Holy Apostles Stachys, Apelles, Amplias, Urban, Narcissus and Aristobulus of the Seventy in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

These Holy Apostles (Stachys, Apelles, Amplias, Urban, Narcissus and Aristobulus), belonging to the circle of the Seventy Disciples of the Lord, had the unique and exceptional blessing of being close to their Teacher and having received the grace of Pentecost. They are certainly not at the height of the Twelve Apostles, within the body of our Church, but, albeit on a second “plane,” acting in obedience to the commandments of the Lord Himself, therefore following in His footsteps, they are teachers of the faithful to live with the right faith. As the Holy Hymnographer notes: “Following in the footsteps of Christ, who became incarnate for us out of mercy, most blessed ones, and obeying His divine commandments, you appeared as teachers of all who were in error towards piety."

October: Day 31: Teaching 2: Venerables Spyridon and Nikodemos

October: Day 31: Teaching 2:
Venerables Spyridon and Nikodemos
 
(On Reading Sacred and Spiritually Beneficial Books)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Today, the Holy Church celebrates the memory of Venerable Spyridon of the Caves. Who was he? He was a simple man, born not in the city but in the village, and completely illiterate. Having a strong attraction to monastic life, he went to the Kiev Caves Monastery, and here, although no longer young, he began to learn to read and write. He so loved reading the sacred book of Psalms that he memorized it and read it through every day, regardless of his work. When he was appointed as the prosphora baker, he did not abandon his favorite occupation: whether chopping wood or kneading dough, he constantly had on his lips the wondrous, majestic, touching, penitential and laudatory Psalms of the Holy King and Prophet David, reading or singing them. One day, the Saint was going about his usual business and lit an oven for baking prosphora. Suddenly, however, the roof of the house caught fire from the flames coming from the stove. Then the Saint took off his mantle and covered the mouth of the stove with it. He tied the sleeves of his hair shirt (the monastic undergarment) and went to the well, filled it with water, calling the brethren for help. The brethren, arriving, saw a wondrous thing: the mantle that covered the stove had not burned, and no water had spilled from the hair shirt. Having extinguished the fire, everyone glorified God. In such humble obedience, Venerable Spyridon peacefully reposed. 

Prologue in Sermons: October 31

The Fact That the Devil Arms Himself and Wages War Against No One as Much as Against Young Monastics

October 31*

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

"The devil, like a roaring lion, prowls about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8), says the word of God. Devour whom? Of course, on the one hand, as we know, all of us. But know, young monks, that he primarily seeks to devour you, monks. Indeed, the immutable truth is that the devil arms himself against no one so much and wages war against no one so much as against you. We will now reveal this truth to you in the following example.

Saints Zenobios and Zenobia in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

These Saints lived during the reign of Diocletian and were the children of pious parents. Zenobios was arrested and brought before the emperor. As he was being interrogated, his sister Zenobia appeared on her own. They were both beaten and thrown into a cauldron. However, by the grace of Christ, they were preserved unharmed, and so they accepted death by the sword.

Saint Joseph is the Hymnographer of the Canon of the Saints celebrated today. Apart from him, however, other hymnographers also extol their holiness, such as for example the monk John, who also with his excellent poetic pen highlights the bravery of the two siblings, Zenobios and Zenobia, who were martyred fighting for their faith in the Holy Trinity, while they received the crown of martyrdom, drowning the wicked devil in their blood: “For they have become champions of the Trinity; and in the arena they bravely struck down the invisible enemy with their august blood, and they gloriously received the crown of victory." The last remark is very important. For, indeed, there is, according to our faith, no more powerful weapon that burns the devil than the blood of the martyrs. Where their relics are scattered, any demonic energy flees. It is no coincidence that a consecrated temple, in which bloodless worship, the Divine Eucharist, is celebrated, is considered the most powerful thing against the Evil One. For it is precisely there that the Blood of our Lord is found – the ultimate weapon – and with it the relics of the martyrs that are deposited in the holy altar. I wish the faithful were aware of the powers that we have with us, especially when we are inside the temple.

October: Day 30: Teaching 2: Holy Hieromartyr Zenobios and his sister Zenobia

 

October: Day 30: Teaching 2:
Holy Hieromartyr Zenobios and his sister Zenobia
 
(Sibling Love)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Today, the Holy Church commemorates the sufferings of the Holy Hieromartyr Zenobios and his sister Zenobia. They were born in the Cappadocian city of Aegae to pious parents who raised them in the law of the Lord. They were orphaned early, but their parents' good teachings had already taken root in them, and they resolved to distribute their rich estate to the poor and live solely to serve God. The Lord accepted their sacrifice, and Zenobios received from the Lord the gift of miracles: through prayer and the laying on of hands, he healed the sick. Soon, his miracles and virtues brought him fame throughout the region, and the Christians of Aegae elected him bishop. 

Prologue in Sermons: October 30

On the Beneficial Effects of Parents' Prayers for Children

October 30*

(On How It Is Useful To Keep a Memorial of the Dead)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

If, according to the teaching of the word of God, we should all pray for one another (James 5:16), then parents, in particular, ought to pray especially and primarily for their children. Why? As the saying goes, a parent's prayer reaches even the bottom of the sea — that is, it is especially efficacious before God and produces the most beneficial effects for the children. We shall now, brethren, demonstrate this truth to you through action.

