The Great Miracle of St. Spyridon on August 11, 1716

Commemoration of the Great Miracle of St. Spyridon in 1716 (Feast Day - August 11)

Historical sources that certify the authenticity of the following event on the expulsion of the papal forces from the island, include the historical notes given by a great saint of our Church, St. Athanasios of Paros. We should all reflect upon the message of the following event.

THE GREAT MIRACLE

In 1716 the Turks had the island of Corfu under a tight siege. They had 50,000 troops and a good number of ships surrounding the island, cutting its lifeline from land and sea.

The barbarian armies had been concentrated at the far walls of the city. Pizani, a general of the forces of the Venetian Republic, was anxiously anticipating the oncoming enemy attack (since Corfu and the nearby islands were occupied by Italy at the time).

At daybreak on August 11, 1716, St. Spyridon, the patron Saint of the island, appeared in front of the enemy lines holding a glistening sword in his right hand. His austere and grandiose appearance horrified the aggressors who began to recede. The Hagarenes, panic-stricken by the most awesome presence and fearless attack of the Saint, abandoned weapons, machinery and animals, running for their lives.

This great miracle became known throughout the island. The Turks had left behind 120 cannons, a large number of weapons, ammunition, animals and food.

After this powerful, surprising and most obvious miracle, the Venetian ruler Andrew Pizani, who was a Papist, wanted to erect a Papist altar inside the Orthodox Church of St. Spyridon (forever pushing for this was also the Papist Cardinal of the island). However, St. Spyridon appeared to Pizani in a dream saying: “Why are you bothering me? The altar of your faith is unacceptable in my Temple!” Naturally, Pizani reported this to the Papist Cardinal who answered that it was nothing but an evil fantasy of the devil who wanted to nullify the noble deed. After this, Pizani was much encouraged, so he ordered the necessary materials to commence construction of the altar. The materials were piled up outside of the temple of St. Spyridon. When the Orthodox priests of the temple and the Greek leaders of the island realised what was going on, they were greatly grieved. They asked to meet with Pizani to ask him to put a stop to this. Pizani’s response was quite disheartening. He said quite bluntly, “As a ruler I will do whatever I please!” At that moment, the Orthodox community of the island turned their eyes to their Saint, beseeching him to put a stop to this abomination.

That same night, St. Spyridon appeared to Pizani as a monk and told him, “I told you not to bother me. If you dare to go through with your decision, you will surely regret it, but by then it will be too late.”

The next morning, Pizani reported all this to the Papist Cardinal who now accused him of being not only faithless but also of being “yellow”. Again, after this, the ruler mustered up enough courage to order the construction of the altar.

The Papists of the island were celebrating their triumph while the Orthodox were deeply grieved. Their grief could not be comforted and with tears they begged for the Saint’s intervention to save them from the Papist abomination.

The Saint heard their prayers and intervened dynamically.

That evening, a terrible storm broke out, unleashing a barrage of thunderbolts on Fort Castelli, Pizani’s base and his ammunition barracks. The entire fort ended up in a holocaust. 900 Papist soldiers and civilians were instantly killed from the explosion, but not a single Orthodox was harmed (as they were not allowed inside the fort after dark). Pizani was found dead with his neck wedged between two wooden beams. The body of the Papist Cardinal was found thrown a great distance from the fort.

But the most incredible fact was that the same night and at the same hour, another thunderbolt struck in Venice, targeting the compound of Pizani, burning his portrait that hung on the wall. Strangely enough, nothing else was damaged. Also, the guard of the ammunition barracks saw the Saint draw near him with a lit torch. He was carried by the Saint near the church of the Crucified without a single scratch.

Kontakion in the Second Tone
Wounded by your love for Christ, O holy One, your mind given wings by the radiance of the Spirit, you put the practice of theory into deeds, becoming a sacred altar, O Chosen by God, and praying for the divine illumination of all.

Video from August 11, 2010 with Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens attending the litany in honor of the feast.
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St. Maximus the Confessor: 18 Spiritual Interpretations of the Transfiguration (4)

Continued from Part Three

B. Lest I appear to any to be more curious than is necessary, another great and divine mystery, I think, is revealed to us in the divine Transfiguration, more radiant than what I have just said. For I think that the divinely-fitting events that took place on the mount at the Transfiguration secretly indicate the two universal modes of theology: that is, that which is pre-eminent and simple and uncaused, and through sole and complete denial truly affirms the divine, and fittingly and solemnly exalts its transcendence through speechlessness, and then that which follows this and is composite, and from what has been caused magnificently sketches out [the divine] through affirmation. By these, so far as it is within human capacity, the knowledge that hovers above concerning God and the divine leads us through symbols naturally fitted to us to both these modes [of theology], through reverent understanding of both kinds of beings establishing their logoi, and teaching that every symbol that transcends the senses belongs to the first mode [of theology], and educating us that the accumulated mighty works of the sensible order belong to the second. For from the symbols that transcend the senses we believe only the truth that transcends reason and mind, barely daring to investigate or to form an idea of what and how and of what kind it is, and where and when, avoiding what is irreverent in the undertaking. And from those things on the sensible level, so far as is possible to us, from thought alone we plainly form conjectures concerning the knowledge of God and say that He is all that we can deduce from the fact that He is the cause of all that he has made.

Continued Part Five

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Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras on Mount Athos

The blessed Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras was the one who came up with the idea to celebrate the 1,000 year anniversary of Mount Athos in 1963 since the founding of Great Lavra Monastery. This took place in the summer of 1963.

And lastly is a photo of Patriarch Athenagoras as a deacon in 1918 taken at the Holy Monastery of Iveron.

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Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I and Orthodoxy

Patriarch Athenagoras I was born in the province of Ioanina, Epirus on March 25, 1886, at that time still apart of the Ottoman Empire. The son of the village doctor, his mother died when he was only 13. In 1903, he entered the Halki Theological Academy near Istanbul. In 1910, he graduated with his degree in theology, was tonsured as a monk and ordained as a deacon. In December of 1922, while still a deacon, he was elected as the Metropolitan of the island of Corfu. In 1930, he was elected the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of North and South America and served as our Archbishop until 1948. During his 18-year tenure, the women’s Philoptochos, the philanthropic arm of the Church was established. He also established an orphanage, St. Basil’s Academy, and a seminary, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology. Elected Patriarch of Constantinople in 1948, Athenagoras was active in the ecumenical movement, seeking to establish better relationships among Christians. Perhaps most notable was his meeting with Pope Paul VI in Jerusalem in 1964, which resulted in the mutual lifting of the anathemas that had separated Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians since 1054 AD. This symbolic gesture opened the possibility of authentic dialogue between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches for the first time in centuries. Patriarch Athengoras died on July 7th, 1972.

The excerpts below are taken from a book, Conversations with Patriarch Athenagoras written by the French Orthodox theologian and writer, Olivier Clement in 1969.

DIALOGUE AMONG CHRISTIANS

I do not deny that there are differences between the Churches, but I say that we must change our way of approaching them. And the question of method is in the first place a psychological, or rather a spiritual problem. For centuries there have been conversations between theologians, and they have done nothing except to harden their positions. I have a whole library about it. And why? Because they spoke in fear and distrust of one another, with the desire to defend themselves and to defeat the others. Theology was no longer a pure celebration of the mystery of God. It became a weapon. God himself became a weapon!

I repeat: I do not ignore these difficulties. But I am trying to change the spiritual atmosphere. The restoration of mutual love will enable us to see the questions in a totally different light. We must express the truth which is dear to us – because it protects and celebrates the immensity of the life which is in Christ – we must express it, not so as to repulse the other, so as to force him to admit that he is beaten, but so as to share it with him; and also for its own sake, for its beauty, as a celebration of truth to which we invite our brothers. At the same time we must be ready to listen. For Christians, truth is not opposed to life or love; it expresses their fullness. First of all, we must free these words, these words which tend to collide, from the evil past, from all political, national and cultural hatreds which have nothing to do with Christ. Then we must root them in the deep life of the Church, in the experience of the Resurrection which it is their mission to serve. We must always weigh our words in the balance of life and death and Resurrection.

