Saint Parthenios of Lampsakos: Life and Miracles

St. Parthenios the Wonderworker of Lampsakos (Feast Day - February 7)

Saint Parthenios, Bishop of Lampsakos, was a native of the city of Melitoupolis (in northwestern Asia Minor), where his father Christopher served as deacon. The youth did not receive adequate schooling, but he learned the Holy Scripture by attending church services. He had a good heart, and distributed to the poor the money he earned working as a fisherman.

Filled with the grace of God, St Parthenios from age eighteen healed the sick in the name of Christ, cast out demons and worked other miracles. Learning of the young man's virtuous life, Bishop Philetos of Melitoupolis educated him and ordained him presbyter.

In 325, during the reign of Constantine the Great, Archbishop Achilles of Cyzicus made him bishop of the city of Lampsakos (Asia Minor). In the city were many pagans, and the saint fervently began to spread the faith in Christ, confirming it through many miracles and by healing the sick.

The people began to turn from their pagan beliefs, and the saint went to the emperor Constantine the Great seeking permission to tear down the pagan temple and build a Christian church in its place. The emperor received the saint with honor, gave him a decree authorizing the destruction of the pagan temple, and provided him with the means to build a church. Returning to Lampsakos, St Parthenios had the pagan temple torn down, and built a beautiful church of God in the city.

In one of the razed temples, he found a large marble slab which he thought would be very suitable as an altar. The saint ordered work to begin on the stone, and to move it to the church. Through the malice of the devil, who became enraged at the removal of the stone from the pagan temple, the cart overturned and killed the driver Eutychian. St Parthenios restored him to life by his prayer and shamed the devil, who wanted to frustrate the work of God.

The saint was so kind that he refused healing to no one who came to him, or who chanced to meet him by the wayside, whether he suffered from bodily illnesses or was tormented by unclean spirits. People even stopped going to physicians, since St Parthenios healed all the sick for free. With the great power of the name of Christ, the saint banished a host of demons from people, from their homes, and from the waters of the sea.

Once, the saint prepared to cast out a devil from a certain man, who had been possessed by it since childhood. The demon began to implore the saint not to do so. St Parthenios promised to give the evil spirit another man in whom he could dwell. The demon asked, "Who is that man?" The saint replied, "You may dwell in me, if you wish."

The demon fled as if stung by fire, crying out, "If the mere sight of you is a torment to me, how can I dare to enter into you?"

An unclean spirit, cast out of the house where the imperial purple dye was prepared, said that a divine fire was pursuing him with the fire of Gehenna.

Having shown people the great power of faith in Christ, the saint converted a multitude of idol-worshippers to the true God.

St Parthenios died peacefully and was solemnly buried beside the cathedral church of Lampsakos, which he built.

Source

A Contemporary Miracle of the Patron Saint Against Cancer

Stratoula, a 26 year old woman from Halkida, was diagnosed with cancer in September 1996. Below is the story of her healing through St. Parthenios in her own words:

"In my 26th year, a test showed that I had contracted the virus that alters the cells outside the cervix. The doctors made an operation, cutting a piece of the cervix. After three months, the test showed that I had healed. After some time the virus again came knocking on my door. Then I decided to put my life in the hands of Saint Parthenios. I fasted 40 days, Confessed, Communed, and every day I read the Supplicatory Canon of the Saint. From the first day even, I saw him in my sleep appearing and disappearing three times in front of me as a huge icon of Saint Parthenios. It was as big as the size of the room and bright. Then waking up, I realized that the Saint had heard me and was beside me. I have also not ceased to be near him. When I redid the test, the response was negative for the virus and what remained was simply inflammation. With tears I thanked Saint Parthenios and decided to continue with more faith my prayers. The next test was negative for any malignancy, and there was no inflammation. All this without drugs, without doctors, without the painful and torturous treatments for cancer which doctors apply today.

Now I always have him as my protector over my bed and I weekly climb to the monastery to pray and thank him. In my effort I was helped by two elderly nuns of the monastery whose advice and understanding boosted my soul, so I can pray with more power and be armed with patience and perseverance. I thank them."

We are assured by the Abbess Mariam of the Holy Monastery of Panagia Makrymalli in Psachna, where the holy skull of the Saint is kept, that Stratoula is quite well. Now she is married and has never forgotten her vow. Once a week, as a sign of respect, love and gratitude to the Saint, she goes to the monastery, kneels before the holy relic, and thanks him for the great gift he bestowed on her.

Countless are the miracles of St. Parthenios, especially to victims of cancer. More can be read here and here.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
O God of our Fathers, ever dealing with us according to Thy gentleness: take not Thy mercy from us, but by their entreaties guide our life in peace.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
In truth you were revealed to your flock as a rule of faith, an image of humility and a teacher of abstinence; your humility exalted you; your poverty enriched you. Hierarch Father Parthenius, entreat Christ our God that our souls may be saved.

Kontakion in the Third Tone
Since thou hadst received God's grace to work ineffable marvels, godly-wise Parthenius, thou sacred worker of wonders, thou didst wholly cleanse the faithful of all their passions, casting wicked spirits out, O God-bearing Father; for this cause we sing thy praise as a great initiate of the divine grace of God.

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Video: 72 Year Old Greek Sexton Takes On Thief

February 7, 2011
Romfea.gr

Thieves will think again when they think to put their hands to the candle stand at the Church of Saint Demetrios in Tirnavos, especially after hearing that a 72 year old sexton is the watchdog of the church.

The incredible story took place on Friday (02/04/2011) when an aspiring robber invaded the church and destroyed the candle stand, grabbing all the money inside.

In a moments notice and without hesitation, when the sexton spotted him she grabbed the thief and began calling for help. In an inconclusive battle, the perpetrator bit the woman's hand in a desperate bid to escape. The pain from the bite and the shove was enough for the thief to break free of the grip of the sexton.

Immediately the thief ran to his escape vehicle - a neglected bicycle at the entrance of the church - and frantically pedalled away in an unknown direction.

The sexton was brought to the Tirnavos Health Center where her bite wound was treated.

See the video of the event below:


Νεοκόρος σταματα ληστή
Uploaded by fotnak. - Up-to-the minute news videos.

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Saint George the New Martyr of Alikianos, Crete (+ 1867)

St. George the New Martyr of Crete (Feast Day - February 7)

By Metropolitan Titus (Sylligardakis) of Rethymnon

Crete is well known as an island which gave birth to heroes and martyrs. The Cretan honor roll of saints lists both old and new martyrs whose blood dyed the land of our forefathers. The holocaust of the Arkadi Monastery is a sculptured icon of the Cretan Revolution of 1866. Brave men of Crete are her honored trophies. Victory slipped away from the pashas and aghas. The flag of freedom waved like a symbol of life and death for those about to die. Cretan honor was never defeated in the land which Turks occupied. Honor and victory are the emblems of every Cretan battle. Canons, knives, sticks and stones, fists and shouts, teeth and hatchets are the weapons that the rebels brought to hew down the Muslim hordes.

The Cretan Revolution of 1866-1869 was a continuum with the Revolution of Greece of 1821. The will for freedom of the Cretan populace was irrevocable and was loudly proclaimed by the words "Union or Death". The spirited and easily aroused people of Crete did not ask anything more than what their Holy Creed and Symbol of Faith allowed - the freedom and resurrection of their ancestry, their religion, their ethos and their traditions. Union with Greece - the motherland of motherlands - their own motherland, was their quest. Among the many cities and towns that rushed to attack the enemies of Crete was the village of Alikianos situated in the ecclesiastical district of the Diocese of Kydonia and Apokoronou. Alikianos means "strong" or "paved with gravel", named for its fortified position situated in the middle of a lowland full of orange groves irrigated by the river Kerites, Iordanos, or Platanias as it is known today. It is surrounded by the White Mountains which peak proudly to great heights. Alikianos defended its sacred land with fierce battles and heroic struggles during the years of the Turkish occupation, the Revolution of 1866, and again under German occupation in 1941.

This is where Saint George the New Martyr belongs - the Revolution of 1866 - a symbol of the Church of Crete's new generation of saints. For he fell in battle dying for Christ at the age of only twenty-one. The piety of his good parents nourished him well. His father Nicholas was a priest born on the island of Folegandros in the Cyclades. His mother Katherine Bouzianopoulos was Cretan, born in the historic and heroic village of Therisso of Kydonia, daughter of a noble and honorable family. The Saint's upbringing was uniquely Christian. His farm work did not deprive him of study despite his modest education, for he loved to read the biographical accounts or Synaxarion of the holy martyrs. In these texts he found his soul's burning desire quenched, and this gave peace to his life. "I cannot rest, neither can I sleep contentedly unless I satisfy my hunger for reading."

