Newly-Revealed Martyrs Leonidas and His Companions

St. Leonidas the Martyr of Troezen and his seven companions (Feast Day - April 16)

The Holy Martyr Leonidas and the Holy Martyrs Charissa, Nike, Galina, Kalisa (Kalida), Nunekhia, Vasilissa, and Theodora suffered at Corinth in the days of Emperor Decius (249-251 AD).

Leonidas was a teacher of the Church in Troezen of Peloponnesos. He was brought to Corinth for trial for his Christian faith before the governor Venousto during Holy Week along with the seven women who were later martyred with him. Venousto tried to convince Saint Leonidas and the seven women to recant their faith, but they remained steadfast. Saint Leonidas was tortured by being hung up high and scraped with a sharp instrument. When all tortures failed, Venousto condemned them all to be drowned in the Gulf of Corinth.

Before being thrown into the sea, Saint Leonidas looked up to heaven and said: "Behold! And with this second baptism today have I been baptized, which makes the man within us more clean." They were thrown into the sea but the sea received them not. They walked upon the sea as upon dry land and it is said that Saint Charissa sang to God with the words of the Prophetess Mariam: "On the field of battle, I ran O Lord, and the army pursued me; O Lord I did not deny You; O Lord, save my soul!" Seeing them, the heathens, at first were amazed, but after they overtook them in a ship as the saints continued chanting the hymn. They tied stones around their necks and again threw them into the depths of the sea and they drowned. Their martyrdom occurred on Holy Saturday.

Their martyrology dating from the 13th century offers the following note after the bodies of the martyrs were washed ashore: "Pious men, dragging the bodies of the saints lying on the beach, having attended to them in honor they buried them, having built a church on the spot, where [the bodies], both augustly venerated and extolled everlastingly, to those who approach faithfully they make to gush out healings each time."[1]

The Miraculous Discovery of Their Relics

Sixteen centuries later, in 1916, their relics were discovered when they appeared in the visions of pious residents of New Epidaurus and encouraged them to dig for their relics in the ruins of an old church "to find a hidden treasure". At the spot which they were told to dig they found at first an icon of the Panagia. Thinking this was the treasure they returned to their houses but continued having dreams. They thus returned to dig deeper and at 70 cm depth they found a sarcophagus in which were the relics of the seven female martyrs and another sarcophagus in which were the relics of Saint Leonidas which were fragrant. Immediately the residents built a church in their honor and displayed the holy relics of the martyrs for veneration.

The Church of Saint Leonidas is located in New Epidaurus. Every year on his feast day the relics of St. Leonidas and his companions are processed from the Annunciation Church (which houses the larnax with the martyr's relics) to the Church of Saint Leonidas for the festivities.

The relationship between St. Leonidas and Epidaurus is not exactly known. We do know that in 1833 a priest by the name of Fr. Nikolaos Natsoulis built a church in honor of the holy martyr Leonidas and in his apolytikion he is called "the great defender of Epidaurus".

Also in 1916, during the time when the saints were revealing the location of their relics, a woman in black appeared to a resident of Epidaurus who said to him: "Go and dig there and you will find a treasure". He went and found an icon of the Panagia. On that spot a church was built which is to located beside the road of Epidaurus-Dyropes down from New Epidaurus.

A little while later the same woman in black told the man to go elsewhere and dig to find another yet greater treasure. He and others went and found a limestone coffin with fragrant bones which belonged to St. Leonidas. They were placed in the Church of the Annunciation in New Epidaurus and only on the feast day of the Saint do his bones go to the Church of St. Leonidas of Troezen. A portion of his relics are in the Church of St. Leonidas and another portion are in the Cathedral of St. George in Poros.

It should be noted that when the relics were first discovered it was believed St. Leonidas was a bishop of Athens. But serious inquiry was made by Metropolitan Chrysostomos II of Argolidas and he discovered that the relics of St. Leonidas were not those of the Athenian but of the martyr with his seven companions.[2]


Miracles

A few years after the revelation of the relics of the saints, two men from Aegina arrived at New Epidaurus on a small boat in order to buy some lemons. They were informed about the discovery of the saint's relics and therefore went to the church in order to venerate their relics. After venerating the relics they left, but not without taking a tiny portion of the relic for their safety.

When the men entered their boat to leave after doing their shopping, the ship was unable to move. No matter how much effort they put into trying to move their small boat, it would not budge. One of the men then prayed: "My Saint Leonidas, we piously venerated your relics and took a small portion of your relics for safety. Work then your miracle so that we may leave." When the local Epidaurians heard this they told the men that the reason they were unable to move was because they stole the relic and that they should return it if they wanted to leave.

When the men returned the relic, they departed on their boat without any hindrance or difficulty.

The Lechaion Basilica (or Basilica of Leonidas) and Baptistry

Lechaion, Corinth is an old harbor that lies north of Ancient Corinth. The Lechaion is located 4 kilometers or 2.5 miles west of the modern town of Corinth. In the years of 1956 to 1961, Greek archaeologists brought Lechaion, Corinth to light and recognition.

The Lechaion basilica was not only the largest in Corinth, but the largest known in the world in its time.[3] It is located along the Corinthian Gulf, just west of the harbor works of Lechaion. It is built on the location in which St. Leonidas and the seven martyrs with him were buried following their drowning in the Gulf. The structure was constructed in the late fifth or early sixth century and the atrium was added at a slightly later date.[4]

A three-aisled basilica with a tripartite transept, esonarthex, exonarthex and atrium, the Lechaion basilica was extremely ornate and possessed a variety of different marbles and capital types. A huge vaulted apse, pierced with multiple windows dominated the east end. Of particular note is the large fountain in the atrium and the other indication of extensive water works. Multiple side rooms and perhaps associated buildings to the south were for liturgical use, teaching, and probably storage. The basilica rivaled the best of the ecclesiastical buildings in the east.[5]

The baptistery is a separate construction, earlier than the basilica and later joined to the basilica by two walls. There is some indication that the baptistery continued to be used for liturgy after the main basilica was damaged and abandoned, presumably as a result of mid-sixth century seismic activity. "The baptistery proper is an octagonal with a central font and an eastern apse. To the north of this building stands the remains of another centrally planned structure, with a square core and apsidal projections on each side. The apsidal hall suggests a space for educating catechumens and the northern of the two centrally planned structures may represent a space for the pre-baptismal preparations or anointing. The baptistery itself evokes martyria and tombs in Italy and North Africa, and this may allude to the function of the church and baptistery as a martyr shrine. If the building is dedicated to St. Leonidas and his companions who were drowned for their faith nearby, then this might explain the significance of this site as a place of baptism."[6][7]

1. Halkin, F. "Saint Leonide et ses sept compagnes martyrs a Corinthe," EEBS 23 (1953), 217-223.

2. For source on this information, see here: http://www.amen.gr/index.php?mod=news&op=article&aid=2162 . It should be noted that there is much confusion about how the relics got to New Epidaurus, which is outlined here.

3. From the atrium to the apse the basilica measures 223 meters, as opposed to St. Peter's in Rome at 186 meters, and Hagia Sophia in Constantinope at 109 meters.

4. A coin of Marcion (450-457) was found in the foundations of one of the walls; a coin of Anastasius I (491-518) was found under the paving. The walls of the atrium do not bond with those of the basilica; a coin of Justin I (518-527) was found in association with the construction of the atrium.

5. Rothaus, Richard M. Corinth: The First City of Greece. Brill Publishers, Netherlands, 2000 (pp. 96-97).

6. Caraher, William. "Early Christian Baptistries: A Short Discussion, 2010."

7. For the relationship between baptistries and the martyrs, see "Pilgrimage and Baptism ad Sanctos in Roman Africa". For the relationship between this baptistry, the baptism of catechumens, the martyrdom by drowning of St. Leonidas and his companions, and Easter see "Some thoughts on St. Leonidas and Baptism at Lechaion in Greece".

Στίχοι

Eις τον Λεωνίδην.
Κόλποις θαλάσσης ἐκδοθεὶς Λεωνίδης Φθάνει κολυμβῶν Ἀβραὰμ κόλπων ἄχρι.

Εις την Χάρισσαν.
Θάλασσαν ἡ Χάρισσα φρίττειν οὐκ ἔχω, Ἥτις θάλασσαν προξενεῖ μοι χαρίτων.

Εις την Γαληνήν και Νίκην.
Βυθῷ Γαληνὴ καὶ Νίκη βεβλημέναι, Νίκην ἐφεῦρον καὶ γαλήνην ἐκ σάλου.

Εις την Καλλίδα.
Βυθὸς θαλάσσης λαμβάνει τὴν Καλλίδα, Κάλλους ἐρῶσαν ψυχεραστοῦ Κυρίου.

