Panagia Katsimikados: Sacred Shrines Which Honor the Nativity of the Theotokos (1)

Icon depicting the discovery of the miraculous icon of Panagia Katsimikados

[In Greece today there are 232 churches and monasteries which honor the Nativity of the Theotokos and celebrate their feasts on September 8th. In this series I will give a brief history of a select few over the next few days until the apodoseis of the feast. - J.S.]

Panagia Katsimikados

In the mountains of the district of Kyparissia of Messinia in the region of Pelopponessos lies the Monastery known as Katsimikados (Κατσιμικάδος). It received its name from a miracle which happened there in the year 1000 AD.

A shepherd was tending to his goats (κατσίκες) on the spot where the monastery is today (it did not exist then). This shepherd noticed that one of his small female goats (κατσικάδα in the regional dialect) would leave the others and when it returned its beard was wet even though there was no source of water anywhere near the area. Out of curiosity one day the shepherd followed this goat to see what source of water it had discovered. Finally he noticed his goat go into a bush and soon emerged with a wet beard. Overjoyed the shepherd ran and told the villagers that a well was discovered in the area. Together with the villagers the shepherd helped remove the bush to uncover the well, only to discover an icon which depicted the Nativity of the Theotokos (sources do not tell us if it was found in the water or not). The shepherd then proclaimed: "It is the Panagia and we are the goats" ("η Παναγία είναι της κατσικάδας της εμής"). Because of this the miraculous icon came to be known as Panagia Katsimikados.

We do not know when the monastery was founded exactly, but upon the discovery of the icon a church was built for it and eventually monastics came to inhabit the area. We know the Venetians destroyed it in 1230. In May of 1825 the Egyptian-Turk Imbraem II destroyed it again by fire while 44 monastics escaped to the mountains with its treasures; 43 of which were massacred. In 1837 it was rebuilt from the stones of the area on top of the previous foundation, and 43 years after that its first monk inhabited it once again. In 1923 its 3 monks passed away (one in 1922). After a number of years 3 nuns came to inhabit the monastery and since then it is a female convent.

Entrance

Garden

The interior of the church.

The interior of the church.

The spot where the miraculous icon was found, and today has an oil lamp which burns before the icon night and day.

The beautiful view from the monastery.

Read Part Two here.

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On the Nativity of the Theotokos - Various Church Fathers

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
Your birth, O Theotokos, brought joy to the whole world, for from you dawned the sun of righteousness, Christ our God. Freeing us from the curse, He gave us His blessings. Abolishing death, He granted us eternal life.

St. Romanos the Melodist

* O mystery brought about on earth! After the birth, Anna prayed to our God and Maker Who knows all things in advance: "You have heard me, O Lord, as you have heard Hannah who was accused before Eli of being drunk" [1 Sam. 1:14]. She promised Samuel, after his birth, to the Lord to become priest. Just as formerly you have given me too a gift, the barren woman gives birth to the Mother of God and the nurse of our life.

* In your holy birth, Immaculate One, Joachim and Anna were rid of the shame of childlessness; Adam and Eve of the corruption of death. And so your people, free of the guilt of their sins, celebrate crying: "The barren one gives birth to the Theotokos, who nourishes our life."

* Consequently, the tribes of Israel heard that Anna had given birth to the pure Virgin, and they all rejoiced with great gladness. Joachim held a great feast and celebrated splendidly the miraculous birth. And when he had summoned to prayer the priests and the Levites, he placed Mary in the midst of all, in order that she be magnified.


St. Andrew of Crete

* O Bride of the Father, immaculate Mother of the Son, and holy and resplendent temple of the Holy Spirit; O most chaste of all creation, most suitable to His ultimate purpose, on this account the universe was created and, by thy birth, was the eternal will of the Creator fulfilled.

*O Lord, you have opened the womb of Sarah, giving her Isaac as fruit in her old age. Today, O Savior, you have likewise given to godly Anna a fruit born from her womb, even your own Mother without spot.


St. Sergios of Constantinople

* She is the treasure of virginity, the rod of Aaron springing from the root of Jesse, the preaching of the prophets, offshoot of the righteous Joachim and Anna. She is born, and with her is the world become new again. She is born, and the Church clothes herself in majesty. She is the holy temple, the receiver of the Godhead: the instrument of virginity, the bridal chamber of the King, wherein was accomplished the marvelous mystery of the ineffable union of the natures which come together in Christ.


St. Germanos of Constantinople

* As foretold by the angel, today have you come forth, O Virgin, the all-holy offspring of righteous Joachim and Anna...you did destroy the curse and give blessing in its place.

* No more are the gifts of Joachim turned away: for the lament of Anna is changed to joy. "Let all the chosen of Israel rejoice with me," she says, "for behold, the Lord has given me the living Pavilion of His divine glory, unto the joy and gladness of us all and the salvation of our souls.


St. John of Damascus

* The day of the Nativity of the Theotokos is the feast of joy for the whole world, because through the Theotokos the entire human race was renewed and the grief of the first mother Eve was changed into joy. For whereas the latter heard the divine statement, “In pain you shall bring forth children” [Gen. 3:16] the former heard, “Rejoice favoured one!” [Luke 1:28]. The latter heard, “Your recourse shall be towards your husband!” and the former, “The Lord is with you!"

* The holy parents of the Mother of God received from heaven a gift worthy of God, a throne higher than the very cherubim [Is. 6:1; Ez. 1:4] -- she who in childbirth would bear the Word of the Creator.

* The Mother of God was born to us at the holy Sheep Gate. Rejoice, O Sheep Gate, the most holy temple of God's Mother. Rejoice O Sheep Gate, the wall of Joachim's sheep.


St. Stephen the Hymnographer

* Eve declares her daughter and descendent blessed, "for unto me is born deliverance, through which I shall be set free from the bonds of hell."


St. Photios the Great

* The present feast honoring the birth of the Virgin Mother of God easily carries off the glittering prize of seniority against every competitor...for without the Virgin's feast none of those that sprang out would appear...The Virgin's feast, in fulfilling the function of the root, the source, the foundation...takes on with good reason the ornament of all those other feasts, and it is conspicuous with many great boons, and is recognized as the day of universal salvation.

* After God had bestowed on man the enjoyment and mastery over everything in the Garden, it was meet for him who was entrusted with so great authority to be disciplined and trained with some command. However, after transgressing this command, the Creator did not overlook His creatures though they had plunged themselves into such great error. It was needful, therefore, that one Person of the Trinity become man, to make it manifest that the recreation too, like the creation, was their own work. Incarnation entailed a pregnancy and a mother. So it was needful that a mother should be prepared down below for the Creator, for the recreation of shattered humanity. She was to be a virgin, just as the first man had been formed of virgin earth; so the recreation too should be carried out through a virgin womb, and that no transitory pleasure, even lawful, should be as much as imagined in the Creator's birth; for the Lord suffered to be born for the deliverance of him who was a captive of pleasure.

Who then was worthy? Clearly it was she who this day strangely issued from Joachim and Anna, the barren root. It was needful, yea needful, that she who from the very cradle had by a superior reason preserved her body pure, her soul pure, her thoughts pure, should be marked out to be the Creator's Mother.

It was needful that she who had been brought to the temple as an infant, who had trodden the untrodden places, should appear as a living temple for Him Who gave her life. It was needful that she who had been born in a wondrous manner from a sterile womb, and had removed her parents' reproach, should also make good the failure of her forefathers; for she, the descendent, was able to repair the ancestral defeat, who brought forth the Savior of our race by a husbandless birth, and molded His body.

* The Lord's throne (Mary) is being prepared on earth, earthly things are sanctified, the heavenly hosts are mingled with us, and the wicked one, who first deceived us, has his power crushed, as his wiles and devices rot away.


St. Neophytos of Cyprus

* Anna, delivered by the Creator of nature from the bonds of sterility, conceives by her spouse, Mary, a daughter of God. Anna, today gave birth to Mary, the first-fruits of our salvation, the immaculate Mother of God the Word, and the first-fruits of the renewal of our nature that had been aged and tarnished by transgression of the divine precepts.


St. Gregory Palamas

* For her sake, the God-possessed prophets pronounced prophecies, and miracles are wrought to foretell that future great miracle of the world, the Ever-Virgin Mother of God. Generation after generation of vicissitudes and historical events, make a path to their ultimate destination, to the new ministry that will be wrought in her. The rites and laws had provided beforehand a type of the future truth of the Spirit. The end, or rather the beginning and root of those earlier events and wonders of God, is the annunciation to Joachim and Anna, who were accomplished in the virtues, of what was to be accomplished (in their daughter).

* All divinely-inspired Scripture was written for the sake of the Virgin who begat God.

