St Eleni (who was also called Susanna), New martyr of Lesbos

Commemorated on April 9

Saint Eleni (who was also called Susanna) is one of the New Martyrs of Lesbos who are commemorated on Bright Tuesday. She was St. Irene's older cousin, and suffered along with Sts Raphael, Nicholas, and Irene on April 9, 1463 (Bright Tuesday).

On November 12, 1961 Mrs Basilike Rallis had a dream in which she saw herself by the church at Karyes near the town of Thermi on the Greek island of Lesbos. As she looked inside the church, she saw a young girl about fourteen or fifteen years old, with a dark complexion and dark hair. Since the girl was praying, Mrs Rallis also began to pray. The girl turned to her and said, "Do you know who I am? I am a martyr. Not like Renoula (a diminutive form of Irene), of course, but if you only knew what I endured! I lived with the mayor's family, and I was also with them when the Turks tortured them here. They mistreated me and gave me such a horrible beating that I died from the pains. My name is Eleni."

The saint also told Mrs Rallis about an icon of the Mother of God that she had been asking about, revealing to her the place where it would be found.

When she awoke, Mrs Rallis was reluctant to mention this dream to anyone. She said to herself, "If there really is another martyr named Eleni, I'll see her again. Maybe someone else will see her, too, then I'll tell. But who was this Eleni who lived with the mayor's family? Perhaps she was their servant."

The next night, she dreamed that she was in the village church. She saw three clerics coming out through the left door of the altar. She made the Sign of the Cross at once, for she thought that Satan might be tempting her. Then she saw the three clerics make the Sign of the Cross, too. They looked at her and smiled as they slowly proceeded to the center of the church.

"I recognized St. Raphael and St. Nicholas right away," Mrs Rallis recalled, "but did not know the other saint. He was tall, middle-aged with a long gray beard and a lordly air about him."

At that moment, a girl with a round face came out by the same door. She was beautiful, and she wore a rose-colored dress. Mrs Rallis approached her and, kneeling before her, she asked, "Are you also a saint?"

"Yes," the girl replied. "Sit down beside me, watch quietly and I will explain some things to you."

Then other people began to come out from the same door and approached the saints. First, a man of medium height with civilian clothes and a long gray jacket. The girl said to Mrs Rallis, "The teacher, Theodore." He was followed by another well-formed man. The saint said, "The mayor, Basil (St Irene's father)." Then a tall, stout woman of about forty came forth with two girls whom Mrs Rallis recognized at once.They were Sts Irene and Eleni, of whom she had dreamt the night before.

The unknown saint who had appeared with Sts Raphael and Nicholas identified the tall woman as Maria, the mayor's wife, and the two girls as Renoula and Eleni. He asked Mrs Rallis, "Why, when you dreamed about her last evening, did you say that you would not say anything about it to anyone? Eleni is also a martyr, and she wishes to be remembered. She was not the mayor's servant, but his orphaned niece who lived with them. Her proper name, which she signed on papers, was Eleni. However, they also called her Susanna. She also had that name."

Mrs Rallis slowly approached St Irene. She embraced her and began to weep, saying, "O Renoula, my tortured little girl, how could these heartless evil-doers burn you?" Then St Irene also started to cry.

When Mrs Rallis woke up, her eyes were filled with tears, and she thought that she would faint. So powerful was the dream that she later said, "Ah, that tortured child! How I ached for her! Every time I go to Karyes I will sit by her little tomb and I will mourn as if she were my own child. Just think, they tortured the child in front of her father, in front of her mother who bore her. It seems to me that there does not exist a more terrible martyrdom for parents."

The Newly-Appeared Martyrs of Lesbos are also commemorated on April 9. Detailed accounts of these saints may be found in A GREAT SIGN (in Greek) by Photios Kontoglou (Astir, 1964).
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SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2010(with 2009's link here also and further, 2008's):

St Celestine the Pope of Rome

Commemorated on April 8
Saint Celestine, Pope of Rome (422-432), a zealous champion of Orthodoxy, lived during the reign of the holy Emperor Theodosius the Younger (408-450). He received an excellent education, and he knew philosophy well, but most of all he studied the Holy Scripture and pondered over theological questions.

The virtuous life of the saint and his authority as a theologian won him the general esteem and love of the clergy and people. After the death of St Boniface (418-422), St Celestine was chosen to be the Bishop of Rome.

During this time, the heresy of Nestorius emerged. At a local Council in Rome in 430, St Celestine denounced this heresy and condemned Nestorius as a heretic. After the Council, St Celestine wrote a letter to St Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria (January 18), stating that if Nestorius did not renounce his false teachings after ten days, then he should be deposed and excommunicated.

St Celestine also sent a series of letters to other churches, Constantinople and Antioch, in which he unmasked and denounced the Nestorian heresy.

For two years after the Council, St Celestine proclaimed the true teaching about Christ the God-Man, and he died in peace on April 6, 432.
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SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2010(with 2009's link here also and further, 2008's):

St Tikhon the Patriarch of Moscow, and Enlightener of North America

Commemorated on April 7
St Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and Apostle to America was born as Vasily Ivanovich Belavin on January 19, 1865 into the family of Ioann Belavin, a rural priest of the Toropetz district of the Pskov diocese. His childhood and adolescence were spent in the village in direct contact with peasants and their labor. From his early years he displayed a particular religious disposition, love for the Church as well as rare meekness and humility.

When Vasily was still a boy, his father had a revelation about each of his children. One night, when he and his three sons slept in the hayloft, he suddenly woke up and roused them. He had seen his dead mother in a dream, who foretold to him his imminent death, and the fate of his three sons. She said that one would be unfortunate throughout his entire life, another would die young, while the third, Vasily, would be a great man. The prophecy of the dead woman proved to be entirely accurate in regard to all three brothers.

