Saint Arsenius was born on January 31, 1800 in Ioannina,
Epirus of pious Orthodox parents. In holy Baptism he was given the name
Athanasius. His parents died when he was quite young. He was only nine
years old when he made his way to Kydoniai, Asia Minor, where he was
received by Hieromonk Gregory Saraphis and enrolled in his school. His
humility and piety endeared him to Fr Gregory and also to the other
teachers. The boy remained at the school for five years, surpassing the
other students in learning and in virtue.
One day the renowned
Spiritual Father Daniel of Zagora, Thessaly came to the school to hear
confessions. Athanasius became Daniel’s disciple, remaining with him
until the latter’s death.
Not long after this, Fr Daniel decided
to go to the Holy Mountain for quiet and spiritual struggles. Athanasius
begged his Elder not to leave him, but to take him with him. He
expressed the desire to travel to Mt. Athos, the Garden of the All-Holy
Virgin, and to become a monk.
Fr Daniel instructed Athanasius in
the monastic life, which is called “the art of arts, and the science of
sciences.” The holy Elder was a perfect teacher who was accomplished in
the spiritual life, and Athanasius was an attentive student. After a
time Fr Daniel tonsured his pupil, and told him he had to learn three
important lessions. First, he must cut off his own will. Secondly, he
must acquire humility. Finally, he must learn obedience. “If you cut off
your will, if you become humble, and if you practice perfect obedience,
you will also make progress in the other virtues, and God will glorify
you.”
After a further period of testing, Fr Daniel tonsured
Athanasius into the Great Schema and gave him the name Arsenius. The
saint remained on Mt. Athos with his Elder for six years. Then they had
to leave the Holy Mountain because of the agitation against the
so-called “Kollyvades,” who called for a strict adherence to Holy
Tradition. The name comes from the kollyva (boiled wheat) used in the
memorial service. Part of the controversy involved the debate on whether
it was proper to serve memorial services for the dead on Sunday. The
Kollyvades believed that these services were inappropriate for the Day
of Resurrection, but should be served on Saturday. The Kollyvades
advocated frequent Communion, rather than the practice of receiving the
Holy Mysteries only a few times during the year. When Fr Daniel and St
Arsenius left Athos, it was probably due to the animosity of those who
opposed the Kollyvades.
Early in 1821, before the Greek War of
Independence, they went to the Monastery of Pendeli near Athens. Their
stay was a brief one, for Fr Daniel forsaw the destruction of the
monastery by the Turks.
The two made their way to the Cyclades
Islands in the southern Aegean Sea. First they stopped at Paros, perhaps
because some of the Kollyvades had settled there. Eventually, they
decided to live on the island of Pholegandros. Since there were no
teachers for the children, the inhabitants entreated Fr Daniel to allow
St Arsenius to instruct their children. The Elder agreed, and had
Arsenius ordained as a deacon. Then he was appointed to the teaching
post by the government.
The saint remained there as a teacher
from 1829-1840. He taught the required subjects in school, but he also
helped his students to form a good character, and to live as pious
Christians.
In 1840 St Arsenius entered the Monastery of St George
on the island of Paros. Elder Daniel had passed away in 1837. Before
his repose, he asked his disciple to take his remains to Mt. Athos after
two years. St Arsenius left Plolegandros in obedience to Fr Daniel’s
request, planning to stop on Paros then continue to the Holy Mountain.
On Paros the abbot of St George’s Monastery, Fr Elias Georgiadis, told
St Arsenius that it was God’s will for him to remain on Paros. This was
providential, because Mt. Athos was undergoing great difficulty after
the Greek War of Independence. 3,000 Turkish soldiers occupied Athos,
resulting in the departure of 5,000 of the 6,000 monks.
St
Arsenius joined the community at St George’s Monastery on the northern
end of Paros. There he found spiritual strivers of true wisdom and
excellent conduct, who were worthy models for him to follow.
When
he was ordained to the holy priesthood at the age of forty-seven, St
Arsenius intensified his spiritual efforts. Every day he studied the
Holy Scriptures and the writings of the Fathers, and became adept at the
unceasing prayer of the heart. He also began to show forth the gift of
tears. In this, he resembled his patron St Arsenius the Great (May 8),
who continuously wept tears of contrition.
Gradually, the
inhabitants of Paros came to recognize him as an outstanding Father
Confessor and spiritual guide. Whenever he stood before the holy altar,
he felt that he was standing before God. He served with great
compunction, and his face often became radiant like the face of an
angel.
As his virtues became known to people, they flocked to him
from near and far. He received all with paternal affection, treating
each one with the proper spiritual medicine which would restore their
souls to health.
A certain girl from Syros came to the Convent of
the Transfiguration to visit her sister, who was a nun. The nun had
previously been informed that her sister had fallen into a serious sin.
When she learned that the girl was outside the doors of the convent, the
nun screamed at her, “Go far away from here. Since you are defiled, you
will defile the convent and the nuns.” Instead of feeling pity for her
sister, and trying to lead her to repentance, the nun and some of the
other nuns struck the poor girl and told her to go away.
The wretched girl cried, “I have made a mistake. Forgive me!”
The nun shrieked, “Go away, or I will kill you to wash away the shame you have brought to our family.”
“Have you no pity, my sister, don’t you share my pain?”
“No,” the nun shouted, “you are not my sister, you are a foul harlot.”
“Where shall I go?” she sobbed.
“Go and drown yourself,” was the heartless reply.
The
poor girl fled from the convent, bleeding and wounded, intending to
kill herself. At that very moment, St Arsenius was on his way to visit
the convent. Seeing the girl in such a state, he asked her what was
wrong. She explained that she had been led astray by corrupt men and
women. Realizing her sin, she went to the convent to ask her sister for
help.
“See what they have done to me, Elder. What do you advise me to do? Shall I drown myself, or leap off a cliff?”
“I
do not advise you to do either, my child. If you wish, I shall take you
with me and heal the wounds of your soul and body,” he said gently.
“Where will you take me?” the miserable girl asked.
“To the convent, my child.”
