St. Barbara - A Saintly Example of Purity

The great martyr Barbara lived and suffered during the reign of the Emperor Maximian in the early years of the of 4th century. Her pagan father Dioscorus was so protective of her that he placed her in a tower so that she could have no contact with anyone he considered to be unworthy. Alone in her tower, Barbara would often ponder the beauty of creation that she could study from her lofty perch. She was able to reach the conclusion that all of this was the work of the One, True God.

When Barbara became old enough to marry, her father brought her many suitors, whom she rejected one by one. Thinking she might change her mind if she was exposed to the world outside her tower, Dioscorus allowed her to leave and mingle with others. Little did he realize that many of the new people she met were Christians! Soon Barbara became one of them herself.

Upon returning from a trip, Dioscorus was furious to find that Barbara had cut a cross into one of her marble walls. When she told him that she was a Christian, he tried to kill her with his sword. Barbara was able to flee and hide on a nearby mountain, but the next day, her father captured her and took her to the local governor for execution. She willingly submitted to brutal torture and ultimately to martyrdom, understanding that this was the greatest way she could show her love for Christ. Before dying, Barbara prayed to God that everyone who would remember her in prayer should not be subjected to a sudden death and deprived of receiving the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

She met her end by the merciless hand of her father. Divine justice prevailed though, as Dioscorus was struck down and killed that same day.

For The New Day

Dear Son,

One person thought she was too busy for prayer in the morning until a friend told her that she time her three-minute egg each morning by twice repeating the Lord’s Prayer and the 23^rd Psalm. As we shower, have or dress, we can repeat some simple prayer or Bible verse we just read, or simply abide in the Presence, longing for an even greater presence.

Evagrios, one of the desert fathers, used to say to his disciples, “May the sun, on rising, find you with a Bible in your hand.” Dr. Paul Tournier, the eminent Swiss psychiatrist writes, “One day, almost a year ago, I realized I was doing myself harm because I had begun to read the newspaper before my morning meditation, the time when God was asking me to listen to Him before listening to the world. Correcting that was simple, but it was enough to brighten again the climate of my life.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, “For Christians the beginning of the day should not be burdened or oppressed with besetting concerns for the day’s work. At the threshold of the new day stands the Lord who made it. All the darkness and distraction of the dreams of the night retreat before the clean light of Jesus Christ and his wakening Word. All unrest, all impurity, all care and anxiety flee before Him.”

Love,

Dad

Saint Stylianus - "Let the little children come to me ..."

Saint Stylianus was born in Pamphlagonia in Asia Minor some time between the 4th and 6th centuries. Like many of the early saints, Stylianus inherited a great fortune when his parents died. He could have lived out his life in luxury, never wanting for anything. Instead, he chose to give everything away so that he could “take up his cross” and follow the Lord. Stylianus left the city to live in a monastery, where he zealously practiced the ascetic virtues. When the other monks became jealous of his pious life, Stylianus left the community and went to live in a wilderness cave, constantly spending his days in prayer and fasting.
Word soon spread of the exemplary life that Stylianus was living. Many inhabitants of his home town of Pamphlagonia would conme to hear his teachings and seek his wise counsel. It is said that his healing prayers were powerful, and many people were cured of their illnesses through his prayers.

St. Stylianus was known to care strongly for children. It seemed that his healing prayers were most successful when sickly children were brought to him. When St. Stylianus died, his face shone radiantly, and an angel appeared to take his soul to heaven. Even after his death, many parents continued to pray to him to intercede on behalf of their little ones. When a child became ill, it was quite common for parents to have an icon of St. Stylianus painted and hung over the child’s bed.

St. Stylianus is remembered as a protector of children and a patron saint of childless women. This is the reason he is depicted holding a child.

St. John Chrysostom (the Golden-Tongued), Patriarch of Constantinople

He was born in Antioch in the year 347, his father’s name being Secundus and his mother’s Anthusa. Studying Greek philosophy, John became disgusted with Hellenic paganism and turned to the Christian faith as the one and all-embracing truth. John was baptised by Meletius , Patriarch of Antioch, and after that, his parents were also baptised. After their death, John became a monk and began to live in strict asceticism. He wrote a book: “On the Priesthood”, after which the holy Apostle John and Peter appeared to him, prophesying for him great service, great grace, and also great suffering. When the time came for him to be ordained priest, an angel of God appeared at the same time to Patriarch Flavian (Meletius’s successor) and to John himself. When the Patriarch ordained him, a shining white dove was seen above John’s head. Renowned for his wisdom, his asceticism and the power of his words, John was, at the desire of Emperor Arcadius, chosen as Patriarch of Constantinople. He governed the Church for six years as Patriarch with unequalled zeal and wisdom, sending missionaries to the pagan Celts and Scythians and purging the Church of simony, deposing many bishops who were given to this vice. He extended the Church’s charitable works, wrote a rite for the Holy Liturgy, put heretics to shame, denounced the Empress Eudoxia, interpreted the Scriptures with his golden mind and tongue and left to the Church many precious books of sermons. The people glorified him; the jealous loathed him; the Empress twice had him sent into exile. He spent three years in exile, and died on Holy Cross Day. September 14th, 407, in a place called Comana in Armenia. The holy Apostle John and Peter again appeared to him at the time of his death, and also the holy martyr Basilisius (May 22nd), in whose church he received Communion for the last time. “Glory to God for everything!” were his last words, and with them the soul of Chrysostom the Patriarch entered into Paradise. Of his relics, the head is preserved in the Church of the Dormition in Moscow, and the body in the Vatican in Rome.

St.Sergius

Dear Son,
A saint is not remarkable on the surface. All his riches are internal, in his soul. A peasant came a long way to the monastery to see St. Sergius. When he asked for the abbot, he was told that he was working in the garden. The peasant went off to the garden and saw a man there in poor and dirty clothing, hoeing along with the other workers. The peasant returned to the monastery dissatisfied, thinking within himself that the monks were making fun of him, and repeated, that there might be no mistake, that he wanted to see the famous holy father, Sergius. Sergius arrived back at the monastery just then, and welcomed the peasant, serving him at the table. The saint looked into the heart of his guest, and saw there the thoughts about himself. To quieten him, he told him that he would see St. Sergius if he waited a little. Just then, a prince arrived at the monastery with his nobles. Both the prince and the nobles bowed low to Sergius and asked his blessing. The monks then removed the peasant from the room to make room for the new guests, and this peasant looked with wonder from afar, and peered to see whom he had spurned the sight of one from nearby. He chided himself for his ignorance and was deeply ashamed. When the prince had departed, the peasant quickly went up to the saint, fell at his feet and asked his forgiveness. And the great saint was gentle with him, and said: “Don’t grieve, my son; you thought a true thing of me, reckoning me as nothing, while others are deluded in thinking me something great.”

Love always,
Dad

Theotokos

The word Theotokos for “Mother of God” expresses the faith of all the Fathers and faithful Christians throughout the ages concerning Christ’s divinity. There is no room for error here. It was none other than the Second Person of the Holy Trinity who was born of the Virgin. Theotokos: Mother of God.
The identity of Christ is still being questioned today. That is why some bristle when they hear the word Theotokos. How can Mary be the Mother of God? They ask. Was the eternal, always existing God born of a human being? Yes, the Church answers. Mary did not give birth to two persons but to one divine Person who received His humanity from Mary. She is indeed not Christotokos, Mother of a human being named Christ, but Theotokos, Mother of God.