During the difficult year of 1865, he read the life of a great martyr, and prayed: "My Christ, make me worthy to shed my blood for love of You." Saint George had a brother who was blind, yet he was an "eyewitness" of this confession. The persecution of the Christians was drawing near as the year 1866 marked the beginning of the great Cretan Revolution which left so many sacrificial victims.

The time for his martyrdom soon arrived. For the New Martyr George was a mail carrier and courier who delivered letters and proclamations of the leaders of the revolution. On Sunday, February 5th 1867, George was in the village of Fournes in Kydonia, participating in the struggle as was his duty as courier. A great number of Turkish soldiers then surrounded the village and seized many Cretans, including blessed George. But because he carried revolutionary documents he attracted special attention, and his death by torture was imminent. George was urged to accept Islam and be saved. However, despite advice and concessions, martyrs of the Faith will stand firm. Neither Moustafas Pasha nor Bachris Aghas, nor the Christian officer Hatzimanuel Fouglanakis succeeded in convincing him to avoid martyrdom.

"I am a Christian and I die a Christian." He felt no remorse because he was young, nor did he feel sorrow for his own life, or his elderly parents, his sister or his blind brother. He was not shaken by the ailing and tears of his fellow Christians, their wives, children and relatives. Standing firm in his convictions he declared his martyrdom: "Cut me up into even smaller pieces than you have cut others. Because the more you torture me, so much more will my Christ glorify me."

This was his martyric stand. So the Turks did not kill him quickly, but in measures. First they cut off his ears, then his nose, tongue, hands and feet. They cut off his genital organs, then his eyes and finally his head. His remains were thrown in an unknown place among others killed along with the blessed George. Until today the place of his burial is unknown. But the manner and date of his death have been documented - February 7th 1867.

That is how the New Martyr George died for Christ in the peak of his youth, as told in the proud history of the revolutionary struggles that took place in the year of our Lord 1867. He died in the flowering of his youth as the son of Alikiano, the pride of Kydonia, the Saint of Crete and the athlete of Christ.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
You have been perceived, George, as most honored and equal to past spiritual fighters in these latter days. You suffered steadfastly while your body was cut up for love of the Lord. And with the streams of your blood you refresh the faithful who sing hymns to your divine struggle, O New Martyr.

Kontakion in the Third Tone
In the latter days you suffered martyrdom conspicuously, and you were crowned by Christ; and clothed with His divine grace you bravely bore the dismemberment of your body. We honor you for that, New Soldier of Christ, George.

Megalynarion
Rejoice, divine offspring of Kydonia and honorable adornment of Folegandros. Rejoice, you who were dismembered for the sake of Christ, Godly-minded and steadfast believer, George. Rejoice, divine son of Kydonia and honorable adornment of Folegandros.

From Cretan Saints, translated by Rev. Timothy Andrews, pp. 16-20.

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The Complicated Connection Between Religion and the Paranormal

David Briggs
February 6, 2011
The Huffington Post

Don't expect Hollywood to give up the ghosts.

The parade of paranormal entertainment filling American screens -- from the movie Paranormal Activity 2 to television shows such as Ghost Hunters, Psychic Investigators and Paranormal State -- is meeting an intense interest in otherworldly experiences, new research shows.

More than two-thirds of Americans have paranormal beliefs, sociologists Christopher Bader and F. Carson Mencken of Baylor University and Joseph Baker of East Tennessee State University report in their new book Paranormal America from New York University Press.

And the interest is only expected to increase, scholars say, with the growth of immigrant populations more open to paranormal beliefs.

Not everyone is interested. Those with no religious beliefs, Jewish people and the most committed Christians are among the least likely to believe in UFOs or psychics or Bigfoot.

But a generation of spiritual seekers are opening their minds and bank accounts to beliefs, practices and experiences that are not recognized by science and not associated with mainstream religion.

Whether it is a study showing nearly half of Americans believe extraterrestrials absolutely or probably exist, or ghost-hunting groups and documentary producers rushing to find the latest "haunted" house, interest in paranormal phenomena has entered the mainstream.

"What we can say with certainty is that we live in a paranormal America," write Bader, Mencken and Baker. "Put another way, the paranormal is normal."

Men hunt, women gather in New Age

In the 1980s, the actress Shirley MacLaine was ridiculed for discussing her interest in channeling, reincarnation and UFOs in her book Out on a Limb. But research indicates she may have been less a wacky outcast and more representative of the population than the image ingrained by late-night comics suggested.

The average American holds slightly more than two paranormal beliefs, report Bader, Mencken and Baker.

"Statistically, those who report a paranormal belief are not the oddballs," the researchers said.

But there are major differences in the types of people who gravitate toward different paranormal phenomena. Bigfoot conventions are almost all-male outings, while psychic affairs attract a largely female audience.

The 2005 Baylor Religion Survey found that women are twice as likely as men to believe in astrology, that people can communicate with the dead (a big reason Medium lasted for seven TV seasons) and that at least some psychics can foresee the future. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to believe in UFOs.

"Women tend to want to improve themselves, to become better people," said Bader, who is also a director of the Association for Religion Data Archives. "Men tend to want to go out and capture something, to prove it's real."

In reviewing the research, other findings reported by Bader, Mencken and Baker include:

• Belief in Bigfoot, ghosts, psychic abilities and other paranormal phenomena declines noticeably with increases in age and income.

• Unmarried and cohabiting individuals are far more likely to embrace the paranormal. Asked whether they have had any of five paranormal experiences from witnessing a UFO to contacting spirits, the typical unmarried respondent claimed close to two experience, while the average married respondent had no paranormal experiences.

• Republicans are "significantly less interested" in the paranormal than Democrats or independents.

Overall, the researchers said, conventional lifestyles and stakes in conformity are strong predictors of paranormal beliefs, with highly unconventional people the most likely to turn to otherworldly possibilities beyond the realm of traditional religion.

Spiritual and paranormal

There are conflicting theories about the relationship between religion and the paranormal. Among them are the idea those outside mainstream religion would be more likely to embrace the paranormal as a substitute set of beliefs. Another theory holds that religious individuals, already open to transcendent ideas, would also be more likely to hold paranormal beliefs.

What Bader, Mencken and Baker find in their research is that both individuals with no religious beliefs and the most committed individuals -- those who attend services weekly -- are among the least likely to hold paranormal beliefs. Those who believe the Bible is the literal word of God are also highly unlikely to hold paranormal beliefs.

It is in the middle, among people who have an interest in religion but who are not regular attenders, that there is greater belief in the paranormal. Belief in paranormal topics is at its highest level among people with more liberal views of the Bible, researchers said.

What does all this mean for the future?

The researchers say the aging of America's population and projected gains in income likely will reduce belief in some aspects of the paranormal, but the increase in immigration and the tailoring off of conservative religious growth is expected to lead to increased interest.

Going out on their own limb, the researchers predict that by 2050 nearly three-quarters of Americans will report at least one paranormal belief.

Be prepared, and forewarned: Paranormal Activity 3 is coming.

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St. Isidore of Pelusium On Passages From the Gospel of Matthew 24-26

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

St. Isidore of Pelusium interprets certain words of Holy Scripture in this manner:

"Two [women] will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left" (Matthew 24:4). This means that many are dedicating themselves to the spiritual life, but with different intentions; some sincerely and steadfastly and others negligently and vainly. The first will be taken into the kingdom of God and the others will be left behind.

What does the prayer of the Cup mean? And why did the Lord pray that this cup of Suffering pass from Him? "O My Father, if this Cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done!" (Matthew 26:42). This means that no one should seek out adversity but when adversity does come, a Christian should accept it and courageously endure it.

Concerning the Five Foolish Virgins (Matthew 25), St. Isidore says: "Indeed, all of them had retained their virginity, but they did not possess the other virtues, especially charity. Virginity alone is not sufficient to enter the kingdom of God. Virginity does not help at all, if the virgin is proud and selfish."

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Darwin-Doubter Vladimir Nabokov Vindicated

David Warren
February 7, 2011
Ottawa Citizen

Were it not for the enchantment of love, I should have to admit that I know nothing about butterflies. At best I have watched, with the help of field guides. I have no credentials in lepidoptery; though as a child in Pakistan I was once riveted by a butterfly with wings of an iridescent emerald (no idea what species). I was able to induce it to alight upon my finger!

