November: Day 4: Venerable Ioannikios the Great

 

November: Day 4:
Venerable Ioannikios the Great

(The Sin of Envy)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Ioannikios, whose memory is celebrated today, lived in the second half of the 9th century A.D. and spent his early years in the royal service in a military rank. He was at first infected with the Iconoclast heresy, but, exposed by a clairvoyant monk who lived on Mount Olympus, he abandoned the heresy and all the vanity of the world, withdrew to this mountain, and here, through unremitting struggle with his passions, tireless labors, vigilance, and prayer, he attained holiness and became famous as a great ascetic and miracle worker. Many people came to the holy ascetic for edification and to ask him for his holy prayers and intercession before God; many spiritual bounties and blessings were poured out from the Saint. At the very beginning of his asceticism, having met two desert monks, the Venerable Ioannikios received from them, together with a prayerful blessing for the feat, a prophetic warning that towards the end of his life he would be tempted by envious people. This actually happened. On the same Olympus mountain, another ascetic by the name of Epiphanios was engaged in monastic exploits. Hearing about the growing glory of the Venerable Ioannikios, Epiphanios envied him and plotted to destroy him. Once, during a drought, when all the vegetation on the mountain had dried up and there were many dry trees around Ioannikios’ cell, Epiphanios set fire to the dry grass at the bottom of the mountain and the entire mountain quickly burst into flames. The Venerable Ioannikios owed his salvation to God alone: not only did he himself not suffer, but his cell miraculously remained unharmed amidst the flames. The meek and gentle Ioannikios, wanting to know the reason for Epiphanios' anger and to ask his forgiveness if he had sinned against him in any way, went to his ill-wisher. What power of malice is generated by envy! Seeing the Venerable Ioannikios, Epiphanios struck him with his staff, which had a sharp tip, wanting to kill him, but again he was put to shame by God, who saves the righteous from the malice of evil people.

November: Day 3: Holy Martyrs Akepsimas the Bishop, Joseph the Presbyter and Aethalas the Deacon

November: Day 3:
Holy Martyrs Akepsimas the Bishop, Joseph the Presbyter and Aethalas the Deacon

(Types of Violations of the Sixth Commandment of God's Law Which Prohibits Murder)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Martyrs Akepsimas the Bishop, Joseph the Presbyter and Aethalas the Deacon, whose memory is celebrated today, suffered in the 4th century in the Persian Empire. When King Shapur began a persecution of Christians, the pagan priests first of all sought out bishops and presbyters. When Akepsimas, an 80-year-old elder, was brought before the governor, he said to the Saint:

“I have heard that you are considered the wisest among Christians, but meanwhile you are not at all smarter than senseless children, because you do not worship the sun and fire, which the king himself worships.”

“Your king and you together with him have gone mad, worshiping a creature instead of God,” answered the Saint.

The governor ordered that he be beaten with iron rods.

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

Homily One on the Fifth Sunday of Luke  
(22nd Sunday After Pentecost)

On the Rich Man and Lazarus

By St. John of Kronstadt

The Gospel read today depicts the fate after the death of the rich and luxurious merry man and the poor sick Lazarus. Especially remarkable and edifying is the conversation of the rich man with the forefather Abraham, whom he saw from hades far away in the heavenly dwellings, and with him the former beggar Lazarus. In general, there is much that is instructive and edifying for us in today's Gospel. Let us, with God's help, compose a discourse on today's Gospel and derive from it spiritual benefit for our souls.

In this Gospel, as in a mirror, sinful humanity is depicted, especially the noble and rich, abundantly endowed by God with earthly gifts; and we can also see ourselves. Listen. The Lord says: "There was a rich man, who was clothed in porphyry and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day." In this verse, you may not quite understand the words "porphyry and fine linen." Porphyry is a precious garment made of purple or crimson fabric, in which ancient kings and nobles usually dressed. Fine linen was also the name given to a precious, golden garment made of fine and delicate yarn gathered from an Indian tree, or, as others say, spun from feathers, which was also called byssus, from the Hebrew language būṣu which means whiteness; however, it was yellowish or purple in color and was precious as gold. This means that the mentioned rich man liked to dress very luxuriously, set feasts and lived to the fullest of his pleasure. But what is especially bad here, will ask our contemporary luxurious merrymakers? God has given us a good means of living: why not live for our own pleasure, when we also have dear friends with whom we can share our time? This is what very, very many people think, say and do now. The pursuit of a merry life, of feasting, of ostentation, of luxurious living conditions is now in great vogue. And in order to live in pleasure, people do not neglect any means: neither large thefts for thousands and tens of thousands, or even hundreds, nor large murders, nor various deceptions and swindles.

Dogmatic Lessons of Father John Romanides (2 of 7)

...continued from part one.

2. Philosophical and Empirical Theology About God

Before reading the summary of the "Outline", an observation should be made, which is one of the most basic teachings of Father John Romanides: that there is a clear difference between the philosophical way of theology of the heretics, and the empirical way of theology of the Fathers.

