Holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Wonder, amazement, awe, doxology, fullness of divine eros! These are the first impressions one receives upon coming into contact with the hymns of our Church for the Great Martyr, Myrrhgushing and Wonderworking Saint Demetrios. The spiritual wealth of the Saint is so great that the hymnographer Theophanes, with his Canon, was not sufficient to hymn the whole life of Demetrios; Saint Philotheos, Patriarch of Constantinople, was also called upon, and with a second Canon he focuses our attention primarily on the saint’s myrrhgushing. “The second canon has as its subject both encomia and supplication concerning his holy myrrh,” according to the explanatory note accompanying this Canon. Thus, faced with the wondrous person of Saint Demetrios, our Church, through its hymnographers, feels the inadequacy of precisely praising his struggles and the honors the Saint enjoys in heaven. “The mind and human speech are not sufficient, O Martyr, to recount the supernatural honors and glories that you have received.”

 

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: October 26

The Month of October

The 26th Day

57. The Saints Continue to Pray for Their Homeland After Departing to the Heavenly Realm

(From the Life of the Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki)

There is no doubt that all the holy saints of God loved their respective homelands and helped them during their lives in whatever ways they could; and, of course, they prayed and interceded for them before God. To prove this truth, it seems to us that it is enough to consider even our own fatherland. Who, for example, does not know the services rendered to their homeland and the prayers offered for it by the Venerable Sergius, the Holy Hierarchs of Moscow, and other Saints glorified in the Russian land? Thus, it is an indisputable truth that all the saints, during their lives, were intercessors who prayed for their respective homelands. But here is the question: did they remain the same toward their homelands after death? Did they preserve their love for them in the world after death? Do they also pray and help them there? What answer can we give to this? We shall say the following.

Saint Nestor the Martyr in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

With Saint Nestor, the feast of Saint Demetrios is extended. It is understandable that Demetrios and Nestor are under the same “denominator”, since, beyond any other possible spiritual relationship between them: teacher to student, for example, their last hours functioned in a reflexive manner: the energy of each directly influenced the other. This fact of the common path of the two Saints also makes the hymnographer treat the student Nestor in a similar glorifying manner as the teacher Demetrios: that is, as co-reigning with the Lord. “Clad in purple, dyed with your sacred blood, and holding the cross in your right hand like a scepter, you co-reign with Christ, blessed Nestor."

On the other hand, the poet equally emphasizes for Saint Nestor what was a criterion of holiness for Saint Demetrios, as for every other saint: the permanent choice of the will of God, even if his very life was threatened: “O, God-loving soul, who did not consider temporary death at all, but chose to live according to the will of the Lord." And of course, behind this, there was the great love for the Lord of Saint Nestor, a result of the fervor of His affection for Him: “Strengthened by the fervor of affection for Christ, you entered within the stadium.” As we all know, where there is ardent love for Christ, there even the fear of death is overcome.

Homily for the Commemoration of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki (Fr. Daniel Sysoev)

Homily for the Commemoration of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki 

By Fr. Daniel Sysoev

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

I congratulate you all on the feast day of one of the greatest saints of the Universal Church – Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki, the myrrh-streaming Saint! The life of this Saint demonstrates that a wise man can be wise in God, no matter the circumstances. Nowadays, those in power say that power is a dirty business and therefore they cannot be good. Saint Demetrios is a brilliant refutation of this theory. He was the Governor-General of the Roman province of Thessaloniki, which included all of Macedonia, part of Bulgaria, and northern Greece, during the reign of the emperors Diocletian and Maximilian. It was during the reign of these emperors that the greatest persecution of Christians in the history of the Church (with the exception of the 20th century) occurred. Demetrios's job was to hunt down Christians and bring them to justice.

October: Day 26: Teaching 2: Holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki

October: Day 26: Teaching 2:
Holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki

(On the Meaning of Church Prayers and Alms Given on Behalf of the Deceased in the Church)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. According to ancient custom, today we commemorate our departed fathers and brothers. This is a sacred, time-honored custom: it is entirely consistent with the teachings of the Orthodox Church.

II. But how should we commemorate? What should the commemoration consist of?

a) First of all, commemoration should consist of the distribution of alms for the deceased. This kind of commemoration has great power. "The more sins the deceased has, the more necessary alms are for him; give alms to widows and the poor: this is the most important funeral accessory," says Saint John Chrysostom.

And St. Augustine also writes: "Alms given for the souls of the dead help them to be more merciful to the Lord than they deserve for their sins." 

Homily One on Saint Demetrios Ancestral Saturday (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

 

 

Homily One on Saint Demetrios Ancestral Saturday

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1961)

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

"God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to Him" (Luke 20:38), said the Savior to the Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.

Dear brothers and sisters, thanks be to the Lord that He tirelessly cares for our salvation and our attainment of the Kingdom of God and gives us the opportunity to pray and help with our prayers to ease the lot of our neighbors in their afterlife.

