"Lord and Master of My Life": The Prayer That Seals Our Lenten Journey

By Protopresbyter George Dorbarakis

Lord and Master of my life,
give me not a spirit of idleness,
curiosity, lust for power, and idle talking.
 
Bestow on Your servant instead
a spirit of temperance,
humility, patience, and love.
 
Yes, Lord King, grant me to see my own offenses,
and not to condemn my brethren,
for You are blessed unto the ages of ages. Amen.

This short prayer of the great Father and ascetic Teacher, Saint Ephraim the Syrian, is the most well-known prayer of Great Lent and seals its entire course. For it very succinctly places the faithful Christian before the Lord Jesus Christ in order to beg Him, on the one hand, not to allow his heart to take the direction and inclination towards the sinful mindset expressed in the passions of idleness, curiosity, lust for power and idle talk, but on the contrary to turn towards Him, something that will be manifested charismatically with the concrete fruits of temperance, humility, patience and love. The basis of this positive path towards the Lord is, the Saint’s prayer emphasizes, the gift from Him again of self-knowledge as the fixation of the eyes of the soul on the reality of ourselves: the sin and the faults we commit daily, a fact that frees us from the impassioned fixation on the sins of our neighbor and therefore their condemnation.

March: Day 6: Holy Forty-Two Great Martyrs of Amorium

 

March: Day 6:
Holy Forty-Two Great Martyrs of Amorium
 
(What Does Loyalty to Christ Consist Of?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Forty-Two Great Martyrs of Amorium: Constantine, Aetios, Theophilos, Theodore, Melissenos, Kallistos and others, whose memory is celebrated today, were famous military leaders of the Greek Emperor Theophilos. During the siege of the city of Amorium in Asia Minor in Phrygia by the Saracens, due to the treason of one of the Ammorite leaders, they were taken prisoner by the enemy. They languished in captivity in chains for seven years. Here they were repeatedly persuaded to accept the Mohammedan faith, but when the prisoners said that they were ready to endure torture and death rather than renounce the Christian faith, their heads were cut off and thrown into the Euphrates River. This was in 847. But the bodies of the Holy Martyrs soon appeared on the bank of the river with their heads clinging to them, and were buried by Christians. The traitor through whom the Martyrs perished was not left unpunished. “You have betrayed your fatherland, you can easily betray us too,” the Saracens told him, and they killed him.

Clean Wednesday: Sinful Habits and Fasting From Thoughts

 

Sinful Habits

By Protopresbyter George Dorbarakis

"Sin has become a habit for me, and it drags me down to complete ruin; but by Your Cross deliver me, O abundantly merciful Compassionate One." (Clean Wednesday, 3rd Ode)

The holy hymnographer invokes the power of the Cross of the Lord, in order to redeem him from the sin that has imprisoned him and that he is unable to overcome. And his weakness does not lie in the fact that his powers are not sufficient – the hymnographer knows well that the Lord, through Holy Baptism, incorporated us into Himself and transfused His omnipotence into us, therefore the believer “can do all things through Christ who strengthens him” – but in the fact that his will consciously bows more to his passions than to the love of his Lord. It is as if the poet is dramatically shouting, “I love my sin more,” and its incessant repetition is proof of this. This repetition certainly makes sin invulnerable and invincible in man’s life, because it draws him in with the chariot of habit. Who is the one who, once he gets used to something, can easily get rid of it later? As in these cases, human wisdom itself points out, “habit becomes second nature to man,” or to put it in the manner of the great Lenten saint Ephraim the Syrian: “Do not get used to being defeated in spiritual warfare, for habit is second nature.”

March: Day 5: Holy Martyr Conon the Gardener

 

March: Day 5:
Holy Martyr Conon the Gardener
 
(Even in the World One Can Be Saved)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Conon the Gardener, whose memory is celebrated today, suffered in the 3rd century, during the reign of Decius (249-251). He was born in Nazareth of Galilee; from there he later moved to the Pamphylian city of Mandon and there engaged in cultivating vegetable gardens. From his occupation he received the name of Gardener. He was a man unfamiliar with bookish learning, but kind, gentle and simple-hearted, and with these qualities he pleased God. The governor of that region, Publius, having learned of him, summoned him to himself and forced him to sacrifice to the idols. Conon resolutely refused this and boldly began to confess faith in Jesus Christ. Then they subjected the confessor to excruciating tortures, from which he died with a prayer to God.

March: Day 4: Teaching 2: Holy Martyrs Paul and Juliana

 

March: Day 4: Teaching 2:
Holy Martyrs Paul and Juliana
 
(Every Martyr Is At The Same Time A Preacher)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Emperor Aurelian, once traveling around his kingdom, arrived in Ptolemais. As he was entering the city, a young Christian named Paul crossed himself and said to his sister, who was standing near him: "Get ready, sister; there will be a great temptation for the Christians." The emperor saw that the young man crossed himself and ordered him to be taken into custody, because Christians were then being severely persecuted.

When, after futile attempts to persuade him to abandon the Christian faith, Saint Paul was subjected to torture, a young girl ran into the court and began to reproach the emperor for his cruelty. This was Juliana, Paul's sister.

"Why do you torment my brother?" she exclaimed. "Has he ever in his life insulted the imperial majesty, or offended any of his fellow citizens? The whole people will vouch for his virtue. Sovereign, spare him!"