“I beg you not to take me there, Elder. My sister and the other nuns said they would kill me if I came back.”
The
saint replied, “Do not be afraid. They will not kill you, because I
shall entrust you to Christ, and no one will be able to harm you.”
“Very well,” she said, “If you entrust me to Christ I will not be afraid of them, for Christ is more powerful than they.”
St
Arsenius led her to the convent, consoling her and encouraging her to
repentance and confession. After hearing her confession, he made her a
nun. Then he called all the nuns into the church and severely rebuked
those who wounded the girl. He reminded them of the parable of the
Prodigal Son, and of how Christ had come to save sinners. He often
associated with sinners, showing them great love and mercy.
“You,
however, have done the opposite. Though you knew that her soul had been
wounded by the devil, you did not feel sorry for her. You did not
embrace her and try to save her from further sin, but you attacked her
and beat her. Then you urged her to kill herself. Now I, your Spiritual
Father, tell you that you are not nuns, you are not Christians, you are
not even human beings. You are devoid of compassion, affection, and
sympathy. You are murderesses! Therefore, I forbid you to receive Holy
Communion for three years, unless you recognize your sin. Repent and
confess, weep and ask forgiveness from God and from me, your Spiritual
Father, and from the other nuns who did not participate in your sinful
behavior.”
The nuns began to weep bitterly and they repented.
Thus, he lessened their penance and forgave them. He gave the girl’s
sister the penance of not receiving Holy Communion for a whole year.
Because the other nuns had shared in this sin, he would not permit them
to receive Communion for six months.
St Arsenius foresaw his death
a month before it occurred. At the Liturgy for the Feast of St Basil,
he announced that he would soon depart from them. With great effort, he
was able to serve for the Feast of the Theophany. After the service, he
told some nuns that this had been his last Liturgy.
News of the
saint’s illness and approaching death spread quickly to all the villages
of Paros. People wept because they were about to lose their Spiritual
Father, and they hastened to bid him farewell and to receive his
blessing.
On the eve of his repose, he called the nuns of the
convent to come to him. He told them that the next day he would leave
this temporary life and enter into eternal life.
On January 31,
1877 St Arsenius received Holy Communion for the last time and fell
asleep in the Lord. For three days, people came to kiss his body, then
they followed the funeral procession to the burial site which he himself
had selected.
St Arsenius of Paros was glorified by the
Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1967. He is also commemorated on
August 18 (the uncovering of his relics).
Saint Zeno, the disciple of Saint Basil the Great, was born
in the city of Pontus into a rich family. He served at the court of the
emperor Valens (364-378), among the soldiers who were sent out to
deliver the imperial edicts.
After the death of Valens, St Zeno
left the world and settled in a cave near the city of Antioch. For forty
years he lived in this cave, and he lived an austere life in complete
solitude, cleansing his soul, and meditating on God.
St Zeno went
to church each Sunday and received the Holy Mysteries of Christ. In his
cell he had neither bed, nor fireplace, nor lamp. The ascetic wore old
rags, and ate only bread and water, for which he had to make a tedious
journey into the city to the well.
St Zeno was particularly fond
of holy books, which he borrowed from those who came to him for
spiritual counsel. Through his deep humility the blessed ascetic, filled
with the gifts of grace, considered himself poor in spirit. St Zeno
died at the beginning of the fifth century.
After St Pitirim, St Jonah ascended the throne of Perm. He
converted to Christianity the remaining part of Great Perm, i.e. the
pagan tribes living along the Rivers Vishera, Kama, Chusova and others.
By his efforts the idols were eradicated and in their place churches
were built. Experienced pastors were sent to teach the new converts at
the church-run schools of Us-Vym.
St Jonah reposed on June 6,
1470. His relics rest together with the relics of Sts Gerasimus and
Pitirim in the Annunciation temple in Ust-Vym (in Vologda district).
The
commemoration in common of these three saints acknowledges their
apostolic activity in this Eastern expanse of Russia. St Jonah is also
commemorated on June 6.
Saint Theodosius of Totma was born at Vologda about the year 1530. In
his youth he was raised in a spirit of Christian piety and the fear of
God. At the insistence of his parents he married, but family life did
not turn him away from God. He went fervently to church and prayed at
home, particularly at night. After the death of his parents and his
wife, he withdrew to the Priluki monastery not far from Vologda.
At
the monastery Theodosius passed through the various obediences: he
carried water, chopped fire-wood, milled flour and baked bread. He went
to Totma on the igumen’s orders to search for a salt-works for the
monastery. He sought the permission of Tsar Ivan Vasilevich and the
blessing of Archbishop Nicander to found a monastery at Totma.
Theodosius was appointed head of this newly-formed Totma monastery,
which in a grant of 1554 was declared free of taxation.
The saint
founded the Totma Ephraimov wilderness monastery and brought brethren
into it. Eventually becoming the head of two monasteries, Theodosius
continued to lead an ascetic life. He wore down his body by wearing
chains and a hairshirt, and beneath his monastic cowl he wore an iron
cap. Fond of spiritual reading, he acquired many books for the
monastery. St Theodosius reposed in the year 1568 and was buried in the
monastery he founded, and miracles occurred at his grave.
On
September 2, 1796 during the reconstruction of the Ascension church, his
relics were found incorrupt, and their glorification took place on
January 28, 1798, on the day of his repose.
This event took place on this day in the year 438, when
Saint Theodosius the Younger had been Emperor for thirty years; he was
the son of Arcadius and Eudoxia, who had exiled Saint John. The
Archbishop of Constantinople at that time was Proclus, who had been the
Saint's disciple (see Nov. 13 and Nov. 20).
Apolytikion of Relics of John Chrysostom in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
The grace of your words illuminated the universe like a shining
beacon. It amassed treasures of munificence in the world. It
demonstrated the greatness of humility, teaching us by your own words;
therefore, O Father John Chrysostom, intercede to Christ the Logos for
the salvation of our souls.
Kontakion of Relics of John Chrysostom in the First Tone
The holy and august Church is mystically gladdened today on the
translation of thy holy relics. And though she had kept them hid in
concealment like precious gold, by thine intercessions she unceasingly
granteth, unto them that praise thee, the divine grace of healing, O
Father John Chrysostom.
