Synaxis of the Holy Hierarchs of Kythrea

In 2018, the 17th of May, the feast day of Saint Athanasios of Chytri, the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus established also the Synaxis of all the Holy Bishops of Kythrea to be honored together.

For the first Bishop of Chytri (modern Kythrea), Saint Pappos the Confessor, there is no information concerning his place of origin. He was ordained bishop in 309 A.D. He is characterized as a confessor, because he was persecuted and tortured during the persecutions, from which he survived. He enjoyed great respect among the other bishops and the flock, because of his life and his age. For this reason, in 367 A.D., after the repose of the Bishop of Salamis (Constantia), that is, the Archbishop of Cyprus, the Bishops of Cyprus ask Saint Pappos, being already a bishop for 58 years, to propose the new archbishop.

Saint Pappos withdraws, prays fervently, and a heavenly voice reveals to him what he must do. Thus, accompanied by three bishops and two deacons, he goes to the marketplace of Salamis, where he finds the monk Epiphanios buying grapes, accompanied by 2 other monks. Epiphanios was from Palestine, became a monk in Egypt, founded a Monastery in Palestine, and came to Cyprus, where he visited Saint Hilarion the Great, who was practicing asceticism near the village of Episkopi of Paphos. Epiphanios was preparing to depart from Cyprus.

Homily for the Sunday of the Blind Man (St. Sergius Mechev)

Homily for the Sunday of the Blind Man

By Holy Hieromartyr Sergius Mechev

“Blinded in the eyes of my soul, I come to You, O Christ, like the man blind from birth, crying to You in repentance: You are the Most Radiant Light of those in darkness.” (Kontakion, Tone 4)

The Holy Church, celebrating the healing of the man blind from birth, assigns to this celebration one of the Sunday days of the most important part of the ecclesiastical year — Holy Pentecost — thereby indicating that the question of spiritual blindness is the fundamental question of our life. For we live in the world created by God, and our life is subject to those laws which the Lord established for the universe created by Him.

But the Lord is not only the Lawgiver of the Universe, but also the Source and Giver of life, because He gives to everything in the world “life, breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25). And He Himself is Life. “In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men” (John 1:4). Therefore, if we wish to know God, then the path to such knowledge is possible for us precisely through life, as through that which was created by God.

Homily Two for the Sunday of the Blind Man (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Two for the Sunday of the Blind Man 

By St. John of Kronstadt

“One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see” (John 9:25). 

- The answer of the blind man, who received sight by the command of Christ God, to the Pharisees. -

The present Sunday, beloved brothers and sisters, is called in the Church tradition the Sunday of the Blind Man, because today it is appointed to read from the Gospel of John the sacred account concerning the miraculous healing by Jesus Christ of a man blind from birth. The miracle of healing took place thus: the Lord spat on the ground, made clay from the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, and said to him: "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam," which means: sent. He went and washed, and came back seeing (John 9:6–7). Some of the eyewitnesses of this most glorious miracle glorified the Lord and believed in Him; among those who believed was first of all the former blind man himself, while others, especially the Pharisees, hated Jesus Christ even more, slandering Him, as though He performed miracles by demonic power, although a demon never yet healed a single person from blindness, nor can it; for his dominion is for a time the dominion of death and evil, and not the dominion of life and mercy.

Holy Apostles Andronikos and Junia in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

 

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. This Apostle of the Lord, after traversing as though having wings the whole inhabited world, uprooted from the foundations every delusion by his preaching concerning Christ, having also as follower of him the all-wondrous Junia, who had already been deadened to the world and lived only for Christ. The result of their activity was that they drew many people to the knowledge of God, thus causing the destruction of the idol temples. Wherever they went they built divine churches, drove away unclean spirits from people, and healed incurable sufferings. In the end, as human beings, they departed from this life. These apostles the Apostle Paul remembers in the Epistle to the Romans. "Greet," he says, "Andronikos and Junia my kinsmen, who also before me became Christians."

