Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia as a Model for our Lives

 

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saint Arsenios of Cappadocia was born in 1840 in Farasa of Cappadocia, to pious and virtuous parents, Eleutherios, who was a teacher, and Barbara. He was orphaned at a young age and an aunt, who loved Christ and the Church, undertook to raise him and his brother Vlasios.

Theodore, that was his baptismal name, was sent to study in Nigde and Smyrna. He became a monk at the age of 26, in the Sacred Monastery of the Honorable Forerunner in Flaviana (Zincidere). After about four years, because there was a shortage of priests, Metropolitan Paisios of Caesarea ordained him Deacon and Presbyter, elevated him to an Archimadrite and placed him in Farasa. He also entrusted him with the function of spiritual fatherhood.

Saints Domnina, Bernike and Prosdoke as Models for our Lives

 

 By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saint Domnina came from Antioch and lived in the years of Emperor Diocletian. She embraced the Christian faith together with her two daughters, Bernike and Prosdoke. After their baptism, their way of life changed, since their hearts overflowed with love, joy, peace, and in general with all the fruits of the Holy Spirit, which resided in their hearts. This change in their way of life and behavior did not take long for Domnina's idolatrous husband to understand, who tried to convince his wife and daughters to sacrifice to the idols. And because they refused to do so, then, full of hatred, he wanted his own daughters to be dishonored. Domnina, however, self-sacrificingly protected them, and they all preferred to suffer martyrdom by drowning in a river, rather than lose their faith, their inner purity and the peace of their souls, these precious and priceless goods.

Saints Demetrios, Evanthia and Demetrian as Models for our Lives

Sts Demetrios, Evanthia and Demetrian (Feast Day - September 11)

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saints Demetrios and Evanthia were husband and wife and Demetrian was their son. Their life is recorded in a concise way in the Synaxarion of Saint Cornelius the Centurion, because it is connected with two miracles that were performed in this family through Saint Cornelius. The first miracle is the resurrection of Evanthia and Demetrian, and the second and greatest miracle is the complete change of Demetrios.

Demetrios was a philosopher and ruler in the city of Skipsi in Asia Minor, but also a fanatical idolater, who furiously persecuted all those who believed in Christ. His wife and son became Christians without him knowing it.

The Holy Seven Maccabees, their Mother Solomone and their Teacher Eleazar as Models for our Lives

(Feast Day - August 1)

 

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

The holy seven Maccabean martyrs lived and were martyred before the incarnation of the Son and Word of God, but the holy hymn writer calls them, apart from "guardians of the doctrines of the law", also "martyrs of Christ", that is, of the Incarnate Word. And he calls them so, because these martyrs also had communion with the Son and Word of God, since all the appearances of God in the Old Testament, namely to the Patriarchs, the Prophets and the Righteous, are appearances of the Pre-Incarnate Word.

These, then, the seven martyrs lived in the years of the Syrian king Antiochus, who was a cruel, barbaric and deadly persecutor of all those who worshiped the true God. Therefore, this ungodly king, after first arresting, torturing and killing their ninety-year-old teacher Eleazar, who remained steadfast in his faith and teaching on the exact observance of God's law, then arrested them as well. At first he treated them with feigned kindness, offering them honors and positions, if they would deny their faith in the God of their Fathers. In fact, he offered them delicious food, which, however, was forbidden by the law given by God to His people, through the Prophet Moses, and insisted that they try it. They refused and then Antiochus showed his true face, the cruel and inhuman one. He had each of them, one by one, endure wheels, javelins and fire. Their mother Solomone was constantly near them and strengthened them, and then followed them in martyrdom. She was also thrown into the fire and thus everyone received the unfading wreath of martyrdom.

