Divine Grace Drove the Apostles Crazy, in a Good Way, and Excited Them (St. Porphyrios of Kavsokalyva)

Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyva, speaking about Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, said:

 

On Pentecost, the grace of God was poured out not only on the apostles, but on all the people around them. It affected the believers and the unbelievers. What does Acts say? While the Apostle Peter was speaking his own language, his language was being processed in the minds of the listeners at that time.

In a secret way the Holy Spirit made them understand his words in their language, secretly, without being noticed. These miracles are done by the influence of the Holy Spirit.

Saint Lydia of Philippi Resource Page

St. Lydia of Philippi (Feast Day - May 20)

 

Verses

Your entire household believed in Christ Lydia,
Appearing as the first of Philippi O Saint.

 

Synaxarion of Saint Lydia of Philippi

 

Saint Lydia of Philippi, the Equal to the Apostles

 

Saint Lydia of Philippi: The First European and Greek Christian  

Saint Lydia of Philippi as a Model for our Lives

The Baptistery of Saint Lydia Near Philippi (video)

Ten Albanians Baptized Where Saint Lydia Was Baptized

 

 

Synaxarion of Saint Lydia of Philippi

By Monk Gerasimos Mikragiannanitis

On the 20th of this month [May], 

we commemorate Saint Lydia of Philippi.

Verses

Your entire household believed in Christ Lydia,
Appearing as the first of Philippi O Saint.

Blessed Lydia was a merchant of purple cloth in the city of Thyatira in Philippi, and as one who revered God she adorned herself with blameless conduct. When she came to the heaven-traversing and divinely-sounding Paul, she listened to his teachings, and accepted the light of the gospel. Her entire household believed in Christ, and were baptized in the stream of the Zygakti River. Thus she conducted herself according to the gospel, and attended to the blessed Apostles in her home, while serving the Lord with virtuous works and good acts. Her life came to an end in an apostolic manner, and departed to the heavenly mansions, having inherited the heavenly Kingdom.

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.

The Forty Days After the Resurrection of Christ (St. John Chrysostom)

By St. John Chrysostom

"Being seen of them during forty days" (Acts 1:3). He was not always with them now, as He was before the Resurrection. For the writer does not say "forty days," but, "during forty days." He came, and again disappeared; by this leading them on to higher conceptions, and no longer permitting them to stand affected towards Him in the same way as before, but taking effectual measures to secure both these objects, that the fact of His Resurrection should be believed, and that He Himself should be ever after apprehended to be greater than man. At the same time, these were two opposite things; for in order to the belief in His Resurrection, much was to be done of a human character, and for the other object, just the reverse. Nevertheless, both results have been effected, each when the fitting time arrived.

Saint Amphilochios Makris and the Call of the Despairing Widow

By Archimandrite Paul Nikitaras

It is worth adding an event that shows how Elder Amphilochios received mystical calls for the salvation of others that remind us of the great Apostle to the Nations, who heard the voice of a Macedonian call out to him: "Come over to Macedonia and help us" (Acts 16:9).

The ever-memorable Elder, while he was in his cell at his monastery in Patmos, heard a certain woman named Helen calling him from Icarus to hurry over and save her.

Saint Stephen of Nicaea, First Bishop of Reggio in Calabria

St. Stephen of Nicaea (Feast Day - July 5)

There is a special tie between Saint Paul and the Church in Reggio Calabria since the latter originated from the preaching of the Apostle, who landed in Reggio from Syracuse during his journey from Ceasarea to Rome in 61 A.D., and stayed for a day as the Acts of the Apostles (28:13) states: "And from there, following the coast, we reached Regium."

The Prison of the Apostles Paul and Silas in Philippi

Philippi, where Paul and Silas spent time in a jail cell, was a city in eastern Macedonia established by King Philip II of Macedon. The king started the city in 356 B.C., the same year his son and heir to the throne Alexander III (also known as Alexander the Great) was born. The objective of founding the town was to take control of the neighboring gold mines and to establish a garrison at a strategic passage.

The Message of the Gospel and Epistle Readings for Bright Thursday

On Bright Thursday the Gospel reading is John 3:1-15, which mentions the Pharisee Nicodemus who came by night to speak to Christ. The Lord told him that a man could not see the Kingdom of God unless he were born again. Nicodemus, taking Him much too literally, could not understand how such a thing was possible.

