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Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria & All Africa

All Glory, Honour and Worship to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spiri t, now and forever, and unto the Ages of ages. Amen. Rememberi ng also our Mos t Holy, M ost Pure, Mos t Blessed and Glori ous Lady, Maria, Theotok os, yet Ever Virgi n, together with all the Saints. A nd let us c ommi t our selves and one another and our whole Life to Christ our God. Amen .

6th Sunday After Pentecost

4 August 2013 Tone (5) Plagal 1

6th Sunday of St Matthew: Paralytic & Friends


Feast of The Seven Holy Sleepers of Ephesos: St Maximilian, St Iamblikos, St Martinian, St John, St Dionysios, St Exacustodianos (Constantine) and St Antoninos St Eudokia of Persa St Eleftherios of Constantinple
RESURRECTION APOLYTIKION TONE(5) PLAGAL 1

Ton

sinanarhon Logon Patri ke Pnevmati, ton ek Parthenou tehthenta is Sotirian imon, animnisomen, Pisti, ke proskinisomen. Oti ivdokise Sarki anelthin en to Stavro ke Thanaton ipomine ke egire tous tethneotas en ti Evdoxo Anastasi Aftou.
ER

The

Word, Who with the Father and the Spirit has no beginning, and Who, for our Salvation, was born of a Virgin, let us Faithful Believers hymn and adore. For it was His Good Pleasure to ascend the Cross in the Flesh, and to Suffer Death, and through His own Glorious Resurrection to raise the dead.

FESTAL KONTAKION - THE EV

BLESSED THEOTOKOS

Epi

tou Orous Metemorfothis, ke os ehoroun i Mathite Sou tin Doxan Sou, Hriste O Theos etheasanto. Ina otan Se idosi Stavroumenon, to men pathos noisosin ekousion, to de kosmo kirixosin, oti Si iparhis Alithos, TOU PATROS TO APAVGASMA.

Upon

the Mountain Thou were Transfigured, and Thy Disciples beheld Thy Glory as far as they were able, O Christ our God; so that when they would see Thee Crucified they might understand that Thy Passion was deliberate, and declare to the world that in Truth THOU ART THE FATHERS RADIANCE.

Matins Resurrection Gospel 6 :


O UR R ESURR ECTED L ORD J ESUS C HRIST A PPEARS
TO

Luke 24 : 36 53
BEFORE

H IS H OLY A POSTLES & D I SCIPLES

A SCENDING

TO

H EAVEN

Prokeimenon O Lord, protect us and preserve us - both now and forever! Save us, O Lord, for there is not one Godly man left! The Epistle of St Paul to the Romans 12 : 6 14
OUR LIFE
OF

UNITY

AND

MERCY

IN

CHRISTS HOLY CHURCH

Brethren: having Gifts differing according to the Grace that is granted to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our Faith; or Ministry, let us use it in our ministering; those who teach, in their teaching, those who exhort, in exhortations; those who give, with liberality; those who lead, with diligence; those who show Mercy, with cheerfulness. Let Love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. Be kindly affectionate to one another with Brotherly Love, in honour, giving preference to one another serving the Lord; rejoicing in Hope, Patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in Prayer; distributing to the needs of the Saints, given to Hospitality. Bless those who persecute you Bless and do not curse. W E LIVE OUT OUR F AITHFUL R ELATIONSHIP WITH G OD IN H IS G OD S G IFTS OF D IVINE G RACE as mentioned above, H OLY C H URCH , which is the Sacred Body of Christ, WITH REPRESENT ALL THE INFINITE D IVINE G IFTS OF G RACE that H UMILITY , SOBER TH OUGHTS , AND PROPER USE OF S PIRITUAL God has granted to His Faithful Flock. G IFTS , WHICH ARE GRANTED TO US BY THE D IVINE G RACE OF While a Faithful Believer is Justified by Faith, this F AITH IS G OD THE H OLY S PIRIT . INTIMATELY UNITED T O G OOD W ORKS , WHICH ARE GENUINE Faithful and True Christian Ministry requires us to FUNCTION AND SINCERE EXPRESSIONS OF OUR T RUE F AITH IN AND L OV E TOGETHER IN ALL OUR DIVERSITY combining all our Holy OF G OD . Gifts that have been granted to us by God. F AITH AND G OOD D EEDS OR W ORKS CANNOT BE SEPARATED The Seven Holy Gifts of Divine Grace that St Paul mentioned we cannot have one without the other!! should not be understood as being exhaustive. Instead

The Holy Gospel According to St Matthew


THE FAITH
OF THE

9 : 1 8

PARALYTIC & HIS FRIENDS

At that time, our Lord Jesus got into a boat, crossed over, and went to His own city. Then, behold: they brought to Him a Paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their Faith, He said to the Paralytic: Son, be of good cheer your sins are forgiven you. And at once some of the Scribes said within themselves: This Man blasphemes! And Jesus knowing their thoughts said: Why do you think evil in your heart? For which is easier: to say: Your sins are forgiven you, or to say: Arise, and walk? But that you may know that the Son of Man has Power on earth to forgive sins... then He said to the Paralytic: Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house. And he arose and departed to his house. Now when the multitude saw this, they marvelled and Glorified God Who had given such Power to men. Capernaum was our Lord Jesus Christs own city, having set St Mark and St Luke also mentioned this particular Miraculous up His home base from there. Healing and through their Gospel accounts, we learn As shown by the Healing of the Paralytic, F AITH IS AN how determined the Paralytic and his friends were. INDISPENSABLE AND ESSENTIAL E LEMENT OF S ALVATION In order to be presented to Christ Whom the friends just knew BECAUSE T RUE F AITH IS COLLECTIV E AS WELL AS PERSONAL would Heal his paralysis and being unable to get close and consequently THE F AITH OF T HE P ARALYTIC S FRIENDS to our Lord due to the multitude who filled the house and ALSO HELPED IN HIS HEALING . the courtyard - they carried the pallet with the Paralytic to the roof of the house, made a great hole in the sun baked roof - having established exactly where our Lord

6 T H S UND AY A FTER P ENTECOST 6 T H

OF

S T M ATTHEW B EFORE T RANSFIGUR ATION - T HE P ARALYTIC & F RIEN DS 4 A UGUST 2013

stood - and then lowered the bed safely down to the ground right in front of our Saviour. In this account, THREE S IGNS OF OUR L ORD S D IVINITY ARE EVIDENT :

1. 2. 3.

HE

KNEW THE SECRET THOUGHTS OF THE HYPOCRITICAL S CRIBES AND P HARISEES , H E FORGIVES SINS A D IVINE P OWER THAT BELONGS TO G OD ALONE AND H E H EALS MERELY BY THE D IVINE P OWER OF H IS W ORD !

The Healing Faith of the Paralytic & his Friends


In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: our Lord Jesus Christ instructed the Paralytic who was presented to Him by his four Faithful Friends: ...be of good cheer - your sins are forgiven you. (MATTHEW 9:2) What are our sins that need to be forgiven by God? Our sins are our imperfections and weaknesses of character. Our sins are aspects of ourselves when we either voluntarily or involuntarily fail to fulfil what we were created to be by God. Sins take many forms but they are all rooted in the misuse of our created being. In particular our God-given needs for socialization and security are all too often misused by our self indulgence and greed. When we sin we place ourselves above God. We make ourselves are own god. When we sin we rebel against God and His Divine Will and this conflict of wills is reflected in our conflicts of will with our fellow mankind. Our self-imposed alienation or exile from God due to our wilful wickedness and selfishness simultaneously causes us to become alienated from others. We have been created in the Image and Likeness of God : And God said, Let us make man in Our Image, after Our Likeness. (GENESIS 1:26) Thus our problems in life are due to our conflict with and rebellion against the Image and Likeness of God that exists within us. In other words, when put our own self-indulgent will in opposition to the Divine Image and Likeness of God, we fall into a state of sin or Spiritual Death. Consequently, we become conflicted not only with ourselves and each other, but especially with God because we were created to live in perfect harmony with our Creator and His entire Creation. We were created to humbly and freely submit our free will to the Divine and Loving Will of God, being compelled by our mutual Love. However, by living in a state of conflict with God, others and the Image and Likeness of God within us, our soul becomes sick. Our soul becomes sick due to unrepented sin, which causes us to become alienated or separated from our Creator Who nourishes us with the Life-giving Fruit of the Tree of Life. This lack of Spiritual Nourishment of our soul severely weakens us and, in the worse circumstances of unrepented sin, we can no longer respond to God and all His Goodness and we become Spiritually Paralysed just like the man who was carried to Christ for Divine Healing by his Faithful Friends. When our immortal soul is sickened by our overwhelming sins, we often suffer various types of physical illness as well. This is clearly noted in the Holy Gospels with all the Healings of the blind, the epileptics, the deaf and dumb, the paralytics, etc. At most of these Healings our Lord Jesus Christ specifically stated to those concerned: ...your sins are forgiven you. Thus, before there can be any physical healing there must be a Spiritual Healing. In order to receive this Spiritual Healing those who suffer must first and foremost believe in God and trust in His Divine Powers and Love. This need for Belief or Faith was evident at the Healing of the epileptic son when the father declared to Christ: Lord, I believe! help my unbelief! (MARK 9:24) Once Belief is achieved then action must be taken. The action of Belief is Faith. The Belief in Action or Faith was proved by those four friends who carried their paralysed friend to Christ allowing nothing to prevent them from fulfilling their good intention. However, something we may not notice is the Faith of the paralysed man. St Nikolaj Velimirovic described the Faith of the Paralytic in the following manner: Anyone in his right mind - were he to have no Faith would scarcely allow others to drag him along the streets on his bed and even more important - haul him up onto the roof and then let him down into the house. When the Action of Faith is taken, it is an outward Sign of Repentance or a profound and sincere change of mind. The change of mind that occurs for the sick soul is the genuine acknowledgement or realisation that we cannot live without God. Repentance is the recognition of the brokenness of our soul - the recognition of our imperfections that alienates us from God and from other people. Without Repentance there can be no Forgiveness, no Healing, no Restoration. Repentance is a sacrifice of our self will to Gods Divine, Loving and Benevolent Will. In fact: Repentance is presenting all our imperfections before God - laying them out before Him so as to receive His Divine Forgiveness, His Divine Healing and His Divine Restoration. This is clarified for us by King David in his great Psalm of Repentance - Psalm 50: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.
(PSALM 50(51):17)

Furthermore, we behold an Image of Brokenness as Sacrifice in the Crucifixion of our Lord God and Saviour, Jesus Christ - His broken, bleeding Body offered on the Life Giving Cross as the Most Perfect Ransom for all humanity held captive by the sins of the fallen world. This Greatest, Final and Most Perfect Blood Sacrifice of Christ resulted in the Glorious Resurrection that re-opened for all mankind the Gates of Paradise. The Glorious Resurrection of Christ allowed our corrupted image, Spiritual Brokenness, and imperfections to be Restored, to be Healed by Christs Sacrifice of Himself on the Cross. His payment of the Ransom, has set us free and allowed us all to be Forgiven, Healed and Restored to our natural created beauty of body and soul. And as long as we continue to Repent our habitual sins so that we can return to the Warm Embrace of our Lord, we will hear the wonderful words of encouragement from our Loving Saviour: Be of Good Cheer - your sins are forgiven you! (MATTHEW
9:2)

So my dear Brethren in Christ: be of Good Cheer so that you may come to believe - so that you may come to Faith and Repentance - so that your Brokenness may be Healed by our Lord God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen
ADAPTED & EDITED BY MP: DELIVERED BY FR. MILAN MEDAKOVIC AT HOLY TRINITY SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH ON THE 6TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 2009.

http://frmilan.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/sermon-6th-sunday-afterpentecost/

2.

6TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 6TH

OF

ST MATTHEW BEFORE TRANSFIGURATION - THE PARALYTIC & FRIENDS 4 AUGUST 2013

Obstacles on the Path to the Gospel Part 5


We have to see the difference between the TWO TYPES OF KNOWL EDGE : 1. REASON ABL E , OUTER KNOWL EDGE , which helps us to perceive the outer relations between objects, and 2. C ONTEMPL ATIVE , I NNER K NOWL EDGE , which helps to see the profound essence of things. For instance, beauty can be perceived intuitively, with the help of inner feelings. Likewise, F AITH IN G OD IS INTUITIVE K NOWL EDGE , which arises from a sensitive soul and is accompanied by deep religious emotions. The fact that Belief in God can be called "Knowledge" is clearly confirmed by the words of the Lord: ...And this is Life Eternal, that they might know Thee the Only True God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent." (JOHN 17:3). A similar thought can be found in the Prophet Isaiah: "The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel does not know; My People do not consider. (ISAIAH 1:3). But while scientific-positive cognition requires only reasonable preparation of a certain amount of formal development, the intuitive-spiritual cognition is closely connected with the moral state of the person: IT REQUIRES PURITY OF HEART AND STRICT L IVING . If IT IS UNATTAINABL E for all people, then it is only BECAUSE OF THEIR SINFUL NESS . If SOMETIMES W E SAY AND THINK , THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBL E FOR US TO KNOW G OD , then this happens for three reasons: 1. Because of OUR L ACK OF OBSERVATION AND ATTENTIVEN ESS ; 2. Because of OUR HABIT , instilled in us by contemporary European culture, NOT TO CONTEMPL ATE an object, BUT TO TRY TO
MAKE IT FIT SOME CATEGORY UNDERSTANDABL E TO US ; And because OUR SOUL IS OVERL OADED , LITTERED with a great number of constantly changing impressions and feelings, WHICH PREVEN T US FROM THOUGHTFULL Y OBSERVING LIFE .

Try to look over your life attentively and in it you will see MANY CIRCUMSTANCES , MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS , WHICH ARE USUALL Y PERCEIVED BY US AS ACCIDEN TAL OR UNIMPORTANT , BUT UNDER MORE PROFOUND ANAL YSIS REVEAL , that SOME U NSEEN BUT C ARING H AND , WITHOUT FORCING US , CONSTANTL Y POINTS OUR L IFE TOWARD THE P ATH OF G OODNESS , S AVES AND H ELPS US . Try to remember all these Events, write them down, DEVEL OP YOUR ABILITY TO OBSERVE THEM , and you will possess great factual material, which will give you the ability to BE CONVINCED BOTH IN THE EXISTENCE OF G OD AND IN H IS P ROVIDENCE BY EXPERIENCE . This experimental way is the best and maybe the only means of Knowing God, as St. Basil the Great said, who asserted that WHEN WE SEE THE INFL UENCE OF D IVINE P ROVIDENCE IN OUR LIFE AND TH E L IVES OF OTHERS , THEN WE BEGIN TO KNOW G OD AND TO L OVE H IM . We should not be convinced of Gods Existence through logical conclusions. K NOWL EDGE OF G OD IS GAINED ONL Y THROUGH PERSONAL RELIGIOUS E XPERIEN CE . T HE D IVINE E XISTEN CE CANNOT BE PROVED ; IT MUST BE ONL Y INWARDL Y FEL T . If this does not happen, then there exists some obstacle which prevents one from feeling the Divine Existence. The blind person does not see the stars not because they do not exist, but because his eyes are damaged. Thus, everything said above can be summarized like this: W E CANNOT COMPARE K NOWL EDGE AND F AITH , AS
SOMETHING OBJ ECTIVEL Y TRUSTWORTHY TO SOMETHING SUBJ ECTIVEL Y ARBITRARY AND UNREL IABL E .

3.

The Philosopher, A NAXAGORAS , WHO SET "... THE CONTEMPLATION OF THE STARS ..." AS THE MAIN GOAL OF HIS LIFE , COUL D - WITHOUT AN Y DOUBT - PERCEIVE G OD BETTER , DUE TO TH E VERY CONDITIONS OF HIS LIFE , than any modern factory worker, deafened by the noise of machines, or the "cultural man" with his cinematography, automobiles and every possible type of sport. Deafened by the noise and fuss of our surroundings, WE NOTE NEITHER IN OURSELVES , NOR AROUN D US , THE QUIET MOVEMEN T OF T RUE L IFE . We should STOP AND LISTEN TO THIS INNER LIFE of the world, and L OOK ATTEN TIVEL Y AT WHAT IS HAPPENING WITHIN US AND AROUND US . T HEN WE WOUL D L EARN TO SEE G OD , W HO , according to the words of the Apostle Paul, ...is not far from every one of us: For in Him we live, and move, and have our being. (ACTS 17:27-28).

Faith, as a feeling of assuredness, is the necessary element of any Knowledge. However, one should differentiate between scientific-positive, materialistic, reasonable knowledge and S PIRITUAL -I NTUITIVE , C ONTEMPL ATIVE , PENETRATING INTO THE DEPTH OF LIFE , K NOWL EDGE , WHICH IS F AITH . This is the highest level of Knowledge, which originates from Spiritual Sensitivity and which is inseparable from the exploit of attaining Moral perfection. It is Faith, alone, that with Divine Help leads us closer to God and to Understanding His Holy Gospel.
ADAPTED & EDITED BY MP: ARCHPRIEST SERGIUS CHETVERIKOV HTTP://WWW.PRAVOSLAVIE.RU/ENGLISH/61224.HTM TRANSLATION BYTATIANA PAVLOVA AND NATALIA SEMYANKO ARCHPRIEST SERGIUS CHETVERIKOV, LATERHIERO-SCHEMAMONK SERGIUS, WAS ORDAINED INTO THE GREAT SCHEMA IN THE SUMMER OF 1942, IN THE MONASTERY OF THE VENERABLE JOB IN VLADIMIROVA IN THE CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS. FATHER SERGIUS ALWAYS HAD A GREAT LOVE FOR MONASTICS AND, WHILE HE WAS STILL IN RUSSIA, RECEIVED SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE FROM THE LAST ELDERS OF OPTINA. SOME OF HIS WORKS WERE ALREADY PUBLISHED BEFORE THE REVOLUTION. FATHER SERGIUS REPOSED WHEN HE WAS 78 IN BRATISLAVA, WHERE HE LIVED TOGETHER WITH HIS SON.

Dormition Fast Has Begun


Standing at Thy deathbed, the Apostles cried aloud in wonder: The Palace of the King withdraws: the Ark of Holiness is raised on high. Let the Gates be opened wide that the Gate of God may enter into Abundant Joy, She who asks without ceasing for Great Mercy on the world. Several years ago, I was sharing with an Orthodox Pilgrim the thought that THE D ORMITION F AST AL THOUGH OF SHORT DURATION - IS VERY S PIRITUALL Y I NTENSE - and that hardships seemed to befall us more in those two weeks than in the (sometimes) longer Apostles' Fast.
THE A POSTLES FA ST BEGINS ON MONDAY AFTER ALL SAINTS SUNDAY AND LASTS UNTIL 29 JUNE. THE DURATION OF THIS FAST DEPENDS ON THE A NNUAL DATE OF HOLY PA SCHA AND, CONSEQUENTLY, HOLY PENTECOST.

Without hesitation he responded: Of course! Lent is the hardest, but after Christ, who does the devil hate the most? The Holy Mother of God!

6TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 6TH

OF

S T M A T T H E W B E F O R E T R A N S F I G U R A T I O N - T H E P A R A L Y T I C & F R I E N D S 4 A U G U S T 2 0 1 3 3.

And how true that is, indeed! O FTEN TH E D ORMITION F AST CATCHES US OFF GUARD and our stubborn flesh groans: But the Apostles' Fast just ended! However, THE D ORMITION F AST IS AN EXTREMEL Y IMPORTANT F AST . It may certainly be a short and intense Fast, but it offers us AN EXCEL L ENT OPPORTUNITY FOR S PIRITUAL E XERCISE IN STRICT S EL F - DENIAL AND S EL F D ISCIPLINE . First and foremost, WE KEEP THE SHORT BUT STRICT D ORMITION F AST WITH CAREFUL ATTEN TION BECAUSE WE L OVE OUR L ADY T HEOTOKOS , who always helps us, Loves us, attends to our needs, and with the boldness of a Mother, she Intercedes with her Son on our behalf - not because He may be unaware of our needs, but because it is what a Loving Mother does! The Ever Blessed, All Holy Mother of God is THE F OREMOST OF ALL THE H OL Y S AINTS . Our Most Honourable Lady is THE F IRST OF AL L C HRISTIANS . She is THE C HOSEN O N E OF G OD . She is the B URNING B USH that was not consumed by the Divine Fire. She is the H OL Y A RK , THE H OL Y T ABERNACL E , THE H OL Y C HALICE AND THE H OL Y G ATEWAY TO OUR E TERNAL S AL VATION . O UR H OL Y M OTHER L OVES US UN CONDITIONALL Y SIMPL Y BECAUSE W E ARE H ER S ON ' S F AITHFUL D ISCIPL ES . She Loves everything and everyone whom He Loves. B Y HONOURING H ER , WE HONOUR OUR L ORD AND S AVIOUR , J ESUS C HRIST - and because of our devotion to Him, we also honour Her our Most Perfect, Holy Example of Humility and Obedience to God. Furthermore, we faithfully and properly observe the Dormition Fast with diligence because Satan and his demons hate Her whom we Love as much as they hate us and seek our destruction. They obsessively desire Her dishonour and abandonment - and, even worse, they crave Her Holy Role in our Salvation to be entirely forgotten - for THE I NCARNATION OF C HRIST THROUGH H ER MAKES IT POSSIBL E FOR ALL MANKIND S S AL VATION AND D EIFICATION BY MEANS OF OUR A DOPTION AT OUR H OL Y B APTISM AND C HRISMATION BY G OD THE F ATHER INTO S PIRITUAL K INSHIP WITH H IS E TERNAL S ON . We TAKE HEED OF THIS R EALITY EVERY YEAR for after the Resurrection - the powers of darkness despise the Ever Blessed, All Holy and Ever Virgin Theotokos the most. S HE B EL IEVED , S HE WAS S AVED , S HE S UFFERED AND WAS PERSECUTED FOR THE SAKE OF H ER S ON . O UR L ORD J ESUS L OVE FOR H IS M OTHER WOUL D NOT ENDURE THAT S HE SH OUL D EXPERIENCE DECAY IN THE GRAVE , SO H E TOOK H ER DIRECTL Y INTO H EAVEN AFTER HER R EPOSE IN P EACE . During the Dormition Fast each year, we must TAKE
TIME TO READ AND CONTEMPLATE THE ACCOUN T OF THE E VER B L ESSED V IRGIN M ARY ' S R EPOSE AND H ER PHYSICAL ASSUMPTION INTO H EAVEN ,

T HE S PIRITUALL Y B LIND H EBREW L EADERS PL OTTED TO KILL OR DISHONOUR THE B L ESSED V IRGIN because they feared that a following would arise after Her death as it had for Her Son. However, Lightning bolts defeated their evil schemes. Then, DURING THE F UNERAL P ROCESSION A MAN TRIED TO OVERTURN H ER B IER but instantly his hands became frozen to it, and, WHEN HE SCREAMED FOR M ERCY , AN A NGEL OF THE L ORD CUT HIS HANDS OFF WITH HIS SWORD . The terrified Hebrew immediately realised the enormity of his sin and Repented. Being Healed by the Prayers of the Apostles he joined the Burial Procession and together with the other Faithful Christians, he glorified the One True God. Furthermore, having accepted our Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour, he continued to bear witness to the Divine Truth of Christ and the Holiness of His All Pure Mother. T HE A POSTL ES AND THE F AITHFUL C HRISTIANS KEPT A H OL Y V IGIL AT THE SEAL ED TOMB OF OUR L ADY T HEOTOKOS AF TER H ER B URIAL , to ensure that the enemies of Christ and His Holy Mother would not desecrate Her final resting place. T HREE DAYS L ATER , A DISAPPOINTED S T T HOMAS ARRIVED FROM I NDIA AND ASKED TO BE
ALL OWED TO EN TER THE TOMB SO AS TO PAY HIS L AST RESP ECTS TO H ER .

Our Lord Jesus had nick-named St Thomas Didymos (the Twin) due to his being doubleminded i.e. his need to ratify or confirm everything he saw, heard or witnessed. Consequently, S T T HOMAS IS THE A POSTL E WHOM G OD ENABL ED TO CL ARIFY AND CONFIRM THE D IVINE T RUTH THAT IS REVEAL ED TO US . T HE A POSTL ES UNSEAL ED THE TOMB , DESCENDED THE FL IGHT OF STAIRS to where they had laid our Ladys body to rest in Peace. However, TO THEIR UTTER ASTONISHMENT , ALL THEY FOUND THERE WAS H ER M ANTL E AND H ER B EL T (which is currently preserved on Mount Athos.) The month of August is materially and spiritually a time of transition. (In the Northern Hemisphere) the end of summer is in sight, last-chance vacations are squeezed in, and plans are being made for the beginning of school. A UGUST IS A TIME OF L ITURGICAL T RANSITION AS WELL , FOR THE ANNUAL CEL EBRATION OF C HRIST ' S S AL VIFIC J OURNEY ON EARTH IS COMING TO A CL OSE : The Incarnate Son of God was physically enclosed in the Virgin, All Pure and All Holy Womb of Mary, the Ever Blessed Theotokos. Therefore, THE L ITURGICAL C EL EBRATION OF H IS D IVINE , L IFE - GIVING M INISTRY ON EARTH IS AL SO ENCAPSUL ATED WITHIN H ER L IFE and, AS WE BEGIN THE L ITURGICAL Y EAR WITH THE F EAST OF H ER N ATIVITY , IT COMES TO AN END WITH THE F EAST OF H ER D ORMITION .
ADAPTED & EDITED BY MP:

ST. LAWRENCE ORTHODOX CHURCH -FR. THADDAEUS HARDENBROOK - 15 / 08 / 2011

(WHICH

L ORD J ESUS C H RI ST , WAS INTERMENT , WHEN THE SE ALED

ALTHOUGH NOT DIRECTLY WITNE SSED LIKE TH AT OF OUR RE ALISED T HREE DAYS AFTE R H E R TOMB WAS OPENED AND

S T T HOM AS

ENTERED TO PAY HIS LATE RESPECTS TO

H E R .)

THE DORMITION - AND THE EVENTS LEADING UP TO IT touch our soul and Spiritually Energize us. For it
WAS A TRUL Y MARVEL L OUS AND REMARKABL E PERIOD IN C HRISTIAN HISTORY ! A T THE SUMMONING OF OUR B L ESSED L ADY T HEOTOKOS , TH E A POSTL ES WHO HAD BEEN SCATTERED FAR AND WIDE THROUGHOUT THE WORL D , SUDDENL Y FOUND THEMSEL VES CAUGHT UP IN MYSTERIOUS C L OUDS AND SIMUL TANEOUSL Y CARRIED TO J ERUSAL EM TO KEEP V IGIL AT H ER BEDSIDE .

Please note: The Great and Small Paraklesis is conducted alternately every evening from 1 14 August except on Saturday evening. Kindly consult your Parish Priest or your Parish Programme for more details. We must make every effort to attend all these Holy Services, compilations of which are available on our usual internet sites. Copies of these Services may also be emailed directly to you on request to: marguerite.paizis@gmail.com

4.

6TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 6TH

OF

ST MATTHEW BEFORE TRANSFIGURATION - THE PARALYTIC & FRIENDS 4 AUGUST 2013

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria & All Africa


All Glory, Honour and Worship to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and unto the Ages of ages. Amen. Rememberi ng also our Mos t Holy, Mos t Pure, M ost Blessed and Gl orious Lad y, Maria, Theotok os, yet Ever Virgi n, together wi th all the Sai nts. And le t us commi t ourselves and one another and our whole Li fe to Christ our God. Amen .

6 August 2013 The Glorious Transfiguration

FESTAL APOLYTIKION TRANSFIGURATION TONE 4

Metemorfothis

en to Ori, Hriste O Theos, dixas tis Mathites Sou tin Doxan Sou, kathos idinanto. Lampson ke imin tis amartolis, to Fos Sou to aidion, Presvies tis Theotokou, Fotodota, Doxa Si.

Thou

were Transfigured upon the Mountain, O Christ our God, showing to Thine Disciples Thy Glory as much as they could bear. In us sinners though we be shine Thine Everlasting Light, at the Intercession of the Theotokos; O Giver of Light: Glory to Thee!

FESTAL KONTAKION TRANSFIGURATION - TONE (7) VARYS/GRAVE

Epi

tou Orous Metemorfothis, ke os ehoroun i Mathite Sou tin Doxan Sou, Hriste O Theos etheasanto. Ina otan Se idosi Stavroumenon, to men pathos noisosin ekousion, to de kosmo kirixosin, oti Si iparhis Alithos, TOU PATROS TO APAVGASMA.

Upon

the Mountain Thou were Transfigured, and Thy Disciples beheld Thy Glory as far as they were able, O Christ our God; so that when they would see Thee Crucified they might understand that Thy Passion was deliberate, and declare to the world that in Truth THOU ART THE FATHERS RADIANCE.

SECOND FESTAL ANTIPHON TRANSFIGURATION TONE 2

Soson
STIHOS

imas Iie Theou, O EN TO O RI TO T HAVOR M ETAMORTOTHIS , psallontas Si: Allilouia!

O Son of God, T RANSF IGURED UPON M OUNT T ABOR Save


us who sing to Thee: Alleluia

themelii Aftou en ti oresi tis Agiis

Soson

imas Iie Theou, O EN TO O RI TO T HAVOR M ETAMORTOTHIS , psallontas Si: Allilouia!

His Foundations are in the Holy Mountains O Son of God, T RANSF IGURED UPON M OUNT T ABOR
VERSE

Save

us who sing to Thee: Alleluia


VERSE

STIHOS

Agapa Kyrios tas pilas Sion. skinomata Iakov

Iper panta ta

Soson
STIHOS

The Lord Loves the Gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
UPON

imas Iie Theou, O EN TO O RI TO T HAVOR M ETAMORTOTHIS , psallontas Si: Allilouia!

O Son of God, TRANSF IGURED


VERSE

M OUNT T ABOR save

Dedoxamena elalithi peri Sou, i Polis tou Theou. Mitir Sion eri anthropos, ke anthropos egennithi

us who sing to thee: alleluia

Soson
STIHOS

Glorious

Things are spoken of Thee, O City of


UPON

imas Iie Theou, O EN TO O RI TO T HAVOR M ETAMORTOTHIS , psallontas Si: Allilouia! en afti.

God.

O Son of God, T RANSFIGURED


VERSE

M OUNT T ABOR Save

us who sing to Thee: Alleluia!

Zion is our Mother, a man shall say, and such a man was born in her
in Thy Light we shall see Light! Save us, O Son of God Who was Transfigured on Mount Tabor, as we sing to Thee: Alleluia!
CHRIST
ON

Isodikon : Transfiguration

Oti para Si Pigi Zoix, Kyrie, en to Foti Sou opsometha Fos. For with Thee is the Fountain of Life;
Soson imas, Ie Theou, O en to Orei to Thavor Metamorfothis, psalontas Si: Allilouia!

Festal Matins Gospel According to St Luke 9 : 28 - 36


THE GLORIOUS TRANSFIGURATION
OF

MOUNT TAB

OR

At that time, our Lord Jesus took Peter, John and James and went up on the Mountain to pray. As He prayed, the appearance of His Face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in Glory and spoke of His Decease, which He was about to accomplish in Jerusalem. But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His Glory and the two men who stood with Him. Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus: Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three tabernacles: one for Thee, one for Moses, and one for Elijah not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a Cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the Cloud. And a Voice came out of the Cloud, saying: This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him! When the Voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the Things they had seen. THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IS A THEOPHANY 1. Because GOD IS UNCREATED LIGHT, THE BRIGHT CLOUD, THE A MANIFESTATION OR REVELATION OF GOD especially of SHINING OF OUR LORDS FACE as bright as the sun the Divinity of Christ through a display of His AND THE GLISTENING WHITENESS OF HIS GARMENT, ALL DEMONSTRATE THAT HE IS GOD. Uncreated Divine Energy. (In some Holy Icons this Uncreated Light is shown as Therefore the Orthodox Church celebrates the beyond white a blue-white, an ineffable colour Transfiguration of Christ as a major Feast Day. indicating its Spiritual Origin.) SEVERAL ELEMENTS OF THE TRANSFIGURATION SHOW THAT OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IS INDEED BOTH MESSIAH (ANOINTED 2. GOD THE FATHER BEARS WITNESS FROM HEAVEN CONCERNING SAVIOUR) AND GOD: HIS BELOVED ETERNAL SON.

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He does not say: This has become My Son, but This IS My Son... indicating that THIS DIVINE GLORY BELONGS TO
CHRIST DUE TO HIS DIVINE, ETERNAL NATURE.

From Eternity infinitely before His Baptism and Transfiguration HE IS GOD THE SON OF GOD THE FATHER
FULLY SHARING IN THE DIVINE ESSENCE AND ATTRIBUTES OF THE ETERNAL FATHER. OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IS TRULY THE ETERNAL SON OF GOD THE FATHER HE IS CERTAINLY GOD OF GOD. 3. THE TRANSFIGURATION NOT ONLY PROCLAIMS CHRISTS DIVINE SONSHIP, BUT ALSO FORESHADOWS HIS FUTURE GLORY

The Holy Apostles were able to understand our Lords words when He said Elijah has come already REFERRING TO ST JOHN THE BAPTIST AND FORERUNNER to Christ. (MATTHEW 17:12) Their eyes had been opened to the fact that MALACHIS PROPHESY REFERRED TO ONE WHO WOULD COME in the spirit and power of Elijah RATHER THAN TO ST ELIJAH HIMSELF. (LUKE
1:17)

5. Finally, THE HOLY TRINITY IS REVEALED HERE, for CHRIST IS


TRANSFIGURED, GOD THE FATHER SPEAKS FROM HEAVEN TESTIFYING TO THE AUTHENTICITY OF OUR LORD JESUS DIVINE SONSHIP AND THE HOLY SPIRIT IS PRESENT IN THE FORM OF A DAZZLING UNCREATED LIGHT surrounding our

when He as the long awaited Messiah ushers in the Eternal Heavenly Kingdom of Love, Peace and Joy the Kingdom of Eternal Life in Christ. The Bright Cloud recalls Temple Worship and the Mysterious Cloud that went before the Israelites during their travels in the Wilderness before they arrived at the Promised Land THE VISIBLE SIGN OF THE EXTRAORDINARY DIVINE
PRESENCE.

Lord and overshadowing the Holy Apostles as well as the entire Mount Tabor. CHRISTS DECEASE (Greek: Exodus Departure) is a reference to His forthcoming Death, which WAS
INTIMATELY CONNECTED TO THE GLORY OF HIS TRANSFIGURATION FOR OUR LORD IS GLORIFIED THROUGH HIS CRUCIFIXION DEATH. (JOHN 12:23) In the Liturgical Cycle, THE FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION IS FORTY DAYS BEFORE THE FEAST OF THE HOLY CROSS ON 14 SEPTEMBER, SHOWING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN CHRISTS GLORY AND HIS CROSS. The term Exodus reveals that CHRISTS PASSION IS A FULFILMENT OF THE OLD COVENANT PASSOVER AND IS THE TRUE EXODUS FROM THE SPIRITUAL ENSLAVEMENT OF SIN INTO THE FREEDOM OF OUR ETERNAL SALVATION IN CHRIST JESUS. This Revelation of Divine Power also confirms that OUR LORDS DEATH ON THE CROSS WAS NOT IMPOSED ON HIM BY OUTSIDE FORCES, BUT WAS A VOLUNTARY OFFERING OF HIS DIVINE LOVE FOR THE SAKE OF THE SALVATION OF ALL MANKIND. Furthermore, NO ARRESTING SOLDIER COULD HAVE WITHSTOOD SUCH GLORY IF GOD HAD NOT CONSENTED AND ALLOWED IT TO HAPPEN IN ORDER TO FULFIL ALL THAT WAS NECESSARY FOR OUR SALVATION AND SPIRITUAL RESTORATION TO THE DIVINE GRACE OF ALMIGHTY GOD. (MATTHEW 26:53) EVERYTHING GOD PERMITS IS FOR OUR IMMORTAL BENEFIT due to

St Peter saw this as A SIGN THAT THE KINGDOM OF GOD HAD COME and knowing that the Feast of Tabernacles is the Feast of the awaited Kingdom, he asked permission from Christ to erect the Festal Booths tabernacles for each of them, which was the usual practise 4.
SYMBOLISING THE DWELLING OF GOD AMONGST HIS JUST AND FAITHFUL SOULS IN THAT ETERNAL KINGDOM. ST MOSES REPRESENTS THE LAW OF GOD AND ALL WHO HAD ALREADY DIED, WHILE ST ELIJAH REPRESENTS THE HOLY PROPHETS OF GOD AND since he himself did not experience Death ALL THOSE WHO ARE ALIVE IN CHRIST.
LIVING AND THE DEAD ALL BEAR WITNESS TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST AS THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE MESSIAH Who is THE FULFILMENT OF THE ENTIRE OLD COVENANT WITH GOD. presence of St Moses and St Elijah also manifested THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS. (HEBREWS 12:1)

Their presence shows that THE HOLY LAW AND THE PROPHETS THE

The

Both Holy Men were immediately recognisable and they conversed with our Lord Jesus.

His infinite Love for us. In the Festal Kontakion of Transfiguration, we sing: Thy Disciples beheld Thy Glory as far as they could bear it, so that when they saw Thee Crucified, they would understand that Thy Suffering was voluntary.

The Second Epistle of St Peter


PARTAKERS
OF

1 : 10 19

DIVINE NATURE

To those who have obtained similar Precious Faith with us by the Righteousness of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ: Brethren: be even more diligent to make your Call and Election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an Entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. For this reason I will not be negligent to remind you always of these things, although you know and are established in the present Truth. Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. Furthermore I will be careful to ensure that you always have a reminder of these things after my decease. For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the Power and Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His Majesty. For He received from God the Father Honour and Glory when such a Voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I Am well pleased. And we heard this Voice, which came from Heaven, when we were with Him on the Holy Mountain. And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a Light that shines in a dark place, until the Day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts... THE PRIMARY TRUTH WITH WHICH ST PETER DEALT and which he What St Peter repeated concerning the Second Coming of only indirectly touched upon at this point - IS THE Christ is the common APOSTOLIC TRADITION, WHICH IS
SECOND COMING OR REAPPEARANCE OF CHRIST AND HIS EVERLASTING KINGDOM.

People lived in tents while journeying, constantly moving, or at war. So as long as we are in this physical body during this Spiritual Journey towards Eternity, WE LIVE IN
TENTS - TEMPORARY, TRANSPORTABLE STRUCTURES - WHICH BEAR WITNESS TO OUR LONG JOURNEY OF LIFE AND THE ONGOING BATTLE AGAINST ENEMY FORCES OF DARKNESS THAT CONSTANTLY THREATEN US. OUR TEMPORARY PHYSICAL BODIES BELONG TO GOD, having been SANCTIFIED THROUGHOUT OUR LIFETIME WITH THE HOLY MYSTERIES. Thus THEY ARE TO BE RETURNED TO THE EARTH FROM WHENCE THEY CAME ALWAYS BEING TREATED WITH THE UTMOST RESPECT. ST PETER WAS AN EYEWITNESS TO THE MAJESTY OF CHRIST IN MANY WAYS AND HE REMINDS US ESPECIALLY THAT HE WAS PRESENT AT OUR LORDS TRANSFIGURATION ON MOUNT TABOR. THE TRANSFIGURATION
OF OUR

SUPPORTED BY THE EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY OF THE HOLY APOSTLES AND ESPECIALLY THE THREE WHO WITNESSED THE TRANSFIGURATION.

The absolute Truth concerning everything to do with Christ is definitely not an elaborate scheme of fables such as the Gnostics invented and propounded. In all the Holy Gospel accounts, THE TRANSFIGURATION IS
DIVINE AND TRUE PROOF AS WELL AS A FORETASTE OF THE GLORIOUS RETURN (in His physical Form) of Christ in all His

Divine Glory.
THE TRUTHFUL TESTIMONY OF THE HOLY APOSTLES both CONFIRMS THE PROPHETIC WORD the Holy Prophecies AND THE SECOND COMING, AND SHOWS US HOW TO INTERPRET HOLY PROPHECY CORRECTLY AND TRUTHFULLY.

The Holy Gospel According to St Matthew 17 : 1 9


LORD JESUS CHRIST
ON

MOUNT TABOR

At that time, Jesus took Peter, James and John, his brother, led them up a high mountain by themselves. And He was Transfigured before them. His Face shone like the sun, and His clothes

became as white as the light. And behold! Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here; if Thou wish, let us make here three

6.

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tabernacles: one for Thee, one of Moses and one for Elijah. While he was still speaking, behold! A Bright Cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a Voice came out of the Cloud, saying: This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I Am well pleased. Hear Him! And when the Disciples heard It, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit! Brethren: Today our Lord Jesus Christs human Nature was Transfigured by the Holy Spirit, Who Proceeds from the Father, Whose Voice witnessed to His Beloved, Eternal Sons Divine Nature. We are perhaps reminded of another Great Feast Holy Theophany the Baptism of our Lord and the Divine Revelation of the Holy Trinity the three Persons of the One Divine Godhead - when the Divinity of Christ was also witnessed to by God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Both these Great Feasts of our Lord and Saviour are joyfully celebrated as vital aspects of the True and Proper Worship in Christs Holy Church, which have so regrettably been lost to the selfindulgent and rebellious world, where people select or reject the words of Holy Scripture even the Divine Truth that the Holy Spirit proceeds from God the Father alone! This joyful Feast of the Transfiguration of Christ our Saviour reminds us of the following Truths: 1. the human and Divine Natures of Christ are united but unmingled in One Person 2. there is no Unity without the Holy Spirit, and 3. our Saviour is Lord over Life and Death, for both St Moses, who died, and St Elijah, who did not die, worship Him as Lord God. Nevertheless: I would like to point out an aspect of this Great Feast, which is often overlooked: Mount Tabor, where the Transfiguration occurred, symbolises Repentance. Just like the three Holy Apostles of Christ St Peter, St James and St John - in order for us to experience the Glorious Transfiguration or even to hope for our own Transfiguration, we first have to ascend the Mountain of Repentance. Otherwise any degree of personal Transfiguration or any significant change for the better in ourselves and our circumstances is impossible to achieve. Pilgrims who are Blessed to go to Mount Tabor will quickly discover that it is not a mountain at all but rather a very long, sloping hill with many obstacles, rocks and boulders, in the pathway of those who wish to ascend it. And the Way to our personal Transfiguration or Salvation is similar to the route of ascent on Mount Tabor seemingly easy but in fact quite difficult to achieve. No matter how hard we try, we are not guaranteed Eternal Salvation at the end of our Spiritual Journey. Most days of our daily life consist of a swift but extremely arduous ascent towards our ultimate Goal. Our Salvation consists of a long, continuous struggle uphill, which cannot be undertaken quickly or without any effort. Each soul is unique so our Most Wise and Loving Lord God grants each of us a specific lifespan in which to fulfil our Spiritual Journey towards Eternity. Our Salvation Eternal, Blissful Life in His Heavenly Kingdom of Agape is only possible according to our own Spiritual Struggles and our own determination and perseverance, Patience and Longsuffering, which is compelled by our Love of God and a willing eagerness to fulfil His Divine Will.

And Jesus went and touched them and said: Arise, and do not be afraid. When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. Then, as they went down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying: Tell the Vision to no one until the Son of Man is Risen from the dead.

The Transfiguration
Our Spiritual Progress is neither sudden nor dramatic. We are constantly confronted by many obstacles along the way, which should never discourage us but which should draw us ever closer to God and strengthen our resolve to complete the course... To pick up our Prayer books in the morning and again in the evening in order to do our Rule of Prayer, is always a struggle for there are so many distractions and excuses ready to derail our meagre efforts: meals to prepare, trains to catch, phones that ring... Our essential Church Life is indeed made up of numerous little sacrifices with many temptations to resist. There are Prayers to recite, Fasts to be kept, donations to be made, various aspects of maintenance to be done, flowers to be purchased or picked and then arranged, the church to be cleaned, choir rehearsals or Vigil Services to attend, Confession to prepare for... As we now approach the end of the Liturgical Year, we may well consider the quality and quantity of our little sacrifices we have made since this same Feast last year - how far have we ascended our personal Mount Tabor? Have we changed or made any good Spiritual Progress over this last year? What have we done to lead a better life since then? How have we improved? What have we given to God that we did not give Him before? This is our Spiritual Progress so we must examine ourselves closely and contemplate the important question: Have I grown and improved as an Orthodox Christian since last year? In our Faith we are Called to Struggle daily, no matter what rocks or boulders impede our progress no matter whether they are pride or selfishness, lust or discouragement, envy or judging of others. We must never cease our Spiritual Struggles so that we may slowly but surely ascend our personal Mount Tabor. Every step of the way we must fight to achieve our personal Transfiguration and that is why it is so important to regularly partake of the Holy Mysteries of Confession and Holy Eucharist. If we neglect our Spiritual Life in Christ, we will find ourselves adrift and alienated from God and all His Goodness and as we can both ascend and descend a Mountain, so too can we either make Spiritual Progress or fall down, being tripped up by our unrepented sins. Our Spiritual Progress grants us a happy Spiritual Life while Spiritual Regress causes us unhappy Spiritual Death We are Transfigured by the Love of God or we become disfigured by our self-indulgent, destructive love of sin. Let us therefore take heed and strive at all times to offer the Lord our God what He really wants from us our hearts and minds that are making good Spiritual Progress. Amen.
ADAPTED & EDITED BY MP: HTTP://WWW.PRAVMIR.COM/ON-THE-TRANSFIGURATION/

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7.

Why Should We Go To Church Every Sunday? (Part 5)


BY

HIEROMARTYR DANIEL SISOYEV


MORNING , REFRESHED AND READY TO ATTEND THE D IVINE L ITURGY .

People who do not understand at all complain in a similar fashion: Alright. We have to go to Church, but why do we have to go to Church every Sunday? Do we need to be so fanatical about it? To put it briefly, we could say that WHEN OUR C REATOR COMMANDS , H IS C REATION
SHOUL D REACT WITH

A BSOL UTE O BEDIEN CE . The Supreme Ruler of all times has granted us precious Life filled with His Divine Blessings and infinite Providence. Should we in return - with Thanksgiving and Worship not at least give Him four hours out of one hundred and sixty-eight hours of the week? Furthermore, THE TIME WE SP END IN C HURCH IS FOR OUR OWN BEN EFIT FOR THE BEN EFIT OF THIS CURREN T L IFESPAN AND AL SO FOR E TERNITY . When a Doctor prescribes a procedure for us in order to heal us, do we not follow all his recommendations in order to regain our good health? Why then do WE CHOOSE TO IGNORE THE D IVINE T EACHINGS AND C OMMANDMENTS OF OUR G REAT P HYSICIAN W HO AL WAYS H EAL S OUR AILING SOUL S AND BODIES ? Is following the Supreme Will of our Loving and Benevolent God fanatical? According to the dictionary: fanaticism (extreme zeal) is a belief or a worldview taken to the extreme or intolerance to other points of view (e.g. religious fanaticism). What is the extreme degree? If it is something frenzied and ecstatic, then it is very unlikely that those who do attend the Holy Services every Sunday tend to attack people in ecstatic joy or wrath. Sometimes, adhering to common sense is also considered extreme by some people. I F NOT STEALING AND NOT KILLING IS FANATICISM, THEN WE ARE DEFINITELY FANATICS ! I F THE T EACHING THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE T RUE P ATH TO ONE T RUE G OD IS CONSIDERED FANATICAL , THEN WE ARE FANATICS . However, with such an understanding of fanaticism, THE H EAVENL Y K INGDOM WILL BE INHERITED ONL Y BY THE FANATICS , BECAUSE ALL THOSE WHO ARE NORMAL AND LOGICAL ARE DESTINED FOR O UTER D ARKNESS ETERNAL EXIL E AND ALIENATION FROM G OD AND ALL H IS G OODNESS , for our Lord said: I know your works that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My Mouth![REVELATION 3: 15 16] Let us consider the excuses with which we began our discussion: We need our sleep... we need to spend time with the family... do things around the house, etc. And you want us to get up and go to Church... N O ONE FORCES YOU TO ATTEND THE EARLY L ITURGY ( OR IN OUR CASE , THE M ATINS S ERVICE)... N EITHER DOES ANYONE PREVENT YOU FROM spending time with your family on a Saturday evening... and, after the Evening Prayers, GOING TO BED EARLY ENOUGH TO ARISE ON S UNDAY

Nine hours of sleep is enough to restore strength for most people. If it is not enough, you can make it up by taking a nap on Sunday afternoon. A LL OUR PROBLEMS COME NOT FROM GOING TO C HURCH , BUT FROM THE FACT THAT THE R HYTHM OF OUR L IFE DOES NOT CORRESPOND TO THE W ILL OF G OD , and it brings us to a state of exhaustion. O NLY C OMMUNION WITH G OD THE S OURCE OF ALL THE P OWERS OF UNIVERSE CAN R EJUVENATE US BOTH PHYSICALLY AND SPIRITUALLY. It is proven by experience that if you are exhausted by Saturday, S UNDAY DIVINE S ERVICES WILL FILL YOU WITH I NNER S TRENGTH . This Strength is physical, too. For this reason the Ascetics, who spent their lives in inhuman desert environments, lived to be 120 or 130 years old, whereas we can barely make it to 70 or 80. G OD GRANTS S TRENGTH TO THOSE WHO H OPE IN H IM AND WHO SERVE H IM FAITHFULLY . A study was conducted before the revolution in Russia, which showed that GREATER LONGEVITY WAS ENJOYED not by the nobility or merchants, but BY P RIESTS, although they lived in far worse conditions than the first two classes. This is a palpable confirmation of the Benefit of regular attendance in the House of the Lord. A S FOR SPENDING TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY WHAT PREVENTS YOU FROM GOING TO C HURCH WITH THE WHOLE FAMILY ? If the children are too little, then your wife and children can come to Church a little bit later, and then all of you can go for a walk, have lunch, etc. Does this plan have anything in common with spending time together when the entire family is sucked into the TV? O FTEN THOSE WHO DO NOT COME TO CHURCH BECAUSE OF THE FAMILY DO NOT EXCHANGE A DOZEN WORDS WITH THAT SAME FAMILY FOR THE ENTIRE DAY . As for the household chores: THE W ORD OF G OD DOES NOT ALLOW US TO DO ANYTHING ON S UNDAYS BEYOND WHAT IS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY . We must not clean the entire house on a Sunday, or dedicate the day to doing laundry, or canning fruits and vegetables for the whole year. The time of Peace and calm lasts FROM SATURDAY EVENING TILL S UNDAY EVENING . A LL CHORES SHOULD BE POSTPONED UNTIL S UNDAY EVENING . T HE ONLY KIND OF LABOUR that is not only allowed, but PRESCRIBED FOR S UNDAYS AND F EAST D AYS ARE A CTS OF M ERCY : To clean the entire house of an old or sick person, to help in church, to provide food and clothing for an orphan or a large needy family THAT IS THE ONLY TRUE AND G OD - PLEASING WAY OF KEEPING THE L ORD S D AY HOLY.
(...TO
BE CONTINUED...)

ADAPTED & EDITED BY MP: SERMON BY FATHER DANIEL SISOYEV THE NEW HIEROMARTYR OF RUSSIA TRANSLATED BY FATHER SERGII ALEKSEEV WWW.PRAVOSLAVIE.RU/ENGLISH/59882.HTM

The Divinely Inspired & Eternal Wisdom of St John of Kronstadt Glory to Thee, O Lord, our Father, Most Wise Prover of my Love for Thee and my neighbour! Do not leave me without the temptations, which are necessary and beneficial in accordance with Thy Wisdom and Truth not for a single day of my life. May they confirm, strengthen, and increase my Love for Thee and my neighbour, and may I not appear poor and empty before Thy Sight at the Day of Thy Judgement!

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Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria & All Africa


All Gl ory, Honour and W orship to the Father, and to the Son, a nd to the Holy Spirit, now a nd forever, a nd unto the Ages of ages. Amen. Rememberi ng also our Mos t Holy, M ost Pure, Most Blessed and Glori ous Lady, Maria, Theotok os, yet Ever Virgin, together wi th all the Sai nts. And let us commit ourselves and one a nother and our whole Li fe to Christ our God. Amen .

7th Sunday After Pentecost

Tone (6) Plagal 2

1 1 Au g u s t 2 0 1 3

7th Sunday of St Matthew Two Blind Men


Afterfeast of the Transfiguration Feast of St Euplios the Archdeacon & Holy Martyr of Catania St Niphonons of Constantinople & Mount Athos - St Basil & St Theodore, Holy Hieromartyrs of Kiev Near Caves Monastery St Theodosios of Kiev Caves Monastery (formerly Prince Theodore of Ostrog) St Susanna the Holy Virgin Martyr of Rome, St Gaius, the Archbishop & Pope of Rome, St Gabinos the Presbyter, St Maximos, St Claudios, his wife & children, St Praepedigna, her husband and children, St Alexander & St Cutias, the Holy Martyrs of Rome St Passarion the Holy Ascetic of Jerusalem St Mary Synclitika who was healed by the Holy Icon of Christ Not Made by Hands, the Mandylion.
RESURRECTION APOLYTIKION TONE(6) PLAGAL 2

Angelike

Dinamis epi to Mnima Sou ke i filassontes apenekrothisan. Ke istato Maria en to tafo, zitousa to ahranton Sou Soma. Eskilefsas ton Adin, mi pirasthis ip aftou. Ipintisas ti Partheno, Doroumenos tin Zoin. O Anastas ek to nekron, Kyrie, Doxa Si.

The

Angelic Powers were in Thy Sepulchre, and the guards became as dead men, and Mary stood by the Tomb seeking Thy Most Pure Body. Thou led Hades captive, yet were not tempted thereby: Thou Who art the Bestower of Life came to meet the Woman. Glory to Thee, O Lord, Who Rose again from the dead!

