Prologue in Sermons: April 21

One Should Not Desire Visions From the Other World

April 21

(From the elders, concerning demonic visions, that no one be deceived in imagination by the devil.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Although rarely, there are people who, having served God by certain special ascetic labors, begin to imagine that they already stand at such a level of spiritual perfection that they can behold manifestations from the other world, converse with heavenly beings, and the like. Such self-opinion is very dangerous for them. The devil usually does not sleep near such people, and, having recognized their weak side, immediately begins to trouble them with various imaginations and visions, appearing to them in the form of an angel of light or of saints; and they, because of their simplicity and inexperience, for their part begin to accept these visions as true, to be carried away by them, to become infected with pride, to depart from obedience to shepherds and spiritual teachers, and end by perishing. The Holy Fathers warn us against desiring to behold the mysteries of the other world and do not advise seeking conversations with heavenly beings, but command us to be saved in simplicity of heart.

Prologue in Sermons: January 2

True Repentance and the Prayer of the Righteous for a Sinner Work Miracles

January 2
 
(On How our Holy Father Basil the Great Delivered a Deceived Youth from Demons Through his Prayers)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

In the lives of saints, we sometimes encounter miraculous, terrifying, and astounding events. To convince you of this truth, today we present to you one such event, recorded in the life of Saint Basil the Great.

In Constantinople, there lived a nobleman who had an only daughter, whom he wanted to dedicate to the service of God. The devil, unable to tolerate the nobleman's desires, aroused in one of his servants a passion for the girl. This servant, determined to marry her at any cost, went to a sorcerer to seek advice and assistance in his matter. The sorcerer referred the young servant to Satan, who asked him, "Do you believe in me?" "I believe," the youth replied. Satan continued, "Yes, you all believe in me when you need my help; and when I help you, you return to your Christ. Write to me in your own hand that you renounce Him forever, and then I will fulfill your desire." The youth granted Satan's desire, and Satan granted the youth's desire. Driven by demons, the nobleman's daughter, in turn, felt an irresistible passion for her father's servant and began begging him to give her in marriage. No matter how much her father objected, how much he cried, how much he begged her to abandon her intention, the daughter remained adamant and declared to her father that she would commit suicide if she did not marry the servant. The father then relented and gave his daughter to the young man. 

Prologue in Sermons: November 20

 

The Sign of the Cross is a Fear for Evil Spirits

November 20*

(From the Life of Saint John Chrysostom)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, discussing the sign of the cross in his thirteenth catechetical sermon, says, among other things, that it is a fear for evil spirits. Is this true?

When Saint John Chrysostom became Patriarch of Constantinople and was once preaching, a demon shook a man possessed by demons in the church, cast him to the ground, and the demon began screaming in such a terrifying voice that everyone in the church was terrified. John ordered the man brought to him, made the sign of the honorable cross on him, and the demon immediately left him. 

Another incident: One of the demonic princes once appeared to the Holy Martyr Justina and tempted her with many words to enter into an unholy marriage. Justina, realizing who was speaking to her, reverently made the sign of the cross on her face without engaging in conversation with the devil, and the devil immediately vanished from her with great shame.

Prologue in Sermons: November 18

Through Humility, We Shame the Devil and Drive Him Away From Ourselves and From Others

November 18

(On Humility, Which Is What Demons Fear)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Since the devil, through pride, abandoned obedience to God's will and was cast out of heaven for it, it is clear that this sin is most contrary to God, as the chief sin of the devil, the enemy of God and the destroyer of human souls. From this, it follows that if pride is especially dear to the devil, then, of course, humility is especially unbearable. Yes, brethren, the devil cannot tolerate humility, and those who possess this virtue put him to shame and drive him far away, both from themselves and from others.

Prologue in Sermons: September 1

 

One Reason God Allows Evil Spirits to Rage in Human Bodies and to Subject Individuals to Diseases

September 1

(The Miracle of Saint Symeon Concerning the Presbyter) 

 

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

It is known that evil spirits not only try to destroy the souls of people, arousing, supporting and multiplying among them errors, superstitions and all kinds of impiety, but, as we see in the possessed and other sufferers, they sometimes rage in human bodies and subject people to bodily illnesses. Why does the Lord allow evil spirits this latter? And why are they given power not only over the spirit, but even over the flesh? Know, brethren, that in this last case evil spirits are instruments of God's wrath and God allows them to inflict illnesses on people for their sins, so that they, although it is through sorrows and bodily suffering, come to consciousness of themselves, repent of their sins and correct themselves.

February: Day 1: Holy Martyr Tryphon

February: Day 1: Holy Martyr Tryphon
 
(On the Means of Fighting the Devil)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Martyr Tryphon, whose memory is celebrated today, at a young age, by the power of God’s grace, healed illnesses and cast out demons.

