My Table Is Empty! Please Help Our Decani Monastery Relief Fund

Please consider sending your donations in this time of need to our dear brothers and sisters in Kosovo/Metohija.

IC/XC
NI/KA

Press Release

Beloved in Christ our Lord,

May our Gracious God always bless you!

Recently Lazar Popovic a foreign student living in Boise, Idaho, was able to return back to his village in Kos, Kosovo to be with his family for the summer - thanks to some kind donors, as you know Lazar is attending Boise University. Some assistance was giving to Lazar to live for the summer. After arriving in his village Lazar discovered that his family and relatives did not have enough of food to live on! What Lazar did was take some of the money he had to live for the rest of the summer and provide food for his family and relatives. Lazar well indicated by phone that “we have an emergency as my family does not have enough of food”, and so I told him to spend the money we provided for him to use it to purchase food and I discovered this food will only last one month. The family and relatives of Lazar are so happy and feel blessed.

Can we imagine no food to put on the table continues to be a great hardship in the region of Kosovo/Metohija? We have a humanitarian crisis and hardly do many families have enough of food to put on their table and provide the proper nourishment for their children, and my goodness what about the elderly!

What a sad hour this has become and we who are struggling in our economy presently at least have some food to put on our tables. This is not the situation at this hour in Kosovo/Metohija!

Then I also discovered Lazar has been ill once he arrived at his village he now has low blood pressure. How did this happen? When Lazar lived in a refugee center for eight years with his family previously during the war and hardly did anyone have proper nourishment, and this has now caught up with him physically. When I was in Kosovo two years ago I met Lazar who was chosen to come to America as a foreign exchange student, and he was able to put on more weight. Eight years of living in a refugee center can certainly affect anyone’s health! Thanks go God Lazar is feeling better!

What is happening to Lazar in Kosovo/Metohija continues to happen to so many other families!

Please consider that we can bring a little more hope and assistance to these suffering and struggling souls in the region with our great Christian love by supporting our fund.

What does the Decani Monastery Relief Fund do to directly benefit of Serbian individuals families or anyone who asked for assistance still living in the war-ravaged communities of Kosovo-Metohija?

The Decani Monastery Relief Fund currently supports five soup kitchens and one bakery – which produce loaves, a vitally important part of diet in this region. It also funds the deliver of bread and other foodstuffs to villages as well as shoes and clothing for youth of all ages. Including helping the soup kitchens our fund has also provided ovens, and trucks to deliver food to villages daily.

Our fund supports 51 scholarships to the University of Northern Kosovo and also scholarship assistance for a Serbian youth at Boise State University – as well as financial assistance to Serbian immigrants in Boise, Idaho.

Other important issues, needs and problems addressed by our Fund include: refugee centers and camps; special needs of the elderly; electricity bills; firewood during winter months (including schools); necessary medical (and surgical) procedures; computer assistance; Orthodox celebrations of Christmas and Easter-Pascha; shortages of hay and farm equipment. The Fund has also purchased pigs for 200 families annually, including assistance to obtain cows and sheep for villages.

The Decani Fund is trying to fulfill all of the above and we can do it together or least let’s try to put more food on the empty tables!

If you can kindly donate to this very worthy cause please do so by sending a donation of your choice:

Decani Monastery Relief Fund, Inc.
Very Reverend Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes
2618 West Bannock Street
Boise, Idaho 83702-4705

Cell phone: Father Nektarios Serfes: 208-860-2479

Thank you humbly!

Peace to your soul!

God love and bless you!

Humbly in Christ our Lord,

+ Very Reverend Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes

President Decani Monastery Relief Fund Inc.

Who prays for you and with you!


"Make peace with yourself, and heaven and earth will make peace with you." - St. Isaac the Syrian

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The Relationship Between Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi and the Holy Unmercenary Saints

The Monastery of the Holy Unmercenaries; Gilou, Cyprus

As was told from prior sources, the Blessed Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi was especially devoted to and had as protectors the Holy Unmercenaries Sts. Cosmas and Damian. He was born and fell asleep on their feast day. From his birthday (July 1, 1921) they had him under their protection.

The mother of the Elder when she was seven months pregnant decided to visit a small monastery in the area of Giolou (Cyprus) dedicated to the Holy Unmercenaries, in order to venerate them and request their help. There, on the grounds of the monastery, she began to feel pain before her time and little Socrates was born (the worldly name of the Elder).

And when the Elder was a novice the Holy Unmercenaries continued to come to his aid. One day we asked him why he had a special reverence for St. Panteleimon, of whom he had an icon made. He said that this Saint was the protector of his family. His father who was named Panteleimon fell asleep on the feast of the Saint. He had gone to church that day, received communion and after went for a stroll in his garden, as if he were bidding it farewell. Returning home he sat in a chair and passed away.

Saint Panteleimon (Feast Day - July 27)

When he was a novice under Elder Joseph the Hesychast he lived under difficult and harsh conditions. Here is how he describes his life:

"Neither the austerity of the regime, nor the lack of basic necessities, nor the rugged and forlorn terrain, nor the necessity of carrying loads so as to maintain six or seven people could make our purpose falter, since by the mercy of God grace gave us full assurance through the prayers of the elders. But our nature of clay shrank back, and the Lord's saying was fulfilled, that 'the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak' (Mt. 26:41). I suffered increasingly from coughing up blood and stomach hemorrhages, but my ardent intent and the experience of grace which accompanies the good fight covered all these weaknesses, for we had as our prime model the Elder, who looked at everything through faith and not through reason. In this small experiment of our life under the care of the Elder, the repeated aid from divine goodness, the continuing mysterious protection of grace and the constant sense of security in all directions oblige us to believe and proclaim that success in monastic life depends for the most part on the support of a spiritual guide; and 'he who has ears to hear, let him hear' (Mt. 11:15). Certainly there is nothing novel in this opinion nor is it some new discovery, but simply a confirmation of the patristic tradition, and blessed is the disciple 'who will keep these things, and will discern the mercies of the Lord' (Hosea 14:9)."

Elder Joseph went on to explain that though he was accustomed to living a hard life, he felt much pain from his back, his stomach hemorrhages, and his constantly getting sick. Then the Brotherhood of Elder Joseph the Hesychast moved to New Skete where the climate was more mild and the burdens less. The Elder went to Thessaloniki to get some tests done because he had constant hemorrhages. He returned with the opinion of the doctor that surgery was needed. From then he lived with Elder Theophylactos in the cell of the Holy Unmercenaries. See now how things developed.

Elder Joseph writes: "When my stomach was in pain, Elder Theophylactos would supplicate much for me to St. Panteleimon and he saw him in his church, and he told him I would get well and to not get the surgery which my doctors had ordered. I had an ulcer progressing in its appearance and neither diet or medicine offered me anything. After a period of affliction of more than two years there was no way to get out of the surgery. Then the glorious great martyr of Christ descends, the compassionate Panteleimon, and told Elder Thephylactos to tell me to not get the surgery, but to leave all to the care of our Panagia. Immediately I was totally healed, and to confirm this I visited my doctors who recognized my sickness in all its stages in order to tell me in what state I was in. They gave me an endoscopy and they found absolutely nothing, except a small old scar of a healed wound."

These Holy Unmercenaries decided also his transfer from the transient to eternity, from "earth to the highest".

As we learned from the fathers of the Monastery, when the minister (the monk who took care of the Elder) went in at 10:00 AM on Tuesday (the eve of his falling asleep) to see how the Elder was doing, he said: "I am leaving today, because I feel death". And he said to him: "Good, Elder, whatever is God's will". At night around 8:00 PM the Elder said peacefully: "These demons that have come, what do they want?" At 9:00 PM he said again: " These Saints that have come will stay with us to help us". The brother responded: "Yes, they will stay to help us". Let us emphasize that the day which was breaking was the celebration of the Holy Unmercenaries. Do you think it was them who vistied him? After this incident the Elder was full of peace and tranquility. At 10:00 PM he raised himself on his bed and said: "What is the troparion below called...? Now where do I say the service?" The brother did not recognize what service he spoke of, so he didn't answer at all.