FESTAL APOLYTIKION TRANSFIGURATION

TONE (7) VARYS/GRAVE

Metemorfothis

en to Ori Hriste O Theos, dixas tis Mathites Sou tin Doxan Sou, kathos idinanto. Lampson ke imin tis amartolis, to Fos Sou to edion, Presvies tis Theotokos Fotodota Doxa Si!

Thou was Transfigured upon the Mountain, O Christ our


God, showing Thy Glory to Thy Disciples as far as they were able to bear it. At the Intercessions of the Theotokos, make Thine Everlasting Light shine forth also upon us sinners. Thee!

O Giver of Light:

Glory to

FESTAL KONTAKION

- TRANSFIGURATION-( 27 JULY UNTIL 13 AUGUST)

Epi

tou Orous Metemorfothis, ke os ehoroun i Mathite Sou, tin Doxan Sou Hriste O Theos etheasanto. Ina otan Se idosi Stavoumenon, to me Pathos noisosin ekousion to de kosmo kirixosin oti Si Iparhis Alithos, tou Patros to Apavgasma!

Upon

the Mount Thou were Transfigured, and Thy Disciples beheld Thy Glory, as far as they were able to do, O Christ our God; so that when they would see Thee Crucified, they would know that Thou Suffered willingly; and thus proclaim to all the world: Thou art truly the One Who is the Fathers Radiance!

Gospel 7: John 20:1 - 10


ST PETER & ST JOHN WITNESS THE EMPTY TOMB OF OUR RESURRECTED LORD JESUS CHRIST

Prokeimenon Save Thy People, O Lord, and Bless Thine Inheritance. I will appeal to Thee, O Lord our God. The Epistle of St Paul to the Romans 15 : 1 7
CHRISTIAN UNITY
FOR THE

GLORY

OF

GOD

Brethren: we who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please our neighbours for their good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written: The reproaches of those who reproached Thee fell on Me. For whatever things were written before, were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have Hope. Now may the God of Patience and Comfort grant you to be like-minded towards one another, according the Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth Glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, receive one another just as Christ also received us to the Glory of God! T HIS IS ESSENTIAL FOR ALL F AITHFUL D ISCIPLES OF CHRIST "The word BEAR does not mean to put up with, but rather to CARRY TOGETHER . so that those who are strong in Faith lovingly and joyfully IDENTIFY THEMSELVES WITH THOSE WHO G A L A T I A N S 6 : 2 Bear one anothers burdens, and so ARE WEAKER . fulfil the Law of Christ. B Y REMEMBERING OUR OWN SPIRITUAL STRUGGLES AND N OT ONLY MUST WE TOLERATE OR SHARE EACH OTHER S BURDENS WEAKNESSES , WE ARE ABLE TO ENCOURAGE , GUIDE , TEACH BUT WE MUST ALSO CARRY OUR OWN B URDENS BECAUSE AND SUPPORT OTHERS who lag behind us or who go astray BOTH OF THESE ARE ESSENTIAL TO OUR S PIRITUAL P ROGRESS . on this Journey towards Eternity. Furthermore, as Disciples of Christ, WE ARE CALLED BY G OD TO V T HE B OUNTY OF OUR HUMAN H OPE IS TO BE FOUND IN H OLY INITIATE C ARE - GIVING AND A CTS OF L OVE in His Holy S CRIPTURE . Church and especially in the darkened, sad world T HROUGH THE W ITNESS OF THESE D IVINELY INSPIRED as well as ENSURING THAT WE ARE NEVER NEEDLESS BURDENS S ACRED WRITINGS THAT WE LEARN OF THE P ATIENCE TO OTHERS . not only of Israel and the Holy Church of V U NSELFISH , INDISCRIMINATE ACTS OF A GAPE H OLY L OVE Christ, but OF G OD . ARE EXPRESSIONS OF OUR I NNER B EING AND REVEAL A Similarly, it is THROUGH THE S ACRED PROMISES , SMALL RETRIEVAL AND RESTORATION OF OUR LOST S PIRITUAL V ICTORIES AND STRUGGLES that are B LESSED LIKENESS TO G OD . recorded in Holy Scripture that WE FIND T RUE This is IN IMITATION OF OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST W HO C OMFORT , WHICH ENCOURAGES AND INSPIRES US BORE ALL OUR HUMAN WEAKNESSES . TO CONTINUE OUR J OURNEY AND TO TOLERATE ALL

7TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 7TH

OF

ST MATTHEW TWO BLIND M

EN

11 AUGUST

2013

DIFFICULTIES WIT h H OPE AND THE ASSURANCE OF G OD S INFINITE L OVE AND PROVIDENCE THAT MAKES

EVERYTHING POSSIBLE AND ACCEPTABLE FOR US .

THOSE WHO SEEK DIVINE TRUTH GODS TRUTH - NOT MERELY OUR DISTORTE D IDEAS OF TRUTH SHOULD OBTA IN A COPY OF THE ORTHODOX STUDY BIBLE , WHICH IS NOW AVAILABLE WITH BOTH OLD AND NEW TESTA MENTS. THIS PUBLICATION CONSISTS OF THE COMPLETE SE PTUA GINT (I.E. IT INCLUDES ALL THE ORIGINAL HOLY BOOKS OF THE OLD COVENANT FROM WHICH OUR LORD OFTE N QUOTED AND WHIC H PROPHESIE D THE COMING OF CHRIST OUR LORD AND EVERYTHING THA T HE LATER FULFILLED) A S WELL AS EXCELLENT EXPLANATORY NOTE S AND V ARIOUS OTHER RELEVANT ARTICLES AND SUBJECTS. IT IS THE COMPLETE HOLY BIBLE THA T RELATES OUR SPIRITUAL HISTORY FROM THE BE GINNING TO THE END ESSE NTIAL FOR EVERY CHRISTIA N FAMILY AND EVERY FAITHFUL, STRUGGLING DISCIPLE OF CHRIST.

The Holy Gospel According to St Matthew 9 : 27 35


OUR LORD JESUS HEALS TWO BLIND M
EN AND A

DEMONIAC

At that time, two blind men followed our Lord Jesus, crying out and saying: Son of David: have Mercy on us! And when He had gone into the house, the blind men went to Him. And Jesus asked them: Do you believe that I Am able to do this? They said to Him: Yes, Lord. And He touched their eyes, saying: According to your Faith, let it be to you. And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly warned them, saying: See that no one knows it. But when they had departed, they spread the news about Him in all that country. As they went out, behold! They brought Him a man who was mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon had been cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marvelled, saying: It was never seen like this in Israel! And the Pharisees said: He casts out demons by the ruler of the demons! And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their Synagogues preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. According to St Isaiah, THE M ESSIANIC A GE IS SIGNIFIED the ruler of the demons, EXPOSES THE DEPTH OF THEIR WHEN ... T HE EYES OF THE BLIND SHALL BE OPENED , AD SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS AND DEVIOUSNESS because it is THE EARS OF THE DEAF SHALL HEAR . (ISAIAH 35:5) impossible to do so since Satan is obsessed with the T HESE M IRACULOUS H EALINGS ARE E XTRAORDINARY S IGNS consolidation of his evil powers rather than the THAT OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST IS T RULY THE LONG AWAITED destruction of it. M ESSIAH . O UR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST C LEANSED L EPERS , R AISED THE DEAD Furthermore, the fact that THE T WO B LIND M EN ADDRESSED AND R EMITTED SINS BY THE D IVINE AND G OOD P OWER OF OUR S AVIOUR AS S ON OF D AVID ALSO EXPRESSED THEIR THE H OLY T RINITY BY THE W ILL OF THE F ATHER , THROUGH F AITH IN THIS T RUTH THEY INSTINCTIVELY KNEW WITH OUT THE S ON AND A CTIVATED BY THE L IFE - GIVING H OLY S PIRIT ! ANY DOUBT , TH AT H E IS T RULY THE M ESSIAH THE S AVIOUR The evil one and his demons are entirely incapable of OF OUR FALLEN WORLD . doing anything that is so genuinely Good, Merciful, T HE RIDICULOUS AND FALSE AC CUSATIONS OF THE SELF Compassionate or Kind. RIGHTEOUS P HARISEES that our lord cast out demons by

The Seventh Sunday After Pentecost Christs Divine Healing


BY

FATHER MILAN MEDAKOVIC - HOLY TRINITY SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH ( 2009)

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: todays Gospel Lesson concludes with the words: ...And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their Synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and Healing every sickness and every disease among the people. (MATTHEW 9:35) St Matthew made it very clear that C HRIST S W ORK IS THREE - FOL D : TO TEACH , TO PREACH AND TO H EAL . St Nikolaj Velimirovic explained the three aspects of our Lord Jesus Christs Divine Mission: H E TAUGHT - H E INTERPRETED I . E . H E CL EARL Y EXPL AINED - THE SPIRIT OF THE O L D C REATION AND THE O L D L AW . H E PREACH ED - H E L AID THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE N EW C REATION , THE K INGDOM OF G OD , THE C HURCH OF THE S AINTS . H E H EAL ED - H E GAVE TESTIMONY TO H IS T EACHING AND P REACHING BY H IS A CTS . Our Lord did all of this OUT OF H IS L OVE FOR MANKIND . H IS INFINITE , D IVINE L OVE MEETS WITH OUR F AITH SO THAT THERE MAY BE THE M IRACL E OF S AL VATION . Each time our Lord Jesus Christ performs the Miracle of Healing H E ASKS US DIRECTL Y AND SPECIFICALL Y : Do you believe? Do you believe that I Am able to do this? When our Lord asks these two vital questions H E IS KNOCKING AT THE DOOR OF OUR HEART . H E IS WAITING FOR OUR WEL COME AND INVITATION to enter our heart and our Life - SO THAT NOT ONL Y H EALING MAY OCCUR BUT S ALVATION AS WEL L . This is unmistakably described for us in St John the Divine Theologians Book of Revelation the Apocalypse: Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My Voice, and open the door, I will come in to him. (REVELATION 3:20) While the Lord knocks at the door of our heart IT TAKES ACTION OR F AITH ON OUR PART TO WEL COME H IM IN TO OUR HEARTS . W E MUST TH EN AL SO KNOCK AT H IS D OOR AND ASK FOR S AL VATION , which is confirmed by the Words

of our Lord: ... Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (LUKE 11:9) We see both of these aspects of knocking at the Door in todays Sacred Lesson. The first knock concerns the Two Blind Men who persistently called out after our Lord Jesus: Son of David, have mercy on us! (MATTHEW 9:27) Saint Symeon the New Theologian described this knock at the door by the Two Blind Men: He who prays according to the flesh, and does not also have Spiritual Understanding is like the blind man who cried out Son of David, have Mercy on me! But ANOTHER B L IND M AN - WHEN HE RECEIVED HIS SIGHT AND SAW THE L ORD - NO L ONGER SAW H IM AS THE S ON OF D AVID , BUT AS THE S ON OF G OD .
(JOHN 9:35-38)

Thus, ANY KNOCK AT THE DOOR MUST BE TO BRING US TO G OD . For that very reason and Purpose, Christ did not immediately respond to the pleas of the Two Blind Men. Our Lord Jesus did not respond immediately because H E WANTED THEIR THIRST FOR G OD TO INCREASE . The second knock was when our Lord Jesus asked them: Do you believe that I Am able to do this? (MATTHEW
9:28)

Our Lord put this vital question to them so that they might PUBL ICL Y PROCL AIM THEIR A CTION OF F AITH when they answered: Yes Lord! This is a reminder to each of us that OUR F AITH IS NOT MEREL Y PERSONAL NOT SOM ETHING SPECIAL AND UNIQUE THAT W E KEEP ONL Y FOR OURSEL VES . FAITH IS SOMETHING THAT MUST BE PROCLAIMED IN ORDER TO BRING OTHERS TO FAITH. When the Two Blind Men responded with the affirmation of their Faith in Him and His Divine Ability to Heal, they instantly abandoned their fleshly or earthly understanding and embraced a new, vital Spiritual Understanding, which was accomplished when they addressed Christ as Lord.

10. 7 T H S U N D A Y A F T E R P E N T E C O S T 7 T H

OF

ST M

ATTHEW

TWO BLIND M

EN

11 AUGUST

2013

They no longer regarded our Lord Jesus as the Son of David a Hebrew - but as Lord... Son of God THE G OD -M AN , THE S AVIOUR OF THE W ORL D . C ONSEQUEN TL Y , THE T WO B LIND M EN WERE NOT ONL Y H EAL ED OF THEIR PHYSICAL BLINDNESS , BUT THEY WERE AL SO BROUGHT TO S AL VATION . This is confirmed by St Paul in his Epistle to the Romans: ...whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be Saved. (ROMANS 10:13) A LL TOO OFTEN W E seek after God through Miraculous Signs of His Action in Creation and FAIL TO SEE THE S PIRITUAL M IRACL ES THAT OCCUR ALL AROUND US . St John Chrysostom cautioned us: Do not therefore seek Signs, but the souls Health. Seek not to see one dead man raised. Nay, for you have learnt that the whole world is Arising. Seek not to see a blind man Healed, but behold all now restored unto that better and more Profitable
BY

Sight; and do you, too, learn to look chastely, and amend your eye. So my dear Brethren in Christ: SEEK NOT AF TER M IRACL ES . S EEK RATHER AF TER S AL VATION for Christ is knocking at the door of your heart. Open the door of your heart to Him, so that you may ENTER INTO THE N EW C REATION AND RECEIVE TH E S PIRITUAL M IRACL ES THAT WILL CHANGE YOU AND THE WORL D AROUND YOU . Though this change you will accomplish Christs Work to TEACH , to PREACH and to H EAL . Amen
ADAPTED & EDITED BY MP: SERMON BY FATHER MILAN MEDAKOVIC - HOLY TRINITY SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH ( 2009) HTTP://FRMILAN.WORDPRESS.COM/2009/07/26/SERMON-7TH-SUNDAYAFTER-PENTECOST/

Why Should We Go To Church Every Sunday? (Part 6)


HIEROMARTYR DANIEL SISOYEV

We cannot live through winter without canning produce from our garden; therefore we have to spend Sundays in the garden. I think the answer is obvious. Nothing prevents us from going to Church and still being able to do our work in the garden either on Saturdays or later on Sundays. This way OUR HEAL TH WILL BE PRESERVED AND TH E W ILL OF G OD WILL BE HONOURED . Even if there is no Church nearby, WE MUST DEDICATE S ATURDAY EVENING AND S UNDAY MORNING TO P RAYER AND H OL Y S CRIPTURE . Those who do not want to live by the Will of God will harvest Punishment - disappointment and unhappiness. The hoped-for crops will be devoured by locusts, caterpillars, and diseases. When we need rain a drought comes, and when we need dry weather we get a flood. And in this way God alone is revealed as Master of all Creation. O FTEN THOSE WHO TRANSGRESS H IS D IVINE W ILL ,
BRING MISERY AND SUFF ERING UPON TH EMSEL VES AND OTHERS .

On the contrary, those who humbly and faithfully follow the Divine Commandments, are satisfied and fulfilled for God usually grants them unprecedented crops such as, for example, the harvest of the Optina Monastery, which exceeded those of its neighbours fourfold even though the same agricultural technology was used by everyone concerned. Yet another excuse we make is: I cannot go to Church because it is too cold ... it is too hot... it is raining ... it is snowing. So I had better pray at home. However O how strange! These same people who use these excuses are always ready and able to go to the sports stadium to cheer on their favourite teams, or to work in their garden or to dance the night away somewhere far from the comforts of home!! These people find it beyond their strength to go to the House of God to express our Thanksgiving and Worship for all the Blessings of this life even for a few short hours. Bad weather and all the other ridiculous excuses we use are always no more than an exposure of our lack of desire for God and our blatant neglect of our Sacred Duties to both God and our fellow mankind. . Do we really think that God will hearken unto the Prayers of those who are disobedient and unwilling to offer even the smallest of sacrifice for Him?

Equally absurd is the excuse: I do not go to Church because we have to stand for so long and I get tired... my feet or my back aches... Of course, this objection cannot be taken seriously, but FOR MANY REL UCTAN T SOUL S , COMFORT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN E TERNAL S AL VATION . Nevertheless, God does not desire peril even for an outcast, and Christ will not break a bruised reed and will not quench the smoking flax. Pews or chairs are not essential to our worship of God. I F ANYONE IS WEAK OR AILING , NOTHING PREVENTS HIM OR HER FROM SITTING DOWN . Moreover, according to the Rule of Divine Services, at the Festal Evening Service Vespers - the Faithful may sit seven times. And even if all the benches are occupied what stops you from bringing along a folding chair? Nevertheless, we must stand up for the Small Entrance, at the Reading of the Holy Gospel, during the Cherubic Hymn and the Great Entrance, during the Eucharistic Canon and at other significant moments of our Holy Services. This certainly should not pose a problem for anyone. T O THOSE WHO CANNOT GET UP OR STAND DUE TO THEIR HEAL TH CONDITIONS THESE R UL ES DO NOT APPL Y AT AL L . Let me repeat it again: ALL THESE OBJ ECTIONS ARE
RIDICUL OUS AND THEY CANN OT BE ACCEPTED AS A REASON FOR DISOBEYING THE D IVINE C OMMANDMENT .

Another unacceptable excuse is: In your church everyone is so mean and grumpy. The old women hiss and deride people. And you call yourselves Christians? I do not want to become like you and for that reason I am not going to set my foot in Church. People are not usually mean or grumpy. And no one should hiss nor deride others. However, when necessary we should be able to correct those in error but as long as we do so with Love, Kindness and in private and those being corrected, should accept the Guidance in the spirit in which it is intended, rather than become angry and spiteful in retaliation to those who care for them... St Paul reminded the Romans: Who are you to judge another Mans servant? Before his own Lord he stands or falls. (ROMAN 14:4). Such objections would make sense if Priests were teaching us to fight or to squabble. But this is not so. Neither the Bible, nor the Church, nor its Holy Priesthood have ever taught us to behave in such an unkind manner.

7TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 7TH

OF

ST MATTHEW TWO BLIND M

EN

11 AUGUST

2013

11.

On the contrary: in every Homily or Sermon, and in every Hymn and Sacred Lesson we are called to be meek and merciful. Therefore, neither unfriendliness nor disagreement real or imaginary - cannot be an acceptable reason for not attending the Holy Services. We must understand that everyone who comes to Church are not from Mars but from the same world as us where often it is habitual to curse or to use crude expressions or to behave badly. Nevertheless, in Church none of them would speak or behave in a crude manner for even such people realise that we are on Hallowed Ground we are all sinners who have entered the Holy Temple or Sacred House of Almighty God. In the world - for some unhappy people - it is customary to be irritable and to pour out discontent upon others, calling it a fight for justice. Do you think that on entering the Church such discontented people, as if from a touch of a magic wand, would immediately change and become as meek as sheep? No. G OD GAVE US FREE WILL , BUT WITHOUT US MAKING
ANY EFFORT TO IMPROVE OUR CHARACTERISTICS OR PERSONAL ITIES , NOTHING WILL AUTOMATICAL L Y CHANGE WITHIN US AND OTH ERS WILL CONTINUE TO ACT ADVERSEL Y TOWARDS US .

To a greater or lesser degree, we are always in Church so those who spend a lot of time there are regarded as Saints, or deeply religious. They seen and treated in a certain way, while others who seldom attend Holy Services are beheld differently. Sometimes we cling tightly to our Lord, but at other times we might hold only onto His little Finger. However, we must always remember that our only Judge is the Lord our God and not any one of us wretched, struggling sinners.

While there is still time left in our short lifespan, there is Hope for Eternal Salvation. No one can judge an entire movie before it is ended we can only judge what we have already seen only certain episodes. Such episodes are like our Holy Saints and Martyrs the Church Triumphant - and the Holy Church of Christ is judged by these Great Victors certainly not by all those of us who are yet to complete the Journey of our life-spans. Not in vain is it said that ...the end crowns every endeavour. The Church refers to itself as a Hospital (in the Prayer before Confession: Thou hast come to the Place of Healing, may thou not depart unhealed). So how can we expect the Church to be filled with healthy people? There are certainly healthy souls, but they are reposing peacefully in Paradise. The Holy Church of Christ will be revealed in all its True and Wonderful Beauty only when everyone desiring Healing begins to use the Divine Treatment that She offers us. Saints are the best evidence of Gods Healing Power acting in His Holy Church. Therefore, when we enter His Holy Temple, we should not be looking at those around us our fellow struggling sinners. Instead we must concentrate our full attention on the Lord our God and participate in the Holy Services because we have not come to the people in the church but to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
(...TO
BE CONTINUED...)

ADAPTED & EDITED BY MP: SERMON BY FATHER DANIEL SISOYEV THE NEW HIEROMARTYR OF RUSSIA TRANSLATED BY FATHER SERGII ALEKSEEV WWW.PRAVOSLAVIE.RU/ENGLISH/59882.HTM

The Eternal, Divinely Inspired Wisdom of Our Holy Church Fathers St John of Kronstadt
If I, a weak man, when I wish to do anything within the limits of my capability am able to do it (for instance, if I wish to write a book, I write it; if I wish to cure an illness, I cure it; if I wish to make anything, I make itfor instance, if I want to build a house or a church, I build such a house or church; or if I say to another man, "Come," and he comes; "Go," and he goes; "Do this" and he does it) then CANNOT G OD , THE A LMIGHTY , DO EVERYTHING THAT H E MAY DESIRE ? As for our God, He is in Heaven; He does whatsoever pleases Him." If sometimes a man only says two words, that something shall be, and it really comes to pass although, perhaps, not at once, but after a certain timethen WILL NOT EVERYTHING BE DONE AT ONCE THAT IS C OMMANDED BY THE W ORD OF THE C REATOR ? W ILL NOT EVERYTHING THAT H E DESIRES BE DON E AT ONCE AT A SINGL E W ORD FROM H IM ? "For He Spoke the Word, and they were made; He Commanded, and they were created." We are not creators of mankind, yet they do so much at our word; we are not creators of things, yet, in accordance with our wishes and acts, they take thousands of shapes and serve for our innumerable requirements and pleasures. We do not create matter, but we create both great and small objects from matter. C ANNOT , THEREFORE , THE C REATOR , W HO IS EVERYWHERE PRESEN T , AND FILL S ALL THINGS , AT W HOSE W ORD ALL THINGS CAME FROM NON EXISTENCE INTO BEING , BY W HOSE T HOUGHT , BY W HOSE W ILL , AND BY W HOSE W ORD ALL THE
INFINITE VARIETIES OF THINGS WERE CREATED AND EXIST , CREATE AN YTHING H E DESIRES ?

If a human Physician can sometimes bring back to life a half-dead person by means of the knowledge of his profession, and skilful, well-directed action upon the cause of the illness, CANNOT , THEREFORE , THE C REATOR OF P HYSICIANS AND OF THE S CIENCE OF H EALING CURE , AT H IS SINGL E W ISH AND W ORD , EVERY ILLNESS ? C ANNOT THE C REATOR EVEN RAISE THE DEAD AT H IS SINGL E W ORD ? Let us render Glory to Him, we of little Faith, and let us say to Him from our hearts: "All things are possible unto Thee, Lord, and nothing is impossible to Thee. Amen."

St John Klimakos - The Ladder of Divine Ascent The demons of vainglory prophesy in dreams. dreams. B EING UNSCRUPUL OUS , THEY GUESS THE FUTURE But THE DEMONS KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE F UTURE and foretell it to us. When these visions come FROM FOREKNOWL EDGE . For if they did, then the true, we are amazed; and we are indeed elated Sorcerers would also have been able to foretell with the thought that we are already near to the our death. Gift of Foreknowledge. A DEMON is often a prophet to those who believe him, but he IS AL WAYS A L IAR TO THOSE WHO DESPISE HIM . B EING A SPIRIT HE SEES WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE L OWER AIR , and noticing that someone is dying, he foretells it to the more credulous types of people through

12. 7 T H S U N D A Y A F T E R P E N T E C O S T 7 T H

OF

ST M

ATTHEW

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2013

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria & All Africa


A LL G LORY , H ONOU R AND W ORSH IP TO TH E F ATH ER , AND TO TH E S ON , AND TO TH E H OLY S PIRI T , NOW AND FOREVER , AND U NTO TH E A GES OF AGES . A M EN . R EM EM BERING ALSO OU R M OST H OLY , M OST P U RE , M OS T B LE SSED AND G LORIOU S L ADY , M ARIA , T H EOTOKOS , YET E VE R V IRG IN , TOGET H ER WITH ALL TH E S A INTS . A ND LE T U S C OMM IT OU RSELVES AND ONE ANOTH ER AND OU R WH OLE L IFE TO C H RIST OU R G OD . A M EN .

15 August 2013 Dormition of our Lady, the Ever Blessed Theotokos


FESTAL APOLYTIKION DORMITION
OF

EVER BLESSED THEOTOKOS

En

ti Gennisi tin Parthenian efilaxas. En ti Kimisi ton kosmon ou katelipes Theotoke. Metestis pros tin Zoin, Mirtir iparhousa tis Zois. Ke tes Presvies tes ses litromeni, ek Thanatou tas psihas imon

In

giving Birth, O Theotokos, Thou has retained Thy Virginity, and in Falling Asleep, Thou has not forsaken the world. Thou who art the Mother of Life has passed over into Life, and by Thy Prayers Thou delivers our souls from Death. Wherefore, by Thine Intercessions, deliver our souls from Death

FESTAL KONTAKION DORMITION

OF THE

EV

ER

BLESSED THEOTOKOS

Tin

en Presvies akimiton Theotikon, ke prostasies ametatheton Elpida, ta Fos ke nekrosis ouk ekratisen. Os gar Zois Mitera, pros tin Zoin metestisen, O M ITRA N
IKISAS

Neither

A IPARTHENON .

the Tomb nor Death had power over the Theotokos, who is Ever Watchful in Her Prayers and in whose Intercession lies Unfailing Hope. For as the Mother of Life She has been Transported into Life by Him W H O DWELT W ITHI N HER E VE R V IRGIN W O MB .