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On the Nativity of the Theotokos - St. Andrew of Crete

Homily on the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God

by Saint Andrew, Archbishop of Crete

The present feastday is for us the beginning of feastdays. Serving as a boundary limit to the law and to foretypes, it at the same time serves as a doorway to grace and truth. "For Christ is the end of the law" (Rom 10:4), Who, having freed us from the writing, doth raise us to spirit. Here is the end (to the law): in that the Lawgiver, having made everything, hath changed the writing in spirit and doth head everything within Himself (Eph 1:10), hath taken the law under its dominion, and the law is become subjected to grace, such that the properties of the law not suffer reciprocal commingling, but only suchlike, that the servile and subservient (in the law) by Divine power be transmuted into the light and free (in grace), "so that we," sayeth the Apostle, "be not enslaved to the elements of the world" (Gal 4:3) and be not in a condition under the slaveish yoke of the writing of the law. Here is the summit of Christ's beneficence towards us! Here are the mysteries of revelation! Here is the theosis [divinisation] assumed upon humankind -- the fruition worked out by the God-man.

The radiant and bright coming-down of God for people ought to possess a joyous basis, opening to us the great gift of salvation. Such like also is the present feastday, having as its basis the Nativity of the Mother of God, and as its purposful end -- the uniting of the Word with flesh, this most glorious of all miracles, unceasingly proclaimed, immeasurable and incomprehensible. The less comprehensible it is, the more it is revealed; and the more it is revealed, the less comprehensible it is. Wherefore the present God-graced day, the first of our feastdays, showing forth the light of virginity and as it were the crown woven from the unfading blossoms of the spiritual garden of Scripture, doth proffer creatures a common joy. Be of good cheer -- sayeth it -- behold, this is the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin and of the renewal of the human race! The Virgin is born, She groweth and is raised up and prepareth Herself to be the Mother of God All-Sovereign of the ages. All this, with the assist of David, makes it for us an object of spiritual contemplation. The Mother of God manifests to us Her God-bestown Birth, and David points to the blessedness of the human race and wondrous co-kinship of God with mankind.

And thus, truly one ought to celebrate the mystery today and to offer to the Mother of God a word by way of gift: since nothing is so pleasing to Her, as a word and praise by word. It is from here also that we receive a twofold benefit: first, we enter into the region of truth, and second, we emerge from the captivity and slavery of the written law. How? Obviously, when darkness vanishes, then light appears; so also here: after the law there follows the freedom of grace.

The present day solemnity is a line of demarcation, separating the truth from its prefigurative symbol, and ushering in the new in place of the old. Paul -- that Divine Trumpeter of the Spirit -- exclaims thus about this: "For anyone that be in Christ, ye are remade a new creature; the old passeth away and behold all is become new" (2 Cor 5:17); "for the law hath perfected nothing adducing for a better hope, whereby we draw nigh to God" (Heb 7:19). The truth of grace hath shown forth brightly.

Let there now be one common festal celebration in both heaven and on earth. Let everything now celebrate, that which is in the world and that beyond the world. Now is made the created temple for the Creator of all; and creation is readied into a new Divine habitation for the Creator. Now our nature having been banished from the land of blessedness doth receive the principle of theosis and doth strive to rise up to the highest glory. Now Adam doth offer from us and for us elements unto God, the most worthy fruit of mankind -- Mary, in Whom the new Adam is rendered Bread for the restoration of the human race. Now is opened the great bosom of virginity, and the Church, in the matrimonial manner, doth place upon it a pure pearl truly immaculate. Now human worthiness doth accept the gift of the first creation and returns to its former condition; the majesty darkened by formless sin -- through the conjoining by His Mother by birth "of Him made beautiful by Goodness," man receives beauty in a most excellent and God-seemly visage. And this creating is done truly by the creation, and recreation by theosis, and theosis by a return to the original perfection! Now a barren one is become beyond expectation a mother, and the Birth-giver hath given birth without knowing man, and she doth sanctify natural birth. Now is readied the majestied color of the Divine scarlet-purple and the impoverished human nature is clothed in royal worthiness. Now -- according to prophecy -- there sprouts forth the Offshoot of David, Who, having eternally become the green-sprouting Staff of Aaron, hath blossomed forth for us with the Staff of Power -- Christ. Now of Judah and David is descended a Virgin Maiden, rendering of herself the royal and priestly worthiness of Him that hath taken on the priesthood of Aaron in the order of Melchisedek (Heb 7:15). Now is begun the renewal of our nature, and the world responding, assuming a God-seemly form, doth receive the principle of a second Divine creation.

The first creation of mankind occurred from the pure and unsullied earth; but their nature darkened the worthiness innate to it, they were deprived of grace through the sin of disobedience; for this we were cast out of the land of life and, in place of the delights of paradise, we received temporal life as our inheritance by birth, and with it the death and corruption of our race. All started to prefer earth to heaven, such that there remained no hope for salvation, beyond the utmost help. Neither the natural nor the written law, nor the fiery reconciliative sayings of the prophets had power to heal the sickness. No one knew how to rectify human nature and by what means it would be most suitable to raise it up to its former worthiness, so long as God the Author of all did not deign to reveal to us another arranged and newly-constituted world, wherein is annihilated the pervasive form of the old poison of sin, and granting us a wondrous, free and perfectly dispassionate life, through our re-creation in the baptism of Divine birth. But how would this great and most glorious blessing be imparted to us, so very in accord with the Divine commands, if God were not to be manifest to us in the flesh, not subject to the laws of nature -- nor deign to dwell with us in a manner, known to Him? And how could all this be accomplished, if first there did not serve the mystery a Pure and Inviolate Virgin, Who contained the Uncontainable, in accord with the law, yet beyond the laws of nature? And could some other virgin have done this, besides she alone, who was chosen before all others by the Creator of nature?

This Virgin is the Mother of God -- Mary, the Most Glorious of God, from the womb of Whom the Most Divine issued forth in the flesh and by whom He Himself did arrange a wondrous temple for Himself. She conceived without seed and gave birth without corruption, since that Her Son was God, though also He was born in the flesh, without mingling and without travail. This Mother, truly, avoided that which is innate to mothers but miraculously fed with milk Her Son, begotten without a man. The Virgin, having given birth to the Seedlessly Conceived-One, remained a Pure Virgin, having preserved incorrupt the marks of virginity. And so in truth She is named the Mother of God; her virginity is esteemed and her birth-giving is glorified. God, having conjoined with mankind and become manifest in the flesh, hath granted Her a unique glory. Woman's nature suddenly is freed from the first curse, and just as the first did bring in sin, so also doth the first initiate salvation also.

But our discourse has attained its chief end, and I, celebrating now and with rejoicing sharing in this sacred feast, I greet you in the common joy. The Redeemer of the human race -- as I said -- willed to arrange a new birth and re-creation of mankind: like as under the first creation, taking dust from the virginal and pure earth, wherein He formed the first Adam, so also now, having arranged His Incarnation upon the earth, -- and so to speak, in place of dust -- He chooses from out of all the creation this Pure and Immaculate Virgin and, having re-created mankind within His chosen-one from amidst mankind, the Creator of Adam is made the New Adam, in order to save the old.

Who indeed was this Virgin and from what sort of parents did she come? Mary, the glory of all, was born of the tribe of David, and from the seed of Joachim. She was descended from Eve, and was the child of Anna. Joachim was a gentle man, pious, raised in God's law. Living prudently and walking before God he grew old without child: the years of his prime provided no continuation of his lineage. Anna was likewise God-loving, prudent, but barren; she lived in harmony with her husband, but was childless. As much concerned about this, as about the observance of the law of the Lord, she indeed was daily stung by the grief of childlessness and suffered that which is the usual lot of the childless -- she grieved, she sorrowed, she was distressed, and impatient at being childless. Thus, Joachim and his spouse lamented that they had no successor to continue their line; yet the spark of hope was not extinguished in them completely: both intensified their prayer about the granting to them of a child to continue their line. In imitation of the prayer heard of Hannah (1 Kings 1: 10), both without leaving the temple fervently beseeched God that He would undo her sterility and make fruitful her childlessness. And they did not give up on their efforts, until their wish be fulfilled. The Bestower of Gifts did not condemn the gift of their hope. The unceasing power came quickly in help to those praying and beseeching God, and it made capable both the one and the other to produce and bear a child. In such manner, from sterile and barren parents, as it were from irrigated trees, was borne for us a most glorious fruition -- the Immaculate Virgin. The constraints of infertility were destroyed -- prayer, upright manner of life -- these rendered them fruitful; the childless begat a Child, and the childless woman was made a happy mother. Thus the immaculate fruition issuing forth from the womb occurred from an infertile mother, and then the parents, in the first blossoming of her growth brought her to the temple and dedicated her to God. The priest, then making the order of services, beheld the face of the girl and of those in front of and behind, and he became gladdened and joyful, seeing as it were the actual fulfillment of the Divine promise. He consecrated her to God, as a reverential gift and propitious sacrifice and, as a great treasury unto salvation, he led her within the very innermost parts of the temple. Here the Maiden walked in the upright ways of the Lord, as in bridal chambers, partaking of heavenly food until the time of betrothal, which was preordained before all the ages by Him Who, by His inscrutable mercy, was born from her, and by Him Who before all creation and time and expanse Divinely begat Him, and together with His consubstantial and co-reigning and co-worshipped Spirit -- this being One Godhead, having One Essence and Kingdom, inseparable and immutable and in which is nothing diverse, except the personal qualities. Wherefore, in solemnity and in song I do offer the Mother of the Word the festal gift; since that He born of her hath taught me to believe in the Trinity: the Son and Word without beginning hath made in her His Incarnation; the Father begetting Him hath blessed this; the Holy Spirit hath signed and sanctified the womb which incomprehensibly hath conceived.

