FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST - SUNDAY OF ALL SAINTS

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

How Can We Be Saved?

Many people sometimes say: “How can we be saved? We are worldly people, sinners; all our lives we bustle about and sin: cares and concerns have overwhelmed us.” It is sad, brethren, to hear such words from an Orthodox Christian. Pagans who lived before the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, who did not know His teaching, had not been baptized into the Orthodox faith, and had not partaken of the Holy Mysteries, might have spoken in this way. But we, the beloved children of Christ, ought neither to think nor to speak thus, for the path to salvation has been shown to us. It is spoken of, for example, in the Gospel that you heard today during the Liturgy. Let us read it once more and reflect upon what we have read: 

 

“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I also will confess before My Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies Me before men, him I also will deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32–33).

Do you hear? The Lord requires of the one who seeks salvation that he be His confessor before men. But what does this mean? To understand this, listen to how the Holy Apostle Paul speaks of the same thing: “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved” (Rom. 10:9). This, first of all, is what it means to be a confessor of Christ: not only to believe in Him in your soul, but also openly to declare with your lips that you believe in Him; not to conceal your faith from others, not to be ashamed of it, but boldly and openly to show yourself to be a Christian. We speak plainly and fearlessly that our earthly fatherland is Orthodox Russia. In the same plain and fearless manner, confess that you believe also in another Fatherland—the Heavenly One—and that you walk under the protection of the Lord who is in heaven. Yet this alone is not enough to be a true confessor of Jesus Christ. He Himself said elsewhere: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). Therefore verbal confession alone is not enough for the Lord—He also expects from us confession in deed, so that all our actions may accord with His will, and so that we may likewise openly and boldly show ourselves everywhere and always to be Christians by our deeds. Judge for yourselves: if one of you had a son who praised his father with words but offended him by his actions, would not his father say to him, “My son, your affectionate words are not enough for me; prove by your deeds that you love me”? So too we say: “We are an Orthodox people; we are not Jews or Tatars,” but we must demonstrate by our deeds that we are an Orthodox people, enlightened by the light of Christ’s gospel. A living example for us in this regard is the holy confessors of Christ. They lived long ago, in those centuries when the Church of Christ was still persecuted by pagan emperors. These pagan emperors searched everywhere for Christians and brought them before their tribunals. “Who are you?” they asked the Christian. “What is your name?” “I am a Christian,” the holy champion of the faith of Christ courageously replied, and fearlessly went to the most cruel tortures and to death itself for his Orthodox faith. This is what it means to be a confessor of Christ.

Homily for the Sunday of All Saints (Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Mani)

Homily for the Sunday of All Saints

By Metropolitan Chrysostomos III of Mani

Today is the Sunday of All Saints! After the Lord's Feast of Pentecost, All the Saints come before us as vessels of Grace, as fruits of the All-Holy Spirit. All Saints! The known and the unknown. Unknown, of course, to us, but known to God — known by God. All the Saints stand before us. We venerate them, honor them, and glorify them today, on the Sunday of All Saints.

And these Saints are from the earliest centuries, from that Protomartyr Saint Stephen, all the way to the Saints of our own century, to Saint Luke the Surgeon, Archbishop of Crimea and Simferopol. Saints of every age, of every level of education; holy men and women who received the titles Apostles, Missionaries, Fathers, Teachers, Martyrs, New Martyrs, Venerables, and Confessors. A “cloud of witnesses,” as the Apostle Paul tells us. And as we hear so beautifully in the hymn, we ought to cry out and say: “Rejoice, assembly of the Prophets!... Rejoice, choir of the Apostles!... Rejoice, multitude of the Martyrs!... Rejoice, swarm of the Fathers!” All the Saints stand before us.

Yet, my brethren, have we ever stopped to think, when we stand before the icon of a Saint, what thoughts may perhaps pass through our minds? Perhaps some, when standing before a Saint, before the icon of a Saint, simply come and go, passing by either with contempt or with indifference. Others stand before the icon and think about the iconography itself, that is, its artistic style —w hether it is Byzantine or Western. Perhaps they think about the century in which the icon was painted. They may see only the outward appearance and never proceed to the depth of its meaning.

