Saint Martin the Merciful, Bishop of Tours, was born at Sabaria in
Pannonia (modern Hungary) in 316. Since his father was a Roman officer,
he also was obliged to serve in the army. Martin did so unwillingly, for
he considered himself a soldier of Christ, though he was still a
catechumen.
At the gates of Amiens, he saw a beggar shivering in
the severe winter cold, so he cut his cloak in two and gave half to the
beggar. That night, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to the saint wearing
Martin’s cloak. He heard the Savior say to the angels surrounding Him,
“Martin is only a catechumen, but he has clothed Me with this garment.”
The saint was baptized soon after this, and reluctantly remained in the
army.
Two years later, the barbarians invaded Gaul and Martin
asked permission to resign his commission for religious reasons. The
commander charged him with cowardice. St Martin demonstrated his courage
by offering to stand unarmed in the front line of battle, trusting in
the power of the Cross to protect him. The next day, the barbarians
surrendered without a fight, and Martin was allowed to leave the army.
He
traveled to various places during the next few years, spending some
time as a hermit on an island off Italy. He became friendly with St
Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers (January 14), who made Matrin an exorcist.
After several years of the ascetic life, St Martin was chosen to be
Bishop of Tours in 371. As bishop, St Martin did not give up his
monastic life, and the place where he settled outside Tours became a
monastery. In fact, he is regarded as the founder of monasticism in
France. He conversed with angels, and had visions of Sts Peter and Paul
(June 29) and of other saints. He is called the Merciful because of his
generosity and care for the poor, and he received the grace to work
miracles.
After a life of devoted service to Christ and His
Church, the saint fell ill at Candes, a village in his diocese, where he
died on November 8, 397. He was buried three days later (his present
Feast) at Tours. During the Middle Ages, many Western churches were
dedicated to St Martin, including St Martin’s in Canterbury, and St
Martin-in-the-Fields in London.
In 1008, a cathedral was built at
Tours over the relics of St Martin. This cathedral was destroyed in 1793
during the French Revolution, together with the relics of St Martin and
St Gregory of Tours (November 17). A new cathedral was built on the
site many years later. Some fragments of the relics of St Martin were
recovered and placed in the cathedral, but nothing remains of St
Gregory’s relics.
St Martin’s name appears on many Greek and
Russian calendars. His commemoration on October 12 in the Russian
calendar appears to be an error, since ancient sources give the November
date.
Holy Apostle Philip of the Seventy, one of the 7 Deacons is not to be
confused with St Philip one of the Twelve Apostles (November 14). This
Philip was born in Palestine, was married and had children.
After
the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Twelve Apostles made Philip a
deacon in the Church of Jerusalem. Along with the other six deacons,
they appointed him to deal with the offerings of the faithful and attend
to the concerns of the widowed, the orphaned and the needy. The eldest
among the seven deacons was the holy Archdeacon Stephen. When the
persecution of Christians began, the Jews stoned the Protomartyr
Stephen. The Apostle Philip left Jerusalem and settled in Samaria. There
he successfully preached Christianity. Among the disciple’s converts
was the noted magician Simon, who “after being baptized, continued with
Philip.” (Acts 8:9-13)
At the command of an angel of the Lord, St
Philip set out upon the road connecting Jerusalem with Gaza. There he
met an official of the empress of Ethiopia, whom also he converted to
Christianity (Acts 8:26-39). The holy disciple Philip tirelessly
preached the Word of God in many of the lands of the Near East adjoining
Palestine. At Jerusalem the Apostles made him a bishop and sent him to
Tralles in Asia Minor, where he also baptized many. St Philip died in
old age.
TROPARION - TONE 3
Filled with divine grace, / you served God the Word as a deacon of the
Church, O Apostle Philip. / By the working of miracles and by signs from
God / you enlightened the multitudes of Samaria. / O blessed one,
entreat Christ our God to grant us His great mercy.
KONTAKION- TONE 4
Podoben: “Today You have shown forth...” / Inspired by the All-Holy
Spirit, / you enlightened the entire world by your teachings and
resplendent miracles, / Apostle Philip, sacred initiate.
Saint Theophilus the Confessor of Bulgaria came from the area
surrounding Tiberiada. When he was thirteen, the saint secretly left his
home to go off to the monastery on Mount Selenteia. There he matured
spiritually under the guidance of the Elder, St Stephen. After three
years St Theophilus was tonsured into monasticism. When the parents of
the saint learned where their son was, they went to the monastery and
asked the igumen to send Theophilus and several of the brethren to
establish a new monastery closer to the their home. The igumen bade all
the monks to fast and to pray, so that a sign might be received. On the
third day a voice was heard in the church giving the blessing for
Theophilus to start a new monastery, since he would become renowned for
his many spiritual exploits.