Those who accuse me of sacrificing Orthodoxy to a bind obsession with love, have a very poor conception of the truth. They make it into a system which they possess, which reassures them, when what it really is, is the living glorification of the living God, with all the risks involved in creative life. And we don’t possess God; it is He who holds us and fills us with His presence in proportion to our humility and love. Only by love can we glorify the God of love, only by giving and sharing and sacrificing oneself can one glorify the God who, to save us, sacrificed himself and went to death, the death of the cross.

But I would go further. Those who reproach me with sacrificing truth to love have no confidence in the truth. They shut it up, they lock it up like an unfaithful woman. But I say, if the truth is the truth, we must not be afraid for it; let us give it, let us share it, let us show it in its fullness, let us welcome all that there is of light and love in the experience of our brethren. If we continue in this attitude, then truth will become clear of itself, it will conquer all limitations and inadequacies from within, on the basis of the common mystery of the Church. Let us enlarge our hearts, “let each one of us, as the apostle says, look not to our own things, but rather to the things of others” (Phil. 2:4). We have a sure criterion – life in Christ. Faced with a partial expression of the truth, let us ask in what measure it conveys the life in Christ, or in what measure it is liable to compromise it.

Orthodoxy, if it goes back to the sources of its great tradition, will be the humble and faithful witness to the undivided Church. The Orthodox Churches, in coming together themselves in mutual respect and love, will set a movement of brotherhood going throughout the Christian world, giving the example of a free communion of sister Churches, united by the same sacraments and the same faith. As to the Orthodox faith, centered as it is on liturgical praise and worship, and on holiness, it will bring the criterion of spiritual experience to ecumenical dialogue, a criterion which will allow us to disentangle partial truths from their limitations so that they may be reconciled in a higher plenitude of truth.

But we Orthodox: are we worthy of Orthodoxy? Up till the efforts we have made in recent years, what kind of example have our Churches given? We are united in faith and united in the chalice, but we have become strangers to one another, sometimes rivals. And our great tradition, the Fathers, Palamas, the Philokalia: is it living and creative in us? If we are satisfied to repeat our formulas, hardening them against our fellow Christians, then our inheritance will become something dead. It is sharing, humility, reconciliation which makes us truly Orthodox, holding the faith not for ourselves – if we did that we should simply be affirming yet one more historic confession of faith – but for the union of all, as the selfless witnesses of the undivided Church.

COMMUNION AND FORGIVENESS

To those who reduce the Eucharist to a mere brotherly meal one must say that such a meal, even when shared in love, will not prevent us from dying. The Eucharist is first and foremost union with the Risen Christ, who raises us up. It is the bread of heaven which even now imparts eternal life to us. And that is why it is, at the same time, the only meal of total brotherhood, indeed of more than brotherhood, for Christ makes us 'members one of another,' as St. Paul says, and He identifies us in his flesh.

But people do not forget the evil they have done and the evil they have suffered, above all when those who have committed the wrong are men or collectivities that are still alive. People don’t forget. And you can’t force them to forget. But if you lay down your arms, if you dispossess yourself, if you open yourself to the God-man Jesus Christ who makes all things new, then the evil past is done away with, and He grants us a new time, in which all things are possible. Forgiveness; it is God himself who takes flesh, dies on the cross and rises again. He forgives us, and allows us to forgive, for He renews time, even the past. This is the mystery of repentance.

As to the future, we cannot dictate it. We only know that in our lives, as in history, the Resurrection will be the last word. That is why we have no fear; we turn our eyes to God and put absolute trust in him for the events of the future. So we can welcome the present and live in it as intensely as possible. Every day I get up, thankful to be alive, and I receive the new day as a blessing. And every promise of life which comes from the past and is turned towards God’s future, I try to make grow today, as I live the moment in its fullness.

Nothing troubles me. Nothing can trouble me. I am in the hands of God. In suffering and in troubles there always remains for us the naked faith that God loves us with an infinite love. There always remains for us the blood of Christ, and the tenderness of His most holy Mother. I know those moments when the situation is quite beyond you, when you can no more do anything. Then I altogether let go of the weight of my weakness, and abandon myself in trust. And peace comes to me, that peace which the Lord gives us, which passes all understanding.

REPENTING OF OUR SINS AS A CHURCH

What have we done? What have we done? Christ has left us. We have driven him away. Our hatreds, our pride, our pharisaical self-sufficiency have driven out the spirit of the Gospel. And Christ has gone. Christ has gone. Oh, how satisfied we are with ourselves! We are the pure, we possess the truth, and we condemn others! But life and history go on. They are knocking at the doors of the Church, and putting ultimate questions to us. Everything is changing. The scientific revolution is advancing, it is modifying and not only man’s environment, but man himself, his education, the relationship between the sexes, his psychology, and tomorrow perhaps his heredity and character as well. Not that science and technology necessarily build a world without God, as is sometimes said. But they force man, and they will force him more and more to ask where all this is going, what is the meaning of it all, what is the meaning of his own life.

What is most lacking among men of the Church is the spirit of Christ: humility, selflessness, an open welcome, the capacity of seeing the best in others. We are afraid, we want to hang on to what is over and done with, because we’re used to it. We want to be right over against the others, and under a language of conventional humility we hide the spirit of pride and power. We carry on apart from life. We have made the Church into an organization, just like all the other ones. We have put all our energy into setting it up, and now we put all our energy into keeping it going. And it works more or less; rather less than more, but it works. Only it works like a machine, and not like life.

THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH

All the peoples of the world are good; all the races. All must find their place in the unity of mankind. I belong to all peoples. Christian unity must be the ferment of human unity. The unification of mankind is at once the expression and the search for our perfect unity in Christ, where we are all members one of another. There is only one Church, the Church of Christ; only one theology, the proclamation of Christ risen from the dead who raises us up and gives us the power to love. Soon men will be going to the moon, but they no longer know the meaning of life. We Christians ought not to be afraid of anything. We have nothing to ask of others, nothing to impose on them; but we must bear witness that life has a meaning, that life is boundless, that it opens onto eternity. For God exists, God exists; and He, the Unknown, is our friend.

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The Secular Case Against Gay Marriage

by Adam Kolasinski
February 17, 2004
The Tech

The debate over whether the state ought to recognize gay marriages has thus far focused on the issue as one of civil rights. Such a treatment is erroneous because state recognition of marriage is not a universal right. States regulate marriage in many ways besides denying men the right to marry men, and women the right to marry women. Roughly half of all states prohibit first cousins from marrying, and all prohibit marriage of closer blood relatives, even if the individuals being married are sterile. In all states, it is illegal to attempt to marry more than one person, or even to pass off more than one person as one’s spouse. Some states restrict the marriage of people suffering from syphilis or other venereal diseases. Homosexuals, therefore, are not the only people to be denied the right to marry the person of their choosing.

I do not claim that all of these other types of couples restricted from marrying are equivalent to homosexual couples. I only bring them up to illustrate that marriage is heavily regulated, and for good reason. When a state recognizes a marriage, it bestows upon the couple certain benefits which are costly to both the state and other individuals. Collecting a deceased spouse’s social security, claiming an extra tax exemption for a spouse, and having the right to be covered under a spouse’s health insurance policy are just a few examples of the costly benefits associated with marriage. In a sense, a married couple receives a subsidy. Why? Because a marriage between two unrelated heterosexuals is likely to result in a family with children, and propagation of society is a compelling state interest. For this reason, states have, in varying degrees, restricted from marriage couples unlikely to produce children.

Granted, these restrictions are not absolute. A small minority of married couples are infertile. However, excluding sterile couples from marriage, in all but the most obvious cases such as those of blood relatives, would be costly. Few people who are sterile know it, and fertility tests are too expensive and burdensome to mandate. One might argue that the exclusion of blood relatives from marriage is only necessary to prevent the conception of genetically defective children, but blood relatives cannot marry even if they undergo sterilization. Some couples who marry plan not to have children, but without mind-reading technology, excluding them is impossible. Elderly couples can marry, but such cases are so rare that it is simply not worth the effort to restrict them. The marriage laws, therefore, ensure, albeit imperfectly, that the vast majority of couples who do get the benefits of marriage are those who bear children.

