THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PASCHA - SUNDAY OF THE SAMARITAN WOMAN

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

Jesus Christ and the Samaritan Woman

Jesus Christ, learning that the growing number of His disciples had aroused strong displeasure among the Pharisees against Him, left Judea and returned to Galilee. The shortest road there passed through Samaria. Jesus went by this route, and on His way passed through the fertile valley between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, in which is located the city of Shechem, or Sychar. Both mountains rise 800 feet (or 244 meters) above the valley, which itself lies at an elevation of 1,750 feet (or 534 meters) above sea level. The many terraces and ravines of Gerizim, as well as the entire valley, are adorned with gardens and groves rich with beautiful southern vegetation: orange, pomegranate, mulberry, apricot, fig, almond, and other trees provide abundant fruit; the hot lower slopes of Ebal are planted with olive trees.

About a half-hour’s distance east of the city, the valley of Shechem slopes down into another valley stretching from north to south; through it passes the usual road from Galilee to Jerusalem, without turning toward Shechem. In this place is the tomb of Joseph. Directly beside the grave, on the slope of Mount Gerizim, is Jacob’s well, which is 75 feet deep. This region is also very remarkable historically. Here Abraham, after leaving his homeland by God’s command, first pitched his tents and built an altar to the Lord. Here Jacob bought a field from the sons of Hamor; here, in this place, the bones of Joseph were buried; here Joshua, in the assembly of the people before his death, pronounced blessing upon the keepers of the Law and curse upon its violators, and renewed the covenant of the people of Israel with their God; here, under Rehoboam, occurred the great division of the land into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

Homily for the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman (St. Cleopa of Sihastria)

Homily for the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman

On Prayer in Spirit and in Truth

By St. Cleopa of Sihastria

A certain elder said: “As sight is greater than all the senses, so prayer is greater than all good works” (Paterikon, ch. 22).

Christ is risen!

Beloved faithful,

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, coming into the world and ever thirsting for the salvation of human souls, journeyed through the regions of Palestine and came also to a city of Samaria, which at that time was called Sychar. There, by His boundless providence, He arranged to meet a woman from that city at Jacob’s well. In speaking with her, by His ineffable wisdom, He brought her to the knowledge of the truth, and among the other secret teachings He gave her, He also spoke about true worship offered in spirit and in truth, saying to her: “The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23).

Propoganda Against the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine

 

By Hieromonk Nikitas of Pantokrator Monastery

A publication appeared some days ago referring to the appointment of an archbishop in Greece by the so-called “Patriarchate of Kyiv.” The appointment of an archbishop is not the strange aspect of the matter, because this is not a recognized Church appointing its own archbishop in Greece, but rather a schismatic structure which, in cooperation with the schismatic Old Calendarist structure GOC that operates in Greece, proceeded with this appointment. What is strange, however, is the connection made by the author of the article with Archbishop Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine, the Primate of the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine. And we shall explain.

The article very correctly states: “It should be noted that this is a structure not in communion with the official Orthodox Churches.” However, the poison of misinformation and propaganda intended to preserve division within the Church of Ukraine is poured out in the very next phrase: “while from its ranks emerged the present Metropolitan of Kyiv Epiphanius of the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine.” We understand very well, therefore, that this misinformation comes from certain people who are disturbed by the creation of the fifteenth Autocephalous Orthodox Church and who, naturally, as its opponents, continually place obstacles in its way. History has shown that those disturbed are none other than members of the Russian Church throughout the world, who have never shown interest in the unity of the Orthodox Church in general, but rather, through the spread of such articles and reports, strive to preserve division so as not to oppose the geopolitical interests of the Russian Federation.

Holy Martyr Glykeria in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint Glykeria belongs to the group of women martyrs who are characterized by an intense longing for Christ and by such courage that it astonishes every angelic and human mind. One of the many beautiful hymns of her feast gives us the spiritual depth of her martyrdom: how Christ accepted the sufferings she endured and what He granted her in return. “Offering the blood of your martyrdom to Christ like perfumes and myrrh, O victorious martyr, you were offered to Him as a sweet fragrance, overflowing healing upon all” (Ode 3).

The Holy Hymnographer considers the Saint to be a myrrhbearer — not because she offers Christ physical perfumes and myrrh, but because she offers her very self, which is what is most precious and honorable before Him. “Be faithful unto death” [Revelation 2:10], the Spirit of God asks of the faithful person, just as the Lord Himself lived in absolute faithfulness to the will of God the Father, giving His life out of love for mankind upon the Cross. “He became obedient unto death, even death on a Cross” [Philippians 2:8]. That is why the Saint is regarded as a sweet fragrance before God: because she was found to be perfectly attuned to the life of her Lord. In the same way, sadly, we become a foul odor and stench before Him whenever we walk in the path of disobedience toward Him. “Every lawless man is unclean before the Lord” [Proverbs 3:32]. For this reason the Lord granted her the gifts of healing for every person who comes to her in faith — and indeed to the point of an “overflow.” “Overflowing healing upon all.” Just like our God Himself, Who “does not give the Spirit by measure” [John 3:34].

Prologue in Sermons: May 13

How a Monk Should Conduct Himself

May 13

(Word concerning the character of the good and the evil.) 
 
By Archpriest Victor Guryev

More than once we have spoken with you, monks, about how you ought to conduct yourselves. But forgive us, for today again we think it necessary to speak to you of the same things from the Holy Fathers. The teaching of the Holy Fathers, even when repeated, is always beneficial and salvific for us. So then, how should a monk conduct himself?

