On Saving Grace

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

"By grace ye are saved" (Ephesians 2:5, 8).

Who can comprehend and acknowledge that we are saved by grace - that we are saved by God's grace, and not by our merits and works? Who can comprehend and acknowledge that? Only he who has comprehended and seen the bottomless pit of death and corruption in which man is engulfed by sin, and has also comprehended and seen the height of honor and glory to which man is raised in the Heavenly Kingdom, in the realm of immortality, in the house of the Living God - only such a one can comprehend and acknowledge that we are saved by grace.

A child was traveling by night. He stumbled and fell into hole after hole and pit after pit, until he finally fell into a very deep pit from which he could in no way escape by his own power. When the child gave himself over to the hands of fate and thought his end was near, there was suddenly someone standing over the pit, lowering a rope to him and telling him to grab the rope and hold firmly to it. This was the king's son, who then took the child home, bathed him, clothed him and brought him to his court and set him beside himself.

Was this child saved by his own deed? By no means. All he did was to grab the end of the rope, and hold on. By what, then, was the child saved? By the mercy of the king's son. In God's relationship with men, this mercy is called grace. By grace ye are saved. The Apostle Paul repeats these words twice in a short span, that the faithful might recognize and remember them.

Brethren, let us comprehend and remember that we are saved through grace by the Lord Jesus Christ. We were in the jaws of death, but have been given life in the courts of our God.

O Lord Jesus Christ our Savior, by Thee are we saved. To Thee be glory and praise forever. Amen.

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Documentary: Panormitis Monastery On Symi

Read also:

Holy Panormitis Monastery of the Archangel Michael in Symi

The 2008 Panormiti Miracle of the Archangel Michael

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The Angel At My Bedroom Window

When I was 11 years old I started a journal for some odd reason. My first entry was January 1, 1988. Not too many months later, after I had turned 12, I wrote a peculiar entry that records a dream I still remember quite vividly. With today being the Feast of the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and All the Bodiless Angelic Hosts, I thought it would be timely (or at least entertaining) to post it. Keep in mind two things when reading: first, I was just a 12-year-old punk kid when I wrote this, so it is not very eloquent; second, I never really payed attention to my dreams so this is not common of me.

October 27, 1988 Thursday (11:31 AM)

I woke up at 5:00 AM this morning because I had a suspicious dream. The dream was about an angel and I was a bad guy. The angel was outside my bedroom window and I was looking at him from behind with my sharp teeth. In the background was this music that went "hoooo"! It was scary. The angel's arm was half way up with his palm up looking in the sky and then the angel turned around. The angel had blonde hair and a white robe. It looked at me for a second and I woke up. I read my book report at 5:00 AM. Could it have been a sign from God? Don't know.

This was one of my first "spiritual" experiences that I'm grateful to have recorded, though in some parts I have no idea what I'm talking about. Basically, from what I remember, in the dream I was in my bed and saw a bright angel at my second-floor bedroom window almost as tall as my house looking at me, though I felt like a bad guy and had sharp teeth to show it. In the background was the most beautiful music I had ever heard and have still yet to hear, that sounded like an angelic choir. When the angel and I locked eyes, he swiftly backed away from the house, swiftly turned around, looked up into heaven, and ascended.

I hesitate to call this "spiritual", since it was just a dream to me and I tend to be very skeptical of my own experiences. It made a minor impression on me though at the time, and if I were ever to believe something divine about it, it would be that beautiful music which I have a hard time believing was created in my imagination. I didn't give it much thought until a few years later when I was speaking with my late pious grandmother in Greece, and she was lamenting the fact that she had have never been granted by God to hear in her lifetime the beautiful singing voices of angelic choirs. I don't think I ever told her about my experience due to my skepticism, but after she said that I began to wonder once again: "Could it have been a sign from God? Don't know."

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The 2008 Panormiti Miracle of the Archangel Michael

It was 7 November 2008, the day before the Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and all the Angelic Powers, on the island of Symi (Simi) at Panormitis Monastery, home of the miraculous icon of the Archangel Michael and one of his most popular shrines in the Orthodox world (read more here). During the Great Vespers service, as the crowd was celebrating the feast, it was noticed by all who venerated the holy image of the Archangel, that his face completely disappeared! This both amazed everyone and moved them to tears. As the Great Vespers service was near completion however, the face of the Archangel reappeared to the joy of all. According to the Metropolitan of Symi, who interrupted the service after the hymn "O Gladsome Light" to bring this to everyone's attention, the Archangel Michael was answering the prayers of the faithful.

Konstantinos Kappas captured this miracle on video, which was presented on the Greek television station "Tharri". Below that is the news report of the miracle.

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Animation: Archangel Michael and the Miracle at Chonai

This is a Russian cartoon with Greek subtitles about the miracle of the Archangel Michael in Chonai.

Read about the miracle here.

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Synaxis of the Heavenly Bodiless Angelic Powers

By St. Dimitri Rostov

Tthe Holy Church, which rejects the impious worship of angels devised by idolaters and heretics of old, has received from the divinely inspired Fathers the tradition of celebrating with reverence the Synaxis of the Holy Angels. In the days of the Old Testament, the people of God, having fallen away from their Creator, began to worship that which the Lord created. They made idols after the likeness of things visible, of that which is in heaven above and earth beneath, the work of their own hands. At that time, when the people offered oblations unto the sun, the moon, and the stars as gods, imagining that these possessed living souls, they also began to worship angels. The Book of Kings makes mention of this, saying that they "burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the twelve signs of the Zodiac, and to all the host of heaven," that is, to the angels; for the host of heaven is comprised of the angels, as is said in the Gospel: "And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host."

This impious worship of the angels spread through many lands in the days of the holy apostles. The holy Apostle Paul sought to root it out when he wrote to the Colossians, saying, "Let no man beguile you in voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the Head," which is Christ; for there were at that time certain heretics who made a show of humility but proudly imagined that they were like the angels because of their abstinence and the purity of their lives. These men taught that angels were to be worshipped in the same manner as God. After this, there arose other heretics who taught that the angels were the makers of the visible creation and that they are more honorable and exalted than Christ, the Son of God, since they are bodiless.These heretics called the Archangel Michael the God of the Hebrews. Finally, still others appeared, who devoted themselves to sorcery and deceived the people, calling upon the demons whom they served under the name of angels. This heresy grew especially strong in Colossae, a city under the jurisdiction of the metropolitan see of Laodicea, where many secretly worshipped the angels in an impious manner akin to idolatry. The local council of the holy fathers that met at Laodicea denounced this heresy, but while it anathematized and rejected the heretical worship of angels, it decreed lawful the pious and proper veneration of the holy angels as God’s servants and the guardians of the race of man, establishing the celebration of the festival held in their honor on this day. Thus it was in Colossae, where the evil and heretical worship of the angels had once appeared in secret, that the Orthodox first began to celebrate the feast of the Synaxis of the Angels. Many splendid temples dedicated to the holy Archangel Michael were built there, such as the most glorious and wondrous church erected in Chonae over the wonder-working spring where the holy Chief Commander Michael appeared to Saint Archippus. The council decreed that the feast of the angels be celebrated in November, the ninth month counting from March, when the world was created, since there are nine orders of angels, according to Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, the disciple of the holy Apostle Paul. Saint Paul was taken up to the third heaven, where he saw how the holy angels are divided into ranks, and he told his disciple of this. These nine ranks are grouped in three hierarchies of three orders: the highest, the middle, and the lowest.


