July: Day 14: Teaching 2: Holy Apostle Aquila

  

July: Day 14: Teaching 2:
Holy Apostle Aquila
 
(Believers Must Be of One Mind)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Apostle Aquila, whose memory is celebrated today, was a Jew from Pontus, who believed in the Lord Jesus, and lived in Rome with his wife Priscilla. On account of unrest among the Jews, Caesar Claudius expelled them all from Rome, and then Aquila moved to Corinth, where he lived by his trade making tents. When the Apostle Paul arrived in Corinth from Athens, he settled in the house of Aquila, and they both worked together, engaging in the same trade. Paul found in Aquila and his wife zealous co-workers; they helped him spread the word of God, joyfully enduring persecution and danger for the holy cause. They followed Paul to Ephesus and there labored with the same zeal. In the Acts it is mentioned that when Apollos of Alexandria began to teach about the Lord, Aquila and Priscilla received him and also explained to him the ways of the Lord, for Apollos knew only the baptism of John. When Apollos went to Achaia, Aquila and Priscilla gave him letters to the disciples there, so that he would be received with love. “So the believers then acted with one mind” with “zeal and a fervent spirit,” serving God with all their strength, with all their means. Ardent love united them; they all considered themselves brothers in Christ and loved one another as brothers. In many of his epistles the Apostle Paul mentions his faithful co-workers. In the Epistle to the Romans he says: “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus, who laid down their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles, and the church in their house” (Rom. 16:3-4).

July: Day 14: Teaching 1: Venerable Elli of Egypt

 

July: Day 14: Teaching 1:
Venerable Elli of Egypt
 
(On the Means of Combating Temptations)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. From his early youth, the Venerable Elli, whose memory is celebrated today, loved the strict ascetic life. In his adolescence, he had already attained such holiness that he was honored with miraculous grace: he would take, for example, burning coals in his clothes and, without harming the latter in the least, bring them to his elder mentor. Now this same Elli once withdrew into a remote desert for the highest monastic feats. He was walking, and suddenly he smelled honey. “With what pleasure would I eat honey now,” the passion for delicacies and gluttony prompted him. And then suddenly honey was found in the rock. What does the Venerable One do? He stops, thinks, and finally begins to reproach himself: “Get away from me, deceitful desire; for it is written in the word of God: 'Walk in the Spirit and do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.'” And the Venerable One left that place without even touching the honey he had found, and went into the deepest desert, in order to humble his flesh still more by hunger. Three weeks later, while walking in the desert, he found beautiful apples lying on the ground. The feeling of lust again awakened in the Venerable One. And now the Venerable One stopped this sinful feeling with reflection. “I will not taste or touch this fruit,” he said to himself; “for it is written: 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'” For such strict vigilance over himself during his four-week wandering in the desert, Venerable Elli was finally granted such consolation, that during his light slumber, an angel of God appeared to him and said: “Go over there, and there you will find food for yourself; you can use it without any doubt for the glory of God and you will be strengthened." Elli woke up and in the indicated place he really found a source of spring water and some fragrant herbs growing around it, very tasty. The Venerable One strengthened himself with the food and drink indicated to him with such spiritual joy, as he himself said, which he could not convey to the brethren when they asked him about it.

Homily on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Synod: The Struggle on Behalf of the Orthodox Phronema (Fr. Athanasios Mitilinaios)

 

Homily on the Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Synod: 
The Struggle on Behalf of the Orthodox Phronema 

By Archimandrite Fr. Athanasios Mitilinaios

(Delivered at the Monastery of Komnenion in Larisa on July 19, 1981)

"Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:19).

There exists, my beloved, a tendency among humans, precisely because of their fallen state, to always distort the truth. Many have the inclination to insert their own subjective views into the objective reality; as a result, a distortion and corruption ensues. Naturally, this is a consequence of human selfishness, which is the core of the sin that exists in every descendant of Adam, who is fallen. I need not mention that this is also present in the devil. The devil, particularly proud, would never wish to accept God's truth as it is offered, but would rather insert his own subjective views and distort God's truth.

Thus, as you perceive, the integrity of the word of God is a matter of utmost importance, which every believer must heed if they truly wish to be saved. The Lord, being fully aware that He is being heard by people, not merely fallen individuals but also those quite corrupted, like the rulers of the people, the priests, the clergy, the Pharisees, the Scribes, and the lawyers — those who were leaders of the people — these individuals possessed great arrogance and thus always sought to distort the word of God. My beloved, if one considers their rabbinic output known as the Talmud, which contains six thousand commandments, this alone is sufficient for you to understand… the majority of which are a distortion, a perversion of the truth, you can grasp from this how these individuals operated.