Now is the time to question David: in what did the God of all forswear him? Speak, O Psalmist and Prophet! He hath sworn from the fruit of my loin to sit upon my throne (Ps 131[132]:11). Here in this He is forsworn and wilt not break His oath, He hath forsworn and His Word is sealed with a deed! "Once," said he, "I forswear by My Holiness, that I lie not to David; his seed wilt prevail forever, and his throne, like the sun before Me and like the moon coursing the ages: a faithful witness also in heaven" (Ps 88[89]:35-38). God hath fulfilled this oath, since it is not possible for God to lie (Heb 6:18). Consider this: Christ in the flesh is named my Son (Mt. 22: 42), and all nations will worship my Lord and Son (Ps 71[72]:11), seeing him sit upon a virginal throne! Here also is the Virgin, from whose womb the Pre-eternal One issued forth, incarnated at the end of the ages and renewing the ages, likewise sprung forth from my loins! All this is so!

People of God, holy nation, sacred gathering! Let us revere our paternal memory; let us extol the power of the mystery! Each of us, in the measure given by grace, let us offer a worthy gift for the present feast. Fathers, a prosperous lineage; mothers, fine children; the unbearing, the not-bearing of sin; virgins, a twofold prudence of soul and of body; betrothed, praiseworthy abstinence. If anyone of you be a father, let him imitate the father of the Virgin; and if anyone be without child, let them make harvest of fruitful prayer cultivating a life pleasing to God. The mother, feeding her children, let her rejoice together with Anna, raising her Child, given to her in infertility through prayer. She that is barren, not having given birth, lacking the blessing of a child, let her come with faith to the God-given offshoot of Anna and offer there her barrenness. The virgin, living blamelessly, let her be a mother by discourse, adorning by word the elegance of soul. For a betrothed, let her offer mental sacrifice from the fruits of prayer. All together rich and poor, lads and maidens, old and young (Ps 48:2, 148:12), priests and levites -- let all together keep the feast in honor of the Maiden, the Mother of God and the Prophetess: from Her hath issued forth the Prophet, foretold of by Moses, Christ God the Truth (Dt 18:15). Amen.

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On The Nativity Of The Theotokos - By St. Dimitri of Rostov

Homily On The Nativity Of The Most Pure Theotokos

Which is Celebrated in the Orthodox Church on September 8

By St. Dimitri, Metropolitan of Rostov

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

The Lord, Who lives in the heavens, wishing to appear on earth and abide with men, first prepared a dwelling place of His glory: His Most Pure Mother. For it is the custom of kings that in whatsoever city they desire to live, a place of residence be prepared for them beforehand. And as the palaces of earthly kings are constructed by the most skilled craftsmen, of the most costly materials, and on the most elevated sights, which are more beautiful and spacious than all the other dwellings of men, in the same manner the palace of the King of Glory must be erected [3 Kings 6]. In the Old Testament, when God desired to dwell in Jerusalem, Solomon built a temple for Him, employing Hiram, a most wise master, who possessed full knowledge of every art and science, and was skilled in every enterprise. He constructed the temple with materials of great value: with costly stone, with aromatic woods of cedar and cypress brought from Lebanon, with pure gold, and upon a high place: that is, upon Mount Moriah [2 Chr. 3]. The temple was of great beauty. On its walls were portrayed the likeness of cherubims, and of various trees and flowers. The temple was so spacious that the whole Israelite people could be accommodated without crowding, and the glory of the Lord would descend in fire and a cloud [2 Chr. 7]. Nevertheless, that temple did not suffice to contain within itself the Uncontainable God, for even though Solomon built Him a temple, "The Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands. 'What house will ye build me', saith the Lord: 'or what is the place of my rest?'" [Acts 7]

At the beginning of the new era of grace, the Lord was pleased to create a temple not made by hands: the Most Pure, Most Blessed Virgin Mary. By what builder was this temple erected? In truth, by One most wise; by the very Wisdom of God, as the Scripture says, "Wisdom hath built itself a temple" [Prov. 9]. All things created by the Wisdom of God are good and perfect, therefore, as it was the Wisdom of God that created the living temple of the Word (as she saith of herself through the words of the Holy Spirit, "The Lord established me in the beginning of His way") it was not possible that in her there could be any sort of imperfection or sin. The Perfect God created a perfect temple; the Most Radiant King, a most radiant palace; for the Most Pure and Undefiled Bridegroom, a bridal chamber most pure and undefiled; for the Spotless Lamb, an unsullied dwelling place. A Faithful Witness abiding in the heavens said to her, "You are most fair, my love; there is no spot in you" [Song of Songs 4]. And Saint John the Damascene says, "She is wholly the bridal chamber of the Spirit, wholly the city of God, a sea of Grace, wholly good, close to God."1

With what materials was this palace built? In truth, with the most costly, for she, being like precious stone, was of royal lineage, descended from David, who placed a stone in his sling, and with it killed Goliath. The stone foreshadowed the Stone that is Christ, fashioned, as it were, from aromatic woods, of cedar and cypress. The Virgin Theotokos was born of priestly ancestors as well, who offered God sweet smelling sacrifices. Her father, the Holy Righteous Joachim, was the son of Barpather, who traced his ancestry to Nathan, the son of David. Her mother, the Holy Righteous Anna, was the daughter of Matthan the priest, who was of the line of Aaron. Thus, the Most Pure Virgin was by her father of royal descent, and by her mother, of high priestly lineage. Of what precious materials, from what an ancestry was the most illustrious, animate palace of the King of Glory fashioned! As structures built of stone and wood in Solomon's palace were esteemed all the more for the pure gold with which they were covered, so in the case of the Nativity of the Most Pure Theotokos, the nobility of her royal and high-priestly lineage is rendered yet more honorable by the chastity of her holy parents, which is more to be valued "than thousands of gold and silver. She is more precious than costly stones, and nothing that is dear is to be compared to her" [Prov. 3], for the Most Pure Virgin was born of parents possessed of chastity, which is loftier than all nobility, as the Holy Damascene testifies, writing of the Righteous Ancestors of God thus, "O blessed couple Joachim and Anna! Truly, by the fruit of your loins are you known to be blameless, according to the words of the Lord, 'You shall know them by their fruits' [Matt. 7]. You ordered your lives in a manner pleasing to God, and worthy of her who was born of you. Having lived in chastity and righteousness, you brought forth the treasury of virginity, the Virgin, who was a virgin before giving birth, as she gave birth, and even after she gave birth. She alone, being in mind and soul and body ever a virgin, abides always in virginity. It was fitting that this virginity, be born of chastity. Like a pair of doves, Joachim and Anna! You, having chastely observed the laws of nature, have been granted by God that which is above nature, and have brought into the world the Virgin Mother of God. While in the flesh, you have piously and virtuously borne a daughter who is higher than the angels and reigns over them. Most fair and sweet Daughter! Lily, sprung up in the midst of tares from a root most noble and august! By you the royal priesthood has been enriched!" With words such as these does the Holy Damascene clearly indicate the manner of parents who bore the Mother of God, and of what costly materials the palace of the Heavenly King was erected.

