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

Homily for the Eighth Sunday of Luke, 
or Twenty-Fifth Sunday After Pentecost

(On Temptation and Hypocrisy)

“And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and, testing Him, said: ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’” (Luke 10:25)

By St. Cleopa of Sihastria

Beloved faithful,

If we read the Holy Gospel attentively, we see that our Savior Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1–11), but He was tempted many times more by the servants of the devil, who were the scribes, Sadducees, Pharisees, chief priests, and lawyers (Matthew 22:15–18).

Homily One on the Eighth Sunday of Luke (St. Justin Popovich)

Homily One on the Eighth Sunday of Luke
25th Sunday after Pentecost 

By St. Justin Popovich

(Delivered in 1965 at the Ćelije Monastery)

Again and again, the Good News of Eternal Life. This is the work of the Gospel of the Lord Christ. We live in a world of time and space, and we think that our life consists only of days and nights, of moments and hours. But behold, through His Holy Gospel, the Savior continually speaks about His Eternal Life. O man! You are in this world for the sake of Eternal Life; this is what continually resounds throughout the Holy Gospel of the Lord Christ. You are never transient, you are never mortal; you were created for Eternal Life—do not deceive yourself. The whole world around you should remind you of God, of Him who is Eternal and who, out of His great love, created you also for eternity.

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

Homily Two on the Eighth Sunday of Luke  
(25th Sunday After Pentecost)

On the Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25–37

By St. John of Kronstadt

Beloved brethren, in today's Gospel (Luke 10:25–37), we heard about the means and the path by which we must attain eternal life. What are these means? What is this path? Let us hear about them from the Gospel, from the lips of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who calls Himself the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. The Evangelist Luke relates the following: “And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, ‘Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How do you read it?’ He answered and said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your understanding; and your neighbor as yourself.’” And here is the Lord's answer: “Jesus said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live,’” that is, eternally. Thus, in order to inherit eternal life, one must love God with all one's heart and all one's soul, and then one's neighbor as oneself. These are the means; this is the path by which eternal life is attained.

Holy Martyrs Gurias, Samonas, and Abibus in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. Of these saints, Samonas and Gurias suffered martyrdom during the reign of Diocletian and Antonius the duke. Gurias was from the village of Sargokitia, while Samonas was from Ganada. They were accused of persuading people not to sacrifice to idols. Therefore, each of them was immediately hung by one hand, while a large stone was placed beneath his feet as a weight. They remained suspended in this manner from the ninth hour of the morning until the twelfth hour, at noon. Then they were taken down and thrown into a dark place in the prison. After their feet had been tightly fastened to a wooden block, they remained there for four months, suffering from hunger, thirst, and bonds. After this, their persecutors brought them out again. They hung Saint Samonas by one foot until his knee was dislocated, and then by his head, from the seventh hour of the morning until the eleventh. Saint Gurias, however, they left alone, because he was half-dead and appeared to be dead. At dawn the following day, after bringing them outside, they put them to death by the punishment of the sword. Abibus, who was a deacon, was accused during the reign of Emperor Licinius of teaching the word of the Lord in the regions and villages. He was hung and beaten, after which they released him and questioned him again about his faith. Because he did not yield to the will of the tyrant, they placed him in a fire, putting a strap in his mouth as if he were a murderer. And thus he completed his martyrdom.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: November 15

The Month of November

Day 15

79. How Mothers Should Act When Arranging Marriages for Their Daughters

(From the account of the sufferings of the Holy Martyrs Gurias, Samonas, and Abibus)

Christian mothers who have grown-up daughters undoubtedly, in most cases, are concerned first and foremost with how to arrange marriages for their daughters. And when this concern is crowned with success and a bridegroom appears, another concern arises: how to prepare a suitable dowry for the daughter. From then until the wedding day, almost all their time is taken up with this concern. Many things must be bought, many things sewn, and many other arrangements made. In our opinion, many mothers, becoming absorbed in all this, fall into a serious error. Devoting themselves entirely to worldly concerns, they forget, because of them, the spiritual concern that ought to rest upon them, namely, fervent and ardent prayer for their daughters. This, indeed, should be the mothers' chief concern. For who can guarantee that their daughters' future married lives will be happy? And who, apart from God, can grant them this happiness? And who, finally, in the event of some misfortune, can deliver their daughters from it, except God? Therefore, when arranging marriages for their daughters, mothers must first of all pray earnestly that the Lord grant their daughters happiness in marriage and deliver them from all misfortunes and evils in their family lives. From this it follows that the mothers' preparations for their daughters should be preparations, and prayer should be prayer. Let mothers also understand that the latter is necessary for them because, as a mother's prayer, it is a great thing for her children. As the saying goes, it reaches down to the bottom of the sea and delivers from death. And what the people say is, in this case, absolutely true.

Saint Gregory Palamas and our Age (George Mantzarides)

By George I. Mantzarides,
Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Theology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

 

Saint Gregory Palamas (1296–1359) is one of the greatest Fathers of our Church. At times, he is placed as the fourth Hierarch alongside Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom. At a critical time, when Christ-named humanism was challenging the very essence of the Church as a “communion of deification,” Saint Gregory Palamas put forward the teaching on the deification of man through his participation in the uncreated energy of God. He did not present new theological truths that had not previously existed in Holy Scripture and the Tradition of the Church. However, by using the language, terms, and concepts of his time, he overturned the challenges to and attacks upon the Christian faith and life through the timeless truth of the Church.