Homosexual relationships do nothing to serve the state interest of propagating society, so there is no reason for the state to grant them the costly benefits of marriage, unless they serve some other state interest. The burden of proof, therefore, is on the advocates of gay marriage to show what state interest these marriages serve. Thus far, this burden has not been met.

One may argue that lesbians are capable of procreating via artificial insemination, so the state does have an interest in recognizing lesbian marriages, but a lesbian’s sexual relationship, committed or not, has no bearing on her ability to reproduce. Perhaps it may serve a state interest to recognize gay marriages to make it easier for gay couples to adopt. However, there is ample evidence (see, for example, David Popenoe’s Life Without Father) that children need both a male and female parent for proper development. Unfortunately, small sample sizes and other methodological problems make it impossible to draw conclusions from studies that directly examine the effects of gay parenting. However, the empirically verified common wisdom about the importance of a mother and father in a child’s development should give advocates of gay adoption pause. The differences between men and women extend beyond anatomy, so it is essential for a child to be nurtured by parents of both sexes if a child is to learn to function in a society made up of both sexes. Is it wise to have a social policy that encourages family arrangements that deny children such essentials? Gays are not necessarily bad parents, nor will they necessarily make their children gay, but they cannot provide a set of parents that includes both a male and a female.

Some have compared the prohibition of homosexual marriage to the prohibition of interracial marriage. This analogy fails because fertility does not depend on race, making race irrelevant to the state’s interest in marriage. By contrast, homosexuality is highly relevant because it precludes procreation.

Some argue that homosexual marriages serve a state interest because they enable gays to live in committed relationships. However, there is nothing stopping homosexuals from living in such relationships today. Advocates of gay marriage claim gay couples need marriage in order to have hospital visitation and inheritance rights, but they can easily obtain these rights by writing a living will and having each partner designate the other as trustee and heir. There is nothing stopping gay couples from signing a joint lease or owning a house jointly, as many single straight people do with roommates. The only benefits of marriage from which homosexual couples are restricted are those that are costly to the state and society.

Some argue that the link between marriage and procreation is not as strong as it once was, and they are correct. Until recently, the primary purpose of marriage, in every society around the world, has been procreation. In the 20th century, Western societies have downplayed the procreative aspect of marriage, much to our detriment. As a result, the happiness of the parties to the marriage, rather than the good of the children or the social order, has become its primary end, with disastrous consequences. When married persons care more about themselves than their responsibilities to their children and society, they become more willing to abandon these responsibilities, leading to broken homes, a plummeting birthrate, and countless other social pathologies that have become rampant over the last 40 years. Homosexual marriage is not the cause for any of these pathologies, but it will exacerbate them, as the granting of marital benefits to a category of sexual relationships that are necessarily sterile can only widen the separation between marriage and procreation.

The biggest danger homosexual civil marriage presents is the enshrining into law the notion that sexual love, regardless of its fecundity, is the sole criterion for marriage. If the state must recognize a marriage of two men simply because they love one another, upon what basis can it deny marital recognition to a group of two men and three women, for example, or a sterile brother and sister who claim to love each other? Homosexual activists protest that they only want all couples treated equally. But why is sexual love between two people more worthy of state sanction than love between three, or five? When the purpose of marriage is procreation, the answer is obvious. If sexual love becomes the primary purpose, the restriction of marriage to couples loses its logical basis, leading to marital chaos.

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The History of the Great Paraklesis (Supplication) Canon to the Theotokos

There are two forms of the Paraklesis Canon to the Theotokos: the Small Paraklesis which was composed by Theosteriktos the Monk in the 9th century (or some say Theophanes), and the Great Paraklesis. During the majority of the year, only the Small Paraklesis to the Theotokos is chanted. However, during the Dormition Fast (August 1—14), the Typikon prescribes that the Small and Great Paraklesis be chanted on alternate evenings, according to the following regulations:

- If August 1st falls on a Monday through Friday, the cycle begins with the Small Paraklesis. If August 1st falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the cycle begins with the Great Paraklesis.

- On the eves of Sundays (i.e., Saturday nights) and on the eve of the Transfiguration (the night of August 5) the Paraklesis is omitted.

- On Sunday nights, the Great Paraklesis is always used unless it is the eve of Transfiguration.

In the Russian Orthodox Church, the equivalent of a Paraklesis is the Moleben, which is similar in structure, except that the canon is omitted, retaining only the refrains and Irmoi of the third, sixth and ninth odes. When the full service itself is performed, it is called the "Supplicatory Canon" (Molebnyj Kanon).

The reason these services are called "Paraklesis" (Supplication) is because the faithful gather to supplicate the Theotokos to intercede on their behalf to her Son and our God for our salvation and for the relief of anything that burdens and ails us. They are the prayers of suffering and hurting children addressed to their compassionate Mother, who is their only hope, protectress, and surety in time of need.

According to liturgical Professor John Fountoulis, even though the two Canons to the Theotokos are differentiated with the title "Small" and "Great", in fact they have the same number of Troparia, both having thirty-two with four in each Ode. However the Great Canon is more extensive, though this does not justify the epithet. The real reason seems to be that the Great Canon is chanted in a more festive tone during the Dormition Fast than the Small Canon, as shown in the Dismissal Hymns which begin: "O you Apostles from afar, being now gathered together here in the village of Gethsemane, lay my body in burial; and You, my Son and my God, receive my spirit."

Little research has been done on the historical circumstances that led to the poetry of the two Canons and the final morphology of the two Supplications.

The Small Supplication Service is older than the Great Supplication Service and its authorship is attributed by some to Theosteriktos the Monk, who lived in the ninth century. Others speculate it to be the work of Metropolitan Theophanes the Confessor of Nicaea who lived in the same century. Some even put forward St. John the Damascene as the composer. Regarding this history, see The History of the Small Paraklesis (Supplication) Canon to the Theotokos.


The Authorship and Origins of the Great Paraklesis Canon

Regarding the Great Supplication Service, we have sufficient testimony to its authorship. The poet was Theodore II Doukas Laskaris, Emperor of Nicaea. He was an emperor in exile who reigned from 1254 to 1258 AD following the fall of Constantinople to the Frankish Crusaders in 1204.

Theodore II received a scholarly education by Nicephorus Blemmydes and remained devoted to science and art throughout his life, and he was also very pious who had as his special patron St. Tryphon. He was also a suffering man, suffering from a severe form of paternal epilepsy and having to find the will as a scholar to defend his empire while in exile against such foes as the Bulgarians. It was another suffering soul in the person of Empress Theodora of Arta in Epiros who would eventually teach him an important lesson.

George Akropolites mentions how in 1249 Theodora travelled to Anatolia with her son Nikephoros for his betrothal ceremony to Maria, the daughter of Theodore II Laskaris. The marriage was delayed by the war between Nicaea and Epirus in 1251-52. The time finally came for the marriage to take place in 1256 when Theodora accompanied her son to Thessaloniki and Theodore accompanied his daughter Maria. Theodore and Theodora met and Theodore explained the price of union with the imperial family, which was the cessation to the Nicaean Empire of Dyrrachion and Servia (Theodora's hometown). Though Theodora had hoped for peace with this union, eventually it was to result in another war between the Romans of Nicaea (East) and the Romans of Epirus (West).

Theodora was a godly and pious woman who had made an impression on Theodore. She also had a great devotion to the Theotokos. He learned that in moments of suffering, pain and deep anguish and confusion, that the Mother of God was a reliable helper and healer for those who call upon her with deep faith and compunction.

It was this lesson by Theodora, who eventually became one of the great Saints of the Orthodox Church whose incorrupt relics work many miracles till this day in Corfu and is celebrated on March 11, that inspired Emperor Theodore to compose with his great learning and piety the Great Paraklesis to the Theotokos.

It is recorded how soon before the death of Theodore he became a monk at Sosandron Monastery and took on the name Theodosios. He also requested to confess his sins. During his confession, he fell at the feet of Patriarch Arsenios and with abundant tears he repeated the words: "Christ I have forsaken you".

This same spirit of anguish is reflected in the masterful poetry of the Great Paraklesis Canon. It is within this same spirit that the Church calls all the faithful to approach this service during the first fifteen days of August.

In 1258 Theodore II's epileptic condition worsened, and the emperor died on August 18, three days after the Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos.

