Being Wise According to the Spirit of God

By Fr. Thomas Vamvinis

 

Slothfulness and Excuses for Unwillingness

The Evangelist Luke records the words spoken by Christ when His Seventy Disciples returned from the villages of Judea, to which He had sent them to preach the coming of the Kingdom of God:

“I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing before You.”

This is one of the sayings used by those who, in the words of St. Nektarios, “boldly advocate ignorance” — that is, those who consider being ignorant an asset for becoming a good and holy Christian. They also regard educated people with suspicion, believing that they distort the faith. This is an age-old, distorted view that is still very widespread in our own days.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: November 12

 

The Month of November

Day 12

74. Good Competition

(From the Life of Saint John the Merciful)

The Apostle Paul, through his disciple Timothy, gives a commandment to the rich, so that they may become rich in good works in the present life. He says: “Exhort those who are rich in this present age ... to be rich in good works” (1 Timothy 6:17–18). How, then, can the rich best fulfill this commandment of the Apostle? We think that the best way is through competition with one another. One rich man has done good through his wealth; let another, imitating him, in turn do the same good through his own wealth, or even greater good. The first has offered some form of assistance to his neighbor; let the other not fall behind him in offering the same assistance. Through such competition, the virtues of both will multiply rapidly, and both will thus enrich themselves with good works and fulfill the commandment of the Apostle. To help the rich understand this truth more clearly, we shall try to explain it to them through an actual example.

Conscious Misinterpretations of the Overall Teaching of Father John Romanides

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

I am not sure that what I am about to write will convince those who act in bad faith and who, for their own personal reasons, misinterpret the work and contribution of Fr. John Romanides to theology and the Church. I write this because I observe an “obsession” among certain theologians with judging and misinterpreting the work of this great theologian of our Church, despite the many books that have been published.

They do this even though detailed answers have been provided through the very work of this preeminent Dogmatic Theologian of the Orthodox Catholic Church. I have so far written many books interpreting the entire body of Fr. John Romanides’ research and oral teaching. I believe that one would have to have psychological and intellectual fixations not to understand them, or else one has not read them, and therefore continues to judge one-sidedly. As a result, such a person comes across as “theologically illiterate” or, to a great extent, prejudiced.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: November 11

The Month of November

Day 11

73. On the Words of the Savior: “And if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them” (Mark 16:18)

(From the Life of the Holy Martyr Victor)

In His conversation with the Apostles, before His Ascension, the Lord, while enumerating those blessings that would be bestowed upon believers in His name, said, among other things: “And if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them” (Mark 16:18). Can we not, brethren, prove the truth of these final words of Christ by an actual deed and demonstrate it through an example? Of course, we can, and this is what we shall now do for you.

The Venerable Repose of Nun Christodouli of the Sacred Monastery of Saint Panteleimon of Chrysokastro

By Archimandrite Demetrios Kavvadias

The first days of the month of November we are now passing through, are days of mourning for the historic Sacred Monastery of Saint Panteleimon of Chrysokastro in Eleftheroupoli, Kavala.

The Sacred Monastery of Saint Panteleimon of Chrysokastro, the spiritual work of the late Elder Philip (Avramidis), Gerontissa Lydia (Papadopoulou), and their venerable sisterhood, this pride of the Macedonian land and pan-Orthodox place of pilgrimage, mourns Sister Christodouli. Sister Christodouli was the first to reside at the Monastery with Gerontissa Lydia, and together they began the reconstruction of the monastery.

Saint Arsenios the Cappadocian, a Gift of God to the Contemporary World

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

We came to know Venerable Arsenios the Cappadocian, the Hadjiefendis, primarily through the book written about him by another Venerable of our time, Elder Paisios the Athonite. He was the one who “captivated” Venerable Paisios when he was still a small child, beginning in the place of their common origin, Farasa in Cappadocia. Because of this, he wished to follow in his footsteps and become a monk, wholly dedicated to God. Perhaps this turn toward monastic life on the part of Elder Paisios, apart from his own inclination, was due to some extent also to the power of the prayers of Saint Arsenios, who saw in the person of the little boy from Farasa (the future Saint Paisios, son of Prodromos Eznepidis, who was then the president of Farasa) his own successor. Indeed, he expressed this even at the time of the child's baptism. It is well known that, at the time of the naming, he “compelled” the godfather, instead of giving the child the name Christos, to give him his own name, Arsenios. Saint Paisios's desire to write the life of Saint Arsenios had been firmly planted within him many years earlier, until he finally brought it to fulfillment. And when he had gathered sufficient material — which continued to increase over time through his own research and that of others he knew — and had more or less completed the book, Saint Arsenios, after making a miraculous appearance, “approved” the work of his disciple and “successor.”

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: November 10

The Month of November

Day 10

72. Faith, Hope, and Love Gave the Martyrs Courage in Their Sufferings

(From the Life of the Holy Martyr Orestes)

When reading the lives of the holy martyrs, brethren, we see that they possessed extraordinary courage. No matter how terrible their sufferings were, they always endured them valiantly. They uttered neither cries nor groans, put their torturers to shame through their endurance, and found an opportunity, even during their torments, to praise and thank God. Tell me, brethren, what gave the martyrs this extraordinary courage and endurance, strength and fortitude, valor and magnanimity? We do not know what you will say in response, but for our part, we think that everything we have just mentioned was given to the martyrs solely by their firm faith in God, their steadfast hope in Him, and their fervent love for Him. You, of course, will now ask in turn: “From what can this be seen, and how can it be proven?” We will answer you with the following example.

The Healing of Spiritual Illnesses According to Saint Nektarios

The Healing of Spiritual Illnesses According to Saint Nektarios 

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

(A transcribed homily delivered at the Church of Saint Nektarios, in Argos Orestiko, Kastoria, on November 9, 2023.)

I have read many texts about Saint Nektarios, and I know the basic points of his life. This is important, because most Christians know only about the patience he demonstrated in enduring the slanders directed against him during his life, as well as the miracles he performed. These things are worthy of attention; after all, God performs miracles through His saints. And these are very important indeed.

However, Saint Nektarios was not simply a Bishop, nor merely a wonderworker and saint, but a great Father of our Church. I was saying to some people this afternoon that if Saint Basil the Great and the great Fathers of the Church had lived in the twentieth century, they would have performed approximately the same work that Saint Nektarios performed. Or, if Saint Nektarios had lived during the fourth century, he would have been much like those great Fathers and Hierarchs of our Church.

Saint Nektarios and Saint Porphyrios: A Spiritual Relationship That Began Before Porphyrios Was Born

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

“When Saint Nektarios was serving as a preacher in Euboea, he met there, at Saint John’s, the father of Elder Porphyrios as well: Leonidas Bairaktaris. Bairaktaris means ‘standard-bearer’... And the Saint gave him some advice. How beautifully he spoke to him! For a couple to conceive a child, preparation is also necessary. Besides, the Saint had proposed and established Schools for Parents. Many priests and many Metropolises have them even now for prospective spouses. Men and women preparing for marriage. You are getting married. Why are you getting married? All these things. You need to know many things. And so, through the guidance of Saint Nektarios, Elder Porphyrios was born. He followed closely in the footsteps of Saint Nektarios. And Elder Porphyrios loved Saint Nektarios absolutely, absolutely. He loved Saint Nektarios absolutely!”

— Elder Ananias Koustenis, Discourses on Saint Nektarios, Volume IV.