The Spiritual Legacy of Saint Gregory Palamas and the Timelessness of his Teachings

By Archimandrite Methodios Alexiou

In the fourteenth century, Byzantium was threatened by three dangers: first, Western scholasticism, represented by Barlaam, who taught that man cannot truly be united with God; second, Ottoman views of Byzantium; and third, Slavic raids into Macedonia, accompanied by a spirit of egocentrism and superstitions that prevailed in those regions. These were the circumstances in which Saint Gregory Palamas struggled.

Our Church honors Saint Gregory on the Sunday following the Sunday of the Triumph of Orthodoxy, as an example of Orthodox life and teaching. Indeed, had the views of Barlaam prevailed in his time, the Christian life would not have been a path toward deification, but a mere human movement, deprived of the freshness of the breath of the Holy Spirit. The person of Saint Gregory Palamas, the God-seer, and his Orthodox theology, which is founded upon the deification of man through the uncreated energies in the Church of Christ, make the Saint an exceptional figure both in his own time and today. Saint Gregory Palamas answers the fundamental question of every Christian: “Can I see God?” And his answer is: “Yes, you can see Him within yourself, see Him spiritually, if, with all your repentance and humility, and with anguish of soul, you direct your prayer to Him: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.’”

Holy New Martyr Constantine of Hydra in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

The holy and glorious martyr of Christ, Constantine, belongs to the company of the New Martyrs—that is, those martyrs who suffered in more recent times, particularly during the period of Ottoman rule, at the hands of the Hagarenes who held power, without thereby being considered any less holy than the ancient and great martyrs of the early period of the Church. This is one of the first things emphasized by the Hymnographer of the Saint’s Service, himself a great father of the Church of more recent times, the Venerable Nikodemos the Hagiorite.

November: Day 14: Teaching 3: Birthday of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna

 

November: Day 14: Teaching 3:*
Birthday of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna**
 
(Lessons from her Life: 
a. Mercy toward the Poor and 
b. Family Harmony)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Our most pious and beloved Dowager Empress, whose birthday the Holy Church now celebrates with solemn joy, offers us, from the heights of the imperial throne, two great examples of Christian life, which it is especially necessary to imitate at the present time: examples of lofty Christian charity and of the sacred observance of the ordinances of the Mystery of Marriage.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: November 14

The Month of November

Day 14

78. Unrepentant Sinners, After Death, Are Delivered into the Power of Demons and Go to Hell

(From the Life of the Holy Apostle Philip)

Once, while the Holy Apostle Philip was preaching the word of God to the pagans, he raised a dead man before them in order to convince them by an actual deed that Jesus is truly Christ, the Son of God. The circumstances were as follows. While the Apostle was speaking about the Lord to the pagans, a dead man was being carried past the place where they were gathered. Seeing him, those listening to Philip said to him: “If you raise this dead man, then we will believe in your God.” Hearing this, the Apostle raised his eyes to heaven and, after praying for some time, said in a quiet voice to the dead man lying on the bier: “Theophilos!” At these words of Philip, the dead man came to life, raised himself, sat up on the bier, and opened his eyes. Philip said to him again: “Christ commands you: rise from the bier and speak with us.” Immediately, the man who had been raised did as he was commanded, fell at the Apostle’s feet, and exclaimed: “I thank you, holy servant of God, for delivering me from many evils at this hour. For after my soul was separated from my body, two black and foul-smelling demons mercilessly dragged me to Hell; and if you had not come to my aid and delivered me from them, I would certainly have been cast into grievous Tartarus.” From these words of the resurrected Theophilos, as you see, brethren, it becomes clear that sinners, after death, are delivered into the power of demons and go to Hell. Is this true?

Saint John Chrysostom as Teacher, Celebrant of the Divine Mysteries, and Shepherd

 

By Metropolitan Chrysostomos III of Mani

Among the foremost holy personalities of our Church is Saint John Chrysostom. In particular, the hymnography of the Church employs magnificent words and phrases to praise and extol this God-bearing Father of the fourth century. Here are some examples: “Rejoice, O John of Golden Speech, all-golden one,” “The treasury of the virtues,” “The mouth of the Church,” “The golden-voiced trumpet,” “The precision of theology,” “The correction of those who sin,” “The Father of orphans,” “The swiftest help of those who suffer injustice,” “An earthly angel and a heavenly man.”

Introductory Note to the Life of Saint John Chrysostom in the Great Synaxarion

We must know that the holy repose of the divine Chrysostom took place on the fourteenth of September, when the Elevation of the Honorable Cross is celebrated. His commemoration, however, is celebrated today, the thirteenth of November, on which day his recall from his first exile took place, so that, as the Venerable Nikodemos the Hagiorite says, his Service might be chanted in its entirety, as is written in the manuscript of the Synaxarion.