Εις την Νουνεχίαν.
Εὑροῦσα κέρδος ἐκ βυθοῦ σωτηρίαν Τὸ νουνεχές σου δεικνύεις, Νουνεχία.

Εις την Βασίλισσαν και Θεοδώραν.
Γαστὴρ θαλάσσης λαμβάνει κόρας δύο, Λίχνην φυγούσας, δυσσεβείας γαστέρα.

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St. Makarios of Corinth: Author of the Philokalic Revival

“Neither Philokalism without the Mysteries, nor the Mysteries without Philokalism.”

We owe a great debt of gratitude to Professor Stylianos G. Papadopoulos for his very mature and edifying book, St. Makarios of Corinth: The Author of the Philokalic Revival (1st ed: Ekdoseis “Akritas,” March 2000, pp. 176).

A methodical and reverent examination of the life and activities of St. Makarios, Metropolitan of Corinth, reveals a great personality, since “this holy man, the offspring of a very powerful family, who was in possession of a vast learning and many natural and spiritual gifts, became an ascetic, teacher in Corinth, resourceful Bishop, rebel against the Turks, student and implementer of theoretical and practical neptic texts, compiler of the Philokalia, author of the entire Philokalic revival, editor, redactor, and publisher of philokalic and theological works, trainer of New Martyrs, collector and author of accounts of the lives of the New Martyrs, and a great ascetic with experiences of Divine vision and the gift of working miracles” (p. 157).

The especially inestimable contribution of St. Makarios to the Orthodox Church is that, by the Grace of God, he proved to be the author of the Philokalic revival, as the compiler, author, and editor of the celebrated works, The Philokalia (1782) and Concerning Frequent Communion (1783), the critical review of which he entrusted to St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite.

St. Makarios correctly perceived that “ascetiscm, and consequently monasticism, can not prosper or bear fruit without a theological foundation and practical guidance. But neither can ecclesiastical life acquire a genuinely Orthodox spirit and ethos without moral theology and orthopraxia” (p. 51).

These perspectives are fully encompassed, in particular, by the two aforementioned works of his, which offer solid spiritual food to the faithful, because a “true, authentic, and broad Philokalic spirit is engendered when a Philokalic spirit and frequent communion co-exist. The one nourishes and promotes the other. This is a matter of two poles that are absolutely indispensable for progress in the spiritual life. St. Makarios of Corinth was preëminently the one who correctly perceived not only the need for the two poles, but also the fact that when combined they function together in tandem. And it was the good will of the Holy Spirit for him to become the author and promoter, par excellence, of the Philokalic spirit, the neptic and ascetic revival, of Philokalsim” (pp. 155-156).

St. Makarios contributed to this rekindling of the spiritual life at the close of the eighteenth century by the publication of other Patristic texts as well (the Evergetinos and the works of St. Symeon the New Theologian, among others), but the Philokalia and Concerning Frequent Communion constituted the firm foundation of the mighty edifice of the Hesychastic and Eucharistic Ethos of Orthodoxy.

“Philokalism,” that is, neptic spiritual struggle, is ineffectual without regular partaking of the Mysteries. But one must not approach the Mysteries without a prior spiritual struggle. Neither Philokalism without the Mysteries, nor the Mysteries without Philokalism. The combination of the two constitutes a tradition of the Orthodox Church. The absence of this combination leads to many kinds of deviations, in view of which St. Makarios compiled the Philokalia and wrote Concerning Frequent Communion, thereby becoming the author of this entire movement for renewal, of which St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite, that holy and great theologian, was chosen by St. Makarios himself as a radiant messenger” (p. 79).

In our days, when “theology’”abounds without any ethos, and an “ethos” is set forth without any theology, the value of such books as the one by Stylianos Papadopoulos is self-evident, since it is exceptionally helpful to us in rediscovering our Patristic identity, in our perusal of “the sources....”

Source: Ἅγιος Κυπριανός, No. 301 (March-April 2001), pp. 30-31.

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St. Makarios Notaras and Patmos

St. Makarios Notaras of Corinth (Feast Day - April 17)

The Kollyvades movement during the second half of the 18th Century is a tradition of which the Orthodox Church is proud. The movement came about because of the argument of when memorial services should be performed. It was suggested that Sunday, the day of the Resurrection, was not appropriate for this service. It resulted in the spiritual elevation of the faith of that period. The purpose of the battle of the Kollyvades was to return to the original Ecclesiastical tradition including the Liturgy, the preparation of the faithful to partake of Holy Communion often, and finally the study of works of the Holy Fathers. “The name Kollyvades was an ironic label given to them by the opposing side [tr. note: From “Kollyva” the boiled wheat used in memorial services]. However, this disdainful name became for them an honorable title. In the intellectual life of Modern Greece this name stands out for one and a half centuries and offers many of her bright pages.”

The coming of the religious refugees Kollyvades to Patmos, including Makarios Notaras of Corinth, Nyphon from Chios and Gregory from Gravana in Nysiros, was like a nurturing rain from the Holy Spirit. Their way of life brought richness to the spiritual revival of Monasticism and the rebirth of monastic life on the island of Saint John the Theologian.

Saint Makarios, the son of George Notaras, was born in Corinth in 1731. He was a descendant of the Notaras family, a well known family during the Byzantine Empire and even later during the occupation of the Turks. Saint Gerasimos of Kephallonia (1509 – 1579) and the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Dositheos (1669 – 1707) and Chrysanthos (1707 – 1731) are also descendants of this family. Saint Makarios was given the name Michael when he was baptized by the Bishop Parthenios of Corinth. He was educated by the teacher Efstratios of Kephallonia. Later, due to the lack of teachers at the Academy of Corinth, Saint Makarios taught the children of this area for six years without pay. From a young age, it was evident that he did not care for material things of the world but only for the spiritual ones. When his father placed him as a supervisor of an area where he could be very rich, he gave money to the poor and his father scolded him.

Burning with the desire for the monastic life, Saint Makarios left secretly for the Monastery of Megalo Spileo (the Great Cave). The fathers at the monastery did not want him to stay because they were afraid of the great power his father had in the Peloponnese. Truly, when his father learned of his whereabouts, he ordered them to send him immediately to his birth place. In 1764 when the Hierarch Parthenios of Corinth died, all the inhabitants of Corinth, clergy and laity, unanimously elected Michael Notoras as his successor: “He was ordained and clothed in the garment of a monk and was renamed Makarios. He went to Constantinople and appeared before the Holy Synod and was immediately proclaimed Bishop of Corinth while Samuel was the Patriarch.”

Athanasios Parios mentions in his biography of Saint Makarios that when Saint Makarios became Bishop, he wanted to follow the example of St. Gregory the Theologian. He believed that “he was given the power of the Bishop not for wealth without investigation and as a means of enjoying pleasures, but as service and fatherly care and guidance for the safety and salvation of his flock for which he would give an apology to the Great Shepherd and God and Master of the Universe.” He dismissed the uneducated and old priests from the Priesthood. He forbade the priests from being involved in politics. He ordained them consciously, exactly as required by the Holy Apostolic and Conciliar canons. He would not ordain anyone before the required age. When he ordained deacons, he taught them how to celebrate the Holy Sacraments and Services. He taught catechism to all the priests so that they would learn about the faith. To the villages and towns of the area he gave large baptismal fonts so that the Sacrament of Baptism could be performed perfectly. Finally, he decided to build schools so that he could teach his flock like a good shepherd.

In 1769, during the revolution of the Greeks with the encouragement of the Russians, George Notaras and his son Makarios were accused as instigators and they fled to safety in Kephallonia and later to Zakynthos. They stayed there for three years. In the meantime, the Holy Synod of Constantinople, for diplomatic reasons, deposed Ma-karios from his position and appointed a new Bishop of Corinth. The deposed Makarios withdrew to the Monastery of the Theotokos in Hydra. After the Russio-Turkish war had ended he went to Chios and later to Athos. There he found the upheaval and agitation for the ‘Kollyvades conflict’. Very disappointed he left Athos and goes back to Chios and later to Patmos.

The Holy Cave of the Revelation and the Godly guarded Monastery of Saint Christodoulos attracted the holy soul of Makarios. Therefore with the permission of the Monastery of Saint John, he founded a hermitage with a small church to honor All the Saints on the Mount of Koumana.

This hermitage still exists today in good condition. The Church of All Saints (measurements 7.8×4.5 meters) has a dome which was surrounded by a wall to protect it from the northern winds, pirates and Turks. Recently, the Department of Archeology removed the wall from around the dome. The iconostasis of the little church is of excellent art. Most of its icons of the Twelve Feasts of the Master are preserved in good condition. On the iconostasis with Christ and the All Saints is an inscription: “Apostles, Martyrs, Prophets, Hierarchs, Saints and the Virgin Panagia fought the battle well…” On an icon stand is the icon of Panagia (Virgin) the Miraculous “The joy of all holding Jesus with a Gospel.” The little church has a narthex with two entrances from the north and south and a small house. They are both in good condition. It is said that an olive tree from the time of Saint Makarios still exists.

