Miracles of Saint Athanasios the Sitter, Patriarch of Constantinople

By His Eminence Metropolitan Makarios of Kenya

From various Russian sources there are mentioned many miracles of St. Athanasios. Once, around 1813, one of the famous Russian princess' was suffering from an incurable disease for many years. So she saw in her sleep the Saint, who showed her how to reach the place where the Saint's relics were. She arrived on May 25th at the church where the relics of the Saint were placed. She attended the Divine Liturgy with great reverence. The same day she came again to the temple during vespers. Because of her advanced age, as well as her paralysis, with difficulty they carried her to church every time. But to the wonder of all, this time that noble lady came to church after she got up and walked alone without any help. She then confessed to the abbot of the monastery where the relic was that she arrived there after an order of the Saint, who appeared three times in her sleep. He even showed the monastery was built on a hill with the Saint seated inside. After requesting information from relatives, who knew the place, she was brought there and was healed completely.

The following year was another miracle of the Saint. This time it was not a treatment for the body but for the mind. One man sinned continually with carnal sins, and then finally lost his mind. He came to repentance. His brother took him to visit Kiev, then when there were many holy elders. On the way they stopped at the place where the relics of the Saint were. When they came to the church where the relics of the Saint were found, it was during the Divine Liturgy. The sick man immediately ran towards the area of the Saint and began with tears to kiss the Saint. He saw the face of the Saint as an angel feeling that the Saint was alive and spoke to him and blessed his sincere repentance. Since that time the sick man came to himself and glorified God for the miracle.

Another case is also very touching. A lady was in the last days of her life. Everyone had written her off and waited for her death. Indeed, the description says they almost had put her into the coffin. A relative of hers brought home the icon of St. Athanasios. Once she saw the icon she fell into a deep sleep. After those in attendance prayed to the Saint, when she woke up she was well, as if nothing happened to her, and she got up praising God.

St. Athanasios, according to the writings of various people, often appeared to simplistic people suffering from various diseases by inviting them to him and promising to cure them. So in all parts of Russia he was known for his holiness and his miracles. Many couples especially from Siberia had child-bearing problems. The Saint appeared to them and called for repentance and prayer. They would reach the monastery, where the relics of the Saint were, and after a short time they bore children.

There is mentioned the event of a Maria from Kharkov who suffered from incurable blindness for three years. So her relatives brought her before the Saint during the Divine Liturgy. Suddenly during the time of the Cherubic Hymn she saw with her own eyes the Saint and immediately ran and lit a candle in front of him bowing in reverence for the gift he gave her, that of her vision.

One young girl from the Poltava region with the name Euphrosyne was deaf. This was around the year 1829. On the day which was celebrated the miraculous icon of Our Lady of Kazan, she saw in her sleep St. Athanasios seated on his throne. The next day she glorified God who allowed her to see the Saint. While she made her prayer, she felt a hand to support her and suddenly, in the presence of her mother, she was found to be hearing. A year later she suffered from high fever. She was transferred to the monastery of the Saint in front of the holy relic. She felt an inexpressible bliss. After Matins and specifically during the time of the Doxology some power touched her and she was healed in that hour. Seven years later, now married, she suffered from a terrible incurable disease, and she saw in her sleep St. Athanasios. She prayed continuously. The Saint took his miter and with it touched her and ordered her to get up and glorify God, who had healed her completely.

The Saint continues to work miracles in many ways to those who run with faith to him seeking protection and mercy. Many miracles occur on the day his memory is celebrated in Russia on May 2. On Mount Athos and in Crete he is celebrated on August 21. From all parts of Russia they rush to pray in front of the full-length and incorrupt relic, an example of holiness. Even during the time of the great persecution, ie the communist regime, the atheistic authorities, to prevent people from coming near, decided to put him in a museum as a museum exhibit. They even thought that by putting a fairly high ticket, the world would not come. But again the faithful went and with much reverence sought assistance from the Saint. Eventually the authorities removed the holy relic to an unknown place - perhaps a basement - from which, after efforts of the current Metropolitan Nikodemos, was transferred to the Cathedral of Kharkov, where the faithful people of God come and celebrate receiving the Saint's blessing.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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An Apologia For the Exile of Athanasius By Constantine

By St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite

It is right to note the apologia [defense] which was written by Lord Theodoret for the Great and Holy Emperor of Constantinople Constantine, in order for people to not be scandalized against him, upon hearing that he exiled Athanasius the Great and Eustathius of Antioch, men who were holy and wondrous. The apologia of Theodoret says the following:

"It ought not to excite astonishment that Constantine was so far deceived as to send so many great men into exile: for he believed the assertions of bishops of high fame and reputation, who skilfully concealed their malice. Those who are acquainted with the Sacred Scriptures know that the holy David, although he was a prophet, was deceived; and that too not by a priest, but by one who was a menial, a slave, and a rascal. I mean Ziba, who deluded the king by lies against Mephibosheth, and thus obtained his land. It is not to condemn the prophet that I thus speak; but that I may defend the emperor, by showing the weakness of human nature, and to teach that credit should not be given only to those who advance accusations, even though they may appear worthy of credit; but that the other party ought also to be heard, and that one ear should be left open to the accused." (Ecclesiastical History, Bk. 1, Ch. 31)

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A Call To Return the Holy Relics of Saint Anastasia

N. Pitsiakidi

May 2, 2012

Democracy

"We declare the monastery in deep mourning. We do daily petitions to Saint Anastasia for the return of her holy relics. We are all upset here at the monastery." With such sorrow Metropolitan Apostolos of Miletus appeals to those who have their hands on the holy relics of Saint Anastasia to return them to where they belong.

For eleven centuries the holy relics of Saint Anastasia were kept at the Holy Monastery of Saint Anastasia in Thessaloniki, but for the past nine days unknown thieves stole them for unclear reasons. This incident shook the calmness of the monastery, and as police investigations have not worked, the suspense increases.

"I suspect it was a targeted act. There were other things the sacrilegious thieves could have taken, but they touched nothing except for the relics. I wonder why, for example, they did not take chalices and lamps. I believe they only stole the offering to throw off the police investigation," said Metropolitan Apostolos of Miletus to Democracy.

According to the Metropolitan, the relics of Saint Anastasia cannot be displayed anywhere apart from a private collection, since they are documented by the Patriarchate, the Ministry of Culture and the 10 Ephorate of Antiquities. "I think the sacrilegious thieves were executive officers of one person, to show them in their own land. They are useless for any other reason," adds the Metropolitan.

The theft of the holy relics of Saint Anastasia took place last Monday morning. The number of sacrilegious thieves is unknown, but it is certain the perpetrators entered the monastery and made it into the narthex of the church. There they found three silver reliquaries, which date, according to the abbot of the time, from 1830, that is after the burning of the monastery. The perpetrators removed the three silver boxes. In one reliquary was the skull of Saint Anastasia, and in the second was her right leg. In the third silver reliquary were portions of the bones of Saint Anastasia, Saint Modestos and Saint Paraskevi. The unknown perpetrators predetermined this, since in order to reach the narthex of the church three doors had to be broken down, two external and one internal. They allegedly fled on foot.

"I hope the authorities will do their part and there will be a happy ending. With the help of Saint Anastasia we hope the relics will be returned to where they belong and to the millions of believers who reverence her," concluded the Metropolitan.

The Holy Monastery of Saint Anastasia belongs to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and is its oldest monastery outside Mount Athos. The monastery was built in 888 AD and receives thousands of visitors every weekend from northern Greece, going to venerate the relics of Saint Anastasia.

Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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Seal from First Temple Period Uncovered

May 01, 2012

CBN News

Israeli archaeologists excavating under an ancient drainage channel near the Temple Mount uncovered a seal from First Temple times, the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced in a press release.

