A Russian Newspaper from 1900 Reviews an Early Publication of Writings by Saint John of Kronstadt

Archpriest Father John Sergiev, rector of Saint Andrew's Cathedral in Kronstadt, is the son of a clergyman of the Arkhangelsk province, Pinezhsky district, in the village of Sura, born in 1829. (He is now 69 years old). He sleeps no more than three hours a day, and sometimes he barely manages to take a nap, sitting or riding somewhere in a carriage. He is always on his feet, constantly serving in the church, confessing and administering the Holy Mysteries to hundreds of people.

"His Majesty Emperor Alexander III, sensing the approach of His death, wished to see Father John and joyfully greeted him. Father John prayed with the Tsar, and the Tsar felt the power of his prayer. On October 7, in accordance with the will of the Tsar, Father John communed him with the Holy Mysteries. Then summoned by the august sick man on the very day of His repose, Father John, at the request of the Tsar, read a prayer for the healing of the sick man and anointed Him with oil from the miraculous icon. Then, at the request of the Tsar, Father John laid his hands on His head and did not take them away for a long time. The Emperor, being fully conscious, asked Father John to rest, but Father John said that he did not feel tired, and asked Him: 'Is it hard for Your Majesty that I keep my hands on your head for a long time?' But the Tsar said to him: 'On the contrary, it is very easy for me when you hold them.' Then the Tsar continued: 'You are a righteous man: the Russian people love you.' 'Yes,' answered Father John, 'your people love me.' 'They love you,' said the Tsar, 'because they know who you are and what you are.'"

The Epistle of Ignatius of Antioch to the Trallians

IGNATIUS, who is also Theophorus, unto her that is beloved by God the Father of Jesus Christ; to the holy Church which is in Tralles of Asia, elect and worthy of God, having peace in flesh and spirit through the passion of Jesus Christ, who is our hope through our resurrection unto Him; which church also I salute in the Divine plenitude after the apostolic fashion, and I wish her abundant greeting.

1. I have learned that ye have a mind unblameable and steadfast in patience, not from habit, but by nature, according as Polybius your bishop informed me, who by the will of God and of Jesus Christ visited me in Smyrna; and so greatly did he rejoice with me in my bonds in Christ Jesus, that in him I beheld the whole multitude of you. Having therefore received your godly benevolence at his hands, I gave glory, forasmuch as I had found you to be imitators of God, even as I had earned.

2. For when ye are obedient to the bishop as to Jesus Christ, it is evident to me that ye are living not after men but after Jesus Christ, who died for us, that believing on His death ye might escape death. It is therefore necessary, even as your wont is, that ye should do nothing without the bishop; but be ye obedient also to the presbytery, as to the Apostles of Jesus Christ our hope; for if we live in Him, we shall also be found in Him. And those likewise who are deacons of the mysteries of Jesus Christ must please all men in all ways. For they are not deacons of meats and drinks but servants of the Church of God. It is right therefore that they should beware of blame as of fire.

December: Day 20: Holy Martyr Ignatius the God-Bearer

December: Day 20:
Holy Martyr Ignatius the God-Bearer
 
(About the Innocence of Childhood That Adults Should Imitate)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Once the Apostles were arguing about which of them was the greatest. Jesus Christ, hearing what they were talking about, called a child and, embracing him, set him among them and said: “Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever humbles himself as this child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And whoever receives such a child in My name receives Me” (Matt. 18:2-4; Mark 9:37). Tradition says that the child whom Jesus embraced was the same one who, under the name of Ignatius the God-Bearer, was a disciple of John the Theologian, then a Bishop of the Antiochian Church, and finally was honored to receive a martyr's crown for the name of Jesus Christ. His memory is celebrated today.

II. If the Lord has set up children's innocence as a model, then it means that He has found in it such qualities of soul and heart that every Christian must have in order to be worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven. What, you may ask, is there in children that adults could profitably learn from them?

December: Day 19: Holy Martyr Boniface

December: Day 19:
Holy Martyr Boniface
 
(What Does True Repentance Consist Of?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Martyr Boniface, whose memory is celebrated today, lived in the city of Rome during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian. He was a servant to a certain mistress, the maiden Aglaia. He led a sinful, carnal and intemperate life, but his heart ached due to such behavior and always had the intention of changing his way of life. He often prayed to God about this with tears. In addition to prayer, he tried to incline God to mercy by deeds of mercy: the poor and unfortunate did not leave him without consolation. And the Lord looked upon the sinner and showed him the path to salvation. Once his mistress Aglaia wanted to have the relics of some martyr and build a church in his honor, in order to have an intercessor for herself before God. At that time there was a cruel persecution of Christians. The relics of martyrs were sold by unbelievers for large sums of money. Aglaia summoned her servant Boniface, gave him much gold and sent him with many other servants to obtain this holy acquisition. Boniface joyfully accepted this task. But, leaving home, he suddenly said: "And what, mistress, if my relics are brought to you instead of others, will you then accept them?" Aglaia noted that now was not the time for laughter, but it was necessary to hurry to the task for which he was sent. Meanwhile, Boniface began to reflect on his sinful life and the exploits of the martyrs; repentance in him increased, his soul burned with a thirst for salvation, and he himself decided to suffer for Christ - he fasted the entire way and was constantly in a prayerful disposition. When he arrived in the city of Tarsus, where the torment of Christians took place, he stopped at an inn and, having ordered the servants to wait for him, he himself went to the place of execution. The calm appearance of the martyrs amazed him, he ran up, kissed their hands, feet, wounds, begging them to pray for him, so that the Lord would deign to include him among their ranks.

