebrated annually on June 18. Local residents soon began to venerate it as miraculous. 

An Equation to Determine the Duration of the Apostles' Fast

The Lent of Summer or of the Holy Apostles, is in the month of June during the harvest, but it does not have a specific and fixed duration.

It depends on when Easter is.

In the days of old, before the internet and before churches handed out calendars, when pious people wanted to figure out how long the Apostles' Fast would be in a particular year, which was important because it usually fell during the June harvest season, they figured out in a practical way when it would be and how long it would last. They did this by remembering the following saying:

"As many days as there are left in April and three in May." 

("Όσες μέρες περισσεύουν του Απρίλη και τρεις του Μάη.")

Homily Three for the Sunday of All Saints (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Three for the Sunday of All Saints 
 
By St. John of Kronstadt

"Be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16).

Today is the Sunday of All Saints, that is, the Sunday dedicated to the remembrance and glorification of all the Holy Saints of God, and especially the Holy Martyrs for the faith of Christ, their ardent love for God and neighbor, their every patience, self-denial, abstinence, obedience to the faith, unwavering devotion to the Lord and the Holy Church, their strength and humility, simplicity and gentleness, their holiness and perfection. Here they were people like us, but by faith, love and zeal for God, patience and forcing themselves to every virtue, repentance and withdrawal from every sin and lawlessness, they pleased God and attained eternal peace and blessedness; and we are invited to follow them, praying day and night to God for the salvation of us all. 

They seem to speak to us from heaven: "Behold, we have labored, by the grace of God, temporarily for God and our souls, and now we rejoice forever; we did not spare our much-suffering, corruptible flesh, we wore it out with fasting, labors, unceasing prayers, or we were oppressed and tormented in every way by unrighteous persecutors; now we are crowned with crowns of incorruption from the life-giving right hand of Christ God; we have hated the all-pervasive and all-destructive sin and have clung with all our hearts to God and His holy commandments, and by this we have become forever blessed." 

June: Day 17: Holy Martyrs Manuel, Sabel and Ishmael

June: Day 17:
Holy Martyrs Manuel, Sabel and Ishmael
 
(An Example of Life Given To Us By the Holy Martyrs: Firmness in Faith and Love)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Martyrs Manuel, Sabel, and Ishmael, celebrated today, were Persians, brothers, children of noble parents, raised in the Orthodox faith by a Christian mother. They were once sent to the Emperor Julian to negotiate peace. At first received favorably, they were persecuted when Julian learned that they were Christians. When, during a pagan celebration at which Julian was present, they stood at a distance, praying for the enlightenment of the pagans and refused to take part in sacrifices to idols, Julian ordered that they be tortured. Iron nails were driven into their heads, sharp needles were stuck into the nails of their hands and feet. The Martyrs endured all this with unwavering patience, drawing strength from prayer. Finally, they were executed. When the order was given to burn their bodies, suddenly an earthquake occurred and hid them underground... But two days later, through the prayers of Christians, their relics appeared on the surface of the earth and were buried with reverence.

Homily One for the First Sunday After Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily One for the First Sunday After Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints 

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1960)

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

On this day, at the conclusion of all the great feasts – the Bright Resurrection of Christ, His glorious Ascension into Heaven and the sending of the Holy Spirit from the Father upon the Apostles, the Holy Church solemnly commemorates all the saints who have pleased God from the beginning of time and have been glorified by God, who are already celebrating in Heaven the great victory of the Conqueror of death and hades, our Savior. This is the blessed fruit of the suffering, death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. These are the gracious fruits of the coming of the All-Holy Spirit of God and His presence in the Church of Christ. These are the first-born of humanity redeemed by the Blood of Christ and renewed by the grace of the Spirit of God, brought to God the Father by Jesus Christ.

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

Homily Two for the Sunday of All Saints 
 
By St. John of Kronstadt

The current Sunday is called the Sunday of All Saints. In celebrating in honor of all Saints, we remember all those who have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, namely: the forefathers and patriarchs, prophets and apostles, martyrs and hierarchs, hieromartyrs and venerable martyrs, the venerable and the righteous, holy fools for Christ, as well as all holy women and other nameless Saints, with all of whom we honor the Most Holy One, surpassing all Angelic orders, our Lady Theotokos, Ever-Virgin Mary.

Celebrating All Saints soon after the feast of the descent of the Holy Spirit, the Church intends to demonstrate to us the glory and grace of the Holy Spirit – God, who sanctifies, enlightens, fortifies, and glorifies all saints of the human race, in both the Old and New Testaments; in particular, she intends to showcase the fruits brought forth through the Apostles by the coming of the Holy Spirit – how He sanctified beings akin to us, bestowed wisdom upon them, elevated them to the rank of Angels, and led them to God: some crowned for the feats of martyrdom, others for their virtuous lives. The All-Holy Spirit accomplishes that which transcends the laws of nature.

Homily Two on All Saints Day (Righteous Alexei Mechev)

Homily Two on All Saints Day*

By Righteous Alexei Mechev

(Delivered on May 17, 1915)

The Sunday after Pentecost, my beloved, is dedicated to the memory of all the Saints. The Holy Fathers established this feast on the first Sunday after the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, with the intention of showing the faithful the fruits that the Holy Spirit produced on earth; to teach us how He raised people like us to the angelic rank and made us heirs of blessedness.

The holy people are our first, best friends and intercessors for us before God. They, like us, had neither a special body nor a special soul, they were of the same nature as us. But with the assistance of the grace of the Holy Spirit they attained blessed eternal life, which we too can attain if we desire it and strive for it ourselves. Living in heaven, enjoying indescribable blessedness, they do not forget us. Whereas it is not so among us, sinners, here on earth. It happens with us thus: the most sincere friends leave and forget their friends when they are in happiness, glory and honor, and they - in their former miserable and unenviable lot. Separated from us by that light and blessedness which our mind cannot understand and language cannot express, they can never forget us and help us in everything. Heaven and earth have more than once witnessed their good deeds to the human race. More than once, through the prayers of the saints, the sky, heated by the rays of the sun, was covered with dark clouds and poured heavy rain on the earth, petrified by the prolonged heat.

June: Day 16: Saint Tychon the Wonderworker, Bishop of Amathus

June: Day 16:
Saint Tychon the Wonderworker, Bishop of Amathus
 
(Lessons From His Life: 
a. How Should Children Be Raised? 
b. One Should Possess a Childlike Simplicity of Faith)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Tychon of Amathus, whose memory we celebrate today, was a miracle worker even in his childhood. His father sold grain, and the holy youth helped his father in the trade, but instead of selling it for money, he gave the grain away to the poor for free. When his father learned of this, he was very sad, because the grain trade was the only means of subsistence for his family, and he became angry with his son. But the holy youth, who knew the Holy Scriptures well, said to his father: "Calm down, father, I have not squandered your property, but lent it to God, and I have a true receipt in His Holy Scriptures, which says: he who has mercy on the poor lends to God." The youth, in the simplicity of his soul, believed the words of the Holy Scriptures so much that he invited his father to see if the wheat in his granary was exhausted, and what happened? That part of the granary which had been empty before was now full of the best wheat.