Homily One on the Lenten Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily One on the Lenten Prayer of Saint Ephraim the Syrian

"Give Me Not a Spirit of Idleness, Despondency, Lust for Power and Idle Talking"

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1962)

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

Dear brothers and sisters, during Great Lent we hear how at each Divine Lenten service the priest reads a short but touching prayer:

Lord and Master of my life,
give me not a spirit of idleness,
despondency, lust for power, and idle talking.
 
Bestow on Your servant instead
a spirit of chastity,
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.

April: Day 1: Venerable Mary of Egypt

 

April: Day 1:
Venerable Mary of Egypt
 
(Lessons From Her Life)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. In her youth, Venerable Mary of Egypt, whose memory is celebrated today, was exceptionally beautiful; however, alas! this heavenly beauty led her to the brink of destruction in our sinful world. Tempted by a young man, at the age of fifteen she lost the precious treasure of a woman – her chastity – and fell into the sin of unchastity. The further she went, the deeper she sank into carnal impurity. She did not miss a single opportunity to sin, and she could think of nothing else but her beloved passion. She transformed completely into fire, slowly melting and being destroyed in that fire. Thus, she lived for 17 years!

One day, while by the sea, she saw a ship sailing to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. Seeing many young people on the ship, she immediately desired to lure them into her nets. She implored to be accepted on the ship. And, oh horror! Despite the fact that the ship was sailing to such a holy place as Jerusalem with Golgotha and the Lord's tomb, and to such an honorable feast as the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Mary committed such shameful acts on the ship with the young men that it is surprising how the sea did not part and swallow the ship... But what sin can surpass the patience and love of God! From what sin is God unable to rescue a man, if, despite all his abominations, there still glimmers in the depths of his heart a spark of tenderness, kindness, love! And God rescued Mary from her sinful filth.

Synaxis of Saint George Karslides on the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent

Saint George Karslides lived most of his life in the village of Sipsa (now identified as Taxiarches) in Drama of Northern Greece. He established a small monastery there dedicated to the Ascension of the Savior and reposed in the Lord on November 4th 1959. Though his feast day is universally celebrated by Orthodox Christians on November 4th, in his native city of Drama it has been established that his Synaxis be celebrated on the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent. This is done to sanctify and strengthen the faithful in their spiritual struggle during Great Lent.

What is notable for this celebration is the transfer of his relics which takes place through a procession from the Monastery of the Ascension of the Savior in Sipsa, where his relics are kept, to the Church of Saint Nicholas in Drama, and this procession takes place on the Friday before the Fourth Sunday of Great Lent. When the relics arrive at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Drama, the Fourth Salutations to the Theotokos is chanted. Then on Saturday evening, a Great Festal Vespers is celebrated. On Sunday, before the dismissal of the Divine Liturgy, the Lamentations to the Saint are chanted, and a procession takes place to the center of the city of Drama. The relics then return to the Church of Saint Nicholas and the Supplicatory Canon to the Saint is chanted, before the return of the relics of the Saint to their resting place in Sipsa.

Memories of Gangra of Paphlagonia Before the Population Exchange of 1922

Church of Saint Hypatios in Gangra before 1922.

By Antonios Dorikidis

Gangra or Gangrai was in ancient times the capital of Paphlagonia which flourished in the Byzantine era.

Earlier, around 215 AD under the Emperor Caracalla (188-217) it had issued its own coins with Greek letters.

In the years of Constantine the Great (273-337), the Bishop of Gangra was Hypatios, who had taken part in the First Ecumenical Synod against the heresy of Arius along with other God-bearing Fathers of the Orthodox Church. He lived until the time of Constantine II (316-340), son of Constantine the Great, and suffered a martyr's death by stoning by the heretics and is honored as a Saint by the Orthodox Church.

In the middle of the 4th century (340-370), a local synod was convened in Gangra, which was directed against the Metropolitan of Sebaste Eustathios and his followers, who were called Eustathians.

Saint Hypatios of Gangra Resource Page

St. Hypatios of Gangra (Feast Day - March 31)

Verses

A woman slays by casting a stone in a vital area,
Hypatios, alas wretched woman!
On the thirty-first Hypatios was carried off to life.

 

Synaxarion of the Holy Hieromartyr Hypatios, Bishop of Gangra

Holy Hieromartyr Hypatios the Wonderworker and Bishop of Gangra

 

March: Day 31: Teaching 1: Hieromartyr Hypatios, Bishop of Gangra

 

Saint Hypatios of Gangra and the Dragon

The Veneration of Saint Hypatios of Gangra in Greece and Cyprus

 

Relics of Saint Hypatios of Gangra

 

Memories of Gangra of Paphlagonia Before the Population Exchange of 1922
 

Relics of Saint Hypatios of Gangra

According to tradition, a hieromonk from Gangra in Paphlagonia of Asia Minor brought portions of relics of Saint Hypatios, who was Bishop of Gangra in the fourth century, to the Monastery of Saint Paul on the Holy Mountain of Athos. Today a large portion of the skull of the Saint as well as a portion of the leg and another unconfirmed portion is kept in the Monastery. 