The Holy Martyrs Ananias the Presbyter, Peter the prison
guard, and seven soldiers suffered in Phoenicia in the year 295. During a
persecution of Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305), St
Ananias was brought before Maximus the governor of Phoenicia. He had
been arrested for confessing Christ and refusal to worship idols.
He
was beaten with hammers, burnt with fire, and salt was sprinkled on his
scorched body. After his terrible sufferings, a temple and the idols
standing in it were destroyed through the prayers of St Ananias.
The “Unexpected Joy” Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos is painted in
this way:
In a room is an icon of the Mother of God, and beneath it a
youth is kneeling at prayer. The tradition about the healing of some
youth from a bodily affliction through this holy icon is recorded in the
book of St Demetrius of Rostov, The Fleece of Prayer [See Judges 6:
36-40].
The sinful youth, who was nevertheless devoted to the
Theotokos, was praying one day before the icon of the All-Pure Virgin
before going out to commit a sin. Suddenly, he saw that wounds appeared
on the Lord’s hands, feet, and side, and blood flowed from them. In
horror he exclaimed, “O Lady, who has done this?” The Mother of God
replied, “You and other sinners, because of your sins, crucify My Son
anew.” Only then did he realize how great was the depth of his
sinfulness. For a long time he prayed with tears to the All-Pure Mother
of God and the Savior for mercy. Finally, he received the unexpected joy
of the forgiveness of his sins.
The “Unexpected Joy” icon is also commemorated on January 25 and May 1.
The Hieromartyr Clement was born in the Galatian city of Ancyra in
the year 258, of a pagan father and a Christian mother. He lost his
father when he was an infant, and his mother when he was twelve. She
predicted a martyr’s death for him because of his belief in Christ.
A
woman named Sophia adopted him and raised him in the fear of God.
During a terrible famine in Galatia several pagans turned out their own
children, not having the means to feed them. Sophia took in these
unfortunates, and fed and clothed them. St Clement assisted her in this.
He taught the children and prepared them for Baptism. Many of them died
as martyrs for Christ.
St Clement was made a reader, and later a
deacon. When he was eighteen he was ordained to the holy priesthood, and
at age twenty he was consecrated Bishop of Ancyra. Soon afterwards the
persecution against Christians under Diocletian (284-305) broke out.
Bishop
Clement was denounced as a Christian and arrested. Dometian, the
governor of Galatia, tried to make the saint worship the pagan gods, but
St Clement firmly confessed his faith and valiantly withstood all the
tortures.
They suspended him on a tree, and raked his body with
sharp iron instruments so that his entrails could be seen. They smashed
his mouth with stones, and they turned him on a wheel and burned him
over a low fire. The Lord preserved His sufferer and healed his
lacerated body.
Then Dometian sent the saint to Rome to the
emperor Diocletian himself, with a report that Bishop Clement had been
fiercely tortured, but had proven unyielding. Diocletian, seeing the
martyr completely healthy, did not believe the report and subjected him
to even crueler tortures, and then had him locked up in prison.
Many
of the pagans, seeing the bravery of the saint and the miraculous
healing of his wounds, believed in Christ. People flocked to St Clement
in prison for guidance, healing and Baptism, so that the prison was
literally transformed into a church. When word of this reached the
emperor, many of these new Christians were executed.
Diocletian,
struck by the amazing endurance of St Clement, sent him to Nicomedia to
his co-emperor Maximian. On the ship, the saint was joined by his
disciple Agathangelus, who had avoided being executed with the other
confessors, and who now wanted to suffer and die for Christ with Bishop
Clement.
The emperor Maximian in turn sent Sts Clement and
Agathangelus to the governor Agrippina, who subjected them to such
inhuman torments, that even the pagan on-lookers felt pity for the
martyrs and they began to pelt the torturers with stones.
Having
been set free, the saints healed an inhabitant of the city through the
laying on of hands and they baptized and instructed people, thronging to
them in multitudes. Arrested again on orders of Maximian, they were
sent home to Ancyra, where the ruler Cyrenius had them tortured. Then
they were sent to the city of Amasea to the proconsul Dometius, known
for his great cruelty.
In Amasea, the martyrs were thrown into hot
lime. They spent a whole day in it and remained unharmed. They flayed
them, beat them with iron rods, set them on red-hot beds, and poured
sulfur on their bodies. All this failed to harm the saints, and they
were sent to Tarsus for new tortures. In the wilderness along the way St
Clement had a revelation that he would suffer a total of twenty-eight
years for Christ. Then having endured a multitude of tortures, the
saints were locked up in prison.
St Agathangelus was beheaded with
the sword on November 5. The Christians of Ancyra freed St Clement from
prison and took him to a cave church. There, after celebrating Liturgy,
the saint announced to the faithful the impending end of the
persecution and his own martyrdom. On January 23, the holy hierarch was
killed by soldiers from the city, who stormed the church. The saint was
beheaded as he stood before the altar and offered the Bloodless
Sacrifice. Two deacons, Christopher and Chariton, were beheaded with
him, but no one else was harmed.
TROPARION -TONE 4
You sprang up, most holy one, / as a branch and stem of holiness, / a
most sacred flower of the contest of martyrdom / and as a most sweet
fruit given by God to the faithful. / But as one who shared the struggle
of the martyrs / and the throne of hierarchs, / intercede with Christ
God that our souls may be saved. KONTAKION - TONE 4
You have become an honored branch of the vine of Christ, / revealed as
one of many many struggles, / all-praised Clement, / with your fellow
champion you cried out: / “Christ is the shining joy of martyrs.”
The Monk Martyr Anastasius the Persian was the son of a Persian
sorcerer named Bavi. As a pagan, he had the name Magundates and served
in the armies of the Persian emperor Chozroes II, who in 614 ravaged the
city of Jerusalem and carried away the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord
to Persia.
