Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: October 1

The Month of October

Day 1

32. To Young Students

(From the Life of Venerable Romanos the Melodist)

Why is it, young men, that it so often happens that the most capable among you, who have been exalted above everyone else, suddenly become weak in their studies and either do not complete their course, or, if they do complete it, do so only somehow and end up far below even those with whom they never once thought of comparing themselves and whom they always considered nothing more than pitiable mediocrities? And why, on the contrary, does it happen again and again among you that your classmates, although hardworking, yet at first making little progress, but gentle and humble, suddenly begin to study better than everyone else and pass their examinations brilliantly? It is not difficult to answer these questions. In the first case, the reason the first became last was that they were proud, and God resists the proud; in the second, the reason the last became first was that they were humble, and the Lord always gives His grace to the humble and always grants them wisdom.

Holy Hieromartyr Gregory of Greater Armenia in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. Saint Gregory lived during the reign of Diocletian. He was a Parthian by descent, the son of Anak, a relative of Kusaros, king of Armenia. He was arrested by King Tiridates as a Christian and endured many punishments for this reason. When Tiridates learned, moreover, that he was the son of Anak the Parthian, who had murdered his father, he had his hands and feet bound and sent him to the city of Artaxata, where they cast him into a deep pit filled with wild beasts and reptiles. He lived in this pit for fifteen years, secretly fed by a widowed woman. Meanwhile, King Tiridates went mad; he ate his own flesh and lived among the pigs in the mountains. His sister, Kusarodukta, then had a dream and heard a voice saying: ‘Unless Gregory comes out of the pit, Tiridates will not recover.’ Indeed, Kusarodukta freed Gregory, and at the same time the king was healed. Gregory became Bishop of Armenia, baptized its inhabitants, built many churches, and finally departed peacefully to the Lord.

September: Day 30: Teaching 2: Saint Michael, First Metropolitan of Kiev

September: Day 30: Teaching 2:
Saint Michael, First Metropolitan of Kiev
 
(Our Idolatry)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. More than 900 years have passed since our forefathers accepted the Christian faith under Saint Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, and his great fellow laborer in the work of spreading the faith, the first Metropolitan of Kiev, Saint Michael, whose memory is celebrated today.

II. Glory and thanksgiving to God: the times of paganism have ended, but has idolatry ended? Are we who have accepted the law of Christ free from the service of idols? No. Worship of statues and material idols has ended, but worship of spiritual idols, the service of the devil, has not ended. Spiritual idols are sinful passions: whoever serves them and seeks to please them serves the devil. There are three such principal idols to which, unfortunately, we Christians also often bow down and render service: these are our “love of honor, worldliness, and gratification of the flesh.” “Everything that is in the world,” says the Holy Apostle John, is “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16).

Prologue in Sermons: September 30

For Those Who Conceal Their Sins in Confession

September 30

(A Homily of Saint John Chrysostom on the Confession of Sins.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Regarding the Mystery of Repentance, the Church, among other things, makes the following determination: whoever conceals his sins in confession not only does not receive forgiveness for them, but also doubles them. “But if you conceal anything from me,” the spiritual father says to the penitent before confession, “you have a twofold sin.” It would seem that such a stern determination of the Church ought to compel all Christians to be open in confession and to approach it not with a feeling of Pharisaic self-righteousness, but with the disposition of the publican and the prudent thief. Nevertheless, even to this day we often see that some, because of false shame, others because of weak faith, others because of pride, and still others at the instigation of the devil, in a word, many do not cease concealing their sins and thereby leave confession without true peace in their conscience, without the divine word of forgiveness within their souls. How, then, can such people be moved to openness? How can their false shame, weak faith, and pride be taken away? How can they be made truly repentant? Let us endeavor to do this through the following words of Saint Chrysostom. God grant that those who conceal their sins in confession may be convinced of their error and come to their senses.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: September 30

The Month of September

Day 30

31. Do Not Destroy the Defenseless

(From the Life of the Holy Hieromartyr Gregory, Bishop of Greater Armenia, and with him the thirty-seven maidens)

Although, fortunately, such people are rare, there are nevertheless those who, whether for the sake of gain, out of malice, or for some other vile purpose, consider it nothing not only to deceive or rob the defenseless, but even to destroy them completely. One man has a child in his care for instruction; he beats him and beats him, and by his beatings finally brings him to the grave. Another seduces a maiden and then spares no means by which he might be rid of her, and the maiden perishes forever, both in soul and in body. Another, in order to make use of the money and property of an orphan, sends her to the other world before her time. What do you think, brethren? Will such people's cruelty and inhumanity go unpunished, or not? Know that they will never go unpunished, and the Lord will strictly call such evildoers to account. “You shall not afflict the orphan,” He says; “if you afflict them at all... My wrath will be kindled” (Exodus 22:22–24), and the Lord confirms His words by deeds themselves.

Venerable Kyriakos the Anchorite Resource Page

St. Kyriakos the Anchorite (Feast Day - September 9)

Verses

The bitterness of the onions you warded off Kyriakos,

Giving them a sweet taste, or you would be condemned to die.

Onion-eating Kyriakos made his end on the twenty-ninth.  

Venerable Kyriakos the Anchorite

September: Day 29: Teaching 1: Venerable Kyriakos the Anchorite

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: September 29 

Venerable Kyriakos the Anchorite in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church 

Why Saint Kyriakos is Not Called a "Hermit" But Instead Called an "Anchorite"

  

The Relationship Between St. Gerasimos of Jordan and St. Kyriakos the Anchorite

Venerable Kyriakos the Anchorite in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. Venerable Kyriakos lived during the reign of Theodosius the Great and was from the city of Corinth, in whose Church his father, John, was a presbyter. His mother was named Eudokia, and he was the nephew of Bishop Peter, while he himself served in the rank of Reader. When he was eighteen years old, he went to Jerusalem and became a monk under Venerable Euthymios the Great. As a monk, he demonstrated great and intense asceticism, rebuked those who held the erroneous doctrines of Origen, performed many miracles through the power of Christ, and reached an extremely advanced old age. He was gentle and sociable as a man, while by divine revelation he foretold many things that were to come to pass. He was large in stature, yet neither wild nor repulsive, but gracious in his manner, without suffering any bodily disability or illness as the years passed. For some years he also guided the Lavra of Saint Chariton.