First, says the church teaching, a monk must abandon judgment of others and every other evil deed, and repent of his sins with confession and tears. He must not boast of his self-correction or of his good works, nor become intoxicated with pride, for pride is a great evil, since even the devil fell away from the glory of God because of pride. A monk must flee gluttony and drunkenness, must not frequently wander without necessity through worldly homes, and must not give himself over to excessive sleep, for all these things bring great shame upon a monk. Rather, he ought to obey his spiritual guide, confess sinful thoughts to his spiritual father, keep the fear of God in his heart, and always keep death before his eyes. The conclusion of all this is that if you, monk, see anything with your eyes or hear anything with your ears, keep it to yourself and say: “Why should I judge my brother, when I myself am worse than all?”

Saint Epiphanios as a Bishop in Cyprus

By Dr. Georgios Kakkouras, 
Doctor of Theology, Secondary Education Teacher of Religious Studies

“Epiphanios the Great, the renowned Archbishop of Salamis or Constantia, is rightly considered one of the most illustrious adornments of the Church of Cyprus” (History of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, Hackett–Papaioannou).

Nevertheless, he was not Cypriot by origin. He was born in Eleutheroupolis of Palestine to parents who were Christians(?) of Hebrew or Greek descent. He devoted himself with unusual zeal to learning and acquired a rich theological and literary education. He knew five languages — Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Syriac, and Coptic — something astonishing for that period, when no special methods for teaching languages existed.

His life was written by three biographers, two of whom are identified as his disciples, and for this reason there are many sources concerning his life and work. At a young age he entered the monastic life and became a disciple of the great ascetic Saint Hilarion. Thus the ascetic monastic element characterized his entire later life.

Saint Epiphanios of Cyprus in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

The great Father and Hymnographer of Saint Epiphanios, Saint John of Damascus, repeatedly focuses our attention on what he considers the first thing we must notice: the Saint’s conversion from the Jewish faith to the grace of faith in Christ. For Saint Epiphanios, the Hymnographer notes, the Mosaic Law functioned in the way the Apostle Paul says: as a “schoolmaster unto Christ.” That is, Epiphanios did not have a veil over his mind when he studied the Old Testament. Rather, because his soul was open, he perceived the meaning of the Law, which is none other than Christ Himself. For we must not forget that the Old Testament also, as we learned from the Lord Himself, “points” to Christ. Without Christ it remains closed and uninterpreted. “What Moses and the prophets wrote, they wrote concerning Me,” revealed the infallible mouth of our incarnate God.

“The Law written in letters became for you a schoolmaster leading to Christ, Epiphanios, showing you the grace of the knowledge of God in the Savior, which shone forth and had been mystically prefigured and symbolized in the clearest way” (Sticheron of Vespers).

Prologue in Sermons: May 12

Woe To the One Who Becomes Rich in Himself and Not in God

May 12

(From the Life of Saint Epiphanios.) 
 
By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The Psalmist says: “The rich have become poor and hungry, but those who seek the Lord shall not be deprived of any good thing” (Ps. 33). What do these words mean? The Prophet means that the Lord never abandons those who place their hope in Him. And we may add that they also mean this: woe to the one who grows rich in himself and not in God.

In the city where Saint Epiphanios was bishop, a famine once occurred, and there was great distress in that place. At that time there lived there a wealthy nobleman named Faustian, who possessed enormous stores of grain. He was a pagan. Epiphanios said to him: “Friend, sell me some wheat on credit, so that I may feed the starving. In time I will repay you.”

Faustian replied: “Go to your God, and He will give it to you.”

Epiphanios went to the church of the holy martyrs and all night long prayed to God with tears that He would feed the hungry. There was also there a pagan temple into which no outsider was permitted to enter, for whoever entered immediately died.

The Unenslaved Spirit of Romiosini (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

The Unenslaved Spirit of Romiosini 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(Delivered at the event organized by the “Philippoi of Nafpaktos” Society for the anniversary of the Fall of the City, in Nafpaktos on May 29, 2012.)

The month of May is dedicated to Romiosini, because in this month took place the inauguration of Constantinople (May 11), the memory of the first Christian emperor is celebrated (May 21), and we commemorate the Fall of the City (May 29). Reference to these subjects is always important and timely, especially in our own age.

A general observation is that the fall of the City is not a matter for mourning and lamentation, but for intense reflection and a starting point for reorientation. The points that will be emphasized below will define the importance of this subject for our own time and will express the free and unenslaved spirit of Romiosini, despite the fall of the City.

Homily One on Saints Cyril and Methodios, Equal to the Apostles (St. John Maximovitch)

Homily One on Saints Cyril and Methodios, Equal to the Apostles 

By St. John Maximovitch

(Delivered in Shanghai in 1941)

What a joyful cry of gratitude would burst forth from the lips of people who from birth had sat in a dark cave deprived of light, when someone, opening their gloomy dwelling, would pour into it the life-giving rays of the sun and then lead them out into freedom!

Such also should be the feeling of gratitude we experience toward the holy brothers Cyril and Methodios.

To the Slavic tribes who “sat in the land and shadow of death” (Matt. 4:16) of paganism, they brought the light of the true Faith of Christ.

To those who knew nothing of the Kingdom of Heaven, they proclaimed it and showed the way into it.

The servants of false pagan gods they made into servants of the True God!

Homily Two on the Commemoration of the Enlighteners of the Slavs and Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodios (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Two on the Commemoration of the Enlighteners of the Slavs and Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodios 

By St. John of Kronstadt

“And there shall be one flock and one Shepherd.” (John 10:16)

What does this honorable, though small, gathering in the church of the First-Called Apostle on this present day signify — a gathering such as had never taken place in former years? What church celebration is being observed today?

Today the Church celebrates the memory of the two holy brothers, Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodios, who enlightened the Slavic peoples with the faith of Christ, invented an alphabet for them, and translated the Holy Scriptures and church books from Greek into the Slavic language.

