The Church Without Saints Isn’t the Church

 

This talk was given in the Church of Saint John the Forerunner (Kinigos) on Vouliagmeni Street in Athens, on 3/1/2015 at Great Vespers on the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the eve of the Feast of Saint Nicholaos Planas.

By Archimandrite Chrysostomos Papadakis

So the day itself requires our talk to turn to sanctity in general and then, in particular, to the life Saint Nicholas, whom we’re honoring, as the pride and joy of the parish, which he served in a manner well-pleasing to God when it was still taking its first steps and was sparsely inhabited.

Hymns and Prayer Upon Entering the Chapel of Saint Longinus at the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

 

 

In the year 1855, Patriarch Cyril of Jerusalem composed the Hymnal of Zion, which are a series of prayers and hymns to be chanted and prayed as a procession took place through all the areas of the Holy Sepulchre. The following is to be chanted and said at the fourth stop when entering the chapel dedicated to Longinus the Centurion, who confessed Christ as the Son of God at the Crucifixion.

Entering into the Chapel of Saint Longinus, chant the following Troparia, in Plagal of the 2nd tone, to "More Honorable Than the Cherubim".

The Relics of the Prophet Zechariah, Father of John the Baptist

We are informed through the Gospel of Luke and Orthodox tradition that Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, was a High Priest of the Temple of Jerusalem. It was in the Temple that he was martyred in the days of Herod the Great.

According to the historian Sozoman, in the year 415 the incorrupt relics of Zechariah were discovered in a miraculous manner in the village of Caphar of Eleutheropolis in Palestine. Although he associated him with the Old Testament Prophet Zechariah, there are indications from his appearance in a dream that led to the discovery of the relics that he was a priest, since he was clad in a white stole. The Old Testament Prophet was not a priest, but the father of John the Baptist was. The discovery of the relics of the Prophet Zechariah is commemorated in the Orthodox Church on February 11.

Holy Hieromartyr Mark, Bishop of Apollonia

St. Mark of Apollonia (Feast Day - June 16)

Verses

You balance Mark the weight of the stones,
Your hands as scales were hanging down.

This Mark is usually identified with Mark the cousin of the Apostle Barnabas. According to Hippolytus, in his work On the Seventy Apostles, Mark the cousin of Barnabas (Col 4:10; Phlm. 24) is distinct from John Mark the Bishop of Byblos (Acts 12:12, 25; 13:5, 13; 15:37) and Mark the Evangelist (2 Tim. 4:11). They all belonged to the Seventy Apostles of Christ (ranked #56, #65, and #14, respectively), who were sent out by Jesus to saturate Judea with the gospel not long before His crucifixion (Luke 10:1). Hippolytus says that Mark the cousin of Barnabas was a leader of the apostolic Church and the Bishop of Apollonia. (There are various possible sites for this place, including some in Greece, some in Italy, one in Thrace, one in Bithynia and one in Cyrenaica.)

Saints Martha and Mary, Sisters of Lazarus

Sts. Martha and Mary of Bethany (Feast Day - June 4)

Verses

The sisters of Lazarus from Bethany,
Believed you were capable of saving him although dead.
On the fourth Martha and Mary set out for the bright heavens.

One of the Lord's most beloved families, Mary and Martha lived with their brother Lazarus at Bethany, a village not far from Jerusalem. They are mentioned in several episodes in the Gospels.

Saints Symeon and Anna Resource Page

Sts. Symeon and Anna (Feast Day - February 3)

Verses

To Symeon

The old man proclaimed to the dead, that he beheld as man,

God the Word, Who had come even to such a point.

To Anna

Carried from the earth, was the daughter of Phanuel,

For on it, she saw God as a child.

Synaxarion of Saints Symeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess

Oration on Symeon and Anna and the Reception of Christ in the Temple (St. Methodios of Olympus)

Homily on Saints Symeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

Righteous Symeon the God-Receiver  

Who Really Was St. Symeon the God-Receiver? 