This is very significant because we were told that in the last month he was saying the services even though he was sleeping. And for all he was going through, we are told that in the afternoon (around 12 hours before his falling asleep) he read by himself the Vespers service.

The Elder due to low blood pressure felt a tremendous exhaustion and when his blood pressure totally dropped his liver swelled. The doctors said his death came by cardiac arrest.

The brothers who took care of the Elder until the last moment were by his side and became eye-witnesses of his falling asleep.

At 2:20 AM (the morning of July 1, 2009) he took three long breaths and in this way he quietly departed for eternity.

May we have his blessing.

Alekos Christodoulou, Theologian

(Translated by John Sanidopoulos)

Saints Cosmas and Damian (Feast Day - July 1)

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On Prayers and Alms for the Deceased

by St. Nikolai Velimirovich

Through their prayers and alms for the deceased, Christians display the relationship between this world and the world to come. The Church in this world and the Church in the other world are one and the same - one body, one in being - as does the root of a tree beneath the earth comprise one organism with the trunk and the branches of the tree above the earth. It is clear from this how we who comprise the Church on earth can receive help from the saints and the righteous ones from the Heavenly Church as well as the deceased sinners in the other world can receive help from us on earth. St. Athanasius says: "As it happens with wine inside a barrel which, when the vineyard blooms in the field, senses it and the wine itself blossoms together with it, so it is with the souls of sinners. They receive some relief from the Bloodless Sacrifice offered for them and from charity" performed for their repose. St. Ephraim the Syrian cites that same example with wine and the vineyard and concludes: "And so, when there exists such mutual sensitivity even among plants, is not the prayer and sacrifice felt even more for the departed ones?"

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Archbishop Hieronymos Interviewed By Greek Youth

Archbishop Hieronymos of Athens and All Greece promised from the beginning that he would be close to the Greek youth. Young people from the webpage neolaia.gr requested of the Archbishop an interview which they could capture on video. The one hour long video is below and in it is discussed personal topics about the Archbishop himself, political questions, economical questions, religious questions and social questions. It is one of the most detailed interviews to date by the Archbishop.

neolaia.tv Συζήτηση με τον Αρχιεπίσκοπο Ιερώνυμο

Source

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Miss Universe 2002: 'Real Spiritual Help Only In Orthodoxy'

Miss Universe Winner Says She Got Real Spiritual Help Only In Orthodoxy

June 30, 2010
Interfax

The renowned TV anchor who once won the Miss Universe title believes that only the Orthodox faith has helped her in life and brought her consolation.

"When I was young, I tried various religious trends. But I managed to find consolation and real spiritual help only in Orthodoxy," Oxana Fyodorova was quoted as saying by the Radonezh website.

However, her way to the Orthodox Church was not easy. According to her, she "always made mistakes, but the heart was searching for the Truth," which by intuition she "felt in Orthodoxy."

Oxana is convinced that Russians are strong with their spirituality and faith. "If you take it from them, everything will fall down," she said.

"When a person is with God, he has nothing to be afraid of. He is protected by the Love. And we don't have another road, only this one," Oxana said urging believers to be ready for trials and have a spiritual power in order not to abandon the chosen way.


More about Oxana Fedorova here.

Oxana Fedorova in Sri Lanka for Baptismal Icon Exhibition

Television hostess and former Miss Universe Oxana Fedorova and Miss Sri Lanka 2008, Gaisha Perera, hosted a Russian cultural event that featured the opening of the exhibition "Measured Icon: History and Modernity." The event was held with the cooperation of the Russian Club of Senators, the Russian Club of Orthodox Maecenas, the Charity Fund of Miss Universe 2002 Oxana Fedorova and the Embassy of the Russian Federation with its Cultural Center in Sri Lanka in the capital city of Colombo on April 22, 2010. Courtesy: KP: RU

Oxana is the face of the project, "The Measured Icon: Its History and Its Present" whose goal is to revive the tradition of the Baptismal Icon. Oxana has opened Baptismal Icon exhibitions in several cities, including Pskov and Saint Petersburg, Russia; Prague, Czech Republic; Tallinn, Estonia; Paris, France and Colombo, Sri Lanka. The exhibitions are organized by the Russian Club of Orthodox Maecenases.

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Jim Belushi visits the Ecumenical Patriarchate

On Monday, June 28, 2010, renowned Hollywood actor Jim Belushi visited the Phanar with his family to receive the blessing of His All Holiness. Belushi and his children are Albanian Orthodox Christians.

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Why Penn and Teller Won't Cover Islam or Scientology on Their TV Show

Mark Frauenfelder
Jun 28, 2010
Boing Boing

In this excerpt from a Las Vegas Weekly interview, Penn Jillette explains why he won't cover Islam or Scientology on his TV show, Bullshit!

Let’s talk about your TV show Bullshit! Will you ever run out of theories to debunk and people to expose?

If you build a kingdom on bullshit, you're not in danger of running out of it. Our producer says that Teller and I can take any subject in the news and do a credible show on it. Sure, we like to have a villain, something to call "bullshit" on, but if we don't, we can depart from that model.

Are there any groups you won't go after?

We haven't tackled Scientology because Showtime doesn't want us to. Maybe they have deals with individual Scientologists —- I'm not sure. And we haven't tackled Islam because we have families.

Meaning, you won’t attack Islam because you’re afraid it’ll attack back ...

Right, and I think the worst thing you can say about a group in a free society is that you’re afraid to talk about it—I can’t think of anything more horrific. [...]

You do go after Christians, though ...

Teller and I have been brutal to Christians, and their response shows that they’re good fucking Americans who believe in freedom of speech. We attack them all the time, and we still get letters that say, “We appreciate your passion. Sincerely yours, in Christ.” Christians come to our show at the Rio and give us Bibles all the time. They’re incredibly kind to us. Sure, there are a couple of them who live in garages, give themselves titles and send out death threats to me and Bill Maher and Trey Parker. But the vast majority are polite, open-minded people, and I respect them for that.

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Saint Michael Paknanas the Gardener from Athens

Saint Michael Paknanas the Gardener from Athens (Feast Day - June 30)

Historical Context

Athens was conquered by the Ottomans in 1456. It became actualized by 1458 when the Acropolis was captured and turned into a mosque. Athens became an administrative center (kaza) under Ottoman rule. The highest ranks of the city's executives were the voivode (governor) and the kadi (judge). Non-Muslims were allowed to practice their religion with few restrictions, but this had a price in the payment of higher taxes and the inability to hold public office (which was rarely given to Christians).

During the mid-18th century Muslims in Athens numbered to be about a tenth of the population following the Venetian invasion. Edward Gibbon described the inhabitants 'walking with supine indifference among the glorious ruins of antiquity.' Hans Christian Anderson reported seeing black Ethiopian slaves belonging to the Turks, who lived high in the caves in the side of the rock on the northern slope of the acropolis. Some of the cave entrances would be partially bricked up for added shelter. The Ethiopians used the ruins of the Temple of Olympian Zeus as a mosque.

In 1759 the voivode Hadji Αli Tzistarakis built the mosque which still bears his name on the present Monastiraki Square. The workmen dynamited one of the columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus to obtain high quality lime for the stucco. The Pasha of Chalkis had Hadji Αli Tzistarakis banished for this act, even refusing a bribe of 16,000 piastres which the voivode offered him. The people attributed the outbreak of plague that year to the disease being released by the destruction of the column.

Conditions for the Christian population of Athens worsened during the Russian-Ottoman War of 1768-1774, and especially with the campaigns of the Russian admiral Orlov in the Aegean in which a large number of local Christians took part. During these operations Salamis was taken over by armed Christians, which lead to a deterioration of Christian-Muslim relationships in Athens since many Christians were considered by Muslims to be allies of the Russians.

This painting by Johann Michael Wittmer from 1833 shows the dwelling of a Stylite ascetic on the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Ilissos River in the foreground.

Life of Saint Michael the Neomartyr of Athens

Michael Paknanas (or Baknanas) was born to very poor but pious and faithful parents in the famous city of Athens, Greece in 1753 near Thisseio. Consequently, he did not go to school but learned gardening instead. A devout Orthodox Christian, Michael was a parishioner at the church of Panagia Vlassarou, which today is in ruins in Ancient Agora near Thisseio . During the harvest season Michael would load his donkey with products and peddle them in the villages surrounding the city of Athens.