Saint Symeon the Fool for Christ as a Model for our Lives

St. Symeon the Fool for Christ (Feast Day - July 21)

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saint Symeon the Fool for Christ came from Edessa in Syria and lived in the 6th century AD. Together with his friend John, they set out, both young, to go to Jerusalem to worship. With them were the mother of Symeon, the father of John, and his young wife whom he had married a short time earlier. Along the way, the desire to dedicate themselves to God ignited in them. That is why they prayed fervently and begged God to lead them to a monastery, and to take care of their relatives and comfort them, and it happened so. Therefore, they both went to the desert of Jordan and decided to go to a monastery where they will find a welcoming door.

Holy Five Virgin Martyrs Thekla, Mariamna, Martha, Maria and Ennatha as Models for our Lives

Holy Five Canonical Virgins (Feast Day - September 26 & June 9)

 By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

The Holy Virgin Martyrs Thekla, Mariamna, Martha, Maria and Ennatha came from Persia and lived in the 4th century AD, during the years of King Shapur. They lived near a village called Ἀza and were dedicated to God. There they lived in asceticism and prayer and were guided by a priest named Paul, who, unfortunately, was greedy and kept for himself the money given by the faithful for the needs of the hungry. And this passion of his, because he did not strive to defeat it, led him, unfortunately, to eternal loss.

In the area where the nuns and their spiritual father Paul lived, there lived also a magician, who understood that Paul had money and he wanted in every way to get it. That is why he presented himself before the king and told him that these women and Paul were Christians. The king called for them and ordered them to deny Christ. Then the nuns openly confessed their faith in Christ, but Paul did not do the same. Instead, he asked the king not to take his money away from him, and when he told him that you could keep your money if you deny Christ, then he said that he would deny Him. Later, however, the king set a condition for him to keep his money, which was for he himself to behead the nuns, who in the meantime had been severely tortured. At first he hesitated to carry out this heinous act, but then, defeated by the passion of greed, he took the sword from the hands of the executioner and beheaded them. Before beheading them, they tried with warm words of faith and love for Christ to awaken his conscience and lead him to repentance, but, unfortunately, he remained unrepentant. The money, however, which he loved so much, he did not enjoy, since at the end the magician took it, and then in his despair he committed suicide, like Judas, that is, he put a noose around his neck and hung himself.

Saint Asklas the Martyr as a Model for our Lives

St. Asklas the Egyptian (Feast Day - May 20)

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saint Asklas lived in the third century, which was a period of terrible persecution against the Church. He was from the Thebaid in Egypt and was considered a man of deep faith and spiritual courage. He was arrested by the pagan ruler Arrian, who tried, first with flattery and then with threats, to persuade him to deny Christ and sacrifice to idols. Because, however, he remained steadfast in his faith, he was subjected to severe torture, which he faced with admirable courage and patience. He was suspended, his sides torn and then, as he was wounded, he was imprisoned. There in prison, as he was praying, the Grace of God enlightened him and he understood that the ruler Arrian with his companions were traveling by boat along the Nile River. Then he made the sign of the cross over the boat and it was immobilized in the river, as if tied up. He sent a message to the ruler and called on him to confess in writing that Christ is the only true God, otherwise the boat will not sail. The ruler asked for a piece of paper and wrote: "The God of the Christians is great and besides Him there is no other." Then the boat started moving again and arrived at its destination.

Saint Aristobulus of Britain as a Model for our Lives

St. Aristobulus of Britain (Feast Day - March 15)

 By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saint Aristobulus was considered a brother of the Apostle Barnabas and a member of the chorus of the Seventy Apostles of Christ, as was his brother. Also, he was a travel companion of the Apostle Paul, who mentions him in his Epistle to the Romans, where he writes: "Greet those of the household of Aristobulus." Seeing his various gifts, and especially his missionary zeal and spiritual courage, the Apostle Paul ordained him Bishop of Britain, a country which, as we shall see later, had many peculiarities and difficulties.