A young man, originally from the island of Cyprus, along with several of his compatriots, was captured by the Persians and imprisoned. After some time, some of his fellow countrymen managed to escape from captivity and arrived in Cyprus. The young man's parents began inquiring about their son, and those who had returned from captivity stated that their son had died on such-and-such a date and month, and that they themselves had buried his body. Meanwhile, it should be noted that the returnees were mistaken. They had indeed buried a young man abroad, but it was not the son of the inquiring parents, who remained alive. Nevertheless, the parents of the young man in captivity believed the words of those who had returned and began to pray for their son as though he were deceased, especially fervently praying for him three times a year: at Easter, Pentecost, and Christmas.

Saint Anastasia the Roman in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

 

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint Anastasia lived when the persecutors of the Christian faith, Decius and Valerian, were emperors and Probus was governor. She was a Roman by origin, young in age and lived in a monastery. Arrested for her faith because she confessed this faith with boldness, she was beaten in the face. Then, she was laid on hot coals and whipped with rods. She was then hung on a tree, pressed in a vice and pierced with iron spikes. While hanging, she was scratched all over her body, her breasts were cut off and her nails were pulled out. Her hands and feet were amputated, her tongue was removed and her teeth were pulled out. In the end, her head was also cut off.

October: Day 29: Teaching 2: Holy Martyr Anastasia the Roman

 

October: Day 29: Teaching 2:
Holy Martyr Anastasia the Roman
 
(About our Ingratitude to God)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. In the life of Anastasia of Rome, celebrated today, there is a trait worthy of our great attention and reverence: when she was subjected to cruel scourging, she is said to have glorified God with the words of the Psalms — not a word of murmuring, not a word of hesitation, doubt, or cowardice, although her torment was so cruel that even the common people, accustomed to such spectacles, began to reproach the ruler. How, then, can this wondrous, angelic act of the Holy Martyr Anastasia be explained? Her profound gratitude to God for that immeasurably great and indescribable blessedness which the Lord has prepared after death for all who love Him — in short, for her salvation, the path to which must inevitably be narrow and sorrowful. How few such Christians are there in our time!

Prologue in Sermons: October 29

To Young Monks About Obedience

October 29*

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

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

In order for you, young monks, to better acquire the habit of obedience and to learn what true obedience should consist of, listen to the following story from the life of the Venerable John the Kolovos.

One day, this Saint came to the great elder Paul of Thebes and asked to be taken in. Paul asked, "Will you obey me in everything?" "I will," was the answer. Then Paul kept John with him and, to test his obedience, did the following. Paul took a branch from a fruit tree, planted it on a mountain, and commanded John to water it until it grew into a tree and bore fruit. Since water was far away and required nearly a day's trek to fetch it, this obedience was extremely difficult for John, yet he did not weaken in it. He watered the planted branch for three years and finally waited for it to become a tree and bear fruit. When the fruit ripened, Paul took it, brought it to the brethren's meal, and, handing it to the monks, said, "Take, eat: here are the fruits of obedience!" Another time, the elder said to John, "We saw a hyena cub near the monastery: go and bring it to me." "But how can I bring it, Father, for the hyena will attack me?" Paul, smiling, said, "Well, then tie up the hyena itself and bring it here too." John obeyed without question and went to the hyena's lair. When he approached it, the hyena ran out and began to flee from John. But he caught up with it, tied it up, and brought it to Paul. The elder was surprised, but, wishing to humble John, he took a club and began to beat John with it, saying, "Why did you, wretch, bring the dog to me? Let it go." John immediately carried out the elder's command.

Saint Stephen the Sabbaite in the Hymnograpy of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint Stephen lived and flourished around the end of the eighth century AD and fought against heresies. He was also an ecclesiastical poet of asmatic troparia, as Saint Theophanes the Graptos tells us, in the Canon he composed for the Saint.

The hymnographer of the Service of our Venerable Father Stephen, Saint Theophanes the Graptos, one of the best-known and most important hymnographers of our Church, emphasizes the Saint’s double struggle. 

 

First, against the heresies that were ravaging the Orthodox faith. He was one of those who, having the grace of the Holy Spirit, correctly explained the teaching of our Church, resulting in the fragrance of the myrrh of its dogmas emerging: “The words of your dogmas, Venerable One, shining with the grace of the Holy Spirit, are fragrant like myrrh. For by honoring one Godhead in three hypostases, and by praising the incarnation of God the Word, you cause a fragrance in us, O all-blessed one." This is the characteristic of the truth that the Lord revealed and the Church lives by: it makes man fragrant like myrrh, because he embraces the spiritual myrrh, the Lord.

Homily for the Commemoration of Saint Athanasius Sakharov (Fr. Daniel Sysoev)

 

Homily for the Commemoration of Saint Athanasius Sakharov 

By Fr. Daniel Sysoev

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

I congratulate you all on the feast day of Saint Athanasius Sakharov, Bishop of Novgorod! Today is the feast day of one of our modern saints, the Hieroconfessor Athanasius, who shone forth in the 20th century. He died and departed to the Lord in 1962. Athanasius Sakharov spent twenty-four years in prison, exile, and hard labor. He is known to us as a great expert on ecclesiastical rites and a great hymnographer. He authored a service to all the Saints who shone forth in the Russian land; he was the greatest liturgist of his time. Wherever he was — in prison, in exile, or in a penal settlement —  Athanasius Sakharov strove to offer a sacrifice to God — Holy Communion. He always celebrated the full cycle of services, regardless of whether he was in solitary confinement or working in a logging camp. Saint Athanasius possessed a phenomenal memory and celebrated the entire service from memory. He wrote a very interesting and important work, which many would find useful to read: “On the Commemoration of the Departed According to the Typikon of the Orthodox Church.”