By contrast, Vladimir Nabokov was a lepidopterist of real accomplishment. He was also a capable novelist, essayist, poet, and among those extraordinary writers who are able to transform themselves from a presence in one language (his native Russian) to a presence in another (American English). One turns naturally to such characters for an insight into what is called "evolution" -- the purposeful "translation" of a creature who is compelled to move from one environment, into another.

Nabokov died in 1977. His novels are still very much in print, and from what I can see, read widely. Unfortunately, one of them is read more widely than all the others, and continues to be taken as an essay in pornography, when it is a deeply moral work about the fallen nature of human love. Lolita is a true tragedy, about a man broken by a love that is perverse, but which nevertheless stands the test of self-sacrifice.

Nabokov himself was taken for a man of letters with an eccentric hobby -- butterfly collecting -- but that was not his view. He took himself for a student of butterflies with the eccentric hobby of writing novels. This was not entirely eccentric, however, for he needed the royalties from the novels, and the easy cash from college lecturing on "lit," to support his butterfly work.

My reader may be tempted to titter again, when learning that he spent a significant part of his life staring through microscopes at butterfly genitalia. In his own lifetime he earned grudging respect for distinguishing, from their private parts, species of butterflies which had seemed indistinguishable. He was long associated with "Nabokov's blues."

You make money however you can, and Nabokov also obtained a research fellowship at Harvard, proving so proficient that he was ultimately left in charge of the university's butterfly collections. There he found the materials to speculate on the evolutionary descent of the whole range of New World "blues," and to concoct the "imaginative" hypothesis that they were derived from Eurasian species, which had been "able to see Alaska from Russia," and began crossing the Bering Strait during a warm spell in the Earth's climate history, 11 million years ago.

In five major waves, corresponding to falling temperatures, successive butterflies crossed, then spread, finally advancing all the way to Chile. The proof that speciations within South America had not been the result (as previously assumed) of the separation of groups by the rise of the Andes, was a demonstration that butterflies on either side of that young mountain chain were more closely related to proposed ancestors in Southeast Asia, than to each other.

Enter the Harvard biology professor, Naomi Pierce, who has had the honour of telling the world this last fortnight, that Nabokov's fanciful hypothesis is true, down to the most provocative assertions. Using the most advanced current molecular technology, she has tracked the whole history through DNA, confirming Nabokov dead right through fine details on five out of five.

This does not surprise me. It would have surprised many drudges in the field, however, who ignored Nabokov's remarkable paper of 1945, I think for two reasons.

The first is that it was written with real literary style. Nabokov invites his reader to step into a Wellsian time machine, and imagine the sequence of these migratory waves from the inside. He is unrelentingly poetical in his descriptions. He is indifferent to the conventions of modern scientific papers in which the author must be aggressively boring and statistical, while posing as inhumanly modest, objective and collaborative. From what I can see, all Nabokov's writings on butterflies are an affront to the bureaucratic mindset that controls all academic scientific funding.

But perhaps he could have been forgiven for his towering literary genius, had it not been for his views on Darwinism.

These surface in his memoir entitled, Speak, Memory. But I gather a great deal of scattered, unpublished, perhaps unpublishable writing lies below his passing remark, that "natural selection" in the Darwinian sense, "could not explain the miraculous coincidence of imitative aspect and imitative behaviour, nor could one appeal to the theory of 'the struggle for life' when a protective device was carried to a point of mimetic subtlety, exuberance, and luxury far in excess of a predator's power of appreciation."

As Nabokov continues, "I discovered in nature the nonutilitarian delights that I sought in art. Both were a form of magic, both were a game of intricate enchantment and deception."

This is the world that Darwinian drudges are incapable of appreciating. It is also the explanation of why significant scientific advances are made, invariably, by eccentric, artistic, and religious people, acting alone, and never by richly-funded committees.

Read also:

Vladimir Nabokov, Lepidopterist and Darwin-doubter, Has Expertise Vindicated

Vladimir Nabokov, "Furious" Darwin Doubter

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Shrinking Brains Prove Human Evolution?

February 6, 2011
Creation Safaris

Ever since Darwin, brain size has been the measure of human nature. Except for some anomalies with Neanderthal and Cro-magnon skull sizes, the iconic march of human evolution showed growing upright posture accompanied by increasing brain size (example on Daily Mail), and brain size was used to discriminate between races on the presumption it was a measure of intelligence. It is not clear, therefore, what to make of a question on PhysOrg, “Are brains shrinking to make us smarter?”

It seems evolutionists want to have it both ways. Larger brains are evidence of evolution; smaller brains are evidence of evolution. Does the new claim muddy the waters of brain size as the measure of increasing human intelligence? The article tries to draw links between brain size as a function of body mass, or of population size, but it’s not clear any trend is detectable. In fact, the article later admits that brain size is not well linked to intelligence. Brian Hare (Duke U) said, “But the downsizing does not mean modern humans are dumber than their ancestors – rather, they simply developed different, more sophisticated forms of intelligence.”

The article ended by Hare hoping that humans will express their inner bonobo. Chimps are more aggressive and violent. “Humans are both chimps and bobos [sic] in their nature and the question is how can we release more bonobo and less chimp,” he said. “I hope bonobos win... it will be better for everyone.”

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Video: A Fish Recipe From Mount Athos

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Trailer: "Strigoi"

For those interested in Romanian folklore and horror movies with a comedic twist, I recommend the movie Strigoi.

Description:

"Director Faye Jackson goes directly to the heart of the Romanian vampire myth in this darkly comedic horror fest set and shot in a post-Communist Romania, where old ways die hard -- especially when it comes to dealing with the undead, or strigoi. When young Vlad's (Catalin Paraschiv) Western European education fails to land him the easy life, he returns to his Romanian village, only to find murder afoot ... and a plague of vampires the likely culprit."

Official Site

Background on Strigoi folklore:

Wikipedia: Strigoi

Real Stories of Vampires from Transylvania

Trailer:

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Saints Barsanuphios the Great and John the Prophet

Sts. Barsanuphios and John (Feast Day - February 6)

By Hieromonk Makarios of Simonopetra

Saint Barsanuphios was an Egyptian and embraced the ascetic life in his youth. One day he was passing by the hippodrome during a race which was provoking high excitement in the spectators. "See how keenly the children of the devil vie with one another!" he said to himself. "All the more reason why we children of the Kingdom should hasten to carry off the victory!" He made his way to Palestine, where he put himself under the direction of an Elder named Marcellus; then, climbing the ladder of perfection step by step, he withdrew far from mankind in order to devote himself to contemplative prayer. When Saint Barsanuphios had attained purity of heart and complete impassibility (apatheia) he went to the Monastery of Abba Seridus near Gaza (Aug. 13). He settled a short distance from the monastery in a cell to which no one had access except Abba Seridus, who once a week brought him the Holy Mysteries and his ration of three loaves and some water. The Holy Elder was often so inebriated by sweet tears and so rapt in blessed contemplations that it was a whole week before he thought of eating and drinking. In the manner of Saint Paul, he said of himself: "I know a man, the Son of God is my witness, here in this monastery, who is able to subsist without food, drink or raiment until the coming of the Lord. He lacks none of these things, for his food, his drink and his raiment is the Holy Spirit." The teachings of Barsanuphios, dictated to Seridus during his weekly visits, were addressed to his spiritual children, both monastic and lay, in answer to their letters, in which they sought his counsel on topics as various as the spiritual life, what to do in their social relations, obscure points in Scripture, the holy doctrines, or even incidents in daily life. When Barsanuphios first began dictating these letters, Seridus had no writing materials with him and was worried by the thought that he would be unable to remember such a stream of words; but, perceiving what was on his mind the Elder said to him: "Go back to your cell and write without fear, for the Spirit of God will not allow you to write a single word more or less but, under His guidance you will write everything in order."

He was established on the rock of humility and, through never-ending remembrance of God, he possessed perfect serenity of heart, whence divine love, like unto God the Father's, brimmed over and covered all those who sought his help. He encouraged, comforted and reproved them, shared their joys and sorrows, covered their faults and took them upon himself with the loving-kindness of God Himself, for it was from no lack of regard for mankind that he had gone into retirement. "I look upon the gains and the profit of all men and of every soul as my own," he wrote. "Willingly and gladly I offer myself in sacrifice for your souls" (Letter 111). Through his prayer and his teaching Saint Barsanuphios gave true life to his sons as God the Father gives life to His Son, and he promised them that on the Last Day he would present them with full confidence before the judgment seat of God and would announce in a resounding voice to the amazement of the Angels: "Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me" (Is. 8:18 and Letter 117). This godlike man showed the same assurance in forgiving in God's name the sins of those who confessed to him, even though he was not a priest. He also prophesied what would befall, and healed the illness of his disciples. Many of them recovered their health or were freed from the assaults of passions by covering themselves with his monastic cloak or by touching things he had sent as presents. But the greatest of all the charismata that he received from the Holy Spirit was discernment and spiritual instruction, whereby, through the centuries and even until now, he remains active for all those who read with piety his collected Letters of spiritual guidance.