March: Day 4: Teaching 1: Venerable Gerasimos of Jordan

March: Day 4: Teaching 1:
Venerable Gerasimos of Jordan
 
(On the Compassionate Treatment of Animals and the Sins of Cruelty To Them)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Gerasimos of Jordan, whose memory is celebrated today, loved cattle and animals, fed them, caressed them and treated them. Once during Great Lent, walking through the Jordan desert, he met a lion with a sore leg, swollen from a splinter. The holy elder took the splinter out of his leg, cleaned it and bandaged the wound with linen, and let the beast go. But the lion, as if in gratitude, did not leave his benefactor and followed the Saint. From that time on, he fed the intelligent beast and ordered him to guard a donkey that carried water for the needs of the monastery. One day, the lion fell asleep in the sun and did not see how a passing merchant from Arabia took the donkey with him. For such carelessness, the brethren began to carry water on the lion himself. He did not however have to labor for much time for his oversight. The lion noticed the merchant and, recognizing the donkey, rescued him and three other camels loaded with wheat and brought them to the monastery.

Clean Tuesday Outlines a Christian's Journey

Protopresbyter George Dorbarakis

"Severely wounded by the sword of pleasures, O Compassionate One, with your compassionate inclination, bandage and heal me, Word, so that I may gratefully glorify you for eternity." (Clean Tuesday, 8th Ode)

Among the many spiritual devotional delicacies of the day, the holy hymnographer offers us the above hymn, which in summary defines the entire framework of the Christian’s journey. The grateful glorification of God, he emphasizes, is the constant aspiration of the Christian: we were created by Christ, we hold on to Him and move forward, we strive towards Him. “By Him and through Him and for Him all things were created” (Saint Paul). Glorifying God therefore means always looking to the Lord (“my eyes are always towards the Lord”) and to Him to cast all the strength of my soul and heart – an unceasing movement of love, according to His central commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul, with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your strength.” Is this not the purpose for which the Lord created us also fulfilled? From the "in the image" to the "according to the likeness."

March: Day 3: Venerable Piamun the Virgin

March: Day 3:
Venerable Piamun the Virgin
 
(On the Prayer of the Righteous)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Virgin Piamun or Piama, whose memory is celebrated today, ascended to a marvelous degree of spiritual perfection in the house of her mother. She lived there as in a hermitage, alone, took food every other day, and after prayer spun flax. With such simplicity of life, but also with a keen observation of her soul, she so transformed her soul that the Lord granted her the gift of foresight. The latter was revealed on a special occasion.

Since the Nile River fertilizes the fields with the overflow of its waters, the settlements, cherishing the beneficial moisture, retain it in the fields with artificial fences; at the same time, human infirmities give rise to disputes and quarrels, often accompanied by fights. A community more populous than the one where Piamun lived swore to destroy the weak settlement for water. At Piamun's prayers, God saved them fromm the crime and death. An angel revealed to Piamun the villainous plan of her neighbors. She called together the elders of her village and announced the plan to them. "Go," she said, "meet those who are coming against you, beg them to refrain from fighting." The elders fell at her feet in fear and said: "We dare not go to meet them; we know their drunken life and their violence; having done us a new favor, go to them yourself and persuade them to leave us alone." She did not act on their request, did not go to the people with whom she had long since refused to communicate, but turned to the Lord; retiring to her little house, she spent the whole night in prayer.

March: Day 2: Teaching 1: Saint Arsenius, Bishop of Tver

 

March: Day 2: Teaching 1:
Saint Arsenius, Bishop of Tver
 
(A Lesson in Philanthropy)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Arsenius, commemorated today by the Church, lived in the fourteenth century and was a native of Tver and the son of pious, rich and noble parents, who had received an excellent education. After the death of his parents, he remained the owner of great wealth, but took nothing of it for himself, but used it all to help the poor. Arsenius' relatives reproached him for his insane, in their opinion, extravagance, which had ruined all of his father's property, and also persuaded Arsenius to marry; but Arsenius decided to completely renounce the world and retired to the Kiev Caves Lavra, where he took monastic vows. The brethren loved him for his constant labors and righteous life. Soon Metropolitan Cyprian, who was then living in Kiev, learned of him and ordained him a Hierodeacon, and in 1390, when he went to Moscow, he took him with him and soon ordained him Bishop of Tver. Here Arsenius spent twenty years, constantly teaching his flock with word and example of life. Meek and indulgent by nature, the Saint never left anyone with hostility or anger, and never let anyone go without consolation and help. He took no small part in reconciling quarreling princes and thus rendered great benefit to the flock and the Church. Through the labors of Saint Arsenius, many churches arose in the Tver region. In order to constantly maintain in himself the thought of death, he prepared a coffin for himself from a large stone and hewed it himself. The death of the Saint followed on March 2, 1409, and in 1483 the relics of Saint Arsenius was discovered to be incorruptible.

Homily on the Sunday of Forgiveness (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on the Sunday of Forgiveness

On Forgiving Offenses

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1963)

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

Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, from tomorrow we enter upon the great feat of holy fasting. What is the best way to begin this great feat? The Holy Church guides us on the holy path of fasting and repentance with the Gospel commandment about reconciliation with all our brethren in Christ Jesus, about the remission and forgiveness of all their sins against us. "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you," says the Lord Himself in the Gospel read today, "but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses" (Matt. 6:14:15). This is the first and necessary condition for our reconciliation with God, cleansing and justification from sins.

Without this wholehearted reconciliation with everyone, without this extinguishing of mutual grievances and enmity, one cannot approach the Lord, nor even begin the very path of fasting and repentance. Why? Because, first of all, the Lord our God Himself is the God of peace, and not of discord (cf. 1 Cor. 14:33). How can one appear before His face who harbors enmity and malice in his heart, who does not have peace and love with everyone and holiness? "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14).

Homily One for Cheesefare Sunday (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily One for Cheesefare Sunday

By St. John of Kronstadt

“When you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance.
For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting" (Matthew 6:16).