During the period of the iconoclast
controversy culminating in the reign of the iniquitous iconoclast
emperor, Leo the Isaurian (717-741), St Theophilus openly revolted
against the iconoclast folly. In accord with the emperor’s orders, the
saint was subjected to beatings and led through the city tied up like a
criminal. The emperor then gave Theophilus over into the charge of the
official, Hypatius who tried repeatedly to compel the confessor to
renounce holy icons. Theophilus remained steadfast. Instead, he
succeeded in converting Hypatius.
As proof of the validity of
icons, Theophilus cited the brass serpent set up by Moses (Num 21:9),
the corroboration of the Cherubim atop the Ark of the Covenant, and
finally how the Savior Himself had given to Abgar, the Prince of Edessa,
His Icon Not Made by Hands (August 16). Persuaded by this evidence,
Hypatius gained the emperor’s permission to set the saint free. The
confessor returned to his monastery. He lived only a short time longer,
and in the year 716 St Theophilus fell asleep peacefully in the Lord.
Today we commemorate a copy of the “Assuage My Sorrows” Icon (January
25) which is treasured in the St Nicholas Odrino Monastery in the Orel
Diocese, Karachev district.
Until 1784, this icon belonged to
Count Nicholas Borisovitch Samoilov, who regarded it as a holy icon. At
first, it was at the Count’s home in Moscow, where it was renowned for
many miraculous healings. Later, N.B. Samoilov moved it to his estate
adjoining the St Nicholas Odrino Monastery. He constructed, at his own
expense, a heated chapel in honor of the “Assuage My Sorrows” Icon as
part of the St Nicholas katholikon (main church).The Count later donated
the icon to the monastery.
This wonderworking icon is celebrated
locally twice a year: on January 25, and on October 9. Many people visit
the St Nicholas Odrino Monastery on both days.
The holy New Martyr Ignatius was born in the village of Eski
Zagora in the Trnovo region of Bulgaria, and was named John in Baptism.
While he was still a young child, his parents George and Maria moved to
the city of Philippopolis and enrolled him in a school there.
Although
he did well at school, he had a strong desire for the monastic life.
Upon reaching adulthood, he entered the Rila monastery in western
Bulgaria. There he was assigned to an Elder, with whom he lived in
obedience for six years. When the Elder’s strictness became unbearable,
John returned home.
About that time the Serbs rose in revolt
against the Moslem government. John’s father was asked to take command
of an Ottoman brigade, but he refused to fight against other Orthodox
Christians.
The Moslems attacked George with furious anger. He was
stabbed and then beheaded. John’s mother and sisters were also taken by
the Hagarenes, and they ultimately agreed to convert to Islam.
John
fled and hid in the home of an elderly Orthodox woman. His mother and
sisters learned where he was hiding, and they told the Moslems. Those
sent to capture him did not know what he looked like, so the old woman
told them she did not know him. The woman helped him escape to
Bucharest, Romania, where he became acquainted with St Euthymius, who
would also endure martyrdom.
John did not wish to stay in
Bucharest, however, and so he left for Mt. Athos. On the way he visited
the village of Soumla, where he ran into his friend Fr Euthymius again.
Learning that Euthymius had denied Christ and beome a Moslem, John
became very sad and left the village.
He had not gotten very far
when Turkish soldiers stopped him and took all his possessions. They
demanded that he convert to Islam, and in his fright he told them that
he would do so. Satisfied with this reply, they let him go.
John
reached the village of Eski Zagora, where he met an Athonite monk from
the monastery of Grigoriou. They journeyed to the Holy Mountain
together, and John settled in the Skete of St Anna. There he met Fr
Basil.
One day John and Fr Basil traveled to Thessalonica on
monastery business. While they were there the monks David and Euthymius
of Demetsana suffered martyrdom because they were Christians. John was
inflamed with the desire for martyrdom. Fr Basil, however, urged him to
postpone his intention, and so they returned to the Holy Mountain. A
short time after this, Fr Basil died.
When a monk from the Skete
of St Anna told him of the martyrdom of the New Martyr Euthymius (March
22), John was once more filled with zeal for martyrdom. He was placed
under the spiritual direction of the Elder Acacius, who prescribed for
him prayer, prostrations, and reading the Gospel.
In time, John
was found worthy of monastic tonsure, and was given the new name
Ignatius. The Elder Acacius blessed him to travel to Constantinople with
the monk Gregory in order to bear witness to Christ. After receiving
the Holy Mysteries in Constantinople, Ignatius felt he was ready for his
ordeal.
Dressed in Moslem garb, Ignatius went before the kadi and
proclaimed his faith in Christ. He told him how he had promised to
become a Moslem when he was younger, but now he threw his turban at the
kadi’s feet and said that he would never deny Christ.
Thinking
that Ignatius was insane, the kadi warned him that if he did not come to
his senses he would endure horrible torments before being put to death.