Panagia Vlassarou is exactly west of the Odeon of Agrippa, in the center of Ancient Agora on the edges of Thisseio. Only a part of the church wall survives.

One day when he was eighteen years old as he was returning from such a journey in the villages of Attica with his donkey, he was seized by some Muslims and accused falsely of transporting gunpowder to some rebel Greeks (klefts) who had become allies of the Russians. The Muslims beat him up and brought him before the kadi who had him put in jail. There, he was visited by other Muslims who threatened Michael and attempted to convert him to the Islamic faith.

A pious and zealous Christian named George, who found out about Michael, was able to visit him in prison and give him much needed support, for Michael was a rather simple and uneducated individual. George feared that Michael may deny his Orthodox faith, seeking to spare his life since he was only 18 years old. After bribing the guards George saw Michael in his prison cell on his knees praying with tears. For many hours they stayed together and prayed and sang hymns. After giving the young Michael words of encouragement to make firm his faith for martyrdom, they embraced and he departed.

After thirty days of incarceration, he was returned to the kadi who began to flatter Michael and promised not only to spare his life but to reward Michael with all kinds of good things if only he would consent and embrace Islam. Michael, however, refused saying: "I will not become a Muslim! I will not become a Turk!" (Δεν τουρκεύω!). Consequently he was sent to the so-called kalopasha (good pasha) from Ioannina to decide on his fate. Then the same thing occurred: the same threats and promises, but also the same refusal from Michael, who, though simple, was mighty in faith: "I will not become a Muslim! I will not become a Turk!" As a result, Michael was sentenced to death.

On the way to his execution, Michael asked forgiveness from all the Orthodox Christians he encountered. The site of his execution was to be the Temple of Olympian Zeus. At the site of his execution, Michael knelt and bent his head being tied to one of the pillars of the Temple. The executioner, to frighten and cause him to weaken at the last minute, hit him with the blunt edge of the sword asking the martyr to reconsider. The martyr responded: "I told you, I am a Christian. I refuse to become a Muslim." It is said that this was done a few times to induce fear in Michael. But Michael, full of the Holy Spirit, shouted with courage: "Strike for the Faith!" (Χτύπα για την πίστη!) This outburst infuriated the executioner who struck off Michael's head with one fatal swing of the sword.

Thus Michael the Gardner from Athens, Greece gave his life for the love of Jesus Christ in Athens on July 9, 1771.

The Temple of Olympian Zeus today. Originally there were 104 Corinthian columns of which only 15 remain standing. One of the columns actually blew down in a storm in 1852. The rest of the columns were used as building material over the centuries.

Today the following inscription at the Temple of Olympian Zeus (the first southeastern pillar) bears witness to St. Michael's martyrdom: "1771 Ιουλίου 9 απεκεφαλίσθη ο Πακνανάς Μιχάλης" (July 9th 1771 Michael Paknanas was beheaded.) Though he was martyred on July 9th, his feast day is celebrated on June 30th.

Finally, because he was a gardner and recommended a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, on April 4, 2003 the Archbishop of Athens Christodoulos proclaimed him a patron Saint of Dieticians and Nutritionists, in addition to Gardeners. Furthermore a street was named for him (Baknana) in Neos Kosmos in Athens, as well as a stop on the Tram station became named Baknana Tram Stop.

Apolytikion for a Martyr in the Fourth Tone
Thy Martyr Michael, O Lord, in his courageous contest for Thee received the prize of the crowns of incorruption and life from Thee, our immortal God. For since he possessed Thy strength, he cast down the tyrants and wholly destroyed the demons' strengthless presumption. O Christ God, by his prayers, save our souls, since Thou art merciful.

For a detailed biography of this Neomartyr, I highly recommend the following book (in Greek): ΦΕΡΟΥΣΗΣ Δ., Μιχαήλ Μπακνανάς (Ιστορικό αφήγημα), ΑΣΤΗΡ, 2007.

It is divided into the following parts:

Αντί για πρόλογο 5
Στης Βλασαρούς το μαχαλά 7
Στα χρόνια του Σαρρή Μουσελίμη 14
Το μυστικό της βρύσης 22
ʼπαρτο κάστρο! 26
Ο Μητρομάρας έρχεται 29
Ο «μποχτζάς των χαρατζίων» 34
Το σχολειό του Ντέκα 37
Το κονάκι του κυρ-Αναγνώστη στα Σοπόλια 42
Ο Μιχαλιός παράνομος; 49
Μποσταντζής και ναάτ-χάνης 56
Στους Τρεις Πύργους 60
Ο «κλωστός» δερβίσης 66
Ο γέροντας Εφραίμ 78
«Γιαβάς, γιαβάς ορέ ζεβζέκη» 87
Το άδικο μαντάτο 92
Το τζαμί του Τζισταράκη 95
Στο γουλέ του Κάστρου 101
Ποιος ήταν ο δυνατός 111
Τ' όνειρο του Μιχαλιού 116
«Χάιντε ορέ γκιαούρ» 121
Η καταραμένη λάμια 127
Τα μοιρολόγια της Αθήνας 133
Το τέλος του δρόμου 138
«Χτύπα μωρέ για την πίστη» 144
«Εναρέτως και αγγελικώς επολιτεύθη» 149
Όλα έγιναν στ' αχνό σκοτάδι της νύχτας 153
Το πέτρινο χρονικό 161
Ιστορικές σημειώσεις: 165
α. «Οίκος υπ' αριθ. 1549»
β. «Περί την εστίαν και την τράπεζαν»
γ. «Στις κολώνες»
δ. Ο ʼγιος Μιχαήλ ο Νέος
Βιβλιογραφία 179
Εικόνες 181

See also: The Home and Garden of Saint Michael Paknanas

For a contemporary martyr whose story bears amazing resemblence to Saint Michael, read about Saint Evgeny Rodionov. Also, if anyone has a photo of the inscription on the pillar, or information regarding the relics of St. Michael or a church dedicated to him, please let me know and proper credit will be given for this information. -J.S.

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Elder Gervasios Paraskevopoulos and the Miracle of the Cross

Elder Gervasios of Patras, who reposed on June 30, 1964

Inside the katholikon of the Convent of the Prophet Elias in Patras is a relic of a miracle associated with Elder Gervasios. Here is an account of what took place:

During the days of Meatfare, Father [Gervasios] used to take the catechetical school children and they would go up to the Hermitage, which is now the Convent of the Prophet Elias. On February 17, 1929, Father and his spiritual children devoted themselves to planting a few trees in the area near the aforementioned Hermitage. Father himself with a few of the children also planted a pine tree after reading a special prayer. From that time 31 years went by. In August of 1960, this pine tree was cut down together with other trees to serve as firewood at the children's camp of Sychainon. The woodcutter was amazed when he noticed that at the root of the tree a beautiful Cross had miraculously been formed with different colors. He immediately reported this to the Metropolitan of the time, Constantine (Platis), who hastened to the scene of the occurrence bringing a few chemists to confirm this phenomenon. The chemists used a few liquids to eradicate the Cross from the tree, but not only did they not achieve this, but the Cross became more and more distinctive. By means of the microscope they confirmed, as it is said, that at its four ends icons of the Nativity, the Baptism, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection were miraculously inscribed. After all these certifications they confessed that it was a supernatural phenomenon. The Metropolitan of Patras, convinced now that it was a miracle, gathered the people at the Church of Saint Paraskevi, Sychainon, where the children's camps were, and after he finished Vespers and a supplication of thanksgiving he addressed the people and made known to them the facts of the miracle. Father Gervasios, who was there, took the microphone and said, crying and thanking God: 'My brethren, this miracle did not happen for my sake, because I am a sinner. It happened for the sake of the good and sinless children, who also planted this tree.' What a height of humility! When the people heard the Elder himself confirming the miracle, they shed tears as they glorified God, who knows how 'to glorify those who glorify Him'. Such Crosses exist today in the Monastery of Gerokomeiou, at the Metropolis of Patras, at the Convent of Prophet Elias and at Saint Paraskevi, Sychainon.