Until quite recently we did not honor Saints Cyril and Methodios with a special service on this day. Why then, for almost nine hundred years, was the memory of the holy enlighteners of the Slavs not especially honored in our Church? Probably because the holy brothers did not preach the Christian faith specifically to us Russians, nor did they invent the alphabet and translate the Holy Scriptures and church books specifically for us, but rather for our Slavic brethren — the Moravians, Pannonians, Czechs, Bulgarians, and others. To us these treasures came by inheritance from those Slavic tribes among whom the lust for power of the Roman Pope introduced Latin worship.

May: Day 11: Teaching 2: Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodios

May: Day 11: Teaching 2:*
Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodios
 
(The Merits of the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodios for the Slavs)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Methodios, whose memory is celebrated today, together with his brother Cyril (whose memory is celebrated on February 14), was a teacher of the Slavs, to whose race we Russians also belong in the Christian faith. He came from a noble family in the city of Thessaloniki. Having received an education in his native city, he became governor of a Slavic region in Macedonia. But his heart was not inclined toward the world and its vain pleasures. After ten years of service he withdrew to the Monastery of Polychronion on Mount Olympus, where his brother Saint Constantine soon arrived. In the year 857 both brothers were called to preach to the Slavs. In order to accomplish this great and holy work more successfully, the holy brothers created the Slavic alphabet, translated the liturgical books from Greek into the Slavic language, and for the first time introduced divine services among the Slavs in their native tongue.

Because of the slanders of the German bishops, the holy brothers were summoned to Rome as preachers of the gospel in the Slavic language, while those bishops claimed that the word of God should be read only in the three languages in which the inscription on Christ’s Cross had been written. Pope Adrian vindicated the holy brothers. Saint Cyril, exhausted by his unceasing labors, became gravely ill in Rome and soon reposed there, while Saint Methodios was elevated to the rank of Archbishop of Pannonia or Moravia and returned to his flock, where he continued enlightening the Slavs until the end of his life. He reposed in the year 885.

Prologue in Sermons: May 11

An Example of Patience and Humility

May 11

(From the Paterikon.) 

 

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

When someone unjustly offends us, insults us, or slanders us, we usually lose control of ourselves and think only of how to take revenge on our enemy, and our anger knows no end. But this is not how we should act. In such circumstances we must always keep before us the image of the suffering Savior, Who from the Cross forgave His enemies, and arm ourselves with patience and humility. Then the Lord will reveal our innocence, our enemies themselves will ask our forgiveness, and our dishonor will be turned into glory for us.

One monk asked one of the fathers: “How does the devil bring afflictions upon the saints?”

The elder answered him:

“There was a certain father named Nikon, who lived ascetically on Mount Sinai. One day a certain man came to an Egyptian who had a grown daughter, and since there was no one in the house besides her, he fell into sin with her. Afterwards he sternly said to her: ‘See that you tell everyone that it was not I who sinned with you, but Abba Nikon.’

Homily One on the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman (St. Justin Popovich)

Homily One on the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman 

By St. Justin Popovich

(Delivered in 1965 in the Ćelije Monastery, transcribed from a recording.)

Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!

Behold what unusual witnesses (the Lord) brings forth before us, before the face of the human race, concerning His Resurrection. Whom? Harlots! … Behold the Samaritan woman, who had changed six husbands, and the Lord made even her an Apostle and a witness of His Divine power, of His Resurrection.

Today you heard the Holy Gospel. The Savior, weary from the journey, comes to the well, and the Samaritan woman comes to draw water. Between them there unfolds a divine and wondrous conversation. The Savior reveals to the Samaritan woman the mystery of His coming into the world, the mystery of the Living Water. Around us, everything among men is dead. The Samaritan woman was astonished:

“What kind of water is this? Give me this water, Lord, so that I may no longer thirst, so that I may no longer come to this well.”

“I speak to you about the water of Eternal Life, living water… which flows into Eternal Life.”

And rightly did He say:

“If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink, and from within him rivers of living water shall flow,” and carry him into Eternal Life.

Homily Three for the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Three for the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman 

By St. John of Kronstadt

“A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her: Give Me a drink” (John 4:7).

The words of the Savior to the Samaritan woman who came to the well for water should not be understood literally, but as a parable. This is evident, first, because the Lord usually spoke to the people in parables, in fulfillment of the ancient prophecy: “I will open My mouth in parables” (Matt. 13:35); and second, because He almost always turned ordinary events and experiences of daily life into opportunities to teach heavenly truths. For example, He turned the sowing of seeds in a field into a lesson about the sowing of the Word of God in human hearts, and so on. These words mean: “Woman, I thirst for your repentance and salvation, because I came to call sinners to repentance (cf. Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32) and to save them. I thirst for your eternal blessedness, for which I created you.” Or more briefly: “I deeply desire to save you; repent and follow Me.” 

“Jesus said to her: Give Me a drink.” A simple event — the arrival of a woman to draw water — the Lord used as an occasion to teach about the grace of the Holy Spirit. I too will follow my Lord. Since in this church today there are probably many who often go to draw intoxicating drink from the places that in our city continue to multiply because of human greed for money, I intend today, for the glory of God, to use this circumstance — that is, the drunkenness of the residents and visitors of this city — as an opportunity to teach about avoiding greed for wine and awakening within ourselves a thirst for the grace of God and for our salvation.

At Jacob's Well Christ Encountered the Whole Fallen World (Monk Moses the Athonite)

By Monk Moses the Athonite

In today’s Gospel passage from the Evangelist John the Theologian, we heard in our churches about the meeting of Jesus with the Samaritan woman beside a well…

This meeting is of especially great importance not only for the suffering woman. Christ meets the whole fallen world, even the world of today. He does not quarrel with, reject, or drive anyone away. He wishes to communicate with everyone, even the most downtrodden. Christ Himself said that He came chiefly for sinners. It is enough that they receive Him, that they open the leaves of their closed hearts to Him. He does not ask for much. A little water. Something very small, in order to become the occasion for an exit from the cage of our self-imprisonment.