Great miracles occurred from the Cross of the Lord, and
the Persians were astonished. The heart of young Magundates was
inflamed with the desire to learn more about this sacred object. Asking
everyone about the Holy Cross, the youth learned that upon it the Lord
Himself was crucified for the salvation of mankind. He became acquainted
with the truths of the Christian Faith in the city of Chalcedon, where
the army of Chozroes was for a certain while. He was baptized with the
name Anastasius, and then became a monk and spent seven years in one of
the Jerusalem monasteries, living an ascetical life.
Reading the
Lives of the holy martyrs, St Anastasius was inspired with the desire to
imitate them. A mysterious dream, which he had on Great and Holy
Saturday, the day before the Resurrection of Christ, urged him to do
this.
Having fallen asleep after his daily tasks, he beheld a
radiant man giving him a golden chalice filled with wine, who said to
him, “Take this and drink.” Draining the chalice, he felt an ineffable
delight. St Anastasius then realized that this vision was his call to
martyrdom.
He went secretly from the monastery to Palestinian
Caesarea. There he was arrested for being a Christian, and was brought
to trial. The governor tried in every way to force St Anastasius to
renounce Christ, threatening him with tortures and death, and promising
him earthly honors and blessings. The saint, however, remained
unyielding. Then they subjected him to torture: they beat him with rods,
they lacerated his knees, they hung him up by the hands and tied a
heavy stone to his feet, they exhausted him with confinement, and then
wore him down with heavy work in the stone quarry with other prisoners.
Finally,
the governor summoned St Anastasius and promised him his freedom if he
would only say, “I am not a Christian.” The holy martyr replied, “I will
never deny my Lord before you or anyone else, neither openly nor even
while asleep. No one can compel me to do this while I am in my right
mind.” Then by order of the emperor Chozroes, St Anastasius was
strangled, then beheaded. After the death of Chozroes, the relics of the
Monk Martyr Anastasius were transferred to Palestine, to the Anastasius
monastery.
TROPARION - TONE 4
Your holy martyr Anastasius, O Lord, / through his suffering has
received an incorruptible crown from You, our God. / For having Your
strength, he laid low his adversaries, / and shattered the powerless
boldness of demons. / Through his intercessions, save our souls!
The Vatopedi “Comfort” or “Consolation” Icon of the Mother of God is
in the old Vatopedi monastery on Athos, in the church of the
Annunciation. It was called “Vatopedi” because near this monastery
Arcadius, the son of Empreor Theodosius the Great, fell off a ship into
the sea, and by the miraculous intercession of the Mother of God he was
carried to shore safe and unharmed. He was found sleeping by a bush, not
far from the monastery. From this event the name “Vatopedi” (“batos
paidion,” the bush of the child”) is derived. The holy Emperor
Theodosius the Great (January 17), in gratitude for the miraculous
deliverance of his son, embellished and generously endowed the Vatopedi
monastery.
On the Vatopedi Icon, the Mother of God is depicted
with Her face turned towards Her right shoulder. This is because on
January 21, 807 She turned Her face towards the igumen of the monastery,
who was standing near the holy icon, about to hand the keys of the
monastery to the porter. A voice came from the icon and warned him not
to open the monastery gates, because pirates intended to pillage the
monastery. Then the Holy Child placed His hand over His Mother’s lips,
saying, “Do not watch over this sinful flock, Mother, but let them fall
under the sword of the pirates.” The Holy Virgin took the hand of Her
Son and said again, “Do not open the gates today, but go to the walls
and drive off the pirates.” The igumen took precautionary measures, and
the monastery was saved.
In memory of this miraculous event a
perpetual lamp burns in front of the wonderworking icon. Every day a
Canon of Supplication is chanted in honor of the icon, and on Fridays
the Divine Liturgy is celebrated. On Mt. Athos this icon is called
“Paramythia,” “Consolation” (“Otrada”), or “Comfort” (“Uteshenie”).
Abbot Euthymius Kereselidze was born in 1865 in the village of
Sadmeli (Racha region) to the pious Solomon and Marta Kereselidze. At
birth he was given the name Evstate. After completing his studies at the
local parish school, fifteen-year-old Evstate traveled first to
Kutaisi, then Tbilisi, in search of work. With the help of other pious
young men Evstate founded a kind of theological “book club” in Tbilisi.
The objectives of the organization were to strengthen the Orthodox Faith
among the Georgian people, to better understand the ancient school of
Georgian chant, and to spread knowledge of this venerable musical
tradition among the general public.
In the 1890s the organization
purchased a print shop with the help of St. Ilia the Righteous. In the
twenty-five years that followed, these young men zealously published
theological texts and distributed them to the public free of charge.
After some time Evstate resolved to take upon himself the heavy yoke of
monasticism, for which he had been preparing from an early age. His
spiritual father, the venerable St. Alexi (Shushania), supported his
decision. In 1912, with the blessing of Bishop Giorgi (Aladashvili) of
Imereti, Evstate began to labor as a novice at Gelati Monastery. On
December 23, 1912, he was tonsured a monk by a certain Antimos, the
abbot of the monastery. He was given the name Ekvtime in honor of St.
Ekvtime of Mt. Athos. In May of 1913 he was ordained a hierodeacon.
In
1917 Fr. Ekvtime was ordained to the priesthood by the same Bishop
Giorgi. In the terrible year of 1921, immediately after the Communists
seized power in Kutaisi, the authorities deemed Fr. Ekvtime
untrustworthy and arrested him. But, according to God’s will, he was
released due to the lack of evidence against him. In this ungodly era,
the clergy and monks of Gelati Monastery came to expect abuses and
persecutions each day. But the faithful hieromonk Ekvtime persevered in his work, gathering hundreds of ancient Georgian hymns for eventual publication according to Western notation.
In
1924 the Communists destroyed the Cathedral of King Davit the Restorer
in Kutaisi. Later that year they shot and killed Metropolitan Nazar of
Kutaisi-Gaenati and the clergy who served under him. The hysteria had
reached its peak. Fr. Ekvtime planned to leave Gelati Monastery and to
move the ancient manuscripts with which he had been working to a more
secure location. At that time thousands of travelers were killed on the
road between Kutaisi and Tbilisi, but Fr. Ekvtime safely transported
himself and his cartload of manuscripts from Kutaisi to Mtskheta, a
short distance from Tbilisi.