Saint Makarios remained in Patmos for 10 years (1782 – 1793). In Patmos he met Papa-Niphona from Chios, Papa-Gregory from Nisyros and the priest Athanasios from Armenia. The priest Gregory built cells to meditate near the hermitage of Makarios (east of the Church are ruins of Gregory’s house). Later Gregory, at the location of Grava, built another hermitage, the Panagia of Grava. Today at the Panagia of Grava, an icon of Saint Makarios and Saint Gregory is preserved. When Saint Makarios met Father Niphona, Saint Makarios was persuaded to go to Lipso (Niphona had built a little church – The Annunciation) there, at Romani or Kato Panagia. When Saint Makarios went to Lipso, he built a hermitage, but he did not remain there and returned to Patmos.

In the quietness, isolation and serenity of the holy island, instead of wasting time, Makarios hand copied the codices and wrote the biography of Saint Christodoulos.

In the library of the Monastery, Makarios found works of the Fathers of the Church. He selected materials for the Philokalia, which he later gave to Saint Nicodemos, the Athonite.

Many remembrances and manuscripts exist in the Monastery as testimony to the life of Makarios in Patmos.

The death of his father in Corinth and the need to settle the estate of his father interrupted his peaceful stay in Patmos and forced him to return to Corinth. Returning to his birth place, his father’s property was divided. He surprised everyone by not accepting his share and even more he destroyed all the debts owed to his family.

“The hands that performed the sacraments and gave the Eucharist each time surprising the invisible angels now lifted all the chains of loans and threw them in the fire.”

From that time Makarios never went back to Patmos. From Corinth he went to Chios and later to Smyrna to take care of publishing matters. In Chios, near Vrontathes, he built a small hermitage to honor Saint Peter. From Chios, he and Niphona went for a while to visit his beloved Kollyvades of the Monastery of the Annunciation in Ikaria. With the help of rich friends he completed the construction of the Monastery and then returned to Chios.

He became the spiritual father of Chios and the encourager of new martyrs Polydoros of Cyprus, Theodore of Byzantium and Demetrios of the Peloponnese. Athanasios from Paros his contemporary eye-witness wrote his Life and passes on the following from Iakovos of Chios: “Makarios lived a life in peace without pleasures and far from the noise of the cities. He lived fasting (throughout the year only on Saturday and Sunday did he have oil and wine), with little sleep and constant praying. At the same time, he practiced love for his neighbor according to the commandment of the Lord ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” In 1775 the blessed Patriarch Sophronios wrote and reiterated the same commandment to the priest Makarios: “Brother, do not think that by leaving your county you are free of your ecclesiastical obligations; God does not want this kind of freedom, but wants all of us to be servants, and farmers of the secret vineyard until our last breath. Well, do not neglect teaching with words and deeds the life saving commandments of God. Remember my wretchedness in your prayers to our Merciful God.”

But without exhortation, the God loving Makarios practiced what he preached and looked after his neighbors dutifully. Continuously he repeated the words of the Apostle of the nations: “We are God’s coworkers.” In addition he preached the Holy Word at the Church of Saint Peter. During the time of any Holy Lent he went around preaching.

He taught by his example. The people saw a humble priest with plain clothing, not receiving payment. He gave to the poor, he helped young girls get married and he paid debts of debtors.

The most important was the responsibility of publishing the works of Philokalia, the Evergetinos, St. Symeon the New Theologian, New Lemonarion and the Catechism of Platonos Moschas.

In September of 1804, Makarios had a stroke which left his right hand paralyzed. He died on April 17, 1805, after patiently praying for the forgiveness of his sins. His death is mentioned in the Brevium of the Monastery: “April 17, 1805 the priest Makarios from Corinth died at the hermitage of Saint Peter in Chios. May God rest his soul. In 1808 his sacred bones were exhumed and miracles have occurred because of them.”

When Saint Nicodemos from Mount Athos was dying he asked that the remains of the holy fathers Saint Makarios, the Corinthian and Parthenos who was his spiritual father at Kalyvi of Skourteon be brought to him. He embraced the remains, kissing, crying and talking to them: “Why are you leaving me an orphan? You went to heaven because of your virtuous lives on earth and now you are enjoying the glory of God in Heaven. I am suffering because of my sins. That is why I pray to you to intercede for me with the Lord to forgive me so that I can join you.”

Apolytikion in Tone One
Let us faithful praise the shepherd of Corinth, the really Blessed one, who by God’s providence, for reasons ineffable, became Chios’ great spiritual leader—him who shone through deeds, words, and prayers; for truly he received from God grace for healing the sick and driving away unclean spirits. Glory to the Father Who destined him, glory to the Son Who elevated him, glory to the Spirit who acts through him.

From the Book: Hermits and Hermitages of Patmos

Read more about St. Makarios of Corinth, the Island of Patmos, and His Miraculous Icon.

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Five Myths About the Catholic Sexual Abuse Scandal

By David Gibson
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The Washington Post

VATICAN CITY -- As Benedict XVI prepares to mark the fifth anniversary of his election as pope here on Monday, he is beset by devastating reports about the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests -- and about his own role in the crisis. The reports have prompted sharp condemnations of the pontiff as well as a backlash of media criticism from papal defenders in the Vatican and around the world. Amid the firestorm, myths have emerged that only complicate the search for truth, healing and accountability.

1. Pope Benedict is the primary culprit in the coverup of the abuse scandal.

Between 1981 and 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future pope, headed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican's office for doctrinal orthodoxy. A few abuse cases (some from the United States) came before him, and the evidence shows that he did not move with any urgency to defrock priests. In 2001, as the number of cases coming to light worldwide increased, Ratzinger convinced Pope John Paul II to let his office have jurisdiction over all of them. Though the Vatican says church confidentiality did not preclude bishops from reporting crimes to civil authorities, some see Ratzinger's move as an attempt to keep the cases secret.

Nonetheless, there is just one case so far that can be traced directly to Ratzinger's tenure as a bishop, when he was head of the archdiocese of Munich in his native Germany. In that 1980 case, Ratzinger allowed a child abuser into his diocese for psychiatric treatment, and the priest was reassigned to a parish where he went on to abuse more children. It's unclear whether Ratzinger personally signed off on the assignment, but he seems to have acted more or less like most bishops at the time -- giving little oversight to the abuser and doing nothing to remove him from the priesthood. Alas, there is plenty of blame to go around for the church's passivity.

As pope, Benedict has blamed the media for exaggerating the scandals, yet he has moved more aggressively against abusers than John Paul II, his predecessor, who tried to stop defrocking priests altogether and who ignored evidence of the terrible abuses by the late Marcial Maciel Degollado, a well-known Mexican priest who founded the Legionaries of Christ, a secretive order that is under Vatican investigation.

During the 2000s, as Ratzinger came to realize the scope of the abuse, he expedited the defrocking of abusive priests and reopened the Maciel case, which had been closed under John Paul. "We realize that it's necessary to repent," Benedict said in a homily on Thursday. He has still has not punished bishops, however, with the same rigor with which he has targeted abusers.

2. Gay priests are to blame.

Some defenders of the Catholic Church's response to the abuse crisis say that homosexual priests are responsible for the majority of abuses, in part because more than 80 percent of the victims are male. They argue that true pedophiles -- adults who are pathologically attracted to pre-pubescent children -- constitute a small minority of offenders. Vatican Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone repeated this gay-pedophile link on Wednesday, and such reasoning was partially behind a 2005 Vatican policy barring gays from seminaries.

Such assertions have numerous flaws. For one thing, research shows that gay men are no more likely to molest children than straight men. (And celibacy doesn't seem to be a determining factor, either.) Yes, 80 percent of the victims were male, but many offenders assaulted children of both sexes. Maciel abused boys and fathered children with several women. Moreover, the abusers had access to boys; an adult male couldn't go on overnight trips with girls or take them away unchaperoned.

Finally, while critics of gay clerics fret that homosexuals dominate the priesthood and endanger children, in fact the ostensible increase in gay priests in recent years has coincided with a sharp decrease in reports of child abuse by clergy.

3. Sexual abuse is more pervasive in the Catholic Church than in other institutions.

Sexual abuse of minors is not the province of the Catholic Church alone. About 4 percent of priests committed an act of sexual abuse on a minor between 1950 and 2002, according to a study being conducted by John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. That is roughly consistent with data on many similar professions.

An extensive 2007 investigation by the Associated Press showed that sexual abuse of children in U.S. schools was "widespread," and most of it was never reported or punished. And in Portland, Ore., last week, a jury reached a $1.4 million verdict against the Boy Scouts of America in a trial that showed that since the 1920s, Scouts officials kept "perversion files" on suspected abusers but kept them secret.