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December: Day 18: Holy Martyr Sebastian and his Companions

December: Day 18:
Holy Martyr Sebastian and his Companions
 
(On the Existence of the Afterlife)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Sebastian, whose memory is celebrated today, was the commander of the palace guard under the emperors Diocletian and Maximian. The emperors loved him for his bravery in war and wisdom in counsel, and always kept him with them, showing him complete confidence. But they did not know that Sebastian was a Christian. It was not out of fear of persecution that Sebastian concealed his faith: the time had not yet come for him to openly confess our Lord Jesus Christ; until then, he did not miss the opportunity to help his co-religionists, and with firmness awaited the time when the Lord himself would call him to the sacred feat.

The time had come. Two brothers, Marcellinus and Mark, for confessing the Christian faith, were brought to Rome before the eparch (governor of the city), who demanded that they renounce Christ. The most terrible tortures did not shake the firmness of the two brothers; they were thus condemned to death. They had already bowed their heads under the executioner's axe, ready to joyfully die for the name of Christ, when suddenly the eparch, softened by the requests of their relatives, agreed to postpone the execution for a month. The Martyrs were given over to the care of a pagan named Nicostratus, who was to present them again to the eparch in a month if they did not renounce their faith during this time.

When Saint Dionysios of Zakynthos Welcomed Saint Nektarios to Aegina

Monastery of Saint Menas in Aegina

When Saint Nektarios (+ 1920) went to Aegina and was climbing the hill to go to his Monastery, where he settled permanently, he met Saint Dionysios of Aegina (+ 1622) who appeared to him on the way. He, as is known, was once Bishop of Aegina and now his relics are preserved intact in Zakynthos. In Aegina, the chapel and his cell are still preserved. He practiced asceticism there, when he was Bishop of Aegina.

"Come, Nektarios," he said to him. "I am waiting for you." Behind him, however, stood a soldier. Nektarios asked Saint Dionysios:

"And who is this?"

"It is Menas," he answered. "He also lives here."

December: Day 17: The Holy Prophet Daniel and the Three Youths: Ananias, Azariah and Misael

December: Day 17:
The Holy Prophet Daniel and the Three Youths: Ananias, Azariah and Misael
 
(Lessons From Their Lives:
a. The Benefits of Fasting, and
b. Constancy in Faith and Virtue)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Prophet Daniel and the Three Youths: Ananias, Azariah and Misael, whose memory is celebrated today, lived during the Babylonian captivity. They were among those youths whom the Babylonian king chose and ordered to be brought up at his court, so that later they could serve in his kingdom. When they were brought from the king's table dishes forbidden by the law of Moses, they refused to take them, wanting to eat only vegetables. The bailiff, who was obliged to watch over them, for fear that they would grow thin from meager food, forbade them this, but Daniel persuaded him to give them a period of ten days to test whether fasting food would be harmful to their health and physical beauty. At the end of this period, it turned out that the pious youths, who ate vegetables and drank plain water, were much healthier and more beautiful than their other peers who ate fasting food. Then Daniel and his companions were allowed to eat whatever food they wanted.

Homily on the Eleventh Sunday of Luke: On the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers and On Those Called to the Wedding Supper (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on the Eleventh Sunday of Luke
(28th Sunday After Pentecost)

On the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers
and on Those Called to the Wedding Supper

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Dear brothers and sisters, two weeks before the feast of the Nativity of Christ, our Holy Orthodox Church reminds us of its approach and prepares us to meet it worthily. In the present, first preparatory week for the feast, she remembers the saints who lived before the Nativity of Christ – the Old Testament prophets and all the pious people who awaited the coming of the Savior with faith, which is why this Sunday is called the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers. With this remembrance, she mentally transports us to the times of the Old Testament, to the times preceding the appearance of the Savior promised by God, and to encourage us to moral self-purification, she places before us a whole host of great forefathers who shone with their God-pleasing lives.

All the forefathers lived in hope for the Redeemer who would appear and constantly expressed their faith in Him. But while a small number of pious people were expecting the appearance of Christ the Savior on earth and accepted Him, the majority of the God-chosen people of Israel did not accept Christ the Savior, rejected God's voice and care for their salvation, deprived themselves of eternal blessed life, which is what was read today in the Holy Gospel.

December: Day 16: Holy Prophet Haggai

December: Day 16:
Holy Prophet Haggai
 
(On Zeal For the Adornment of God's Temples)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Prophet Haggai, whose memory is celebrated today, came forth into prophetic service soon after the return of the Jews from Babylonian captivity (at the beginning of the sixth century B.C.). He reproached them for living in good houses and neglecting to complete the Temple of the Lord, which they had begun to restore upon their return from captivity.

"Thus says the Lord," the Prophet reports what was revealed to him by the Spirit: "This people say, 'The time has not yet come, the time to build the house of the Lord.' And is it time for you to live in your adorned houses, while this house lies desolate?"

“Therefore now thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways.”

“You sow much, but reap little; you eat, but have not enough; you drink, but are not filled; you clothe yourself, but are not warmed. You look for much, but come to little; and that which you bring home, I will scatter. Why? says the Lord of hosts: Because of my house that lies desolate, while you run every man to his own house. Therefore the heavens are shut up, and do not give you dew, and the earth does not yield her increase.”

Homily One on the Eleventh Sunday of Luke (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Homily One on the Eleventh Sunday of Luke
(28th Sunday After Pentecost)

By St. John of Kronstadt

(Delivered on the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, 1896)

“Not one of those men who were invited will taste My supper. For many are called, but few are chosen” (Luke 14:24).

In the Gospel of Luke read today, the Lord pronounced a stern, righteous sentence on those who were called and did not come, through negligence and laziness, to the Great Supper prepared by the Creator and Righteous Judge of the whole world and to be revealed at the end of this age. "Not one of those men who were invited will taste My supper. For many are called, but few are chosen." Listen, beloved brothers and sisters: by these called to the Supper we are also meant, for we too were called to it by the Lord from the time we were baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, having previously renounced the devil and his angels and all his service and all his pride. This Great Supper, or dinner, is the Kingdom of Heaven, prepared for all who are faithful and love God and keep His commandments.