God, who created man for a blessed eternal life, by His good will desires for everyone to receive it as an inheritance, and therefore accepts the prayers of the living for the departed until the General Resurrection and Judgment, when they are brought with sincere faith and love for our departed neighbors.

Saint Demetrios Ancestral Saturday

In the spiritual experience of the Russian Church, veneration of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki is closely linked with the memory of the defense of the nation and Church by the Great Prince of Moscow, Dmitry Donskoy (May 19).

Saint Dmitry Donskoy smashed the military might of the Golden Horde at the Battle of Kulikovo Field on September 8, 1380 (the Feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos), set between the Rivers Don and Nepryadva. The Battle of Kulikovo, for which the nation calls him "Demetrios of the Don," became the first Russian national deed, rallying the spiritual power of the Russian nation around Moscow. The “Zadonschina,” an inspiring historic poem written by the priest Sophronius of Ryazem (1381), is devoted to this event.

The Holy Well of Saint Demetrios, Which Served as His First Tomb After His Martyrdom

 

 

When Saint Demetrios was martyred by being pierced with Roman spears in the dungeon of Thessaloniki, his friends and disciples quickly took his body and by necessity threw it down a nearby well of water which was then used to supply water for a Roman bath, since there was a danger that the pagans would have taken the pierced body and either destroyed it or made it disappear. By doing this, the well became the first tomb to contain the body of the Saint.

Today, to the left of the Sanctuary in the Church of Saint Demetrios in Thessaloniki, this well still exists, having been preserved for centuries. Later, a marble ciborium was suitably shaped to cover it and keep it as a shrine.

Homily on the Holy Great Martyr Demetrios, the Wonderworker of Thessaloniki (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on the Holy Great Martyr Demetrios, the Wonderworker of Thessaloniki

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1960)

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

Today, dear brothers and sisters, we honor the memory of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki and ask for his prayers for us before the Throne of God, the right to stand before which he was granted for his valiant deeds in confessing the Christian faith.

This marvelous Passion-bearer of Christ labored at the end of the 3rd century, when a terrible persecution was raised against Christians. He came from noble and distinguished parents. His father, the governor of the city of Thessaloniki, was a secret Christian, who had in his prayer room icons of Christ the Savior and the Mother of God. He taught the Christian faith to his only son, Saint Demetrios, who preserved this faith until the very end of his life and sealed it with a martyr's death.

October: Day 26: Teaching 1: Holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki

 

October: Day 26: Teaching 1:
Holy Great Martyr Demetrios of Thessaloniki

(On the Attitude of Christians Towards Pleasures)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. A native of the city of Thessaloniki, Saint Demetrios, who is commemorated today, was the ruler of his native city. He cared for the welfare of the citizens of his city - not only the present, but also the future - teaching them the faith of Christ. Emperor Maximian, who arrived in Thessaloniki, imprisoned him for this. After that, the emperor indulged in one unworthy amusement: he watched as a certain strongman, named Lyaios, threw people from an elevated place down onto spears. But a Christian youth was found who deprived the emperor of his unworthy amusement. Nestor, that was the name of this youth, planned to destroy Lyaios; he went to Saint Demetrios and asked for his blessing to enter the competition with the strongman. Saint Demetrios praised the intention of the youth, encouraged him and predicted both victory over Lyaios and a martyr's death. Indeed, Nestor, with God's help, threw Lyaios onto spears. The Emperor became angry and ordered Nestor and Demetrios to be pierced with spears. After some time, while digging ditches, the relics of Saint Demetrios were found, which exuded healing myrrh.

Thessaloniki Has Been Filled With the Aroma of the Myrrh of Saint Demetrios

With Byzantine magnificence, as befits the holy city of Thessaloniki, the liturgical and festive events of its Patron Saint, the Holy Great Martyr Demetrios the Myrrhgusher, were completed on Sunday, November 5, 2023, with the sanctification ceremony of his Holy Myrrh, which brought crowds from all over to be blessed with the fragrant grace-filled myrrh. Meanwhile, the coffin which holds his body and the box which holds his head were flowing with a fragrant liquid which has been associated with his sacred relics for over a thousand years, and is a source of wondrous miracles by the grace of God. 

 

Goliath and Lyaios

Goliath and Lyaios

By Archimandrite Vasilios Bakoyiannis

The Holy Great Martyr Demetrios gave his "blessing" to Nestor, and Nestor killed Lyaios. Is it possible for a Saint to give such a "blessing"?

Lyaios was not killed by Nestor, but by God through Nestor, and God is not subject to laws, for whatever He does is always good and holy.

This particular case is similar with David, who killed Goliath. Goliath was a giant, about three meters (!) tall (1 Kings/1 Samuel 17:4), and he was an idolater, a Philistine.