At first the Samaritan woman is rather cautious. She is bound by mistaken opinions, fanatical ideas, long-standing prejudices, and therefore trapped, ensnared, blocked, and suspicious. According to her tradition, she is unable to give water to a Jew, to an enemy. Christ in truth is not greatly thirsty for water. He thirsts for the liberation of His afflicted interlocutor. The conversation begins to become fascinating and revelatory.

Nominal Christians: A Homily on the Epistle Reading for the Fifth Sunday After Pascha

By Presbyter Nikolaos Gonidakis,
Priest of the Holy Church of the Prophet Elijah, Nees Pagases, Volos

Today our Holy Church presents to us the unceasing and rapid spread of the gospel, according to the Apostolic reading (Acts 11:19–30), my beloved brothers and sisters in Christ.

A sorrowful event, the death by stoning of the Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, became the occasion for the faithful to break the bonds that had confined the teaching of Christ to Judea and for its universal journey to begin.

After this murder took place, the persecution of the first believers “flared up,” with the result that they decided to leave Jerusalem and spread beyond their limited boundaries.

Thus the joyful message now reached Phoenicia, present-day Lebanon, a coastal region, the island of Cyprus, and Antioch, a historic city of the Middle East.

At first, they preached only to the Jews. But upon entering Antioch, some from Cyprus and Cyrene began speaking also to the Greeks of the region, with the result that many of them rejected idols and joined the Christian community.

Holy Apostle Simon the Zealot in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. This is Simon, who was also called Nathanael and who served as the bridegroom at the wedding to which Christ was invited with His disciples in Cana, where He also changed the water into wine. Therefore the bridegroom, after abandoning the wedding and the wine, followed the Friend and Wonderworker and Bridegroom-Leader, and he was present with the Apostles in the upper room when the Holy Spirit descended upon them in the form of fiery tongues. And after being filled with this Spirit and traveling through almost the whole earth, he set ablaze all the deceit of polytheism. He went throughout all Mauritania and Africa and preached Christ. Afterwards he arrived in Britain, and after enlightening many with the word of the gospel, he was crucified by the unbelievers, and reaching the end of his life he was buried there. And because he was possessed by burning zeal for the almighty God, he received as his surname the manner of his life.”

Mother, Mother Panagia, Mother Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

It may be that ecclesiastically the feast of Mother’s Day points to the Reception of the Lord in the Temple, yet the occasion of the second Sunday of May from a secular standpoint should not be overlooked either — it gives one the opportunity once again to speak about one of the holiest persons that exist in the world. Besides, this is a common practice of the Church, by which a secular event receives from her theology a depth that otherwise no one could ever have imagined. Therefore, this particular day brings forward the MOTHER, the person before whom everyone bows down — regardless of origin, gender, education, social standing, or age. “Mother,” cries the little child; “mother,” the young man; and “mother,” the old man; “mother,” you hear in every place — ah, what a sweet name! as the poet says. And truly: thousands of poems, songs, literary works, paintings, and sculptures throughout the world have as their subject this unique person, before whom one stands with awe and boundless respect. Why? Because obviously no one stands closer than the Mother to that which reveals the mystery of life!

Prologue in Sermons: May 10

Answer to Simple Folk on the Question: What Must One Do to Be Saved?

May 10

(A Word on Spiritual Benefit)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Many ask: “What must we do to be saved?” How should this question be answered? It seems that one may answer in two ways. One may answer at length, on the basis of Scripture, for the Savior Himself said: “Search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life” (John 5:39). But one may also answer briefly, because not all are capable of fully grasping the essence of the teaching that leads to salvation, and not all, by their condition and upbringing, are able to understand the Scriptures. Here, for example, is a model of a brief and simple teaching on salvation, taken from the Prologue, from a word on spiritual benefit.

The Martyrdom of the Saints as Life in Christ and the Overcoming of Death (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

The Martyrdom of the Saints as Life in Christ and the Overcoming of Death 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(Transcribed sermon delivered on the feast of Saint Christopher, in Agrinio, on 9 May 2024)

Your Eminence Metropolitan Damaskenos of the Sacred Metropolis of Aetolia and Acarnania, beloved holy Hierarchs in Christ, honorable Presbyterate, Diaconate of Christ, most honorable civil authorities, blessed and chosen people of the Lord.

First of all, I would like to express my warmest thanks to your Eminence, your shepherd and our beloved brother in Christ, Damaskenos, who invited me to come to this city on the day when its patron saint, Saint Christopher, is celebrated. It is in this city that, as Your Eminence mentioned both yesterday and today, I grew up and laid the foundations for my later development in ecclesiastical life and, of course, in my theological formation.

I give thanks to God because in this city, besides completing my secondary studies, I came to know the then-Protosyngellos, Archimandrite Kallinikos Poulos, who, when he was elected Metropolitan of Edessa, Pella, and Almopia, invited me to join him, and I remained with him for fifteen years. Now he is a Saint of our Church, and to him I owe very much — indeed, the whole ecclesiastical and theological life which God counted me worthy to live within the Church.

Holy Great Martyr Christopher in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

It has often been said that the study of the lives of the saints is among the most important readings for the spiritual growth of Christians. And this is because their life is the embodiment of the Gospel, the practical confirmation of what the word of God bears witness to. What we see in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself — within Whom His word was the expression of His life and His life was the commentary on His word — in the same way, to a certain degree, we also see in our saints. And especially in those moments when they offer even their very life as a sacrifice for the love of God. From this point of view, the heroic struggles of the saints, the martyrdoms they endured, and the manner in which they faced them become for the faithful a means by which they receive the grace of God. That is, the very grace which strengthened the saints in their martyrdoms, the grace that enabled them to endure and transcend their sufferings, this same grace is poured also into the faithful when with faith and love they come into contact with what the martyrs suffered for the sake of the Lord. And this means that a Christian who does not study the lives of our saints deprives himself of a special grace that the Lord offers to the world. This truth is already pointed out by the Holy Hymnographer in the very first sticheron of Vespers: “Come, let us honor the struggles of Christopher, through whom there gushes forth to us the everlasting grace of Christ the Giver of life.” Therefore his statement is not an exaggeration when he says that “Your memorial, O martyr, gives forth fragrance mightily, like spring roses, through the much-enduring sufferings of your struggles” (Sticheron of Vespers).

