Encomium to our Venerable and God-bearing Father Symeon the New Theologian (St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite) - 4 of 5

 

...continued from part three. 

30. Now, if Saint Symeon demonstrates through these words how the spiritual formation of Jesus takes place in the hearts of others, how much more should we conclude that he himself first acquired this spiritual formation of Christ in his own heart, became His spiritual mother, and, having experienced and learned it himself, became a teacher of it to others? Indeed, this is precisely what we ought to conclude and firmly believe, for no one can rightly teach such divine mysteries to others unless he himself is first deemed worthy to know them through experience and to undergo them through the grace of the Holy Spirit. That the Son of God is continually born spiritually in those who love Him and becomes an infant, fashioning Himself within them through the virtues, and that the one who fears God conceives a spirit of salvation, is confirmed by the God-bearing Maximus in chapter 8 of the Third Century of the Theological Chapters²¹ and by the great Athanasius in his Questions to Antiochus²². The Prophet Isaiah had testified to this even before them, saying: “Because of Your fear, O Lord, we conceived in the womb, and were in labor, and gave birth; we brought forth a spirit of Your salvation…” (Isaiah 26:17–18).

Holy Prophet Hosea in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. The Prophet Hosea, whose name means “God saves,” is one of the twelve so-called Minor Prophets of the Old Testament. He ministered during the eighth century BC in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, whose capital was Samaria and which was finally brought to an end by the Assyrians in 722 BC. His book indicates that he did not live to see the destruction, although he prophesied and described it. We have little information about his life, but we know his teaching well from his prophetic book. The personal story of the prophet—that he married a woman named Gomer, with whom he had three daughters, who proved to be an unfaithful wife, yet whom he continued to love until he welcomed her back into his home after she repented—provides the prerequisite for understanding his book. Through his relationship with his wife, the prophet comes to understand the relationship between God—Yahweh—and His people, Israel. God loves this people, who prove unfaithful as they continually turn to idols. Yet God continues to love Israel, awaiting its repentance, and when Israel does indeed repent, He immediately accepts it, so that God and His people live in reconciliation.

Holy Venerable Martyr Andrew who is in Krisi in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

 

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

The Venerable Martyr Andrew lived during the period of Iconoclasm, when the Wicked Demon found an opportunity to wage war against the Christian faith using “right-handed” weapons. For under the pretext of fighting on behalf of Christ (!), the heretics, who in reality denied the manifestation of God in the world as man, turned against the true Christians, who, through the icons, emphatically proclaimed their faith that God had indeed become man and was therefore depictable according to His humanity, and that He had not come as a “phantom” or as a product of the mind. It is worth recalling that, for the early Church, and consequently throughout its entire history, the reality of God’s Incarnation in the person of Christ was the absolute criterion for confirming the genuineness of the faith. “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God,” Saint John the Theologian would write, as well as the converse.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: October 17

The Month of October

Day 17

48. To Parishioners Living Among Schismatics

(The Passion of the Holy Venerable Martyr Andrew, who was from Crete)

When you Orthodox Christians encounter schismatics, and they begin, in your presence, to blaspheme our faith and the Church, some of you remain completely indifferent to their blasphemies and, out of ignorance, offer them no response. Others, which is worse still, are carried away by the ravings of the schismatics. They abandon the faith and the Church, sometimes even leaving their families, and themselves join the schism. Is this right, brethren? No, it is very wrong, for whoever sells the holy faith and the Church becomes another Judas.

Therefore, if you are truly Orthodox Christians, do not merely believe, but also confess your faith. That is, do not renounce it; defend it with all the strength of your soul against every form of blasphemy and slander. Do not sell it to just any heretic, and do not become traitors to it yourselves. To learn how to do this, study the confession of faith of the saints. By their example, better than by any words, they will show you how a Christian ought to conduct himself toward heretics and with what courage and patience he ought to defend his holy faith and the Church against their schemes and slanders.

Quack Healers

  

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou 

 

In recent days, following the death of singer Giorgos Mazonakis, we have repeatedly heard that the doctors he had visited did not have the medical specialty required to perform the particular plasmapheresis treatments in question, and for this reason they were described as fake doctors and kompogiannites (quack healers). Of course, a physician practices the science of medicine after learning from qualified physicians, receiving training and specializing in a particular field. The physician seeks to treat people on the basis of scientific knowledge and evidence.

