Homily Two on the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord (St. Innocent of Kherson)

Homily on the Day of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord 

(Delivered in Kiev when Bishop Innocent was a Student at the Kiev Theological Academy)

By St. Innocent of Kherson

“And the people answered, saying, ‘His blood be on us and on our children.’” (Matthew 27:25)

The desire of your heart, O godless people, has been fulfilled! Your princes and leaders have been destroyed; “the walls of your city have been overthrown, your altars have been dug up, your prophets saw … vanity … its priests sigh; the infants asked for bread … those who were joined to it have rejected it.” The Most High Himself “covered Himself with a cloud, so that your prayer might not reach Him.” (Lamentations 2:14–16; 4:4; 1:2; 3:44)

Christians! We, being “wild branches,” have by the grace of God been deemed worthy to take the place of the “natural branches,” the Jews, and to be grafted onto the good olive tree, Jesus Christ, from which they were broken off. (Romans 11:17–21) What feeling does this change wrought by the right hand of the Most High produce in us? Shall we say in shameful self-exaltation, “The branches were broken off so that we might be grafted in”? But have we considered through what they were broken off from the tree of life, and through what we were grafted onto this tree? “They were broken off through unbelief” (Romans 11:20); we, however, stand through faith. Yet faith is not “from ourselves, but the gift of God.” The same merciful God who bestowed upon us the pledge of faith can also restore it to them; the same righteous God who sent them a spirit of insensibility, “that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not hear,” (Luke 8:10; Romans 11:8) can send us “an activity of delusion, so that we should believe the lie.” (2 Thessalonians 2:11) Therefore, we must not become high-minded when we look upon the rejected Jews, but must be filled with fear, lest God, who “did not spare the natural branches … should not spare” us either. (Romans 11:21) The example of this people should awaken us from sinful carelessness. Let us unfold this thought.

Holy Martyrs Trophimos, Sabbatios and Dorymedon in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. These three holy martyrs lived during the reign of Probus. Of these, Sabbatios was found standing accused before the Vicar in Antioch on account of his Christian faith. After being severely tortured and shut up in prison, he gave up his spirit amid his sufferings. Trophimos, on the other hand, after having iron soles placed upon his feet as though they were sandals and being exiled to the region of Synnada, was severely tortured there, together with Dorymedon, and in the end they were beheaded.

2. These three holy martyrs are not very well known among the fullness of the Church, as is, of course, similarly the case with many other of our Saints, whether martyrs, ascetics, or Saints belonging to some other group. This, however, does not mean that they are any less holy than those who are better known among the faithful. Many, for example, may know Saint George and Saint Demetrios, among the Great Martyrs and those who have particular boldness before the Lord our God; yet we likewise believe that Saints Trophimos, Sabbatios, and Dorymedon have a powerful intercession for us before the Lord, since what led them to martyrdom was the same thing that we point out in all those regarded as great Saints: their love for God, burning love like fire, and their complete turning toward Him. “The three, burning with love for the revered Trinity,” “being wholly adorned by their inclinations toward the Divine,” as the Hymnographer characteristically notes.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: September 19

 

The Month of September

The 19th Day

20. Those Who Live Holy and Piously Are Obeyed Even by Wild Beasts

(The Sufferings of the Holy Martyrs Trophimos, Sabbatios, and Dorymedon)

It is known that at the creation of man, God gave him authority over all animals in general, and over wild beasts in particular. It is also known that after the Fall he lost this authority. What do you think, brethren: did he lose it absolutely, or not? Know that he did not lose it absolutely, for the examples of the Saints prove the truth that even now, to those who live holy and piously, not only ordinary domestic animals but also wild beasts are obedient. There are a great many such examples in the Lives of the Saints. Let us bring forward two of them in confirmation of our words and for your edification.

The persecutor Dionysios decided to give the holy martyrs Trophimos and Dorymedon, for confessing the name of Christ, to be devoured by wild beasts. On the appointed day, Dionysios, together with his counselors, servants, and a great multitude of people, came to the arena, and the holy martyrs, naked and covered with wounds, were placed in the place where the beasts were to be released against them. First they released a she-bear, which, having rushed at them in fury, immediately afterward changed her fury into gentleness and turned her mouth away from them. Then they released a leopard, and it merely licked the feet of the Saints. Finally, they released a lion, and it became gentle before the martyrs like a lamb. And all the people, it is said, seeing such a wonder, marveled and recognized the power of our great God and Savior.

Discourse on the Finding of the Honorable Relic of Saint Euphemia (Constantine, Bishop of Tios)

Introduction

The following Discourse on the Finding of the Honorable Relic of Saint Euphemia was written by Constantine, Bishop of Tios, at the request of George, Bishop of Amastris. The work recounts the remarkable history of the relic of Saint Euphemia, from its removal from Chalcedon during the Iconoclastic persecution, its casting into the sea and miraculous recovery on the island of Lemnos, to its eventual return to Constantinople in 796, during the reign of the Empress Irene and her son Constantine VI and the patriarchate of Saint Tarasios. Constantine composed the account sometime in the late eighth or early ninth century, probably near the beginning of the ninth century, although the precise date is uncertain. His purpose is not merely historical: by recounting the miracles associated with the relic, and especially the Saint’s miraculous confirmation of the Orthodox faith at the Synod of Chalcedon, he presents its recovery as another manifestation of divine providence and a vindication of the Orthodox veneration of the relics of Saints.

A Discourse by Constantine, Most Holy Bishop of Tios, on the Finding of the Honorable Relic of the Holy and Most Renowned Martyr Euphemia, as Proposed by George, Most Holy Bishop of Amastris.