The Cross that appeared in the tree Elder Gervasios planted, placed with other relics of Saints.
The spot on which the tree with the miraculous Cross was planted.

For further information on Elder Gervasios, I highly recommend the following book by Hierodeacon Cyril Kostopoulos, Elder Gervasios (Paraskevopoulos) of Patras: His Life and Pastoral Work, Orthodoxos Kypseli, 1995.

A video tribute to Elder Gervasios Paraskevopoulos


For pictures of Elder Gervasios and more information, visit this tribute blog by a Catechetical School he founded called Anaplastiki School of Patras.

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The Synaxis of the Glorious and All-Praiseworthy Twelve Apostles

The Synaxis of the Glorious and All-Praiseworthy Twelve Apostles of Christ appears to be an ancient Feast. The Church honors each of the Twelve Apostles on separate dates during the year, and has established a general commemoration for all of them on the day after the commemoration of the Glorious and First-Ranked among the Apostles, Peter and Paul. These are the names and the separate days of the celebrations of the Holy Twelve:

SAINT PETER June 29 and January 16

SAINT ANDREW November 30

SAINT JAMES, THE SON OF ZEBEDEE April 30

SAINT JOHN THE THEOLOGIAN September 26 and May 8

SAINT PHILIP November 14

SAINT BARTHOLOMEW June 11 and August 25

SAINT THOMAS October 6

SAINT MATTHEW THE EVANGELIST November 16

SAINT JAMES, THE SON OF ALPHAEUS October 9

SAINT THADDEUS OR JUDE, THE BROTHER OF JAMES June 19

SAINT SIMON THE ZEALOT May 10

SAINT MATTHIAS August 9

SAINT PAUL June 29

Let us also mention how each one of these most holy and most beneficial men in the history of the world ended their earthly life:

St. Peter was crucified upside down.

St. Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross.

Saint James, the son of Zebedee was beheaded.

Saint John the Theologian died in a miraculous manner.

St. Philip was crucified.

St. Bartholomew was crucified, scraped and beheaded.

St. Thomas was pierced with five spears.

Saint Matthew the Evangelist was burned alive.

Saint James, the son of Alphaeus was crucified.

Saint Thaddeus or Jude, the Brother of James was crucified.

Saint Simon the Zealot was crucified.

Saint Matthias was stoned and then was beheaded after death.

Saint Paul was beheaded.

The holy God-crowned Emperor Constantine the Great (May 21) built a church in Constantinople in honor of the Twelve Apostles. It was second only to Hagia Sophia among the great churches of Constantinople. Most Emperors and many patriarchs and bishops were buried in the church and their relics were venerated by the faithful for centuries. The most treasured possession of the church were the supposed skulls of Saints Andrew, Luke and Timothy, but the church also held relics of Saint John Chrysostom and other Church Fathers, saints and martyrs. The church also held what was believed to be part of the "Column of Flagellation", to which Jesus had been bound and flogged. The basilica was looted during the Fourth Crusade in 1204. The historian Nicetas Choniates records that the Crusaders plundered the imperial tombs and robbed them of gold and gems. Not even Justinian's tomb was spared. The tomb of Emperor Heraclius was opened and his golden crown was stolen along with the late Emperor's hairs still attached on it. Some of these treasures were taken to Venice, where they can still be seen in St Mark's Basilica. When Michael VIII Palaeologus recaptured the city from the Crusaders, he erected a statue of the Archangel Michael at the church to commemorate the event, and himself. In 1461, following the fall of Constantinople to Mehmed, it was taken over by the Ottomans and demolished to make way for the Fatih Mosque, which still occupies the site and houses Mehmed's tomb. Churches such as the Basilica of St. John, St Mark's Basilica, and Cathédrale Saint-Front are believed to have been modeled on Holy Apostles, but they differ from each other significantly. A possible reconstruction can be seen here. (Source)

For lists of the Apostles' names, see: Mt.10:2, Mark 3:14, Luke 6:12, Acts 1:13, 26.

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

Kontakion in the Second Tone
O Lord, receive the steadfast and divinely voiced preachers, the pinnacle of Your disciples, unto their rest and the enjoyment of Your blessings. You received, above every offering, their labors and their life. You alone know what the heart holds.

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The Apostolic Testimony to the Resurrection of Christ

The following is an excerpt from a dialogue that Elder Epiphanios Theodoropoulos had with an atheistic Communist regarding the apostolic testimony to the Resurrection of Christ.

Atheist:
Do you have any historical facts that would confirm His [Jesus'] Divinity?

Elder:
I told you at the beginning, that the proofs of His Divinity are the supernatural events that took place while He was here on earth. Christ did not rest on the proclamation of the above truths alone; He certified His statements with miracles as well. He made blind people see and cripples walk; He satisfied the hunger of five thousand men and manifold numbers of women and children with only two fish and five loaves of bread; He commanded the elements of nature and they obeyed; He resurrected the dead, amongst which was Lazarus, four days after his death. But the most astounding of all his miracles was His own Resurrection.

The entire edifice of Christianity is supported on the event of the Resurrection. This is not my speculation. The Apostle Paul said it: “If Christ had not risen (from the dead), our faith would be futile” (I Corinthians 15:17). If Christ is not resurrected, then everything collapses. But Christ was resurrected, which means He is the Lord of life and death, therefore God.

Atheist:
Did you see all of this? How can you believe it?

Elder:
No, I didn’t see any of it, but others did: the Apostles. They in turn made this known to others, and they actually “signed” their testimony with their own blood. And, as everyone acknowledges, a testimony of one’s life is the supreme form of testimony.

Why don’t you likewise bring me someone, who will tell me that Marx died and was resurrected, and that he is willing to sacrifice his life in order to testify it? I, as an honest man, will believe him.

Atheist:
I will tell you. Thousands of communists were tortured and died for their ideology. Why don’t you embrace communism in the same way?

Elder:
You said it yourself. Communists died for their ideology. They didn’t die for real events. In an ideology, it is very easy for deception to seep through; and because it is a characteristic of the human soul to sacrifice itself for something it believes in, this explains why so many communists died for their ideology. But that doesn’t compel us to accept this ideology as something true.

It is one thing to die for ideas, and another to die for events. The Apostles didn’t die for any ideas. Not even for the “Love one another”, or any of the other moral teachings of Christianity. The Apostles died for their testimony of supernatural events. And when we say ‘event’, we mean that which is captured by our physical senses, and is comprehended through them.

The Apostles suffered martyrdom for “that which they heard”, “that which they saw with their own eyes”, “that which they observed and their hands touched” (I John 1).
Just like the clever speculation by Pascal, we say that one of the three following things happened to the Apostles: either they were deceived, or, they deceived us, or, they told us the truth.

Let’s take the first case. It is not possible for the Apostles to have been deceived, because everything that they reported, was not reported to them by others. They themselves were eye and ear witnesses of all those things. Besides, none of them were imaginative characters, nor did they have any psychological inclination that made them accept the event of the Resurrection. Quite the contrary – they were terribly distrustful. The Gospels are extremely revealing, in their narrations of their spiritual dispositions: they even disbelieved the reassurances that some people had actually seen Him, resurrected.

And one other thing. What were the Apostles, before Christ called them? Were they perhaps ambitious politicians or visionaries of philosophical and social systems, who were longing to conquer mankind and thus satisfy their fantasies? Not at all. They were illiterate fishermen. The only thing that interested them was to catch a few fish to feed their families. That is why, even after the Lord’s Crucifixion, and despite everything that they had heard and seen, they returned to their fishing boats and their nets. In other words, there was not a single trace of disposition in these men for the things that were to follow. It was only after the day of the Pentecost, “when they received strength from on high”, that they became the teachers of the universe.

