MYSTAGOGY RESOURCE CENTER

Quack Healers

2026-10-16T17:43:35.665-04:00

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

In recent days, following the death of singer Giorgos Mazonakis, we have repeatedly heard that the doctors he had visited did not have the medical specialty required to perform the particular plasmapheresis treatments in question, and for this reason they were described as fake doctors and kompogiannites (quack healers). Of course, a physician practices the science of medicine after learning from qualified physicians, receiving training and specializing in a particular field. The physician seeks to treat people on the basis of scientific knowledge and evidence.

By contrast, a fake doctor may have graduated from medical school, but when he undertakes procedures outside his specialty, particularly when he employs shamanistic methods (shamans being healers in antiquity), he falls under this designation. A fake doctor may also be someone who has not graduated from medical school but recommends herbs and fraudulent treatments, thereby exploiting people—not only failing to cure them but also leading them to their deaths. These fake doctors are also called quacks. We say of someone, “He is a quack.” But what does this term mean?

Adamantios Korais explained the word kompogiannitis as deriving from the word kompo, meaning to boast or be arrogant, and the word Ioannitis, because at that time some people from Zagori in Ioannina, Epirus, particularly the Vikos area, practiced as folk physicians. Others explained the word as deriving from the verb kompaino, meaning to bind with spells or to deceive, and the verb giaino, meaning to heal. Still others maintain that the word kompogiannitis comes from the “knots” (kompoi) of the large handkerchiefs in which these healers tied their herbs, together with the verb giano. This explanation means that they claimed to heal people with the herbs and practices they employed. Others say that these healers claimed to cure people with medicines derived from knots (mantzouni or mastic) that form on certain trees in the spring.

Thus, kompogiannites are fake doctors who employ practical remedies and unscientific methods without themselves being qualified medical professionals and without making use of the fruits of scientific research.

Father John Romanides also used the word quacks (kompogiannites) in an ecclesiastical sense. According to the entire ecclesiastical tradition, the Church is regarded as a therapeutic center—a hospital—and the Clerical Fathers as spiritual physicians who heal people's spiritual illnesses, such as the passions and self-love. Since spiritual healing has its own particular method, clergy who have not studied this specific method of healing, or who do not know that this is their task and instead devote themselves to simple liturgical gatherings and social pursuits, or employ other humanistic methods of healing, are kompogiannites, or quacks

The problem, however, is deeper and more shocking. The quacks who advertise themselves as healers of bodily ailments lead people into more serious illnesses or even physical death. By contrast, spiritual quacks, who do not employ the method of spiritual healing but are entirely ignorant of it, lead people to eternal spiritual death. And yet, in our own day, “ecclesiastical” quackery is promoted by “fake doctors,” who even criticize the method of healing practiced by the spiritual physicians: purification, illumination, and deification, through the combination of ascetic practice with the sacramental life of the Church.

This is quackery in its fullest form!

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Encomium to our Venerable and God-bearing Father Symeon the New Theologian (St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite) - 3 of 5

2026-10-16T15:39:18.064-04:00

...continue from part two.

23. The FOURTH degree of those who are being saved is to become a son of God by grace, as we have said. Venerable Symeon certainly attained this degree for two reasons.

a) He had the grace of the Holy Spirit perceptibly at work within his heart, and he was guided and governed not by the spirit of the flesh and the world, but by the Holy Spirit. This is clearer than the sun itself. Indeed, scarcely a single word, or rather, scarcely a page or passage in his writings, can be found that does not confirm this truth. Since, as Paul says, those who are guided by the Holy Spirit are sons of God—“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14)—Saint Symeon, too, was therefore a son of God by grace.

b) It is characteristic of sons to remain always in their father's house, whereas slaves, by contrast, do not remain there forever, as the Lord said: “The slave does not remain in the house, but the son remains forever” (John 8:35). Even during his temporal life, the divine Symeon remained in the house of God the Father, observing every commandment of his heavenly Father and fulfilling all His paternal wishes and commandments. By doing so, he became worthy of remaining forever in the Father's dwelling. After his death, he became the true heir of that same paternal house and of the Kingdom of Heaven, as a most genuine son, according to Paul's words: “And if children, then heirs” (Romans 8:17).

24. From this, then, it is also demonstrated that Saint Symeon truly attained the rank of the sons of God. I shall leave aside the fact that the Venerable Symeon, having been actively freed from the passions through the grace of the Son of God, thereby showed himself to be a son of God, since perfect freedom from the passions is characteristic not of slaves, but of the sons of God, as the Lord said: “Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin ... If, therefore, the Son sets you free, you will truly be free” (John 8:34–36).