2. Today, as we seek the intercessions of Venerable Kyriakos, we receive the grace of the intercessions of Venerable Chariton, whose feast we celebrated only yesterday. This is not merely because his feast is so close to today's, but chiefly because Venerable Kyriakos was the successor of Venerable Chariton, the one who, as the Synaxarion relates, guided the flock of the monastery founded by Elder Chariton after his repose. Thus, for those who honor it according to the manner of our Church, the grace of today's feast comes to us with double intensity. The Hymnographer emphasizes this as well:

“Standing in glory before God the Almighty, O God-proclaimer Kyriakos, together with divine Chariton, unceasingly remember those who celebrate your light-bearing memory, O Saint.”

Prologue in Sermons: September 29

 

The Saints of God Help Us in the Struggle Against the Demons

September 29

(A Word on Saint Andrew the Fool for Christ.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

For a successful struggle against the demons and for victory over them, the Lord has given us two means: prayer to God and fasting, as He also said: “This kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting” (Matthew 17:21). But is there also some other means that likewise makes the struggle against evil spirits easier, or not? Know, brethren, that there is, and it consists in fervent prayer to the saints of God for their help.

When Saint Andrew undertook the ascetic feat of folly for Christ, Satan attacked him with such force, together with the demons under his power, that Andrew thought his final hour had come. And so, finding himself in a desperate situation, he cried out: “Holy Apostle John the Theologian, help me!” After these words, thunder struck, and the voice of many people was heard. And an Elder appeared with fearsome eyes, whose face was almost as bright as the sun, and with him appeared a multitude of people dressed in white robes. And the Elder said angrily to those who were with him: “Shut the gates, so that none of the demons may escape from here.” And the Elder’s command was carried out.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: September 29

 

The Month of September

Day 29

30. How the Saints of God Spent the Holy Forty-Day Fast

(From the Life of Venerable Kyriakos the Hermit*)

When Great Lent arrives, those who love worldly comforts and those who indulge the flesh immediately begin to say: “Ah, this fast! I do not know how I will get through it! Lenten food is harmful to me, and I have to stand through long services and make so many prostrations.” Are the complaints of those who love worldly comforts justified? Certainly not. And even less so because, in reality, most of them observe hardly any fast at all, do not stand through the Church services, and do not make prostrations. What, then, should we say to such people for their instruction? How can we turn them away from their empty complaints? How can we encourage them to undertake the labors of the fast without complaining and with zeal? We will try to do what we can for those who love worldly comforts in the following way: first, we will show them how the holy servants of God generally spent Great Lent, and then how some of them spent it in particular.

Reading the Ascetic Discourses of Saint Isaac the Syrian as a Layperson

By Monk Damaskenos the Hagiorite

The more someone studies Abba Isaac and ascends his spiritual steps, the more one becomes aware of their spiritual poverty, that is, of their distance from the measure of the Saints, and of how far they are from the perfection of humility and love. Moreover, Abba Isaac gives them the possibility, if they desire it, of attaining this perfection, with the cooperation of Grace.

But here I must point out the following as well:

Abba Isaac reveals to the reader the full truth about how God acts in order to save man. He emphasizes that God acts like a father who loves and disciplines his son, not only to protect him from the dangers of life, but also to educate him spiritually and lead him to spiritual perfection. And he points out that although God is generally merciful, philanthropic, and compassionate toward all people, toward His own children, His chosen ones, while He provides in all things for their biological and spiritual survival, He simultaneously desires that they always follow the narrow and afflicted path, so as to secure their spiritual progress and deem them worthy of participation in His Kingdom. That is, He desires them to live continually in affliction, with only brief periods of relief and respite. This, moreover, is the spirit of the Gospel, which is completely opposed to the spirit of this world, which wants and seeks for people to live continually in comfort and to avoid difficulties and afflictions.

Synaxarion of the Holy Prophet Baruch

Synaxarion

On this same day [September 28], the commemoration of the Righteous and Prophet Baruch.

Verses

Baruch, the friend of Jeremiah the Prophet,
Joins the chorus of Christ’s Prophets in Heaven.

Baruch the Righteous and Prophet was of the tribe of Judah and flourished around 606 B.C. His father was named Neriah, and he also had a brother named Seraiah, who was a court official of King Zedekiah. His teacher was the great Prophet Jeremiah. He was so greatly loved by him that he was regarded as the breath and consolation of Jeremiah. The two of them were known together as one soul united in two distinct bodies, because they had one and the same leader and commander, the Holy Spirit.[1]

Baruch, however, proclaimed more clearly and openly the things concerning the Incarnation of the Lord, saying: “This is our God; no other shall be accounted in comparison with Him. … After this He appeared upon the earth and lived among men” (Baruch 3:35–37). One may also find other such passages by anyone who diligently reads the Old Testament, which clearly demonstrate and present that Baruch is a Prophet. Having therefore lived a life pleasing to God, he surrendered his soul to the Lord in peace.[2]

Venerable Chariton the Confessor Resource Page

St. Chariton the Confessor (Feast Day - September 28)

Verses

All earth’s delights Chariton trampled on,

Now taking delight in heaven's graces.

On the twenty-eighth Chariton died in his old age.