On the other hand, if he embraced Islam, he would receive rich gifts
and great honor from them.
The courageous martyr told the kadi to
keep his gifts, for they were merely temporal gifts. “Your threats of
torture and death are nothing new,” he said, “and I knew of them before I
came here. In fact, I came here because of them, so that I might die
for my Christ.”
St Ignatius went on to call Mohammed “a false
prophet, a teacher of perdition, and a friend of the devil.” Then he
invited the Moslems to believe in Christ, the only true God.
The
kadi then became so angry he could not speak, so he motioned for a
servant to lead St Ignatius out of the room. Ignatius turned and struck
the servant, then knelt before the kadi and bent his neck, as if
inviting him to behead him then and there. Other servants entered the
room, however, and dragged him off to prison.
Later, Ignatius was
brought before the kadi for questioning. When asked who had brought him
to Constantinople, he replied, “My Lord Jesus Christ brought me here.”
Again
the kadi urged him to reconsider, for he was about to experience
unimaginable tortures. “Do not expect to be beheaded so that the
Christians can collect your blood as a blessing,” he said, “for I
intend to hang you.”
Ignatius replied, “You will be doing me a
great service whether you hang me or put me to the sword. I accept
everything for the love of Christ.”
Seeing that he could not turn
Ignatius from his Christian Faith, the kadi ordered him to be hanged. He
was taken to a place called Daktyloporta, where the sentence was
carried out. The martyr’s body remained hanging there for three days,
then some pious Christians paid a ransom for it and took it to the
island of Prote for burial.
St Ignatius gave his life for Christ on October 8, 1814. He is also commemorated on May 1 with Sts Acacius and Euthymius.
The head of St Ignatius is in the Monastery of St Panteleimon on Mt Athos.
The name Thomas means, "twin." He was one of the Twelve, a
Galilean by birth. Sophroneus (not the famous Patriarch of Jerusalem
[7th Century, celebrated March 11], but a friend of Jerome's), quoted
also by Jerome, says that Saint Thomas preached to the Parthians,
Pesians, Medes, Hyrcanians, Bactrians, and neighbouring nations.
According to Heracleon, the Apostle died a natural death; according to
other accounts, he was martyred at Meliapur His tomb was known by Saint
John Chrysostom to be at Edessa in Syria, to which city his holy relics
may have been translated from India in the fourth century.
Apolytikion in the Third Tone
O Holy Apostle Thomas, intercede to our merciful God, that He may grant our souls forgiveness of sins.
Kontakion in the Fourth Tone
Christ's Apostle, who was filled with God's divine grace, he who
was His genuine and faithful servant in all truth, all-lauded Thomas
exclaimed aloud in deep repentance: Thou art both my God and Lord.
The feast of the Hierarchs of Moscow was established
during the reign of Tsar Theodore Ioannovich and Patriarch Job in the
year 1596. Their individual feasts are: Saint Peter (+1326), December
21, and August 24, translation of holy relics; Saint Alexis (+14th
cent.), February 12, and May 20, recovery of holy relics; Saint Jonah
(+1461), March 31 and June 15, with the recovery of his holy relics
celebrated on May 27. In 1875, at the proposal of Metropolitan Innocent
of Moscow, to this feast was joined the commemoration of Saint Philip
of Moscow (+1569), whose feast is kept on January 9, and the recovery of
his holy relics on July 3. In more recent times, the holy Patriarchs
Hermogenes (+1612) and Tikhon (+1925) have been added to the Synaxis.
Saint Hermogenes, who was starved to death by the Poles, is also
celebrated on February 17 and May 12, and Saint Tikhon, a confessor
under the atheist yoke, on March 25. the Menaion service itself makes
reference only to Saints Peter, Alexis, Jonah, and Philip.
Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
Prelates of Russia, true keepers of the apostolic traditions,
unshakable pillars, teachers of Orthodoxy, O Peter, Alexis, Jonah,
Philip, Hermogenes, and Tikhon, pray to the Lord of all to grant peace
to the world and to our souls great mercy.
Kontakion in the Third Tone
Ye lived piously among bishops; ye led the peoples to the
knowledge of God, and ye pleased God well. Wherefore, ye were glorified
by Him with incorruption and miracles, as disciples of the grace of
God.
The Hieromartyr Hierotheus, the first Bishop of Athens, was a member
of the Athenian Areopagos and was converted to Christ by the Apostle
Paul together with St Dionysius the Areopagite (October 3).
The
saint was consecrated by the Apostle Paul to the rank of bishop.
According to Tradition, Bishop Hierotheus was present with St Dionysius
at the funeral of the Most Holy Theotokos.
St Hierotheus died a martyr’s death in the first century.