March: Day 31: Teaching 1: Hieromartyr Hypatios, Bishop of Gangra

March: Day 31: Teaching 1:
Hieromartyr Hypatios, Bishop of Gangra
 
(On Love For Enemies)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Hieromartyr Hypatios, celebrated today, was Bishop of the city of Gangra, in Paphlagonia of Asia, and lived in the 4th century. He was present at the First Ecumenical Synod. For his God-pleasing life he was granted the gift of healing illnesses and casting out demons from people. The heretics destroyed him because he greatly affected them. Once, when the Saint was returning from Constantinople, they rushed at him from a hidden place with sticks and beat him to death. The Saint, like the Lord Himself and the Holy Archdeacon Stephen, prayed for his enemies. The murderers were not discovered and punished by human judgment, but the Lord Himself discovered and punished them with a grave illness, so that they repented and received healing at the grave of the Saint.

The Fourth Sunday of Great Lent and the Gift of Saint John Climacus (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

By Archimandrite George Kapsanis

Our Lord, the leader of our faith and the founder and head of our Church, has taken care and is taking care that His Christians, His faithful, have proper spiritual guidance for the life in Christ. For this reason, He has raised up within the Church many Spirit-bearing and God-bearing teachers, who, with the illumination of the Holy Spirit, teach us the life in Christ. Among these great teachers of our faith is Saint John the Sinaite, the author of the "Ladder", whose memory we celebrate today.

He himself struggled as a monk, as a coenobite, and as an abbot. He succeeded in climbing – with struggle, of course – the steps of theosis, starting from the first stages of the spiritual life and reaching the highest, which is perfect love for God and people and union with God and theosis.

March: Day 30: Teaching 2: Venerable John Climacus

March: Day 30: Teaching 2:
Venerable John Climacus
 
(The Degrees of Moral Perfection)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. From his youth, the now celebrated Saint John Climacus loved the Lord and, despite the flattering hopes inspired by his natural talents and extensive education, he left the world and withdrew far from his homeland to Sinai, to free himself through pilgrimage from many obstacles to spiritual life, and in the chosen place to have a clear indication of what and where he should seek.

Having thus laid a good foundation, he from the very moment of entering the monastery wholeheartedly surrenders himself to the experienced mentor and places himself in such a state as if his soul had neither its own reason nor its own will. By suppressing in himself excessive self-confidence and self-will, he soon frees himself from the pride typical of gifted individuals, acquires heavenly simplicity, and becomes perfect in the works and virtues of obedience.

March: Day 30: Teaching 1: Venerable John Climacus

March: Day 30: Teaching 1:
Venerable John Climacus
 
(Moral Lessons From His Life)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint John Climacus, whose memory is celebrated today, upon reaching the age of 16, preferred to offer himself entirely as a most sacred sacrifice to God, and for that purpose, retired to Mount Sinai, where he submitted himself to the obedience of Elder Martyrios. Four years after joining the monastery, he received the angelic schema. His obedience to the elder was so profound that he seemed to have no will of his own. In his dealings with the brethren, he was very simple, and although he was highly educated and learned, he behaved in such a manner that he did not display his advantages over others. He lived with the elder for nineteen years until the end of his life, and after the elder's death resolved to live in solitude, but not before receiving the consent of Saint George the Arselaites for this. He chose a desert as the place for his solitude and settled in a secluded part of the valley at the foot of Mount Sinai.

March: Day 29: Venerable Mark the Confessor, Bishop of Arethusa

March: Day 29:
Venerable Mark the Confessor, Bishop of Arethusa
 
(The Christian Faith is the Only True, Grace-filled and Saving Faith)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Mark, whose memory is celebrated today, was zealous in upholding the faith and piety as a bishop in the city of Arethusa in Syria. Taking advantage of the favorable attitude towards Christians of Emperor Constantine the Great, who gave some bishops, among other things, the right to destroy pagan temples, he destroyed the temple that was in the city of Arethusa. For this Bishop Mark suffered cruelly later, when the pagans again came into power under the apostate Emperor Julian.

By virtue of the decree issued by Julian that the idolatrous temples destroyed by Christians should be rebuilt by those who destroyed them, money was demanded from Bishop Mark, then already elderly and revered by all for his holy life, for the restoration of the temple destroyed by him during the reign of Constantine. The elder answered that he had no money, but that even if he had, he would not have given anything for the restoration of the temple. At the same time, he did not allow other Christians to contribute money for themselves, who wished to save the elder from the tortures to which he could be subjected for resisting the authorities who demanded the execution of the emperor's decree.

Papa-Demetrios Gagastathis Unanimously Proposed for Sainthood by the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece

The Sacred Metropolis of Trikki, Gardiki and Pyli announced with deep emotion that the Permanent Holy Synod of the Church of Greece, during its session on March 11, 2025, unanimously accepted the proposal for the classification of the late Protopresbyter Demetrios Gagastathis in the Hagiological Registery of the Church, and submitted a relevant request to His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

The official synodal document states:

 

A submitted request of His Eminence Metropolitan of Trikki, Gardiki and Pyli, Mr. Chrysostomos.

It was decided to inscribe in the Hagiological Registery of the Church the priest Demetrios Gagastathis, a man universally acknowledged by the fullness of Christians for his holiness and Orthodox life.

January 29, the day of his repose, was designated as his day of commemoration.

Papa-Demetri, as the people affectionately called him, was a priest of prayer, humility and unceasing ministry.

The fame of his holiness remains alive, and a multitude of believers continue to resort to his prayers.

The Sacred Metropolis of Trikki, Gardiki and Pyli, with prayer and reverence, awaits the decision of the Mother Church, through His All-Holiness the Ecumenical Patriarch, for the official inscription of the blessed priest among the Saints.