Theotokos is a treasured word for Orthodox Christians – a word that perfectly expresses ad safeguards our faith that the true God became true man for our salvation. Theotokos is a title given to Mary not in order to exalt her but in order to protect the identity of her son and to guard and protect the security of our salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Source: Daily Vitamins for Spiritual Growth Volume 1, by Anthony Coniaris

Reflection on Alms Giving

Dear Son,
If you give alms to the poor, know that inasmuch as you do good works for your neighbour, so much and more do you do for yourself. St. Anthony says: “Both life and death come to us from our neighbour.” St. Peter Damascene writes: “As the poor should give thanks to God and love the rich who do them good, even more should the rich give thanks to God and love the poor; for they are saved by the providence of God, both now and in the future age, because of their alms. For without the poor, they not only cannot attain the salvation of their souls, but they also cannot avoid the temptations of wealth.” Alms which are given out of vanity or with disdain are of no benefit. In earlier times, the wealthy would bring gold to the hermits and beg them to accept it. It was a rare occurrence for the hermits to accept alms gladly, and when they did, it was out of compassion for the rich. The most destitute of men received alms out of compassion!

Love you son,
Dad

St. Mary Magdalene

One of the myrrh-bearing women and equal to the apostles, Mary was born in the town of Magdala, along the shore of Lake Gennesaret, of the tribe of Issachar. She was tormented by seven evil spirits – from which she was freed by the Lord Jesus and made whole. She was a faithful follower and servant of the Lord during His earthly life. She stood beneath the Cross on Golgotha, and grieved bitterly with the All-holy Theotokos. After the death of the Lord she visited His sepulcher three times. When the Lord rose again she saw Him on two occasions: once by herself, and once with the other myrrh-bearing women. She traveled to Rome and appeared before Tiberias Caesar, presenting him with a red egg, and giving him the salutation: “Christ is Risen!” She also denounced Pontius Pilate to Caesar for his unjust condemnation of the Lord Jesus. Caesar accepted her accusation, and transferred Pilate from Jerusalem to Gaul where, in disfavour with the emperor, this unjust judge died of a dread disease. After this, she returned from Rome to Ephesus, to assist St. John the Theologian in the work of preaching the Gospel. With great love toward the resurrected Lord, with great zeal for the Faith and as a true apostle of Christ, she proclaimed the Holy Gospel to the world. She died peacefully in Ephesus. According to tradition, the cave she was buried in was the same cave in which the Seven Youths (August 4) later slept a wondrous sleep for hundreds of years, then came to life and again died. The relics of St. Mary Magdalene were later transferred to Constantinople. There is a beautiful Russian Orthodox convent dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene near the Garden of Gethsemane.

Hymn of Praise - Saint Mary Magdalene

Magalene was shrouded in dark sorrow

Because of the bloody death of the Son of God.

Sorrow from love is most bitter sorrow –

She had neither consolation nor friend in the world.

Her tears were her comfort, and pain was her only friend.

For St. Magdalene, the world was turned to darkness

As a weak human, she sought light,

And Mary groped in the darkness, without hope.

Even His tomb to her was light – but lo! The tomb is empty!

“He has been stolen,” she thought, “naked and unanointed!”

Bitterly she wept, and there was no end to her weeping.

Then she heard the voice of a man beside her:

Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?

“You ask Whom I seek? Do you wish to calm me?

If you have taken His body, tell me where you have put it.”

Jesus looked upon her as she wept and sorrowed

And called to her in a sweet voice: “Mary!”

Light shone forth in Mary’s heart:

O voice now recognized, incomparably sweet,

O voice overflowing with life and power!

With this voice the Lord healed the sick,

With this voice He raised the dead.

O life-giving voice – O wondrous voice!

Mary sprang up and turned around:

“Rabboni!” she cried as the sun rose.

For Mary and for the world, a new Day dawned.

St. Veronica

St. Veronica is remembered on July 12. Veronica is the woman with the issue of blood whom the Lord healed (Matthew 9:20). Out of gratitude to the Lord, her Healer, Veronica ordered a statue of the Lord Jesus be made for her, before which she prayed to God. According to tradition, this statue was preserved until the reign of Emperor the Apostate, who altered the statue so that it became an idol of Zeus. This is one of the rare instances in which holy statues have been used in the Eastern Church. As is known, this later became a common practice of the Western churches. St. Veronica remained devoted to the Faith of Christ until her peaceful repose.

Ecumenical Coucils recognized by the Orthodox Church

The seven Ecumenical Councils recognized by the Orthodox Church are:

Nicea I (AD. 325) This Council was called to deal with the heresy of Arianism - the teaching that the Word and Son of God is a created being. The first part of the Nicene Creed was drafted here. The hero of Nicea I was St. Athanasius of Alexandria, whose theology was decisive even though, as a deacon at the time, he could not vote.

Constantinople I (AD. 381) This Council expanded and completed the Nicene Creed and affirmed the divinity of the Holy Spirit. The theology of the Cappadocian Fathers - St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, and St. Gregory of Nyssa - was particularly influential here.

Ephesus (AD. 431) This Council condemned the teachings of Patriarch Nestorius of Constantinople, who refused to accept the unity of humanity and divinity in the person of Christ and who refused to call the Virgin Mary Theotokos. St. Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria, was the hero of this Council.

Chalcedon (AD. 451) This Council was called to combat the opposite heresy of Nestorianism: Monophysitism. According to the Monophysites, Christ's divine nature swallowed up His human nature, leaving Him with only one nature. The bishops accepted the Tome of Pope St. Leo the Great along with the theology of St. Cyril of Alexandria as the standard of Orthodox thought concerning the person of Christ. The Council decreed that in Christ the divine and human natures exist without "mixture, confusion, division, or separation."

Constantinople II (AD. 553) This Council further elaborated on the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon. In addition, some of the teachings of Origen of Alexandria, such as the pre-existence of souls, were condemned.

Constantinople III (AD. 681) This Council condemned the heresy of Monothelitism, which held that Christ had only one will. The bishops affirmed that Christ has a perfect human will as well as a perfect divine will, thus affirming His full humanity. Pope Honorius of Rome was condemned as a heretic for his support of the Monothelites.

Quinisext (AD. 692) This Council, also called the Council in Trullo, is considered a continuation of the Fifth and Sixth Councils and not a separate Council unto itself. Among other things, it reaffirmed the condemnation of the teachings of Origen.

Nicea II (A.D.787) This Council was called to decide the appropriateness of using icons in the Church. The bishops decreed that the veneration (not worship) of icons was necessary to preserve a proper understanding of the Incarnation.
Source: The Faith …… Author Clark Carlton

The Holy Archangel Gabriel

This great archangel of God is commemorated on March 26. On July 13, however, his appearances and miracles throughout the entire history of man’s salvation are celebrated. It is believed that this celebration was first established on the Holy Mountain in the ninth century, during the time of the Emperors Basil and Constantine Porphyrogenitus and Patriarch Nicholas Chrysoverges, and was occasioned by the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel in a cell near Karyes, where the archangel wrote with his finger on a stone tablet the hymn to the Theotokos “It Is Truly Meet.” Because of this event, the cell was called, and is called to this day “It is Truly Meet.” Together with this occurrence, the other appearances of the Archangel Gabriel are also commemorated: the archangel’s appearance to Moses while he was tending the flock of Jethro, when he related to this great one called of  God how the world was created and all the rest that Moses later recorded in the Book of  Genesis; his appearance to the Prophet Daniel, revealing to him the mystery of future kingdoms and of the coming of the Saviour; his appearance to St. Anna and the promise that she would give birth to a daughter,  the All-blessed and All-pure Virgin Mary; his repeated appearances to the Holy Virgin while she was living in the Temple in Jerusalem; his appearance to Zachariah the High Priest with the tidings of the birth of John the Forerunner, and the punishment of dumbness upon Zachariah because he did not believe the archangel’s words; his appearance once again to the Holy Virgin, in Nazareth, with the Annunciation of the conception and birth of the Lord Jesus Christ; his appearance to the righteous Joseph; his appearance to the shepherds near Bethlehem; his appearance to the Lord Himself in the Garden of Gethsemane, when he strengthened the Lord, as a man, prior to His passion; his appearance to the myrrh-bearing women, and so on.