Many composed his Life, the first of whom was Palladius, Bishop of Helenopolis (situated at present-day Yalova, on the Gulf of Astacus in the Propontis). Palladius, contending on behalf of the divine Chrysostom, went to Rome on his account, to the Emperor Honorius and Pope Innocent. Other Lives and Encomia were composed in honor of John’s golden head by George of Alexandria, Cyril of Alexandria, Proclus, Theodoret, who composed five discourses on Chrysostom, as the critic Photios, who read them, testifies; Symeon Metaphrastes, Leo the Wise, an Anonymous author, Sophronios of Jerusalem, John of Damascus, Martyrios, Patriarch of Antioch, Kosmas, the Deacon of the Church of the Holy Apostles during the time of Chrysostom, Nilus the Sinaite, Isidore of Pelusium, Evagrius the Ascetic, Kosmas Vestitor, Niketas Skeuophylax, Niketas of Paphlagonia, Eustathios the Presbyter, Basil the Protothronos, Emperor Constantine the Porphyrogenitos, and Socrates. All these earlier writers number twenty-two.

A Prayer to Saint John Chrysostom (St. Justin Popovich)

A Prayer to Saint John Chrysostom 

By St. Justin Popovich

O MOST ELOQUENT supplicant of God among the human race, Holy Father John Chrysostom, behold, we come to you with our stammering prayers. Do not reject us, for in every stammered prayer of ours, behold, is our whole heart, behold, our sighs, behold, our cries! We pray to you, most great Saint: mercifully descend from your heights above the heavens into our poisonous lowlands, and heal us of every ailment of the soul, so that, with healthy souls, we may zealously serve your Lord and ours. Heal us also of every bodily ailment, if this is for our salvation, so that, with a healthy soul in a healthy body, we may strive in ascetic struggle and, with your all-powerful help, fight for the salvation of our soul; fight for the resurrection of our conscience from the dead; fight for the transformation of our sin-loving heart; fight for the deification of our devil-enslaved will, so that our will, guided by you, may desire and wish only what is Christ's, what is gospel, what is heavenly, what is eternal.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: November 13

The Month of November

Day 13

77. Repentance for Sins and the Promise to Reform One’s Life Contribute to Healing from Illness

(From the Life of Saint John Chrysostom)

Very many people, when illness befalls them, first begin to think about doctors and medicines. But we advise many such people to act differently from the way they usually do during illness. We advise them, during illness, first of all to strengthen themselves in faith in God, then to repent of their sins, and finally to make a promise that in the future they will reform their lives. Why is this so, you may ask. Because, we reply, examples show that there have been cases in which the faith of the sick in God, their repentance, and their promise to reform their lives brought them healing and completely freed them from their illnesses. What examples are these, you may ask further. To this we answer that the following are such examples.

Being Wise According to the Spirit of God

By Fr. Thomas Vamvinis

 

Slothfulness and Excuses for Unwillingness

The Evangelist Luke records the words spoken by Christ when His Seventy Disciples returned from the villages of Judea, to which He had sent them to preach the coming of the Kingdom of God:

“I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing before You.”

This is one of the sayings used by those who, in the words of St. Nektarios, “boldly advocate ignorance” — that is, those who consider being ignorant an asset for becoming a good and holy Christian. They also regard educated people with suspicion, believing that they distort the faith. This is an age-old, distorted view that is still very widespread in our own days.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: November 12

 

The Month of November

Day 12

74. Good Competition

(From the Life of Saint John the Merciful)

The Apostle Paul, through his disciple Timothy, gives a commandment to the rich, so that they may become rich in good works in the present life. He says: “Exhort those who are rich in this present age ... to be rich in good works” (1 Timothy 6:17–18). How, then, can the rich best fulfill this commandment of the Apostle? We think that the best way is through competition with one another. One rich man has done good through his wealth; let another, imitating him, in turn do the same good through his own wealth, or even greater good. The first has offered some form of assistance to his neighbor; let the other not fall behind him in offering the same assistance. Through such competition, the virtues of both will multiply rapidly, and both will thus enrich themselves with good works and fulfill the commandment of the Apostle. To help the rich understand this truth more clearly, we shall try to explain it to them through an actual example.

Conscious Misinterpretations of the Overall Teaching of Father John Romanides

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

I am not sure that what I am about to write will convince those who act in bad faith and who, for their own personal reasons, misinterpret the work and contribution of Fr. John Romanides to theology and the Church. I write this because I observe an “obsession” among certain theologians with judging and misinterpreting the work of this great theologian of our Church, despite the many books that have been published.

They do this even though detailed answers have been provided through the very work of this preeminent Dogmatic Theologian of the Orthodox Catholic Church. I have so far written many books interpreting the entire body of Fr. John Romanides’ research and oral teaching. I believe that one would have to have psychological and intellectual fixations not to understand them, or else one has not read them, and therefore continues to judge one-sidedly. As a result, such a person comes across as “theologically illiterate” or, to a great extent, prejudiced.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: November 11

The Month of November

Day 11

73. On the Words of the Savior: “And if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them” (Mark 16:18)

(From the Life of the Holy Martyr Victor)

In His conversation with the Apostles, before His Ascension, the Lord, while enumerating those blessings that would be bestowed upon believers in His name, said, among other things: “And if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them” (Mark 16:18). Can we not, brethren, prove the truth of these final words of Christ by an actual deed and demonstrate it through an example? Of course, we can, and this is what we shall now do for you.

The Venerable Repose of Nun Christodouli of the Sacred Monastery of Saint Panteleimon of Chrysokastro

By Archimandrite Demetrios Kavvadias

The first days of the month of November we are now passing through, are days of mourning for the historic Sacred Monastery of Saint Panteleimon of Chrysokastro in Eleftheroupoli, Kavala.

