Sunday after Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Afterfeast of the Elevation of the Cross

From September 15 until the Leavetaking, we sing “O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ. O son of God crucified in the flesh, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia” at weekday Liturgies following the Little Entrance.

Martyr Sophia and her three daughters at Rome

The Holy Martyrs Saint Sophia and her Daughters Faith, Hope and Love were born in Italy. Their mother was a pious Christian widow who named her daughters for the three Christian virtues. Faith was twelve, Hope was ten, and Love was nine. Saint Sophia raised them in the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. Saint Sophia and her daughters did not hide their faith in Christ, but openly confessed it before everyone.

An official named Antiochus denounced them to the emperor Hadrian (117-138), who ordered that they be brought to Rome. Realizing that they would be taken before the emperor, the holy virgins prayed fervently to the Lord Jesus Christ, asking that He give them the strength not to fear torture and death. When the holy virgins and their mother came before the emperor, everyone present was amazed at their composure. They looked as though they had been brought to some happy festival, rather than to torture. Summoning each of the sisters in turn, Hadrian urged them to offer sacrifice to the goddess Artemis. The young girls remained unyielding.

Then the emperor ordered them to be tortured. They burned the holy virgins over an iron grating, then threw them into a red-hot oven, and finally into a cauldron with boiling tar, but the Lord preserved them.

The youngest child, Love, was tied to a wheel and they beat her with rods until her body was covered all over with bloody welts. After undergoing unspeakable torments, the holy virgins glorified their Heavenly Bridegroom and remained steadfast in the Faith.

They subjected Saint Sophia to another grievous torture: the mother was forced to watch the suffering of her daughters. She displayed adamant courage, and urged her daughters to endure their torments for the sake of the Heavenly Bridegroom. All three maidens were beheaded, and joyfully bent their necks beneath the sword.

In order to intensify Saint Sophia’s inner suffering, the emperor permitted her to take the bodies of her daughters. She placed their remains in coffins and loaded them on a wagon. She drove beyond the city limits and reverently buried them on a high hill. Saint Sophia sat there by the graves of her daughters for three days, and finally she gave up her soul to the Lord. Even though she did not suffer for Christ in the flesh, she was not deprived of a martyr’s crown. Instead, she suffered in her heart. Believers buried her body there beside her daughters.

The relics of the holy martyrs have rested at El’zasa, in the church of Esho since the year 777.

Martyr Theodota at Nicea

The Holy Martyr Theodota, a native of Cappadocia, suffered in the city of Nicea during the reign of the emperor Alexander Severus (222-235). At this time the governor of Cappadocia was a certain Symblicius. They told him that a rich woman named Theodota was confessing Christ. The governor summoned Theodota and for a long time urged her to turn from the true Faith.

Seeing the futility of his attempts, he gave Theodota over to torture. They suspended her and began to rake her with iron hooks, but she did not feel any pain. Then they put her in chains and led her away to a prison cell.

After eight days, when they led the saint out for new tortures, only faint traces of the tortures already endured remained on her body. The governor was amazed and asked, “Who are you?” The saint answered: “Your mind is darkened, but if you were sober, then you would have realized that I am Theodota.”

Symblicius commanded the martyr to be cast into a red-hot furnace. Flames shot out from the furnace and scorched those standing nearby, while those remaining unharmed shut the furnace and scattered in fright. After a certain while, pagan priests came and opened the furnace to scatter the ashes of the martyr, but they too were burned by the flames. Those remaining unhurt saw Saint Theodota unharmed. She stood in the midst of the flames between two youths in white raiment, and was glorifying the Lord. This apparition so terrified the pagans that they fell down as if dead. Later, they returned the saint to prison.

The invincibility of the martyr gave Symblicius no peace. He made a journey to Byzantium, on the return trip he stopped over at Ancyra and tried to get the better of Theodota. He gave orders to throw her all at once onto red-hot iron, but again the martyr remained unharmed.

Then Symblicius gave orders that the saint be taken to Nicea. There, in a pagan temple he wanted to compel her to offer sacrifice to the idols, but through the prayer of the saint, the idols fell and were shattered. The outraged governor gave orders to stretch the martyr out and saw through her body, but here also the power of God preserved the saint. The saw caused Theodota no harm, and the servants became exhausted. Finally, they beheaded the saint. Bishop Sophronius of Nicea buried her body.

Martyr Agathocleia

The holy martyr Agathocleia was a servant in the home of a certain Christian named Nicholas. His wife Paulina was a pagan. For eight years Agathocleia underwent abuse from her mistress because of her faith. Paulina fiercely beat the servant, and made her walk barefoot over sharp stones.

Once in a fit of nastiness, Paulina broke her rib with a blow from a hammer, and then cut out her tongue. Nothing could make the saint give in to the demand of her mistress to worship idols. Then Paulina locked the martyr in prison and exhausted her with hunger. But Agathocleia did not perish: birds brought her food each day. Finally, in a fit of evil, Paulina went to the prison and murdered the holy martyr.

156 Martyrs of Palestine, including Bishops Peleus and Nilus, the Presbyter Zeno, the Noblemen Patermuthius and Elias, and others

The Holy Martyrs Peleus and Nilus, Bishops of Egypt, Presbyter Zeno, Patermuthius, Elias and another 151 Martyrs suffered during the reign of the emperor Maximian Galerius (305-311). The majority of them were Egyptians, but there were also some Palestinians among them. Firmilian, the governor of Palestine, arrested 156 Christians. They gouged out the eyes of the holy martyrs, cut the tendons of their feet, and subjected them to all manner of tortures. They beheaded 100 of the martyrs, and burned the rest.

Constantinople Icon of the Mother of God

There are two Icons called Constantinople which differ significantly from one other. According to Tradition, the Constantinople Icon of the Mother of God commemorated on April 25, is one of the Icons painted by the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke. How and under what circumstances this Constantinople Icon of the Mother of God appeared is unknown, but the date of its appearance is known: April 25, 1071. There is a legend that the Icon (or a copy) was brought from Constantinople in the middle of the XV century by Saint Euphrosynos of Pskov (May 15), who received it from the Patriarch of Constantinople. The revered Icon was in the Savior-Eleazar Monastery near Pskov, but, unfortunately, it was lost in the depths of the raging Tolba River, along with the ships of the Swedes, who had plundered the Savior-Eleazar Monastery and tried to remove its treasures.

Concerning the other Constantinople Icon of the Mother of God (commemorated on September 17) there is a legend that in ancient times two Greek monks from Constantinople were passing through Staraya Russ and served the Divine Liturgy there in the cathedral church. In remembrance of their stay, they left a miniature Icon of the Mother of God, engraved on a slate, in the cathedral. This miniature Icon soon became renowned for its miracles. Many believers flocked to this Holy Icon and took some water which was blessed by immersing the Icon in it, in order to heal sick infants.

