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

The Month of September

Day 24

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

(From the Life of Holy Protomartyr Thekla)

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

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

Prologue in Sermons: May 24

The Word of God Has a Powerful Effect Upon the Human Heart

May 24

(Repose of our Venerable Father Nikita the Stylite, Wonderworker of Pereslavl.)
 
By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The word of God has a powerful effect upon the human heart. In this we shall now try to convince you. 

 

Our Venerable Father Nikita, whose memory the Holy Church celebrates on May 24, was born and raised in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky. From his youth he was not distinguished by piety. He was harsh, irritable, stirred up disturbances, brought many sorrows upon people, dragged them into lawsuits, and robbed them. And as he himself was, so also were his companions. Once, during Vespers, he entered a church. There he heard the following words of Scripture: “Wash yourselves and be clean; put away the evil from your souls,” and the rest. These words produced such an effect upon Nikita that he was seized with terror, and returning home, he spent the entire night sleepless, continually thinking about what he had heard. In the morning he remained in fear for a long time, and then, coming to himself, he sighed from the depths of his heart and said: “Woe is me! Greatly, greatly have I sinned!” And he went out from his house, praying and weeping. Then he came to one of the monasteries, fell at the abbot’s feet, and said: “Save a perishing soul!” The abbot gave him a penance, and for three days he stood at the monastery gates, weeping and confessing his sins to all who entered and departed. Afterwards he went completely naked into a swamp, sat among the reeds, and began praying to God. Gnats and mosquitoes swarmed about him in great clouds. When he returned to the monastery, it was impossible to recognize his body, so abundantly did blood flow from it. The abbot said to him: “My son, what have you done to yourself?” Nikita answered nothing else, but only kept saying to the abbot: “Father, save a perishing soul!” Afterwards he continued in constant prayer and fasting, spending days and nights without sleep. Then he made for himself a pillar near the church and dug a narrow passage beneath the church wall, by which he would come into the church for prayer. For such struggles he received from God the gift of working miracles. And many who were afflicted with various diseases came to him and received healing.

Prologue in Sermons: May 18

 

A Means for Successful Struggle Against Evil Thoughts and the Passions

May 18

(A Word of Saint Ephraim, on how one ought with every diligence to honor the holy books.) 
 
By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The word of God says that the imagination of the heart of man is evil from his youth (Gen. 8:21). And truly, nothing persecutes us throughout life so much as evil thoughts. You may intend even a good deed, yet something unclean will unfailingly attach itself to it. You stand at prayer, and even there sometimes you will not be freed from temptations of thought; they speak about God, about faith, about eternal salvation, and even there wicked questions and thoughts contrary to the teaching of the faith begin to present themselves to our mind. In general, it is difficult even to say how much evil we think in life, and how much sinful and impure matter nests within the soul.

And meanwhile, one cannot remain indifferent to all this impure and sinful matter; for the word of God says that an unrighteous thought is an abomination to the Lord (Prov. 15:26), and that nothing unclean shall enter into the Kingdom of God (Rev. 21:27). Therefore sinful thoughts are not insignificant; therefore the Lord will judge us also for them; therefore we too must struggle against them unceasingly, with all the powers of our soul. And for successful struggle one must know the means that are trustworthy in battle. What then are these means? Saint Ephraim says concerning this the following:

Prologue in Sermons: February 22

The Benefit of Hearing the Word of God

February 22

(From the Discourse About a Jester Who Was Saved With Two Wives)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

It is known that the Lord Jesus Christ, during His earthly life, by His divine word turned many sinners to salvation. Such were Matthew the tax collector, Mary Magdalene, Zacchaeus, the Samaritan woman, and many others. But what now? Does the word of God continue to act so savingly upon sinners to this day? Does there remain in the word of God that same power which it had when it came forth from the lips of the Savior Himself? Undoubtedly.

This is evident from the fact that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever; and also from examples that show the extraordinarily beneficial action of the word of God upon the human heart even after the Ascension of the Savior.

