Holy Martyr Agathopous of Panormos in Crete

By Emmanuel Doundoulakis, PhD
Professor, Higher Ecclesiastical Academy of Crete

The contribution of the island of Crete to the formation of the “inner person,” as well as to spiritual advancement, does not consist solely in the cultivation of Letters and the Arts, but also in the emergence and promotion of spiritual stature and exemplars which, through their personality and work, inspire modern humanity. In this category are included, among others, the saints of the Church, who through the martyrdom of conscience and their martyric consummation strengthen and inspire Christians in their struggle against the difficulties of everyday life.

Among the choir of the proto-martyrs († 250) of Crete — the Holy Ten — there is also counted the Holy Martyr Agathopous (or Agathopodas), from the harbor of Panormos, in the prefecture of Rethymno.

Venerable Antonina of Tismana (+ 2011)

Mother Antonina Diaconu (March 7, 1923 – December 23, 2011) was a “fool for Christ” who lived at Tismana Monastery.

At the age of 26, a beautiful young woman, wearing a red velvet dress, stepped into monastic life. She had an especially pleasant voice and a distinctive presence. After entering the monastery, she was entrusted with the obedience of caring for the pigs — a humble service that she fulfilled for forty years, at a distance of several hundred meters from the monastic community.

Desiring to take part in the night services, she often found herself confronted by the monastery’s locked gates. Faced with this obstacle, she chose to transform the place of her obedience into her own altar. She prayed in the forest, where she was often seen making hundreds of prostrations. One day, she joyfully recounted that she had met in the forest a woman clothed in black, with a mantle and a staff — a mysterious encounter which she identified as a vision of the Mother of God.

Prologue in Sermons: December 23

Christians Are Soldiers Appointed To Battle

December 23
 
(A Certain Peter's Words About Resisting Everything.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The Holy Apostle Paul calls a Christian a soldier and points out that he must suffer much in war. "Therefore," he says, "you must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Tim. 2:3). So, a Christian is a soldier. But who are his enemies, and what harm have they done to him? And what should a Christian do to defeat his enemies?

The word of the Church says: "First, the Lord created righteousness in men. Then, unrighteousness arose within them from the devil and began to war against and persecute righteousness. And men accepted unrighteousness and rejected righteousness, and righteousness abandoned them, and they began to live of their own free will, only to perish. And so, debauchery arose against virginity and destroyed virginity. And impurity arose against purity, malice against meekness, and hatred against love. Gluttony arose against fasting, and drunkenness against sobriety. Resentment arose against humility, and robbery against brotherly love. Stinginess arose against generosity, and disfavor against mercy. And lawlessness arose against the preservation of the law and against all good deeds."

Christ-less Christmas

By Metropolitan Georgios of Kitros, Katerini, and Platamon 

 

Walking through the city, looking at shop windows, watching school celebrations, certain thoughts arise.

We celebrate Christmas as we would celebrate the birthday of a “beloved” person — yet we keep him locked in a room so that he will not disturb us.

In the living room we decorate, laugh, and exchange gifts, but the presence of Christ is of no concern; and so He remains locked away, like an annoying child.

As then, so now, “there is no room” for the Divine Infant.

Not because we lack “inns,” but because we lack space in our hearts.

"Receive, O Bethlehem"

By Fr. George Dorbarakis 

 

“Receive, O Bethlehem, the Mother of God. For the Light that never sets has come to be born upon you. Angels, marvel in heaven; humans, glorify on earth; Magi from Persia, bring the thrice-renowned gift. Shepherds abiding in the fields, chant the thrice-holy hymn. Let every breath praise the Creator of all” (Vespers Idiomelon of the Forefeast of Christmas, plagal of the 4th tone).

The Hymnographer assumes the role of a prophet. Just as the prophets of the Old Testament, sent by God and illumined by Him, called the people of God to repentance whenever they strayed from His holy will and urged them to be ready to receive the Messiah whom God would send, so too does the Holy Hymnographer within the Church, the living Body of Christ. He functions as her mouth, proclaiming the joyful message of God’s incarnation in the world, the enfleshment of the Son and Word of God. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Salvation, as the finding of God after His loss through the fall into sin and as a living relationship with Him, is now a fact and a tangible reality. We await nothing else beyond faith in Christ and our incorporation into His Body, the Church, through repentance. In other words, the last things are already present. And this, we understand, constitutes the greatest mystery ever heard of or brought into being in the world: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh.”

Saint Anastasia the Pharmakolytria in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

The holy and most valiant martyr Anastasia lived in the time of the emperor Diocletian, in the city of the Romans. She was the daughter of a certain pagan named Praetextatus, and her mother was called Fausta. Her mother brought her to Chrysogonos, a God-inspired and devout man, from whom she was instructed in the sacred letters, while she learned faith in Christ from her mother. She was married to a pagan man, Publius, with whom, however, she did not wish to have marital relations, always feigning some illness on her part because of his unbelief. She dressed simply and poorly and, with the help of only one maidservant who accompanied her, visited women who were in need. Secretly she also ministered to the martyrs of Christ, entering the prisons where they were held, loosening their bonds, anointing them with oil, cleansing their wounds, and bringing them the suitable food they required.

December: Day 22: Teaching 2: Holy Great Martyr Anastasia the Deliverer from Bonds

 

December: Day 22: Teaching 2:
Holy Great Martyr Anastasia the Deliverer from Bonds
 
(On the Motivations for Compassion for Prisoners)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Anastasia the Deliverer from Bonds, who is celebrated today, is distinguished by the title of "Deliverer from Bonds" because she voluntarily took upon herself the special task of providing philanthropy to prisoners and alleviating the plight of those confined in dungeons. Saint Anastasia came from a wealthy and noble family and lived in the third century after Christ. Her father, as was often the case in those days, was a pagan, and her mother secretly professed faith in Christ. Instructed in the Christian faith under her mother's protection from a young age, the future Great Martyr fully embraced the Savior's most important commandment about love for God and neighbor. Her impressionable, still young soul was imbued with that spirit of love and compassion for all the unfortunate and suffering that distinguishes the Gospel teaching from all other faiths. 

Prologue in Sermons: December 22

On the Way to the Kingdom of Heaven, the Lord Supports His Faithful Servants

December 22*
 
(A Discourse on the Vision of Joasaph)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The word of God says that the Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force and that only those who use force can capture it. This means that to attain it, one must labor and endure ascetic struggles. Since these struggles are often quite difficult, especially for beginners, the Lord strengthens and confirms His true servants in them. By what means? Either by ordinary, mysterious acts of grace upon their hearts, or by the special ways of His Providence in their lives, including the lifting of the veil of the afterlife before their eyes. We can see proof of the latter from the following circumstances in the life of Saint Joasaph, Prince of India.

Homily Four on the Sunday Before the Nativity of Christ (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Homily Four on the Sunday Before the Nativity of Christ

By St. John of Kronstadt

"And she shall bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus: 

for He shall save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21)

Beloved brethren, the world-saving feast of the Nativity of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh approaches. The Holy Church has already been pre-celebrating this wondrous mystery for several days — in Her daily services and in spiritual hymns. In them, the Church reminds us of our birth from God, of the loss of our adoption as sons through sin, of its return through repentance, of our mutual spiritual kinship, and of the spirit of love and mutual assistance. But, lest we celebrate this great feast of God's boundless love for us and His extreme condescension in a purely carnal manner, but rather spiritually, let us discuss for a moment why God became man, remaining God, and what does God's incarnation require of us?