Saint John the Merciful in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint John was a Cypriot, the son of Epiphanios, the ruler of the country. He married, according to his father’s wish, and had children. When his wife and children departed this life, he turned all the inclination of his soul to the performance of virtue and to pleasing God. Precisely because of his life, which was brilliant according to God, he was placed on the throne as Archbishop of Alexandria, after the people of Alexandria requested him as Archbishop from Emperor Heraclius. So John, after being placed on the lampstand, according to the Gospel, shone in the world like a torch. He was even the first to prevent the addition to the Trisagion hymn, when heretics with wicked intent added to the Holy Immortal, “Who was crucified for us.” The Saint excelled in the high priesthood for many years, and after performing numerous miracles and generously providing the necessities of life to those in need, a fact that earned him the nickname “Merciful,” and after becoming respected by all, even by unbelievers, as history and the books about him testify, he departed to the Lord.

Homily for the Commemoration of Saint John the Merciful (Fr. Daniel Sysoev)

Homily for the Commemoration of Saint John the Merciful

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 John the Merciful, Patriarch of Alexandria! Mercy, co-eternal with the nature of God, was embodied in this great Saint, who shone forth in our Church in the sixth century. He was married and had children, but then both his wife and children died. After their death, he decided to dedicate his life to God. At the time, he was still quite young, about forty years old. One night, he saw a beautiful maiden come to him, dressed in a sparkling white tunic and wearing a wreath of olive branches on her head, a sign of mercy. This maiden told John that if he wished to receive a great reward, he must become her beloved. He asked, "Who are you?" The maiden replied that she was the eldest daughter of a great king: "My power is so great that I brought the Son of God to earth." John asked, "What is your name?" She replied that her name was Mercy. And the maiden became invisible.

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.

"Whoever is Kind to the Poor Lends to the Lord": The Simple Faith of Saint John the Merciful

 

By Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol

If you have read the life of Saint John the Merciful - which I urge you to read for the umpteenth time - you will see that when Saint John the Merciful was young (he was around 17-18 years old at the time) he saw a vision from God, he saw a princess who told him:

"If you conquer me, I will lead you to the King's throne. For I am the King's best daughter. And if you succeed and get me as your life partner, I will make you king too!"

And when he asked her: "Who are you?" she told him that she was empathy, mercy, compassion.

So the Saint entered this struggle, as a young child, and put himself to the test: "It appears this is how things are?" he said.

November: Day 12: Saint John the Merciful

November: Day 12:
Saint John the Merciful
 
(On the Motivations for Works of Mercy)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint John, Patriarch of Alexandria, whose memory the Holy Church celebrates today, devoted himself entirely to the work of almsgiving, which he provided to all the poor and those who accidentally fell into need. Therefore, Saint John among the choir of the saints has the special distinctive title of "the Merciful."

Having become the Patriarch of Alexandria, Saint John said to the stewards of the church: "Go through the whole city and write down for me my masters." The stewards asked: "Who are your masters, lord?" He answered: "Those whom you call the poor and needy, for they can grant me entrance into the eternal dwellings and provide assistance for salvation." The will of the Saint was fulfilled and a permanent allowance was assigned to all the poor.