Ecumenical Councils

During the early years of the Church, when a dispute arose concerning whether or not gentile converts should be circumcised, the Apostles met together in Jerusalem to resolve the issue (Acts 15). This council set the precedent for all future gatherings of the Church’s leaders.

As the Church grew and spread throughout the Roman Empire, it became necessary for the bishops of Churches in a given area to meet together on a regular basis to address issues of common concern. Apostolic Canon 34 provides for the creation of a regional synod. The bishops of a given area were to gather together twice a year. The meetings were to be chaired by the bishop of the major city in the area, the metropolis. The bishop of this city became known as the metropolitan.

Each bishop was responsible for the governance of his Church. Issues of common concern, however, were brought before the regional synod and decided by all of the bishops. The metropolitan did not “rule” the synod, but he did have veto power over the synod’s decisions. Just as nothing within a given Church could be done without the bishop’s approval, so nothing could be done in a region that affected more than one Church without the approval of the metropolitan. The metropolitan, then, served as the principle of unity within the synod.

Some issues, however, such as doctrinal questions, involved more than the Churches of a particular region, to deal with issues pertaining to the universal Church. The largest and most important of these gatherings are called the Ecumenical Councils.

The Ecumenical Councils were originally convened by the Roman Emperor and presided over by a senior bishop. The Orthodox Church recognizes seven councils as being Ecumenical.

It is important to note that not all large councils are considered Ecumenical Councils. We often speak of Ecumenical Councils as being “infallible,” but there was no guarantee at the beginning of any of these Councils that they would be considered infallible. Only after the decisions of a Council have been received by the consciousness of the whole Church can it be called Ecumenical and infallible.

When the bishops meet together in council, they do not invent new doctrines. Rather, their job is to express the mind and life of the Church. A specific situation, such as the challenge of a new heresy, may necessitate the development of the Church’s vocabulary or a change in the way the Church expresses a particular idea. Nevertheless, it is the duty of the bishops to elaborate upon what the Church has always believed and experienced, not to invent new teachings.

When, however, bishops in council did deviate from the faith once delivered and made decrees contrary to the faith and life of the Church, the Body of the Church throughout the world rejected the decisions. A council held in Ephesus in 449 had a greater number of bishops in attendance than many Ecumenical Councils, yet its decisions were rejected by thee Church at large. It has gone down in history as the “Robber Council.”

The purpose of a council, whether a regular meeting of a regional synod or a gathering of all of the world’s bishops, is to express the mind and heart of the Church as a whole. No single bishop, not even a patriarch, can claim exclusive rights to the Holy Spirit. The bishops are answerable to the whole Church for their decisions.

It is this conciliar process, reflecting the conciliar nature of the All-Holy Trinity, which is the supreme expression of authority within the Church. It is for this reason that the Church cannot and will not accept the claims of the bishop of Rome to be infallible and to rule over the entire Church.

Excerpt from: The Faith ...... Author: Clark Carlton

The 4 Ecumenical Councils like the 4 Gospels

The saints of the Church were so compassionate towards human weakness and so fiercely unyielding and unsubmissive with regard to the confession of the truths of the Faith. St Nicolas of Myra struck Arius with his hand at the First Ecumenical Council. St Antony left his desert and went to Alexandria publicly to denounce Arius. St Euthymius, under great pressure from the Empress Eudocia and the false Patriarch Theodosius, and being unable further to fight with arguments, left his monastery and hid in the desert; an example followed by monks thereafter. Euthymius remained in the desert until the false Patriarch had been dethroned and Orthodoxy confirmed. And when agitation was spread in Jerusalem in the Emperor’s name against the Fourth Ecumenical Council which had taken place in Chalcedon, and when the entire population was going in terror of the heretics, then St Theodosius the Great, already burdened with years, came as the fearless soldier of Christ he was to Jerusalem, went into one of the great churches, mounted the steps and, gesticulating with his arms, said to the people: ‘If a man does not revere the Four Ecumenical Councils as he does the Four Gospels, let him be accursed!’ All his hearers were deeply impressed by these words, and none of the heretics dared speak against him.

The Lord’s Apostles

The first thing we are told about the newly Spritit-filled church on the Day of Pentecost is that “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42). Clement of Rome wrote at the end of the first century: “The apostles received the gospel for us from the Lord Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ was sent forth from God.” Approximately 200 A.D., Tertullian was more explicit: “We Christians are forbidden to introduce anything on our own authority, or choose what someone else introduces on his own authority. Our authorities are the Lord’s Apostles, and they in their turn chose to introduce nothing on their own authority. They faithfully passed on to the nations the teachings which they had received from Christ” (Prescription against Heretics).
When the time came to settle the canon of the New Testament, the supreme question about every disputed book was whether it possesses apostolic authority. Had it been written by an apostle? If not, did it come from their circle and represent their teaching?

The Orthodox Church today is the Church of the Apostles. It continues to teach not one person’s interpretation of the faith, i.e. Luther’s or Calvin’s but the complete deposit of faith as it was handed down to the Apostles of Jesus.

Kontakion
Today Christ the Rock glorifies with supreme honour The Rock of Faith and Leader of the Apostles, together with Paul and the Company of the Twelve, whose memory we celebrate with eagerness of faith, giving glory to the One who gave glory to them.

SS. Peter and Paul

Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome under Emperor Nero in the year 67. Peter was crucified head down, at his own request, and Paul, as a Roman citizen, was beheaded. The Church unites them in a common celebration and gives them identical honour.

After his conversion from being a persecutor of Christians, St. Paul became, in heart and soul, a zealous and courageous apostle of Christ. “Paul was a wolf,” says St. Chrysostom, “but he became a lamb. He was a thorn, but he became a fruitful vine. From an enemy, he became a friend; from a weed, he became wholesome bread… The blasphemer became a theologian; the persecutor, a herald of good news; the tormentor – a leader; the traitor – a fellow champion.”

On the feast of SS. Peter and Paul, St. Ambrose said, “This day, brothers, is well known to us and to the whole world, for today is the commemoration of SS. Peter and Paul. Their feast cannot be confined to one part of the world.” St. Augustine, in one of his sermons in their honour, says; “Although we know from tradition that they did not die at the some time, nevertheless, we hour the memory of both on this same day, since St. Paul died a year later on the some day on which Peter was freed from the bonds of the body and was transferred to the world of the angels.”

In the aposticha of Small Vespers we read: “O Peter, foundation of Apostles, rock of Christian faith, head of the Christians … O Paul, preacher of the gentiles, protector of Christians, lamp of the universe, great voice of Christ, the living God… O Peter, supreme disciple; Paul, the ideal of the Apostles.” The stichera of the Great Vespers service extols them with these praises: “Terrible swords of the spirit, splendid ornaments of Rome, nourishers of the whole universe; spiritual tablets of the New Testament written by God… founders of the Church, true pillars, foundation, and trumpets of the divine teachings of Christ, sharers in his sufferings… O Peter, rock and foundation of faith, and Paul, chosen vessel…”

Their voices went out through all the earth and their words to the far ends of the world.

The Holy Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve

The Holy Apostle Bartholomew was born at Cana of Galilee and was one of the Twelve Apostles of Christ. After the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, it fell by lot to the holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip (November 14) to preach the Gospel in Syria and Asia Minor. In their preaching they wandered through various cities, and then met up again. Accompanying the holy Apostle Philip was his sister, the holy virgin St Mariamnne.

Traversing the cities of Syria and Myzia, they underwent much hardship and tribulations, they were stoned and they were locked up in prison. In one of the villages they met up with the Apostle John the Theologian, and together they set off to Phrygia. In the city of Hieropolis by the power of their prayers they destroyed an enormous viper, which the pagans worshipped as a god. The holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip with his sister confirmed their preaching with many miracles.