October: Day 1: Teaching 3: Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos

October: Day 1: Teaching 3:
Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos
 
(What is the Basis of our Faith in the Mother of God and our Veneration of Her?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The event that gave rise to today's feast took place not here in Russia, but in Greece. It happened more than a thousand years before our time. During the reign of the Greek emperor Leo the Wise, the Saracens invaded his empire and wrought devastation. The Orthodox Greek people offered sincere prayers to God for deliverance from their enemies. Such a prayer was once offered by the Greeks in Constantinople at the Blachernae Church during the all-night vigil on the eve of the Lord's Day. And so, Saint Andrew, the Fool for Christ's sake, amidst fervent prayers, lifted his eyes to heaven and saw the Mother of God, amidst the Forerunner of Christ and the Apostle John the Theologian, with a multitude of angels and saints, praying for all mankind and covering the people with the omophorion she held in her hands. Saint Andrew, filled with the greatest joy, turns to his disciple, Saint Epiphanios, and asks him if he has seen the wondrous vision. Epiphanios replies, "I see it, Father, and I am terrified." All the people learned of this vision, gave thanks to God, and expressed their firm hope in the protection of the heavenly Intercessor. The Greek army was inspired, and the enemy was driven back. In memory of this event, a feast was established in Greece, called the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, which has come to us in Russia. Orthodox Russia itself has witnessed many examples of the miraculous intercession shown to our fatherland by the heavenly Intercessor, and therefore, with true reverence, celebrates the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God and firmly preserves the faith entrusted to us that the Ever-Virgin Mary can provide help and protection for us all — that She intercedes for us all to Her Son, Christ our God, and grants salvation to all who seek refuge under Her sovereign protection. And our faith in the power of the Mother of God has never been and will never be in vain, nor our hope in Her and prayer to Her in vain.

October: Day 28: Teaching 2: Holy Great Martyr Paraskevi of Iconium

 

October: Day 28: Teaching 2:
Holy Great Martyr Paraskevi of Iconium
 
(The Benefits of Reflecting on the Passion of Christ)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Great Martyr Paraskevi, whose memory is today celebrated by the Holy Church, lived during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian in the city of Iconium. Her parents were Christians and especially honored Friday — the day of the Savior's suffering and death on the Cross, spending it in fasting and prayerful remembrance of Christ's Passion. When God granted them a daughter on this day, they named her Paraskevi, which means "Friday" in Greek. Later, growing in faith and Christian piety, Paraskevi, following the example of her parents, especially honored Friday. Her very name recalling the sufferings of Christ, she strove in her heart to draw continually closer to the Lord crucified for the salvation of the world. In this closeness, she found a source of consolation and strengthening of her faith and love for the Lord. Finally, she herself worthily partook in Christ's Passion, courageously confessing Christ and enduring the most severe tortures for Him. Brought to trial, Saint Paraskevi, still a young virgin, boldly resisted the temptations and threats of the torturer, who urged her to sacrifice to idols for the sake of her life. The torturer then ordered the Holy Confessor to be hanged from a tree and her body tormented with iron nails. Then, wounded to the bone and barely alive, she was thrown into prison. But God did not leave the courageous sufferer without consolation and miraculous help. An angel appeared to her in the prison, holding in his hands the instruments of Christ's Passion — the Cross, the Crown of Thorns, the Spear, the Reed, and the Sponge — and said, "Arise, maiden, sharer of Christ's Passion. I have been sent by God to visit you. For the consolation of your soul and the healing of your ailments, I bring you these instruments of the suffering of our Lord Jesus Christ. Arise, Christ the Lord heals you." The Holy Martyr immediately arose, kissed the instruments of Christ's Passion, and the angel wiped her wounds with the Sponge, and suddenly her entire body was healed of its wounds, so that the prison guards who arrived in the morning, expecting to find the Martyr dead, saw her in her former blooming form and beauty. In this miraculous healing, the Holy Martyr's evil tormentor failed to comprehend the invincible side of the crucified Lord and continued to torture Saint Paraskevi, ordering her, hanging from a tree, to be burned with torches and finally beheaded with a sword. Thus, the Holy Great Martyr, in the wedding garment of virginity, adorned with her own blood, stood before her Heavenly Bridegroom, Christ, becoming a participant and sharer in His Passion!

Prologue in Sermons: October 28

 

One Should Not Judge Others

October 28

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The sin of judging is the most ungodly sin. This is confirmed by the following story. Saint John the Sabbaite relates the following: “Once a monk from a neighboring monastery came to me, and I asked him: 'How are the fathers living?' He answered: 'Well, through your prayers.' Then I asked about a monk who did not enjoy a good reputation, and the guest said to me: 'He has not changed at all, Father!' Hearing this, I cried out: 'Evil!' And as soon as I said this, I immediately felt as if in rapture and saw Jesus Christ crucified between two thieves. I was about to rush to worship the Savior, when suddenly He turned to the angels standing by and said to them: 'Cast him out, he is the Antichrist, for he has condemned his brother before My judgment.' And when, according to the word of the Lord, I was cast out, my mantle remained at the door, and then I awoke. 'Woe is me,' I said then to the brother who had arrived,'this day is evil for me!' 'Why is this so?' he asked. Then I told him about the vision and remarked that the mantle I had left behind signified that I was deprived of God's protection and help. And from that time on, I spent seven years wandering the deserts, eating no bread, entering no shelter, and conversing with no one, until I saw my Lord, who returned my mantle to me" (Prologue Oct. 22).