Matins Gospel According to St Luke 1 : 38 49 & 56


THE VISITATION

At that time, Mary said: Behold the Maidservant of the Lord! Let is be to me according to Thy Word. And the Angel departed from Her. Then Mary arose and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leapt in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she spoke out with a loud voice, saying: Blessed art Thou among women, and Blessed is the Fruit of Thy Womb! But why is this grant to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of Thy Greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leapt in my womb with Joy. Blessed is She Who believed, for there will be a fulfilment of those Things that were told Her from the Lord! And Mary said: My soul Magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour! For He has regarded the lowly state of His Maidservant. For behold! Henceforth all generations will call me Blessed. For He Who is Mighty has done great things form me, and Holy is His Name... ... And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house. H EART AND S OUL UP T O G OD AND DREW EVER CLOSER TO The Ever Blessed Virgin Marys faithful response to the H IM BY H ER H UMBLE O BEDIENCE TO H IS D IVINE W ILL IN ALL Annunciation of Archangel Gabriel was that of THE MATTERS . HIGHEST DEGREE OF H UMILIT Y AND O BEDIENCE TO G OD . V T HE I NCARNATION OF G OD THE S ON IS NOT ONLY THE S HE WAS EVER W ATCHFUL AND RESISTED TEMPTATION , preferring D IVINE W ORK OF A LMIGHTY G OD , BUT IT ALSO to remain in His Divine Grace. INVOLVED THE FREE AND WILLING RESPONSE OF As St Theophilact of Bulgaria put it, Her response to God was MANKIND IN THE H OLY AND DEV OUT PERSON OF S T always as though she said: I AM A ( WRITING ) TABLET ; LET M ARY THE E VER B LESSED , A LL H OLY T HEOT OKOS . THE W RITER INSCRIBE WHATEVER H E DESIRES ON ME . Although Eve once disobeyed the Lord our God, S T M ARY In other words, Her attitude to God was always: L ET IT BE INSTANTLY AND VOLUNTARILY OBEYED H IS D IVINE W ILL ACCORDING TO T HY W ILL AND NOT MY WILL , O L ORD ! V AS SOON AS CHRIST BECAME INCARNATE, HOLY which She has always done, since Her very early PROPHECY RESUMED IN ISRAEL. childhood. And although Eve - through her wilful disobedience by God had silenced His Holy Prophets for many years and even permitted an illegitimate usurper occupy the position of breaking the one Divine Commandment - had alienated King of Judea. and distanced herself from God exile and alienation caused by sin our E VER B LESSED L ADY OPENED H ER

DORMITION

OF OUR

EV

ER

BLESSED LADY THEOTOKOS

15 AUGUST 2013

13

A ND IN THE LAST DAYS BEFORE THE C OMING OF C HRIST , G OD ALSO SILENCED S T Z ACH ARIAH , THE H IGH P RIEST . W ITH THESE THREE SIGNIFICANT ROLES BEING VAC ANT , ILLEGITIMATE AND SILENT , ALL WAS READY FOR THE S ON OF G OD TO BE REVEALED AS OUR D IVINE AND E TERNAL P ROPHET , K ING AND H IGH P RIEST . Compelled by Her wonder and great Joy at Her Divine Conception, St Mary went to her beloved aunt, St Elizabeth, the sister of her late mother, St Anna. A T THE SOUND OF H ER G REETING , THE B LESSED S T J OHN - AS A
TINY SIX MONTH BABY STILL DEVELOPING IN THE WOMB OF HIS MOTHER PROPHESIED THE D IVINE P RESENCE OF G OD I NCARNATE BY LEAPING FOR J OY . B ECAUSE S T J OHN IS G OD S H OLY P ROPHET , HIS RECOGNITION OF C HRIST while they were still both in the wombs of their respective mothers, FULFILLED S T J EREMIAH S H OLY P ROPHESY :

IN THIS DAY AND AGE, INFERTILE COUPLES REGARD THE DIVIDING CELLS FROM THE MOMENT OF CONCEPTION OR FERTILISATION - AS A VIABLE, LIVING BABY WHO IS JOYFULLY AWAITED AND ALREADY NAMED! EVERY CHILD WHO IS CONCEIVED BUT LOST IS MOURNED AND REMEMBERED BY THE LOVING PARENTS. FURTHERMORE, THE TINY HEART BEGINS TO BEAT VERY SOON AFTER CONCEPTION AND BABIES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BE DELIVERED AND KEPT ALIVE FROM VERY EARLY IN THE GESTATION PERIOD, MANY OF WHOM SURVIVE AND GROW INTO ADULTHOOD. THEREFORE, ABORTION IS THE VIOLENT AND MOST BRUTAL MURDER OF A TINY CHILD WHO IS MORE SENSITIVE TO AND AWARE OF EVERYTHING THAN A FULLY DEVELOPED AND BORN BABY! NOT ONE PERSON WHO HAS BEEN CONCEIVED OR BORN IS A MISTAKE BECAUSE EVERY MIRACLE OF CONCEPTION AND BIRTH IS BY THE DIVINE WILL OF ALMIGHTY GOD WHO HAS A PLAN AND SACRED PURPOSE FOR EACH, UNIQUE SOUL INTO WHOM HE BREATHES LIFE! (MP)

Before I formed Thee in the womb, I knew Thee.


(JEREMIAH 1:5)

V T HE

A LL H OLY E VER V IRGIN T HEOTOKOS RECEIVES VENERATION FROM THE H EAVENLY H OSTS AS WELL AS ALL HUMANITY . A ND JUST AS S T G ABRIEL , THE H OLY A RCH ANGEL OF G OD , HAD DONE , SO NOW TOO , S T E LIZABET H DECLARED HER YOUNG NIECE TO BE B LESSED AMONG WOMEN . O UR P ANAGIA M ARY IS C ONFESSED AS THE M OTHER OF MY L ORD BY S T E LIZABETH and her spontaneous, sincere Confession and others like it in our Holy Church such as T HEOTOKOS or M OTHER /B EARER OF G OD confirms that THE O NE IN H ER P URE W OMB IS BOTH FULLY HUMAN AND FULLY D IVINE IN N ATURE - OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST IS THE T RUE S ON OF G OD H IMSELF ! At Holy Vespers of the Annunciation, we declare: I T IS THE W ORD OF G OD W HO DWELLS IN H ER . It is significant that EVEN THOUGH H IS PHYSICAL B ODY HAD NOT YET FULLY FORMED , OUR L ORD J ESUS WAS T RULY THE I NCARNATE S ON OF G OD , AND S T M ARY WAS ALREADY ACKNOWLEDGE AND REC OGNISED AS H IS A LL P URE , H OLY M OTHER . This Divine Truth deals a fatal blow to the idea that abortion is justifiable because the foetus is not yet a person!

Verses 46 56 are known as the Magnificat or Megalinaria came from the joyful heart of our Lady Theotokos who was inspired by a song of St Hannah. (1 KINGS 2 : 1 10) This lovely Hymn is chanted during the Matins Service. From it we are taught: F AITHFUL C HRISTIANS FOR ALL TIME HONOUR AND VENERATE THE A LL H OLY , E VER V IRGIN T HEOT OKOS as she prophesied: ... all generation will call me Blessed. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BELIEVE IN T HE I NSPIRATION OF H OLY S CRIPTURE YET NOT B LESS OUR L ADY T HEOTOKOS . OUR P ANAGIA ASCRIBED THE M IRACLE OF THE I NCARNATION TO A LMIGHT Y G OD not to herself which reveals Her deep and sincere Humility and Knowledge that GOD IS THE SOURCE OF ALL DIVINE GRACE. Through the Incarnation, GOD REIGNS OVER ALL NATIONS. Because our Lady Theotokos had no mother to confide in or to instruct her regarding her impending motherhood, IT WAS N ATURAL FOR HER T O HAVE REMAINED WITH HER AUNT , S T E LIZABETH , FOR THE FIRST TRIMESTER OF HER PREGNANCY before returning home, where her companions were all committed, dedicated Virgins. (TODAY THEY WOULD BE KNOWN AS
NUNS)

Prokeimenon Sing Praises to our God, sing praises to our King! Clap your hands, all you Nations! The Epistle of St Paul to the Philippians 2 : 5 - 11
PRESERV
ING

UNITY

IN

HUMILITY

Brethren: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, Who, being in the Form of God, did not consider it robbery to be Equal to God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and Coming in the likeness of men. And being found in Appearance as a Man, He humbled Himself and became Obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the Name which is above every name that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should Confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the Glory of God the Father. This passage consists of A H YMN THAT WAS ALREADY IN USE IN T HE F ORM ( M ORPHE ) OF G OD is a concept that is parallel THE EARLY C HRISTIAN C HURCH , and it was quoted here by with the Image (Ikon) of God and REFERS T O G OD THE S ON S SH ARING IN THE C OMPLETE , FULL D IVINE N ATURE OF St Paul. IT CALLS US TO CONTEMPLATE THE EXTREME AND ABSOLUTE G OD THE F ATHER . (COLOSSIANS 1:15) H UMILITY OF OUR L ORD J ESUS C H RIST the Majestic Robbery (harpagmon prize or booty) refers to and All Powerful Incarnate Son of God which is something that is stolen or looted illegally. A D IVINE T RUTH THAT IS NECESSARY FOR ALL SUFFERING AND C HRIST HAS EQUALITY WITH G OD THE F ATHER not by illegal or STRUGGLING C HRISTIANS T O UNDERSTAND , TO forceful seizure or theft but DUE TO H IS E TERNAL D IVINE APPRECIATE AND TO IMITATE THROUGH LIVING EVERY N ATURE , HAVING BEEN B EGOTTEN BY H IS E TERNAL D IVINE MOMENT OF THIS L IFE IN C HRIST . F ATHER . The words of this particular passage of Holy Scripture have T HERE WAS NO THREAT , NO LOSS AND NO CHANGE IN THE D IVINE N ATURE OF OUR L ORD J ESUS WHEN H E TOOK ON OUR been incorporated into many Hymns of the Orthodox HUMAN NATURE and offered us His Eternal Salvation. Church. Christ is He Who being in the Form of God, i.e. His Eternal, Christ made Himself of no reputation is a reference to H IS Divine Nature is also in the form of a bondservant IN D IVINE W ILL , NOT H IS D IVINE N ATURE for H E EMPTIED OUR HUM AN LIKENESS , H IS HUM AN N ATURE and so H E WAS H IMSELF not by laying down or ridding Himself of His VOLUNTARILY SUBJECT TO D EATH . Divine Nature or by setting it aside, but BY VOLUNTARILY TAKING ON OUR HUMAN FORM AND NATURE . (HE EMPTIED CHRIST COULD ONLY ENTER HADES IN HIS HUMAN NATURE WHERE IN HIS DIVINE NATURE - HE S MASHED OPEN THE IMPRISONING
GATES OF HADES AND SET THE RIGHTEOUS FREE TO REST IN PEACE IN PARADISE UNTI L THE FI NAL JUDGEMENT. mp HIMSELF O F HIS MAJESTIC DI VINE GLORY IN ORDER TO ASSUME OUR WEAK HUMAN FOR M AND NATURE. )

O UR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST W HO DIED UPON THE C ROSS FOR OUR E TERNAL S ALV ATION , HAS BEEN EXALTED AND NAMED AS L ORD BY G OD THE F ATHER A D IVINE N AME THAT G OD THE S ON SHARES WITH H IS E TERNAL F ATHER .

O UR D IVINE S AVIOUR TOOK THE FORM OF A BONDSERVANT VOLUNTARILY SH ARING OUR HUMAN CONDITION except for our inclination and ability to sin HE CANNOT SIN!

14.

DORMITION

OF OUR

EVER BLESSED LADY THEOTOKOS

15 AUGUST 2013

To us human beings, C HRIST LOOKS JUST LIKE US , FOR BEING TRULY I NC ARNATE , H E IS FULLY HUMAN BY NATURE AND FORM . I N H IS HUMAN N ATURE , C HRIST SH OWED THE F ULLNESS OF H IS H UMILITY BY H IS A BSOLUTE O BEDIENCE EVEN TO D EATH , which has enslaved us since our Fall.

T O HAVE DIED BY CRUCIFIXION a terrible, humiliating and shameful form of execution for the worst type of criminals of the Roman Empire WAS AS REPULSIVE TO THE R OMAN C ITIZENS AS IT WAS TO THE H EBREWS WHO C ONSIDERED IT THE ULTIMATE C URSE . However, THE D EATH OF OUR S AVIOUR BROUGHT E TERNAL L IFE TO ALL WH O ARE JOINED TO H IM EVEN THOSE WH OM H E CONFRONTED IN H ADES AND WHO REPENTED THEIR SINS .

The Holy Gospel According to St Luke 10 : 38


ONE THING
IS

- 42

&

11 : 27 28

NEEDED!

At that time, He entered a certain village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus Feet and heard His Word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said: Lord, dost Thou not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me! And Jesus answered and said to her: Martha! Martha! You are worried and troubled about Each of us is tormented with the question: what will happen to us and what awaits us after death? A sure answer to this question we cannot find by ourselves. But Holy Scripture, and first of all, the Word of our Lord Jesus Christ reveals the secret to us. It is also revealed by the Apolytikion and Kontakion of this Great Feast of the Dormition of the Most-Holy Theotokos, along with the Church Hymns that we chant during this Feast. I want all of you to understand why the death of the Most-Holy Theotokos and Virgin Mary is called Dormition. The Great Apostle, St John the Theologian, in the 20th Chapter of the Revelation of Christ, speaks of the First and Second Death. The First Death, which alone is inescapable to all humanity, also awaits the Saints and Righteous Ones. But the Second Death - the Fearsome and Eternal Death - awaits unrepentant sinners who denied the Love and the Righteousness of God. They are condemned to Eternity in hideous communion with the devil and his demons. In the Holy Gospel of St John the Theologian, we read the Words of Christ, which are very closely associated with those written in the Revelation: Truly, truly, I say to you: whoever hears My Word and believes Him Who sent Me has Eternal Life. He does not come into Judgment, but has passed from Death to Life. (JOHN 5:24) Do you hear this? Do you understand this? I think that this probably strikes you as strange, that all those who are Obedient to the Word of Christ and believe in the Heavenly Father Who sent Him passes immediately after Death to Eternal Life. There is no reason to Judge those who have Living Faith in God and who follow His Commandments. And to the Great Twelve Apostles, our Lord Jesus Christ said: Amen. I say to you: that you who follow Me, in the Age to come, when the Son of Man sits upon His Throne of Glory, will also sit upon Twelve Thrones judging the Twelve Tribes of Israel. (MATTHEW 19:28). Judges and Condemners the Apostles of Christ will be during the Terrible Judgement of God. And of course, we are totally unable to imagine the Most-Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary being Judged* - along with the Forerunner and Baptist of our Lord, St John, the great Prophets of God, St Elias and St Enoch whom God took to Heaven alive, all the countless masses of Holy Martyrs of Christ, the Holy Hierarchs and Wonderworkers who were Glorified by God foremost being St Nicholas, Wonderworking Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, [*NOTE: S T . L UKE IS IN NO WAY DENYING C HRIST ' S A WESOME
J UDGMENT
OF ALL M ANKIND AT

many things, but one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. ... And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him: Blessed is the Womb that bore Thee, and the breasts that nursed Thee! And He replied: More than that: Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep It!
THAT ALL THE RIGHTEOUS MADE W ORT HY OF

Homily of St. Luke of Simferopol on the Dormition of the Theotokos


C HRIST H EAVEN
AND THE AND

N EW

P AR ADISE T HEOTOK OS WITH BODY AND SOUL IN E ARTH OF H I S ETERNAL K INGDOM .]

WILL JOIN THE

N EW

H I S S EC OND C OMING ,

BUT IS SAYING

We are unable to pass the thought from our minds that they would be Judged those Righteous souls who heard from the Mouth of Christ: The Kingdom of God is within you. (LUKE 17:21). In those Great Strugglers of Christ, as if in precious Temples, dwelt the Holy Spirit. And while they were alive on earth, they were in close, Holy, Communion with God, for thus Christ said: If anyone Loves Me, he will keep My Word, and My Father will Love him, and We will come to him and make Our Home with him. (JOHN 14:23) The Most-Holy Virgin Mary was the Spotless Temple of our Saviour in which dwelt the Holy Spirit, and from Her Most-Holy Womb the Son of God received His human Body, He Who descended from the Heavens. Because of this, the bodily death (of the All Holy Theotokos and all those who have Lived in Christ in Repentance, Humility and Obedience to God) is not Death, but Dormition. In other words, it is an immediate passage from the Kingdom of God within to the Kingdom of the Heavens and to Eternal Life. Something new just came to mind. In one of the previous Sermons, I told you that we have every reason to believe that the body of the MostHoly Theotokos, through the Power of God, remained incorrupt and ascended to the Heavens. The Kontakion of the Great Feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos tells us this: Neither the grave nor Death could contain the Theotokos, the Unshakable Hope, Ever Vigilant in Intercession and Protection. As Mother of Life, He Who dwelt in the Ever-Virginal Womb Transposed Her to Life. Take note: Neither the grave nor Death could contain Her. With regard to the Greatest Prophet of the Old Covenant, St Moses: he died according to the Word of God on Mount Nebo, and was buried in the land of Moab. The burial site of this great Holy Prophet of God might have been a place of Pilgrimage for the whole Nation of Israel. However, it is recorded in Holy Scripture: ...no one knows of his tomb to this day... (DEUTERONOMY 34:6). Nevertheless, at the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ on Mount Tabor, St Moses appeared together with the other great Holy Prophet of God, St Elias, who had been carried alive into Heaven. I think that it would not be a sin to say that the body of the great Holy Prophet of God, St Moses, as well as the All Pure body of the Most-Holy Theotokos, remained incorrupt.** And that is why the location of the tomb of St Moses has remained a mystery.

DORMITION

OF OUR

EV

ER

BLESSED LADY THEOTOKOS

15 AUGUST 2013

15.

[**NOTE: A S

ABOVE , S T . L UKE ACKNOW LEDGES THE T HEOTOK OS ( IN ACCORDANCE WITH H OL Y T RADITION ) ASCENDED BODILY TO H EAVEN FOL LOWING HER D OR MITION , AS OPPOSED T O THE INCOR R UPT BODIES OF THE S AINT S , WHICH AWAIT THE G ENERAL R E SURRECTI ON .] IS CLEAR DISTINCTION THAT THE

Let

us contemplate, Dear Brethren, the Blessed Dormition the peaceful falling asleep - of the MostHoly Virgin Mary and let us remember the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ: Truly, truly, I say to you: whoever hears My Word and believes Him Who sent Me has Eternal Life. He

does not come into Judgement, but has passed from Death to Life. (JOHN 5:24). May God also make us sinners worthy to experience this Great Joy, through the Joy and Love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom belongs all Glory and Dominion with His Beginningless Father and His All-Holy Spirit, unto the Ages. Amen
ADAPTED & EDITED BY MP: ST LUKE OF SIMFEROPOL SERMON ON THE DORMITION OF THE EVER BLESSED THEOTOKOS http://www.impantokratoros.gr/dormition-of-theotokos.en.aspx

The Eternal, Divinely Inspired Wisdom of our Holy Church Fathers

If you would be simple-hearted like the Apostles, if you would not conceal your human shortcomings, if you would not pretend to be especially Pious, and if you would walk free from hypocrisy, then you will be on the True Path. While it is easy, not everyone can find it or understand it. This Path is the shortest Way to Salvation and it attracts the Grace of God. Unpretentiousness, guilelessness, frankness of soul - this is what is pleasing to the Lord, Who is lowly of heart. Unless you become like children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of God.

Elder Leonid of Optina:

(MATTHEW 18:13).

Elder Paisios of Mount Athos:

Miracles happen through the Prayers of small children. Whatever they ask of God He grants them because they are guileless and He hears their Pure Prayer.

In times of affliction, unceasingly call out to the Merciful God in Prayer. The unceasing Invocation of the Name of God in Prayer is a treatment for the soul, which kills not only the passions, but even their very operation. As a Doctor finds the necessary medicine that works in such a way that the sick person does not understand, in a similar manner, the Name of God, when you call upon it, kills all the passions, although we do not understand how this happens. A man of Discernment - meditating on the Healing Divine Providence - bears with Thanksgiving the misfortunes that come to him. He sees their causes in his own sins, and not in anyone else. But a mindless man - when he sins and receives the punishment for it - considers the cause of his misfortune to be God, or people - not understanding God's Infinite Loving Care for him.
St Maximos the Confessor - On Love

St. Barsanuphius the Great -

Instructions, 421

The Lord wants us to Love one another. Here is True Freedom - in Love for God and for neighbour. In this Freedom, there is equality. In earthly orders, there may not be equality, but this is not important for the soul. Not everyone can be a King, not everyone a Patriarch or a Master. But in any position it is possible to Love God and to please Him - and only this is important. And whoever Loves God more on earth will be in greater Glory in His Kingdom.
St Theophan the Recluse "The Goal of human Freedom is not in Freedom itself, nor is it in mankind, but in God.

St Silouan the Athonite

By granting mankind Free Will, God has yielded to us a piece of His Divine Authority, but with the intention that we ourselves would voluntarily bring it as a Sacrifice to God, as a Most Perfect Offering."

16.

DORMITION

OF OUR

EVER BLESSED LADY THEOTOKOS

15 AUGUST 2013

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria & All Africa


All Glory, Honour and Worship to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spiri t, now and forever, and unto the Ages of ages. Amen. Rememberi ng also our Mos t Holy, Mos t Pure, Most Blessed and Glori ous Lady, Maria, Theotok os, yet Ever Virgin, together with all the Saints. And let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole Life to Christ our God. Amen .

16 August 2013 Miracle Working Holy Icon of our Lord Jesus Christ The Mandylion - Not Made by Hands Translation from Edessa to Constantinope in 944
Also the Feast of St Diomedes, Physician of Tarsos St Timothy of Evripos St Gerasimos the Wonder Worker of Kephalonia St Cherimon of Egypt St Anthony of Markofeli St Christopher of Guria, Georgia St Isaac & St Joseph of Karnu, Georgia St Apostolos & St Stamatios the New Martyrs 6 Holy Martyrs of Megaris

FESTAL APOLYTIKION - TRANSLATION OF THE HOLY MANDYLION NOT M

ADE

BY HANDS - TONE 2

Tin ahranton Ikona Sou proskinoumen Agathe, etoumeni We venerate Thy Most Pure Image, O Good One, and ask
sighorisin ton ptesmaton imon, Hriste O Theos. Voulisi gar iidokisas Sarki, anelthin en to Stavro, ina risi ous eplasas ek tis doulias tou ehthrou. Othen Efharistos voomen Si. Haras eplirosas ta panta O Sotir imon, paragenomenos is to Sose ton kosmon. Forgiveness of our transgression, O Christ God. Of Thine own Will Thou were pleased to ascend the Cross in the Flesh to Deliver Thy creatures from bondage to the enemy. Therefore, with Thanksgiving, we cry aloud to Thee: Thou hast filled all with Joy, O our Saviour, by coming to Save the world!
ER

FESTAL APOLYTIKION

-THE EV

ER

BLESSED THEOTOKOS & EV

VIRGIN MARY

En

ti Gennisi tin Parthenian efilaxas. En ti Kimisi ton kosmon ou katelipes Theotoke. Metestis pros tin Zoin, Mitir iparhousa tis Zois. Ke tes Presvies tes ses litromeni, ek Thanatou tas psihas imon.

In

giving Birth, O Theotokos, Thou has retained Thy Virginity, and in Falling Asleep, Thou has not forsaken the world. Thou who art the Mother of Life has passed over into Life, and by Thy Prayers Thou delivers our souls from Death. Wherefore, by Thine Intercessions, deliver our souls from Death
ER

FESTAL APOLYTIKION

-THE EV

ER

BLESSED THEOTOKOS & EV

VIRGIN MARY

Tin

en Presvies akimiton Theotokon, ke prostasie ametatheton Elpida, tafos ke nekrosis ouk ekratisen; os gar Zois Mitera, pros tin Zoin metestisen, O Mitran ikisas Aiparthenon.

The

Theotokos who is incessant in Her Intercessions and Immovable Hope in Her Protection, tomb and the state of death could not hold; for being the Mother of Life, to the Life she carried, He Who dwelled in a Womb Ever-Virgin.

The First Epistle of St Paul to St Timothy 3 : 13 4 : 5


To Timothy: A True Son in the Faith: for those who have served well as Deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the Faith, which is in Christ Jesus. These things I write to you, although I hope to come to you shortly; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the House of God, which is the Church of the Living God, the Pillar and Ground of the Truth. And without controversy Great is the Mystery of Godliness: God was manifested in the Flesh, Justified in the Spirit, beheld by Angels, preached among the Gentiles, believe on in he world, received up in Glory. Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the Faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, peaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with Thanksgiving by those who believe and know the Truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with Thanksgiving; for it is Sanctified by the Word of God and Prayer. W HILE H OLY S CRIPTURE IS THE D IVINELY I NSPIRED T RUTH OF A grim warning to all Christians to REJECT EVIL IN ALL FORMS A LMIGHTY G OD , WRITTEN IN HUMAN WORDS , THE H OLY AND THEREBY M AINT AIN A SOFTNESS OF HEART TOWARDS C HURCH OF OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST IS THE SUPPORTING G OD . P ILLARS AND FIRMLY ESTABLISHED G ROUND OF THAT D IVINE W HILE SEXUAL ABSTINENCE AND F ASTING ARE IMPORTANT T RUTH . FACTORS IN S PIRIT UAL D ISCIPLINE , WE C ONTROL OUR S T P AUL QUOTED AN ANCIENT C HRISTIAN C REED OR H YMN THAT PASSIONS not because the material world is evil, but IS ESPECIALLY CLEAR CONCERNING THE D IVINITY OF OUR BECAUSE WE ARE C ORRUPT AND TEND TO SIN . L ORD J ESUS C HRIST . Sex and food are not unclean but OUR WILFUL DISOBEDIENCE , Another such Creed of Faith is found in St Pauls Second AN UNGRATEFUL DISPOSITION , AND UNCONTROLLED DESIRES Epistle to St Timothy. [2 TIMOTHY 2 : 11 13] ARE CERTAINLY UNCLEAN ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOUR . [REFER ALSO TO 2 TIMOTHY 6:15 16; EPHESIANS 1: 3 14 & 5: 14; PHILIPPIANS 2 : 6 T HE H OLY C HURCH OF C HRIST HAS BEEN EST ABLISHED BY G OD 11; COLOSSIANS 1 : 15 20] Therefore, WHEN THE EARLY C OUNC ILS MET AND ISSUED C REEDS , THEY WERE WELL WITHIN THE MARK OF B IBLICAL PRECEDENT . A conscience seared with a hot iron describes the Reality that REPEATED WILFUL SIN BLUNTS OUR SENSITIVITY T O GOOD AND EVIL .
ON EARTH IN ORDER TO BRING THE WHOLE FALLEN WORLD TO R EPENTANCE - AND THEREBY TO RETURN US T O A CLOSE , INTIMATE AND H OLY R ELATIONSHIP WITH G OD AND E TERN AL L IFE IN H IS H EAVENLY K INGDOM OF L OVE .