The highest hierarchy of angels, which is the nearest to the Most Holy Trinity, consists of the seraphim, the cherubim, and the thrones. Closest of all to the Creator and Fashioner stand the seraphim, beloved of God, of whom Isaiah said, "Seraphs stood round about Him: each one had six wings." They are like fire, because they stand nearest to Him of Whom it is written: "Our God is a consuming fire, and His throne is like a fiery flame, and The sight of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire." Since they stand before such fiery glory, the seraphim are themselves fiery, as it is written: "He maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire." They burn with love for God and kindle the love of God in others, as their name itself reveals, for in the Hebrew tongue "seraphim" means "burning" or "consuming."

The divinely wise cherubim stand next after the seraphim in the presence of God the All-knowing, Who dwells in transcendent light. These angels, who abide in God’s ineffable light, themselves ever shine more brilliantly than the orders below them with the light of righteousness and the knowledge of God and His wisdom. They are themselves radiant and illumine others; therefore, they are called cherubim, which in Hebrew means "much wisdom," or "an effusion of wisdom." Through the cherubim wisdom is poured out, and through them the noetic eyes of others are illumined, enabling them to see the glory of God and to know Him.

The thrones stand after the cherubim before the exalted throne on high. They are called God-bearing by Saint Dionysius, since, according to the explanation offered by Saint Maximus the Confessor, God noetically rests upon them as upon noetic thrones. Saint Basil writes that they are called God-bearing not according to their essence but because of the grace vouchsafed them and the service entrusted to them. The flesh of Christ the Lord, however, is God-bearing by essence, hypostatically joined with God the Word Himself. Christ’s flesh bears God the Word in an undivided union and is called, and ever remains, His true and living flesh, but the thrones are called God-bearing because they bear God within themselves in an ineffable and inexpressible manner, not by nature but because of the grace and service entrusted to them. Seated upon them in a way that cannot be described, God ordains His judgments, as David said: "Thou hast sat upon a throne, 0 Thou that judgest righteousness." Therefore, it is through the thrones that God brings to pass His righteous judgments, for they are the ministers of His justice, imparting to the tribunals of magistrates here below, and to kings and lords, the ability to pass righteous judgment.

There are three ranks in the middle hierarchy of the holy angels as well: dominions, powers, and virtues. The dominions are so called because they rule over the angels subject to them, while they are themselves free, since, as Saint Dionysius says, they have set aside servile fear and ever serve the Lord willingly and gladly. They pour down upon the authorities ordained by God here below power to rule wisely and to exercise dominion judiciously, governing well the lands entrusted to them. They also teach us to rule over our senses, to subdue our disorderly lusts and passions, to subject the flesh to the spirit, to exercise authority over our will, and to prevail over every temptation.

The powers, full of divine might, serve the mighty and powerful will of the all-powerful and omnipotent Lord without hesitation or delay. They work exceedingly great marvels and impart the grace to perform similar miracles upon those of God’s favorites who have been deemed worthy to work wonders, to heal every illness, and to foretell the future. Likewise, the holy powers strengthen men as they labor and are heavy laden in bearing the yoke of their various burdens, strengthening them to fulfill the obligations of their station in life and helping the feeble in their weakness. They assist every man to be patient and not to weaken in trials, but to endure everything that comes to pass with nobility of soul and resolute courage, humbly giving thanks to God, Who orders all things for our benefit.

The virtues bear their name because they have authority over the devil. They subdue the power of the demons and ward off the temptations which the spirits of evil bring upon men, and they forbid the demons to harm men as they desire. The virtues confirm those who labor for virtue’s sake in their spiritual undertakings and struggles, protecting them, lest they be deprived of the spiritual kingdom. Those who war with their passions and desires the virtues’ help in the day of battle, assisting them in dispelling every wicked thought and the enemy’s calumny and in overcoming the devil.

The three orders in the lowest hierarchy are the principalities, archangels, and angels. The principalities are so called because they rule over the angels below them and direct them to fulfill God’s commands. It is they who watch over the world, protecting and guarding every kingdom and principality, every province and people, tribe and nation, for each of these has its own angel of this rank as guardian and governor. According to Saint Gregory, it is the duty of this order to teach men to render to all in authority the honor due their station. These angels usher worthy men into such positions as they merit and instruct them not to use their offices for their own gain or profit, nor to become vainglorious or full of conceit, but to honor God, to increase His glory and to spread word of it, for the benefit of all those under their authority.



The archangels are the great messengers of good, eminent, and wondrous tidings. According to the renowned Dionysius, it is they who deliver prophecies to men, enlightening them so that they may know and understand the will of God. They learn of God’s will from the higher ranks and entrust the secrets thereof to the angels below them, who in turn declare them to men. Saint Gregory the Dialogist says that they spread abroad the faith among men, illuminating their minds with the light of the knowledge of the Holy Gospel and revealing to them the mysteries of the Orthodox faith.

The angels occupy the lowest position in the hierarchy of heaven and are the closest of its ranks to men. They reveal the lesser mysteries of God and His intentions to men, whom they guide to live virtuously and righteously. Each of the faithful is entrusted to one of them. They support those of us who stand firm, and they raise up the fallen. Even if we sin, they do not forsake us but are always ready to help us, if only we desire it.

Nevertheless, the name angel is proper to the higher ranks of heaven, for even if each has its own place and position and its own name which accords with the manner of grace bestowed upon it, that is to say, seraphim, cherubim, throne, and so forth, they are still all called angels; for in this sense the name refers not to what they are in essence but to the manner of service they perform. All of them alike are angels, since they fulfill God’s commands, as it is written: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister?" Each order has its own ministry, and their ministrations differ, because the wise Creator does not reveal the mysteries of His divine will to each rank equally. He manifests His sacred will to the lower orders through the higher and through the latter commands the former to fulfill the dictates of His will, as may plainly be seen in the book of the Prophet Zechariah. This book tells how, after a certain angel had spoken with the prophet, that angel met another angel, who commanded him to return to the prophet and to reveal to him the future of Jerusalem. Thus it is written, "Behold, the angel that talked with me went forth, and another angel went out to meet him, and said unto him, Run, speak to this young man," (that is, to the prophet Zechariah) "saying, Jerusalem shall be inhabited as a town withoutwalls for the multitude of men and cattle therein, for I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about." Saint Gregory expounds, "When one angel says to the other, Run, speak to this young man, there can be no doubt that certain angels dispatch others here and there and that the lower ranks are sent while it is the higher orders that send them." Similarly, we find in the prophecy of Daniel that one angel tells another to explain to the prophet the vision which he saw. Therefore, it is clear that the lower ranks of angels learn of the will and intentions of the divine Creator from the higher orders and are sent by the latter to do His desire.

It is fitting that the Orthodox Church here below should celebrate the synaxis and seek the aid of all nine orders of the holy angels on the eighth day of this month of November, sending up fervent entreaty unto them; for on the fearful day of judgment, which the divine teachers of the Church call the eighth day, when He Who is the Son of Man and God, the righteous Judge, "shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him," as the Lord Himself prophesied in the Holy Gospel, all the ranks of angels shall be gathered together. "He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds" that is, from the east, the west, the north, and the south. May the Lord then summon us, who reverently celebrate the Synaxis of the Angels, into the choir of the chosen!

The holy Chief Commander Michael, the faithful servant of the Lord, was appointed by God as general and commander over the entire assembly of the nine angelic orders. When Satan exalted himself in pride, fell away from God into perdition, and was cast into the abyss, Michael called together all the ranks and hosts of angels and cried out with a mighty voice, "Let us attend! Stand aright before Him Who created us, and do not consider doing what is not pleasing to God. Behold what has befallen those created with us, who until now were communicants of the divine light! Behold how they were straightway exiled from light into darkness because of pride, cast from the heights into the abyss! Behold how the morning star, which lit up the dawn, has fallen to earth and been crushed!"