The second case: Did they deceive us? Did they lie to us? But then, why would they deceive us? What would they gain by lying? Was it money? Was it status? Was it glory? For someone to tell a lie, he must be expecting some sort of gain. The Apostles though, by preaching Christ – and in fact Christ crucified and resurrected – the only things that they secured for themselves were: hardships, labours, lashings, stonings, shipwrecks, hunger, thirst, nakedness, attacks from robbers, beatings, incarcerations and finally, death. And all this, for a lie? It would be undoubtedly foolish for anyone to even consider it.

Consequently, the Apostles were neither deceived, nor did they deceive us. This leaves us with the third choice: that they told us the truth.

I should also stress something else here: The Evangelists are the only ones who recorded true historical events. They describe the events, and only the events. They do not resort to any personal judgments. They praise no one, and they criticize no one. They make no attempt to exaggerate an event, nor eliminate or underestimate another. They let the events speak for themselves.

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Great Vespers Where St. Paul Preached to the Athenians

Below is footage from the June 29, 2007 Great Vespers Service at Mars Hill (Areopagus) in Athens where the Apostle Paul preached to the Athenians. For photos from the ceremony in 2010, see here.


A recreation of the speech of the Apostle Paul can be seen here.

H.V. Morton remarks in his book In The Steps Of Saint Paul that in appealing to their altars of the "Unknown God", St. Paul's teaching, as always, was tailored to his audience. He didn't quote the Hebrew Scriptures, which would have meant little to his listeners, but instead gave them something of their own:

"It was an excellent beginning. It had the local touch, the right note of something surprising to follow. To everyone who listened to St. Paul, the altars inscribed TO AN UNKNOWN GOD were, of course, a commonplace. Everyone knew the story of the plague that visited Athens in the sixth century before Christ, and how, after sacrifices had been made to every known god and the plague continued, the services of the Cretan prophet, Epimenides, were requested. He drove a flock of black and white sheep to the Areopagus and allowed them to stray from there as they liked, waiting until they rested of their own free will: and on those spots were the sheep sacrificed "to the fitting god". The plague ceased, and it became the custom, not in Athens alone, to erect altars to unknown deities."

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Greek Ministry Sues Vatopaidi Monastery

Greek Ministry Sues Orthodox Monastery Over Land-Exchange Deal

June 28, 2010
By Natalie Weeks
Business Week

Greece sued an Orthodox Christian monastery over a land deal, seeking ownership recognition and a damages payment.

Greece’s State Legal Council filed its case against Vatopedi monastery on June 25th asking that an Athens court recognize the government as the owner of 180 stremmata (44.5 acres) in northern Greece that was part of a land exchange deal in 2007, according to an e-mailed statement from the Athens- based finance ministry today.

The government also asked for 10 million euros ($12.3 million) in moral harm payments, the statement said.

Two members of former Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis’s government resigned in the furor over the sale of state land to the monastery, a transaction that cost Greek taxpayers 100 million euros, according to media reports.

Calls to the monastery outside of normal operating hours weren’t answered. The Vatopedi monastery, on the autonomous monastic community of Mount Athos in northern Greece, is administered by Patriarch Vartholomeos, the spiritual head of the world’s estimated 250 million Orthodox Christians.


Vatopedi Legal Action Launched

June 29, 2010
Kathimerini

Parliament was due to vote late last night in a secret ballot on whether to hold a preliminary judicial inquiry into the exchange of real estate between the state and the Vatopedi Monastery, just a few days after the government launched legal action against the Mount Athos monks.

Following a parliamentary inquiry at the end of which the five parties were unable to arrive at a common conclusion as to whether there was enough evidence to prosecute specific politicians in connection to the property deal, the House was due to vote on whether a more thorough probe should be launched with the aim of establishing if former ministers committed any crimes.

Members of both parties have been accused of working to set up a deal to give valuable public property to the monastery in return for land of much lower value. PASOK concluded that at least six members of the previous government – Theodoros Roussopoulos, Petros Doukas, Evangelos Bassiakos, Alexandros Kontos, Giorgos Voulgarakis and Giorgos Kiltidis – should face further investigation over their alleged roles in the exchange, which is estimated to have cost taxpayers at least 100 million euros. But it also accepted two of its ex-ministers – Giorgos Dris and Apostolos Fotiadis – had set the wheels in motion for the deal more than a decade ago by following up on the monastery’s claim to land around Lake Vistonida in northeastern Greece.

It was made known yesterday that the State Legal Council had filed a suit against Vatopedi on Friday, claiming that the government was the owner of one of the areas of land around Vistonida, a 1.8-hectare plot, that formed part of the swap carried out by the previous New Democracy government in 2007. The government is also asking for 10 million euros in moral damage payments.

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Lady Gaga Answers Illuminati Rumors

Lady GaGa: "Isn't That An Illuminati Ritual?..."

The pop singer settles the rumours...

28 June 2010
MTV UK

Rumours about Lady GaGa's supposed ties to the Illuminati cult have been around for a while now.

Lady G has revealed that a bizarre dream was the cause of all of this. GaGa claims that her weird dress sense and stage shows are in fact inspired by an Illuminati dream.

She told Rolling Stone Magazine: “I have this recurring dream sometimes where there’s a phantom in my home. He takes me into a room, and there’s a blond girl with ropes tied to all four of her limbs. And she’s got my shoes on from the Grammys. Go figure - pyscho. And the ropes are pulling her apart.”

If you think that sounded weird, it gets worse for the star:

“I never see her get pulled apart, but I just watch her whimper, and then the phantom says to me, ‘If you want me to stop hurting her and if you want your family to be OK, you will cut your wrist.’ And I think that he has his own, like, crazy wrist-cutting device. And he has this honey in, like, Tupperware, and it looks like sweet-and-sour sauce with a lot of MSG from New York. Just bizarre. And he wants me to pour the honey into the wound, and then put cream over it and a gauze.”

GaGa was confused by her dream and turned to other sources to find out its meaning.

“So I looked up the dream, and I couldn’t find anything about it anywhere. And my mother goes, ‘Isn’t that an illuminati ritual?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, my God!’ I do have morbid dreams. But I put them in the show. A lot of the work I do is an exorcism for the fans but also for myself.”

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Icon Over Spassky Gate To Be Restored

Jun 29, 2010
Moscow Time

Work has begun to reconstruct the icon over the gate of Moscow Kremlin’s Spasskaya Tower. According to historical chronicles, the tower housed the icon depicting the Savior with St. Sergius of Radonezh and St. Varlaam of Khutyn falling down at His feet. Now plaster and metal lathing should be removed from the icon ark above the Spassky Gate.

The Spasskaya Tower, with its chiming clock, is considered the main tower of the Moscow Kremlin. The icon of Spas Nerukotvorny (Divine Savior) appeared over its gate after some miraculous powers saved Moscow from the 17th century plague.

Works To Reinstall Icon Over Spasskaya Tower Gates Launched

Moscow, 29 June 2010, Interfax – Works on reinstallation of the icon over the gates of the Moscow Kremlin Spasskaya tower have started on Tuesday, St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation told Interfax-Religion.

The first stage of works consists in removing a layer of plaster covering a metallic grid and bars in ten centimeter distance from the icon. Expert will manage to evaluate state of the icon and decide on methods and terms of restoration in some days.

Works on reinstallation of the icon over the gates of the Moscow Kremlin Nikolskaya tower will be launched in several days.

St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation had initiated the reinstallation of icons over the gates of the Moscow Kremlin towers as far back as in 2007. The project received the government support and the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia.

In April 2010, experts of the Interregional Scientific and Restoration Office made probes of the icon-cases of the Spasskaya and Nikolskaya Towers. The research has confirmed the hypothesis that the icons were preserved under the layer of plaster.

Ancient icons were discovered on the Spasskaya and Nikolskaya Towers of the Kremlin. They were walled in during Soviet times and have been deemed lost for a long time now.


About The Saviour's (Spasskaya) Tower

The Gothic-turreted Spasskaya Tower, considered by many to be the most beautiful tower of the Kremlin, was built under the supervision of Pietro Antonio Solari in 1491, and stands on the north-eastern side of the citadel, bordering Red Square.

The gate of the Spasskaya Tower has been the official entrance to the Kremlin for centuries. Until the 17th century the tower was known as the Frolovskaya, due to its location not far from the St. Frol church and monastery. In 1658 an Icon of the Saviour was mounted above the gate facing Red Square, and the tower's name was changed to Spasskaya by decree of the Tsar.