With deep emotion,

+ Chrysostomos of Trikki, Gardiki and Pyli

 

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

 

"I Cannot Question the Kingdom of Heaven When Elder Porphyrios Calls Me!" (Saint Gabrielia the New)

Shortly before her earthly end, Eldress Gabrielia had a miraculous experience. A few days before he departed for heaven, Saint Porphyrios called her in Leros to say goodbye, just before December 1991. The incident is narrated by N.M., her beloved child and eyewitness:

"I am calling you to say goodbye. I am leaving for Kavsokalyva."

They talked for a long time. At one point he said to her:

"Sister, why aren’t you sitting down?"

She, beaming with joy, sat down and they made a rendezvous first for prayer and then for heaven. They said a lot and I saw her happy and content, while at that time she was not in very good health. After three months she departed for heaven. I asked her why she was standing while she was talking to Elder Porphyrios and she said to me:

March: Day 28: Teaching 2: Venerable Martyr Eustratius the Faster of the Kiev Caves

March: Day 28: Teaching 2:
Venerable Martyr Eustratius the Faster of the Kiev Caves
 
(How Can We Be Crucified With Christ?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Eustratius, commemorated today by the Church, a wealthy resident of the city of Kiev, distributed his property to the poor and entered the Monastery of Saint Anthony. For his great abstinence he was called "the Faster." In 1096 the Polovtsians attacked Kiev and destroyed the Caves Monastery, burned the church, plundered the monastery property and took many monks captive; Eustratius was among the latter. The Polovtsians sold him along with fifty other Christian captives to a Jew in Korsun. The Jew began to incite the captives to renounce Christ, threatening to starve them to death if they did not. The courageous Eustratius encouraged and strengthened his companions, saying: "Do not be apostates from the faith, brothers; through death we will receive eternal life." Encouraged by the words of Eustratius, the Christians resolutely declared to the Jew that they would rather die than renounce Christ. The Jew did not hesitate to carry out his threat, and they all died of starvation, some after three days, some after seven, and others after nine days. Eustratius, accustomed to prolonged fasting and abstinence, spent fourteen days without food and remained alive. On the day of the Jewish Passover, he was crucified by his master; the Jews, having nailed him to the cross, continued to mock him until one of them pierced the Holy Martyr with a spear; his body was thrown into the sea. Christians took the body from the water and brought it to Kiev, where they buried it in the caves of Saint Anthony.

March: Day 28: Teaching 1: Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Pelekete Monastery

March: Day 28: Teaching 1:
Venerable Hilarion the New, Abbot of the Pelekete Monastery
 
(We Should Not Be Attached to the World)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Having already placed the cross on his shoulders in his youth, the Venerable Hilarion, whose memory is celebrated today, renounced all the pleasures of the world and, devoting himself to monastic labors, soon surpassed everyone in strict life and virtues. Subsequently, he was ordained a priest and abbot of the Pelekete Monastery in Asia Minor, near the Hellespont.

During the reign of Emperor Constantine Kopronymos, Saint Hilarion suffered persecution for the veneration of icons (and died around 754). He is called "the New" – in contrast to Hilarion of Dalmatia, also a confessor, who suffered persecution under Leo the Armenian.

March: Day 27: Holy Martyr Matrona of Thessaloniki

 

March: Day 27:
Holy Martyr Matrona of Thessaloniki
 
(On Diligent Visits To the Temples of God)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The life of Saint Matrona, who is being glorified today, serves as an example of the fact that no circumstances, no bondage can deprive a person of the freedom to act as his Christian duty requires of him.

Matrona was the slave of a Jewish woman named Pautilla, the wife of the governor of Thessaloniki, who was hostile to Christians. Therefore, she was very angry when she learned that her slave was a Christian, and that despite the fact that she zealously served her, at the same time observed the decrees of her faith, and did not miss the opportunity to be present at church services. The mistress strictly forbade her slave to go to church, began to persuade her to renounce the faith of Christ, but seeing the disobedience of her servant to her will in this case, she began to persecute her cruelly. Matrona patiently and humbly endured the tormenting treatment of her mistress, and when she could no longer go to church, then, despite being tied up, she performed all the prescribed prayers in her room.

March: Day 26: Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Gabriel

March: Day 26:
Synaxis of the Holy Archangel Gabriel
 
(About Angels)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Just as the day following the feast of the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated in honor of Saint John the Baptist, so on the day following the Annunciation the Holy Church gathers for a solemn celebration of that Holy Archangel who was sent by God to bring the Most Holy Virgin the joyful news of the incarnation of the Son of God. The Holy Archangel Gabriel is revered as one of the seven spirits standing before the throne of God, the messenger of the mysteries of God. He also announced to the Prophet Daniel the liberation of God's people from Babylon and the time of the coming of the Messiah, and to Saint Zechariah the birth of the Honorable Forerunner.

The Sanctified Revolution (Photios Kontoglou)

Odysseas Androutsos, Rigas Feraios and Athanasios Diakos. Mural "in liquid form" in a hall of the Athens City Hall. Painted by Photios Kontoglou.

The Sanctified Revolution

By Photios Kontoglou

The Greek Revolution is the most spiritual revolution that has ever taken place in the world. It is sanctified.

Revolutions are most often due to material causes, such as slavery, deprivation, hardship, torture, and contempt. Freedom is the deity that the revolutionary worships, and for which he sheds his blood. But freedom, many times, when the revolutionary obtains it, is not used for spiritual purposes, but only to enjoy material life. Spiritual life comes close to material life, but most often people consider spiritual life to be some pleasures that are also material, even though they appear to be spiritual. A revolutionary of the French Revolution, for example, considered spiritual things that were not, in reality, spiritual. He wanted to obtain freedom, to do what he thought was right and just for the life of people in this world only, that is, for their material life, not believing that there is anything else for man to pursue. That is why I say that, for most revolutions, the causes that made them break out were material, and the freedom they sought was intended to satisfy only material needs.