When Michael, who stood foremost among the seraphim, the cherubim, and all the ranks of heaven, said this to the entire assembly of the angels, they glorified the most holy and undivided Trinity, one in essence, the one God; and together they chanted the triumphal hymn: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth, heaven and earth are full of Thy glory!"

It is this assembly of the holy angels that we venerate on the present feast of the Synaxis of the Angels; for they ever glorify the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit attentively and harmoniously, with one mind, heart, and voice. May we mortals also glorify Him unto the ages. Amen.


The local Council of Laodicea, which rejected the impious worship of angels in its thirty-fifth canon but decreed lawful the pious veneration of angels and established the feast of their synaxis, was held shortly before the first great ecumenical council which met in the city of Nicea. The Council of Laodicea was convened in the year 319 after the Nativity of Christ, or according to certain authorities, in the year 320 or 321, while Saint Silvester was Pope of Rome. Thirty-two bishops attended this council, over which the Metropolitan of Laodicea Nunechius presided. Some say that Theodotus was Metropolitan at that time, but it is more likely that it was Nunechius who presided at the council.


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

Kontakion in the Second Tone
Chief Commanders of God; ministers of divine glory; guides for men and leadership of the Incorporeal; as Chief Commanders of the Incorporeal, plead for our welfare and for great mercy.

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ΤΑ ΕΠΤΑ ΘΑΝΑΣΙΜΑ ΑΜΑΡΤΗΜΑΤΑ ΚΑΙ ΤΑ ΠΑΡΑΓΩΓΑ ΑΥΤΩΝ

The Seven Deadly Sins and Their Offspring

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Elder Iakovos of Evia and the Command of the Archangels

In 1961, Abbot Nikodemos and Hieromonk Iakovos decided to build a chapel in honor of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel. The abbot chose the spot, marked it off with pegs, and departed for Limni.

The same night, a tall, blonde, handsome officer with a golden sword appeared to Fr. Iakovos and told him: "Father, I am Archangel Michael. I don't want my temple to be built in the place where the pegs have been placed, but rather where I'll show you." He stooped down and carried the pegs farther. In the morning, Fr. Iakovos found the pegs moved over.


They planned to build the chapel with mud and straw, as there were no other means available. The next night, two officers with golden swords appeared to Fr. Iakovos and told him: "We are Archangels Michael and Gabriel. Tell your elder that we don't want our house to be built with mud and straw, but rather, with sand, lime, and wood. And on the roof we want tiles."

Such materials, though, did not exist up there in the mountain. There was much poverty and, in addition, there was no good road to transport them. When Fr. Iakovos asked the Archangels about this, they answered him: "Don't worry, Father, we'll take care of these things. It will rain at night and the stream will bring down a lot of sand. The rest of the materials will be provided by pious Christians." Everything turned out as it was foretold, in a wondrous manner.


Source: The Garden of the Holy Spirit (Elder Iakovos of Evia), By S.G. Papadopoulos, p. 86.

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The Church and the "Civil Society"

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and St. Vlassios

It is known from various studies that the European Union in its final functional form, either as a federation or as an Intergovernmental Union of States or in any other form, will necessarily have to assign new roles to the State, the regions and the European Union. The combination of these three factors is what will determine future developments.

However, meanwhile, due to several temptations and problems and in order to prevent the creation of a superstate, there is continuous debate on the development of "civil society". It is argued that the citizen of the European Union must be active and that there must develop "civil societies" with a set of obligations and rights. Through the "civil society" they see the manifestation of modern volunteerism, which may not be expressed individually but collectively.

Professor Panagiotis Ioakeimidis in a relevant study analyzes the institution of the "civil society" and specifies its value for modern European developments.

First, in defining the term "civil society", he refers to Gellne’s view, according to which "civil society" is "a set of various nongovernmental institutions, strong enough to counterbalance the state, which do not obstruct the state in fulfilling its role as a guarantor of peace and arbitrator between great interests, but are able to prevent it from dominating and overwhelming the rest of society".

This definition shows the great value of the "civil society". Indeed, the State may play the role of guarantor of peace and arbitrator between great interests. However, due to the danger that the State, moving between these great interests, might dominate over the citizens, it is imperative that "civil societies" are developed. These are various nongovernmental organizations, associations, I would even say cultural organizations, which will constitute a brake in the State’s attempt for complete domination over the weak masses. The European Union might be accused by many on some aspects, but it does promote the growth of "civil society", for otherwise the very future of Europe is at stake.

In the book I mentioned above, the view of Professor Nikos Mouzelis is cited according to which in Greece there is no developed "civil society", and as a result an arbitrary despotic state has appeared. He writes:

"… a basic weakness of our democratic polity is that because of various reasons – mostly historical reasons – civil society is extremely skinny. This skinniness takes the form of an arbitrary despotic state and of a party-dominated political system, in which narrow bureaucratic interests take systematic precedence over the universal citizen interests."

Despite these, recently there is a great turn towards the development of a "civil society" in Greece. So, it seems that what Legg and Roberts argue about Greece being "condemned to remain a peripheral country" in the framework of the European Union due to "the perpetuating imbalance between the state and civil society" might not be correct after all. This is so because, as Professor Ioakeimidis, who knows well all problems related to the European Union, observes, everyday citizens’ movements which boost the "civil society" are multiplied. Contributing to this are "the consolidation of democracy", the "institutional, political conditions for the 'civil society'", and "the establishment of new rights for citizens".

For the sake of history, it has to be observed that in the place we live, even during the period of the Turkish rule, there existed a developed, at least in some regions, "civil society". This comprised the guilds and other administrative structures, but unfortunately this situation was brought to an end because the organizers of the Greek State, influenced by the enlightened and romantic principles of that time :copied the French overly centralized system of administrative organization for the formation of the new state" and as a consequence this led to "the destruction of the endogenous communities that had developed during the Ottoman empire".

It's a fact that lately in Greece there is a great rejuvenation of this subject. Within our democratic institutions, various associations are established, interested in the culture, the tradition, the customs and mores of the people, and these associations do a great job in preserving our cultural heritage. It should be remembered that the term "civil society" is mostly used to denote groups engaged in the production of politics and in restraining the power of the State on social and political issues, but I think that the development of these cultural associations constitutes the basic axis for the preservation of cultural tradition, which is the catalyst of our nation’s alienation. In this perspective they, too, produce politics, because civilization creates correct politics but also checks wrong politics. It is the seawall of every leveling catastrophe.

In this context, I claim that the Church, the way it is organized especially here in Orthodox Greece where the ancient Greek system of cities as a way of administration is maintained in the Bishoprics, the Parishes, and the Monasteries, is a well-organized "civil society". In order not to be misunderstood, I would like to emphasize that the Church is not a human association but the God-human body of Christ and a communion of deification. As such, it neither identifies with any human organization nor occupies itself with politics, and in this sense it is not a political "civil society". Nevertheless, in its way of administration and because its members are simultaneously members of a specific State, it is a transforming institution which renews society and the whole life and affects deeply all developments.

The Orthodox Church is not like other religious communities, because it does not cultivate a simple sentimentalism and a simple external sentimental relationship with God. Instead, by employing the therapeutic method, which is the psychotherapeutic method per se, it cures man, helps him overcome the problem of death, which is the greatest social problem and causes family and social problems, cultivates love, selfless love, develops genuine volunteerism, and also preserves the civilization known as Greek Orthodox, with the music, religious painting, church architecture, it even renews the entire life of the Christians outside the church buildings, etc..