July: Day 13: Teaching 1: Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Gabriel

July: Day 13: Teaching 1:
Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Gabriel
 
(What Should the Certainty That the Holy Angels Are Sent by God to Serve Us and Care for our Salvation Encourage Us To Do?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On the day of the Synaxis in honor of the Holy Archangel Gabriel, all his miraculous appearances are remembered and glorified as the harbinger of the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God and the servant of the dispensation of the salvation of the world.

While the Lord's Archangel Michael, who at an unknown time began the battle with the spirit of evil, was given a certain divine and pre-worldly power for the conduct of this battle, by which he was appointed as a guide to Christ and a defender of the Jewish people (Dan. 10:13, 12:1), and at the same time the pre-eminent servant of the Old Testament (Heb. 2:2), the Holy Archangel Gabriel was entrusted by the Holy Spirit with the service of the mysteries of God and especially the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God for the salvation of man. For this reason, the Holy Church calls him the herald of the mysteries of God and the servant of miracles, and, according to ancient tradition, depicts the Holy Archangel sometimes with a jasper mirror on his left hand and a lantern with a lit candle in his right hand (since God's plans for the salvation of man were hidden for a time and were revealed to people only in a conjectural manner, like unclear images of an object reflected in a mirror), sometimes with a branch of paradise in his hand, which was brought by the Archangel to the Mother of God at the hour of the Annunciation.

Thousands of People Visit the Tomb of Saint Paisios on his Feast to Capture the Scent of Eternity

Saint Paisios: Thousands of People at his Tomb From Every Corner of Greece – The Only “Popular Pilgrimage” That Smells of Eternity

Published on 11 July 2025

By Eleutherios Andronis
Sportime.gr

Social “explosion” in the world’s love for the Saint in recent years - A blessed phenomenon that shows that nothing has been lost.

If the love of the Greeks for Saint Paisios had already been excessive for decades, after the screening of the series “Saint Paisios, from Farasa to Heaven”, reverence for the Saint has evolved into a social phenomenon, one of the few pleasant phenomena in our sad times.

Hundreds of thousands of people who had no particular contact with ecclesiastical life and had never read a book about the Saint, saw the series and were “electrified” by his life, his unhypocritical love, his inexhaustible sacrificial spirit and the spiritual freshness that only a Spirit-bearing man of God, such as Saint Paisios, offers to every heart.

Saint Veronica as a Model for our Lives

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saint Veronica is the bleeding woman whom Christ healed, or rather was healed when she touched the garment of Christ. This miracle is described by the Evangelists Matthew, Mark and Luke. Christ was walking with His Disciples - along with the synagogue leader Jairus, who begged Him to go to his house to heal his sick daughter - and many people followed. Then a bleeding woman, who could not be healed by the doctors, approached Christ and touched the hem of His garment and was immediately healed, because she believed and said that “if I only touch His garment I will be healed.” Christ asked who touched Him and His Disciples told Him that "the people have surrounded You and are crushing You and You are asking who touched You!" Christ again said “someone touched Me, for I felt that power has gone out from Me.” Then the healed woman confessed the reason for which she touched Him and that she was immediately healed. Christ comforted her, told her to be courageous, and assured her that her faith had saved her.

July: Day 12: Saints Theodore the Varangian and his son John, First Martyrs of Russia

July: Day 12:
Saints Theodore the Varangian and his son John, First Martyrs of Russia
 
(Do We Have Faith?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Following the celebration in honor of the first Christian Russian princess Olga, the Russian Church also remembers the suffering of the Christian "first martyrs of Russian" Theodore and his son John. Prince Vladimir, who later enlightened the Russians with Holy Baptism, won a victory over the Yotvingians. The people of Kiev, in gratitude to their gods for this victory, decided to sacrifice a man to them and for this they chose the youth John, the son of Theodore, who professed the Christian faith with his father. Since Theodore did not give his son to the godless slaughter and locked himself in his house, which stood on pillars, the enraged pagans cut down the pillars: the building fell and crushed the innocent servants of Christ. Their holy blood, like seed sown in a field, grew an abundant fruit. In a short time, Prince Vladimir himself and all Russians accepted Christianity.

The First Meeting of Saint Sophrony of Essex and Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Our meeting took place in a small street outside the precincts of the Sacred Monastery and, according to his custom – because he had to walk a bit, since he was eighty years old – he invited me to discuss while walking, so that we could become, as he usually said, “peripatetic philosophers.” He was a philosopher in the patristic sense of the term, since he had the real philosophy, which is empirical theology.

Starting the conversation, I told him that I felt that within my heart I saw the existence of various passions and I wanted to be freed from them in order to have real communion with God. He then told me: “The beginning of spiritual life is the sense of sinfulness. Man feels that he is worse than animals and unworthy of God’s love. This is a 'normal' state, and it is inspired by the Grace of God. It is the experience of hell that constitutes the negative vision of the uncreated Light. Through the Light of God, we see our state as though projected from the image of a transparency when light exists behind it. We should be concerned when we do not feel the passions that exist within us.”