Commentary on the Book of the Prophet Isaiah (St. Basil the Great)

 

The full English translation of St. Basil the Great's Commentary on the Prophet Isaiah by Nikolai A. Lipatov (published by Edition Cicero in 2001, 441 pages) is a scholarly translation that can be accessed through Academia.edu (see here). The translator has also argued on the genuine authenticity of the authorship of St. Basil for this commentary (see here), which was doubted in the West for centuries.

“…As for the Scriptural passages about which you enquire, we were much surprised that an explanation was requested from us, the unlearned, and about such expressions which properly should be elucidated only by men inspired by God. Such interpretations have already been produced by them, and above all - the detailed interpretation by the Great and divine Basil. So, when you take the book of his commentary on Isaiah, you will learn the things about which you enquire. Otherwise their consideration, which requires a whole treatise, would go beyond the limits of a letter."

St. Theodore of Studion, from the Letter to Hegoumenos Auxentios

May: Day 9: Teaching 2: Translation of the Honorable Relics of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker

May: Day 9: Teaching 2:
Translation of the Honorable Relics of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker
 
(On Mercy Toward the Poor)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. From the great host of God’s holy servants glorified by the Church, Saint Nicholas enjoys a special love among the Russian people. Many churches have been built in his honor throughout Holy Rus’; his memory is celebrated twice a year, on December 6 and May 9, and besides this, throughout the year, together with the apostles, he is commemorated in the church services every Thursday. His very name is dear to the Orthodox Russian people and therefore is often found in Christian families — not only in the humble hut, but even upon the royal throne. Which of his many virtues attracts Orthodox Christians to him? Knowing that we turn to God and His saints for help in our spiritual and bodily needs, and especially often direct our prayers to those saints who showed many works of mercy toward the suffering, we must acknowledge that the outstanding virtue of Saint Nicholas was “his mercy toward the needy.” The Holy Church, in her hymns, glorifies him as the feeder of the hungry, the excellent guide of those storm-tossed at sea, and the swift helper of all who are in troubles and sorrows. And indeed, the whole life of Saint Nicholas presents an unbroken series of benefactions rendered by him to suffering humanity. But not only during his life — even after death he did not cease to do good to those who turn to him with prayers. His very tomb became a source of healings for those suffering in soul and body. The many wonderworking icons of him found in different places throughout our vast homeland are nothing other than visible and indestructible memorials of his mercy toward the Christian race. In this respect Saint Nicholas appears as the good and faithful servant of our Lord, fulfilling one of the chief commandments of the Master and Lord concerning mercy toward one’s neighbors.

Prologue in Sermons: May 9

The Holy Servants of God Show Special Love and Mercy To Those Who Honor Their Holy Memory

May 9

(The Miracle of Saint Nicholas and the Carpet)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

All of us, brethren, know that the holy servants of God, being especially close to God, do not cease, even after their departure into the heavenly world, to intercede for us before God and to ask grace and mercy for us all. Enlightened by the light of the face of God, the saints of God see us and know what feelings and desires we have toward them. Therefore, without doubt, they become loving protectors, defenders, and helpers especially to those among us who cherish a special love for them, who pray to them with special zeal, and who honor the days of their commemoration. This is not difficult to prove by examples, for there are many such examples in the lives of the saints. Let us take one such example for our instruction.

There lived in Constantinople a certain pious craftsman named Nicholas, who had a fervent love for Saint Nicholas and always honored his feast days with special devotion. When old age came upon this man, and he was no longer able to work, he fell into poverty. Once, during this period of his life, as the feast of the Saint approached, Nicholas became deeply troubled: how would he celebrate the feast? He shared his sorrow with his wife, and she answered him:

Homily for the Commemoration of the Apostle John the Theologian (Fr. Daniel Sysoev)

Homily for the Commemoration of the Apostle John the Theologian 

By Fr. Daniel Sysoev

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

I congratulate you on the day of the memory of the Apostle John the Theologian — the apostle of love, a very mysterious apostle. Today his feast is connected neither with his death nor with some missionary labor of his, but with those events that took place at the tomb of John the Theologian in Ephesus up until the very beginning of the twentieth century. It was an annual miracle that occurred precisely on this very day.

On the eighth of May, a rose-colored dust would yearly appear upon the empty tomb of John the Theologian, and this dust healed many sick people. One could say that it was a regular miracle, like the miracle of the Holy Fire. The Church even established a feast in honor of this event.

If we look closely at the mysterious image of Saint John, we will see a mystery. The apostolic age is coming to an end — the close of the first century and the beginning of the second. Most of the apostles — eleven out of the twelve — have already been executed for the name of the Lord. Most of the Seventy Apostles have also been executed. By that time the Apostle John remains the only living witness of the Risen Christ.

May: Day 8: Teaching 2: Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian

May: Day 8: Teaching 2:
Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
 
(Examples of how Christians depart from the law of Christian love, and the necessity of living according to its spirit.)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. What shall we say to you, brethren, on today’s feast? The beloved disciple of the Lord — the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, whose memory we celebrate today — spoke more than anything else during his apostolic ministry about love. Therefore let us also speak today about love.