There are copies of this Icon in Moscow: in the parish church of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is on Malaya Dmitrovka, in the village of Nizherov, Rostov district, Yaroslavl province, and in the Savior-Eleazar Monastery, 25 versts from Pskov. The original name of the Monastery was Sretensky¹ – as a sign of the meeting of the Constantinople Icon of the Mother of God, which was brought to the Monastery after the Fall of Constantinople by Venerable Euphrosynos of Pskov, who received a copy from the Patriarch of Constantinople.

¹ The Great Feast of the Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple.

Icon of the Mother of God of Macariev

The Makariev “Directress” Icon of the Mother of God appeared during the reign of Prince Basil the Dark (1425-1462) to Saint Macarius the Wonderworker, who labored in asceticism on the desolate shores of the River Unzha.

On September 17, 1442 at about the third hour of the morning, when Saint Macarius was finishing his usual morning Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos, his cell was illumined suddenly by an unknown light. The monk became confused in spirit and fervently began to pray.

Beyond the cell walls he heard the angelic refrain: “Hail, Full of Grace, O Virgin Mother!” With fear and astonishment the monk went out from his cell and on the northwest horizon he saw the icon of the Mother of God, surrounded by a luminous radiance.

The icon approached towards the cell of the ascetic. With joyful trembling the monk fell to the ground and cried out: “Hail, Mother of God! Hail, Ever-Flowing Fountain issuing salvation to all the world and assuring protection and intercession to all the land of Galicia!”

He reverently took up the icon and placed it in his cell, thus it also came to be named the “Cell-Icon.” Afterwards, the disciples of the monk gave it the title of “Makariev.” On the place of the appearance of the holy icon a monastery was founded, and was also named Makariev. Copies of the Makariev Icon of the Mother of God were made, which became as renowned as the original.

Annual Pan-Orthodox Pilgrimage to the Shrine and Holy Well of Saint Winifred 07/10/2023

12 Sunday of Matthew , 27 August 2023 St. Poemen the Great, The Great Martyr Phanourios

Venerable Pimen the Great

Commemorated on August 27

Saint Pimen the Great was born about the year 340 in Egypt. He went to one of the Egyptian monasteries with his two brothers, Anoub and Paisius, and all three received monastic tonsure. The brothers were such strict ascetics that when their mother came to the monastery to see her children, they did not come out to her from their cells. The mother stood there for a long time and wept. Then Saint Pimen said to her through the closed door of the cell, “Do you wish to see us now, or in the future life?” Saint Pimen promised that if she would endure the sorrow of not seeing her children in this life, then surely she would see them in the next. The mother was humbled and returned home.

Fame of Saint Pimen’s deeds and virtues spread throughout the land. Once, the governor of the district wanted to see him. Saint Pimen, shunning fame, thought to himself, “If dignitaries start coming to me and show me respect, then many other people will also start coming to me and disturb my quiet, and I shall be deprived of the grace of humility, which I have acquired only with the help of God.” So he refused to see the governor, asking him not to come.

For many of the monks, Saint Pimen was a spiritual guide and instructor. They wrote down his answers to serve for the edification of others besides themselves. A certain monk asked, “If I see my brother sinning, should I conceal his fault?” The Elder answered, “If we reproach the sins of brothers, then God will reproach our sins. If you see a brother sinning, do not believe your eyes. Know that your own sin is like a beam of wood, but the sin of your brother is like a splinter (Mt. 7:3-5), and then you will not enter into distress or temptation.”

Another monk said to the saint, “I have sinned grievously and I want to spend three years at repentance. Is that enough time?” The Elder replied, “That is a long time.” The monk continued to ask how long the saint wished him to repent. Perhaps only a year? Saint Pimen said, “That is a long time.” The other brethren asked, “Should he repent for forty days?” The Elder answered, “I think that if a man repents from the depths of his heart and has a firm intention not to return to the sin, then God will accept three days of repentance.”

When asked how to get rid of persistent evil thoughts, the saint replied, “This is like a man who has fire on his left side, and a vessel full of water on his right side. If he starts burning from the fire, he takes water from the vessel and extinguishes the fire. The fire represents the evil thoughts placed in the heart of man by the Enemy of our salvation, which can enkindle sinful desires within man like a spark in a hut. The water is the force of prayer which impels a man toward God.”

Saint Pimen was strict in his fasting and sometimes would not partake of food for a week or more. He advised others to eat every day, but without eating their fill. Abba Pimen heard of a certain monk who went for a week without eating, but had lost his temper. The saint lamented that the monk was able to fast for an entire week, but was unable to abstain from anger for even a single day.

To the question of whether it is better to speak or be silent, the Elder said, “Whoever speaks on account of God, does well, and whoever is silent on account of God, that one also does well.”

He also said, “If man seems to be silent, but his heart condemns others, then he is always speaking. There may be a man who talks all day long, but he is actually silent, because he says nothing unprofitable.”

The saint said, “It is useful to observe three things: to fear God, to pray often, and to do good for one’s neighbor.”

“Wickedness never eradicates wickedness. If someone does evil to you, do good to them, and your goodness will conquer their wickedness.”

Once, after Saint Pimen and his disciples arrived at the monastery of Scetis, he learned that the Elder living there was annoyed at his arrival and was also jealous of him, because monks were leaving the Elder to see Abba Pimen.

In order to console the hermit, the saint went to him with his brethren, taking food with them as a present. The Elder refused to receive them, however. Then Saint Pimen said, “We shall not depart from here until we are permitted to see the holy Elder.” He remained standing at the door of the cell in the heat. Seeing Saint Pimen’s humility and patience, the Elder received him graciously and said, “Not only is what I have heard about you true, but I see that your works are a hundred times greater.”

He possessed such great humility that he often sighed and said, “I shall be cast down to that place where Satan was cast down!”

Once, a monk from another country came to the saint to receive his guidance. He began to speak about sublime matters difficult to grasp. The saint turned away from him and was silent. They explained to the bewildered monk that the saint did not like to speak of lofty matters. Then the monk began to ask him about the struggle with passions of soul. The saint turned to him with a joyful face, “Now you have spoken well, and I will answer.” For a long while he provided instruction on how one ought to struggle with the passions and conquer them.

Saint Pimen died at age 110, about the year 450. Soon after his death, he was acknowledged as a saint pleasing to God. He was called “the Great” as a sign of his great humility, uprightness, ascetic struggles, and self-denying service to God.

Saint Phanourius

Commemorated on August 27

We know nothing for certain about the background of Saint Phanourius, nor exactly when he lived. Tradition says that when the island of Rhodes had been conquered by Moslems, the new ruler of the island wished to rebuild the walls of the city, which had been damaged in previous wars. Several ruined buildings were near the fortress, and stone from these buildings was used to repair the walls at the end of the fifteenth century, or the beginning of the sixteenth.