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture - Introduction to the Holy Bible (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture 

Introduction to the Holy Scriptures 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(Sunday, July 6, 2025)

In this year's Summer Sunday sermons, the Holy Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, will be briefly analyzed; essentially a small approach or a small acquaintance with them will be made, so as to give the opportunity and create zeal in some to read the Holy Scriptures even more.

In today's short sermon, a small introduction to the Holy Scriptures will be made.

When we talk about the Holy Scriptures, we mean the Old and New Testaments. This covers the agreement or covenant that God made in the Old era, that is, before Christ, with the Jewish people, and the agreement or covenant that Christ made with the New people, the one made up of Jews and Gentiles, the so-called Christian people.

Celebrating the Holy New Venerable Martyr Nikodemos in Berat, Albania

By Fr. Elias Makos

With Vespers on the eve, as well as a vigil in the Church of Saint Michael, as well as a Divine Liturgy on the feast day in the chapel in his honor in the Cathedral of Saint Demetrios, the memory of the local Venerable Martyr Nikodemos was honored in Berat, Albania.

The faithful had the opportunity to venerate the skull of Saint Nikodemos and receive cotton from his sacred lips as a blessing.

When the Saint was beheaded on July 11th 1722, Christians gave money to the Turks and received his relics, which they placed in the Church of the Panagia.

In 1815, the silversmiths of Berat made a silver case for the Saint's head.

July: Day 11: Holy Right-Believing Princess Olga

 

July: Day 11:
Holy Right-Believing Princess Olga
 
(In the Christian Faith There Is a Great and Invaluable Blessing)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Right-Believing Grand Princess Olga, whose memory is celebrated today, according to tradition, was a native of the Pskov region. By chance she became the wife of the Grand Prince of Kiev, Igor, and after his death in 946 she became the ruler of the state, due to her son Svyatoslav being a minor. At the beginning of her rule, she first of all tried to take revenge on a neighboring tribe - the Drevlians, who were hostile to the Russians and especially aroused Olga's anger by the fact that they had treacherously killed her husband Igor. Olga carried out this revenge with such cunning and cruelty, which in those days were common among pagans, whose hearts were not softened by the love of Christ. The chronicler tells of Olga's revenge and tricks: when the Drevlian prince Malk sent to ask for her hand, Olga deceived the ambassadors, lured them to her and ordered them to be buried alive in a pit; she also burned the ambassadors sent by the Drevlians from among the famous citizens in a bathhouse, and killed the others at her husband's grave, having lured them by cunning for his commemoration. She took the Drevlian city of Korosten itself by another trick: having imposed three pigeons and three sparrows from each household as a tribute on the inhabitants, she ordered that burning tinder with sulfur be tied to these birds and released into the wild: they returned with the fire to their nests and started a fire. Having thus taken possession of the city, Olga condemned the oldest citizens to death and imposed a heavy tribute on the rest. 

Holy New Martyr Jonah the Protopsaltis (+ 1821)

The Holy New Martyr Jonah was the Protopsaltis of the Cathedral Temple of the Panagia in Ayia Napa, Limassol of Cyprus.

He was decapitated on July 10, 1821, the day after the sacrifice of the Holy Ethnomartyr Archbishop Kyprianos of Cyprus and the three Metropolitans with him: Chrysanthos of Paphos, Meletios of Kition, Laurentios of Kyrenia.

July: Day 10: Teaching 2: The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord in the Royal City of Moscow

July: Day 10: Teaching 2:
The Placing of the Honorable Robe of the Lord in the Royal City Moscow
 
(On the Meaning of the Sufferings of Christ)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Today, the Holy Church commemorates the bringing of the Lord's robe to Moscow and its placement. In 1624, Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, being on good terms with Abbas, the Shah of Persia, sent ambassadors Vorobyin and Kuvshinov to him. The Shah, having conquered Iberia, was returning victorious. Upon receiving the ambassadors, he spoke to them of his intention – to send the robe of the Savior, which he had found in the treasury of a certain church, to the Russian sovereign. The ambassadors reported this to the Tsar and the Patriarch, who were uncertain of how to respond; meanwhile, the Shah's envoy Irusambek arrived in Moscow with many gifts and a letter. First of all, he presented the Patriarch Philaret with a golden box adorned with precious stones. Within it was enclosed the Lord's robe. The Patriarch received it with honor, yet he himself was perplexed about how to regard the received gift, and thus convened a synod, at which Nektarios, the Archbishop of Vologda, communicated the following: "During his diaconate under the Patriarch of Constantinople, he was obliged to be in Iberia. There, in one church, he noticed burning lamps at a pillar on the right side and inquired about this from the priests. They replied that there was the Chiton of Christ and recounted its history: after the Crucifixion of the Savior, when soldiers cast lots for His garments, it was awarded to a soldier from the Iberian land. That man brought it back to his homeland and gifted it to his sister, with whom, according to her wish, the robe was buried." Soon a tree grew over her grave, from which fragrant myrrh flowed. During the reign of Constantine the Great, in 342 AD, a church was built here, and a bishopric was established in Iberia. However, during the Persian rule, both the tree and the temple disappeared, and what happened to the chiton remains unknown. When the question of the authenticity of the vestments was not resolved at the synod, a fast was appointed, after which Metropolitan Cyprian, by order of the Patriarch, placed the brought vestment upon the sick: all the sick were healed – and everyone was convinced of its sanctity, which was later transferred to the Dormition Cathedral and placed in a specially arranged room, in the corner, on the west side of the cathedral.