2. The kinship of the Apostle Paul toward the apostles celebrated today, Andronikos and Junia, as also their before-him entry into the Church as members of Christ, is among the points which the Holy Hymnographer Joseph strongly touches upon, because he sees them being projected by Paul himself as proofs of the important position of these in the Church. The Apostle Paul, that is, by mentioning particularly Saints Andronikos and Junia in the Epistle to the Romans, shows that these are apostles who hold official position in the Church. “As distinguished indeed among the Apostles the blessed Paul proclaims you in the Church, O blessed ones” (Ode 5). “As kinsman of Paul and as having become before him a disciple, together with him now we honor you, having gathered in faith, O Andronikos” (Ode 5).

Prologue in Sermons: May 17

The Guardian Angels Depart From Us When We Remain In Sins

May 17

(A discourse on how one ought to stand in church with fear and trembling.) 
 
By Archpriest Victor Guryev

By His ineffable mercy, the Lord granted to each of us a Guardian Angel. The Guardian Angels, by the will of God, remain with us, teach us good, and turn us away from evil. But here is the question: do they always remain with us? Do they ever depart from us? Do they leave us at some time? What shall we say to this?

The Church discourse says: “To every believer an Angel comes, if only we ourselves do not drive him away from us by evil deeds. As smoke drives away bees and the stench drives away doves, so also our foul-smelling sin drives away from us our Guardian Angel. Therefore, says the word of God, ‘He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.’”

Venerable Theodore the Sanctified in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. Venerable Theodore the Sanctified, who flourished during the times of the emperor Julian the Apostate (361–363 A.D.), was from Egypt and was born to wealthy parents. At a young age he followed Venerable Pachomios in the Thebaid of Egypt and entered under his spiritual guidance, while he became one of his most beloved disciples. A faithful imitator of his teacher in the monastic life, he succeeded him after his repose in the abbacy of the Monastery. For the purity of his life and his holiness he was endowed by God with the grace of wonderworking. And because of his perfect purity of soul and body he received the title "Sanctified." Venerable Theodore reposed in peace in 367 A.D.

2. The origin of Venerable Theodore from Egypt becomes the first occasion for the ecclesiastical poet in order to bring forth the change that the Lord Jesus Christ brought into the world. Already he notes that the great Saint of today, as also all the saints of God before and after him in Egypt, were predestined by Christ to become saints, after long ago He descended into Egypt and, foreseeing as God their response to His calling, He called them and saved them and glorified them, according to the word of the Apostle Paul (Rom. 8). “Making the clouds His ascent as Master, having before descended into Egypt on a light cloud, He predestined the elect who shone forth, those being caught up in clouds as God-minded ones, among whom is Theodore the Sanctified, our Father” (Vespers Sticheron).

Saint Theodore the Sanctified Resource Page

Venerable Theodore the Sanctified (Feast Day - May 16)

Verses

You are shown forth as a divine gift, Theodore,A

Among the Saints, O sanctified Saint.
On the sixteenth Theodore flew away from the earth.

 

Saint Theodore the Sanctified, Disciple of Pachomios the Great

 

May: Day 16: Venerable Theodore the Sanctified

 

Prologue in Sermons: May 16 

 

Venerable Theodore the Sanctified in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church 
 

The Manner By Which Saint Theodore the Sanctified Embraced Monasticism

 

Abba Pachomios and the Phantom

 

The Only Two Churches Dedicated to Saint Theodore the Sanctified in Greece

 

Saint Pachomios the Great Resource Page 

 

Synaxarion of our Venerable Father Baras

 

Synaxarion

By Haralambos M. Bousias

On the 16th day of this same month (May), we commemorate our Venerable Father Baras, who lived in asceticism in Constantinople.*

Verses

Baras strangely offered incense to an earthly ruler;
Now he offers incense to the King of All in the heavenly city.

