April: Day 14: Teaching 2: Holy Apostles Aristarchus, Pudens and Trophimus of the Seventy

April: Day 14: Teaching 2:
Holy Apostles Aristarchus, Pudens  and Trophimus of the Seventy*
 
(On the Reasons for the Hatred of the Apostles by the World of their Time)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Apostles Aristarchus, Trophimus, and Pudens, whom we commemorate today, were co-workers of the Holy Supreme Apostles Peter and Paul in their apostolic ministry. All of them were beheaded under Emperor Nero.

Aristarchus was converted to Christ by the Apostle Paul; mentioned in the Epistle to the Colossians (Col. 4:10), he was bishop in Apamea of Syria. His end came under Emperor Nero; he was beheaded at the same time as the Apostles Paul, Pudens, and Trophimus.

Saint Pudens, mentioned in the Second Epistle of Saint Paul to Timothy (2 Tim. 4:21): “Eubulus greets you, as well as Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren,” was a Roman senator and a pious man; he received into his house the Holy Supreme Apostles Peter and Paul and all Christians, so that his house served as a kind of church.

Homily Two on the Holy and All-Praiseworthy Apostle Andrew the First-Called (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Two on the Holy and All-Praiseworthy Apostle Andrew the First-Called 

By St. John of Kronstadt

"God has displayed us, the apostles, last of all, like men sentenced to death. For we are made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and men" (1 Cor. 4:9).

This time, on the glorious day of the commemoration of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called, we will explain the daily reading from the Apostle, for this reading briefly gives us an understanding of the entire activity of Christ's Apostles, and therefore also of the Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called: their ardent love for Christ and for people, their lofty and unwavering faith and hope of eternal life, their self-denial for the sake of God and the salvation of people, their complete disdain for everything that flatters the feelings of the old man here in this age. Here is the reading from the Apostle in Russian: 

"Brethren, God has displayed us, the apostles, last of all, like men sentenced to death. For we are made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in dishonor. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are ill-clad and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become, and are now, as the refuse of the world, the off-scouring of all things. I do not write this to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me" (1 Cor. 4:9-16). 

November: Day 30: Teaching 2: Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called

November: Day 30: Teaching 2:
Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called
 
(The Call of Believers to Salvation and our Indifference to This Call)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. One day, during the first year of His public ministry to humanity, Jesus Christ was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He was then still little known to the world as a Preacher and was just gathering His first followers, His disciples, around Him. Seeing two young brothers, Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew — later known as the Apostle Andrew, the First-Called, whose memory is celebrated today — casting their nets into the sea, the Savior, as if in passing, said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." The brothers did not question their divine Master about who He was, by what power He commanded them, or where He would lead them, but immediately abandoned their nets and followed the Savior. Walking with them further, Jesus Christ saw two more brothers, James and John, sitting with their father Zebedee in a boat, mending their nets. The Son of God, who sees into the hearts and innermost thoughts of men, called these young men, and they immediately responded with complete readiness to the voice calling them: they left their father, the boat, and the nets and followed Jesus.

June: Day 30: Synaxis of the Holy Apostles

June: Day 30:
Synaxis of the Holy Apostles
 
(Brief Information About the Holy Apostles and Lessons From Their Lives - 
Imitation of the Holy Apostles in Following Christ)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On the day of the Synaxis of the Holy, Glorious and All-Praised Apostles, let us talk about the Holy Apostles. Since not everyone knows well enough in whose honor we celebrate, we think we will now offer you a short conversation about the Holy Apostles in general, and we will say: 1) who the Holy Apostles were, 2) how many of them there were, 3) what they did for our holy faith and for believers, 4) how they ended their holy life, and 5) in what we should imitate them.