Saint Conon of Isauria as a Model for our Lives (1)

St. Conon of Isauria (Feast Day - March 5)

 

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

The Venerable Martyr Conon lived during the times of the Holy Apostles and was from the village of Vadini in Isauria. His parents Nestor and Nada became Christians, and Nestor was found worthy to be a confessor and a martyr. Conon, together with his pious wife, devoted himself entirely to the spread of the true faith. His idolatrous compatriots reacted to the gospel preaching and claimed that their own faith was true. Then Conon said to them that he could prove to them that the God he worships is the only true God, in the following way: "When you go up to the mountain and sacrifice to your gods, notify me and we will set off together. You will go up with your horses and I with my feet, and whoever arrives first, their faith is true." They also agreed on the appointed day and then they set off with their horses like lightning. When they arrived, however, at their destination and saw him waiting for them, they could not believe their eyes.

Saint Eustathios of Antioch as a Model for our Lives

St. Eustathios of Antioch (Feast Day - February 21)

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saint Eustathios, Archbishop of Antioch, was born in Sidon of Pamphylia in 260 AD. In 320 he was elected Bishop of Beroea (Aleppo) in Syria, and after three years the Archbishop of Antioch. He took part in the proceedings of the First Ecumenical Synod, which convened in 325 at Nicaea in Bithynia and condemned the heresy of Arius.

He was in the front lines for the battle for Orthodoxy and a fellow-struggler of Athanasios the Great, who called him "a man who is a confessor". That is why he was envied by the leading followers of Arius, namely the Bishops Eusebius of Nicomedia, Theognis of Nicaea and Eusebius of Caesarea, and was slandered as an underminer of secular authority, and as unethical, therefore he was exiled. In other words, they claimed that he was attacking the mother of the Emperor Constantine, namely Saint Helen, but also that he had an illegitimate child with a woman of loose morals, whom they bribed to accuse him. Thus they managed to exile him, but God protected him and finally glorified him. A result of his flawless life and his painful struggles for the Orthodox faith, was that his flock was not seduced by heresy.

Saint Peter the Publican as a Model for our Lives

St. Peter the Tax Collector (Feast Day - January 20)

 

 By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saint Peter the Publican lived during the reign of Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. He was responsible for collecting taxes in Africa, and in various ways he managed to get rich at the expense of others. He was greedy, hard-hearted and ruthless. Once a poor man visited him and asked for mercy and he expelled him abruptly. The poor man, however, would not leave and stood his ground still begging. Then, full of indignation and anger, Peter snatched a hot loaf of bread, which his servant happened to be carrying from the oven at that moment, and threw it with force, like a stone, at the poor man to injure him. He, however, took it, thanked him and left. After a few days, Peter became seriously ill and felt that he was facing a judgment seat, where he was asked to give a defense for what he had done in his life. He saw a scale and on its left side were gathered wild people with a dark face, where they placed his evil deeds. On the right side of the scale he saw white-clad men with bright faces trying to find something good he had done, to place it on the right side of the scale. They did not find anything, however, except that bread which he threw against the poor man. When Peter saw these things, he was moved with compassion, and came to himself, and as soon as he was healed, he distributed all his belongings to the poor, even the clothes he wore, and he dressed himself in the garments of the poor. After this act he saw Christ in his dream wearing the clothes which he gave to the poor. This led him to even sell himself as a slave and the money he received he gave to the poor.

Saint Tabitha the Merciful as a Model for our Lives

St. Tabitha the Merciful (Feast Day - October 25)

 

By Protopresbyter George Papavarnavas

Saint Tabitha was from Joppa and lived during Apostolic times. What we know from her life is what the evangelist Luke mentions in the ninth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, where he emphasizes that "she was full of good works and almsgiving". The name Tabitha is Syrian and in Greek it is Dorcas which is interpreted as "gazelle". She was a weaver and made tunics and garments, which she gave to poor people, widows and orphans. And while she was working hard, she suddenly fell ill and died. Her death, of course, caused deep pain, especially to those who experienced her beneficial presence and offering. And while they were all ready for her funeral, the faithful were informed that the Apostle Peter, as part of his apostolic journey for the preaching of the gospel, was in Lydda, which was near Joppa.