Homily Two on the Annunciation (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Two on the Annunciation

By St. John of Kronstadt

"Today is revealed the mystery that is from all eternity.  
The Son of God becomes the Son of man ...
God becomes man, that He may make Adam god"
(Matins Doxastikon, Tone 2 - composed by St. Theophanes the Graptos).

The Holy Church now remembers and celebrates a wondrous mystery, inconceivable to mortal minds: the incarnation and embodiment of the Creator of the ages and worlds – the Son of God. The uncontainable God is contained in the pure womb of the Virgin; the incorporeal is incarnated; the beginningless is conceived; the unapproachable becomes approachable; the Word assumes flesh; the infinitely great is diminished, and the boundless is defined; God merges with men and is not ashamed to call them brethren (Heb. 2:11). Thus, from eternity, from the beginning, the hidden mystery, unknown even to the angels, is now revealed, and the Son of God becomes the Son of Man, in order to take upon Himself the worst, that is, our nature, and to bestow upon us the incomparably better – sanctification, renewal, and divinization. It is fitting to exclaim in delight: let creation rejoice, let all nature celebrate joyfully, that is, both the entire human race, honored with such grace from God, and all creation, heaven and earth, witnessing God, who, in His boundless goodness, descended to creation and took upon Himself the nature of creation for its salvation. Oh, the incomprehensible mystery, the most wondrous mystery that captivates every spiritually reasoning soul, yet at the same time a fearsome mystery! For the reason behind such condescension, such self-emptying, is our sins. Only the all-good, all-wise, and all-powerful God could devise such an extraordinary means for the salvation of lost man and to so humble Himself in order to heal us through His example from pride and all sins and to teach humility, obedience, and every virtue.

March: Day 25: Teaching 2: Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos

March: Day 25: Teaching 2:
Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos
 
(On the Communion of Human Nature With the Divinity in the Incarnation of the Son of God)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Contemplating with faith the great mystery now revealed, the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God, you do not know, brethren, what to marvel at more: the degree to which God emptied and humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant, becoming man (Phil. 2:7); or the degree to which human nature was exalted through this emptiness of the Divinity?

II. a) Human nature was amazingly exalted, first of all, in the person of the incarnate Lord Himself. The Son of God took upon Himself human nature forever, and accepted it into the unity of His Divine hypostasis, so that although there are now two natures in Him - Divine and human, they are united in Him inseparably and constitute one person, one Divine hypostasis. He, both after the incarnation and in human nature, is still the same one true Son of God and true God as He was before the incarnation. As a result of such a hypostatic union of two natures in Christ, humanity in Him became partaker of the Divinity and became deified, that is, it assimilated from the Divinity everything that it was capable of assimilating without losing its limitations and human properties, and was enriched by the Divinity with wisdom, holiness, life-giving power, and other Divine perfections. Following this, humanity, deified in the person of the Lord Jesus, became in Him a participant in Divine worship. Now He will sit on the throne of glory at the right hand of God the Father in His human nature; now to Him, already in the flesh, has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18); now, even in human nature, every tribe of things in heaven and on earth and under the earth worships Him as God (Phil. 2:10). Well, tell me, what could be higher than what our human nature was honored with in Christ?

March: Day 25: Teaching 1: Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos

 

March: Day 25: Teaching 1:
Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos
 
(There Is No Need To Seek Fame)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The greatest of miracles and mysteries was heralded by the Archangel Gabriel: he was sent to announce to the Virgin Mary the incarnation of the Son of God from Her.

But how modestly the command of God was fulfilled, and how mysteriously the annunciation was given! Where they intended to go, where they would hover, where the kings of the earth wished to be met - all this was made known in advance in its place, and the most careful preparations began there for the worthy reception of the exalted visitor. Behold, the King of heaven and earth came to be incarnate and become human, and who then noticed this? Who, except the Most Pure Virgin, felt the moment of the annunciation? What solemn preparations were made for the reception of the Eternal One within the limits of time, for the appearance of the incorporeal God in virginal and pure flesh? None. "For while all things were in quiet silence, and that night was in the midst of her swift course, Your Almighty word leaped down from heaven out of thy royal throne, as a fierce man of war into the midst of a land of destruction" (Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15).

Sunday of the Veneration of the Cross - The Path of Sacrifice

By Johannes Karavidopoulos,
Professor Emeritus of the New Testament at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

In the middle of the period of Great Lent, our Church, on the Third Sunday of the Fast, presents the Cross of Christ so that the faithful may venerate it and thus continue, strengthened, the spiritual struggle that will bring them to Great Week and Pascha. On this day, the passage with the following words is read that Christ addressed to His disciples as soon as He announced to them His imminent death on the cross:

"Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God coming with power” (Mark 8:34-9:1).

March: Day 24: Venerable Zachariah the Faster of the Kiev Caves

March: Day 24:
Venerable Zachariah the Faster of the Kiev Caves
 
(On the Gravity of the Sin of Swearing Falsely)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. In the life of Venerable Zachariah, whose memory is celebrated today, the following instructive story is transmitted, concerning the time of his childhood.