The tiny seal, made of semi-precious stone, is engraved with the name of its owner -- l'matanyahu ben ho, partially worn away on one side -- meaning, "belonging to Matanyahu Ben Ho…." Seals, often affixed to a signet ring, were used to sign letters.

IAA archaeologists excavating under the 2,000-year-old drainage channel are unearthing the remains of a First Temple period building, which is the closest structure to the First Temple ever discovered. The seal was discovered on the floor of the building.

"The name Matanyahu, like the name Netanyahu, means giving to God," excavation director Eli Shukron said.

"These names are mentioned several times in the Bible. They are typical of the names in the Kingdom of Judah in latter part of the First Temple period -- from the end of the eighth century BCE until the destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE," he said.

"To find a seal from the First Temple period at the foot of the Temple Mount walls is rare and very exciting," he said, calling it a "tangible greeting of sorts from a man named Matanyahu who lived here more than 2,700 years ago."

Shukron said they are also finding pottery shards from the period and evidence of a fire.

The excavation beneath Robinson's Arch in the Archaeological Garden adjacent to the Temple Mount is underwritten by the Ir David (City of David) Foundation.

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Elder Paisios: On Incompatible Marriage Partners

Elder Paisios said:

A man came to my cottage once, telling me how depressed he was, because of the disputes he had with his wife. However, I didn’t find any serious problem. He frowned because of something, and his wife frowned about something else, so they couldn’t join together. In this case a little “furnishing” was necessary. As an example, we can take unfurnished planks. One has a knot in one place, the other one has a knot on another place, and if you try to put them together, an empty space will appear between. But, if you equalize and furnish one of the planks on one side, and the same is done with the other plank with the same furnishing tool, they quickly fit with each other, and there is no empty space between. (Elder Paisios considered that the married couple should have one common spiritual father, who will help them in the reconciliation of their disputes.)

Some men say: “I am not compatible to my wife, we are totally different characters! Why does God make such strange things? Couldn’t God harmonize the married partners, so their characters be the same or similar, and so that they could live in spiritual togetherness?”

I tell them: “Don’t you understand that God’s harmony lies in the different characters? Different characters harmonize each other. God save you from being the same characters! Imagine that both of you have the same character, what would happen if both of you grew angry: you would destroy your house. Or, if both of you would be gentle and inactive, both would start sleeping on each others feet! If both of you would be stingy, you would be similar and you would agree among each other, but both of you would go to hell. If both of you would be squanderers, would you be able to save your house? No. You would demolish your house, and your children would end up on the street.

If one has a bad temper, and marries one with a bad temper, they will be the same or similar, won’t they? But, they would kill each other in only one day!

God created so that the gentle and nice partner is to marry someone different, give him help, because it might be he always has had good will, but there was no one to help him, since he was born.”

Even little differences in our characters may help the partners to form a harmonic family, because they supplement each other. You need an accelerator pedal to move your car forward, but still you need the brake pedal to stop when needed. If there would be a car with only a brake pedal, it would stay in one place for good. If there would be a gear-box but no brakes, the car wouldn’t stop.

Do you know what I once told a couple? “You do not fit with each other, because you fit too much with each other!” Both were oversensitive. Something would happen in the house. He was a bit confused saying: “Oh, what will happen to poor us?” Then she would say the same: “Oh, what will happen to poor us?” They were helping each other to fall more quickly in desperation. Couldn’t she, in opposition, calm down her husband saying: “Wait, it’s not so terrible what happened to us.” I have noticed this in many marriages.

And, in the education of their children, when different characters, the partners are always helping each other to give the right education to their children. The one says: “Let’s give the kids a bit more freedom”, and the other one brakes a bit. If both are strict, they will lose the children. But also, if both are too liberal, they will again lose them. When different, they are able to keep their children in balance.

What I want to say is that everything in marriage is necessary. Of course, we must take care not to over cross the borders, but we must have in mind that every person may help the other; people are here to help each other.

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How Media Influenced My Journey As A Christian

My personal Christian journey began well before my teenage years, and many things influenced my path towards growing in the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord. It was a slow journey with many steps along the way, and many hurdles as well, before I began to really take Christianity seriously, but it seems from the moment I could talk I was always a philosopher. Though I was born and raised an Orthodox Christian, my family was not particularly religious or philosophical or even educated. So wherever and whenever I found a kernel of gold somewhere, I treasured it. The few who know me know that I am still the same way, because I have found for me that this is a tried and true method. Among my early pre-high school influences I could name a few people that had a major influence on me, and possibly even a few books. But nothing influenced me more in my journey as a Christian than the media, specifically television and film, since media can mean many other things.

I understand that there are many Christians who may find this confusing, since to them television and film are seen to be as more on the evil side of influences, especially for youth. This is something I have always disagreed with, by personal experience. I have found that if you're raised to fear something, your life will be lived in fear, which I find unhealthy. My personal opinion has always been that nothing can influence you deeply unless you are inclined for it to influence you (influence is usually based on deep human experience), and if you are inclined towards good then you will get good out of something no matter how evil it may seem, but if you are inclined towards evil then evil will be its fruits even if it appears good. And this not only goes for the media, but for everything. Life offers many opportunities to choose between good and evil without the media, as it always had throughout history, so the weak will fall one way or the other, and the strong will grow if it is in their will to grow. It is not my intention here to defend my influences or the media with simplistic answers, but only offer this as food for further reflection.

Below is a list of ten ways (with video links in the titles), of many, in which the media influenced my early Christian journey:

1. Superbook

As a child, like most children, I loved watching cartoons. Before there were networks entirely devoted to children's programming, most kids would only have the chance to watch their fill of cartoons on Saturday morning, which I did. After school was another great time to watch cartoons for a few hours. But my favorite cartoon program in the early 1980's, when I was about 5 or 6 years old, was a cartoon I discovered in the morning at 7:00 am which I could watch every day before school. This cartoon was called Superbook. Superbook, also known as Animated Parent and Child Theatre, was an anime television series produced by Tatsunoko Productions in Japan in conjunction with the Christian Broadcasting Network in the United States. The series chronicled the events of the Bible's Old and New Testaments in its 52 episode run. I will not get into the details, but this show was a tremendous influence in my life. I had seen every episode and because of it I knew every major story in the Bible. This series was so influential that it made me buy my own Children's Bible, which beginning around 7 or 8 years old I read every night before bed. When my friends would come over they would make fun of me for having a Bible next to my bed, but I didn't care because I loved it. Superbook for me was one of the biggest reasons not only for loving Scripture, but for knowing it as well as I do. It helped me appreciate and be excited about the stories before I got into the meat of the book.

2. He-Man

Probably the most influential after-school cartoon for me when I was about 7 years old was He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. He-Man was not necessarily a Christian cartoon, but it was influential on me because it was the first time I got into a series where good and evil were clearly separated, as well as virtue and vice. It was also about transformation, where a young man named Adam, who was lazy and cowardly, would transform dramatically as He-Man by fighting evil with courage and strength. The clear delineation between good and evil, darkness and light, virtue and vice portrayed in this show was also very influential on me to become the type of person I wanted to be.