At present there are very few people who, through hypocrisy, would want to seem to others during Great Lent to be great fasters – in order to earn glory from people. Most likely, there will now be people who do not want to be or seem to be fasters, because they consider fasting to be a useless and superfluous matter for themselves, and those who seem to others to be fasters – a stupid and ridiculous matter. But, despite these extremes, there are undoubtedly among Christians those who keep to the golden mean, and, without deviating either to the right or to the left, go the path of fasting straight and evenly, like true fasters, fasting a fast that is pleasing and acceptable to the Lord.

Tomorrow begins the Great Forty Days or Great Lent – a truly precious time for people who know how to fast as they should in the Christian spirit. So that this time may serve us for spiritual benefit and salvation, let us now talk about the necessity and benefit of fasting.

Cheesefare Saturday and the Ascetics Who Shined With the Light of Christ

We are in the last week before Great Lent, the week of Cheesefare. Our preparation is coming to an end and wherever we are, we are entering Great Lent. I hope that we are all eagerly awaiting this with joy.

This is what the troparia urge us to do. The Church, as we are about to reach the gate of Great Lent, is still trying to prepare us for it. This week, the troparia already from Monday onwards, speak of the approach of Great Lent; that the fast is approaching, the spiritual struggle is coming.

The Church has dedicated the Saturday of Cheesefare to ascetics. Why do we “commemorate all those who have shone in asceticism”?

“We commemorate all the men and women who shone in asceticism,” in other words, all those who were sanctified by completely dedicating themselves to love Christ above all things, to serve as models for us as we enter our own ascetic path.

March: Day 1: Holy Venerable Martyr Eudokia the Samaritan

 

 

March: Day 1:
Holy Venerable Martyr Eudokia the Samaritan
 
(On the Benefit of Remembering Death)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Venerable Martyr Eudokia, whose memory is celebrated today, lived at the end of the first and the beginning of the second century. She was born in the Phoenician city of Heliopolis (now Baalbek), was a Samaritan by origin and faith and was distinguished by her rare beauty. Drawn into the vice of debauchery, she captivated many with her beauty and through this acquired enormous wealth. But God foresaw the possibility of saving Eudokia and led her to salvation. A Christian lived in the same house with Eudokia, only a thin partition separated their dwellings. A certain monk Germanos, returning from a pilgrimage, stopped to spend the night with this Christian. The monk, according to his pious custom, woke up at midnight and prayed, sat down and began to read the Holy Scriptures loudly. He read about the Last Judgment, the blessedness of the righteous and the torment of sinners. From behind the partition, Eudokia heard the reading, the grace of God touched the heart of the sinner, she recognized her sinful state and shuddered at the thought that she, as a sinner, after death, which could end her life at any moment, would face the terrible judgment of God and eternal torment. Early in the morning, Eudokia invited Germanos to her and asked him to help her avoid hellish torment. Germanos advised her to accept baptism, give away all the property that had been acquired through sin, and retire to a monastery. This is what Eudokia did. In the monastery, she devoted all her strength to the labors and feats of monastic life. She was soon made abbess of the monastery. She labored as a saint. Eudokia lived in the monastery for 56 years and converted many pagans to Christ, for which she was beheaded by order of the city governor Vikentios, joyfully giving up her spirit, purified by repentance and a pious life, to Christ God.

The Repose of the Heroic Archimandrite Hierotheos Sifakis of the Lavra of Saint Theodosios the Cenobiarch

The late Archimandrite Hierotheos Sifakis, Abbot of the Sacred Monastery of Abba Theodosios the Cenobiarch, reposed in the Lord on Tuesday afternoon January 28th 2025 at the age of 94. He had been in the Holy Land for over 70 years and served as Abbot of the Monastery of Abba Theodosios for over 45 years.

Metropolitan Hesychios of Capitolia presided over his funeral on January 29th. Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem was unable to preside due to his traveling to Albania to participate in the funeral of Archbishop Anastasios of Albania.

Elder Eudokimos, the spiritual father of the Lavra of Saint Savvas the Sanctified, has been appointed by the Patriarchate as the custodian of the Sacred Monastery of Abba Theodosios on a temporary basis.

February: Day 29: Venerable Cassian the Roman

February: Day 29:
Venerable Cassian the Roman
 
(On Leaving the World for God)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Cassian, whose memory is celebrated today, lived at the end of the fourth and the first half of the fifth century. At that time, spiritual enlightenment was most widespread in the East. In the East, the ascetic life developed in all its strength; the deserts and mountains were populated by holy monks, whose glorious names were honored by the entire Christian world. Striving for spiritual perfection, Cassian in his youth left the home of his parents and all the pleasures of the world, left his fatherland, Rome, and came to the East. He lived for some time in the desert of Scetis, took monastic vows in Bethlehem, went around all the desert monasteries of the Thebaid, listened to Saint John Chrysostom in Constantinople, and only after many years returned to Rome. This was during the persecution raised against John Chrysostom; Cassian was one of those who sought his protection.

February: Day 28: Blessed Nicholas the Fool for Christ

February: Day 28:
Blessed Nicholas the Fool for Christ
 
(Fasting in Connection With Other Works of Piety)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Blessed Nicholas the Fool for Christ, whose memory is now being celebrated, attained the Kingdom of Heaven by the path of foolishness for the sake of Christ. Saint Nicholas lived in the city of Pskov, in a special hut, three hundred years ago, and spent his life in prayer and fasting. Performing feats of foolishness for Christ, he, under the guise of a joke or a fable, and often directly, told everyone the truth, fearing no one. Thus, when Tsar Ivan the Terrible came to Pskov, the inhabitants greeted him with trembling on their knees. But the blessed one was not afraid and met the Terrible Tsar with words of reproach: "Do not touch us, passerby," he said to him, "go away from us, or you will have nothing to run on." The Tsar executed many residents of Pskov, but when he left the city, his best horse died, as Blessed Nicholas predicted. They say that the Holy Fool offered the Terrible Tsar a piece of raw meat and when he said that he was no longer eating meat because it was Lent, he objected: “You are doing worse, you are feeding on human blood, forgetting not only Lent, but also God.”