While working on the fortress, the Moslems uncovered the ruins of a beautiful church. Several icons, most of them badly damaged, were found on the floor. One icon, of Saint Phanourius, looked as if it had been painted that very day. The local bishop, whose name was Nilus, was called to see the icon. It said, “Saint Phanourius.”

The saint is depicted as a young soldier holding a cross in his right hand. On the upper part of the cross is a lighted taper. Twelve scenes from his life are shown around the border of the icon. These scenes show him being questioned by an official, being beaten with stones by soldiers, stretched out on the ground while soldiers whip him, then having his sides raked with iron hooks. He is also shown locked up in prison, standing before the official again, being burned with candles, tied to a rack, thrown to the wild animals, and being crushed by a large rock. The remaining scenes depict him standing before idols holding burning coals in his hands, while a demon stands by lamenting his defeat by the saint, and finally, the saint stands in the midst of a fire with his arms raised in prayer.

These scenes clearly revealed that the saint was a martyr. Bishop Nilus sent representatives to the Moslem ruler, asking that he be permitted to restore the church. Permission was denied, so the bishop went to Constantinople and there he obtained a decree allowing him to rebuild the church.

At that time, there was no Orthodox bishop on the island of Crete. Since Crete was under the control of Venice, there was a Latin bishop. The Venetians refused to allow a successor to be consecrated when an Orthodox bishop died, or for new priests to be ordained, hoping that in time they would be able to convert the Orthodox population to Catholicism. Those seeking ordination were obliged to go to the island of Kythera.

It so happened that three young deacons had traveled from Crete to Kythera to be ordained to the holy priesthood. On their way back, they were captured at sea by Moslems who brought them to Rhodes to be sold as slaves. Lamenting their fate, the three new priests wept day and night.

While in Rhodes the priests heard of the miracles performed by the holy Great Martyr Phanourius. They began to pray to him with tears, asking to be freed from their captivity. Each of the three had been sold to a different master, and so remained unaware of what the others were doing.

By the mercy of God, each of the priests was allowed by his master to pray at the restored church of Saint Phanourius. All three arrived at the same time and prostrated themselves before the icon of the saint, asking to be delivered from the hands of the Hagarenes (Moslems, descendents of Hagar). Somewhat consoled, the priests left the church and returned to their masters.

That night Saint Phanourius appeared to the three masters and ordered them to set the priests free so that they could serve the Church, or he would punish them. The Moslems ignored the saint’s warning, believing the vision to be the result of sorcery. The cruel masters bound the priests with chains and treated them even worse than before.

Then Saint Phanourius went to the priests and freed them from their shackles, promising that they would be freed the next day. Appearing once more to the Moslems, the holy martyr told them severely, “If you do not release your slaves by tomorrow, you shall witness the power of God!”

The next morning, all the inhabitants of the homes where the priests were held awoke to find themselves blind, paralyzed, and in great pain. They considered what they were to do, and so decided to send for the priests. When the three priests arrived, they asked them whether they could heal them. The priests replied, “We will pray to God. May His will be done!”

Once more Saint Phanourius appeared to the Hagarenes, ordering them to send to the church a document granting the priests their freedom. He told them that if they refused to do this, they would never recover their sight or health. All three masters wrote letters releasing the priests, and sent the documents to the church, where they were placed before the icon of Saint Phanourius.

Before the messengers returned from the church, all those who had been blind and paralyzed were healed. The priests joyfully returned to Crete, carrying with them a copy of the icon of Saint Phanourius. Every year they celebrated the Feast of Saint Phanourius with deep gratitude for their miraculous deliverance.

The saint’s name sounds similar to the Greek verb “phanerono,” which means “to reveal” or “to disclose.” For this reason, people pray to Saint Phanourius to help them find lost objects. When the object is recovered, they bake a sweet bread and share it with the poor, offering prayers for the salvation of saint’s mother. Her name is not known, but according to tradition, she was a sinful woman during her life. Saint Phanourius has promised to help those who pray for his mother in this way.

source oca.org

10th Sunday of Matthew

Lives of all saints commemorated on August 13

Leavetaking of the Transfiguration of our Lord

On the Leavetaking of the Transfiguration, all of the service for the Feast is repeated, except for the Entrance at Vespers, the Old Testament readings, Litya, the Polyeleos and Gospel at Matins, and the blessing of grapes at Liturgy. The Gospel and Epistle readings at Liturgy are those prescribed for the day.

The Typikon should be consulted for any possible variations.

Saint Tikhon, Bishop of Voronezh, Wonderworker of Zadonsk and All Russia

Saint Tikhon of Zadonsk, Bishop of Voronezh (in the world Timothy), was born in the year 1724 in the village of Korotsk in the Novgorod diocese, into the family of the cantor Sabellius Kirillov. (Afterward, a new family name, Sokolov, was given him by the head of the Novgorod Seminary). His father died when Timothy was a young child, leaving the family in such poverty that his mother was barely able to make ends meet. She wanted to give him to be raised by a neighbor, a coachman, since there was no other way to feed the family, but his brother Peter would not permit this. Timothy often worked a whole day with the peasants for a single piece of black bread.

As a thirteen-year-old boy, he was sent to a clergy school near the Archbishop of Novgorod’s residence, and earned his keep by working with the vegetable gardeners. In 1740, he was accepted under a state grant set up for the Novgorod Seminary. The youth excelled at his studies. Upon finishing seminary in 1754, he became a teacher there, first in Greek, and later in Rhetoric and Philosophy. In the year 1758, he was tonsured with the name Tikhon. That same year he was appointed as prefect of the Seminary.

In 1759, he was transferred to Tver, and was elevated to the rank of Archimandrite of Zheltikov Monastery. Later, he was appointed Rector of the Tver Seminary and, at the same time, Superior of Otroch Monastery.

His election as bishop was providential. Metropolitan Demetrios, the presiding member of the Holy Synod, had intended to transfer the young Archimandrite to the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra. On the day of Pascha, at Peterburg, Archimandrite Tikhon was one of eight candidates being considered for selection as vicar bishop for Novogorod. Metropolitan Demetrios thought he was too young for that position, but agreed to submit his name. The lot fell on Archimandrite Tikhon three times.

On the same day, during the Cherubic Hymn, Bishop Athanasios of Tver, without realizing it, commemorated him as a bishop while cutting particles from the prosphora at the Table of Oblation. On May 13, 1761 he was consecrated as Bishop of Keksgolma and Ladoga (i.e., vicar bishop of the Novgorod diocese).