 

Venerable Chariton the Confessor

 

Saint Chariton the Confessor as a Model for our Lives

 

September: Day 28: Teaching 1: Saint Chariton the Confessor

 

September: Day 28: Teaching 2: Saint Chariton the Confessor 

 

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: September 28

 

Venerable Chariton the Confessor in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church 

 

The Rebirth of the First Monastery in the Holy Land - The Lavra of Saint Chariton

  

A Pilgrim Visits Saint Chariton Monastery in the Judean Desert

 

Venerable Chariton the Confessor in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. The Venerable Chariton lived during the reign of Aurelian and was from Iconium in Lycaonia. Because of his faith in Christ, he was brought before the ruler Hypatikos, and because he boldly confessed Christ as God, they beat him and burned him with fiery torches. After the fall of Aurelian, he was set free and went to a deserted place, where he fell into the hands of robbers who took him captive. He was freed once again, however, in the following manner: A viper entered the pitcher in which the robbers kept their wine and poured its venom into it, and when the robbers drank from it, they all died. Seeing that the cave was suitable as a place for his ascetic struggle, the Venerable One turned it into a church, and because many people began coming to practice asceticism near him, he eventually transformed it into a monastery. Because of the distractions, he withdrew elsewhere, but there too the same “fate” awaited him, until he found the edge of a rock where he could devote himself undisturbed to prayer and to God. He overcame the lack of water through the grace of God. He entreated the Lord, and crystal-clear water sprang forth from the rock. There, upon that rock, he lived to a very advanced old age, performing multitudes of miracles.

September: Day 28: Teaching 2: Saint Chariton the Confessor

September: Day 28: Teaching 2:
Saint Chariton the Confessor
 
(Why Is the Path to the Kingdom of Heaven Indicated by the Gospel Narrow?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On the day of Venerable Chariton, now glorified in the Church’s hymns and readings, who attained the Kingdom of Heaven by the narrow path, first through suffering for Jesus Christ under the Emperor Aurelian, and then through works of love for God and his neighbors and through strict asceticism in the monasteries he founded, it is fitting, my beloved brethrens, to speak with you about why the path to the Kingdom of Heaven indicated by the Gospel must be narrow and constricted, that is, difficult and sorrowful.

II. The path to the Kingdom of Heaven is narrow:

a) Because it gives no passage to our passions and our vices.

Does the Gospel path seem too narrow to you? Do you want to widen it? How? Everyone wants to be given free rein to his favorite inclinations: one to his ambition, another to his greed, a third to his sinful attachments, a fourth to his resentment and delight in the misfortunes of others, and all together to their secret idolatry. Nothing irritates you more than the Gospel declaration that absolute self-denial is the only reasonable service of the Christian God. Let us try to widen the path, then, and let your desire be fulfilled. Let us create a moral teaching that suits your heart. You are now satisfied with it. But who can assure me that you will still be satisfied with it tomorrow? Who will tell me that your passions, increasingly exceeding all bounds and satisfied by nothing, will not demand further concessions from the Gospel? And even if you yourself manage to set a limit to them, who will assure me that others will be able to stop, as you have, and will not, in the name of breadth, proceed to destroy the remaining barriers that still stand in the way of their whims? “There is no more narrowness,” all the passions and desires will cry out together. “Give us a broad path! Away with religious prejudices, that empty scrupulousness of timid souls, and all these chains that have burdened us for so long! Pleasure for us, the present hour with all its joys for us, and for us—the cup of pleasures with which the fortunate have already quenched their thirst without us, to moisten our parched lips!” And in the terrible chaos of all these desires, without doubt, victory will belong to the wildest self-love, the most animal-like egoism. This is the final word of human broadness! Therefore, we are left to choose either the broad path of sinful passions, which leads to hell, or the narrow road of holiness, which leads into paradise.

Prologue in Sermons: September 28

It Is a Sin to Judge Our Neighbor

September 28

(From a Saying of Saint Evagrius: “Do Not Judge Your Neighbor”)
 
By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Since God is the one Judge over all, it is obvious that when we judge our neighbors, we usurp the right of the Lord; and therefore, in passing judgment on others, we thereby give cause for judgment to be passed on ourselves. “He who judges his brother,” says the Apostle James, “speaks evil of the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver and Judge, Who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?” (James 4:11–12). And indeed, the law commands us to love our neighbor. Therefore, he who judges his neighbor acts contrary to the law and, if not in word, then in deed judges the law, as though the law were insufficient and therefore one might depart from it. The Apostle Paul likewise teaches: “Who are you who judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls” (Romans 14:4).

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: September 28

The Month of September 

Day 28

29. To Unrepentant Sinners

(From the Life of our Venerable Father Chariton)

Unrepentant sinners, who have come into the depths of evil, whose habit of one sin or another has turned into a passion, not only do not think about correcting their lives, but are concerned with only one thing: where and how they might more conveniently commit some evil deed without punishment—for example, how they might kill someone, rob, deceive, or wrong someone. What do you think, brethren, will such hardening in evil pass these sinners by without consequence, or not? Know that it will not pass them by, either in this life or in the life to come. There is no need even to speak of the fact that it will not pass them by in the life to come; but that it does not pass them by in the present life, we shall prove by actual examples.

When the Venerable Chariton the Confessor was going to Jerusalem, robbers attacked him, seized him, bound him, brought him to their cave, and, intending to put him to a bitter death the following day, went out onto the main road in order to find more people whom they could either rob or kill. When the robbers had gone, Chariton prayed throughout the night that the Lord would deliver him from them, and the Lord truly delivered him. The robbers had left in the cave where they lived a vessel of wine. During their absence, a serpent crawled into the cave and, finding the vessel of wine, drank from it. Having become intoxicated, it vomited the wine it had drunk back into the vessel together with its poison, and then crawled away. The robbers returned home, and, overcome by thirst, all rushed to the vessel of wine, drank from it, and then, as it is said, “killed themselves with that deadly poison: for they all fell to the ground, and, having convulsed, died.”