July: Day 10: Teaching 1: Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Caves Lavra

July: Day 10: Teaching 1:
Venerable Anthony of the Kiev Caves Lavra
 
(The Religious and Educational Significance of Monasteries)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Anthony of the Caves, the founder of Russian monasticism, whose memory is celebrated today, was born in 983, in the city of Lyubech, in the Chernigov province, and was named Antipas. Having loved the Lord from childhood, he went to the Holy Mountain of Athos and took monastic vows with the name Anthony. In a cramped cave, hewn out of the rock above the sea, he began to lead a strict life. But then God commanded the abbot who had tonsured Anthony to let him go to Rus'. The abbot carried out this command and, saying goodbye, said to Anthony: "May the blessing of the Holy Mountain be upon you." 

Who Was Saint Demetrios Gagastathis? Recollections of a Spiritual Child of His

By Stylianos Kementzetzidis

He was born at the beginning of our century, specifically in 1902 in the village of Platanos, where later, for 42 consecutive years, the good shepherd of the reasonable sheep lived.

He reposed in 1975, on January 29th, in peace.

He is a saintly figure, although he lived as a married man in the world.

He was endowed with many gifts, with great diligence, purity of conscience, unwavering faith, deep humility and with fullness of love for God and neighbor.

Platanos is a small town, a large village, 15 kilometers to the right of the city of Trikala, in Thessaly.

Father Demetrios performed miraculous signs from the first years of his life.

And what he received from God he cultivated with diligence, he increased it and always humbly and for the glory of God alone.

Saint Demetrios Gagastathis Resource Page

St. Demetrios Gagastathis of Platanos (Feast Day - January 29)

Papa-Demetrios Gagastathis: Brief Life and Teachings 

 

Who Was Saint Demetrios Gagastathis? Recollections of a Spiritual Child of His 

 

Remembering the Venerable Priest Father Demetrios Gagastathis 50 Years After His Repose 

 

Papa-Demetrios Gagastathis and His Relationship With the Archangels 

 

Papa-Demetrios Gagastathis and the Old Calendarists 

 

Papa-Demetrios Gagastathis Unanimously Proposed for Sainthood by the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece 

 

Papa-Demetrios Gagastathis Has Been Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate 

 

Papa-Demetrios Gagastathis Has Been Canonized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate

Joyfully, the bells are ringing today at the Sacred Metropolis of Trikki, Gardiki and Pyli with the news coming from the Ecumenical Patriarchate, who accepted today, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, the relevant dossier and inscribed Protopresbyter Demetrios Gagastathis in the Hagiologion of the Orthodox Church. 

It should be noted that the Permanent Sacred Synod of the Church of Greece, during its session on March 11, 2025, unanimously accepted the proposal for the classification of the late Protopresbyter Demetrios Gagastathis (+ January 29, 1975) into the Hagiologion of the Church, and submitted a relevant request to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

Homily on the Feast of the Kazan Mother of God (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Homily on the Feast of the Kazan Mother of God 

By St. John of Kronstadt

"O diligent Intercessor... pray for all to Your Son, Christ our God, and grant salvation to all who flee to Your mighty protection." (Troparion to the Kazan Mother of God).

Do you all, beloved brethren, always pray diligently to the Mother of God? If any of you do not pray to Her, or do so not from the bottom of your heart, I implore you from this day forth to begin to pray to Her with all fervor, for the Lady is a swift Intercessor for all Christians who fervently seek Her protection and intercession. She does not turn away from anyone and does not neglect anyone. To be granted Her intercession, all that is required is a firm faith in the power of Her prayers and a humble, sincere prayer.

What calamity has befallen you, or what inner sorrow do you bear: hasten to prayer to the Lady, and do not seek solace in any earthly comforts – be it in theaters, circuses, or social gatherings, much less should you resort to wine to alleviate your sorrow and forget your misfortune, as many do. Theaters, circuses, and entertainments that involve wine or other similar distractions are new calamities, though they may not be evident at first glance, for they are beguiling.