From 1878 to 1883, Vasily studied at the Pskov Theological Seminary. The modest seminarian was tender and affectionate by nature. He was fair-haired and tall of stature. His fellow students liked and respected him for his piety, brilliant progress in studies, and constant readiness to help comrades, who often turned to him for explanations of lessons, especially for help in drawing up and correcting numerous compositions. Vasily was called "bishop" and "patriarch" by his classmates.

In 1888, at the age of 23, Vasily Belavin graduated from the St Petersburg Theological Academy as a layman, and returned to the Pskov Seminary as an instructor of Moral and Dogmatic Theology. The whole seminary and the town of Pskov became very fond of him. He led an austere and chaste life, and in 1891, when he turned 26, he took monastic vows. Nearly the whole town gathered for the ceremony. He embarked on this new way of life consciously and deliberately, desiring to dedicate himself entirely to the service of the Church. The meek and humble young man was given the name Tikhon in honor of St Tikhon of Zadonsk.

He was transferred from the Pskov Seminary to the Kholm Theological Seminary in 1892, and was raised to the rank of archimandrite. Archimandrite Tikhon was consecrated Bishop of Lublin on October 19, 1897, and returned to Kholm for a year as Vicar Bishop of the Kholm Diocese. Bishop Tikhon zealously devoted his energy to the establishment of the new vicariate. His attractive moral make-up won the general affection, of not only the Russian population, but also of the Lithuanians and Poles. On September 14, 1898, Bishop Tikhon was made Bishop of the Aleutians and Alaska. As head of the Orthodox Church in America, Bishop Tikhon was a zealous laborer in the Lord's vineyard.

He did much to promote the spread of Orthodoxy, and to improve his vast diocese. He reorganized the diocesan structure, and changed its name from "Diocese of the Aleutians and Alaska" to "Diocese of the Aleutians and North America" in 1900. Both clergy and laity loved their archpastor, and held him in such esteem that the Americans made Archbishop Tikhon an honorary citizen of the United States.

On May 22, 1901, he blessed the cornerstone for St Nicholas Cathedral in New York, and was also involved in establishing other churches. On November 9, 1902, he consecrated the church of St Nicholas in Brooklyn for the Syrian Orthodox immigrants. Two weeks later, he consecrated St Nicholas Cathedral in NY.

In 1905, the American Mission was made an Archdiocese, and St Tikhon was elevated to the rank of Archbishop. He had two vicar bishops: Bishop Innocent (Pustynsky) in Alaska, and St Raphael (Hawaweeny) in Brooklyn to assist him in administering his large, ethnically diverse diocese. In June of 1905, St Tikhon gave his blessing for the establishment of St Tikhon's Monastery.

In 1907, he returned to Russia, and was appointed to Yaroslavl, where he quickly won the affection of his flock. They came to love him as a friendly, communicative, and wise archpastor. He spoke simply to his subordinates, never resorting to a peremptory or overbearing tone. When he had to reprimand someone, he did so in a good-natured, sometimes joking manner, which encouraged the person to correct his mistakes.

When St Tikhon was transferred to Lithuania on December 22, 1913, the people of Yaroslavl voted him an honorary citizen of their town. After his transfer to Vilna, he did much in terms of material support for various charitable institutions. There too, his generous soul and love of people clearly manifested themselves. World War I broke out when His Eminence was in Vilna. He spared no effort to help the poor residents of the Vilna region who were left without a roof over their heads or means of subsistence as a result of the war with the Germans, and who flocked to their archpastor in droves.

After the February Revolution and formation of a new Synod, St Tikhon became one of its members. On June 21, 1917, the Moscow Diocesan Congress of clergy and laity elected him as their ruling bishop. He was a zealous and educated archpastor, widely known even outside his country.

On August 15, 1917, a local council was opened in Moscow, and Archbishop Tikhon was raised to the dignity of Metropolitan, and then elected as chairman of the council. The council had as its aim to restore the life of Russian Orthodox Church on strictly canonical principles, and its primary concern was the restoration of the Patriarchate. All council members would select three candidates, and then a lot would reveal the will of God. The council members chose three candidates: Archbishop Anthony of Kharkov, the wisest, Archbishop Arseny of Novgorod, the strictest, and Metropolitan Tikhon of Moscow, the kindest of the Russian hierarchs.

On November 5, following the Divine Liturgy and a Molieben in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, a monk removed one of the three ballots from the ballot box, which stood before the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God. Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev announced Metropolitan Tikhon as the newly elected Patriarch. St Tikhon did not change after becoming the primate of the Russian Orthodox Church. In accepting the will of the council, Patriarch Tikhon referred to the scroll that the Prophet Ezekiel had to eat, on which was written, "Lamentations, mourning, and woe." He foresaw that his ministry would be filled with affliction and tears, but through all his suffering, he remained the same accessible, unassuming, and kindly person.

All who met St Tikhon were surprised by his accessibility, simplicity and modesty. His gentle disposition did not prevent him from showing firmness in Church matters, however, particularly when he had to defend the Church from her enemies. He bore a very heavy cross. He had to administer and direct the Church amidst wholesale church disorganization, without auxiliary administrative bodies, in conditions of internal schisms and upheavals by various adherents of the Living Church, renovationists, and autocephalists.