Homily for the First Sunday After Pentecost, or Sunday of All Saints (St. Cleopa of Sihastria)

Homily for the First Sunday After Pentecost, or Sunday of All Saints

On the Veneration of the Saints and the Angels

By St. Cleopa of Sihastria

"God is wondrous in His Saints, the God of Israel" (Psalm 67:35 LXX).

Beloved faithful,

You have heard in the Holy and Divine Scriptures the words: "As for the saints who are upon His earth, the Lord has made all His desires wondrous in them" (Psalm 15:3 LXX). For this very reason we Orthodox Christians honor the saints of God, knowing that God accomplishes His will in a wondrous manner through them.

From the beginning I must tell you that the Orthodox Church distinguishes between worship, which is due to God alone, and veneration or honor, which we offer to His saints and angels who minister to the salvation of our souls. The Holy Apostle Paul teaches us this when he says: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14).

The purpose of the veneration of the saints is to glorify God through them, according to the testimony of Holy Scripture which exhorts us: "Praise God in His saints" (Psalm 150:1 LXX).

Homily Two for the First Sunday After Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily Two for the First Sunday After Pentecost, the Sunday of All Saints 

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1964)

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

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day, which concludes all the great feasts — the Bright Resurrection of Christ, the glorious Ascension of the Lord, and the Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles — the Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of all the saints who have pleased the Lord throughout the ages and who now triumph in Heaven in their victory over sin and evil. They are, as it were, the firstfruits of humanity, redeemed by the Most Pure Blood of Christ and renewed by the grace of the Holy Spirit of God, brought to God the Father through Jesus Christ. They are the blessed fruits of the sufferings, the crucifixion, the glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, the descent of the Holy Spirit of God, and His abiding presence in the Church.

Among the saints glorified today by the Church are people from every land and every age, of every rank and station, every calling and condition, every office, sex, and age. There are kings and commoners, masters and servants, clergy and laity, soldiers and civilians, peasants and craftsmen, husbands and wives, young men and maidens, rich and poor, noble and humble, learned and unlearned — and all of them lived upon the earth just as we do.

Homily for the Sunday of All Saints (St. Sergius Mechev)

Homily for the Sundal of All Saints 

By Holy Hieromartyr Sergius Mechev

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

On the first Sunday after Pentecost, the Holy Church commemorates all the saints, honoring the martyrs, the blessed, the venerable ascetics, and all the righteous who have shone forth throughout the ages.

If on the day of Holy Pentecost we celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit, if we celebrate the day of the Church's foundation — for from that moment the life of the Church begins — then on the first Sunday after Pentecost the Holy Church continues this celebration of the Holy Spirit, for today she commemorates those who have constituted and continue to constitute the Body of the Church. She commemorates the true members of the Body of Christ, those who, while still alive and still upon the earth, acquired within themselves the Holy Spirit of God.

When our Lord Jesus Christ was on earth, He did not leave His disciples any written teaching. He came in order to create the Church as His own Body. “I will build My Church, and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it.” He came in order to give life to mankind: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

Homily One on the Sunday of All Saints (St. Justin Popovich)

Homily One on the Sunday of All Saints 

By St. Justin Popovich

(Delivered in 1965 at Ćelije Monastery)

Today is the Sunday of All Saints. Today the Church celebrates all the Saints from time immemorial, all holy beings, beginning with the Angels, Archangels, Cherubim, and Seraphim, and then all the holy people from the beginning of the world until this very day.

Why does the Church celebrate All Saints today? On the first Sunday after Pentecost, the first Sunday after the Feast of the Holy Trinity, the Church celebrates All Saints in order to show that the Saints are confessors of the Holy Trinity, that their entire life in this world was from the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit; that this world was created to become the Kingdom of God.