II. You yourselves know very well that the Lord commanded us to love God and then all people, and said that upon these two commandments rests the whole law (Matt. 22:40). You know that only he who has love toward all is a true Christian (John 13:35). You also know that without love one cannot inherit eternal life, for “he who does not love his brother abides in death” (1 John 3:14); that “without love all gifts profit nothing to those who possess them,” as John Chrysostom says; and that without it all our good deeds mean nothing (1 Cor. 13:3).

You know this, you have heard it many times, and you yourselves reason that it would be good if all loved one another; you yourselves realize that we must love others. But unfortunately, all this is mostly only in words and not in deeds. In words we love, but in deeds — in deeds we are far from love.

Prologue in Sermons: May 8

One Must Not Seek Out Persecution

May 8

(A Word of Saint Peter of Alexandria. Prologue for May 7. From the Paterikon)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

People of bad character and spiritual pride, unable to live peacefully with those around them, imagine themselves to be martyrs worthy of a martyr’s crown. What a pitiful delusion!

A person who constantly irritates others and brings troubles upon himself certainly suffers sorrows and hardships — but who is to blame for them if not he himself? Yet such a person says to everyone:

“To be saved, one must suffer — and I suffer; therefore I am a martyr.”

And everywhere he stirs up quarrels and discord, making life bitter both for others and for himself. Is there any meaning in seeking sufferings in this way? Is it pleasing to God? Will the sufferings of such a person have any value in the eyes of God?

Without doubt, no.

THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PASCHA - SUNDAY OF THE PARALYTIC

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

The Healing of the Paralytic at the Sheep Pool

There was in Jerusalem a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, that is, House of Mercy. It was remarkable because an Angel of the Lord descended into it from time to time and stirred the water; and the sick person who entered the pool first after the Angel would immediately be healed, whatever his illness might be.

Once Jesus Christ was in Jerusalem during the feast of Passover. Passing by the pool, He saw a multitude of sick people lying around it. There were the lame, the blind, the withered; each one waited for the moment when the Angel would stir the water, so that he might be the first to enter it. Among the other sick there was one man who had lain paralyzed for thirty-eight years. The Savior saw him, had compassion on him, and said to him: “Do you want to be healed?” The sick man answered Him: “Yes, Lord, but I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred; for while I am coming, another steps down before me.” Jesus said to him: “Rise, take up your bed, and walk” (cf. John 5:6–8). The man was immediately healed, took up his bed, and walked away. The Jews who were there became indignant and said to the healed man that he ought not to carry his bed, because it was a feast day.

The Bright Heavenly Appearance of the Cross Over Jerusalem During the Reign of Constantius in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

 

Commemoration of the Sign of the Honorable Cross Which Appeared in Heaven, at the Third Hour of the Day, During the Reign of Emperor Constantius, Son of Constantine the Great

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. During the days of Holy Pentecost, on the seventh day of the month of May and around the ninth hour of the morning, the honorable and life-giving Cross appeared — consisting of light, while all the people looked on — stretching from holy Golgotha to the holy Mount of Olives. This Cross, by the brilliance of Its light, overshadowed the rays of the sun. Therefore every age, both young and old, together with infants and even nursing babes, came to the church, and with immeasurable joy and fervent compunction offered glory and thanksgiving to God for this wondrous sight.

2. If September 14 is the feast of the Exaltation of the Honorable and Life-Giving Cross — the feast on which human hands, Patriarchal and Imperial, raised up the Honorable Cross, presenting It as the symbol of the Christian faith and “the key of Paradise,” because It is the sign pointing us to Him Who poured out His all-holy blood upon It — then May 7 constitutes another feast of Its Exaltation, not by human hands this time, but by the “hands” of God Himself. For He willed, when the Christian faith had already been accepted and spread abroad, to reveal the Cross in Heaven, as a continuation, we might say, of Its manifestation in the days of Constantine the Great, with the well-known words, “By this conquer.” The hymnography of our Church presents this event and proclaims it in all its dimensions:

Synaxis of All the Venerable Russian Saints of the Holy Mountain

 

On May 7/20, the Russian Saint Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos prayerfully commemorates the Synaxis of All the Venerable Russian Saints of the Holy Mountain.

This day for honoring the memory of all the Russian Athonite saints who shone forth on the Holy Mountain was established in 2016 by the Council of Elders of the Panteleimon Monastery, with the blessing of the monastery’s abbot, Schema-Archimandrite Jeremiah (Alekhin), because ancient Russian liturgical tradition assigns to this day the repose of Anthony of Kiev, the “founder of Russian monasticism.”

In addition, on this same day the memory is celebrated of other Russian Athonite saints: Nil Sorsky and Pachomius the Russian. The feast of Nilus the Myrrhgusher is also kept on this day.

Altogether, the Synaxis of All the Venerable Russian Saints of the Holy Mountain includes more than sixty Athonite ascetics glorified at various times by one or another Local Church (the list, which began with over forty saints, is evolving). Some of them were Serbs, Greeks, and Georgians, yet their lives were connected in one way or another with Holy Rus’ or with Russian monasticism on Mount Athos.

Prologue in Sermons: May 7

Do Not Conceal Your Sins in Confession

May 7

(A homily about the robber who confessed all his sins before everyone in repentance.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

In the Church’s exhortation by the confessor to the penitent before confession, we read among other things: “Behold, my child, Christ stands here invisibly, receiving your confession; do not be ashamed, nor afraid, and hide nothing from me, but without concealment tell everything you have done, that you may receive forgiveness from our Lord Jesus Christ…; but if you hide anything from me, you will have a double sin.” Therefore, whoever hides his sins in confession doubles them. And so it is; for such a person adds another sin to the one he has hidden: he lies before God, Who Himself stands invisibly, receiving our confession. But, unfortunately, many Christians are not instructed by this; some out of false shame, others out of pride, others through lack of faith, and still others simply through not understanding the great importance of the most holy Mystery of Repentance, hide their sins in confession, and thus leave confession not only not cleansed of their sins, but even more burdened by them and condemned. How can such people be led to correction? How can they be instructed so that in the future they will be fully open in confession? Let us try to encourage and instruct them by an example.