The situation was complicated by external circumstances: the change of the political system, by the accession to power of the godless regime, by hunger, and civil war. This was a time when Church property was being confiscated, when clergy were subjected to court trials and persecutions, and Christ's Church endured repression. News of this came to the Patriarch from all ends of Russia. His exceptionally high moral and religious authority helped him to unite the scattered and enfeebled flock. At a crucial time for the church, his unblemished name was a bright beacon pointing the way to the truth of Orthodoxy. In his messages, he called on people to fulfill the commandments of Christ, and to attain spiritual rebirth through repentance. His irreproachable life was an example to all.

In order to save thousands of lives and to improve the general position of the church, the Patriarch took measures to prevent clergy from making purely political statements. On September 25, 1919, when the civil war was at its height, he issued a message to the clergy urging them to stay away from political struggle.

The summer of 1921 brought a severe famine to the Volga region. In August, Patriarch Tikhon issued a message to the Russian people and to the people of the world, calling them to help famine victims. He gave his blessing for voluntary donations of church valuables, which were not directly used in liturgical services. However, on February 23, 1922, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee published a decree making all valuables subject to confiscation.

According to the 73rd Apostolic Canon, such actions were regarded as sacrilege, and the Patriarch could not approve such total confiscation, especially since many doubted that the valuables would be used to combat famine. This forcible confiscation aroused popular indignation everywhere. Nearly two thousand trials were staged all over Russia, and more than ten thousand believers were shot. The Patriarch's message was viewed as sabotage, for which he was imprisoned from April 1922 until June 1923.

His Holiness, Patriarch Tikhon did much on behalf of the Russian Orthodox Church during the crucial time of the so-called Renovationist schism. He showed himself to be a faithful servant and custodian of the undistorted precepts of the true Orthodox Church. He was the living embodiment of Orthodoxy, which was unconsciously recognized even by enemies of the church, who called its members "Tikhonites."

When Renovationist priests and hierarchs repented and returned to the church, they were met with tenderness and love by St Tikhon. This, however, did not represent any deviation from his strictly Orthodox policy. "I ask you to believe me that I will not come to agreement or make concessions which could lead to the loss of the purity and strength of Orthodoxy," the Patriarch said in 1924.

Being a good pastor, who devoted himself entirely to the church's cause, he called upon the clergy to do the same: "Devote all your energy to preaching the word of God and the truth of Christ, especially today, when unbelief and atheism are audaciously attacking the Church of Christ. May the God of peace and love be with all of you!"

It was extremely painful and hard for the Patriarch's loving, responsive heart to endure all the Church's misfortunes. Upheavals in and outside the church, the Renovationist schism, his primatial labors, his concern for the organization and tranquility of Church life, sleepless nights and heavy thoughts, his confinement that lasted more than a year, the spiteful and wicked baiting of his enemies, and the unrelenting criticism sometimes even from the Orthodox, combined to undermine his strength and health.

In 1924, Patriarch Tikhon began to feel unwell. He checked into a hospital, but would leave it on Sundays and Feast Days in order to conduct services. On Sunday, April 5, 1925, he served his last Liturgy, and died two days later. On March 25/April 7, 1925 the Patriarch received Metropolitan Peter and had a long talk with him. In the evening, the Patriarch slept a little, then he woke up and asked what time it was. When he was told it was 11:45 P.M., he made the Sign of the Cross twice and said, "Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee." He did not have time to cross himself a third time.

Almost a million people came to say farewell to the Patriarch. The large cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow could not contain the crowd, which overflowed the monastery property into the square and adjacent streets. St Tikhon, the eleventh Patriarch of Moscow, was primate of the Russian Church for seven and a half years.

On September 26/October 9, 1989, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church glorified Patriarch Tikhon and numbered him among the saints. For nearly seventy years, St Tikhon's relics were believed lost, but in February 1992, they were discovered in a concealed place in the Donskoy Monastery.

It would be difficult to imagine the Russian Orthodox Church without Patriarch Tikhon during those years. He did so much for the Church and for the strengthening of the Faith itself during those difficult years of trial. Perhaps the saint's own words can best sum up his life: "May God teach every one of us to strive for His truth, and for the good of the Holy Church, rather than something for our own sake."

Troparion - Tone 1

Let us praise Tikhon, the patriarch of all Russia,
And enlightener of North America
An ardent follower of the Apostolic traditions,
And good pastor of the Church of Christ.
Who was elected by divine providence,
And laid down his life for his sheep.
Let us sing to him with faith and hope,
And ask for his hierarchical intercessions:
Keep the church in Russia in tranquility,
And the church in North America in peace.
Gather her scattered children into one flock,
Bring to repentance those who have renounced the True Faith,
Preserve our lands from civil strife,
And entreat God's peace for all people!

Kontakion - Tone 3

Today the assembly of New Martyrs
Stands together with us in the Church
And together we raise a festive song
Celebrating the uncovering of the relics of our Hierarch Father Tikhon
Who defeated the enemy and preserved the Faith
While protecting the flock entrusted to him.
For he ever prays for us all
That we may never be deprived of the Love of God.
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SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2010(with 2009's link here also and further, 2008's):

Saint Argyre – Bride of Christ

 

From here.

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Saint Argyre – Bride of Christ.

Saint Argyre was born in Proussa, Asia Minor in 1688 of pious parents, George and Sosani.

She was modest and endowed with exceptional graces such as faith, prudence, patience and humility.

A certain rich Turk who lived close to her house was astounded by her beauty and kept asking her to deny her faith and become his wife. Argyre refused his proposal coldly and with disdain. However, he continued to insist and bother her parents threatening them that they would lose their daughter’s life if they did not give her to him.