At Hieropolis there lived a man by the name of Stachys, who had been blind for 40 years. When he received healing, he then believed in Christ and was baptized. News of this spread throughout the city, and a multitude of the people thronged to the house where the apostles were staying. The sick and those beset by demons were released from their infirmities, and many were baptized. The city prefect gave orders to arrest the preachers and throw them in prison, and to burn down the house of Stachys. At the trial pagan priests came forth with the complaint that the strangers were turning people away from the worship of the ancestral gods.

Thinking that perhaps some sort of magic power was hidden away in the clothes of the apostles, the prefect gave orders to strip them. But St Mariamne became like a fiery torch before their eyes, and none dared touch her. They sentenced the saints to death. The Apostle Philip was crucified upside down. Suddenly there was an earthquake, and a fissure in the earth swallowed up the prefect of the city, together with the pagan priests and many qf the people. Others took fright and rushed to take down the apostles from the crosses. Since the Apostle Bartholomew had not been suspended very high, they soon managed to take him down. The Apostle Philip, however, had died. After making Stachys Bishop of Hieropolis, the Apostle Bartholomew and St Mariamne left the city and moved on.

Preaching the Word of God, Mariamne arrived in Lykaonia, where she peacefully died (February 17). The Apostle Bartholomew went to India, where he translated the Gospel of Matthew into their language, and he converted many pagans to Christ. He also visited Greater Armenia (the country between the River Kura and the upper stretches of the Tigrus and Euphrates Rivers), where he worked many miracles and healed the daughter of King Polymios from the demons afflicting her. In gratitude, the king sent gifts to the apostle, who refused to accept them, saying that he sought only the salvation of the souls of mankind.

Then Polymios together with his wife, daughter, and many of those close to them accepted Baptism. And people from more than ten cities of Greater Armenia followed their example. But through the intrigues of the pagan priests, the Apostle Bartholomew was seized by the king's brother Astiagus in the city of Alban (now the city of Baku), and crucified upside down. But even from the cross he did not cease to proclaim the good news about Christ the Savior. Finally, on orders from Astiagus, they flayed the skin from the Apostle Bartholomew and cut off his head. Believers placed his relics in a leaden coffin and buried him.

In about the year 508 the holy relics of the Apostle Bartholomew were transferred to Mesopotamia, to the city of Dara. When the Persians seized the city in 574, Christians took the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew with them when they fled to the shores of the Black Sea. But since the enemy overtook them there, they were compelled to leave the coffin behind, and the pagans threw it into the sea. By the power of God the coffin miraculously arrived on the island of Lipari. In the ninth century, after the taking of the island by the Arabs, the holy relics were transferred to the Neapolitan city of Beneventum in Italy, and in the tenth century part of the relics were transferred to Rome.

The holy Apostle Bartholomew is mentioned in the Life of St Joseph the Hymnographer (April 4). Having received from a certain man part of the relics of the Apostle Bartholomew, St Joseph conveyed them to his own monastery near Constantinople, and he built a church in the name of the Apostle Bartholomew, placing in it a portion of the relics. St Joseph ardently desired to compose hymns of praise in honor of the saint, and he fervently besought God to grant him the ability to do so.

On the Feast day in memory of the Apostle Bartholomew, St Joseph saw him at the altar. He beckoned to Joseph and took the holy Gospel from the altar table and pressed it to his bosom with the words, "May the Lord bless you, and may your song delight the whole world." And from that time St Joseph began to write hymns and canons to adorn not only the Feast day of the Apostle Bartholomew, but also the Feast days of many other saints, composing about 300 canons in all. Sts John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Epiphanius of Cyprus and certain other teachers of the Church regard the Apostle Bartholomew as being the same person as Nathanael (John 1:45­51,21:2).

The Holy Apostle Jude, the Brother of the Lord

Jude was a cousin of the Lord according to the flesh. Matthew refers to him as “Labbeus, known as Thaddeus.” He wrote the last of the Ecumenical Epistles, addressed to the Jews of the Dispora. This letter was written sometime after the catastrophic destruction of Jerusalem under Emperor Vespasian in the year 10.

Kontakion
O Apostle Jude, brother of the Lord and his witness, a preacher of Christ perfect in your wisdom, you came forth from a noble ancestry. You nourish the whole world with the wealth of your doctrine, teaching the Orthodox Faith of the Lord, for you are closely related to Christ, the Source of Grace.

Pentecost: The Coming Of The Holy Spirit

Yesterday the Orthodox Church celebrated the Feast of Pentecost Sunday.

Before ascending into heaven, our Lord gave specific instructions to His Apostles: remain in Jerusalem and wait for “the Promise of the Father.” And just what was this “promise?” It was the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Book of Acts relates how after sharing an emotional farewell with their Master, the Apostles obediently went back to the same Upper Room where they had shared the Mystical Supper with Him. They waited for 10 long days for the fulfillment of God’s promise, and on the day of Pentecost, their patience was rewarded. With a rushing of a mighty wind and the appearance of tongues of fire, the Holy Spirit descended upon them! Thus the words of St. John the Baptist were made manifest concerning Christ: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Luke 3:16) The Holy Spirit filled the Apostles with a “burning desire” to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the whole world. These simple fishermen went out into the streets of Jerusalem and used their own tongues to communicate this important message to Jews from all over the world who had gathered there for this great festival. It is recorded that some 3,000 people were converted by them that very day, which we appropriately call the “birthday” of the Church. The Apostles were no longer frightened: they now believed that they had the strength to “Go and teach all nations” as Christ had commanded them to do.

The Feast of Pentecost reminds us that we too are expected to be “witness” for Christ as well. When we received the grace of the Holy Spirit on the day of our baptism, we were urged to follow the example of the Apostles and do our part in winning souls for our Saviour.
The Orthodox Weekly …… Vestal, Cliffwood, New Jersey …… Litho in U.S.A.

St. Helen - Equal to the Apostles

Saint Helen was the mother of St. Constantine the Great, and was probably born at Drepanum (Helenopolis) in Asia Minor to parents of humble means. She married Constantius Chlorus, and their son Constantine was born in 274. Constantius divorced her in 294 in order to further his political ambition by marrying a woman of noble rank. After he became emperor, Constantine showed his mother great honour and respect, granting her the imperial title “Augusta.”

After Constantine became the sole ruler of the Western Roman Empire, he issued the Edict of Milan in 313 which guaranteed religious tolerance for Christians. St. Helen, who was a Christian, may have influenced him in this decision. In 323, when he became the sole ruler of the entire Roman Empire, he extended the provisions of the Edict of Milan to the Eastern half of the Empire. After three hundred years of persecution, Christians could finally practice their faith without fear.

The emperor deeply revered the victory-bearing Sign of the cross of the Lord, and also wanted to find the actual Cross upon which our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. For this purpose he sent his own mother, the holy empress Helen, to Jerusalem, granting her both power and money. Patriarch Macarius of Jerusalem and St. Helen began the search, and through the will of God, the Life-Creating Cross was miraculously discovered in 326. The account of the finding of the Cross of the Lord is found under the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, September 14. The Orthodox Church commemorates the Uncovering of the Precious Cross and the Precious Nails by the holy empress Helen on March 6.

While in Palestine, the holy empress did much of benefit for the Church. She ordered that all places connected with the earthly life of the Lord and His All-Pure Mother, should be freed of all traces of paganism and she commanded that churches should be built at these places.

The emperor Constantine ordered a magnificent church in honour of Christ’s Resurrection to be built over His tomb. St. Helen gave the Life-Creating Cross to the Patriarch for safe-keeping, and took part of the Cross with her for the emperor. After distributing generous alms at Jerusalem and feeding the needy (at times she even served them herself), the holy empress Helen retuned to Constantinople, where she died in the year 327.