Today the Church unveils the souls of all the Saints and tells us their secret: by what they lived, for what they lived, how they lived in this world, and how they became sanctified. Through them the Church has revealed to the world the mystery of the human person, showing that man was created to become a temple of the Most Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Man was created to become the dwelling place of the Lord Christ in the Holy Spirit together with God the Father.

Homily One on the Sunday of All Saints (St. Innocent of Kherson)

Homily One on the Sunday of All Saints

By Saint Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride

Today is the feast in honor of All Saints, and we have gathered to celebrate it in the midst of the dwelling place of all — the dead! Is this a fitting place for a feast? I think it is most fitting indeed; for the dead are closer to the saints than we are, if only because, having been released from the bonds of the flesh, they dwell with them in the same invisible world. The dead are also closer to the saints than we are because, like the saints, they no longer sin — or at least they do not sin as we sinners do. Looking at the matter from this perspective, I do not even know, brethren, which place ought more properly to be called a cemetery: the place where the departed rest, or the place where we, the living, are gathered. For here, among so many who have died according to the flesh, there are without doubt not a few who are alive in spirit; while among us, who live according to the flesh, God alone knows whether there are any who are not dead in spirit.

Thus, the place of our celebration is most appropriate to the feast; and those acted most wisely who dedicated this church, intended especially for prayers on behalf of the departed, to the memory of All Saints. For by doing so, the souls of those who rest here have been entrusted to the powerful protection of All Saints, so that every soul may have among them a special intercessor suited to itself. You also acted wisely, brethren, in gathering here in such numbers, in this place of all the departed, to celebrate the feast of All Saints; for both the saints and the dead teach us who are living one and the same important truth: “Mortals, live for God and for virtue; without this, whatever you do, whatever you acquire, whatever distinction you attain, all is vanity and nothingness.”

Venerable John the Russian in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Russia may boast of its remarkable offspring, Saint John; Asia Minor may exalt because in its land the holiness of the Venerable Father was manifested; New Prokopi on the island of Euboea may shine radiantly because there his grace-flowing relic came to rest; yet all the faithful throughout the whole earth celebrate the great Venerable New Confessor. And this is because our saints are the boast and blessing of all the Orthodox everywhere on earth. A saint, that is, may have been “bound” to a certain place while he lived in this life, yet in the end he belongs to the whole Church, which means that every believer can regard the saint as his own, can have him as friend and protector, brother and father. The good Hymnographer of the Venerable one, the sacred teacher Joseph from Kermeira of Cappadocia, repeatedly comes and emphasizes this truth to us through his service:

“Rejoice, most excellent offspring of Russia and honored praise of all the faithful without exception” (Lity).

“Your homeland Russia boasts of your swaddling clothes, while the Asiatic land rejoices in your holy relic” (Second Apolytikion).

Yet: “Come then, all you Orthodox, let us celebrate his divine memory” (Doxastikon of the Lity).

Commemoration of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Romanian Prisons

May 14th is a National Day in Romania to commemorate the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Romanian Prisons. The date was chosen to commemorate the night of 14–15 May 1948, when the communist authorities launched one of the largest waves of political arrests in post-war Romania. More than 10,000 young people, intellectuals, students and opponents of the regime were detained, interrogated and sentenced. Many of those imprisoned were sent to the communist prisons of Aiud, Gherla, Pitești, Sighetu Marmației and Râmnicu Sărat.

Notable Prison Martyrs and Confessors were:

Valeriu Gafencu (1921–1952): Often referred to as "The Saint of the Prisons", he died at Târgu Ocna prison at the age of 31. He is known for his profound love and spiritual influence over other prisoners.

Archimandrite Arsenie Papacioc: A major spiritual father who survived communist incarceration.

Fr. Gheorghe Calciu-Dumitreasa: A priest who was imprisoned for his faith and later spoke out against the regime.

Archimandrite Iustin Pârvu: A well-known confessor who spent over 16 years in communist prisons.

Fr. Daniil Tudor (Sandu Tudor) (1896–1962): Founder of the "Burning Bush" movement at Antim Monastery and a key figure among the "Aiud mystics".