Once, two men from the city, Sergius and John, came to the Kiev Caves Lavra, and there, before the icon of the Mother of God, then already glorified, they entered into a spiritual brotherhood. After some time, John fell ill and, feeling the nearness of death, invited the blessed abbot of the Caves Lavra, Nikon, to come to him. In his presence, he distributed much of his property to the poor, and gave 1,000 hryvnia of silver and 100 hryvnia of gold to Sergius, and entrusted him with his five-year-old son, Zachariah, bequeathing that the silver and gold be given to Zachariah when the boy reached adulthood.

March: Day 23: Holy Hieromartyr Nikon

March: Day 23:
Holy Hieromartyr Nikon
 
(On How To Make the Sign of the Cross)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Nikon, whose memory is celebrated today, served in his youth in the Roman army as a detachment commander. He was raised by his father in the pagan faith; but his mother was a Christian. She tried with all her might to dispose her son to the Christian faith, but all her efforts were in vain. Once, sending him off to war, she said to him at parting: “My son! If in war it happens that you are in danger, then protect yourself with the sign of the cross; then neither spear nor sword will strike you.” Nikon remembered the words of his mother, so when in the heat of battle he found himself in imminent trouble, surrounded by enemies, he made the sign of the cross and remained the victor. Later he converted to Christ and was ordained a priest, then a bishop. He labored in Thrace, from there he went to Sicily, where he suffered with his disciples, under Decius, in the middle of the third century.

Homily One on the Third Sunday of Great Lent: On Carrying Your Cross (St. Ignatius Brianchaninov)

Homily One on the Third Sunday of Great Lent

On Carrying Your Cross

By St. Ignatius Brianchaninov

"Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Mk. 8:34), said the Lord to his disciples, calling them unto Him, as we heard today in the Gospels.

Dear brothers and sisters! We too are disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ, because we are Christians. We too are called unto the Lord, to this holy temple, to hear His teaching. We stand before the face of the Lord. His gaze is directed at us. Our souls are laid bare before Him; our secret thoughts and hidden feelings are open to Him. He sees all of our intentions; He sees the truth, and the sins we have committed from our youth; He sees our whole life, past and future; even what we have not yet done is already written in His book. He knows the hour of our passing into immeasurable eternity, and gives us His all-holy commandment for our salvation: "Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."

The Mystery of the Cross According to Saint Gregory Palamas: Introduction (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Saint Gregory Palamas (1296-1359), Archbishop of Thessaloniki, was one of the foremost Fathers of our Church, who, as is written in his Service, is “the boast of the Fathers,” “the mouth of theologians,” “the pinnacle of the Teachers,” “an ocean of words,” “an instrument of praxis,” and “the pinnacle of theoria.”

The homilies that Saint Gregory delivered in Thessaloniki as Archbishop between 1350-1359 are the quintessence of his entire teaching, a summary of his entire work, and are of great importance, because, among other things, they are an expression of Orthodox pastoral and homiletic teaching.

In these homilies, among other things, he developed the theme of the mystery of the Cross. The Cross of Christ is a mystery, and it has been and is active in all the Righteous, Prophets, Apostles, and Saints throughout the centuries. That is why there are many friends of the Cross in the Old and New Testaments and in the life of the Church, just as there are enemies of the Cross. The experience of the mystery of the Cross is expressed in praxis (as a purification from passions) and in theoria (as an illumination of the nous and a vision of the Light of God).

Theologia Crucis et Theologia Gloriae (Theology of the Cross and Theology of Glory)

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

One should read the text by Father John Romanides with the title “The Redemptive Work of Christ on the Cross and in the Resurrection” (Τό Λυτρωτικόν Ἔργον τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῷ Σταυρῷ καί τῇ Ἀναστάσει), which is a model of theological discourse, and it is one of his most important theological texts, since in it he presents the Orthodox Patristic teaching on the assimilation of the theology of the Cross and the theology of Glory (Simul Theologia Crucis et Theologia Gloriae).

Andrew Sopko argues that this teaching constitutes “probably the greatest gift that Romanides gave to modern Orthodox theology and to all of Christianity." […]

In his presentation he raised serious theological issues, such as:

March: Day 22: Hieromartyr Basil, Presbyter of Ancyra

March: Day 22:
Hieromartyr Basil, Presbyter of Ancyra
 
(What Can We Replace Martyrdom for the Faith With?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Basil, whose memory is now celebrated, was a zealous defender of the Christian faith and often exposed the errors of heretics and pagans. Under Julian the Apostate, he was subjected to severe torture for his fearless preaching of Christ. Seven straps were cut from his skin every day and, when all the skin was torn, he was pierced with red-hot spits, after which he died (in 363).

So faithful to Christ God was the Holy Hieromartyr Basil until death. He received a great reward from God, the reward that is promised to all martyrs for the faith of Christ, at the mere thought of which one must rejoice and be glad, for their reward is great in heaven.

The Third Salutations To The Theotokos: "Rejoice, Tender Love That Defeats Every Longing"

The Third Salutations To The Theotokos

"Rejoice, Tender Love That Defeats Every Longing"

By Protopresbyter George Dorbarakis

1. The Most Holy Theotokos, for the poet (and therefore for all the faithful, for whom he is the mouthpiece), is not simply a saint above the other saints, who sits on her throne and casts her gaze from on high upon humanity and the faithful. Such a view of her may seem to contain elements of truth, but it is far from reality. For if our Panagia has such an important position, the most important among humans, within the Church, it is because she reveals the life and ethos of her Son and God. Her greatness was that she freely submitted to the will of God and became the most crystal clear and transparent passage, literally the "only gate," through which not something from God, but God Himself as a man could pass into the world. And this means that just as our God “bowed down the heavens and came down,” because He loved us with the greatest love and the greatest eros (“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,” and, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”), so too our Panagia, in tune with God’s intense love for man, moves in the same rhythm: she stands sacrificially, full of love and eros, towards every human being, especially the believer who leaves room in his soul and heart for this absolute and unique love to find a “place of rest.” The countless recorded or unrecorded miracles of our Panagia throughout the centuries attest to this reality.