Saint Barsanuphios conveys to his disciples the spirit of the "law of liberty" (James 1:25) which is acquired by detachment from all worldly cares, by dying to oneself and to all mankind, in order to devote oneself entirely to the remembrance of God with joy and trust. Moreover he taught them to avoid all self-assessment (apsiphiston) but to resort at all times to thanksgiving, pleading thereby with God on behalf of our weakness.

He was not ashamed to tell his disciples of the wars he had to wage before entering into complete rest but he was always very reticent as to the graces granted to him by God. Sometimes however, he would let fall a word about his visions or his ecstasies, saying for instance that he knew a man who had attained the seventh heaven, or, when he wrote: "I know a servant of God in this blessed place who can raise the dead, drive out demons, heal the incurable, stop wars, and shut and open the heavens like Elias" (Letter 90).

In 542 and 543, when the Roman Empire was ravaged by a terrible plague, the Great Elder was entreated to intercede for the endangered world. He indicated at that time in a veiled way that he was one of three men "perfect in the sight of God who have surpassed human nature and have received the power to bind and to loose. They stand in the gap to prevent the entire world from being annihilated at one blow, and thanks to their prayer God will chastise with mercy" (Letter 569).

Notwithstanding so many disclosures of the grace of God, there were some lax monks who suspected that the recluse was a figment of Abba Seridus' imagination, invented to back up his authority. That was the one and only occasion on which Barsanuphios threw open the door of his cell. He received all the brethren with affability, and after washing their feet he withdrew again.

When some years had passed, Barsanuphios left his cell to the "other Elder", his faithful and perfect disciple John, of whom he said: "Concerning the life of my blessed, humble and obedient child, who is entirely one with me and who has utterly renounced his own will in everything, what is to be said? The Lord has said, 'He who has seen me has seen the Father' (John 14:9) and He has said of the disciple that 'he can know his master' (Luke 6:40)." And indeed, Saint John took the way of life of Barsanuphios as his model in everything. Reaching forth for God with his whole being, he was granted the gift of insight and of prophecy in full measure, so that he communicated with his spiritual father and shared all his thoughts without needing to see or write to him. For this reason he is known as "John the Prophet". Like Barsanuphios, he communicated with his disciples by letters which were passed on, at first by Abba Seridus and later by Saint Dortheos of Gaza (Aug. 13). John, like the Great Elder, preserved an unalterable peace founded on blessed humility and continuous tears. He taught under the overshadowing of the Great Elder with the sole purpose of adding practical details to the latter's answers and instructions, or in order to encourage faint-hearted disciples saying: "It is good for you that two are praying for you, for two have more strength than one" (Letter 783).

If, as sometimes happened, shameless people put the discernment of the Elders to the test by addressing the same question to them both, John would remain silent or would recommend them to follow whatever Barsanuphios advised, while the latter would answer, "Do as brother John has told you; the God of Barsanuphios and John is one and the same" (Letter 224).

In the eighteenth year of John's eremitic life, Abba Seridus died, leaving the direction of the community to the brethren in succession in order of seniority. Saint Barsanuphios then withdrew into absolute silence and John made known that he would complete his earthly sojourn within a week. Competing with one another in humility, none of the monks from the oldest to the most junior would accept the abbacy. In the end, a monk named Elian, who had just left the world, was appointed with universal approval on the instructions of John, confirming a prediction of Barsanuphios. Overwhelmed by the responsibility laid upon him, he begged John to remain for two weeks at least in order to teach him all the details of monastic governance. The Prophet acquiesced and remained two weeks longer in this life (Letters 576-598). At the end of the fortnight, he called all the brethren to him, embraced each one and, having sent them away in peace, he gave back his soul to God in solitude.

It is unknown when and how Saint Barsanuphios ended his earthly sojourn. He was thought to be still alive fifty years later, but when the Patriarch of Jerusalem ordered his cell to be opened, fire darted out that bid fair to consume all who had gathered there.

From The Synaxarion (vol. 3), translated by Christopher Hookway, 2001, pp. 430-434.

Read also:

Counsels of Sts. Barsanuphius the Great and John the Prophet

Apolytikion in the First Tone
Divine and tuneful harps of the Holy Spirit's myst'ries, sounding forth sweet hymns of discernment which soothe all those in sorrows: ye moved men to cast off passion's yoke and trample upon Satan's loathsome head. Wherefore, Godlike Barsanuphius and wise John, deliver us who now cry out: Glory to Him that hath given you grace. Glory to Him that hath blessed you. Glory to Him that hath saved many through your sacred words of counsel.

Kontakion in the Third Tone
O Great Barsanuphius and John, thou marvellous Prophet, all the hidden secrets of men and God's dispensation brightly shone in the clear mirrors of your most pure hearts; and with beams of grace divine, ye cast out sin's shadows from the souls of men; O Fathers, lights of discernment, entreat the Lord for us all.

The relics of St. Barsanuphios were brought in the ninth century to Oria, near Siponto in Italy.

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Saint Photios the Great, Patriarch of Constantinople

St. Photios (Photius) the Great (Feast Day - February 6)

By Hieromonk Makarios of Simonopetra

Our Holy Father Photios the Great was born into one of the great families of Constantinople in 810. His father, the spatharios Sergios, was the brother of the Holy Patriarch Tarasios (Feb. 25) and his mother Irene's brother had married the sister of the Empress Theodora. His parents loved the monks and were martyred during the iconoclast persecution, bequeathing their son a more precious legacy than wealth and high rank, namely, love of the true Faith unto death. He received the best possible education in every branch of learning, both sacred and secular. He spent whole nights in study and, possessing exceptional intellectual ability, there was no field of contemporary knowledge in which he did not become proficient. In breadth and depth of learning, he was the greatest scholar of his time and a central figure in the intellectual renaissance of Byzantium after the turmoil of iconoclasm. He occupied a professorial chair at the Imperial School established in the Megnaura Palace, where he taught the philosophy of Aristotle and theology. In the course of an embassy to the Caliph at Baghdad, he composed from memory, for the benefit of his brother, a critical summary of around 280 books of all kinds - his Myriobiblos (Library), a proof of the extent of his knowledge. On his return from Baghdad with his mission accomplished, he was appointed chief secretary to the imperial chancellery (protasecretis), but he still had time for his academic duties and for his beloved studies.

In 857 Bardas, the uncle of Emperor Michael III, assumed power with the title of Caesar. He forced the resignation of the Holy Patriarch Ignatios (Oct. 23), who had denounced his immoral behavior, and prevailed on the clergy to elect the wise and pious Photios as his successor. Photios held out against his election as strongly as he could, since he regarded death itself as preferable to that perilous office in those troubled times; but, in the face of injunctions and threats he at last gave way, and agreed to give up the peace of his study and philosophical discussions with like-minded friends. He was consecrated Patriarch of Constantinople on 25 December 858, having been raised through all the degrees of the priesthood in the previous six days. In a letter to Caesar Bardas, he wrote: "Our promotion has not been willed by us and we are enthroned as a prisoner...." The more extreme supporters of Ignatios then used every means to oppose and discredit the new hierarch, alleging the irregularity of his sudden elevation from layman to Patriarch. Photios sought to avoid confrontation and did all in his power to re-establish unity and peace in the Church by strengthening Her in love, the "bond of perfection". He took firm action against the remaining Manichean and Iconoclast heretics, and took in hand the restoration of the many churches, monasteries and charitable foundations damaged by the Iconoclasts, and took a special interest in missions to spread the Gospel among the barbarians. But his attempts to appease the supporters of Ignatios failed; and, while expressing disapproval of the violent measures taken against them by the government, he was obliged to summon a Council in 859, which confirmed the deposition of Ignatios and exiled him to Mytilene and then to Terebinthus. Agitation against Photios continued however and, in 861, another Council, known as the "First-Second", assembled in the Church of the Holy Apostles with the official purpose of approving the restoration of Orthodoxy and of pronouncing the definitive condemnation of iconoclasm. In addition, the Council recognized the validity of the nomination of Photios, with the full agreement of the papal legates there present, who, although acting contrary to the Pope's instructions, thought that they had thus achieved the triumph of papal authority.