Fr. Ekvtime brought the manuscripts
to Svetitskhoveli Cathedral for safekeeping, and he was soon appointed
dean of this parish. Even in 1925, when Catholicos-Patriarch Ambrosi was
imprisoned at Metekhi and threats to the Georgian clergy increased
significantly, Fr. Ekvtime continued to guard the ancient manuscripts
faithfully. He transcribed the music from the medieval neume system of
notation to the European-style staff system. At the same time, Fr.
Ekvtime served as spiritual father to the nuns of Samtavro Convent,
located a short distance from Svetitskhoveli.
In 1929 Fr. Ekvtime
was relocated to Zedazeni Monastery outside of Mtskheta. He brought the
ancient music manuscripts with him to his new home, concealed them in
metal vessels, and buried them beneath the earth. Six years later, in
November of 1935, he turned over thirty-four volumes of music containing
5,532 chants and several theological manuscripts to the State Museum of
Georgia.
During World War II conditions in the Georgian
monasteries grew ever more bleak. The abbot of Zedazeni Monastery,
Archimandrite Mikael (Mandaria), was taking food to the monks of
Saguramo when the Communists shot and killed him for violating the
curfew they had imposed.
The young monk Parten (Aptsiauri) was
falsely accused and arrested. After the repose of the elder Saba
(Pulariani), Fr. Ekvtime was the only monk remaining at Zedazeni. Fr.
Ekvtime’s spiritual children, the nuns of Samtavro Convent, cared for
him as he grew older. In the winter of 1944 the nun Zoile (Dvalishvili)
and several others went to visit him at Zedazeni and found him lying
enfeebled in bed.
After a short time Fr. Ekvtime peacefully gave
up his soul to the Lord. Fr. Ekvtime was buried in the yard of Zedazeni
Monastery, near the church sanctuary.
Part of his rich library was
moved to Samtavro. To this day several of the original manuscripts of
hymns he transcribed to European-style notation are preserved there.
The
ancient school of Georgian chant is preserved up to this day primarily
as a result of Abbot Ekvtime’s fearless labors. St. Ekvtime
(Kereselidze), like St. Ekvtime of Mt. Athos for whom he was named,
dedicated his life to the enrichment of his mother Church. Like St.
Ekvtime Taqaishvili, the “Man of God”, he gave his talents and energies
to the preservation of Georgia’s unique spiritual heritage. He was a
monk-ascetic and a scholar who prayed fervently. (Several of his
theological treatises are preserved at Samtavro.) From his youth St.
Ekvtime was for others an example of virginity, humility and patience.
On
September 18, 2003, the Holy Synod of the Georgian Orthodox Church
declared Ekvtime (Kereselidze) worthy of being numbered among the
saints. The Synod called him “Ekvtime the Confessor,” thereby
recognizing his confession of the Faith and his vital role in the
preservation of the rich tradition of national liturgical song.
The Holy Virgin Martyr Euphrasia was born at Nicomedia into an
illustrious family. She was a Christian, and was noted for her beauty.
During the persecution of Christians by Maximian, the pagans tried to
compel Euphrasia to offer sacrifice to idols. When she refused, she was
beaten, and then given to a certain barbarian to be violated.
The
saint prayed tearfully to the Lord that He would preserve her
virginity, and God heard her prayer. St Euphrasia suggested to the
barbarian that if he would not defile her, she would give him a special
herb which would protect him from enemy weapons and death. But this
herb, she explained, held its power only when received from a virgin and
not from a woman.
The soldier believed St Euphrasia and went
with her into the garden. The holy virgin picked the herb, then offered
to demonstrate its power. She placed the herb on her neck and told the
man to strike her with his sword. With a mighty blow, he cut off her
head. Thus her prayer was answered, and the wise virgin offered her soul
to God in 303, safeguarding her bodily purity.
Saint Anthony of Krasny Kholm was initially a
wilderness-dweller in the vicinity of White Lake. The hieromonk arrived
in the region of Tver and settled near “Pretty Hillock” [“Krasny
kholm”], at the bank of the River Mologa, building a chapel and cell
there. After the discovery of an icon of St Nicholas, a stone church was
built and a monastery founded, headed by the saint, who taught the
brethren both by word and by example throughout his life. St Anthony
died in 1481.
The Hieromartyr Damascene the New was born in the village of
Gabrovo of the Trnovo diocese in Bulgaria. As an adult, he left his home
and went to the Hilandar monastery on Mt. Athos, where he later became
igumen. St Damascene often journeyed to various places on monastery
business. He once went to Bulgaria to ask a certain Moslem for payment
of a debt owed to the monastery. To avoid paying the debt, the man
placed a Moslem woman in the room where the saint was staying. He was
wrongly charged with having sexual relations with the woman, a crime
which carried the death penalty if he were convicted.
Despite the
doubts of the kadi (judge), the Moslems in court gave false testimony
against Father Damascene, so the kadi had to find him guilty. Before
taking him to be executed, they gave him the choice of saving his life
by converting to Islam, or death.
Seeing that nothing would induce
the saint to deny Christ and accept their religion, the Moslems hanged
him at Svishtov on January 16, 1771. The wrath of God was not slow in
overtaking the evil-doers, however. They got into a boat to cross the
Danube River, and the boat capsized in a storm, drowning them.
The Monk Martyr Pansophius, was a son of the Alexandrian
proconsul Nilus. After the death of his father, he distributed his
inheritance to the poor and settled in the desert, where he lived in
asceticism for twenty-seven years.
During the persecution by
Decius (249-251) St Pansophius was brought to trial before the prefect
of Alexandria. The monk boldly confessed his faith in Christ and
denounced pagan errors, for which he was fiercely beaten with rods. He
died from these beatings, thereby receiving a martyr’s crown (249-251).
Saint Joseph Analytinus of Raithu was a strict ascetic He
attained such a high degree of perfection in the spiritual life that a
light shone upon him while he prayed. He foretold the time of his death
to his disciple Gelasius, and died in peace, before the slaughter of the
Sinai Fathers.
