Holy Great Martyr Theodore the Tiro in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

This Holy Martyr lived in the time of the emperors Maximian and Maximus and came from Amaseia of Pontus, from a village called Choumialon. As soon as he was enrolled among the ranks of the Tirones — that is, the newly-recruited soldiers — under the authority of the officer Brynkas, he was examined by him and confessed that Christ is God, while he mocked the objects of pagan reverence as lifeless idols and works of human hands.

And when he was given the opportunity, he did not remain inactive, but conceived and carried out the greatest of deeds: he burned the idol of the so-called mother of the gods, as the pagans madly claim. For this reason he was arrested, and after confessing that he himself was responsible for the arson, first he was scraped while suspended with iron claws, then he was thrown into a furnace of fire, and there he was perfected in martyrdom.

His synaxis is celebrated on the Saturday of the first week of the Fast, when his miracle of the kollyva also took place and he thus saved the Orthodox people from the defiled eating of food sacrificed to idols.

Prologue in Sermons: February 17

The Tears of Widows Especially Reach God

February 17

(A Word on Those Who Work Signs.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

We often say that the Lord is the defender of widows and orphans. And we speak the truth; for indeed the Lord is their defender and at times reveals to them particular and extraordinary signs of His mercy.

Venerable Sisoes relates the following incident:

“When I was,” he says, “in the skete with Abba Makarios, and once, after leaving it, we went out for the harvest, a certain widow followed behind us, gathering ears of grain and weeping bitterly. Venerable Makarios called the elder of that village and asked him: ‘Why is the old woman who walks behind us gathering the ears of grain continually weeping?’

The elder answered: ‘Her husband entrusted some gold to a certain man for safekeeping, but soon afterward he suddenly died without telling his wife where the gold he had taken was kept. The owner of that gold now wishes to take her children into servitude.’

The Former Metropolitan of Ganos and Chora, Amphilochios, Has Reposed

 

On the night of Saturday, February 14th 2026, the former Metropolitan of Ganos and Chora, Amphilochios, reposed in the Lord at the age of 88.

The news was made known in a post by Archimandrite Nektarios Pokkias, who, with emotion, announced the repose of the respected Hierarch, writing:

“Our sweet Elder, Metropolitan formerly of Ganos and Chora, lord Amphilochios, a few minutes ago journeyed into eternity. Eternal be his memory. May we have his blessing… Now he is near his Elder, the Venerable Amphilochios Makris.”

Homily for Meatfare Sunday -- On the Dread Last Judgment (St. Cleopa of Sihastria)

Homily for Meatfare Sunday
(Sunday of the Dread Judgment)
About the Fearful Last Judgment

By St. Cleopa of Sihastria

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive according to what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)

Beloved faithful,

Today all of us present have heard the words of our Savior Jesus Christ about His coming at the most dreadful Last Judgment. Know that from the foundation of the world until the end of the ages nothing is more fearful than the coming of the Lord at the Last Judgment. Not even the angels can describe to us in detail that most terrible coming of the Lord, when He will judge all the nations of the earth from Adam until the end of the world. We, being very weak and uncomprehending, cannot speak fully about that unspeakable terror and fearful coming of the Lord.

But from what we have heard today in the Holy Gospel and from what Divine Scripture shows, as well as from the teachings of the Holy Fathers about the Judgment of the great day, we shall set down here a few teachings, according to our weak understanding, about the Lord’s coming at the Last Judgment. And first we will show, with testimonies from Holy Scripture, in what manner the Lord will come and what will be the first signs of His coming.

A Simple Priest Gives Profound Meaning to the Triodion

I asked an elder priest:

"My dear father, the Triodion is beginning. What can we say about this period?" (The elder is simple and has not studied the theology of the universities, but the theology of prayer, as he himself says.)

