April: Day 18: Teaching 1: Venerable John, Disciple of Saint Gregory of Decapolis

April: Day 18: Teaching 1:
Venerable John, Disciple of Saint Gregory of Decapolis
 
(On How We Can Participate in Spreading Truth and Goodness)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable John, commemorated today by the Church, was a disciple of Saint Gregory of Decapolis (whose memory is kept on November 20). From his youth he loved the ascetic life, came to Gregory, and struggled under his guidance. Venerable John and Gregory lived in the 9th century, during the iconoclastic heresy. Both of them left their place of safety and came to Constantinople, where the heresy was especially strong, in order to strengthen the faithful in Orthodoxy. There Saint Gregory soon reposed; but John continued his ascetic labors until his own death, which occurred in the year 820.

We see, brethren, that during the persecution of the holy icons by the iconoclast emperor (Leo the Armenian), Venerable John left his safe solitude and went to the capital of the Greek Empire in order to strengthen the faint-hearted and those wavering in the truth of the Orthodox teaching concerning the veneration of holy icons. Thus clearly he understood his moral duty to teach others the truth and a virtuous life.

The example of Venerable John reminds us also, brethren, of our duty to take part in spreading truth and goodness among our neighbors and among all who have departed from truth and piety.

Prologue in Sermons: April 18

Prayer Can Be Made Not Only in Churches, But Everywhere

April 18

(A saying from the Paterikon on humility, which conquers all the power of the devil.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Many Christians say: “I would gladly pray, but I have no time to go to the church of God — sometimes work does not allow it, sometimes family members prevent me.” What should be said to such people? Of course, all these things do happen. Sometimes work really does prevent it. For example, if there are sick people at home — how can you leave them if there is no one else to care for them? At other times, family members hold you back. What then? In such cases, it is often necessary to remain at home so as not to cause conflict and discord in the family. There are, of course, many other obstacles as well. But if these obstacles are truly so great that one cannot go to church, then is it really impossible, at least in such cases, to pray to God at home or wherever one may be? One can pray everywhere. You may say: “There is no time.” But that is not true. If your hands are occupied — your lips can speak; if your lips are occupied — pray with your mind and heart. God will hear that prayer, and He will count prayer at home in place of prayer in church.

Festal Homily for the Friday of Renewal Week and the Zoodochos Pege (Elder Philotheos Zervakos)

Festal Homily for the Friday of Renewal Week

And an Account of Certain Miracles of our Most Glorious Lady Theotokos, of the Zoodochos Pege (Life-Receiving Spring)

(Part 1 of 2) 

 

By Archimandrite Philotheos Zervakos

Again a feast, and again a festival. And, to speak better, within the feast there has appeared to us yet another joyful feast, increasing the joy of the faithful and filling their hearts with unspeakable gladness. For while we are still celebrating the radiant and world-saving Resurrection of Christ our God and Savior, behold, there has also shone upon us another festival of His Pure and Immaculate Mother, our Lady and Sovereign, the Zoodochos Pege, which with just cause urges all the faithful to celebrate again today, and all together to rejoice with spiritual joy and exultation, glorifying with hymns and doxologies Christ our God risen from the dead, and His All-Holy Mother, the Mistress of all creation, the benefactress and mediatrix of us Christians, that we may receive from her grace and a spiritual reward.

For just as those who go to a bath and wash return cleansed from bodily defilements, in the same way every faithful person who runs to the holy house of our Lady, and with reverence and faith drinks and is sprinkled from her precious holy water, is wondrously illumined and purified with a marvelous cleansing, being freed from spiritual pollutions and delivered from every sickness of soul and body. Therefore, O my brethren, let us all hasten today with faith and reverence to the grace-filled temple of the Virgin Mother; let us rejoice and celebrate together, young and old, and let us be spiritually glad on this new Friday.

Verses to the Zoodochos Pege from 1812

The following verses were published in 1812 and composed by Paisios II, who was the former Bishop of Stagi that year and residing in Constantinople. There he undertook the task of translating into a more modern Greek for that time the 63 Miracles attributed to the Zoodochos Pege which was originally written by Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos. Accompanying his translation were the following verses the former Bishop Paisios II of Stagi composed as a tribute.

Verses to the Zoodochos Pege

Water is excellent, and the wise man says it so;
Therefore, from all the elements of nature, he chooses it.

Who does not know the advantages of water?
For everyone judges it to be life-producing.

Water, the purest thing in all creation,
Accomplishes many wonders and shows a fountain of wisdom.

Through it the Most High Power also grants
Heavenly gifts — let no one doubt this.

Water becomes a bath for the stains of the soul,
And a sanctification of the body against defilements.

Sunday of Holy Pascha (10-12 of 15)

...continued.

10. Bright Pascha in Jerusalem

The Russian Abbot Daniel, who traveled to the Holy Land in the twelfth century, describes the celebration of the Bright Feast before the Holy Sepulchre as follows:

“On Great and Holy Saturday, at the sixth hour of the day, an innumerable multitude of people gathers at the Church of the Resurrection of Christ. Natives come, and pilgrims from other lands — from Babylon, Egypt, and Antioch. All gather there on that day in countless numbers and fill the place around the church of the Lord’s Tomb. There is great crowding in the church then: many even struggle to breathe because of the crush.

All these worshipers stand with unlit candles and wait for the doors of the church to be opened. Then they are opened, and everyone enters the church, forcing their way in and pressing against one another, filling the whole church and the porches. Everywhere there are crowds — inside the church, outside the church, around Golgotha and the Place of the Skull — even as far as the place where the Lord’s Cross was found.

