By Fr. George Dorbarakis
It would not have been possible for the Holy Hymnographer Joseph, as he has done in many other similar cases, not to make use of the opportunity afforded him by the very name of Saint Porphyrios in order to highlight his sanctity. According to the Hymnographer, the Saint is first of all distinguished among the holy Shepherds of the Church, because he constitutes their flower, shining forth in brightness and in the purple radiance of its color.
The acrostic of the Canon which he composed for him emphasizes precisely this truth:
“I revere the purple-glowing flower of the Shepherds. — Joseph.”
Furthermore, the Saint moves continually in the heavens with joy, because he wears the all-radiant and splendid garment of the soul, shining like purple, which he acquired through the purification of his soul from the passions by the streams of his tears:
“By the streams of your tears, O blessed Porphyrios, you quenched the flame of the passions of sin, cleansing the defilement of your soul; and, clothed in a robe dyed in purple, you dwell forever in the heavens, rejoicing unto the ages.” (Vesperal sticheron)
Where Joseph summarizes in brief the fundamental elements of the life of Saint Porphyrios — indeed the very theme that runs throughout the whole extent of his poetic composition — is in the Kontakion of the Service.
According to the Hymnographer, the Saint was adorned with most sacred virtues, that is, he lived a holy life; he was glorified as a priest; he was distinguished by the rich gift of wonderworking; and he continually intercedes on behalf of us all before our Lord and God:
“Adorned with your most sacred manners of life, you were gloriously arrayed in the vestments of the priesthood, all-blessed and God-minded Porphyrios; therefore you shine forth in lofty heights with healing, interceding unceasingly for us all.”
Indeed, the Holy Hymnographer directs particular attention to that which constitutes the prerequisite both of priesthood and of miracle-working — indeed of the entire sanctity of a saint’s life: the purification of the heart.
As already mentioned, the Saint “extinguished the flame of sinful passions because he cleansed the stain of his soul with rivers of tears.” It is impossible to speak of a priest of Christ — much more of a saint — unless we perceive his inner struggle for the purification of the heart. Within the heart, within the inner world, the entire struggle of salvation is decided, for there one either gains or loses the Kingdom of God.
“The Kingdom of God is within you.”
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
We must insist upon this truth, because many may have entered the priesthood, yet this does not necessarily mean that we are truly regarded as priests of the Lord. Already from the first ode of his Canon, Saint Joseph makes this clear:
“Having slain beforehand all passions through ascetic struggle, O Porphyrios, you were shown to be a priest of Him who rules over life and death.”
And elsewhere:
“Through all-night supplications and day-long standings in prayer, O venerable one, you made your heart a dwelling place of the God of all.” (Ode 4)
The teaching is awe-inspiring. The true priest is the one who possesses a purified heart and therefore reflects the light of the All-Holy Spirit. Thus his life, his word, indeed his entire existence, becomes a manifestation of God Himself.
This is the same truth emphasized by all our Holy Fathers when speaking about the priesthood — as, for example, Saint John Chrysostom, who teaches that the priest must be purer even than a ray of the sun.
This truth assumes an even more dramatic character when applied, according to the Hymnographer, to Saint Porphyrios, who from his swaddling clothes was dedicated to God and “cleaved” to Him with his whole soul. If such spiritual struggle and so many tears were required for Saint Porphyrios to purify his soul in order rightly to enter the priesthood — he who from the beginning of his life lived in God — how much more does this apply to all of us priests?
“From your swaddling clothes you dedicated your whole self to the Lord, and were joined to Him both in soul and in heart, O Porphyrios.” (Ode 1)
May the Lord be merciful to us priests. Before such manifestations as that of Saint Porphyrios, the only thing we can do is to bend the knee of both soul and body and continually mourn for our sins.
Yet something exceedingly important emphasized by the Holy Hymnographer concerning the priesthood and its presuppositions must not escape our attention. Saint Porphyrios, as a true priest in the manner described, on the one hand exercised great influence upon the people entrusted to him by the Spirit of God and by the Church — which means that priests truly influence their flock only when their life becomes a radiance of divine grace:
“By the impulse of the Divine Spirit you guided your whole people and city into the harbor of life, having escaped the storm of godlessness.” (Ode 5)
On the other hand, the pastoral care exercised by priests must not lead them to forget the most fundamental truth: that they themselves are also lambs of the Lord. Both the faithful people and the clergy ultimately constitute the flock of our Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is the true Shepherd and the true High Priest, in whose priesthood we all partake, clergy and laity alike.
The distinction between shepherds and those shepherded is therefore human; before the Lord, all are one. This truth is emphasized by the Fathers of the Church, such as Saint Gregory the Theologian, and it is likewise stressed by the Holy Hymnographer Joseph in the sixth ode of his Canon:
“Having shepherded the lambs upon the pasture of truth, you yourself were offered as a lamb to Christ the Shepherd, O Porphyrios.”
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.