December: Day 15: Holy Hieromartyr Eleutherios

 

December: Day 15:
Holy Hieromartyr Eleutherios
 
(On the Power of Man Over Animals With Moral Implications For the Life of a Christian:
a. Faith and Piety Serve as the Most Powerful Means For Us to Avert Disasters,
b. The Grateful Feelings of a Christian to God for His Ineffable Blessings, and
c. Christians Must Treat Animals Carefully, Wisely and Meekly)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. There are many examples in the lives of the saints proving that it was safer for Christians to live among the wildest and most bloodthirsty beasts than among the pagans. Thus, when the Holy Hieromartyr Eleutherios, now being glorified by the Church, who lived at the end of the first century, miraculously freed himself from the hands of his tormentors, he withdrew to a deserted place and settled among the lairs of wild beasts and lived with the beasts as with sheep. Lions and bears surrounded him, caressed him, and served him. When the royal hunters reported this to the emperor, he sent soldiers to take Eleutherios, but the beasts tore the messengers to pieces. However, the Saint forbade them to attack people, and he himself went to the emperor. They sentenced him to be given to be devoured by beasts. First they released a lioness upon him, then a lion, but they did not cause the Saint the slightest harm and licked his feet. The angry pagans cut off his head.

December: Day 14: Holy Martyrs Philemon and Apollonius

December: Day 14:
Holy Martyrs Philemon and Apollonius
 
(The Voice of God's Grace Calling Everyone to Salvation)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. During the persecution of Diocletian, a multitude of Christians were once brought to the temple of the idols. Some of them sacrificed to the idols and were released; those who did not agree to honor the idols with incense were subjected to cruel torture. Among the Christians brought to the temple was a church reader named Apollonius , whose memory is celebrated today. He saw how cruelly they tortured those who did not want to offer sacrifices and was afraid, but he did not want to be among the apostates. Reflecting on his situation, Apollonius suddenly saw near him a certain pagan named Philemon, a skilled musician, who delighted the ruler of the country with his playing. Apollonius promised to give him four gold coins if he, covering himself with his clothes, would offer sacrifice to the idols. Philemon agreed; he dressed himself in Apollonius' clothes and covered his face. But as soon as he approached the altar, a miraculous change instantly occurred in his heart, “by the action of the grace of God, calling everyone to salvation,” he involuntarily crossed himself and became one of the martyrs who did not want to offer sacrifice to idols. He was forced by torture to offer a sacrifice, but he called himself a Christian. Seeing such a miraculous conversion of Philemon to the faith of Christ, Apollonius was ashamed, repented and decided to undergo any torture in order to atone for his cowardly timidity. Apollonius and Philemon were tortured and buried together.

Contemporary Portrait of the Last Roman Emperor Constantine XI Palaiologos Found in Greece

On December 13th 2024, archaeologists uncovered the only known contemporary portrait of Constantine XI Palaiologos, the last Roman Emperor, who reigned from 1449 until his death in battle at the Fall of Constantinople on May 29th 1453.

The mural portrait was found during an excavation at the Old Monastery of Taxiarches in Aigialeia, southern Greece, known as the so-called Palaiomonastiri, which was founded by Venerable Leontios of Monemvasia at the end of the 14th century. We know from the Byzantine historian Laonikos Chalkokondyles that Constantine’s brothers, Demetrios and Thomas, financed the renovation of the monastery when they were co-despots of Morea in 1449.

December: Day 13: Holy Martyrs Eustratios, Auxentios, Eugenios, Mardarios and Orestes

December: Day 13:
Holy Martyrs Eustratios, Auxentios, Eugenios, Mardarios and Orestes
 
(What is the Blessedness of the Righteous?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Martyrs Eustratios, Auxentios, Eugenios, Mardarios and Orestes, now being glorified, suffered martyrdom during the reign of Diocletian. In the suburbs of the city of Constantinople there was a monastery called Olynthos; in it a church was built in honor of the Five Martyrs. During the singing of Matins it was customary to read the history of the Five Martyrs, but one day the monks said: "Let us leave the reading; for whom shall we read? There is no one from the city." Then two unknown men entered the church, one of them opened the book and began to read. When he had read to the place where it was said: "Eustratios was shod in boots with iron nails," he turned to the monks and said: "My sufferings are insignificant in comparison with the reward which I have received from God," and after this he became invisible. Evidently this was the Holy Martyr Eustratios, who had appeared to admonish the monks. The emperor and patriarch, informed of this miracle, glorified God.

December: Day 12: Saint Spyridon, Bishop of Trymithous

December: Day 12:
Saint Spyridon, Bishop of Trymithous
 
(On the Properties of True Philanthropy)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Spyridon, whose memory is celebrated today, was born on the island of Cyprus of simple parents; he was married, had children, and was distinguished by his extraordinary humility and Christian wise simplicity of heart, and acquired such respect for himself from others that after the death of his wife, for the holiness of his life, he was unanimously elected and appointed bishop of the city of Trymithous. Saint Spyridon, working in the field together with simple workers and continuing to engage in sheep breeding, at the same time treated with active attention to all the needs of his flock, spiritual and material, to whom he provided philanthropy in whatever way he could. With the greatest love he served everyone in word and deed and was so pleasing to God that he received the gift of clairvoyance and miracles, which saved many.

December: Day 11: Venerable Daniel the Stylite

December: Day 11:
Venerable Daniel the Stylite
 
(The Path To True Greatness and Glory Does Not Consist in High Rank and Title,
Not in Sholarship, Not in Wealth, But Only in Christian Virtue)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Venerable Daniel, whose memory is celebrated today, was born in the year 409 in the village of Maratha, near the city of Samosata, in Mesopotamia, by the ardent prayer to God of his mother, who had suffered many sorrows and reproaches from her husband, and vilificactions and insults from her relatives because she had no children. He was granted to her as a miraculous testimony of God’s response to prayer accompanied by faith - a kind of recompense for her, not just a "hundredfold", but a Divine, boundless "hundredfold" for her patience and uncomplainingness in suffering, for her firm faith in God's mercy, which was not exhausted and did not waver in the midst of a long and difficult trial.