25. Furthermore, it is characteristic of sons to call upon the name of their heavenly Father in their hearts, with the greatest sweetness and love, through noetic and heartfelt prayer, as Paul says: “For you did not receive a spirit of slavery, leading again to fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption, in whom we cry out: Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15). Since Symeon not only continually called upon the name of his heavenly Father in his heart, but also, through noetic prayer, embraced his most loving Father as a true child and conversed with Him without ceasing, saying, “My beloved Jesus, my sweetest Jesus,” he also prepared his other brethren to say these words, teaching them and being the first to set down the manner and practical method of noetic prayer in his 68th Discourse.¹⁹ Who, then, can doubt that the divine Symeon became a son of God by grace through all these things?

26. The FIFTH degree belongs to those who are deemed worthy of becoming brothers of Christ. Some are called brothers of Christ in four ways.

a) All human beings without distinction are called brothers of Christ according to their common human nature, because the Son of God, having assumed the whole of human nature into His divine hypostasis—a nature shared by all human beings—thereby made all human beings His brothers, even if they do not believe in Him. Paul, declaring this, said: “For surely He does not take hold of angels, but He takes hold of the seed of Abraham. Hence He was obliged to become like His brothers in all things ...” (Hebrews 2:16–17).

b) Those related to Christ according to His human nature are also called His brothers, such as James, Joses, Judas, and Symeon, concerning whom it is written, “For His brothers did not believe in Him either” (John 7:5).

c) All those who have believed in Christ are called brothers of Christ, being sons by grace of the Most High Father.

d) Finally, all the Saints are called brothers of Christ, having become conformed to the image of the Son of God, as Paul says: “Those whom ... He foreordained to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He might be the firstborn among many brothers” (Romans 8:29). Now, if the divine Symeon became conformed to the image and manner of life of the Son of God, and clothed himself in Christ as in a radiant garment, as his entire life bears witness and his divinely wise writings proclaim more brilliantly than any trumpet, then he most certainly became a brother of Christ as well.

27. Accordingly, although Christ the Master is Lord of all by the very nature of His divinity, He would most certainly not have been ashamed, in His condescension, to call the Venerable Symeon His beloved brother, since Symeon had done the will of His Father. For Christ was not ashamed to call His brothers those who listened to His teaching and did the will of His heavenly Father, as we stated at the beginning, following the Evangelist Matthew. Nor was He ashamed to call His Holy Apostles His brothers, when He said to the Magdalene, “Go to My brothers” (John 20:17). Since, then, the Venerable Symeon became a brother of Christ, it followed that he should also become a partaker and co-heir with Christ of the one and same inheritance belonging to the two brothers of the heavenly Father: Christ by nature, and Symeon by grace, as we stated earlier, following Paul: “And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17).

28. For this was the entire purpose and conclusion of the incarnate Dispensation of the Son of God: namely, to make His own heavenly Father, who is His Father by nature, the Father of human beings by grace. Since He alone was begotten from the Father without beginning and before the ages as the Only-begotten Son, He willed, as a kind of thanksgiving for this incomprehensible sonship that He had received from His consubstantial and beloved Father, to become incarnate in these last days and to make human beings, too, adopted sons by grace of that same heavenly Father. In this way, He also enlarged the dignity of adoption and fatherhood, so that the heavenly Father, having many sons and being called the Father of many children, might be more greatly pleased, magnified, and glorified. This is the meaning of that tradition concerning the Kingdom mentioned by Paul: that the Son of God presents to God and Father the people who are ruled by Him, having deemed them worthy of that adoption: “Then comes the end, when He delivers the Kingdom to God the Father” (1 Corinthians 15:24). Particularly fitting here is another saying of Paul concerning Jesus, the Son of God: “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and through whom are all things, having brought many sons to glory, to perfect the Author of their salvation through sufferings” (Hebrews 2:10).

29. That the divine Symeon also attained the SIXTH and highest degree of those who are being saved, and was deemed worthy of becoming a mother of Christ, is not something we assert on our own authority. Rather, let Symeon himself come forward once again and demonstrate this to us through what he writes in his 57th Discourse, which reads as follows:

“Blessed is the one who has beheld the Light of the world formed within himself, for he himself, having Christ as an embryo, will be reckoned His mother, just as that truthful One Himself promised, saying, ‘These are My mother and brothers and friends.’ Who are they? ‘Those who hear the word of God and do it.’ Thus, those who do not keep the commandments willingly deprive themselves of such grace, since this is possible: it was, is, and will be; it has happened, is happening, and will happen to all those who fulfill His commandments.