"Impartial Judge" (Saint Ephraim of Katounakia)

Papa-Ephraim of Katounakia was very forceful in matters of spirituality. Behind the door of his cell he had written: "Impartial Judge", and every night for half an hour to three quarters of an hour he would seat himself on a stool and judge his actions of the day and try not to fall into the same mistakes again.

Papa-Dionysios the Mikragiannanitis told us that Papa-Ephraim, when he rarely went out into the world, then upon his return to the Holy Mountain it would take three to four months to find the state he had been in when he left. Once he was very sad that he had lost his previous state, and he asked Papa-Dionysios to give him the Relic of Saint Nektarios in his cell for a short time, so that he could beg him to help him. He had many tears. A monk met him on the road returning from Little Saint Anna and his eyes were constantly streaming with tears. He had a handkerchief and he was wiping them.

February: Day 27: Teaching 2: Venerable Prokopios of Decapolis

February: Day 27: Teaching 2:
Venerable Prokopios of Decapolis
 
(Veneration of Holy Icons is Necessary and Useful)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Prokopios, whose memory is today, was born in the region of Decapolis (which is why he is called "Decapolite", which in Greek means from the country of Decapolis), lying on the Sea of Galilee, which the Lord Jesus Christ once visited. Venerable Prokopios accepted monasticism in one monastery and struggled in fasting and prayer. When iconoclasm arose, the Saint courageously stood against the iconoclasts, defending the right and pious veneration of holy icons. For this, by order of Emperor Leo the Isaurian, he was taken and subjected to torture. He was cruelly beaten, scraped with iron claws and thrown into a dark and stinking dungeon, where he languished until the death of the iconoclast emperor. After that, Prokopios received freedom and lived again in the monastery, devoting himself to monastic exploits. He died in peace at the beginning of the 9th century.

February: Day 27: Teaching 1: Venerable Titus of the Kiev Caves

February: Day 27: Teaching 1:
Venerable Titus of the Kiev Caves
 
(Lessons From His Life:
a. Friends Should Be Chosen With Caution;
b. One Should Make Peace With One's Neighbor As Soon As Possible; and
c. Always Remember That Death Can Creep Up Unexpectedly)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. At the end of the 12th century, in the Kiev Caves Lavra, as the eyewitness blessed Simon wrote, there lived two brothers in spirit: the priest Titus, whose memory is celebrated today, and the deacon Evagrius; they were friends and loved each other. Such good relations of the monks were unpleasant only to the hater of goodness – the devil. He sowed such enmity and hatred between them that the former friends could not look at each other; with anger in their hearts they prayed and served God. The brethren tried to reconcile them, but they could not. But then God himself admonished the sinner. The priest Titus fell seriously ill and, having no hope of recovery, began to weep bitterly about his sin (i.e. about his hatred of the deacon). Wanting to reconcile with his enemy Evagrius, he called him to him. Evagrius not only did not go to the sick man, but began to slander him again and revile him with offensive reproaches. The brethren of the monastery, seeing Titus dying, forcibly brought the deacon to the bed. The sick man rose with difficulty, fell at Evagrius' feet and said with tears: "Forgive me and bless me." He turned away from the sick man and said: "I do not want to say goodbye to him either in this or the age to come." Having said this, the proud and spiteful Evagrius broke free from the hands of the monks who were holding him. But then something unusual happened - Evagrius fell down lifeless, having been completely healthy until that hour. Malice had so distorted his body that it was impossible to bend his arms, or close his mouth and eyes. And the sick Titus at the same time rose from his bed healthy. "What happened to you?" the brothers asked him.

Homily Five for the Sunday of the Last Judgement (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Five for the Last Judgement

By St. John of Kronstadt

(Delivered in 1907)

The Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is usually called the Dread Judgment, and rightly so, because at it the living and the dead will be judged. Dreadful is the judgment: for it will terrify every creature of heaven and earth, invisible and visible. Dreadful will it be to the heavenly creatures: for the powers of heaven will be moved. Dreadful also to the earth: for the earth will shake in its very foundations. At the second glorious coming of Christ to earth, the loud voice of the Archangel and God's trumpet will be heard by all; this sound, or rather thunder, will resound throughout the entire universe: the dead will rise, having heard it, and will go to judgment.

Here, first of all, there will be great fear for sinners when the sound of the trumpet commands every soul to enter its body - that body which, having once turned to dust, will now, by God's command, again receive its composition and its members.

February: Day 26: Saint Porphyrios, Bishop of Gaza

February: Day 26:
Saint Porphyrios, Bishop of Gaza
 
(On Love For Enemies and the Power of Prayer)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. When Saint Porphyrios, whose memory is celebrated today, after his election as bishop, went to the city of Gaza, the seat of his bishopric, the city dwellers, mostly rude pagans who hated Christians, having learned of the bishop’s approach, threw thorns on the road, made holes and set fire to heaps of dung, in order to mock the Christians, of whom with their wives and children there were no more than 280 souls. Saint Porphyrios had to live with such frenzied pagans, who, even before seeing him, tried to insult him! But the humble shepherd remembered the Lord’s instruction and repaid evil with good. Thus, during a drought, he made a religious procession outside the city, and on the same day asked God for rain, and the pagans, who had been sacrificing to the gods in vain for seven days, saw that Saint Porphyrios is a saint of the true God, and hundreds began to convert to the faith of Christ.