And into her child, along with nourishment from her breast, Daniel's mother, as it were, poured out her love and faith in God, which from childhood elevated him among his peers and grew in him to the greatness of an arbitrary feat, for which he became famous among his contemporaries and left a striking memory of himself for all time.

Elder Meletios Kapsaliotis (+ December 7, 2024)

By Archimandrite Antipas Nikitaras,
Former Patriarchal Exarch of Patmos and Doctor of Theology

In the early hours of Saturday, December 7, 2024, a great Struggler for our Orthodoxy, Elder Meletios Kapsaliotis, in the world Zacharias Kyralakis, passed away.

He was born in saint-producing Crete, on November 14, 1931, in the suffering Magarikari, of the Municipality of Phaistos, in Heraklion, which was desecrated and completely destroyed by both the Turks and the Germans.

He was raised with the ethos and the spirit of the much-admired Crete, participating in its living Orthodox liturgical tradition.

However, the desire for absolute isolation and complete devotion to Christ led him, when he completed his military obligations, to secretly abandon his village and go up to the famous Mount of Grace, the Holy Mountain, leaving behind him “the vain life of the world.”

December: Day 10: Holy Martyr Menas the Kallikelados

December: Day 10:
Holy Martyr Menas the Kallikelados
 
(Lessons From His Life:
a. On the Reconciliation of Quarreling People, and
b. On the Virtue of Patience)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Today we commemorate the Holy Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes and Eugraphos. Menas, an educated and eloquent Athenian who secretly professed the faith of Christ, was sent as a commander by the Emperor Maximinus to Alexandria to pacify the unrest that had arisen between Christians and pagans. He managed to "reconcile and calm" the warring parties, but at the same time took advantage of this opportunity to openly preach the truth of the Christian faith.

Having learned of this, Maximinus sent the eparch Hermogenes to Alexandria to judge his former confidant, the commander Menas, and with the strictest order to clear the city of Christians.

Homily on the Celebration of the Icon of the Mother of God, called “Unexpected Joy” (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on the Celebration of the Icon of the Mother of God, called “Unexpected Joy”

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered on December 9/22, 1962)

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

"Rejoice, you who give unexpected joy to the faithful!"

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the feast celebrated today in honor of the icon of the Mother of God, called "Unexpected Joy", reveals to us the bright hope of our unashamed trust in the intercession of the Most Pure Virgin Mary for us, Her mercy to the Christian race - not only to people of impeccable life, but also to people mired in their sins, to people with an unclean conscience, to lawless people. It is not without reason that the Holy Church during the Divine Service in its prayers and hymns first of all turns to the Mother of God, knowing Her ineffable mercy and love for mankind, teaching us by this that in our sorrows and needs we should always resort under the protection of our all-powerful and merciful Heavenly Mother and receive help. You know from history that our ancestors, Russian Orthodox Christians, were very God-fearing people and always had a firm and deep faith in the heavenly intercession of the Mother of God. And the Queen of Heaven did not leave their faith in vain, but always sent help to everyone who resorted to Her with hope.

December: Day 9: Teaching 2: Righteous Hannah, Mother of the Prophet Samuel

December: Day 9: Teaching 2:
Righteous Hannah, Mother of the Prophet Samuel
 
(On the Importance of Spiritual, Heartfelt Prayer)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. How powerful before God is the inner prayer of the heart, we see from the life of the Righteous Hannah, the mother of the Prophet Samuel, whose memory is celebrated today. The father of the Prophet Samuel, whose name was Elkanah, had two wives: Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. Despite her barrenness, Hannah was more beloved by her husband than Peninnah. For this reason, the latter greatly grieved Hannah, prompting her to complain that the Lord had closed her womb. And so, when they were in Shiloh to offer a sacrifice, Hannah in the sorrow of her soul prayed to God for the resolution of her barrenness, promising to give the child when born as a gift to God for all the days of his life. Hannah's prayer was inner, heartfelt - her voice was not heard - and her lips only moved. The high priest who was in the tabernacle thought that the woman was drunk and rebuked her. Hannah answered him: "No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I pour out my soul before the Lord." The high priest, realizing his mistake, said to her: "Go in peace, and the God of Israel will grant your request that you have asked of Him." And, indeed, God granted Hannah, through her prayer, a son named Samuel, which means: "Asked of God."

December: Day 9: Teaching 1: Feast of the Conception of Saint Anna, When the Most Holy Theotokos was Conceived

December: Day 9: Teaching 1:
Feast of the Conception of Saint Anna, 

When the Most Holy Theotokos was Conceived
 
(On Fidelity to Vows Given to God in General and in Particular on the Fidelity of Christians to Baptismal Vows)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy and Righteous Joachim and Anna, now being glorified, lived to a ripe old age without having children. They were both very pious and God-fearing, but the Lord was pleased to strengthen their faith and patience through the grief of childlessness, in order to subsequently show them His greatest mercy and make them instruments of His dispensation. The pious spouses lived to a ripe old age, but did not lose hope and faith in the almighty power of God, capable of resolving their barrenness. They fasted and fervently prayed to the Lord to remove the reproach from them, promising to dedicate the child born to them to the service of the Lord. A special incident increased their grief over childlessness and, at the same time, their prayer to the Lord to remove the reproach from them. On one of the great feasts, Joachim came to Jerusalem with his usual sacrifice, but because of childlessness he was excluded from bringing the sacrifice until the Israelites who had children came to the altar. Grieved by this to the depths of his soul, Righteous Joachim did not want to return home, but withdrew to the mountains where his flocks grazed, and there he spent time fasting and praying to the Lord for the resolution of their barrenness. His spouse Anna also tearfully asked the Lord for the same thing, having heard about what had happened to Joachim in Jerusalem. The Lord heard the prayer of the righteous. One day, when Righteous Anna was immersed in her heavy thoughts, an angel appeared to her with the following words: “Anna! your prayer has been heard: you will give birth to the Most Blessed Daughter Mary, from whom will come the salvation of the whole world.” The Righteous Joachim was also gladdened by the same news: an angel appeared to him and commanded him to go to Jerusalem, where, as a sign of the truth of the Divine promise, he was to meet his spouse at the golden gates of the Temple. The angelic message was not slow to be fulfilled: the Lord granted Joachim and Anna the Most Pure Daughter Mary, who became the living temple of God.