The Sacred Monastery of Saint Panteleimon of Chrysokastro, the spiritual work of the late Elder Philip (Avramidis), Gerontissa Lydia (Papadopoulou), and their venerable sisterhood, this pride of the Macedonian land and pan-Orthodox place of pilgrimage, mourns Sister Christodouli. Sister Christodouli was the first to reside at the Monastery with Gerontissa Lydia, and together they began the reconstruction of the monastery.

Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian, a Gift of God to the Contemporary World

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

We came to know Venerable Arsenios the Cappadocian, the Hadjiefendis, primarily through the book written about him by another Venerable of our time, Elder Paisios the Athonite. He was the one who “captivated” Venerable Paisios when he was still a small child, beginning in the place of their common origin, Farasa in Cappadocia. Because of this, he wished to follow in his footsteps and become a monk, wholly dedicated to God. Perhaps this turn toward monastic life on the part of Elder Paisios, apart from his own inclination, was due to some extent also to the power of the prayers of Saint Arsenios, who saw in the person of the little boy from Farasa (the future Saint Paisios, son of Prodromos Eznepidis, who was then the president of Farasa) his own successor. Indeed, he expressed this even at the time of the child's baptism. It is well known that, at the time of the naming, he “compelled” the godfather, instead of giving the child the name Christos, to give him his own name, Arsenios. Saint Paisios's desire to write the life of Saint Arsenios had been firmly planted within him many years earlier, until he finally brought it to fulfillment. And when he had gathered sufficient material — which continued to increase over time through his own research and that of others he knew — and had more or less completed the book, Saint Arsenios, after making a miraculous appearance, “approved” the work of his disciple and “successor.”

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: November 10

The Month of November

Day 10

72. Faith, Hope, and Love Gave the Martyrs Courage in Their Sufferings

(From the Life of the Holy Martyr Orestes)

When reading the lives of the holy martyrs, brethren, we see that they possessed extraordinary courage. No matter how terrible their sufferings were, they always endured them valiantly. They uttered neither cries nor groans, put their torturers to shame through their endurance, and found an opportunity, even during their torments, to praise and thank God. Tell me, brethren, what gave the martyrs this extraordinary courage and endurance, strength and fortitude, valor and magnanimity? We do not know what you will say in response, but for our part, we think that everything we have just mentioned was given to the martyrs solely by their firm faith in God, their steadfast hope in Him, and their fervent love for Him. You, of course, will now ask in turn: “From what can this be seen, and how can it be proven?” We will answer you with the following example.

The Healing of Spiritual Illnesses According to Saint Nektarios

The Healing of Spiritual Illnesses According to Saint Nektarios 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(A transcribed homily delivered at the Church of Saint Nektarios, in Argos Orestiko, Kastoria, on November 9, 2023.)

I have read many texts about Saint Nektarios, and I know the basic points of his life. This is important, because most Christians know only about the patience he demonstrated in enduring the slanders directed against him during his life, as well as the miracles he performed. These things are worthy of attention; after all, God performs miracles through His saints. And these are very important indeed.

However, Saint Nektarios was not simply a Bishop, nor merely a wonderworker and saint, but a great Father of our Church. I was saying to some people this afternoon that if Saint Basil the Great and the great Fathers of the Church had lived in the twentieth century, they would have performed approximately the same work that Saint Nektarios performed. Or, if Saint Nektarios had lived during the fourth century, he would have been much like those great Fathers and Hierarchs of our Church.

Saint Nektarios and Saint Porphyrios: A Spiritual Relationship That Began Before Porphyrios Was Born

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

“When Saint Nektarios was serving as a preacher in Euboea, he met there, at Saint John’s, the father of Elder Porphyrios as well: Leonidas Bairaktaris. Bairaktaris means ‘standard-bearer’... And the Saint gave him some advice. How beautifully he spoke to him! For a couple to conceive a child, preparation is also necessary. Besides, the Saint had proposed and established Schools for Parents. Many priests and many Metropolises have them even now for prospective spouses. Men and women preparing for marriage. You are getting married. Why are you getting married? All these things. You need to know many things. And so, through the guidance of Saint Nektarios, Elder Porphyrios was born. He followed closely in the footsteps of Saint Nektarios. And Elder Porphyrios loved Saint Nektarios absolutely, absolutely. He loved Saint Nektarios absolutely!”

— Elder Ananias Koustenis, Discourses on Saint Nektarios, Volume IV.

The Robinson Crusoe of Orthodoxy: Venerable Theoktiste of Lesvos (Photios Kontoglou)

 

The Robinson Crusoe of Orthodoxy: Venerable Theoktiste of Lesvos

By Photios Kontoglou

“Great indeed is the achievement of your life, O Mother. You astonish all the faithful with your outstanding deeds. For you lived like an angel upon earth, O Venerable one, and became like the angels.”

“The righteous is as bold as a lion,” says the wise Solomon. And truly, all the saints stood like lions in their faith — not only the brave young men, but also the harmless old men and women, who by nature are timid.