T H E M AN DY LI ON F AC EC LOT H IC O N

OF

CH RIST NOT M ADE BY HANDS TRANSFER

TO

C O N S T A N T I N O P L E 1 6 A U G U S T 20 1 3

17

Holy Gospel According to St Luke 9 : 51 57 & 10 : 22 24& 13 : 22


KINDNESS
TOWARDS THE

INHOSPITAB

LE

At that time, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His Face to go to Jerusalem, and send messengers before His Face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him because His Face was set for the Journey to Jerusalem. And when His Disciples James and John saw this, they said: Lord, dost Thou want us to command Fire to come down from Heaven and consume them just as Elias did? And He turned and rebuked them, and said: You do not know what manner of Spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy mens lives but to Save them! And they went to another village. And it happened, as they journeyed along the road, that someone said to Him: Lord, I will follow Thee wherever Thou go! Our Lord was heading for Jerusalem, where His final days on WHICH SHOULD COMPEL US TO RETURN QUICKLY T O H IS earth would occur. WARM E MBRACE AND L OVE BY REPENTING OUR SINFUL WORDS , THOUGHTS AND DEEDS . Although Christ knew exactly everything what He was to C HRIST REBUKED S T J AMES AND S T J OHN FOR WANTING TO endure while in Jerusalem, He did not try to avoid the BRING DEATH AND DESTRUCTION UPON THOSE WH O DID NOT situation but as always, acted in utter Humility and WELCOME THEM BECAUSE THE H OLY S PIRIT OF L OVE AND ALL Obedience to God the Father, for H E ALSO KNOWS THE G OODNESS WAS NEVER VENGEFUL NOR CRUEL , NOR T RUE P URPOSE OF G OD S D IVINE P LAN OF S ALVATION FOR ANYTHING EXCEPT G OOD , L OVING AND M ERCIFUL . ALL MANKIND . Furthermore, our Lord reminded His Disciples that H E HAD I T WAS USUAL PRACTICE TO SEND MESSENGERS AHEAD T O COME TO LIVE AM ONGST US IN ORDER TO T EACH US D IVINE PREPARE AND GATHER THE PEOPLE for the arrival of a Great T RUTH AND G OODNESS SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO REGAIN Teacher or Someone Special and Who is more Special OUR LOST D IVINE L IKENESS AND THEREBY RECEIVE E TERN AL or Extraordinary than our Lord and Saviour! L IFE . However, for reasons known only to our Lord, the Samaritans Christ the long awaited Messiah had not come to at that particular village refused to welcome them change or to destroy anything at all but ONLY TO SERVE which was probably due to the usual animosity between HUMANITY BY TEACHING US D IVINE T RUTH AND TO S AVE US BY Samaritan and Hebrew. PREPARING US PROPERLY FOR E T ERNAL L IFE THROUGH A S T J AMES AND S T J OHN were possibly the two who had been SPECIFIC H OLY L IFEST YLE IN C HRIST I . E . BY IMITATING sent to prepare the village for their arrival - and having EXACTLY THE L IFE OF C HRIST IN ALL ASPECTS WORD , known our Lord even longer than the other Disciples, they THOUGHT AND DEED . REALISED THE G REAT P OWER OF C HRIST W HO HAD There is a cost to Holy Discipleship of Christ, three of which DOMINION OVER ALL C REATION . our Lord Jesus revealed: The people of the Old Covenant had been taught to believe 1. A D ISCIPLE OF C HRIST RELINQUISHES ALL PERSONAL AND in a God Who was vengeful and frightening but OUR EARTHLY SECURIT Y . If our Lord Himself had nowhere to L ORD J ESUS C HRIST , Who is the Eternal Son of God, HAS lay His Head, neither does His Faithful Disciple. REVEALED THE A LL G OOD AND L OVING G OD W HO NEVER 2. N OTHING CAN BE AN OBSTACLE TO SERVING THE D IVINE DOES AN YTHING HORRIBLE OR DESTRUCTIVE TO H IS W ILL OF G OD not even the honour due to parents C REATION BECAUSE IT IS AGAINST H IS D IVINE N ATURE WHICH or family. IS A BSOLUTE L OVE AND G OODNESS . 3. A F AITHFUL D ISCIPLE OF C HRIST CANNOT DELAY THE G OD ALLOWS THE EVIL ONE THE INVENTOR OF D EATH AND ACCOMPLISHMENT OF AN YTHING G OOD THAT OUR L ORD DESTRUCTION TO TEST HUM ANITY IN ORDER TO TEACH US J ESUS C HRIST DEMANDS OF US . We must be ready at HOW POWERLESS WE ARE WITHOUT G OD S P ROVIDENCE AND all times to fulfil whatever Good Deeds or Sacred H IS G REAT M ERCY . Tasks God offers us every day WITHOUT HESIT ATION , W HEN WE ARE ALIENATED FROM G OD DUE T O OUR WILFUL SINS , DOUBT OR EXCUSE !! WE SHOULD REALISE H OW COMPLETELY BEREFT WE ARE without the Loving Presence and Benevolence of God,

The Holy Mandylion The Holy (Burial) Facecloth of Christ Not Made By Hands
T HE H OLY M ANDYLION BEING THE S ANCTIFIED B URIAL F ACECLOTH OF OUR L ORD AND S AVIOUR J ESUS C HRIST , IS THE VERY FIRST H OLY I CON OF C HRIST , WHICH IS REFERRED TO AS N OT M ADE B Y H ANDS . The Holy Mandylion was a Most Holy Relic of Christ, consisting of A SQUARE OR REC TANGLE OF FINE LINEN CLOTH IMPRINTED WITH A M IRACULOUS I M AGE ( A NEGATIVE I MAGE ) OF THE ACTUAL F ACE OF OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST . T HIS WAS OUR FIRST H OLY I C ON OR I MAGE OF OUR S AVIOUR , WHICH WAS FOUND BY S T P ETER AND S T J OHN IN THE EMPTY T OMB OF OUR R ESURRECTED L ORD : ...they both ran together, and the other Disciple outran Peter and got to the Tomb first, and, stooping down, he looked in and saw the Linen Cloths lying there, but he did not enter. Then Simon Peter arrived, following (St John), and he went into the Tomb; and he saw the linen Cloths lying there, and the Handkerchief that had been around His Head, not lying with the linen Cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.
( RE SU RREC TION G O SP EL 7 : JOHN 20 :1 10 )

IN

THE EARLY 4 TH CENTURY , E USEBIUS OF C AESAREA , TRANSCRIBED AND TRANSLATED TH E ACTUAL LETTER , which

It later became known as the Image of Edessa. K ING A BGAR V OF E DESSA HAD WRITTEN TO OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST , BEGGING H IM TO GO TO E DESSA to cure him of a terrible illness (leprosy). St Thaddeus one of the 70 Holy Apostles of Christ - delivered a letter from our Lord Jesus to King Abgar, which declined his invitation. However, OUR L ORD J ESUS HAD ASSURED K ING A BGAR THAT ONE OF H IS D ISCIPLES WOULD VISIT E DESSA AGAIN , AFTER A SH ORT WHILE , AND HE WOULD INDEED BE H EALED .

was preserved among the Syriac Chancery documents of the King of Edessa. T HE REPORT OF A M YSTERIOUS H EALING I M AGE APPEARS IN THE S YRIAC WORK , THE D OCTRINE OF A DDAI - according to which THE MESSENGER - CALLED A NANIAS WHO WAS ALSO A PAINTER AT THE REQUEST OF TH E K ING , PAINTED A COPY OF THE M YSTERIOUS P ORTRAIT OF C HRIST , which was conserved in the royal palace. (The details of the original Icon are carefully depicted, although without proper understanding by the first Iconographer.) T HE FIRST RECORD OF THE EXISTENCE OF THE M ANDYLION IN E DESSA (now Urfa) was by E VAGRIUS S CHOLASTICUS , ( CIRCA 593) WHO REPORTED SEEING A P ORTRAIT OF C HRIST , OF D IVINE O RIGIN (), WHICH HAD PREVIOUSLY HEALED THE AILING K ING A BGAR FROM A TERRIBLE DISEASE AND H AD ALSO PROVIDED M IRACULOUS A ID IN THE DEFENCE OF E DESSA AGAINST THE P ERSIANS IN 544. T HE H OLY M ANDYLION WAS TRANSFERRED TO C ONSTANTINOPLE IN THE 10 TH CENTURY but disappeared in 1204, during the devastating rampage of the Fourth Crusade, REAPPEARING AS A H OLY R ELIC IN King Louis IX of France's S AINTE C HAPELLE IN P ARIS . It finally disappeared in the French Revolution. The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates The Holy Mandylion Not Made By Hands - on 16/29 August, which commemorates its Translation from Edessa to Constantinople. (IN FEBRUARY WE COMMEMORATE THE TRANSLATION OF THE MANDYLION
FROM JERUSALEM TO EDESSA, WHEN IT WAS TAKEN TO KING ABGAR FOR HIS HEALING.)

18.

THE MANDYLION FACECLOTH ICON

OF

CHRIST NOT MADE BY HANDS TRANSFER

TO

CONSTANTINOPLE 16 AUGUST 2013

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria & All Africa


All Glory, Honour and Worship to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and unto the Ages of ages. Amen. Rememberi ng also our M ost Holy, Mos t Pure, Most Blessed and Gl orious Lady, Maria, Theotok os, yet Ever Virgi n, toge ther with all the Saints. A nd let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole Life to Chris t our God. Amen .

8th Sunday After Pentecost

Tone 7

18 August 2013

8th Sunday of St Matthew Feeding 5000 Families


The Afterfeast of the Dormition of the All Holy and Pure Mother of God - the Feast of St St Floros & St Lavros of Illyria St Hermes, St Serapion & St Polyaenos of Rome St Emilianos, St Hilarion, St Dionysios & St Hermippos of Armenia St John V & St George I, Patriarchs of Constantinople St Makarios the Monk of Pelekete Monastery St John of Rila, Bulgaria St Sophronionios of St Anne Skete, Mount Athos St Arsenios of Paros St Barnabas & St Sophronios of Asia Minor St Christopher of Gazara Four Unknown Ascetic Desert Fathers & 300 Holy Martyrs - St Christodoulos the Philosopher of Sakara, Georgia, Iveron Monastery on Mount Athos & Patmos.

RESURRECTION APOLYTIKION - TONE (7) VARYS/GRAVE

Katelisas to Stavro Sou ton thanaton.

Ineoxas to listi ton Paradison. Ton Myroforon ton thrinon metevales ke tis sis Apostolis kirittin epetaxas, oti Anestis, Hriste O Theos, parehon to kosmo to Mega Eleos.

By

Thy Cross Thou destroyed Death; Thou opened Paradise to the Thief; Thou changed the funeral lament of the Myrrh-Bearers, and Commanded them to announce to Thine Apostles that Thou had Risen from the dead, O Christ our God, Who bestows on the world Great Mercy! the Tomb nor Death had power over the Theotokos, who is Ever Watchful in Her Prayers and in whose Intercession lies Unfailing Hope. For as the Mother of Life She has been Transported into Life by Him W H O DWELT W ITHI N HER E VE R V IRGIN W O MB .

FESTAL KONTAKION DORMITION

OF THE

EV

ER

BLESSED THEOTOKOS

Tin

en Presvies akimiton Theotikon, ke prostasies ametatheton Elpida, ta Fos ke nekrosis ouk ekratisen. Os gar Zois Mitera, pros tin Zoin metestisen, O M ITRA N
IKISAS

Neither

A IPARTHENON .

Gospel 8: John 20:11-18


OUR RISEN LORD JESUS SPEAKS TO ST MARY MAGDALENE

Prokeimenon

The Lord will grant Strength to His People. Offer to the Lord, O Sons of God, offer to the Lord Sacrifice and Praise!
The First Epistle of St Paul to the Corinthians
HOLY UNITY

1 : 10 17

Brethren: I plead with you, by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same Judgement. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my Brethren, by those of Chloes household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says: I am of Paul, or: I am of Apollos, or: I am of Cephas, or: I am of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you Baptised in the Name of Paul? I thank God that I Baptised none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had Baptised in my own name. Yes, I also Baptised the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I Baptised any other. For Christ did not send me to Baptise, but to Preach the Gospel, not with Wisdom of words, lest the Cross of Christ should be made of no effect. This was the first time that St Paul rebuked the Corinthians, St Chloe was a prominent Christian woman who hosted the pleading with them in the Name of our Lord Jesus to PUT Corinthian Church in her home and who had faithfully AWAY HUMAN DIVISIONS AND THUS MAINTAIN THE L OVE reported these dangerous contentions to St Paul. (A GAPE ) AND U NIT Y OF THE H OLY C HURCH OF C HRIST .

8TH AFTER PENTECOST8TH ST MATTHEWAFTER DORMITIONFEEDING 5000 FAMILIES18 AUGUST 2013

19

St Apollos was an educated Hebrew from Alexandria, Egypt, who was mighty in the Scriptures. (ACTS 18:24) He was originally a follower of the Baptism of John, and was eventually TAUGHT MORE FULLY ABOUT C HRIST by St Priscilla and St Aquila at Ephesos. He later preached at Corinth, where some regarded him as a rival to St Paul although this most certainly was an unfounded and erroneous assumption. St Apollos became the first Bishop of Crete. (TITOS 3:13) S T P AUL M ADE IT QUITE CLEAR TH AT HE AND S T A POLLOS WERE IN FACT H OLY P ARTNERS IN A POST OLIC W ORK AND THAT S T A POLLOS WOULD NOT HAVE APPROVED OF THE (1 FACTION ALISM OF THE MISGUIDED C ORINTHIAN s.
CORINTHIANS 3: 4 6, 4:6 & 16:12)

St Paul put THE RHETORICAL QUESTION to the Corinthians and to us I S C HRIST DIVIDED ? O R IS H IS H OLY C HURCH H IS H OLY B ODY OF WHICH WE ARE THE MEMBERS DIVIDED ? And the answer to such queries or doubts is a resounding, loud NO! Anyone can leave the Holy Church of Christ but WE CAN NEVER DIVIDE IT ! F ACTION ALISM , however, causes great harm to the Holy Church of Christ since it SEEKS TO GIVE T O EITHER AN A POSTLE OR A D ISCIPLE OF C HRIST THE POSITION AND H OLY A UTHORITY THAT BELONGS TO OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST ALONE ! At that time, many people regarded THE H OLY A POSTLES as mere teachers of Philosophy rather than D IVINELY C ALLED AND I NSPIRED T EACHERS OF G OD S A BSOLUTE T RUTH H IS H OLY G OSPEL .
THE M
IRACULOUS

F ACTIOUS PEOPLE DO NOT ACCEPT T RUE W ISDOM , WHICH IS BESTOWED ONLY BY G OD TH E H OLY S PIRIT and consequently THEY MISREPRESENT THE H OLY A POSTLES OF C HRIST as being rivals to each other instead of being FELLOW H OLY W ORKERS WITH OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST . St Crispus had been a Ruler of the Synagogue at Corinth. He was converted to Christianity through the Inspired Preaching of St Paul and after he had been Baptised, he was succeeded by Sosthenes. (ACTS 18:8 & 17) St Gaius was a resident of Corinth with whom St Paul stayed while he wrote his Epistle to the Romans. The Third Epistle of St John seems to have been addressed to that same Gaius. (ROMAN 16:23 & 3 JOHN 1) St Pauls denial does not degrade Holy Baptism at all, nor the Sacred Responsibilities of God-parenthood and those who have been Baptised he was simply emphasising that B APTISING WAS NOT HIS PRIMARY R OLE OR C ALLING BECAUSE , AS A H OLY A POSTLE OF C HRIST , S T P AUL S S ACRED T ASK WAS TO P REACH THE H OLY G OSPEL TO EVERYONE NOT ONLY TO THE H EBREW N ATIONS TEACHING TH OSE WHO SOUGHT G OD S P ERFECT T RUTH T O ACCEPT H OLY B APTISM AND THEREBY A L IFE IN C HRIST . Those who perform the Holy Mystery of Baptism are Gods Ordained Instruments so THE LOYALTY OF THE CONVERT MUST BE TO GOD ALONE and no one else at all! The expression: wisdom of words refers especially to philosophical thought and rhetorical devices. S UCH HUMAN WISDOM BY ITSELF DOES NOT PROM OTE S ALVATION NOR AN U NDERST ANDING OF HOW G OD WORKS in the world AND WH AT H E WISHES US TO DO .
OF

The Holy Gospel According to St Matthew 14 : 14 22


FEEDING 5000 FAMILIES

At that time, when Jesus went out, He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with Compassion for them, and He healed their sick. When it was evening, His Disciples went to Him, saying: This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitude away, so that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food. And Jesus said to them: They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat. And they said to Him: We have here only five loaves and two fish. He said: Bring them to Me. Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to Heaven, He Blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the Disciples; and the Disciples gave to the multitudes. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men besides the women and children! Immediately Jesus made His Disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. H E WAS S T P OLYCARP OF S M YRN A - A FAITHFUL D ISCIPLE OF This great Divine Miracle, which was recorded by all four Holy C HRIST SINCE EARLY CHILDHOOD AND LATER OF S T J OHN Evangelists, shows OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST FED A GREAT THE D IVINE T HEOLOGIAN AND A POSTLE . MULTITUDE OF H IS P EOPLE ( 5000 FAMILIES !) JUST AS H E HAD FED THE WANDERING I SRAELIT ES FOR 40 YEARS IN THE To this day when a census is taken or when counting WILDERNESS before they entered the Promised Land. masses of people ONLY MEN ARE COUNTED AND
(EXODUS 16)

Our Holy Church Fathers regard this Divine Event as AN IM AGE OF THE H OLY E UCH ARIST a concept made clear by St John the Beloved Apostle and Theologian in his Holy Gospel. (JOHN 6) St Matthew mentioned ANOTHER D IVINE M IRACLE OF 4000 FAMILIES FED WITH SEVEN LOAVES AND A FEW SM ALL FISH . While certain modern scholars say that these two different accounts are merely one and the same story, the True Witness and Testimony of the Holy Gospel is quite clear that THEY ARE DEFINITELY TWO SEPARATE AND DISTINCT ACCOUNTS WITH C HRIST H IMSELF REFERRING TO BOTH OF THEM SEPARATELY . (MATTHEW 16: 8 10) O UR LORD HAS BEEN FREQUENTLY RECORDED AS H AVING BEEN MOVED BY C OMPASSION by His Evangelists, thereby showing us that HIS POWER AND AUTHORITY IS EXTENDED T O ALL WHO SUFFER . (MATTHEW 20:34; MARK 1:41& 6:34; LUKE 7:13) An even more astonishing fact is that the five little loaves and two fish were offered to Christ by one of His youngest Disciples a little boy whose mother had packed FIVE SMALL ROLLS AND TWO SARDINES for her son to sustain himself even though all the Disciples had been instructed not to carry anything extra with them so that they would learn to depend on the Providence of God. T HIS LITTLE BOY S F AITH WAS HELD UP AS AN EXAMPLE T O ALL THE OTHERS the Faith of a child which carried him throughout his life towards his eventual Martyrdom.

THEN THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN ARE ESTIMATED RELATIVE TO THE NUMBER OF MEN . So FOR EVERY M AN THERE ARE AT LEAST ANOTHER TWO OR THREE PEOPLE ! T HUS THE MULTITUDE WHO WERE FED WITH THE CHILD S FOOD PARCEL MUST HAVE BEEN CLOSE TO 20 000 SOULS !

A Spiritual Interpretation of our Holy Church Fathers teaches us that: 1. THE FIVE LOAVES INDIC ATE THE P ENTATEUCH the five Holy Books of the Law according to the Old Covenant Genesis to Deuteronomy which are BROKEN OPEN IN C HRIST AND WHICH FEED THE U NIVERSE . 2. THE TWO FISH " REPRESENT THE H OLY G OSPEL AND THE E PISTLES OF THE N EW C OVENANT the Divinely Inspired Teachings of the simple Fishermen of Christ. 3. The gathering of the twelve baskets full of the fragments by the Holy Apostles shows that THE T EACHINGS THAT WE ARE UN ABLE TO GRASP OR
UNDERSTAND ARE NEVERTHELESS PRESERVED CAREFULLY AND REVERENTLY IN THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE H OLY C HURCH OF C HRIST FOR THOSE WHO ARE ABLE TO MAKE GOOD USE OF THEM .

Once again, our Lord Jesus Christ shows by His own Good Example that WE NEVER PARTAKE OF AN YTHING UNLESS WE
HAVE FIRST EXPRESSED OUR SINCERE GRATITUDE TO A LMIGHTY G OD FOR H IS G REAT M ERCY AND INFINITE B LESSINGS .

20.

8TH AFTER PENTECOST8TH ST MATTHEWAFTER DORMITIONFEEDING 5000 FAMILIES18 AUGUST 2013

The terminology that is used points towards the Last Supper or the Mystical Supper of Christ, which leads us to a Eucharistic interpretation of this Divine Miracle.

Just as His Faithful Disciples and Apostles distributed the food amongst the great multitude, so also does OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST DISTRIBUTE H IS H OLY E UCHARIST TO H IS F AITHFUL F LOCK THROUGH THE H ANDS OF H IS O RDAINED B ISHOPS (O VERSEERS ) AND P RIESTS (P RESBYTERS ). A ND R E M E M B E R THAT EACH OF THESE PEOPL E IS OUR OWN RESPONSIBILITY - all their hunger, all their homelessness, ALL THEIR MISERY IS UL TIMATEL Y THE RESUL T OF OUR OWN OPUL ENCE , OUR OWN COMFORT , OUR OWN RICHNESS AND OUR REF USAL TO SHARE OR TO GIVE - not to give beyond our means but just to SHARE WHATEVER W E HAVE BEEN B L ESSED WITH . V We should TAKE NOTE AND KEEP IN MIND the profound and Spiritually Profitable Wisdom of one of our Saints who confessed that WHENEVER HE ATE A MORSEL , WHICH WAS NOT A WHEN EVER HE ACQUIRED OR NECESSITY , POSSESSED AN YTHING BEYOND HIS STRICT NEED , HE HAD S T O L E N IT FROM THE HUNGRY - S T O L E N IT FROM THE HOMEL ESS , STOLEN IT FROM THE ONE WHO HAD NO CL OTHS HE WAS A THIEF ! T HIS SHOCKING REALISATION IS APPLICABL E TO EACH AND EVERY ON E OF US MUCH MORE SEVEREL Y than to this Ascetic Holy Father! We must reflect on this, because WE BEHAVE L IKE BAD , UNWORTH Y , THIEVING S TEWARDS CORRUPT , CRIMINAL C ARETAKERS OF G OD S C REATION ! There IS such thing as H OL Y S TEWARDSHIP OF WEAL TH INTELL ECTUAL , EMOTIONAL , MORAL AND MATERIAL . We should contemplate the account of the unworthy, unfaithful Steward who had cheated his Master, having stolen from him, and when he was to be dismissed by his Master who had discovered his dishonesty, he called those who owed money to his Master, and reduced their debts. This is something from which we can learn. T HE UNWORTHY S TEWARD turned to the people, and GAVE THEM WHATEVER HEL P HE COUL D while WE DO NOT ACT IN A SIMIL AR MANNER ! V Let us REFL ECT ON THE W ORDS OF C HRIST to His Faithful Disciples: They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat. And if we look around us - not far beyond but just around us - we will SEE THE NEEDS OF PEOPL E who are hungry, who are homeless, who are deprived of rights - or simply those who at times are so lonely, those who need a word of comfort, those who need friendship, solidarity or an act of kindness... I F WE GIVE OTHERS WHATEVER WE CAN TO F UL FIL THEIR NEEDS , WE WILL BEGIN TO ACCOMPLISH THIS D IVINE C OMMANDMENT OF C HRIST H IS G REAT C OMMANDMENT OF L OVE . However, let us not deceive ourselves. It is not by words of consolation or merely by kind gestures that we will keep this Divine Commandment, for OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST TOL D US TO GIVE ALL WE HAVE !! And to us - perhaps taking into account the little Faith that we have, and the narrowness and hardness of our heart, our Lord exhorts us: Give what is superfluous in your life but give true thought to what is superfluous - to what you spend on yourself unnecessarily, without even deriving True Joy, pleasure or an advantage from it G I V E it, and then, leave it to God to fulfil the Gift - to do the rest. T HIS IS THE J UDGEMENT OF G OD UPON ME ; IT IS AL SO THE C AL L OF G OD ADDRESSED TO EACH OF YOU . Amen!
ADAPTED & EDITED BY MP: SERMONS OF METROPOLITAN ANTHONY OF SOUROZH HTTP://WWW.MITRAS.RU/ENG/ENG_180.HTM

Feeding the 5000 Families by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh


In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: Brethren: We read the Holy Gospel from year to year, and from generation to generation in new contexts, in the face of current situations -whether they are historical or personal. And every time, ONE
PARTICUL AR PASSAGE OR ANOTHER MAY STRIKE US IN A NEW WAY .

Today we have read the passage about the Miraculous Feeding of the multitude by Christ. More often than not, I have noticed THE SENSE OF WONDER of our Holy Church Fathers and other Spiritual Writers AT THE G REAT M ERCY AND P OWER OF G OD W HO CAN FEED SO MANY PEOPL E WITH SO LITTL E FOOD , Who can indeed, work Miracles within a world so much estranged from Him - when J UST A GLIMPSE OF F AITH - a tiny crack in our armour of faithlessness - AL L OWS H IM TO ACT . And today, while reading this passage of the Holy Gospel I was struck anew by the Words of Christ: His Disciples had asked Him to send away the multitudes because the day was spent, the distance from the place where they were to the neighbouring villages was great, and tiredness and darkness would overcome them if they stayed any longer. A LL THESE THOUSANDS OF PEOPL E HAD NEITHER EATEN NOR DRUN K TH E WHOL E DAY AL L THE WHIL E INTENTL Y L ISTENING TO THE L IFE - GIVING W ORD OF C HRIST . Yet amazingly, our Lord Jesus Christ says to His Disciples No, they need not depart; Y O U give them to eat. How could they feed such a huge multitude of 5000 Families? F IVE THOUSAND MEN EXCL UDING THE WOMEN AND CHIL DREN WHO ACCOMPANIED - AND
ALL THEY HAD WAS FIVE SMALL L OAVES OF BREAD AND TWO FISH TWO L ITTL E SARDINES !

And here is a Challenge of Christ to them - and to us: Yes in a way, G OD AL ONE CAN AND WILL PERFORM SUCH A G REAT M IRACL E - BUT ONL Y IF WE CONTRIBUTE WITH AN OPENN ESS OF HEART , AND WITH AN OPEN HAND . Our Lord Jesus did not say to His Disciples: Keep as much as you need for yourselves, and give the rest to them give your left-overs to them. He says to all His Faithful Disciples throughout the ages: Take all you have, and give it all to others... T HIS IS WHAT OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST SAYS TO EACH OF US NOW - in a very special way, in days where we are so secure, so rich, so opulent, and when we hear day after day of the hunger, the misery, the death indeed from starvation of thousands and thousands of people. And what our Lord simply says to us is: G IVE WHAT YOU HAVE AND LET M E ACT AFTERWARDS ; do not ask Me to Work a Miracle where you could do whatever is required by yourselves... T HE A POSTL ES AND D ISCIPL ES COUL D DO LITTL E ALL THEY COUL D DO WAS TRUST IN G OD and share the five little loaves and two small fish. However, WE CAN SHARE SO MUCH ! If our heart is open - and EVEN FROM A HEART OF STON E G OD MAKES A HEART OF FL ESH WITHIN US if we learn anything of true generosity and of mutual responsibility, IF WE L EARN ONL Y A LITTL E O, SO LITTL E ! ABOUT L OVING OUR NEIGHBOUR ACTIVELY , TH ERE WOUL D BE NO HUNGER IN THE WORL D !! And what this Sacred Lesson teaches us today and exhorts us to do - is to LOOK AROUND AND SEE - L OOK AROUND AND SEE EVERY PERSON WHO IS HUNGRY , EVERY PERSON WHO IS HOMEL ESS , EVERY PERSON WHO IS IN NEED .