Where was this living palace built? In a most exalted place, as the Church testifies, saying,"Truly you are higher than all things, O Pure Virgin."2 Nevertheless, it was not so in respect to locality, but rather her virtues and God's benefactions. The place where the Most Blessed Virgin was born was a little town in the land of Galilee called Nazareth, which was subject to the city of Capernaum. It was inglorious and obscure, and its inhabitants were held in disdain, even as it was once said of Christ, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth" [Jn. 1]? But the Lord, "Who dwells on high and looks down on things that are lowly" [Ps. 112], was well pleased that His Most Pure Mother be born not in Capernaum, which in its pride was lifted up to heaven, but rather in humble Nazareth, indicating that that "which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God" [Lk. 16], while that which is despised and disdained by them is regarded by Him as lofty and honorable. Moreover, by its very name Nazareth hints the height of the virtues of the Most Pure Virgin. For as by His nativity in Bethlehem, which name means "House of Bread", the Lord mystically signified that He is the Bread come down from heaven for the life and strength of men. So by the birth of His Most Pure Mother in Nazareth He denotes sublime things. For the name "Nazareth" means a blossoming place, sacred, removed from the things of this world, adorned as it were, with a crown, and guarded. All these epithets are clearly applicable to the Most Pure Virgin, for she is the flower sprung up from the withered tree of a barren and aged womb, which has renewed our nature which has shriveled with age. She is the flower which does not wilt, but ever blossoms with virginity. She is the most fragrant flower, giving birth to the fragrance of the only King. She is the flower which bears the Fruit which is Christ the Lord, the flower which alone has borne the fragrant Apple. She is sanctified by the grace of the Holy Spirit which has descended upon her and has overshadowed her. She is the holiest of all the saints, as she has borne the Word, Who Himself is more holy than all the Saints. She is excluded from the ranks of the sinners of this world, for throughout her life not even once did she know sin. All of us must say with David, "I know mine iniquity and my sin is ever before me" [Ps. 50], but she alone can say, "Without iniquity I ran, and directed my steps" [Ps. 58]. She is the guide of all men, who hath not only committed no sin herself, but also turns sinners from wicked deeds, even as the Church cries out to her, "Rejoice, you who dost rescues us from the works of mire."3 She is crowned with glory and honor; crowned with glory, because she has blossomed from a royal root; crowned with honor, because she has sprung from a high-priestly line. She is crowned with glory, having come forth from glorious, chaste and righteous parents. She is crowned with honor, for she was esteemed worthy of the Angel's glad tidings and his attendance. She is crowned with glory, as the Mother of God, for what could be more glorious than to bear God? She is crowned with honor as the Ever-Virgin, for what could be more honorable than to remain a virgin even after giving birth? She is crowned with glory, more glorious than the Seraphim, possessed of love for God like that of the Seraphim. She is crowned with honor, more honorable than the Cherubim, having surpassed the Seraphim in wisdom and knowledge of the Divinity. "Glory, honor and peace to every man who works good" [Rom. 2], says the Apostle, and who among the earthborn surpasses the Most Pure Virgin in deeds of virtue? Having fulfilled all the commandments of the Lord, having done all His will, observed all His injunctions, kept all His sayings in her heart, and performed every sort of good deed to her neighbors, she is worthy to be crowned, as one who works all manner of good. She is likewise a repository, in which the treasure of her virginal chastity is guarded so carefully, that not even unto the Angel did she wish to entrust it. Upon seeing the Angel, she was troubled at his words, and considered in her mind what manner of salutation this might be. All these things concerning the Most Pure Virgin are signified by the Name "Nazareth."

Who would not affirm that lofty palace of Christ has been greatly exalted through her virtues and God's blessings? She is exalted, for she has been bestowed on us from heaven, albeit she was born on earth of earthly parents. She was bestowed from heaven, for as certain theologians say, the Archangel Gabriel, who brought glad tidings to Zacharias concerning John, and who likewise announced to Joachim and Anna the conception of the Theotokos, conveyed from heaven her most blessed name, saying unto her barren mother, "Anna, Anna, you shall bear a most blessed daughter, and her name shall be Mary." Undoubtedly, she can be called the holy city; the new Jerusalem, descended from God out of heaven, and the tabernacle of God in men's midst [Rev. 21]. Lofty is this divine tabernacle, for having borne Christ the King, it is exalted above the Seraphim. O "height hard to climb for the thoughts of men!"4

With what sort of beauty is this noetic palace of Christ adorned? Listen to the sweet words John of Damascus, who speaks of her thus, "She was offered to God, the King of All, clad in the splendor of virtues, as it were, in a vesture of gold, and adorned in the grace of the Holy Spirit. All her glory is within, for while every wife derives glory from without, from her husband, the glory of the Theotokos is from within, that is to say, the Fruit of her womb. And again he says, "O Virgin, full of God's grace, O holy temple of God, which Solomon who created the world has erected and in which He has dwelt! Not with gold, nor with inanimate stones are you adorned. In stead of gold, the Spirit shines in you; in place of precious stones, you have Christ within you, the Pearl of great price. Such is the adornment of this palace, the beauty of which far exceeds that of Solomon's temple, in which were depicted the Cherubim, trees, and flowers. Likewise, in this animate temple, in the Most Pure Virgin, a semblance to the Cherubim may be seen; for by her manner of life, which was like that of the Cherubim, she was not only the equal of the Cherubim, but surpassed them. If the Church frequently refers to other Saints as Cherubim, singing, "What shall we call you, O Saints? Cherubim, for Christ has rested upon you,"5 how much more is the Virgin Theotokos like a Cherub? For within her Christ abode in the flesh, and in her most immaculate hands God sat as though upon a throne: Therefore is she called a Cherubic throne. Moreover, in her person the likeness of fertile trees is depicted, for spiritually she is like a fruitful olive tree or a blooming date-palm in the house of the Lord [Ps. 51]. Therefore, she is now called the life-giving garden, as the Church sings , "From a barren root the God of wonders has made a life-bearing garden to spring up for us: His Mother."6 All this is said in respect to her spiritual beauty, but she was not lacking in physical beauty. Many of the teachers of the Church testify that there has never been, nor shall ever be a virgin as fair as the Virgin Theotokos. When Saint Dionysius the Areopagite saw her, he would have called her God, had he not known that God was born of her. Divine grace, with which she was filled, shone forth brilliantly from her face. Such was the palace which the Heavenly King prepared beforehand on earth! She was beautiful in both soul and body, "as a bride adorned for her husband" [Rev. 21], and, what is more, exceeding spacious: "Your womb He made more spacious than the heavens", and therein Christ, God uncontainable, has been contained.

Palaces are usually constructed in such a manner that not only the King, but a multitude of his attendant servants and those who come to him from throughout the world may by amply accommodated. The spacious abode of the Word, the Most Pure Virgin, accommodates not only God the Word as King, but also us His servants, who draw close to God, Who dwells in her. She contains both God and us in her womb, in her compassionate bosom. The chosen and holy vessel, the Apostle Paul, moved by compassion, said to his beloved, spiritual children, "Our heart is enlarged; ye are not straitened in us" [2 Cor. 6]. In which of the Saints may be found such all-embracing, Divine compassion as in the Virgin Mary? Here the chaste are accommodated, and the sinner is not excluded. Here the penitent has his place, while he who is despairing and unrepentant has a refuge like a new ark which shelters not only clean, but unclean animals as well; its entrance is not barred. Her compassion easily accommodates all those who sorrow, who are offended, who hunger, who are strangers, who are troubled, and who are sick. For it is not possible for her to be lacking in mercy, whose womb bore for us the Gracious God.

The palaces of earthly kings are guarded by armed guards, who do not allow everyone desirous to enter therein to do so, but rather stop and carefully question everyone as to why they have come. But as for the living palace of Christ, although she is surrounded by Cherubim and Seraphim, by the innumerable choirs of Angels, and by all the Saints, at the doors of her compassionate mercy no one hinders anyone who is desirous of entering, neither do the guards expel anyone, nor do soldiers drive anyone away after having questioned him as to why he has come, but having prayerfully entered, he receives a gift which profits him according to his petition. Thus, let us hasten to the compassionate bosom of her who was born of a barren womb, hailing her thus, "Rejoice, O immaculate palace of the King of All! Rejoice, dwelling place of God and of the Word! To Him, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and to you, O Daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son, and Bride of the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory from us mortals unto the ages, Amen.

-----------------------

1. All quotes by St. John the Damascene are taken from his Homily on the Nativity of the Most Pure Theotokos.

2. Canon for the Feast of the Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos, Ode 9.

3. Akathist to the Theotokos, Oikos 5.

4. Ibid, Oikos 1.

5. Sticheron to the Martyrs from the Octoechos, Aposticha in Tone 8 for Friday.

6. From the Sticheron of Vespers for the feast.

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On Temptations, Sorrow and Despair

From the Writings of St. Isaace the Syrian

*Just as the eyebrows approach each other, so are the temptations close to men. It was the economy of God to be so, with wisdom that we may receive benefit: namely, through knocking persistently, because of the sorrows, on the door of God's mercy and to enter into your mind, due to the fear of grievous events, the seed of the memory of God, so that you may approach Him with supplications and your heart be sanctified through the continuous remembrance of Him. And while you ask Him, He will listen.

* The person walking the road of God must thank Him for all the sorrows that he faces, and to accuse and dishonor his negligent self, and know that the Lord who loves and looks after him, would not have allowed the grievous things to happen to wake his mind up, if he had somehow not been negligent. God may have allowed some sorrow because man has become proud and consequently he should understand and let him not become disturbed but find the cause within himself, so that the affliction may not double up, namely to suffer and not wish to be treated. "In God who is the source of justice there is no injustice". May we not think otherwise.

* Do not avoid the sorrows, because being helped by them you learn the truth and love of God well. And do not fear the temptations (negative experiences) for through them you discover treasures. Pray that you may not enter into spiritual temptations, while for the bodily ones, prepare to face them with all your strength, for without them you cannot approach God. Through them comes the divine rest. Whoever avoids the bodily temptations avoids virtue.