As a result the blessed parents were compelled to marry her at 17 years old with a Orthodox Christian gentleman and while the mystery of the marriage was being performed in the Church, twenty enraged heterodox young men charged in and grabbed Argyre in front of all those present, including the groom.

They took her directly to the judge as she was, still dressed in her bridal gown. Six people accused her of breaking her promise that she supposedly made to the rich young man to marry him.

The judge, who was the young man's father, gave her the following choice: “Either become a Turkish woman and marry my son or die in prison.”

The steadfast and fearless Argyre refused the proposal and was locked up in jail.

Her parents, crazy from their sadness, sought the intervention of the Patriarch and of the Official Turkish government.

Their steps proved fruitless. Argyre was brought to Constantinople and locked up in jail to wait for a new trial.

She waited in anguish for two whole years and the decision that was finally made confirmed the original one: Either she become a Turk or wilt in the damp jail cells among immoral women who would continuously urge her to deny her faith to save her life. Therefore, chained they brought her to her miserable and squalid jail cell. Savage beatings, insults and degrading followed as to debase her pure soul. However, on the contrary they strengthened her faith in the Crucified One. She perceived that her end was approaching and wished to commune without fail. But how?

There in the jail was a reverend elder who was free to go in and out of jail since they trusted him.

Saint Argyre revealed her secret to him and he, as a true father, ran to the church. The priest was shaken and cried bitter tears, wondering how he could help the young woman.

Here is how the Good Lord enlightened him. He stuffed inside a raisin as much of the Immaculate Mysteries as possible and gave it to the elder.

The elder, with great fear and piety passed through the guards with the salvific gift and arrived at his destination.

The holy Argyre, moved and overcome, received with divine joy the last sustenance of her life and humbly asked the Lord to receive her in His Heavenly Kingdom.

The following day she surrendered her spirit into the hands of the Lord and was added to the choir of martyrs. It was 5 April 1721 AD. She was buried in the courtyard of the Church of the Holy Martyr Paraskevi in Chaskioî.

The reverend elder bestowed the last honors, placing a stone Cross on her tomb, the prize of her victory, which survived until the time of Patriarch Constantine.

The Christians of the region on 30 April 1725 wished to transfer the Saint’s relics. They invited the Patriarch, Paisios, together with the Holy Synod to be present during the holy service. When they opened the tomb, they were all amazed as her body had remained incorrupt and gave off a pleasant aroma. The Patriarch instructed her relics to be placed in a magnificent reliquary within the Holy Church of Saint George in Constantinople and the whole Orthodox world officially celebrates her feast as a Saint on 30 April.

Apolytkion of the Saint. (4th Tone)

Thou didst put tyrants to shame through (your) tortures, O modest one, being shown forth, O much-suffering one, as strong as a diamond, O glorious martyr of Christ, thou showed forth in struggles love and zeal and unquenchable longing for Christ the Savior: wherefore, O Argyre, did He worthily glorify thee.

Publication “Orthodox Kypseli”  

St Methodius, Equal of the Apostles and Archbishop of Moravia, Enlightener of the Slavs

Commemorated on April 6

Saint Methodius, Archbishop of Moravia, died on April 6 in the year 885. His Life is found on May 11, when he is commemorated with St Cyril, Teacher of the Slavs.




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SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2010(with 2009's link here also and further, 2008's):

Venerable Theodora of Thessalonica

Commemorated on April 5

Saint Theodora of Thessalonica. We have no information about St Theodora's birthplace or early life. From a young age, she loved Christ and turned away from worldly pursuits. She entered a women's monastery, where she struggled in asceticism and adorned her soul with virtues. Regarding the other sisters as worthy of honor, she was obedient to all, especially to the abbess. Even after her death, St Theodora was a model for the nuns of a pure and blameless life.

Years after the saint's blessed repose, the abbess also departed to the heavenly habitations. When they dug the grave to bury the abbess, they uncovered the relics of St Theodora. Just as though she were still alive, she moved over in order to make room for the abbess. When those present witnessed this remarkable event they cried, "Lord, have mercy!"

Many miracles were worked through St Theodora's holy relics. Those who came to venerate her were healed of all manner of diseases, or freed from the power of demons. Therefore, the faithful continue to celebrate her memory.

St Theodora should not be confused with the other St Theodora of Thessalonica who is commemorated on August 29.
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SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2010(with 2009's link here also and further, 2008's):

Venerable Joseph the Much-Ailing, of the Kiev Far Caves

Commemorated on April 4
Saint Joseph the Much-Ailing lived during the fourteenth century. In his grievous illness he turned to God with prayer and vowed that if the Lord granted him health, he would then serve the brethren of the Kiev Caves monastery until the end of his days.

After his return to health, he entered the Kiev Caves monastery, received monastic tonsure, and began to work at deeds of fasting and prayer, and to serve the brethren with love. After his death St Joseph was buried in the Far Caves (his memory is likewise celebrated on the Synaxis of the Saints of the Far Caves on August 28).


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SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2010(with 2009's link here also and further, 2008's):

Icon of the Mother of God "the Unfading Bloom"

Commemorated on April 3

The "Unfading Bloom" Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. On this icon the Most Holy Theotokos holds Her Divine Son upon Her right arm, and in Her left hand is a bouquet of white lilies. This bouquet symbolically signifies the unfading flower of virginity and spotlessness of the All-Pure Virgin, Whom the Church hymns: "Thou art the Root of virginity and the Unfading Blossom of purity." Copies of this icon were glorified at Moscow, Voronezh, and other places in Russia.
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SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2010(with 2009's link here also and further, 2008's):

Martyr Edesius (Aidesius) of Lycia

Commemorated on April 2

The Holy Martyrs Edesius and Amphianus were brothers. They lived in the city of Patara (province of Lycia) in the family of the pagan governor. They went to the city of Beirut to study the pagan sciences. There they became ardent followers of Christ.