3. A Christmas Carol

As a child, and even still as an adult, I have always loved holidays, and when I was a child Christmas was my favorite. Yes, I loved the presents, the music, the tree, the lights, the school vacation, etc, but from a very young age I also started a unique practice. When I was very young I would always try and stay up till midnight on Christmas Eve to capture a glimpse of Santa Claus. By the time I was about 7 years old I discovered, through a great loss of innocence, that there was no Santa Claus, but this did not deter me from still loving Christmas. I wanted to hold on to the holiday as much as I could so I would try and stay up all night watching Christmas programs on TV. And when I was very young I noticed a movie that came on every year around 2:00 or 3:00 am called A Christmas Carol. Despite it being a black and white movie, I loved it. Growing up, this was my favorite movie, and I watched it in as many versions as I could. This movie taught me many things as a child, but most especially the idea of repentance from evil and selfishness and the joy that selfless sacrifice brings. I still watch it every year on Christmas Eve and it is still a major inspiration to me, and I have read the novel by Charles Dickens many times and make every effort to see the play every year around Christmas time.

4. A Charlie Brown Christmas

From the time Thanksgiving rolled around and the networks began airing Christmas specials, I was right there in front of my TV taking them all in. It didn't matter what kind of Christmas program it was, I watched it. But my second favorite after A Christmas Carol was A Charlie Brown Christmas. Believe it or not, I had actually read the cartoon book before I saw the special, so when I saw it on TV I appreciated it even more. The main influence for me of this show is that it hit such seemingly adult themes, such as Charlie Brown's depression and angst, that it gave me something to really identify with. I was always a deep thinker who wanted more out of life than what the superficial world offers, and in this cartoon the main character seemed to be going through the same thing I felt. It also taught me that there is great beauty in humility. One thing it taught most however was about the true meaning of Christmas. Linus' rendition at the end always had me confused, but I always knew he was talking about Jesus and His Nativity, and this always helped me focus on what Christmas was really about from a very young age.

5. Horror Movies

It is hard to name just one horror movie, but if I were to narrow it down to three, I would choose The Exorcist, Poltergeist and Ghostbusters. I saw all three of these movies at a very young age, and all three scared me a lot. They scared me, but they also fascinated me. I would turn away often, but I would always go right back to them. In fact, I saw all three, especially the latter two, many times when I was a young child. If horror movies taught me anything, it was that the supernatural is something very interesting. I wanted to know more about it and what inspired these films. They would always leave me wondering what was fake and what was real. If you were to ask me back then if I liked horror movies, I would have said no, but deep down I also knew how fascinated I was by them, especially the supernatural ones.

6. The Seventh Sign

My fascination and fright of horror made my experience watching The Seventh Sign all the more interesting. This was the first R-rated movie I had ever seen in the theatre in 1988, when I was about 12 years old, so it was pretty exciting. The story however blew me away. As mentioned earlier, I had known much about the various Bible stories by the time I was 12, but this movie opened my eyes to a story in the Bible I had not read about in my Children's Bible - the story of the end of the world. Scripture was being quoted often throughout the movie, especially the Book of Revelation, which I had not heard about, but one verse written out was Joel 2:29. When I got home I looked for a real Bible to find this verse. My sister had a King James Bible someone gave her, so I took it and flipped through the entire book looking for references contained in the movie. And I found many interesting things to confirm the truth of the apocalypse, to my horror. This was not only the first time I ever opened up and read a real Bible, but it also opened up to me the fascination to return to it again and again until I read and understood the whole thing.

7. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade came out in 1989 and I saw it in the theatre. I did not have happy memories about Indiana Jones, because I had also seen Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when I was much younger in the theatre, and that movie had scared me so much that it caused my family to walk out of the theatre in the middle of it. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was different however. It had more comedy and was not as dark as the previous one, but it also had an adventure I could better relate to, since this time around Indiana Jones was going in search of a Christian relic, specifically the cup Christ used at the Last Supper. Not only did the story fascinate me, but this movie inspired me a great deal to study history, archaeology, and even my own personal faith.

8. Jesus of Nazareth

Though I am typically not a fan of depicting Jesus in film, the best portrayal I had ever seen came one night in Holy Week when I was about 12 or 13. As I mentioned earlier, I loved holidays, and Easter was no exception. This particular Easter happened to be a year in which Eastern and Western Easter coincided, so the specials on TV in this rare instance coincided with our Holy Week. On Holy Thursday night, to get in the spirit of the week, I saw that the movie Jesus of Nazareth was on and was going to play over three nights, since it is a 6-hour movie. I decided to watch it, even though I knew I also had to go to church and probably would not watch it all. Within the first hour it mesmerized me. One thing that captured me most especially was its constant references to Old Testament prophecy, and how Jesus fulfilled these prophecies. This was a new concept for me, and I knew that if this was true, then this would establish Christianity as fact. Not only did this movie greatly enhance my Holy Week experience, but it changed my life and my perception of Christ. It also made me all the more want to study Scripture to find out more how Christ fulfilled all these prophecies.

9. The Story of the Other Wise Man

The Story of the Other Wise Man I am referring to was a 30-minute cartoon that I saw early one Christmas morning, though the movie is also good which I saw a few years later. It is based on a book by the minister Henry Van Dyke called The Other Wise Man written in 1896. I saw this around when I was 12 or 13 and it reminded me of another cartoon they would show us in Elementary School that had a major influence on me called The Little Prince, based on the short story of Oscar Wilde. These stories taught me greatly about virtue and sacrifice and selflessness perhaps more than any other up to that time. It brought saintliness to real life for me, and for that it was a major influence on me.

10. The Egyptian

This movie is based on the historical novel by Mika Waltari which was published in 1945. I believe I saw this movie around when I was 14 years old after browsing around the video store. Being fascinated by the Bible, I wanted to watch every Bible movie I could, so I picked The Egyptian. At first I was a bit bored by it because it was not a story out of the Bible, as I had hoped. But as I watched I observed another character I could relate to, who was searching for the truth in an environment which was hostile to the truth. I saw characters who sacrificed even their lives for the truth and even left society to cultivate the truth within them. It has a very subtle Christian message, but powerful, and till today remains one of my favorite films.

There are many other movies and shows I could name that had a major influence on me, but these are among the most memorable of my young life. Over the years I have continued to appreciate this medium of communication not only as a learning experience, but for offering stories one can relate to and even just be entertained by. Of course it is not the highest form of communication, but it played a role in my life and continues to play a role in a major way. The media is only one of many means towards the end rather than an end in itself. I like to compare it to Plato's Allegory of the Cave, where knowledge is dispersed in many levels and many forms before one can appreciate ultimate truth and see everything in proper perspective.

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Notorious Criminal Wants To Become Monk on Mount Athos

Kostas Passaris was an armed robber and murderer; convicted for a string of armed robberies and assaults; escaped Korydallos Prison in Athens in February 2001 while being transferred to a hospital, killing two policemen in the process; arrested in November 2001 in Bucharest and is currently jailed in Romania. He was once the most wanted man in Greece and its most notorious criminal.

April 30, 2012

AgioritkoVima

His hands were dyed in the blood of citizens and policemen, and he managed to discredit and "decapitate" the Greek Police by escaping arrest and fleeing after committing a host of felony offenses. Now he is ready to devote his life to God hoping that - if and when he is released from prison - he will become a monk at Mount Athos.

The notorious criminal Kostas Passaris, the man who was described as "the beast of the Balkans" and since 2001 is held in the maximum security prison Gkerlas in Romania, appears to regret his sinful past, and as another "black sheep" prays on his knees in his narrow cell asking remission of his sins and hopes that one day he will succeed in ... wearing the cassock and entirely devote himself to his Lord and Creator.

This is what is claimed in an interview which was given to the newspaper Jurnalul National of Bucharest with the priest to whom is credited this dramatic shift of the criminal, known as the "saint of prisoners", Archimandrite Gervasios John Raptopoulos.

The 80-year-old Archimandrite, founder of the brotherhood "Saint Xeni - Diaconate for the Release of Poor and Prisoners" came into contact with Passaris last Easter when, while he was in Romania, he learned that the 34-year-old criminal was desperately asking to meet him.