Homily on the Last Judgement (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily on the Last Judgement

By St. John of Kronstadt

(Delivered in 1907)

"I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, who will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead" (7th article of the Symbol of Faith).

Who is speaking? Every Christian speaks thus. But if every Christian, then, without a doubt, myself and each of you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, do you sincerely believe that Jesus Christ, the righteous Judge of all earthly beings, will come to judge all people. the living and the dead, who will all come to life either for eternal blessedness or for eternal condemnation? Are you ready to meet the universal Judge and answer at the terrible Judgment of Christ for every deed and word? Do you have good deeds? Why ask? From the life and actions of Christians it is clearly evident that they have forgotten about the righteous Judge, about the terrible judgment, about eternal life, and with each passing day they are rushing headlong toward eternal destruction, which they do not even imagine. They hasten to receive their consolation on earth, in order to lose it forever in heaven. That is the concern, how to kill precious time, how to spend it pleasantly, but no one cares about spending it with benefit for the soul, to prepare for the outcome of their affairs (Proverbs 24:27).

The Canonical Epistle of Saint Tarasios of Constantinople to Pope Adrian of Rome

 

Saint Tarasios of Constantinople

Prolegomena

Our divine Father Tarasios lived in the reign of Constantine and Irene his mother, in the time of Nikephoros the Administrator General. In the year 795, through the influence exerted by Empress Irene, who was a woman belonging originally to the populace, he was elevated to the Patriarchal throne of Constantinople, succeeding Paul as Patriarch of Constantinople on the 21st day of the month of December, and held the office of Patriarch for 21 years and 2 months. He really did a great deed in that through his importunity he persuaded the Emperor and Empress to assemble the holy Seventh Ecumenical Synod, and by means of his begging letters to Pope Adrian of Rome and to the Patriarchs of the East, he persuaded these dignitaries to send legates, or deputies, to the Synod. He was an uncle of the most holy Patriarch Photios. Besides his other letters, he wrote this letter of his against simoniacs and despatched it to Pope Adrian of Rome because such an evil practice was going on also in Rome. This letter was accepted by the Church as a Canonical Epistle, and is to be found on p. 896 of the second volume of the Conciliar Records, and in volume II of the Pandects.

February: Day 25: Saint Tarasios, Patriarch of Constantinople

February: Day 25:
Saint Tarasios, Patriarch of Constantinople
 
(On the Veneration of Holy Icons)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Tarasios, whose memory is celebrated today, was a senator when he was elected Patriarch of Constantinople. At that time there were many foolish people among the Christians who rejected the veneration of holy icons. Tarasios was zealous for the veneration of holy icons not only during his life, but also after his death. Thus, when Leo the Armenian, having become emperor several years after the death of Saint Tarasios, again armed himself against the venerators of holy icons, he once saw Saint Tarasios in a dream, who, pointing at him, ordered a soldier, Michael, to kill him, and he dealt him a mortal blow with a sword. Alarmed by this dream, Leo sent to the monastery of Saint Tarasios to find out whether the soldier Michael was hiding there... not suspecting that Saint Tarasios warned him in a dream about Michael the Stammerer, one of the military leaders who actually killed Leo on the very day of Christ's Nativity.

New Booklet Now Available of Various Never Before Translated Writings of Righteous Alexei Mechev

Even though I had translated various writings of Righteous Alexei Mechev for a private project commissioned by someone who can now no longer use it due to a recent accident and hospitalization, because he was unable to pay for the project he gave me the idea to offer them instead to my readers. Since I put them up for sale last week, there has been more interest than I anticipated, and since I would like to sell all the copies (about 500), I wanted to expand the awareness of this booklet a bit and offer more information. It is also a great time to order this booklet, as it will be excellent reading for Great Lent and would make for a wonderful gift as well. Shipments will begin first week of March. This is not a formal publication, which may happen in the future.

Brief Life

Righteous Alexei Mechev was a famous Archpriest of Moscow in the early 20th century. From March 19, 1893 he was a priest of the Church of Saint Nicholas in Klenniki, where he served for the rest of his life. It was one of the smallest churches in Moscow, in which there were very few parishioners. Despite this, he introduced daily services in the church, and for eight years he did these services almost in solitude. However, gradually Father Alexei gained fame as a good shepherd, more and more parishioners came to the temple, and over time one of the most famous Orthodox communities in Moscow was formed. According to the memoirs of believers, his sermons were simple, sincere, touched the heart with the depth of faith, truthfulness and understanding of life.

In the lower floor of the temple he opened a parochial school, and arranged a shelter for orphans and the poor. For 13 years he taught the Law of God in the women's gymnasium E. V. Winkler (he was known as a good mentor, who sought to make his students become believers, and not to receive just formal knowledge). He contributed to the revival of ancient Russian icon painting, and was close to the Optina elders. After the death of his wife and meeting with Saint John of Kronstadt, he himself gained fame as a Starets (although he did not accept monasticism, remaining a parish priest in the rank of Archpriest). He was a humble man, who often talked with parishioners on the topics about the lives of the saints. One of those who were spiritually healed and brought back to creativity was the artist Robert Falk.

In Soviet times, he was twice summoned to an “interview” at the OGPU (at the end of 1922 and March 30, 1923), and he was forbidden to accept believers. He was not subjected to repression due to a serious illness. In May 1923 he went to rest in Veria, where he died.

In August 2000, Righteous Alexei was canonized along with his fourth child by the Russian Orthodox Church. His son Hieromartyr Sergey Mechev was his successor priest at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Klenniki, and was shot to death on January 6, 1942 then buried in an unknown common grave by the NKVD after being accused of undermining the Soviet authorities.