"We don't see the Catholic Church as a hotbed of this or a place that has a bigger problem than anyone else," Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, told Newsweek. "I can tell you without hesitation that we have seen cases in many religious settings, from traveling evangelists to mainstream ministers to rabbis and others."

Part of the issue is that the Catholic Church is so tightly organized and keeps such meticulous records -- many of which have come to light voluntarily or through court orders -- that it can yield a fairly reliable portrait of its personnel and abuse over the decades. Other institutions, and most other religions, are more decentralized and harder to analyze or prosecute.

Still, it is hardly good news that the church appears to be no different from most other institutions in its incidence of abuse. Shouldn't the Catholic Church and other religious institutions hold to a higher standard?

4. Media outlets are biased against the Catholic Church.

While the Vatican and the pope's champions argue -- often in conspiratorial tones -- that the media is biased against the church, the truth is quite the opposite.

The church and the pope do receive major media attention, and with reason. The pope is a world leader as well as the temporal head of one of the world's most storied religious traditions. There are more than 1.1 billion Catholics on the planet, and the Catholic Church is the largest denomination in the United States, with more than 65 million baptized members. In the media, holidays such as Christmas and Easter tend to be dominated by Catholic images.

The pope also makes news with his pronouncements on a range of topics, and his travels are media events. Pope John Paul II's death and funeral in April 2005 produced wall-to-wall coverage for weeks, generating some of the most favorable press the church has ever had.

The annual survey of religion in the news conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life showed that in 2008 -- the year Benedict traveled to Washington and New York -- coverage of the pope and of the Catholic Church accounted for more than half of all news stories about religion, and the majority were positive or explanatory. You don't hear the church complaining about this kind of attention.

5. The crisis will compel U.S. Catholics to leave the church.

When the initial revelations of widespread sexual abuse by clergy emerged in 2002, many believed that Catholics would abandon the church en masse, or at least send the institution toward insolvency by withholding donations. But then, as now, American Catholics turned out to be an unpredictable lot. Though critical of the bishops and the Vatican, Catholics tend to love their local parishes and priests. And even if they don't heed all church mandates, they don't easily shed all the cultural and sacramental markers of their faith.

A 2007 Pew survey of the religious landscape in America found that among Catholics who had left the church, the abuse crisis ranked low on the list of reasons -- well behind church teachings on homosexuality, the role of women, abortion and contraception. And a 2008 poll by Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate showed that even the bishops had enjoyed a rebound in approval, with satisfaction with the hierarchy growing from 58 percent in 2004 to 72 percent in 2008.

Still, Catholic leaders can't be complacent. Some 10 percent of all Americans are former Catholics, and without immigrants, the number of American Catholics would be falling, not growing slightly. In a competitive marketplace, it's not smart to put your customers' loyalty to such a test.

DavidGibson@politicsdaily.com

David Gibson is the author of "The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and his Battle with the Modern World." He covers religion for PoliticsDaily.com. He will be online on Monday, April 19, to chat with readers. Submit your questions and comments before or during the discussion.

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The Cave of the Apocalypse in Patmos

The cave where St John the Theologian had his visions of the Apocalypse and where the deacon Prochoros wrote them down in the New Testament Book of Revelation.

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Trust God's Will and Hope in God's Judgment

After the Fourth Ecumenical Council [Chalcedon, 451 A.D.] the heretical Emperor Anastasius banished the Orthodox Patriarchs, Elias of Jerusalem and Flavian of Antioch, into exile.

One day simultaneously, both of the saints, discerned the death of the heretical emperor and sent each other the news about this saying: "Anastasius is dead! Let us also go to stand judgment with him before God." The emperor died and two days later both patriarchs died.

What zeal for the True Faith! What a humble hope before God's judgment. For these saints, it was not a matter of living longer on earth but the matter of God's truth. Neither did they say: "We judged him," rather "may God judge him!"

Our stay on earth is not for the sake of sojourning but for personal choice for good or for evil; for truth or for falsehood. Blessed are we if we, in everything, trust God's will and hope in God's judgment. For in all, one must have a strong faith. These Orthodox archpastors had a strong faith.

St. Acacius, Bishop of Melitene, (April 17) also had a strong faith. Once, during a great drought when the people were despairing, this wonderful Acacius led a procession of the people throughout the town and outside the town. He ordered that the Divine Liturgy be celebrated outside the town before the Church of St. Eustace. After consecrating the Holy Gifts, Acacius did not want to pour water into the wine but prayed to God that He, the Most-High, lower water into the chalice from the clouds. God heard the prayer of His faithful servant and sent abundant rain in the dry fields as well as into the honorable chalice.

- St. Nikolai Velimirovich, Prologue

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Relic of St. Nikodemos Miraculously Returned

Sacrilegious Man Sees St. Nikodemos and Returns His Holy Relic to the Monastery

April 16, 2010
Romfea.gr

Yesterday, Thursday 15 April 2010, in an atmosphere of devotion and excitement, the fathers of the Holy Monastery of Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite received back the holy relic which was stolen on 15 March 2010.

The man who stole the holy relic saw the Saint fully alive on four occasions, who said to him: "My child, bring me back to my house from which you took me; you have troubled me enough."

Shocked the man ran and found a priest nearby at the Metropolis, to whom he confessed with sobs and tears, saying, "I have sinned Father, I have become sacrilegious", as he handed over the relic.

The priest took the holy relic and excitedly returned it to the Holy Monastery of Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite.

The testimony above was given by this priest to the police department.

It should be noted that the repentant thief said he will visit the abbot of the monastery soon to ask his forgiveness.

At 6:00PM Saturday 17 April 2010 a celebratory Great Vespers will take place before the holy relic, which will be displayed for veneration by the faithful.


Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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Weeping Icon of the Mother of God 'Ilyin Chernigov'

Weeping Icon of the Mother of God 'Ilyin Chernigov' (Feast Day - April 16)

The Ilyin-Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God was painted in the year 1658 by the iconographer Gregory Dubensky, (Gennadius in monasticism). Tears flowed from the icon for eight days in 1662, from April 16-24.

In this same year Tatars descended upon Chernigov and devastated it. At midnight they burst into the Trinity monastery, went into the church, overturned all the icons and grabbed all the utensils, but the wonderworking icon and its ornaments remained untouched.

An invisible power held back the impious from the holy icon. Previously, the Queen of Heaven had not permitted the enemy to enter the cave of St Anthony of the Caves, where the brethren of the monastery had hidden. The Tatars fled, as though terrified by a vision.

The miracle of the Mother of God and Her Chernigov Icon was described by St Demetrius of Rostov (October 28 and September 21) in his book, THE MOISTENED FLEECE [Runo Oroshennoe]. Later on, St John of Tobolsk (June 10) also wrote about the Chernigov Icon.

A wonderworking copy of the Chernigov Icon of the Mother of God, in the Gethsemane skete of the Trinity-Sergiev Lavra, was glorified in the year 1869 (September 1).

Source

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Elder Amphilochios Makris of Patmos

Elder Amphilochios of Patmos ( Reposed April 16, 1970)

The future elder was born on December 13, 1889 to Emmanuel and Irene Makris and named Athanasios. He was born into a large family of simple, country folk. Even as an infant, Athanasios was devout, even observing the fasting rules regarding milk products while still an infant. When Athanasios was five, he convinced his newly-engaged godmother to spend the rest of her days in virginity. Athanasios, having preserved himself from worldly temptations, decided to enter a monastery at the age of seventeen. He asked his parents' blessing, which they were happy to give.

In March, 1906, he entered the Monastery of St. John the Theologian, Patmos; in August, having earned the love of the aging brotherhood, he was made a rassophore and given the name Amphilochios. To fight the passions and temptations, Amphilochios would employ strict fasting - ten mouthfuls of food at each meal on standard days, with seven or eight olives on fast days.

In 1911, the abbot of the Monastery of St. John the Theologian sent Amphilochios to Mount Athos in order to learn wood-carving; in March 1913, he was tonsured to the Great Schema by Elder Antoniadis. Two months later, the abbot had the agreement of the brethren of the monastery to ordain Amphilochios; but, because of a self-perception of inadequacy, he asked his traveling companion to continue while Amphilochios went to Egypt and the Holy Lands. Amphilochios asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem to receive him as one of the caretakers of the Holy Sepulchre. While the Patriarch was willing to do this, the Monastery insisted that he return, where they "punished" him by sending him to the hermitage of Apollo, alongside Elder Makarios, which made Amphilochios very happy as he was better able to pray.