The Christian religion is heroic. Whoever has faith fears nothing except God. The bravery shown by those who struggle for the things of this world is nothing compared with the fearlessness and endurance displayed by the saints — not only the martyrs, but also the venerable ascetics and the hierarchs. Which of the brave men of this world can endure contempt? Who has the strength to bear unjust accusations? Who turns the other cheek to be struck, without resisting? Who has the strength to love his enemies and pray for them?

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: November 9

The Month of November

Day 9

71. People of Bad Character Who Live with Us Can Benefit Us by Teaching Us Humility and Patience

(Commemoration of the Venerable Nuns Eustolia and Sopatra. This instruction is composed on the basis of the accounts of the lives of ascetic women of the Eastern Church.)

When the people who live with us turn out to be people of bad character, what do you think, brethren? Do they bring us nothing but harm, or not? No; know that they bring us not only harm, but also benefit. What benefit? These people can teach us two of the greatest Christian virtues—humility and patience. How is this evident? It is evident from the following account.

Homily One for the Day of the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers (St. Innocent of Kherson)

Homily One for the Day of the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers

By St. Innocent of Kherson

Those who celebrate in honor of eminent and beneficent persons find it most natural and pleasant, during the celebration, to speak among themselves about those persons. Therefore, brethren, I also intend to converse with you today about the Holy Archangels. Their sacred images are always before our eyes in this church, which is dedicated to their name; but they are placed at such a height that many can scarcely raise their eyes toward them and are unable to distinguish all that sets the image of each Archangel apart. Therefore, this sermon may serve as a useful addition and explanation, for your hearing, of what your eyes always behold here. Only, brethren, do not expect from me on this occasion any personal speculations about the angelic world. From this holy place, only that which the word of God and the accounts of those divinely wise men reveal to us concerning the Angels should be heard—those men whom the Church itself rightly calls "conversers with Angels."

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

Homily for the Seventh Sunday of Luke, 
or Twenty-Fourth Sunday After Pentecost

(On Those Who Have Fallen Asleep in Christ)

"And He said: Do not weep; she has not died, but is sleeping" (Luke 8:52).

By St. Cleopa of Sihastria

Beloved faithful,

In today's Holy Gospel, you heard about two great and glorious miracles performed by our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. One was the healing of the woman who had suffered from a flow of blood for twelve years, and the other was the raising of the daughter of Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue in Capernaum. In today's sermon, we shall speak about those who have fallen asleep in the Lord.

Homily Two on the Seventh Sunday of Luke (Archpriest Rodion Putyatin)

Homily Two on the Seventh Sunday of Luke 
(24th Sunday After Pentecost)

By Archpriest Rodion Putyatin

In today's Gospel, among other things, the healing of a sick woman is described. She had been treated by physicians for twelve years, had spent all her possessions on medicines, and had received no benefit from them: she had been treated for twelve years, yet had not been cured (Luke 8:43). Why did this happen? Is it perhaps sinful to use medicines? Is it displeasing to God to seek treatment from physicians?

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

 

Homily Three on the Seventh Sunday of Luke
(24th Sunday After Pentecost)

By St. John of Kronstadt

In the Gospel read today, two miraculous benefits bestowed by our Savior were spoken of: upon the woman with an issue of blood and upon Jairus, the ruler of the Jewish synagogue. The Lord healed the first in an instant, through her touching His garment; in the case of the other, He raised from the dead his only daughter, who was twelve years old.

November: Day 8: Teaching 3: Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers

 

November: Day 8: Teaching 3:
Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers
 
(Everything can and should be done for the glory of God.)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On the day of the Holy Archangel Michael, who is distinguished by his extraordinary zeal for the glory of God, and who is therefore depicted in a militant form, as a warrior fighting for the glory of the Creator and Almighty, as the conqueror of Satan, who, because of his opposition to the will of the Lord, was cast down from heaven by the Holy Archangel Michael and the other Holy Angels, it will be appropriate, brethren, to offer you the instruction of Saint John Chrysostom concerning the fact that everything can and should be done for the glory of God.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: November 8

The Month of November
 

Day 8

70. The Good Angels Bestow Benefits upon People

(The Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers)

The Holy Orthodox Church teaches us to believe that the Holy Angels are our invisible friends, defenders, and protectors; that they guard us from every evil, both visible and invisible, and are always ready to bestow one benefit or another upon us. Is all this true, brethren? And is it true, even in a particular instance, for example, that the Angels are always ready to bestow one benefit or another upon us? Yes, brethren, everything that has been told us about the Angels, both in general and in particular, is indeed the very truth, and there should be no doubt about it whatsoever, for everything we have said is confirmed by an example. What example is this, you may ask. Listen, for we now present it for your consideration.

The Historical Journey of the Sacred Relic of Saint George of Neapolis

 

By Archimandrite Epiphanios Arvanitis,
Protosyngellos of the Sacred Metropolis of New Ionia, Philadelphia, Heraklion, and Chalcedon

November 2, 2026, will remain indelibly etched in the ecclesiastical history of New Ionia.

It was a day of profound emotion, spiritual joy, and historical vindication, on which the fourth and final translation of the incorrupt Sacred Body of the Holy New Hieromartyr George of Neapolis, Patron Saint and Protector of our Sacred Metropolis, took place, bringing it to his new and magnificent church, in the heart of the “Ionian Center” in New Ionia.