Saint Ketevan as a Model for our Lives

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saint Ketevan came from Georgia and lived in the 17th century. Her parents were pious and raised her with the admonitions of the Gospel. In fact, they had given her the Bible for reading. Purity, modesty, prudence and almsgiving adorned her youthful life. When she reached the age of marriage, she married the king of Kakheti, whose name was David. From her marriage she acquired a son, Teimuraz. Her husband David left this vain world early, and his reign was short-lived, having reigned only six months.

As queen Ketevan brought peace among the rulers and restored order between the Church and State, which had been turbulent. She built Holy Temples, Hospitals and took care with much love the widows and the orphans, and in general the poor and the weak. When her son grew up, she handed him the throne and she herself retired to the quiet, which she loved from her youth, and lived in asceticism and prayer. For the salvation of her nation she was driven out of the borders of her country, together with her relatives, and for her faith she endured horrible torments. She was taken to prison where she remained for ten years. She was martyred together with her spiritual father, the priest George, from whom she often received the Holy Mysteries, as did her followers. Her relics became a source of many miracles.

The Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Chonae Near Colossae (Commemorated on September 6th)

 By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

In Colossae of Asia Minor, in the 2nd century AD, a miraculous event took place, featuring the Archangel Michael, which had been prophesied a few years before by John the Evangelist and Theologian.

Before proceeding, however, to the narration of this miracle, let us briefly mention that the angels are "ministering spirits sent to serve on behalf of those who inherit future salvation." God made them "leaders of all nations and peoples, and guides for their own good." They were created before the visible world and man. God "formed them before us and for us." Their appearance is bright and their garment is usually white, a fact that reveals their purity, and their food is the vision of the glory of God.

The Archangel Michael is referred to by name in the Holy Scriptures, where he is presented to serve the work of the divine Economy for the protection of people from any danger, and especially from the rage of the man-killing devil, who trembles at his sight, as we chant: "Wherever your grace overshadows Archangel, there the power of the devil is vanquished; for fallen lucifer is unable to abide in your light."

Saint Conon of Isauria as a Model for our Lives (2)

 

Saint Conon was born at the end of the first century in the village of Vadini in the province of Isauria in Asia Minor, which was located between the provinces of Lycaonia and Pisidia, and included the areas around Mount Taurus. (From this province came the dynasty of the Isaurians, who ruled in Constantinople from 717 to 797 AD). Conon was considered a fiery and radiant preacher of the gospel and with his shining example, his inspired speech, but also with the miracles he performed by the power of the Triune God, he led to the true faith not only his parents, Nestor and Nada, but many other idolaters. He married a pious young woman, who became his coworker and companion in missionary work.

Saint Euthalia as a Model for our Lives

Holy Virgin Martyr Euthalia (Feast Day - March 2)

By Archimandrite Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saint Euthalia lived in Sicily during the early Christian centuries, when persecution raged against the Church. The exact date of her birth and martyrdom are not known. She came from a pagan family. Her mother had an issue of blood and saw in a dream the Holy Martyrs Alpheus, Philadelphus and Cyrinus (May 10), who told her to believe in Christ and be baptized, in order for her to be healed and saved. When she awoke, she told her daughter Euthalia everything she saw and heard in her dream, then they were both catechized and baptized, and indeed after her baptism she was healed. The brother of the Saint, however, was a fanatic idolater, and when he was informed that his mother was baptized a Christian he abused her, and if not for the intervention of her servant he would have killed her. His sister made a harsh comment about his behavior against their mother, then he asked her if she was a Christian also. When she boldly confessed her faith in Christ, her brother struck her mercilessly, then handed her over to a servant that he may rape her. The Saint prayed fervently and that servant was blinded. Then her brother, like another Cain, beheaded her, and so the pious virgin Euthalia received the unfading crown of martyrdom.