The holy brothers left their pagan parents and went to Alexandrian Caesarea, where they found an instructor, St Pamphilius (February 16), and under his guidance they became accomplished in the spiritual life, spending their time in prayer and the study of sacred books.

By decree of the emperor Maximian (305-313), a zealous pagan and cruel persecutor of Christians, all the inhabitants of Caesarea were required to offer public sacrifice. Many Christians, including Sts Amphianus and Edesius, had to hide in order to avoid sacrificing to idols.

Amphianus was arrested when he tried to prevent the city prefect of Caesarea from offering sacrifice. He was tortured, then thrown into the sea with a stone about his neck. Suddenly a storm arose, and the waves carried the martyr's body to shore, where it was buried by Christians. The martyr's brother, St Edesius, was tortured and sent to the copper mines.

After a while they freed St Edesius and sent him to Alexandria. There he boldly denounced the governor Hierokles for his extreme cruelty towards Christians. St Edesius was tortured and then drowned.
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SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2010(with 2009's link here also and further, 2008's):

Venerable Gerontius the Canonarch of the Kiev Far Caves

Commemorated on April 1

St Gerontius lived during the fourteenth century. He was a monk of the Kiev Caves Monastery and fulfilled the obedience of canonarch (leader of church singing). He spent all his life at the monastery, in ascetic deeds of abstinence, obedience, and prayer.

St Gerontius was buried in the Far Caves. His memory is celebrated also together with the Synaxis of the Saints of the Far Caves, on August 28.

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SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2010(with 2009's link here also and further, 2008's):

The Saints

From here.  Excellent article.
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ORTHODOX CATECHISM TOPICS

The Saints

By: Fr. Anthony Alevizopoulos
PhD. of Theology, PhD. of Philosophy 

 The Church's catholicity, i.e. its universality, refers not only to all its faithful throughout the world, but also to the communion "with all the saints who throughout the ages were pleasing unto the Lord". Orthodox Chris­tians believe that which St. Paul declares: "Love never ends" (I Cor. 13,8); it will never cease to join with a close bond all the members of the Body of Christ, i.e. the entire Church Militant with all the saints, i.e. the Church Triumphant. For the Orthodox Church both the Christians who carry on their spiritual struggle on earth (the Church Militant), as well as those who with God's grace completed this struggle victoriously (the Church Triumphant), belong to, and together constitute, along with the angels, the One Catholic Church.

The Orthodox Christians sense the presence of the saints in their lives, and are bound to them in the bond of mutual love. Through the sacred Memorial Services we entrust both our brothers who have reposed and ourselves to God's mercy and love. One of the Church's prayers states:

"O Christ, those who were devoured by wild beasts,
and those torn asunder by fish,
and those who were buried by earthquakes,
by chasms and precipices,
Do Thou, Ο Savior, have mercy on them
and save them, Most Merciful,
from every threat there"

And another prayer states:

"Receive therefore, Ο Master, our petitions and intercessions, and grant rest unto all the fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and children of each of us, and to any others of our kinsmen and people, and all the souls of them that have gone to rest before us in the hope of the resurrection of life everlasting;...and raise up our bodies on the day that Thou has appointed, according to Thy holy and unfailing promise".

And the prayer continues:

"For there is no death, Ο Lord, for us, Thy ser­vants, when we have departed from the body and come unto Thee, Ο God, but rather a translation from things sorrowful unto things better and more delightful, and unto repose and joy. And if we have sinned in anything against Thee, be Thou mericful unto us and unto them; for there is none pure of stain before Thee, even though his life be but for a day...and grant unto them that have preceded us, freedom and rest, and bless us who are here present, granting a good and peaceful end unto us and all Thy people."

The first among all in the Church Triumphant is, according to our Orthodox faith, the Virgin Mary. In her person all of mankind gave its consent for the realization of the plan of Divine Economy for the salvation of the world. This came about when she declared: "Behold the Handmaid of the Lord. Let it be unto me according to thy word" (Luke 1, 38). In this way the Virgin Mary became an instrument and collaborator with God in the salvation of man.

With the consent of the Virgin, the Holy Spirit overshadowed her, purified her and made her to be the suitable "receptacle" of His grace, for the creation of the human nature of the Son and Word of God (Luke 1,35). This is why that which was born of her was not a god-bearing man but "God incarnate".

The Church does not attempt to approach the Mystery of God's becoming man (I Tim. 3,16), intellec­tually; for it is beyond reason. Thus, the Orthodox Christian remains ecstatic before it and glorifies God for His inexpressible love. This is to be seen in many of the Church's hymns.

"Hear Ο heaven, strange things, And thou, Ο earth, lend thine ear, for a daughter of man, of fallen Adam, has become the Mother of God, her Creator, for our salvation and re-creation".

 Another hymn says: 

"Thou does give birth without intercourse, to Him to Whom the Father gave birth before all ages, and thou dost nourish Him Who nourishes us! Ο strange Wonder! Ο newly seen Miracle, thou Ο full of God's Grace! Wherefore every faithful soul doth glorify thee".

The Virgin Mary gave birth to Christ's human nature, not to His Divinity. The human nature, however belongs to Jesus Christ, i.e. to the one and unique person; thus she is, and is rightly called the "Mother of God" i.e. Theotokos (Luke 1, 43). Man's salvation is founded upon this basic truth; whoever denies it, rejects salvation in Christ. As St. John Damascene says, "He who does not confess the Holy Virgin to be Theotokos, is separated from God".