Homily for the Feast of Saint Kyriaki (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Homily for the Feast of Saint Kyriaki 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(Delivered on Monday 7 July 2025 in the Church of Saint Kyriaki in Leptokarya of Mountainous Nafpaktia)

We came here today to the settlement of Agia Kyriaki, in order to celebrate this great Saint, whom we respect and honor, and in fact this entire region of Nafpaktia, of mountainous Nafpaktia, respects and honors Saint Kyriaki, who was a Great Martyr, a Venerable Virgin Martyr, who was martyred at the beginning of the 4th century, when there were very great persecutions within the Church of Christ. And we came here to this place, which is about 1,300 meters above sea level, to honor this Holy Great Martyr and Venerable Virgin Saint Kyriaki. I see that all the people, not only those who live here in the area and in the villages, but also in Nafpaktos, love Saint Kyriaki and come up here not only during her commemoration, that is, today and yesterday during Vespers and today during the Divine Liturgy, but they come up regularly because the environment is also beautiful and therefore to appreciate it and pray to the Holy Venerable Virgin Martyr Kyriaki the Prize-Bearer. 

The Example of the Centurion (Fr. George Metallinos)

The Example of the Centurion 

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Metallinos

4TH SUNDAY OF MATTHEW (Matthew 8:5-13)

“When Jesus heard it, He marveled…” (Matthew 8:10)

1. Today's Gospel presents us with the rough portrait of a soldier who is drawn to the charm of our Christ. When one sees so many qualities in a person's soul, it is understandable to feel a certain surprise. Life and history have accustomed us to perceive a soldier somewhat differently, as a hard and violent individual. Not infrequently, the abuses of certain individuals lead to a disgust towards the military class and, in general, towards anyone in uniform, as they are believed to be associated with violence and imposition.

The centurion has a specific reason for coming to Christ. He rushes to meet Him, to plead for his servant, who suffered from paralysis. Just this act elevates this man significantly in our consciousness, considering the status of slaves, especially during that time. Slaves were only human in form; socially, they were not different from animals. They performed all the heavy labor – similar to what foreign workers do today or what illegal immigrants endure – and they lived at the mercy of their masters, who treated them as they wished. For such a socially degraded being, the centurion comes to plead. What weighs even more heavily on his action is that he sees his servant not as his property, but as a member of his family. For it is certain that he would not have shown greater concern for one of his children.

Homily on the Fourth Sunday of Matthew: The Healing of the Servant of the Roman Centurion (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on the Fourth Sunday of Matthew

The Healing of the Servant of the Roman Centurion

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1964)

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

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, today we have been offered the wonderful Gospel of the miraculous healing of the Roman centurion's servant by our Lord Jesus Christ. The Capernaum centurion, whose servant Jesus Christ healed, is a very bright and kind person and can in many ways serve as an example for us to follow in our salvation. This man was a pagan, but he showed such faith before the Lord that Christ was amazed: He did not find such faith, as the Savior Himself testified, even in Israel.

In what exactly did the Capernaum centurion discover a special faith that surprised Christ the Savior and which we can learn from him?

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

Homily Two for the Fourth Sunday of Matthew
(4th Sunday of Pentecost)

By St. John of Kronstadt 

When Jesus heard (the centurion's answer), He marveled and said to those who followed Him: "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel" (Matt. 8:10).

In today's Gospel, brethren, the Lord praised the faith of one centurion, who asked the Lord to heal his servant who was very sick. It was like this: The Savior entered the city of Capernaum. His disciples and a great multitude followed Him. Here the centurion appears to Him with a bow, and says to Him: "Lord, my servant lies at home paralyzed and grievously afflicted." Jesus says to him: "I will come and heal him." The centurion answered and said: "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who followed Him: "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel." And Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way, and as you have believed, let it be done to you." And his servant was healed from that very hour (Matthew 8:6–10, 13). 

July: Day 6: Venerable Sisoes the Great

July: Day 6:
Venerable Sisoes the Great
 
(On Humility)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The asceticism of Venerable Sisoes, who reposed in 429, and whose memory is celebrated today, lasted from early youth to old age. At first he lived in a skete, then he crossed the Nile and retired to the mountain where the great Anthony had labored and where everything reminded him of the wondrous example of monastic life. Solitude did not hide the great ascetic Sisoes from people thirsting for spiritual enlightenment, and many began to visit Sisoes in order to benefit from his instructions. He did not refuse to receive people, since he placed love for people above his own, albeit beloved, silence.

His conversations with people especially contained lessons of humility. 