Because of her great services to the Church and her efforts in finding the Life-Creating Cross, the empress Helen is called “the Equal of the Apostles.”

The Holy and Glorious Constantine and Helena. Equal of the Apostles

In the year 313, Constantine and Licinius signed the edict of Milan by which they gave freedom of worship to the Christians and ended the era of persecutions. Very soon, Licinius broke his promise and renewed the persecution of Christians in the East. Constantine declared war against him and defeated him in 324. This he became sole Emperor of East and West. Constantine transferred his Capital from Rome to Byzantium and gave it his own name “Constantinople.” In the year 325, Constantine called the first Ecumenical Council of Nicea which promulgated the Nicean Creed we recite in the Divine Liturgy. He died on May 22, 337. Helena was the Mother of Constantine. She found the Holy Cross of Christ in Jerusalem where she built the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. She died and was buried in Rome.

 

 

The Holy Apostle Mark the Evangelist

Mark, or John-Mark, was a cousin of Barnabas. He belonged to the tribe of Levi and went to Antioch with St. Paul in the year 44. He also accompanied St. Peter to Rome. At the request of the Christians of Rome, he wrote in Greek the Gospel that bears his name. Later, he founded the church in Alexandria in Egypt. He is symbolized by the lion the second beat of the Vision of Ezekiel (1:10). St. Mark’s feast day is on April 25th.

Kontakion
You were granted from on high the grace to solve the philosophers’ problems, to triumph by preaching the divine Gospel to the Gentiles, and to lead them to your Master, O Apostle Mark worthy of all praises!

The Holy Apostle James the Greater

Since two of the 12 apostles bore the name James, it became necessary to distinguish one from the other by calling one the Less and the other the Greater – a distinction based solely on physical stature. James the Less, whose feast day is celebrated on October 9, is also referred to as the “son of Alphaeus.” James the Greater was the “son of Zebedee” and the brother of the Apostle John. See Matt 4:21-22. Jesus called James and John “sons of thunder” because of their sometime violent eagerness to conquer souls for Christ. His martyrdom is mentioned in Acts 12:1-2.

 

Kontakion

O glorious James, when you heard the Divine Word calling you, you put aside your love for your father and hurried to Christ with John your brother, wherefore you were made worthy to see the divine Transfiguration of the Lord.

Pascha: The Glorious Feast of the Resurrection

Of all the meaningful feast days on our Church Calendar, everything pales in comparison to Pascha, which is rightfully proclaimed to be the "Feast of Feasts" in the eighth ode of the Canon of Resurrection Matins. Many of the early Church Fathers wrote of the special significance of this Holy day. In his Paschal sermon, St. Gregory the Theologian writes: 'The Resurrection is the feast that surpasses all others, just as the sun surpasses the stars." St. John Chrysostom extols Pascha with these words: "0 Death, where is your sting? 0 Hades, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you have fallen! Christ is risen, and life reigns! Christ is risen, and the tomb is emptied of the dead!"

The word "Pascha" is derived from the Hebrew word "pasach" which means "Passover." For the Apostles and the early Christians, our Lord's Resurrection was viewed as a victory over death - when Christ indeed "passed over" from death to life, thus opening the gates to the kingdom of heaven for all of His faithful followers.

Through its rich symbolism, the icon of the Resurrection beautifully portrays this victory. It depicts our Lord entering into the realm of death, breaking the bonds that had imprisoned mankind since the fall from grace of Adam and Eve. The icon shows Christ reaching out to our first parents, freeing them from the curse of sin. He is surrounded by John the Baptist and other righteous figures from the Old Testament, who lived their lives in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah. Christ's brilliant white robes further emphasize the radiance of this Feast.

May the light shining forth from the empty tomb illumine our path and ultimately lead us to our heavenly home. Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!
Orthodox Weekly Bulletin ......... Vestal, Cliffwood, NewJersey ......... Litho in USA

St. George the Great Martyr

The life of St. George is a prime example of the life that each Christian should follow to obtain salvation. St. George the Great-martyr, was raised a Christian. His father was martyred for the faith. After his father's death, his mother took him to Palestine, where she had farm land. At a young age, he served in the Roman army under Emperor Diocletian and was commended many times for his service to the Empire. From the rule of the Emperor Decian until 284 A.D., when Diocletian became emperor, the Church went through a period of peace and prosperity. Christians obtained important positions in the government during that time; many built churches and schools and organized the authoritative structure of the Church. Diocletian gave many of his loyal officers political positions so that he could have the military strength of his Empire on his side. After Diocletian had suppressed the barbarian tribes which were attacking the Empire and after he had secured its borders, he began to concentrate on the Empire's internal affairs. Diocletian believed that a state religion could keep the empire united. Since paganism was the state religion, Diocletian focused his efforts toward the suppression of Christianity. In the year 303 A.D., Diocletian summoned his aides to meet in the city of Caesarea. He held three general meetings with his aides, instructing them to persecute the Christians. Since St. George had shown his excellence while serving in the army, he was among these aides. Diocletian asked them to pledge their allegiance to this cause by making pagan sacrifices as proof of their loyalty. All the aides pledged their loyalty except St. George. He stood in front of Diocletain and admitted his belief in Christianity, telling the monarch of the Christian teachings and the Godliness of the crucified Nazarene. The emperor ordered this Christian be taken to prison and that a boulder be placed on his chest as a form of torture. The next morning Diocletian ordered that the prisoner be brought before him for questioning. George stood steadfast and told Diocletian of his belief in the riches of the Kingdom of Heaven. The emperor then summoned the executioners to take the saint and have him bound to the rim of a wheel set with sharp spikes. Before being taken away, Diocletian asked him to sacrifice to the gods to save himself. He refused Diocletian's request and welcomed the chance to be a martyr for Christ, as his father had done. After praying to God, he heard a voice from heaven say, "Do not fear, George, I am with you." With the help of Christ, the spiked wheel had no effect on St. George. When the saint appeared again before Diocletian not only was he unharmed, but an angelic aura had settled about him. Suddenly, two officers of the Roman army, Anatolios and Protoeon, appeared before Diocletian with two thousand soldiers. They admitted their belief in Christ and Diocletian had them all executed.

In the above icon, George battles the devil, symbolized by the dragon, and saves the Holy Church. He rides a white horse that indicates God's grace carrying him to the heroism of martyrdom. Constantine the Great built a great church over his tomb in Lyda of Palestine. The name George means “Tiller of the Earth.”

Troparion of St. George (Tone 4)
As the deliverer of captives and defender of the poor, healer of the infirm and champion of Kings, victorious great martyr George, intercede with Christ our God for our souls' salvation

St. John of the Ladder

Saint John of the Ladder also is honored by Holy Church as a great ascetic and author of the renowned spiritual book called The Ladder of Divine Ascent, from which he is also called "of the Ladder" (Climacus). John went to Sinai when he was sixteen, submitting to Abba Martyrius as his instructor and guide. After four years, St John was tonsured as a monk. Abba Strategios, who was present at St John's tonsure, predicted that he would become a great luminary in the Church of Christ.

For nineteen years St John progressed in monasticism in obedience to his spiritual Father. After the death of Abba Martyrius, St John embarked on a solitary life, settling in a wild place called Thola, where he spent forty years laboring in silence, fasting, prayer, and tears of penitence.

It is not by chance that in The Ladder St John speaks about tears of repentance: "Just as fire burns and destroys the wood, so pure tears wash away every impurity, both external and internal." His holy prayer was strong and efficacious, as may be seen from an example from the life of the God-pleasing saint.