The arrogant and ambitious Pope Nicholas I (858-68), who supported Ignatios, took the opportunity of the controversy to assert openly for the first time the pretension of the Popes of Rome to jurisdiction "over the whole earth and over the universal Church". To the primacy of honor of the Roman Church and her authority as arbiter in matters of dogma, which had always been acknowledged by the other Churches - especially when the Arian, Monothelite and Iconoclast heresies were being promoted by Emperors in Constantinople - the Papacy now ascribed to itself the hegemonic claims which the Frankish Empire, after the death of Charlemagne and the Treaty of Verdun (843), could no longer sustain. On the initiative of authoritarian Popes, the Papacy sought to exercise a supremacy over the whole Church that was supposed to have been granted by Christ Himself and to have given the Popes the right to intervene in the domestic affairs of other Churches, and to impose on them all the usages of the Roman Church, such as clerical celibacy, Saturday fasting and unleavened bread for the Eucharist.

The opposition of Pope Nicholas I and his interference in the internal affairs of the Byzantine Church, when he had only been requested to pronounce decisively on Iconoclasm, drove Saint Photios to condemn the novel usages of the Roman Church. "Abolition of small things which have been received through tradition". he wrote, "will lead to complete contempt for the dogmas." Incensed by this response, the Pope wrote to all the bishops of the East accusing Photios of adultery as being in illicit possession of another's See, and he decreed on his own initiative the deposition of the Patriarch of Constantinople - a thing never before heard of. Moreover, asserting the right of Popes to judge Councils, he declared that the decisions of the "First-Second" were invalid. Nor did he stop there, but summoned to Rome a Council of Western bishops, which declared Photios deposed and excommunicated all the clergy ordained by him. When Emperor Michael III objected to these proceedings, the Pope informed him (in 865) that he derived his supremacy over the Universal Church from Christ Himself. Then, in successive letters, he subjected Photios to a litany of insults, to which that true disciple of the Savior made no reply.

The Holy Patriarch did not allow these conflicts and cares to hamper his apostolic activity. With the support of the Emperor, he promoted the evangelization of the Slav peoples, engaging his learned friend and colleague Constantine (whom we venerate as Saint Cyril) and his brother Methodios, an ascetic from Mount Olympus, to undertake a preliminary mission to the Khazars of Southern Russia in 860. Three years later, at the request of the Prince of Moravia, he sent the two brothers on that great missionary endeavor which marked the beginning of the conversion of the Slav peoples of the Balkans.

At about the same time, Boris (Michael) the Khan of Bulgaria, who had recently been baptized by Photios with the Emperor Michael as his godfather, bringing his whole nation into the Christian fold, turned away from Constantinople, which had refused to grant him a patriarch, and looked to Rome for support (866). Seizing his opportunity, the Pope immediately sent Latin missionaries to Bulgaria with instructions to spread their innovations in this young Church which the Byzantines had evangelized, especially the addition of the Filioque to the Creed. Seeing the peril of an innovation which touched on the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, Saint Photios estimated that it was time "for the meek to become a warrior" (Joel 4:9 LXX) and that he would have to break his silence and issue a rejoinder. He addressed an Encyclical Letter to all the bishops of the East in which he vigorously condemned the errors of the Latins, especially the Filoque. He summoned a great Council to Constantinople, which in 867 proclaimed the victory of Orthodox doctrine over all the heresies, and anathematized Pope Nicholas and his missionaries in Bulgaria. The two Churches were thus separated by a formal schism, which was a precursor of the final break in 1054.

Michael III was assassinated at the end of 867 and Basil I, the founder of the Macedonian Dynasty, became Emperor. He immediately deposed Saint Photios, whom he imprisoned in the Monastery of the Protection, and recalled Saint Ignatios. In spite of the irenic efforts of Ignatios, the enemies of Photios then began a regular persecution of all the clergy ordained by him. In view of the continuing disturbance, the Emperor decided to refer the case of the two claimants to the Patriarchal throne to Rome for judgement, which was a godsend for the Papacy. Hadrian II, Nicholas' successor, assembled a Council in 869, which once again condemned Photios, declared the Council of 867 invalid, publicly burnt its Acts and ordered that a new Council should meet in Constantinople. The bishops, few in number, who attended this false Council - called the "Eighth Ecumenical Council" (870) by the Latins - were overawed by the Emperor and, in their cowardice, condemned the Beacon of the Church and exiled his supporters to the boundaries of the Empire. More than 200 bishops were then deposed and many priests were deprived of their orders. Haled like a criminal before the synod and summoned to answer the accusations made against him, Saint Photios, after a long silence, replied: "God hears the voice of him who keeps silent. For Jesus Himself by keeping silent did not escape condemnation." As they insisted that he answer, he replied: "My justification is not of this world." As a worthy imitator of the Passion of the meek and long-suffering Jesus, Saint Photios, in spite of illness, bore for three years the pain of harsh imprisonment, deprivation of books and company without a word of complaint. Imputing no responsibility to the blameless Ignatios for these cruelties, he encouraged his suffering friends by letter and prayed for the Emperor and his persecutors.

Meanwhile, the bishops took cognizance of the fact that their cowardly opportunism had led them to submit their Church to the dictates of Rome; and they persuaded the Emperor to declare invalid the decrees of the Council of 870 and to release Photios. The Saint was then received at court with great honor, and Basil appointed him as his children's tutor. Photios lost no time in making his peace with Ignatios. The two Saints, victims of the rivalry of contrary parties which had made use of their names, embraced warmly, and Photios gave his entire support to the aged and infirm Patriarch, whom he visited daily. On the death of Saint Ignatios on 23 October 877, the Church unanimously placed Photios once again on the Patriarchal throne. Veneration of the memory of Saint Ignatios was introduced not long after by Photios himself, and the Church thus befittingly eulogizes them together in the Synodikon read on the Sunday of Orthodoxy: "Eternal memory to the very blessed, very Orthodox and very illustrious Patriarchs Ignatios and Photios!" A Council was convoked at Constantinople in 879-880 attended by 383 Fathers under the presidency of Photios and in the presence of legates from the Pope. The Council confirmed the rehabilitation of Photios, annulled the Council of 870 and restored communion between the two Churches, anathematizing all innovation and especially the heretical innovation of the Filoque to the Symbol of Faith. With the restoration of peace and unity in the Church, the greatest desire of the hierarch was fulfilled. He immediately set about the task of peacemaking, seeking reconciliation with his enemies and showing a fatherly care devoid of bitterness for the former partisans of Ignatios.

When Leo VI (886-912) succeeded his father Basil I, he summarily deposed the Holy Patriarch, holding him indirectly responsible for making known to his father a plot which Leo had hatched against him. Saint Photios was imprisoned as an evildoer in the Monastery of the Armenians and was confined there for five years, lacking all human consolation but shining like gold tried in the furnace of manifold temptations (1 Pet. 6-7). This was the period which, without books of his own, he wrote the Mystagogy of the Holy Spirit - a systematic refutation of the Filioque heresy, in which he shows that the Holy Spirit proceeds eternally from the Person of the Father, the "Source of the Divinity", and is sent to us by the Son in order to make us "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Pet. 1:4). Leaving this treatise as his testament to the Holy Church in view of conflicts to come, he departed to join the choir of Holy Fathers and Doctors on 6 February 893. The miracles which soon took place in plenty at his tomb helped to convert even his inveterate enemies.

Humble, serene and long-suffering in tribulations, this true Confessor of the Faith, unjustly called a fanatic by his enemies, remains one of the great luminaries of Orthodoxy and a wholly trustworthy witness to the spirit of the Gospel.*

* The calumnies spread about St. Photios by the extreme partisans of St. Ignatios, accepted for centuries by historians and Western apologists alike without serious examination, made him responsible for all the discord and division which paved the way for the Great Schism of 1054. Fortunately, the researchers of modern Roman Catholic historians (notably F. Dvornik, The Photian Schism, Cambridge 1970) have reestablished the facts of the matter, which in all respects corroborate the tradition of the Orthodox Faith.

From The Synaxarion (vol. 3), translated by Christopher Hookway, 2001, pp. 422-429.

Read also:

Critique of Francis Dvornik's "The Photian Schism"

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
As a teacher to the world, being one with the Apostles, intercede with the Lord of all, O Photius, that He may grant the world peace, and to our souls His great mercy.

Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
Far-reaching beacon of the Church and God, inspired Guide of the Orthodox, you are now crowned with the flowers of song. You are the divine words of the Spirit's harp, the strong adversary of heresy and to whom we cry, "Hail all-honorable Photius."

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Saint Boukolos, First Bishop of Smyrna

Saint Boukolos (Bucolus or Bucolos) of Smyrna (Feast Day - February 6)

By Hieromonk Makarios of Simonopetra

Devoted in his youth to cleansing himself of the passions and of the stains of the world, our Holy Father Boukolos became a fit dwelling place for the Holy Spirit, so that when the Holy Apostle John the Theologian founded the Church of Smyrna, he left him as bishop of that great city. Guided by grace, Saint Boukolos enlightened the benighted pagans by his word and example, making them sons of the light through Holy Baptism, and delivering them from the demons by the strength of his prayer.

When he realized that the time had come for him to meet the Lord, he consecrated Saint Polycarp (Feb. 23) as his successor, entrusting him with the care of his spiritual flock, and he then fell asleep in peace. After his burial, God caused a tree with healing properties to grow from his tomb, whereby many who came to it with faith were restored to health in the course of the centuries.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
The truth of things hath revealed thee to thy flock as a rule of faith, an icon of meekness, and a teacher of temperance; for this cause, thou hast achieved the heights by humility, riches by poverty. O Father and Hierarch Boukolos, intercede with Christ God that our souls be saved.

Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
We all acclaim thee as a hierarch of the Church of Christ and a disciple of His ven'rable disciples' choir, but especially of him that was His belov'd one. O wise Father, pray the Saviour for us lauding thee, that He save us from all need and all adversity; for we cry to thee: Rejoice, O thrice-blessed Boukolos.

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Sacrilegious Robbery At Prophet Elias Monastery In Serres

A sacrilegious robbery took place at Prophet Elias Monastery in the village of Agion Pneuma in Serres, Greece.

According to Romfea.gr, during Sunday services this morning (02/06/2011), while the nuns were worshipping in the church, unknowns broke into the east-wing of the convent, in which is the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary. They broke the protective glass covering the icon and damaged the frame in order to steal the valuable tributes posted on the icon by the faithful in gratitude for answered prayers.

The nuns immediately noticed the theft and informed police officers who were in attendance at the Divine Liturgy. The Holy Metropolis of Serres was also informed.

This is an ongoing investigation, though suspects are currently in custody.

Among the tributes stolen were three hierarchical amulets dedicated by Metropolitan Maximos of Serres on the day a presidential decree was issued to establish the monastery, as well as a hierarchical cross given by Archimandrite Chrysostomos of Esphigmenou Monastery on Mount Athos who helped establish the monastery.

The miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary has been housed in the monastery for the past two decades. It is the work of painter George Karpontinis and decorated with the care of Archimandrite Chrysostomos Katsoulieris in 1982. Since 1990 she has been the patron of the village of Agion Pneuma and been the source of many answered prayers and miraculous healings. In thanksgiving for this, the faithful have poured in tributes which the thieves have now taken advantage of.

A great feast of the monastery is celebrated on September 24th in which thousands of faithful from around the world gather, including the sick, the childless, and the hurting, in order to partake of the grace of the Holy Virgin Theotokos.

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Orthodox Alarmists Gather To Protest Greek Citizenship Card In Athens

More than 2500 Greek clergy, monastics and simple lay people (Old and New Calendarists and a few dozen members of far right groups) gathered today in Constitution Square in Athens to protest the new Citizen's Card.

The Associated Press has dubbed these protesters "Orthodox Christian fundamentalists" and explained that "the protest has been peaceful except for a brief altercation with motorists when the protesters tried to block traffic."

Protesters were seen holding signs reading "No To the Citizen's Card" and "Orthodoxy or Death", while others were holding the Greek flag or the Byzantine two-headed eagle.

As for well-known ecclesiastical personalities in attendance, there was Fr. Nektarios Moulatsiotis who is the Abbot of the St. Augustine of Hippo and St. Seraphim of Sarov Monastery (who insists there were 10,000 faithful in attendance), Fr. Sarantis Sarantou (who speaks in the video below), the Abbot of the Great Meteoron at Meteora and the Abbot of the old and schismatic Esphigmenou Monastery on Mount Athos.

It is believed by the protesters that the reception of the Greek Citizen's Card could pose dangers to their identity as Orthodox Christians in Greece and that it may lead to the reception of the mark of the Antichrist since it is erroneously believed the bar code of the Card contains the number 666.

Read more here and here with photos of the gathering.

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Update On the Fire At St. Panteleimon Monastery

The fire which broke out at noon on Saturday 5 February 2011 at Saint Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos is under control after firefighters extinguished the flames. Six fire trucks and eighteen firemen were on the scene. Firemen will remain in the area till Monday lest any other fires break out.

According to reports, the fire destroyed part (approximately 250 sqm) of the last two-stories (4th and 5th floors) of the old building located outside the walls of the monastery. As of right now, there is no extensive damage on the other stories.

The building that was damaged contained rooms (cells) for workers at the monastery, and sources say it is currently unoccupied as it has not been fully restored.

Source

Related article:

Russian Athonite Monastery of St. Panteleimon Currently In Flames

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Sunday of Zacchaeus - The Lenten Journey Begins

The paschal season of the Church is preceded by the season of Great Lent, which is also preceded by its own liturgical preparation. The first sign of the approach of Great Lent comes five Sundays before its beginning. On this Sunday the Gospel reading is about Zacchaeus the tax-collector. It tells how Christ brought salvation to the sinful man, and how his life was changed simply because he "sought to see who Jesus was" (Luke 19:3). The desire and effort to see Jesus begins the entire movement through Lent towards Pascha. It is the first movement of salvation.

Our lenten journey begins with a recognition of our own sinfulness, just as Zacchaeus recognized his. He promised to make restitution by giving half of his wealth to the poor, and by paying to those he had falsely accused four times as much as they had lost. In this, he went beyond the requirements of the Law (Ex. 22:3-12).

The example of Zacchaeus teaches us that we should turn away from our sins, and atone for them. The real proof of our sorrow and repentance is not just a verbal apology, but when we correct ourselves and try to make amends for the consequences of our evil actions.

We are also assured of God's mercy and compassion by Christ's words to Zacchaeus, "Today salvation is come to this house" (Luke 19:9). After the Great Doxology at Sunday Matins (when the Tone of the week is Tone 1, 3, 5, 7) we sing the Dismissal Hymn of the Resurrection "Today salvation has come to the world," which echoes the Lord's words to Zacchaeus.

Zacchaeus was short, so he climbed a tree in order to see the Lord. All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). We are also short in our spiritual stature, therefore we must climb the ladder of the virtues. In other words, we must prepare for spiritual effort and growth.

St Zacchaeus is also commemorated on April 20.

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Zacchaeus Of Little Stature

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

"Today, salvation has come to this house" (Luke 19:9).

Thus it was spoken by the One Whose word is life and joy and restoration of the righteous. Just as the bleak forest clothes itself into greenery and flowers from the breath of spring, so does every man, regardless of how arid and darkened by sin, becomes fresh and youthful from the nearness of Christ. For the nearness of Christ is as the nearness of some life-giving and fragrant balsam which restores health, increases life, give fragrance to the soul, to the thoughts and to the words of man. In other words, distance from Christ means decay and death and His nearness means salvation and life.

"Today, salvation has come to this house" said the Lord upon entering the house of Zacchaeus the sinner. Christ was the salvation that came and Zacchaeus was the house into which He entered. Brethren, each one of us is a house in which sin dwells as long as Christ is distant and to which salvation comes when Christ approaches it. Nevertheless, will Christ approach my house and your house? That depends on us. Behold, He did not arbitrarily enter the house of the sinner Zacchaeus, rather He entered as a most desired guest. Zacchaeus of little stature climbed into a tree in order to see the Lord Jesus with his own eyes. Zacchaeus, therefore, sought him; Zacchaeus desired Him. We must also seek Him in order to find Him and desire Him in order that He would draw nearer to us and, with our spirit, to climb high in order to encounter His glance. Then He will visit our house as He visited the house of Zacchaeus and with Him salvation will come.

Draw near to us O Lord, draw near and bring to us Your eternal salvation. To You be glory and thanks always. Amen.