Saint Nestor the Martyr in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

With Saint Nestor, the feast of Saint Demetrios is extended. It is understandable that Demetrios and Nestor are under the same “denominator”, since, beyond any other possible spiritual relationship between them: teacher to student, for example, their last hours functioned in a reflexive manner: the energy of each directly influenced the other. This fact of the common path of the two Saints also makes the hymnographer treat the student Nestor in a similar glorifying manner as the teacher Demetrios: that is, as co-reigning with the Lord. “Clad in purple, dyed with your sacred blood, and holding the cross in your right hand like a scepter, you co-reign with Christ, blessed Nestor."

On the other hand, the poet equally emphasizes for Saint Nestor what was a criterion of holiness for Saint Demetrios, as for every other saint: the permanent choice of the will of God, even if his very life was threatened: “O, God-loving soul, who did not consider temporary death at all, but chose to live according to the will of the Lord." And of course, behind this, there was the great love for the Lord of Saint Nestor, a result of the fervor of His affection for Him: “Strengthened by the fervor of affection for Christ, you entered within the stadium.” As we all know, where there is ardent love for Christ, there even the fear of death is overcome.

The Chapel of Saint Nestor at the National Sports Center of Larissa

Kaftanzoglio National Stadium in Thessaloniki, one of the highest quality sports stadiums in the Balkans, opened its doors on October 27, 1960. The reason it opened on that date is because it was the feast of Saint Nestor, who was proclaimed the patron saint of athletes after he appeared in the dreams of a man responsible for the building of the stadium, which is why there is a chapel to Saint Nestor there.

On October 27, 2000, at the National Sports Center of Larissa, a chapel dedicated to Saint Nestor was consecrated by Metropolitan Hieronymos of Larissa and Tyrnavos, in the presence of the Deputy Minister of Sports, Eleftherios Avgenakis, and the city's officials.

Prologue in Sermons: October 27

Why Does the Lord Allow the Righteous to Suffer at the Hands of the Wicked, as Well as to Endure Other Adversities?

October 27*

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Reading the lives of the saints, we see that some of them endured cruelty and persecution, while others suffered wounds and even death from wicked people. To the majority of them, the words of the Holy Apostle Paul can be applied without exaggeration: "Some were tortured, not accepting deliverance... Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword" (Heb. 11:35-37). What does this mean? Whose life was more blameless than those of these persecuted saints? Who knew God better than they and served Him more fervently? Who helped their neighbors more selflessly than they, were more compassionate, more peaceable, more pious? Why did the Lord allow the wicked to harass them? Or was He not strong enough to deliver them from the hands of the wicked? Or does He not have love and compassion?

Homily for the Commemoration of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki (Fr. Daniel Sysoev)

Homily for the Commemoration of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki 

By Fr. Daniel Sysoev

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

I congratulate you all on the feast day of one of the greatest saints of the Universal Church – Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki, the myrrh-streaming Saint! The life of this Saint demonstrates that a wise man can be wise in God, no matter the circumstances. Nowadays, those in power say that power is a dirty business and therefore they cannot be good. Saint Demetrios is a brilliant refutation of this theory. He was the Governor-General of the Roman province of Thessaloniki, which included all of Macedonia, part of Bulgaria, and northern Greece, during the reign of the emperors Diocletian and Maximilian. It was during the reign of these emperors that the greatest persecution of Christians in the history of the Church (with the exception of the 20th century) occurred. Demetrios's job was to hunt down Christians and bring them to justice.

Homily Four on the Sixth Sunday of Luke (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Homily Four on the Sixth Sunday of Luke 

By St. John of Kronstadt

“Then Jesus asked him (the demon-possessed man), saying, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Legion,’ for many demons had entered into him. And they besought Him that He would not command them to go into the abyss” (Luke 8:30–31).

You have heard today, my brethren, the Gospel account of the healing of a demoniac by Jesus Christ, and how the Lord cast out of him a whole legion of demons, that is, six thousand: for the Roman legion contained so many. That is how many evil spirits had gathered to torment one man, by God's permission, of course, for some of his sins. This demoniac is, brethren, an image of the entire human race, tormented by the devil. This torment is infinitely varied, but in all its forms it is fierce. Take any human passion, any sin or vice you like: at times it can be extremely tormenting, brazenly demanding satisfaction; it struggles, it coerces, it tyrannizes, and often kills both soul and body. Especially in the present evil and difficult times, one need not look far for examples of this kind: suicides and murders abound everywhere. Let us recall, for example, the countless tyrannies of sin over drunkards, madmen, that is, over the carnal, over the misers and money-lovers, over the angry, irritable, envious, wayward, suspicious, and so on and so forth. How many torments the devil inflicts on people; how he mocks those subject to sin, the slaves of sin, but not over the true slaves of God, who serve Him constantly with a pure heart, over whom he has no power. But how many of these true slaves of God are there, living not for themselves, not for the flesh and the world, but for God and their neighbors? And of course, in such torment of the devil over us, it is not God who is to blame, but we, we sinners, slaves of sin and the devil. And so, the Lord clearly shows us with His own eyes through this demon-possessed man how cruel, tormenting, and destructive sin is, and the author of all sin, the devil, and to whom we must resort to be delivered from the torment of sin. 

October: Day 26: Teaching 2: Holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki

October: Day 26: Teaching 2:
Holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki

(On the Meaning of Church Prayers and Alms Given on Behalf of the Deceased in the Church)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. According to ancient custom, today we commemorate our departed fathers and brothers. This is a sacred, time-honored custom: it is entirely consistent with the teachings of the Orthodox Church.

