Prologue in Sermons: May 14

The Great Lover of the Poor

May 14

(Word concerning the Elder Serapion.) 
 
By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The Lord says: “Sell your possessions and give alms” (Luke 12:33). Sell your possessions and give everything to the poor — but then, you will say, what will remain for us? How shall we ourselves live? This is very difficult, even impossible.

What, brothers, should I answer you? I will answer that it is difficult — that is true. But that it is impossible — that cannot be said.

Once, during winter, the Venerable Serapion came to Alexandria. Seeing a beggar without clothing, trembling from the cold, he said to himself:

“Here you are, a faster and a doer of Christ’s commandments, and yet you wear clothing, while this poor man is dying from the cold. Cover him, otherwise you will be condemned as a murderer.”

With these words Serapion removed his last cloak and gave it to the beggar.

THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PASCHA - SUNDAY OF THE SAMARITAN WOMAN

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

Jesus Christ and the Samaritan Woman

Jesus Christ, learning that the growing number of His disciples had aroused strong displeasure among the Pharisees against Him, left Judea and returned to Galilee. The shortest road there passed through Samaria. Jesus went by this route, and on His way passed through the fertile valley between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, in which is located the city of Shechem, or Sychar. Both mountains rise 800 feet (or 244 meters) above the valley, which itself lies at an elevation of 1,750 feet (or 534 meters) above sea level. The many terraces and ravines of Gerizim, as well as the entire valley, are adorned with gardens and groves rich with beautiful southern vegetation: orange, pomegranate, mulberry, apricot, fig, almond, and other trees provide abundant fruit; the hot lower slopes of Ebal are planted with olive trees.

About a half-hour’s distance east of the city, the valley of Shechem slopes down into another valley stretching from north to south; through it passes the usual road from Galilee to Jerusalem, without turning toward Shechem. In this place is the tomb of Joseph. Directly beside the grave, on the slope of Mount Gerizim, is Jacob’s well, which is 75 feet deep. This region is also very remarkable historically. Here Abraham, after leaving his homeland by God’s command, first pitched his tents and built an altar to the Lord. Here Jacob bought a field from the sons of Hamor; here, in this place, the bones of Joseph were buried; here Joshua, in the assembly of the people before his death, pronounced blessing upon the keepers of the Law and curse upon its violators, and renewed the covenant of the people of Israel with their God; here, under Rehoboam, occurred the great division of the land into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

Homily for the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman (St. Cleopa of Sihastria)

Homily for the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman

On Prayer in Spirit and in Truth

By St. Cleopa of Sihastria

A certain elder said: “As sight is greater than all the senses, so prayer is greater than all good works” (Paterikon, ch. 22).

Christ is risen!

Beloved faithful,

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, coming into the world and ever thirsting for the salvation of human souls, journeyed through the regions of Palestine and came also to a city of Samaria, which at that time was called Sychar. There, by His boundless providence, He arranged to meet a woman from that city at Jacob’s well. In speaking with her, by His ineffable wisdom, He brought her to the knowledge of the truth, and among the other secret teachings He gave her, He also spoke about true worship offered in spirit and in truth, saying to her: “The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (John 4:23).

Propoganda Against the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine

 

By Hieromonk Nikitas of Pantokrator Monastery

A publication appeared some days ago referring to the appointment of an archbishop in Greece by the so-called “Patriarchate of Kyiv.” The appointment of an archbishop is not the strange aspect of the matter, because this is not a recognized Church appointing its own archbishop in Greece, but rather a schismatic structure which, in cooperation with the schismatic Old Calendarist structure GOC that operates in Greece, proceeded with this appointment. What is strange, however, is the connection made by the author of the article with Archbishop Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine, the Primate of the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine. And we shall explain.

The article very correctly states: “It should be noted that this is a structure not in communion with the official Orthodox Churches.” However, the poison of misinformation and propaganda intended to preserve division within the Church of Ukraine is poured out in the very next phrase: “while from its ranks emerged the present Metropolitan of Kyiv Epiphanius of the Autocephalous Church of Ukraine.” We understand very well, therefore, that this misinformation comes from certain people who are disturbed by the creation of the fifteenth Autocephalous Orthodox Church and who, naturally, as its opponents, continually place obstacles in its way. History has shown that those disturbed are none other than members of the Russian Church throughout the world, who have never shown interest in the unity of the Orthodox Church in general, but rather, through the spread of such articles and reports, strive to preserve division so as not to oppose the geopolitical interests of the Russian Federation.

Holy Martyr Glykeria in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint Glykeria belongs to the group of women martyrs who are characterized by an intense longing for Christ and by such courage that it astonishes every angelic and human mind. One of the many beautiful hymns of her feast gives us the spiritual depth of her martyrdom: how Christ accepted the sufferings she endured and what He granted her in return. “Offering the blood of your martyrdom to Christ like perfumes and myrrh, O victorious martyr, you were offered to Him as a sweet fragrance, overflowing healing upon all” (Ode 3).