Christ is the new "root" (Rev. 22,16); He is not descended from the root of Adam, because He was born of the Holy Spirit and from a Virgin Mother (Matth. 1, 20, 23. Luke 1, 35), who even after His birth remained a Virgin. And this because that which was used by Christ is unique in its use for it has been sanctified. A new use of course would have been sacrilegious. Through His birth, Christ did not violate His Mother's virginity; she remains a virgin after her birth-giving and Jesus is her only-begotten Son (Prov.4,3). In Holy Scripture, before the birth of Jesus, the Virgin Mary is called the wife of Joseph (Matth. 1, 20), just as Joseph is called the husband of Mary (Matth. 1, 16). Indeed, in accordance with the Mosaic Law, this was the case, for the "child" had to be protected. In this "legal" sense, Joseph is also characterized as the father of Jesus (Luke 2, 48), just as Joseph's children are called Jesus' brothers.

The Church honors the Virgin Mary as Theotokos and Ever-Virgin and chants:

"O Virgin, You without experience of man, did conceive for us men, The Logos, Who boundless in His Divinity, did become man".

In the Virgin's womb man's nature was renewed and man became a partaker of divine life. She is the "bridge" which united the earth with heaven. That is why she is depicted in the Sanctuary of the Churches in the apse behind the Holy Table as she who is "wider than the heavens", uniting heaven and earth.

We honor the Virgin Mary because God Himself was the first to honor her; He made her "full of Grace", "blessed" and "mother of the Lord". The Virgin Mary herself prophesies that "all generations shall call her blessed" (Luke 1, 28. 30. 35. 41. 45).

Orthodox Christians do not place the Virgin Mary above the Church but within it. They believe that she also inherited our sickly nature and was a genuine child of this world, which she represented and gave her consent to the realization of God's plan. She is con­sidered "All-Holy" [Panagia], not in relation to God, but in relation to God's creatures. She is "more honorable than the Cherubim" who "in a circle" surround God's Throne (Is. 6,2. Iez. 1, 26-28), while the Virgin Mary became herself the Throne of God.

The Lord's holy flesh was also the flesh of the Virgin. All we Christians who are incorporated in the Body of Christ are "brothers of the Lord"; hence the Virgin Mary becomes the mother of all mankind.

The Virgin Mary is not honored independently of her relationship to Christ, but always as the "Lord's Mother". In other words, the honor which we bestow upon her is always in relationship to our salvation in Jesus Christ. The mystery of our salvation is expressed with the term "Theotokos", and the honor which we accord to the Holy Virgin stems from this title. This term proclaims the reality of the union of the two natures of Christ which took place within the Virgin Mary's womb and it confirms the fact of our salvation.

The Orthodox Church also honors all the saints and bases their sanctity on the fact that they are partakers of Christ's sanctity (Heb. 12, 10), and "members  of the same body" [syssomoi] with Christ (Eph. 3. 6). The saints are "the faithful martyrs of Christ" (Rev. 2, 12) and stand "before the throne and before the Lamb" (Rev. 7.9); they lived "through the Spirit" and walked "according to the Spirit" (Gal. 5, 25); they are "a new creation in Christ" (II Cor. 5,7) and reveal man's true nature.

The glory that surrounds the saints is the glory of God (II Cor. 3, 18), the uncreated divine energy which in Scripture and in the life of the saints is revealed as light. When we read the lives of the saints we see examples of man's reconciliation with all of creation, even with the wild and dangerous beasts. Abba Isaac characteristicly states: "the humble man approaches the destructive animals and as soon as they see him, their wildness is calmed, and they approach him as their master and they wag their heads and lick his hands and feet, because they sense that he has upon himself that fragrance which Adam gave off before the fall. And that which was taken away from us at that time, Jesus Christ gave back to us anew through His presence on earth, granting a sweet-smelling fragrance to mankind".

The glory of the saints is not yet their final state; it will be completed at the Lord's Second Coming when they shall shine "as the sun" (Matth. 13,43. cf. Rev. 21, 9 - 22, 5). They will be reunited with their bodies which shall be raised up and will be "conformed to the body of His glory" (Philip.3,21. cf. I Cor. 6,20).

Orthodox Christians believe that Christ is the unique Savior. He took upon Himself created man and He brought him to a true communion with the "uncreated God"; there is no other way for us to reach God the Father (John 14, 13-14. I Tim. 2,5. Acts 4, 12.1 Pet. 1, 18-19).

Yet Holy Scripture informs us that God saves even entire cities because of the love of those who love Him (Gen. 18, 23-33. 20,7. Acts. 32, 11-14. Hos. 11, 8-9). In the Revelation of St. John we see angels bringing the prayers of the saints up to the throne of God, and God hearkening unto the prayers of the saints (Rev. 8, 3-5). The saints care for their brothers on earth and rejoice at their spiritual progress (Luke 15, 7).

When, therefore, we honor the saints and we ask them to intercede for us before God, we do not make our salvation dependent upon them, but only upon our Savior Jesus Christ, whom the saints also beseech on our behalf. It is for this reason that every sacred service in the Orthodox Church closes with the so-called "dis­missal": "Glory to Thee, Ο Christ our God and our Hope, Glory to Thee...May Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His All-Immaculate and All-Holy Mother...through the petitions of the honorable and glorious Forerunner and Baptist John.. .and all the saints, have mercy upon us and save us, as a good and merciful God Who loves mankind".