II. a) Who were the Holy Apostles? The name apostle means "messenger," "servant," and the Holy Apostles were messengers of Jesus Christ, His servants. They were also called Disciples of Christ, because they were closest to Jesus Christ and listened to His holy teaching more than anyone else. Our Savior chose them to serve people when He Himself came out to serve the human race publicly, three years before His death on the cross. In order to reveal His omnipotence to the world, the Savior chose them almost all from poor and humble families; by origin, they were mostly simple fishermen, or publicans (tax collectors) - and some, although they were of more noble birth, later preferred poverty and dishonor to worldly wealth and vain glory. Having been called to the apostleship, they left their relatives, their homes and all their property and followed Jesus Christ inseparably. By order of their Divine Teacher, they preached throughout the cities and villages, willingly sharing with Him all the hardships and sufferings. For being the closest disciples of the Savior, they were repeatedly honored with special conversations with Him about the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, hidden from the people for a time; for being zealous servants of Christ, they were honored by Him with a special grace-filled power, which rested upon them in abundance - they were honored with miracles. And after the ascension of the Lord to heaven, on Pentecost, they received the Holy Spirit Himself in the form of fiery tongues, by the power of which they then performed the work of their service until death. Now they are honored with high honor in heaven, surrounding the throne of God. And at the Dread Judgment of Christ, sitting on twelve thrones, they will judge us and all people together with the saints. These are who the holy apostles were!

June: Day 11: Teaching 2: Holy Apostle Bartholomew

June: Day 11: Teaching 2:
Holy Apostle Bartholomew

(On Flattery)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Apostle Bartholomew, whose memory is celebrated today, is called Nathanael in the Gospel, and was distinguished by his straightforward and open character. He said what he felt. Jesus Christ Himself testified to this. It was so. As soon as Jesus Christ began His preaching, disciples began to flock to Him. Two brothers, Andrew and Peter, appeared, and then Philip followed Christ. Philip met Nathanael and said to him: “We have found Him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote, Jesus, the son of Joseph, of Nazareth.” It is necessary to know that Nazareth and in general the whole region of Galilee were despised by the Jews because there were many pagans there. Nathanael had the same idea about Nazareth, and he said to Philip: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” He said what he felt. “Come and see,” Philip said to him. They went to Jesus Christ. Christ saw him from afar and, pointing to him, said: "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile." "How do you know me?" asked Nathanael. "Before Philip called you, I saw you when you were under the fig tree," said the Lord. Something special probably happened to Nathanael under the fig tree. He was amazed at this omniscience of the Lord and exclaimed: "Rabbi! You are the Son of God, You are the King of Israel." What a rapid transition from doubt to faith, and with what firm conviction this faith is expressed! The Savior approved of him for this and promised him great blessings. "Because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree, you believe. You will see more than this: from now on you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of man." From that time on, Nathanael became a persistent disciple of Jesus Christ, and after Christ's ascension to heaven, an incessant and zealous preacher of His teaching, and then a martyr. This is what Nathanael was honored with for his straightforward and open character, and for his sincere faith!

April: Day 30: Holy Apostle James, Brother of Saint John the Theologian

April: Day 30:
Holy Apostle James, Brother of Saint John the Theologian
 
(On What It Means To Follow Jesus Christ)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint James, whose memory is celebrated today, was the brother of Christ's beloved disciple, John. Their father was called Zebedee, and their mother Salome was among the first women who believed in Jesus Christ and accepted His teaching. Both brothers were fishermen. One day they were sitting in their boats mending their nets; the Savior, passing by, called them over and told them to follow Him. From that time on, they completely abandoned their previous occupations and followed the Savior inseparably. They saw the Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor, and the resurrection of Jairus' daughter, and were in the Garden of Gethsemane with the Savior during His prayer before His suffering. The Lord gave them both the name "Boanerges," which means "Sons of Thunder." James, after the Ascension of the Savior, preached with the other Apostles, was thrown into prison and was the first of the Twelve, by order of Herod Agrippa, who accepted death for confessing the name of Christ. When he was tried, the soldier who brought him to trial was struck by his courageous calm, was convinced of his innocence and converted to Christ. To the surprise of all present, this soldier, whose name was Josiah, publicly confessed the name of Christ. He was immediately condemned to death. Arriving at the place of execution, he asked James for forgiveness and announced to him that he was among his accusers. The Holy Apostle embraced him and said to him: "Peace be with you!" Then they were beheaded together. This was ten years after the Ascension of Christ.