St Augustine G OD HAS PROMISED F ORGIVENESS R EPENTANCE, BUT H E HAS NOT

TOMORROW TO YOUR PROCRASTINATION !

TO YOUR PROMISED

8TH AFTER PENTECOST8TH ST MATTHEWAFTER DORMITIONFEEDING 5000 FAMILIES18 AUGUST 2013

21.

Why Should We Go To Church Every Sunday? (Part 7)


BY

HIEROMARTYR DANIEL SISOYEV

I do not understand what goes on during the Church Services. Let us paraphrase this statement. A first-grader goes to school and overhears a lecture in the algebra class, then refuses to go to school, saying: I did not understand anything there. T HOSE WHO REFUSE TO STUDY THE D IVINE L ITURGY OR O RTHODOX C HRISTIANITY BECAUSE THEY FIND IT INCOMPREHENSIBLE SHOW THE SAME LACK OF COMMON SENSE. If everything were easy then education would be meaningless, because you would already know everything the Teachers are talking about. Believe me: THE S CIENCE OF L IVING WITH G OD IS NO LESS DIFFICULT AND REFINED THAN M ATHEMATICS ; THEREFORE, PLEASE ALLOW IT TO HAVE ITS OWN TERMINOLOGY AND ITS OWN LANGUAGE . I think we should not abandon the Church Vestments but rather REALIZE WHAT EXACTLY IT IS THAT WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND . With that we must keep in mind that THE D IVINE L ITURGY IS not given to us for Missionary Work among the unbelievers, but FOR THE F AITHFUL . Thank God: IF WE PRAY ATTENTIVELY WE WILL BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING IN THE D IVINE S ERVICES
AFTER ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF OF REGULAR CHURCH ATTENDANCE . However, WE CAN ONLY REALLY DISCOVER THE TRUE DEPTHS OF THE D IVINE S ERVICES AFTER MANY YEARS EXPERIENCE.

This indeed is a Wonderful Mystery of our Lord! T HE MORE D IVINE T RUTH WE SEEK , THE MORE G OD GRANTS TO US ! What we have inherited is C HRIST S T RUE T EACHING not a Protestant preaching where everything is on the horizontal plane - but, if you wish, A LIFE-LONG SPIRITUAL UNIVERSITY WHERE THE C HURCH S ERVICE BOOKS ARE OUR TEXTBOOKS AND THE L ORD IS OUR T EACHER . I believe in God but I do not trust/like the Priest. Thats why I dont go to Church. Nobody asks the Faithful to trust their Priest. W E TRUST G OD , whereas P RIESTS ARE H IS SERVANTS AND INSTRUMENTS FOR FULFILLING HIS W ILL . Electric current travels even through a rusty wire. So also THE G RACE OF G OD IS TRANSFERRED THROUGH H IS UNWORTHY SERVANTS . St John Chrysostom explained: W E OURSELVES , who sit on the Cathedra (THE BISHOPS THRONE) and teach, ARE ENTANGLED IN SINS . Nevertheless, WE DO NOT DESPAIR OF GOD S L OVING K INDNESS and do not attribute hard-heartedness to Him. And this is why God allowed even His Priests to slave under the passionsso that THEY WOULD LEARN BY THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE TO BE LENIENT TO OTHERS , AS WELL . Imagine if it was not a sinful Priest but the Archangel Michael serving in the church. After his very first conversation with us he would flame up with Righteous Wrath and we would be reduced to a small pile of ashes! In general, THIS EXCUSE FOR AVOIDING C HURCH IS VERY
MUCH LIKE DENYING MEDICAL AID OUT OF THE NOTION THAT MODERN D OCTORS ARE ONLY AFTER OUR MONEY . Although the Doctors financial interest is obvious, WE DO NOT REFUSE/ AVOID MEDICAL ASSISTANCE WHEN WE ARE SICK AND SUFFERING . V B UT WHEN IT CONCERNS THE HEALTH OF OUR IMMORTAL SOUL , WE INVENT ANY KIND OF NONSENSE IN ORDER TO JUSTIFY OUR NEGLIGENCE OR BLATANT REFUSAL TO ATTEND H OLY S ERVICES , WHICH ARE VITAL TO OUR SPIRITUAL W ELFARE FOR NOW AND FOR ETERNITY .

One day the Monk heard that the Priest who was coming to Commune him was lecherous, so the Monk refused to receive Communion from him. The same night he beheld a Revelation: there was a golden well with crystal clear water and a leper dipping water from the well with a golden bucket. The Voice of God said: You see how the water remains pure although it is distributed by a leper. So also Grace does not depend on the person through whom it is given! After that the Desert-dweller joyfully received Holy Communion from the Priest again, not reasoning within himself whether the Priest was Righteous or a sinner. In all seriousness, ALL THESE OBJECTIONS AND EXCUSES ARE TOTALLY WORTHLESS AND UNJUSTIFIED . H OW CAN ANYONE IGNORE THE DIRECT W ILL OF THE L ORD G OD , BY USING A P RIEST S SINS TO J USTIFY HIMSEL F ? Who are you to judge another mans servant? To his own Lord he stands or falls. Yea, he shall be held up, for God is able to make him stand. (ROMANS 14:4). The Church is not a steeple, the Church is the people,, some say, so I can just as well pray at home. This saying - although it might make sense - has its origin with SECTARIANS WHO HAVE SEPARATED THEMSELVES FROM THE C HURCH DESPITE THE W ORD OF G OD . God abides in the Sanctified bodies of Christians - He enters our body through Holy Communion, which we receive during the Divine Liturgy. Besides that, Communal Prayer at Church is greater than Prayer at home. St John Chrysostom addressed this excuse: You are mistaken! Of course you can pray at home, BUT TO PRAY THERE AS ONE WOULD PRAY IN C HURCH - where there are so many Fathers, where all the Faithful with one heart send up a song to God - IS IMPOSSIBLE . Y OU ARE NOT GOING TO BE HEARD AS SPEEDILY when praying to God at your own house AS WHEN PRAYING WITH YOUR B RETHREN . T HERE IS SOMETHING GREATER HERE - THAT IS : UNANIMITY AND CONCORD, A U NION OF L OVE AND THE P RAYER OF THE P RIESTS . This is why Priests stand before the Altar: so that PEOPLE S P RAYERS , BEING WEAKER , WOULD JOIN WITH THE P RIESTS STRONGER P RAYERS TOGETHER ASCEND TO H EAVEN If THE P RAYER OF THE C HURCH HELPED EVEN ST P ETER , this Pillar of the Church, and let him out of prison then tell me HOW DARE YOU IGNORE ITS POWER AND HOW CAN YOU JUSTIFY YOURSELF ? (ACTS 12:5), L ISTEN TO GOD H IMSELF Who says that H E IS PLEASED WITH THE R EVERENT P RAYERS OF MANY PEOPLE .(JONAH 3) I N C HURCH , it is not only people who raise their cry unto God, but EVEN A NGELS FALL BEFORE THE MASTER AND A RCHANGELS PRAY . Even TIME IS ON THEIR SIDE AND THE SACRIFICE FACILITATES THEM. Just as when people take olive branches in their hands and wave them before Kings, reminding them through the branches about Mercy and Love for mankind, so also A NGELS PRESENT instead of the olive branches, THE V ERY B ODY OF THE L ORD, BESEECHING THE MASTER ON BEHALF OF THE HUMAN RACE , as if saying, W E ARE PRAYING FOR THOSE WHOM T HOU T HYSELF HAST FOUND WORTHY OF T HY L OVE , and for whom Thou gave up Thy soul; we pour out our Prayers for those for whom Thou poured Thy Blood; we beseech for those for whom Thou offered Thy Body as a Sacrifice. (ST JOHN
CHRYSOSTOM. AGAINST THE AMONIANS. THIRD HOMILY).

A Monk lived in a desert and a Priest would go to Commune him.

Consequently, such an excuse is totally groundless, for as THE H OUSE OF G OD IS H OLIER THAN YOUR OWN HOUSE , SO THE P RAYER OFF ERED IN T EMPL E IS L OFTIER THEN YOUR P RAYER AT HOME .
[... TO BE CO NTI NUE D ...]

http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/page_2621.htm

22.

8TH AFTER PENTECOST8TH ST MATTHEWAFTER DORMITIONFEEDING 5000 FAMILIES18 AUGUST 2013

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria & All Africa


All Glory, Honour and Worshi p to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spiri t, now a nd forever, and unto the Ages of ages. Amen. Rememberi ng also our Most Holy, Mos t Pure, Most Blessed and Glorious Lady, Maria, Theotokos, yet Ever Virgin, together with all the Saints. A nd let us commi t ourselves and one another and our whole Li fe to Christ our God. Amen .

25 August 2013 9th Sunday After Pentecost Tone (8) Plagal 4 9th Sunday of St Matthew Walking on Water
Also the Feast of St Bartholomew, Holy Apostle, Translation of Holy Relics St Titos of the 70 Holy Apostles of Christ & Bishop of Crete St Barses the Confessor, St Evlogios, Bishops of Edessa & St Protogenes the Confessor, Bishop of Carrhae St Menas of Contantinople St Vladimir, Hieromartyr of Tver St John the Cappadocian, Patriarch of Constantinople St Epiphanios, Patriarch of Constantinople

RESURRECTION APOLYTIKION - TONE (8) PLAGAL 4

Ex

Ipsous katilthes O Efsplaghnos, tafin katedexo triimeron, ina imas eleftherosis ton pathon. I Zoi ke i Anastasis imon, Kyrie, Doxa Si!
-HOLY APOSTLES
OF

Thou descended

from on High, O Tender-hearted One; Thou endured the three-days burial, so that Thou might free us from our passions, O our Life and Resurrection: Glory to Thee!

FESTAL APOLYTIKION

CHRIST TONE 3

Apostoli

Agii, presvefsate to eleimoni Theo, ptesmaton afesin, paraskhi tes psihes imon.
-THE EV
ER

ina

Holy Apostles, intercede with out Merciful God to grant our souls forgiveness of sins!
ER

FESTAL APOLYTIKION

BLESSED THEOTOKOS & EV

VIRGIN MARY

Ioakim ke Anna onidismou ateknias, ke Adam ke Eva ek By


tis fthoras tou Thanatou ileftherothisan Ahrante, en ti Agia Gennisi Sou. Aftin eortazi ke O laos Sou, enohis ton ptesmaton, Litrothis en to Krazin Si: i stira tikti tin Theotokon, ke Trofon tis Zois imon.

Thy Holy Nativity, O Most Undefiled One, Joachim and Anna were freed from the scorn of childlessness, and Adam and Eve from Deaths corruption. This is the Feast now observed by Thy people, who from the guilt of their errors, were delivered as they cry out to Thee: the Barren One bear the Theotokos, and our Lifes Sustainer!
4

Prokeimenon Psalm 75 - TONE (8) PLAGAL Vow, and Pray to the Lord your God! In Judah is God known: His Name is Great in Israel!
WISDOM
OF THE

St Pauls First Epistle to the Corinthians 3: 9 17


APOSTOLIC MINISTRY

Brethren: we are Gods fellow workers; you are Gods field, you are Gods building. According to the Grace of God, which was granted to me, as a wise Master Builder, I have laid the Foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it, for no other Foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now, if anyone builds on this Foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each ones work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by Fire; and the Fire will test each ones work - of what sort it is. If anyones work, which he has built on endures, he will receive a Reward. If anyones work is burnt, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be Saved - yet so as through Fire. Do you not know that you are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of dwells in you? If anyone defiles the Temple of God, God will destroy him, for the Temple of God is Holy, which Temple you are. A S LIVING H OLY T EMPLES OF G OD , IT IS IMPERATIVE TO TREAT OUR Fellow workers (synergoi) refers to THE BIBLICAL CONCEPT OF BODY AND THE BODY OF OTHERS WITH ABSOLUTE RESPECT AS SYNERGISM , shown here by THE WAY THE H OLY A POSTLES OF C HRIST WORKED TOGETHER WITH G OD BY CARRYING OUT AND A S ACRED S ANCTIFIED - V ESSEL OF G OD . FULFILLING H IS D IVINE M INISTRY ON EARTH . T HE HUMAN BODY is to be honoured and nurtured carefully for it S O , TOO, DO WE AS G OD S FELLOW WORKERS CO- OPERATE ACTUALLY BELONGS TO G OD Who has lent it to us in order WITH H IM TO FULFIL H IS D IVINE W ILL FOR THE BENEFIT OF OUR to accommodate our immortal soul. E TERNAL S ALVATION . We are created with body and soul and since the body is T HIS H OLY S YNERGY OR C O- OPERATION WITH G OD DOES NOT MEAN complicated while the soul is very simple THE TWO WORK THAT WE ARE CO- EQUALS WITH A LMIGHTY G OD . Neither is it a TOGETHER TO ACHIEVE GOOD PHYSICAL AND S PIRITUAL 50-50 arrangement. P ROGRESS IN THIS LIFESPAN - AND ESPECIALLY FOR LATER - FOR H OLY S YNERGY MEANS THAT G OD IS OUR L ORD AND WE ARE H IS E TERNITY . F AITHFUL SERVANTS WHO ARE C ALLED BY H IM TO PARTICIPATE Our Immortal soul is breathed into each of us by God the WITH H UMILITY AND O BEDIENCE IN H IS H OLY W ORK . Life-giving Holy Spirit so IT IS NATURAL TO YEARN FOR G OD St Paul reminds us that OUR PHYSICAL BODY IS A H OLY T EMPLE OF AND ALL H IS G OODNESS AND TO KNOW GOOD FROM EVIL . G OD AND WHEN WE ARE IN A STATE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE , THE A T THE SEPARATION OF BODY AND SOUL , THE TWO ELEMENTS ARE H OLY S PIRIT INDEED , THE H OLY T RINITY DWELLS WITHIN US RETURNED TO THEIR ORIGINAL PLACES THE BODY TO THE EARTH AND ACTS FROM WITHIN US . AND THE SOUL TO E TERNITY resting until the General Our entire life is spent Sanctifying our body and soul through Resurrection and our Final Judgement when we will the partaking of the Holy Mysteries of God. receive either Eternal Life or Eternal Death (Eternal Exile Therefore, OUR BODY IS AS H OLY AND S ACRED AS OUR IMMORTAL and Alienation from God and all His Goodness.) SOUL .

9TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 9TH

OF

ST MATTHEW -

WALKING

ON

WATER 25 AUGUST 2013

23

The Holy Gospel According to St Matthew 14 :


WALKING
ON

22 34

WATER

At that time, our Lord Jesus made His Disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. And when He had send them away, He went up the mountain by Himself to pray. And when evening came, He was alone there. However, the boat was then in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. And in the Fourth Watch of the night Jesus went to them walking on the sea. And when the Disciples saw Him walking on the water, they were troubled, and said: It is a ghost! And they cried out in fear. And immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying: Be of good cheer! It is I do not be afraid! And Peter answered Him and said: Lord, if it is Thee, command me to come to Thee on the water. So He said: Come! And when Peter got down out of the boat, he walked upon the water and went towards Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out: Lord, Save me! And immediately Jesus stretched out His Hand and caught him, and He said to him: O thee of little Faith! Why did thou doubt? And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those who were in the boat went and worshipped Jesus, saying: Truly! Thou art the Son of God! And when they had crossed over, they arrived at the land of Gennesaret. H AVING FED AND HEALED THE BODIES AND SOULS OF THE 5000 Mercy on us or our weak human condition, H E FAMILIES who had followed our Lord Jesus Christ and His IMMEDIATELY RESPONDS . Disciples into the wilderness, C HRIST FIRST DISMISSED H IS N OT ONE WORD OF OUR PRAYERS GO UNHEARD BY G OD but we D ISCIPLES AND THEN THE GREAT MULTITUDE BEFORE GOING UP must ACCEPT WITH ALL DUE H UMILITY AND O BEDIENCE THAT THE MOUNTAIN IN TOTAL ISOLATION TO COMMUNICATE EVERYTHING IS ACCORDING TO THE W ILL OF G OD and THROUGH P RAYER WITH G OD H IS F ATHER . according to His Divine, unique Plan or Purpose for each S EVERAL HOURS LATER , when the Disciples were in the middle us! of the Lake ... In the Fourth Watch of the night... O NLY G OD HAS D OMINION OVER ALL C REATION . OUR L ORD WENT TO THEM BY WALKING ON THE WATER Consequently THESE D IVINE M IRACLES CERTAINLY CONFIRM THE something that was quite natural for Him but terrifying to D IVINITY OF OUR L ORD AND S AVIOUR , JESUS CHRIST . T HE IMAGERY OF CHRIST AND H IS D ISCIPLES IN A BOAT ON THE behold for His Disciples who immediately perceived Him to be a ghost or phantom. STORM - TOSSED WAVES DEPICTS H IS H OLY C HURCH , which is W ITH H IS W ORDS OF C OMFORT , H E CALMED THEM DOWN BUT ST steered by God and filled with His Faithful Disciples, and P ETER , AS IMPULSIVE AS USUAL , ASKED OUR L ORD J ESUS TO carried safely over the turmoil and troubles of earthly life, PROVE IT IS INDEED H IM BY MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR HIM TO towards the safety of His Eternal Harbour His Heavenly ALSO WALK UPON THE WATER . Kingdom. W ITH ONE D IVINE W ORD : C OME ! C HRIST ALLOWS ST P ETER TO G OD PERMITS US TO EXPERIENCE THE STORMY , LIFE - THREATENING DO THE NORMALLY IMPOSSIBLE to walk on water and AS CONDITION OF EARTHLY LIFE SO THAT WE MAY ALSO LONG AS S T P ETER IS FOCUSSED ON OUR L ORD , HE IS INDEED UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE H IS D IVINE P ROVIDENCE AND ABLE TO DO SO ! P ROTECTION , WITHOUT WHICH WE WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO Our Holy Church Fathers believe that St Peters initial strength SURVIVE OR PROGRESS . of Faith allowed him to walk on the water. When Christ rebukes the stormy conditions that threaten life Furthermore, St Peter did not ask Christ to make him walk on and limb, it also illustrate His Compassion for His most water, but rather to be with Him for his yearning was not beloved creatures mankind for H E ALONE CAN ALSO to perform any Miracle but rather to be joyfully reunited CALM THE STORMY , THREATENING TEMPESTS OF OUR IMMORTAL with Christ. SOUL . Thus St Peter was able to participate in the Divine Miracle of This is the second time that our Lord permitted His Disciples to Christ as long as he focused exclusively on Him. be caught in a storm at sea. However, THE INSTANT ST PETER TOOK HIS ATTENTION OFF CHRIST During the first terrifying storm at sea, He was with them but in AND FOCUSED ON THE SURROUNDING CONDITIONS , HE LOST this instance, they were on their own. F AITH AND BEGAN TO SINK . In this manner, C HRIST STRENGTHENED THEIR F AITH IN H IS E TERNAL P RESENCE H E IS ALWAYS WITH US EVEN IN THE MIDST OF THE Lord, Save me! I S THE MOST POWERFUL PRAYER that has been repeated countless times throughout the centuries. WORST CONDITIONS AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF OUR EARTHLY The Greek term for doubt in this context means to waver or LIFE . to hesitate. IT IS I (AM ) I AM IS THE D IVINE N AME OF G OD . Thereby our Thus, THE ACTUAL CAUSE OF ST P ETER S SINKING WAS NOT DUE TO Lord Jesus Christ reassured His Disciples of His Absolute THE STORMY CONDITIONS , BUT RATHER DUE TO HIS SUDDEN and Divine Authority over life especially their lives, as His DOUBT , WAVERING OR HESITATION , which then caused Christ Faithful Disciples. to rebuke St Peter rather than the wind and waves. T HIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT H IS D ISCIPLES CONFESS OUR L ORD AS A ND IMMEDIATELY JESUS STRETCHED OUT H IS H AND AND CAUGHT S ON OF G OD and knowing that only God can be HIM ... W HENEVER WE BESEECH G OD to Save us or to have worshipped, they confess His Divinity by worshipping and glorifying Him. Ninth Sunday After Pentecost In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Blessed St Theophylact pointed out that St Peter did not Holy Spirit, Amen. Christ is in our midst! He is and ask Christ to let him walk on the water due to shall be! arrogance or pride. In this mornings Gospel Lesson, we heard one of the Instead, compelled by his Love of Christ and his desire most well known (and most often retold) of Christs to be with Him, St Peter asked Him for His Miracles - walking on water. Permission: Lord, if it is Thee, command me to We hear this Miracle with the focus mostly on Christ, on come to Thee on the water. how H IS C OMMAND OVER THE ELEMENTS AND H IS Initially, ignoring the raging tempest on the Lake, St ABILITY TO WALK ON WATER , DEMONSTRATES H IS Peter was concentrated on reaching Christ as D IVINITY . quickly as possible, so he was able to step out of the However, let us focus not on what Christ does, but on boat and walk on top of the waves, making his way what St Peter fails to do. to his Beloved Lord. It is a pretty spectacular Miracle to walk on water, but However, somewhere between the boat and our Lord, St no more amazing than many of the other Miracles Peter took his focus off Christ. that Christ does such as casting out demons, He allowed himself to become distracted by the storm healing the sick, raising the dead... even though he was doing something Miraculous. But WHEN S T P ETER BECOMES A PART OF THIS M IRACLE St Peter took his eyes off Christ. He faltered and in that brief moment, he realised what he was doing and he WITH C HRIST, IT IS SOMETHING VERY UNIQUE . questioned it and in that instant, he began to sink.

24.

9TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 9TH

OF

ST MATTHEW -

WALKING

ON

WATER 25 AUGUST 2013

Christ did not rebuke the storm for causing St Peter to hesitate. Instead He gently rebuked His impulsive Apostle: O thee of little Faith! Why did thou doubt? Nothing forced St Peter to take his eye off Christ and to fear and doubt the circumstances. St Peter like every one of us - made his own choice, which almost had dire consequences. This image is a perfect metaphor for our lives - we find ourselves constantly in stormy conditions in life, and, being distracted and overwhelmed by them, we take our focus off our Saviour, Jesus Christ, and we begin to sink beneath the drowning waves of despair, misery, failure and hopelessness. Before we consider why we are so easily distracted, and what we can do to combat this, it is important for us to understand exactly what it meant when St Peter took his eyes off Christ. The Orthodox Study Bible points out that IN THIS MOMENT S T P ETER DID NOT STOP BELIEVING IN C HRIST NEITHER DID HE DENY HIS F AITH - BUT HE CERTAINLY HESITATED . H E WAVERED . (THE COMMENTARY, P.
1296)

If

WE SPEND MORE TIME ON SELF INDULGENT ENTERTAINMENT - such as TV, internet, sports,

He was distracted by the storm that raged around them and HE BEGAN TO SINK THE MOMENT HE TOOK HIS CONCENTRATION AND HIS TRUST OFF C HRIST . The circumstances drew St Peters gaze away from Christ, and as soon as he looked around and thought about the situation, things began to go wrong. St Peter realized his error, and called out to Christ to Save him from drowning, and he is immediately rescued. Nevertheless, we have to realize that Christ does not always run to the rescue for, sometime later, St Peter was allowed to deny Christ three times, for which he then was able to Repent and be reinstated into Divine Grace by our All Merciful Lord. Unlike what is preached by the world around us today, THE POINT IS CERTAINLY NOT A CASE OF : Do not worry - God will step in at the last moment and Save you! We may choose to live like that as though - no matter what is going on in our life God has to step in because Im a Christian and things cannot get too bad. Look at the lives of our Holy Martyrs. Look at the lives of Christians who have made terrible mistakes. V B Y BEING CREATED WITH FREE WILL , WE HAVE TO ACCEPT THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR ACTIONS V G OD DOES NOT HAVE TO STEP IN ALL THE TIME TO S AVE US FROM OUR OWN FAILURES , although sometimes He may CHOOSE to do so. V A T OTHER TIMES WE HAVE TO REAP THE HARVEST OF OUR ACTIONS BOTH GOOD AND BAD for the benefit of our immortal soul. The safer route, the preferred way, is to LEARN FROM THE FAILURE OF S T P ETER , and to KEEP FOCUSSED CONCENTRATED - ON CHRIST. In other words, WE MUST KEEP C HRIST AS THE FOCUS OF ALL THAT WE DO . We have to train ourselves, to learn that in the midst of the storms of life, OUR ONLY SURE REFUGE IS IN C HRIST . As examples, we'll begin with the most obvious parts of our life and our Relationship with ChristNOTHING SHOULD COME BETWEEN US AND OUR WORSHIP OF G OD IN THE T EMPLE ON S UNDAYS AND F EAST D AYS . At the most basic, beginner level of the Spiritual Life, WE ATTEND C HURCH TO PRAY, TO WORSHIP , AND TO PARTAKE OF H OLY C OMMUNION . All kinds of things will pop up to distract uswork, family, friends, activitiesbut TO KEEP OUR FOCUS ON C HRIST, BEING IN THE C HURCH TO WORSHIP HAS TO BE AT THE TOP OF OUR PRIORITY LIST. T IME IS A VERY PRECIOUS COMMODITY today - even with all the technological advances - we find ourselves with less and less free time in the day. W HAT WE DO WITH OUR TIME, HOW WE SPEND OUR TIME, REVEALS WHAT OUR FOCUS IN LIFE IS . V N OT ONLY DO WE NEED TO MAKE TIME TO ATTEND H OLY S ERVICES , WE DESPERATELY NEED TO SET ASIDE TIME FOR PRAYER AND SPIRITUAL READING .

hobbies, socialising or excessive sleep, etc rather than in Prayer and worship, OUR ESSENTIAL AND VITAL S PIRITUAL L IFE IS DEPRIVED OR NEGLECTED . V O UR R ELATIONSHIP WITH G OD SHOULD BE MORE IMPORTANT TO US THAN ANYTHING ELSE . A LL KINDS OF DISTRACTIONS WILL TEMPT US when it is time for us to stop whatever we are busy with, and GIVE TIME TO G OD WITH P RAYER , S PIRITUAL R EADING AND C ONTEMPLATION : tiredness, phone calls, certain tasks, laziness... H OWEVER , IF WE ALLOW OURSELVES TO BECOME DISTRACTED BY SUCH TEMPTATIONS , WE LOSE OUR FOCUS ON C HRIST AND BEGIN TO SINK BENEATH THE WAVES OF UNNECESSARY CONCERNS . The condition and degree of our Spiritual Life and Love of God is revealed time and again when we neglect our Sacred Duties. W E REVEAL - BY OUR NEGLECT AND SELF INDULGENCE THAT C HRIST REALLY IS NOT IMPORTANT TO US because we never set aside time to be with Him, especially in Prayer. V O UR SACRED R ELATIONSHIP WITH A LMIGHTY G OD
CANNOT DEVELOP AND GROW WITHOUT CONSTANT P RAYERS, SPIRITUAL R EADINGS AND PROPER , REGULAR WORSHIP . Another significant Spiritual Problem concerns MONEY AND POSSESSIONS . V Maybe even more than time, WHAT WE DO WITH OUR MONEY AND POSSESSIONS SPEAKS VOLUMES ABOUT US .