This was not simply the transfer of a sacred relic from one church to another. It marked the completion of a historical journey spanning 229 years, 102 of which were spent in Greece.

It was a journey inextricably linked to the uprooting, refugee experience, faith, and hope of our ancestors.

Saints Iakovos, Porphyrios, and Paisios Designated Patrons of the Archdiocese of Canada

The Holy Archdiocese of Canada announces that, at the first Clergy Assembly presided over by His Eminence Archbishop Apostolos of Canada, it was decided, following his proposal, to establish the three contemporary Saints of the Orthodox Church — Iakovos of Evia (Tsalikes), Abbot of the Holy Monastery of Venerable David the Elder; Porphyrios of Kavsokalyva; and Paisios the Athonite — as patrons of the Holy Archdiocese of Canada. His Eminence’s proposal was unanimously accepted by the participating clergy.

Saint Lazarus of Mount Gelasion and the Abducted Girl

By Gregory the Cellarer

15. As he neared the great <city> of Antioch, Lazaros saw some people standing in the middle of the road, lamenting over a girl who had just been abducted by the Armenian army as it passed by there. When he found out about this, he immediately started to pursue the<se soldiers>. Reaching the place where they had taken up their quarters, he went up to some of them and asked if they would point out their commander to him. Since they wanted to know why he was looking for him, the father responded, “Some of you have abducted a girl and that’s why I’m trying to see him, so that I may take her away, with his backing, after I’ve looked around and found her, wherever she may be.” The words were not even out of his mouth before the men, hearing <the word> “girl,” grew angry and began shouting at him roughly, “Abba, an evil demon led you here; be off so that you don’t lose your life along with the girl!” The <soldiers> made this angry response in order to frighten him, but the father was not scared at all by their words and instead became even bolder. He replied to them, “I’m telling you straight, that if you don’t hand her over to me right now I’m going to go directly to the katepano, and then I won’t just recover the girl from you on his orders, but I’ll also demand your punishment.” When they heard these words, the <soldiers> quickly changed their brutality into docility and their brash insolence to humility and started begging him to go away, saying that they would look <for her> after he had gone and would release her when they found her. But as they saw that Lazaros would not be convinced by their words unless he got the girl, they looked around and found her and brought her to him. “Take this girl, Father,” they said, “who hasn’t been touched by us and hasn’t suffered any harm, and go away, <but> give us your blessing yourself in compensation.” The father prayed for them and, taking the girl, turned back.
  

Holy Hieromartyr Cyril, Metropolitan of Kazan and Sviyazhsk (+ 1937)

Hieromartyr Cyril, Metropolitan of Kazan and Sviyazhsk (in the world, Constantine Ilarionovich Smirnov), was born into the family of a psalm-reader on April 26, 1863, in the city of Kronstadt, Saint Petersburg Governorate.

In 1887, Constantine graduated from the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy with the degree of Candidate of Theology. After he was married, on November 21st 1887 he was ordained a priest and assigned to the Church of the Resurrection of the Temperance Society in Saint Petersburg, while simultaneously serving as a teacher of religious instruction at the Elisavetpol Gymnasium and the Second Saint Petersburg Gymnasium.

Beginning in 1900, Father Constantine was appointed rector of the Holy Trinity Cemetery Church in Kronstadt. He had served as a priest for fifteen years. The unexpected death of his daughter Olga, who suffered terribly as she was dying after swallowing a needle, followed by the death of his wife, who did not survive her grief, moved Father Constantine, at the age of thirty-eight, to embrace monasticism that same year in 1902, taking the name Cyril. Soon afterward, he was appointed head of the Urmia Spiritual Mission in Persia and elevated to the rank of Archimandrite.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: November 7

 

The Month of November

The 7th Day

69. Apostates from the Faith Are Strictly Punished by God

(From the Life of Holy Martyr Hieron)

As is well known, it sometimes happens among you, brethren, that some of you, either by listening too long to the ravings of the schismatics, or by being enticed by their wealth and beguiled by their various promises, abandon the Orthodox faith and join the schism. What do you think? Will such apostates escape punishment for their apostasy, or not? Know that they will never escape it, and the Lord will strictly call them to account. For examples show that He deals so severely with apostates from the faith that He even punishes them with death. To convince you all the more of this, we present the following examples.

Saint Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople: Patron of Chanters and Healer of Throat Ailments

By Archimandrite Demetrios Kavvadias 

On the 6th of November, our Holy Church commemorates Saint Paul the Confessor, Archbishop of Constantinople, who, in the relevant hymnographic texts, is compared with the righteous Abel and Zechariah, the father of the Honorable Forerunner. This is because he too, being a righteous man, met a martyr's death following an ambush and was deemed worthy of the crown of incorruption, just like those blessed men of the Old Testament.