Fr. Ilarion Felea: A theologian and priest who died in prison.

Ioan Ianolide: A disciple of Valeriu Gafencu who chronicled the spiritual life in Aiud prison.

Virgil Maxim: A writer and poet who spent 22 years in various prisons.

Monk Nicolae Steinhardt: A Jewish intellectual who converted to Orthodox Christianity while in prison.

Some of the confessors of the faith who suffered in communist prisons were canonized by the Romanian Orthodox Church in 2024, with the solemn proclamation of canonization taking place in 2025, a year proclaimed by the Romanian Patriarchate as the Commemorative Year of Romanian Orthodox Spiritual Fathers and Confessors of the 20th Century.

Establishment of the Commemorative Day

The National Day honoring the martyrs and confessors of the communist prisons was established through Law No. 127, adopted by the Romanian Parliament and promulgated by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on May 30, 2017. In honor of the commemoration, the Church of the Martyrs and Confessors of the Communist Prisons at the National School for the Training of Penitentiary Agents in Târgu Ocna, Bacău County in eastern Romania was consecrated in May 2022.

The legislation provides that central and local authorities, cultural institutions and public media outlets organise commemorative events dedicated to the victims of the communist regime. These activities include official ceremonies, wreath-laying events and cultural or educational programmes recalling the sufferings endured by those persecuted for faith and freedom. The law also stipulates that on May 14th, public media institutions should prioritize materials dedicated to communist repression and the events of 1948.

Troparion in the First Tone
The true confessors of Christ have bravely withstood the wiles of the devil, and neither persecution, nor prison, nor tortures, nor chains could frighten them, but with power from on High, have they guarded the faith and the Romanian Land. By their prayers, Christ our God, save our souls.
 

On the Controversial Sainthood of Certain Romanian Prison Confessors and Martyrs

Some of the Romanian prison confessors and martyrs had complicated political backgrounds, and the subject is historically and emotionally charged.

A number of Orthodox Christians imprisoned under the communist regime in Romania were arrested simply for their faith, anti-communism, intellectual activity, or association with religious circles. Others, however, had at some point been connected — directly or indirectly — with the far-right nationalist movement known as the Iron Guard, also called the Legionary Movement.

That does not mean every Romanian prison confessor was a fascist, nor that all who are remembered spiritually by Orthodox believers shared the same political views. The group often referred to as the “prison confessors and martyrs” includes many different people with very different biographies.

A few important distinctions help:

- Some prisoners were never involved in extremist politics at all.

- Some had youthful involvement with the Legionary Movement before imprisonment.

- Some later rejected political extremism and became known primarily for repentance, endurance, prayer, and suffering under communism.

- Communist authorities often labeled broad categories of opponents as “fascists,” which can blur historical realities.

The Romanian Orthodox world itself remains divided over how to remember certain figures:

- Some believers focus on their suffering, confession of faith, and spiritual writings in prison.

- Critics argue that earlier fascist affiliations should not be minimized or romanticized.

- Historians continue to debate individual cases separately rather than treating all “prison saints” as one uniform group.

For example, figures like Valeriu Gafencu, Mircea Vulcănescu, and Dumitru Stăniloae had very different lives and levels of political involvement.

Therefore while some Romanian prison confessors had past associations with fascist or ultranationalist movements, others did not. Treating all of them simply as “fascists” — or, on the other hand, ignoring documented extremist ties where they existed — oversimplifies a complex historical reality.

The Romanian Orthodox Church has generally tried to draw a distinction between:

- honoring people who suffered in communist prisons for their faith, and

- endorsing fascist or Legionary ideology.

Officially, the Patriarchate has repeatedly stated that it does not support fascist, racist, antisemitic, xenophobic, or extremist movements.

For example, in a 2019 statement, the Patriarchate said:

- not everyone who died in communist prisons died specifically “for the Orthodox faith,”

- there is a difference between a “hero” and a “saint,” and

- sainthood is not granted for political or patriotic reasons, but for holiness and faithfulness to Christ.