But, so that we may not be suspected of leaving this matter without testimony, of saying something on our own authority, or of declaring impossible things to be possible, let us once again bring forward blessed Paul himself, the mouth of Christ, who clearly demonstrates this by saying, ‘Little children, for whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you.’ Where, then, does he say that Christ will be formed, or in what place and part of our body? Do you suppose it is in the forehead, or in the face, or in the chest? Certainly not, but within, in our heart. Did you perhaps suppose that He is formed bodily? Far from it! He is indeed formed, but incorporeally and in a manner befitting God. Nevertheless, just as a woman clearly knows when she is pregnant that the infant leaps in her womb, and could never be unaware that she has it within herself, so too the one who has Christ formed within himself knows His movements, that is, His illuminations, and is by no means unaware of His stirrings, that is, His flashes of light, and beholds His formation within himself. It is like the light of a lamp appearing within a mirror: not as an unsubstantial phantom, such as the reflection itself is, but as a light manifesting itself in its own hypostasis and substantial reality, seen invisibly in a formless form and understood incomprehensibly in an imageless image."²⁰

Notes:

19. See the volume of the Collected Works, edition of Vasilios Rigopoulos, Thessaloniki, 1969, pp. 364–369. This discourse, Method of Sacred Prayer and Attention, was first published by Irénée Hausherr S.J. in Orientalia Christiana IX, 2 (1927), issue 36, pp. 150–172. Modern researchers, however, regard it not as a work of Saint Symeon, but as the work of another, unknown author of the thirteenth century.

20. See the volume of the Collected Works, p. 300. We present the passage in its original form, from the edition of J. Darrouzès, A.A., Sources Chrétiennes 129, pp. 320–324, Paris, 1967, where it is classified as the Tenth Ethical Discourse.

PART FOUR

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: October 16

2026-10-16T09:05:19.784-04:00

The Month of October

Day 16

47. A Second Instruction to Mothers Who Have Lost Their Children

(From the Life of Saint Longinus the Centurion)

Not long ago (see Instruction 40), we spoke with you, mothers who have suffered the misfortune of losing one or another of your children. Drawing upon the Life of Venerable Athanasia (October 9), we sought to offer you consolation in your great sorrow. Now, in the Life of Saint Longinus the Centurion, we have found yet another source of consolation for you, which we hasten to bring to your attention.

There was a certain woman, a widow who had lost her sight and hoped, through her faith, to regain it. She set out with her only son to pray in Jerusalem. Her son led her to the holy places, but there he soon fell ill and died. Who could describe the grief of this poor widow, deprived of her sight and now bereft of her only son! But God soon consoled her. Saint Longinus the Centurion appeared to her in a dream and instructed her to seek his head at a certain place outside Jerusalem. He promised to restore her sight and console her over the loss of her son. When she awoke, the widow, guided by those accompanying her, went to the place indicated by the martyr. There she soon found the precious head of Longinus and immediately regained her sight.

The following night, the martyr appeared to her again in heavenly glory, accompanied by her deceased son, who was dressed in a splendid wedding garment. He said to her: “Look upon the one over whom you grieve so deeply; look upon your son! See the glory and honor that are now his, and take comfort! Know that the Lord has numbered him among the heavenly ranks that dwell in His Kingdom. As for me, I have asked the Lord that he might always be with me. Take my head and your son’s body and bury them together. Then cease weeping over your only son, and let your heart not be troubled, for great glory and joy and everlasting blessedness have been granted to him by God.”

With this, the vision ended. Soon afterward, the widow carried out the martyr’s instructions. Having buried his holy head together with her son’s body, she said to everyone: “Now I know that all things work together for good for those who love God. I sought to regain my bodily sight, but along with it I also gained spiritual sight. I was overwhelmed with grief over the death of my son, but now I have him in heaven, in glory with the prophets and martyrs, standing before God and rejoicing eternally with the saints, together with Longinus, who bears the Cross of Christ among the angels and cries out: ‘Truly, this was the Son of God!’” Thus did the Lord console the grieving widow!

Here before you, mothers who have lost your children, is a poor, blind widow whose only consolation was her only son—and now she has lost even him! What could have been more terrible than her situation? What could have been more devastating than this final sorrow for a woman already crushed by blindness? But the ways of God are past finding out! Often, where there was weeping in the evening, joy takes its place by morning; where lamentation was heard in the evening, unceasing praise of the Lord resounds in the morning!

The widow sees her son in heavenly glory, under the protection of the martyr and numbered among the assembly of the saints. And what does the martyr tell her? “Do not weep for your son, for great glory and joy and everlasting rejoicing have been granted to him.” Take comfort, then, from this example, you mothers who grieve over the loss of your children! For the Lord is the most loving Father of all, and especially of children, whom He always called to Himself with particular love even during His earthly life. Would He abandon them in the life beyond the grave? Would He forget to visit them with His mercies? Would He not bring them to maturity there in all that is better and more beautiful? No! Believe and hope that “the Lord is merciful and gracious” (Psalm 102:8, Septuagint numbering); that His mercy is boundless; and that, as David says, “His mercy is great above the heavens” (Psalm 107:5, Septuagint numbering). Amen.