Indeed, the Church in our place is a special "civil society", interested not in politics but in the whole way of life and man’s rejuvenation, so that he then becomes a wise citizen. The Church has survived over time and hardships, and no one can ignore it. Of course, this special "civil society" should stay within its borders and not become a political organization nor get involved in political-party activities. It will affect, though, all developments indirectly through the cure and renewal of man. The Church as the Body of Christ and a communion of deification, as well as an organization and "civil society" with a clear rebirth and deifying character, is able to give meaning to man and through him renew society and the creation.

Source: Parembasis, March 2002.

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Disturbing American Statistics

1 in 7 live in poverty, 1 in 5 children live in poverty, 1 in 6 don't have health insurance, 1 in 5 are unemployed/underemployed, 1 in 7 are mortgage delinquent, 2/3 live paycheck to paycheck, 42 million are using food stamps and 53 percent are "very concerned" or "somewhat concerned" about having the money to make their monthly mortgage payment. $60 billion was made by American companies overseas this year and they will not bring it back to this country to pay their taxes like everybody else. Instead it is being used to bolster economies in the countries that have taken over our industrial base. Tea Party Republicans are looking to extend $700 billion in tax cuts to the most wealthy without looking for any type of spending reductions, while they want spending cuts of $5 billion to $6 billion a month as a condition for extending emergency unemployment benefits that are scheduled to expire next month for millions of Americans. They are willing to bust the budget for the wealthy but will not allow emergency spending for the unemployed.

"All our lives we sweat and save, building for a shallow grave." - Jim Morrison

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Saint Hieron and the 32 Martyrs of Melitene

33 Martyrs of Melitene (Feast Day - November 7)

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

Hieron was born in Tyana in Cappadocia of a good and devout mother, Stratonika, who was blind. Hieron was a very zealous Christian and served his blind mother with great filial love. For two reasons he did not wish to join the army, and he resisted and drove off those who had been sent to take him. Hieron was loath to leave his helpless mother, and it was grievous for him even to consider that, as a soldier, he would be compelled to offer sacrifices to idols. Finally, Hieron was arrested along with other Christians, and they were all taken before the eparch of the town of Melitene. While they were still on the road, a man clad in a brilliant white garment appeared to Hieron one night and said: "Behold, Hieron, I proclaim salvation to you: you shall not wage war for an earthly king, but for the Heavenly King you will complete your struggle, and you shall soon come to Him to receive honor and glory.'' At this, Hieron's heart was filled with inexpressible joy. In Melitene they were all thrown into prison and Hieron, with great zeal, strengthened all the prisoners in the Faith, urging that not even one of them fall away, but that all willingly offer their bodies to torture and death for Christ. All but one confessed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The exception was Hieron's kinsman Victor, who fell away from the Faith. The tormentors cut one of Hieron's hands off, then flogged and tortured him in various ways until they beheaded him and the others. Going to the place of execution, these thirty-three martyrs chanted the Psalm: Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord (Psalms 118:1). Here we will name the honorable martyrs whose names are written with his in the Book of Life: Hesychius, Nicander, Athanasius, Mamas, Barachius, Callinicus, Theogenes, Nikon, Longinus, Theodore, Valerius, Xanthius, Theodulus, Callimachus, Eugenius, Theodochus, Ostrichius, Epiphanius, Maximian, Ducitius, Claudian, Theophilus, Gigantius, Dorotheus, Theodotus, Castrichius, Anicletus, Themilius, Eutychius, Hilarion, Diodotus and Amonitus. A man named Chrysanthus purchased Hieron's severed head and honorably buried it, later building a church over it in the saint's name. The martyr's severed hand was brought to his blind mother. St. Hieron, with his companions, suffered in the year 298 and entered the glory of Christ.

St. Eugenios

Reflection

There are decisive moments in life upon which a man's eternal life or eternal death depend. We do not know when this decisive moment will come for us-perhaps today-and because of this we must be unceasingly vigilant. Victor, a kinsman of St. Hieron, was arrested with him. On the day before their torture, Victor, in terror of the impending tortures, went to the prison warden and begged him to take his name off the list of the condemned and release him, promising to give him his land. The warden removed his name and released him. However, upon returning home, Victor died of natural causes in the same moment that St. Hieron and his companions died in torments for Christ. Thus Victor vainly missed the decisive moment: he lost his land, his friends and both his earthly and heavenly life. In that same decisive moment, Hieron gained all. No one vied for Victor's body, while many vied for Hieron's body. When Christians sought the head of Hieron from the eparch, he asked as much gold for it as it weighed. Chrysanthus, a wealthy and devout man, paid that much gold for the martyr's honorable head. Anthony and Matronian hid one of St. Hieron's severed hands and brought it to Hieron's mother, the blind Stratonika. She took her son's hand and wept bitterly: "O my beloved son, I gave birth to you whole, and now I have only one part of you!''

St. Themelios

HYMN OF PRAISE: The Holy Martyr Hieron and his companions

Prisons are peculiar palaces!
In prison, St. Hieron spoke:
"O my brethren, thirty companions,
Hold to God's word,
To God's word and His law.
Behold, from time immemorial, the serpent has risen up,
Seeking to ensnare you with a glance,
So that, one by one, you would follow it to hell.
Do not succumb, brethren, true believers,
Oh, hearken to humble Hieron!
Whatever the serpent promises you
Is as fleeting as the green grass.
Courageously endure your sufferings:
Do not trade the eternal for the temporal;
Today or tomorrow, death will arrive,
Then all must go to the judgment of God.
Blessed is he who is not ashamed
When he sees his Judge before him.
Even more so is he who can show the Judge
The blood he has shed for Him,
And the wounds he bears for His name.
Such a one will reign eternally with Him.''



Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
Your thirty-three holy martyrs, O Lord, through their sufferings have received incorruptible crowns from You, our God. For having Your strength, they laid low their adversaries, and shattered the powerless boldness of demons. Through their intercessions, save our souls!

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
The choir of Martyrs, shining far and light-bearing, hath dawned today and with the bright shafts of wonders hath made the Church resplendent with noetic light; wherefore, as we celebrate their most solemn remembrance, O our Saviour, we entreat that through their intercessions Thou rescue us from dangers of all kinds, as the most merciful God and the Friend of man.

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Documentary: Future Shock

An interesting perspective on society based on the book Future Shock by Alvin Toffler. This movie came out in 1972 and features Orson Welles as the narrator. Some funny moments here, but also many things to ponder about the "new society" in which we live. One question to ponder: Is this Future Shock or Shock from the Past?

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Commemoration of the Falling of Ash From the Sky In 472 AD

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

If God can bring forth water from a rock as a comfort to men, He is also able to send down fire from the heavens as a punishment. The fate of Sodom and Gomorrah is a classic example of God's punishment upon incorrigible sinners. That God can repeat this punishment was demonstrated over Constantinople in the year 472, during the time of Emperor Leo the Great and Patriarch Gennadius.

At noon on November 6 of that year, the sky became overcast with thick, dark clouds, causing darkness on the land. These clouds turned red as fire, then became dark, and alternated their appearance continuously. This phenomenon over Constantinople lasted for a full forty days. The frightened people turned to repentance and prayer. With the emperor and patriarch, they walked in procession through the streets from church to church and prayed to God with tears and lamentation. On the final day hot black ash fell like rain from evening until midnight, then stopped. The following day dawned clear and bright, but the sooty ash lay on the ground to a depth of nine inches. With great effort, the people cleaned their houses and streets of this sooty ash, but the crops in the field were utterly destroyed.

All who had understanding, understood that this was God's punishment, and that it was God's gentle punishment because the people hastened to repent before Him. Had it not been for this profound repentance for their great and accumulated sins, who knows what would have happened to Constantinople in those days? But the timely repentance of sinners, and the prayers of the Most-holy Theotokos, as well as the prayers of the countless saints and martyrs of Constantinople, greatly lessened the punishment.