Saint Symeon the God-Receiver as a Model for our Lives 

 

February: Day 3: Teaching 1: Saint Symeon the God-Receiver and the Prophetess Anna

 

A Miracle of St. Nicholas and St. Symeon the God-Receiver

 

Monastery of Saint Symeon the God-Receiver in Katamonas of Jerusalem (which includes the location of his house and tomb) 

 

Part of the Relics of St. Symeon the God-Receiver Given to Jerusalem Patriarchate from Croatia 

 

Holy Prophetess Anna, Daughter of Phanuel 

 

Holy Prophetess Anna as a Model for our Lives 

 

Reception of Christ Resource Page

Holy Apostle Zacchaeus, Bishop of Caesarea

St. Zacchaeus the Apostle (Feast Day - April 20)

Verses

Not come down but come up you are told,

Zacchaeus, for Christ is calling you to the heavens.

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

At first, Zacchaeus was a tax collector and a sinner. When our Lord saw him in Jericho in a tree and entered his home, Zacchaeus was brought to repentance. "He (Jesus) came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed the sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, Who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said to him: `Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.' And he came down quickly and received Him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble, saying, `He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.' But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, `Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.' And Jesus said to him, `Today salvation has come to this house because this man is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19: 1-10). Later on, Zacchaeus followed the Apostle Peter who appointed him bishop of Caesarea in Palestine where he faithfully served the Gospel and died peacefully.

Fifteenth Sunday of Luke Resource Page

 

Fifteenth Sunday of Luke

(Sunday of Zacchaeus)

Luke 19:1-10

 

Fifteenth Sunday of Luke: Gospel Reading 

 

Holy Apostle Zacchaeus, Bishop of Caesarea

Saint Zacchaeus the Apostle as a Model for our Lives

 

Sermon on the Sunday of Zacchaeus (St. Cyril of Alexandria) 

 

Two Sermons on Zacchaeus (St. Maximus of Turin)

 

Gospel Commentary for the Fifteenth Sunday of Luke (St. Theophylact of Ochrid)

 

Sermon for the 15th Sunday of Luke - On Zacchaeus the Tax-Collector (Monk Agapios Landos) 

 

Homily on the Fifteenth Sunday of Luke (Archpriest Rodion Putyatin) 

Homily One on the Fifteenth Sunday of Luke (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Homily on Zacchaeus of Little Stature (St. Nikolai Velimirovich)

 

Homily for the Sunday of Zacchaeus (St. Luke of Simferopol)

Homily on the Sunday of Zacchaeus (St. John Maximovitch)

 

Homily on the Fifteenth Sunday of Luke - Personal Encounter With Christ (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

Zacchaeus Was Consumed With the Desire To Know God (Archimandrite Zacharias Zacharou)

Sunday of Zacchaeus - The Lenten Journey Begins

The Sycamore Tree of Zacchaeus in Jericho

Russians Save Zacchaeus' Sycamore Tree

Holy Apostle Cleopas of the Seventy

St. Cleopas the Apostle (Feast Day - October 30)

Verses

Cleopas does not see you as before O Word,
But now he sees clearly, delighting in your vision.

Cleopas appears in Luke 24:13-27 as one of two disciples walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Cleopas is named in verse 18, while his companion remains unnamed though he is traditionally identified with the Apostle Luke.

Synaxarion of the Translation and Placement of the Holy Relics of Saint Lazarus

Translation and Placement of the Relics of St. Lazarus (Feast Day - October 17)

Verses

For the Translation.

The friend of Christ is carried through the city gates,
"Lazarus come forth" is said in imitation of Christ.

For the Placement.

Dead Lazarus was concealed in New Rome,

Showing itself to be another Bethany.

Synaxarion of the Holy Martyr Longinus the Centurion

St. Longinus the Centurion (Feast Day - October 16)

Verses

Prior to his beheading Longinus once again,

Called on you O Christ as the Son of God.

On the sixteenth Longinus was slaughtered with the sword.

This Saint lived during the reign of Tiberius Caesar (14-37), and was from the area of Cappadocia. He was a centurion according to office, under Pilate the governor of Judea. By him he was ordered to serve at the honorable and salvific Passion of Christ, together with the soldiers subject to him, and to guard the sealed tomb. When he beheld the miracles that took place at the Crucifixion of the Lord, namely the earthquake, the darkening of the sun, the tearing from top to bottom of the veil of the Temple, the ripping apart of the rocks, the opening of the tombs when many of the reposed Saints rose and appeared to many, and having as I said seen these things, he cried out with a loud voice and said, "Truly He was the Son of God." This is commonly testified by the three divine Evangelists Matthew, Mark and Luke. Because of this, when the Jews offered him silver coins to speak falsehood concerning the Resurrection of the Lord, and to say that He was stolen by His disciples, the renowned one did not accept the silver coins. Instead he along with two of his soldiers who he later was martyred with returned these coins.