After obtaining the necessary authorization from the Romanian Ministry of Justice, Father Gervasios met Passaris in the presence of the director of prisons, and even four fully armed guards watching the meeting with their finger on the trigger. Since then, the communication became more frequent, and the "spiritual father" of Passaris started visiting him and supplies him with ecclesiastical books (some of which are considered - such as The Ascetic Writings of Abba Dorotheos - particularly difficult and read by monks of Mount Athos), while for his part, the criminal has taken a particularly hard monastic lifestyle and started fasting every Wednesday and Friday, without regard even for derision by many fellow inmates.

According to reports, the daily "ecclesiastical" program of the criminal begins early in the morning. Immediately when he wakes up he prays the Orthros for the day, then a few hours later says the Paraklesis, in the evening he says the Esperinon, and at night he ends with the Small Apodeipnon.

Indeed, at 3:00 in the morning Passaris wakes up and prays the Midnight Service, and immediately after begins his Monastic Canon (ecclesiastical prayers for the monastic order). Specifically, he takes in his hands his prayer rope and begins to pray, while doing prostrations! According to statements by the Archimandrite in the Romanian newspaper, the prison has radically changed Passaris, who now communicates better and is more open, having turned to God.

Indeed, in an earlier interview with the show Ηξεις Aφήξεις, on television channel Super, the Archimandrite confided to the journalist Theodore Doukas:

When I saw him for the first time, the child was contrite and confessed for about a half hour. I gave him a beautiful icon of the Panagia and told him, "Kosta, this is an icon that moves me deeply."

He responded to me: "Elder, give it to me that I may kiss it, but forgive me, I will not hold on to it because it reminds me of my mother." This child never knew a mother. For me he is on the road of repentance and loves very much the Athonite fathers. All the books he reads speak of repentance. He is my spiritual child.

Orthodoxy receives in its embrace all people and does not discriminate even for the most dangerous criminals. The particular case of Kostas Passaris could not be an exception because, according to reports, he is said to have regretted his actions and through confession to his spiritual father has sought absolution and expressed a desire to become a monk. However, in order to follow the path of monasticism he must first be released from serving two life sentences.

If this were to happen then he can go to a monastery, after filing his criminal record and successfully passing the probationary period of a few months which applies to all novices.

During the probationary period the novice wears civilian clothing and not a cassock. If he qualifies then he is able to become a monk, after it is judged by his spiritual father, who certifies the repentance of the novice. From there it is determined that he is ready to leave the world like all monks and follow the path of God.

Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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An Encyclical Against Fanatical Evangelicals

My Beloved Christians,

Christ is Risen!

With the help of God we celebrated this year again the great days of the salvific Passion and the glorious Resurrection of our Lord.

However, despite the great blessings of these days, temptations were not absent. Thus, during Holy Week, the so-called Jehovah's Witnesses launched in the region of Mesogeion and Lavriotiki proselytizing activity among Christians, with the purpose of confusing and acquiring unsuspecting followers.

What is even more unfortunate is that along the same lines others were moving, purporting to be preachers of the Gospel and self-proclaimed Christians, that is, followers of the Lord Jesus; people that we are supposedly in dialogue with for mutual understanding, were the same "deceiving and deceived", in the middle of Renewal Week, in the area of Pallini and Pikermiou, sent phone messages by SMS, in an effort to attract "friends" who belong to the blessed body of our holy Church, to possibly include them in their religious organization, what they call "Abundant Life", in order to, as they write, "save people".

These, known by the name Evangelicals, have replaced theology with arbitrary reflection, the Mysteries and worship with sermons and religious songs, and prefer a Christianity that is based more on human reason than divine revelation.

They deny the Panagia and our Saints, the Mysteries and Icons, our blessed Tradition and Worship. They invite the Orthodox to celebrate without the Lamentation Hymns and the Epitaphios, without the Akathists' and the Paraklesis', without Holy Communion and the words of the Fathers, without honor towards the Martyrs and the righteous Ascetics, replacing all these things with dry religious rhetoric.

At a time when many who were deceived by the same and have felt betrayed and thirsty and are returning in groups to our Church - even in our own Metropolis in recent years many dozens have been catechized - they are trying to seduce innocent souls from the blessed baptismal font of our Orthodox Faith.

Our Church can perhaps appear absent from its pastoral calling, and can, as it has accepted state influence by an unhealthy relationship with the state, often seem inconsistent with the life of faith.

But no one can contest that our Church has preserved the authentic Christian teaching till today, as well as the wealth of its high theology and the conscience of true tradition.

With my contribution I wanted to draw everyone's attention beyond all impassioned fanaticism. It is unfair to ourselves to exchange the gold of our Orthodox Faith for the polished copper of pseudo-teachers, to replace the timeless treasure of the truth of Christ with baseless human interpretations of the Gospel.

Those who supposedly evangelize the word of God in the Greece of Martyrs, of Miracles, of Tradition, would do good to learn the Gospel not like they want with their outlandish spiritual weak mindedness, but as it has been lived by the ecumenical Church in its unbroken history, especially in this land.

This is not proselytizing, this is holy evangelism. This is what we need.

This ultimately will incite all of us to return to our Orthodoxy, all of us, even us who are born Orthodox, with our hearts and with our lives.

With warm blessings in the Resurrection and fatherly love,

THE METROPOLITAN

† NICHOLAS of Mesogaias and Lavreotiki

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos

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Alexander the Great, Mount Athos, and a Lofty Proposal

Both Plutarch and Strabo record an ambitious proposal made by Deinocrates (or Cheirocrates or Stasicrates), chief architect to the Macedonian king Alexander the Great and the builder of Alexandria. According to Plutarch, in his Life of Alexander, he says:

Once when they [Deinocrates and Alexander] had met before, he had told him, that of all the mountains he knew, that of Athos in Thrace was the most capable of being adapted to represent the shape and lineaments of a man; that if he pleased to command him, he would make it the noblest and most durable statue in the world, which in its left hand should hold a city of ten thousand inhabitants, and out of its right should pour a copious river into the sea. Though Alexander declined this proposal, yet now he spent a great deal of time with workmen to invent and contrive others even more extravagant and sumptuous.

In other words, if Alexander followed through with this plan, on Mount Athos there would have been something like a Greek Mount Rushmore likeness of Alexander, though grander.

It is likely that this rejection was based not so much on a sense of personal modesty (for which Alexander was not well known), as on a desire to avoid being remembered by history as a man quite so arrogant as Xerxes. Xerxes, the famed Persian king, had carved a canal through the beginning of the Athonite penninsula in 481 BC, joining the Ierissos (on the north) and Singitic (on the south) gulfs and providing safer passage than the journey around Athos' southern point (Cape Akrothoos). Some historians doubt that this canal was ever finished, some that it was ever begun. Yet present-day visitors to the Holy Mountain can still see remnants of this canal, long since filled in with sediment, but still clearly evident as a long, narrow, and obviously artificial valley in precisely the location attributed to Xerxes' project.

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Two Opinions On Macedonian Canonicity

What is most important to Macedonian Orthodox Church is to return to canonical field, says Russian bishop

April 29, 2012

FOCUS News Agency

What is most important to the Macedonian Orthodox Church is for it to return to the canonical field, bishop Hilarion, Chairman of External Church Relations Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, said in an interview with Bulgarian National Radio.

He says there are many models of church structure, which, without obligatory recognition of autocephaly, can give the church actual independence.

“I think we should not stick to Greek terms, such as autocephaly and autonomy. It is necessary to set up a model that would satisfy the Macedonian church, but which will enable it [the church] to keep in contact with the canonical Orthodox churches and not to stay outside this process, as it does now,” said bishop Hilarion.