The Russians have always regarded the Spasskaya Tower with great reverence. According to old legends, the tower was possessed with miraculous powers and was reputed to protect the Kremlin from enemy invasion. People passing through the gates would always observe the custom of crossing themselves and doffing their hats to show their respect, and horses passing under the gates of the tower were said to shy. In fact, legend has it that Napoleon himself could not prevent his horse from taking fright as he rode through the gates, having failed to show his respect, and the French Emperor's hat was said to have fallen from his head.

During the 16th and 17th centuries the tower was used by the Tsar and the Patriarch for ceremonial processions and for greeting foreign dignitaries, and even today world leaders on state visits are escorted through its gates on their way to an audience with the Russian President. The tower is crowned by an illuminated ruby-red star, which replaced the double-headed Russian eagle in 1937, raising the tower's height to 71 metres.

The tower is also famous for its chimes. The first clock upon the Spasskaya Tower appeared in the 17th century, after the addition of a multi-tiered turret to the top of the tower. Designed by the Englishman Christopher Galloway, the clock boasted gold numerals in Old Slavonic and Arabic upon a blue background decorated with silver stars, but it eventually broke and was replaced in 1707 with Dutch chimes.

The present-day Kremlin chimes were made in 1851-1852 by the Butenop brothers. During the October Revolution in 1917, a stray shell hit the clock, seriously damaging its mechanism. A year later it was repaired by order of Lenin, who decreed that it should be equipped with new chimes capable of playing the Communist Internationale. This unique clock has four dials, each 6.12 in diameter. The numerals are 0.72 metres in height, and the hour hand is 2.97 metres long, while the minute hand measures 3.28 metres. Their accuracy is ensured by a 32 kilogram pendulum. The ringing mechanism is equipped with 10 quarter-hour bells and one bell to chime the hour. The clock was originally wound by hand, but since 1937 it has wound itself automatically twice daily.

Today, just as 100 years ago, you can hear its ceremonial chimes, the sound of which rings out far beyond the surroundings of the Kremlin and Red Square below.

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See also: Old Icons Discovered in Kremilin Towers

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Venerable Macarius' Miracle of the Moose

Venerable Macarius' Miracle of the Moose is a miracle associated with the name of Venerable Macarius of the Yellow Water Lake and the Unzha (1349-1444), a Saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. It is thought to have occurred in June 1439 in the woodlands of what today is Semyonov District of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast.

The Account of the Miracle in the Life of Venerable Macarius

During the invasion of Russia by the Khan Olug Moxammat of Kazan in 1439, Zheltovodsky (Yellow Lake) Monastery of Holy Trinity was destroyed. Venerable Macarius (Russian: Макарий, Makariy), the founder of the monastery, was taken prisoner along with a few other survivors. After meeting with Macarius, the khan was so impressed by the nonagenarian abbot's piety and love of his neighbor, that he released him and his disciples, on the condition that they leave the Yellow Lake site.

The Yellow Lake (which was located at the fall of the Kerzhenets into the Volga) being too perilously close to the invasion route taken by the Kazan Khanate armies invading Russian principalities and vice versa, the released survivors instead decided to go a few hundred kilometers to the north, into the fastness of the Galich forests, which are located along the Unzha River in what today is Kostroma Oblast. Taking the easy route along the Volga would not be a safe thing to do in this year of war; so the Saint and his followers chose to travel through the dense woodlands and swamps of the Kerzhenets basin — the land which even today is almost deserted by people.

After a few days of travel, the monks ran out of food. One day they somehow managed to capture a moose[1] (some later sources say that the moose had been trapped "at a narrow place", perhaps between trees[2]). The followers of Macarius wanted to slaughter and eat the animal. But as this was the time of the Fast of the Holy Apostles, Venerable Macarius prohibited them to do that. Instead, he told them to cut off the moose's right ear and to release the animal. He told them that they only need to wait for three days, until the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, and the moose will be theirs. "Don't be aggrieved", said Macarius, "but pray to the Lord. He who fed the people of Israel in the desert with manna for 40 years, can also feed you these days in a manner invisible. Have a strong faith in Him who fed five thousand people, not counting women and children, with five loaves and two fish!"

For the next three days of the fast the travellers marched along without fatigue. No one died of starvation; no one even felt hunger or thought of food.

On the Feastday of Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Venerable Macarius went away from his companions and praised the Lord, praying to Him that His people may be fed as had been the people of Israel in the desert or the five thousand people in the days of Apostles. When Macarius returned to his brethren, they saw the moose with no right ear approaching them. And this time, the animal was not wild: it behaved as if it was tame.

After the dinner of bonfire-roasted venison, the travellers praised the Lord for His great kindness. Venerable Macarius told his companions not to worry about food anymore, but rely on God Who will give them food and everything else they need.

The Life of Venerable Macarius does not tell us whether everyone who had left the Yellow Lake with him reached the Unzha alive. But it is said that God had protected them from hunger and from wild beasts during their travel, delivering moose, deer, and other game into their hands.

Commemoration of the Miracle

The Miracle of the Moose appears on some of the icons of Venerable Macarius, sometimes as the main topic of the icon, sometimes as one of the episodes. It is also the topic of one of the new frescoes in the Refectory section of the Ascension Cathedral of Pechersky Ascension Monastery in Nizhny Novgorod (see icon above; note the clipped left ear of the animal: presumably, the fresco depicts the moment when the moose that had been marked by Macarius in this way returned to the Saint and his party).

The Kontakion of the Hymn for the Feast of Venerable Macarius (July 12/July 25) refers to this miracle when it says of Macarius:

You were revealed as the second Moses, O Venerable One. For he divided the sea with a staff, you have conquered the passions like Amalek, and you passed through the impassable wilderness with an unwavering mind, and in it you performed great wonders through your prayers. You abundantly fed the hungry people.[3]


Olenevsky Skete

The Kerzhenets River woodlands, where the Miracle of the Moose purportedly happened, became in the late 17th century one of the main areas of refuge for the Old Believers. According to their legend, the main community of the Kerzhenets Old Believers, known as the Olenevsky Skete (Russian: Оленевский скит) had been originally founded soon after the Miracle of the Moose by some of the monks expelled from Venerable Macarius' Yellow Waters Monastery, at the site where the animal was captured by the Venerable's prayers. The skete's name comes from the Russian: Олень (olen), which means "deer", thus commemorating the miracle. It is said that during the Raskol two hundred years later the Skete's hermits rejected Nikon's reforms, thus making it the center of attraction for Old Believer refugees from other parts of the country, who then founded numerous other sketes in the area.[4]

Olenevsky Skete was one of the centers of the so-called Beglopopovtsy ("those who accepted the fleeing priests"), the school of Old Believers who thought that, since the Old Believers had no bishops of their own who could ordain priests, it was acceptable for them to accept priests who had been ordained by the established church but later left it for the Old Believer sketes. It is reported that the Skete was mostly destroyed during one of the Old Believer suppression campaigns in 1737, but restored after Catherine II's "amnesty" of 1762. It was known as a women's skete, with 49 nuns reported as living there at the time of its official closure in 1854, pursuant to Nicholas II anti-skete executive order of 1853. A number of nuns in fact continued to live at the site long after the official disbandment.[4]

The former skete is now known as the village of Bolshoye Olenevo, and is located 24 km south-east of the town of Semyonov (Nizhny Novgorod Oblast). It remains the site of pilgrimage for the Old Believers of the area.

Notes:

1. The animal species referred to as "лось" (loś) in the Russian sources is alces, which is known as moose in North American English and elk in British English. Considering that the events described in the Life of Venerable Macarius took place in Europe in the 14th century, and the earliest extant manuscripts of the Life are thought to have been written in the 17th century, it would be more historically and geographically correct to refer to the animal as an elk. However, the word moose is used in this article as less ambiguous for the majority of modern English speakers.