In 1763, Saint Tikhon was transferred to the See of Voronezh. For the four and a half years that he administered the diocese of Voronezh, Vladyka provided constant edification, both by his life and by his numerous pastoral counsels and soul-profiting books. He also wrote a whole series of works for pastors:

• Concerning the Seven Holy Mysteries
• A Supplement to the Priestly Office
• Concerning the Mystery of Repentance
• An Instruction Concerning Marriage

The Hierarch considered it essential that each priest, deacon and monk have a New Testament, and that he should read it daily. In an Encyclical, he called on pastors to serve the Holy Mysteries with reverence, with the fear of God, and love for one’s neighbor. (An Explanation of Christian Duties was often republished in Moscow and Peterburg during the XVIII century).

At Voronezh the Saint abolished an ancient pagan custom: the celebration in honor of Yarila (a pagan god associated with the fertility of grain and cattle). In the outlying districts where military units of the Don Cossacks were dispersed, he formed a missionary commission to bring sectarians back to the Orthodox Church.

In 1765, Saint Tikhon transformed the Voronezh Slavic-Latin school into a seminary. He invited experienced instructors from Kiev and Kharkhov, and planned the curriculum. He devoted much attention and effort to building up both the churches and the school, and making pastors understand the need for education.

The Saint was unflagging in his efforts to administer his vast diocese, and he often spent nights without sleep. In 1767, poor health compelled him to give up running the diocese and withdraw for rest to the Tolshev Monastery, a distance 40 versts from Voronezh.

In 1769, Bishop Tikhon was transferred to the Monastery of the Theotokos in the city of Zadonsk. After settling into this Monastery, he became a great teacher of the Christian life. With profound wisdom he set forth the ideal of true monasticism in his Rule of Monastic Living and his Guidance to Turn from the Vanity of the World, and he fulfilled this ideal in his own life. He kept strictly to the Church’s precepts. He visited the church almost every day, and he often sang and read in the choir. In time, out of humility, he altogether ceased participating and serving, but merely stood in the altar, reverently making the Sign of the Cross upon himself. He loved to read the Lives of the Saints and the works of the Holy Fathers. He knew the Psalter by heart, and he usually read or sang the Psalms on his journeys.

Vladyka endured a great deal of tribulation because he had to leave his flock. When he recovered his health, he thought of returning to the Novgorod diocese, where Metropolitan Gabriel had invited him to head the Ivḗron Vallai Monastery. But when his cell attendant mentioned this to Elder Aaron, he declared: “Are you mad? The Mother of God does not direct him to move away from here.”

The cell attendant conveyed these words to His Grace. “If that is so,” he said, “I shall not move away from here,” and he tore up the invitation. Sometimes he journeyed to the village of Lipovka, where he celebrated Church Services at the Bekhteev house. The Saint also journeyed to Tolshev Monastery, which he loved for its solitude.

The fruition of all his spiritual life were the books that the Saint wrote while in retirement: A Spiritual Treasury, Gathered from the World (1770), and On True Christianity (1776).

Bishop Tikhon lived in very simple circumstances: he slept on straw, covered by a sheepskin coat. His humility was so great that he paid no attention to the workers who laughed at him as he walked about the Monastery, pretending that he did not hear them. He used to say, “It is pleasing to God that even the Monastery workers mock me, and I deserve it because of my sins.” He often said, “Forgiveness is better than revenge.”

Once, a Holy Fool named Kamenev struck the Hierarch on the cheek saying, “Don’t be so haughty.” He accepted this with gratitude, and gave the Fool three kopeks every day for the rest of his life.

All his life the Saint “endured troubles, sorrows, and insults joyfully, mindful that there can be no crown without victory, nor victory without effort, nor effort without struggle, nor struggle without enemies” (Ode 6 of the Canon).

Strict with himself, Vladyka was lenient toward others. On the Friday before Palm Sunday, he entered the cell of his friend Schema-monk Mētrophánēs, and he saw him at table together with Cosmas Ignatievich, of whom he was also fond. There was fish on the table, and his friends were upset (fish is not permitted during Lent, except for Feast days). The Saint said, “Sit down, for I know you. Love is higher than fasting.” He even ate some of their fish soup in order to calm them.

He especially loved the common folk, and comforted them in their grievous lot, interceding with the landowners, and moving them to compassion. He gave away his pension, as well as gifts from his admirers, to the poor.

By his deeds of self-denial and love of soul, the Saint advanced in contemplation of Heaven and foresaw the future. In 1778, he had a vision in his sleep: the Mother of God stood in the clouds, and near her were the Apostles Peter and Paul. On his knees, the Hierarch prayed to the Most Pure Virgin for the peace of the whole world. The Apostle Paul loudly exclaimed: “When they shall say, peace and safety; then sudden destruction will come upon them” (I Thessalonians 5:3). Bishop Tikhon fell asleep with trembling and with tears.

The following year, he saw the Mother of God in the air again and several people near her. The Saint knelt down, and near him four others in white garments also fell to their knees. The Hierarch entreated the Most Pure Virgin for someone, that she would not abandn him (he did not tell his cell attendant who the four people were, nor for whom the request was made). She replied, “Let it be as you ask.”

Saint Tikhon prophesied a great deal about the future, particularly Russia’s victory over the French in 1812. More than once they saw him in a state of spiritual rapture, with a transformed and radiant face, but he forbade them to speak about this.

For three years before his repose he prayed each day, “Tell me, O Lord, of my end.” And a quiet voice in the morning dawn said, “It shall be on a Sunday.” In that same year, he saw in a dream a beautiful meadow with wondrous palaces upon it. He wanted to go inside, but they said to him: “In three years, you may enter. For now, continue your labors.” After this the Saint shut himself in his cell and admitted just a few friends.

Both vestments and a grave were prepared for the time of his death. He often came to weep over his coffin, while standing hidden from people in a closet. A year and three months before his death, in a vivid dream, it seemed to him that he was standing in the Monastery church. A priest of his acquaintance was carrying the Divine Infant, covered with a veil, out of the altar through the Royal Doors. Vladyka approached and kissed the Infant on the right cheek, and he felt himself stricken on his left. Awakening, the Saint felt a numbness in his left cheek, his left leg, and a trembling in his left hand. He accepted this affliction with joy.

Shortly before his repose, Saint Tikhon saw a high and twisting ladder in a dream, and he was ordered to climb it. “At first, I was afraid because of my weakness,” he told his friend Cosmas. “But when I started to go climb, the people standing around the ladder lifted me higher and higher, up to the very clouds.”

“The ladder,” said Cosmas, “is the way to the Heavenly Kingdom. Those who helped were those whom you have helped by your advice, and so they remember you.” The Saint said with tears, “I thought so, too. I feel that my end is near.” He partook of the Holy Mysteries frequently during his final illness.

Vladyka reposed, as was revealed to him, on Sunday August 13, 1783, at the age of fifty-nine. The first uncovering of his relics occurred on May 14, 1846. Saint Tikhon was glorified on Sunday August 13, 1861.