The Patriarchate has also stated publicly that it does not initiate or promote racist or antisemitic movements.

At the same time, the issue is complicated because:

- some clergy and faithful in Romania strongly venerate the “prison saints,”

- some of those figures had documented ties to the Iron Guard,

- and critics argue that parts of this prison-saints movement can blur the line between spiritual commemoration and rehabilitation of fascist figures.

The Patriarchate itself has often taken a cautious middle position:

- it commemorates victims of communist persecution,

- it has allowed remembrance services and discussion of prison confessors,

- but historically it was hesitant to canonize many controversial figures because of concerns about political extremism and public scandal.

More recently, some former prison figures have been officially canonized or honored locally, which has renewed debate in Romania. When extremist groups tried to use these commemorations for Legionary-style demonstrations, the Patriarchate publicly condemned that political appropriation.

So the Patriarchate’s public position is roughly:

- suffering under communism can be honored,

- holiness is judged spiritually, not politically,

- fascist ideology is not endorsed,

- and the memory of these figures should not be used to promote extremism.

Communique of the Patriarchate of Romania: 
The Orthodox Church Commemorates All Heroes, Though It Does Not Glorify All of Them

June 5, 2019

Because sometimes the Romanian media refers to the glorification of the persons who suffered persecutions during the communist regime in our country or even died in the communist jails, we provide the following information:

The canonization of Saints has the role to profess, to strengthen and to convey the true faith so as to guide the faithful on the path of salvation and of gaining saintliness.

One of the essential conditions to glorify Saints is their undoubted faith kept until death (Revelation 2:10).

In this regard, not all those who died in prisons died for the Orthodox faith. Therefore, there is a difference between a hero – who suffered and died for the freedom or in defence of the motherland – and a Saint – who witnessed to the faith until death.

Hence, the glorification of Saints is not performed for political or patriotic reasons, but for the fact of living and witnessing the true faith in times both of peace and persecution.

The persons who suffered for their faith during communism are constantly commemorated or honoured by the Church through their remembrance during every Divine Liturgy, when the Church prays for ‘the blessed in their falling asleep Romanian heroes, soldiers and fighters of all times and places, who sacrificed themselves on battlefields, in concentration camps and in prisons for the defense of the motherland and of the ancient Orthodox faith, for national unity, for the freedom and dignity of the Romanian nation.’

In addition, the Commemoration Day of Anti-Communist Political Prisoners is observed every year on March 9, when the Church commemorates the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, and the National Day for the Victims of Communism is observed on May 14.

The Romanian Patriarchate particularly paid an intense and extensive homage to those who suffered during communism in 2017, a year declared by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church as Solemn Year of Patriarch Justinian and of the defenders of Orthodoxy during communism.

‘The example of their lives full of devotional deeds and sacrificial acts is a permanent source of light and renewal for today’s Christian life, and their commemoration of this year calls us to be confessors of Orthodox faith, founders of holy places and of Christian culture, urges that we have humble and merciful love in the soul, as well as worthy works of confessing the Christian faith today,’ reads the Solemn commemorative act of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, made public on October 27, 2017.

In this context, the Romanian Patriarchate published important volumes dedicated to those who confessed Christ in communist jails (for example The Dictionary of confessing Romanian Orthodox clergy and laypersons in communist detention, 1945-1964, coordinated by Adrian Nicolae Petcu; Patriarch Justinian Marina and the defenders of Orthodoxy during communism, etc.).

Also, shows and theatre plays were performed being inspired by the suffering of the passion-bearers in communist prisons, symposia and conferences were organized, all of them having a content meant to recover the remembrance of the exemplary moral status of the heroic Romanian fighters in our recent history.

However, unlike heroes and patriot martyrs of certain historical moments, a Saint represents a constant and luminous example of steadfast faith, sincere repentance and holy life.