HYMN OF PRAISE: The Lord's Mercy and Goodness

Our Lord is mercy and true goodness,
Yet He allows man to suffer for his sin:
Floods, sickness, earthquakes, droughts,
Horror and pains for body and soul.
He who does not see the Father when He offers gifts
Will see Him at the Judgment as the Righteous Judge.
The awesome Judge has many servants,
And employs them all for man's salvation-
The earth's thorns; serpents and beasts;
And floods, lightning, thunder from the sky;
And evil winds of illness; the sun, heat and darkness;
And the field, which gives either wheat or empty straw.
As many gifts await the faithful,
So many scourges are woven for the evil.
Adam's fields are watered with gentle dew,
But Sodom and Gomorrah are mowed with a flaming sword.
Above other created things, God loves man:
Therefore He forgives much; therefore He waits long.
But, when God's patience exceeds all bounds,
Then fire, not dew, does the work.

Read also: The Volcanic Ashes of Constantinople In 472 AD

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The Greek "Citizen Card" and the Orthodox Response

According to reports, the "citizen card" will be used for all of the citizen's transactions with the state and for social services in particular.

The card will also be used as a travel document for destinations within Schengen.

According to the same reports, the government is orientated towards extending the uses of the card to uses for the private sector as well, such as transactions with banks.

The same sources said that there is no question with personal data and that their full protection is anticipated.

The "citizen's card" is expected to start being available as of December 2011 and will gradually replace the police identity card.

Many Orthodox Christians fear this card may prove to be the mark of the Antichrist, or at least a forerunner to it. Protests abound, based on these fears.

It is unfortunate that Orthodox Christians are ruled by fear on this issue, when no evidence even suggests this is a mark for evil. Paranoia seems to have once again set it, a "satanic panic" of sorts based on unfounded conspiracies.

Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Zakynthos has given a blanced response to public fears when asked about the "citizen card": "I have the same opinion that I had about the ID cards. If someone has Christ within them they will not fear 200 demons, not even one."

When he was asked his opinion if it contained within it a chip with the number 666, he responded: "Let it have the number '666' 3,000 times over. It will not concern me a bit."

Some Metropolitans and clergy will refuse the card however, because it disturbs the conscience of Orthodox Christians.

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Video: The Churches of Byzantine Moldavia

See the video here.

The world famous Moldavian Monasteries, also known as the Bucovina Monasteries, are among the most beautiful examples of Romanian art and have been designated as one of UNESCO's architectural monuments. The paintings on the exterior of the Humor Monastery, one of the oldest of the five great Moldau Monasteries, date from the early 16th century. The Voronet Monastery dates back to 1488 and was built by Stephen The Great after a victorious battle against the Turks. First mentioned in 1402, during the 16th century, the Moldovita Monastery was destroyed by a landslide but rebuilt in 1532. Here, Moldavian architecture combines with elements of Gothic and Renaissance architecture and the majority of Moldavia's churches are adorned with colorful frescos. Set in a picturesque location, the Sucevita Monastery is one of the most well preserved churches in the Moldavian region. Between 1595 and 1606, the churches´ splendid frescos were created under the artistic direction of the artists, Ion and Sofronie. The amazing diversity of the beautifully illustrated individual images of angels and martyrs is considered to be unique in Moldavian architecture. The Arbore Monastery was dedicated to Saint John The Baptist and the portrayal of the 'Legend Of George' on the external façade is particularly noteworthy. Although a number of the wall paintings have not stood the test of time, the Arbore frescos still manage to convey the splendor of Romanian religious art. Massive, well-fortified walls surround the eye-catching Dragomirna Monastery, that was built between 1602 and 1609 and its prominent tower is richly decorated with numerous rosettes. Beyond its mighty walls there is a tranquil, idyllic atmosphere. To capture the sacred and historical atmosphere of monastic life, there could be no better destination than the Bucovina Monasteries.

Price: USD $1.99

Season: 1

Episode: 1105

Release: Jan 07, 2010

Rental information: Once you complete your purchase, playback will begin immediately. You will be able to watch this video for 72 hours.

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Dečani Monastery Relief Fund Falls Victim to Economy!

Press Release: October 2010

The Dečani Monastery Relief Fund USA

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As you all know, the United States and, indeed, most of the world has fallen on hard times these last few years. People everywhere have had to tighten their belts and make-do with less. Many have lost jobs and have seen hard-won careers stall or evaporate. People who rightfully took pride in their personal and professional achievements have suffered the humiliation of being forced to accept work well beneath their capabilities or have even been reduced to subsisting on charity while finding no employment at all. Young people have been forced to remain at home with parents because the lack of job opportunities prevent them from launching careers upon graduation from high school or college; many have also had to set aside personal goals or put marriage plans on hold. Older workers have been pushed prematurely into retirement for which they were not yet fully prepared. Entire families struggle financially as some members sacrifice to support and sustain unemployed parents, children, siblings or other relatives who now must rely entirely on the generosity of others. In short, the recent economic collapse has affected nearly all of us in painful and costly ways.

Nonetheless, the majority of North Americans and Europeans are still pretty comfortable compared to those the Dečani Fund attempts to assist.

Charitable donations have declined along with the economy in recent months and this is certainly not surprising. However, let’s be honest and admit that most of us still seem to find enough change in our pockets to spring for a latte at Starbucks, a movie rental, a lottery ticket, or –dare I say it—a six-pack of Bud when we want it! We are not, most of us, living in cardboard boxes under some overpass. Most of us are not lining up for lunch at the Rescue Mission. Nor are we picking through dumpsters to find scrap metal to sell to a recycler for a few spendable coins. This recession has been hard on many of us but those of us who are old enough to have heard Depression stories from our parents know that things could indeed be a lot worse. We also should know that in some parts of the world today, things ARE a lot worse.

The Dečani Monastery Relief Fund has tried for years now to address the appalling conditions of poverty and need visited on Kosovo’s remaining Serbian Christians as a consequence of the Albanian conquest and takeover of the province. The passage of time is erasing the outside world’s awareness of the continuing conflicts and ongoing human rights violations that persist within the region. More immediate concerns have eroded our ability to care about situations and people far outside the arena in which we live our own lives and pursue our own interests.

But Christ commanded us to “love our neighbor.” He did not say “love your next-door neighbor.” He left it to us to figure out who the neighbor is.

Hard times bring out both the best and worst in people. Today we are seeing the emergence of some attitudes and policies that definitely do not show human nature at its best! There is a real danger that in this current social and political climate, we Americans will enshrine self-interest as a virtue, transforming ourselves into an insular and mean-spirited people. This is contrary to the Gospel of Christ. It is also a contradiction of all that has been great about America and Americans.

Many people in Kosovo remain desperate for the most basic necessities of life—food, shelter, clothing sufficient to withstand the cold Balkan winter, medical care, even personal safety. The Fund now supports six soup kitchens and hundreds of school children. Yet numerous families still shiver in inadequately heated homes. People of all ages have been reduced to near-beggar status from which there seems no escape. The youth have had to abandon their dreams of higher education leading to decent jobs and lifelong careers; their talents are wasted and much potential is being lost.

The need for YOUR help is still great. Do you have more than they have? Would you forego that latte to provide a meal for a hungry child? If you are NOT living on unemployment, welfare, or your more fortunate relatives; if you are not expecting to have today’s meal at the local Rescue Mission… Christian, step up to the plate and do your bit to make life just a little easier for a needy brother or sister in Christ! Just a little from each of us can keep a family warm this winter, a child fed while he or she attends elementary school, a college student at his or her studies a while longer. Remember, for better or for worse, we all share the same future, both in this world and in the next.