The holy Hierarch Hilary was born of pagan parents in Gaul, and
was trained in philosophy and rhetoric. At a time when paganism was
still strong in Gaul, Saint Hilary understood the falsehood of
polytheism, and became a Christian, and a great defender of his new
Faith. About the year 350 he was ordained Bishop of Poitiers, when Arles
and Milan were in the hands of the Arians and the Arian Constantius was
sole Emperor. Like his contemporary Saint Athanasius, Saint Hilary's
episcopate was one long struggle against the Arians. As bishop of
Poitiers, Saint Hilary foresaw the future greatness of Martin (see Nov.
12), and attached him to himself. In 355, when required to agree to the
condemnation of Saint Athanasius passed by the Council of Milan, Hilary
wrote an epistle to Constantius convicting the wrongs done by the Arians
and requesting, among other things, the restoration of the Orthodox
bishops, including Athanasius. For this, Hilary was banished to Asia
Minor, where he wrote his greatest work, On the Trinity. Saint Hilary
returned to his see in 360, where Saint Martin sought him out again. It
was this time that Saint Hilary blessed Martin to found a monastery near
Poitiers, where Martin remained until being consecrated Bishop of Tours
in 371. In his last years, Saint Hilary, strove for the deposition of
Auxentius, the Arian Bishop of Milan, but by affecting an Orthodox
confession Auxentius retained his see. Saint Hilary reposed in peace
about the year 368. Auxentius died in 374 and was succeeded by Saint
Ambrose, who continued Saint Hilary's battle against Arianism.
Apolytikion of Hilary of Poitiers in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
Guide of Orthodoxy, teacher of piety and holiness, luminary of
the world, God-inspired adornment of hierarchs, O wise Hilary, by thy
teachings thou hast enlightened all, O harp of the Spirit. Intercede
with Christ God that our souls be saved.
Kontakion of Hilary of Poitiers in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
Enduring exile for the Faith delivered to the Church of Christ, *
thou didst withstand the deceit of the Arians, O holy Hierarch Hilary. *
By thy prayers and thy teachings, * O defender of Orthodoxy and right
belief, * convert the Western lands and entreat Christ for us, who
honour thee.
The Holy Martyr Mertius was a soldier. He suffered for Christ in Africa
during the reign of Diocletian (284-305). The emperor demanded that he
offer sacrifice to idols, and when he refused, gave him over to torture.
The saint suffered fierce torments, not making a sound. He was thrown
into prison, where he died from hunger and his wounds.
TROPARION - TONE 4
Your holy martyr Mertius, O Lord, / Through his sufferings has received
an incorruptible crown from You, our God. / For having Your strength, he
laid low his adversaries, / And shattered the powerless boldness of
demons. / Through his intercessions, save our souls!
Saint Theodosius, Metropolitan of Trebizond, was born in the
village of Koritsa, near the Kastorian hills. At eighteen years of age
he became a monk at Constantinople and went to the Philotheou monastery
on Mt. Athos, where he led a strict ascetic life.
He was chosen
igumen of the monastery in 1375, and afterwards was made Metropolitan of
Trebizond because of the holiness of his life. He persuaded John
Alexius Komnenos to build the monastery of Dionysiou on Mt. Athos. After
a God-pleasing life, he died in Trebizond in 1392.
Saint Marcian, Presbyter of the Great Church, was born at
Rome and in his youth he received a first-rate education in
Constantinople. After the death of his parents, St Marcian used his
inheritance on the building, renovation and embellishment of churches.
Thus, he built a church dedicated to the holy Martyr Anastasia (December
22), richly adorned it, and had the holy relics of the saint
transferred to it. He also built a church of the Great Martyr Irene (May
5), and the church of St Isidore.
His moral purity and strict
asceticism were resented by those who were slothful and avaricious, for
they regarded his life as an unspoken criticism of their own lack of
virtue. However, his meekness and silence overcame their slanders and
brought him to the attention of the Patriarch, who ordained St Marcian a
presbyter and appointed him treasurer of the Church of Constantinople.
From
his wealth St Marcian distributed generous alms, and distinguished
himself by non-covetousness, denying himself in everything. In accord
with the command of the Savior, he did not even have an extra set of
clothes, which he might need should he be caught in inclement weather.
Having received a gift of wonderworking, St Marcian healed the sick and
cast out devils. St Marcian died between 472-474 and was buried at the
monastery of St John the Forerunner at Constantinople.
Saint Eustratius came from the city of Tarsus. At twenty
years of age he secretly left his parents’ home and settled in the Abgar
monastery (on Olympos in Asia Minor). There he lived a strict ascetic
life, eating only bread and water, and spending his nights at prayer.
After a certain while he was chosen as igumen of the monastery.
During
the reign of the Iconoclast Leo the Armenian (813-820), St Eustratius
hid from pursuit by roaming the hills and the wilds. After the death of
the emperor he returned to the monastery. Prayer was always on his lips,
and he constantly repeated the words: “Lord, have mercy!”
Before
his death he gave instructions to the monks not to be attracted towards
earthly blessings, and constantly to think about the future life.
Signing himself with the Sign of the Cross, he said, “Into Thy hands, O
Lord, I commend my spirit” and he died in peace at age 95.
Saint Paisius of Uglich was igumen of the Protection monastery, near
Uglich. He was born in the Tver district near the city of Kashin, and he
was a nephew of St Macarius of Kalyazin (March 17).
St Paisius
entered his uncle’s monastery after the death of his parents, when he
was just an eleven-year-old child. Under his uncle’s guidance, St
Paisius led a monastic life of obedience, fasting and prayer, and he was
put to work copying soul-saving books.
“A man wondrous of spirit,
famed teacher of holiness and most astounding wonderworker, he founded
(in 1464) the cenobitic Protection monastery three versts from Uglich at
the wish of Prince Andrew, and he was chosen igumen.” St Paisius was
also “founder and organizer of the holy Nikolsky Grekhozaruchnya
monastery in 1489.