It is said that even during Theodore II's lifetime, the Service he composed in honor of the Theotokos was chanted at Sosandron Monastery and the surrounding monasteries of the Empire of Nicaea. And as he lay sick dying during the Dormition Fast, the monks of Sosandron Monastery chanted the Service for the alleviation of his suffering. It was chanted every day until his death, and thus was established the tradition of chanting not only the Great but also the Small Paraklesis during the first fifteen days of August.

On 25 July 1261 General Alexios Strategopoulos recaptured the City of Constantinople from the Latins for Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos of Nicaea. This recapture was ascribed to the aid and intercessions of the Theotokos, the patroness of the City. From July 25 through August 15 many thanks were given to the Theotokos, including the chanting of the Great Supplication Service authored by Emperor Theodore II. On August 15, the day of the Dormition of the Theotokos, Emperor Michael entered the city in triumph and was crowned at the Hagia Sophia. This event also helped establish the Great Paraklesis to be chanted during the first fifteen days of August during the Dormition Fast.

However, there was a dilemma. There was a deep feud between Emperor Michael VIII and the dynasty of Theodore II as to who should have been the successor. For this reason Emperor Michael did not want to honor so much Emperor Theodore by having his Service chanted every day for the first fifteen days of August, so it was alternately replaced with the older Small Paraklesis to the Theotokos authored by Saint Theosteriktos. It was this latter Supplication Service that was more often used throughout the year "in every circumstance", while the Great Supplication Canon of Theodore II was relegated only to the first fifteen days of August. We do not know exactly when or how this took place, but it probably was firmly established after the death of Emperor Michael to unite the dynasties of Doukas Laskaris and Palaiologos.

Characteristics of the Great Paraklesis

According to liturgical scholars Nicholas Tomadakis and John Fountoulis, the Great Canon has a more personal touch from the author and "specifically refers to the passions and the adverse circumstances of his life which tortured him as king, having suffered from incurable mental illness." They are an expression of pain, sorrow and anguish towards the Theotokos, and reveals a great poet. It does not leave the reader with despair and hopelessness, but elevates faith and hope to embrace the Theotokos and seek her intercessions and the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ as the only sure hope, refuge and salvation. It acknowledges that only through them can we find the relief and help we need with whatever burdens us.

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St. Maximus the Confessor: 18 Spiritual Interpretations of the Transfiguration (3)

Continued from Part Two

7. Or they learnt, too, through these that everyone lives to God and no one at all is dead with Him, but that one kills oneself through sin and, through the willing turning towards the passions, cuts oneself off from the Word.

8. Or again they received illumination that the types of the mysteries exist in relation to and are referred to the Word, which is the truth, and are brought into agreement with It, as the beginning and end of the legal and prophetic work.

9. Or everything that is after God and has come into being from God, that is the nature of beings and time, these appear together, so far as is possible, with God who appears as cause and maker. And of these, the type of time is Moses, not only as the teacher of time and of number in accordance with time (for he was the first to count time from the creation of the world), or as one who instituted temporal worship, but also as not entering bodily into rest with those whom he had instructed before the divine promise. For such is time, not overtaking or accompanying in movement those whom it is accustomed to escort to the divine life of the age to come. For it has Jesus as the universal successor of time and eternity. And if otherwise the logoi of time abide in God, then there is manifest in a hidden way the entry of the law given through Moses in the desert to those who receive the land of possession. For time is eternity, when movement is stilled, and eternity is time, when it is measured by movement, since, by definition, eternity is time deprived of movement, and time is eternity measured by movement. Elijah, however, is the type of nature, not only as guarding inviolate the logoi within himself, and keeping the intention according to inclination in them free from any change due to passion, but also as educating in judgment, like the natural law, those who use nature unnaturally. For such is nature, punishing as much those who are set to corrupt it, as those who aim to live contrary to nature, who do not acquire the whole power of nature naturally, and cause its soundness to deteriorate, and are therefore fit to be punished, since they thoughtlessly and mindlessly provide themselves with a deficiency of being through their inclination towards non-being.

10. Equally anyone who says that the intelligible and sensible creation of the fashioner Word is understood through Moses and Elijah does not utterly stray from the truth. Of these Moses offers the meaning [logos] of the sensible, that is subject to change and corruption, as his history of it clearly shows, declaring its origination and death. For the sensible creation is such as to have a beginning known in coming to be, and to look for an end determined by destruction. Elijah [offers the meaning] of the intelligible, neither declaring its coming to be in his account of it, as if it had been generated, nor defining it as looking for corruption through death, as if it were to die. For the intelligible creation is such as to have no beginning of its coming to be that is manifest to human beings, and if it comes to be and commences and passes from non-being to being, it does not await an end of its existence defined by corruption. For it is naturally imperishable, having received this from God who willed to create it such.

Continued Part Four

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St. Laurence the Holy Martyr & Archdeacon of Rome

St. Laurence the Holy Martyr and Archdeacon of Rome (Feast Day - August 10)

by St. Leo the Great

Sermon 85: Delivered On the Feast of St. Laurence the Martyr (Aug. 10).

I. The example of the martyrs is most valuable

Whilst the height of all virtues, dearly-beloved, and the fullness of all righteousness is born of that love, wherewith God and one's neighbour is loved, surely in none is this love found more conspicuous and brighter than in the blessed martyrs; who are as near to our Lord Jesus, Who died for all men, in the imitation of His love, as in the likeness of their suffering. For, although that Love, wherewith the Lord has redeemed us, cannot be equalled by any man's kindness, because it is one thing that a man who is doomed to die one day should die for a righteous man, and another that One Who is free from the debt of sin should lay down His life for the wicked, yet the martyrs also have done great service to all men, in that the Lord Who gave them boldness, has used it to show that the penalty of death and the pain of the cross need not be terrible to any of His followers, but might be imitated by many of them. If therefore no good man is good for himself alone, and no wise man's wisdom befriends himself only, and the nature of true virtue is such that it leads many away from the dark error on which its light is shed, no model is more useful in teaching God's people than that of the martyrs. Eloquence may make intercession easy, reasoning may effectually persuade; but yet examples are stronger than words, and there is more teaching in practice than in precept.

The shrine of San Lorenzo in Lucina, Rome containing the gridiron said to have been used to grill Saint Lawrence to death.

II. The Saint's martyrdom described

And how gloriously strong in this most excellent manner of doctrine the blessed martyr Laurentius (Laurence) is, by whose sufferings today is marked, even his persecutors were able to feel, when they found that his wondrous courage, born principally of love for Christ, not only did not yield itself, but also strengthened others by the example of his endurance. For when the fury of the gentile potentates was raging against Christ's most chosen members, and attacked those especially who were of priestly rank, the wicked persecutor's wrath was vented on Laurentius the deacon, who was pre-eminent not only in the performance of the sacred rites, but also in the management of the church's property, promising himself double spoil from one man's capture: for if he forced him to surrender the sacred treasures, he would also drive him out of the pale of true religion. And so this man, so greedy of money and such a foe to the truth, arms himself with double weapon: with avarice to plunder the gold; with impiety to carry off Christ. He demands of the guileless guardian of the sanctuary that the church wealth on which his greedy mind was set should be brought to him. But the holy deacon showed him where he had them stored, by pointing to the many troops of poor saints, in the feeding and clothing of whom he had a store of riches which he could not lose, and which were the more entirely safe that the money had been spent on so holy a cause.

The stone on which Saint Laurence's body was laid after death, in San Lorenzo fuori le mura.

III. The description of his sufferings continued

The baffled plunderer, therefore, frets, and blazing out into hatred of a religion, which had put riches to such a use, determines to pillage a still greater treasure by carrying off that sacred deposit, wherewith he was enriched, as he could find no solid hoard of money in his possession. He orders Laurentius to renounce Christ, and prepares to ply the deacon's stout courage with frightful tortures: and, when the first elicit nothing, fiercer follow. His limbs, torn and mangled by many cutting blows, are commanded to be broiled upon the fire in an iron framework, which was of itself already hot enough to burn him, and on which his limbs were turned from time to time, to make the torment fiercer, and the death more lingering.