Santorini Officially Celebrated Its Patron Saint Irene for the First Time

The Sacred Metropolis of Thera, Amorgos and the Islands solemnly celebrated the sacred memory of the patron and protectress of Santorini, the holy and glorious Great Martyr Irene.

This marks the first official celebration of Saint Irene as patron and protectress of Santorini following the publication of the relevant Presidential Decree (Government Gazette 160/A/18-9-2025), by which May 5 has been established as a local holiday for all schools and public services on the island.

The recognition of Saint Irene as patron saint highlights the island’s spiritual identity, especially since the very name “Santorini” derives from “Santa Irene.”

This official recognition strengthens the bond between the local community and Orthodox tradition, establishing a new annual celebration that is expected to become an important point of reference for both inhabitants and visitors alike.

The festive events took place at the Metropolitan Church of the Reception of the Savior (Ypapanti) in Thera.

Church of Cyprus Statement on Former Metropolitan Tychikos of Paphos

 

ANNOUNCEMENT

Because in recent days many claims have been made public that distort reality and the truth, we wish, for the sake of restoring the truth, to point out the following:

1. Clergy who are under suspension (argia) are not permitted to wear the vestments proper to their rank, nor to commemorate (do the proskomide) at the Holy Prothesis. The suspended former Metropolitan of Paphos, Tychikos, last Sunday wore an epitrachelion and omophorion and commemorated at the Holy Prothesis of the Church of the Holy Apostles Paul and Barnabas with the portion and the holy lance. His lawyer, as a former cleric, should be well aware of what the penalty of suspension entails for a clergyman.

2. When the presiding priest of the church pointed out that such actions are not permitted, the former Metropolitan struck and pushed him at the same time. There is testimony to this effect from the second priest of the church. No one prevents the former Metropolitan from praying or chanting in various churches, especially since he possesses the qualifications of a chanter and has a melodious voice. Indeed, he has recently been doing so, visiting churches celebrating their feasts. However, he is not permitted “to perform the Proskomide” at the Holy Prothesis, something which, for unclear reasons, he did for the first time this past Sunday.

Holy and Righteous Job the Much-Contested in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. The Righteous Job was from the land of Ausitis, which lay on the borders of Idumea and Arabia, and he was one of the descendants of Esau, so that he was of the fifth generation from Abraham. His father was named Zareth and his mother Bosorra. He had been given the name Jobab and he prophesied for twenty-five years. He lived around 1925 B.C. The Lord bore witness concerning him that he was a righteous and blameless man and better than all the people of his generation; for this reason the devil asked God to test Job. Indeed, after the permission given to him by God, the devil stripped Job of all his possessions, afflicted him with dreadful and unbearable sores, and finally departed in shame, because the righteous man proved unbending and unyielding in all the assaults of temptation. At the end of his struggles, God Himself rewarded him and restored to him what is revealed in the account concerning him. After his trials he lived one hundred and seventy years, which means that altogether he lived two hundred and forty-eight years.

Venerable Sophia of Kleisoura in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. "Having been made wise by grace, O divine Sophia, you practiced asceticism wisely in Kleisoura."

The Venerable and God-bearing Mother Sophia, the rag-clad yet Spirit-filled ascetic of Kleisoura, was born in Ardasia of Pontus in 1883. After following the path of the refugees, following the incursion of the Hagarenes against her homeland and the loss of her husband and child, she came to Anarrachi of Eordaia. She longed for the ascetic life, and so she built her first hermitage at the Monastery of Saint Mark in Florina, where she remained for two years.

At the urging, however, of the Most Holy Theotokos, she settled in Her monastery located in Kleisoura of Kastoria, where she struggled in a God-pleasing manner for a full forty-seven years. Without even a bed to rest her earthly body, she endured the cold of winter, sitting near the hearth in the courtyard of the monastery, opposite the south door of the katholikon, gazing at the serene image of the Theotokos above its lintel.

Living simply, clothed in rags, and sometimes even feigning foolishness, she passed through her life. Constantly engaged in the prayer of the heart, she reached the heights of deification. She attracted richly the grace of the All-Holy Spirit and was deemed worthy of both clairvoyant and healing gifts. Always cheerful and approachable, she received visitors to the monastery, teaching them repentance and goodness of character. She foresaw her end and reposed in the Lord in holiness on May 6, 1974.

Her holy relics, which were translated and emitted fragrance, are preserved in the Sacred Monastery of Kleisoura, offering healing to the faithful. She was enrolled among the saints of the Church on October 4, 2011.

Venerable Seraphim of Mount Domvu in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. Venerable Seraphim of Domvu in Livadeia was born in 1527 to pious and virtuous parents in a village of the region of Locris, called Zeli, where he was also taught the sacred letters.

Because he was of good character and studied diligently the sacred books of the Church, as well as the lives of the saints, he felt within his heart a divine love for the monastic life. For this reason he left his parents and relatives and set out in search of the salvation of his soul, which he longed for. After traveling through many places, both deserted and inhabited, and struggling in many ascetic contests — through which he was made worthy to receive from God even the grace of working miracles — he fell asleep in peace on May 6, 1602, in the monastery that bears his name. This monastery he himself built on the western slope of Mount Helicon, in a place called Domvu or Dontu, and there he also erected a most beautiful stavropegial church in the name of Christ the Savior.