About the Booklet

I titled the booklet "A Brief Rule for a Pious Life" and Other Writings of Righteous Alexei Mechev. It includes the following brief texts never fully translated before in English:

- "A Brief Rule for a Pious Life"
- "Confession of the Inner Man Leading to Humility"
- "Excerpts from General Instructions"
- "Advice for a Christian Girl"
- "Advice for the Elderly"

How To Order

Each copy is only $11.95 and will cover shipping and handling in the United States. You can order one copy at a time by clicking on the Paypal or Venmo link at the top of this website. If you are ordering more than one copy or ordering from anywhere outside the United States, please add an additional $5.00 for shipping and use the DONATE button below. 

 

 

Homily Four for the Sunday of the Last Judgement (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Four for the Sunday of the Last Judgement

By St. John of Kronstadt

(Delivered on the Monday after the Sunday of the Last Judgment - 

February 25, 1907)

“The Lord comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with His truth” (Psalm 96:13).

I have been to the sessions of the earthly courts, called district courts. The furnishings of the main courtroom are impressive. A large portrait of the Emperor on the wall; tables, seats; a diverse audience, the docks of the accused and the accused themselves, the tense anticipation of the judges.

Here the doors open; the herald proclaims loudly: "The court is in session!" The members of the court come out with the chairman; they sit down; the minutes of the court are read; the defendants are announced; the jurors are seated; the witnesses are called; the oath is read - to tell only the truth. The trial begins. All this is decorous, in order - and makes an impression on the public. Such is the atmosphere of an earthly court, a human one. For the defendants it is somewhat frightening. After the degree of guilt of the defendants has been determined and the judges have deliberated, a decision is made and announced - punishment or freedom from trial. Such is the earthly court in a brief outline.

February: Day 24: Teaching 2: The First and Second Finding of the Honorable Head of John the Baptist

February: Day 24: Teaching 2:
The First and Second Finding of the Honorable Head of John the Baptist
 
(Bases for the Veneration of Holy Relics)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. After the martyrdom of the Baptist, his body was buried by his disciples, and the head, after Herodias had desecrated it, was secretly placed in a vessel by the pious Joanna, wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and buried on the Mount of Olives. Afterwards, the holy head was found three times, and a celebration of these three findings of the head was established. The first and second findings are celebrated on February 24. The first time it was found by two monks traveling to Jerusalem to venerate the holy places, during the time of Constantine the Great. The Baptist himself appeared to them and ordered that the head be dug up on the Mount of Olives. But soon the monks, by their lack of faith and neglect of the holy head, made themselves unworthy of possessing it. From them the head passed to a citizen of the city of Emesa in Syria, and from him, by succession, it passed to a certain Eustathios, an Arian monk, who hid it in a cave near Emesa. Here, later on, a monastery was formed. The abbot of this monastery, the pious Archimandrite Markellos, was visited in a dream by the Baptist himself, who informed him of his head, hidden in a cave near the monastery. The head was found there a second time. This was in the year 452. The holy head was then transferred to Chalcedon, and from there, under the Emperor Theodosius the Great, to Constantinople. The third finding of the head of the Honorable Forerunner was on May 25, and that is when it is celebrated.

February: Day 24: Teaching 1: Venerable Erasmus of the Kiev Caves

February: Day 24: Teaching 1:
Venerable Erasmus of the Kiev Caves
 
(Will Those Who Donate Anything for the Construction of Holy Temples Be Rewarded by God?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Some Christians give much for the building or adornment of God's temples, but doubt whether they will receive a reward from God for this or not, and think: would it not be better to give the money spent on the temple to the poor, and will God accept their sacrifice? What shall we say to such? We will say that this must be done and not to cease from it; that is, it is good to help the poor, but it is also good to give for the adornment of God's temples. And as it is certain that the former will not be forgotten by God, so it is equally certain that He will reward for the latter. They will say: how can this latter be proved? We answer: first, by the fact that the Church of God prays every day for those who bear fruit and do good in the holy temple of God, and every day cries out: "Sanctify those who love the beauty of Your house;" and the prayer of the Church is always powerful before God; and secondly, it can be proved by the fact that in the lives of the saints we find indications that the Lord and the Queen of Heaven showed special love and mercy to the builders and decorators of God's temples. We intend to present one of these indications for your edification, brethren, at this time.

February: Day 23: Holy Hieromartyr Polycarp of Smyrna

 

February: Day 23:
Holy Hieromartyr Polycarp of Smyrna
 
(How Were the Sufferings of the Holy Martyrs for Christ Alleviated?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Hieromartyr Polycarp, whose memory is celebrated today, was a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian, who also ordained him Bishop of Smyrna. When the persecution of Christians began, the pagans demanded the death of Polycarp. The proconsul tried to save Polycarp’s life, but the crowd cried out: “Burn Polycarp alive!” The proconsul gave in. The people immediately began to collect firewood and brushwood from the surrounding baths and shops, and in an instant the fire was ready. The Jews worked harder than anyone. Polycarp himself took off his outer clothing. They wanted to chain him to the fire with iron chains, but he said: “This is not necessary, He who gave me the will to suffer for Him will also give me the strength to remain motionless on the fire.” They fulfilled the wish of the holy elder, and he himself went up to the fire; but then a miracle occurred that amazed everyone: the flames surrounded the holy elder, converging above him like a vault, and his body remained unharmed. Then the leaders ordered him to be pierced with a long spear, and so much blood flowed from the wound that the fire went out. All this aroused the amazement of the pagans. The Jews, noticing that the Christians wanted to take the body of Polycarp, asked the proconsul to burn the body. The proconsul's consent was given. But the Christians collected the bones and kept them as a sacred relic; and on the day of his martyrdom they gathered and solemnly celebrated the memory of the Martyr, giving us an example of honoring the life and death of the holy saints of God.