* Without temptations the providence of God for man does not manifest itself, and it is impossible without them to receive the boldness in God and learn the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and moreover, it will not be possible to anchor the divine love in your soul. Before the arrival of temptations, man prays to God as a stranger. From the moment however he enters into temptations for the love of God and does not change opinion, let's say, he has God duty bound towards him and God considers him a genuine friend. For he fought and conquered the enemy, to fulfill the will of God.

* God does not grant any big grace without a big temptation preceding it. For according to the severity of the temptations the graces were ordained by the wisdom of God, which men normally do not understand. By the measure of the great sorrows that the providence of God sends you, you understand the great value that His magnanimity grants you. For according to the sorrow you experience is the consolation you will receive.

* If you ask me what is the reason for all these (temptations), I will answer you: your negligence, for you did not bother to find the cure. The cure of all of them is one, and with it man's soul finds immediately the consolation it longs for. But what is the cure? "It is the humility of the heart". Without it, it is impossible to destroy the fence of temptations. In the contrary you will discover that the temptations become stronger and weaken you.

* According to the level of humility, God gives you the strength to endure calamities. And according to the measure of your patience, the weight of your sorrows becomes light and so you are consoled. And as you are consoled so does your love for God increases. And as much as you love God that much greater the joy of the Holy Spirit bestows on you. Our compassionate God wishing to bring the temptation of His true children to a good end, does not take but instead gives them the strength to endure. "All these gifts (consolation, love, joy) the strugglers acquire as fruit of their patience" for their souls to arrive at perfection. I wish our Christ and God to make us worthy through His grace to endure the bitterness of temptations for His love and with gratitude of our heart. Amen.

* The saints show their love to God indeed, by their suffering in His name. When for example He sends them sorrows, without however distancing Himself from them, for He loves them. Through this suffering love their heart obtains boldness, so that they may approach Him freely and with conviction that their supplications will be heard and realized. The power of prayer that has boldness is great. That is why He allows His saints to experience every sorrow and acquire experience and be assured of His help and how much He provides and cares for them. This way they acquire wisdom and good sense from temptations, that they may not become negligent, that they may not lack spiritual asceticism on both good and bad, and thus receive through their trials the knowledge of all things they would need. For otherwise they will be swept away by ignorance and will become the mockery of demons. For if they exercised only in the good things and had no experience of struggles with the evil, they would have gone to war totally unprepared.

* Man cannot taste and value the good, if previously he did not experience the bitterness of the temptations.

* Men come to the true knowledge, when God deprives them of His power and makes them to co-experience the human weakness and the difficulty that temptations cause, the cunningness of the enemy, and what adversary they have to fight and how much they have advanced and progressed in virtue, and that without the power of God they are weak towards any passion. God does this, that they may receive from all these negative experiences true humility, and to approach close to Him and wait for His certain help and to pray with patience. So where could they learn all these but through the experience of many sorrows which He allows for them to experience? For this way one acquires stable faith through these sorrows while he is assured of the divine help that he many times receives during his struggles.

* The strugglers, therefore, are tempted that they may increase their spiritual wealth; the negligent though to protect themselves from whatever hurts them; the slumberous that they may be awakened; the distant ones that they may approach God; and the friends of God that they may enter His holy abode with boldness. A son inexperienced in life cannot manage the wealth of his father and help him. For this, in the beginning God sends difficulties and hardships to His children and then He reveals His gifts. Like little children become frightened of scary sights and run, grabbing at the dress of their parents and asking for their help, so does the soul; the more upset and saddened by the fear of temptation the more it runs and clings to God and begs Him with unceasing supplications. And as temptations fall on it, one after the other, that much more it prays. However, when they stop and it recovers its comforts, normally it loses touch with reality and distances from God.

* The sorrows and dangers kill sensuality, while good times and indifference feed it. For this both God and the holy angels are joyful in our sorrows, while the devil and his accomplices are joyful when we are lazy and have a good time.

* Leave your cares to God and in all your difficulties judge yourself, for you, yourself, are the cause for all.

* All the sad occasions and sorrows will torment us doubly if we have no patience. For with patience man turns away the bitterness of afflictions, while pusillanimity gives birth to the despair of hell. Patience is the mother of consolation; it is spiritual power that is born of a broad heart. It is difficult for man to find this power during sorrows, if he does not have the divine grace, which he acquires through persistent prayers and with tears.


From the Writings of St. Mark the Ascetic

* Sorrows bring good returns to man, while vanity and pleasures bring evil things.

* The accusations of people cause sadness in the heart, but they become the reason for determination to him who persists.

* If by chance you were harmed, accused and persecuted by someone, do not think of the present but look toward the future. You will then perceive that these have brought forth good, not only in this life but also in the future one and without end.

* As bitter medicines are beneficial to sick men, so too they are for the bad people of whom some are led to a healthy soul; and for others, sickness prepares them for repentance.

* All sorrows that happen in this temporary life, compare them with the goods of eternal life and you shall not be found negligent in the struggle of this life.

* He who consciously avoids sorrows for the truth, whether willingly or unwillingly, will suffer greatly by Divine Providence.

* Patience is a great virtue during the various trials that will come to us, and in parallel our love to those that hate us.

* Virtue without sorrow is untested because it is born of no sorrows.

* In sorrows God rests, in comforts the devil who is the cause of all evil. Temptations are always beneficial, suffice we endure them with fortitude and praises to God.

* Avoid temptations with patience and prayer. If you wish to confront a temptation without these, it will come back at you much stronger.


From the Writings of Elder Epiphanios Theodoropoulos

* Events that now appear as calamities, later prove God's blessings.

* If there were no sorrows we would not seek paradise.

* We should accept sorrows like we accept the suffering of a surgery in order to regain our health. Hardship humbles man and the more he becomes humble, the closer he approaches God.

* In the great sorrows only God can console us. For this, the best thing is prayer and not so much words of consolation.

* Question: Elder, why does God allow just and virtuous men to suffer horrible sicknesses?
Answer: That they may be cleansed from even the slightest traces of passions and that they may receive a greater crown in heaven. Besides, since He allowed His beloved Son to suffer and die upon the Cross, what can we say about people, who, no matter how saintly they may be, they bear filth and stains from sin?

* The greatest asceticism is to bear without groaning whatever comes our way in this valley of tears. He who persists to the end is saved.

* If you suffer sorrows with forbearance, you testify of your loyalty to Christ, your devotion to the Saviour and your love for Him, who was resurrected from the dead and calls us to approach Him.

* Under no circumstances allow any sorrow to overwhelm you. Depression is the executioner that deadens the spiritual effort which is necessary for the acquisition of the Holy Spirit in the heart. A depressed man loses the capacity to pray and is dead for the spiritual struggles.

* With complete trust let us cry out and live the [call of the Divine Liturgy]: "We commit ourselves and each other and all our lives to Christ our God".


From the Writings of Elder Ieronymos of Aegina

* Let is entrust our life to God, and may it be done as He wishes. Whatever the outcome may be for us, that's the one that is for our good. For God does not want the perdition of man, but his salvation. There is no need for despair, rather we should have courage and hope in God. Despair is disbelief. He who sincerely believes in God never despairs. You despair because you don't believe in the power of God, Who governs all things.

* Without God, we cannot do anything. Excessive sorrow, and despair, are of the tempter.... Always say, 'May Thy will be done.' Have joy and sorrow as guests, but not despair. No matter how much sorrow the evil one brings, say, 'I have my Christ. He was crucified for me and loves me.'

* When you have a difficult case, you hand it over to the lawyer; and you don't speak, he speaks for you. And so it is now. Entrust what bothers you to God, and He will take it over. Run to our Christ, implore Him to give you strength, do not despair. You are the work of His hands. He will help you.

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Saint John of Novgorod Receives Miraculous Aid from the Theotokos

Saint John of Novgorod with his brother Gabriel praying to the Theotokos (Feast Day - September 7)

From the Life of Saint John of Novgorod (12th cent.) written by Saint Dimitri Rostov (18th cent.):

As John loved a life of silence and quiet, he wished to be clothed in the monastic schema and decided to found a monastery with the inheritance he had received from his parents. Upon the advice of his brother Gabriel, he first built a wooden church dedicated to the most pure Mother of God, in memory of the honorable Annunciation. Having surrounded the monastery with a wall and provided all things necessary for the monastic life, he now hastened to build a stone church. But after he began this good work by laying the foundation of the stone church and erecting the lower half of the building, he was left with insufficient funds to complete its construction. The blessed John and his brother Gabriel were deeply grieved. Since they had ardent faith in the most pure Theotokos, they looked to her in their sorrow as a helper and comforter. They hastened to her in tears, praying and saying, "Thou knowest, O Lady, our faith and our love for thy Son and our God. We labour with all fervour and faith to build a temple to thy glory, and in thy succour, O Mother of God, do we place our hope. Help us to complete thy temple, and send down thine aid; and do not permit us, thy servants, to be put to shame, for we have begun to build and are not able to complete our task without thine assistance."