December: Day 8: Venerable Patapios

 

December: Day 8:
Venerable Patapios
 
(We Must Avoid External and Earthly Glory and Seek Internal and Heavenly Glory)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Patapios, now being glorified, was a native of Thebes in Egypt, and lived at the end of the sixth and beginning of the seventh centuries. He was descended from Christian parents and was brought up in piety. Having come of age, he left worldly vanity, became a monk, and in the desert he labored in unceasing labors and prayers. But soon his name became famous; many began to visit him, asking for his instructions; and then Patapios, seeing that he could not live in solitude and silence, as he desired, and wishing to avoid worldly glory, moved to Constantinople. There he began to live in a cramped cell, near Blachernae, praying day and night; but his glory could not be hidden from people. God granted His Saint miraculous power, and all the sick, who with faith asked for his help, received healing through his prayers.

The Venerable One died at a ripe old age.

Homily One on the Tenth Sunday of Luke (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily One on the Tenth Sunday of Luke
(27th Sunday After Pentecost)

By St. John of Kronstadt

“When Jesus saw her, He called her and said to her, ‘Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.’ And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight and glorified God” (Luke 13:12–13).

Jesus Christ was teaching in one of the Jewish synagogues on the Sabbath. There was a woman there who had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years, and was bent over, and could not stand upright. When Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her. And immediately she was made straight and began to glorify God (Luke 13:10–13). 

 

Concerning this Gospel story about the Savior’s healing of the bent over woman, I want, for His glory and for the general edification, to speak now about faith in Jesus Christ as Creator and Savior, because there are probably some among you, though only a few, who are tossed about by the wind of doubt and unbelief of this age, who are troubled by the blasphemies against the Lord from people whose minds and hearts are darkened. Listen, beloved! The whole Gospel is the purest light of divine truth; in it the Divinity of the Savior shines everywhere brighter than the sun. Without referring you this time to countless other places, I will point out the Gospel story we just read about the healing of a bent woman by the Savior through a word and the laying on of hands. This affliction in the body of the sick woman was the work of Satan, who bound her, by God's permission, probably for her secret sins; the Savior specifically said that Satan had been binding her for eighteen years. How can one not glorify the omnipotence of the Lord! He only said: "Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity," and laid His hands on her, when she, having been bent over for eighteen years and not having the slightest ability to stand upright, suddenly straightened up and began to glorify God from the miracle evident over her. You see, the word of the Savior suddenly became a deed; the laying on of hands became a healing. He spoke and it happened; He commanded and the infirm woman became well. 

 

The Tenth Sunday of Luke as a Preparation for Christmas

In the Orthodox Church, we prepare for the Nativity of Christ many weeks before Christmas on December 25th. Hence, the Nativity Fast begins on November 15th and on November 21st we already begin proclaiming "Christ is born, glorify Him!" during the Canon chanted in Matins; and also the Kontakion of the Nativity, "Today the Virgin gives birth to the Pre-eternal Word," is chanted from the leavetaking of the feast of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple (that is, from 25 November) onwards.

Many may not be aware, however, that three Sundays before the Nativity of Christ there is a standard Gospel reading from Luke 13:10-17 which describes the miracle of Christ healing the crippled woman with a bent back, and in the Greek Churches is known as the Tenth Sunday of Luke. In the Slavic Churches this Gospel is fixed to fall on the Twenty-Sixth Sunday After Pentecost, and may not fall on a set Sunday before Nativity of Christ, so this particular Gospel reading always falling three Sundays before Christmas is specifically a Greek tradition that goes back many centuries.

Twenty-Fourth Sunday After Pentecost Resource Page

24th Sunday After Pentecost

Ephesians 2:14-22

Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost: Epistle Reading

Homily for the Epistle Reading on the Twenty-Fourth Sunday After Pentecost (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

The Swan Song of Saint Gerasimos Mikragiannanitis

On Saturday, December 7th 1991, the Venerable Gerasimos Mikragiannanitis, Hymnographer of the Great Church of Christ, reposed in the Lord. As a small memorial to his revered memory, we present his "Swan Song", which he included in his last offering to the Most Holy Mother of God, in his famous Theotokarian, the book that contains hymns and spiritual odes to the overseer of the Holy Mountain and the Mother of all Christians.

But O All-Praiseworthy Lady, please accept, with great maternal favor and sympathy and condescension, as your Son and our God accepted the two mites of the widow, these humble chants of mine, which on my knees in great reverence I offer to your Theometoric majesty, “as acceptable gifts and a perfect offering,” and in the fearful hour of death, help me, your unworthy and sinful supplicant, at the impartial judgment seat of your philanthropic Son and our God, to present me uncondemned through your maternal boldness, as you promised, O good-loving Lady, and make all who chant them with reverence worthy of the heavenly kingdom. Amen.