By contrast, a fake doctor may have graduated from medical school, but when he undertakes procedures outside his specialty, particularly when he employs shamanistic methods (shamans being healers in antiquity), he falls under this designation. A fake doctor may also be someone who has not graduated from medical school but recommends herbs and fraudulent treatments, thereby exploiting people—not only failing to cure them but also leading them to their deaths. These fake doctors are also called quacks. We say of someone, “He is a kompogiannitis.” But what does this term mean?

Encomium to our Venerable and God-bearing Father Symeon the New Theologian (St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite) - 3 of 5

...continue from part two.

23. The FOURTH degree of those who are being saved is to become a son of God by grace, as we have said. Venerable Symeon certainly attained this degree for two reasons.

a) He had the grace of the Holy Spirit perceptibly at work within his heart, and he was guided and governed not by the spirit of the flesh and the world, but by the Holy Spirit. This is clearer than the sun itself. Indeed, scarcely a single word, or rather, scarcely a page or passage in his writings, can be found that does not confirm this truth. Since, as Paul says, those who are guided by the Holy Spirit are sons of God—“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14)—Saint Symeon, too, was therefore a son of God by grace.

b) It is characteristic of sons to remain always in their father's house, whereas slaves, by contrast, do not remain there forever, as the Lord said: “The slave does not remain in the house, but the son remains forever” (John 8:35). Even during his temporal life, the divine Symeon remained in the house of God the Father, observing every commandment of his heavenly Father and fulfilling all His paternal wishes and commandments. By doing so, he became worthy of remaining forever in the Father's dwelling. After his death, he became the true heir of that same paternal house and of the Kingdom of Heaven, as a most genuine son, according to Paul's words: “And if children, then heirs” (Romans 8:17).

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: October 16

The Month of October

Day 16

47. A Second Instruction to Mothers Who Have Lost Their Children

(From the Life of Saint Longinus the Centurion)

Not long ago (see Instruction 40), we spoke with you, mothers who have suffered the misfortune of losing one or another of your children. Drawing upon the Life of Venerable Athanasia (October 9), we sought to offer you consolation in your great sorrow. Now, in the Life of Saint Longinus the Centurion, we have found yet another source of consolation for you, which we hasten to bring to your attention.

There was a certain woman, a widow who had lost her sight and hoped, through her faith, to regain it. She set out with her only son to pray in Jerusalem. Her son led her to the holy places, but there he soon fell ill and died. Who could describe the grief of this poor widow, deprived of her sight and now bereft of her only son! But God soon consoled her. Saint Longinus the Centurion appeared to her in a dream and instructed her to seek his head at a certain place outside Jerusalem. He promised to restore her sight and console her over the loss of her son. When she awoke, the widow, guided by those accompanying her, went to the place indicated by the martyr. There she soon found the precious head of Longinus and immediately regained her sight.

Holy Hieromartyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. Saint Lucian was the son of devout parents. After their death, he distributed all his possessions among the poor and devoted himself to studying the divine Scriptures. In this way, he also converted many Jews and pagans to faith in Christ. He left his own city, however, and went to Nicomedia to strengthen those who, out of fear of martyrdom, were abandoning the faith and to encourage them to persevere in their struggles for martyrdom. Being highly skilled in calligraphy, he left the Church of Nicomedia a book in which he had transcribed the entire Old and New Testaments, arranging the text in three columns on each page. Indeed, he so far transcended the limits of human nature that, when he went into the city, he was visible to some people and invisible to others. The emperor Maximian heard about him and, fearing to meet him face-to-face, spoke with him from behind a curtain. When, however, he recognized Lucian’s steadfastness in the faith of Christ, he condemned him to prolonged starvation. After going many days without eating or drinking anything, Lucian died in prison. The governor then ordered his body to be cast into the sea. At God’s command, a dolphin recovered it and carried it ashore on its back.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: October 15

The Month of October

Day 15

46. To Those Who Violate the Fasts

(From the Life of the Venerable Martyr Lucian the Presbyter)

We all know that we must observe the fasts, yet we often fail to do so. Especially in recent times, many people do not even want to know about them; they eat whatever happens to be available and think nothing of it. In reality, however, this is by no means a trivial matter, for the book of ecclesiastical rules known as the Nomocanon states, for example: “He who eats meat or cheese during Great Lent, or on Wednesday or Friday, shall not receive Communion for two years” (Small Euchologion, Rule 85). It follows, therefore, that we bear a grave responsibility before God for violating the fasts and must consequently observe them strictly. But how can those who have almost entirely grown unaccustomed to fasting and have completely forgotten about it learn to observe the fasts? Know this, then, brethren who have grown unaccustomed to fasting: we have found a very powerful means of making you remember the fasts and observe them. If you will, we shall now bring this means to your attention.