Struggling at the Protection monastery, St
Paisius lived into old age and died on June 6, 1504. His relics,
glorified by miracles, rest beneath a crypt in the Protection monastery.
In the Orthodox Church it is customary, on the day following the
Great Feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God, to remember those saints
who participated directly in the sacred event. So, on the day following
the Theophany of the Lord, the Church honors the one who participated
directly in the Baptism of Christ, placing his own hand upon the head of
the Savior.
St John, the holy Forerunner and Baptist of the
Lord, whom the Lord called the greatest of the prophets, concludes the
history of the Old Testament and opens the era of the New Testament. The
holy Prophet John bore witness to the Only-Begotten Son of God,
incarnate in the flesh. St John was accounted worthy to baptize Him in
the waters of the Jordan, and he was a witness of the Theophany of the
Most Holy Trinity on the day of the Savior’s Baptism.
The holy
Prophet John was related to the Lord on His mother’s side, the son of
the Priest Zachariah and Righteous Elizabeth. The holy Forerunner, John,
was born six months before Christ. The Archangel Gabriel announced his
birth in the Temple at Jerusalem, revealing to Zachariah that a son was
to be born to him.
Through the prayers offered beforehand, the
child was filled with the Holy Spirit. St John prepared himself in the
wilds of the desert for his great service by a strict life, by fasting,
prayer and sympathy for the fate of God’s people.
At the age of
thirty, he came forth preaching repentance. He appeared on the banks of
the Jordan, to prepare the people by his preaching to accept the Savior
of the world. In church hymnology, St John is called a “bright morning
star,” whose gleaming outshone the brilliance of all the other stars,
announcing the coming dawn of the day of grace, illumined with the light
of the spiritual Sun, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Having baptized the
sinless Lamb of God, St John soon died a martyr’s death, beheaded by
the sword on orders of King Herod at the request of his daughter Salome.
(On St John the Baptist, see Mt.3:1-16, 11:1-19, 14:1-12; Mark 1:2-8,
6:14-29; Luke 1:5-25, 39-80, 3:1-20, 7:18-35, 9:7-9; John 1:19-34,
3:22-26). The Transfer of the Right Hand of the holy Forerunner from
Antioch to Constantinople (956) and the Miracle of Saint John the
Forerunner against the Hagarenes (Moslems) at Chios:
The body of
Saint John the Baptist was buried in the Samaritan city of Sebaste. The
holy Evangelist Luke,who went preaching Christ in various cities and
towns, came to Sebaste, where they gave him the right hand of the holy
Prophet John, the very hand with which he had baptized the Savior. The
Evangelist Luke took it with him to his native city of Antioch.
When
the Moslems seized Antioch centuries later, a deacon named Job brought
the holy hand of the Forerunner from Antioch to Chalcedon. From there,
on the eve of the Theophany of the Lord, it was transferred to
Constantinople (956) and kept thereafter.
In the year 1200, the
Russian pilgrim Dobrynya, who later became St Anthony, Archbishop of
Novgorod (February 10), saw the right hand of the Forerunner in the
imperial palace. From the Lives of the Saints we learn that in the year
1263, during the capture of Constantinople by the Crusaders, the emperor
Baldwin gave one bone from the wrist of St John the Baptist to Ottonus
de Cichon, who then gave it to a Cistercian abbey in France.
The
right hand continued to be kept in Constantinople. And at the end of the
fourteenth to the beginning of the fifteenth centuries, the holy relic
was seen at Constantinople in the Peribleptos monastery by the Russian
pilgrims Stephen of Novgorod, the deacon Ignatius, the cantor Alexander
and the deacon Zosimus. When Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453,
sacred objects were gathered up at the the conqueror’s orders and kept
under lock in the imperial treasury.
In the Lives of the Saints
is clear testimony that in the year 1484 the right hand of the holy
Forerunner was given away by the son of the Moslem sultan Bayazet to the
knights of Rhodes to gain their good will, since a dangerous rival for
Bayazet, his own brother, had allied himself with them. A contemporary
participant, the vice-chancellor of Rhodes, Wilhelm Gaorsan Gallo, also
speaks of this event. The knights of Rhodes, having established their
base on the island of Malta (in the Mediterranean Sea), then transferred
the sacred relic they had received to Malta.
When the Russian
Tsar Paul I (1796-1801) became Grand Master of the Maltese Order in
honor of the holy Prophet John, the right hand of the Baptist, part of
the Life-Creating Cross and the Philermos Icon (October 12) of the
Mother of God (from Mt Philermos on the island of Rhodes) were
transferred in 1799 from the island of Malta to Russia [because of the
Napoleonic threat], to the chapel at Gatchina (October 12). In the same
year these sacred items were transferred into the church dedicated to
the Icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands at the Winter Palace. A special
service was composed for this Feast.
Besides the Synaxis of the
honorable, glorious Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John, the Russian
Orthodox Church celebrates his memory on the following days: September
23, his Conception; June 24, his Nativity; August 29, his Beheading;
February 24, the First and Second Finding of his Head; May 25, the Third
Finding of his Head; October 12, the Transfer of his Right Hand from
Malta to Gatchina (1799).
TROPARION - TONE 2
The memory of the righteous is celebrated with hymns of praise, / but
the Lord’s testimony is sufficient for you, O Forerunner. / You were
shown in truth to be the most honorable of the prophets, / for you were
deemed worthy to baptize in the streams of the Jordan Him whom they
foretold. / Therefore, having suffered for the truth with joy, / you
proclaimed to those in hell God who appeared in the flesh, / who takes
away the sin of the world, and grants us great mercy.
KONTAKION - TONE 6
The river Jordan trembled and was driven back filled with fear at Your
coming in the flesh, / while John drew back in awe as he fulfilled the
ministry of a prophet. / The ranks of angels stood amazed, / when they
beheld You in the flesh being baptized in the streams. / And we, who
were in darkness, are filled with light as we praise You, / who have
appeared to enlighten all.
Saint Macarius was born in Thessalonica during the reign of
Emperor Manuel II Paleologos, and went to Vatopedi Monastery on Mt.