Accept graciously, I beseech you, beloved brethren in Christ, the present Theotokarion, and chant the canons therein with faith and reverence to our Lady Theotokos, that she may deliver you from temptations and dangers and all sin, and at the end may she make you worthy, through her maternal intercession, for the kingdom of heaven; which has been made possible for us all by the grace and philanthropy of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ; to whom be glory and dominion and worship with His eternal Father, and His All-holy and consubstantial Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

 

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

December: Day 7: Teaching 1: Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan

December: Day 7: Teaching 1:
Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan
 
(Lessons From His Life:
a. The Need for Education From an Early Age;
b. Election to Serve the Church Is Not Done by Chance, But by God’s Command; and
c. One Must Obey the Church Hierarchy)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, whose memory is celebrated today, was born in 340 in Gaul, where his father was governor. Having lost his mother in childhood, he was carefully brought up by a pious sister. Having received an excellent education, he became governor of two Italian regions. The prefect Probus, sending him into the regions, said: "Govern them not as a judge, but as a bishop." Indeed Ambrose really ruled mercifully, and everyone loved him. In 374, a bishop was elected in Milan, and a disagreement arose on the occasion of this choice. Ambrose began to bring peace to the quarreling, and suddenly a child's voice was heard in the crowd: "Ambrose is Bishop!" These words were considered to be an inspiration from above and, despite the resistance, they chose Ambrose as bishop, who fully justified his election by his holy life and zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of the souls of his neighbors. The emperor and the people, who loved Ambrose as prefect, loved him even more as bishop. Ambrose zealously and very successfully fought against the Arian heretics and dying paganism: in his work On Faith, he thoroughly refuted all the objections of the Arians; he achieved in that the pagans were deprived of the estates that belonged to the temples, and the honors and privileges of their priests were abolished. Once, the emperor Theodosius, in a rage, ordered the death of several thousand rebellious Thessalonians. Ambrose wrote a letter to the emperor, reproaching him for his cruelty. When Theodosius, without revoking his cruel sentence, entered the cathedral to commune of the Holy Mysteries, Ambrose did not allow him to receive Communion. The emperor told Ambrose that David had also sinned, but had not lost God's mercy; but Ambrose replied: "You imitated David in sin, imitate him in repentance." The emperor repented and was allowed to receive communion. Saint Ambrose foresaw his death and died in 397. He founded many monasteries in the West and left many works. He is the author of the church hymn "Te Deum laudamus" (Latin for "Thee, God, we praise"). The relics of Saint Ambrose are kept in Milan. Part of the relics are on Mount Athos.

Homily One on Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Homily One on Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker
and the Name Day of the Right-Believing Tsarevich and Grand Prince Nicholas Alexandrovich

By St. John of Kronstadt

The truth of things has revealed you to your flock as a rule of faith,
an icon of meekness, and a teacher of temperance;
for this cause, you have achieved the heights by humility, riches by poverty.
O Father and Hierarch Nicholas, intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.
(Troparion to Saint Nicholas)

In public life, examples of some have a very strong effect on others. Examples are very enticing to imitate. And what if these were only good examples? How public life would be ordered then! How many passions and vices would be eradicated in people! With what faith, what piety and honesty would the flock of God live then! But unfortunately, there are always many more bad examples than good ones, due to people's passion for carnal life and the perishable things of this fleeting world. That is why our life is full of various vices - lack of faith, unbelief, intemperance, pride, malice, foul language and bad deeds, idleness and other sins. There are very few living good examples in the world. But the Holy Church presents us with countless good examples for us, her children, to imitate. The Lord Jesus Christ adorned the intelligent heaven of the Church with a multitude of bright stars, each brighter than the other, although all bright - to illuminate our earthly, wandering life and guidance to the heavenly fatherland. Today the Holy Church points out to us in its heaven, as a all-bright star, our Holy Father Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra the Wonderworker. Therefore, let us fix our gaze on this star, which has been shining for one thousand five hundred years in the heaven of the Church and illuminating many children of God with its light. Look, what a wondrous light this spiritual star gives off! "A rule of faith, an icon of meekness, and a teacher of temperance; for this cause, you have achieved the heights by humility, riches by poverty, O Father and Hierarch Nicholas." This is how the Holy Church describes the Christian virtues of our Holy Father Nicholas. Behold, what a most radiant radiance this star gives to the souls of the faithful! See what high virtues the Saint of God has, given to us by the Lord as a model for our life. He had such virtues without which a Christian cannot be called a Christian, and which many of us do not have: he had great faith, and therefore is called the rule of faith. He proved this faith by his deeds, firstly, by great meekness and gentleness, secondly, by abstinence in everything, which Christians now so neglect, and finally, by mercy to the poor and those subjected to various troubles and misfortunes. Let us take these virtues of the Saint of Christ as a model for ourselves and let us, according to our strength, imitate them.

Homily on Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, the Wonderworker (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, the Wonderworker

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1961)

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Dear brothers and sisters, when the Lord preached the word of God on earth, thousands of people surrounded and pressed Him. His disciples pressed closest to Him; there were others who were thirsty to hear the holy sermon, and there were those who came with the secret hope of finding healing from their various ailments. In a word, human sorrow flowed like a river to the feet of the Merciful Teacher. And He, after the healings were accomplished, standing on a level place and opening His mouth, pronounced the immutable Divine commandments for all time: "Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven" (Luke 6:20–23).

December: Day 6: Teaching 1: Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra

December: Day 6: Teaching 1:
Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra
 
(Lessons From His Life: 

He is a Model of a Christian's Duty to God, One's Neighbors and One's Self)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker fulfilled in his life all the most important duties to God, his neighbors and himself, teaching us to fulfill these duties to the best of our ability and with the help of the grace of God given to each.

II. a) In relation to God, he was a deeply religious Christian and is considered by the Church to be a model of faith.

In regard to faith, people are subject, for the most part, to two shortcomings.

Some, being arrogant in their minds, indulge in superfluous reasoning, and thereby fall into heresies and schisms, separating them from the general union of believers; others, considering the purity of faith to be a perfection, either inaccessible or unimportant, do not care at all whether they believe as they should. Errors are various, but equally reprehensible for a true Christian! For why did the holy faith descend from heaven and dwell among men? To illuminate the mind with the light of the knowledge of God, to inflame the heart with love for virtue, to tame the passions, to destroy or alleviate the misfortunes of mankind: this is its purpose! And what is the use of vain philosophizing about faith? They are superfluous, for the subject exceeds reason; they are harmful, for they lead to dissent and enmity. On the other hand, to neglect the purity of faith means to neglect faith itself. We try to preserve many human traditions unchanged; there are people who devote their whole lives to knowing what happened and when. How can we be indifferent to the purity of that faith on which our eternal salvation depends? The perfection of our love for God requires that we use the light of divine revelation in simplicity of heart, but this same perfection obliges us to preserve this light from being mixed with the darkness of error.