However, in 1919, Fr Amphilochios was ordained to the diaconate and, soon after, to the priesthood. He was assigned to the monastery's dependency on the island of Kos, also serving as confessor throughout the Dodecanese. In 1926, he was sent to the Cave of the Apocalypse, Patmos. He spent much time with students of the Ecclesiastical Academy, which produced numerous elders and abbots.

In 1935, the occupying powers of the Dodecanese were the Italians, who influenced the Church by forcing a system of governance that made it easy to manipulate the Church. However, the Patriarch of Constantinople demanded that this situation be rectified for the new abbot. In response, the brotherhood elected Elder Amphilochios as abbot. Soon after, the seeds of the future female Monastery of the Annunciation began to be planted: the first building housed a training workshop for knitting and weaving, a guise under which to teach children Greek. In response, in 1937, the Italians exiled Elder Amphilochios to mainland Greece, where the Elder received hospitality from the Zoe brotherhood in Athens, from whence he traveled throughout Greece; after which he traveled to Crete, where he became spiritual father of the island.

His exile ended in 1939, and Elder Amphilochios returned to Patmos, being received with great joy. He did not, however, reassume his abbacy, but rather, focused on dependencies and the female Monastery of the Annunciation. The changeover of power in 1942, from the Italians to the Germans, did not greatly impact on the Elder's life. In 1947, Elder Amphilochios organised a small group of nuns to assist the orphans of Rhodes (at that time, extremely poor) by establishing an orphanage, along with a unit for pregnant women.

At Easter, 1968, Elder Amphilochios received a forewarning of his coming repose, and was given two years to prepare himself and his children for his repose. Anxious for his spiritual children, he asked God with tears for more time to develop his children, after which the Mother of God and St. John the Theologian appeared to him and informed him that his request was denied. Soon after this, he received a bout of flu. Having made his final preparations, he reposed on April 16, 1970.

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Advice For Those Living in the West

"Do not be afraid because of your Orthodoxy; do not be afraid because, as an Orthodox in the West, you will be often isolated and always in a small minority. Do not make compromises but do not attack other Christians; do not be either defensive or aggressive; simply be yourself."

More Sayings of the Elder here.

A Miracle of Elder Amphilochios

by Helen Angelides Torkos

I have the blessed privilege of being a witness to Geronda's all encompassing work through prayer:

Having been born in Patmos in 1965, I spent every Sunday sitting at Geronda's feet while he rested under the olive tree that grew beside the Monastery of Evagelismos (The Annunciation). While I waited for my grandfather to emerge from his daily duties inside the Monastery (he was the chanter), Geronda taught me the psalms of the Orthodox church. I recall repetitions of The Lord's Prayer, The Creed and many of our church hymns. These are my earliest memories of my childhood. I left my beloved Geronda, with his blessing, in October of 1969.

My life today is the way he envisioned it. He chose me to become the adopted daughter of the barren sister of his most beloved spiritual child, Geronda Amphilochios Tsoukos. His vision that this barren woman will have her own child, a son, only upon accepting me as her child was remarkable. My brother was born the end of March 1970, 2 weeks before Geronda closed his eyes for the last time. The news of my brother's birth didn't reach his ears until the day before he left this life and when he was told, he simply looked up to the heavens and smiled. That final day, I know he was praying for all his beloved children, including me, and blessing us all.

Geronda Amphilochios and the Island of Patmos are at the core of who I am and who I am destined to become. My life has taken many turns and at every crossroad his hand is always there to show me the way.

There are many more documented miracles that he is known for....

The Last Sayings of the Elder on the Day of His Repose

- To young children, give great care.

- In the other life, if I have the courage, I will ask Christ to put you in the best garden to see Christ day and night.

- It is disrespectful to eat. I am preparing to appear before the Lord. (Given when he was offered food.)

- Have love between yourselves and the brothers should take care of the nuns. If wrongs occur then you should forgive. Always see things with patience and love.

- Solve issues peacefully rather than carelessly.

- My one sadness really is that I will separate from you. Do not cry, it is a temporary separation. Local, not personal.

- From where I will be I will pray and protect you.

- I loved you with all the power of my soul.

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Interview With Elder Tadej (Thaddeus) of Vitovnica

Elder Tadej (Thaddeus) of Vitovnica was one of the most renowned spiritual guides of Serbia in the twentieth century. As a novice he lived in obedience to Elder Ambrose of Miljkovo Monastery, a disciple of the Optina Elders. From him Fr. Thaddeus learned the Prayer of the Heart and the selfless love that came to characterize his whole ministry to the suffering Serbian people.

Below is a video interview with the Elder in six parts:

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Darwinists at NASA Getting Sued, What You Can Do

Scordova
16 April 2010
UD

NASA was once a bastion of religious toleration. They sent 2 creationists to the moon (Reverend Jim Irwin and General Charles Duke). They let Buzz Aldrin quietly celebrate communion on the Moon, Sunday, July 20, 1969. On NASA’s official website is the record of this Christmas greeting of 1968: www.nasa.gov. Here is a video of that 1968 event: Apollo 8 Christmas Greeting from Genesis 1. And we have: Buzz Aldrin Sharing Psalm 8 in Flight.

Sad to see that this same organization is now suspected of harboring Darwinists who would vent their prejudices against one of UD’s very own contributors, David Coppedge, for much lesser actions (loaning a DVD to an interested coworker). Isn’t a little toleration in order?

In contrast, this could also be seen to be proselytizing a particular religious view:

“A NASA workshop defined ‘life’ to mean a self-sustaining chemical system capable of Darwinian evolution,”

To paraphrase Rodney King, “can’t we all just get along?”

From Discrimination Lawsuit Filed:

Supervisors at NASA’s prestigious Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) illegally harassed and demoted a high-level computer system administrator for expressing support of intelligent design to co-workers, according to a discrimination lawsuit filed in California Superior Court.

The lawsuit was filed by attorneys on behalf of David Coppedge, an information technology specialist and system administrator on JPL’s Cassini mission to Saturn, the most ambitious interplanetary exploration ever launched. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a NASA laboratory managed by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) where robotic planetary spacecraft, such as the Mars Rovers, are built and operated. Coppedge was a “Team Lead” Systems Administrator on the Cassini mission until JPL demoted him for allegedly “pushing religion” by loaning interested co-workers DVDs supportive of intelligent design.

“For the offense of offering videos to colleagues, Coppedge faced harassment, an investigation cloaked in secrecy, and a virtual gag order on his discussion of intelligent design,” said attorney Casey Luskin of Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture. Luskin serves as a consultant to the Coppedge lawsuit. “Coppedge was punished even though supervisors admitted never receiving a single complaint regarding his conversations about intelligent design prior to their investigation, and even though other employees were allowed to express diverse ideological opinions, including attacking intelligent design.”

Coppedge is suing JPL and Caltech for religious discrimination, harassment and retaliation; violation of his free speech rights; and wrongful demotion. Coppedge is represented by Los Angeles First Amendment attorney William J. Becker, Jr., of The Becker Law Firm.

“Intelligent design is not religion, and nothing in the DVDs that Coppedge shared deals with religion,” noted Luskin. “Even so, it’s unlawful for an employer to discriminate against an employee based on what they deem is religion.”

The case is the latest in a string of free-speech controversies surrounding allegations of public and private institutions punishing scientists and other experts for holding controversial views on evolution.

The California Science Center is currently facing two lawsuits similarly alleging attempts to squelch free-speech rights by a group that contracted to screen a film on intelligent design for the public at the Los Angeles facility.

“Anyone who thinks that today’s culture of science allows an open discussion of evolution is sorely mistaken,” said Dr. John G. West, associate director of the Center for Science and Culture. “When it comes to intelligent design, private and government-run agencies are suppressing free speech.”

and from What You Can Do to Help David:

It’s an outrage that JPL employee David Coppedge was harassed and discriminated against for his pro-intelligent design views, but you can help him. If you want to stand up for academic freedom, there are three people who need to hear from you:

First, call 818 354-4321 and ask for Director of JPL Dr. Charles Elachi, respectfully letting him know that your tax dollars should never be used to fund discrimination against a government employee.

Second, you can call and email President of Caltech Jean-Lou A. Chameau (626-395-6301, chameau@caltech.edu) and politely tell him that you support David Coppedge. Caltech oversees the JPL and has some jurisdiction.

Third, the JPL is NASA’s laboratory. Call them at 202 358-0001 and email public-inquiries@hq.nasa.gov.

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Human Sacrifice Suspected in West Bengal Temple

By Subir Bhaumik
BBC News, Calcutta

The severed head and torso of a man has been found in a temple in the Indian state of West Bengal in what the police say is a case of "human sacrifice".

The head and the body were found at the local temple to the goddess Kali near Chotomakdampur village in the western district of Birbhum.

Police say they have detained a tribal villager for questioning.

Human sacrifice is illegal in India. But a few cases do occur in remote and underdeveloped regions.

