Prologue in Sermons: December 9

For Childless Spouses

December 9
 
(The Conception of the Holy and God-bearing Mother Anna, when the Holy Theotokos was Conceived. On the same day, the Holy Prophetess Anna (Hannah), the Mother of the Prophet Samuel.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Childless couples often grieve deeply over their childlessness. Others have everything: wealth, high social status, health, and good fortune, yet still have no children. And the desire for them sometimes even becomes a torment. What can one say to console such people, and what advice can one offer them?

Saint Anastasia Şaguna, Mother of the Holy Hierarch Andrei Şaguna (+ 1836)

 

Anastasia Şaguna (1785–1836) was the mother of the Holy Hierarch Andrei Şaguna, one of the most illustrious figures of Romanian Orthodoxy.

Born in 1785, she received a select education from her parents, in the spirit of fear of God, honor and steadfastness in the ancestral faith.

She married young, and at the age of 18 she became a mother, giving birth to Evreta, the brother of the later Metropolitan, followed by a little girl, Ecaterina, in 1806 and the infant Anastasios (the future Metropolitan Andrei Şaguna) on December 20, 1808, in Miscolts.

Anastasia's life took a dramatic turn when her husband, Naum Şaguna, for material reasons and forced by circumstances, converted to Catholicism. This choice generated an intense internal and external struggle for Anastasia, who decided to defend her faith and, above all, the souls of her children with all her might. Convinced that the holiest religion was the one in which her parents and ancestors worshipped, Anastasia chose to fight for her little ones to remain Orthodox.

Homily on the Day of the Feast of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on the Day of the Feast of the Icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow"

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1962)

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

"Joy of all who sorrow, Intercessor of the offended, Nourisher of the hungry, Comfort of strangers, Refuge of the storm-tossed, Visitor of the sick, Protection of the infirm and Defender, Staff of old age, You are the Mother of the Most High God, O Most Pure One: hasten, we pray, that Your servants may be saved." With these touching and profound words, the Holy Church, on behalf of all Christians, addresses the Most Pure Virgin Mary, teaching us also to always flee under Her maternal protection. 

Synaxarion of Saint Martha, Mother of Venerable Symeon of the Wonderful Mountain

St. Martha (Feast Day - July 4)

Verses

If you neither worry nor become troubled, Martha, 
You will have everything else and the end of Martha.

This Venerable Martha practiced every kind of virtue, and while she occupied herself in the churches of God, she bore Saint Symeon from a promise. She possessed a great deal of asceticism and practiced standing; indeed, no one ever saw her sitting on Sunday, nor conversing with anyone at all. She had great love, and mercy, and humility. The feet of all foreigners she would wash and welcomed them. She clothed the naked, fed the hungry, and to those who were baptized and did not have clean shrouds to wear according to custom, she provided these shrouds. Likewise, she gave shrouds to the poor who died and had no means to be buried. She also had great faith and devotion to the Lady Theotokos, from whom she was granted to behold, before her death, the enjoyment of the heavenly good things that she was destined to receive after death.

July: Day 4: Teaching 2: Saint Martha, Mother of Venerable Symeon of the Wonderful Mountain

July: Day 4: Teaching 2:
Saint Martha, Mother of Venerable Symeon of the Wonderful Mountain

(Advice on the Religious and Moral Education of Children)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Martha, whose memory the Holy Church celebrates today, had an only son, Symeon; she brought him up, as is said in her life, with great care, and God granted her, while she was still alive, to rejoice in the holy and God-pleasing life of her son. But the time came for Martha to depart to the heavenly world, and then, on the day before her death, she was honored with the following vision. It seemed to her that she was caught up to the heights of heaven and there she saw a most wondrous and bright house, the beauty of which it is impossible to describe. And when she walked into that house and marveled at its wondrous arrangement, she suddenly saw the Most Holy Theotokos with two most radiant angels, Who said to her: "Why are you surprised?" Martha, reverently bowing to the Mother of God, answered: "I am surprised because, Lady, I have never seen such a wonderful house in all the days of my life on earth." Then the Queen of Heaven said: "What do you think, for whom is this house prepared?" - "I do not know, Lady," answered Martha. The Most Pure One continued: "Know that this rest has been prepared for you and this house was created for you by your son, and you will abide in it forever." After this, at the command of the Lady, the angels set up a wondrous throne, and the Mother of God continued: "This glory is given to you because you lived in the fear of God and in a God-pleasing manner. But do you want to see here even more glorious places?" And, having said this, she ordered Martha to follow her. And the Queen of Heaven took her to the highest heavenly places and showed her an even more wondrous and luminous house, incomparably compared to the first, the beauty of which neither the human mind can comprehend, nor can anyone's tongue utter. Here the Mother of God also said: “And your son built this house, and also laid the foundation of the third.” The day after this, blessed Martha died.

October: Day 19: Holy Martyr Varus

October: Day 19:
Holy Martyr Varus

(On Devotion to God)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. When the Holy Martyr Varus, whose memory is celebrated today, who lived in Egypt during the reign of the Roman Emperor Maximian, was put to death amidst the most terrible tortures for confessing the name of Christ, and his body was thrown out of the city by his torturers to be devoured by dogs, then a certain pious Christian widow, named Cleopatra, with her devoted servants, secretly took the body of the Holy Martyr at night and buried it for a time in her house. This Cleopatra was a native of Palestine and had recently lost her husband, who was a military commander. She had such faith in the Holy Martyr that, returning to her homeland with her only son John, she decided to take with her the sacred relics of the Martyr in order to place them in her family cemetery. Cleopatra asked the government for permission to transfer the body of her husband, but under the guise of him she transported the body of the Holy Martyr Varus to her homeland. Such zeal and respect of blessed Cleopatra for the memory and sacred relics of the Passion-bearer attracted God's blessing upon her: her only-begotten son was safely coming of age, preparing to enter the royal service.

Saint George Karslides and the Pregnant Woman Who Unintentionally Lost Her Baby

A pregnant mother, who unintentionally lost her baby while carrying something heavy, was given a penance by Saint George Karslides for her to do forty prostrations every night throughout Great Lent. He said to her: "If you can, I want you to dress an orphan as well." Merciful himself, he taught others to always be merciful, for love will cover a multitude of sins. Indeed, the mother bought fabric and sewed a dress for a very poor little orphaned girl. When she gave it to the girl, they were both overjoyed. This is how the Saint taught love, simply and gracefully.

 

 

The Fasting Maccabees (Demetrios Panagopoulos)

By Demetrios Panagopoulos (+ 1982), Preacher

If you open your Synaxarion to August 1st you will find a mother with seven children. It is Saint Solomone. She is the mother of these children, the so-called "Maccabees". She had entrusted her children to a teacher named Eleazar.

And do you know why these children were all sacrificed? Because they refused to eat pork. It was a law then in the Old Testament that pork was forbidden.

Are you listening? Who told them about this? This is not a simple task, but it came from someone who by deed and word instilled it in them.