II. But how should we commemorate? What should the commemoration consist of?

a) First of all, commemoration should consist of the distribution of alms for the deceased. This kind of commemoration has great power. "The more sins the deceased has, the more necessary alms are for him; give alms to widows and the poor: this is the most important funeral accessory," says Saint John Chrysostom.

And St. Augustine also writes: "Alms given for the souls of the dead help them to be more merciful to the Lord than they deserve for their sins." 

Prologue in Sermons: October 26

The Good We Do To Others Turns Into Good For Ourselves

October 26

(On Muschus the Tax Collector, How He Showed Mercy To The Poor Woman and Did Not Touch Her)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The fifth beatitude, "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy," shows us that those who desire blessedness must be merciful. This commandment can be fulfilled through physical and spiritual works of mercy. Physical works of mercy are: feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing the naked, visiting one in prison, visiting the sick, welcoming a stranger into one's home and giving rest, and burying the poor dead. Spiritual works of mercy are as follows: teaching the ignorant truth and goodness, giving good and timely advice to one's neighbor in difficulty or unnoticed danger, praying to God for him, comforting the sad, not repaying the evil done to us by others, forgiving offenses from the heart and turning the sinner away from sin. I now intend to say a few words to you about this final act of spiritual mercy, in conjunction with material mercy. As great as a person's misfortune is, brethren, when he stands on the path to destruction, so great is the virtue of the one who saves the perishing. Such a person will save his soul from death and cover the multitude of his sins.

Homily One on Saint Demetrios Ancestral Saturday (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

 

 

Homily One on Saint Demetrios Ancestral Saturday

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1961)

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

"God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to Him" (Luke 20:38), said the Savior to the Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.

Dear brothers and sisters, thanks be to the Lord that He tirelessly cares for our salvation and our attainment of the Kingdom of God and gives us the opportunity to pray and help with our prayers to ease the lot of our neighbors in their afterlife.

God, who created man for a blessed eternal life, by His good will desires for everyone to receive it as an inheritance, and therefore accepts the prayers of the living for the departed until the General Resurrection and Judgment, when they are brought with sincere faith and love for our departed neighbors.

Saint Demetrios Ancestral Saturday

In the spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki is closely linked with the memory of the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Dmitry Donskoy (May 19).

Saint Dmitry Donskoy smashed the military might of the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him "Demetrios of the Don," became the first Russian national deed, rallying the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest Sophronius of Ryazem (1381), is devoted to this event.

Prologue in Sermons: October 25

The Vanity of Earthly Acquisitions

October 25*

(On John the Gardner)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

We all know very well that hope for earthly blessings is futile and that we should be more concerned with acquiring heavenly and eternal blessings than temporal and perishable ones. Yet, many of us are not free from a passion for the latter and place all our hope in them alone. Thus, without even mentioning the notorious money-lovers, how many people we see in this world, even those who are kind at heart, who say: "When illness and old age come, what will I do without money? Who will need me?" and so on. Many say this, and it turns out that only money can alleviate our illness or old age. But in reality, it turns out quite differently. It is not money, brethren, but something else that we need and benefit from during illness and old age.

Saint Arethas the Great Martyr in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint Arethas was the protos of the city of Negra in Ethiopia, during the reign of Justin, when the most Christian Elesbaan reigned in Ethiopia, and a certain Jew named Dunaan (Dhu Nuwas) reigned over the Homerites (Himyarites). This country is called Saba in the Holy Bible, and by the Greeks Eudaimon Arabia. Elesbaan subdued the Jew and placed guards in his city. However, the Jew rebelled and killed the guards, while he attacked the city of Negra, which he besieged and subdued, not by military force, but by perjury, resulting in the killing of all its Christian inhabitants, men and women. It was then that Saint Arethas bravely resisted, having previously supported everyone in the faith of Christ, although he had reached extreme old age, so that he could not even walk. Such was his physical weakness that when he was handed over to be beheaded, he was joyfully carried to martyrdom. And after they had cut off his head, he gave up his spirit to the Lord.

Homily on the Day of the Feast of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on the Day of the Feast of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow"

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1962)

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

"Joy of all who sorrow, Intercessor of the offended, Nourisher of the hungry, Comfort of strangers, Refuge of the storm-tossed, Visitor of the sick, Protection of the infirm and Defender, Staff of old age, You are the Mother of the Most High God, O Most Pure One: hasten, we pray, that Your servants may be saved." With these touching and profound words, the Holy Church, on behalf of all Christians, addresses the Most Pure Virgin Mary, teaching us also to always flee under Her maternal protection. 

October: Day 24: Teaching 2: Venerable Arethas the Recluse of the Kiev Caves

October: Day 24: Teaching 2:
Venerable Arethas the Recluse of the Kiev Caves

(Modern Idolatry)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On the feast of the today celebrated Venerable Arethas of the Caves, who once suffered from stinginess and made an idol out of his wealth until the grace of God placed him in the right relationship with earthly acquisitions, it will be appropriate, my beloved brethren, to talk with you about our idolatry - not of pagan deities, but of various passions and vices.

II. The ancient peoples, ignorant of the true God, worshiped false gods. Even the Jews, who knew the true God, sometimes joined them. Did they not worship the deities "Astarte, the abomination of the Sidonians, and Chemosh, the abomination of the Moabites, and Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites"? (IV Kings 23:13). Worshippers even sacrificed their own children to the latter.

Prologue in Sermons: October 24

Should We Regret the Sins We Have Already Confessed to the Priest?