April: Day 29: Holy Apostles Jason and Sosipater With Their Companions

April: Day 29:*
Holy Apostles Jason and Sosipater With Their Companions
 
(On What the Holy Apostles Did To Spread the Christian Faith and What We Must Do To Spread It)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Apostles of the Seventy, Jason and Sosipater, whose memory is celebrated today, disciples and relatives of the Holy Apostle Paul, preached the gospel together in various countries. On the island of Corcyra (Kerkyra) they were imprisoned for this and here “they converted seven thieves to Christ,” who accepted a martyr’s death for the faith: they died in a cauldron with melted resin, sulfur and wax. The prison guard, converted to Christ by the Apostles, was also put to death by beheading. The Apostles Jason and Sosipater themselves were subjected to torture in the eyes of all the people and then thrown back into prison. The daughter of the ruler of Corcyra looked on their sufferings from a window and was so amazed by the patience of the martyrs that she confessed herself a Christian. For this she too was imprisoned and then, hanged on a tree, accepted death for Christ, being suffocated by smoke and struck by arrows.

April: Day 8: Teaching 2: Holy Apostles Herodion, Agabus, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon and Hermes

 

April: Day 8: Teaching 2:
Holy Apostles Herodion, Agabus, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon and Hermes
 
(The Labors of the Holy Apostles)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Today the Holy Church remembers the Holy Apostles from among the Seventy: Herodion, Agabus, Rufus, Asyncritus, Phlegon, and Hermes. The Holy Apostle Herodion, a native of Tarsus of Cilicia, a relative of the Holy Apostle Paul, was Bishop of Patras and suffered much for the faith from the Jews and pagans. They tortured him half to death, but by the grace of God the Apostle recovered and in Rome preached the gospel with Saint Peter. After the martyrdom of Peter, he was beheaded with the sword. The Apostle Paul mentions him in his epistle to the Romans (16:11).

The Holy Apostle Agabus, filled with the spirit of prophecy, preached in the countries surrounding Judea. He is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles: “In those days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch, and one of them, named Agabus, stood up and announced by the Spirit that there would be a great famine throughout the whole world, which occurred in the time of Claudius Caesar” (11:27–28). The same Agabus foretold that the Apostle Paul would be bound in Jerusalem.

Apostle Andrew the First-Called: Preacher to the Barbarians and Cannibals

 

By Andrey Zaitsev

The Apostle Andrew is one of the most famous and mysterious figures among the disciples of Christ. The tireless traveler and preacher, who was martyred in Patras on a cross in the shape of the letter X, became the hero of the "Acts of the Apostle Andrew", which sometimes reads like a fascinating novel. The Church celebrates his memory on November 30/December 13.

The apocryphal apostolic acts, which were not included in the New Testament, are an important genre in the history of Christianity. They reflect the struggle of ideas that took place between heretics and Orthodox Christians. In the Middle Ages, there was no concept of authorship, and the apostles were consciously attributed with the postulates shared by one or another sect. For example, the "Acts of Paul and Thecla" contain a sermon by the Apostle Paul which forbids entering into carnal relations with a husband and creating a family, which contradicts the traditional Christian teaching on marriage and the messages of the Foremost Apostle.

Homilies on the Weekly Festal Cycle - The Fifth Day (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

The Weekly Festal Cycle

The Fifth Day (Pempti-Thursday)

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou   

In the weekly festal cycle, Thursday is dedicated by the liturgical tradition of our Church to the Holy Apostles. This can be seen in the troparia of the Parakletike and in the apolytikia of the day, which are: "Holy Apostles, intercede with the merciful God that He grant unto our souls forgiveness of offences."

The great value of the Apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ is that they left everything and for three years followed Christ, they were found worthy to see Him preach, to work miracles, and three of them, namely Peter, James and John, were found worthy to see Him in His glory on Mount Tabor and participated in His great prayer in Gethsemane. All the Apostles participated for the first time in the Mystery of the Divine Eucharist that took place at the Secret Supper, and then they saw the Risen Christ.

We must know that after His Resurrection, Christ did not appear to His enemies to make them believe, but He appeared to the Apostles and the Myrrhbearing women who had been properly prepared, despite their mistakes, to lead them to deification. This was the purpose of the appearance of the Risen Christ, so that through purification and illumination, he would lead them to deification.