Homily for the First Sunday of Luke (St. Cleopa of Sihastria)

 

Homily for the First Sunday of Luke, 
or Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost

On the Fruits of Obedience to God

“Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; but at Your word we will let down the nets.” (Luke 5:5)

By St. Cleopa of Sihastria

Beloved faithful,

From the beginning of the creation of the world, all people who have obeyed God have been blessed, both in the present age and in the age to come. Thus we see that, as long as our foreparents, Adam and Eve, obeyed God, their Creator, and faithfully kept His commandment, they were blessed and enjoyed all the beauty and delight of Paradise. But when, of their own free will, they turned away from obedience and transgressed the commandment of their Creator, they were punished and driven out of Paradise (Genesis 3:16–19). If we look back through the sacred history of the world, that is, through what is written in the Holy and Divine Scripture, we shall see that all the holy and chosen people of God who obeyed and fulfilled His commandments were blessed on earth and deemed worthy of the blessing of God.

Noah, who was the second Adam of the human race, obeying God and building the ark and doing all that He had commanded him, was delivered, together with his entire family, from the waters of the Flood and was blessed by God (Genesis 6:22; 9:12). Likewise, the blessed patriarch Abraham, obeying God and departing from his land and from his kindred, went to Haran and from there to the promised land, Canaan, where, as he lived there, he demonstrated the most perfect obedience, to the extent that he was willing to offer his only son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to God, thereby mystically prefiguring the offering as a sacrifice by the heavenly Father of His beloved Son for the salvation and redemption of the human race from bondage to the devil. Because of this faith and perfect obedience of Abraham, God blessed him with an oath and called him the father of many nations (Genesis 22:1–18; 17:5). But in addition to the great divine blessing leading to eternal blessedness, Abraham was also blessed by God with temporal happiness, so that he might have an abundance of all that was necessary for life on earth. The divine Scripture says: “Now Abraham was rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold, and the land which he had inherited for his dwelling was like the Paradise of God” (Genesis 13:2, 10). Likewise, his son Isaac was blessed by God because he did not go down into Egypt, obeying His commandment (Genesis 26:2–4).

Homily Three on the First Sunday of Luke (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Three on the First Sunday of Luke 

18th Sunday after Pentecost

By St. John of Kronstadt

“And He sat down and taught the people from the boat.” (Luke 5:3)

Brethren, what do I see? What is this spectacle at which heaven itself marvels? The eternal Son of God, the Creator of Angels, borne upon the Cherubim, the Creator of heaven and earth, surrounded by a small number of His chosen disciples, sits in a boat tossed by the waves of the sea; the eternal Word of the unoriginate Father Himself, in the humble form of a man, teaches a people immersed in the darkness of ignorance. O boundless goodness, O boundless condescension! Behold, man, what your God, your Creator, your Savior has done for you! He Himself came to enlighten you, to teach you the knowledge of God, the knowledge of His will. He Himself came to save you, a perishing sinner. Behold how precious and exalted He considers your salvation! And how do you value this condescension—and your own salvation? O, it seems that you have forgotten who you are and why you came into this world. You have forgotten that you are a being created in the image of God; that you are immortal in soul and will one day also be immortal in a transformed, spiritual body; you have forgotten that you are called to practice righteousness and holiness and to fulfill the commandments of God, which “are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3), according to the word of the Apostle. You do the will of your own flesh, sinful and destructive, and you have sunk into lawlessness and are drowning in it.

Homily for the First Sunday of Luke (St. Innocent of Kherson)

Homily for the First Sunday of Luke

18th Sunday after Pentecost

By St. Innocent of Kherson

“Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing.” (Luke 5:5)

How pitiful, brethren, it is to hear this complaint from the lips of the poor laborers who had toiled throughout the night! But why has it been repeated in the Gospel for so many centuries? Is it to arouse our compassion for the Apostles? But what need have those who afterward caught the whole universe with their nets for the fish they failed to catch? What need have those who have long since been crowned with heavenly glory for our pity, when perhaps they themselves grieve and lament a hundredfold over us because we are so indifferent to attaining that glory which has also been appointed for us? If the Gospel continues to tell us of the unsuccessful fishing, it is because, in the persons of the Apostles-fishermen, all of us are portrayed in this circumstance, with our labors and occupations. Therefore, I can find no subject more edifying for our conversation than to apply this Apostolic fishing to our own lives.

Holy Martyr Kallistratos and the 49 Martyrs With Him in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

 

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. These Saints lived in Rome during the reign of the emperor Diocletian. Saint Kallistratos was arrested as a Christian by the military commander Persentinus, and because he confessed that Christ is the true God, he was severely beaten. Then they placed him upon a potsherd and dragged him over it. Afterwards, they put him into a sack and threw him into the sea. But the sack tore open, and he came out unharmed. Forty-nine soldiers witnessed this miracle and they too believed in Christ. Persentinus then tortured them and had them imprisoned together with Kallistratos, who found the opportunity to teach them about the judgment of God, the Resurrection, and the soul. Afterwards, when they had all been brought out of prison, Kallistratos prayed and cast down the idols. When other soldiers also saw this, one hundred and eighty-four in number (or, according to others, one hundred and thirty-five), they too believed, whereupon the tyrants beheaded them all.

2. The fact that Saint Kallistratos was an ordinary soldier of the Roman Empire gives his hymnographer, Saint Joseph, the occasion to view him in a twofold military dimension: on the one hand, from a spiritual perspective, the soldier became a general; on the other hand, even after his death he continued in his military calling.

Prologue in Sermons: September 27

 

Repentance Will Not Save Us If, After It, We Again Add Sins to Sins

September 27

(A Word on Punishment by Gregory the Black-Robed Monk,* Concerning Not Being Negligent of One’s Salvation.)
 
By Archpriest Victor Guryev

There are many people who, having repented of their sins and received forgiveness for them, nevertheless, immediately after confession, begin to sin again. They again defile themselves with the uncleanness of sin, think that it is nothing, and, comforting themselves, say: “God is merciful; God will forgive again.” Do such people act rightly or not? We are convinced that they act very badly, and the following word of one of the teachers of the Church, the Black-Robed Monk Gregory, leads us to this conviction.