He was originally from Egypt, and lived a God-loving ascetic life in the regions of the Queen of Cities together with his companions Raboulas and Patapios, with whom he came to the capital of Byzantium during the reign of Emperor Zeno. These three Fathers loved silence and solitude, yet they also avoided complete isolation as something blameworthy. Therefore they established small dwellings for their ascetic struggles: Patapios settled in the more northern area, near the seaside wall of Blachernae; Raboulas in the more southern part; and Baras midway between them. Finding an old church dedicated to the Forerunner, and being a zealous imitator of his labors, Baras made his dwelling there.

In time, many monks gathered around him, and he built a renowned monastery dedicated to the Baptist, called the Monastery of Petra. As Emperor Anastasios approached the monastery on a hunting expedition, he marveled at the Venerable one, who came out to meet him while censing, carrying burning coals in the fold of his poor and worn cloak. The emperor therefore granted him extensive lands. After living peacefully and in a God-pleasing manner, and being counted worthy of extraordinary miracles, he departed to the Lord.

Commemoration of the Consecration of Saint Euphemia near the Neorion of Constantinople

 

Fragment of a marble relief depicting Saint Euphemia, Constantinople, 14th century, today in the Archaeological Museum.

At the tip of the 6th Region (district) of Constantinople, on the northern side along the Golden Horn (the Keratios), there was the Neorion harbor and the shipyards. This was the city’s oldest harbor, built by Constantine the Great. From the harbor one could pass outside the walls through the Gate of the Neorion (Bahçekapi).

There appear to have been at least four churches there: Saint Irene at Perama, Saint Mark, Hagia Dynamis, and Saint Euphemia. There was also the Monastery of Kyr Antonios, built by Patriarch Anthony Kauleas, also known as Kaulea Monastery, after the founder. 

Prologue in Sermons: May 16

Good Instruction Should Be Heard From Anyone Who Offers It

May 16

(Commemoration of our Venerable Father Theodore the Sanctified, disciple of Saint Pachomios.) 
 
By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Some people do not like to hear good advice from those who are younger than they are, or from those whom they consider in some way inferior to themselves. “He is still young,” they say of such people, “and he wants to teach us!” Such reasoning is not praiseworthy.

You are hungry, and food is offered to you — eat. It makes no difference who offers it, otherwise you may die of hunger.

You are thirsty, and drink is offered to you — drink, without asking whether the vessel is gold or iron, so long as the water in it is pure; otherwise you may die of thirst.

Precious pearls are scattered about; gather them wherever they may lie, otherwise you will lose the treasure. Later you will regret not gathering them, but it will be too late.

Saint Achillios of Larissa: Pastoral Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy

By Demetrios Pagitsas, 
PhD Candidate in Theology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki  

Larissa, both as a city and as a Metropolis, possesses a significant hagiographical history and experience. A multitude of Saints attained holiness in Larissa and the surrounding region. Among them, the patron Saint of Larissa, Saint Achillios the Myrrhstreaming Wonderworker, holds a central place.[1] He was born in Cappadocia around 270 A.D. and lived during the time of Saint Constantine the Great.[2] Often the people of God leave their homeland and depart for new places of witness. Divine Providence chose the land of Thessaly as the missionary field of Saint Achillios.

Orthodox spiritual life is a synthesis of Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy. According to Saint Cyril of Jerusalem: “For the way of godliness consists of these two things: pious dogmas and good works.”[3] Saint Achillios, in both his life and pastoral ministry, preserved both dogma and ethos.

Venerable Pachomios the Great in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

If Saint Anthony the Great is rightly regarded as the father of eremitic monasticism, then Saint Pachomios the Great is regarded as the father of cenobitic monasticism. He was the one who, for the first time in the early Christian centuries, founded a cenobitic monastery — not because he merely had such a brilliant idea on his own, but because the Lord Himself, through His angel, enlightened him to undertake this work, even guiding him concerning the outward form the monks should wear. “You were shown to be the leader of the flock of the Chief Shepherd, leading the flocks of monks, Father Pachomios, to the heavenly fold, and having been initiated from there into the proper habit for ascetics, you also initiated others into it” (Apolytikion). “You became the lawgiver and leader of ascetics, Pachomios, bringing them to Christ, all-praised one” (Ode 3). “For through a vision, all-wise Father, you were divinely instructed to build training grounds of virtue” (Ode 4). “By divine command, O wise one, you were initiated by the Angel into the wise ordinances of the ascetics” (Ode 8).