The Prophets in the Old Testament saw the pre-incarnate Word in the Light, as well as the Triune God, but they had a different terminology, they spoke of God as the Lord of Glory; or they spoke of God as the Angel of the Great Council; or they spoke of God as Yahweh. The Apostles and the Saints saw the incarnate Word in the Light by the Holy Spirit and through Christ they saw the Father, who is identical in image, as happened at the Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor. That is why in the Old and New Testaments they spoke of God as Light and of three Lights. We see this in Holy Scripture and the ancient tradition of the Church.

Saint Gabriel the Confessor's Provocative Encounter

Nun Ekaterina Embraelindze recalls the following incident that she witnessed with Saint Gabriel the Fool for Christ in Georgia:

Once Father Gabriel was sitting next to the chapel, on a chair. At that time a rather beautiful woman arrived, with painted eyes and wearing trousers.

As soon as she saw the Elder, she sat on his lap and began to kiss him:

"Father Gabriel, how beautiful you are! How I like you! I will come back to see you," she told him.

Petrified by our surprise, we asked ourselves: "What could have motivated this girl to such obscene behavior?"

November: Day 2: Holy Martyrs Akindynos, Pegasios, Anempodistos and Those With Them

 

November: Day 2: 

Holy Martyrs Akindynos, Pegasios, Anempodistos and Those With Them

(On Common Church Singing)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The saints of God who lived in the deserts, as is sometimes mentioned in their biographies, loved at times to delight in sacred songs; and in the stories about the holy martyrs it is often said that they, especially in difficult moments of their lives, when, for example, they were kept in prison, even when they were subjected to torture, strengthened their spirit with sacred songs. So it is said about the Holy Persian Martyrs Akindynos, Pegasios and Anempodistos, who are remembered on this day, that they glorified the Lord with holy song even at the time when their tormentors kindled fire under them, having hung them on the torture tree. They strengthened themselves with sacred songs even when they were tortured on fiery iron beds. “God is our refuge and strength, a helper in the sorrows that have come upon us greatly. For this reason we will not be afraid, when the land is troubled... Arise, O Lord, help us, and deliver us for Your name's sake," they sang in the words of the Psalm. Thus the souls of the righteous were filled with holy, reverent feelings for the Lord - they sang, sang both in joy and in sorrow. Holy singing, as an expression of holy feelings of an ecstatic soul, is a holy work, it is our holy duty.

Dogmatic Lessons of Father John Romanides (1 of 7)

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

On November 1, 2001, there reposed in Athens Father John Romanides, a foremost dogmatic theologian, who did a lot of research, theological and historical, and recorded its results in excellent books and articles, but presented them in oral traditions to his students and in various other audiences.

Honoring the memory of this great dogmatic teacher on the anniversary of his death, after 23 years, I compiled a summary of the book "An Outline Of Orthodox Patristic Dogmatics", which are Dogmatic lessons according to "student notes" at the beginning of his University teaching career, at the Theological School of Thessaloniki in 1971-1972, as I will explain below.

Midnight Visitations of Venerable David the Elder to Saint Iakovos Tsalikes

Saint Iakovos spoke of Venerable David as follows:

"Venerable David, my children, lived in the 15th century, he is very miraculous. He would leave the Monastery and go to the Hermitage, half an hour from here, and he would spend there the whole week with an antidron, my children, with fasting, vigil and prayer.
 
He came to the Monastery on Saturday night, saw the fathers, liturgize on Sunday morning, took his antidron and went to the Hermitage again. After the Master Christ called for him, he went down to the Monastery and reposed five hundred years ago.

And yet everyone knew this monk. Russia knew him and Constantinople.

November: Day 1: Teaching 1: Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Kosmas and Damian

November: Day 1: Teaching 1:Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Kosmas and Damian
 
(On Dissatisfaction With One's Condition)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saints Kosmas and Damian, whose memory is celebrated today, were brothers; their father, a Greek, was a pagan; and their mother, Theodotia, professed the Christian faith. She was widowed in her youth and led a pious life, and according to the words of the Apostle Paul: "A true widow," he says, "trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers day and night." Theodotia accustomed her children to a godly life, strictly watched over them, instructed them in virtue, and taught them the Divine Scriptures.

From infancy, Kosmas and Damian tried to fulfill the law of God, and when they reached adulthood, like two lamps, they shone with good deeds. In order to be of greater benefit to their neighbors, they took up medical science, learned the healing properties of herbs and plants, and became skilled doctors. The Lord blessed the good doctors and granted them healing, miraculous powers. The brothers did not seek earthly glory or wealth, never took money or gifts from the sick, strictly following the words of the Savior, Who said to the Apostles: "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, freely have you received, freely give" (Matthew 10:8). For such selflessness, the Church called them "unmercenaries."