Please send whatever much or little you can spare to the address below.
As always, your donations are fully tax deductible.

Dečani Monastery Relief Fund
C/O Very Reverend Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes
2618 West Bannock Street
Boise, Idaho 83702
USA

May our Radiant, Risen Lord Jesus Christ bless you and yours; may He continue to provide you with everything you need and more!

+ Very Reverend Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes
President of the Dečani Monastery Relief Fund USA

Who humbly prays for you!

Eastern Orthodox Missionary Publications

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A Symposium In Honor of Fr. Florovsky at Princeton

On The Tree of the Cross: The Patristic Doctrine of Atonement

Saturday, February 12, 2011
8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Taking our cue from Fr. Georges Florovsky, the eminent 20th century Orthodox Christian theologian who wrote with passion on this topic, we will examine the doctrine of atonement in some of the same authorities upon which Fr. Florovsky relied: the New Testament, St. Irenaeus of Lyon, St. Athanasius of Alexandria, St. Gregory the Theologian, and others. We will conclude with an analysis of Fr. Florovsky's own writings on atonement, followed by a panel discussion.

This symposium is co-sponsored by the Fr. Georges Florovsky Orthodox Christian Theological Society at Princeton University and the School of Christian Vocation and Mission at Princeton Theological Seminary.

Speakers:

Fr. George Dragas
Fr. John McGuckin
Fr. John Behr
Dr. George Parsenios
Dr. Alexis Torrance
Matthew Baker

For more information and to register for this symposium, go to:
http://www.princeton.edu/~florov/patristic_symposium.html

For those who cannot attend in person, the lectures will be presented in an online webinar-like platform with live video and audio for a small fee.

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Did Physics Kill God?

Stephen Hawking declared that our understanding of physics proves God did not create the universe. Is he right?

Jay W. Richards
November 3, 2010
The American

Stephen Hawking holds the chair of mathematics at Cambridge University once held by Sir Isaac Newton. So when he declared that our understanding of physics shows that God did not create the universe, it was bound to get attention. Summarizing the thesis of his new book, The Grand Design (co-authored with Leonard Mlodinow), Hawking announced: “Because there is a law such as gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist.”

Reports of Hawking’s claims soon spread around the world. It was warmly received by leading atheists such as Richard Dawkins: “Darwin kicked [God] out of biology,” said Dawkins, “but physics remained more uncertain. Hawking is now administering the coup de grace.”

Atheist cosmologist Lawrence Krauss offered corroborating testimony in the Wall Street Journal, saying that if the “positive” and “negative” energy are equivalent in our universe, then our world could have emerged from nothing.

Though Hawking’s announcement is being widely treated as a scientific discovery, his arguments are neither new nor compelling.

Hawking is confusing physical laws, which describe mathematically how matter behaves under certain conditions, with causal agents. Rather than explaining why the universe exists, an orderly universe with laws like gravity is one of the things that needs explaining. As Oxford mathematician John Lennox observes, calling on “us to choose between God and physics is a bit like someone demanding that we choose between aeronautical engineer Sir Frank Whittle and the laws of physics to explain the jet engine.” Hawking is committing a category error.

Second, although Hawking talks about the universe “creating itself from nothing,” he is using the word “nothing” to refer to its opposite. As physicist and Jesuit Robert Spitzer notes, gravity “has a specific constant associated with it and specific characteristics, and it has specific effects on mass-energy and even on space-time itself. This is a very curious definition of ‘nothing.’” Hawking has clearly not explained why there is something rather than nothing. He has only asserted that something comes from something. And that something still needs to be explained.

Most media reports have failed to point out this equivocation in Hawking’s reasoning. As a result, readers are left to draw an absurd conclusion: “science has proved” that nothing creates everything. One who swallows such a colossal logical camel can have no grounds on which to reject even the most far-fetched reasoning. It’s akin to denying the law of non-contradiction. If that’s allowed, then one can prove anything.

Of course, by using “nothing” to refer to something, Hawking avoids such a stark absurdity. But he also fails to solve the problem he has set for himself.

It is worth noting that the very evidence of physics itself has been making trouble for materialism for almost a century. In the 19th century, the official scientific view was that the universe was eternal, and, indeed, that the very question of a beginning or cause of the universe was out of bounds. But the evidence of nature refused to cooperate.

Beginning with Edwin Hubble’s discovery of the “redshift” of distant galaxies—which implied that the universe is expanding—we now know that the universe has an age, a beginning in the finite past. Initially, many scientists resisted the idea of a cosmic beginning, since they knew intuitively that anything that begins to exist must have a separate cause for its existence.

Despite such troubling theological implications, however, the evidence for a beginning—such as the redshift of distant galaxies and the cosmic background radiation—eventually persuaded even most skeptics. The question of the universe’s cause is now treated as a perfectly legitimate scientific question, even if the most popular answer is typically treated with disdain.

Add to the evidence of a beginning our discovery that the universe’s basic laws, constants, and initial conditions are exquisitely “fine-tuned” for the existence of complex life. Here things get downright spooky. Even atheists such as Sir Fred Hoyle admitted that it looked very much like a “superintellect” had “monkeyed” with physics. The combined effect of this evidence is enough to give a committed materialist a bad case of metaphysical panic. But that is not the universal response. Many prominent scientists, such as Allan Sandage, Charles Townes, Arno Penzias (co-discoverer of background radiation), and Francis Collins (former head of the Human Genome Project) see the evidence of physics and cosmology as suggesting that the universe was created.

To be sure, the issues involved are exquisitely complicated. Reasonable people can disagree about what they mean. But contrary to Hawking’s pronouncements, the case is far from settled.

FURTHER READING: Richards considered “When to Doubt a Scientific Consensus,” said “Greed Is Not Good, and It’s Not Capitalism,” and compared “The Miser versus the Entrepreneur” on why Ayn Rand is so popular today. Edward Feser calls the new atheists “The New Philistinism,” and Jason Richwine questions “Are Liberals Smarter than Conservatives?”

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Talking About The Devil

By Thomas Shaw
January 1999
The Orthodox Reader

Two decades ago, while still a young Orthodox Christian, I had the privilege of hearing Fr. Alexander Schmemann speak. I cannot clearly remember now the topic of his talk, but one sentence still rings in my ears, "What surprises those in the Ecumenical Movement is that while they are discussing the great project of unification of the churches, the Orthodox are still talking about the Devil."

Orthodoxy is still talking about the Devil because we continue to see his effect on the culture around us and we continue to experience his war upon the Church. Because we are engaged in this unseen warfare, Orthodox theology has always been dynamic. Each generation must discover the truths of the Holy Tradition anew, and in that process of discovery there will be differing understandings of the content of the Tradition. This dynamism has always brought forth controversial theologians within the Church. They are those who step outside the safe formulas and attempt to rephrase the Tradition using unfamiliar guideposts.

One such theologian is Fr. John Romanides. His work, in contrast to today's micro-specialist, presents a strong unified thesis that he applies over vast periods of time and place. His boldness is dismissed as simplistic and overly dogmatic by some.

I first encountered Fr. Romanides as a student of theology at the University of Thessaloniki. I was in the last course he taught in Orthodox Dogmatics before his retirement. I took classes from him for three years and have read most of his works, including Franks, Romanism, Feudalism and Doctrine (available from Holy Cross Theological School).