October 24*

(On the Bishop Who Was in the Desert for Thirty-Nine Years)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

When we, brethren, offer repentance for the sins we have committed before God, in the presence of our spiritual father, and receive absolution and forgiveness, can we then completely forget these sins we have previously committed? Can we not grieve over them? Can we, so to speak, make a final reckoning with them in our conscience? What is the answer to this? 

Saint James the Brother of God in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

It is not long ago that we emphasized that the memory of a Holy Apostle, a Disciple of the Lord, constitutes a special event in the Church, because the Apostles were His eyewitnesses, those who heard Him from very close, saw Him, observed Him carefully, touched Him, breathed in His presence. To them the Lord entrusted the work of preaching His gospel to the whole world, to them He gave the authority “to forgive the sins of men,” to them He gave the gift of Pentecost: the flame of the Holy Spirit. That is why the Apostles constitute the foundations of the Church, which is rightly characterized as Apostolic. If an Apostle is so special, so is the Apostle James, called the Brother of God, precisely because he was one of the Lord's supposed brothers, and therefore one of those who not only associated with Him for three years, but for thirty years and more: they grew up together in the same family, they all addressed Joseph as "father," they ate at the same table, they slept in the same room, they worked together in Joseph's workshop, they experienced the joys and sorrows of the whole family, such as, for example, the terrible event of their flight into Egypt. The life of Saint James was mixed with the life of the Lord as a man. Apart from the Panagia and His supposed father Joseph, who else could be considered closer to Him?

October: Day 23: Teaching 2: Holy Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord

October: Day 23: Teaching 2:
Holy Apostle James, the Brother of the Lord

(Lessons To Follow: 
a. A Christian Should Never Betray the Truth, and 
b. Should Love His Enemies According to the Commandment of Jesus Christ)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Apostle James, celebrated today in ecclesiastical hymns and readings, was the son of Joseph the betrothed by his first wife and is therefore called the Brother of the Lord. According to tradition, James accompanied the Most Holy Theotokos when She and Joseph, at God's command, fled to Egypt to save the Divine Infant from Herod's malice. From his youth, Saint James loved a strict, pious life. Rejecting all carnal pleasures and relaxation, he ate neither wine nor meat, did not cut his hair, did not go to the bathhouse, did not anoint his body with oil, and wore no soft clothing, but a sharp hair shirt. He struggled so fervently in prayer that from frequent genuflections, the skin on his knees became rough as that of a camel. For such a virtuous life, James enjoyed such great respect among the Jews and their leaders that he alone was granted permission by the high priest to enter the Holy of Holies — the inner chamber of the Temple where Saint James retired for prayer. He was known to all the people as the righteous one. 

Prologue in Sermons: October 23

Against Lying

October 23*

(Evagrius the Monk on Liars)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

In order for you, brethren, to avoid the sin of lying, which is so widespread today, and to speak only the truth, we invite you today to listen to the following words of Evagrius the monk about liars.

“Since I see you care little about guarding your lips, I find it necessary to tell you a few words about how much evil lies bring us. Know that a liar is far from God and displeasing to Him, as the word of God says: 'Every lie stems from deceit' (cf. Prov. 12:17); and in another place: 'The devil is a liar and the father of lies' (John 8:44). From this it is clear that God is the Truth, and lies are from the devil. And this can be proven by the fact that God Himself calls Himself the Truth when He says: 'I am the way, the truth, and the life' (John 14:6). Having heard this, think about this: from Whom you are separating yourself by speaking lies, and to Whom you are drawing near; and then it will be clear to you that through lies you are moving away from God and drawing near to the devil. At the same time, consider whether you truly, sincerely desire to be saved. If so, then strive with all diligence and with all the strength of your soul to love the truth and in every way avoid the untruth that manifests itself in people's thoughts, in their words, and in their entire lives. Avoid this untruth in all its forms; and repent of your past lies, and, in order to avoid them in the future, often imagine the truth that tells us all that a bad tree will never bear good fruit."

Saint Abercius of Hierapolis in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

It is known that the hymnographer of each celebrated saint, in order to highlight his holiness, uses encomiums, sometimes reaching even to sophisticated expressions and images. However, his disposition is to reveal the saint in the various dimensions of his life and work, so that he may be properly honored by the faithful people, that is, through the saint, God himself may ultimately be glorified. For “God is wondrous in His saints.” We also see this reality in the Service of the Holy Hierarch, Equal to the Apostles and Wonderworker Abercius. His hymnographer cannot help but be amazed before his great and holy personality, which is why he is “forced” to borrow images and phrases from the Supplicatory Canons and the Salutations of the Most Holy Theotokos, which he records, however, in a way that is merely implied. For example: as the Lord is characterized in the Supplicatory Canon as “desiring mercy,” so too in the fourth ode of the Matins of the Saint: “Knowing the Lord as desiring mercy, O God-bearer;” as in the Salutations the birth of the Theotokos is characterized as “strange,” paradoxical, which motivates us to distance ourselves from the world: “seeing a strange birth, we are alienated from the world,” so too in the sixth ode: “Having appeared as a stranger to the world, most holy one, you performed strange and fearful wonders;” as in the Salutations again the poet recognizes the inadequacy of his hymns to properly praise the Lord: “For even if we offer you odes in proportion to the sand, holy King, we accomplish nothing worthy,” so too in the oikos of the Kontakion: “How great is your wealth of grace! And your glory is innumerable.”