July: Day 5: Teaching 1: Venerable Athanasios the Athonite

July: Day 5: Teaching 1:
Venerable Athanasios the Athonite

(Why Do the Righteous Sometimes Die an Unfortunate Death?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Athanasios of Athos, who is commemorated today, lived in the tenth century. Orphaned in his infancy, he was raised by a devout nun; later, his time in Constantinople provided him the opportunity to advance in the sciences. From a young age, his foremost desire was to serve God through monastic labors. He became a disciple of the Venerable Michael, took the name Athanasios (he was previously called Abraham), and, retreating to Mount Athos, began to lead a life of great hardship and humility, striving to conceal both his scholarship and his extraordinary gifts from all. However, this was impossible, and he began to receive great honors. Two of the most important dignitaries and commanders of the empire, Leo and Nikephoros, held him in high regard; and Nikephoros, who later became emperor, greatly assisted Venerable Athanasios in the construction and expansion of the monasteries of Athos. The holy ascetic received from God the gift of miraculous power.

Death overtook the Venerable One amid his labors. One day, while inspecting the monastery's constructions with the brethren, he ascended to the top of a building under construction, which collapsed, burying five people, including Athanasios, beneath the stones. The others hurried to excavate the rubble, but they retrieved the Venerable One already dead.

July: Day 5: Teaching 1: The Discovery of the Honorable Relics of our Venerable Father Sergius, the Wonderworker of Radonezh

July: Day 5: Teaching 1:
The Discovery of the Honorable Relics of our Venerable Father Sergius, the Wonderworker of Radonezh

(On Love for the Fatherland)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Sergius, the discovery of whose much-healing relics is celebrated today, among the many virtues with which he was adorned, was distinguished by his extraordinary love for his fatherland, for which he was ready for any labors and sacrifices.

Thus, he repeatedly went on behalf of Saint Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow, to various princes neighboring Moscow, who did not want to recognize the authority of the Grand Prince and were stirring up troubles, and he always fulfilled his difficult assignments with great success; very often and zealously he offered up his ardent prayers for the well-being of the Russian kingdom and ardently sympathized with its misfortunes, which arose mainly from Russia's dependence on the Tatars.

An Aesthetic Evaluation of the Iconography of Andrei Rublev

 

By Panagiotis Drakopoulos

Along with Byzantine, Russian iconography is considered the greatest artistic expression of Orthodoxy.

In its first period, during the 11th and 12th centuries, it was directly influenced by Byzantine, and many of the iconographers were Greek. The most famous work of this period is the Mother of God of Vladimir, which is considered the protecting icon of Russia.

The Era

This was followed by the period of the "Tatar Yoke", when Russia, with Kiev as its capital at the time, was conquered by the Tatars of the so-called Golden Horde. The Tatars plundered and burned palaces, mansions, monasteries and churches. Portable icons, frescoes, embroideries, small artifacts, etc. were destroyed. A struggle for Russian freedom followed, a struggle that provoked new barbarian raids.

But the Tatars often found help from Russian princes who abhorred the restoration of a unified state. At that time, which Tarkovsky so correctly depicts in his film “Andrei Rublev”, art had declined, as had all of civilization. Be aware, however: what concerns Rublev himself in the film is fictional. Tarkovsky’s Rublev is not a biography, despite the title of the film.

Synaxarion of Saint Martha, Mother of Venerable Symeon of the Wonderful Mountain

St. Martha (Feast Day - July 4)

Verses

If you neither worry nor become troubled, Martha, 
You will have everything else and the end of Martha.

This Venerable Martha practiced every kind of virtue, and while she occupied herself in the churches of God, she bore Saint Symeon from a promise. She possessed a great deal of asceticism and practiced standing; indeed, no one ever saw her sitting on Sunday, nor conversing with anyone at all. She had great love, and mercy, and humility. The feet of all foreigners she would wash and welcomed them. She clothed the naked, fed the hungry, and to those who were baptized and did not have clean shrouds to wear according to custom, she provided these shrouds. Likewise, she gave shrouds to the poor who died and had no means to be buried. She also had great faith and devotion to the Lady Theotokos, from whom she was granted to behold, before her death, the enjoyment of the heavenly good things that she was destined to receive after death.

July: Day 4: Teaching 2: Saint Martha, Mother of Venerable Symeon of the Wonderful Mountain

July: Day 4: Teaching 2:
Saint Martha, Mother of Venerable Symeon of the Wonderful Mountain