Fr. Romanides is every bit the absentminded professor. His nickname at Holy Cross was Fr. Midnight because he seemed so unaware of his surroundings when he talked. He would always begin a lecture the same way. Sitting down, he would speak in a soft, almost inaudible, voice. Beginning almost in mid-thought, it seemed as if the lecture were already going on in his head. As he warmed to his subject his voice would raise and his eyes would flash. Sometimes he would become very quiet and would even seem to nod off for brief periods. His lectures were always well attended because he was a man with something to say. It seemed odd that even though his area of expertise was dogmatics, his lectures always seemed to be history. The details of the goings-on in 9th and 10th century France and Italy were constantly being related, or the details of 18th century France and Russia. He was criticized for this. After all, he was not a trained historian! But as a patristic theologian, he taught that the Fathers cannot be understood without understanding their history.

Fr. Romanides has an overarching thesis: the purpose of the Church is to heal man of spiritual illness brought on by the Fall (this spiritual illness is characterized by the quest for happiness) and enable him to know God. His secondary thesis is that dogmatic controversies throughout the history of the Church are caused by those who do not understand the function of the Church as a spiritual hospital. Thus, the real difference with the West is their loss of this understanding which occurred because the Western ecclesiastical institutions were subverted by political forces into mere political institutions. As political institutions they became concerned with man's happiness instead of his glorification; with mere forgiveness of sins rather than purification.

It is this thesis that is controversial. It is accepted in ecumenical circles that the explanation of the schism of East and West is cultural. According to this concept, the Western, Latin-speaking, Roman Church and the Eastern, Greek-speaking, Byzantine Church became estranged due to cultural and political factors. The essential elements of the "undivided Church" remain the same in both East and West. The task of ecumenical theology is to regain this lost common understanding.

Romanides' thesis attacks these concepts. There never was a "Byzantine" Empire. This was an invention of 18th century Western historians. The Roman political institutions remained intact from the founding of New Rome, Constantinople, in the 4th century to its fall in the 15th century. Romanides, then, tells a different story. Not the story of the Greek East and the Latin West, but the story of Romans and Franks. His is a story not of people drifting apart, but of the Romans struggling to assert the truths of Orthodoxy even when faced with impossible opposition. His understanding of the crucial centuries leading up to the schism and the crusades is one of the systematic subjections of the Roman population of the West to the Frankish overlords who eventually were able to capture even the Roman papacy and conform it to their feudalistic scheme.

The truth of his thesis is captured in our language, where franchise (to have the rights of a Frank) means to be able to vote, and villain (Roman town dwellers) means an evil man. It was not the Roman Empire in the East that was estranged from its roots and traditions, but the Roman Empire in the West which was replaced with feudalism. So, while other theologians discuss the great project of unifying the churches, Romanides keeps talking about the Devil.

It is the story of warfare, seen and unseen. It is the story of the Babylonian Captivity of the Church in the West and the threat to us as Orthodox if we do not understand our history, our heritage, and our Holy Tradition rightly. If we allow the Holy Orthodox Church to become a religion, we will be playing the Devil's own game and will subject ourselves to our overlords without a peep.

Because of the controversy surrounding Romanides' secondary thesis, many lose track of his first and primary thesis. Let Fr. John state it himself:

"We are obliged to have a clear picture of the context within which the Church and the State viewed the contribution of the glorified to the cure of the sickness of religion which warps the human personality by means of its search for happiness both in this life and after the death of the body. It is within this context that the Roman Empire legally incorporated the Orthodox Church into its administrative structure. Neither the State nor the Church saw the mission of the Church as the simple forgiveness of sins of the faithful for their entrance into heaven in the next life... Both the Church and State knew well that the forgiveness of sins was only the beginning of the cure of the happiness seeking sickness of humanity. This cure begins by the purification of the heart, it arrives at the restoration of the heart to its natural state of illumination and the whole person begins to be perfected beyond one's natural capacities by the glorification of body and soul by God's uncreated glory (shekina). The result of this cure and perfection was not only the proper preparation for life after the death of one's body, but also the transformation of society here and now from a collection of selfish and self-centered individuals to a society of persons with selfless love 'which does not seek its own.'"

For those interested in reading a portion of Fr. Romanides' works, they are available at http://www.romanity.org/.

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King George II's Encounter With An Athonite Monk

The following story was taken from the video lecture here:

George II, King of the Hellenes, ruled Greece from 1922 to 1924 and from 1935 to 1947. When he once visited the Holy Mountain of Athos, he entered Grigoriou Monastery where the monks joyfully received him in the traditional fashion - by presenting him with the holy relics of the monastery in order for their guest to receive a blessing by "greeting" and venerating the Saints.

When the holy relics were brought forward, the monks opened them for the King to venerate. Repulsed, the King said: "What are these bones?"

Then an Athonite monk boldly rebuked the King, responding: "Listen, my King, you and I have bones. These are holy relics. Bend down and venerate."

"I apologize", said the King. He did his cross and venerated.

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On Psalmody by Saint Ephraim the Syrian

...All this and much more could be said about love. But let us return to the subject and speak of repentance and the coming judgement. For we should always meditate on these things, because the day of the Lord is coming like a thief in the night. Therefore by night and day, look to your last hour and meditate on the law of the Lord day and night. Say many things to God and few to humans. If you stretch out your hand to work, let your mouth sing psalms and your mind pray. Let psalmody be continually on your mouth, for when God is being named he puts the demons to flight and sanctifies the singer.

Psalmody is calm of soul, author of peace. Psalmody is convenor of friendship, union of the separated, reconciliation of enemies. Psalmody attracts the help of the Angels, is a weapon in night-time fears, repose of the day's toils, safety for infants, adornment for the old, consolation for the elderly, most fitting embellishment for women. It make deserts into homes, market-places sober. It is the ABC for beginners, progress for the more advanced, confirmation for the perfect, the voice of the Church. It makes festivals radiant; it creates mourning that is in accordance with God, for psalmody draws tears even from a heart of stone. Psalmody is the work of the Angels, the commonwealth of heaven, spiritual incense. Psalmody is enlightenment of souls, sanctification of bodies.

Let us, brethren, never stop making psalmody our meditation, both at home and on the road, both sleeping and waking, speaking to ourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Psalmody is the joy of those who love God. It banishes idle chatter, brings laughter to an end, reminds us of the judgement, rouses the soul towards God, joins the choir of the Angels. Where there is psalmody with compunction, there God is, with the Angels. Where the songs of the opponent are, there is God's wrath, and 'woe!' is the reward of laughter. Where sacred books and readings are, there are the joy of the just and the salvation of the listeners. Where there are harps and dances, there is the darkening of men and women, and a festival of the Devil.

O the wicked cunning and contrivance of the Devil! How he trips each one through craft, and deceives them and persuades them to do evil as though it were good! Today they decide to chant, tomorrow they dance with enthusiasm. Today they are Christians, tomorrow heathens. Today of good repute, tomorrow pagans. Today servants of Christ, tomorrow rebels against God. Do not be deceived. No one can be servant of two lords, as it is written. You cannot serve God and dance with the Devil.

As true servants of Christ, let us serve him, let us worship him, let us devote ourselves to him, let us stay by him until our last breath, and let us not obey the Devil, for he goes about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may swallow up, whom he may deceive. Resist him stoutly, as soldiers of Christ, serving him and staying by him. Do not chant today and dance tomorrow. Do not repent today for your sins and tomorrow dance for your destruction. Do not read today and play the harp tomorrow. Do not be master of yourself today and come forward tomorrow reeling and dizzy and the laughing stock of all.

Do not, brethren, let us lose like this the moment of our salvation, by playing about and being played about with. Be like a good farmer, working and taking care. My brother, do not make light of the provisions for eternal life. Do not reject fasting, do not desert vigil, do not be despondent about sleeping on the ground, do not abandon psalmody. For these things and things like them escort you to life and joy and gladness and eternal repose. Love silence rather than wicked conversation. Conversations about worldly things separate the mind from God.