Among other things, he says the following concerning this matter:

“Brethren, let us renounce worldly wickedness; let us not again become entangled in fleshly passions—gluttony, drunkenness, and fornication—which corrupt both soul and body. Our life here is short; therefore, let us take care for our souls and rejoice in our salvation; let us strive to blot out our sins through good works. Let us not act in such a way that today we repent, and tomorrow take up again the same sins, or even worse ones than those we committed before confession. If today you have washed your defiled body, but the next morning defile it again, will you derive any benefit from your washing? In the same way, there will be no benefit for the one who repented today but tomorrow took up his sins again. And what genuine benefit can you derive from your repentance when, after having been forgiven, you return again to sin? And can your prayer be heard? And can you escape the wrath of the Lord? No, for as great as the Lord’s mercy is, so grievous are His punishments. And the Lord judges each person according to his deeds, and each will receive recompense according to his deeds. Blessed is the person who, when tempted to sin, can refrain from sinning. But woe to the heart that is double-minded, and to the sinner who walks in two ways.”

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: September 27

The Month of September

Day 27

28. We Must Not Forget Ourselves at Feasts

(From the Life of Venerable Zosimas of Solovki the Wonderworker)

Many Christians, when they are at feasts or at invited lunches and dinners, completely forget themselves. Heated by wine and carried away by the general merriment, they give themselves over either to senseless laughter, or to indecent conversations, or to sinful attentions toward women, or finally begin quarrels and disputes with one another. This, brethren, is unworthy of Christians. Even if you are present at a feast, never forget yourself; rather, constantly remember, first, that you are a Christian; second, that there is above you an all-seeing and righteous God, Who will demand an account from you not only for your words and deeds, but also for your thoughts; and finally, third, at a feast do not forget that, just as with every other person, death is not far from you, but is behind you.

Once the famous Novgorodian noblewoman Martha invited Venerable Zosimas of Solovki to dinner. When he entered the house, Martha, together with her sons and daughters, received his blessing and, as it is said, seated him “in the midst of the feast.” While everyone was eating, drinking, and rejoicing, the Venerable one sat silently with humility and meekness, partaking of little food according to his custom. During the meal he looked at the guests and was astonished; then he bowed his head in sorrow. He looked a second time and again saw something worthy of astonishment among those reclining at the table; he looked a third time, and for the third time he saw something extraordinary. What did he see? He saw six of the most prominent Novgorodian noblemen sitting without heads. Sensing that this vision foretold something evil, the Venerable one wept, partook of nothing more, and soon left Martha’s house.

The Metastasis of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint John is the first theologian of our Church. Indeed, this is his distinctive title above all: John the Theologian. Others who have been honored by our Church with this title are Saint Gregory the Theologian and Saint Symeon the New Theologian. Thus, for our Church, very few bear this title, which means, on the one hand, that particular qualifications are required for someone to receive this designation, and, on the other, that all those who have obtained a degree from a theological school are not considered theologians, except in a loose and improper sense. What, then, is required for someone to be a theologian, and, more particularly, what led the Church to bestow this title upon Saint John? We insist upon this point because the hymnography of the Church focuses its attention above all on this very matter: “The Word, O most excellent one, worthily revealed you as a theologian, initiating you into His divinity and teaching you the ineffable dispensation according to man.” That is, Christ, the Son and Word of God, revealed you as a theologian, O most excellent John, because He led you into the secret knowledge of His divinity and taught you the mystery of His plan to come into the world as man. In other words, a theologian is one who is initiated by God Himself into knowledge of Him and, consequently, into the proclamation to the world of His dispensation.

Life of Holy Venerable Platonida of Argeș (formerly Despina Milița, the wife of the Holy Voivode Neagoe Basarab)

Holy Venerable Platonida of Argeș (1487–January 30, 1554), in the world known as Despina Milița, was the wife of the Holy Voivode Neagoe Basarab.

She came from a noble family of Serbian despots, being the daughter of John Branković of Serbia (born 1465, died December 10, 1502). Her uncle was Metropolitan Maxim (born George) Branković.

Despina married Neagoe Basarab in 1505, and they had six children (Theodosie, Stana, Petru, Ioan, Ruxandra, and Anghelina), although two sons and one daughter died at a young age. After the death of Voivode Neagoe Basarab in 1521, their son Theodosie (born 1505, died 1521) was enthroned as ruler of Wallachia, but he was driven out by Radu of Afumați and died in Constantinople.

Lady Despina was a patron of the arts, providing material assistance for the construction of Krusedol Monastery. Together with her husband, she founded Curtea de Argeș Monastery, participating in its consecration on August 15, 1517.

Homily for the Day of the Repose of the Holy, Glorious, and All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian (St. Innocent of Kherson)

Homily for the Day of the Repose of the Holy, Glorious, and All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian 

By St. Innocent of Kherson

We celebrate the repose of John. But did he die? Is he not still alive? These are unexpected questions, but it is not curiosity that prompts us to raise them; it is the Gospel itself, for you have heard what is said concerning John: “And this saying went abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die” (John 21:23). The brethren of the divinely illumined Apostolic Church could not have lightly seized upon a dream of their imagination and arbitrarily presented it as an interpretation of the Savior’s words. Moreover, when the Gospel mentions the expectation “that that disciple should not die,” it does not refute it as something impossible that arose from a misunderstanding of the Savior’s words concerning John, but merely limits its cause and basis to their precise bounds, guarding against every exaggeration: “Yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to you?” (John 21:23).

In the Church hymn sung yesterday in honor of Saint John, we hear something even more; there he is directly and clearly called “still living and awaiting the fearful Second Coming of the Master” (Sticheron at Small Vespers).

If Saint John, then, did not die and is still alive, how do we celebrate the day of his repose? Is this not similar to someone commemorating as dead a man who remains alive?

September: Day 26: Teaching 3: The Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian

September: Day 26: Teaching 3:
The Repose of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian
 
How Should We Regard the Sins of Our Neighbors?