He also received there many virtuous monks who longed for the wilderness and sought the salvation of their souls. In this monastery (in which, even while the Saint was still alive, he was glorified by God with His wonderworking grace, and where even now monks live who excel in virtue and holiness of life), his holy relics are preserved as a sacred treasure — confirmed by patriarchal sigils and attested by miracles. From these relics many people from various places daily receive healing grace as they invoke him, to the glory of God, who thus glorifies His saints.

Synaxis of the Icon of the Panagia Kamariani

The Sacred Icon of the Panagia Kamariani was discovered in a miraculous manner during the 19th century in the city of Halicarnassus in Asia Minor.

There lived there a pious Christian woman, to whom the Panagia appeared in a dream, in the form of a dignified woman dressed in black, telling her to leave her house because it belonged to her. The dream was repeated four times.

On the fourth occasion, the Mother of God revealed to her that her icon was buried inside the house and indicated the exact place where they should dig to find it. The woman searched for the icon and found it beneath an arch (kamara), and for this reason it was given the name “Kamariani.”

The discovery of the icon was followed by many miracles, and the inhabitants of Halicarnassus decided to build a church in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos, where they placed the icon. Around the church there was a colonnade with many arches, which, according to another version, is what gave the icon its name. The church survives to this day, though in a state of abandonment.

Mid-Pentecost in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

The somewhat forgotten and underestimated feast of Mid-Pentecost — especially by Christians of our time (in contrast to the Byzantine era, when it was celebrated with exceptional splendor, so much so that it was considered an imperial feast: the emperor himself would proceed in great procession, clothed in his royal vestments, to the Church of Saint Mokios, where the Patriarch awaited him in order to concelebrate the festive Divine Liturgy) — comes to present to us essential elements of our faith, without which we cannot truly be called Christians.

Beyond emphasizing the importance of the two great feasts it connects — the Resurrection and Pentecost — it proclaims in a powerful way the divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet this is understood only to the extent that a person accepts it not theoretically or from a distance, but existentially and personally. That is, because the Lord is God who became man, He now functions as the center of human life. This means that after Christ, a person — of course, a believer — cannot live, move, speak, or think without taking Him into account. In other words, the Christian is (and must be) a Christ in the world, and every other person on earth should (and must) see Christ in his very existence. This is precisely the truth to which the Apostle Paul testifies, when he not only confesses that “Christ lives in him” as the center of his life, but also that every Christian constitutes “a letter of Christ to the world,” read by other people.

Prologue in Sermons: May 6

The Struggle Against Evil Thoughts is a Feat Worthy of Reward

May 6

(A spiritual remedy for the disturbance of thoughts.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Very often it happens, brethren, that evil desires and impure thoughts pursue us entirely apart from our will. How should we regard them in such a case? Are we responsible for them before God or not? We should consider it this way: if, upon careful reflection, we notice that we ourselves gave occasion for evil, blasphemous, and unclean thoughts to enter us, then we are certainly accountable for this before God; likewise we are responsible when we take pleasure in a thought that has entered us unwillingly, or sympathize with it. But if we have given no occasion for this evil to enter us, if we do not sympathize with it, and if with all the strength of our soul we struggle against the thoughts in order to drive them out, then not only are we not responsible, but we even deserve a reward for the struggle, and the fight against evil is reckoned to us as an ascetic feat.

Regarding the Canonization of Fr. Seraphim (Rose) of Platina

Regarding the canonization of Fr. Seraphim (Rose) of Platina by the Holy Synod of ROCOR, one should keep in mind that very few saints in the Orthodox Church have been canonized for what they wrote and what they said, and many have said and written some very disagreeable things that I would certainly never accept or defend, yet I still consider them acceptable or even great, but only because I know that the Church canonizes primarily based on their life and the model they set for other Christians, in one way or another. Sometimes its even for a brief moment in their life and one thing they said, like the thief on the cross. We even have someone we commemorate every year on April 1st who is probably one of the most evil men in the Old Testament, King Ahaz, who I think should be removed from the calendar, but as I have shown he was canonized because he feigned piety, and someone in their simplicity found this acceptable to include him in our calendar. When I was a teenager in the early 90s, I came across the life and writings of Fr Seraphim, and found them to be inspirational and enlightening, because he was a very American figure who came to Orthodoxy facing many challenges that I could relate to. As I grew older I came to have many disagreements with him on things, but I also realize he was a product of his time and his environment, like we all are and all the saints were, and he also died much younger than I am now, so who knows how his views on things may have changed if given the time I've been blessed with. But if there is something to be said in favor of his canonization, I would say that he struggled to the end to be the best Orthodox Christian he could be, and he took this very seriously. That's good enough for me... if only I could be the same. 

 

Encomium on the Great Euthymios, Bishop of Madytos (George of Cyprus) - 1 of 3

GEORGE OF CYPRUS

ENCOMIUM ON THE GREAT EUTHYMIOS, BISHOP OF MADYTOS

PUBLISHED BY VASILIOS ANTONIADIS [1]

From manuscript codex no. 363 of the “Synodal Library” in Moscow, the Russian Archimandrite Arseny published three years ago a noteworthy product of ecclesiastical rhetoric from the 13th century, the “Encomium on the Great Euthymius, Bishop of Madytos” (10th century), a work of George of Cyprus, later known under the monastic name Gregory,[2] Patriarch of Constantinople (1283–1289). This edition, accompanied also by a Russian translation, is not the first fruit of the scholarly labors of Father Arseny; and anyone who almost daily finds him in the Synodal Library diligently engaged in copying ancient codices readily acknowledges that the venerable servant of the Church has chosen the good portion.

Despite the voluminous and costly editions already produced, there still remains no small amount of work toward the preparation of a complete and critically reliable edition of the “Greek Patrology.” Not only are there still many unpublished works preserved in libraries of both East and West, but even the text of those already published does not in all respects meet the demands of critical scholarship. For this reason, we ought gladly and gratefully to welcome every effort, even one that contributes only a little to this completion.