The tomb of St. Laurence in San Lorenzo fuori le mura.

IV. Laurentius has conquered his persecutor

You gain nothing, you prevail nothing, O savage cruelty. His mortal frame is released from your devices, and, when Laurentius departs to heaven, you are vanquished. The flame of Christ's love could not be overcome by your flames, and the fire which burnt outside was less keen than that which blazed within. You but served the martyr in your rage, O persecutor, you but swelled the reward in adding to the pain. For what did your cunning devise, which did not redound to the conqueror's glory, when even the instruments of torture were counted as part of the triumph? Let us rejoice, then, dearly-beloved, with spiritual joy, and make our boast over the happy end of this illustrious man in the Lord, Who is wonderful in His saints , in whom He has given us a support and an example, and has so spread abroad his glory throughout the world, that, from the rising of the sun to its going down, the brightness of his deacon's light does shine, and Rome has become as famous in Laurentius as Jerusalem was ennobled by Stephen. By his prayer and intercession we trust at all times to be assisted; that, because all, as the Apostle says, who wish to live holily in Christ, suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12), we may be strengthened with the spirit of love, and be fortified to overcome all temptations by the perseverance of steadfast faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, etc.

Located on the east side of Rome beyond Termini Station, San Lorenzo fuori le Mura (St. Lawrence outside the Walls) is an ancient basilica with a wealth of early Christian artifacts. Built over the grave of St. Lawrence (d. 258), San Lorenzo is one of the five patriarchal basilicas and one of the seven pilgrimage churches of Rome. See more here.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
Thy Martyr Laurence, 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.

Kontakion in the Second Tone
Aflame in thy heart, O Laurence, with the fire divine, thou burntest away the fire of passions utterly, O firm staff of athletes, O thou God-bearing Martyr; and thou in truth while contesting didst cry with faith: Nothing shall separate me from the love of Christ.

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On Making Our Enemies Our Friends

by St. Nikolai Velimirovich

How can we overcome the enmity of our enemies? By renunciation, meekness and prayer. Renunciation in everything, except in faith and purity of life, meekness and prayer, always and always.

St. Ambrose writes: "This is the weapon of the righteous ones that in retreating they conquer, just as the skillful archers have the custom that by fleeing, they shoot those stronger than themselves."

A brother was offended by his friend but, nevertheless, desiring peace with him, went to him to be reconciled. However, his friend did not even want to open the door for him and scolding him from within, chased him away from his house. The brother then complained to a spiritual father who said to him: "Going to your friend to be reconciled, all along the way, you condemned him in your thoughts and justified yourself. I counsel you, even though your friend sinned against you, establish the thought in yourself that you have sinned against him and, in this manner, go to him and in your thoughts justify him and condemn yourself." Thus, the brother proceeded. And what happened? Just as the brother approached the house of his friend, he opened wide the door, ran up to him and embraced the offended brother and made peace with him.

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An Orthodox Look At Nostradamus

By Hieromonk Job (Gumerov)

The word of God gives us very precise warnings about self-proclaimed prophets and spiritual deceivers. "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" (Mt. 7:15). We have to follow the Lord’s injunction: "Take heed that no man deceive you" (Mt. 24:4). In order to do this one must be guided closely by Scripture and the teachings of the Holy Fathers. These words of the Apostle Paul are very applicable to our times: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (2 Tim. 4:3–4). That is what the writings of M. Nostradamus and other false prophets are — fables.

True prophets are chosen by the Lord, while false ones are chosen by the devil, who plays upon their pride and unquenchable thirst for self-affirmation. From the time that the Lord God began to call His chosen ones to prophetic service, Satan has not ceased to find false prophets to carry out his dark aims. Biblical prophets were the lips of God. The Hebrew word, nabi and the Greek prophetes mean herald, or messenger, who speaks the word of God and reveals truth inaccessible to natural human reason.

A very important personal quality of a prophet is the holiness of his life. The Holy Spirit, Who reveals the future, fills only pure vessels with Himself. "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Pet. 1:21). In Holy Scripture, a prophet is often called a “man of God” (1 Kings 2:27; 3 Kings 13:1; 3 Kings 20:28; 2 Kings 25:7).

An unalterable sign of a true prophet is absolute purity of faith and teaching. The heralds of God’s will were those through whom the Lord always enjoined His people to turn away from all false teachings and return to the true path. Prophets were preservers of piety and divinely revealed religion. They were called in Hebrew zophim — guardians (Jer. 6:17; Is. 56:10), who were obligated to warn their people about threatening spiritual and moral danger.

The purpose of prophecies was the people’s spiritual benefit. The prophets taught, instructed, and rebuked: "But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort" (1 Cor. 14:3). The greatest purpose of all biblical prophecy was to announce the coming of the Messiah, and to historically prepare the people for His coming. Therefore, the meaning of this announcement should be understandable even before the event happens.

The Lord revealed to each of the prophets only part of the future awaiting people. The prophets supplement each other. All biblical prophecies taken together make up the great revelation about the Savior’s coming to the world to save it.

Only God knows the future. A vision of the future is not accessible to humans with their limited natural abilities, neither is it accessible to the demons.

What is known about the life, occupations, and writings of Michel Nostradamus (1503–1566) fully fits the image of a false prophet and occultist. He was born to a Jewish family in Provence. Both his grandfathers were doctors, and his father was a notary. In 1488, Provence was joined to France. Because his grandfathers and father were then under threat of losing their professional licenses and being exiled from France, the family was forced to convert to Catholicism in 1502. Christianity remained something external for M. Nostradamus. The essence of his world view was an occultism absolutely incompatible with New Testament religion. He was not only a doctor, but also a professional astrologer. The Lord rebukes astrologers through His prophets as doing works abominable to God: "Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans… Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame" (Is. 47:1, 13–14). St. Gregory the Theologian writes that astrology is an affront to Divine Providence (Homily 5: On Providence). Astrology is a substitution for true religion. The author of all spiritual substitutions is the devil, who through astrology leads people away from God. Blessed Augustine wrote, “Because it serves to snare people it is the action of corrupting spirits, who are allowed to know some portion of the truth from the realm of temporary things, partly because they have more subtle feelings, or have subtler bodies, or because they are more experienced, due to their longer lives. Therefore, the true Christian should beware of astrologers and of all other soothsayers, especially of those who say the truth in order to catch a man’s soul by the cooperation of demons, and then entangle him in their conspiracy.”

Amongst the writings left by M. Nostrodamus to posterity is “A Letter to the Canons of the Town of Orange” (dated Febuary 4, 1562). The Canons (clergy of the cathedral) turned to him in connection with the theft of sliver sacred objects from the cathedral. Instead of admitting that he did not know anything, M. Nostradamus had recourse to the usual occultist trick — empty complexity of words.

“About your inquiry as to the blasphemous thefts which you named and recounted, with respect to the theft and treasure of the closed, but not hidden (!). According to the astronomical drawing shown above, you can clearly see that the theft of the sacred objects was performed by the allowance of two of your brothers in the church; precisely those who earlier many times expressed the opinion as to what happened to your silver. One of them supposed that it was taken to Avignon, while the other said that it had ended up in some other place. Both considered that it had already been sold, for that was their intention. The booty was to be divided between the canons, who are now like soldiers. This opinion was not good and pious. Some did not agree with him, although others were satisfied, but in the end they were not in agreement with one or another point. However, everything stopped when the silver was taken to the house of one of your people and locked up there. But a certain person did not like this. One of the opinions was that the silver should be melted down into bricks and sold, having stored it in one of their houses for the time being. Then, two or three expressed that this would be impossible over the course of a long time, for the Roman Catholic Church will be drawn into the most awful events. Thus, it (the silver) was locked up, although two of them retained the opinion that it should be melted down into bricks and sold, having been stored temporarily in one of their houses. There were only three, and they are brothers of the Church, and they spirited off, what is faultless, intending to steal it, not without the collusion of its guardian, for you had entrusted the lamb to a wolf… But be aware, worthily respected seigneurs, that those of you who know when the theft of the sacred objects took place, and if they are not returned in their entirety—not into the hands of those to whom they had been entrusted, but directly to the church, upon you will be visited the greatest calamities that have ever happened to men; upon you, and upon your families. Furthermore, a plague will come to your city and spread within its walls, and therefore let them not resist. Commiltones quornodo dii propicii sint sacerdotes (Priests are like the comrades of well-inclined gods), but will see how God will punish those who defiled His holy church and stole what people had sacrificed in ancient times. Therefore, read this letter of mine to the gathering of all your people (but do not open it until all have assembled), and then the faces of those who are mixed up in this work will immediately express great shame and confusion, for they will not be able to hide their feelings. Preserve this my letter as full testimony of the truth (the future will show it), and I assure you, worthily honored seigneurs, that if what was stolen is not returned in one way or another, they will die the most pitiful, torturous, and slow deaths, with such sufferings as none of them has ever had to endure — if the silver is not returned to its former places of storage; and you will see that that is how it will happen. I am angered that the lamb was entrusted to a wolf, and I have written my letter out of that. What I have written to you corresponds to astronomical calculations, but I express, not wishing to insult anyone in the world, that humanus sum possum errare falli et decipi (I am a man and can make mistakes, be wrong, and deceived). Nevertheless, if there is anyone in your city who is acquainted with astronomical teachings, let them look over my drawing. If he understands this business he will see that I am speaking the pure truth. Do not doubt, seigneurs; everything will soon be found. And if this does not happen, be assured that a bitter fate awaits those who committed this monstrous crime. I cannot tell you any more right now.” (This English translation is from the Russian, translated by V. Burbelo and E. Solomarskaya).