As they prayed and lamented, the most pure Mother of God, the heavenly Queen, appeared in a night vision to them as they slept and said, "Why do you sorrow and weep thus over the building of my temple, O beloved servants of God? I will not disdain your supplications nor your faith and love but will soon provide you with what is needful and with more than what is needful for the completion of the church. Return quickly to your task, and do not allow your faith to weaken."

Both brothers saw the vision, and they rose quickly, filled with joy. After Matins, they related to one another what they had seen and were strengthened in hope. Early in the morning of that same day, having, by God's providence, gone outside the monastery, they saw a most wondrous steed in gold-covered bridle standing before the gates of the monastery. Its saddle was also covered with gold, but he carried no rider. The horse stood quietly, and they marvelled at his beauty and majesty. They waited a long time, but the rider of the horse did not appear. When they realized that no one was coming and yet the horse stood in the same place without moving, they approached it and saw two heavy-laden bags suspended from either side of the saddle, and immediately the horse disappeared from before their eyes. The brothers untied the bags and found one filled with gold and the other filled with silver. Marvelling at God's care for them and that of the most pure Mother of God, they sent up great thanksgiving. Soon the church was completed and magnificently adorned, and the monastery was able to purchase numerous villages. The remainder of the gold and silver they gave to the abbot and the brethren. They were then clothed in the monastic schema, John receiving the name Elias, and Gabriel, Gregory. They lived in that monastery in a manner pleasing to God in fasting, prayer, and every monastic struggle and labor.

(From The Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints by St. Dimitri Rostov (Vol. 1, Sept. 7).

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An Illustrated Synaxarion For Children - "My Warrior Saints"

[This book looks interesting and I thought I would share it as we approach the holiday season and contemplate on gifts for the children in our lives. This book is of particular interest to me because when I was a child I still recall the stories my pious grandmother from Greece would tell me of various "warrior" Saints. I was fascinated and inspired by the stories of Sts. George, Demetrios, Eustathios, etc. They are the perfect stories for children. - J.S.]

An Illustrated Synaxarion for Children - MY WARRIOR SAINTS by Potamitis Publishing.

Our newest book contains miracles, short lives, dismissal hymns and facts of 12 soldier Saints, among them St. George, St. Constantine, St. Theodore Tyro, St. Procopius, St. Niketas, etc.

Vividly illustrated in byzantine-inspired style.

"This book will surely delight all with its action and courageous Faith in Christ." Nina Seco, St. Nektarios Press.

Large Format A4
Hard cover
72 pages
No age limitation
ISBN:978-960-98021-8-5
2009, September

Available: Directly from the publisher, from the U.S. call 410-7342 771 email: orders@OrthodoxChildrensBooks.com, or dionysiospotamitis@yahoo.com

You can also order it from the Orthodox Book Centre Nikolas Karellos, or from Stamoulis in Athens, Greece.

In the U.S. you can find it at St. Nektarios Press, Seattle, WA; St. Nektarios Monastery, Roscoe, NY; Life Giving Spring Monastery, Dunlap CA; more places to be anounced soon.

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The Apostolic Testimony of Evodus Concerning the Theotokos

Holy Apostle Evodus of the Seventy (Feast Day - September 7) [In this icon of the Seventy Apostles, St. Evodus is on the third row from the top towards the middle and looks like traditional icons of Jesus]

The Apostle Evodus is numbered among the Seventy Apostles and was consecrated by the Apostle Peter as the first bishop of Antioch. It is said that it was under his bishopric that the followers of Christ in Antioch first became known as "Christians" instead of Nazareans or Galileans. Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, disciple of the holy Apostle John the Theologian, mentions him in his Letter to the Antiochians: "Remember your blessed father Evodius, who was made your first pastor by the Apostles."

Tradition holds that St. Evodus was a fairly prolific author among first century christian writers. Unfortunately, as with many writings from the early Church, none of his writings have survived, which his biographers say was due to persecutions. Fortunately we do have information from the fourteenth century historian Nicephorus Callistus Xanthopoulos regarding a book authored by the Apostle Evodus titled The Luminary (or The Star or The Beacon).

The passage that has survived is an amazing apostolic testimony confirming later Patristic teachings regarding the early life of the Virgin Mary passed over in silence in the New Testament and only revisited a century or so later in the Protoevangelium of James. He wrote:

"At the age of three she [Mary] was brought into the Temple of the Lord where she lived for eleven years. She was entrusted to Joseph by the priests, and when she had lived in his home for four months, she received the joyous annunciation from the angel. She then bore Christ, the Light of the World, in the fifteenth year of her life."

Such traditions are usually thrown out by scholars and not considered, but as Orthodox Christians we know that our teachings are of apostolic origin and regarding these aspects of the life of the Theotokos we see here a clear testimony. It only leaves one wondering what treasures all the lost writings of the Apostles and early Fathers held within them.

The historian Josephus (The Jewish War, Book 7, Ch. 3) writes concerning the martyrdom of Evodus when he records the visit of Emperor Vespasian to Antioch. Many Jews were put to death because they would not adore the idols; among them were many Christians. Saint Evodus, as their leader, suffered execution in the year 71.

The feast of St. Evodus is celebrated with his fellow apostle and martyr Onesiphorus on September 7th.

Apolytikion (Third Tone)
O Holy Apostles, intercede to our merciful God, that He may grant our souls forgiveness of sins.

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Miracle at Chonai by Archangel Michael, Chief Commander of the Heavenly Hosts

Miracle of Archangel Michael at Chonai (Feast Day - September 6)

Michael, the great and chief commander of God's bodiless hosts, both before the incarnation and after, showed compassion and solicitude toward the race of man [Josh. 5:13-15; Dan. 10: 13, 12: 1; Jude 1:9; Rev. 12:71]. He bestowed many benefits on earth before the coming of Christ, and afterward he showed even greater care and love toward the Christians.

Colossae was an ancient city of southern Phrygia, the extensive western part of Anatolia, overhanging the Lykos (a tributary of the Meander) on the upper part of its course. The city was some ten miles from Laodikeia and thirteen from Hieropolis [Col. 2:1, 4:13, 15,16; Rev. 1: 11]. The three cities formed a single sphere of missionary labor for Epaphras, an inhabitant of Colossae [Col. 1:7, 4:12, 13]. The city originally lay on the main trade route from Ephesus to the Euphrates and the East, at the junction of the highways to Sardis and Pergamon. Colossae was catastrophically weakened in the 7th and 8th centuries with the gradual breakdown of Byzantine power in Asia Minor, leaving the Colossians exposed to Saraceen raiders. The remaining population moved to Chonai (the modern Chonas), a fortress about three miles further south, with an impregnable castle upon the steep slope of Mount Cadmus (summit 8,013 ft.). Final destruction came in the 12th century with the Turkish invasion. The site is presently unoccupied.

When the Evangelist John the Theologian went to a city of Asia named Ephesus, between the borders of Ionia and Lydia, he found many people deceived by the error of idolatry. They especially reverenced Artemis, who in ancient myth was a courageous woman who was a hunter. The Greek pagans of that time named her a goddess and worshipped her with great sacrifices. While the Evangelist John was in the city with Saint Prochoros, he raised his hands to heaven and silently besought God at length with sighs. Behold! The idol of Artemis in her temple toppled, but no one was injured. Then the rest of the temple collapsed. Saint John worked many signs and wonders in that place.

In one of the villages of Lydia, Saint John the Theologian met with the Apostle Philip and his sister, Saint Mariamne. They departed with him into the land of Phrygia. There they entered into a city, also known as Hieropolis (Pamukkale), on the borders between Phrygia and Lydia, and they preached Christ. This city, famous for its hot spring and deposits of calcium, was the home of countless idols, which were worshipped by all the people; and besides these false gods they also had a viper for which they had constructed a special temple. They brought food to this viper and offered up manifold and divers sacrifices thereto. And the foolish people also worshipped other vipers and serpents. Saint Philip and his sister first armed themselves against the viper with prayer, wherein they were aided by Saint John the Theologian, who was with them at the time. And together they slew the viper with prayer, as with a spear, putting it to death through the power of Christ. At length, the pagans crucified Saint Philip, and he received the crown of martyrdom. Christ shook Hieropolis to its foundations with a devastating quake. The profane people of Hieropolis, seized with great terror, repented of their impiety. Falling before the feet of the Apostle John, they begged mercy. He baptized them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and taught them the truth. The substantial ruins of the Church of Saint Philip, on the site of his martyrdom, may still be seen today in Hieropolis.

Thereafter, Saint John determined to go away. He came to a place called Herotopon, which lies nearby Hieropolis, where he brought the pagan Greeks to the knowledge of the true God. In that place, the divine Elder John prophesied that at a later time there would spring forth there a great abundance of holy water in honor of the Archangel Michael, who would perform awesome wonders and miracles.