December: Day 5: Teaching 3: Saint Gurias, Archbishop of Kazan

December: Day 5: Teaching 3:
Saint Gurias, Archbishop of Kazan
 
(Lessons From His Life:
a. God at the Right Time Raises Up Holy Figures in the Garden of His Church,
b. Holiness of Life is One of the Conditions for Attracting God’s Grace to a Christian,
c. God’s Providence Invisibly Guides Everyone, Directing Them on the Path of Salvation)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. There, where Venerable Sergius lived with his parents before his departure for the wilderness, in the town of Radonezh, the now glorified Saint Gurias, in baptism Gregory Rugotin, was born; his parents were nobles, poor and not very famous. In the house of his pious father, the son received a pious upbringing and was taught to read and write. The sons of humble nobles usually served then, if not in the service of the Grand Prince, then in the houses of rich princely families. Thus, Gregory Rugotin served in the house of Prince Ivan Penkov. Gregory was intelligent and clever, of a meek and compliant disposition, of incorruptible honesty; he loved to go to the temple of God to pray, and prayed at home; he loved chastity and, guarding it, kept the fast; he gave alms to the poor, whatever he could. Gregory's intelligence, strict honesty and pious life gained him the special confidence of the prince and his wife: Gregory was entrusted with the entire management of the prince's house. Gregory's companions began to envy his happiness. The envy that tormented the poor drove them to the point that they slandered an innocent man before the prince for a grave crime concerning the honor of his wife. The proud and hot-tempered prince, without investigating the matter, wanted to kill Gregory. The prince's son was cautious: he represented to his father that such a reprisal would only disgrace their house, and begged him not to rush to carry out the sentence, so dangerous for themselves. Having restrained the outbursts of anger, the prince thought up another measure of revenge. A hole was dug and a frame was lowered into it; here he ordered Gregory to be locked up. Only a small opening at the top of the dungeon let in light, and through the same window they threw a sheaf of oats for Gregory for five days and let in a little water. The situation of the innocent sufferer was difficult: nature turns away from suffering and unrighteousness, and for the first time Gregory could not but feel bitter sorrow. But his pious soul was soon reconciled to prison. “The martyrs,” thought Gregory, “have suffered even more, with all their holiness; the dungeon has delivered me from temptations and worldly worries; this solitude leaves me complete freedom to prepare for eternity – and why live on earth, if not for eternity?” And so blessed Gregory “in such trouble extended himself above all to the glorification of God, enduring and thanking God for everything.” The second year of imprisonment was already underway when one of his companions in the princely house, who was his friend, begged the stern guard Grigoriev to allow him to approach the prison window and talk to the prisoner; the good companion approached the window at night and, having asked about the prisoner’s condition, offered to bring him decent food. Gregory, thanking his friend for his concern, said: “Without the punishment that I endure, my soul could have remained unhealed; thanks be to God for everything! I have no need of food, but I ask my friend to bring ink and paper, I will write the alphabet, and my friend will sell them and the money after buying the paper will be distributed to the poor.” So Gregory, even in prison, wanted the children to learn the law of God, just as he wanted to help the poor, himself suffering extreme need. Two years later, a light suddenly flashed in the prison doors. Gregory, having said a prayer, pushed the door, and it opened. The sufferer understood that the Lord was granting him freedom. He took the icon of the Mother of God that was with him in prison, and went from prison straight to the Monastery of Joseph of Volokolamsk, then known for the strict life of its monks.

December: Day 5: Teaching 1: Venerable Savvas the Sanctified

 

December: Day 5: Teaching 1:
Venerable Savvas the Sanctified
 
(Are We Good Children of the Church?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Savvas, known as "the Sanctified," whose memory is celebrated today, was working one day in a vineyard, cleaning the vines, digging around their roots and watering them with water, which he himself carried from afar with great difficulty. Exhausted by the hot rays of the eastern sun, drenched in his own sweat, he, like a youth, felt great hunger and thirst, leaned against the shade of a nearby tree and raised his heated forehead to heaven. At the top of the tree Savvas saw a beautiful ripe apple, which was now very useful to him for strengthening his strength and for quenching his thirst and hunger. The young gardener plucked the apple and wanted to taste it, but suddenly the thought occurred to him that the time determined for eating the fruit had not yet come. "Temptation!" Savvas said to himself, examining the fruit. "Behold, the apple of paradise was also beautiful and good; but it destroyed my forefathers: they tasted it and thereby transgressed the commandment of God. Do I not now want to do the same thing that our forefathers did in paradise? After all, I too am forbidden by the Holy Church to taste this fruit now... No, as long as I live until my death I will not eat apples because this apple tempted me and almost made me disobedient!" And despite the agonizing hunger and thirst, the wise youth threw the tempting fruit to the ground and led a most restrained and cautious life, subjecting every thought, every feeling and deed to strict analysis and self-condemnation. Of course, he knew that it is not a sin to eat apples; he even remembered the apostolic word that a laboring worker must first taste the fruits of his labor: but he preferred obedience to both hunger and thirst, and to the beauty of a ripe apple.

Homily on the Holy Great Martyr Barbara - On the Knowledge of God Through the Contemplation of Nature (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on the Holy Great Martyr Barbara

On the Knowledge of God Through the Contemplation of Nature

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands" (Ps. 19:2). "O Lord our Lord, how marvelous is Your name in all the earth! How exalted is Your glory above the heavens. When I look at the heavens, the work of Your hands, the moon and the stars, which You have established. What is man, that You are mindful of him? or the son of man, that You visit him (Ps. 8:2-5)? Thus, contemplating the beauty of the universe, the Holy Psalmist David glorified God. In the same way, through contemplating the beauty of created nature, the holy, praiseworthy, long-suffering Great Martyr Barbara came to the knowledge of God, whose memory, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, the Holy Church celebrates today.