TROPARION - TONE 1
We the faithful all praise Hierótheus, the disciple of Paul, / Hierarch
of Athens, / the world’s teacher and a preacher of the Faith, / who
revealed to us Christ’s Mysteries / and poured forth streams of godly
doctrine. / His life was well-pleasing to God, who is greatly greatly
merciful.
KONTAKION - TONE 8
Hierarch of Athens, we praise you for you have instructed us in awesome
and ineffable things, / and you were revealed to be a divinely-inspired
writer of hymns. / Pray that we be delivered from every kind of sin, so
that we may cry to you: / “Rejoice, divinely-wise Father Hierótheus.”
This Saint was from Athens, a learned man, and a member of
the famous judicial court of Mars Hill (in Greek Aeros Pagos, hence the
name Areopagite (see Acts 17:19-34). When Saint Paul preached in
Athens, he was one of the first there to believe in Christ, and,
according to some, became the first bishop of that city. Others say --
and this may be more probable--that he was the second Bishop of Athens,
after Saint Hierotheus, whom Dionysios calls his friend and teacher
"after Paul" (On the Divine Names, 3:2). With Saint Hierotheus he was
also present at the Dormition of the most holy Theotokos; the Doxasticon
of the Aposticha for the service of the Dormition is partly taken from a
passage in Chapter III of On the Divine Names. According to ancient
tradition, he received a martyr's end (according to some, in Athens
itself) about the year 96.
Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
Since thou hadst been instructed in uprightness thoroughly and
wast vigilant in all things, thou wast clothed with a good conscience as
befitteth one holy. Thou didst draw from the Chosen Vessel ineffable
mysteries; and having kept the Faith, thou didst finish a like course, O
Hieromartyr Dionysios. Intercede with Christ God that our souls be
saved.
Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone
In spirit, thou dist pass through Heaven's gates, instructed by
the great Apostle who attained to the third Heaven's heights, and wast
made rich in all knowledge of things beyond speech; and then thou, O
Dionysios, didst illuminate them that slumbered in the darkness of their
ignorance. Hence we all cry out: Rejoice, O universal Father.
St Theodore, one of Russia’s greatest naval heroes of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, was born in 1745.
The
unvanquished Admiral was the terror of his country’s enemies, and the
deliverer of those whom the barbarians had taken captive. He served
during the Russo-Turkish War (1787—1791), and also fought against the
French. Although he fought many naval battles in the Black Sea and in
the Mediterranean, he never lost a single one, and he was never wounded.
St
Theodore once visited the Greek island of Kerkyra (Corfu), where he
venerated the relics of St Spyridon of Tremithus (December 12), and gave
support and encouragement to the Orthodox Christians in that place.
Since
his naval reforms were unpopular with his superiors, St Theodore was
forced to retire in 1807 by Tsar Alexander I. Having neither wife nor
children, the admiral settled in the town of Alekseevo near the Sanaxar
Monastery, where he regularly attended services on Sundays and Feast
Days. During Great Lent he would stay in the monastery, fasting with the
monks and attending the services.
Igumen Nathaniel of Sanaxar
regarded St Theodore as “a neighbor and a significant patron” of the
monastery. In addition to his generous gifts to the monastery, the
admiral frequently gave alms to the poor and needy. He never sought
earthly glory or riches, but spent his life in serving God and his
neighbor.
St Theodore died in 1817 at the age of seventy-two.
After navigating the sea of life with all its storms and struggles, he
entered the calm harbor of eternal rest. He was buried at Sanaxar
Monastery beside the church. The monastery was returned to the Russian
Orthodox Church in 1991, and St Theodore’s grave was found in 1994.
St
Theodore was glorified by the Orthodox Church of Russia in 2004, and a
reliquary in the shape of a naval vessel was made to enshrine his holy
relics.
The holy Admiral Theodore should not be confused with his
relative St Theodore (Ushakov) of Sanaxar Monastery (February 19 and
April 21), a monastic saint who lived from 1719 to 1791.
St
Theodore is honored as a great military leader who defended Russia just
as St Alexander Nevsky (November 23) and St Demetrius of the Don (May
19) did before him. One of the Russian Navy’s atomic cruisers has been
named for him, and a movie has been made about his life and career. The
composer Khachaturian has also written a musical piece called “Admiral
Ushakov.”
TROPARION - TONE 1
You were an invincible supreme commander of the Russian realm, /
Destroying and setting at nought the malice of the Moslems / And seeking
neither worldly glory or riches, you served God and your neighbor. /
Pray, O holy Theodore, that victory over the enemy be granted our army, /
That our homeland may abide in unshakeable piety / And that the
children of Russia may be saved.
Saint Ananias, whose name means "God is gracious," was
from Damascus, where by divine revelation he was commanded to baptize
the Apostle Paul (Acts 9: 10-17). He completed the course of martyrdom
when he was stoned to death during the proconsulate of Lucian.