Morning and evening, for forty days (1 Kings/1 Samuel 17:16)), he challenged the Israelites to face him, to prove to them that his gods were the true gods, but no one dared.

Saint Demetrios the Myrrhgusher (Photios Kontoglou)

St. Demetrios icon painted by Photios Kontoglou

Saint Demetrios the Myrrhgusher

By Photios Kontoglou

The feast of Saint Demetrios is a great feast for all of Greece, especially for Thessaloniki, which is also his homeland. Saint Demetrios together with Saint George are the two lads of Christendom. Saint Demetrios covers over the whole ecumene, as his troparion says, but he especially protects Thessaloniki, which has been spared many times and stands and flourishes to this day. He is a new Alexander the Great, whose strength and valor were not lost with his death, but he lives and manifests himself unto the ages to those who ask him with a fervent heart.

Saint Demetrios the Great Martyr and Myrrhgusher was born in Thessaloniki around 250 AD. His parents were official people and Demetrios, close to the imperishable glory he had from his family, was also adorned with imperishable gifts, with wisdom, with sweetness, with humility and with justice. All these were like precious gems, shining on the crown he wore, and this crown was faith in Christ.

Saint Demetrios and Onesiphoros the Lamplighter

It was the duty of the young Onesiphoros to light the candles and serve the lamps in the Church of Saint Demetrios. Encouraged by the devil, this young man began to steal candles and secretly sell them, thus gaining a foul profit. And Saint Demetrios, not tolerating such a crime committed in his church, appeared in a dream to Onesiphoros and reprimanded him mildly and lovingly, saying:

"Brother Onesiphoros, it displeases me that you are stealing candles; by doing so, you harm the contributors, and even more so yourself. It should be noted that people who do this will be condemned. Therefore, cease from doing it and repent."

When Emperor Justinian Failed To Bring a Portion of the Relics of Saint Demetrios to Hagia Sophia in Constantinople

When the pious emperor Justinian built in Constantinople a more magnificent and majestic Church of Hagia Sophia, he sent envoys to Thessaloniki to bring some of the relics of Saint Demetrios from there to adorn and sanctify the newly built church. After arriving in Thessaloniki, the envoys approached the honorable coffin in which the relics of the Holy Great Martyr rested, to carry out the emperor's order; but fire suddenly burst out of the coffin, showering everything with sparks, and a terrible voice was heard from the fire: "Stop, and do not touch!" Everyone present fell to the ground out of fear. The envoys therefore took only a little dirt from that place, then returned to the emperor and told everything that happened to them. Everyone who listened to their story was amazed. Half of the dirt brought by the envoys was handed over to the emperor, and the other half was deposited in the church treasury.

 

- From the Miracles of Saint Demetrios.

 

The Holy Week of Saint Demetrios

Professor Antonios Papadopoulos, as early as 1963, with his work: "The Feasts of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki", spoke about the special way of celebrating the Saint in his city of Thessaloniki. In 1970, Professor John Fountoulis pointed out that the majestic celebration of Saint Demetrios, which is celebrated based on the Church's Menaion, and which includes "the ecumenical celebration of the great martyr", "is a shadow of what was celebrated in the city of the Myrrhgusher in the Byzantine era" (Rational Worship, p. 271).

Professor John Fountoulis is primarily responsible for the modern revival of the special liturgical honor of Saint Demetrios, with the publication of the services of the in Holy Week of Saint Demetrios. On the basis of two 15th century codices, originating from Thessaloniki, but also from other manuscripts, he reconstructed the order of the services of the seven days that precede the feast of Saint Demetrios, taking into account "the traditional form, under which the pre-festal services appear in the manuscripts, in combination with the modern liturgical and pastoral information." Of course, the days of the "Holy Week of Saint Demetrios" are not the same as the days of the same name in the calendar. For example, Holy Monday of the Holy Week of Saint Demetrios is always October 20th, regardless of which day the current year's calendar shows, and October 26th is Easter Sunday, even if the calendar shows Thursday, as this year's feast.

The Saturday of Souls of Saint Demetrios: A Macedonian-Thracian Ecclesiastical Tradition

On the Saturday before the feast of Saint Demetrios of Thessaloniki (Oct. 26), an ecclesiastical tradition exists only in the northern Greek area of Macedonia and Thrace to honor it as a Saturday of Souls. 

 

This falls in the period of what is known as the Holy Week of Saint Demetrios, where a week before the feast of Saint Demetrios ecclesiastical services and preparations are done to celebrate the great feast.

On this Saturday, Memorial Services are held for the repose of all those Orthodox Christians who have fallen asleep, just like the other four Saturdays designated by our Church as the Saturday of Souls.

The Orthodox Church has established four Saturdays as the Saturday of Souls, which it dedicates to its reposed. They are: first, on the Saturdays before Meatfare and Cheesefare Sunday; second, on the first Saturday of Great Lent in honor of the miracle with Saint Theodore; and third, the Saturday before Pentecost Sunday.