Saint John then left that place and continued preaching the Gospel. Not many days passed before water gushed up out of the earth. Whosoever partook of the water with faith received deliverance from every sickness. In fact, not only the Christians enjoyed this divine favor, but also even unbelieving Greeks, who went and drank from the waters found healing. Hearken to the following account.

There was a certain rich Greek pagan in the city of Laodikeia. He had an only daughter who suffered with speechlessness and was dumb from her mother's womb. The father experienced great sorrow concerning this, and would gladly have given her his soul just to behold her speak. One day, he beheld a favorable vision. In his sleep he observed a certain man telling him to go to the holy waters (Agiasma) of the Archangel Michael; for he would not return embittered. Indeed, he was told that his daughter would receive healing, and that he himself would gain the salvation of his soul. Now he beheld this vision not because he was found worthy (since he was benighted utterly with the impiety of idolatry), but rather because God, Who wishes to save all men and have them come to a full knowledge of the truth, dispensed in His economy this vision, so that through the working of the miracle the Greek pagan would be converted and others, too, would be strengthened in godliness. When that Greek pagan awoke, with fear and trembling, he took along his daughter and went to the holy waters of the archangel. Having arrived, he found many people had gathered who were afflicted with various illnesses. Straightway, only by drinking the water or pouring it over their afflicted bodies, they were delivered from whatever ailment possessed them.

The Greek father, observing all these wonders, asked certain of the people what name they were invoking while drinking or pouring the water over themselves that they should find healing. They said to him, "We utter the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one in essence, and the chief commander Michael, the slave of the Trinity." As he heard this, without hesitation, he believed with all his heart. Thus, entreating the God Who is praised in the Holy Trinity and His Archangel Michael, he took up that holy water with faith and gave it to his daughter to drink. Immediately, O the wonder! not only was the girl delivered from the bond of speechlessness, but both father and daughter were loosed from the bond of disbelief. They began in uplifted voices to offer thanksgiving and praise to the true God and to magnify His servant Michael. What happened after this? The Greek nobleman and his daughter, and all those with them, were baptized and became Christians; in addition, the nobleman built a costly temple. He also erected at the site of the sanctified waters a beautiful building with vaulted roof, so that he might say with the Prophet David, "0 Lord, I have loved the beauty of Thy house [Ps. 25:7]." Hence, after showing much faith and gratitude for the benefaction he received from the archangel, he returned to his own house, glorifying God not only for the wonderworking which he beheld in his daughter, but more so for his own conversion.

After the passage of ninety years, a certain child of Hierapolis, the offshoot of good Orthodox parentage, at ten years old, left for the Church of the Archangel, so as to be directed by divine providence from above. His name was Archippos, after the apostle [Col. 4:17; Phile. 1:2]. He became the church's sexton. Possessed of much self-mastery and other virtues, he was vouchsafed divine gifts. He not only controlled those bodily desires that injure the soul, but also disciplined his body and brought it into bondage by neither partaking of bread nor ever bathing, nor did he give his flesh rest in sleep. He performed all this before arriving at man's estate. He took nourishment once a week, faring on wild herbs without salt. His sole drink was from the holy waters. His only two garments were of a coarse cloth of hair: he wore one, and covered himself with the other at night. Every year he alternated the garments, wearing one and covering himself with the other. This was always the dress of Archippos. He filled his bedding with cut stone. As for where he laid his head, he had another haircloth filled with thorny and prickly plants. This afforded him little sleep, but just enough to sustain him. He maintained this regimen even into manhood and until the day of his repose. When a soul is possessed of such fear of God and love for those future good things, what we deem a harsh conduct of life, requiring strength beyond nature, is sweetness and repose to such a person. We have as further examples the martyrs and righteous one who underwent all forms of torture, affliction, and straits, enduring all that they might gain the kingdom of the heavens. Let us now return to our account.

Archippos, now ecclesiarch, with such a mode of life, never ceased to have before his eyes the working out of his salvation, having a heart that is broken and humbled [Ps. 50:171. He ever strove that God might create in him a clean heart and that the meditation of his heart might be pleasing before the Lord, for the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart. He entreated God, "May my eyes never behold the dainties of this world, nor may my mind be confounded with temporal vanities. Only Thou, 0 Lord, most compassionate, fill my eyes with spiritual tears; make humble my heart and make straight my steps in Thy law. For what gain have I from this clay body which, on the one hand, today is, but, on the other hand, tomorrow perishes, even as the grass withers with the coming evening? 0 Lord Almighty, grant me to be striving for the everlasting good and the salvation of the soul."

Such were the daily thoughts and meditations of Archippos, and God hearkened readily to his entreaty. Living at that time in the neighborhood of the holy waters was a multitude of unbelievers who daily witnessed the wonderworkings. Envy and malice mounted in them on account of the miracles and the virtuous manner of life of righteous Archippos. Maddened by the holy man's asceticism and struggles, they were speaking evilly of him. Then, one day, those pagans, of one accord, gathered together and, in a maniacal rage, charged against the righteous man. They intended to put him to death and utterly destroy the holy waters. While some were dragging Archippos by force, by the hairs of his head and beard, and beating him with rods and pieces of wood, others were attempting to cover up and choke the course of the holy waters. But, 0 Thine indescribable judgments, 0 Christ! A flame emitted therefrom and frightened all of them so that they left running; thus, they departed unsuccessful.

After this, they devised something worse: a plan to destroy the church to its foundation and usher in death for the righteous man. What did they contrive? Nearby the Church of the Archangel, where the holy waters were located, from the left side, there ran a river named Chryssos. The unbelievers wished to divert the river, so that the deluge might come down upon the holy waters and the church. They believed that by mixing the waters of the river with the holy water they could dissolve its therapeutic powers utterly, so that the Christians might not drink and find healing. Having considered how this might be engineered, they cut off the first current of the river that it might flow into the holy waters. But, "Who shall tell of the mighty acts of the Lord? Who shall make all His praises to be heard [Ps. 105:2]?" The river, as though it were animate, fearing the grace of the archangel, straightway turned far over toward the right part of the Church; and there the course of the river remains to this day, thus certifying the miracle. When those most profane ones beheld their unjust enterprise taking the opposite course from that intended, the words of the Prophet David applied: "The Lord scattereth the plans of the heathens, He setteth aside the devices of the peoples [Ps. 32: 10]. " The unrelenting pagans, nonetheless, conspired a second time; indeed, something more terrible than before, which we shall explain to you from the beginning.

Two great rivers gush forth from out of the east: one is called the Lykokastros River, and the other is called the Kouphos. They run separately in the direction of the church and then encircle it from afar, as an island. Then they converge and travel a long distance, as one river, until they separate in Lycia and pour out into the sea against the island of Rhodes. The devil, envious of all good, plotted to let loose the waters of these two rivers. He sowed in the minds of his minions that the rivers could be made to flood the church and the holy waters of the archangel, so that not even a trace might remain. This seemed very plausible to the pagans, because the land where the church stood sloped downward. Thus, by employing the downward tendency of water, they could fulfil their aim. Now, at a distance from the church, there was a massive and high rock. The impious hewed the stone and dug down deep in one place, so that the waters would divert and collect with great force. Then, after they dug huge irrigation ditches and fortified collecting basins, they closed off the area. They dammed the waters that collected by the rock, until they were ready to break the seals of the gates. With malignant glee they anxiously awaited for the water level to rise that they might discharge its mighty power against the church, the sanctified healing waters, and Archippos.

Night and day, men, women, and children labored to accomplish their murderous desire. The slave of God, Archippos, beheld the madness of the impious. Mindful of how great the peril was that awaited him, he fell prostrate on the bare earth, entreating God and the Archangel Michael that the counsel of the ungodly might prove vain and unworkable against the strength and power of God. Thus, Archippos supplicated night and day.

After the passage of ten days, the waters collected in abundance. It was about midnight when the godless broke the gates of the blocked-up waters. They chose that late hour to loose the turbulent waters, so as to surprise Archippos and plunge him into despair when both he and that holy place would be swept away and submerged in the destruction. The impious stood to the left of the church awaiting the outcome. Archippos heard theclamor of the people and the roaring of the approaching waters. With greater fervency, he gave himself over to prayer, reciting the words of the Prophet David, "The rivers have lifted up, 0 Lord, the rivers have lifted up their voices. The rivers will lift up their waves, at the voices of many waters. Wonderful are the surgings of the sea, wonderful on high is the Lord. Holiness becometh Thy house, 0 Lord, unto length of days [Ps. 92:4-7]."