Apolytikion in the Third Tone
O Holy Apostle Ananias, intercede to our merciful God, that He may grant our souls forgiveness of sins.
Kontakion in the Second Tone
Our most fervent advocate in intercession who dost hearken most
quickly to them that pray to thee, receive our supplication, O Ananias,
and implore Christ, Who alone is glorified in the Saints, to have mercy
on us.
This Saint, a Parthian by race, was the son of Anak. He
was born about the year 240 and was taught the Faith of Christ in
Caesarea of Cappadocia. He entered the service of Tiridates, King of
Armenia, but when discovered to be a Christian, he was subjected to many
horrible torments at the King's hands, then was cast into a pit of mire
with poisonous serpents and left to die. By the power of God, however,
he abode there unharmed for fourteen years, his needs provided by a
certain widow, until he was made known by revelation and set free. He
converted to piety innumerable multitudes of Armenians, including
Tiridates himself, and was consecrated bishop by Leontius, Archbishop of
Caesarea, to shepherd the vast flock he had gained for Christ. He
spent the last part of his life in retirement in the ascetical
discipline, and reposed in peace about the year 325. Saint Gregory is
honoured as the Illuminator of Armenia.
Apolytikion in the Fourth Tone
As a sharer of the ways and a successor to the throne of the
Apostles, O inspired of God, thou foundest discipline to be a means of
ascent to divine vision. Wherefore, having rightly divided the word of
truth, thou didst also contest for the Faith even unto blood, O
Hieromartyr Gregory. Intercede with Christ our God that our souls be
saved.
Kontakion in the Second Tone
Let us the faithful today all acclaim with divine songs and hymns
the renowned hierarch Gregory as an athlete for truth's sake, as a
shepherd and teacher, a universal luminary bright with splendour; for he
intercedeth with Christ that we be saved.
Saint
Cyriacus was born at Corinth to the priest John and his wife Eudokia.
Bishop Peter of Corinth, who was a relative, seeing that Cyriacus was
growing up as a quiet and sensible child, made him a reader in church.
Constant reading of the Holy Scriptures awakened in him a love for the
Lord and of a yearning for a pure and saintly life.
Once, when
the youth was not yet eighteen years old, he was deeply moved during a
church service by the words of the Gospel: “If any man will come after
Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me”
(Mt.16:24). He believed these words applied to him, so he went right to
the harbor without stopping at home, got onto a ship and went to
Jerusalem.
After visiting the holy places, Cyriacus dwelt for
several months at a monastery not far from Sion in obedience to the
igumen Abba Eustorgius. With his blessing, he made his way to the
wilderness Lavra of St Euthymius the Great (January 20). St Euthymius,
discerning in the youth great gifts of God, tonsured him into the
monastic schema and placed him under the guidance of St Gerasimus (March
4), pursuing asceticism at the Jordan in the monastery of St
Theoctistus.
St Gerasimus, seeing the youthfulness of Cyriacus,
ordered him to live in the community with the brethren. The young monk
easily accomplished the monastic obediences: he prayed fervently, he
slept little, he ate food only every other day, nourishing himself with
bread and water.
During Great Lent it was the custom of St
Gerasimus to go into the Rouva wilderness, returning to the monastery
only on Palm Sunday. Seeing Cyriacus’ strict abstinence, he decided to
take him with him. In complete solitude the ascetics redoubled their
efforts. Each Sunday St Gerasimus imparted the Holy Mysteries to his
disciple.
After the death of St Gerasimus, the
twenty-seven-year-old Cyriacus returned to the Lavra of St Euthymius,
but he was no longer among the living. St Cyriacus asked for a solitary
cell and there he pursued asceticism in silence, communicating only with
the monk Thomas. But soon Thomas was sent to Alexandria where he was
consecrated bishop, and St Cyriacus spent ten years in total silence. At
37 years of age he was ordained to the diaconate.
When a split
occurred between the monasteries of St Euthymius and St Theoctistus, St
Cyriacus withdrew to the Souka monastery of St Chariton (September 28).
At this monastery they received even tonsured monks as novices, and so
was St Cyriacus received. He toiled humbly at the regular monastic
obediences. After several years, St Cyriacus was ordained priest and
chosen canonarch and did this obedience for eighteen years. St Cyriacus
spent thirty years at the monastery of St Chariton.
Strict
fasting and total lack of evil distinguished St Cyriacus even among the
ascetics of the Lavra. In his cell each night he read the Psalter,
interrupting the reading only to go to church at midnight. The ascetic
slept very little. When the monk reached seventy years of age, he went
to the Natoufa wilderness taking with him his disciple John.