Pachomios the Great, Father and Founder of Cenobitic Monasticism

By Protopresbyter George Christodoulou

Saint Pachomios was born around 292 AD in the Egyptian Thebaid, in the region of present-day Luxor. His parents were pagans.

Egyptian tradition presents him from childhood as a pure and disciplined person, clean in heart and inwardly estranged from pagan worship.

At one point his parents took him to a pagan ceremony, but he felt no inner connection to the idols.

The official website of the Coptic Church, in the life of Saint Pachomios connected with the present Monastery of Saint Pachomios in Luxor, specifically says that the young Pachomios was “a lover of purity and chastity” and did not take part in pagan festivals.

At a young age he was conscripted into the Roman army. He enlisted at about twenty years old, during the conflicts between Constantine the Great and Licinius.

During his military service or imprisonment, he encountered Christians who showed love, compassion, and care toward the soldiers. This became the first great blow of divine grace upon his soul.

Prologue in Sermons: May 15

On the Vision of God

May 15

(On the Commemoration of our Venerable Father Pachomios the Great.) 
 
By Archpriest Victor Guryev

In the Life of our Venerable Father Pachomios the Great, among other things, it is said that he attained such a high degree of perfection that through his dispassion he was raised even to the vision of God. Is this possible?

The Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen, before his suffering and death, gazing into heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55).

When Venerable Sisoes the Great sensed the approach of death, he said to the monks surrounding him, with his face shining brightly: “Abba Anthony has come!” After a little silence he cried out: “The choir of the prophets is appearing!” At that moment his face shone even more brightly, and he began speaking with someone invisible. “With whom are you speaking, Father?” the monks asked. “The Angels of the Lord,” answered the elder, “have come to take me, but I beg them to leave me here a little longer so that I may repent.” “But you have no need of repentance at all,” they replied. “No, brethren,” said the Venerable one, “I do not even know whether I have made a beginning of my salvation!” The monks marveled at the humility of the righteous man, while at that moment his face already shone like the sun. “Look!” he finally cried out. “The Lord Himself has come!” Everyone was struck with awe, and shortly afterward the elder departed this life; then there flashed something like lightning, and the cell was filled with fragrance (Prologue, July 6).

Saint Therapon of Cyprus as a Model for our Lives

 

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

The Holy Hieromartyr Therapon came from the land of the Alemanni (a duchy in the region of Germany), from noble and pious parents. He lived during the 7th or the beginning of the 8th century A.D. From childhood he loved Christ and learned “the sacred writings, which are able to make one wise unto salvation.” For a period of time he lived in Jerusalem and afterwards went to Cyprus, where he lived in asceticism and prayer, and was later ordained a bishop.

According to tradition and Orthodox hagiography, he ended his life as a martyr when Arab pirates slaughtered him before the Holy Altar while he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy. After this tragic event, heavenly melodies were heard in the holy church, and a powerful Light surrounded the area of the Holy Altar, with the result that fear and turmoil fled from the faithful and their souls were filled with peace, joy, and spiritual courage. At the place where the body of the Saint was buried, a holy church was built in his honor.

Holy Martyr Isidore of Chios in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. Saint Isidore lived during the reign of Emperor Decius and came from the city of Alexandria. He was a soldier, belonging to the battalion of combat-ready troops. When at one point he arrived on the island of Chios with military ships, whose admiral was Numerius, he was accused by the centurion Julius of honoring the Lord Jesus Christ and not worshipping their own gods. Saint Isidore then confessed his faith in Christ with boldness, and so Numerius, seeing that he was not going to change his mind, ordered that his head be cut off, and thus he received the crown of martyrdom.