March: Day 21: Saint James, Bishop and Confessor

March: Day 21:
Saint James, Bishop and Confessor
 
(On the Confession of Faith)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Having lived ascetically as a monk since his youth, Saint James, whose memory is celebrated today, was made a bishop for his strict life and zeal for the Christian faith. During Iconoclasm, he firmly defended the veneration of icons, for which he was persecuted: the torturers tore his chest and spine with lashes, and finally he was exiled to prison, where he died (in the 8th century).

II. Saint James is a courageous confessor of the teaching of the Orthodox Church regarding the veneration of icons and teaches us to be the same confessors of the Christian faith and the laws of the Church. The Lord said: "Whoever shall confess Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father which is in heaven" (Matt. 10:32).

March: Day 20: Holy Martyrs John, Sergius, Patrick and Others, Who Were Killed by the Saracens in the Lavra of Saint Savvas

Sts. John, Patrick and Sergius

 

March: Day 20:
Holy Martyrs John, Sergius, Patrick and Others, Who Were Killed by the Saracens in the Lavra of Saint Savvas
 
(On the Sin of Murder)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. From the seventh century onwards, the environs of Jerusalem were constantly subjected to attacks by predatory Saracens. They did not spare even the peaceful hermit monasteries, although hermits who had no earthly wealth hid in them. Once, during the all-night vigil on Palm Sunday, a rumor reached the Lavra of Saint Savvas that the barbarians were preparing to attack the monastery in significant numbers. The brethren decided not to leave the Lavra, for, having completely surrendered themselves to the Lord and having died while still alive to the world, they did not fear death. They began to pray even more ardently, preparing to pass on to a better life. Indeed, on Holy Thursday, the Saracens attacked the monastery with great force and immediately put some of the monks to death. They gathered others into the church and began to interrogate them as to where the monastery treasures were hidden. “Atone for yourself and your church with four hundred gold coins,” the barbarians said to the holy fathers, “otherwise we will kill you all.”

March: Day 19: Saints Chrysanthos and Daria

 

March: Day 19:
Saints Chrysanthos and Daria
 
(On the Beneficial Influence of the Word of God on the Soul)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. A certain renowned man, named Polemonos, moved from Alexandria to Rome in order to give a better upbringing and education to his only son, later the Holy Martyr Chrysanthos, whose memory is celebrated today. The most famous teachers in the sciences were invited, and Chrysanthos, a gifted and diligent youth, made rapid progress in them. One day, among various books, Chrysanthos found the sacred books of the New Testament. In his curiosity, he read them with intense attention. The high truths of Christian morality captivated his heart. He regretted that he did not know about such a treasure of knowledge for so long! Having tasted the sweet, he no longer wanted the bitter, so he left the pagan teachers-philosophers and their teachings, and found himself a mentor in the person of the Presbyter Karpophoros. Having come to believe in Jesus Christ, he received Holy Baptism. A moral revolution had taken place.

March: Day 18: Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem

 

March: Day 18:
Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem
 
(The Commemoration of the Miraculous Appearance of the Life-Giving Cross in Heaven Serves To Confirm our Faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem, whose memory is celebrated today, lived in the 4th century A.D. During the days of his episcopacy he witnessed special manifestations of God's mercy to the Christian race.

When the Christian Church, with the accession of Constantine the Great to the Roman throne, was freed from persecution that had lasted for almost three hundred years, new enemies appeared within Christian society, the heretics, the Arians, who falsely taught about the Divine dignity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Although the Arians were exposed at the First Ecumenical Synod and Arius himself was exiled, after the death of Constantine the Great, his son Constantius clearly patronized the heretics. Many Orthodox shepherds of the Church, including Saint Cyril, were persecuted and deposed from their episcopal thrones. The danger to the Orthodox Church was very great, but the Lord did not abandon His help to the zealots of truth.

March: Day 17: Teaching 1: Venerable Alexios the Man of God

March: Day 17: Teaching 1:
Venerable Alexios the Man of God
 
(In What Ways Should We Imitate Alexios the Man of God?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Alexios the Man of God, whose memory is celebrated today, lived in Rome and was the son of noble and pious parents, Euphemianos and Aglaida. Zealously helping the poor, enjoying all the blessings of the world, his parents often grieved over the fact that they had no children, no son who would be a support for them in old age. Finally, the Lord heard their prayer and granted them a son, whom they named Alexios. Brought up in strict piety, Alexios from his youth subjected himself to deprivations, observed strict fasting, wore a hair shirt on his body and constantly desired to devote himself to monasticism. When his parents married him to a noble maiden, on the very day of the wedding, being alone with her, he gave her a gold ring and a precious belt and said: "Keep this, and may God be between you and I." Then, retiring to his room, he took off his wedding clothes and, taking some money, disappeared from his parents' house in simple rags. After long wanderings, he arrived in Persia and there, in the city of Edessa, settled at the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos. He lived like a beggar, ate from what was given to him and every Sunday received the Holy Mysteries.