Thus did the saint pray, and a divine vision was made manifest. He heard a voice descending from out of the heavens and calling him by name, "Archippos." He was unable to gaze long at the vision of the archangel, and fell on his face to the ground. Then the one speaking said, "Rise and stand on thy feet and come here outside in order to behold the invincible might of God." Regaining courage then from the voice, he exited and beheld a fiery column which went from earth to heaven. He heard a voice from thence telling him to stand to the left side and not to fear. Then the archangel raised his right hand and made the sign of the Cross upon the rock, the one above the church, saying, "Up to this point is thy flux." Then, with what appeared as a javelin in his hand, he struck the place mightily and sundered the rock from the top to the bottom. 0 Thy power, Christ God! We cry with the Prophet David, "The waters saw Thee, 0 God, the waters saw Thee and were afraid; the abysses were troubled. Great was the resounding sound of the waters" [Ps. 76:15, 16]. The waters then halted and stood still as a wall. The archangel, again, made the sign of the Cross, and said, "Funnel the waters here." A great earthquake occurred and instilled fear. The waters of the rivers forthwith poured down into that deep ravine. Thus, the archangel subdued the raging flow and the thundering of the river. This phenomenon may be seen to this day. The rivers pour into the funnel in the rock which lies above the church, toward the bema (pulpit). Thus this place, formerly called Colossae, from then was named "Chonai", a Greek word signifying the funneling of the rivers in that place.

Archippos, through the assistance of the Archangel Michael, was delivered from a bitter death. With a loud and clear voice he praised and glorified God, and also greatly magnified His minister, the Archangel Michael. Archippos continued living a God-pleasing life in that sacred precinct for seventy years. He was then laid to rest from the labor of his virtues and hastened to his beloved Christ rejoicing, even as the good cultivator sows with godly tears that he might reap the fruits of his toils in the joy of everlasting life.

To the glory of the Trinity and the chief commander, Michael, a boundless number of wonders took place daily at the place of the holy waters; which wonders, if we were to describe in detail, should make us appear like him who wishes to count the stars or the sands of the sea. 0 supreme commander of the armies of heaven, we, the unworthy ones, entreat thee, that by thy prayers thou dost ever surround us with the protection of the wings of thine immaterial glory!

Note: There is an encomium in Greek, "In Colossae of Phrygia, there took place a wonderous event by the all-glorius chief commander Michael...," which is extant in the Athonite monasteries of Great Lavra and Iveron. Having been translated into simpler Greek, it is contained in New Treasure, by Hierodeacon George Sougdoures which was taken and used in the Greek account found in the The Great Synaxaristes.

(Above is taken from The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church - Sept, pp 219-226, Trans. from Greek by Holy Apostles Convent, Buena Vista, Co.)

About the Shrine of the Archangel Michael

The shrine was a domed building lavishly decorated with marble and gold mosaics. It was renowned throughout the late medieval world and attracted pilgrims from all over Europe and the Middle East. Unfortunately, sharing the fate of all of the churches of Asia Minor, it was looted and destroyed by Islamic armies in the 12th century. Today thousands of glass tesserai are scattered across the field that marks the site of the church.

In the 12th century there was a popular revivial of veneration of the Archangel Michael that reached the Imperial Court. The Emperor Issac Comnenos poured enormous sums of gold into embellishing a shrine of the Archangel Michael which stood north of Constantinople on the Bosphorus. Rare marble and bronze fittings were taken from other buildings for the church. New splendid jewelled and enamelled icons were commissioned by Issac from Byzantine goldsmiths. Rare ancient images were moved to the church by Imperial decree. All this was lost just a few years later in the sack of the Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade. Perhaps two of Issac's icons of the Archangel survive today in the Treasury of St. Mark's in Venice - loot from the Imperial City.

For more information on this shrine and other churches of Chonai, see here.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
O Commanders of the Heavenly Host, we the unworthy beseech you, that through your entreaties you will fortify us, guarding us in the shelter of the wings of your ethereal glory, even as we fervently bow before you crying: "Deliver us from all danger, as Commanders of the Powers on high! "

Kontakion in the Second Tone
O Michael, who standest altogether radiant before the Trinity together with all the heavenly Hosts, and with them dost cry aloud the song inspired of God: As thou dost pass throughout the earth by God's command and art made wondrous with exceedingly great marvels, cease not to intercede for us all.

HYMN OF PRAISE
The Holy Archangel Michael

Archangel of God
Michael the Commander,
The sword-bearing servant
Of the Lord Most-high.

He stands before the Lord
With the heavenly hosts,
With the mighty angels
And the holy souls.

The greatest commander
Of the Greatest King,
Wherever he goes, he conquers
And works miracles.

He is the one whom Satan
Fears like flame,
For the commander of God
Stands for truth.

He stands for truth,
And upholds justice;
Fast as sight
He can be anywhere swiftly.

The commander of light,
He drives the impure away,
And with his wings
Protects the faithful

- St. Nikolai Velimirovich (Prologue)

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So-Called "Expert" Congressman Can't Take the Heat

Congressman Pete Stark is an MIT and Berkeley graduate as well as a former banker. He regards himself as an expert on economics and is one of the main guiding forces behind ObamaCare. This interview demonstrates the perverse effect on one’s thinking of residing too long in a fevered swamp, in this case, Washington DC. His unbridled contempt for Jan Helfeld reminds me of an "experts" contempt for lay people when they ask simple probing questions about their theories (and this applies to all fields including theology, history and science). Being the first openly atheist member of congress is kind of revealing in his method of communication. So much for the 2008 Humanist of the Year.

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Advice From Metropolitan of Rhodes Shows How Ecumenism Can Go Too Far

[My title refers to the highlighted part in the article below. I believe the advice goes too far and is misleading, especially on an island that is predominantly Orthodox. More can be read about the Latin Churches on Rhodes here. - J.S.]

Franciscan Helps Catholics Find Niche on Orthodox Rhodes

By Jonathan Luxmoore
Catholic News Service
Sunday, September 06, 2009

RHODES, Greece (CNS)—On a side street of this bustling island town, a gaunt priest in a brown robe quietly inspects the renovation work being done on his church.

Beyond the outer wall, boutiques and taverns run uphill to an ancient Crusader fortress. In the distance, beyond the harbor, the blue Aegean Sea shimmers in the sunlight.

When Father John Luke, an English Franciscan, was sent to Rhodes in 2004 as Catholic vicar general of the archdiocese, religious practices were in decline at the Church of Our Lady of Victory, known locally as Santa Maria.

Since then, he has boosted the number of parishioners to around 4,000 and helped revive Catholic devotions on a dozen neighboring islands. While minority churches in this predominantly Orthodox country frequently complain of discrimination, Father Luke insists he enjoys excellent ties with the local government and Orthodox metropolitan.

"Having spent 20 years at a monastery in Jerusalem, it was a big challenge for me," the Sheffield-born priest said in a Catholic News Service interview.

"Although Greeks are easygoing, islands like this are still deeply Christian, with icons and crucifixes everywhere," he said. "What's most important is to find a place for small communities like ours by showing we're a normal, creative part of everyday life."

The church's image on Rhodes was badly damaged under a 1912-48 Italian protectorate, when Catholic culture was officially encouraged at the expense of Orthodox traditions. Recently, however, ecumenical links have relaxed and improved. For instance, in 2007, when Greece's Catholic bishops met on the island with the Vatican's nuncio, the bishops were invited to dinner by Metropolitan Kyrillos of Rhodes, exarch of the Cyclades.

Several factors have made Rhodes something of an ecumenical oasis, said Father Luke.

He said the Orthodox Church in Rhodes falls under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, based in Istanbul, Turkey, rather than the Greek Holy Synod in Athens. Since Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is more open to relations with Catholics than Orthodox leaders in mainland Greece, this has given Metropolitan Kyrillos greater leeway with other churches.

With no resident Catholic bishop, hierarchical rivalries are also absent. The Franciscans remained on the island when Rhodes was captured by the Turks from the Knights of St John in 1522, and Father Luke thinks the Franciscans are appreciated as a historical part of the island's Christian life.

The priest said he keeps Metropolitan Kyrillos notified of Catholic activities and always acknowledges the Orthodox pre-eminence on the island.

"Our ecumenical efforts go through the right channels, and no one accuses us of poaching Orthodox church members," the Franciscan said.

"The metropolitan says he has no problem with Orthodox Christians attending Catholic liturgies here, provided they receive holy Communion at Orthodox churches — and with one on every street corner, no one could argue with that," the priest said.

"The local media are positive toward us, and the mayor and municipality have done a lot to help," said the 51-year-old Franciscan. "While some Orthodox clergy are less than enthusiastic about ecumenical unity, I think we've opened a new chapter with them and are moving forward together."

At his parish on Kathopouli Street, Father Luke is full of plans.

He has restored his parish library, some of it dating from the 15th century, and hopes to find artists and decorators to continue renovation work on the rest of the church.

Although readings are done in various languages at Santa Maria, the language of the Mass is Greek and the church flies a Greek flag. It also offers Greek-language lessons and runs an extensive charity network.

With a Greek organist, German treasurer, Italian archivist, Philippine catechist and Polish assistant priest, Father Luke is proud of Santa Maria's multiethnic character and hopes to go on playing a useful, respected role in local church life.

"It's important for us, as foreigners, to be open about who we are, show our love for Greece and give a positive impression," he told CNS. "If Catholics don't like this, they can always go elsewhere."

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