Translation of the relics of Saint Maximus the Confessor

Saint Maximus the Confessor was born in Constantinople around 580 and raised in a pious Christian family. He received an excellent education, studying philosophy, grammar, and rhetoric. He was well-read in the authors of antiquity and he also mastered philosophy and theology. When Saint Maximus entered into government service, he became first secretary (asekretis) and chief counselor to the emperor Heraclius (611-641), who was impressed by his knowledge and virtuous life.

Saint Maximus soon realized that the emperor and many others had been corrupted by the Monothelite heresy, which was spreading rapidly through the East. He resigned from his duties at court, and went to the Chrysopolis monastery (at Skutari on the opposite shore of the Bosphorus), where he received monastic tonsure. Because of his humility and wisdom, he soon won the love of the brethren and was chosen igumen of the monastery after a few years. Even in this position, he remained a simple monk.

In 638, the emperor Heraclius and Patriarch Sergius tried to minimize the importance of differences in belief, and they issued an edict, the “Ekthesis” (“Ekthesis tes pisteos” or “Exposition of Faith”), which decreed that everyone must accept the teaching of one will in the two natures of the Savior. In defending Orthodoxy against the “Ekthesis,” Saint Maximus spoke to people in various occupations and positions, and these conversations were successful. Not only the clergy and the bishops, but also the people and the secular officials felt some sort of invisible attraction to him, as we read in his Life.

When Saint Maximus saw what turmoil this heresy caused in Constantinople and in the East, he decided to leave his monstery and seek refuge in the West, where Monothelitism had been completely rejected. On the way, he visited the bishops of Africa, strengthening them in Orthodoxy, and encouraging them not to be deceived by the cunning arguments of the heretics.

The Fourth Ecumenical Council had condemned the Monophysite heresy, which falsely taught that in the Lord Jesus Christ there was only one nature (the divine). Influenced by this erroneous opinion, the Monothelite heretics said that in Christ there was only one divine will (“thelema”) and only one divine energy (“energia”). Adherents of Monothelitism sought to return by another path to the repudiated Monophysite heresy. Monothelitism found numerous adherents in Armenia, Syria, and Egypt. The heresy, fanned also by nationalistic animosities, became a serious threat to Church unity in the East. The struggle of Orthodoxy with heresy was particularly difficult because in the year 630, three of the patriarchal thrones in the Orthodox East were occupied by Monothelites: Constantinople by Sergius, Antioch by Athanasius, and Alexandria by Cyrus.

Saint Maximus traveled from Alexandria to Crete, where he began his preaching activity. He clashed there with a bishop, who adhered to the heretical opinions of Severus and Nestorius. The saint spent six years in Alexandria and the surrounding area.

Patriarch Sergius died at the end of 638, and the emperor Heraclius also died in 641. The imperial throne was eventually occupied by his grandson Constans II (642-668), an open adherent of the Monothelite heresy. The assaults of the heretics against Orthodoxy intensified. Saint Maximus went to Carthage and he preached there for about five years. When the Monothelite Pyrrhus, the successor of Patriarch Sergius, arrived there after fleeing from Constantinople because of court intrigues, he and Saint Maximus spent many hours in debate. As a result, Pyrrhus publicly acknowledged his error, and was permitted to retain the title of “Patriarch.” He even wrote a book confessing the Orthodox Faith. Saint Maximus and Pyrrhus traveled to Rome to visit Pope Theodore, who received Pyrrhus as the Patriarch of Constantinople.

In the year 647 Saint Maximus returned to Africa. There, at a council of bishops Monotheletism was condemned as a heresy. In 648, a new edict was issued, commissioned by Constans and compiled by Patriarch Paul of Constantinople: the “Typos” (“Typos tes pisteos” or “Pattern of the Faith”), which forbade any further disputes about one will or two wills in the Lord Jesus Christ. Saint Maximus then asked Saint Martin the Confessor (April 14), the successor of Pope Theodore, to examine the question of Monothelitism at a Church Council. The Lateran Council was convened in October of 649. One hundred and fifty Western bishops and thirty-seven representatives from the Orthodox East were present, among them Saint Maximus the Confessor. The Council condemned Monothelitism, and the Typos. The false teachings of Patriarchs Sergius, Paul and Pyrrhus of Constantinople, were also anathematized.

When Constans II received the decisions of the Council, he gave orders to arrest both Pope Martin and Saint Maximus. The emperor’s order was fulfilled only in the year 654. Saint Maximus was accused of treason and locked up in prison. In 656 he was sent to Thrace, and was later brought back to a Constantinople prison.

The saint and two of his disciples were subjected to the cruelest torments. Each one’s tongue was cut out, and his right hand was cut off. Then they were exiled to Skemarum in Scythia, enduring many sufferings and difficulties on the journey.

After three years, the Lord revaled to Saint Maximus the time of his death (August 13, 662). Three candles appeared over the grave of Saint Maximus and burned miraculously. This was a sign that Saint Maximus was a beacon of Orthodoxy during his lifetime, and continues to shine forth as an example of virtue for all. Many healings occurred at his tomb.

In the Greek Prologue, August 13 commemorates the Transfer of the Relics of Saint Maximus from Lazika on the southeast shore of the Black Sea to Constantinople, to the Monastery of the Theotokos at Chrysopolis (where he had been the igumen), across the Bosphoros from Constantinople. This transfer took place after the Sixth Ecumenical Council.

August 13 could also be the date of the saint’s death, however. It is possible that his main commemoration was moved to January 21 because August 13 is the Leavetaking of the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Saint Maximus has left to the Church a great theological legacy. His exegetical works contain explanations of difficult passages of Holy Scripture, and include a Commentary on the Lord’s Prayer and on Psalm 59, various “scholia” or “marginalia” (commentaries written in the margin of manuscripts), on treatises of the Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3) and Saint Gregory the Theologian (January 25). Among the exegetical works of Saint Maximus are his explanation of divine services, entitled “Mystagogia” (“Introduction Concerning the Mystery”).

The dogmatic works of Saint Maximus include the Exposition of his dispute with Pyrrhus, and several tracts and letters to various people. In them are contained explanations of the Orthodox teaching on the Divine Essence and the Persons of the Holy Trinity, on the Incarnation of the Word of God, and on “theosis” (“deification”) of human nature.

“Nothing in theosis is the product of human nature,” Saint Maximus writes in a letter to his friend Thalassius, “for nature cannot comprehend God. It is only the mercy of God that has the capacity to endow theosis unto the existing… In theosis man (the image of God) becomes likened to God, he rejoices in all the plenitude that does not belong to him by nature, because the grace of the Spirit triumphs within him, and because God acts in him” (Letter 22).