The glory and honor is not rendered unto the saints but to Him Who glorifies His saints and grants them the gift of healing. This is why on the feast days of the ascetic saints the Church chants:

"O our God-bearing Father N., you showed forth to be a dweller of the desert, a body-bearing angel and a worker of miracles. You heal the sick and the souls of those who recourse unto you in faith. Glory to Him that giveth you strength; Glory to Him that hath crowned you; Glory to Him, Who through you, grants healing unto all".

The saints are not everywhere present. This is a characteristic that belongs only to God. The saints however, like the angels, are united with us through love in the one Body of Christ. Through the Grace of the Holy spirit, nature's limits are done away with in the life of the saints, and they know about us without having to be omnipresent (Luke 15,7).

The honor accorded to the saints cannot be compared with that which God Himself has granted to them. Nor can it be adoration. As the Seventh Ecumenical Council states, Christians render unto Christ, divine honor, i.e. adoration and worship; the saints however they honor because of their relationship to God, and they render unto them relative and not absolute veneration, as genuine servants of God: "[and we worship Christ] as God and Master, while [the saints] we honor and respect and render to them relative veneration because of the common Master, as His genuine servants...(The Seventh Ecumenical Council).

Already during the early Christian period the day on which a saint reposed was considered "his birthday". In "the Martyrdom of St. Polycarp" we observe the Chris­tians gathering up the bones of the martyr which are "more precious than valuable jewels and more noble than gold", and burying them in a suitable place, so that they might be able to assemble there and celebrate his memory. During this feast the early Christians used to celebrate the Holy Eucharist upon the tombs of the martyrs. This is why the bishop, when consecrating a church, places upon the Holy Table on which the Holy Eucharist will be celebrated sacred relics.

The unity of the entire Church is expressed in a most realistic way in the Divine Liturgy. During the proskomide or preparation of the Eucharistic elements, the priest places upoon the paten that piece of bread which is to become the Body of Christ, a "particle" in honor and commemoration of the Virgin Mary, to the left of the host, and on the right he places separate "particles" for the Holy angelic powers, the prophets, the Apostles, the Great Hierarchs and Teachers, the Martyrs, the Ascetic saints, the Holy Unmercinary Healing saints, the Forefathers of God, SS. Joachim and Anna, and all the saints. Below he places particles for the bishop and the living brethren. Then he places in particles for those who have reposed, and finally one for himself. Thus the entire Church is represented upon the sacred paten. After the bread and wine have been changed into the Body and Blood of Christ, and after clergy and laity have communicated, the priest unites all these "particles" with the Body and Blood of Christ in the sacred chalice and thus declares in a very real way the unity of the entire body of the Church.

The Divine Liturgy therefore is celebrated for the entire Church, not only for the Church Militant but also for the Virgin Mary and the entire Church Triumphant in heaven. The prayer of the Divine Liturgy is character­istic:

"Again we offer unto Thee this reasonable worship for those who have fallen asleep in the Faith, Fore­fathers, Fathers, Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles, Preachers, Evangelists, Martyrs, Confessors, Ascetics, and every righteous spirit in faith made perfect; especial­ly for our most holy, pure, blessed and glorified Lady, Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary...".

http://www.egolpion.com/Saints%20%20.en.aspx

THE ORTHODOX CHURCH Its Faith, Worship and Life
Rev. Antonios Alevisopoulos, Th.D., Ph.D
Translated by Rev. Stephen Avramides
ATHENS 2001

Appearance of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God

Commemorated on March 31
The Iveron Icon of the Mother of God (which is preserved on Mt. Athos) was kept in the home of a certain pious widow, who lived near Nicea. During the time of the emperor Theophilus, the Iconoclasts came to the house of this Christian, and one of the soldiers struck the image of the Mother of God with a spear. Blood flowed from the place where it was struck.

The widow, fearing its destruction, promised the imperial soldiers money and implored them not to touch the icon until morning. When the soldiers departed, the woman and her son (later an Athonite monk), sent the holy icon away upon the sea to preserve it. The icon, standing upright upon the water, floated to Athos.

For several days, the Athonite monks had seen a fiery pillar on the sea rising up to the heavens. They came down to the shore and found the holy image, standing upon the waters. After a Molieben of thanksgiving, a pious monk of the Iveron monastery, St Gabriel (July 12), had a dream in which the Mother of God appeared to him and gave him instructions. So he walked across the water, and taking up the holy icon, he placed it in the church.

On the following day, however, the icon was found not within the church, but on the gates of the monastery. This was repeated several times, until the Most Holy Theotokos revealed to St Gabriel Her will, saying that She did not want the icon to be guarded by the monks, but rather She intended to be their Protectress. After this, the icon was installed on the monastery gates. Therefore this icon came to be called "Portaitissa" or "Gate-Keeper" (October 13). This comes from the Akathist "Rejoice, O Blessed Gate-Keeper who opens the gates of Paradise to the righteous."

There is a tradition that the Mother of God promised St Gabriel that the grace and mercy of Her Son toward the monks would continue as long as the Icon remained at the monastery. It is also believed that the disappearance of the Iveron Icon from Mt. Athos would be a sign of the end of the world.

The Iveron Icon is also commemorated on February 12, October 13 (Its arrival in Moscow in 1648), and Bright Tuesday (Commemorating the appearance of the Icon in a pillar of fire at Mt. Athos and its recovery by St Gabriel).
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SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2010(with 2009's link here also and further, 2008's):

St Euboula the Mother of St Panteleimon

Commemorated on March 30

Saint Euboula, Mother of the Great Martyr Panteleimon (July 27), died peacefully around 303, before the martyrdom of her son.

Troparion - Tone 5

Let us fittingly praise with joyful hymns,
Holy Eubula, mother of our protector, Panteleimon.
She has given birth to our defender and healer,
The glory of martyrs and unmercinary physicians
And the swift healer of all.