The canonization process, as recognition of the saintliness of a person, is therefore laborious and long-lasting, because proof of the certainty of the true faith and the holiness of life of the one proposed for canonization must be provided, as well as the proof that popular devotion to that person is not superficial and temporal, but profound and perennial, verified over time.

In conclusion, we must constantly remember all Romanian heroes, although not all of them are listed as Saints in the calendar.

Nevertheless, the glorification of Saints must not be made by the Holy Synod under the pressure of the moment or in haste, but in a spirit of patience, wisdom, sound documentation and discernment, since true holiness is given to people humbled by God Himself who is the Only Holy, and the Church only recognizes and proclaims solemnly this saintliness given to the people of God.

In this respect, both known and unknown Saints, that is both canonized Saints (added to the calendar) and those still not canonized by the Church, are venerated with piety and invoked in prayer on the Sunday of All Saints and on the Sunday of All Romanian Saints.

Some Saints were included in the Synaxaria or the church calendar ten or twenty years after their death, and others a century or several centuries after death, according to the secret work of God.

Therefore, the declaration of new Saints by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church can bring joy to the faithful if it is a documented work lighted by prayer and humility, but even more urgent and more necessary than any canonization is the cultivation of holiness in our personal lives, because it brings us salvation or eternal gladness (Hebrews 12:14).

Press Office of the Romanian Patriarchate

 

The Martyrdom of the Saints as Life in Christ and the Overcoming of Death (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

The Martyrdom of the Saints as Life in Christ and the Overcoming of Death 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(Transcribed sermon delivered on the feast of Saint Christopher, in Agrinio, on 9 May 2024)

Your Eminence Metropolitan Damaskenos of the Sacred Metropolis of Aetolia and Acarnania, beloved holy Hierarchs in Christ, honorable Presbyterate, Diaconate of Christ, most honorable civil authorities, blessed and chosen people of the Lord.

First of all, I would like to express my warmest thanks to your Eminence, your shepherd and our beloved brother in Christ, Damaskenos, who invited me to come to this city on the day when its patron saint, Saint Christopher, is celebrated. It is in this city that, as Your Eminence mentioned both yesterday and today, I grew up and laid the foundations for my later development in ecclesiastical life and, of course, in my theological formation.

I give thanks to God because in this city, besides completing my secondary studies, I came to know the then-Protosyngellos, Archimandrite Kallinikos Poulos, who, when he was elected Metropolitan of Edessa, Pella, and Almopia, invited me to join him, and I remained with him for fifteen years. Now he is a Saint of our Church, and to him I owe very much — indeed, the whole ecclesiastical and theological life which God counted me worthy to live within the Church.

Holy Great Martyr Christopher in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

It has often been said that the study of the lives of the saints is among the most important readings for the spiritual growth of Christians. And this is because their life is the embodiment of the Gospel, the practical confirmation of what the word of God bears witness to. What we see in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself — within Whom His word was the expression of His life and His life was the commentary on His word — in the same way, to a certain degree, we also see in our saints. And especially in those moments when they offer even their very life as a sacrifice for the love of God. From this point of view, the heroic struggles of the saints, the martyrdoms they endured, and the manner in which they faced them become for the faithful a means by which they receive the grace of God. That is, the very grace which strengthened the saints in their martyrdoms, the grace that enabled them to endure and transcend their sufferings, this same grace is poured also into the faithful when with faith and love they come into contact with what the martyrs suffered for the sake of the Lord. And this means that a Christian who does not study the lives of our saints deprives himself of a special grace that the Lord offers to the world. This truth is already pointed out by the Holy Hymnographer in the very first sticheron of Vespers: “Come, let us honor the struggles of Christopher, through whom there gushes forth to us the everlasting grace of Christ the Giver of life.” Therefore his statement is not an exaggeration when he says that “Your memorial, O martyr, gives forth fragrance mightily, like spring roses, through the much-enduring sufferings of your struggles” (Sticheron of Vespers).