December: Day 4: Teaching 3: Holy Great Martyr Barbara

 

December: Day 4: Teaching 3:
Holy Great Martyr Barbara
 
(The Universe Teaches Us the Knowledge of God)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Great Martyr Barbara, now being celebrated, was born in the Greek country of the rich and famous dignitary Dioscorus, a resident of the city of Heliopolis, at a time when Christians suffered cruel persecution from idolaters. Wishing to protect his daughter from bad company, her father settled her in a secluded tower of his house. Here her gaze was presented with a beautiful view of the surrounding places; the sunrise and sunset, the appearance of the moon and stars in the sky were visible from here in all their grandeur. Removed from all amusements, young Barbara began to look closely at nature; soon she loved to think about all the phenomena of nature. Her inquisitive mind asked: who created everything that we see in the world? Even in her youth she was told that all this was produced by the gods of her fatherland, lifeless idols. But how can they create anything when they themselves are the creation of human hands? – this is how Barbara thought and by herself came to the thought that the Creator of the universe could only be a being of the highest order, different in everything from man. Thus learning, she came to know the Lord, the Creator and Almighty, the only all-wise, all-powerful and all-good Provider of the world.

December: Day 4: Teaching 1: Saint John of Damascus

 

December: Day 4: Teaching 1:
Saint John of Damascus
 
(Lessons From His Life:
a. In His Life He Demonstrated What He Taught Others In Words;
b. In the Spirit of Christian Wisdom He Not Only Taught, But Also Lived)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The now being glorified Saint John of Damascus was the son of the governor of the city of Damascus and received an excellent education under the guidance of the learned monk Kosmas of Calabria, and also had a foster brother named Kosmas who was famous for his Canons for the Great Feasts. John, who was passionate about science and reading divine books, thought to devote his whole life to scholarly pursuits. But he soon had to sacrifice his desire for the good of others. His father died and the Saracen caliph made him governor of the city of Damascus.

At that time, the Greek Emperor was Leo the Isaurian, who cruelly persecuted the venerators of holy icons. This caused troubles and unrest among Christians. The Holy Teachers of the Church instructed them, explaining the meaning of icons. John, in his epistles, or letters, exhorted Christians not to be disturbed by persecutions and false interpretations and to firmly adhere to the decrees of the Church. These letters, full of fiery faith and lively eloquence, had a strong effect on Christians; but they reached the emperor and aroused terrible anger in him. Leo decided to destroy John. He slandered him before the Saracen prince, sending the latter a forged letter in which John allegedly offered him Damascus. The prince, believing the letter and not listening to John's justifications, cruelly punished him, namely, he ordered his right hand to be cut off and deprived him of his position. However, soon John's innocence was revealed through the miraculous healing of his hand, with the help of the Mother of God; and the prince, repenting that he had so easily believed the slander, returned his trust to John and wished to make him ruler of the entire region.

December: Day 3: Teaching 2: Venerable Sava Storozhevsky

December: Day 3: Teaching 2:
Venerable Sava Storozhevsky
 
(Lessons From His Life:
a. Slander is a Grave Sin, and
b. The Intercession of the Saints Has Great Power)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Sava of Zvenigorod, whose memory is celebrated today, was a disciple and tonsured monk of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh. At the request of the Zvenigorod prince Yuri Dmitrievich, Sava built a monastery near Zvenigorod, on Mount Storozhevskaya, which he managed for thirty years and in which he died in 1406.

Many years later, an elder appeared to the abbot of the monastery, Dionysius, in a dream and said: "Paint my image" and, to Dionysius's question: "Who are you?" he answered: "I am Sava, the head of this place." Dionysius, being a skilled painter, asked the elders living in the monastery about Venerable Sava and painted his image from memory. One day, the brethren of the monastery slandered Dionysius before the Grand Prince Ivan, and the prince called the abbot to himself. When he fell asleep in sorrow, Sava appeared to him and said: "Go and speak fearlessly: the Lord will help you." That same night, the Saint appeared to those who grumbled at Dionysius and said: "You grumble, but your abbot prays with tears. Let us see what will prevail: your grumbling or the prayers of your father. But know that in obstinate hearts there rests neither humility nor the grace of God.” Then Dionysius acquitted himself and returned to the monastery with honor.

December: Day 3: Teaching 1: Venerable John the Bishop of Kolonia

December: Day 3: Teaching 1:
Venerable John the Bishop of Kolonia
 
(Silence and Humility are Great Christian Virtues)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Today we commemorate our Venerable Father John the Bishop, about whose life we will speak. In the Monastery of the Venerable Savvas the Sanctified there lived a holy man named John, called the Hesychast, since he underwent the feat of "silence." He was formerly a Bishop in Armenia, then he left his see, went to Jerusalem and, concealing his high rank from everyone, was accepted by Venerable Savvas as a novice. After some time, the abbot entrusted him with the careful position of steward and asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem Elias to ordain him as a priest. The Patriarch was already on his way to the Church of Golgotha to perform the Mystery of Priesthood over him. Then John, seeing that he could no longer conceal his rank, stopped the Patriarch and said to him: "To you, holy father, I will reveal a secret which I ask you to keep; otherwise I will be forced to leave these countries. I am a bishop. The consciousness of my own sins prompted me to leave my rank and flee into the desert, in order to seek God's mercy there." The Patriarch, amazed at his profound humility, called the abbot and said to him: "This monk has revealed to me a secret that forbids ordination of him; and so leave him in peace and do not disturb his peace in any way." Venerable Savvas was very upset, thinking that he had made a mistake in the silent man. He spent the whole night in tears and prayer, asking the Lord to reveal this secret, and heard an angelic voice: "A bishop cannot again become a priest."