In
the desert the hermits fed themselves only with bitter herbs, which
through the prayer of St Cyriacus was rendered edible. After five years
one of the inhabitants found out about the ascetics and brought to them
his demon-possessed son, and St Cyriacus healed him. From that time many
people began to approach the monk with their needs, but he sought
complete solitude and fled to the Rouva wilderness, where he dwelt five
years more. But the sick and those afflicted by demons came to him in
this wilderness, and the saint healed them all with the Sign of the
Cross and by anointing them with oil.
At his 80th year of life St
Cyriacus fled to the hidden Sousakim wilderness, where two dried up
streams passed by. According to Tradition, the holy Prophet David
brought Sousakim to attention: “Thou hast dried up the rivers of Etham”
(Ps 73/74:15). After seven years, brethren of the Souka monastery came
to him, beseeching his spiritual help during a period of debilitating
hunger and illness, which God permitted. They implored St Cyriacus to
return to the monastery, and he settled in a cave, in which St Chariton
had once lived.
St Cyriacus rendered great help to the Church in
the struggle with the spreading heresy of the Origenists. By prayer and
by word, he brought the wayward back to the true path, and strengthened
the Orthodox in their faith. Cyril, the author of the Life of St
Cyriacus, and a monk of the Lavra of St Euthymius, was a witness when St
Cyriacus predicted the impending death of the chief heretics Nonos and
Leontius, and soon the heresy would cease to spread.
The Most
Holy Theotokos Herself commanded St Cyriacus to keep to the Orthodox
teaching in its purity: Having appeared to him in a dream together with
the Sts John the Baptist and John the Theologian, She refused to enter
into the cell of the monk because in it was a book with the words of the
heretic Nestorius. “In your cell is My enemy,” She said (The appearance
of the Most Holy Theotokos to St Cyriacus is commemorated on June 8).
At
the age of ninety-nine, St Cyriacus again went off to Susakim and lived
there with his disciple John. In the wilderness a huge lion waited on
St Cyriacus, protecting him from robbers, but it did not bother
wandering brethren and it ate from the monk’s hand.
Once in the
heat of summer, all the water in the hollow of a rock dried up, where
the ascetics had stored water during the winter, and there was no other
source of water. St Cyriacus prayed, and rain fell, filling the pit with
water.
For the two years before his death St Cyriacus returned
to the monastery and again settled into the cave of St Chariton. Until
the end of his life the righteous Elder preserved his courage, and
prayed with fervor. He was never idle, either he prayed, or he worked.
Before his death St Cyriacus summoned the brethren and blessed them all.
He quietly fell asleep in the Lord, having lived 109 years.
KONTAKION - TONE 2
You armed yourself divinely with purity of soul, / And firmly wielding
the lance of incessant prayer, / You pierced through the devil’s hosts. /
Intercede without ceasing for us all, O Cyriacus, our father!
Saints Spyridon and Nicodemus, the Prosphora-bakers of the Kiev
Caves, Near Caves fulfilled their obedience of baking prosphora for
thirty years. St Spyridon came to the monastery in the time of Igumen
Pimen (1132-1141), when he was no longer a young man. The ascetic
combined his work with unceasing prayer and the singing of Psalms. Even
during his life St Spyridon was glorified by miracles. He was
illiterate, but knew the entire Psalter by heart.
Once, his
mantle caught fire from the oven. The fire was put out, but the mantle
remained whole. St Nicodemus toiled together with St Spyridon and led a
very strict life. Their relics are in the Kiev Caves of St Anthony. The
fingers of St Spyridon’s right hand are positioned to make the Sign of
the Cross with three fingers. They are also commemorated on September
28, and the second Sunday of Great Lent.
Saint Anthimus was born in Georgia, and his parents were called John
and Mary. The child received the name Andrew in Baptism, and his parents
raised him as an Orthodox Christian.
Andrew was captured by Turks
who invaded Georgia when he was young, and he was one of many who were
made slaves in Constantinople. There he learned to speak Greek, Arabic,
and Turkish, and also became skilled in woodcarving, embroidery, and
painting. After a few years as a slave, Andrew escaped and fled to the
Ecumenical Patriarchate for refuge.
Around 1690, Andrew was
invited to Wallachia by Prince Constantine Brancoveanu (August 16), who
had heard of his talents. After a year or so, he became a monk and
received the name Anthimus. Later, he was ordained to the holy
priesthood. He was placed in charge of the royal print shop in
Bucharest, and later set up a printing house in the Snagov Monastery.The
monastery printed sixty-three books in Romanian, Greek, Arabic, and
Georgian. St Anthimus was the author of thirty-eight of them. He was
chosen to be the igumen of Snagov in 1696.
The saint was
consecrated as Bishop of Rimnicu-Vilcea in 1705, and three years later
he was made Metropolitan of Wallachia. As Metropolitan, he established
schools for poor children, and built churches and monasteries. Since he
was a woodcarver, he used his talent to beautify many churches.