I have cited this long text in order to show that this “clairvoyant” demonstrated indubitable mastery in the art of speaking many words without really saying anything. However, one important result can be observed: confusion and mutual suspicion was introduced into the midst of the cathedral clergy. This is just what the devil needed.

M. Nostradamus’ antichristianity is not limited to his practice of “Chaldean science.” He is relying upon a dark, occult source for his divinations. He refers to it in a letter to his son, Cesar: “Human reason cannot see what is secret through man’s own intellect, if he is not touched by a certain voice coming from the abyss, and if a subtle flame does not arise, which illuminates what direction one or another event will take.” He also speaks about the origin of his “gifts” in his “Epistle to Henry II”:

“It is true, at first even I did not believe in my ability to foretell the future, which comes from my natural abilities inherited from my forebears. I continually underestimated this instinct of mine; nevertheless, I then made my spirit and soul receptive, and adjusted and integrated it with long calculations. Making my soul to be at peace before the face of eternity, I freed my soul, mind and heart of all care, solicitude and vexation. I summoned the courage, strength, and patience, which are necessary conditions for prophecy. All structure and harmony of prophecies are achieved in part by a bronze tripod” (see above).

M. Nostradamus is speaking of a ritual tripod which was used in pagan occult practice. A Pythia (priestess) of the Delphi would sit upon a tripod that stood over a chasm out of which arose intoxicating vapors. In a frenzied state, she would become part of the whole mysterious nocturnal ritual, and make prophecies. There were times when the priestess would fall from the tripod and continue prophesying in a state of delirium. Incidents were recorded when the Pythia lost consciousness and died.


In the first two quatrains of his Centuries, M. Nostradamus leads the reader into his occult practice, the fruits of which were his “prophecies” (the following translations of the Centuries were taken from the website http://www.sacred-texts.com/).

Sitting alone at night in secret study;
it is placed on the brass tripod.
A slight flame comes out of the emptiness and
makes successful that which should not be believed in vain.
(Century I.1)
The wand in the hand is placed in the middle of the tripod’s legs.
With water he sprinkles both the hem of his garment and his foot.
A voice, fear: he trembles in his robes…
(Century I.2)

The seer is describing a magic ritual known from the work, De Mysteriis Aeguptorum (“On the Egyptian Mysteries”) by Iamblichus Chalcidensis (c. 245–c. 325; an ancient Neo-Platonist philosopher, astrologist, sorcerer, and soothsayer). It is well known that M. Nostradamus was very interested in the symbolic pagan knowledge of the Egyptians. His manuscript, Explanation of the Hieroglyphs of Horapollo were discovered relatively recently.

It is quite obvious that M. Nostradamus was not a prophet of God, and the Lord did not reveal the future to him, "For what concord hath Christ with Belial?" (2 Cor. 6:15). Demons do not know the future. “Prophecy is for the most part a work of God which demons cannot even imitate, no matter how hard they try. There can also be a certain delusion in miracles, but to accurately foretell the future is something characteristic of the Eternal Being alone. If the demons have ever done this it was only to seduce the foolish, and therefore their predictions can easily be exposed as lies” (St. John Chrysostom, Discussions on the Gospels of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian, 19).

St. Anthony the Great says that the demons give themselves out to be predictors of the future. “They have no fore-vision of what has not yet happened. Only God is the ‘knower of all things before they be’ (cf. Dan. 13:42). The demons, however, are like thieves who run ahead, then report what they saw. Even now, they will go and tell many others about what we are doing — how we have come together and are talking about them — before any of us leave this place and tell someone about it. But the same could be done by some sprightly boy who outruns someone walking slowly. And I tell you exactly. If someone should intend to walk from the Thebaid or from another country, until he sets off, the demons do not know whether he will go or not; but as soon as they seen him walking, they run ahead and tell someone about him before he arrives, and they who are walking really do arrive in a few days. Often it happens that the one who set out to travel goes back, and then the demons turn out to be liars. Thus, sometimes they will pompously announce something about the waters of the Nile because they have seen that there was much rain in the land of the Ethiopians, and knowing that flooding in the river can come from that, they run ahead and foretell it. People would say the same thing if they could travel so swiftly from place to place as the demons. And like David’s guard who went up into the heights before those below and saw what was happening, then going ahead more swiftly than the others, related not something that had not yet happened, but what had already occurred, and the news of which was already approaching (see 2 Kings 18:24–29), the demons also take upon themselves the task of letting others know, only in order to seduce them. If Providence should be pleased to do something else with the waters or the travelers at that time (because this is also possible), then the demons will be shown to be liars, and those who listened to them will have been deceived. That is how the pagan oracles worked; that is how people have been deluded by the demons since long ago” (St. Athanasius the Great, The Life of Our Holy Father Anthony).

Thus, a divine source of knowledge of the future was not accessible to M. Nostradamus; whereas the demons, with which his occult practices connected him, do not know the future. Then just what are his divinations? They were made in verses — four lines each, which he called quatrains. The quatrains are grouped into Centuries (one hundred). Ten centuries are complete and two (XI and XII) are not. There is also what is called the 1001st quatrain. There are in total 968 quatrains. Unlike the biblical prophecies, the quatrains do not have an inner unity. They have a chaotic and arbitrary look to them. In his letter to his son, Cesar, Nostradamus writes, “Sometimes I am overtaken by inspiration and ecstasy several times per week, and then, during nighttime vigils, I compose books of prophecies by way of lengthy calculations. Every such book contains hundreds of astronomical quatrains — predictions which I then collect into one and codify. This is an unending prophecy up to the year 3797.” The use of the word “codify” with regard to the text does not inspire trust. This is a typical occultist trick — to suggest the thought that there is a great “mystery” here. From the point of view of true prophecies, similar codifications look senseless. Why are they done, and for whom? Furthermore, we know that, "There is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad" (Mk. 4:22).

One well-known information specialist, the creator of the science of cybernetics, Norbert Wiener, expresses a similar thought with respect to his own field. “There is no system of code or cipher that cannot be deciphered over a specific period of time, while containing possibly a significant volume of information, and not just a few lines of fragmentary solutions” (N. Wiener, Cybernetics and Society, Moscow, 1958, 129). Even the most fanatical supporters of the famous sorcerer understand that his “prophecies” do not state anything concrete, and therefore, wishing to defend their beloved seer, they have been searching fruitlessly for four and a half centuries for the non-existent “cipher” which could explain Nostradamus’ disjointed words.

One more detail draws attention to itself: M. Nostradamus’ vision reaches to the year 3797. From the point of view of Christian eschatology, this is nonsense. The time of the Second Coming of the Savior of the world and the end of the world is not known to people or angels. It could happen at any time. "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh" (Mt. 25:13). From this it is clear that the year 3797 is an arbitrary date.