Prologue in Sermons: May 9

The Holy Servants of God Show Special Love and Mercy To Those Who Honor Their Holy Memory

May 9

(The Miracle of Saint Nicholas and the Carpet)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

All of us, brethren, know that the holy servants of God, being especially close to God, do not cease, even after their departure into the heavenly world, to intercede for us before God and to ask grace and mercy for us all. Enlightened by the light of the face of God, the saints of God see us and know what feelings and desires we have toward them. Therefore, without doubt, they become loving protectors, defenders, and helpers especially to those among us who cherish a special love for them, who pray to them with special zeal, and who honor the days of their commemoration. This is not difficult to prove by examples, for there are many such examples in the lives of the saints. Let us take one such example for our instruction.

There lived in Constantinople a certain pious craftsman named Nicholas, who had a fervent love for Saint Nicholas and always honored his feast days with special devotion. When old age came upon this man, and he was no longer able to work, he fell into poverty. Once, during this period of his life, as the feast of the Saint approached, Nicholas became deeply troubled: how would he celebrate the feast? He shared his sorrow with his wife, and she answered him:

Regarding the Canonization of Fr. Seraphim (Rose) of Platina

Regarding the canonization of Fr. Seraphim (Rose) of Platina by the Holy Synod of ROCOR, one should keep in mind that very few saints in the Orthodox Church have been canonized for what they wrote and what they said, and many have said and written some very disagreeable things that I would certainly never accept or defend, yet I still consider them acceptable or even great, but only because I know that the Church canonizes primarily based on their life and the model they set for other Christians, in one way or another. Sometimes its even for a brief moment in their life and one thing they said, like the thief on the cross. We even have someone we commemorate every year on April 1st who is probably one of the most evil men in the Old Testament, King Ahaz, who I think should be removed from the calendar, but as I have shown he was canonized because he feigned piety, and someone in their simplicity found this acceptable to include him in our calendar. When I was a teenager in the early 90s, I came across the life and writings of Fr Seraphim, and found them to be inspirational and enlightening, because he was a very American figure who came to Orthodoxy facing many challenges that I could relate to. As I grew older I came to have many disagreements with him on things, but I also realize he was a product of his time and his environment, like we all are and all the saints were, and he also died much younger than I am now, so who knows how his views on things may have changed if given the time I've been blessed with. But if there is something to be said in favor of his canonization, I would say that he struggled to the end to be the best Orthodox Christian he could be, and he took this very seriously. That's good enough for me... if only I could be the same. 

 

Prologue in Sermons: April 23

The Saints of God Lovingly Receive Gifts Offered in Their Memory

April 23

(First Miracle of Saint George)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Many Christians honor with special love certain saints of God and, out of this love, bring their offerings to churches dedicated in their name. However, brethren, is there benefit for those who offer such gifts? And are such offerings pleasing to the saints of God? What shall we say to this?

In the regions of Syria there was a city called Orovlie,* and in it a church was being built in the name of the Holy Great Martyr George. Since the church was intended to be large, many columns were needed for its support. The Christians were greatly concerned about obtaining such columns and transporting them to the place of construction.

At that time, a certain woman, who had great love for the Holy Martyr, purchased at her own expense one column needed for the building of the church. But the difficulty was how to bring it to the site. She transported it, at her own cost, to the seashore and began to beg the man who was carrying other columns to take hers as well across the sea. But he refused her, loaded only his own columns onto the ship, and sailed away with them.

Prologue in Sermons: December 24

 

For What Purpose Did the Holy Church Establish the Observance of the Saints' Feast Days

December 24
 
(Instruction for the Eve of the Nativity of Christ.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The Holy Orthodox Church daily honors the saints who have pleased God since time immemorial, sometimes holding special services in their honor, and generally constantly reminding us of them. Why is this so?

First, so that, in remembering the saints, we learn to imitate their virtues and keep our soul and body pure and blameless. The instruction on the Eve of the Nativity of Christ asks, "Why do we commemorate the Holy Forefathers?" and answers, "Let us, brethren, emulate their good deeds and strive to do the same; that we may be friends of God and sons of His kingdom. Such were the forefathers. They were men like us, but they hated carnal indulgences, subdued the flesh to the spirit, and bridled it. They loved vigilance, fasting, and unceasing prayer. And it behooves all to be zealous for these things, and not thieves, drunkards, or evildoers, for torment with the devil is reserved for them."