Homily Three for the Sunday of the Last Judgement (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Three for the Sunday of the Last Judgement

By St. John of Kronstadt

(Delivered in 1907)

“But the Lord shall endure forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment. He shall judge the world in righteousness, and He shall administer judgment for the peoples in uprightness” (Psalm 9:8–9).

On this Sunday, the Church is appointed to solemnly remember and serve the terrible future judgment of Christ upon the whole human race, which is to take place at the end of the world. And this judgment will take place soon, as the righteous Judge of all Himself testifies. "Behold, I come quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to his works" (Rev. 22:12). And there is nothing more certain and inevitable, as well as more immutable, than the truth that there will be a general judgment upon the human race, at which the fate of all people for all eternity will be finally decided. 

 

God is the Creator and Lawgiver, and the King of every creation, who has given immutable laws to all creatures. By fulfilling these laws they exist and remain in prosperity, but through violation they suffer, become corrupt and are destroyed. Laws have been given to heaven and earth, to the sun, moon and stars. "I have given all the stars commandments" (Is. 45:12), and through their firm fulfillment they exist in orderly order for so many thousands of years, proclaiming the glory of God. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands" (Ps. 18:2).

Homily for Meatfare Parental Saturday - On the Prayerful Commemoration of the Departed (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily for Meatfare Parental Saturday

On the Prayerful Commemoration of the Departed

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

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

"God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for all are alive to Him" (Luke 20:38), said Christ the Savior to the Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead.

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ! The Holy Orthodox Christian Church, firmly believing these true words of the Savior, always publicly confesses the indisputable truth that with the death of a person his life does not cease. What do we see dying? Only the body, which is taken from the earth and again returns to the earth. The flesh decomposes and turns to dust, but the person himself, with all his feelings and with his immortal soul, continues to live, passing only from this world to another, to the afterlife. Consequently, communication between the living and the dead is not destroyed by death, but continues to exist.

The Path to Panagia Hozoviotissa in Amorgos

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Saint Eustathios the Confessor, Patriarch of Antioch

St. Eustathios of Antioch (Feast Day - February 21)

St. Eustathius was a native of Sida, in Pamphylia, and with heroic constancy confessed the faith of Christ before the pagan persecutors, as St. Athanasius assures us,1 though it does not appear whether this happened under Diocletian or Licinius. He was learned, eloquent, and eminently endowed with all virtue, especially an ardent zeal for the purity of our holy faith. Being made bishop of Beræa, in Syria, he began in that obscure see to be highly considered in the church, insomuch that St. Alexander, of Alexandria, wrote to him in particular against Arius and his impious writings, in 323. St. Philogonius, bishop of Antioch, a prelate illustrious for his confession of the faith, in the persecution of Licinius, died in 323. One Paulinus succeeded him, but seems a man not equal to the functions of that high station; for, during the short time he governed that church, tares began to grow up among the good seed. To root these out, when that dignity became again vacant, in 324, the zeal and abilities of St. Eustathius were called for, and he was accordingly translated to this see, in dignity the next to Alexandria, and the third in the world. He vigorously opposed the motion, but was compelled to acquiesce. Indeed, translations of bishops, if made without cogent reasons of necessity, become, to many, dangerous temptations of ambition and avarice, and open a door to those fatal vices into the sanctuary. To put a bar to this evil, St. Eustathius, in the same year, assisting at the general council of Nice, zealously concurred with his fellow bishops to forbid for the time to come all removals of bishops from one see to another.2 The new patriarch distinguished himself in that venerable assembly by his zeal against Arianism. Soon after his return to Antioch he held a council there to unite his church, which he found divided by factions. He was very strict and severe in examining into the characters of those whom he admitted into the clergy, and he constantly rejected all those whose principles, faith, or manners appeared suspected; among whom were several who became afterwards ringleaders of Arianism. Amidst his external employs for the service of others, he did not forget that charity must always begin at home, and he laboured in the first place to sanctify his own soul; but after watering his own garden he did not confine the stream there, but let it flow abroad to enrich the neighbouring soil, and to dispense plenty and fruitfulness all around. He sent into other dioceses that were subject to his patriarchate, men capable of instructing and encouraging the faithful. Eusebius, archbishop of Cæsarea, in Palestine, (which church was, in some measure, subject to Antioch,) favoured the new heresy, in such a manner as to alarm the zeal of our saint.3 This raised a violent storm against him.

February: Day 21: Saint George, Bishop of Amastris

February: Day 21:
Saint George, Bishop of Amastris
 
(The Sin of Sacrilege)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint George, Bishop of Amastris, whose memory is celebrated today, was famous for his exalted life and miracles under the Emperor Constantine IV (780-797). By prayer he calmed a storm on the Black Sea during his voyage and died peacefully in 803. After his death, many miracles occurred at his tomb. Thus one day the Russians (i.e. Russian knights), having attacked the Greek Empire and devastated everything along the coast, captured Amastris (in Paphlagonia) on the Black Sea. Having broken into the church where Saint George was buried, they began to dig up his tomb, thinking that treasures were kept in it; but the plunderers suddenly lost strength in their legs and arms and, as if bound, they stood motionless in a stupor. This miracle terrified the Russians and their leader, calling a captive Christian, began to ask about the treasure hidden in the tomb. The captive Christian explained everything and at the same time communicated the concept of the true God, Who created everything from nothing and Whom no one can resist, and immediately advised to bring Him a sacrifice. When the Russians, on the advice of the captive, brought oil and wax to the true God and returned freedom to the captives, then the plunderers felt the freedom of their hands and feet. After this, the Russians made peace with the Christians and returned to their homeland with the thought of the greatness of the Christian God, and some with full faith in Him.