2. Saint Isidore was a soldier in the Roman Empire, but above all he was a soldier of Christ, having Christ Himself as his absolute King. This means that the ruling principle in his life was precisely: “one must obey God rather than men.” In other words, he obeyed earthly laws whenever those laws did not come into conflict with the law of God. And the proof is this: as soon as he was faced with a choice between the command of the ruler and the law of God, he chose obedience to the faith and offered his life for it, following in the footsteps of his Teacher. Saint Theophanes the Hymnographer repeatedly notes this absolute priority of Isidore: “Following the footsteps of the sufferings of the Master, you imitated His voluntary death, willingly enduring suffering for His sake” (Ode 4). “Possessing your whole longing toward God, who is truly the undefiled Good, O all-blessed athlete, you dimmed the desire for earthly things” (Ode 6).

Commemoration of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Romanian Prisons

May 14th is a National Day in Romania to commemorate the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Romanian Prisons. The date was chosen to commemorate the night of 14–15 May 1948, when the communist authorities launched one of the largest waves of political arrests in post-war Romania. More than 10,000 young people, intellectuals, students and opponents of the regime were detained, interrogated and sentenced. Many of those imprisoned were sent to the communist prisons of Aiud, Gherla, Pitești, Sighetu Marmației and Râmnicu Sărat.

Notable Prison Martyrs and Confessors were:

Valeriu Gafencu (1921–1952): Often referred to as "The Saint of the Prisons", he died at Târgu Ocna prison at the age of 31. He is known for his profound love and spiritual influence over other prisoners.

Archimandrite Arsenie Papacioc: A major spiritual father who survived communist incarceration.

Fr. Gheorghe Calciu-Dumitreasa: A priest who was imprisoned for his faith and later spoke out against the regime.

Archimandrite Iustin Pârvu: A well-known confessor who spent over 16 years in communist prisons.

Fr. Daniil Tudor (Sandu Tudor) (1896–1962): Founder of the "Burning Bush" movement at Antim Monastery and a key figure among the "Aiud mystics".

Fr. Ilarion Felea: A theologian and priest who died in prison.

Ioan Ianolide: A disciple of Valeriu Gafencu who chronicled the spiritual life in Aiud prison.

Virgil Maxim: A writer and poet who spent 22 years in various prisons.

Monk Nicolae Steinhardt: A Jewish intellectual who converted to Orthodox Christianity while in prison.

Some of the confessors of the faith who suffered in communist prisons were canonized by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 2024, with the solemn proclamation of canonization taking place in 2025, a year proclaimed by the Romanian Patriarchate as the Commemorative Year of Romanian Orthodox Spiritual Fathers and Confessors of the 20th Century.

Establishment of the Commemorative Day

The National Day honoring the martyrs and confessors of the communist prisons was established through Law No. 127, adopted by the Romanian Parliament and promulgated by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on May 30, 2017. In honor of the commemoration, the Church of the Martyrs and Confessors of the Communist Prisons at the National School for the Training of Penitentiary Agents in Târgu Ocna, Bacău County in eastern Romania was consecrated in May 2022.

The legislation provides that central and local authorities, cultural institutions and public media outlets organise commemorative events dedicated to the victims of the communist regime. These activities include official ceremonies, wreath-laying events and cultural or educational programmes recalling the sufferings endured by those persecuted for faith and freedom. The law also stipulates that on May 14th, public media institutions should prioritize materials dedicated to communist repression and the events of 1948.

Troparion in the First Tone
The true confessors of Christ have bravely withstood the wiles of the devil, and neither persecution, nor prison, nor tortures, nor chains could frighten them, but with power from on High, have they guarded the faith and the Romanian Land. By their prayers, Christ our God, save our souls.
 

On the Controversial Sainthood of Certain Romanian Prison Confessors and Martyrs

Some of the Romanian prison confessors and martyrs had complicated political backgrounds, and the subject is historically and emotionally charged.