Saint Maximus also wrote anthropological works (i.e. concerning man). He deliberates on the nature of the soul and its conscious existence after death. Among his moral compositions, especially important is his “Chapters on Love.” Saint Maximus the Confessor also wrote three hymns in the finest traditions of church hymnography, following the example of Saint Gregory the Theologian.

The theology of Saint Maximus the Confessor, based on the spiritual experience of the knowledge of the great Desert Fathers, and utilizing the skilled art of dialectics worked out by pre-Christian philosophy, was continued and developed in the works of Saint Simeon the New Theologian (March 12), and Saint Gregory Palamas (November 14).

Uncovering of the relics of Venerable Maximus of Moscow the Fool-for-Christ

Saint Maximus of Moscow, the Fool for Christ. Nothing is known about his parents, or the time and place of birth. Saint Maximus chose one of the most difficult and thorny paths to salvation, having taken upon himself the guise of a fool for the sake of Christ. Summer and winter Maximus walked about almost naked, enduring both heat and cold. He had a saying, “The winter is fierce, but Paradise is sweet.”

Russia loved its holy fools, it esteemed their deep humility, it heeded their wisdom, expressed in the proverbial sayings of the people’s language. And everyone heeded the holy fools, from the Great Princes down to the least beggar.

Blessed Maximus lived at a difficult time for the Russian people. Tatar incursions, droughts, and epidemics were endemic and people perished. The saint said to the unfortunate, “Not everything is by the weave of the wool, some is opposite… They have won the fight, submit, and bow lower. Weep not, you who are beaten; but weep, you who are unbeaten. Let us show tolerance, and in this at least, we shall be human. Gradually, even green wood will burn. God will grant salvation if we bear all with patience.”

But the saint did not only speak words of consolation. His angry denunciations frightened the mighty of his world. Blessed Maximus would often say to the rich and illustrious, “The house has an icon corner, but the conscience is for sale. Everyone makes the Sign of the Cross, not everyone prays. God sees every wrong. He will not deceive you, nor will you deceive Him.”

Blessed Maximus died on November 11, 1434 and is buried at the church of the holy Princes Boris and Gleb. Miraculous healings began occurring from the relics of God’s saint. In an encyclical of 1547, Metropolitan Macarius enjoined “the singing and celebration at Moscow for the new Wonderworker Maximus, Fool-for-Christ.” That same year on August 13 the incorrupt relics of Blessed Maximus were uncovered. The church of Saints Boris and Gleb, where the saint was buried, burned in the year 1568. On the site a new church was built, which they consecrated in the name of Saint Maximus, Fool-for-Christ. The venerable relics of Saint Maximus were placed in this church.

Martyr Hippolytus of Rome and those with him: Martyr Concordia, Irenaeus, and Abundius

The Martyr Hippolytus was a chief prison guard at Rome under the emperors Decius (249-251) and Valerian (253-259). He was converted to Christ by the Martyr Laurence (August 10), and he buried the martyr’s body.

They informed the emperor of this, and Saint Hippolytus was arrested. Valerian asked: “Are you then a sorcerer, to have stolen away the body of Laurence?” The saint confessed himself a Christian, and they beat him fiercely with rods. His only response was, “I am a Christian.”

The emperor gave orders to clothe Saint Hippolytus in his soldier’s garb, saying, “Be mindful of your calling and be our friend. Offer sacrifice to the gods together with us, just as before.” But the martyr answered, “I am a soldier of Christ, my Savior, and I desire to die for Him.”

They then confiscated all his property, and whipped his foster mother, the Martyr Concordia, with olive switches, and they beheaded all his household before his very eyes. The saint himself was tied to wild horses, which dragged him over the stones to his death. This occurred on August 13, 258, the third day after the martyr’s death of Archdeacon Laurence, just as he had foretold to Saint Hippolytus.

By night the priest Justin buried all the martyrs at the place of execution. However, the body of Saint Concordia had been thrown into an unclean place at Rome. After a while two Christians, the Martyrs Irenaeus and Abundius, learned from a soldier where the body of the martyr had been thrown, and they buried her beside Saint Hippolytus. For this reason, they were drowned on August 26, just as the martyr had been. Christians took up the bodies of the martyrs by night and buried them near the relics of the holy Archdeacon Laurence.

Icon of the Mother of God “of the Passion”

On Tverskaya Street in Moscow there are beautiful buildings, a cathedral, high walls, and a small bell tower with the sonorous bells of the Passion Monastery. This Icon received its name because on either side of the Mother of God two Angels are depicted with the implements of the Lord’s Passion: the Cross, the spear, and the sponge.

A certain pious woman named Katherine¹ was the victim of demonic possession after her marriage, After seven years she fell into such despair that she ran off into the forest and more than once she attempted suicide.

Somehow, she came to her senses and begged the Mother of God to deliver her from her affliction. She promised that if she recovered, she would enter a convent. She was healed, but then she forgot her vow for a long time, and remained married, had children and raised them. When she remembered her broken promise at last, she became ill again and took to her bed. At that time, someone approached the doors and made the usual prayer. The doors opened, and the Mother of God entered the room. She was wearing a crimson robe with gold crosses. A young girl accompanied the Sovereign Lady.

The Mother of God said, “Katherine, why didn’t you keep your promise to enter a convent and serve my Son and God? Go now and tell everyone about my appearance, and tell them to abstain from malice, envy, drunkenness, and every impurity, and to live in chastity, and to have unfeigned love for one another, and to observe Sundays and Feast Days.”

The woman did not obey this order. Then the Mother of God appeared to her twice more, and then Katherine was punished: her head turned to the side, her mouth was twisted, and her body was paralyzed. After this punishment, the Mother of God ordered her to go to Nizhny Novgorod and find a certain iconographer named Gregory, who had painted a Hodēgḗtria Icon. Katherine told Gregory about the apparitions of the Mother of God and, after she saved seven silver coins, she gave them to the iconographer to adorn the Icon. The Theotokos promised to heal her if she did this. Katherine found the iconographer and the Icon, and she was healed.

From that time on, miracles have occurred before this Icon. After this first miracle, it was transferred to the village of Palitsa, in the Nizhny Novgorod Diocese.

In 1641, by command of Tsar Alexei, the Icon was transferred to Moscow. A church was built at the spot where it was met at the Tver gates, and the Icon was placed in it. Then, in 1654, the Passion Convent was built.

The Icon’s Feast Day is on August 13, in remembrance its transfer from the village of Palitsa to Moscow in 1641.

The Icon is also commemorated the sixth Sunday after Pascha (Sunday of the Blind Man) in remembrance of the miracles which took place on that day. Copies of the Icon “of the Passion” have been glorified in Moscow’s church of the Conception of Saint Anna, and also in the village of Enkaeva in Tambov Diocese.