St John had a disciple named Moses. Once, the saint ordered his disciple to bring dung to fertilize the vegetable garden. When he had fulfilled the obedience, Moses lay down to rest under the shade of a large rock, because of the scorching heat of summer. St John was in his cell in a light sleep. Suddenly, a man of remarkable appearance appeared to him and awakened the holy ascetic, reproaching him, "John, why do you sleep so heedlessly, when Moses is in danger?" St John immediately woke up and began to pray for his disciple. When Moses returned in the evening, St John asked whether any sort of misfortune had befallen him. The monk replied, "A large rock would have fallen on me as I slept beneath it at noon, but I left that place because I thought I heard you calling me." St John did not tell his disciple of his vision, but gave thanks to God.

The following example of St John's humility is noteworthy. Gifted with discernment, and attaining wisdom through spiritual experience, he lovingly received all who came to him and guided them to salvation. One day some envious monks reproached him for being too talkative, and so St John kept silence for a whole year. The monks realized their error, and they went to the ascetic and begged him not to deprive them of the spiritual profit of his conversation.

Concealing his ascetic deeds from others, St John sometimes withdrew into a cave, but reports of his holiness spread far beyond the vicinity. Visitors from all walks of life came to him, desiring to hear his words of edification and salvation. After forty years of solitary asceticism, he was chosen as igumen of Sinai when he was seventy-five. St John governed the holy monastery for four years. Toward the end of his life, the Lord granted him the gifts of clairvoyance and wonderworking.

The saint called his work The Ladder of Divine Ascent, for the book is "a fixed ladder leading from earthly things to the Holy of Holies...." The thirty steps of spiritual perfection correspond to the thirty years of the Lord's age. When we have completed these thirty steps, we will find ourselves with the righteous and will not stumble. The Ladder begins with renunciation of the world, and ends with God, Who is love (1 John 4:8). Although the book was written for monks, any Christian living in the world will find it an unerring guide for ascending to God, and a support in the spiritual life.

In The Ladder St John describes the ascent toward spiritual perfection, which is essential for anyone who wishes to save his soul. It is a written account of his thoughts, based on the collected wisdom of many wise ascetics, and on his own spiritual experience. The book is a great help on the path to truth and virtue.

The steps of The Ladder proceed gradually from strength to strength on the path of perfection. The summit is not reached suddenly, but gradually, as the Savior says: "The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matt.11:12).

St John is also commemorated on the fourth Sunday of Great Lent.

St. Gregory Palamas

The teaching of St Gregory is so fundamental to Orthodoxy that he is especially commemorated each year on the second Sunday of Great Lent as well as on November 14. Bishop Kallistos observes in the English edition of the Philokalia, “his successful defence of the divine and uncreated character of the light of Tabor...[is] seen as a direct continuation of the preceding celebration, as nothing less than a renewed Triumph of Orthodoxy.”

The son of a prominent family, St Gregory was born (1296) and raised in Constantinople. At about age twenty, he abandoned a promising secular career to become a monk on Mount Athos. (His family joined him en masse: two of his brothers went with him to the Holy Mountain; at the same time his widowed mother, two of his sisters, and many of the household servants also entered monastic life.) He spent the next twenty years living as a hermit, spending five days a week in complete solitude, then joining the brethren on weekends for the Divine Liturgy and its accompanying services.

Around 1335 he was called to live a much more public life in defense of the faith and spirituality of the Church. A Greek living in Italy, Barlaam the Calabrian, had launched an attack on the hesychastic spirituality of the Church. Fundamentally, Barlaam denied that man can attain to a true vision of God Himself, or true union with Him, in this life. Gregory, recognizing in this an attack on the Christian faith itself, responded. He even left the Holy Mountain and re-settled in Constantinople so as better to wage the struggle, which had become so public that a Church Council was called to settle the issue. St Gregory's views were affirmed, and Barlaam's condemned, at the Council of Constantinople of 1341.

Though Barlaam himself returned to Italy, a series of his followers continued the attack, eventually resulting in two more Councils in 1347 and 1351, both of which affirmed the hesychasts' position. Metropolitan Hierotheos (The Mind of the Orthodox Church) writes that these councils have “all the marks of an Ecumenical Council;” This, along with the fact that St Gregory's views are affirmed in the Synodikon of Orthodoxy (appointed to be read in churches every Sunday of Orthodoxy), and his commemoration every second Sunday of Great Lent, makes clear that his teaching is a basic and indispensable part of the Orthodox Faith.

In 1347 St Gregory was consecrated Metropolitan of Thessaloniki, where he served until his repose. (He spent a year of this period as the prisoner of Turkish pirates). Despite (or due to?) his austere monastic background, he was revered by his flock: immediately after his repose in 1359, popular veneration of him sprang up in Thessaloniki, Constantinople and Mt Athos and, in 1368, only nine years after his death, the Church officially glorified him as a saint.

St Gregory was always clear that unceasing mental prayer is not a special calling of monastics, but is possible and desirable for every Christian in every walk of life.

St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Jerusalem, was born in Jerusalem around the year 313-315 and was raised in strict Christian piety. Upon reaching the age of maturity, he became a monk, and in the year 346 he became a presbyter. In the year 350, upon the death of Archbishop Maximus, he succeeded him on the episcopal throne of Jerusalem.

As Patriarch of Jerusalem, St.Cyril zealously fought against the heresies of Arius and Macedonius. In so doing, he aroused the animosity of the Arian bishops, who sought to have him deposed and banished from Jerusalem.

There was a miraculous portent in 351 at Jerusalem: at the third hour of the day on the Feast of Pentecost, the Holy Cross appeared in the heavens, shining with a radiant light. It stretched from Golgotha above the Mount of Olives. St Cyril reported this portent to the Arian emperor Constantius (351-363), hoping to convert him to Orthodoxy.

The heretic Acacius, deposed by the Council of Sardica, was formerly the Metropolitan of Caesarea, and he collaborated with the emperor to have St Cyril removed. An intense famine struck Jerusalem, and St Cyril expended all his wealth in charity. But since the famine did not abate, the saint pawned church utensils, and used the money to buy wheat for the starving. The saint's enemies spread a scandalous rumor that they had seen a woman in the city dancing around in clerical garb. Taking advantage of this rumor, the heretics forcibly expelled the saint.

When the emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363) ascended the throne he repealed all the anti Orthodox decrees of Constantius, seemingly out of piety. St Cyril returned to his own flock. But after a certain while, when Julian had become secure upon the throne, he openly apostasized and renounced Christ. He permitted the Jews to start rebuilding the Temple of Jerusalem that had been destroyed by the Romans, and he even provided them part of the funds for the building from the state treasury.

St Cyril predicted that the words of the Saviour about the destruction of the Temple down to its very stones (Luke 21:6) would undoubtedly transpire, and the blasphemous intent of Julian would come to naught. Soon there was such a powerful earthquake, that even the solidly set foundation of the ancient Temple of Solomon shifted in its place, and what had been rebuilt fell down and shattered into dust. When the Jews resumed construction, a fire came down from the heavens and destroyed the tools of the workmen. Great terror seized everyone. On the following night, the Sign of the Cross appeared on the clothing of the Jews, which they could not remove by any means.

In 381 St Cyril participated in the Second Ecumenical Council, which condemned the heresy of Macedonius and affirmed the Nicea-Constantinople Symbol of Faith (Creed). In 348, St. Cyril explained the holy doctrine of the Church in several homilies, of which twenty-five have come down to us. St Cyril's works include twenty-three Instructions (Eighteen are Catechetical, intended for those preparing for Baptism, and five are for the newly-baptized) and two discourses on Gospel themes: "On the Paralytic," and "Concerning the Transformation of Water into Wine at Cana." At the heart of the Catechetical Instructions is a detailed explanation of the Symbol of Faith. The saint suggests that a Christian should inscribe the Symbol of Faith upon "the tablets of the heart." "The articles of the Faith," St Cyril teaches, "were not written through human cleverness, but they contain everything that is most important in all the Scriptures, in a single teaching of faith. Just as the mustard seed contains all its plethora of branches within its small kernel, so also does the Faith in its several declarations combine all the pious teachings of the Old and the New Testaments." They are considered the most ancient and best exposition of Orthodox teachings.