Synaxarion of Saint Hermione, Daughter of the Apostle Philip

St. Hermione (Feast Day - September 4)

Verses

To Hermione.

Hermes makes way in the heavens,
For Hermione found salvation.

To Theotimos and Theodoulos.

Theotimos died with Theodoulos,
Given honor by the Lord as servants.

To Petronios.

For Petronios Christ was a rock,
Remaining above the power of temptations.

Holy Prophetess Anna, Daughter of Phanuel

Holy Prophetess Anna (Feast Day - February 3 and August 28)

Verses

Carried from the earth, was the daughter of Phanuel,
For on it, she saw God as a child.

In the Synaxarion of Constantinople (Feb. 3)* we read:

The Prophetess Anna was the daughter of Phanuel,** and came from the tribe of Asher, one of the twelve Patriarchs and sons of Jacob. Having dwelt with a husband for seven years, and become widowed due to his death, from that time she remained in the Temple where she dwelt the rest of her life in prayer and fasting. Because she unceasingly was found to do God-pleasing works, the blessed one was made worthy to see our Lord Jesus Christ, when He was offered to the Temple as a forty day old infant, by His All-Holy Mother and the righteous Joseph. She thanked and glorified God, and openly prophesied concerning Christ to all those who were found in the Temple, saying these words: "This Child is He Who has authority, and established heaven and earth. This Child is the Christ, regarding Whom all of the prophets proclaimed beforehand."***

Life of Saint Joseph of Arimathea

St. Joseph of Arimathea (Feast Day - July 31)

By the Rev. Fr. Panagiotes Carras

The Noble Joseph taking down Thine immaculate Body down from the Tree, and having wrapped It in pure linen and spices, laid It for burial in a new tomb. But on the third day Thou didst arise, O Lord, granting great mercy to the world. (Dismissal Hymn, St. Joseph of Arimathea)

Saint Joseph of Arimathea was accounted worthy to bury the immaculate body of our True God, Jesus Christ and, after the Lord’s glorious ascension into heaven, preached the Holy Gospel in many diverse lands. Of St Joseph’s early years little is known except that he was the son of wealthy and noble parents of the Old Covenant. This pious family lived in the city of Ramah or Arimathea. As a youth Joseph was taught the sacred scriptures and knew well of what should come to pass when the Savior and Redeemer would come into the world as foretold by the Holy Prophets. As the God-loving Joseph grew, inspired by the Holy Spirit, he pondered on the prophecies. He considered the prophecy of the Holy Isaiah: "The Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call His name Immanuel" (Is.7:14). And the prophecy of Micah, "But you, Bethlehem, House of Ephratha, are little among the thousands of Judah, yet from you shall come forth to me Him who is to be ruler in Israel, and His going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity" (Mic.5:2).

Synaxis of the Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth

Synaxis of the Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth (Feast Day - June 24)

On this day is the Synaxis of the Righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth.

Verses

Having given birth to your son the Forerunner,
Your relatives rejoice with you, and now all of creation.

Six months before his appearance in Nazareth to the All Holy Theotokos, the great Archangel of God, Gabriel appeared to Zechariah the high priest in the Temple at Jerusalem. And before he announced the miraculous conception to the unwed Virgin Mary, the Archangel announced the miraculous conception to the childless old woman, Elizabeth.

Holy Myrrhbearer Mary, Wife of Cleopas

St. Mary of Cleopas the Myrrhbearer (Feast Day - May 23)

Verses

Mary now brings her soul and not aromatic herbs,
To You O Savior as a most aromatic fragrance.

Saint Mary, wife of Cleopas (or Clopas), is explicitly mentioned only in John 19:25, where she is among the women present at the Crucifixion of Jesus:

"Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary [the wife] of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene."