According to him the issue should be settled in a dialog between the Serbian and Macedonian orthodox churches. The Russian Orthodox Church is always ready to help in this process and suggest solutions based on our own experience, he added.

He says the Balkans is a very complex region.

It is not an accident that the world wars started with the Balkans and today the region is at a crossroads of two civilization paradigms. On the side, this is the western civilization, which works in favor of secular values, and the view of the world through this prism. On the other side, the east Christian heritage preserved by the local orthodox churches is very important in the process of globalization when the Balkan countries integrate into the European Union, bishop Hilarion said further in the interview.

He also noted the relations between Russia and Bulgaria were developing and added there were no problems between the two churches.

If canons are so important, Macedonian Church should return to Bulgarian Church: historian

April 29, 2012

FOCUS News Agency

If you consider the issue from the point of view of the genesis of today’s Macedonian Archbishopric, it could return to canonical communication with the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, historian Associate Professor Plamen Pavlov, a lecturer with the University of Veliko Tarnovo, said in an interview with FOCUS News Agency.

He was asked to comment on the statement of bishop Hilarion, Chairman of External Church Relations Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, that the Macedonian Orthodox Church should return to the canonical field and its future should be determined in a dialog with the Serbian Orthodox Church, from which the Macedonian one separated.

“I do not think the event of 1967 and then of 1991 – separation of today’s Macedonian Archbishopric from the Serbian Patriarchate – rests on any serious historical reasons. It rests on a huge historical injustice – seizure of these lands by the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians, also known as Yugoslavia, which was inherited by Communist Federation of Yugoslavia after the WWII,” said the historian.

According to him the Russian Patriarchate cannot say anything different. “If it says that the Macedonian Church should separate, the self-proclaimed Ukrainian Patriarchate could separate as well; so could the bishoprics in Moldova. The Russian church has the same problem with Moldova, Ukraine, Belarus and, quite naturally, it will support the Serbian [Church]. But if it considers canons and orthodoxy so important, the Macedonian Church should return to the Bulgarian one. After all, Joseph I was the last legal spiritual head of these people,” he added.

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Orthodox Community Embraces Renewable Energy in the Czech Republic

Boatsie

April 26, 2012

Daily Kos

High on a windmill, hidden amongst the cherry orchards and the wheat fields of Eastern Czech Republic, is a painting of a raven with a piece of bread in its mouth. The prophet St. Elias the Tishbite was kept alive by ravens feeding him bread when he was hidden in the desert. This is the St. Elias windmill and it belongs to the Pravoslavná Akademie Vilémov, a non-profit Orthodox NGO specialized in renewable energy.

“Everything was given to us by God to survive,’ says Roman Juriga, director of the Akademie, “that includes the energy and the capacity to create energy, that is why we have named our turbine St. Elias.”

Roman Juriga, is a devout member of the Orthodox Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia. He grew up in communist Czechoslovakia as an atheist as ordered by state decree. Outspoken and anti-communist, secretly he studied English, and secured entrance to an international English school where he received a better education. Joining the Orthodox Church he was encouraged by leaders to attend University to study theology. He objected: the government knew he was anti-communist and if they discovered him studying, he would be thrown out. The Church offered their protection. Luckily, just as the authorities got wind of his studying, the 1989 Velvet Revolution happened and communism in Czechoslovakia disintegrated.

After successfully completing his education, Mr Juriga established the Akademie, with the support of the church and Orthodox Monastery, in the little village of Vilemov. Through small scale solar, wind, and hydro power, the Akademie educates kids and adults about renewable energy and climate change. The reaction has been incredibly positive from all groups, especially the secondary school students. Many of them say that the information provided by the Akademie is in complete disagreement with the information provided to the schools by the Temelin Nuclear Plant.

Members of the Monastery and village are very proud of the installations. Additionally, several new solar thermal installations that were inspired by the Akademie have sprung up in the community, an anomaly for this area of the country. The Akademie offers free consultancy on renewable energy for other churches and church-related NGO’s. All this is made possible from the revenue from the 100kw St. Elias turbine.

Mr. Juriga has been instrumental in shining some light on the complicated world of clean energy bureaucracy in the Czech Republic. The approval process for small energy production is very difficult to navigate. Complicated submission procedures and reams of paper work protect the vested interests of fossil fuels, politicians and corporations.

Mr. Juriga has become something of an expert in negotiating the submissions process and his successes have become examples and inspirations for others across the Czech Republic.

Wind energy in the Czech Republic is lagging compared to Western Europe. This is partially due to propaganda by invested fossil fuel interests. However, Mr. Juriga recognizes that it is a natural progression for a church to move in the direction of small-scale energy production and that it is essential to the development of a post carbon world. He also believes that as the Czechs look to Germany and see the rapid deployment of clean energy, the future will look different in the Czech Republic.

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Christian High School Students Walk Out During Anti-Christian Tirade

April 28, 2012

The Huffington Post

Dan Savage offended some Christian teens when he told them "We can learn to ignore the bull---t in the Bible about gay people."

Savage made his comments during a speech at the National High School Journalist Conference in Seattle.

After many students walked out of the speech, one of whom appeared to be crying, Savage said, “It’s funny, as someone who’s on the receiving end of beatings that are justified by the bible, how pansy-assed some people react when you push back.”

Fox News reports that Savage's comments upset the executive director of GOProud, a gay conservative group.

"Dan Savage should apologize for his comments and should apologize to the high school students in attendance whom he called ‘pansy-asses,’” Jimmy LaSalvia told Fox. “It is ironic that someone whose claim to fame is fighting bullying would resort to bullying tactics in attacking high school students who were offended by his outrageous remarks.”

Towleroad had a different take:

"It's too bad the Christian kids left the hall. They're supposed to be journalists, and we in the journalism biz must often dirty our ears with others' distasteful utterances. While Savage might have profitably avoided the use of profanities (which, when used to describe allegedly sacred documents, tend to make believers less than receptive to whatever might come next), what he said was materially true, and good journalism students of any creed ought to know it."

Pink News reports that Savage said he was sorry if he hurt anyone, but did not apologize for what he said.

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St. Silouan the Athonite: "Unbelief Proceeds From Pride"

By St. Silouan the Athonite

Unbelief proceeds from pride. The proud person believes he will know everything with his mind and from science, but the knowledge of God is impossible for him, because God is known by the revelation of the Holy Spirit. God reveals Himself to humble souls. To these the Lord shows His works, which are unknowable to the mind.

Read also: Belief Decreases With Analytical Thinking, Study Shows

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Saint Tamar, Queen of Georgia

Saint Tamar of Georgia (Feast Day - May 1 and Sunday of the Myrrhbearing Women)

In 1166 a daughter, Tamar, was born to King George III (1155–1184) and Queen Burdukhan of Georgia. The king proclaimed that he would share the throne with his daughter from the day she turned twelve years of age.

The royal court unanimously vowed its allegiance and service to Tamar, and father and daughter ruled the country together for five years. After King George’s death in 1184, the nobility recognized the young Tamar as the sole ruler of all Georgia. Queen Tamar was enthroned as ruler of all Georgia at the age of eighteen. She is called “King” in the Georgian language because her father had no male heir and so she ruled as a monarch and not as a consort.

At the beginning of her reign, Tamar convened a Church council and addressed the clergy with wisdom and humility: “Judge according to righteousness, affirming good and condemning evil,” she advised. “Begin with me--if I sin I should be censured, for the royal crown is sent down from above as a sign of divine service. Allow neither the wealth of the nobles nor the poverty of the masses to hinder your work. You by word and I by deed, you by preaching and I by the law, you by upbringing and I by education will care for those souls whom God has entrusted to us, and together we will abide by the law of God, in order to escape eternal condemnation…. You as priests and I as ruler, you as stewards of good and I as the watchman of that good.”