St Cyril, a great ascetic and a champion of Orthodoxy, died around the year 386-387. St. Cyril of Jerusalem is not to be confused with another prominent St. Cyril of Alexandria (376-444).

St. Patrick of Ireland

Saint Patrick, the Enlightener of Ireland was born around 385, the son of Calpurnius, a Roman decurion (an official responsible for collecting taxes). He lived in the village of Bannavem Taberniae, which may have been located at the mouth of the Severn River in Wales. The district was raided by pirates when Patrick was sixteen, and he was one of those taken captive. He was brought to Ireland and sold as a slave, and was put to work as a herder of swine on a mountain. During his period of slavery, Patrick acquired a proficiency in the Irish language which was very useful to him in his later mission.

He prayed during his solitude on the mountain, and lived this way for six years. He had two visions. The first told him he would return to his home. The second told him his ship was ready. Setting off on foot, Patrick walked two hundred miles to the coast. There he succeeded in boarding a ship, and returned to his parents in Britain.

Some time later, he went to Gaul and studied for the priesthood at Auxerre under St. Germanus. Eventually, he was consecrated as a bishop, and was entrusted with the mission to Ireland, succeeding St. Palladius. Patrick had a dream in which an angel came to him bearing many letters. Selecting one inscribed “The Voice of the Irish,” he heard the Irish entreating him to come back to them.

Although St. Patrick achieved remarkable results in spreading the Gospel, he was not the first or only missionary in Ireland. There were also other missionaries who were active on the southeast coast, but it was St. Patrick who had the greatest influence and success in preaching the Gospel of Christ. Therefore, he is known as “The Enlightener of Ireland.”

St. Patrick founded many churches and monasteries across Ireland, but the conversion of the Irish people was no easy task. There was much hostility, and he was assaulted several times. He faced danger, and insults, and he was reproached for being a foreigner and a former slave. There was also a very real possibility that the pagans would try to kill him. Despite many obstacles, he remained faithful to his calling, and he baptized many people into Christ.

By the time he established his Episcopal See in Armargh in 444, St. Patrick had other bishops to assist him, many native priests and deacons, and he encouraged the growth of monasticism.

St. Patrick is often depicted holding a shamrock, or with snakes fleeing from him. He used the shamrock to illustrate the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Its three leaves growing out of a single stem helped him to explain the concept of one God in three Persons.

Orthodoxy Sunday: A Day to Contemplate Our Faith

Across the land this day, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, an unusual event takes place in many churches. Faithful from the various jurisdictions gather to observe the victory of the Church over heresy and over those who opposed the presence of icons at worship.

The pious custom at many of these services is to have the faithful solemnly recite the Nicene Creed, compiled over sixteen hundred years ago, which contains the basic truths of the Christian religion. Then the faithful go on to proclaim: “This is the Faith of the Apostles, this the Faith of the Fathers …” And so in our bulletin this day we have a unique rendering of the apostolic group, indicating that the Church of Christ is founded on the Faith of the Apostles, and that the Church has preserved this apostolic treasure untrampled through the centuries.

The Apostles were a select group. Christ Himself picked them and trained them, prepared them to carry on the work of His Church. When one of the group members proved unfaithful and departed, the eleven met to select a successor and keep the group intact. To this day, we look upon the Episcopate, the body of our Bishops, as successors of the Apostles and witness of the true Faith.

As we appreciate our religious heritage of the past, let us rededicate ourselves on this day to live the Christian Faith in the future. This is the best way to observe Orthodoxy Sunday.
The Orhtodox Weekly Bulletin …… Vestal, Cliffwood, New Jersey …… Litho in USA

"TAKE AND EAT ..."

Every Sunday, our Holy Orthodox Church offers us a remarkable spiritual experience: the Divine Liturgy. Week after week, we find ourselves surrounded by God's saints depicted in our parish's iconography as we listen to the Word of God and join in with the singing of our sacred hymns. As awesome as all of this is, it is greatly overshadowed by the most important aspect of the Divine Liturgy: the reception of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. At every Divine Liturgy, we are invited to “come forward with faith and with love” and partake of this Sacrament for the healing of our soul and body, for the remission of our sins and for life everlasting.

Christ Himself instituted the Divine, Life-creating Mystery of Holy Communion at the Last Supper. That fateful evening, He broke bread and offered it to His Apostles, saying: “Take and eat, this is My Body which is broken for you ...” and gave them the cup saying: “All of you drink of this, this is My Blood of the New Testament ...” At last, the Apostles understood what their Master meant when He taught that “unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you have no life in you.” (John 6:53) Far from being a mere symbolic gesture, our Holy Orthodox Church instructs us that at every Divine Liturgy, we find ourselves RELIVING the Mystical Supper as bread and wine is miraculously transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ by the Holy Spirit.

The importance of the frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist should not be lost on us. Our Lord tells us plainly that eternal life is found through Holy Communion. May all Orthodox Christians respond positively to our Lord's offer to be united with Him in this most special way.

Orthodox Weekly Bulletin . . . . . . . Vestal, Cliffwood, New Jersey . . . . . . . Litho in U.S.A.

St. Photini

QUENCHING THE THIRST OF A PARCHED SOUL
It was a long, rugged journey from Judea to Galilee -a journey that necessitated traveling through the region of Samaria. It is no wonder that our Lord, weary from such a grueling trip, paused to rest in the heat of the noonday sun at a well in the village of Sychar. His Divine Body was in need of water, but as this morning's lengthy Gospel lesson relates, Christ encounters someone with a far greater "thirst." A Samaritan Woman comes to draw water from the well, and Jesus strikes up a conversation with her. If only the Pharisees could see Him now! Not only was Christ talking to a Samaritan - bitter enemies of the Jews - but a woman no less! This just wasn't something that would have been deemed as "politically correct" at this point in time. Our Lord, however, cared little for the norms of society - He was much more concerned with changing the direction of the life of a soul that had gone astray.

As this fascinating dialogue between them unfolds at the well, we soon understand that the Samaritan Woman has had a troubled past. She has had five husbands, and currently is living with another man. But rather than judge her for her moral shortcomings, Christ sees her as someone who is searching for something. He knows what that "something" is: it is the "living water" that only He could offer and provide. It didn't matter if she were a woman or if she were a Samaritan. Jesus saw her as a child of God seeking the Messiah. By the end of their conversation, the woman knew, indeed, that she was speaking to the One for Whom the world had been waiting.

The Samaritan Woman would one day be known as St. Photini, which means "the enlightened one." She would go on to be a great missionary, proclaiming to the world the Gospel of Jesus Christ which she learned at the town well in Sychar one fateful day.

THE FIRST EVANGELIST
The story of the Samaritan Woman is one that is familiar to all of us. While passing through the town of Sychar, Christ is weary from His journey and sits at the town well while His Apostles go into the city to buy food. He strikes up a conversation with a woman and before their verbal exchange is completed, she fully understands that she is speaking to the Messiah: the One Who can offer her “living water.”

The tradition of the Holy Orthodox Church is that this Samaritan Woman, later baptized and given the name “Photini” meaning “the enlightened one”, was the first person to evangelize, or spread the news about Christ. This is based on the words of John 4:39, “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified: ‘He told me all that I had ever done.’” Along with her two sons and five daughters, Photini went to Carthage, where she preached the Good News of Christ’s Resurrection. They were soon arrested and taken to Rome, where the Emperor Nero placed the men in prison and had Photini and her daughters enslaved in his imperial court. Photini and her family were tortured relentlessly by the ruthless ruler. Still, their faith never wavered, and their examples caused others to convert to Christianity as well. Eventually, Photini and her children were all martyred. Ironically, Photini met her end by being thrown down a well, refusing until her dying breath to renounce the Saviour she had met at a well many years before.