In the city of Tarsus in Cilicia there lived a jester named Babylas. He had unlawful cohabitation with two women, and by his deeds he was a vessel of the devil. Once it happened that he was in church, and while there he heard the reading of the Gospel. The words, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 4:17), had an extraordinary effect on him. Immediately he felt deep repentance, wept, began to reproach himself for his former life, and made a promise to amend his ways.

The Experiential Study of Holy Scripture

By Archimandrite Kyrillos Kostopoulos

Study is an important element in man’s journey in search of truth.

To this end, from the earliest Christian times, believers were called to study the Law of God, the Old Testament. The Prophet David exclaimed: “How I love your law, O Lord! It is my study all day long” (Ps. 118:97).

Then the New Testament was added, in which the now revealed Truth is found, without the types and patterns of the Old Testament, insofar as our Lord Himself revealed about Himself that “I am the truth” (John 14:6).

Study is the voice of God to man, just as prayer is the voice of man to God. Saint Chrysostom tells us: “But the reading of the Scriptures is the speech of God” (PG 50, 90). He who loves the study of Holy Scripture, according to Clement of Alexandria, becomes a “theodidact” (cf. Stromata, Book 1, 20, 98, etc.).

October: Day 31: Teaching 2: Venerables Spyridon and Nikodemos

October: Day 31: Teaching 2:
Venerables Spyridon and Nikodemos
 
(On Reading Sacred and Spiritually Beneficial Books)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Today, the Holy Church celebrates the memory of Venerable Spyridon of the Caves. Who was he? He was a simple man, born not in the city but in the village, and completely illiterate. Having a strong attraction to monastic life, he went to the Kiev Caves Monastery, and here, although no longer young, he began to learn to read and write. He so loved reading the sacred book of Psalms that he memorized it and read it through every day, regardless of his work. When he was appointed as the prosphora baker, he did not abandon his favorite occupation: whether chopping wood or kneading dough, he constantly had on his lips the wondrous, majestic, touching, penitential and laudatory Psalms of the Holy King and Prophet David, reading or singing them. One day, the Saint was going about his usual business and lit an oven for baking prosphora. Suddenly, however, the roof of the house caught fire from the flames coming from the stove. Then the Saint took off his mantle and covered the mouth of the stove with it. He tied the sleeves of his hair shirt (the monastic undergarment) and went to the well, filled it with water, calling the brethren for help. The brethren, arriving, saw a wondrous thing: the mantle that covered the stove had not burned, and no water had spilled from the hair shirt. Having extinguished the fire, everyone glorified God. In such humble obedience, Venerable Spyridon peacefully reposed. 

Prologue in Sermons: October 15

  

How Should One Begin Reading or Listening to the Word of God or the Lives of the Saints and How to Read Them?

October 15*

(Saint John Chrysostom on How to Listen to the Readings of the Holy Books With Diligence, Honor and Attention)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Why is it, brethren, that when we read or listen to the word of God or the lives of the saints, we sometimes derive little benefit from reading or listening to them? Because we don't know how to approach reading or listening to them, or how to read or listen to them. To truly benefit the soul from the word of God or the lives of the saints, we must know what to do before we begin reading or listening to them, and know how to read or listen to them. Only then will we benefit. But you, of course, will ask: how then should we approach reading or listening to them, or how should we read or listen to them? We will be happy to answer this, but, for your greater conviction, not in our own words, but in the words of the ecumenical teacher, Saint John Chrysostom.

Prologue in Sermons: October 14

The Word of the Savior Has a Gracious and Powerful Effect on the Human Heart

October 14*

(Sermon on the Two Monks Who Saved the Harlot)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The Lord said, "It is the Spirit who gives life... The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63). What do these words of the Savior mean? By them He points to the gracious, extraordinary, and powerful effect of His word on the human heart when these words are heard with humility, reverence, deep attention, and a willingness to follow them. This truth, in our opinion, can best be demonstrated by the examples of sinners who, solely through such listening to the word of Christ, turned to Christ, abandoned their sinful lives, became righteous from sinners, and now rejoice there — in the mansions of the Heavenly Father. Let us therefore turn to the matter itself for proof.