Homily on the Day of the Celebration of the Kazan Icon of the Theotokos (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on the Day of the Celebration of the Kazan Icon of the Theotokos 

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

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

Beloved brothers and sisters, today we solemnly and prayerfully remember and glorify the manifestation of the mercy of the Mother of God to the Orthodox Russian state, expressed in the miraculous deliverance of our dear Fatherland in 1612 from the invasion of foreigners.

Our ancestors, the Russian people, loved the Mother of God and nurtured a particularly profound faith in Her heavenly intercession for the Christian race, always turning to Her with fervent prayer in their sorrows and misfortunes. Although entire countries considered the Most Holy Virgin their Patroness and venerated Her, in our Fatherland the name of the Mother of God was surrounded with a special veneration — immeasurably greater than anywhere else, and on no other land did the Mother of God pour out so much of Her grace and mercy as on the Russian land. Practically every Russian city is sure to contain a source of the Mother of God's grace — Her miraculous icons, through which She desired to bestow upon people a heavenly pledge of Her love and serve as a consolation for suffering humanity. Our people loved to call the Mother of God by special names befitting Her heavenly patronage and mercy, and the Mother of God did not leave their faith in vain, but provided quick help to everyone who asked and to our Fatherland as a whole.

October: Day 22: Teaching 2: Celebration in Honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

 

October: Day 22: Teaching 2:
Celebration in Honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
 
(The Strength of the Russian Kingdom Depends on the Selfless Devotion of the People to Their Tsar)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. There have been dark times in the history of our Fatherland, times when social calamities loomed like a menacing cloud, ready to be resolved with crushing blows, and then suddenly God's mercy shone forth, saving Russia from inevitable destruction. Such is the event now commemorated by the Church: the deliverance of our Fatherland from foreign enslavement through the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. Two and a half centuries have passed since this event occurred, yet the Church will never cease to remember this event with gratitude.

Prologue in Sermons: October 22

It Is Not True That the Period of Prohibitions Cannot Be Shortened

October 22*

(To Parishioners Living Among the Schismatic Priestless People)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

In order to separate you from the Orthodox Church, the schismatics, as you are all aware, employ all sorts of machinations. Not to mention that, because of certain rites and letters, allegedly altered — according to them — contrary to the times of the Holy Fathers, they threaten you with fiery Gehenna, they also blaspheme the entire structure of our Church... And they reproach it for everything! Take, for example, its approach to penitents. “What kind of church do you have?” you hear them ask: “It gives Communion to everyone! But is it right to give Communion to great sinners? Read the Nomocanon: what does it say? One must be excommunicated from Holy Communion for six years, another for ten, and another even for twenty years. That is what is written there!”

Saint Christodoulos of Patmos in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

“Great indeed is Anthony, the beginning of the Fathers. 

And divine is Christodoulos, the inspired end.”

The wise hymnographer of the Service of Venerable Christodoulos, the teacher Iakovos Anastasios of Patmos, is distinguished by his deep knowledge of the spiritual life of the Church, which means that he can easily discern the signs of the Saint’s holiness and offer them to us in the best possible way. The words of the Apostle Paul apply to him when he says that “the spiritual man who has the Spirit of God can examine all things, but he himself cannot be examined by anyone who does not have this Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:15). Nevertheless, feeling his smallness, he invokes from the beginning, as is usually done with hymnographers, the illumination and grace of God in order to correctly hymn the Saint and not distort his image (Ode 1).

October: Day 21: Teaching 6: Venerable Hilarion the Great

October: Day 21: Teaching 6:
Venerable Hilarion the Great
 
(Life is a Spiritual Battle)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The feast day of Venerable Hilarion the Great, who lived in Palestine in the 4th century and who spent his entire life fighting the enemies of our salvation — the devil, the flesh, and the world —through prayer, the word of God, fasting, and other feats of piety, involuntarily reminds us, brethren, of the often-forgotten truth that "life is a spiritual battle."

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk teaches this: “Our life is a spiritual battle with invisible spirits of wickedness and with our own flesh.”

October: Day 21: Teaching 2: The Day of the Accession to the Throne of His Majesty Emperor Nicholas Alexandrovich

October: Day 21: Teaching 2:
The Day of the Accession to the Throne of His Majesty Emperor Nicholas Alexandrovich
 
(The Sorrowful Fruits of Intellectual Education Without Religious and Moral Upbringing)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

“I do not cease giving thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened” (Eph. 1:16-18).

I. On this solemn day, let us turn our attention to these words of the Holy Apostle Paul, written in his epistle to the Christians of Ephesus. The good will expressed by the Holy Apostle to the Ephesians is important for Christians of all times and peoples, as it indicates the spiritual powers Christians must cultivate in striving for ever greater perfection. For our time, this apostolic good will is especially significant, as the direction of our lives and our education has deviated from the path indicated by the Holy Apostle.

Prologue in Sermons: October 21

Attachment to Earthly Goods Separates a Person from God

October 21*

(About a Certain Abbot Who Received the Gift from God to Cast Out Demons from People.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

He who is content with his condition is happy. Consider, indeed, a Christian — though not rich, yet industrious, honest, and content with his fortune. Who could be happier? He rejoices in the fact that, by honest labor, he fulfills God's commandment, which commands us to earn our living by the labor of our hands. He tastes with relish the bread he has honestly earned; he gladly shares it with the poor, for he knows that his sacrifice is a sacrifice pleasing to God. And the Lord does not abandon him in His mercy, granting him success in all good endeavors, comforting him with peace and love among his household. God's blessing accompanies such people on all paths of life. What a pity that such families and such individuals are rare these days! The passion for gain and the greed for wealth reign everywhere. At first, you see, a person thinks only of how to escape poverty, then how to save something for a rainy day; and then, having saved a hundred or two, he begins to think of thousands. And that's not so bad, but the worst thing is that a person dreams of all these thousands, constantly dreaming of them, considering them the main benefit and forgetting about eternal life. And the devil is already there. He knows very well that for him, nothing is easier than to separate a person from God and take control of him when the latter has developed a greed for earthly possessions.