"This man has been sacrificed to propitiate the gods," said local official Kalyan Mukherjee.

"This is a shame for Bengal where the ruling Left coalition claim they have eradicated social evils and combated superstition," an opposition leader Samir Kumar Ray said.

Though human sacrifice has long been banned in India, some people, mostly the poor and illiterate, fall under the influence of "witch doctors" in the hope of reversing their fortunes.

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The Trustworthiness of Beards

By Tom Bartlett
April 14, 2010
The Chronicle of Higher Education

The way you gain people's trust is to earn it over time by repeatedly proving that you deserve it. That, or grow a beard.

A recent study in the Journal of Marketing Communications found that men with beards were deemed more credible than those who were clean-shaven. The study showed participants pictures of men endorsing certain products. In some photos, the men were clean-shaven. In others, the same men had beards. Participants thought the men with beards had greater expertise and were significantly more trustworthy when they were endorsing products like cell phones and toothpaste.

But, oddly, men with beards were slightly less effective than smooth-cheeked fellows in underwear advertisements. Apparently we don't want Zach Galifianakis selling us boxers.

The researchers say the implications of their findings could extend far beyond advertisements. For instance, male politicians might want to consider not shaving because the "presence of a beard on the face of candidates could boost their charisma, reliability, and above all their expertise as perceived by voters, with positive effects on voting intention."

Former presidential candidates Al Gore and Bill Richardson didn't put down the razor until they were already out of the running. Who knows how things might have turned out if they had had the power of facial hair working for them ...

Important note: The study looked only at neat, medium-length beards. You can't just go all ZZ Top and expect people to trust you.

(The study, which was conducted by Gianluigi Guido, Alessandro M. Pelusoa, and Valentina Moffa, is not online. Photo above is of the singer-songwriter/beard-haver Samuel Beam.)

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Posthumous Award for the King Who Saved Jews

April 16, 2010
Novinite
By Maayana Miskin

King Boris III of Bulgaria has received a posthumous award for saving his country's Jews during the Holocaust by refusing to surrender the 50,000 Jews in Bulgaria to the Nazi army despite heavy pressure from Adolf Hitler.

The award was given to his grandson, Toronto banker Hermann Leiningen, and Chabad organized the award ceremony. The award itself was presented by a group of Bulgarian Jews whose lives were saved when the king refused to deport them.

King Boris III previously has been honored by the Anti-Defamation League.

However, his legacy remains somewhat controversial: while he refused to hand Bulgaria's Jews over to Hitler's army, he did allow the deportation of Jews from Thrace and Macedonia, which at that time were under Bulgarian rule. In addition, some historians say the king expressed willingness to deport Jews, but was stopped by the heads of the Independent Orthodox Church.

Leiningen, the king's grandson, told the Canadian Jewish Press that King Boris III had remained firm in his insistence that Bulgaria's Jews not be deported. Whether or not the church intervened to save Jews as well, “the final decisions had to be made by [the king],” he noted.

Boris III was unable to save the Jews of Thrace and Macedonia because those territories, unlike Bulgaria, were occupied by the German army, Leiningen explained.

King Boris III died in 1943 shortly after a meeting with Hitler. His body was never found.

Leiningen noted that his own father, Prince Karl, had moved to Israel in 1969 and had spent the last two decades of his life there, on a horse ranch in the Galilee. “No one could really figure out” why his father was drawn to Israel, he said.

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Greek Synod Condemns Liturgy in Modern Greek

April 15, 2010
Ansamed
Athens, Greece

The Greek Orthodox Holy Synod has condemned the Liturgy in the modern language which is officiated in the diocese of Nicopolis, claiming that it puts "the Church's unity" at risk.

Bishop Meletio of Nicopolis, in the northern region of Epirus, a long time ago authorized the translation of the Liturgy from liturgical Greek (close to the ancient Greek language and once spoken by the upper classes) into modern or "popular" Greek. Because, as he justified his decision, "otherwise the faithful don't understand the Divine Liturgy".

But the Synod has ruled that translating the holy texts is forbidden; it is only allowed "as an exception and after the authorization" of the Church. In the absence of a joint version, according to the Orthodox leaders, a spontaneous and casual translation of the liturgy "could jeopardize the Church's unity".

The Synod has taken its decision despite the fact that Meletio seems to enjoy the support of his faithful and has obtained the official support of other bishops.

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The Skull of St. Helen of Sinope in Slovakia

Between 10-12 April 2010 the miraculous and honorable skull of Neomartyr Helen of Sinope was brought to Slovakia at the invitation of His Eminence Metropolitan Goerge of Michalovce and Košice to be venerated by the faithful. It was brought from Thessaloniki with the blessing of Metropolitan Anthimos of Thessaloniki.

St. Helen of Sinope is considered one of the four patron saints of the Metropolis of Michalovce and Košice in Slovakia and is especially honored as the patron saint of the youth of Slovakia. For this reason hundreds of young people came and venerated her sacred skull from all over Slovakia.

Over a three day period the skull was venerated in churches throughout the Metropolis, and was venerated by thousands.

The Metropolis of Michalovce and Košice celebrates this year its 60th year since its establishment. It is located in the southeastern part of Slovakia. The 14,000 Orthodox faithful there are a significant minority among the Catholic majority. 27 priests serve its 37 communities.

Source


Life of St. Helen of Sinope

The Virgin-Martyr of Christ, Saint Helen, was the daughter of the Bekiary family and lived in the eighteenth century in Sinope, the oldest city of Pontus.

She was a maiden of fifteen who lived with her parents during the 1700s. One day, as she went to the marketplace, she passed by the house of the local Pasha (governor), who, seeing her beauty, was seized by lust for her. He ordered his servants to bring her to him, and made two attempts to defile her; each time, however, he was prevented by a mysterious power that kept him from her like an invisible wall. Determined to have his way for her, he kept her prisoner in his house; but she was able to slip away and run home to her parents' house.

Enraged that his prey had escaped, the Pasha called together the leaders of the Christian community and promised that, unless Helen were handed over to him, all the Christians in the town would be massacred. Grief-stricken and fearful, the leaders persuaded Helen's father to return the girl to the palace. The vile Pasha made several more attempts to rape the Saint, but once again he was restrained as if by an invisible wall as she recited the Six Psalms and all the prayers that she knew by heart. Realizing that he was powerless against her, the Pasha had her thrown in the common jail, then ordered that she be tortured to death. The executioners subjected the maiden to several cruel torments before killing her by driving two nails into her skull and beheading her. They then put her body in a sack and threw it in the Black Sea.

Some Greek sailors followed a heavenly light to the place where the sack had sunk, and divers retrieved the Saint's relics, which immediately revealed themselves as a source of healing for many. Her body was taken to Russia; her head was placed in the church in Sinope, where it continued to work miracles, especially for those who suffered from headaches. When the Greeks were driven from Sinope in 1924, refugees took the head with them. It is venerated today in the Church of St. Marina in Ano Toumbas near Thessalonika. Her memory is celebrated on November 1.


Apolytikion in the Plagal of the First Tone
The most-fragrant flower of purity and the boast and divine offspring of Sinope, Virgin-martyr of Christ Helen most-pure, who struggled steadfastly, and cast down the enemy with the power of faith, and entreats for everyone, to have mercy on our souls.

Megalynarion
As an undefiled virgin in the power of Christ you cast down the much-contriving enemy, and you are arrayed in martyrdom, O Virgin-martyr Helen the all-praised.

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The Resurrection of Christ is the Annihilation of Death

by Protopresbyter George Metallinos

The Resurrection of Christ is the most significant event to take place in history. It is the event that differenti­ates Christianity from every other religion. Other religions have mortal leaders, whereas the Head of the Church is the Resurrected Christ.

The Resurrection of Christ implies the deification and the resur­rection of human nature, and the hope for deification and resurrection of our own hypostasis. Since the medicine has been discovered, then there is hope for life.

Through Christ's Resurrection, both life and death take on a new meaning. "Life" now means communion with God. "Death" is no longer the end of this present lifetime, but the distancing of man from Christ. The separation of the soul from the mortal body is no longer seen as "death"; it is only a temporary slumber.

It is Christ's Resurrection, which justifies His uniqueness and exclusiveness, as the Savior Who is able to truly vitalize us and transfuse His death-defeating life into our perishable lives. Christ is one; the Resurrection is one; and the possibility for salvation-deification is also one. This is why our expecta­tion to transcend all the impasses that muddle our lives is oriented towards Christ; to the Christ of the saints; to the Christ of history.

The distorted "Christ" found in heresies or the "relativized" Christ found in the religious syncretism of the new age pan-religion constitute a rejection of the real Christ, as well as the salvation offered by Him.