St
Anthimus was a zealous pastor who satisfied his flock’s hunger for
spiritual knowledge. Preaching in the Romanian language, he taught them
the saving truths of Orthodoxy, and offered words of encouragement and
consolation. His edifying books and sermons are part of the spiritual
legacy of the Romanian Orthodox Church.
Metropolitan Anthimus was
arrested by the Turks in 1716 and sentenced to be exiled at St
Catherine’s Monastery on Mt. Sinai, but he never arrived at his
destination. On September 27, 1716, he was killed by the soldiers who
were escorting him. They cut his body into little pieces and threw them
into the Tungia River, south of the Danube. Thus, the faithful servant
of Christ received the crown of martyrdom.
St Anthimus was
a true shepherd of his flock, and a father to his clergy. He was
glorified by the Orthodox Church of Romania in 1992.
Saint Ephraim of Perekop, Novgorod, was born on September 20,
1412 in the city of Kashin. In Holy Baptism he was named Eustathius.
His parents, Stephen and Anna, lived not far from the Kashin women’s
monastery named in honor of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos.
Drawn
to the solitary life, Eustathius left his parental home while still in
his early years and settled in the Kalyazin monastery of the Most Holy
Trinity. His parents wanted their son to return home, but he persuaded
them to leave the world and accept monasticism. Later, they also
finished their earthly paths living as hermits.
After three years
in the monastery, Eustathius, through a miraculous revelation,
transferred to the monastery of St Sava of Vishersk (October 1). It was
there in 1437 that he accepted tonsure with the name Ephraim. While in
the monastery, St Ephraim received a revelation from the Lord,
commanding him to withdraw to a desolate place.
Having received
the blessing of St Sava, in 1450 he went to Lake Ilmen, at the mouth of
the River Verenda, and on the banks of the River Cherna he built a cell.
After a certain while the Elder Thomas and two monks came to St
Ephraim, and they settled not far from his cell. From that time, other
hermits also began to gather to the new monastery. At their request St
Ephraim was ordained a priest at Novgorod by St Euthymius (March 11).
Returning
from Novgorod, St Ephraim built a church in honor of the Theophany of
the Lord on an island, at the mouth of the River Verenda. To secure a
ready supply of water for the monastery, the monk dug a canal to Lake
Ilmen, from which the monastery received its name “Perekop” (from
“perekopat’” meaning “to dig through”). Later on, St Ephraim built a
stone church named for St Nicholas the Wonderworker. Unable to find
sufficient skilled builders, he sent several monks to Great Prince Basil
with a request for sending stone-workers. The construction of the
temple was completed in 1466.
St Ephraim reposed on September 26,
1492 and was buried at the church of St Nicholas. In 1509, because of
frequent floodings that threatened the monastery with ruin, it was
transferred to another location at the shore of Lake Ilmen. St Ephraim
appeared to the igumen Romanus and pointed to the site of Klinkovo for
relocating the monastery.
Over the saint’s tomb a chapel was
built, since all the monastery churches were in ruins. On May 16, 1545
the relics of St Ephraim were transferred to the site of the new
monastery. On this day there is an annual celebration of St Ephraim of
Perekop at the monastery, confirmed after the glorification of the holy
ascetic at the Council of 1549. (The Transfer of the Relics of St
Ephraim of Perekop is celebrated May 16).
The Holy Martyr Paphnutius hailed from Egypt and struggled in
the desert. During the persecution against Christians under Diocletian
(284-305), the governor Hadrian commanded that St Paphnutius be brought
to him. The ascetic, not waiting for those sent to bring him, appeared
before the governor, confessed his faith in Christ, and was subjected to
torture.
The soldiers involved in his torture, Dionysius and
Callimachus, seeing how the power of God preserved the martyr, believed
in Christ the Savior themselves, for which they were then beheaded. Cast
into prison after the tortures, St Paphnutius converted forty prisoners
to the Faith. They were all burned alive.
After a while St
Paphnutius was set free, and a Christian named Nestorius gladly took him
in. He and all his family, after spiritual guidance, became steadfast
in the Faith, and ultimately endured martyrdom. The saint strengthened
many other Christians to confess our Lord Jesus Christ, and they all
died as martyrs. Some were cut with swords, others were burned. There
were 546 men in all.
St Paphnutius himself was thrown by the
torturers into a river with a stone about his neck, but he miraculously
floated to shore with the stone. Finally, they sent the holy martyr to
the emperor Diocletian himself, who commanded him to be crucified on a
date tree.
Sts Paphnutius and Euphrosyne are also commemorated on February 15.
Saint Nicander of Pskov (in Baptism Nikon) was born on 24 July 1507
into the peasant family of Philip and Anastasia in the village of
Videlebo in the Pskov lands.