March: Day 16: Venerable Serapion of Novgorod

March: Day 16:
Venerable Serapion of Novgorod
 
(On Pastoral Ministry)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Serapion (15th century), whose memory is celebrated today, was born near Moscow. He learned to read and write early and from a young age had a desire to leave the world and accept monasticism, but, obeying the will of his parents, he married and took the priesthood. A year later his wife died, and soon after that his parents, and then Serapion, having distributed his property to the poor, joined the brethren of a monastery, where soon for his highly virtuous life he was elected abbot of the monastery. When the management of the monastery began to burden Serapion, he retired to the Trinity Lavra. Soon after his arrival, the abbot of the Lavra, Simon, was elevated to the rank of Metropolitan of Moscow, and Serapion was appointed in his place. The Grand Prince of Moscow Ivan III loved Serapion very much and often used his advice.

March: Day 11: Teaching 3: Holy Martyrs Trophimos and Thallos

 

March: Day 11:* Teaching 3:
Holy Martyrs Trophimos and Thallos
 
(What Explains the Marvelous Patience of the Martyrs?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Martyrs Trophimos and Thallos, whose memory is celebrated today, were both brothers and priests. They preached the faith of Christ and denounced the impiety of the pagans, despite the fact that in their time there was a terrible persecution of Christians. They lived in the 3rd century in the city of Laodicea, in Karia, whose ruler, Asclepius, ordered them to be killed with stones. But the thrown stones did not touch the Martyrs, but flew back and struck the torturers themselves. Finally, Asclepius ordered them to be crucified, and the Holy Martyrs did not cease to teach the people from the cross and died with prayer. After the execution of these Holy Martyrs, Asclepius died in terrible suffering.

Homily One for the Second Sunday of Great Lent (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily One for the Second Sunday of Great Lent

By St. John of Kronstadt

“Son, your sins are forgiven you” (Mark 2:5)

The paralytic was brought to Jesus Christ obviously for healing from the disease of paralysis that held him. And Jesus Christ first heals his soul from sins, and only then his body from the disease. "Son," He says to the paralytic, "your sins are forgiven you," and after the remission of sins He said to him: "Rise, and take up your bed, and go to your house" (Mark 2:5, 11). What does this method of healing mean? It means that the diseases that befall us are the consequences of our sins and that it is impossible to completely get rid of diseases without first cleansing ourselves of sins, just as it is impossible to destroy the consequences without destroying the cause. Since even now there are often many sick people among us who seek remedies for illness, then for the common edification and benefit, let us now talk about the close connection of our sins with bodily illnesses.

Saint Gregory Palamas and the Second Sunday of Great Lent (Monk Moses the Athonite)

By Monk Moses the Athonite

On the Second Sunday of Great Lent, our Church celebrates the memory of the great Saint Gregory Palamas. He is celebrated normally on November 14, but because he was a champion and defender of Orthodoxy, he is also solemnly honored after the Sunday of Orthodoxy. The holy and saint-bearing Thessaloniki is particularly associated with Saint Gregory, because he was its brilliant archbishop. He is considered, along with the Great Martyr Demetrios, as a co-patron of the city.

We will not refer to his well-known biographical details, his illustrious lineage, his many good studies, his unblemished ethos, his years of monasticism on Mount Athos, his struggles for Orthodoxy, but we will instead focus on his work in Thessaloniki.

March: Day 15: Teaching 2: Holy Martyr Agapios of Caesarea and Seven Others With Him

March: Day 15: Teaching 2:
Holy Martyr Agapios of Caesarea and Seven Others With Him
 
(It Was Not Fanaticism, But Zeal for the Faith That Forced the Holy Martyrs to Suffer for Christ)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. In Rome and other large cities of the Roman Empire, bloody spectacles were often given, in which people fought with wild animals, and the people were very fond of such spectacles. Christians were often their victims, led out to be torn apart by wild animals. The Holy Martyrs whose memory the Holy Church celebrates today, suffered during one of these bloody battles, under the following circumstances. During the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, in the 3rd century, a festival in honor of the pagan gods was once held in Caesarea in Palestine, with a large gathering of people from the surrounding area. Many Christians were supposed to be among the victims at the baiting, and they were all torn apart.

March: Day 15: Teaching 1: Holy Martyr Nikandros

March: Day 15: Teaching 1:
Holy Martyr Nikandros
 
(How Should our Love for the Dead Be Expressed?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Nikandros, whose memory is celebrated today, suffered during the reign of Diocletian, with whose name is associated the memory of the most terrible persecution that Christians ever experienced. Saint Nikandros was a physician; he visited the martyrs in prison and ministered to them. Once he was busy burying the bodies of the holy martyrs, who had been thrown to be devoured by beasts and birds. For this he was subjected to various tortures, then flayed alive and killed with the sword.

II. The Holy Martyr Nikandros expressed his love for the dead, namely for the holy martyrs who suffered for Christ, by burying their holy bodies. His example is also obligatory for us: we too must take care to give our dead neighbors an honorable burial in the hope of their glorious resurrection on the day of God's General Judgment.

The Second Salutations To The Theotokos: "Rejoice Treasury of Purity"

"Akathist to the Theotokos", Andrei Rublev Museum, Moscow.