And all the people pray with only one prayer: ‘Lord, have mercy.’ So loud are these cries that the earth seems to groan and tremble throughout that whole area from the shouting of the people. Those who truly believe weep then from compunction, and even the one whose heart is hardened feels shame, remembers his sins, and says within himself: ‘Will the Holy Light truly not descend today because of my sins?’

Renewal Friday - The Zoodochos Pege in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church (Fr. George Dorbarakis)

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

The Hymnographer of the Service for the Zoodochos Pege (Life-Receiving Spring) of the Theotokos, in regards to the church of the Panagia with its renowned holy spring at Balıklı Monastery in Constantinople, is Saint Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos.[1] The Saint cannot find words in order even slightly to define what has taken place at this holy spring for centuries: the flood of healings, the benefactions, the countless miracles. Therefore he summons images from the natural world and from Holy Scripture in order to give the proper analogies: the church there of the Theotokos is a noetic ocean, something surpassing even the river Nile in the offering of the grace of God; it is a second Pool of Siloam, a second rock gushing forth healing water, a continuation of the Jordan River, another manna covering the needs of the one seeking salvation. It is divine water, ambrosia and nectar[2] (Vespers Aposticha).

And of course these are not only miracles related to the healing of the bodily illnesses of men. The healing water of the Theotokos cures also the illnesses of the soul, the passions of men, so that through it man may find God and become healthy in both respects, spiritually and bodily. Besides, the gift of the grace of God through the water there aims at this: the true restoration of human beings, that is, their spiritual health. For what meaning has bodily health alone, if it is not accompanied by its spiritual dimension as well? Bodily health by itself often proves destructive for man, because it pushes him toward the increase of his sins. Thus the Zoodochos Pege healed man in a twofold manner, “flowing abundantly to all who have need of health of soul and health of body, with the water of grace” (Vespers Sticheron).[3] “How great are your wonders, O Spring, which you offer to all! For not only have you driven away grievous diseases from those who come to you with longing, but you also wash away the passions of souls” (Glory at Vespers).[4] Therefore, because “the water of the Virgin heals souls, let us run to the Maiden, we who are afflicted by the stains of the passions, and let us wash them away” (Praises).[5]

Prologue in Sermons: April 17

Our Humility Is Especially Unbearable to Demons

April 17

(A saying from the Paterikon on humility, which conquers all the power of the devil.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Our humility is especially unbearable to demons and hateful to them. We will prove this to you by the following two examples.

Two blood-brother monks lived together, and they lived in perfect love. The devil envied this and wanted to separate them. And so, when the younger brother lit a candle and placed it on the candlestick, the devil extinguished the lamp and knocked it down. The elder brother, thinking that his younger brother had done this, beat him, and with great anger.

The younger bowed to the ground before him and asked forgiveness. “Brother,” he said, “wait a little, and I will light the candle for you at once.”

But the invisible power of God terribly tormented the demon until morning. When he was freed from the torment, he told everything to Satan. All this was heard by a pagan priest who happened to be there. Soon after this he became a monk and became humble, saying to everyone:

“Humility destroys all the power of the enemy, for I myself heard the words of the demons.”

The Miraculous Discovery of the Relics of Saint Leonides and His Companions in 1917

The commemoration of the Holy Martyr Leonides and his seven female disciples, who were also glorified as saints because of their martyrdom, is celebrated on April 16.

In 1917 their relics were discovered in the region of Nea Epidavros (Nea Epidaurus), and they have been placed in a silver reliquary and constitute a place of pilgrimage in the Church of Saint Leonides there.

The beginning of the revelation of the Church of Saint Leonides took place on April 12, 1898, after a vision seen at dawn on that day by seventeen-year-old Ioannis Georgiou Bimpis. In the vision, the Most Holy Theotokos appeared — clothed in black yet radiant — with the Divine Infant in her arms, at the very spot where the church stands today, and she instructed him to dig in that place and he would find an invaluable treasure.

After recounting the vision to his family and praying, the young man took a hoe and, at sunrise, went to the place indicated by the Panagia.

Five Miracles of Saint Amphilochios of Patmos

1. An event that shows how he received mysterious calls for the salvation of others, and which recalls the great Apostle of the Nations, Paul the Apostle, who heard the voice of the Macedonian: “Come over and help us.” 

The ever-memorable Elder, while he was in his cell at the monastery in Patmos, heard a certain Helen from Ikaria calling him to hasten and save her. He did not lose time; he went down to the harbor of the island and, as if by a miracle, found a sailing vessel departing for Ikaria.

Battered by the sea, he arrived at his destination and immediately asked whether there was a certain widow named Helen, and was informed that a few days earlier she had lost her husband. At once he asked to learn the road that led to the house of the widow. He did not seek to rest his weary body, but hastened without delay — the voice of Helen troubled him. As he was walking, he saw a frantic woman running in despair; he called her by name and said to her: “Helen, where are you going? I have come for you.” And the grieving woman came to herself, saw the spiritual father, thought about what she was about to do, and confessed that at that very moment she was going to drown herself in the sea. The woman was saved; the miracle took place, as she herself told me.

His constant journeys and his labors in hearing the confessions of his spiritual children are not easy to record. He ran with all missionary zeal to find and save the lost. His concern for sinners in general shows him to be a good shepherd, an imitator of Christ the Chief Shepherd.