Lipetsk Icon “of the Passion”

In the city of Lipetsk, Tambov province, in the Nativity of Christ Cathedral, there is a very ancient and revered Icon of the Mother of God “of the Passion” In honor of this Icon, a chapel was built in the cathedral, where it is kept. In bygone years, the inhabitants of Lipetsk often flocked to this shrine with fervent prayer and often received healing from bodily illnesses and consolation in their mental afflictions. But later, they almost forgot their pious custom, and the blessings which the Queen of Heaven bestowed on them, were preserved only in a vague and dark tradition.

In 1831, in the Lipetsk district and in the city of Lipetsk itself, there was severe outbreak of cholera. Then everyone remembered the wonderworking Icon of the Mother of God and appealed to the Mother of God with tears, asking for her help and intercession. As soon as the Icon was taken from the church, it was carried through the city in a Cross Procession and brought into homes, there were not so many deaths, and soon the cholera stopped altogether.

The inhabitants of the city, in gratitude for their deliverance, made a silver riza for the Icon of the Mother of God, and adorned it with various precious stones.

Moscow Icon “of the Passion” in the church of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by the Righteous Anna

On February 20, 1547, during the reign of Ivan the Terrible, near the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by the Righteous Anna² church in Moscow at the corner called Kitai Town, two fires broke out. These fires destroyed many homes, except for one wooden house which remained undamaged by the fire, where the Icon of the Mother of God “of the Passion was kept. Contemporaries and eyewitnesses of this event had no doubt that this wooden house had been preserved only by God’s special providence, and that grace was bestowed on it from above, by the Icon of the Mother of God. Soon the news of such a miraculous event reached Ivan the Terrible. The Tsar had the Icon of the Mother of God “of the Passion” brought to the palace, where it became famous because of its many miracles.

Soon, at the Tsar’s command, it was moved from the palace to the church of the Conception of the Most Holy Theotokos and placed on the iconostasis, to the left of the royal gates, where it is kept to this day.

“Of the Passion” Icon in the village of Enkaev

Once, during the flooding of Eremshi, or Ermish River, in the village of Enkaev, Temnikovsky district, Tambov province, a serf named Ivan, who belonged to the landowner Nesterov, happened to see an icon floating on the water. It is not known where the Icon of the Mother of God “of the Passion” came from. He took it out of the water and brought it to the landowner Nesterov, who ordered it to be placed on the gates of the manor house. Here those who were blind or somewhat paralyzed received healing after praying before the Icon. After these miraculous events, the Icon of the Mother of God “of the Passion” was moved to the church of the Annunciation at Enkaev. Since that time the Icon has been revealed as wonderworking.

Priluki Icon of the Mother of God “of the Passion”

During his lifetime, Venerable Demetrios († February 11, 1392), founded the famous Savior-Priluki Monastery five versts from Vologda, near a bend in the river of the same name. Now his shrine is in the Monastery he founded, and over it, in a kiot behind glass, there is an ancient Icon of the Mother of God “of the Passion.” It is considered to be the Saint’s cell icon.

Among other local icons of the Mother of God “of the Passion,” we may mention an icon located in the city of Orel, in the church of the Archangel Michael, and another, in the city of Kolomna, Moscow province in the chapel, on Popovskaya Street. All these icons are accurate copies of the ancient wonderworking Icon of the Theotokos, which is now located in Moscow’s Passion Monastery.

¹ Some sources say the woman’s name was Eudoxia.
² The church’s Altar Feast is December 9.

“Seven Arrows” Icon of the Mother of God

On the Seven Arrows Icon, the Most Holy Theotokos is depicted without the Divine Infant. She inclines her head toward her right shoulder, and her heart is pierced with seven arrows or swords, of which four are on the left side and three on the right. A similar image of the Mother of God is also found on the icons “Softener of Evil Hearts,” and “Simeon’s Prophecy,” on which the swords are placed somewhat differently: three on the right and left, and the seventh at the bottom.

The “Seven Arrows” Icon is at least 600 years old. For a long time, the holy image was at the landing in the bell tower of the church of the Apostle John the Theologian (near Vologda). The Icon, facing downward, was mistaken for an ordinary board on which people walked, until a paralyzed man in the city of Kadnikov had a vision in which it was revealed that he would receive healing after praying before this Icon. A Moleben was served before the Icon, and the man recovered.

The Icon became especially famous in 1830 during an outbreak of cholera in Vologda.

The real, authentic image (the “Seven Arrows” Icon) is now in the church of Saint Lazarus, in Vologda. The Icon has been in that temple since 1945, after the Great Patriotic War.

Muscovites can pray before the wonderworking copies located in the Moscow region. There are two images of the “Seven Arrows” Mother of God. Both exude an amazing myrrh – an oily liquid which inexplicably appeared on them.

The first copy of the “Seven Arrows” Icon is now in the church dedicated to the Holy Archangel Michael, located in Moscow. The second copy is in the village of Bachurino in the Moscow region.

The Feast Day of this Icon is celebrated on August 13, and on the Sunday of All Saints (First Sunday after Pentecost).

The same Troparion and Kontakion are used for the “Seven Arrows” Icon (August 13), and the “Softener of Evil Hearts” Icon (Sunday of All Saints).

Second Finding of the relics of Saint Tikhon, Wonderworker of Zadonsk

No information available at this time.

Icon of the Mother of God of Minsk

The Minsk Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos was brought by the holy Prince Vladimir from Korsun in the Crimea, and placed in Kiev’s Cathedral of the Tithes, where it remained for more than 500 years. The consecration of that church in 996 is commemorated on May 12.

In the year 1500, during the capture of Kiev by Khan Mengli-Gyr, a certain Tatar stripped the riza and other adornments from the Icon, and threw it into the Dniepr River. After a while it was found floating in the Svisloch River near Minsk. Surrounded by an extraordinary light, the Icon was brought to shore and taken to the church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, in the castle of the Minsk appanage¹ Princes. This occurred on August 13, 1500.

The Minsk Icon was taken to the Uniate Monastery of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in 1616, and was returned to the Orthodox in 1839. The church of the Holy Spirit Monastery then became an Orthodox cathedral, which was dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. Every Friday, an Akathist is served before the holy Icon, and many miracles have been recorded.²

On the Icon, which is on the left side of the iconostasis, the Mother of God is depicted with the Pre-eternal Child on her left arm. The Icon is painted with egg tempra on a wooden board, and in 1852 it was covered with a silver riza, over the faces of the Mother of God and the Savior, Who holds an orb in His left hand. In some icons, both wear gilded crowns with precious stones. At the bottom of the riza is the following inscription:

“This Icon of the Mother of God with the Child Jesus, was provided by the Great Prince of the Russian land, Saint Vladimir in Kiev, in the Church of the Tithes, and after the devastation of Kiev by the Tatars, it appeared in Minsk on August 13, 1500 on the Svisloch River, and placed in the castle church. Later, it was transferred to the cathedral. In 1852, by the diligence of the Orthodox, it was covered with a new silver riza.”