Finally, we must decisively state that there has not been a single prediction of Nostradamus’ that has actually come true. All of his predictions were expressed so vaguely and indefinitely, that they could correspond to an enormous number of the most varied events. Could even one of this famous magician’s most blind followers actually say what is predicted in these lines, and when they came true?

The city is besieged and assaulted by night;
few have escaped; a battle not far from the sea.
A woman faints with joy at the return of her son,
poison in the folds of the hidden letters.
(Century 1.41)
Near the Bear and close to the white wool,
Aries, Taurus, Cancer, Leo, Virgo,
Mars, Jupiter, the Sun will burn a great plain,
Woods and cities letters hidden in the candle.
(Century 6.35)
There will be peace, union and change,
Estates, offices, low high and high very low:
To prepare a trip, the first offspring torment,
War to cease, civil process, debates.
(Century 9:66)
First son, widow, unfortunate marriage,
Without any children two Isles in discord:
Before eighteen, incompetent age,
For the other one the betrothal will take place while younger.
(Century 9:39)

Many more examples could be provided, but the above verses are sufficient to convince us that we have before us an intentional mystification. If those who venerate Nostradamus try to take his centuries seriously and see predictions in them, then the results of such interpretations can be stretched to the point of absurdity. Here is an example in Century II, quatrain 24:

Beasts ferocious from hunger will swim across rivers:
The greater part of the region will be against the Hister,
The great one will cause it to be dragged in an iron cage,
When the German child will observe nothing.

Here he is supposedly speaking of Hitler. This opinion is based upon the association of the word “Hister” with “Hitler.” First of all, these are two different words. Secondly, “Hister” in the text is a place, and not a person. The iron cage is understood to be a bunker, in which Hitler lived during his last days. The arbitrariness is obvious. A bunker is not an iron cage. They did not imprison him there. He himself went there to hide. Who are the “ferocious beasts?”

As we can see, any one of the assertions made in the quatrains could be interpreted in any number of different ways. Therefore, it is not difficult to apply the prediction to any event. Not one follower of Nostradamus has ever made a single real prediction using his “prophecies.” The king of soothsayers and seers is completely naked. People who get caught up in M. Nostradamus’ prophecies unavoidably partake of the same dark, demonic source that provided inspiration to the author of the Centuries.

"Thus saith the Lord GOD; Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!" (Ezek. 13:3).

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St. Maximus the Confessor: 18 Spiritual Interpretations of the Transfiguration (2)

Continued from Part One

3. Or Knowledge and Education. Knowledge is the source in human beings of the understanding of good and evil. "For I have set before your face", he says, "life and death" (Deut. 30:19), the one you are to elect, the other to flee, and lest through ignorance you disguise the worse with the good, Moses proclaims what is to be done, prefiguring in himself the symbols of the truth. Education is needed for those who without restraint do what is contrary and indiscriminately mix what should not be mixed. In Israel the great Elijah was their teacher, the scourge of indifference, who, like reason, led to understanding and sense the mindlessness and hardness of those who were utterly addicted to evil.

4. Or Ascetic Struggle and Contemplation. Ascetic struggle destroys evil and through the demonstration of the virtues cuts off from the world those who are completely led through it in their disposition, just as Moses led Israel out of Egypt and educated her persuasively through the divine laws of the Spirit. Contemplation seizes them as it were from matter and form, like Elijah on his chariot of fire, leading them to God through knowledge and uniting them with Him, so that they are no longer weighed down by the flesh because of the setting aside of its law, nor burning with zeal for the fulfillment of the commandments, because of the grace of poverty of spirit mixed with all real virtues.

5. Or again they learnt from the Word the mysteries of marriage and celibacy: through Moses, how one is not prevented by marriage from being a lover of divine glory; and through Elijah, how he remained completely pure from any marital intercourse, and how the Word and God proclaims that those who direct themselves in these things by reason according to the laws that are divinely laid down concerning them are made to enter into Himself in a hidden way.

6. Or Life and Death: through them they are faithfully assurred the Word is Lord.

Continued Part Three

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The Grave of the Apostle Matthias in Georgia

The Holy Apostle Matthias (Feast Day - August 9)

According to the Synaxarion, we are told briefly of the Apostle Matthias:

After Judas by transgression fell from his apostleship (Acts 1: 25), and hanging himself out of despair ended his life with a wretched and shameful death (Matt. 27: 5), then, that the number of the Twelve not be lacking, all the disciples gathered in one place after the Ascension of the Savior (the number of men and women being 120), and they chose two men from among them, Joseph, called Barsabas, who was also surnamed Justus, and Matthias, and they set them in the midst. Then they prayed to God and cast lots, "and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven Apostles" (Acts 1: 15-26). And thus, having taken the place of Judas, Matthias fulfilled the work of apostleship and the prophecy concerning Judas, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David: "And his bishopric let another take" (Ps. 108:7). After this, it is said, Matthias preached the Gospel in Ethiopia, and completed his life there in martyrdom.

According to Nicephorus (Historia eccl., 2, 40), Matthias first preached the Gospel in Judaea, then in Ethiopia (made out to be a synonym for the region of Colchis, now in modern-day Georgia) and was crucified in Colchis. A marker placed in the ruins of the Roman fortress at Gonio known as Apsaros in the modern Georgian region of Adjara claims that Matthias is buried at that site. However, this is unverifiable as the Georgian government currently prohibits digging near the traditional gravesite.

Read more about Apsaros Fortress in Gonio here and see the video below.

Apolytikion in the Third Tone
O Holy Apostle Matthias, intercede with the merciful God that He grant unto our souls forgiveness of offences.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
Truly, into all the world thy sound hath gone forth as a brightly-beaming sun; and it enlighteneth by grace the Church of all nations on the earth, O wonderworking Matthias, Apostle of Christ.

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40th Anniversary of Glorification of St. Herman of Alaska

This year (2010) marks the 40th anniversary of the glorification of St Herman of Alaska jointly by the OCA and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) in 1970.

When the OCA announced it was going to officially enter Blessed Fr Herman into the List of Saints on August 9, 1970 (new calendar) in Kodiak, Alaska, the ROCOR Synod agreed to offer its "Amen" to this event by simultaneously canonizing St Herman in the Joy of All Who Sorrow Russian Cathedral in San Francisco on July 27 (old calendar). The OCA (formerly known as the "Metropolia") and ROCOR had worked together towards the glorification of St Herman as early as 1939 before the unfortunate split of the two Russian Churches in America. The decision by ROCOR to perform a joint canonization was hailed as "far-sighted" by one pious churchman closely involved who himself had labored for many years towards having Fr Herman declared a saint.

In honor of this festal and historic occasion, a new webpage was launched to collect in one place as many significant resources as possible regarding our beloved patron saint of Orthodoxy in North America. Scroll down for audio, videos, books (including children's titles), excerpts from St Herman's teachings on the Orthodox Way, online articles, icons and much more, all related not only to St Herman, but to his message for us today, which can be summed up in his rightly famous word:

"From this day, from this hour, from this minute, let us strive to love God above all, and to fulfill His holy will!"

See the webpage here.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
O blessed Father Herman of Alaska, North Star of Christ's Holy Church! The light of your holy life and great deeds guides those who follow the Orthodox Way. Together we lift high the Holy Cross you planted firmly in America. Let all behold and glorify Jesus Christ, singing His Holy Resurrection!

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Astrology Is Astrolatry

Father Alexander Karloutsos

"When our soul departs from life, we shall not be accused because we have not worked miracles, or have not been theologians, or have not seen visions, but we shall all certainly have to give account before God, because we have not wept unceasingly for our sins."