Saturday of Lazarus Resource Page

On this day, the Saturday before Palm Sunday, we celebrate the Raising of Lazarus, the holy and righteous friend of Christ, who lay for four days in the tomb.

Verses

Thou lamentest, O Jesus: this belongeth to Thy mortal nature.
Thou givest life to Thy friend: this is wrought by Thy Divine might.

 

Saturday of Lazarus: Epistle and Gospel Reading

Synaxarion for the Saturday of Lazarus 

 

Saturday of the Raising of Lazarus 

 

Saturday of Lazarus (Elder Epiphanios Theodoropoulos) 

 

Journey Through Holy Week: Saturday of Lazarus

Homily on the Resurrection of Lazarus (St. Athanasius of Alexandria) 

 

The Didactic Nature of Jesus Weeping According to Basil the Great and John Chrysostom 

 

On the Resurrection of Lazarus (St. Gregory of Nyssa) 

Homily on Lazarus of the Four Days (St. Amphilochios of Iconium)

 

Homily on Mary and Martha (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

 

Kontakia of St. Romanos the Melodist on the Raising of Lazarus 

 

The House of Lazarus (Christocentric Experiences of a Hermit)  

Homily for the Saturday of Lazarus (Archpriest Rodion Putyatin)

 

Reflection for the Saturday of Lazarus (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 

Why Did the Lord Raise the Dead? (A Homily of St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

Christ as Resurrector and Life-Giver (Homily of St. Nikolai Velimirovich) 

 

On the Resurrection of Lazarus (Elder Joseph of Vatopaidi)

 

Christ, Lazarus and the Cross (Monk Moses the Athonite)

 

"Lazarus, Come Forth!" (A Despotic Voice, A Royal Shout, A Powerful Command)  

Sermon for the Beginning of Holy Week and the Raising of Lazarus

 

Living Our Own Resurrection (Saturday of Lazarus)

 

Interpretation of the Icon of the Raising of Lazarus

Greek Traditions for the Saturday of Lazarus 

 

Lazarakia - Traditional Bread For the Saturday of Lazarus 

 

Why Did Jesus Weep at the Tomb of Lazarus? 

 

What Happened to Lazarus After He Rose From the Dead 

 

Saint Lazarus In Orthodox Tradition 

 

The Lazarus of the Parable and Lazarus who was Four Days in the Tomb 

 

Saint Lazarus the Friend of Christ as a Model for our Lives 

 

No, Lazarus Was Not the "Beloved Disciple" of the Gospel of John

 

Synaxarion of the Translation and Placement of the Holy Relics of Saint Lazarus 

 

The Tomb of Lazarus 

 

The Tomb of Lazarus and the Monastery of Sts. Martha and Mary (video) 

 

Tombs in the Holy Land and the Tomb of St. Lazarus 

 

Prayers Needed for Saint Lazarus Monastery in Bethany 

 

St. Lazarus' Relics Brought to Moscow from Cyprus 

 

Lazarus a Bishop 

 

Metropolitan Hilarion Conducts Service For Those Re-joining the Church 

 

Holy Week Resource Page

Synaxarion of Saints Symeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess

Sts. Symeon the God-receiver and Anna the Prophetess (Feast Day - February 3)

Verses

To Symeon

The old man proclaimed to the dead, that he beheld as man,

God the Word, Who had come even to such a point.

To Anna

Carried from the earth, was the daughter of Phanuel,

For on it, she saw God as a child.

On the third Symeon was released from the bonds of life.

Holy Prophet Zechariah, Father of John the Forerunner

Holy Prophet and Priest Zechariah (Feast Day - September 5)

Verses

Zechariah was slaughtered just like a lamb,

Within the Temple for the Lamb of God.

On the fifth Zechariah was slaughtered on the ground of the Temple.

Saint Procla, the Wife of Pontius Pilate

Verses

The Master stands beside you, Procla,

You who previously stood beside Pilate as his wife.

In the New Testament, the only reference to Pilate's wife exists in a single sentence by Matthew. According to Matthew 27:19, she sent a message to her husband asking him not to condemn Jesus Christ to death:

While Pilate was sitting in the judgment hall, his wife sent him a message: "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, because in a dream last night, I suffered much on account of him."

Pilate, in his anxiety to please the people and avoid trouble, did not heed the warning of his wife, who is not named.