The Church and the royal court chose a suitor for Tamar: Yuri, the son of Prince Andrei Bogoliubsky of Vladimir-Suzdal (in Georgia Yuri was known as “George the Russian”). The handsome George Rusi was a valiant soldier, and under his command the Georgians returned victorious from many battles. His marriage to Tamar, however, exposed many of the coarser sides of his character. He was often drunk and inclined toward immoral deeds ("sodomy"). In the end, Tamar’s court sent him away from Georgia to Constantinople, armed with a generous recompense. Many Middle Eastern rulers were drawn to Queen Tamar’s beauty and desired to marry her, but she rejected them all. Finally at the insistence of her court, she agreed to wed a second time to ensure the preservation of the dynasty. This time, however, she asked her aunt and nurse Rusudan (the sister of King George III) to find her a suitor. The man she chose, Davit-Soslan Bagrationi, was the son of the Ossetian ruler and a descendant of King George I (1014-1027).

In 1195 a joint Muslim military campaign against Georgia was planned under the leadership of Atabeg (a military commander) Abu Bakr of Persian Azerbaijan. At Queen Tamar’s command, a call to arms was issued. The faithful were instructed by Metropolitan Anton of Chqondidi to celebrate All-night Vigils and Liturgies and to generously distribute alms so that the poor could rest from their labors in order to pray. In ten days the army was prepared, and Queen Tamar addressed the Georgian soldiers for the last time before the battle began. “My brothers! Do not allow your hearts to tremble before the multitude of enemies, for God is with us…. Trust God alone, turn your hearts to Him in righteousness, and place your every hope in the Cross of Christ and in the Most Holy Theotokos!” she exhorted them.

Having taken off her shoes, Queen Tamar climbed the hill to the Metekhi Church of the Theotokos (in Tbilisi) and knelt before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. She prayed without ceasing until the good news arrived: the battle near Shamkori had ended in the unquestionable victory of the Orthodox Georgian army.

After this initial victory the Georgian army launched into a series of triumphs over the Turks, and neighboring countries began to regard Georgia as the protector of the entire Transcaucasus. By the beginning the 13th century, Georgia was commanding a political authority recognized by both the Christian West and the Muslim East.

Georgia’s military successes alarmed the Islamic world. Sultan Rukn al-Din was certain that a united Muslim force could definitively decide the issue of power in the region, and he marched on Georgia around the year 1203, commanding an enormous army.

Having encamped near Basiani, Rukn al-Din sent a messenger to Queen Tamar with an audacious demand: to surrender without a fight. In reward for her obedience, the sultan promised to marry her on the condition that she embrace Islam; if Tamar were to cleave to Christianity, he would number her among the other unfortunate concubines in his harem. When the messenger relayed the sultan’s demand, a certain nobleman, Zakaria Mkhargrdzelidze, was so outraged that he slapped him on the face, knocking him unconscious.

At Queen Tamar’s command, the court generously bestowed gifts upon the ambassador and sent him away with a Georgian envoy and a letter of reply. “Your proposal takes into consideration your wealth and the vastness of your armies, but fails to account for divine judgment,” Tamar wrote, “while I place my trust not in any army or worldly thing but in the right hand of the Almighty God and the infinite aid of the Cross, which you curse. The will of God--and not your own--shall be fulfilled, and the judgment of God--and not your judgment--shall reign!”

The Georgian soldiers were summoned without delay. Queen Tamar prayed for victory before the Vardzia Icon of the Theotokos, then, barefoot, led her army to the gates of the city.

Hoping in the Lord and the fervent prayers of Queen Tamar, the Georgian army marched toward Basiani. The enemy was routed. The victory at Basiani was an enormous event not only for Georgia, but for the entire Christian world.

The military victories increased Queen Tamar’s faith. In the daytime she shone in all her royal finery and wisely administered the affairs of the government; during the night, on bended knees, she beseeched the Lord tearfully to strengthen the Georgian Church. She busied herself with needlework and distributed her embroidery to the poor.

Once, exhausted from her prayers and needlework, Tamar dozed off and saw a vision. Entering a luxuriously furnished home, she saw a gold throne studded with jewels, and she turned to approach it, but was suddenly stopped by an old man crowned with a halo. “Who is more worthy than I to receive such a glorious throne?” Queen Tamar asked him.

He answered her, saying, “This throne is intended for your maidservant, who sewed vestments for twelve priests with her own hands. You are already the possessor of great treasure in this world.” And he pointed her in a different direction.

Having awakened, Holy Queen Tamar immediately took to her work and with her own hands sewed vestments for twelve priests.

History has preserved another poignant episode from Queen Tamar’s life: Once she was preparing to attend a festal Liturgy in Gelati, and she fastened precious rubies to the belt around her waist. Soon after she was told that a beggar outside the monastery tower was asking for alms, and she ordered her entourage to wait. Having finished dressing, she went out to the tower but found no one there. Terribly distressed, she reproached herself for having denied the poor and thus denying Christ Himself. Immediately she removed her belt, the cause of her temptation, and presented it as an offering to the Gelati Icon of the Theotokos.

During Queen Tamar’s reign a veritable monastic city was carved in the rocks of Vardzia, and the God-fearing Georgian ruler would labor there during the Great Fast. The churches of Pitareti, Kvabtakhevi, Betania, and many others were also built at that time. Holy Queen Tamar generously endowed the churches and monasteries not only on Georgian territory but also outside her borders: in Palestine, Cyprus, Mt. Sinai, the Black Mountains, Greece, Mt. Athos, Petritsoni (Bulgaria), Macedonia, Thrace, Romania, Isauria and Constantinople. The divinely guided Queen Tamar abolished the death penalty and all forms of bodily torture.

A regular, secret observance of a strict ascetic regime--fasting, a stone bed, and litanies chanted in bare feet--finally took its toll on Queen Tamar’s health. For a long time she refrained from speaking to anyone about her condition, but when the pain became unbearable she finally sought help. The best physicians of the time were unable to diagnose her illness, and all of Georgia was seized with fear of disaster. Everyone from the small to the great prayed fervently for Georgia’s ruler and defender. The people were prepared to offer not only their own lives, but even the lives of their children, for the sake of their beloved ruler.

God sent Tamar a sign when He was ready to receive her into His Kingdom. Then the pious ruler bade farewell to her court and turned in prayer to an icon of Christ and the Life-giving Cross: “Lord Jesus Christ! Omnipotent Master of heaven and earth! To Thee I deliver the nation and people that were entrusted to my care and purchased by Thy Precious Blood, the children whom Thou didst bestow upon me, and to Thee I surrender my soul, O Lord!”

The burial place of Queen Tamar has remained a mystery to this day. Some sources claim that her tomb is in Gelati, in a branch of burial vaults belonging to the Bagrationi dynasty, while others argue that her holy relics are preserved in a vault at the Holy Cross Monastery in Jerusalem.

St. Tamara is commemorated on the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women in addition to her regular commemoration on May 1.

Source

Read also: Wikipedia: Tamar of Georgia

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Video: Flying Over Mount Athos

A flight over Mount Athos, set to Aria No. 6 "But Who May Abide The Day Of His Coming" of Handel's Messiah.

"But who may abide the day of His coming?

And who shall stand when He appeareth?

For He is like a refiner's fire." - Malachi 3:2

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Akathist to the Lifebearing Tomb of Christ

Kontakion 1

To the chosen Champion Leader risen from the dead, a hymn of victory do we sing unto Thee, O Christ Eternal King, for Thou hast risen from the tomb: and we being delivered from everlasting corruption, bring joyous acclamations unto Thine honorable tomb crying out:

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!