"Outside the Body ... Towards the Same Body"

By Protopresbyter Themistokles Mourtzanos

"Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins towards the same body" (1 Cor. 6:18).

The human being becoming an object, a thing, a res, is not just a current phenomenon. Nowadays, in the third world, people are cheap labor, so that the rich can enjoy goods, especially technological ones, in abundance. In war, everyday people become “collateral damage”, while the number of dead is what matters, not who they really were. In relationships, many see the other as body and flesh and not as a complete coexistence of soul and body. Thus, relationships today are characterized by the exclusivity of sensuality.

February: Day 20: Saint Leo, Bishop of Catania

February: Day 20:
Saint Leo, Bishop of Catania
 
(It Is a Sin To Believe That Sorcerers Can “Corrupt” People)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. In the Sicilian city of Catania there was a sorcerer named Heliodoros, who was very skillful in performing false miracles. He was repeatedly condemned to death, but he would suddenly disappear and appear in different places on the same day. In vain did Saint Leo, Bishop of Catania, whose memory is celebrated today, persuade Heliodoros to repent. He laughed at the admonitions of the Saint and one day came to the church where Saint Leo was celebrating a service, and by his sorcery he caused the Christians praying in the church to begin stomping, jumping, laughing and doing other indecent things. For such an insult to the holy temple, Leo approached Heliodoros, tied him with his omophorion and led him out of the church. Then he ordered a fire to be lit, went into the fire with Heliodoros, and stood there until the sorcerer was burned. The fire that destroyed Heliodoros did not even touch the clothes of Saint Leo, who remained unharmed. This is the great and instructive punishment that befalls those who commit outrages in the temple of God.

The House Where Saint Paisios Grew Up in Konitsa of Ioannina

Saint Paisios was born in Farasa of Cappadocia in Asia Minor on July 25th 1924.

On August 7, 1924, a week before the people of Farasa left for Greece during the population exchange, the Elder was baptized by Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian, who insisted on giving the child his own name "to leave a monk at his feet," as he had characteristically said.

Five weeks after the baptism of the then little Arsenios Eznepides, on September 14th 1924, the Eznepides family, along with the refugee caravans, arrived at Agios Georgios in Piraeus and then went to Kerkyra, where they temporarily settled in Kastro. His family stayed in Kerkyra for a year and a half. Then they moved to Igoumenitsa and ended up in Konitsa.

February: Day 19: Holy Apostle Philemon

February: Day 19:
Holy Apostle Philemon*
 
(On the Attitude of Servants to Masters)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Apostle Paul in his epistle to Philemon, a rich and dignified man who lived in Asia Minor, in the region of Phrygia, whose memory is celebrated today, asks him to accept his slave Onesimus, who had fled from him, as a beloved brother (Phil. 1:16). Without any hesitation, Philemon fulfilled the request of the Apostle Paul. Philemon not only forgave his slave for his unauthorized flight, but even granted him freedom. Philemon did such a magnanimous deed without a doubt because he was a true Christian. It is known about him that he himself preached the Christian doctrine and was numbered among the Seventy Apostles.

The Brother of the Prodigal Son (Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol)

The Brother of the Prodigal Son

By Metropolitan Athanasios of Limassol

The Parable of the Prodigal Son is enough in itself to teach us the whole mystery of the Father's divine love and the way of salvation and of the return of people to God. Thus, usually, greater importance is given to the prodigal son and the way of his salvation, but also to the presence of the Father, who with His ineffable fatherly love accepts his prodigal son back. However, the other son, the prodigal's brother, remains on the sidelines, without anyone dealing with him. When I therefore hear this parable, my mind remains on this type of man, because I feel that we "religious" people are most like him.

We are in danger from the syndrome of this man. It is a great danger that lurks for all of us. In the Gospel, the eldest son is mentioned in a few words.

When the prodigal son returned and was welcomed by his father and ordered that the best robe be brought to clothe him, and that the fattened calf be sacrificed and that there should be joy and gladness in the house, because the prodigal was like a dead man who has survived, who was lost and is now found, the parable continues: “Now his elder son was in the field.”

February: Day 18: Saint Leo, Pope of Rome

February: Day 18:
Saint Leo, Pope of Rome
 
(The Power of a Gentle Word)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Great is the power of the word which comes from a pious, meek heart: it humbles the proud and softens the hard-hearted. In confirmation of this truth, we will relate to you, brethren, the following event from the life of Saint Leo, Pope of Rome, whose commemoration is today. At the time when Leo was Pope, or, what is the same thing as Archbishop in Rome, a wild and warlike people, the Huns, appeared. The leader of this people was Attila, rightly called the Scourge of God, for he burned, robbed and killed people without any compassion; he himself boasted that no grass grew where his horse had passed. Now he had already burned and destroyed up to five hundred cities and was approaching Rome. Fear seized the inhabitants of Rome, everyone fled from the city, throwing down their arms, since they considered the enemy invincible. But Saint Leo did not flee and was not afraid of Attila. At the emperor's request, he met the invincible conqueror with a weapon that turned out to be sharper than all swords - this weapon was the kind, gentle word of the servant of God. "Attila, you have conquered the entire universe," said Saint Leo, "now we ask you to conquer yourself, do not destroy our city, and spare us." The words of Saint Leo were so convincing and gentle that they softened the cruel barbarian, and Attila said to Leo: "Your words touched my heart. Whoever you are, a man or an angel, Rome owes its salvation to you. Old man, in one minute and with a few words you have done more than all the many warriors who fought with me, and I admit myself defeated!"