Prologue

1. I have come bearing the command, O most holy Father, lover of every good desire and guide of my own humble person, having taken courage from your holy prayers. For I am not capable of undertaking this task, being unlearned and filled with every kind of rusticity, but, fearing that the penalty of disobedience is always perilous and that failure to carry out a fatherly command is harmful, I have taken courage from your most excellent prayers. Writing, therefore, what I have heard from devout men and all that I have seen with my own eyes, I have undertaken to set down the exile and removal of the relic of the most renowned martyr Euphemia, its discovery and translation, and the account thereof, so that another generation may come to know the great deeds of God, which the all-good God, who has governed all things from the beginning and continues to do so even now and beyond, never ceases to accomplish, to the glory and praise of those who fear Him, and to the defeat and shame of those who dare to bark against His glory and against His Saints.

Homily for the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord (St. Sergius Mechev)

 

Homily for the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord

By Holy Hieromartyr Sergius Mechev

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

There are two understandings of the feasts of the Church and two attitudes toward them: a worldly one and a spiritual one. The worldly understanding consists in thinking that we must not forget events that took place in ancient times, and that we gather in church on these days in order to “remember” them. Such an attitude toward the feasts is the fruit of an “ideological,” or merely conceptual, understanding of Christianity.

For those who understand Christianity in this way, Christianity is reduced to certain religious and moral ideas about which one can speak, which one can accept intellectually, and with which one can even become fired up for a time.

This “ideological” understanding of Christianity is a condemnation against us; it kills true Christian life within us. The worst thing for us would be to be called ideological Christians. Therefore, we must struggle against this “ideological” character in Christianity, overcome it within ourselves if it is present in us, and strive for another understanding of Christianity, a spiritual one.

The Chapel of Saint Ariadne in the Nisimos Plateau of Crete

 

On the Nisimos Plateau in Lasithi, on its southwestern side, stands the country chapel of Saint Ariadne.

The small church was built in 1995 by the dentist Emmaneul N. Spanakis, as is also recorded on a marble plaque set into the western exterior wall, beside its entrance.

Constructed of local stone, it stands out against the expansive plateau, which is lush green during the winter months and dry during the summer.

The church is single-naved and barrel-vaulted, as prescribed by the architectural tradition of churches in Crete. Its interior is simple and has no iconostasis. The sanctuary is separated from the nave by low marble panels.

Saint Eumenios the Bishop of Gortyna in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. Saint Eumenios (who lived during the seventh century A.D.) subjected himself from his youth to rigorous spiritual ascetic practices, to such an extent that, by the grace of God, he attained profound humility. For this reason, the Church entrusted him with the episcopate of the Church of Gortyna. On one occasion, the Saint burned with torches a most fearsome dragon that charged against him. From the Church of Gortyna in Crete he went to Rome, which he illumined like a torch with his divine teachings and astonished by the multitude of his miracles. From there he descended to the Thebaid of Egypt, which, even without his own intention, he saved from the affliction of drought. There he departed peacefully to the Lord, while the inhabitants of Thebes sent his holy body back to his homeland. Raxos, moreover, is the name of the place that possesses his venerable body, just as the same place also possesses the venerable body of Saint Cyril.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: September 18

The Month of September

Day 18

19. Why the Lord Teaches Us to Enter the Kingdom of Heaven by the Narrow Way

(From the Life of Saint Eumenios, Bishop of Gortyna)

The Lord teaches us to enter the Kingdom of Heaven by the narrow way. “Strive,” He says, “to enter through the narrow gate” (Luke 13:24). Why, then, does He teach us this? Because only the narrow way can lead us to Paradise, whereas the broad way, that is, attachment to the world, leads to forgetfulness of God and to perdition. From what is this evident? From what is said in the Life of Saint Eumenios, Bishop of Gortyna. And what does it say there? This:

“It is necessary to go to Heaven by the narrow way that leads to Heaven, listening to the Lord who says: ‘Strive to enter through the narrow gate.’ This means that, in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, it is necessary to lay aside two heavy burdens—possessions and the flesh. And to lay aside possessions means to distribute them to the poor, knowing that ‘it is difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God’ (Luke 18:24). And indeed, can anyone burdened by attachment to wealth pass through the narrow gate indicated by the Lord? Certainly no one. What did the Lord counsel the young man who asked Him about eternal life? ‘If you wish,’ He said, ‘to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven’ (Matthew 19:21). And indeed, can one who serves Mammon also serve the Lord? And how can one burdened by the weight of riches pass through the narrow doors of heaven? Obviously, under such conditions he cannot pass through them, any more than a camel can pass through the eye of a needle. Just as one who wishes to pass through a narrow space ordinarily removes from himself not only his load but even his clothing, so one who desires to be in heaven gives to the poor not only his surplus of temporal possessions, as a heavy burden, but even what he himself needs, striving to imitate the Lord.”

Homily for the Commemoration of the Martyrs Faith, Hope, and Love and Their Mother Sophia (Fr. Daniel Sysoev)

Homily for the Commemoration of the Martyrs Faith, Hope, and Love and Their Mother Sophia

By Fr. Daniel Sysoev

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

I congratulate you all on the commemoration of the martyrs Faith, Hope, and Love and their mother Sophia! They suffered in Rome in the second century. The eldest daughter, Faith, was twelve years old; Hope was nine, and the youngest, Love, was seven. Their mother Sophia named them after the Christian virtues. They courageously confessed Christ before their persecutors and tyrants and showed that they were true sufferers for Christ, conquerors of death. A martyr is not one who is tortured, but one who bears witness to God, conquering the world by the word of Christ. Christ is the only true way to the Heavenly Father. We know that witchcraft, magic, sorcery, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism are all evil paths that do not lead to God.

There is only one way—the way of our Lord Jesus Christ—which saves people: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:11–12).