The Christ of our saints is also the Christ of history, and He rules out every possibility of confusing Him with all the other redemptive substitutes invented for misleading the masses; because that is the only way deception can maintain something fraudulent: by facilitating the dominion of antichrist powers (which may quite easily have infiltrated even the Church); powers, which albeit spread death in their path, nevertheless can appear as "angels of light" and "deacons of justice."

When studying the experience of our saints, we become aware that there are no existences as tragic as those "who have no hope", hope for resurrection, inasmuch as they regard biological death as destruction and the end. Unfor­tunately, science has also succumbed to this tragic state, by desperately seeking methods for prolonging man's lifespan and by conveying the illusion of being able to overcome natural death. However, equally tragic are those — even Christians — who become entrapped in "hermetically tight" Chiliast visions of universal bliss and mundane eschatology (thus losing the true meaning of the Resurrection) and sacrificing the hyper-cosmic to the endo-cosmic; the eternal to the transient.

The Resurrection of Christ as the resurrection of man and all of Creation acquires a meaning only in the framework of patristic soteriology; in other words, in the co-crucifixion and the co-resurrection with Christ. This is the way that Hellenism also preserved the Resurrection during its historical course. Forever faithful to the Resurrection of Christ, Orthodoxy has been characterized as "Church of the Resurrection," because it is on the Resurrection that it structures its entire historical presence, grafting the resurrectional hope into the conscience of peoples; a fact that is revealed in their cultural continuance.

Among them, the Hellenic people also learnt to dispel, in the light of the Resurrection, the darkness that permeated their years of slavery (as was the Turkish occupation) during which they would not hesitate in wishing each other "Christ is Risen!" to add: "and Hellas is risen!" And they preserved this, for a full four hundred years....

It is within this national framework that the hope-filled invitation of "Come forth and receive Light!" is contained. It is an invitation to the resurrectional, uncreated Light, which is bestowed only on those who have cleansed their heart of vices and passions. Without the "catharsis" of the heart, in other words repentance, one cannot commune with the Light of the Resurrection. Repentance is the transcending of sin, the cause of our death.

This is the fact that we are constantly reminded of, by the peculiar (to the uninitiated ear) monastic saying: If you die before you die, then you will not die when you die!

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The Eagle and the Rooster: A Parable of St. Silouan the Athonite

An eagle was flying in the heights and delighting in the beauty of the world, and he thought: "I cover great expans­es, and I see valleys and mountains, seas and rivers, meadows and forests. I see towns and settlements, and how men live; while here a village rooster knows nothing except his own yard. I shall fly to him and tell him about the life of the world."

The eagle flew onto the roof of the country house and saw how gallantly and merrily the rooster was strolling amidst his hens. And the eagle began to speak to rhe rooster of the world's beauty and wealth. At first, the rooster listened with attention, but did not understand anything. The eagle, seeing that the rooster did not understand anything, was saddened, and it became hard for him to speak with the rooster; while the rooster, not understanding what the eagle was saying, began to be bored, and it became hard for him to listen to the eagle.

Thus it happens when a learned man speaks with an un­learned man, but even more when a spiritual man speaks with an unspiritual man. A spiritual man is like the eagle, while an unspiritual man is like the rooster; the mind of a spiritual man meditates on the law of the Lord day and night and by prayer ascends to God, while the mind of an unspiritual man is attached to the earth or occupied with thoughts. And when a spiritual man meets an unspiritual man, intercourse for them both is boring and difficult.

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Patriarch of Jerusalem Meets With Prince of Qatar

Upon his visit to Qatar for the placing of the foundation stone for the community centers and the parishes of Sts. George the Great Martyr and Isaac the Syrian on 16 April 2010, Patriarch Theophilos of Jerusalem also had the opportunity to visit with Prince Emirin of Qatar in his palace. He was received with simplicity and warmth. As a gift the Patriarch gave the Prince a book about the history of the Jerusalem Patriarchate and a vessel of silver and gold.

Below is the letter the Patriarch read to the Prince:

Your Highness,

It is an honour for us, Your Highness, to be able to address you on the occasion of our pastoral visit to the Rum Orthodox community of Doha for the laying of the foundation stone of our parish of Saint Isaac the Qatari and Saint George. This is the fruit of many years of careful work and co-operation between the Emirate of Qatar and the Rum Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

We take this opportunity to praise the work that both Your Highness and Her Highness the Consort have done in encouraging all Qataris to help build in this country a culture of progress and openness. Qatar is well known for the breakthroughs that you have made in overcoming the barriers of prejudice, in encouraging freedom of worship, and in creating a society of mutual respect and peaceful co-existence.

The world sees in Qatar a country that has managed to combine remarkable progress in the economic realm with an equally remarkable progress in the spiritual realm, and as such Qatar serves as a leader and as a model of stability for our region.

We see in his achievement the embodiment of the essence of Islam as a religion of tolerance, hospitality and intellectual rigour and achievement. In this region of the world, Christian and Muslim have enjoyed periods of peaceful co-existence that have been of mutual benefit to both our communities. We know each other well, we understand each other’s customs and traditions, and the well-being of our region depends on good relationships between us.

We honour the leadership that Your Highness has shown, and continues to demonstrate, in the practical work of ensuring the ongoing religious and cultural diversity of our region. The Rum Patriarchate pledges itself to be loyal and firm supporters of Your Highness’s leadership in this regard.

As we know that we have a place in Qatar, Your Highness has a respected place in Jerusalem, and we are privileged to have your photograph in our Patriarchate. We look forward to the day when Your Highness can visit us at our Patriarchate in Jerusalem, a city that is sacred to the Abrahamic traditions.

We thank you, Your Highness, for this opportunity to address you, and we pray the blessings of the All-Merciful God on you, Her Highness the Consort, on your family, and on all the people of our beloved Emirate.

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Believe In God, Not Yourself

"Nowhere does the Gospel tell you to believe in yourself, but to believe in God - that God can help, that God can heal. Some people, however, take this the wrong way, and say, 'Man has powers, and must believe in himself.' To believe in one's self contains either egoism or demonism."

- Elder Paisios the Athonite

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From Pascha to Pentecost

By Protopresbyter Dr. George D. Dragas

1. The Pentecostal Period. The word, Pentecost means “the fiftieth” and is used to designate the great event of the Outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Epiphoitesis) upon the Apostles and the Church on the 50th day after the Resurrection of Christ, just ten days after His Ascension into Heaven.

Before His Passion, the Lord spoke to his Disciples about the gift of the Holy Spirit, which they were to receive after the Ascension. The details are preserved in the Gospel of Saint John: “I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will defend you and always be with you” (14:16). He also said, “The Holy Spirit can not come to defend you until I leave. But after I am gone, I will send the Spirit to you” (16:7). After His Resurrection, the Lord appeared to the Disciples, and He said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (20:22). This was a foretaste of the Outpouring (Epiphoitesis) on Pentecost Sunday.

Near the end of Saint Luke’s Gospel, Christ tells His Disciples, “I will send you the One My Father has promised, but you must stay in the city until you are given power from above” (24:49). It is in the Acts of the Apostles, however, that Saint Luke speaks of the fulfillment of this promise: “On the day of Pentecost, all the Lord’s followers were together in one place. Suddenly, there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind. It filled the house where they were meeting. Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there. The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever language the Spirit let them speak” (2:1-4).

Since ancient times, the 50-day period from Pascha to Pentecost has been called Pentecost because what began with the Lord breathing the Holy Spirit on His Disciples was consummated with the full descent of the Spirit upon the Disciples and the whole Church. Thus, the Church was fully born and began to grow.

During this period, all kneeling is prohibited as a tangible confession of the Resurrection of Christ. It is only on the actual day of Pentecost that kneeling is resumed, and is connected with a special kneeling ceremony (akolouthia gonyklesias), which consists of prayers for the gift of the Holy Spirit, hence the name, “Kneeling Day” (tes gonatistes) for Pentecost.

Later on, another week was added to these 50 days in order to celebrate the post-feast (metheorta) of the Feast of Pentecost. Thus, today the period of movable Feasts after Pascha spans eight weeks, to include the Sunday of All Saints (Agion Panton), and is divided into three parts: 1) The 40 post-festal days of Pascha, 2) The Feast of the Ascension, together with its post-festal period, and 3) The Feast of Pentecost together with its own post-festal period. The hymns of this period are contained in the special Pentecostal book, the Pentecostarion.

2. Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women. We have already spoken about the New Week (Diakainesimos) and the Sunday of Saint Thomas (the first Sunday after Pascha). The second Sunday after Pascha is called the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women (Kyriake ton Myroforon). It is dedicated to the women who brought myrrh to the tomb of Christ. It is also dedicated to the secret disciples of the Lord, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who arranged for and assisted in the Lord’s burial. This is clearly commemorated in the Gospel lesson for the day (Mark 15.43-16.8).