(On the Day of the Repose of Saint John the Theologian)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On the day of the repose of the holy and glorious Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, who taught above all about Christian love and who, even on his deathbed, did not cease teaching this great virtue, without which there is no possibility of salvation, it is most appropriate to speak with you, brethren, about the sin that most often destroys Christian love among people: the sin of contemptuously condemning our neighbors when they fall morally.

II. A. Let us first consider the impression produced upon us by the falls of our brethren, and then see what must be done for their restoration.
 

Before you is worldly society, composed not of those uneducated, coarse, and deprived from childhood of every moral influence, who are encountered by the thousands in the streets. Here are people who have all received a good upbringing, who are capable of understanding and admiring everything beautiful, and who are sometimes capable of the most generous impulses... Suddenly, news is brought into this select circle... It is a piece of information which, as they say, everyone should keep to himself... What is it about? About some offense, some fall, some disgrace, which soon becomes known... Do you notice the effect it produces? Do you notice the looks gleaming with malicious delight? Do you hear how the conversation, until then languid, suddenly becomes animated, interrupted by violent outbursts, like a flame fanned from without? Do you hear all these questions? Do you observe with what lively interest the smallest details concerning the fall in question are gathered; do you watch the expressions on faces showing that they know more than they wish to say; the treacherous hints concealed beneath false sympathy? Is all this true? Am I exaggerating when I say that the frivolity and misconduct of others are the favorite food of conversation in every class of society, and that, if you remove slander from these conversations, you will remove all their charm, and that nothing seems to enliven conversation so much as malicious gossip? We are told, brethren, that man is good. Yes, I know well that everyone cares about maintaining propriety, and that we Russians least of all need to be reminded of this. But who does not know that there is a learned contest of words in which people acquire remarkable skill? Who does not know that there is a subtle art of gracefully casting a poisoned arrow, an art of wounding mortally with a smile, and of hinting at everything without asserting anything?

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: September 26

The Month of September 

Day 26

27. How We Should Regard Sinners Who Are Perishing

(From the Life of Saint John the Theologian)

When we see that this or that person has fallen into the depths of evil, some among us revile him by calling him evil, while others simply say, “He has only himself to blame!” Is this worthy of Christians, and is it right? No, it is not worthy of Christians, and it is very wrong; for the Lord did not teach us to treat sinners as we do, nor did He Himself treat them as we treat them. Recall at least one instance from His life. What did He say to the Pharisees who brought a woman caught in adultery before Him? “He who is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her!” And what did He say to the woman? “Woman! Where are your accusers? Has no one condemned you?” — “No one, Lord,” she answered. Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more” (John 8:1–11). Therefore, we should not act toward sinners who are perishing as we do, but should act somewhat differently. How?

The Dissolution of the Orthodox Monasteries in Greece Under the Bavarians

On this day, September 25, 1833, under the Bavarian Regency, a royal decree signed by the young Otto ordered the closure of all Orthodox monasteries with fewer than six monks, imposed the compulsory removal of the monastic habit upon nuns under the age of forty, required the removal of all novices from the monasteries, established specific measures governing the movement of monks, prohibited the customary donations made for the benefit of the Church, and placed under sequestration the monasteries’ landed property, sacred vessels used in worship, icons, vestments, liturgical books, furnishings, and anything else useful for sale as “spoils” that was found in the monasteries that were to be sealed. Whatever was deemed “useless,” on the other hand, was thrown into the fire — “with the monks mourning all around”! (The monasteries of the Roman Catholics, of course, remained untouched, as did their property.)

Homily Two on the Repose of Saint Sergius, Abbot of Radonezh, Wonderworker of All Russia (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

 

Homily Two on the Repose of Saint Sergius, 
Abbot of Radonezh, Wonderworker of All Russia

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1961)

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

“He who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:3), the Lord tells us from the pages of the Holy Gospel.

Dear brothers and sisters, once again and again let us give thanks to our most merciful Lord Jesus Christ that, by His mercy, we have gathered together today in a solemn setting to prayerfully glorify the departure of the great servant of God, the intercessor for the Russian Land and its protector, the founder of the renowned Holy Trinity–Saint Sergius Lavra, its humble abbot, our Venerable and God-bearing Father Sergius.

The entire life and ascetic labors of Venerable Sergius are deeply edifying and instructive for every person who seeks eternal salvation and strives to please God. His whole life was filled with self-abasement, humility, ascetic struggles of love, and service to God and his neighbors. Having loved the Lord from his youth with all his soul, the meek and quiet young Bartholomew, after the death of his parents, withdrew into the dense and impenetrable wilderness, to the very place where we are now gathered, and here, in silence and solitude, devoting himself continually to prayer for the purification of his heart, he gave himself to the struggles of a severe life in the wilderness, enduring hunger, thirst, various fears and temptations that cannot even be enumerated. “Venerable Father, who can tell of your labors and sufferings? Or what tongue can speak of your harsh way of life, your vigils and dry eating, your lying upon the ground, the purity of your soul and body, your complete silence of lips and mind, your sincere humility, unceasing prayers, sound discernment, poor clothing, and remembrance of death?” Thus the Holy Church sings of the ascetic labors and struggles of Venerable Sergius.

September: Day 25: Teaching 3: Saint Sergius, Wonderworker of Radonezh

September: Day 25: Teaching 3:
Saint Sergius, Wonderworker of Radonezh
 
(What Shortens Our Life?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On the day of Venerable Sergius, who, through his pious life, attained a very advanced age despite the strictest abstinence and exhausting labors, let us, brethren, speak about “what shortens our life.”

II. Our life is short, my friends; yet we ourselves urge God to shorten our already short life more and more. There was only one good place on earth: Paradise. And the only life there was for us was life in Paradise. Only the life of Paradise could truly be called life. It passed amid all the joys that the human heart could desire. Adam and his helper enjoyed everything that was without sin; their bodies were beautiful, and their souls even more beautiful, because they were holy and Godlike; their hearts rested in God and in His holy will; their desires were directed only toward God, the Source of blessings, for whose gifts they offered Him thanksgiving; their consciences were pure. They were children in whom the heavenly Father was reflected. They had no one to fear, nothing to weep over; and a divine remedy had been given against old age.

