Homily Two on Andrew, the Apostle of Christ (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

Homily Two on Andrew, the Apostle of Christ 

By Archimandrite George Kapsanis,

Abbot of Gregoriou Monastery

On today's feast of the Apostle Andrew, we feel spiritual joy, because the Holy Apostle Andrew is the illuminator of the Greek Nation. For each Saint we celebrate, we feel spiritual joy, but we feel much more joy for those Saints who walked the soil of our homeland and enlightened our people and dyed this land porphyry with the fountains of their blood.

We are struck by the fact that the Holy Apostle Andrew from the beginning had followed the Lord with great desire, leaving his first teacher, Saint John the Forerunner. He obeyed and humbled himself before Christ and served Him together with the other Holy Apostles until the end and even shed his blood in a horrible death for the love of the Lord Christ.

November: Day 30: Teaching 2: Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called

November: Day 30: Teaching 2:
Holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called
 
(The Call of Believers to Salvation and our Indifference to This Call)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. One day, during the first year of His public ministry to humanity, Jesus Christ was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He was then still little known to the world as a Preacher and was just gathering His first followers, His disciples, around Him. Seeing two young brothers, Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew — later known as the Apostle Andrew, the First-Called, whose memory is celebrated today — casting their nets into the sea, the Savior, as if in passing, said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." The brothers did not question their divine Master about who He was, by what power He commanded them, or where He would lead them, but immediately abandoned their nets and followed the Savior. Walking with them further, Jesus Christ saw two more brothers, James and John, sitting with their father Zebedee in a boat, mending their nets. The Son of God, who sees into the hearts and innermost thoughts of men, called these young men, and they immediately responded with complete readiness to the voice calling them: they left their father, the boat, and the nets and followed Jesus.

Prologue in Sermons: November 30

Reflecting on the Fire of Gehenna and How the Virtues of Chastity and Mercy Confer Great Benefit Upon a Person

November 30*

(The Tale of Zacharias and John is Very Beneficial for the Soul)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Know, brethren, that contemplation of the eternal torment of sinners, their removal from the blessed contemplation of God's face, and the eternal darkness in which they will languish, as well as the two greatest virtues — chastity and mercy — bring significant benefit to a person. They make such a Christian a vessel of Divine Grace, make him a Saint, even make him a Wonderworker. We will now convince you of all this.

Homily on the Nativity Fast and Holy Communion (Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh)

Homily on the Nativity Fast and Holy Communion 

By Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh

(Delivered on November 30, 1986)

During these days of the Nativity Fast, which lead us to the celebration of the Lord's Incarnation, the Church, through the words of Christ Himself, warns us sternly and clearly. In today's Parable of the Foolish Rich Man, Christ speaks of barnfuls of material wealth; yet we are all rich in very different ways, and not necessarily primarily in material terms. How firmly we rely on our relationship with God, what a reliable support we find in the words of the Gospel – the words of Christ Himself, in the teachings of the Apostles, in our Orthodox faith! And the longer we live, the more thoughts and knowledge we accumulate, and our own hearts become increasingly richer in feelings in response to the beauty of God's word.

Asher Raby: The Serial Killer Who Murdered Saint Philoumenos

 

 

Asher Raby – Profile of a Serial Killer

By Avi Davidovich (8/4/2017)

The article "Serial Murder in Israel" provides a comprehensive overview of the serial killers discovered in Israel. One of them was Asher Raby, who operated in the country between 1979 and 1982. During 6 different attacks, he murdered five people, injured 10 others, and attempted to murder another victim. 15 of his 16 victims were Arabs, 6 women, and 4 children.

Like many serial killers, Raby used cold weapons, but he also used firearms, mainly when he wanted to commit mass murder – similar to mass murderers. One of the murders he committed – the murder of the monk George Philoumenos – caused Israel great embarrassment throughout the Christian world. Asher Raby was included in the category of psychotic serial killers, which is rare compared to the other categories of serial killers. Asher Raby was 36 years old when he was caught after a series of murders he had committed over the years. He told his interrogators that he had acted on divine command. According to him, God commanded him to expel evil.