Saint Paul was born at the beginning of the fourth century AD in the holy city of Thessaloniki, which has given birth to and nurtured many saints. His parents were pious, and he grew up hearing of the wondrous life and martyrdom of Saint Demetrios the Myrrhgusher. He was educated and pious, and was distinguished by the purity of his life, his gentleness, and his steadfast adherence to the unadulterated Orthodox faith.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: November 6

The Month of November  

Day 6

68. The Saints of God Deliver Those Who Love and Venerate Them Not Only from Calamities, but Even from Death

(From the Life of Venerable Barlaam of Khutyn)

It is well known that in our Orthodox Russia hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Christians, out of love for the saints of God and faith in their effective intercession before God, set out to pray at their monasteries, especially those in which their holy relics repose. There they ask the saints of God to help them in one need or another, to deliver them from every visible or invisible evil, and to heal their spiritual or bodily illnesses. What do you think, brethren? Is there any benefit for those who love the saints of God in praying to them and visiting their monasteries, or is there not? Know that there is indeed a benefit, and a great one; for the saints of God not only help those who come to them in their needs, not only often deliver them from one evil or another, and not only heal one illness or another, but, do not forget, sometimes even deliver them from death. You may say: Can even this really happen? Yes, brethren, it can, and we shall now convince you of this.

Saints Galaktion and Episteme: Models of Love, Faith and Sacrifice

By Lambros K. Skontzos

 

Among the saints of our Church are many blessed couples who attained holiness within marriage, living a truly Christian life.

Among them is the holy couple Saints Galaktion and Episteme, a holy pair who lived during the third century AD and whose lives revealed the beauty of the Christian faith, purity of heart, and absolute devotion to Christ.

Their lives include several interesting details that further illuminate their spiritual greatness.

November: Day 5: Teaching 3: Holy Apostle Hermas

November: Day 5: Teaching 3:
Holy Apostle Hermas
 
(An exposition of the commandments by which one can save one's soul.)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On the day of Saint Hermas, the apostolic man, whom the Holy Apostle Paul highly praises (Rom. 16:14), and who is known for his book titled The Shepherd, which in the early centuries was read even in churches alongside the Apostolic Epistles, we think it will be beneficial to become acquainted with those soul-saving commandments set forth in this book, which by fulfilling one can save one's soul. We think that the words of an apostolic man will be more persuasive to you than our own feeble discourse. He begins his exposition of them as follows:

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: November 5 and 6

The Month of November

Day 5

67. How One Should Act During Public Calamities

(From the Life of Jonah, Archbishop of Novgorod - November 5, Menaion. The Commemoration of the Fiery Ash That Fell from the Air Because of Human Sin, during the Reign of Leo the Great - November 6, Menaion.)

Here on earth, we are often afflicted not only by personal calamities but also by public calamities, which are especially terrible for us. In a personal calamity, either one person or one family suffers; perhaps even several may suffer. But in such sorrow, however great it may be, good people can always help and alleviate it. But what can one do in a public calamity? For example, a lack of rain, unfavorable weather, famine, or plague—who can prevent these things? Who can escape them? Who can put an end to the evil they cause? Certainly no one; there is no point in even discussing this. How, then, should we act during such calamities? By what means can we be delivered from them? Whose help should we hope for? To whom should we turn?

Greek Orthodox Theology in the 20th and 21st Century

Metropolitan Theodoritos of Laodicea (Polyzogopoulos), Director of the Office of Representation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Athens, spoke to To Vima recently about the role of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the contemporary world. In this interview he also spoke about his recent book Theological Portraits of the Twentieth Century: Studies and Essays on the Renewal of Orthodox Theology (Armos, 2026), where he gave a brief summary of the development of Greek Orthodox theology in the 20th century and its role in the 21st century.

Saint George Karslides: One of the Most Important Holy Figures of the 20th Century

 

 

 

By Lambros Skontzos

Saint George Karslides (1901–1959) is one of the most distinctive and important holy figures of the twentieth century! His life seems to recapitulate the lives of many other saints whom we read about in the Synaxarion.

After all, he is not simply a Venerable of the Church, but also a confessor and martyr who lived through particularly harsh days of trial and martyrdom during the period of Communist rule in Georgia. The culmination of these trials, of course, was his confrontation with the firing squad.

The monk Symeon, the name given to the Saint when he was tonsured, having previously been called Athanasios, received several bullets from the firing squad, but chiefly in his legs! Thus, the wounds were not fatal. For this reason, his life was subsequently spared, since a law provided that anyone who survived a firing squad was entitled to a pardon!

Narration on the Lamentation of the Prophet Jeremiah Over Jerusalem, Its Fall, and on the Ecstasy of Abimelech

The illustration depicts Abimelech asleep beneath the fig tree, with his basket of figs and Jerusalem in the distance. It is an artistic reconstruction in a Byzantine-inspired style, not a reproduction of a historical icon.

 

Introduction

On November 4, the Greek Orthodox Synaxarion preserves an unusual narrative concerning the Prophet Jeremiah, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the miraculous seventy-year sleep of Abimelech. According to the account, as the Babylonian armies prepared to capture Jerusalem, Jeremiah was instructed by God to conceal the sacred vessels of the Temple in a rock. Abimelech, an Ethiopian who had previously rescued the Prophet from a cistern, was sent to the vineyard of Agrippa to gather figs for the sick. There, beneath a tree, he fell asleep and remained asleep for seventy years, awakening only after the Babylonian captivity had run its course. Unaware of the passage of time, he returned to Jerusalem carrying the same figs, which had miraculously remained fresh. His bewilderment upon discovering that the city and its inhabitants had changed, and his eventual conversation with an elderly man who explained what had happened, form the central episode of the narrative.