Prologue in Sermons: November 12

The Saints Ask God for Forgiveness of our Sins

November 12

(The Miracle of Saint John the Merciful Concerning the Woman Whose Sin He Forgave After His Death.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

We all, brethren, implore the Lord for the forgiveness of our sins. Yet, being aware of our unworthiness and the impurity of our sins, feeling our separation from God because of them, we must also turn to the saints, as those close to God, with prayers asking them to intercede for the forgiveness of our iniquities. The saints, in the heavenly abodes granted close communion with the Lord Jesus Christ, the sole Mediator between God and men, who gave Himself as a ransom for all (1 Tim. 2:5), possess the grace to pray for their earthly brethren who are still burdened by sin, and they obtain for them the forgiveness of these sins and turn the wrath of the Lord from them into mercy.

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: To the Pious Readers

About the Author

Victor Petrovich Guryev was born in 1842 into a priest's family in the Moscow province. He received his education at the Moscow Theological Seminary, where he studied theology, philosophy, literature, history, mathematics, Latin, Greek and German. He was ordained a priest at the age of 19.

Father Victor was a natural-born pastor and missionary. He continuously combined his service before the throne of God with teaching free of charge in several schools, such as the Zemstvo School in Shelepikhino and the parish school at the Church of the Protection in Fili where he served as rector for 34 years.

Father Victor's "Prologue in Sermons" was a yearly series of short sermons he compiled and delivered in church. In the temple, he did not leave a single Sunday and feast day without preaching, which at that time was rare. 

Father Victor addresses his flock in simple, conversational language; his methods are straightforward, his examples are clear. He speaks about the most pressing issues: the harm of drunkenness; the saving power of communion; what is needed to meet death not with horror, but with joy.

Address of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Signing of the Synodal Act of Canonization of Saint Demetrios Gagastathis

His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the Service of the Ceremony of the Signing of the Patriarchal and Synodal Act of Canonization of the new Saint in the calendar of the Orthodox Church, Father Demetrios Gagastathis, which took place on the afternoon of Saturday, August 30, 2025, in the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in the Phanar. At that time he addressed the following words to the people present, among whom was Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Trikki, who also addressed the congregation, and a number of faithful with him from Trikala, who had originally proposed his canonization.

Address of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at the Signing of the Synodal Act of Canonization

We heartily welcome all of you, the most honorable and beloved brother Hierarchs, the most revered clergy and monastics, and all the Christ-loving children of the Church, to this sacred and devout synaxis in the Phanar.

Homily Three for the Sunday of All Saints (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Three for the Sunday of All Saints 
 
By St. John of Kronstadt

"Be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16).

Today is the Sunday of All Saints, that is, the Sunday dedicated to the remembrance and glorification of all the Holy Saints of God, and especially the Holy Martyrs for the faith of Christ, their ardent love for God and neighbor, their every patience, self-denial, abstinence, obedience to the faith, unwavering devotion to the Lord and the Holy Church, their strength and humility, simplicity and gentleness, their holiness and perfection. Here they were people like us, but by faith, love and zeal for God, patience and forcing themselves to every virtue, repentance and withdrawal from every sin and lawlessness, they pleased God and attained eternal peace and blessedness; and we are invited to follow them, praying day and night to God for the salvation of us all. 

They seem to speak to us from heaven: "Behold, we have labored, by the grace of God, temporarily for God and our souls, and now we rejoice forever; we did not spare our much-suffering, corruptible flesh, we wore it out with fasting, labors, unceasing prayers, or we were oppressed and tormented in every way by unrighteous persecutors; now we are crowned with crowns of incorruption from the life-giving right hand of Christ God; we have hated the all-pervasive and all-destructive sin and have clung with all our hearts to God and His holy commandments, and by this we have become forever blessed."