The Myrrh-Bearing Women we can identify from the Holy Gospels are Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, (a.k.a., Mary of Clopas, Joanna the wife of Huza, a guardian of Herod Antipas, Salome the mother of the sons of Zebedee, and Sozanna).

Joseph of Arimathea (a city of Judaea) was a rich nobleman and a member of the Sanhedrin (a council deputy in Jerusalem). He was the one who did not agree with the council’s decision against Christ. He was also the one who bravely asked Pontius Pilate for the body of Christ (Matthew 27.57-60, Mark 15.42-47, Luke 23.50-56, John 19.38-42). Nicodemus was a Jewish leader, a Pharisee, who was well read in the Scriptures and visited Christ by night (John 3.1-21 and 19.39-42).

All these sacred persons clearly demonstrate to us that people from all walks of life can be disciples of the Lord and enjoy the privilege of taking care of His body and become primary witnesses of the Lord’s mighty Resurrection.

3. Sundays of the Paralytic, The Samaritan Woman, and the Man Born Blind. The following three Sundays are known, in order, as the Sunday of the Paralytic, the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman, and the Sunday of the Man Born Blind, because of the Gospel readings and the hymns prescribed for them. The incidents commemorated in these feasts all demonstrate the divine authority, identity and power of Christ, which were then fully revealed by his Resurrection.

The healing of the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda or Bethsaida (John 5.1-18) shows Christ’s authority over the Sabbath because it was on the Sabbath day that He healed the paralytic.

The conversation of the Lord with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well near Sychar (John 4.3-42) reaches its high point when the Lord discloses his identity: “I am the One [the Christ] Who is speaking to you now” (4:26). At the end of the story, the Samaritans openly declare, “We are certain that He is the Savior of the world" (4:42).

Finally, the healing of the blind man (John 9:1-41) demonstrates the divine power of Christ and the fact that He came from God: “This is the first time in history that anyone has ever given sight to someone born blind. Jesus could not do anything unless He came from God” (9:32).

4. Mid-Pentecost. The Wednesday after the Sunday of the Paralytic falls exactly in the middle of the 50 days of the period of Pentecost and is consequently called Mid-Pentecost (Mesopentekoste). It is a Festal Day, and according to ancient custom, it draws its meaning from the Gospel prescribed for it (John 7.14-30). This Gospel lesson contains the speech of the Lord made in the Temple, in the middle of the feast of the Tabernacles (Skenopegias), which explains His authority over the Sabbath in terms of the divine origin of both His teaching and His existence. Central to this are the Lord’s words to the people of Jerusalem: “I did not come on My own. The One Who sent Me is truthful, and you do not know Him. But I know the One Who sent Me, because I came from Him” (7:28). Also central are the words the Lord uttered on the last day of the Feast which anticipate the Outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost: “If you are thirsty, come to Me and drink! Have faith in Me, and you will have life-giving water flowing from deep inside you” (7:37). The hymns of this Feast recall the miracles of the Lord, which demonstrate His Godhead, and admonish the Christians “to keep steadfastly the commandments of the Lord in order to become worthy to celebrate his Ascension and to participate in the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Doxastikon ton Ainon).

5. The Return of Pascha. On the Wednesday after the Sunday of the Man Born Blind (the 6th Sunday after Pascha), we celebrate the Return (apodosis), or completion, of the post-festal period of Pascha. The services of the day, which include a paschal liturgy, are sung in a manner identical to that of the New Week. This is actually the 39th day after Pascha, the eve of the Ascension Day, when we sing the Resurrection Hymn, Christos Anesti, and exchange the Resurrection greeting for the last time.

6. The Ascension. On the following day, which is the 40th day after Pascha, the Ascension of the Lord into Heaven is commemorated. The feast of the Ascension (Analipseos) is explicitly mentioned in the fourth century, but its origins most probably go back to the preceding centuries. The ancient church manual, Apostolic Constitutions, makes the following comment about it: “Again counting 40 days after the first Sunday, you must celebrate from Sunday until Thursday the feast of the Ascension of the Lord, in which He fulfilled the whole economy and design of our salvation, ascended to God the Father, Who had sent Him, and sat at the right hand of the Power to wait until His enemies are placed under his feet” (Book V, chapter 20).

The feast of the Ascension, then, marks the end and the sealing of the work of the Lord on Earth, as well as the Ascension of human nature to heaven and consequently foreshadows the forthcoming Gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It is celebrated until the Friday of the following week, when it is returned (and therefore closed).

The meaning of the Lord’s Ascension is also connected with His eternal priesthood. The Epistle to the Hebrews sums it up as follows: “We have a Great High Priest Who has gone into Heaven, Jesus the Son of God” (4:14)... Jesus has gone there (behind the curtain and into the most holy place) ahead of us, and He is our High Priest forever, just like Melchizedek (6:20)... Jesus will never die, and so He will be a Priest forever. He is forever able to save the people He leads to God because He always lives to speak to God for them. Jesus is the High Priest we need (7:24-26)... He is the perfect High Priest forever (7:28)... who sits at the right side of God’s great throne in heaven (8:1).”

7. Sunday of the Holy Fathers. The Sunday, which falls in the middle of the festal period of the Ascension (the 7th Sunday after Pascha), is dedicated to the 318 Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325 AD) and is consequently known as the Sunday of the Holy Fathers (Ton Pateron).

The Gospel of this day comes from the Lord’s High Priestly Prayer for the unity of Christians found in John 17:1-13. The Church ordered the commemoration of the Fathers on this particular Sunday because the Eparchial Synods, which were summoned for the purpose of dealing with various local matters, usually met during the Pentecostal period.

Successors of the Apostles, the Fathers, have kept the apostolic faith through their teachings. The Kontakion of the Feast puts this most eloquently and clearly: “The preaching of the Apostles and the dogmas of the Fathers sealed one faith for the Church which, wearing the garment of truth waved with theology from above, rightly dispenses and glorifies the great mystery of piety.”

The Saturday before Pentecost is a Saturday of the Souls (Psychosabbaton), and prayers are offered for those who fell asleep that they, too, may become worthy through our prayers of the Pentecostal gift, which is commemorated the next day.

8. Pentecost Sunday. The Christian feast of Pentecost corresponds to the Hebrew feast which bears the same name, and in which the first fruits of Israel’s new crops were offered to God (Protogennemata).

The Christian feast commemorates the first fruits of the preaching of the Apostles, which followed the descent of the Holy Spirit upon them on the day of Pentecost, and on account of which the first Christian Church was born and established with three thousand souls. Ever since Pentecost, the Spirit abides in the Church and regulates the Church’s life and growth. The Spirit brings the entire constitution of the Church together as the Body of Christ. As the Comforter (Parakletos), He is the pledge of Christ’s return and final victory with the entire body of the Church.

The celebration of this feast goes back to apostolic times. According to ancient custom, catechumens were baptized on this occasion and therefore, even today, no Trisagion is sung during the Liturgy. Instead, the hymn “Those baptized into Christ, have put on Christ,” is sung. The vespers of this day, following immediately after the Divine Liturgy, is especially notable because of the long kneeling supplication, which is offered after the Entrance. This supplication is the first of several which follow after the feast, having been previously suspended during the Pentecostal Period.

Pentecost is celebrated throughout the week and is returned on the following Saturday. The Monday of the post-festal period is distinguished from the other post-festal days because it is dedicated to the Holy Spirit (Deftera tou Agiou Pneumatos). The services of the day follow the pattern of the preceding Pentecostal Sunday. Fasting is not observed during the week of (after) Pentecost.

The Doxastikon hymn of the day is the well known prayer with which most Church services begin and which is used by many Orthodox Christians as a first Prayer of each day: “Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, present everywhere and filling all things, come and abide in us; cleanse us from every stain and save our souls Gracious Lord.”

9. Sunday of All-Saints. The Sunday after Pentecost is known as the Sunday of All Saints. It is a very ancient feast mentioned at the end of the fourth century and seems to have been initially instituted as a feast in honor of all the Martyrs.

The Church always honored the Martyrs. Since honoring the Martyrs was originally a local affair, however, many of the Martyrs were unknown, and it is probably for this reason that such a feast was instituted to honor all Martyrs, known and unknown. This feast was placed very appropriately after Pentecost because the Church was watered and increased through the witness and blood of the Martyrs. Later, when the Church honored others as Saints besides the Martyrs, the moveable feast after Pascha acquired a more general character and was changed into a feast in honor of all the Saints.

10. The Feast of the Holy Apostles. On the Monday after the Sunday of All Saints, a fast is observed for the Feast of the Holy Apostles. Originally, this was a weekly fast as it is explicitly stated in the Apostolic Constitutions (Book V, chapter 20). Later on, it was connected with the feast of the Holy Apostles (June 29-30) and was extended to the whole period from the Monday after the Sunday of All Saints to the 28th of June.

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