"My child, the word 'Triodion' itself says it… That is: we sinners, if we have three passions to fight, let us make them two… That is the Triodion… the striking down of our passions, the reduction of our weaknesses… In short, to drive away the defects we have… We won’t manage to get rid of all of them, but even if we drive away just one, God is pleased.*

But we must be careful not to cover them up, like women do when they put on makeup — or men, who nowadays I think adorn themselves even more — that is, only outwardly… A passion needs uprooting from the root. You must dig deep into the soul to find where it begins and then uproot it completely…

Holy Martyr Pamphilos and Those With Him in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

 

 

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

These glorious martyrs, in the sixth year of the persecution of Diocletian, were led to martyrdom from various cities and from various professions and ranks, and were united in the one faith of Christ. The manner of their arrest was as follows: As they were about to pass through the gates of the city of Caesarea, the guards demanded to know who they were and from where they came. They called themselves Christians and said that their homeland was the heavenly Jerusalem. For this reason they were arrested and led before the governor Firmilian; and after many tortures he beheaded Elijah and those with him, just as he also beheaded Pamphilos and the rest. Porphyrios, because he sought the body of his master Pamphilos, was also arrested and delivered to the fire. Likewise Julian, because he embraced the bodies of the Saints, was cast into the flames. And Theodoulos was crucified upon a piece of wood and thus bore witness in martyrdom.

Like another twelve apostles, our Church today presents the Holy Twelve Martyrs: the priest Pamphilos, Valens, Seleucus, Daniel, Theodoulos, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Elijah, Porphyrios, Paul, Julian, and Samuel — because of their mindset, which moved with the same apostolic zeal regarding the firmness of their faith and their fearlessness before torments.

Prologue in Sermons: February 16

Virtues Are the Steps of the Ladder Leading to Heaven

February 16

(An Edifying Parable from the Paterikon.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Among the teachings and counsels of the Holy Fathers there are parables that are very instructive and greatly beneficial for the salvation of the soul. Today I will relate one of them.

A certain simple layman, a pious man, once came in the company of many other Christians to the Venerable Poemen and asked him for instruction. Poemen replied: “Today you yourself speak a word to the brethren.”

The visitor exclaimed, “How can I, wretched as I am, speak, Father?”

“You,” Poemen answered - and all present joined him, insisting that the simple man speak.

Then he said: “I am an unlearned man and cannot say anything except the following parable, which I once heard from a great elder. Here it is.

On the Second Coming of the Lord (St. Chrysostomos of Smyrna)

On the Second Coming of the Lord

By the Holy Hieromartyr Chrysostomos, Metropolitan of Smyrna

The discourse concerns the Second Coming of the Lord.

But does the Second Coming of the Lord truly exist?

Is there immortality and a life everlasting to come?

Is there a future judgment?

Is there recompense after death?

Or do all things cease at the grave in this present life, and is the grave the final end — where together with the body life itself is buried and forever extinguished — and beyond the grave there exists nothing but the void?

This question is among the most serious of all and bears the highest importance for every earthly human being.

In View of Meatfare Sunday, a Sermon on the Second Coming of the Lord (Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Mani)

In View of Meatfare Sunday, a Sermon on the Second Coming of the Lord 

By Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Mani

We confess and say in the seventh article of the Symbol of Faith:

“And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.”

This concerns the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ — a subject exceedingly important, primary, and of interest to every human being.

Let us recall, for consolation and spiritual edification, a few things about the Second Coming of the Lord.

First of all, the Second Coming of the Lord is called in Holy Scripture a “day” (1 Cor. 3:13), and indeed “that day” (Matt. 7:22; Luke 6:23; John 14:20), “the last day” (John 6:39), “the day of the Lord” (1 Cor. 5:5), “the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6), “the coming” (Matt. 24:3), “the appearing of glory” (Tit. 2:13), and “the revelation of His glory” (1 Pet. 4:13). The hymnography calls it “a dreadful day,” “a fearful day,” “the day of judgment.”