 

By Protopresbyter George Dorbarakis

"Rejoice, treasury of purity." (Canon, Ode One)

The doxological element towards the Most Holy Theotokos is highlighted par excellence by the Service of the Salutations to our Panagia. And rightly so: she is the one through whom God descended as a man into the world and before her bow the knees not only of the faithful who are inspired by the Spirit of God – only a person in the Spirit can “see” the fullness of grace that the Theotokos has – but also the holy angels. After all, the Mother of the Lord was exalted to a height above the Cherubim and the Seraphim. A prerequisite for this unique choice of our God was of course the purity and innocence of the soul of the little daughter of Nazareth, Mary – this purity attracted our absolutely pure and immaculate God to “rely” on her existence. That is why all the troparia of both the Canon and the Kontakion of the Akathist Hymn project with unsurpassed lyricism the all-holiness of the Theotokos, with images borrowed mostly from holy Scripture, and above all the Old Testament, which constitutes the prophecy of the coming of the Lord Jesus, whose person is revealed in the New Testament.

March: Day 14: Venerable Benedict of Nursia

March: Day 14:
Venerable Benedict of Nursia
 
(On the Careful Handling of Human Words)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Venerable Father Benedict, whose memory is celebrated today, lived in the 5th century. He knew two maidens of noble birth, distinguished by their modesty and innocence. They had one fault: those maidens loved to gossip and reproach others, i.e., they greatly abused the gift of speech. The Venerable Father warned them, saying: "Give up this bad habit, otherwise I will excommunicate you from Holy Communion." But the maidens did not improve, and so they died; they were still buried with honor, in the church. Later, some of the nuns who were present in that church saw the following: at the cry of "All catechumens, depart," the maidens came out of their coffins and went out of the church. And only through the prayers of the Venerable Benedict, who offered a prosphora for their repose, did the maidens stop appearing.

"Lord of the Powers Be With Us" (St. Anthimos of Chios)

"Lord of the Powers Be With Us"

By St. Anthimos of Chios

(A Homily Delivered To the Nuns at Panagia Voithia Monastery in Chios)

What do these words mean? It must be good and pleasant for the Holy Fathers to present them at this time, in these days of Holy Lent. What king, what ruler, what prince, what governor is there in this world who has no authority? His word has such power that what he commands is done immediately. But he cannot give them spiritual power.

“Lord of the Powers, be with us.” We ask the King of heaven to give us some spiritual power. Now, in these days the Holy Fathers have very rightly appointed that we should say this and ask Him to come and be with us. Come, you who are the Ruler of all powers, you who are the Lord of all, come with us. What should You do? To be our comforter, come to be our advocate, our teacher and our physician; You who rule over all things “be with us.” We ask Him to give us some power.

March: Day 13: Saint Nikephoros the Confessor

March: Day 13:
Saint Nikephoros the Confessor
 
(On Pastoral Sorrows)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Church celebrates today the memory of Saint Nikephoros, Patriarch of Constantinople. When the iconoclast Leo the Armenian ascended the throne during his reign, Saint Nikephoros demanded that he sign with his own hand a promise to observe the dogmas of the Holy Faith. But Leo sympathized more with the iconoclasts, and therefore, although he gave a promise to sign the dogmas of the Orthodox Faith, he did not fulfill it. In fact and instead he declared a persecution of the Orthodox. And so began the imprisonment, oppression and corporal punishment of all venerators of holy icons. Many were afraid of persecution and went over to the iconoclasts. The Patriarch's position was the most difficult! He fervently prayed to the Lord for the preservation of the Church from heretics, influenced his flock with words of persuasion and begged everyone not to fear persecution and to adhere to Orthodoxy. Many heeded his word. But this was unpleasant for the emperor and he decided to persuade the Patriarch himself to apostatize from the Orthodox Faith. He tried to influence him with both kindness and threats, but nothing helped. “Your efforts are in vain, sovereign! We cannot change the ancient tradition – we honor the images of the saints, like the cross and the Gospel.” Thus answered Saint Nikephoros, not at all afraid of the emperor’s wrath. The Holy Patriarch prayed to the Lord for the destruction of heresy, and openly taught and convinced everyone in the middle of the church to honor the holy icons. Then, by order of the emperor, convinced of the Patriarch’s inflexibility, soldiers appeared, took Saint Nikephoros and sent him into exile on an island. The Holy Confessor spent thirteen years there in a stuffy dungeon under constant insults and oppression, which little by little ruined his health. He died in 828 and was buried at the Church of the Holy Martyr Theodore in the monastery founded by the Saint himself.

March: Day 12: Teaching 2: Venerable Theophanes the Confessor

March: Day 12: Teaching 2:
Venerable Theophanes the Confessor
 
(On Love for Monasticism)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Venerable Theophanes, whose memory is celebrated today, was born at Constantinople in the eighth century, of noble and rich parents, who were related to the emperor. Having lost his father early, he was entrusted to the protection of the emperor Constantine Copronymos, who, in accordance with the wishes of his mother, betrothed him while still a young man to the daughter of one of the most noble dignitaries of the empire. Thus, from his earliest years, earthly greatness was the lot of Theophanes. From his father he inherited the wealth and nobility of his family, his merits soon acquired for him general respect.

The path to honors and glory was open to him, but young Theophanes remained indifferent to all these advantages. His heart burned only with love for God, and he desired one thing: to devote himself to the service of the Lord, renouncing the greatness, wealth and joys of the world, for he considered all this dangerous for the soul. He carefully studied the law of the Lord; helped the poor; but he could not carry out his intention and renounce the world, for he was afraid to upset his mother, who wanted him to marry. Theophanes fulfilled her wish. Amid the splendor of the court, surrounded by luxury and vain pleasures, the pious spouses led a life devoted to God, studied His law, fulfilled His commandments and kept themselves in purity of soul.