2. Count M.V. Tolstoy, Stories from the History of Russian Church (РАССКАЗЫ ИЗ ИСТОРИИ РУССКОЙ ЦЕРКВИ), vol.3.

3. S.V. Bulgakov, Handbook for Church Servers, 2nd ed., 1274 pp. (Kharkov, 1900) pp 0255-0256. Translated by Archpriest Eugene D Tarris.

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A Hierarchical Concelebration In Cappadocia

On 27 June 2010, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations, concelebrated the Divine Liturgy with His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, His Beatitude Pope and Patriarch Theodore of Alexandria and All Africa, and His Beatitude Archbishop Hieronymos of Athens and All Greece. The Liturgy was celebrated at the Church of the Great Martyrs Ss Theodore Tyron and Theodore Stratelates in Malakopi (Derinkuyu).

The monastic choir of Xenophontos Monastery sang during the divine service.

In his homily delivered after the Gospel reading His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew welcomed Metropolitan Hilarion as a wonderful theologian who has dedicated his studies particularly to St. Gregory the Theologian and remarked that Metropolitan Hilarion and his suite have arrived for pilgrimage to the holy sites of Cappadocia with the blessing His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople added that in 2007 His Holiness, who was Metropolitan of Smolensk and Kaliningrad at that time, took part in the similar pilgrimage.

His Beatitude Archbishop Hieronymos of Athens and All Greece and Metropolitan Hilarion addressed the Primates of the Local Orthodox Churches, bishops, clerics, monks and laymen at the end of the service. Metropolitan Hilarion said:

“I wholeheartedly greet you all who have gathered in this holy church on behalf of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and on my own behalf.

“Cappadocia is a holy land to the members of the Russian Orthodox Church. Ss. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and Gregory of Nyssa, who were great fathers, pillars of the Church and universal theologians. Had shone forth in this land. Monks and nuns had lived here throughout centuries ‘in caves and holes in the ground’ (Heb 11:38); the blood of martyrs and confessors had been shed here.

“Cappadocia is a much suffered land, as its churches, once magnificent and beautiful, have fell in desolation.

“We were persecuted for our faith for seventy years of godless power in Russia. Many churches were blown up or ruined, monasteries were closed, and priests were shot to death or exiled. No one could imagine twenty-five or thirty years ago that church life in Russia will be revived, the churches of God will be built and adorned, and hundreds of new monasteries will open their gates to monks and nuns. Yet, God has performed a miracle, and the Orthodox faith that has lived in human hearts has been revived in Russia.

“We believe that the light of Christian faith will be rekindled in this holy land.

“I cordially greet all whose predecessors lived in this land and those who have come here to honour their memory.

“I join His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew in calling you to cherish memory of the land of your forefathers, to pass your love of this land to your children and grandchildren and to come here again and again. Do not let the churches in this land to turn into ruins even if they are not used for intended purposes at present.

“Give support to your Patriarch who come here every year to celebrated in the churches of this holy land,

“Your Holiness! I wholeheartedly thank you for an invitation to make pilgrimage to the churches and monasteries of this land together with you.

“Please accept a modest gift, my book about St. Gregory the Theologian in the French language, as a token of our pilgrimage. An ancient countenance of the Saint, survived at a church in Cappadocia by a miracle, is on the cover. May the prayers of St. Gregory, your predecessor at the Patriarchal throne of Constantinople, help you in your primatial ministry.”

Archpriest Nikolai Balashov, deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’ Department for External Church Relations, was among the concelebrants.

The Divine Liturgy being over, His Holiness Patriarch Bartholomew conducted a requiem litia for Orthodox Christians who lived in Cappadocia.



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Saint Gregory Palamas' Homily for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul

Homily 28

1. The commemoration of each of the saints on the appointed feast day is an occasion for town and country, citizens and their rulers to share in rejoicing, and brings great benefit to all who celebrate. "The memory of the just is praised", says the wise Solomon (Prov. 10:7 Lxx), "When the righteous is praised the people will rejoice" (cf. Prov. 29:2 Lxx). If a lamp is lit at night, its light shines for the service and enjoyment of everyone present. Similarly, through such commemorations, each saint's God-pleasing course, his blessed end, and the grace bestowed on him by God, because of the purity of his life, bring spiritual joy and benefit to the whole congregation, like a bright flaming torch set in our midst. When the land bears a good harvest everyone rejoices, not just the farmers (for we all benefit from the earth's produce); so the fruits which the saints bring forth for God through their virtue delight not only the Husbandman of souls, but all of us, being set before us for the common good and pleasure of our souls. During their earthly lives, all the saints are an incentive to virtue for those who hear and see them with understanding, for they are human icons of excellence, animated pillars of goodness, and living books, which teach us the way to better things. Afterwards, when they depart this life, the benefit we gain from them is kept alive for ever through the remembrance of their virtues. By commemorating their noble deeds, we offer them that praise which, on the one hand, we owe them for the good they did our ancestors, but which, on the other, is also fitting for us at the present time, on account of the help they give us now.

2. When we call to mind what they accomplished we add nothing to their good deeds. How could we, given that we are not even competent to depict their virtue as it really is. For the sake of the sublime rewards promised by God, they strove honourably to the limit of human nature and showed us a way of life that was equally sublime. We certainly do not augment their treasures by praising them. Not at all! But we do increase their bounty to us by looking up towards them as lanterns aglow with divine light, and by understanding better and welcoming the beautifying power which comes from them.

3. If, as we have said, we commemorate each of the saints with hymns and appropriate songs of praise, how much more should we celebrate the memory of Peter and Paul, the supreme Leaders of the pre-eminent company of the Apostles? They are the fathers and guides of all Christians: Apostles, martyrs, holy ascetics, priests, hierarchs, pastors and teachers. As chief shepherds and master builders of our common godliness and virtue, they tend and teach us all, like lights in the world, holding forth the word of life (Phil. 2:15-16). Their brightness excels that of the other radiantly pious and virtuous saints as the sun outshines the stars, or as the heavens, which declare the sublime glory of God (cf. Ps. 19:1), transcend the skies. In their order and strength they are greater than the heavens, more beautiful than the stars, and swifter than both, and as regards what lies beyond the realm of the senses, it is they who reveal things which surpass the very heavens themselves and indeed the whole universe, and who make them bright with the light "in which there is no variableness neither shadow of turning" (cf. Jas. 1:17). Not only do they bring people out of darkness into this wonderful light, but by enlightening them they make them light, the offspring of the perfect light, that each of them may shine like the sun (Matt. 13:43), when the Author of light, the God-man and Word, appears in glory.

4. The appearance to us this day of both these luminaries together brightens the Church, for their meeting produces a wealth of light, not an eclipse. It is not the case that one has a higher orbit and is placed above, while the other is lower down and passes under his shadow. Nor does one rule the day, the other the night, such that one would overshadow the other if they appeared opposite each other. Light is not produced by one and received by the other in such a way that the latter?s radiance would vary sometimes depending on the distance between them. Rather, both share equally in Christ, the everlasting Source of eternal light, and have attained to the same height, glory and radiance. That is why the coming together of these lights signifies their solidarity and support for one another and illuminates the souls of the faithful twice over.

5. The first traitor, who incited the first man to desert God, saw Him Who had earlier made Adam, the father of the human race, later re-creating Peter as the father of all true worshippers. He not only saw, but also heard the Creator saying to Peter: "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church" (Matt. 16:18). Once the prince of evil found this out, being the epitome of wicked envy, he tempted Peter, the first leader of God's faithful people, as he had previously tempted Adam, the founder of the race of men. Realizing that Peter was endowed with intelligence and afire with love for Christ, he did not dare make a direct attack. Instead he came upon him from the right flank, cunningly deceiving him into being excessively eager. At the time of the saving Passion, when the Lord told His disciples, "All ye shall be offended because of me this night" (Matt. 26:31), Peter disobediently contradicted Him. He also exalted himself above the others, saying that even if everyone else were offended, he would not be (Matt. 26:33). Because he had been beguiled into arrogance, he fell further than the rest, so that by humbling himself more than them he might eventually appear more radiant. Unlike Adam who was tempted, vanquished and completely brought down, Peter, having been tempted and led astray a little, overcame the tempter. How? Through his immediate condemnation of himself, his intense sorrow and repentance, and the medicine which brings forgiveness, tears. "A broken and contrite heart", it says, "O God, thou wilt not despise" (Ps. 51:17), and "Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of" (2 Cor. 7:10), and "They that sow their supplications in tears shall joyfully reap forgiveness" (cf. Ps. 126:5).