Ikos 1

An Archangel came down from heaven to roll away the stone from before Thy tomb at Thy resurrection, O Christ God, and to announce Thy rising unto the Myrrh-bearers saying: Go ye and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead. And they, wondering at the strange word of the angel, cried unto Thy life-bearing tomb these praises:

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb wherein Christ lay as dead and whence He arose upon the third day!

Rejoice, for He arose from thee and hath granted us resurrection!

Rejoice, for as a bridegroom from the bridal-chamber so did Christ come forth from thee, leading hell captive!

Rejoice, for in His rising the dead of all ages have arisen.

Rejoice, for by thee hath Peter the chief Apostle known the resurrection!

Rejoice, for by Christ's lying within thee hath all the earth been hallowed.

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!

Kontakion 2

When Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came unto Thy tomb to anoint Thy Body, O Christ God, they found an angel sitting upon the stone and he said unto them: Be ye not afraid for I know that ye seek the Crucified! He is not here but is risen as He said unto you. And when they had announced the resurrection to the disciples then did all sing as unto the Creator and Master of All, the angels' hymn:

Alleluia!

Ikos 2

Their thoughts storming within their minds, Thy disciples, O Christ, knew not the scripture that it was fitting for Thee to rise from the dead: therefore, they did not believe the Myrrh-bearers' joyous announcement of Thy rising: but Peter ran unto Thy tomb and stooping down beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves and the napkin which had been about Thy divine Head, and rightly believed together with the rest of the disciples and, therefore, rejoicing, cried such praises unto Thy life-bearing tomb:

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb, for by thee was wrought the salvation of all the world!

Rejoice, for thou art venerated by all creation.

Rejoice, for coming unto thee from the North and from the sea the faithful glorify Christ!

Rejoice, for from the West and from the East all magnify the resurrection within thee.

Rejoice, for thou wast couch and repose unto the King of kings.

Rejoice, for by thee the assembly of the Jews was put to shame.

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!

Kontakion 3

The sentries, that vain guard placed about Thy tomb, O Christ, heard the mighty earthquake and the Angel proclaiming the good news of Thy resurrection to the Myrrh-bearers and, quaking with fear became as dead men, and rushing headlong into the city told the high-priest and the elders the things that had come to pass, but in their great unrighteousness they thought to conceal Thy resurrection but were not able, and rather taught all to sing:

Alleluia!

Ikos 3

The Arimathean who from fear of the Jews had secretly been Thy disciple, O Christ, did beg Thy divine body from Pilate and then, too, did Nicodemus come bearing a mixture of myrrh and aloes and did anoint Thine incorruptible body, and, having wrapped it in a winding sheet with spices, did lay Thee in a new tomb wherein no other had yet been placed but Thou only, O Lord, that Thou mightest sanctify the substance of the earth. But when they had learned of Thy resurrection from the dead, they shouted praises unto Thy life-bearing tomb:

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb, for the mysteries of salvation have been performed within thee!

Rejoice, for by thee the resurrection hath been made known unto all the world.

Rejoice, sure and certain knowledge of the resurrection!

Rejoice, for Christ coming forth from thee hath led captivity captive, and brought human nature unto God the Father.

Rejoice, for although as man He was laid within thee, as God did He arise with glory!

Rejoice, for thou didst hold within thyself Him Who holdeth all creation.

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!

Kontakion 4

When the Myrrh-bearers came unto Thy disciples, O Christ God, announcing Thy resurrection, they were filled with joy and went into Galilee to the mount, as Thou hadst commanded them! and seeing Thee, very God, in the flesh and not an apparition, they worshiped God, crying:

Alleluia!

Ikos 4

This knowledge remained unknown to the Jews who neither understood the prophecies nor sought to understand Thy resurrection, O Christ: how Thou couldst come forth from Thy tomb without breaking the seals thereof. Wherefore do they slander and jeer at Thy rising, but we, marveling at the mystery, bring praises to Thy life-bearing tomb, saying:

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb, for Christ from thee hath risen and raised up the dead!

Rejoice, for through thee hell is known and stripped bare.

Rejoice, for the naked Adam is once more clothed in a divinely-woven garment!

Rejoice, for the earth, polluted by Abel's fratricidal blood, is hallowed again by Christ's abiding in thee.

Rejoice, for when the Angel had rolled away the stone from before thee, the Myrrh-bearers came to know of Christ's resurrection!

Rejoice, for when Christ had arisen from thee, the news of this resurrection did spread throughout all the world.

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!

Kontakion 5

On the eighth day after Thy resurrection, Thou, O Lord, didst come unto Thy disciples, although the doors were closed, and bestow the gifts of the Holy Spirit upon them. And then Thou didst say unto Thy disciple Thomas, "Come hither and touch Me!" and he, at the touch, knew Thee as being truly risen and not an apparition. Wherefore together with the other disciples did he cry unto Thee:

Alleluia!

Ikos 5

We see the council of the Jews, the falsely-wise orators, mute as fish and unable to speak about Thy resurrection, O Christ, and not understanding the prophecies, how it was meet for Thee, the God of all, to rise from the dead. But we, marveling at the mystery of Thy resurrection, cry out unto Thy life-bearing tomb:

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb, for Pilate's foolish watchmen were terrified when Christ came forth from thee!

Rejoice, for He Who arose from thee broke not the seals upon the grave.

Rejoice, O truly rich tomb, for thou didst hold within thyself Christ the Lifegiver, Who bestoweth life upon all!

Rejoice, for when Christ arose from thee the heavens did

Rejoice.

Rejoice, for then the things of earth did teach the resurrection to all!

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!

Kontakion 6

When after Thy resurrection Thou, O Christ, didst reveal Thyself to Thy disciples at the sea of Tiberias and command them to cast the net on the right side of the ship, then did Thy beloved disciple, recognizing Thee, O God, from the mighty draught of fishes, say unto Peter, "It is the Lord!" And as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire and fish thereupon and bread, and in the giving of bread they did know Thee and as to the risen God did shout:

Alleluia!

Ikos 6

The women made their way unto Thy tomb in the deep dawn, O Christ God, and though they found not Thy sought-for body, O Jesus, they discerned not Thy rising, but straightway saw an Angel standing before them, who asked them, "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen." And seeing Thy resurrection with great gladness they cried out these praises unto Thy life-bearing tomb:

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb, for by Christ's abiding within thee the nether regions were seized with great fear!

Rejoice, for then with trembling did hell give up the dead which it had held down through the ages.

Rejoice, for by Christ's rising we are all restored to newness of life!

Rejoice, for by Christ's rising from thee Thomas was taught to say, "My Lord and my God!"

Rejoice, for in Christ's rising all creation hath found joy!

Rejoice, too, O Arimathean, for within thine own garden thou hast acquired so great a treasure.

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!

Kontakion 7

The sun at Thy passion, O Christ, unable to bear the raging frenzy of the lawless, did hide its light and the veil of the temple was rent, and when Thou wast laid in the life-bearing tomb the earth was shaken as though wanting to swallow up the unlawful, but Thou as God didst rise in glory and with Thyself didst raise up Adam, the father of us all. Wherefore, unto our truly risen God to we sing:

Alleluia!

Ikos 7

After Thy resurrection, O Christ, Thou didst reveal Thyself unto Luke and Cleopas along the way and didst acompany them as they discussed together those things that had happened unto Thee, O Master of all, and Thou wast scorned by them as being but a stranger in Jerusalem. But Thou as God didst open unto them the prophecies concerning Thyself and thus wast known by them in the breaking of the bread, whence with great joy they turned back to Jerusalem and told the good news of Thy resurrection and appearance unto Thy disciples. Wherefore, all together they did worship and sing praises unto Thy life-bearing tomb:

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb, for thou hast received within thyself Christ, the heavenly bread, given as food for all!