(Advice on the Religious and Moral Education of Children)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Martha, whose memory the Holy Church celebrates today, had an only son, Symeon; she brought him up, as is said in her life, with great care, and God granted her, while she was still alive, to rejoice in the holy and God-pleasing life of her son. But the time came for Martha to depart to the heavenly world, and then, on the day before her death, she was honored with the following vision. It seemed to her that she was caught up to the heights of heaven and there she saw a most wondrous and bright house, the beauty of which it is impossible to describe. And when she walked into that house and marveled at its wondrous arrangement, she suddenly saw the Most Holy Theotokos with two most radiant angels, Who said to her: "Why are you surprised?" Martha, reverently bowing to the Mother of God, answered: "I am surprised because, Lady, I have never seen such a wonderful house in all the days of my life on earth." Then the Queen of Heaven said: "What do you think, for whom is this house prepared?" - "I do not know, Lady," answered Martha. The Most Pure One continued: "Know that this rest has been prepared for you and this house was created for you by your son, and you will abide in it forever." After this, at the command of the Lady, the angels set up a wondrous throne, and the Mother of God continued: "This glory is given to you because you lived in the fear of God and in a God-pleasing manner. But do you want to see here even more glorious places?" And, having said this, she ordered Martha to follow her. And the Queen of Heaven took her to the highest heavenly places and showed her an even more wondrous and luminous house, incomparably compared to the first, the beauty of which neither the human mind can comprehend, nor can anyone's tongue utter. Here the Mother of God also said: “And your son built this house, and also laid the foundation of the third.” The day after this, blessed Martha died.

July: Day 4: Teaching 1: Saint Andrew, Archbishop of Crete

July: Day 4: Teaching 1:
Saint Andrew, Archbishop of Crete

(On How One Should Repent)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Andrew the Archbishop of Crete was born in Damascus in the 7th century and, healed of muteness after receiving the Holy Mysteries, devoted himself to reading the word of God, and at the age of 14 was received by Patriarch Sophronios into the clerical ranks of the Church of Jerusalem.* When the Arabs took the Holy City, Andrew continued to reside there. In the rank of Archdeacon, he was present at the 6th Ecumenical Synod and denounced the heretics who recognized in Christ the one divine will. Upon returning from the Synod, Andrew devoted himself to prayer and care for the poor and sick. Then, appointed Archbishop of the island of Crete (now Candia, on the Mediterranean Sea), he wisely ruled his flock, edifying them through both word and deed. Through his prayers, he saved the island from the invasion of the Saracens. Being summoned to Constantinople for ecclesiastical matters, Andrew, on his return journey, foretold that he would not see the island of Crete. Indeed, he passed away on the island of Mytilene, having not reached Crete. 

From the Heights of Holy Meteora to the Heights of Heaven: The Repose of Elder Isidoros of Barlaam

Elder Isidoros (Tsiatas) of Barlaam, former abbot of the Monastery of Barlaam in Meteora, reposed on July 2, 2025, and his funeral took place the following day on July 3. The following text was written on the day of his repose.

From the Heights of Holy Meteora to the Heights of Heaven 

 

By Dr. Haralambos M. Bousias, 
Great Hymnographer of the Church of Alexandria

A lofty stature of a virtuous life, a height of humble mindset, a height of industriousness, a height of philanthropy, a height of spirituality, a height of steadfast communication with his beloved Jesus, to whom he would turn at every moment of his life, exclaiming with admiration or perplexity to his interlocutors, "Lord, have mercy," the highly revered and now greatly mourned Elder Isidoros emerged.

The Elder of Meteora and abbot of the Monastery of Barlaam just recently ascended from the heights of Meteora to the heights of heaven.

His equal to the angels conduct granted him wings to soar and join the choir of angels, becoming a citizen of heaven.

July: Day 3: Teaching 1: Translation of the Sacred Relics of the Holy Metropolitan Philip from Solovetsky Monastery to Moscow

July: Day 3: Teaching 1:
Translation of the Sacred Relics of the Holy Metropolitan Philip from Solovetsky Monastery to Moscow

(On the Reasons for the Incorruptibility of Holy Relics)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Philip, Metropolitan of Moscow, the translation of whose much-healing relics is now celebrated, ended his life as a martyr in the Otroch Monastery in Tver, where he was exiled for the truth after an accusation by Ivan the Terrible, and where he was strangled by the chief of the Tsar's oprichniks, Malyuta Skuratov. Several years after the death of the Saint, the abbot of the Solovetsky Monastery, Jacob, and his brethren asked Tsar Feodor Ivanovich for permission to transfer the body of the deceased to the Solovetsky Monastery, where Philip had taken monastic vows and was abbot. There the relics of the martyred Saint rested peacefully under the protection of the church and the prayers of the brethren of the monastery who reverently honored him; there miracles began to be observed at the tomb of Philip over those who prayed before them with faith and reverence. 

Dias, the Ionian Island Dedicated to the Panagia Where Orthodox Priests Were Exiled

Steep on all sides and imposing, it has been described by Professor Spyros Marinatos as “the Meteora of the sea”. It was named Dias because in ancient times, on the rocky islet there was an altar of the god Zeus. 