Prologue in Sermons: October 11

We Must Read the Word of God, Even If We Do Not Understand Much of It

October 11

(On the Holy Apostle Philip, One of the Seven Deacons)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Many Christians today are almost entirely ignorant of the word of God. They've read and studied everything secular a thousand times, but have never once picked up the Bible. You ask: why don't they read it? They answer: because they don't understand much of it. But that's no excuse, brethren! They don't understand the word of God because they never read it. If they read it diligently, then, over time, even the incomprehensible would become clear to them, and the dark would become bright.

A monk, coming to his spiritual father, said: "Father! I will stop reading the word of God." "Why so?" asked the elder. "Because I don't understand what is being read," replied the monk. "Child," the elder then said to him, "sheep, when they find fertile pasture, greedily seize the grass and swallow it without chewing, trying only to grab as much as possible; and then, having eaten their fill, they chew it. So you too, while you have the time and opportunity, read the divine books as much as possible without laziness, and the dark will become clear to you. For either through practice you will understand the incomprehensible, or you will learn from the fathers and teachers of the Church, or, finally, if there is no one to explain it to you, the Lord Himself will enlighten you" (Prologue, February 4).

Prologue in Sermons: September 17

The Unskilled Should Not Take Upon Themselves the Title of Teachers and Interpret the Word of God

September 17

(From the Paterikon: On Anger and Repentance)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

It happens that the literate among you, especially those who have lived in the cities for a considerable time and listened to various scholars, return home and assume the title of teachers. They gather the simpletons around them, begin to read to them from the Divine Scriptures, and interpret the words of Holy Scripture as they please, fully confident that they are doing a good deed. That they read from the Divine Scriptures is truly a good deed on their part, but that they interpret the Divine Words in their own way cannot be called a good deed, for often their arbitrary interpretations give rise to superstitions, prejudices, and most destructive errors. Worst of all, when such teachers are confronted with the idea that this or that passage of Scripture has been interpreted incorrectly, they almost never admit their error, and everyone will assume they are right. This stubbornness often leads them to the point of completely separating from the Church and becoming schismatics. In their own destruction, they lead many others to destruction as well. Had they confessed their error, the Lord would have immediately forgiven them, and the Church would have immediately accepted them into communion.

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture: The Apocalypse of John (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture 

The Apocalypse of John

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(Sunday, August 31, 2025)

So far, in the sermons for the months of July and August, a brief presentation has been made of the books of the Old and New Testaments, which are called the Holy Scriptures or the Bible, and now reference will be made to the last book of the Holy Scriptures, which is called the Apocalypse of John (or the Book of Revelation), with which the entire Holy Scripture ends. The first book of the Holy Bible, as we have seen, is the book called Genesis, in which the revelation of God to the Prophet Moses is recorded, and He revealed to him how the world and man were created, and how man sinned and left Paradise, and his life was difficult. The last book of the Holy Bible, titled the Apocalypse of John, records the journey of the Church towards the Kingdom of God, towards the end of the world and the beginning of new life, the Heavenly Kingdom. Therefore, we have the beginning and the end of the world, but also the beginning and endless life in the Kingdom of God.

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture: The Epistles of the Apostles (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture 

The Epistles of the Apostles

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(Sunday, August 24, 2025)

After His Resurrection, Christ commanded His disciples to go into all the world and preach to people about the Kingdom of God. Thus, from being Disciples of Christ, they became Apostles. He told them: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 12:19-20). This means that the Apostles were to make disciples of all nations by baptizing them in the name of the Triune God and teaching them to keep all the commandments of Christ. This happened after Pentecost when they received the Holy Spirit.