Venerable Euphrosyne and Her Father Paphnutios in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

 

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. Venerable Euphrosyne lived in Alexandria when Theodosius the Younger was emperor (AD 408–450). She was the daughter of Paphnutios, a wealthy nobleman who, following the death of his wife, raised his only daughter with great love and faith in God. From a young age, the Venerable Euphrosyne desired to dedicate herself to God, but she was unable to do so because, when his daughter reached the age of eighteen, her father betrothed her to a wealthy and noble young man. Before the wedding, Euphrosyne, taking advantage of her father’s absence at a monastery known to him, cut her hair, put on men’s clothing, and wished to enter the monastic community known to her father, presenting herself as a eunuch of the king. The abbot indeed received her as a monk, giving her the name Smaragdos. From that time onward, she devoted herself to exceedingly severe ascetic struggles, surpassing almost everyone in them. For this reason, her feminine features became altered and hardened. Later, with the consent of the abbot, she withdrew to practice asceticism alone, farther away from the monastery, attaining there great heights of holiness. Her father, who was continually searching for her with great anguish, was inconsolable, while Euphrosyne, after thirty-eight years of asceticism, fell ill. At that point, the Venerable Euphrosyne wished to reveal herself to her father, knowing beforehand that her death was approaching. The revelation was deeply moving for Paphnutios, who saw his daughter at such a height of sanctification, but immediately afterward she died. From that time onward, Paphnutios wished to live as a monk in Euphrosyne’s cell, and after ten years of asceticism, he too breathed his last there.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: September 25

The Month of September

Day 25

26. What True Humility Should Consist Of

(From the Life of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh the Wonderworker)

The lack of true humility in us is most clearly revealed, for the most part, by the manifestations of our self-love and pride on particular occasions. As long as no one troubles us, we may still seem to be all right; but as soon as someone says something unfavorable about us, or even unintentionally insults us, or fails to acknowledge our supposed merits, we immediately begin to cry out: “Why are they insulting me? What have I done to deserve this? They do not understand me!” and so forth. Here, as we have said, the entire lack of true humility within us is revealed. What did the Lord say? “When they revile you... rejoice and be glad.” Therefore, if we were truly servants of Christ, and if we possessed true and genuine humility, then when faced with insults and humiliations, whether real or imagined, we would not behave as we do, but would act quite differently. But how, you may ask, should we act? Listen, and we will answer you by an example.

When, during the lifetime of Venerable Sergius, the fame of his ascetic labors had spread, a peasant from a distant region far from the monastery, having heard much about Venerable Sergius, came to his monastery and asked, “Where is the abbot?” It happened that at that very time Venerable Sergius was digging the soil in the garden and was wearing old, tattered clothing with many patches. The peasant was pointed toward Sergius, but he did not believe them, for he expected to find the Saint in great glory, and so he asked again, “Where is Venerable Sergius?” Again, they pointed out the Saint to him.

At that moment Sergius came out of the garden, and when the peasant saw him more closely, he turned his face away from the Saint and said to himself: “Why did I go to all this trouble for nothing? I came to see the great prophet about whom I had heard, and I hoped to see him in great glory and honor, but what now? Instead of him, I see only a poor and wretched old man!”

The Saint understood the peasant’s thoughts and, approaching him, began earnestly thanking him for his opinion of the abbot of the monastery. And it came to pass that, just as a proud man rejoices in the praise and honors shown to him, so the Saint, on the contrary, rejoiced in his own dishonor and humiliation.

After this, Sergius brought the peasant to himself, set a meal before him, and graciously entertained him. Then he said to him: “Do not grieve; the one whom you wished to see, you will soon see.”

As the Saint was saying this, a messenger arrived and announced to the Saint the arrival at the monastery of a certain Grand Prince, who had come with a multitude of servants. Sergius went out to meet him, and the prince bowed down to the Saint to the ground. Then the two of them sat down together and began to converse, while all those present listened to them standing.

The peasant watched the prince and the old man from a distance and wondered: “Can this really be the same old man whom I met in that tattered garment?” He asked those standing nearby about him, and they told him that this was indeed the abbot of the monastery.

Only then did the peasant understand his mistake. He began to reproach himself and said: “How could I have been so blind? And why did I not believe those who pointed out the Saint to me? And why did I not show him the honor due to him? It is just that we peasants are called ignorant! How shall I now stand before the Saint?”

When the prince had departed, the peasant fell at the Saint’s feet and began to beg for forgiveness. The Saint received him with the greatest kindness and said: “Do not grieve, child. You alone spoke the truth about me when you called me worthless. Everyone else is mistaken in thinking of me as a great man.”

“And from this,” the account adds, “it is clearly shown how great was the humility of Venerable Father Sergius, for he loved the peasant who despised him even more than the honors shown to him by the prince.”

From this example, brethren, you see that when faced with imagined or actual insults and humiliations, we should not act as we do, but somewhat differently. Namely, we should respond to such humiliations with meekness, with an awareness of our own unworthiness, and even with joy. And this is how Christians must be; for whom does the Lord call blessed? The proud? Those who are easily offended? No, only the poor in spirit, the meek, those who rejoice and are glad when they are reviled.

Therefore, if you wish to establish true humility in your souls, then, first of all, do not have a high opinion of yourselves, but consider yourselves worse than everyone else; then, never complain against your neighbors when they insult you with their words or wrong you even by their deeds; and, finally, even seek peace with those who have insulted or wronged you.

And when you begin to act in this way, only then can it be said of you that you are truly humble, and the words of the Savior can likewise be applied to you: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:3), and “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Amen.