Encomium for the Holy Protomartyr Stephen (St. Proclus of Constantinople)

Saint Stephen was once commemorated the day after Christmas on December 26 as the first martyr (protomartyr) of the Christian community, and as such became famous throughout the Christian Church. On 26 December 415 his relics were found and transferred to Jerusalem, where in c.438/9 a shrine was built and dedicated to him. Stephen also became a popular subject with patristic and Roman/Byzantine homilists. Patriarch Proclus of Constantinople (+ 447), who seems to have preached the following encomium the day after Christmas (today the Orthodox Church celebrates Saint Stephen on December 27th), in his characterization of Stephen as witness to and martyr of Christ, portrays the characters who are involved in the stoning of Stephen according to Acts 6-7, from a fourfold perspective: he firstly presents his audience with a portrait of Stephen, secondly moves on to the dispute between Stephen and the Jews and his arrest, thirdly the preacher employs invective against the Jews regarding their true attitude towards Moses, and finally crowns his encomium on Stephen by portraying Christ as judge who hands over the prize of victory to Stephen.

Encomium for the Holy Protomartyr Stephen

By St. Proclus, Patriarch of Constantinople

The sensible sun, which rises above the earth, has beside it as attendants, the stars of the Dipper, Orion, Pleiades and even the Morning Star.

The Sun of Righteousness, however, who radiated by rising within the virginal womb, does not need assistance from the light of the stars, but has raised up the Protomartyr Stephen to shine beside His immortal rays.

Apostle Luke Resource Page

St. Luke the Evangelist (Feast Day - October 18)

Verses

"At Emmaus I was once prevented from seeing,"

Luke now says, "I see you clearly now O Christ."

On the eighteenth Luke reached his life’s end.

  

Synaxarion of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke 

 

Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke: Epistle and Gospel Reading

 

Concerning the Holy Apostle Luke (Nikephoros Kallistos Xanthopoulos) 

 

Saint Luke the Evangelist as a Model for our Lives

 

October: Day 18: Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke

 

Did the Apostle Luke Ever See or Hear Christ in Person?

 

The Apostle Luke as Physician and Healer

  

The Lives of the Four Evangelists (St. Sophronios of Jerusalem)

  

Preface to the Four Gospels by Saint Theophylact

 

Homily One on the Feast of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (St. Luke of Simferopol)  

 

Homily Two on the Feast of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Homily Three on the Feast of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Homily Four on the Feast of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Homily Five on the Feast of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Homily Six on the Feast of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Did the Apostle Luke, Like the Apostle John, Refer to Jesus as the Word of God?

 

The Historicity and Reliability of Acts of the Apostles 

 

Authenticating the Relics of Saint Luke the Apostle 

 

Placement of the Relics and Garments of the Apostles Luke, Andrew and Thomas, the Prophet Elisha, and Martyr Lazarus in the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople 

 

The Wonderworking Sarcophagus of Saint Luke the Evangelist 

 

Where the Apostle Luke Wrote His Gospel and Celebrated the Divine Liturgy 

 

The Holy Monastery of Mega Spelaion in Kalavryta (1) 

 

The Holy Monastery of Mega Spelaion in Kalavryta (2) 

 

The Courageous Reply of the Monks of Mega Spelaion In 1827 

 

Seventy Apostles Resource Page

Outline of the Life of the Holy Apostle Paul

The Apostle Paul’s Birth & Education

c. A.D. 6 Born a Roman citizen to Jewish parents in Tarsus (in modern eastern Turkey)

c. 20–30 Studies Torah in Jerusalem with Gamaliel; becomes a Pharisee

c. 30–33 Persecutes followers of Jesus of Nazareth in Jerusalem and Judea

Synaxarion of the Holy Apostles and Martyrs Aquila and Priscilla of the Seventy

Sts. Aquila and Priscilla (Feast Day - February 13)

Verses

For February 13

The beheading of a woman, Aquila saw,
Does she not behave manly, approaching beheading like a man?

For July 14

Paul laid out his words like a net,
Catching as prey divine Aquila.
On the fourteenth Aquila was hidden in a grave.

Saint Stephen the Protomartyr Resource Page

St. Stephen the Protomartyr (Feast Days - December 27, August 2, September 15)

 

Feast on December 27

 

Synaxarion of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr and Archdeacon 

 

Saint Stephen the Protomartyr: Epistle and Gospel Reading

  

Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen as a Model for our Lives

 

December: Day 27: Saint Stephen the Protomartyr

 

Prologue in Sermons: December 27  

 

Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church 

 

The Post-Nativity Cappadocian Liturgical Calendar in 380 A.D.