From childhood he dreamed of
continuing the ascetic exploits of his fellow villager, St Euphrosynus
of Spasoeleazar, the original Pskov wilderness-dweller (May 15). The
first in Nikon’s family to accept monasticism was his older brother
Arsenius. After the death of his father, the seventeen-year-old Nikon
was able to convince his mother to dispose of the property and withdraw
into a monastery, where she lived until her own end.
After
visiting the monasteries of Pskov, and having venerated at the relics of
St Euphrosynus and his disciple St Sava of Krypetsk (August 28), Nikon
became firmly convinced of his calling to the solitary life.
In
order to have the possibility of reading the Word of God, Nikon was
employed as a worker for the Pskov resident Philip, who rewarded his
ardor by sending him to study with an experienced teacher. Seeing the
zeal of the youth, the Lord Himself directed him to the place of his
ascetic effort. Intensely praying in one of the Pskov churches, he heard
a voice from the altar commanding him to go to the wilderness place
which the Lord would point out through His servant Theodore. The peasant
Theodore led him off to the River Demyanka, between Pskov and Porkhov.
Afterwards, both Philip and Theodore, who helped St Nicander attain his
goal, were themselves to enter upon the path of monasticism, and were
tonsured at the Krypetsk monastery with the names Philaret and
Theodosius.
After several years of silence and severe ascetic
deeds, emaciating his flesh, Nikon went to the monastery founded by St
Sava of Krypetsk. The igumen, seeing his weakened body, would not agree
to accept him at once, fearing that the difficulties of monastic life
would be too much for him. Nikon fell down at the crypt of St Sava, and
spoke to him as if to one alive, entreating him to take him into his
monastery. The igumen relented and tonsured Nikon with the name
Nicander.
St Nicander endured many temptations and woes on the
path of asceticism. Blessed Nicholas (February 28) while still at Pskov
predicted St Nicander’s “wilderness sufferings.” Through the prayers of
all the Pskov Saints and St Alexander of Svir (August 30 and April 17),
who twice appeared to him, guiding and strengthening him, and with the
help of the grace of God, he overcame all the manifold snares of the
Evil One.
By the power of prayer the monk conquered the weakness
of flesh, human failings and diabolical apparitions. Once, robbers
nearly killed him, running off with the hermit’s sole, very precious
possessions, his books and icons. Through the prayers of the saint, two
of them, taking fright at the sudden death of one of their comrades,
repented of their wicked deeds and received forgiveness from the Elder.
St
Nicander did not long live at the Krypetsk monastery, and he obtained a
blessing to return to his own wilderness. Later, he came to live at the
Krypetsk monastery once again, where he fulfilled the obediences of
ecclesiarch and cellerer, and then he went into the wilderness again and
lived there in fasting and prayer, meditating on the Word of God.
Once
a year, during Great Lent, St Nicander came to the Damianov monastery,
where he made his confession and received the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
Eight years before his death he received the Great Schema. Many people
began to come to the monk “for benefit,” since in the words of St John
of the Ladder, “monastic life is a light for all mankind.” Believers
turned to St Nicander for prayerful help, since the Lord had bestown on
him many gifts of grace.
The wilderness-dweller had regard for
all the needs of the visitors and even built lodging for them, “the
guest-house at the oak,” for which he provided heat. The monk did not
permit himself to show off his spiritual gifts. Going secretly to his
cell, people always heard him praying with bitter tears. When he noticed
there were people nearby, he immediately began to pray, concealing from
them the gift of tears that he had received.
St Nicander to the
end of his life remained a wilderness-dweller, but he gave final
instructions that after his death the place of his ascetic efforts
should not be forsaken, promising his protection to the settlers of a
future monastery. The saint gave final directions to the deacon Peter of
the Porkhov women’s monastery to build a church at his grave and
transfer there the icon of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos
from the Tishanka church cemetery.
He foresaw his own death,
predicting that he would die when enemies invaded the fatherland, and
foretelling this immanent assault. On September 24, 1581, during an
invasion by the army of the Polish king Stephen Bathory, a certain
peasant found the monk dead. He lay on his cot with his hands crossed on
his chest. From Pskov came clergy and people who revered the monk, and
among whom was also the deacon Peter, and they performed the rite of
Christian burial.
In 1584 at the place of St Nicander’s ascetic
deeds, sanctified by almost half a century of prayer, a monastery was
built, which they began to call the Nikandrov wilderness-monastery. The
builder of this monastery was St Isaiah, who had been healed through
prayer to the saint.
The glorification of St Nicander occurred
under Patriarch Joachim in 1696, and the feastdays in his memory were
established for September 24, the day of his repose, and on the temple
feast of the monastery, the Annunciation to the Most Holy Theotokos.
During a reconstruction of the monastery cathedral church the relics of
St Nicander were discovered, concealed in a wall. June 29 is celebrated
as the day of the uncovering of his holy relics. At present, strong
bonds of prayer connect believers with St Nicander, who is deeply
venerated in the Pskov area.
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