Questions for Discussion 26:

1. What did the Saint do when he understood the peasant’s thoughts about him as a poor and wretched old man?

2. What did the Saint rejoice in?

3. What did Sergius do after bringing the peasant to himself?

4. What, according to the words of Sergius, did the peasant say when he called the Venerable worthless?

5. Who, according to the word of God, shall inherit the earth?

 

Source: The Cheti-Minei: Homilies for Every Day of the Year (Book 1: September, October, November) by Archpriest Viktor Guryev. Publication of the Russian Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos, 1896. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.   

 

Synaxis of the Panagia the Myrtidiotissa in Kythera

According to tradition, the original icon of the Theotokos with Christ was discovered by a shepherd in the thirteenth century, in a valley southwest of the island of Kythera filled with myrtle trees, known as “Myrtidia.” In this icon, originally “the features of the Mother of God and Christ could be clearly distinguished down to the chest,” but “with the passage of time, however, it gradually acquired its dark color.”

It is believed that this icon was painted by the Evangelist Luke in the first century.

At the place where the icon was “found,” the poor shepherd built a small chapel and devoted the remainder of his life to its care.

After the death of the pious shepherd, the care of the small Temple of the Myrtidiotissa was undertaken by the Monk Leontios, who, with financial assistance from the people of Kythera, enlarged the original temple somewhat and built several cells around it for the accommodation of pilgrims.

However, the multitude of pilgrims arriving from various places created the need for a larger temple.

Venerable Silouan the Athonite in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. Silouan, this citizen of the heavenly Jerusalem, had pious parents who came from the village of Shovskoye in Russia, which ecclesiastically belonged to the Metropolis of Tambov. He was born in 1866 and was called to repentance from his youth by the All-Hymned Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.

When he was twenty-seven years old, he abandoned all worldly concerns and, taking with him the blessing of Saint John of Kronstadt, departed for the Holy Mountain, becoming a monk at the Russian Monastery of Saint Panteleimon, the Great Martyr and Healer.

He therefore gave himself wholeheartedly to God, and for this reason, in a short time, he not only received the grace of unceasing prayer from the Most Holy Theotokos, but was also deemed worthy of an ineffable theophany in the revered Church of the Holy Prophet Elijah, which was located near the mill of the Monastery of Saint Panteleimon. By God’s permission, he was subjected to many temptations from the wicked devil for fifteen years, while at the same time striving to follow the footsteps of Christ, offering supplications and entreaties to Him who alone can save him from death, with loud cries and tears. He was taught by God and heard the voice of the Lord, the Lawgiver, saying: "Keep your mind in Hades and despair not." He kept this commandment pure as a rule throughout his entire life, and thus he followed the path of Anthony, Makarios, Sisoes, Poemen, and the other glorious teachers of the desert, acquiring their spiritual stature and gifts, and being revealed, both during his life and after his death, as an apostolic and prophetic teacher.

The Miracle of Saint Thekla for Old Man Panais of Lysi

Panais Hatzeionas was afflicted in his youth with a rash (called karfites in the Cypriot dialect) on both of his legs, causing him considerable suffering whenever he walked. He went to doctors and applied ointments, but nothing helped. One day, as he and his brother Vasilis were returning from Stavrovouni Monastery (the journey from Lysi to Stavrovouni was always made on foot) they stopped at the Sacred Monastery of Saint Thekla in Mosfiloti to venerate. There, he took mud from the holy spring of Saint Thekla and applied it to his legs. By the time they reached Lysi, the rashes had disappeared from both of his legs.

Holy Protomartyr and Equal to the Apostles Thekla in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. Saint Thekla was from the city of Iconium. Her mother was named Theokleia, and she belonged to a noble and illustrious family. She was instructed in the word of the faith by the great Apostle Paul, whom she heard teaching in the house of Onesiphoros. When she became a Christian, she was eighteen years old and had been betrothed to Thamyris. Later she scorned the fire into which they cast her, as well as her mother and her betrothed, she followed Paul. After these things, she found herself in Antioch, where, because of her faith, Alexander had her thrown among wild beasts and bulls so that they might tear her to pieces. Yet she was saved from all these things by the grace of God. Thereupon she began traveling through various cities, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, with the result that she brought many people to the Christian faith. Afterwards she returned to her homeland, where she withdrew to some of its mountains and practiced asceticism by herself. She performed many miracles for the people who visited her, until she brought her life to an end, entering into a rock that opened by the power of God for her sake. The total span of her life was ninety years.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: September 24

The Month of September

Day 24

25. Is There Any Benefit in Hearing the Word of God?

(From the Life of Holy Protomartyr Thekla)

When, at the end of the Divine Liturgy, a lectern is placed on the ambo in the church and the priest comes out to give a sermon, then ordinarily, especially in the cities, nearly a large portion of the people, and especially those who consider themselves educated, rush out of the church. And this, of course, shows that such people either do not wish to acknowledge that there is any benefit in hearing the word of God, or do not understand this at all. Yet there truly is benefit in listening to the word of God, and it is not difficult to prove this.

Holy Protomartyr Thekla was at first a pagan; she came from a noble and distinguished family and was exceptionally beautiful. When she had reached the age of eighteen, the Apostles Paul and Barnabas came to Iconium, where Thekla lived, preaching the gospel. Thekla constantly went to listen to their discourses concerning Christ, and the seed of the word of God fell upon good soil, took root in the heart of the young maiden through the action of the Holy Spirit, and brought forth fruit. Thekla believed in the Son of God and clung to Him with all her soul. Then, after her Baptism, when she heard Paul preach about virginity and chastity, she was persuaded by his preaching of the excellence of virginity and resolved in her heart to leave the world with all its pleasures and serve Christ in virginal purity until her death. Later she listened to the same Apostle while he was in prison, and the result of this listening was that Thekla became fully instructed and firmly established in faith and in ardent love for the Son of God. “Paul,” writes Saint Gregory of Nyssa, “poured the myrrh of his lips into the holy ears of the maiden, and she, for the sake of his words, put to death the outward man within herself and extinguished all vain thoughts and desires.”