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Saint Agatha the Virgin Martyr

St. Agatha the Martyr (Feast Day - February 5)

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

Agatha, this glorious virgin and martyr for Christ, was born in the Sicilian town of Palermo of noble and wealthy parents. When Emperor Decius began a persecution against Christians, St. Agatha was arrested and brought to trial before Judge Quintian. The judge, seeing Agatha beautiful in countenance, desired to have her for his wife. When he suggested this, Agatha answered that she is the bride of Christ and cannot be unfaithful to her Betrothed. Quintian subjected her to cruel tortures. Agatha was ridiculed, whipped, bound to a tree and flogged until blood flowed. After that, the judge again tried to persuade her to deny Christ and to avoid any further torture and suffering. To that the bride of Christ replied: "These tortures are very beneficial for me; just as wheat cannot arrive at the granary before it is cleansed from the chaff, so my soul cannot enter into Paradise if my body, beforehand, is not humbled by tortures." Then, the torturer ordered that her breasts be cut off and that she be cast into prison. St. Peter appeared to Agatha in prison and restored her to health and wholeness of body. Again, Agatha was led out for torture and again, cast into prison where she gave up her soul to God in the year 251 A.D. in the town of Catania during the reign of Emperor Decius. After her death, the torturer Quintian departed for Palermo to usurp her estate. However, along the way, his horse and the horses of his soldiers became wild with rage. Quintian was bitten on the face, thrown to the ground and trampled to death. Swift was the punishment of God that reached out for this savage crime perpetrated against St. Agatha.

HYMN OF PRAISE: SAINT AGATHA

Dark is the dungeon; radiant is the martyr,
In the darkness, Saint Agatha glows,
Over the courtyard of the dungeon, drenched with light,
There the tormentor lives, covered with shame,
Thinking up new tortures for the virgin Agatha,
Torments himself and contemplates, darkened in the midst of light,
Who is wedded to Christ, the dungeon is bright,
The palace, a place of despair, to the enemy of justice!

Miracle of St. Agatha

Etna is the largest volcano in Europe, the highest mountain in Italy, and located in Catania, Sicily. St. Gregory the Dialogist once commented, figuratively, that Etna was one of the mouths of Hades.

One year after the repose of St. Agatha, Etna erupted and gushed forth lava as a fiery river. As it approached Catania it burned and destroyed all that lay in its path. Both pagans and Christians, in fear, ran to the tomb of St. Agatha (Sant' Agata). The silk mantle that draped her tomb was placed on a pole, and everyone, clergy and laity, left. Then the wonder occurred, when the grace emanating from the mantle caused the lava to cease in its path and turn back towards the mountain.

As a result of this miracle the esteem of St. Agatha grew among both pagans and Christians. In fact, many pagans became Christians as a result.

The virgin-martyr is also invoked against any outbreak of fire.

Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
O Lord Jesus, unto Thee Thy lamb doth cry with a great voice: O my Bridegroom, Thee I love; and seeking Thee, I now contest, and with Thy baptism am crucified and buried. I suffer for Thy sake, that I may reign with Thee; for Thy sake I die, that I may live in Thee: accept me offered out of longing to Thee as a spotless sacrifice. Lord, save our souls through her intercessions, since Thou art great in mercy.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
Let the Church be clad today with royal purple in a splendid covering dyed in the chaste and hallowed blood of Martyr Agatha, and let it now cry: Rejoice, O thou boast of Catania.

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Video: 1947 Footage of Panagia of Tinos Feastday

Click on photo to see video.

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Romania to Start Building Balkans' Biggest Church

February 4, 2011
Balkan Insight

Romanian Orthodox Church plan to erect a 120-metre-high cathedral in Bucharest draws criticism for alleged extravagance.

Work on the Cathedral of the Redeemer is to start this year in the capital, Bucharest, at an estimated cost of around 400 million euro.

The future cathedral will be the tallest in southeast Europe. Currently, the tallest is St Peter and Paul, in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is 107.20 metres high.

The Orthodox Church plans to borrow half the money from banks and the loan is to be guaranteed by the Church's forests, churches and other properties. Money will be reimbursed also from collection plates and private donations.

But the Church has drawn criticism for also seeking help from the cash-strapped state. By law, the state has to provide support for church construction and dilapidation.

Last December, the head of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Daniel, asked the government to stump up 20 million lei [4.7 million euro] this year alone for building the cathedral.

Critics see the demand as inappropriate at a time of economic hardship. "This project is too much extravagant and a new cathedral is not a priority for Romania," journalist Laurentiu Mihu said.

“Instead, the Church should do something real for the redemption and development of society by putting these enormous sums into a huge nationwide social projects," he added.

More than 85 percent of Romania's 21.5 million population belong to the Orthodox church. Many politicians court Church initiatives as a way of attracting sympathy from the electorate.

But some criticize the Orthodox Church for having taken an ambivalent stance towards the former Communist regime, when many bishops adopted a servile attitude, lauding former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, supporting his policies and applauding his ideas about peace.

The construction of the future cathedral is scheduled for completion in 2013. Bucharest already hosts the second-largest building after the Washington Pentagon, the largest hotel and the largest shopping mall in Southeast Europe.

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South Russian Region Seeks To End Valentine's Day and Halloween

February 4, 2011
RIA Novosti

Authorities in the Belgorod Region of Southern Russia have canceled public celebrations of St. Valentine's Day due to its negative influence on young people, a regional government spokesman said on Friday.

Deputy Governor Oleg Polukhin last year signed an order on measures to "ensure spiritual security in the Belgorod Region," the spokesman said.

Under the decree, which was blessed by the Orthodox archbishop of Belgorod, local authorities should not allow celebrations of St. Valentine's Day and Halloween at educational, cultural and other institutions.

"The atmosphere of these holidays does not help young people to develop spiritual and moral values," the spokesman said. "Their celebration is first of all beneficial to commercial organizations."

He added that these instructions were not a direct ban but a recommendation.

"If a school principal organized a disco or a contest on February 14, nobody will fire or rebuke him but we hope that people will consciously give up celebrations of this holiday," the spokesman said.

However, local media were ordered to explain to their audience that Halloween and St. Valentine's Day contradict traditional Russian values and many organizations, including the Belgorod zoo and even night clubs, canceled themed events.

Belgorod University decided to replace the western holiday with a day of Orthodox youth, which will be marked on February 15 with a classical music concert, competitions and even a ball.

In 2008, Russia, which is a secular state under the constitution, introduced an alternative to St. Valentine's in a move to revive a pre-revolutionary tradition. The Day of Family, Love and Faithfulness, also known as the Day of Sts. Peter and Fevronia, the Orthodox patrons of marriage, is marked on July 8 with a daisy being its symbol instead of a red heart.

Meanwhile, this is not the first attempt of the Belgorod authorities to impose restrictions on social activities.

Back in 2004, Governor Yevgeny Savchenko ordered that all DJs should undergo training at the local administration and that special commissions should keep tabs on discos and night clubs. The governor also said no "immoral" music should be played, although no list of banned bands was produced.

In 2010, heavy metal concerts were prohibited at night clubs and restaurants in the Belgorod region.

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The Divnogorsk-Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God

The Divnogorsk-Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God received the first part of its title from where it was enshrined when it was glorified: the Dormition Monastery of Divnogorsk, in the former Ostrogozhsk district in Voronezh governance. Its title of "Sicilian" comes from its place of origin, since by tradition this icon at Diva (i.e. "Wondrous Heights") was brought from Sicily by the pious monastic Elders Xenophon and Joasaph. They suggest that these saints were Orthodox Greeks by birth, and that they had arrived there not earlier than the end of the fifteenth century. Xenophon and Joasaph founded a monastery at a scenic spot above the River Don, near the confluence of the River Tikha Sosna [Quiet Pine River]. The place was called Wondrous Heights by those struck by the form of the chalk columns throughout the hills.

It is said that Xenophon and Joasaph lived in a cave (where later the Church of St John the Forerunner was built), and that they carved out the first church in a chalk column, into which also they put the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God which they had brought with them. Here is where they found their eternal repose.

On the Divnogorsk-Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God, the Theotokos is depicted sitting in the clouds. In Her right hand is a white lily blossom, and with Her left arm She supports the Divine Infant, Who sits upright upon Her knees. The Savior holds a lily blossom in His left hand, and blesses with His right hand. Around the face of the Mother of God are eight angels. The two beneath are shown on bended knee and with hands upraised in prayer. Over the head of the Theotokos is the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove.

The special glorification of the icon began in the year 1831, when cholera was raging. At Korotoyak, 7-8 versts from the monastery, the Most Holy Virgin appeared (as She is depicted in the Divnogorsk Icon) to a certain elderly woman, Ekaterina Kolomenska, in a dream. She commanded that Her icon be brought and a Molieben be served before it. The wonderworking icon was brought to Korotoyak, and after a Molieben before the holy icon, the cholera ceased.