-St. John Climacus, Author of the Divine Ladder

Christian man does not have to be a miracle-worker, brilliant theologian or heavenly vision soothsayer or maker, but he does have to account for not being aware of his sins. A sin in the Orthodox Church is understood in the spirit of the Greek word "amartia." In Ancient Greece, when a person aimed to hit the bull's eye and failed, they called it "amartia," "he missed." Falling short of the mark, not reaching your goal, not attaining your purpose is sin. When a Christian does things that keep him away from Christ, he sins because he does not live up to his purpose, and that is to live in Christ. When we do not live up to our goal, being the image and becoming the likeness of God, then we sin. When we allow the stars of heaven to guide our actions and not God, who created the stars, then we are sinning. When we run to the newspapers to look up our horoscopes and our futures, and do not seek wisdom and learning from the Bible, then we are sinning. When we do, or don't do, this and that because astrologers say so, and close our ears to God's Commandments, then we are sinning. We are sinning when we pray to our Christian God and, simultaneously, take somewhat seriously the zodiac. We are not Aquarians, Pisceans or Librans, sons and daughters of stars; we are men and women, sons and daughters of God.

People are now being introduced as Aries' and Leo's, no longer as Christians. Isn't it strange that people would rather be named after stars and their constellations, than after God, the Creator and Source of Life? It is rare today to hear people say, "No, I'm not of Zodiac. I am of God, a Christian; a small Christ." The Church has always preached against astrology.

Jeremiah in Chapter 10 verse 2 writes: "Learn not the way of the unbelievers, nor be dismayed at the signs of the stars because the nations are dismayed at them, for the beliefs of these people are false."

When Daniel was confronted by the astrologers of the Assyrians, or Babylonians, from whom we have inherited astrology, Daniel answered: "No wise men, enchanters, magicians or astrologers can show to the King Nebuchadnezzer the mystery which he has asked, but only God in Heaven, Who reveals all mysteries..."

Our Canon Law prohibits people from believing in astrology. In fact, Canon 36 of Laodecia in 369 casts out of the Church people who make, sell, buy or wear the zodiac signs.

The Church Fathers, like the Ancient Greeks, felt that there were "many wonders in the universe, but none more wonderful than man." Man is God's personal image according to Psalm 8, "man was made a little less than God and crowned with glory" in order to have complete dominion over the whole world-stars included. St. Gregory the Great writes: "Man was not made for the stars, but rather the stars for man; and if a star can be called the ruler of man, then man must be considered the slave of his own servants."

God did not create the planets and stars with the intention that they would dominate man, but that they, like other creatures, should obey and serve him.

Augustine considers astrology a religion of fate which is vehemently condemned by the Church. He feels that anyone who believes that our loving God would give power to stars in order to direct and govern our lives offends God's justice and love. St. John Chrysostom sees this belief in stars as a foolish disbelief against God's omnipotence and creativity. God is subjected to the star's power. He also points out that if we are directed by starpower, then there is no such thing as good or evil because we do what we do under the stars' direction. "This means that God's commandments, that man shall not sin or that man shall do good, come down to nothing but foolishness."

The Church Fathers bring up the idea of twins, especially Jacob and Esau. They ask, "Why is there such a diversity in the life of twins, in their actions, fortunes, deeds, callings, honours, and all such things pertaining to human life; is this a result of a tiny interval of time, even though they were conceived in the same moment?" St. Gregory the Great understands astrology as superstition and foolishness-astrologers told him that a person born under the Aquarius sign was a fisherman, yet in the desert, he has met Aquarians but never fishermen. In Persia, where a child is born to a king and becomes a prince, they say his star caused it so; but then he asks, who can estimate how many slaves were born at the same time and moment as the king's son? "And yet the sons of kings, born in the same hour as the slaves, go on to a kingdom, while slaves born together with them die in slavery."

Astrology came from Babylonia over 4,000 years ago. It was based on the astronomical system-that the sun revolves around the earth, not the earth revolves around the sun. The year was divided into 12 months, 6 having 30 days, 6 twenty nine, thus making 354 days. So once in a while, they would add a 13th month. What I'm leading to is this: a person born in April, called Aries in our Gregorian calendar, in their calendar should be a Pisces, and an Aquarian. You see, we are a month ahead. So all of that which you have been reading about yourself is wrong because you were in the wrong month. The Babylonian Astrological Calendar is a month behind ours.

Will Durant in his History of Civilization calls astrology one of the many superstitions of ancient days which still flourish in our own day. But the stupidity of it all is best summed up by the immortal Shakespeare: "This is the excellent foppery of the world, that when we are sick in fortune we make guilty of our disaster the sun, the moon, and the stars; as if we were villains by necessity; fools by heavenly compulsion; knaves, thieves and teachers by spherical predominance; drunkards, liars, and adulterers by an enforced obedience of planetary influence." St. Gregory of Nyssa, summing up the essential aspect of human dignity, rightly says if we are but instruments of heavenly rotation, then we do not have free will. "And if man loses freedom, he loses everything." If man is not free, man is not man.

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The Martyrdom and Love of Taking Upon Us Other's Sins

by St. Nikolai Velimirovich

To take another's sin upon one's self, that is one form of martyrdom and the sign of one's overwhelming love for one's fellow man.

As death is the consequence of sin, to take another's sin on one's self means to add to your own death still another death, "And sin, when it is finished, brings forth death" (James 1:15). However, God rewards with resurrection those who, out of love, take another's death upon themselves.

There are many examples how the saints took upon themselves the sins of their fellow men. Thus, it is said of St. Ammon: a brother fell into sin and came to Ammon and said to him that because of the sin he committed, he must leave the monastery and return to the world. Ammon said to the brother that he will take his sin upon himself and counseled the brother to remain in the monastery. The brother remained in the monastery and the elder Ammon proceeded to offer repentance and prayers to God. After a short time, the elder Ammon received a revelation from God that that sin is forgiven because of his love for the brother.

When St. Macarius, St. Symeon the "fool for Christ", St. Theodora and others were accused of promiscuity, they did not defend themselves but, taking upon themselves the sin of others, received the weighty punishment for sin and patiently endured all until God revealed their innocence to men.

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St. Maximus the Confessor: 18 Spiritual Interpretations of the Transfiguration (1)

That The Saints Are Not Introduced into The Mysteries Like Us

But going back to what has already been contemplated, let us turn our attention according to our means to the rest of the meaning of the Transfiguration, so that the excellence of the Saints in everything and their genuine separation from the flesh and matter may be seen. And let us note that they do not contemplate either creation or Scripture like us in a material or lowly way. They do not acquire the blessed knowledge of God only by sense and appearances and forms, using letters and syllables, which lead to mistakes and bafflement over the judgment of the truth, but solely by the mind [nous], rendered most pure and released from all material mists. Since therefore we want to judge reverently and see clearly and intelligibly the meanings of those things perceived by the senses, we must look carefully to the inerrant knowledge concerning God and divine things and rightly proceed along the straight path.

Further Contemplation of the Transfiguration Containing Eighteen Spiritual Interpretations

A. Therefore it was said above that through the luminous brightness that shone from the face of the Lord on the mount, the thrice-blessed apostles were secretly led in an ineffable and unknowable manner to the power and glory of God which is completely incomprehensible to every being, for they learnt that the light that appeared to their senses is a symbol of what is hidden and beyond any manifestation. For as the ray of the light that came to pass here overwhelmed the strength of the eyes and remained beyond their grasp, so also their God transcends all the power and strength of the mind and leaves no kind of trace for the mind to experience. The white garments teach, in a divinely fitting way, at one and the same time both the magnificence that lies in creatures proportionately to the logoi according to which they have come into being and the mysterious revelation found in the understanding of the words of Holy Scripture, so that the written power in the Spirit and the wisdom and knowledge manifested together in creatures are displayed together for the knowledge of God, and through them again he is proportionately manifested. Through Moses and Elijah, who were with Him on either side, they are taught many various conceptions which are put forward as figures of mysteries: through true contemplation of them they found ways of knowing. It is this that must now be examined.

1. And first they received through Moses and Elijah the most reverent notion about how the legal and the prophetic word had always to be present with God the Word, as they are and proclaim from Him and concerning Him and they are established around Him.

2. Then they are taught through them about wisdom and kindness dwelling with Him. It is in accordance with wisdom that the word is declaratory of things made and prohibitory of things not made, and of this Moses is the type, for we believe the grace of law-giving to belong to wisdom. And it is in accordance with kindness that the word invites and causes to return to the divine life those who have slipped away from it, and of this Elijah is the type, through himself manifesting the complete prophetic gift. For the conversion through love for humankind of those who have erred is a characteristic of divine kindness, and the heralds of this we know as the prophets.

Continued Part Two

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