August: Day 25: Holy Apostle Titus

 

August: Day 25:
Holy Apostle Titus
 
(How to Use the Word of God?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Apostle Titus, whose memory is celebrated today, came from Crete, today's Candia, from pagan parents of noble origin. From his youth he loved reading Greek philosophers and poets, thinking to find the truth in them; he led a virtuous and chaste life. When he was a youth of 20, Titus twice heard a voice in a dream saying the words: "Titus! You must leave here and save your soul, for Greek education and pagan wisdom will not save you; read Hebrew books." Then Titus learned Hebrew and began to read the prophetic books, especially the Prophet Isaiah. From them he understood the insignificance of paganism and believed in the true God. 

At this time, rumors of Jesus Christ, His miracles and teachings reached the island of Crete. The ruler of the island, Titus' uncle, sent him to Jerusalem to verify the truth of the rumor. Saint Titus, having seen the Lord, became His disciple. Having been converted to Christ, the Apostle Paul loved Titus very much, and he accompanied the Apostle to preach to the nations in various countries. The Apostle Paul, having visited Crete, made Titus bishop there. From Nicopolis, in Macedonia, he wrote him a letter about the duties of a shepherd.

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture: The Acts of the Apostles (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture 

The Acts of the Apostles

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(Sunday, August 17, 2025)

The New Testament, after the Gospels, includes the book called Acts of the Apostles. If the Gospels present the activity of Christ, His teaching and miracles, the Acts of the Apostles present the establishment of the Church, as the Body of Christ, at Pentecost, and the subsequent organization of the Church in Jerusalem and its expansion beyond. First, something should be noted regarding the title of the book. Today it is written “Acts of the Apostles”, better though is “Acts of Apostles”, without the definite article “the”, because it does not describe the actions of all the Apostles, but mainly of the two Apostles, Peter and Paul, and it presents only a few incidents from their lives.

Specifically, the book of Acts of the Apostles contains incidents from the activities of the Apostles Peter, John, the Apostle Paul, James the Brother of God, the martyrdom of the Apostle James, the brother of John, and the hanging of Judas, the traitor of Christ. The author of the Acts is considered by all tradition to be the Evangelist Luke, who also wrote the third Gospel, the Gospel of Luke, and there are internal testimonies that confirm this, but also testimonies of the first interpreters of the Scriptures that support this. Among other things, this is evident from the prologue to the book of the Acts of the Apostles, in which it is clearly seen that it is sent to Theophilos, to whom he also sent his Gospel, where he refers to the “first word” in order to support him in the faith in Christ. And according to the interpreters, it must have been written around 70 AD.

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture: The Gospels (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture 

The Gospels

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(Sunday, August 10, 2025)

In previous Sundays we briefly presented the books of the Old Testament, the historical, prophetic and poetic, and in what follows we will briefly look at the books of the New Testament. As we have emphasized, in the Old Testament the Son and Word of God spoke, while in the New Testament the incarnate Word of God, that is, Christ, spoke. The first texts of the New Testament are the four Gospels, and in particular the first Gospel, that of Matthew, is in a way the link between the Old and New Testaments, and this is evident not only because it is the first book of the New Testament, but because it begins with the genealogical table of the Forefathers of Christ who lived in the Old Testament, and then speaks of the birth of Christ as a man.

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture: The Poetic and Didactic Books of the Old Testament (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture 

The Poetic and Didactic Books of the Old Testament

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(Sunday, August 3, 2025)

In previous Sunday sermons, we briefly looked at the historical and prophetic books of the Old Testament. However, as we have emphasized, the Old Testament also includes a category of books called poetic, which refer to books written in a poetic manner. This category includes the Psalms of David, Job, Proverbs of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Songs, the Wisdom of Solomon, and the Wisdom of Sirach, that is, a total of seven books. As has been done so far, a brief analysis of these seven poetic books of the Old Testament will be made.