Using our hard earned money to provide for ourselves is not a serious problem for we need clothing and homes and food. According to Holy Scripture and the Holy Wisdom and Witness of the Saints, SERIOUS PROBLEMS ARISE WHEN WE USE OUR WORLDLY WEALTH AND POSSESSIONS to just do whatever we desire or to get what we want WITHOUT REGARD TO G OD S C OMMANDMENTS AND T EACHINGS OR WITHOUT REGARD FOR OTHERS WHO
MAY SUFFER DUE TO OUR OBSESSIVE GREED AND SELF INDULGENCE. W ORLDLY POSSESSIONS AND OUR SELF INDULGENCE -

whatever they consist of - are a huge part of the storm that distracts our focus from Christ, and CAUSES US TO SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES . H OW DO WE SPEND OUR MONEY ? Do we tithe, and give alms to the poor? D O WE SHARE OUR ABUNDANT B LESSINGS with those who are less fortunate?? Every country suffers from financial problems the price of petrol, electricity, water, food all necessities of life - are skyrocketing, while more and more people are losing their jobs and their homes. So many families are battling against hunger, illness, necessity and destitution day to day. Yet even though everyone realises that the situation is a world-wide problem that affects every human being to a greater or lesser degree, WE CONTINUE TO SPEND MONEY , TIME AND POSSESSIONS ON WHATEVER WE DESIRE !!! Now is the time to SUPPORT THE W ORK OF C HRIST IN H IS H OLY C HURCH ! W E NEED THE A SCETIC D ISCIPLINE AND SACRIFICE OF THE T ITHE ( WHETHER MONEY OR TIME ). From all the abundance of Blessings that God bestows upon us, we must RETURN A PORTION OF THEM TO G OD IN T HANKSGIVING EITHER AS A DONATION OF CASH OR KIND TO H IS C HURCH OR TO OTHERS WHO ARE IN NEED . This act of cheerful Thanksgiving is one of the first Sacred Lessons in Holy Scripture, which teaches us to GIVE OUR FIRST FRUITS AND OUR VERY BEST TO G OD . WE CANNOT LIE EITHER TO GOD OR TO OURSELVES: CHRIST
DOES NOT OCCUPY A SIGNIFICANT PLACE IN OUR LIVES IF WE PUT MORE MONEY INTO OUR SELF-INDULGENT DESIRES not our needs - THAN WE OFFER TO H IS H OLY C HURCH for the fulfilment of His earthly Mission. T AKING OUR FOCUS - THE FULLNESS OF OUR ATTENTION OFF C HRIST IS A SIN THAT WE ARE ALL GUILTY OF IN SOME WAY, AT SOME TIME, TO VARYING DEGREES . V O UR ULTIMATE G OAL IS TO KEEP OUR FOCUS ON C HRIST AT ALL TIMES WITHOUT BEING

9TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 9TH

OF

ST MATTHEW -

WALKING

ON

W A T E R 2 5 A U G U S T 2 0 1 3 25.

DISTRACTED BY CIRCUMSTANCES , DOUBT, FEAR OR PERSONAL WEAKNESS . V O NLY THEN WE, TOO , SHALL BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THE IMPOSSIBLE : WE SHALL BE ABLE TO WALK ON WATER !! As St Peter walked towards Christ on the water, HE WAS OBVIOUSLY FOCUSSED AND DOING EXCEEDINGLY WELL . C HRIST OUR G OD NEVER CHANGES HIS FOCUS ON US BUT WE LOSE OUR FOCUS ON H IM . B UT AS SOON AS S T P ETER LOST HIS CONCENTRATION ON G OD , HE IMMEDIATELY BECAME OVERWHELMED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND BEGAN TO SINK IN DOUBT ! V T HE L ORD OUR G OD L OVES US INFINITELY AND DESIRES ONLY THE BEST CIRCUMSTANCES FOR US , WHICH BRING US EVER CLOSER TO H IM . H E WANTS US TO FULFIL OUR L IFE J OURNEY AND IS EVER WATCHFUL OVER US , HAVING PROVIDED EVERYTHING NECESSARY FOR OUR PHYSICAL AND S PIRITUAL W ELFARE.

Our Lord is never cruel, vindictive or malicious because that is certainly not His Divine Nature at all. Being an Eternally Loving God, H E WAITS SO PATIENTLY FOR US TO TURN TO H IM TO REACH OUT FOR H IS D IVINE G UIDANCE AND S TRENGTH AND FOR US TO LEARN TO TRUST IMPLICITLY IN H IS D IVINE P ROVIDENCE , no matter in what circumstances we may find ourselves.
BY

H IS D IVINE L OVE PERPETUALLY WELCOMES US BACK TO H IM AS SOON AS WE R EPENT - AND H E ALWAYS FORGIVES US OUR INNUMERABLE SINS - no matter how many times we are lured away by the unprofitable temptations that surround us. O UR B ENEVOLENT , ALMIGHTY G OD IS EVER READY TO S AVE US as we begin to drown in the troubled stormtossed turmoil of daily life. Consequently, WE NEED TO TAKE TIME TO SIT QUIETLY AND TO EXAMINE OURSELVES OUR INNER BEING FROM MANY DIFFERENT ANGLES . V IT IS ESSENTIAL TO DO THIS SPIRITUAL ACCOUNTING EVERY DAY. We need to CONTEMPLATE THE ESSENTIAL QUESTION OF BEING FOCUSSED ON C HRIST as we try to walk on water step by step. We all really need to FULLY REALISE THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING OUR CONCENTRATION ON C HRIST OUR S AVIOUR AT ALL TIMES . T HIS IS THE ONLY WAY WE CAN NAVIGATE THE STORMS OF LIFE AND ACHIEVE WHATEVER FOR US IS IMPOSSIBLE BUT WHICH , WITH G OD , BECOMES AMAZINGLY POSSIBLE !! Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
ADAPTED & EDITED BY MP: A SERMON FOR THE 9TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST THE NINTH SUNDAY OF ST MATTHEW WALKING ON WATER BY REVEREND FATHER MATTHEW JACKSON. (2008) HTTP://PRIESTMATTHEWJACKSON.BLOGSPOT.COM/2008/08/HOMILY-ON-9TH-SUNDAYAFTER-PENTECOST.HTML

Why Should We Go To Church Every Sunday? (Part 8)


HIEROMARTYR DANIEL SISOYEV

I would go to Church every week, but my (wife or husband, parents or children) prevent/do not let me. V N EVER FORGET OUR L ORD S UNCOMPROMISING W ORDS : He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me, is not worthy of Me! (MATTHEW 10:37) We have to MAKE THIS FRIGHTFUL BUT ESSENTIAL CHOICE BETWEEN G OD AND MANKIND all the time. Yes, it is difficult and it can be painful. But IF YOU PREFER A PERSON INSTEAD OF G OD , EVEN IN SOMETHING SMALL , G OD WILL REJECT YOU ON THE D AY OF J UDGMENT . Are people going to be able to help you then? Does your love for your relative or friend Justify you when the Gospel tells you otherwise? O N J UDGEMENT D AY YOU WILL REMEMBER WITH INTENSE SADNESS , REGRET AND BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT EVERY TIME YOU REJECTED G OD FOR THE SAKE OF SOMETHING ELSE ! Besides, life experience proves that THOSE WHO
FAVOUR AND CHOOSE PEOPLE INSTEAD OF OUR

sick, which is exacerbated by strongly scented incense. However, CERTAIN PEOPLE FEEL ILL OR
UNCOMFORTABLE IN AN ALMOST EMPTY T EMPLE, AND WE ALL KNOW VERY WELL THE SPIRITUAL C AUSE OF THAT PHENOMENON . O UR EVIL DEEDS OFTEN PREVENT US FROM R EPENTANCE AND REJECT THE D IVINE G RACE OF G OD .

What some refer to as negative energy is nothing other than THE RESISTANCE OF THEIR EVIL WILL TO THE P OWER OF G OD . Not only do people turn away from God, but G OD TURNS AWAY FROM EGOISTS: God resists the proud. (JAMES 4:6). S T M ARY OF E GYP T , while she was still an unrepentant harlot, tried to enter the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem to venerate the Lifegiving Cross, but some invisible Power pushed her away and prevented her from entering. ONLY AFTER SHE SINCERELY R EPENTED AND PROMISED TO
NEVER AGAIN COMMIT THE SIN OF FORNICATION WAS SHE ABLE TO ENTER THAT H OLY T EMPLE. Even now PROFESSIONAL KILLERS AND THE DEBAUCHED OFTEN REACT ADVERSELY - especially those who

C REATOR WILL INEVITABLY FAIL OR BE BETRAYED, HURT OR DISAPPOINTED . I do not go to Church because it has negative energy and I do not feel comfortable there, especially because of the incense. V E VERY O RTHODOX C HURCH IS FILLED WITH ONE, G OOD ENERGY THE A LL P OWERFUL G RACE OF G OD . V A LL O RTHODOX T EMPLES ARE S ANCTIFIED BY THE H OLY SPIRIT. V C HRIST IS PRESENT WITH H IS B ODY AND B LOOD IN EVERY CHURCH the Holy Eucharist and the Presanctified Gifts preserved in the Artoforion on the Holy Altar. V A NGELS OF G OD STAND BY THE ENTRANCE INTO EVERY O RTHODOX CHURCH AND IN THE H OLY S ANCTUARY . Therefore, concerning this excuse for not attending Holy Services, THE PROBLEM HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE P ARISH C HURCH BUT RATHER THE PERSON WHO HAS SUCH A NEGATIVE, UNRECEPTIVE REACTION . There may be a perfectly natural explanation for what you are feeling. On Great Feast Days, when the Temples are filled beyond capacity, there is very little air to breathe and some people might feel faint or

practice magic, astrology, ESP and other kinds of devilry. A T THE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENTS OF THE DIVINE S ERVICES THESE SERIOUSLY UNREPENTANT SINNERS HAVE REACTED SO NEGATIVELY TO THE D IVINE P RESENCE THAT THEY HAVE BECOME PHYSICALLY ILL AND EVEN COLLAPSED . There is yet another cause: NOT ONLY DO SUCH PEOPLE REJECT MEETING OUR C REATOR , BUT MORE STRONGLY, SO DO THE DEMONS WHO ENABLE AND ENCOURAGE THEIR SINFUL LIFESTYLE. T HESE IMPURE SPIRITS HINDER THE SINNER S ENTRY INTO THE T EMPLE AND THEY SAP THE STRENGTH FROM THOSE WHO HAVE ENTERED . V O NLY G OD CAN HELP THOSE WHO ARE POSSESSED BY DEMONS BUT ONLY THOSE WHO HAVE R EPENTED AND WANT TO LIVE ACCORDING TO H IS D IVINE W ILL . The terminology of such an excuse is borrowed from practitioners of psychic powers (who serve the devil), who talk about people being charged with certain energies - as if referring to inanimate batteries and not to THE S ANCTIFIED , ADOPTED C HILDREN OF G OD . These are SYMPTOMS OF SPIRITUAL D ISEASE and instead of Loving God THEY DARE TO TRY TO MANIPULATE H IM , WHICH IS AN INDICATION OF DEMONIC POSSESSION !

26.

9TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST 9TH

OF

ST MATTHEW -

WALKING

ON

WATER 25 AUGUST 2013

Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria & All Africa


All Glory, Honour and Worship to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and unto the Ages of ages. Amen. Rememberi ng also our M ost Holy, Mos t Pure, Most Blessed and Gl orious Lady, Maria, Theotok os, yet Ever Virgi n, toge ther with all the Saints. A nd let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole Life to Chris t our God. Amen .

29 August 2012 The Beheading of St John the Baptist & Forerunner


Also the Feast of St Theopistis of Aegena - St Anastasios the New Martyr of Stumitza, Bulgaria St Theodora of Thessalonika

FESTAL APOLYTIKION FORERUNNER

BEHEADING

OF

ST

JOHN

THE

BAPTIST

&

Mnimi

Dikeou met engomion; Si de arkesi i martiria tou Kyriou Prodrome; anedihthis gar ontos ke Profiton sevamioteros, oti ke en rithris Vaptise katihiothis ton kiritomenon. Othen tis Alithias iperathlisas, heron evingeliso ke tis en Adi: Theo fanerothenta en Sarki, ton eronta tin amartian tou kosmou, ke parehonta imin to Mega Eleos.
EV
ER

The memory of the Just is praised;

but for Thee shall suffice, the Witness of the Lord, O Forerunner; for Thou hast truly come forth as more honoured than the Prophets, since Thou proved worthy to Baptise, in the streams, the one they preached of. Thus, having contended for the Truth supremely, with Joy Thou brought the Good News, even to those in Hades: O God Who did appear in the flesh, and took away the sin of the world, and grants to all His Great Mercy.

FESTAL KONTAKION NATIV

ITY OF THE

BLESSED THEOTOKOS

Ioakim

ke Anna onidismou ateknias, ke Adam ke Eva ek tis fthoras tou thanatou ileftherothisan Ahrante, en ti Agia gennisi Sou. Aftin eortazi ke o laos sou, enohis ton ptesmaton, litrothis en to krazin si: i stira tikti tin Theotokon, ke trofon tis zois imon.

By thy Holy Nativity, O Most Undefiled One, Joachim and


Anna were freed from the scorn of childlessness, and Adam and Eve from deaths corruption. This is the Feast now observed by thy people, who from the guilt of their errors, were delivered as they cry out to thee: the barren one bear the Theotokos, and our lifes Sustainer!
ST JOHN
THE

Matins Gospel According to St Matthew 14 : 1 13


THE UNJUST M
ARTYRDOM OF

BAPTIST

At that time, Herod the Tetrarch heard the report about Jesus and said to his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is Resurrected from the dead, and therefore these Powers are at work in him. For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and imprisoned him for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philips wife, because John had said to him: It is unlawful for you to have her. And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they regarded John as a Prophet. But when Herods birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. So she having been prompted by her mother, said: Give me John the Baptists head here on a platter! And the King was sorry; nevertheless, because of his oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her. And he sent and had John beheaded in prison. And his head was brought and presented on a platter to the girl, and she took it to her mother. Then his Disciples went and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus. When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitude heard about it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. T HIS ACCOUNT WAS GIVEN PARENTHETICALLY, THEREBY EXPLAINING Consequently, THERE WAS NO LONGER A NEED FOR ANY MORE S T J OHN THE B APTIST S EARLIER M ARTYRDOM SO THAT THOSE H OLY PROPHETS OF G OD . WHO HEARD IT WOULD UNDERSTAND WHY H EROD THOUGHT THAT After Christs Death on the Cross and His Descent into and His S T J OHN THE B APTIST HAD BEEN RESURRECTED FROM THE DEAD . Harrowing of Hades, ALL DEPARTED SOULS WERE GRANTED The Beheading of St John the Baptist is C OMMEMORATED IN THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACCEPT OR REJECT H IM AS OUR E TERNAL OUR H OLY C HURCH ON 29 A UGUST WITH A DAY OF VERY L ORD G OD . STRICT FASTING. NEVER AGAIN WOULD THERE BE SUCH AN OPPORTUNITY A S AN IMPORTANT PART OF G OD S P LAN OF S ALVATION FOR ALL FOR US TO REPENT OUR SINS AFTER DEATH! MANKIND , S T J OHN S H OLY M ARTYRDOM ALLOWED THE Despite the efforts of St John the Baptist and the Love of God, C OMING OF THE M ESSIAH TO BE ANNOUNCED TO THE SOULS CERTAIN WICKED AND STUBBORN SOULS REFUSED G OD S D IVINE IMPRISONED IN H ADES . M ERCY AND L OVE , preferring the company of similar ALL I MMORTAL SOULS BOTH THOSE OF UNREPENTANT SINNERS AND wicked and disgusting souls and demons! THE R IGHTEOUS WERE INFORMED BY S T J OHN THAT THE LONG T HOSE WHO RECEIVED CHRIST WITH J OY AND G RATITUDE , WERE AWAITED M ESSIAH HAD INDEED COME TO S AVE THE FALLEN , SIN GRANTED E TERNAL L IFE , AND now REST IN P EACE IN THE RE DARKENED WORLD . OPENED P ARADISE until our Final Judgement at the ReSt John - as the F ORERUNNER TO C HRIST AND THE LAST GREAT Appearance in the Flesh or the Second Glorious Coming H OLY P ROPHET OF G OD ACCORDING TO THE O LD C OVENANT of our Lord Jesus Christ. had to depart from this life before OUR L ORD JESUS IN H IS D URING M ATINS , WE SING TO ST J OHN THE B APTIST : Thy tongue, HUMAN N ATURE COULD DIE AND THUS ENTER H ADES , where, IN which constantly speaks of God, has preceded Christ H IS D IVINE N ATURE , H E SET SOULS FREE from Satans into Death, and is sent to Preach Him to those in imprisonment Hades and ALSO SMASHED OPEN THE Hades. G ATES OF H ADES THAT SHALL NEVER AGAIN PREVAIL AGAINST H EROD , who was one of four Rulers under the Roman R EPENTANT SINNERS . domination, with all his wealth and power, actually FEARED O UR LORD JESUS C HRIST FULFILLED ALL D IVINE PROPHESY as S T J OHN THE B APTIST a simple and humble man who revealed to us through His Holy Prophets, who had lived in abject Ascetic poverty and who was clothed with prepared mankind for the Coming of our Eternal Saviour. plain garments made from rough camels hair.

THE BEHEADING

OF

ST JOHN

THE

BAPTIST

29 AUGUST 2013

27

H EROD S FEAR OF ST J OHN THE B APTIST TESTIFIED TO THE P OWER , A NGELIC L IFE AND GENUINE I NTEGRITY OF THE H OLY PROPHET OF G OD , AS WELL AS TO THE PEOPLE S PERCEPTION AND VENERATION OF S T J OHN WHOM THEY HELD IN THE HIGHEST ESTEEM . Furthermore, ST J OHN THE B APTIST IS C OMMEMORATED FOR HIS HUMBLE AND UTTER O BEDIENCE TO THE L AW OF G OD in general, and as A H OLY D EFENDER OF THE S ANCTITY OF M ARRIAGE in particular, WHICH WAS EVIDENT FROM HIS LOUD AND VEHEMENT CONDEMNATION OF K ING H EROD S UNLAWFUL CO - HABITATION WITH HIS BROTHER S WIFE , THE WICKED H ERODIAS .
THE CHURCH

S T J OHN S O BEDIENCE TO G OD WAS SO PROFOUND THAT HE PREFERRED DEATH OVER ANY SORT OF COMPROMISE . At Holy Vespers we chant to St John: When Thy head was cut off, Thou revealed to us the Law of God, abolishing mans disobedience to the Law. Because the account of St John the Baptists Holy Martyrdom is given parenthetically, St Theophylact believed that when O UR L ORD J ESUS ... heard it... H E REACTED TO THE ERRONEOUS BELIEF OF K ING H EROD THAT C HRIST WAS THE R ESURRECTED ST J OHN THE B APTIST that our Lord Jesus was St John who had been raised from the dead.

The Acts of the Apostles According to St Luke


IN

13 : 25 32

PISIDIA

As John was finishing his course, he said: Who do you think I am? I am not He . But, behold: there comes One after me the sandals of Whom I am not worthy to loosen. Men and Brethren, sons of the Family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God: to you the Word of this Salvation has been sent. For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their Rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets, which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled them in condemning Him. And although they found no cause for death in Him, they asked Pilate that He should be put to death. Now when they had fulfilled all that was written concerning Him, they took Him down from the Tree and laid Him in a tomb. And God Raised Him up from the dead. He was seen for many days by those who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are His Witnesses to the people. And we declare to you Glad Tidings that Promise, which was made to the Fathers.

The Holy Gospel According to St Mark 6 : 14 30


THE BEHEADING
OF

ST JOHN

THE

BAPTIST & FORERUNNER

TO

CHRIST

At that time, King Herod heard of our Lord Jesus, for His Name had become well known. And he said: John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these Powers are worked in Him. Others said: It is Elijah. And others said: It is the Prophet, or one of the Prophets. But when Herod heard, he said: This is John, whom I beheaded; for he has been raised from the dead! For Herod himself had send and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, the wife of his brother, Philip - for he had married her - and because John had said to Herod: It is unlawful for you to have your brothers wife. Therefore Herodias had held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a Just and Holy Man, and he protected him. And when Herod had heard John, he did many things, and had heard him gladly. Then an opportune day arose when Herod, on his birthday, gave a Feast for his noblemen, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee. And when Herodias daughter herself went in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the King said to the girl: Whatever you ask of me, I will give you up to half my kingdom! So she went out and asked her mother: For what shall I ask? And Herodias answered: The head of John the Baptist! Without delay she hastened to the King and said: I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter! And the King was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately Herod sent an executioner and commanded Johns head to be brought. So he went and beheaded him in prison, took his head on a platter, and presented it to the girl; and she gave it to her mother. When Johns Disciples heard of it, they went and took away his body and laid it in a tomb. Then the Disciples went to Jesus and told Him everything both what they had done and what they had taught. T HIS KING H EROD WAS THE SON OF KING H EROD THE G REAT who T HE G IVER OF THE L AW OF M OSES ( THE W ORD AND S ON OF having heard of the newly born Great King (our Lord G OD AND OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST ) WOULD SOON BECOME Jesus Christ) from the Magi - had issued the orders that I NCARNATE led to the terrible Slaughter of the Innocents when all V Those who believed O UR L ORD JESUS WAS THE PROPHET male children who were two years or younger, were put meant that THEY BELIEVED H E WAS THE M ESSIAH THE to the sword without exception or the smallest sign of O NE OF WHOM ST M OSES HAD FORETOLD . mercy. O UR L ORD JESUS CHRIST INDEED FULFILS THREE SIGNIFICANT AND ESSENTIAL D IVINE R OLES : H E IS OUR D IVINE T EACHER , A LTHOUGH TECHNICALLY ONLY A TETRARCH RULER ONE OF FOUR OUR D IVINE P ROPHET AND OUR D IVINE K ING ! G OVERNORS ELECTED BY THE R OMAN OPPRESSORS H EROD WAS KNOWN AS K ING . D E U T E R O N O M Y 1 8 : 1 5 The Lord your God will However, HIS POWERS OF AUTHORITY AS G OVERNOR WERE LIMITED raise up for you a Prophet like me from your TO HIS AREA OF RULE . Brethren. Him you shall hear... the Lord said to me: V Knowing that St John the Baptist had performed several ... I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from Miracles while alive, H EROD WAS UTTERLY CONVINCED BY among their Brethren, and I will put My Word in His HIS OWN BELIEFS THAT OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST WAS S T Mouth, and He shall speak to them all I command J OHN THE B APTIST WHO HAD BEEN RAISED FROM THE DEAD Him.. erroneously believing that such Divine ...Powers At the time of St Moses, IT WAS FIRST NECESSARY FOR THE are worked in him. PEOPLE TO BE TESTED AND TO LEARN TO FEAR GOD AND NOT Consequently, H EROD FEARED S T J OHN THE B APTIST EVEN TO COMMIT SIN , FOR THEY WERE TOO IGNORANT AND MORE THAN WHEN HE HAD BEEN ALIVE . INATTENTIVE to hear about another Great Holy Prophet V S OME THOUGHT THAT OUR L ORD JESUS CHRIST WAS ST ELIJAH of God Who was to come later. THE T ISHBITE AND H OLY P ROPHET OF G OD WHO WAS Because the Israelites failed the test, they died in the EXPECTED TO RETURN AND TO WORK MANY M IRACLES desert. THEY REFUSED TO OBEY OR PUT INTO PRACTICE BEFORE THE S ECOND C OMING OF THE L ORD : EVERYTHING THAT G OD S H OLY P ROPHET , S T M OSES , TRIED M A L A C H I 3 : 2 2 - 2 3 Behold: I will send you SO HARD TO TEACH THEM . Elijah before the Coming of the Great and Glorious LIKEWISE , WE TOO , WILL FAIL THE TEST AND DIE IN THE DESERT Day of the Lord. And he will turn the heart of the THROUGH OUR OWN CHOICES AND SPIRITUAL father to his son, and a mans heart to his S TUBBORNNESS - WE WILL SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES OF neighbour... E TERNAL C ONDEMNATION TO SPIRITUAL E XILE FROM G OD S T ELIJAH T HE T ISHBITE ( WHO REPRESENTS THE H OLY P ROPHETS ETERNAL SPIRITUAL D EATH ! Consequently, ALL THOSE WHO CHOOSE TO REJECT THE OF G OD WHO PREPARED THE PEOPLE FOR THE C OMING OF THE MESSIAH ) AND S T M OSES ( WHO GAVE US THE D IVINE D IVINE WILL AND T EACHINGS OF ALMIGHTY G OD (WHO L AWS OF G OD WHEREBY WE MUST LIVE WHILE ON EARTH ) L OVES US AND WHO SEEKS OUR REDEMPTION AND S ALVATION ) WILL NEITHER ENTER NOR ENJOY THE G LORIOUS WERE PRESENT WITH OUR L ORD J ESUS ON M OUNT T ABOR AT H IS G LORIOUS T RANSFIGURATION . (MATTHEW 17: 1 13) B LISS , L OVE AND P EACE OF ETERNAL L IFE IN THE PROMISED L AND G OD S H EAVENLY KINGDOM .

28.

THE BEHEADING

OF

ST JOHN

THE

BAPTIST

29 AUGUST 2013

Others have interpreted their reference to The Prophet as meaning that THEY RECOGNISED C HRIST AS A NEW H OLY P ROPHET OF G OD WHO HAD BEEN SENT TO PREPARE THE PEOPLE FOR THE C OMING OF THE G REAT M ESSIAH OR SAVIOUR . However, our Lord came to live amongst us in order TO FIRST GATHER UP H IS L OST S HEEP OF THE O LD C OVENANT I SRAEL AND

THEN TO E NLIGHTEN , G UIDE AND H EAL H IS N EW C OVENANT F LOCK THE N EW I SRAEL I . E . H IS F AITHFUL D ISCIPLES , WHO , HAVING FREELY CHOSEN TO PUT ON CHRIST AT H OLY B APTISM CONTINUE TO LIVE IN CHRIST FOREVER .