By the intercession of the Mother of God, the city of Ostrogozhsk also was saved from cholera. The people of Korotoyak and Ostrogozhsk were also saved from cholera in 1847 and 1848 through the miraculous intercession of the Mother of God, which occurred after a church procession around these towns with the holy icon.

According to Tradition, the feastday of the wonderworking icon on February 5 was established already at its original habitation by Xenophon and Joasaph.

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Russian Athonite Monastery of St. Panteleimon Currently In Flames

According to Romfea.gr, the building of St. Panteleimon's Monastery on Mount Athos is currently on fire. The report as of a few hours ago stated that fire trucks were on the way to the Monastery.

According to Salonica News, six fire fighters with two trucks were notified. Another four vehicles with twelve firefighters were also notified.

Nothing else is reported at this time.

It should be noted that the Monastery of St. Panteleimon has repeatedly been the victim of fires, most famously in 1307 (when Catalan mercenaries set it aflame) and in 1968.

Read more about the Monastery here.

Two current photos below of the fire were provided by ΑΓΙΟΡΕΙΤΙΚΕΣ ΜΝΗΜΕΣ. This source tells us that the fire is contained and has no danger of harming the katholikon or the Sacred Vessels of the Monastery. The two fire trucks came from the Monasteries of Simonopetra and Xeropotamou which were brought to St. Panteleimon by the ferry named "Saint Anna".

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Vatican Deems Pope's Organs Too Sacred To Save Lives

February 4, 2011
Reuters

Pope Benedict has a soft spot in his heart for organ donations but his body parts can't be donated to save lives after he dies, the Vatican says.

A doctor in Germany had been using the fact that the pope possessed an organ donors' card from a medical association to advocate the practice. The Vatican asked him to stop but he did not.

To settle the matter, the pope's secretary, Monsignor Georg Gaenswein, sent a letter to the doctor and the missive was reported in the German program of Vatican Radio.

"It's true that the pope owns an organ donor card ... but contrary to public opinion, the card issued back in the 1970s became de facto invalid with Cardinal Ratzinger's election to the papacy," Vatican Radio quoted from the letter.

In 1999, six years before he was elected to the papacy, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger disclosed that he always carried an organ donor's card with him and encouraged the practice as "an act of love."

Vatican officials say that after a pope dies, his body belongs to the entire Church and must be buried intact. Furthermore, if papal organs were donated, they would become relics in other bodies if he were eventually made a saint.

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Saint Isidore of Pelusium: Life and Writings

St. Isidore of Pelusium (Feast Day - February 4)

Saint Isidore of Pelusium lived during the fourth-fifth centuries. He was a native of Alexandria, and was raised among pious Christians. He was a relative of Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, and of his successor, St Cyril (January 18). While still a youth he quit the world and withdrew to Egypt to Mount Pelusium, which became the site of his monastic efforts.

St Isidore's spiritual wisdom and strict asceticism, combined with his broad learning and innate knowledge of the human soul, enabled him to win the respect and love of his fellow monks in a short time. They chose him as their head and had him ordained a priest (The earliest sources for his life, however, say nothing of him being an igumen).

Following the example of St John Chrysostom, whom he had managed to see and hear during a trip to Constantinople, St Isidore devoted himself primarily to Christian preaching, that "practical wisdom" which, in his own words, is both "the foundation of the edifice and the edifice itself", while logic is "its embellishment, and contemplation its crown."

He was a teacher and a willingly provided counsel for anyone who turned to him for spiritual encouragement, whether it was a simple man, a dignitary, a bishop, the Patriarch of Alexandria, or even the emperor. He left behind about 10,000 letters, of which 2,090 have survived. A large portion of these letters reveal profound theological thought and contain morally edifying interpretations of Holy Scripture. St Photius (February 6) calls Isidore a model of priestly and ascetical life, and also a master of style.

St Isidore's love for St John Chrysostom resulted in his support of St John when he was persecuted by the empress Eudoxia and Archbishop Theophilus. After the death of St John, St Isidore persuaded Theophilus' successor St Cyril to inscribe the name of St John Chrysostom into the Church diptychs as a confessor. Through the initiative of St Isidore the Third Ecumenical Council was convened at Ephesus (431), at which the false teaching of Nestorius concerning the person of Jesus Christ was condemned.

St Isidore lived into old age and died around the year 436. The Church historian Evagrius (sixth century) writes of St Isidore, "his life seemed to everyone the life of an angel upon the earth." Another historian, Nicephorus Callistus (ninth century), praises St Isidore thus, "He was a vital and inspired pillar of monastic rules and divine vision, and as such he presented a very lofty image of most fervent example and spiritual teaching."

Source


St. Isidore of Pelusium: On Evil Thoughts

Three Epistles on Monasticism and Virginity

14 Letters of Isidore of Pelusium

The Letters of Isidore of Pelusium: a table of letters and edition numbers


The Writings of Saint Isidore of Pelusium

Saint Isidore wrote many epistles, even to emperors (Theodosius II, 408-450) and those in authority, summoning them to be mindful of their duties. He commented on many books of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. He shredded Jewish arguments and errors of interpretation. The gifts of the Holy Spirit were abundantly present in him. The practical philosophy of the disciples of Christ he upheld. He advocated withdrawal from the world, voluntary poverty, and abstinence. He felt that the soul could not discern God in the bustle of everyday life; only in the utmost emancipation from worldly wants could the soul approach divine freedom. He believed, however, that asceticism and flight from the world did not alone suffice: the garland of the virtues must be woven into the monastic conduct. Although our holy father had retired from the world, still he participated in the current needs and perils of the Orthodox. He did not fail in his duty to support and exhort the flock, wherever he could reach with his written words.

Father Isidore, the ascetic and writer, wrote more than three thousand commentaries on theology, dogma, philosophy, Sacred Scripture, and monasticism. He also was not timid to put in writing the specific abuses of each of the clerical ranks. He was instrumental in bringing forth reforms in the Church. He was revered by his contemporaries as a standard of spiritual perfection. Prelates, including Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria, his kinsman, esteemed him as their father. We have two thousand and twelve of his letters,* which reveal the godly Isidore to be a vessel of the Spirit and of great theological learning. His writings are in such eloquent Greek that some enthusiasts wished to have his writings replace the classics in the study of the Greek language. Saint Photios the Great also commends Isidore's style and erudition. Despite all the acclaim and reverence that surround him during his lifetime, he maintained his prudence and humility. Most of Father Isidore's writings were collected at the Monastery of the Akoimetoi or Unsleeping Ones at Constantinople. Father Isidore also wrote Patriarch Cyril regarding the hypostatic union, and warned him against contemporary tendencies toward Monophysitism. His epistles were also translated into Church Slavonic. In 433, following the condemnation of Nestorius at the Ephesian Synod, Father Isidore noted a sharp manner in Cyril's talks with John, Patriarch of Antioch. Isidore counseled his kinsman to make reasonable allowances for the sake of peace in the Church: "As your father," he wrote, "since you are pleased to address me with this name, or rather as your son, I adjure you to halt the dissension, lest there should result a lasting schism under the pretext of piety." In his epistles - mostly brief notes, but frequently of great length - it is evident that he was a highly esteemed spiritual counselor, thoroughly enlightened by God. He manifested himself a shepherd of souls and a teacher versed in Scripture.

* Over 2,000 of them are preserved in Volume 78 of Migne's Patrologia Graeca (PG 78:177-1646); according to some, he wrote over 3,000 epistles, according to others, 10,000. According to the statements of Nicephorus the historian, St. Isidore wrote more than 10,000 letters to various individuals in which he reproached some, counseled some, and comforted and instructed others. In one letter St. Isidore writes: "It is more important to teach by a life of doing good than to preach in eloquent terms." In another, he says: "If one desires that his virtues appear great, let him consider them small and they will surely manifest themselves as great." The first and basic rule for St. Isidore was this: "First do, then teach according to the example of our Lord Jesus."

From The Great Synaxarion of the Orthodox Church (February), translated by Holy Apostles Convent, pp. 119-120.


Apolytikion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
The image of God, was faithfully preserved in you, O Father. For you took up the Cross and followed Christ. By Your actions you taught us to look beyond the flesh for it passes, rather to be concerned about the soul which is immortal. Wherefore, O Holy Isidore, your soul rejoices with the angels.

Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
O All-Blessed Isidore, the Church hath found thee as another morning star; and with the lightning of thy words she is illumined and crieth out: Rejoice, O ven'rable Father of godly mind.

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