First of all, it should be emphasized that poetry is the oldest literary genre. Before the invention of writing, man expressed himself with wonder in hymns, laments, and outbursts of joy. After the invention of writing, he cultivated written prose. Thus, there is a difference between poetry and prose. Poems are letters in verse, the words have rhythm and meter, while prose consists of sentences that follow the rules of grammar and meanings are recorded in a logical sequence.

Thus, the Old Testament includes books that are written in prose, but it also has books that are written in poetic form, such as those mentioned above. They were called poetic books because they are expressed in poetic form. Poetry in the Hebrew language is divided into three categories: parallelism, that is, the thought of the first line is repeated with different phrasing in the other line; rhythm, as to the pronunciation of the words; and stanza, with the repetition of words or phrases, such as the refrain.

August: Day 11: Holy Martyr Euplos the Archdeacon

August: Day 11:
Holy Martyr Euplos the Archdeacon
 
(On the Benefits of Reading the Holy Scriptures)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Martyr Euplos, celebrated today, lived in the city of Catania on the island of Sicily during the persecution of Christians under Diocletian. Despite the danger of being captured and tortured, he fearlessly preached the gospel, gathered people around him and enlightened them with an explanation of the word of God. Then the governor of the city demanded a Christian preacher. They seized Saint Euplos while he was reading the Gospel in a hut; with this book in his hand, as evidence, they brought him to the governor Calvinianus.

“Why do you have this book in your hands?” asked the ruler.

“I was reading it when they took me,” answered Saint Euplos.

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture: The Prophetic Books of the Old Testament (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture 

The Prophetic Books of the Old Testament 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(Sunday, July 27, 2025)

After the historical books that we saw in previous sermons, there are the prophetic books in the Old Testament, which were written by blessed people called Prophets. In addition to the Kings who politically governed the Israelite people and the High Priests who performed religious ceremonies, there were also the Prophets, who performed miraculous works.

In the Hebrew language, Prophets firstly means those who speak in the name of God. Secondly, it characterizes those who spoke with divine inspiration and enthusiasm for the return to God of people who had strayed from Him. Thirdly, it denotes those who see God, but also all the future things that were to happen to Israelites and Gentiles, mainly they saw and predicted the coming of Christ at the appropriate time.

In these three senses the Prophets were the “foreseeers”, the “seeers” of God, they had communion with Him and prayed saying: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” And afterwards, when they received a word from God, they spoke to the people with the phrase: “Thus says the Lord.”

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture: The Historical Books of the Old Testament (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

King David flanked by Wisdom and Prophecy

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture 

The Historical Books of the Old Testament 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(Sunday, July 20, 2025)

In this summer’s Sunday sermons, we are referring to the books of the Holy Bible, the Old and New Testaments. We have already spoken of the Pentateuch of Moses, and today we will speak of the remaining historical books, which form a unity among themselves in the Old Testament. This unity includes the following books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 to 4 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, 1 and 2 Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, and 1 to 3 Maccabees.

These books cover a long period of time, from the death of Moses, which occurred in the 13th century BC, and extend to the 2nd century BC with the Maccabean revolt, that is, they refer to 11 centuries of Israelite history. As one can understand, an analytical report cannot be made in this brief sermon, but interesting points will be briefly highlighted, so that we may have a general acquaintance with these books.

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture - The Pentateuch (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Homilies on the Books of Holy Scripture 

The Pentateuch 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(Sunday, July 13, 2025)

The first five books of the Old Testament and the Holy Scriptures in general are called the "Pentateuch" and are understood as the "Pentateuch Bible" since the 2nd century AD by the Greeks and Christians.

In the Hebrew period these books are called the "Law of Moses" or the "Book of the Law of Moses", because they were given by God to Moses, so that with this law he could guide His people. Christ Himself considered the author to be Moses, which is why in a conversation He had with the Jews of His time He said: “If you believe Moses, believe Me; for he wrote about Me” (John 5:46).

These five books are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.