The Beheading of St John, the Glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist


BY ST JUSTIN POPOV
IC

T ODAY IS A LITTLE G REAT F RIDAY - A SECOND G REAT F RIDAY . F OR TODAY THE GREATEST MAN AMONG THOSE BORN OF WOMEN , S T J OHN , THE H OLY F ORERUNNER AND B APTISER OF THE L ORD , WAS MURDERED . O N G REAT F RIDAY, PEOPLE MURDERED G OD - CRUCIFIED G OD . O N TODAY S G REAT H OLY F EAST , PEOPLE MURDERED THE GREATEST OF ALL MEN . It is not I who chose to use the expression the greatest. What are my praises of the Great and Glorious Forerunner of our Lord, whom He praised more than anyone - more than any of His Apostles, His Angels, His Prophets, the Righteous Ones or the Sages? For the Lord declared of him: Among those who are born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist (ATTHEW 11: 11). I N ALL C REATION , THERE EXISTS NO GREATER PRAISE! This is why today is a little Great Friday. Senseless people murdered the greatest of the Righteous. Was he getting in their way? Yes, he got between the perverse King Herod and the dissolute Herodias. V G OD S T RUTH - G OD S IMMUTABLE T RUTH GETS IN THE WAY OF THE LAWLESS , GETS IN THE WAY OF POOR SINNERS , GETS IN THE WAY OF EVERYONE STUPEFIED BY THE VARIOUS PASSIONS . Do not Christs opponents even today still shout Crucify Him! Crucify Him!? Even today, do not THOSE WHO OPPOSE C HRIST STILL DEMAND THE HEAD OF J ESUS OF N AZARETH ? They call for His Head, not to mention calling for the head of St John the Baptist. What is this? Could it be that this world has become a madhouse? P EOPLE DO NOT WANT G OD . T HEY DO NOT WANT THE GREATEST R IGHTEOUS O NE IN THE WHOLE WORLD . Whom do you want? Whom would you prefer? Whom would you set in Christs stead? With whom would you replace St. John the Baptist? With yourselves?! moth! , tiny mortal insects! Yes, WHEN PEOPLE BECOME MADDENED BY PRIDE, WHEN OUT OF EGOTISTICAL PRIDE THEY LOSE THEIR REASON , THEY HAVE NO NEED OF G OD , THEY HAVE NO NEED OF G OD S T RUTH . They declare themselves to be gods. They present their petty, shallow, false likeness of truth as the Great Salvific Truth. They declare their shallow, earthly, perishable images of truth to be the Greatest of Truths: THEY REJECT C HRIST S T RUTH . T HOSE WHO ARE INTELLECTUALLY AND SPIRITUALLY B LIND V
REFUSE TO SEE WITHOUT G OD . THAT MANKIND CANNOT MANAGE

T his world is full of Herods and Pharisees: THE H ERODS DEMAND THE head of St John the Baptist and the HEADS OF ALL OF THE R IGHTEOUS while THE P HARISEES AND THE LYING S CRIBES DEMAND THE D EATH OF C HRIST THE I NCARNATE G OD . There was no greater transgression than that committed on Great Friday and that committed at the Beheading of St John, when Herod destroyed the greatest among those born of women. O UR SAVIOUR EXALTED S T J OHN THE B APTIST , AS H E DID NO ONE ELSE BECAUSE THE H OLY F ORERUNNER ENCOMPASSED WITHIN HIMSELF , WITHIN HIS PERSON , ALL THE V IRTUES OF H EAVEN , ALL THE V IRTUES OF THE P ROPHETS , THE A POSTLES , THE M ARTYRS, AND THE C ONFESSORS. Today WE G LORIFY S T J OHN THE B APTIST - THE F IRST A POSTLE AMONG THE H OLY A POSTLES - for HE WAS THE FIRST SENT BY G OD TO SEE AND TO HERALD TO THE WORLD THE S AVIOUR OF THE WORLD . Long before any of Christs Apostles, St John bore witness and announced to the world God Incarnate in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ and was the first Apostle to see the Holy Spirit descending from Heaven when he Baptized Him in the Jordan River and heard

the Voice of God the Father declaring Him to be the Son of God, the Saviour of the world. V S T J OHN IS ALSO THE FIRST EVANGELIST AMONG THE E VANGELISTS - having FIRST ANNOUNCED AND POINTED OUT OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST , the Bearer of Good News for all mankind and the Heavenly Hosts: Behold! The Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world! H EREBY , THE H OL Y F ORERUNNER EXPRESSED TH E FULL NESS OF THE G OSPEL S . He exhorted the entire human race, from Adam to us: Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! O UR L ORD J ESUS COMES FROM H EAVEN AND IN H IM IS THE KINGDOM OF H EAVEN . To all the people - all slaves to sin, slaves to death, slaves to the devil - S T J OHN ANNOUNCED THE G LORIOUS, H OLY AND S ALVIFIC G OSPEL : People, Repent! for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! W HEN OUR L ORD SET OUT TO PREACH H IS H OLY G OSPEL , H E USED THOSE WORDS AS THE BEGINNING AND END OF H IS G OSPEL and that is why the Holy Forerunner is the first Evangelist among Christs Evangelists. S T J OHN THE B APTIST IS AN A NGEL IN THE FLESH , AN EARTHLY A NGEL , AND A H EAVENLY MAN and it was NOT ONLY THE O LD C OVENANT P ROPHET WHO REFERRED TO THE F ORERUNNER AS ... the Angel of the Lord... BUT C HRIST H IMSELF SAID HE WAS AN A NGEL SENT TO GO BEFORE H IM TO PREPARE THE WAY FOR H IM . (CF. ISAIAH 40: 3 & MATTHEW 11: 10). N OT ONLY WAS S T J OHN A P ROPHET , said our Lord, but GREATER THAN A PROPHET THE A NGEL OF THE L ORD . Yet people rejected him! S T J OHN IS TRULY THE FIRST A NGEL IN THE FLESH , THE FIRST AMONG THOSE WHO BECAME THE MULTITUDE OF A NGELS IN THE FLESH , L AMPS BRINGING G OD S L IGHT , WHO LIVED ON EARTH LIKE A NGELS OF H EAVEN , AND WERE A NGELS ON EARTH , AND IN H EAVEN REMAINED G OD S H OLY P EOPLE . St John taught us that our Lord Jesus Christ had appeared not only as our Saviour, but as our Divine Enlightener and the Judge of the world, in Whose Hands are both the hatchet and the spade for, ON THE D READ J UDGEMENT D AY , H E WOULD sweep up the earths threshing-floor and ...separate the wheat from the chaff... - i.e. SEPARATE THE RIGHTEOUS FROM THE UNREPENTANT SINNERS . All of this St John had foreseen so WE ALSO PRAISE HIM AS THE H OLY N EW C OVENANT P ROPHET , killed by the impious, criminal, King Herod. V S T J OHN THE B APTIST WAS THE FIRST OF ALL OF THE H OLY M ARTYRS OF THE N EW C OVENANT who suffered joyously for Gods Truth! The Festal Hymns and Prayers mention that St John went to his death rejoicing, thereby becoming the first Example and Inspiration to all Holy Martyrs of the New Covenant, beginning with St Stephen the Protomartyr. Consequently, ALL H OLY M ARTYRS REJOICE IN OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST , KNOWING THAT D EATH CAN NO LONGER IMPRISON THEM IN ITS BONDS AND THAT D EATH IS MERELY AN OPEN GATE THROUGH WHICH H OLY S OULS ENTER THE K INGDOM OF H EAVEN . The first one to reveal that Holy Joy of Martyrdom had been St. John, the Holy Forerunner and Baptizer of our Lord. V St John was THE FIRST C HRISTIAN C ONFESSOR - THE FIRST TO C ONFESS G OD IN THIS N EW C OVENANT . H OW FEARLESSLY, OPENLY AND DIRECTLY HE CONFESSED G OD ' S T RUTH : O King, it is not right for you to have your brothers wife, your living brothers wife! You have taken your brothers wife away from him. All of the Laws of Heaven and earth are against you...! Fearless and undaunted, S T J OHN WAS THE FIRST C ONFESSOR OF C HRIST S F AITH , who has been FOLLOWED BY MULTITUDES OF GLORIOUS C ONFESSORS OF C HRIST S

THE BEHEADING

OF

ST JOHN

THE

BAPTIST

29 AUGUST 2013

29.

F AITH , WHO BEAR WITNESS AND CONFESS BEFORE THE ENTIRE WORLD ... that our Lord Jesus Christ is the Sole True God in Heaven and on earth... and this they do, despite persecution, despite the lies and deceptions of those who reject Christ, despite all the heresies, all the theomachists, and all the persecutors of Christ BEARING WITNESS AND PROCLAIMING TO ALL THE WORLD THE D IVINE T RUTH : C HRIST IS BEFORE ALL AND ABOVE ALL ! H E IS THE S OLE T RUE G OD !

My brethren, a Great Mystery is taking place through this Feast - a Mystery like threads stretching through and making up a piece of cloth. The Faithful Disciples announce to our Lord Jesus that the Holy Baptist had been beheaded - the mouth that announced Him to the world had fallen silent...! Then something unusual happened Christ summoned His Disciples and Apostles together and they ,,,departed from there by boat to a deserted place. Christ is the Greatest All-Merciful Miracle Worker, Who can resurrect the dead if He so Wills yet He did not do so for His Greatest Prophet of all. According to the Divine Will and Plan of Almighty God, St John is also the First Apostle to Hades to Deaths Kingdom where all departed souls were kept from Adam to the time of Christ the good and the bad. Disobedience and sin had brought Death into the earthly realm and Hades became the sole abode for souls, since Paradise was closed. V S T J OHN WAS THE F ORERUNNER TO C HRIST IN H ADES AS WELL - PREACHING AND ANNOUNCING THE C OMING OF C HRIST TO THE SOULS OF ALL HUMAN BEINGS WHO HAD DIED ... The Holy Forerunner was the FIRST EVANGELIST IN H ADES PREACHING THE G OOD N EWS OF C HRIST TO ALL THE SOULS . As THE FIRST H OLY M ARTYR FOR C HRIST , HE SHOWED THAT PEOPLE WILL JOYOUSLY GO TO THEIR DEATH FOR OUR O NE T RUE G OD - for our Lord Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, until Death is defeated and destroyed. W E NEED NO LONGER FEAR D EATH , FOR BY L IVING IN C HRIST, WE ARE MORE POWERFUL THAN D EATH AND THROUGH OUR BODILY R ESURRECTION , THE L ORD GRANTS US V ICTORY OVER D EATH . S T J OHN WAS THE F ORERUNNER OF ALL T RUE C ONFESSORS OF C HRIST AND H IS G REATEST H OLY P ROPHET who announced to the souls in the Kingdom of Death that D EATH WOULD BE DEFEATED , THE DEMONS WOULD BE CONQUERED , AND H ADES WOULD BE DESTROYED WHEN , IN A LITTLE WHILE, OUR L ORD H IMSELF WOULD APPEAR THERE , SETTING THE SOULS OF THE R IGHTEOUS AND THE R EPENTANT FREE TO REST IN P EACE IN H EAVENLY J OY , IN THE REOPENED P ARADISE . Our Lord remained silent and did not Resurrect His Greatest Holy Prophet who needed to fulfil his Apostolic, Evangelistic, Martyric and Confessional Spiritual Mission in Hades. Consequently, FOR F AITHFUL C HRISTIANS , THIS G REAT F EAST IS OUR S ECOND H OLY AND G REAT F RIDAY A DAY WHEN S T J OHN THE B APTIST, SEEING V ICTORY OVER D EATH AND KNOWING THAT OUR L ORD HAD PREPARED FOR HIM E TERNAL L IFE AND R ESURRECTION ON THE F INAL D AY OF THE G REAT J UDGEMENT THE BEGINNING OF E TERNITY PEACEFULLY AND JOYOUSLY ACCEPTED HIS DEATH . When OUR L ORD was crucified, He DESCENDED INTO THE NETHER REGIONS OF H ADES , into the Kingdom of Death, WITH H IS HUMAN S OUL . His Body lay in the Tomb, but H IS SOUL , THE F ULLNESS OF H IS D IVINITY, DESCENDED INTO D EATH S K INGDOM . And how astonished must have been all those souls in Hades! - SEEING G OD IN A HUMAN SOUL , YET SHINING WITH I NEFFABLE L IGHT THAT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ANYONE TO IMAGINE . W HO - WHEN H E APPEARED SO FILLED WITH E TERNAL T RUTH , E TERNAL LIFE, E TERNAL J USTICE WOULD NOT BELIEVE IN H IM IN THE KINGDOM OF D EATH ?? H E IS THE C ONQUEROR OF D EATH . H ADES COULD NOT HOLD G OD Who is in our Lord Jesus Soul, and as it could not hold God in its grip, IT FELL

APART BECAUSE OF C HRIST S D IVINITY , BECAUSE OF H IS M OST -HOLY S OUL , in which was THE F ULLNESS OF G OD . And OUR L ORD LED OUT OF H ADES ALL THOSE WHO HAD BELIEVED THE H OLY F ORERUNNER , AND THOSE WHO HAD COME TO BELIEVE IN OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST - to believe that IN T RUTH , H E IS T RUE G OD OF H EAVEN AND EARTH . The Lord led them out, and led them into the Kingdom of Heaven and that is why He did not Resurrect St John the Forerunner and Baptizer. Today, in Glorifying that Great and Glorious First Apostle, First Martyr, First Evangelist, Precursor to all True Christians of all time, WE BOW DOWN BEFORE HIS J OYOUS S UFFERING FOR C HRIST S T RUTH AND H IS H OLY G OSPEL and as Holy Apostle and Holy Martyr. F OR MORE THAN 2,000 YEARS, THE G REATEST H OLY M ARTYR who allowed the lawless King to behead him, HAS CONTINUED WORKING COUNTLESS M IRACLES IN THIS EARTHLY REALM - living in it alongside our Lord Jesus Christ - ceaselessly working Miracles FOR ALL THOSE WHO TURN TO HIM IN P RAYER . Brothers and Sisters: whenever you are in great sorrow, turn to THAT F IRST A POSTLE OF C HRIST , and he WILL HELP YOU WITH ALL YOUR BURDENS . A ND SHOULD SOME KIND OF MISFORTUNE HAPPEN , TURN TO THAT FIRST E VANGELIST . No matter what bitterness might fill your soul, HE WILL SWEETEN IT WITH C HRIST S G RACE, which he will Mystically send down to your tortured soul from the World on High. And WHEN YOU FIND YOURSELF IN TEMPTATIONS AND HORRORS OF THIS EARTHLY LIFE, RUN TO THE H OLY C ONFESSOR ; tell him what is in your heart, pour out your sorrows and Spiritual Needs and rest assured that in a Mystical, Divine Manner, he will come down into your soul and WILL SAVE AND D ELIVER YOU FROM ALL TEMPTATIONS AND WOES . But SHOULD YOU NEED TO SUFFER FOR OUR L ORD J ESUS C HRIST in this world: should others attack you on all sides, should atheists and those who oppose Christ want to swallow you up, to destroy you for belonging to Christ, should they want to silence your voice, to stop it from speaking of Christ, then REMEMBER THAT FIRST M ARTYR , AND CALL OUT TO HIM : O Holy Martyr, first Martyr of Christ in the Gospels, hurry to my aid! Grant that may I die for the Lord Jesus Christ, leave my body like temporary clothing, and by the Path of the Holy Martyrs move to Christs Kingdom! H E WILL ENTREAT THE L ORD THAT YOU MIGHT ALSO JOIN THE H OST OF L UMINARIES. Thus, TODAY S LITTLE G REAT F RIDAY BECOMES FOR US THE G REAT J OY OF THE R ESURRECTION . Friday is small, but S UNDAY , THE R ESURRECTION , IS GREAT R ESURRECTION FOR ALL C HRISTIANS OF ALL TIME . Todays Second Great Friday is at the same time the Resurrection, for today we Glorify St John the Baptist who is eternally alive in the Heavens; [we glorify] his Victory over the death appointed to him by Herod, his soaring up into the Heavenly Realm, to be the first after the Mother of God - to stand beside our Lord Jesus Christ (as depicted on the Deisis [PRAYER] Icon.) May his Holy Prayers be raised up today, tomorrow and always, and may they be raised up for all Faithful Christians especially for those who Struggle daily, for those who are persecuted and those who suffer the ravages and devastation of war - and for all the people on this earth - that our Lord may lead all humanity to Repentance, that He have Mercy upon us all, that He may Save us all and that all those who are brought [to Him] by the Glorious Forerunner, might forever Glorify the One True God in Heaven and on earth - our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom is due all honour and glory, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
ST. JUSTIN POPOVIC TRANSLATION FROM THE WEBSITE OF THE CHURCH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, WASHINGTON, D.C. - 11 / 09 / 2011 HTTP://WWW.PRAVOSLAVIE.RU/ENGLISH/39103.HTM

30.

THE BEHEADING

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ST JOHN

THE

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Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria & All Africa


All Glory, Honour and Worship to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and forever, and unto the Ages of ages. Amen. Rememberi ng also our M ost Holy, Mos t Pure, Most Blessed and Gl orious Lady, Maria, Theotok os, yet Ever Virgi n, toge ther with all the Saints. A nd let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole Life to Chris t our God. Amen .

31 August 2013 The Deposition of the Cincture/Sash/Belt (Zonis) of the Ever Blessed Theotokos
ALSO THE FEAST OF ST CYPRIANOS, HIEROMARTYR & BISHOP OF CARTHAGE ST GENNADIOS OF CONSTANTINOPLE ST AIDAN OF LINDESFARNE ST EANSWYTHE THE ABBESS OF FOLKESTONE APOLYTIKION OF THE HOLY PROTECTION TONE 1

Theotoke

Aiparthene, tin Agian Sou Skepin, di is periskepis, tous is se elpizontas, kratean to Ethni Sou katafigin edoriso; oti os pale ke nin thavmastos imas esosas, os noiti nefeli, ton laon Sou perivalousa. Dio disopoumen se, irinin ti politia Sou Dorise, ke tes psihes imon to Mega Eleos

Ever

Virgin Theotokos, Thy Holy Protection, by which Thou protects those who hope in Thee, Thou hast granted to Thy nation, as a Mighty Shelter; because, as of old, even now Thou miraculously Saved us, by enveloping Thy people, like a Spiritual Cloud. Wherefore, we implore Thee: Grant Peace to Thy commonwealth, and to our souls, Great Mercy.

FESTAL KONTAKION THEOTOKOS

BELT

Tin

Theodohon Gastera Sou Theotoke, perilavousa i Zoni Sou i Timia, krats ti poli Sou aprosmahiton, ke thisavros iparhi, ton agathon anekliptos, i moni tekousa Aiparthenos.

The Precious Girdle that Thou wore about Thy

body, which hosted God, O All Blessed Theotokos, truly is Power unassailable for Thy City and a Treasure whose Blessings are perpetual, O Only Ever Virgin who bore a Child.
TONE 3

My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour! For He has regarded the low estate of His Handmaiden.
The Epistle of St Paul to the Hebrews 9 : 1 7
THE OLD COV
ENANT

Prokeimenon

S ORDINANCES

OF

DIV

INE

SERV

ICE IN THE

EARTHLY SANCTUARY.

Brethren: Even the First Covenant had Ordinances of Divine Service and the earthly Sanctuary. For a Tabernacle was prepared; the first part in which was the Lampstand, the Table and the Showbread, which is called the Sanctuary; and behind the Second Veil, the part of the /tabernacle, which is called the Holy of Holies, which had the Golden Censer and the Ark of the Covenant, overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were kept the Golden Pot of Manna, Aarons Rod that budded, and the Tablets of the Covenant; and above it were the Cherubim of Glory overshadowing the Mercy Seat. Of all these things we can no longer speak in detail. Now, when these things had been thus prepared, the Priests always went into the first part of the Tabernacle, to perform the Services. But into the second part, the High Priest went alone, once a year not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the peoples sins committed in ignorance.

The Holy Gospel According to St Luke 10 : 38 42 & 11 : 27 28


ONE THING
IS

NEEDED!

At that time, He entered a certain village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus Feet and heard His Word. But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said: Lord, dost Thou not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me! And Jesus answered and said to her: Martha! Martha! You are worried and troubled about many things, but one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. ... And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him: Blessed is the Womb that bore Thee, and the breasts that nursed Thee! And He replied: More than that: Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep It!

The Holy Zoni (Belt, Cincture, Sash) of the Ever Blessed, All Holy Theotokos
The following is from a Pilgrim's Guide to the Holy Monastery of Vatopedi on Mount Athos, which explains a Great Treasure of Orthodoxy that has survived to our days: the Holy Zoni of the Theotokos (translated commonly as "Belt", "Sash", "Cincture", or "Girdle" which must not be confused with a separate Holy Relic of our Lady Theotokos - Her "Esthitos," which is a garment or robe as opposed to Her Sash or Belt. (Each Holy Relic is Commemorated on separate Feast Days: 2 July for Her Robe and 31 August for Her Zoni. However, the common Festal Apolytikion mentions both Holy Relics, as both were present in Constantinople and preserved by the Faithful for centuries.) The Zoni of the Blessed Virgin Mary, has been divided into three pieces and, besides Her Robe, is the only remaining Holy Relic of Her earthly Life. The Zoni was woven camel hair, which the Ever Blessed Virgin Mary spun and wove Herself. According to Holy Witnesses, after Her Dormition, She presented it to St Thomas the Holy Apostle of Christ who had arrived three days later and who witnessed Her empty tomb, which had been so carefully sealed and guarded. During the early centuries of the Christian Era it was kept at Jerusalem and in the 4th century it is

DEPOSITION

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31 AUGUST 2013

31.

known to have been in Zela, Cappadocia from whence Emperor Theodosios the Great had it returned to Jerusalem, and from there his son Arcadios took it to Constantinople, where it was initially deposited in the Chalcoprateion Church. In 458 the Holy Zoni was again transferred by Emperor Leo to the Vlachernae Church, where it remained for several centuries. During the reign of Leo VI the Wise (886-912), the Holy Zoni was taken to the Imperial Palace, where it Miraculously cured his seriously ill wife, Empress Zoe. [The following is a more detailed account of this Healing, which is recounted on 31 August.] During the reign of Emperor Leo the Wise, his beloved wife, Empress Zoe, was afflicted with an unclean spirit, so he fervently besought God to Heal her. Empress Zoe had a Vision that she would be Healed if the Holy Zoni of our Lady Theotokos was placed upon her. The Emperor asked the Patriarch to open the sealed reliquary that held the Sacred Sash and when he had removed the seal and opened the small coffer, the Holy Zoni appeared completely whole and undamaged by time. The Patriarch carefully placed the Sash on the afflicted Empress, and immediately she was freed from her infirmity. Together they joyfully sang Hymns of Thanksgiving to the Most Holy Theotokos and, before once again carefully placing the Venerable Miracle Working Sash back into the silver casket and resealing it, Empress Zoe, as an Act of Thanksgiving to our Ever Blessed Theotokos, embroidered the whole Sash with gold thread, giving it the appearance which it bears today. In the 12th century, during the reign of Manuel I Comnenos (1143-1180), the Feast of the Holy Zoni on 31 August was officially introduced. Previously it had shared the Feast of the Vesture or Robe of the Holy Virgin on 1 July. The Holy Zoni remained in Constantinople until the 12th century, when, in the course of a defeat of Isaacios by the Bulgar King, Asan, (1185), it was stolen and taken to Bulgaria. Later the Serbs took possession of it and eventually the Serbian Prince Lazaros I (1372-1389) presented it to the Vatopedi Monastery on Mount Athos together with a large piece of the True Cross. Since then the Holy Zoni has been kept in the Holy Sanctuary of the Katholikon. Under Turkish rule, the Brethren of the Monastery carried it to Crete, Macedonia, Thrace, Constantinople and Asia Minor, in order to distribute its Blessing, to strengthen the morale of the enslaved Greeks and to bring Freedom from infectious diseases. The Miracles performed by the Holy Zoni throughout the ages are innumerable. The following are a few examples: At one time, the inhabitants of Ainos called for the presence of the Holy Zoni, and the Vatopedi Monks accompanying it received hospitality at the house of a Priest, whose wife surreptitiously removed a piece of it. When the Holy Fathers embarked to leave, although the sea was calm, the ship remained immobile. The Priests wife, seeing this strange phenomenon, realised that she had done wrong and quickly returned the stolen piece of the Holy Zoni, begging Forgiveness from our Lady Theotokos and the

Holy Fathers who were entrusted with its care and safety. Immediately, the ship was able to leave but due to this incident, a second silver casket was made and the stolen piece of the Holy Zoni has been preserved therein to this day. During the Greek War of Independence of 1821, the Holy Zoni was taken to Crete at the request of the people who were afflicted by the plague. However, when the Monks were preparing to return to the Monastery, they were arrested by the Turks and taken off to be hanged, while the Holy Zoni was redeemed by the British Consul, Domenikos Santantonio, and taken to Santorini, to the Consuls new home. News of this quickly spread throughout the island and the local Bishop informed the Vatopedi Monastery. The Abbot, Dionysios, was sent, in 1831, to Santorini, where the Consul demanded the sum of 15,000 Piastres in return for the Holy Zoni. Consequently the Faithful people of the island, with touching eagerness, managed to collect the ransom fee and the Holy Father was able to return to Vatopedi Monastery with it. What the Priests wife of Ainos had done was, sadly, repeated by the Consuls wife. Unbeknown to her husband, she had cut off a small piece of the Holy Zoni before it was returned to Abbot Dionysios. Within a very short period her husband, the Consul, died suddenly and then her mother and sister became gravely ill. In 1839, she wrote to the Vatopedi Monastery requesting the Abbot to sent someone to take possession of the piece, which she had stolen. In 1864, the Holy Zoni was taken to Constantinople, since there was a cholera epidemic among the inhabitants. As soon as the ship bearing the Miracle Working Holy Relic approached the harbour, the cholera ceased and none of those already suffering from it died. This strange Miracle excited the curiosity of the Sultan, who had the Holy Zoni brought to the Palace so that he could reverence it. During the time when the Holy Zoni was in Constantinople, a Greek of Galata asked that it should be taken to his house, since his son was seriously ill. Sadly, by the time the Holy Zoni arrived at their house, the son had already died. Nevertheless, the Holy Fathers who were responsible for the protection of the Holy Relic refused to give up hope, so they asked to see the corpse, and as soon as the Holy Sash was placed on him, he regained his life! In 1894, the inhabitants of Madytos in Asia Minor requested the presence of the Holy Sash since a plague of locusts had destroyed their trees and crops. When the ship carrying the Holy Relic entered the harbour, the sky was filled with dense clouds of locusts, which began to fall into the sea, making it difficult for the vessel to anchor. Meanwhile the people of Madytos, witnessing the Great Miracle, kept up a constant chant of Kyrie eleison from the shore. To this very day, the Holy Zoni has continued to work many Miracles, particularly in the case of infertile women, who, when they request it, are given a piece of cord from the casket containing the Holy Relic of our Ever Blessed Lady Theotokos - and, if they have Faith, they do become pregnant.
HTTP://FULL-OF-GRACE-AND-TRUTH.BLOGSPOT.COM/2009/06/HOLYBELT-ZONI-OF-THEOTOKOS-AND.HTML

32.

DEPOSITION

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