The Roman Emperor Gordian, from whose daughter Saint Tryphon had cast out a demon, wished to see the exorcised demon in some sensible form. The Holy Martyr Tryphon, yielding to his command, actually summoned the demon, and everyone saw him in the form of a black dog with fiery eyes.

Saint Tryphon asked the demon: “Who sent you to the maiden?” The demon answered: “The father, the head of all evil, who sits in hell.” Sait Tryphon asked again: “Who gave you such power?” The demon answered: “We have no power over those who know God and believe in the only begotten Son of God; only by God’s permission do we inflict light temptations on them. But we have complete power over those who do not believe in God, who walk in their lusts and do what pleases us. The deeds that please us are: idolatry, blasphemy, fornication, envy, murder, love of money, pride and other vices. These people are entangled in sins as in nets; they are our friends, and the same fate awaits them with us.”

Homily Four for the Fifth Sunday of Matthew (St. Luke of Simferopol)

"On the Possessed Gadarenes"

5th Sunday of Matthew
 

By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

(Delivered in 1958)

 

Regarding the great miracle of the Lord Jesus Christ, about the healing of the demon possessed Gadarene by Him, I have repeatedly told you and my former flocks. Genuine demonic possession is, of course, rare. A huge number of demons, a whole legion of them, are infused into the bodies and souls of the unfortunate demoniacs. But demons wage an unceasing struggle against every person in order to subjugate them to their power. This is what we read about this struggle in the epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).

Homily Two for the Fifth Sunday of Matthew (St. Luke of Simferopol)

On the Healing of the Possessed Gadarene

5th Sunday of Matthew
 

By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

(Delivered on July 25, 1948)

 

“Having summoned the twelve, he them gave power and authority over all demons and to heal diseases, and sent them to preach the Kingdom of God and heal the sick” (Luke 9:1-2).

Have you ever thought about the fact that the Lord sent His disciples not only to preach, but also to heal the sick. If so, if along with preaching He set the great work of healing diseases, then this work is one of the most important human works. After all, he didn’t say: “Preach the Gospel and teach how to arrange state and public life,” not a word about this. He commanded them to heal the sick. He appointed two things for them: he put the medical business along with the great work of preaching the Gospel. Why is it so, why did our Lord Jesus Christ Himself give so much emphasis and attention to the healing of the sick and the demon possessed and the resurrection of the dead? Why did He command His disciples to heal the sick?

Homily Two for the Fifth Sunday of Matthew - The Demon and the Demonized (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Matthew 

 

The Demon and the Demonized

 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

 

The Gospel reading that was read today at the Divine Liturgy, referred to the miracle that Christ performed in the country of the Gergesenes, when he healed two demon possessed men. We will focus on two points that we need to pay particular attention to.

The first is that which has to do with the demon. With this word the devil is declared, who is a special person and was previously an angel, but through his pride he became an angel of evil, a devil who constantly separates God from men and men from God.

Homily One for the Fifth Sunday of Matthew - The Corruption of Nature (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Homily for the Fifth Sunday of Matthew 

 

The Corruption of Nature 

 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Christ, with the miracle we heard today in the Gospel, healed two demoniacs who lived in the tombs and no one dared to pass by that place. And then Christ allowed the demons to enter the pigs, which fell into the lake and drowned.

Three things faced the fury and malice of demons. One was the earth, the cemetery, where the possessed lived and so that became a place of fear and terror, and from God's creation it became the abode of demons. The other is the animals, the pigs, who received the wrath of the demons. And the third was the sea in which the pigs were drowned.

Homily One for the Fifth Sunday of Matthew (St. Luke of Simferopol)

On the Healing of the Possessed Gadarene

Mark 5:1-20

By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

(Delivered on September 4, 1947 - Thursday of the 13th week after Pentecost)

In today's Gospel reading (Mark 5:1-20) you heard about the healing of the possessed Gadarene by the Lord Jesus Christ.

He was possessed by a legion of demons. What does legion mean? This is a large part of the ancient Roman army, approximately corresponding to the modern army. An army of demons took possession of the unfortunate inhabitant of Gadarene and made him demon-possessed, truly the strongest of all the demon-possessed.

Maybe someone will ask how an entire army can fit in one person? Perhaps, maybe, because demons are not material, they are incorporeal spirits, they do not occupy space in space, they can fit as many as you like in one place - even in the human heart. His possession by demons was expressed by unusual riot and frenzy, he tore off iron chains like thread, and day and night he cut himself with stones. But demon possession does not always manifest itself in this form, in the form of violent insanity. Much more often, incomparably more often it happens in another form.