There is a reference in Hesiod about this islet that, at the top of Aenos in Kefallonia, there was a Temple of the God Zeus, where traces and many relics of sacrifices had been found, which were saved until 1813. When the priests on Aenos sacrificed the sacred carcasses on the altar of Zeus, the smoke that rose to the sky gave the "sign" and the ceremony of a second, almost simultaneous sacrifice began on the rocky islet of Dias, which is in line of sight with Megalo Soros (the highest peak of Aenos). When the priests saw the second column of smoke, they understood that the sacrifice to Zeus had been completed. 

The rocky islet of Dias during the British rule was a place of exile for clergy, for spiritual and political reasons. Many priests, on the occasion of the measures imposed by the English, opposed and were accused of seeking popular uprisings against the English authority. In fact, in a specific issue of civil law, which had to do with the chronological system of registry acts, and was the subject of the Church, many priests resisted. The priests of Lixouri resisted very vigorously and were exiled to Dias and Vardiani as punishment.

July: Day 2: Deposition of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae

July: Day 2:
Deposition of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos in Blachernae
 
(On Reverence for the Sacred)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The present celebration of the Deposition of the Honorable Robe of the Most Holy Theotokos was established in the following way. Tradition says that the Most Holy Theotokos gave one of Her garments to a Jewish woman, a pious maiden, with the order, in turn, before Her death, to give it to the same maiden. In the 5th century, two brothers, Greek nobles, Galbius and Candidus, went to venerate the holy Places in Palestine. Going to Nazareth, the city where the Annunciation took place, they stopped to spend the night in one village in the house of a pious Jewish woman. Here in one of the rooms they saw a large number of lamps and smelled the smell of incense. The nobles asked the hostess about the room, and she told them that she kept a precious relic - the robe of the Most Holy Theotokos. The Greek brothers, considering the keeping of the robe of the Theotokos by a Jewish woman impious, decided to secretly carry off the holy robe. Having made a reliquary exactly similar to the one in which the robe was kept, they prayed to God that He would not impute to them a sin for stealing the reliquary with the robe, secretly took this reliquary at night, and put their own, and brought the robe to Constantinople, placing it in their house. But since many miracles were manifested from the robe of the Theotokos in their house, then, by order of the Emperor Leo, Patriarch Gennadios transferred it with reverence to the Blachernae Church of the Theotokos. This was in the year 474. Parts of the clothing of the Theotokos, separated from that which had been placed in Constantinople, are in various places: in the Dormition and Annunciation Cathedrals in Moscow, in the Lateran Cathedral in Rome, and on Athos in the Russian Skete of the Prophet Elijah.

The Sistine Chapel of Vatican City (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

The Sistine Chapel of Vatican City 

 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Recently, on the occasion of the election of the new Pope, there had been much talk about the temple in which the conclave of Cardinals gathered to elect him, namely the Capella Sistina or Sistine Chapel.

The Capella Sistina (Sistine Chapel) was renovated by Pope Sixtus IV from 1473 to 1477 in order to be used as the Papal Chapel (Cappella Pontificia), which was established in 1483 in honor of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The Sistine Chapel is named after Pope Sixtus IV.

In order to paint the temple, many prominent painters were enlisted, such as Botticelli, Perugino, Signorelli, Cosimo Rosselli, Pinturicchio and others, but mainly the great painter Michelangelo, who constitutes the pinnacle of the Renaissance and heralds the Baroque.

The Orthodox Christians of Syria and Lebanon

By Konstantinos Holevas, Political Scientist

Syria and Lebanon are countries with a multi-religious character. The civil war between Maronite Christians and Muslims, but also between Muslims among themselves, began in Lebanon in 1975. The country still has difficulty making peace today. In Syria, the civil war between the Assad government and its opponents began in 2011. The Assad family, which was overthrown in December 2024, was supported by the Alawite minority. Turkey still maintains military and political influence in Syria today. Greece has the right and obligation to be concerned about the protection of the Orthodox Christians of the region and to press in every way for the peaceful coexistence of all religious groups in the Middle East.

For a better understanding of the problem, I will list five questions with the corresponding answers

July: Day 1: Holy Unmercenaries Kosmas and Damian

July: Day 1:
Holy Unmercenaries Kosmas and Damian
 
(On Imitating Them)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Today the Holy Church celebrates the memory of the Holy Unmercenaries Kosmas and Damian, who suffered in Rome in 284. They were brothers and were raised in Christian piety. Having studied the art of medicine, they, with the help of God's grace, healed all kinds of illnesses. Helping people, they also healed animals. The good healers did not take payment or reward for healing from anyone and therefore were called unmercenary doctors or unmercenaries. They demanded only one thing from those being healed: that they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Healing the sick in Rome itself and in the surrounding cities, they converted many to Christ. Giving healing to the sick, they also helped the poor from their estates left to them by their parents, fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and did other works of mercy.