The Minsk Icon, which belongs to the Hodēgḗtria type, is more than four and a half feet tall, and three feet wide.

¹ Land or money given by a King or Prince to his younger children as a means of support.

² In his book БОГОМАТРЬ (The Mother of God), Eugene Poselyanin states that the Akathist to the “Joy of All Who Sorrow” Icon is read before the Minsk Icon every Saturday.

Holy Empress Irene (Schema-nun Xenia)

Saint Irene lived in the XII century and was a beautiful and virtuous daughter. The Emperor Alexios Komnenos noticed her and married her to his son John, who was called Kalioannis because of his many virtues. The virtuous Empress Irene, therefore, spent generously on charitable works. She even went to poor homes by herself in order to give not only money, but also greater aid and comfort: hope in Christ. She also built homes for the aged and left large sums of money for their safety and comfort.

Later, Saint Irene experienced great sorrows. Her husband died during an expedition to Syria in 1143. Later the same thing happened to two of her four children. Then Irene wanted to seek relief from her sorrows in the monastic life. After obtaining the consent of her son Emperor Manuel, she retired to Pantokrator Monastery, where she became a nun. The Holy Empress Irene was renamed Xenia when she was tonsured into the Holy Angelic Schema.

Death found her in the Monastery, and she was buried with great simplicity, as she herself wished. Shortly before her blessed repose, she said that Empress Irene had already died long before, and now only the nun Xenia remained.

source Orthodox Church of America

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8th Sunday of Matthew

Apostle Silas of the Seventy

Commemorated on July 30

The Holy Apostle of the Seventy Silas was a disciple of the Savior.

Saint Silas was a respected figure in the original Church at Jerusalem, one of the “chief men among the brethren” (Acts 15:22). The Council of the Apostles was convened at Jerusalem in the year 51 to deal with the question of whether Gentile Christian converts should be required to observe the Mosaic Law. The Apostles sent a message with Paul and Barnabas to the Christians of Antioch, giving the decision of the Council that Christians of Gentile origin did not have to observe the prescriptions of the Mosaic Law. Nonetheless, they were told that they must refrain from partaking of foods offered to idols, from things strangled and from blood, to refrain from fornication (Acts 15:20-29). Together with Saints Paul and Barnabas, the Council of the Apostles sent Saints Silas and Jude to explain the message in greater detail, since they both were filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Saint Jude was later sent back to Jerusalem, but Saint Silas remained at Antioch and zealously assisted Saint Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, on his missionary journeys preaching the Gospel. They visited Syria, Cilicia, and Macedonia.

In the city of Philippi they were accused of inciting unrest among the people, and for this they were arrested, beaten with rods, and then thrown into prison. At midnight, when the saints were at prayer, suddenly there was a strong earthquake, their chains fell off from them and the doors of the prison opened. The prison guard, supposing that the prisoners had fled, wanted to kill himself, but was stopped by the Apostle Paul. Then, he fell down trembling at the feet of the saints, and with faith accepted their preaching about Christ. He then led them out of the prison and took them to his own home, where he washed their wounds, and was baptized together with all his household.

From Philippi Saints Paul and Silas proceeded on to the cities of Amphipolis, Apollonia and Thessalonica. In each city they made new converts to Christ and built up the Church.

At Corinth the holy Apostle Silas was consecrated as bishop, and worked many miracles and signs, and there he finished his life.

Sunday of the 630 Holy Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Council

Join us for the Sunday of the 630 Holy Fathers of the 4th Ecumenical Council

Saturday (15/07): Great Vespers 5:30pm

Sunday (16/07): Matins 10am, Divine Liturgy 11am, Moleben Service for Ukraine 6pm

On this Sunday, in the Holy Orthodox Church, we commemorate the 630 holy and God-bearing Fathers of the Fourth Ecumenical Council, which convened in Chalcedon in 451 against the Monophysites.

The Holy Fathers were, once again, concerned with the nature of Jesus Christ. The false teaching arose that Christ’s human nature (considered by heretics as less perfect) dissolved itself in His divine nature (considered by heretics as more perfect): like a cube of sugar in a parcel of water. Thus, in that scenario, Christ had only one nature, the Divine. These false preachers were called Monophysites (“mono”, meaning “one” and “physis”, meaning “nature”), and they were led by Eutyches and Dioscorus. Monophysitism overemphasized the divine nature of Christ, at the expense of the human. The Fourth Ecumenical Council condemned Monophysitism and proclaimed that Christ has two complete natures: the divine and the human, as defined by previous Councils. These two natures function as equally perfect, without confusion, and are neither divided nor separate. The Fathers declared that at no time did they undergo any change.

By the intercessions of Thy Saints, O Christ God, have mercy upon us. Amen.

5th Sunday of Mathew, Holy Martyr Pancratios

Join us for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Hieromartyr Pancratius Bishop of Taormina, Saint Dionysius the Rhetor & His Disciple Saint Metrophanes, Michael Paknanas neomartyr

Saturday (8/7): Great Vespers 5:30pm

Sunday (9/7): Matins 10am, Divine Liturgy 11am, Moleben Service for Ukraine 6pm

The Hieromartyr Pancratius, Bishop of Taormina, was born when our Lord Jesus Christ yet lived upon the earth.

The parents of Pancratius were natives of Antioch. Hearing the good news of Jesus Christ, Pancratius’ father took his young son with him and went to Jerusalem in order to see the great Teacher for himself. The miracles astonished him, and when he heard the divine teaching, he then believed in Christ as the Son of God. He became close with the disciples of the Lord, especially with the holy Apostle Peter. It was during this period that young Pancratius got to know the holy Apostle Peter.

After the Ascension of the Savior, one of the Apostles came to Antioch and baptized the parents of Pancratius together with all their household. When the parents of Pancratius died, he left behind his inherited possessions and went to Pontus and began to live in a cave, spendng his days in prayer and deep spiritual contemplation. The holy Apostle Peter, while passing through those parts, visited Pancratius at Pontus. He took him along to Antioch, and then to Sicily, where the holy Apostle Paul then was. There the holy Apostles Peter and Paul made Saint Pancratius Bishop of Taormina in Sicily.

Saint Pancratius toiled zealously for the Christian enlightenment of the people. In a single month he built a church where he celebrated divine services. The number of believers quickly grew, and soon almost all the people of Taormina and the surrounding cities accepted the Christian Faith.

Saint Pancratius governed his flock peacefully for many years. However, pagans plotted against the saint, and seizing an appropriate moment, they fell upon him and stoned him. Thus, Saint Pancratius ended his life as a martyr.

Source: oca.org

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