A number of Orthodox Christians imprisoned under the communist regime in Romania were arrested simply for their faith, anti-communism, intellectual activity, or association with religious circles. Others, however, had at some point been connected — directly or indirectly — with the far-right nationalist movement known as the Iron Guard, also called the Legionary Movement.

That does not mean every Romanian prison confessor was a fascist, nor that all who are remembered spiritually by Orthodox believers shared the same political views. The group often referred to as the “prison confessors and martyrs” includes many different people with very different biographies.

A few important distinctions help:

- Some prisoners were never involved in extremist politics at all.

- Some had youthful involvement with the Legionary Movement before imprisonment.

- Some later rejected political extremism and became known primarily for repentance, endurance, prayer, and suffering under communism.

- Communist authorities often labeled broad categories of opponents as “fascists,” which can blur historical realities.

The Romanian Orthodox world itself remains divided over how to remember certain figures:

- Some believers focus on their suffering, confession of faith, and spiritual writings in prison.

- Critics argue that earlier fascist affiliations should not be minimized or romanticized.

- Historians continue to debate individual cases separately rather than treating all “prison saints” as one uniform group.

For example, figures like Valeriu Gafencu, Mircea Vulcănescu, and Dumitru Stăniloae had very different lives and levels of political involvement.

Therefore while some Romanian prison confessors had past associations with fascist or ultranationalist movements, others did not. Treating all of them simply as “fascists” — or, on the other hand, ignoring documented extremist ties where they existed — oversimplifies a complex historical reality.

The Romanian Orthodox Church has generally tried to draw a distinction between:

- honoring people who suffered in communist prisons for their faith, and

- endorsing fascist or Legionary ideology.

Officially, the Patriarchate has repeatedly stated that it does not support fascist, racist, antisemitic, xenophobic, or extremist movements.

For example, in a 2019 statement, the Patriarchate said:

- not everyone who died in communist prisons died specifically “for the Orthodox faith,”

- there is a difference between a “hero” and a “saint,” and

- sainthood is not granted for political or patriotic reasons, but for holiness and faithfulness to Christ.

The Patriarchate has also stated publicly that it does not initiate or promote racist or antisemitic movements.

At the same time, the issue is complicated because:

- some clergy and faithful in Romania strongly venerate the “prison saints,”

- some of those figures had documented ties to the Iron Guard,

- and critics argue that parts of this prison-saints movement can blur the line between spiritual commemoration and rehabilitation of fascist figures.

The Patriarchate itself has often taken a cautious middle position:

- it commemorates victims of communist persecution,

- it has allowed remembrance services and discussion of prison confessors,

- but historically it was hesitant to canonize many controversial figures because of concerns about political extremism and public scandal.

More recently, some former prison figures have been officially canonized or honored locally, which has renewed debate in Romania. When extremist groups tried to use these commemorations for Legionary-style demonstrations, the Patriarchate publicly condemned that political appropriation.

So the Patriarchate’s public position is roughly:

- suffering under communism can be honored,

- holiness is judged spiritually, not politically,

- fascist ideology is not endorsed,

- and the memory of these figures should not be used to promote extremism.

Communique of the Patriarchate of Romania: 
The Orthodox Church Commemorates All Heroes, Though It Does Not Glorify All of Them

June 5, 2019

Because sometimes the Romanian media refers to the glorification of the persons who suffered persecutions during the communist regime in our country or even died in the communist jails, we provide the following information:

The canonization of Saints has the role to profess, to strengthen and to convey the true faith so as to guide the faithful on the path of salvation and of gaining saintliness.

One of the essential conditions to glorify Saints is their undoubted faith kept until death (Revelation 2:10).

In this regard, not all those who died in prisons died for the Orthodox faith. Therefore, there is a difference between a hero – who suffered and died for the freedom or in defence of the motherland – and a Saint – who witnessed to the faith until death.

Hence, the glorification of Saints is not performed for political or patriotic reasons, but for the fact of living and witnessing the true faith in times both of peace and persecution.