Athos when he was young. Later, he went to Constantinople and became
igumen of the Monastery of the Pantokrator, and chaplain to the Emperor.
Saint Phosterius the Hermit led an ascetical life on a lofty
mountain, where he was fed by an angel. He brought many back to the
Church from the heresy of Iconoclasm by his miracles and saintly life.
Saint Thaddeus, Apostle of the Seventy, was by descent a Hebrew, and
he was born in the Syrian city of Edessa. The holy Apostle Thaddeus of
the Seventy must be distinguished from St Jude, also called Thaddeus or
Levi (June 19), who was one of the Twelve Apostles.
When he came
to Jerusalem for a feastday, he heard the preaching of John the
Forerunner. After being baptized by him in the Jordan, he remained in
Palestine. He saw the Savior, and became His follower. He was chosen by
the Lord to be one of the Seventy Disciples, whom He sent by twos to
preach in the cities and places where He intended to visit (Luke. 10:
1).
After the Ascension of the Savior to Heaven, St Thaddeus
preached the good news in Syria and Mesopotamia. He came preaching the
Gospel to Edessa and he converted King Abgar, the people and the pagan
priests to Christ. He backed up his preaching with many miracles (about
which Abgar wrote to the Assyrian emperor Nerses). He established
priests there and built up the Edessa Church.
Prince Abgar wanted
to reward St Thaddeus with rich gifts, but he refused and went
preaching to other cities, converting many pagans to the Christian
Faith. He went to the city of Beirut to preach, and he founded a church
there. It was in this city that he peacefully died in the year 44. (The
place of his death is indicated as Beirut in the Slavonic MENAION, but
according to other sources he died in Edessa. According to an ancient
Armenian tradition, St Thaddeus, after various tortures, was beheaded by
the sword on December 21 in the Artaz region in the year 50).
TROPARION - TONE 3
Holy apostle Thaddeus of the Seventy; / entreat the merciful; / to grant our souls forgiveness of transgressions. KONTAKION - TONE 4
The Church ever sees you as a shining star, O apostle Thaddeus, / Your
miracles have manifested great enlightenment. / Therefore we cry out to
Christ: / “Save those who with faith honor Your apostle, O Most Merciful
One.”
The Prophet Malachi ("messenger of God") is the last of
the twelve minor Prophets, and also of all the Prophets of the Old
Testament. He prophesied in the days of Nehemias, a wise man among the
Jews, who also held a high and powerful position in the court of
Artaxerxes the Long-armed, King of the Persians, who reigned from 465 to
424 B.C. Malachis' book of prophecy is divided into four chapters; he
foretold the coming of Christ as the Sun of Righteousness (4:2)
Apolytikion of Prophet Malachi in the Second Tone
As we celebrate the memory of Thy Prophet Malachi, O Lord, through him we beseech Thee to save our souls.
Kontakion of Prophet Malachi in the Fourth Tone
Since the gift of prophecy dwelt in thee richly, thou, O Prophet,
clearly didst foretell the coming of Christ God and the salvation of
all the world, which is enlightened through grace by His shining forth.
St George (Zorzes) was from Georgia, and was sold into slavery when
he was young. His master, a Muslim from the Greek island of Mytilene,
forced him to embrace Islam and renamed him Sali. After his master died,
George remained on the island and opened a small shop.
In 1770,
when he was seventy years old, he appeared before the authorities and
announced that he was an Orthodox Christian. The kadi thought that
George had lost his mind, since his declaration would lead to his death.
The
next day George was questioned again, and then he was beaten. He
endured his torments with silence, but would not be turned from his
confession of faith. After more torture, the holy martyr was hanged on
January 2, 1770, receiving a crown of glory from the Savior Christ.
On the eighth day after His Nativity, our Lord Jesus Christ was
circumcised in accordance with the Old Testament Law. All male infants
underwent circumcision as a sign of God’s Covenant with the holy
Forefather Abraham and his descendants (Gen. 17:10-14, Lev. 12:3).
After
this ritual the Divine Infant was given the name Jesus, as the
Archangel Gabriel declared on the day of the Annunciation to the Most
Holy Theotokos (Luke 1:31-33, 2:21). The Fathers of the Church explain
that the Lord, the Creator of the Law, underwent circumcision in order
to give people an example of how faithfully the divine ordinances ought
to be fulfilled. The Lord was circumcised so that later no one would
doubt that He had truly assumed human flesh, and that His Incarnation
was not merely an illusion, as certain heretics (Docetists) taught.
In
the New Testament, the ritual of circumcision gave way to the Mystery
of Baptism, which it prefigured (Col. 2:11-12). Accounts of the Feast of
the Circumcision of the Lord continue in the Eastern Church right up
through the fourth century. The Canon of the Feast was written by St
Stephen of the St Sava Monastery (October 28 and July 13).
In
addition to circumcision, which the Lord accepted as a sign of God’s
Covenant with mankind, He also received the Name Jesus (Savior) on the
eighth day after His Nativity as an indication of His service, the work
of the salvation of the world (Mt.1:21; Mark 9:38-39, 16:17; Luke 10:17;
Acts 3:6, 16; Phil 2:9-10). These two events, the Lord’s Circumcision
and Naming, remind Christians that they have entered into a New Covenant
with God and “are circumcised with a circumcision made without hands,
in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of
Christ” (Col. 2:11). The very name “Christian” is a sign of mankind’s
entrance into a New Covenant with God.
TROPARION - TONE 4
Enthroned on high with the Eternal Father and Your divine Spirit, / O
Jesus, You willed to be born on earth of the unwedded handmaid, your
Mother. / Therefore You were circumcised as an eight-day old Child. /
Glory to Your most gracious counsel; / glory to Your dispensation; /
glory to Your condescension, O only Lover of mankind.
KONTAKION - TONE 3
The Lord of all accepts to be circumcised, / thus, as He is good,
excises the sins of mortal men. / Today He grants the world salvation, /
while light-bearing Basil, high priest of our Creator, / rejoices in
heaven as a divine initiate of Christ.
Ни один из верующих
-
*Original English Text*
*Неудачная передача*
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