Saint Artemios in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Our Church, every time a Saint celebrates their feast, and especially a great one, like the Great Martyr Artemios, who is celebrated today, it is as if it sets before us a rich table - with the Saint himself as the host - with all kinds of goods, which means that it experiences a feast, to which it invites every member of the Church to enjoy it abundantly. And these goods, of course, are accessible, not material, but spiritual, such that they cause the participant to glorify God and the Saint himself. "Your radiant festival, O martyr, has joyfully gathered everyone today into a splendid celebration, recounting your feats, struggles, and brave endurance; having been inspired by these, we bless you with faith and longing.” This means that a believer, who has the Kingdom of God as the priority of his life, according to the word of the Lord, can and does rejoice, even if he is in the midst of sorrows and trials of this present life. And no one can characterize the Christian as “daydreaming,” unrealistic, “outside of place and time,” because the Christian begins with the truest reality, with the deepest realism: that “he produces the shape of this world,” that everything is transient and perishable, except of course God and those related to Him.

Saint Artemios, the Spiritual Guide of the Hellenic Police

By Nikolaos Zaimis

A special day today for the men and women of the Hellenic Police as they honor their patron saint Artemios the Great Martyr. After the unification of the two Corps (City Police and Gendarmerie) and the establishment of the Hellenic Police, upon the recommendation of the Religious Service, Presidential Decree 398/1987 was issued, which recognized the patron saint of the Corps, and October 20, the day his memory is honored, as an official holiday of the .

The Church is also at the side of the Hellenic Police. The Religious Service of the Police is called upon to play the role of spiritual guide. The beneficial presence of the Church in the difficult work of the Police has been noted since early times, from the first years of the establishment of the Gendarmerie Corps and continues to this day, empowering the Police who provide security to a society that is plagued by feelings of insecurity.

Miracles of Saint Artemios the Great Martyr (13 - 14)

In the seventh century an Anonymous author compiled a number of miracles of Saint Artemios, whose healing activities were predominantly centered in the Church of Saint John the Forerunner in Constantinople and who "specialized" in healing hernias and diseases affecting the genitals of mostly male patients. Below are two examples of the forty-five listed:

Miracle 13: From the Bath of Dagistheos to St. John's

A certain 50 year old man, gray and overcome by disease of the testicles, waited upon the Saint for fifteen days. But since domestic concerns were pressing on him while at the same time despair also was oppressing him, that having reached old age he would not enjoy good health thereafter, he picked up his mattress and withdrew. But hampered by the disease and the burden of the mattress, he walked somewhat haltingly. Reaching the public bath, the one called Dagistheos', opposite the Kyphe where once there were the stable of horses of the Hippodrome, exhausted he set the mattress down in the corner and rested on it. It was about the third hour. Constricted by extreme pain but pulling himself together, he fell asleep and saw someone pricking his testicles. He was awakened by the pain and found himself covered in blood and pus, while the skin of his testicles was ruptured and exuded an intolerable odor. Immediately he returned to the house of the Forerunner; those who were present wiped off his effluvium with sponges and warm water. He was restored to health after applying a plaster of wax to the ruptured spot.

Prologue in Sermons: October 20

 

Against Blasphemy

October 20

(A Tale from the Miracles of the Holy Great Martyr Artemios)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

 

The third commandment of God, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain," forbids the sins of blasphemy, false oaths, perjury, breaking vows made to God, swearing, grumbling against God, and inattentiveness in prayer. It also forbids the sin of blasphemy, that is, turning sacred objects into a joke and a mockery. This sin is one of the most widespread among Christians. How many people are there today who, with some kind of malice, mock the objects of faith and the Church! Many so-called educated people, who have no desire to know God, mock and ridicule them; many schismatics mock them, especially, for example, at the newly-appeared saints and their multi-healing relics; and finally, many of the completely ignorant, who do not know and do not wish to know the truth of the Christian faith, mock them. And light jokes about sacred things are heard everywhere in ordinary conversations and are not met with resistance even by pious people. Brethren, need I say that those guilty of blasphemy will pay dearly for the sin of blasphemy in the life to come? You yourselves know that God is not mocked. But I will tell you that blasphemers do not go unpunished in this life either. Listen to something on this subject from the story of the miracles of the Holy Great Martyr Artemios.

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

 

Homily Two on the Third Sunday of Luke
(20th Sunday After Pentecost)

By St. John of Kronstadt

“The Lord said, ‘Young man, I say to you, arise.’ And the dead man sat up and began to speak” (Luke 7:14–15).

In today's Gospel, we see our Lord Jesus Christ in His Divine majesty, raising with a word a dead man being carried to burial. This took place at the entry of the Lord and His disciples with a great multitude into the city of Nain. They were carrying out the dead man, the only son of his mother, who was a widow; and a large crowd was traveling with her. "When the Lord saw her, He was moved with compassion for her and said to her, 'Weep not.' And He came and touched the bier. And those who bore Him stood still; and He said, 'Young man, I say to you, arise!' And the dead man sat up and began to speak. Jesus then gave him back to his mother. And fear came upon them all, and they glorified God, saying, 'A great prophet has arisen among us, and God has visited His people'" (Luke 7:11-16).