 

"Good King Wenceslas" for the Feast of St. Stephen 

 

The Original Words To The Song "Good King Wenceslas"

 

 

Feast on September 15

 

Finding of the Relics of the Holy Protomartyr Stephen

 

 

Feast on August 2 

 

The Translation of the Relics of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr

 

 

Homilies 

 

Homily on St. Stephen the Protomartyr (St. Fulgentius of Ruspe)

  

Homily One: St. Gregory of Nyssa on St. Stephen the Protomartyr

  

Homily Two: St. Gregory of Nyssa on St. Stephen the Protomartyr

 

A Homily on Saint Stephen the First Martyr (Asterios of Amasea)

 

Encomium to the Protomartyr Stephen (St. Hesychios of Jerusalem) 

 

Homily on the Holy Protomartyr Stephen (Ps. Chrysostom)

 

Encomium for the Holy Protomartyr Stephen (St. Proclus of Constantinople) 

 

Finding Pity in Sinners and Praying for Enemies (St. Silouan the Athonite)

 

Homily on the Holy Apostle, Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

 

Homily on the Protomartyr Stephen and the Slaughter of the Infants (Metr. Nikodemos of Patras)

 

St. Stephen the Protomartyr, "the Censer of Grace" (Metr. Seraphim of Kastoria)

 

 

Relics and Miracles

 

The Relic of the Right Hand of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr 

 

Miracles Through the Relics of Saint Stephen as Recorded by St. Augustine of Hippo 

 

Miracles of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr in Sixth Century France

 

How an Intervention of the Holy Protomartyr Stephen Was Captured in a Photograph  

 

Saint Stephen Rescues a Fisherman from an Octopus and a Chapel is Built to Commemorate the Miracle 

 

The Chapel of Saint Stephen in Kos and the Healing of a Fourteen Year Old Boy

 

 

Visions

 

The Reaction of Eldress Galaktia To Her Vision of the Stoning of the Protomartyr Stephen

 

The Wondrous Appearance of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr on Mount Athos

 

The Appearance of the Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen to a Hieromonk on Mount Athos

 

 

Shrines and Icons

 

The Location of the Stoning of St. Stephen in Jerusalem 

 

The Recent Discovery of the Burial Place of St. Stephen

 

Saint Stephen Rescues a Fisherman from an Octopus and a Chapel is Built to Commemorate the Miracle 

 

The Chapel of Saint Stephen in Kos and the Healing of a Fourteen Year Old Boy 

 

An Athonite Icon of the Martyrdom of St. Stephen 

 

The Hidden Secrets Below the Church of Saint Stephen in Arnaia of Halkidiki

The 10th Century Church of Saint Stephen the Protomartyr in Ramovouni of Messenia

 

The Revival of the Veneration of Saint Stephen in Ioannina

Holy Apostles Tertius, Mark, Justus and Artemas of the Seventy

Sts. Tertius, Mark, Justus and Artemas (Feast Day - October 30)

Verses

To Tertius

Having transcribed the words of Paul,

I see you Tertius as a new author.

To Mark

Perceived as a servant of the Apostles,

I in turn see you as a fellow worker Mark.

To Justus, also known as Jesus

Jesus found the salvation of Jesus,

Showing him to be the Savior of those that bear his name.

To Artemas

Artemas partakes of the glory of noetic beings,

Keeping his nous proper for the Lord.

Synaxarion of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke

On the eighteenth of this month [October], we commemorate the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke.

Verses

"At Emmaus I was once prevented from seeing,"

Luke now says, "I see you clearly now O Christ."

On the eighteenth Luke reached his life’s end.

Holy Martyrs Demetrios, his wife Evanthia, and their son Demetrian

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

Verses

Pressed tight the three nobly hungered for bread,

Pleading that the stones turn to bread.

After Saint Cornelius the Centurion (Sept. 13) was baptized by the Apostle Peter, he retired from the world and went preaching the Gospel together with the Apostle Peter, who made him a bishop. When the Apostle Peter, together with his helpers Timothy and Cornelius, was in the city of Ephesus, he learned of a particularly vigorous idol-worship in the city of Skepsis, in the region of Troas. Lots were drawn to see who would go there, and Cornelius was chosen.

Holy Apostles Evodos and Onesiphoros of the Seventy

Sts. Evodos and Onesiphoros the Apostles (Feast Day - September 7)

Verses

To Evodos

Evodos ran the road of the straight word,

Running to teach it to all.

To Onesiphoros

Onesiphoros brought profit to all,

Bearing the name he hastened to preach the Word.

Commemoration of the Baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch by Saint Philip

Baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch (Feast Day - August 27)

Verses

A Eunuch man questions the parable,

He is whitened, and the Ethiopian is born.

The Synaxarion of Constantinople designates that on August 27th we commemorate the Baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch by Saint Philip the Apostle, as recorded in Acts 8:26-40. This commemoration is probably due to the fact that on August 28th we celebrate the feast of the Venerable Moses the Ethiopian (330–405).

The Six Apostolic Synods Mentioned in the Book of Acts

By St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite

Various synods, or rather to say conventions, of the Holy Apostles, according to some, were held as follows.

The first one in the year 33 or 34 after the Nativity of Christ, with regard to the selection of an apostle to take the place of Judas the traitor, when, after Joseph and Matthias were proposed, the lot fell to Matthias (Acts 1).