The Miracle of Saint Paraskevi in Thermo on November 20th 1918

 

 

In the year 1918, a flu pandemic known as the Spanish Flu broke out throughout Europe and thus extended throughout Greece. In the area of Thermo of Central Greece, the flu pandemic was at its peak.

Every day for about three months, deaths from the flu, as confirmed by the Church’s books, amounted to up to twelve per day. The situation was tragic.

The testimonies of the people who lived through it speak of the shocking experience.

The relatives of the dead did not dare to accompany their loved ones even to their grave, because the disease was contagious.

The priests of that time testify to this. People in general were panicking in the face of the great evil. There was no way to fight it.

Their only hope was in God and Saint Paraskevi. So the priests, together with the residents, decided to bring the icon of Saint Paraskevi to Thermo and process it through the streets.

November: Day 20: Teaching 2: Venerable Gregory the Decapolite

November: Day 20: Teaching 2:
Venerable Gregory the Decapolite
 
(The Failure of Objections to Monasticism)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Gregory, whose memory is celebrated today, was a native of Decapolis in Isauria, and from childhood he loved learning and achieved a broad education, but at the same time, under the influence of a pious home education, he studied and loved the Holy Scriptures even more zealously and, already from the age of eight, piously observed the life that they prescribed. Having reached the age of maturity and avoiding married life, he left his native home and “accepted monasticism.” Without choosing a permanent refuge for himself, Gregory traveled through various countries, and since heretical teachings were widely spread at that time, he actively admonished those who were in error everywhere, confirmed the people in Orthodoxy and consoled those languishing in prison with his visits. This ascetic of holy faith and piety, died peacefully in Constantinople around 820. The Holy Church glorifies him thus: “The Church recognizes you as a bright sun, enlightening everyone with the beauty of virtues and the rays of healing, O Saint of Christ; therefore we celebrate your honorable memory and honor your deeds, all-blessed wise Father Gregory!”

November: Day 20: Teaching 1: Saint Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople

November: Day 20: Teaching 1:
Saint Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople
 
(Lessons From His Life:
a. About the Importance of Patristic Writings;
b. About the Origin of the Trisagion Hymn; and
c. About Reverent Participation in Religious Processions)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople, whose memory is celebrated on this day, was a disciple of Saint John Chrysostom and during his episcopacy lived in the same room with this great Father of the Church. One night, approaching the door of Saint John's cell, Proclus saw that Saint Chrysostom was writing, and behind him stood a venerable man who was whispering something in his ear. Proclus was amazed at this, knowing that no one could enter where Saint John was without Saint Proclus himself introducing whomever was needed to his teacher. This continued for three nights, and all this time Saint Proclus constantly saw this man whispering something in John's ear. Finally, Saint Proclus told his teacher about this, and when he received the answer that no one was with Saint John that night, and that he had not spoken with anyone, then Saint Proclus, having described the appearance of this man, looked at the icon of the Holy Apostle Paul, hanging on the wall near the table where Saint John Chrysostom wrote his commentaries on the epistles of the Holy Apostle Paul and exclaimed: “This is the one who spoke with you, I saw him at night!” Then both recognized that the Holy Apostle Paul had appeared to them, and they thanked God - Saint Chrysostom for the secret inspiration and instruction from Paul, and Proclus for the vision that he was granted.

November: Day 19: Holy Martyr Barlaam of Antioch

November: Day 19: 

Holy Martyr Barlaam of Antioch
 
("Brethren, Be Vigilant, Stand Firm in the Faith." - 1 Cor. 16:13)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Barlaam, whose memory is celebrated today, was a native of Antioch. For confessing the name of Christ he was subjected to cruel tortures and by all means they tried to force him to offer sacrifice to idols, since Barlaam was already an old man of advanced years, who enjoyed special respect in Christian society, and therefore the example of his betrayal of the Christian faith could strongly affect others. But no torture could force Saint Barlaam to change his faith and confession of the name of Christ. In order to make the Holy Confessor an involuntary participant in idolatry, the torturers forced him to stretch out his hand over a flaming altar and put hot coals with frankincense and myrrh into it. The feeling of pain and the slightest weakening of patience could easily force the Holy Confessor to drop the incense placed in his hand on the altar and thus give his enemies a reason to say that he was betraying the Christian faith and honoring pagan gods. But Saint Barlaam was so firm and strong in his faith that the pain from the burning of his hand could not force him to change its direction. He held the coals in his hand until the burnt compositions of his fingers began to fall off. In this feat of self-sacrifice for the sake of truth and justice, the Holy Martyr Barlaam, having his right hand instead as the altar of the Lord, as Saint Basil the Great (in his homily on the Holy Martyr Barlaam), offered himself as a burnt offering and showed an example of such firmness of faith, which in his time not only had a beneficial strengthening effect on Christians persecuted by the pagans, but also aroused respect in the persecutors themselves for the Christian faith and Christian society, which had in its midst men so strong in spirit and unshakable in their convictions about the truth of Christ.

November: Day 18: Holy Martyrs Romanos and the Child Barulas

November: Day 18:
Holy Martyrs Romanos and the Child Barulas
 
(Lessons From Their Lives:
a. Heavenly Truth is Revealed to Infants, and
b. An Exhortation to Take Care of the Upbringing of Children in the Spirit of Holy Faith)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Martyrs Romanos and the child Barulas, whose memory is now being celebrated, suffered under Maximian, at the beginning of the fourth century. When Maximian raised a persecution of against the Christians, Romanos, meeting the eparch Asclepiades, who was going to an idol festival with a crowd of people, began to persuade everyone to abandon the idols and turn to Christ. The eparch gave orders to torture him. Saint Romanos, seeing the youth Barulas during the torture, said to the eparch: “This child, although small, is wiser than you, for he knows the true God.” Then Asclepiades, having given the order to strangle Saint Romanos, asked the child: “Whom do you honor as God?” “Jesus Christ,” the child answered. “Why do you honor Him?” “Because He is the true God, and your gods are demons.”