6. Anyone who looks at Peter will see that through repentance and painful grief he not only adequately healed the denial into which he had been drawn, but he also completely rooted out of his soul that passion which had made him fall behind the others. Wishing to demonstrate this to everyone, the Lord, after His Passion in the flesh for our sake and His rising on the third day, used those words to Peter which we read in today's Gospel, asking him, "Simon, son of Jonah, lovest thou me more than these" (John 21:15), meaning, "more than these disciples of mine". But see how much humbler he has become. Whereas before, even without being asked, he set himself above the rest and said that even if all forsook the Lord, he would not; now, on being asked whether he loves Him more than the others do, he affirms that he loves Him, but leaves out the word "more", saying "Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee" (John 21:15, 16, cf. 17).

7. What does the Lord do? Since Peter has shown that he has not lost his love for Him and has now acquired humility as well, He openly fulfils the promise made long before and tells him, "Feed my lambs" (John 21:15). When He was referring to the company of believers as a building, He promised to make Peter the foundation stone, saying, "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church" (Matt. 16:18). On the other hand, when He was talking in terms of fishing, He made him a fisher of men with the words, "From henceforth thou shalt catch men" (Luke 5:10). But when He speaks of His disciples as sheep, He sets Peter over them as a shepherd, saying, "Feed my lambs, feed my sheep" (John 21:15-17). It is clear from this that the Lord's desire for us to be saved is so great, that He asks of those who love Him only one thing: to lead us to the pasture and fold of salvation.

8. Let us long to be saved, and obey those who lead us in that direction through their words and deeds. As long as each of us wishes to take the road leading to salvation, the teacher, prepared by our common Saviour, is at hand, together with the Giver of salvation, Who, in His overwhelming love for mankind, is more than ready without being called or beseeched. Christ asks Peter three times so that three times he can reply affirming his faith, thus healing his threefold denial with his threefold confession. Thrice Christ appoints him over His sheep and lambs, placing under him the three categories of those being saved: slaves, hirelings and sons, or, alternatively, virgins, chaste widows and those honourably married. But when Peter was asked again and again if he loved Christ, the Scripture tells us he was grieved by the repeated questioning (John 21:17), supposing that the Lord did not believe him. Knowing that he loved Christ, aware that his questioner knew him better than he knew himself, and feeling under pressure, Peter not only confessed that he loved Him, but also proclaimed that the Lord he loved was "God over all" (Rom. 9:5), by saying, "Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee", because only "God Who is over all" is all-knowing.

9. Once Peter had made this heartfelt confession, the Lord ordained him Shepherd and Chief Pastor of His whole Church, and also promised to encompass him with such strength, that he who previously was unable even to stand being spoken to and questioned by a young girl (John 18:17), would endure unto death, even death on a cross. "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast younger", both physically and spiritually, "thou girdest thyself", meaning, you used your own strength, "and walkest whither thou wouldest", doing what you liked and living according to your natural inclinations. "But when thou shalt be old", having reached the peak of your physical and spiritual age, "thou shalt stretch forth thy hands". With these words, Christ indicates that Peter will die on a cross, and bears witness that his crucifixion will not be involuntary. "Thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee", meaning strengthen, "and carry thee whither thou wouldest not", that is to say, out of this life (cf. John 21:18). Our nature is unwilling to be dissolved in death, and Peter's superhuman martyrdom also demonstrates our attitude as human beings to life. "Strengthened by Me", Christ tells him, "you will willingly endure all these things for my sake and bear witness to me; for the desire to do so is not natural but supernatural to human nature".

10. Peter was the sort of man who can be described in a few words. As for Paul, on the other hand, what tongue, or how many and what sort of tongues, can depict even to a limited extent his endurance unto death for Christ's sake? He was put to death every day, or rather he was always dead, no longer alive himself, as he tells us, but having Christ living in him (Gal. 2:20). For love of Christ he not only counted everything in the present world as dung (Phil. 3:8), but even put things to come in second place compared to the Lord. "For I am persuaded", he says, "that neither death, nor life, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (cf. Rom. 8:38-39). He had zeal for God, and was jealous over us with divine jealousy (2 Cor. 11:2). The only one to equal him in this was Peter, but hear how humble he is when he says of himself, "I am the least of the Apostles, that am not meet to be called an Apostle" (1 Cor. 15:9).

11. Given that Paul made the same confession of faith as Peter, and had the same zeal, humility and love, surely they received the same rewards from Him Who measures everything with completely just scales, yardstick and plumbline. Anything else would be unreasonable. That is why the Lord told Peter, "Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church" (Matt. 16:18), whereas He said to Ananias of Paul, "He is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings" (Acts 9:15). Which name? Clearly the name we have been given, the name of Christ's Church, which rests on the foundation stone of Peter. Notice that Peter and Paul are equal in prominence and glory, and both hold up the Church. Consequently the Church now bestows one and the same honour on both, and celebrates them together with equal esteem. As we consider the outcome of their lives, let us imitate how they lived, or at least how they were restored through humility and repentance, even if we cannot attain to their other great and exalted achievements, which are appropriate to great men and fitting for great men to emulate. In fact, some aspects of their lives are probably impossible for anyone to imitate. Amendment through repentance, however, is more appropriate for us than for the great, since we all sin many times every day, and unless we lay hold of salvation through continuous repentance, we have no hope of it from any other source.

12. Repentance is preceded by awareness of our sins, which is a strong incentive to mercy. "Have mercy upon me", said the Psalmist and Prophet to God, "for I acknowledge my transgressions" (Ps. 5 1:1, 3). Through his recognition of sin he attracted God's compassion, and through his confession and self-condemnation he obtained complete forgiveness. "I said", the Psalmist tells us, "I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my heart" (cf. Ps. 32:5), because acknowledgment of our sins is followed by condemnation of ourselves, which in turn is followed by that sorrow for our sins which Paul calls "godly sorrow" (2 Cor. 7:10). After godly sorrow confession and prayer to God with a contrite heart come naturally (Ps. 51:17), as does the promise to keep away from evil from now on. This is repentance.

13. This is how Manasseh escaped being punished for his sins, even though he had fallen into many great and serious transgressions, and wallowed in them for years on end (2 Chr. 33:1-20). As for David, the Lord set aside his sin because of his repentance, nor did he deprive him of his Prophetic gift. When Peter resorted to repentance, he not only recovered from his fall and obtained forgiveness, but was also appointed to protect Christ's Church. As you see, Paul too was rewarded with this role after his conversion, once he had made progress and become more closely God's own than the others. Repentance which is true and truly from the heart persuades the penitent not to sin any more, not to mix with corrupt people, and not to gape in curiosity at evil pleasures, but to despise things present, cling to things to come, struggle against passions, seek after virtues, be self-controlled in every respect, keep vigil with prayers to God, and shun dishonest gain. It convinces him to be merciful to those who wrong him, gracious to those who ask something of him, ready with all his heart to bend down and help in any way he can, whether by words, actions or money, all who seek his assistance, that through kindness to his fellow-man he might gain God's love in return for loving his neighbour, draw the divine favour to himself, and attain to eternal mercy and God's everlasting blessing and grace.

14. May we all attain to this by the grace of the only-begotten Son of God, to Whom belong all glory, might, honour and worship, together with His Father without beginning and the all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and for ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.


Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
First in prominence among the Apostles, and teachers to the Universe, intercede to the Master of all for peace in the world and for our souls great mercy.

Kontakion in the Second Tone
O Lord, receive unto the enjoyment of Your good things and Your rest, the steadfast preachers of Godly words, the pinnacle of Your Disciples. Receive their pain and death above every sacrifice, for You alone know the hearts of men.

From The Homilies of Saint Gregory Palamas, Volume Two, translated by Christopher Veniamin (St. Tikhon's Seminary Press, 2004).

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