Kontakion - Tone 3

Let us assemble today and joyfully celebrate
The mother of our protector, holy Eubula.
She stands before the throne of God with him,
Interceding unceasingly for us,
That we may be granted forgiveness of our sins!



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SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2010(with 2009's link here also and further, 2008's):

Martyrs who suffered under Julian the Apostate

Commemorated on March 29

The historian Theodoritus relates that during the reign of St Constantine the Great St Cyril destroyed many idols and pagan temples in Heliopolis, Phoenicia. He was put to death for this during the reign of Julian the Apostate. Pagans cut open his stomach and, like wild beasts, they ate his liver and intestines, for which the Lord punished them with blindness, boils and other terrible afflictions.

During this time the pagans killed many Christians in the Palestinian cities of Ascalon and Gaza: priests, women and children who had dedicated themselves to God. The torturers cut up their bodies, covered them with barley and fed them to pigs.

The holy martyrs received crowns of victory in the Kingdom of Heaven, and the torturers also received their just recompense: eternal torment in Hell.

Troparion - Tone 3

In preparation for the contest, O glorious Mark,
You anointed an assembly of martyrs
And strengthened them by your steadfastness.
You finished your course with them.
And you were all found worthy of the joys of heaven.
O righteous Father,
Pray to Christ our God to grant us his great mercy!

Kontakion - Tone 4

Having been illumined by the grace of truth,
You radiantly instruct the ends of the earth in piety, O glorious Hieromartyrs.
Therefore we bless you in faith.
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SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2010(with 2009's link here also and further, 2008's):

Icon of the Mother of God of "the Sign"

Commemorated on March 28
The account of the Icon of the Sign is to be found on November 27. Today's commemoration may be for a wonder-working copy of the original icon.





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SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2010(with 2009's link here also and further, 2008's):

Sunday of the Holy Cross

March 27

Tone of the week: Tone Three

Eleventh Eothinon

Reading:

 

With the help of God, we have almost reached the middle of the course of the Fast, where our strength has been worn down through abstinence, and the full difficulty of the labour set before us becomes apparent. Therefore our holy Mother, the Church of Christ, now brings to our help the all-holy Cross, the joy of the world, the strength of the faithful, the staff of the just, and the hope of sinners, so that by venerating it reverently, we might receive strength and grace to complete the divine struggle of the Fast.

Resurrectional Apolytikion in the Third Tone

 

Let the heavens sing for joy, and let everything on earth be glad. * For with His Arm the Lord has worked power. * He trampled death under foot by means of death; * and He became the firstborn from the dead. * From the maw of Hades He delivered us; * and He granted the world His great mercy.

Resurrectional Kontakion in the Third Tone

 

From the tomb You rose today, * O Lord of tender compassion, * also from the gates of death * You led us out, O our Savior. * On this day is Adam dancing and Eve rejoices, * and with them together Patriarchs and the Prophets * are unceasingly extolling the divine power of Your authority.

Seasonal Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth Tone

 

To you, Theotokos, invincible Defender, having been delivered from peril, I, your city, dedicate the victory festival as a thank offering. In your irresistible might, keep me safe from all trials, that I may call out to you: "Hail, unwedded bride!"

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SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2010(with 2009's link here also and further, 2008's):

Hieromartyr Irenaeus the Bishop of Sirmium in Hungary

Commemorated on March 26
Hieromartyr Irenaeus suffered during the persecution against Christians under the Roman emperors Diocletian and Maximian (284-305).

He was a presbyter, and he and his wife raised their children in Christian piety. St Irenaeus was greatly respected for his education and strict manner of life.

He was later made Bishop of Sirmium in Pannonia (modern Hungary). Because of his fervent preaching of the Gospel he was arrested and brought before an official named Probus. Refusing to deny Christ and offer sacrifice to the pagan gods, the saint was handed over for torture. Witnessing his torments were the saint's parents, relatives and friends, who attempted to persuade him to submit, but the martyr remained steadfast.

After cruel tortures, the holy confessor spent a long time in prison. Probus tried to persuade the martyr, urging him to spare his life for the sake of his sons. St Irenaeus replied, "My sons believe in God, Who will care for them. As for me, nothing will force me to renounce my Christ."

The governor ordered the saint to be thrown into a river. They led the martyr on the bridge crossing the River Sava, where he knelt and prayed to the Lord for his flock. Then they beheaded the Hieromartyr Irenaeus, and threw his body into the river.
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SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2010(with 2009's link here also and further, 2008's):

The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2010(with 2009's link here also and further, 2008's):

Venerable Zachariah the Ascetic of the Kiev Caves

Commemorated on March 24

Saint Zachariah the Faster of the Caves was an ascetic in the Far Caves in the thirteenth-fourteenth centuries. He fasted so strictly that he ate nothing baked nor boiled, and he consumed only greens once a day at the setting of the sun. Demons trembled at the mere mention of his name.

Often the monk saw angels, with which he deserved to live in Heaven. The identification of St Zachariah, Faster of Caves, with Zachariah the son of John of Kiev, who had given all his inheritance for the adornment of the Caves temple and became a monk at the monastery, is unfounded.

Before his death, John had transferred his property to his friend Sergius. This was when the igumen was St Nikon (March 23). Zachariah was five years old at the time. At age fifteen, i.e., not later than the year 1098, he obtained his inheritance from Sergius, in order to give it to the monastery. However, St Zachariah the Faster of the Caves lived approximately 200 years later.

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SAINT OR FEAST POSTED THIS DATE 2010(with 2009's link here also and further, 2008's):