The Holy Hymnographer considers the Saint to be a myrrhbearer — not because she offers Christ physical perfumes and myrrh, but because she offers her very self, which is what is most precious and honorable before Him. “Be faithful unto death” [Revelation 2:10], the Spirit of God asks of the faithful person, just as the Lord Himself lived in absolute faithfulness to the will of God the Father, giving His life out of love for mankind upon the Cross. “He became obedient unto death, even death on a Cross” [Philippians 2:8]. That is why the Saint is regarded as a sweet fragrance before God: because she was found to be perfectly attuned to the life of her Lord. In the same way, sadly, we become a foul odor and stench before Him whenever we walk in the path of disobedience toward Him. “Every lawless man is unclean before the Lord” [Proverbs 3:32]. For this reason the Lord granted her the gifts of healing for every person who comes to her in faith — and indeed to the point of an “overflow.” “Overflowing healing upon all.” Just like our God Himself, Who “does not give the Spirit by measure” [John 3:34].

Prologue in Sermons: May 13

How a Monk Should Conduct Himself

May 13

(Word concerning the character of the good and the evil.) 
 
By Archpriest Victor Guryev

More than once we have spoken with you, monks, about how you ought to conduct yourselves. But forgive us, for today again we think it necessary to speak to you of the same things from the Holy Fathers. The teaching of the Holy Fathers, even when repeated, is always beneficial and salvific for us. So then, how should a monk conduct himself?

First, says the church teaching, a monk must abandon judgment of others and every other evil deed, and repent of his sins with confession and tears. He must not boast of his self-correction or of his good works, nor become intoxicated with pride, for pride is a great evil, since even the devil fell away from the glory of God because of pride. A monk must flee gluttony and drunkenness, must not frequently wander without necessity through worldly homes, and must not give himself over to excessive sleep, for all these things bring great shame upon a monk. Rather, he ought to obey his spiritual guide, confess sinful thoughts to his spiritual father, keep the fear of God in his heart, and always keep death before his eyes. The conclusion of all this is that if you, monk, see anything with your eyes or hear anything with your ears, keep it to yourself and say: “Why should I judge my brother, when I myself am worse than all?”

Saint Epiphanios as a Bishop in Cyprus

By Dr. Georgios Kakkouras, 
Doctor of Theology, Secondary Education Teacher of Religious Studies

“Epiphanios the Great, the renowned Archbishop of Salamis or Constantia, is rightly considered one of the most illustrious adornments of the Church of Cyprus” (History of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, Hackett–Papaioannou).

Nevertheless, he was not Cypriot by origin. He was born in Eleutheroupolis of Palestine to parents who were Christians(?) of Hebrew or Greek descent. He devoted himself with unusual zeal to learning and acquired a rich theological and literary education. He knew five languages — Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Syriac, and Coptic — something astonishing for that period, when no special methods for teaching languages existed.

His life was written by three biographers, two of whom are identified as his disciples, and for this reason there are many sources concerning his life and work. At a young age he entered the monastic life and became a disciple of the great ascetic Saint Hilarion. Thus the ascetic monastic element characterized his entire later life.

Saint Epiphanios of Cyprus in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

The great Father and Hymnographer of Saint Epiphanios, Saint John of Damascus, repeatedly focuses our attention on what he considers the first thing we must notice: the Saint’s conversion from the Jewish faith to the grace of faith in Christ. For Saint Epiphanios, the Hymnographer notes, the Mosaic Law functioned in the way the Apostle Paul says: as a “schoolmaster unto Christ.” That is, Epiphanios did not have a veil over his mind when he studied the Old Testament. Rather, because his soul was open, he perceived the meaning of the Law, which is none other than Christ Himself. For we must not forget that the Old Testament also, as we learned from the Lord Himself, “points” to Christ. Without Christ it remains closed and uninterpreted. “What Moses and the prophets wrote, they wrote concerning Me,” revealed the infallible mouth of our incarnate God.

“The Law written in letters became for you a schoolmaster leading to Christ, Epiphanios, showing you the grace of the knowledge of God in the Savior, which shone forth and had been mystically prefigured and symbolized in the clearest way” (Sticheron of Vespers).

Prologue in Sermons: May 12

Woe To the One Who Becomes Rich in Himself and Not in God

May 12

(From the Life of Saint Epiphanios.) 
 
By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The Psalmist says: “The rich have become poor and hungry, but those who seek the Lord shall not be deprived of any good thing” (Ps. 33). What do these words mean? The Prophet means that the Lord never abandons those who place their hope in Him. And we may add that they also mean this: woe to the one who grows rich in himself and not in God.

In the city where Saint Epiphanios was bishop, a famine once occurred, and there was great distress in that place. At that time there lived there a wealthy nobleman named Faustian, who possessed enormous stores of grain. He was a pagan. Epiphanios said to him: “Friend, sell me some wheat on credit, so that I may feed the starving. In time I will repay you.”

Faustian replied: “Go to your God, and He will give it to you.”

Epiphanios went to the church of the holy martyrs and all night long prayed to God with tears that He would feed the hungry. There was also there a pagan temple into which no outsider was permitted to enter, for whoever entered immediately died.