Venerable George Karslides in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

 

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

“George, the cultivator of virtue and dweller with wisdom, the useful vessel of the all-powerful Spirit, the Comforter, and the inexhaustible fountain of healings, having in recent times followed the footsteps of the illustrious venerable Fathers of old, became a pillar and an image for those who wish to live piously.”

With these brief words in the Synaxarion of his service, the good and well-known hymnographer of our Orthodox Church, more precisely, officially titled the “Great Hymnographer of the Church of the Alexandrians,” Dr. Haralambos Bousias, who also composed the service of our Venerable and God-bearing Father George Karslides the Confessor, summarizes the principal elements of the Venerable Father's life in Christ: the Venerable Father was a man of virtue and wisdom; he was a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, with the result that he himself, as surely as his grace-gushing relics, became a fountain of healings for every illness of the faithful people who had recourse to him and continue to do so. The cause of these supernatural states was the fact that throughout his life he strove to follow in the footsteps of the great venerable Fathers of the Church of old. For this reason, he too, together with the great venerable Fathers, became a support and an example for all faithful Christians.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: November 4

The Month of November

Day 4

66. To Orthodox Soldiers: On Which Soldier Is Most Likely to Defeat the Enemy in Battle

(From the Life of Venerable Ioannikios the Great)

When you, God-loving soldiers, enter into battle against the enemies of your homeland, who do you think among you is most likely to emerge victorious, ahead of the others? Of course, you will say: “God alone knows who!” But perhaps some will add: “Most likely, the one who has studied the art of warfare better than the others, who is undaunted in courage, and who possesses better weapons than the rest.” We fully agree with the first answer, that God alone knows who will emerge victorious, but we do not entirely agree with the second. In our opinion, the one most likely to emerge victorious is not the one who is skilled, courageous, and possesses good weapons, but the one who was already a true Christian before the battle, who always had the fear of God in his heart, who conducted himself righteously and piously even before the battle, was diligent in prayer, and showed zeal for every good work. Which of us is right in our judgment? Let us not argue about this; let the matter itself decide between our judgments.

From Cappadocia to Nea Ionia: The Incorrupt Relics of Saint George the New Hieromartyr of Neapolis and Their Historic Transfer

 

On November 2, 2026, the incorrupt holy relics of Saint George the New Hieromartyr of Neapolis were solemnly transferred from the Church of Saint Eustathios in Perissos, Nea Ionia, to the newly built church dedicated to him at the Ionian Centre. The ceremony took place on the eve of the Saint’s feast, November 3, and marked an important event in the religious and historical life of the Asia Minor refugee community of Nea Ionia.

The Uncovering of the Holy Relics of Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyva (November 3, 1994)

On November 3, the Orthodox Church commemorates the uncovering of the holy relics of Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyva, an event associated with the same spirit of humility and concealment that characterized the Elder throughout his earthly life.

Saint Porphyrios, who reposed on December 2, 1991, at the Sacred Skete of Kavsokalyva on Mount Athos, had expressed the desire that his burial take place quietly, without public attention. His final wish was consistent with the simplicity and humility with which he had lived. He did not want an elaborate funeral or a distinguished tomb, but a simple monastic burial among the fathers of the skete.

A Refutation of Iconoclasm by Saint Anthony the Confessor Directed Toward the Iconoclast Emperor Leo V the Armenian

 

Introduction

 

The Antirretikos Logos (Refutatory Discourse) of Saint Anthony the Confessor, Archbishop of Dyrrhachium and later of Thessaloniki (†844), is a fiery, direct defense of the Orthodox position on holy icons before the iconoclastic Emperor Leo V the Armenian (813–820). The text does not survive as an independent manuscript. Instead, it was preserved for posterity by being embedded verbatim into Chapters 13–15 of The Life of Saint Theodora of Thessaloniki, a 9th-century biography written by the cleric Gregory.

 

Confronting an imperial court determined to re-enact the destruction of holy icons, Anthony bypasses simple rhetoric to construct a sophisticated theological framework centered on two core arguments:

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: November 3

The Month of November 

Day 3

65. What Reward Awaits Those Who Help or Visit Those in Prison?

(From the Life of Akepsimas, Bishop, and Those with Him)

It is known that one of the works of bodily mercy consists in helping someone who is in prison or visiting him. What do you think, brethren? Will those who are diligent in this work of mercy receive a reward from God, or not? Know that they will, and that their reward will be great. For those who help or visit people in prison can expect the favor of God, crowns in Heaven, and, finally, such blessings and such joys there as we cannot even imagine now.

How do we know that those who help people in prison obtain the favor of God? From the Life of Saints Joseph the Presbyter and Aethalas the Deacon. What is written there? The following is recorded: In the city where the aforementioned Saints lived, there was a certain holy woman named Snandulia, who pleased God by visiting those who suffered in prison. When she learned that Joseph and Aethalas had been thrown into prison after their torments, she went there and, finding the Saints lacerated and barely breathing, gave the prison guards a great deal of gold and persuaded them to release the Saints for a short time so that they could go to her house. When the martyrs were brought to her, Snandulia laid them on beds, washed their wounds, wiped the blood from them with clean linen, anointed their bodies with precious myrrh, kissed their shattered hands and feet, and wept bitterly over them. Then Joseph said to her: “O holy woman! Know that the kindness you have shown us is pleasing to God, and for it you will receive His favor.” From this it is clear that those who help people in prison truly receive the favor of God.