Rejoice, for thou wast able to contain Christ as a sleeping king.

Rejoice, for heaven and earth were filled with glad tidings when Christ arose from thee!

Rejoice, for by thee the Jews were brought to disgrace.

Rejoice, for no longer are the unlawful able to slander Christ's resurrection.

Rejoice, for through thee the Apostles' choir was filled with joy.

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!

Kontakion 8

Mankind together with all the Angels doth stand in wonder before Thy great care for us -- Thou Who as God art inaccessible and yet as an approachable man art seen by all! Thou Who wast crucified and buried and Who didst rise in glory, and therefore, unto Thee as Creator and Master doth sing:

Alleluia!

Ikos 8

In Thy resurrection, O Christ, Thou didst show forth the new creation, for, just as in Thy birth from the Virgin, Thou didst not destroy the seal upon the tomb. Therefore, we honor Thy Passion, we glorify Thy Burial, in faith we worship Thy glorious Resurrection and offer hymns of thanksgiving unto Thy tomb, saying:

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb, for Christ is risen from thee and hath renewed all the world!

Rejoice, for the stone that was rolled away from thee hath shattered the gates and door-posts of hell.

Rejoice, for the sun of the whole world hath shone forth from thee!

Rejoice, for when Christ lay within thee the nether regions were shaken asunder.

Rejoice, for those dead whom hell of old did seize, it hath unwillingly given back alive!

Rejoice, thou lightning flash which did hide the divine pearl within thyself.

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!

Kontakion 9

The Apostles, those God-bearing heralds of Thy resurrection, were sent out into all the world and they did preach Thee, the true God! they taught all the faithful to sing unto Thee, the Creator and Master:

Alleluia!

Ikos 9

After Thy rising from the grave, Mary Magdalene came unto the tomb while it was still dark and saw the stone taken away from the tomb. She, therefore, went quickly to the disciples, saying, "They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre!" Then Peter, that disciple of burning faith, ran with John to the tomb and peering within saw the garments lying together and, coming to the knowledge of Thy resurrection, began to shout praises to Thy life-bearing tomb:

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb, for when Christ was shut within thee He shone forth light upon the nether regions!

Rejoice, for when the stone was removed from thee the stoney-hearted nations began to sing, "Christ is truly risen!"

Rejoice, for within thee God did pass three days asleep in the flesh!

Rejoice, for by His rising hath He awakened those who through the ages have been asleep.

Rejoice, for coming forth from thee He hath bestowed resurrection upon all!

Rejoice, for as a bright sun shining forth from thee hath He enlightened all the world.

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!

Kontakion 10

The earth grew frightened and fell silent, seeing Thee its Creator lying in a small tomb, and hell, trembling with fear before Thy power, gave up its dead preparing for Thee Thy rising to the Father from Whom Thou wast never separate. Wherefore do we sing unto Thee:

Alleluia!

Ikos 10

Mary Magdalene with most ardent faith in Thee, O Jesus Christ, came very early unto Thy tomb, O Savior, and was granted the vision of an angel telling her, "He is not here, but is risen." Furthermore, Thou didst Thyself appear to her as God, therefore she was sent as the bearer of good news to anounce to Thy disciples Thy rising to the Father. Thy disciples were thereby filled with joy and together with the Myrrh-bearers offered praises unto Thy life-bearing tomb, crying:

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb, thou opening of the gates of paradise!

Rejoice, for of Him Who lay within thee doth hell unwillingly speak truly, saying, "It were better for me had I never seized the Son of Mary!"

Rejoice, for He Who arose from thee hath led hell captive and filled the heavenly Jerusalem!

Rejoice, for as one who sleepeth hast thou held within thyself the very Lamb, the Son of God.

Rejoice, for according to the prophecy Christ did sleep within thee and as a lion did take His rest and who hath stirred Him up?

Rejoice, for from thee He raised Himself by His own power.

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!

Kontakion 11

When the Savior stood before His disciples, granting them peace, He also gave them the power to forgive sins and to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and to preach His resurrection from the dead! and they did go and teach all nations to cry unto the risen God:

Alleluia!

Ikos 11

After Thy rising from the dead, O Christ, appearing unto Thy disciples Thou didst say unto Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me?" And after his threefold declaration of his love for Thee, Thou didst establish him as the first leader of Thy Church and all the faithful, having known Thee the risen God, cried out praises to Thy life-bearing tomb:

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb, for in coming forth from thee hath Christ made us a path up to heaven!

Rejoice, for, placed within thee, Christ hath raised up the dead of all the ages.

Rejoice, for unto the resurrected hath He given eternal life!

Rejoice, for the Cross and Resurrection are glorified in thee!

Rejoice, for by thee the sentries learned of the resurrection.

Rejoice, for thou art the fountain of divine knowledge.

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!

Kontakion 12

Glorifying Thy Passion, we honor Thy divine providence for us and we worship Thy divine resurrection. Glorifying Thine all-glorious ascension from earth unto the heavenly Father, we pray: Take not Thine all-holy Spirit away from us, so that we may all sing unto Thee as Creator and Master:

Alleluia!

Ikos 12

Thou the radiance of the Father didst go unto the Mount of Olives and then a most bright cloud did lift Thee up, as Thy disciples looked on, O Almighty One, and Thine angels said unto Thine Apostles, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? Him Whom ye see taken up from you shall come again in the flesh." And they returned to Jerusalem with joy, praising Thee, the true God, and offering praises unto Thy life-bearing tomb, wherein Thou wast laid and on the third day didst rise:

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb, for from thee hath Christ, the ineffable light, shone forth and enlightened the whole world.

Rejoice, for the Myrrh-bearers did hear, "

Rejoice!" when Christ arose from thee.

Rejoice, for thou hast been the resting-place of the King of kings and Lord of lords!

Rejoice, for thou hast held the sustainer of all creation.

Rejoice, for the most wise Jews were made fools by thee, for they could not speak against the resurrection!

Rejoice, for the choir of the Apostles hath found joy through thee.

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!

Kontakion 13 [3 times]

O most holy and life-bearing tomb of Christ, thou the enrichment of all the world! Standing before thee as the bearer of life we pray unto Christ our God Who lay within thee and rose in glory on the third day, the He deliver His inheritance from famine, pestilence, earthquake and flood and from every mortal wound, that He grant peace unto Orthodox Christians and subdue under their feet those who strive against them, that we may all sing unto Thee, our Creator and Master:

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!!

Ikos 1 repeated

An Archangel came down from heaven to roll away the stone from before Thy tomb at Thy resurrection, O Christ God, and to announce Thy rising unto the Myrrh-bearers saying: Go ye and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead. And they, wondering at the strange word of the angel, cried unto Thy life-bearing tomb these praises:

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb wherein Christ lay as dead and whence He arose upon the third day!

Rejoice, for He arose from thee and hath granted us resurrection!

Rejoice, for as a bridegroom from the bridal-chamber so did Christ come forth from thee, leading hell captive!

Rejoice, for in His rising the dead of all ages have arisen.

Rejoice, for by thee hath Peter the chief Apostle known the resurrection!

Rejoice, for by Christ's lying within thee hath all the earth been hallowed.

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!

Kontakion 1 repeated

To the chosen Champion Leader risen from the dead, a hymn of victory do we sing unto Thee, O Christ Eternal King, for Thou hast risen from the tomb: and we being delivered from everlasting corruption, bring joyous acclamations unto Thine honorable tomb crying out:

Rejoice, life-bearing tomb whence Christ hath risen!

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