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Skeptics Question 'Weeping' Virgin Mary Statue

Dalson Chen
November 4, 2010
Ottowa Citizen

The pastor of the Orthodox Christian church to which Fadia Ibrahim belongs is not endorsing her claims that her Virgin Mary statue is miraculous.

"I have nothing to do with that," said Rev. John Ayoub of the St. Ignatius of Antioch Church in Windsor.

"I can't agree with whatever she is saying."

But word continues to spread of the icon located in Ibrahim's front yard at 2764 Garvey Cres.

As of Wednesday, the story of the Madonna that supposedly cries healing oil had reached Detroit television and national news agencies.

Ayoub said he's well aware of the stir the statue has caused in the community and beyond. He said Ibrahim first confronted him with claims about the statue in March, when he was assigned to the parish.

But Ayoub said he has personally investigated the matter, spoken privately with Ibrahim at length, and he does not believe the statue is miraculous. "We don't go by the mob. We don't go by propaganda," he said.

Ayoub did not want his thoughts on the statue to be made public.

"I don't want to be in trouble. I don't believe in that at all, but ... I don't want to hurt the feelings of anybody," he said. "They (might) come here and fight me."

The priest said he has already received angry phone calls. "A week ago, a lady -- I never gave her my number -- she called me and said, 'Don't you believe?' And she started screaming at me."

Ayoub said that Ibrahim remains a beloved parishioner, but the church is not responsible for her, nor her statue. "If you want to believe her, you are free to believe her."

On Wednesday afternoon, a statement by Ayoub was posted on the church's website. It pointed out that the Antiochian Orthodox Christian church does not recognize nor worship statues -- it only recognizes the veneration of holy icons in two-dimensional paintings.

Ayoub wrote that the church will investigate according to procedure "under the watchful eye of our Bishop."

"Like any claim of miracles, our church requires concrete scientific proof of such claims. Such investigations take time and deep scientific and spiritual examination before any conclusion may be made."

Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic diocese of London has decided not to investigate the statue any further. Mark Adkinson, a spokesman for the diocese, said that since Ibrahim is an Orthodox Christian, the matter is the purview of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese.

"It's not within our jurisdiction to investigate," Adkinson said. "Any investigation that could be done, would be done by the Orthodox Church."

Nevertheless, a steady stream of believers continued to visit the statue on Wednesday.

Ibrahim could not be reached for comment. She was seen arriving at the house, but after exchanging some embraces with followers, family members hurried her inside and out of public sight.

"The priest say to her, 'You have to stop,'" said Marija Prepolec, a close friend of Ibrahim.

Acting on a complaint from a neighbour, the city has ordered Ibrahim to remove the statue's shrine or obtain a permit for it by Nov. 19.

Ibrahim is no longer accepting donations to fund a legal battle with the city over the issue.

A sign taped to the statue's enclosure reads: "No money is being accepted now as more than enough has been collected for the permit, variance, etc."

Fe Ligaya, another friend of Ibrahim, said someone has privately agreed to cover all the costs of keeping the statue in place. "The money that has been collected yesterday will go to the London Children's Hospital," Ligaya said.

For some, the miraculousness extends to Ibrahim herself. Prepolec, 64, claims that Ibrahim cured her of her heart condition by visiting her in hospital.

"When I go for angio, the doctor say 'Marija, your heart is like new,'" Prepolec said.

But not everyone felt the healing power. At 4 p.m., the small residential street was so clogged with vehicles that one impatient motorist was seen shouting his displeasure -- plus a few obscenities. "Go! You think this road is only for you?" said the angry male driver of a green pickup truck.

Watching from her porch across the street, Chris Hole said she saw a couple of other examples of bad behaviour earlier in the day.

She said she's aware of people visiting the statue late at night and in the early hours of the morning. But all the commotion doesn't bother her. "I figure it will die down, eventually," Hole said with a good-natured shrug.

Hole's friend, who didn't want to give his name, added: "They're not doing nothing illegal. The traffic is a little much now, but that's only because of all the publicity."

"It could be worse. It could be a drug home. People are allowed to have people come around. We don't see a problem with it."

From an academic perspective, the statue holds little mystery. Anne Shore, co-ordinator of the theology program at Assumption University, pointed out that the phenomenon is not particularly new.

"A lot of these statues that weep are helped, OK?" she said with a laugh. "You don't know until time unfolds whether it's a legitimate thing or not. I mean, there are other cases ... where statues have been found to be helped. People go out at night and put a little oil in, you know."

Shore said the theology program views weeping statues in a very different light than documented miracles in the lives of saints. She said things like Ibrahim's Mary statue are considered expressions of "popular piety" -- religious practices outside the official church, which are not the subject of theological study.



Related article:

'Weeping' Virgin Mary statue draws hundreds of worshippers to Windsor residence

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Skull Fragment of Vladimir the Great Stolen Then Recovered in Edmonton

Brent Wittmeier
November 3, 2010
Edmonton Journal

A 1,000-year-old skull fragment believed to belong to Vladimir the Great was stolen and recovered in Edmonton over the weekend.

The 2.5-centimetre-square piece of skull, on loan from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Kyiv, was on a two-day stop in Edmonton when it was stolen in the middle of the night from a west-end home.

Vladimir is venerated by Eastern Orthodox Christians after he converted to the faith in 988 and baptized the lands under his rule, including parts of modern Ukraine and Russia.

Igumen Alexander Pihach, an Edmonton priest accompanying the relic on a cross-country tour, woke up early Friday to find his house had been broken into and the relic — housed in a ornately painted blue-and-gold box — was missing.

In the night, a thief had apparently removed a screen and broken in through the kitchen window. Alexander feared the worst: a targeted theft of a priceless object.

“We were concerned it was maybe an international burglary,” said Pihach, reached via cellphone in Saskatchewan.

It appears, however, the thief might not have been aware what the stolen object was, said Pihach, possibly grabbing the shiny container without understanding what it held. Other missing items included a wallet, some money, and a set car keys, which the thief had used to steal Pihach’s car.

Police were called and a search began. A satellite security system in the car was remotely activated, and within a few hours officers discovered the undamaged, abandoned car less than two kilometres away. The box holding the relic was inside the car.

“It was a spiritual gift that had been given to us,” said Pihach. “The loss would have been colossal.”

Police questioned a number of individuals, but have not made any arrests, said spokeswoman Patrycia Thenu.

It isn’t the first time Vladimir’s relics have been subjected to misadventure. Most of his remains were lost over a millennium of wars and invasions, particularly during Mongol attacks in the 14th century.

By 1943, all that remained was his skull, which was blown up in a Second World War shelling of a Ukrainian monastery. Only a couple of skull fragments, which had been given to a monastery in Rostov, Russia, survived the blast. One fragment was returned to Kyiv about 12 years ago, where it only emerges once a year during the Feast of St. Herman. Devout followers line up, sometimes for many hours, for the chance to see the remains of the man who brought Orthodoxy to the nation.

The Canadian itinerary is a historic and spiritually important event for Orthodox faithful across the country. After a mid-month stop at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary in New York, where thousands are expected at weekend vigils, the relic will return to Ukraine.

“It’s a great spiritual blessing and gift that’s been given to the church because of the ancestral connection of so many of the Orthodox in Canada, to the land of Rus,” said Pihach.

Having made it through those troubling few hours, Pihach is quick to thank the Edmonton police for a “super job.”

On Saturday, Pihach presented officers with an icon of St. Vladimir at a thanksgiving service held with the grateful parishioners of St. Herman of Alaska Sobor.

The officers chose St. Vladimir as their protector, said Pihach. “That was a really powerful experience.”

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