Orthodox Weekly Bulletin ......... Vestal, Cliffwood, New Jersey ......... Litho in U.S.A.

Hieromartyr Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna

He was born at Ephesus around the year 70. St Irenaeus of Lyons, his disciple, says that St Polycarp was “a disciple of the Apostles and acquainted with those who had seen the Lord.” His parents died as martyrs, and he was given into the care of a devout lady named Callista. As a child, the Saint was so eager to follow the commandments of Christ that he repeatedly emptied his foster-mother's pantry to feed the poor. Since her supplies were always miracu­lously renewed, Callista changed his name from Pancratius to Polykarpos, meaning “Much fruit.”

When grown, Polycarp became a disciple of St John the Theologian, and in time became Bishop of Smyrna; it is told that the messages to the Church at Smyrna in the Book of Revelation are addressed to St Polycarp and his flock. He knew St Ignatius of Antioch person­ally, and some of their correspondence is preserved.

Polycarp led his Church in holiness for more than fifty years, and became known throughout the Christian world as a true shepherd and standard-bearer of the Faith. About the year 154 he traveled to Rome and consulted with Pope Anacletus on the defense of the Faith.

Not long after he returned to Smyrna, a fierce persecution was unleashed against Christians in Asia Minor; along with many others, St Polycarp was arrested, having predicted his immi­nent martyrdom. (The account of his martyrdom that follows is based on eyewitness accounts gathered immediately after his death.)

On the evening of Holy Friday, soldiers burst into the farmhouse where he was staying. The Bishop welcomed them cheerfully, and ordered that a meal be prepared for them. He was granted some time to pray, and for two hours stood commemorating everyone that he had known and praying for the Church throughout the world. His captors sorrowed that they had come to take such a venerable man, and reluctantly took him to the Proconsul. When urged to deny Christ and save his life, the aged Saint replied, “For eighty-six years I have been his ser­vant, and he has wronged me in nothing; how can I blaspheme my King and Savior?” Told that he would die by fire if he did not apostatize, Polycarp replied “You threaten me with a fire that burns for a short time and then goes out, while you know nothing of the fire of the judgment to come and of the everlasting torment awaiting the wicked. Why wait any longer? Do what you will!”

Placed on the pyre, Polycarp lifted his eyes heavenward and gave thanks to God for finding him worthy to share with the holy Martyrs of the cup of Christ. When he had said his Amen, the executioners lit the fire. The eyewitnesses write that the fire sprang up around him like a curtain, and that he stood in its midst glowing like gold and sending forth a delightful scent of incense. Seeing that the fire was not harming him, the executioners stabbed him with a sword. His blood flowed so copiously that it put out the fire, and he gave back his soul to God. His rel­ics were burned by the persecutors, but Christians rescued a few fragments of bone, which were venerated for many generations on the anniversary of his repose.

A Slave Becomes an Apostle

We see the image of a man who experienced a tremendous SPIRITUAL and SOCIAL transformation. ONESIMUS was the personal slave of a distinguished citizen of Colossae named Philemon in the days of the early Church. After stealing from his master’s treasury, it is said that Onesimus fled to Rome. It was in this ancient capital of the Empire that his life would be changed forever!

While in Rome, Onesimus first heard about Jesus Christ through the preaching of the Apostle Paul, who was imprisoned there. Soon he was baptized into Christianity and became a companion of the famous “Apostle to the Gentiles.”

Knowing of Onesimus’ background, Paul was faced with a moral dilemma. He himself preached that “… in Christ, there is neither slave nor free man.” (Gal 3:28) According to Roman law, however, Onesimus still belonged to Philemon! Scriptures tell us that St. Paul sent Onesimus back to Colossae with a special letter to Philemon, which would later become a part of the canonical books of the New Testament. In his epistle, Paul urges Philemon to receive Onesimus with forgiveness as a brother of in the Lord. “Perhaps he departed for awhile for this purpose,” Paul writes, “that you might receive him forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave – A beloved brother.” Deeply moved by Paul’s words, Philemon gave freedom to his former slave.

According to Church tradition, Onesimus later became Bishop of Ephesus. He suffered martyrdom in Rome, like his mentor St. Paul, in 109AD.

The orthodox Weekly Bulletin …… Vestal, Cliffwood, Neew Jersey …… Litho in USA

He Took our Flesh

Dear Son,
Gregory Nazianzen (Gregory the Theologian) talks about Christ who took our flesh.

He took our flesh and our flesh became God, since it is united with God and forms a single entity with Him. For the higher perfection dominated, resulting in my becoming God as fully as he became man … Here below he is without a father; on high he is without a mother: both these states belong to divinity … He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, but when he rose from the tomb he laid aside the shroud … “He had no form or comeliness” (Isaiah 53:2) but on the mountain he shone with a splendour more dazzling than the sun – the foretaste of his future glory.

As man he was baptized, but as God he washed away our sins. He had no need of purification, but he wished to sanctify the waters. As man he was tempted, but as God he triumphed, and he exhorts us to be confident because he has “overcome the world” (John 16:33), He was hungry but he fed thousands and he is “The living bread which came down from heaven” (John 6:51). He was thirsty, but he cried, “If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink,” and he promised that believers should become springs of living water (John 7:37). He knew weariness, but he is rest for ‘All who labour and are heavy laden” (Matt. 11:28). He prays, but he answers prayers. He weeps, but he wipes away tears. He asked where Lazarus has been laid, for he is man: but he raised him to life, for he is God. He is sold, dirt cheap, for thirty pieces of silver, but he redeems the world, at great cost, with his own blood … He was weak and wounded, but he cures all infirmity, and all weakness. He was nailed to the wood and lifted up, but he restores us by the tree of life … He dies but he brings to life, and by his own death destroys death. He is buried, but he rises again. He descends into hell, but rescues the souls imprisoned there.

For your meditation,
Dad

Three Great Stars of the Trinity

When we hear the phrase “Church Fathers,” there are three names that immediately come to our minds: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom. Our Holy Orthodox Church honours these saintly bishops annually on a day referred to as the “Feast Day of the Three Holy Hierarchs.”

The contributions made to the Church by this trio of saints are tremendous in scope. St. Basil was the author of the Divine Liturgy which is still celebrated ten times a year according to our ecclesiastical calendar. He established rules and regulations for monastic communities, and is said to have been the organizer and founder of the first Christian hospital.

At. Gregory was a contemporary of St. Basil. Living during an era when the truths and doctrines of Christianity still faced stiff opposition and attacks, St. Gregory developed a reputation for being a steadfast defender of the faith. His keen perception and heartfelt understanding of the teachings of Holy Orthodoxy earned him the right to be referred to as the “Theologian.”

As his title proclaims, St. John Chrysostom (Golden-Mouthed) was one of the most eloquent speakers the Church has ever known. As Patriarch of Constantinople, St. John spoke out fearlessly against the social and moral wrongs of the time, often provoking the wrath of the Emperor and his family in the process! A prolific writer, many of St. John’s sermons and homilies have been preserved. Many prove to be as timely today as the day they were written. His form of the Divine Liturgy is still celebrated on the majority of Sundays and Holy days in the Orthodox Church.

The Orthodox Weekly Bulletin …… Vestal, Cliffwood, New Jersey …… Litho in U.S.A.

The celebration of the Synaxis of the three great Doctors of the Church, or “Three Satellites,” as they were called, originated in the year 1100 in the days of Emperor Alexis Comnenus. A great quarrel as to which one of these three theologians was the greatest then divided the people of Constantinople. Patriarch John, appointed as arbitrator resorted to fervent prayer to help find a solution. Basil, Gregory, and Chrysostom appeared to him in a dream and told him they were equal before God, and that each one of them had his own personality and genius. A feast honouring all three of them together was established on January 30.

Daily Vitamins for Spiritual Growth by Anthony Coniaris