The persons who suffered for their faith during communism are constantly commemorated or honoured by the Church through their remembrance during every Divine Liturgy, when the Church prays for ‘the blessed in their falling asleep Romanian heroes, soldiers and fighters of all times and places, who sacrificed themselves on battlefields, in concentration camps and in prisons for the defense of the motherland and of the ancient Orthodox faith, for national unity, for the freedom and dignity of the Romanian nation.’

In addition, the Commemoration Day of Anti-Communist Political Prisoners is observed every year on March 9, when the Church commemorates the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, and the National Day for the Victims of Communism is observed on May 14.

The Romanian Patriarchate particularly paid an intense and extensive homage to those who suffered during communism in 2017, a year declared by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church as Solemn Year of Patriarch Justinian and of the defenders of Orthodoxy during communism.

‘The example of their lives full of devotional deeds and sacrificial acts is a permanent source of light and renewal for today’s Christian life, and their commemoration of this year calls us to be confessors of Orthodox faith, founders of holy places and of Christian culture, urges that we have humble and merciful love in the soul, as well as worthy works of confessing the Christian faith today,’ reads the Solemn commemorative act of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, made public on October 27, 2017.

In this context, the Romanian Patriarchate published important volumes dedicated to those who confessed Christ in communist jails (for example The Dictionary of confessing Romanian Orthodox clergy and laypersons in communist detention, 1945-1964, coordinated by Adrian Nicolae Petcu; Patriarch Justinian Marina and the defenders of Orthodoxy during communism, etc.).

Also, shows and theatre plays were performed being inspired by the suffering of the passion-bearers in communist prisons, symposia and conferences were organized, all of them having a content meant to recover the remembrance of the exemplary moral status of the heroic Romanian fighters in our recent history.

However, unlike heroes and patriot martyrs of certain historical moments, a Saint represents a constant and luminous example of steadfast faith, sincere repentance and holy life.

The canonization process, as recognition of the saintliness of a person, is therefore laborious and long-lasting, because proof of the certainty of the true faith and the holiness of life of the one proposed for canonization must be provided, as well as the proof that popular devotion to that person is not superficial and temporal, but profound and perennial, verified over time.

In conclusion, we must constantly remember all Romanian heroes, although not all of them are listed as Saints in the calendar.

Nevertheless, the glorification of Saints must not be made by the Holy Synod under the pressure of the moment or in haste, but in a spirit of patience, wisdom, sound documentation and discernment, since true holiness is given to people humbled by God Himself who is the Only Holy, and the Church only recognizes and proclaims solemnly this saintliness given to the people of God.

In this respect, both known and unknown Saints, that is both canonized Saints (added to the calendar) and those still not canonized by the Church, are venerated with piety and invoked in prayer on the Sunday of All Saints and on the Sunday of All Romanian Saints.

Some Saints were included in the Synaxaria or the church calendar ten or twenty years after their death, and others a century or several centuries after death, according to the secret work of God.

Therefore, the declaration of new Saints by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church can bring joy to the faithful if it is a documented work lighted by prayer and humility, but even more urgent and more necessary than any canonization is the cultivation of holiness in our personal lives, because it brings us salvation or eternal gladness (Hebrews 12:14).

Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate

 

Prologue in Sermons: May 14

The Great Lover of the Poor

May 14

(Word concerning the Elder Serapion.) 
 
By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The Lord says: “Sell your possessions and give alms” (Luke 12:33). Sell your possessions and give everything to the poor — but then, you will say, what will remain for us? How shall we ourselves live? This is very difficult, even impossible.

What, brothers, should I answer you? I will answer that it is difficult — that is true. But that it is impossible — that cannot be said.

Once, during winter, the Venerable Serapion came to Alexandria. Seeing a beggar without clothing, trembling from the cold, he said to himself:

“Here you are, a faster and a doer of Christ’s commandments, and yet you wear clothing, while this poor man is dying from the cold. Cover him, otherwise you will be condemned as a murderer.”

With these words Serapion removed his last cloak and gave it to the beggar.

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!