Questions for Discussion 47:

1. How far did the widow’s only son lead her?

2. What did Saint Longinus the Centurion promise the widow in her dream concerning the recovery of her sight and the loss of her son?

3. What was the widow’s son wearing when he appeared to her with Longinus in heavenly glory?

4. What did Longinus ask the Lord concerning the widow’s son?

5. Why did Longinus tell the widow not to weep and not to let her heart be troubled?

Source: The Cheti-Minei: Homilies for Every Day of the Year (Book 1: September, October, November) by Archpriest Viktor Guryev. Publication of the Russian Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos, 1896. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Holy Hieromartyr Lucian the Presbyter of Antioch in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

2026-10-15T17:35:48.719-04:00

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. Saint Lucian was the son of devout parents. After their death, he distributed all his possessions among the poor and devoted himself to studying the divine Scriptures. In this way, he also converted many Jews and pagans to faith in Christ. He left his own city, however, and went to Nicomedia to strengthen those who, out of fear of martyrdom, were abandoning the faith and to encourage them to persevere in their struggles for martyrdom. Being highly skilled in calligraphy, he left the Church of Nicomedia a book in which he had transcribed the entire Old and New Testaments, arranging the text in three columns on each page. Indeed, he so far transcended the limits of human nature that, when he went into the city, he was visible to some people and invisible to others. The emperor Maximian heard about him and, fearing to meet him face-to-face, spoke with him from behind a curtain. When, however, he recognized Lucian’s steadfastness in the faith of Christ, he condemned him to prolonged starvation. After going many days without eating or drinking anything, Lucian died in prison. The governor then ordered his body to be cast into the sea. At God’s command, a dolphin recovered it and carried it ashore on its back.

2. Saint Lucian is not particularly well known, even among people who are closely connected to the Church. This does not mean, however, that he was not distinguished by gifts from God, and indeed by great ones. His freedom from love of money, his charitable disposition toward the poor, his missionary zeal for those who did not know the faith of Christ, his martyric spirit, his eloquence, and his talent for painting were among the qualities that adorned his life, making him one of the most gifted and gracious people of his time. Yet the quality that truly set his soul and body ablaze and moved him to action was his profound love for God. This was evident from the very beginning in his constant study of Holy Scripture, as well as in his desire to leave the text of the Scriptures to the faithful at a time when copies were certainly not plentiful. “Set ablaze with the love of Christ, O glorious one,” as his Hymnographer observes. This great love for the Lord was the interpretive “key” to his entire life and to his conduct according to the will of God. It also explains his fervent love for his fellow human beings, the fruit of which was his gift of all his possessions, his move to Nicomedia to strengthen the Christians for their spiritual struggles—“You proved mighty against delusion, O blessed one, and became the trainer of many”—and his constant concern that people should come to know Christ.

The result of this twofold great love, for God and for his fellow human beings, was that Lucian not only overcame the fear of death but also lived, even in this present world, like an angel of God. Is this not, according to the Apostle, a mark of the great saint? “I have the desire to depart and be with Christ,” writes Saint Paul. And, as his Hymnographer says, “You were raised to a most glorious height, O wondrous one, and attained the ranks of the angels.” Indeed, it is rare to encounter a case such as that of Saint Lucian, who, even during his earthly life, could sometimes be visible and at other times invisible, like the angels. This recalls what is still said today about the invisible monks of Mount Athos, a report that is credible when confirmed by holy ascetics such as Elder Paisios. Such a phenomenon, therefore, does not belong to the realm of science fiction but falls within the spiritual tradition of the Church, which, as we have emphasized before, stands firmly upon the earth while at the same time having its citizenship in heaven.

Such spiritual heights also lead the Saint’s Hymnographer to portray his being cast into the sea and his miraculous deliverance through a dolphin as an event corresponding to that of the Prophet Jonah. “He who delivered Jonah from the belly of the sea monster and saved him after he had remained there for three days now saves you from the depths of the sea after thirty days, with the sea creatures coming to your aid.” In other words, the same One who saved Jonah from the belly of the sea monster, where he had remained for three days, saves Lucian from the depths of the sea after thirty days, with the help of dolphins. We are inclined to think that this parallel drawn by the Hymnographer is intended to remind us that the believer who lives in love for God and for his fellow human beings is surely saved and raised to new life, since the Lord Himself regarded Jonah as a type of His own Resurrection. Here, then, is a Saint regarded as “unknown,” yet possessing such holiness, so many gifts, and such reach throughout the entire spiritual world!

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: October 15

2026-10-15T17:13:23.921-04:00

The Month of October

Day 15

46. To Those Who Violate the Fasts

(From the Life of the Venerable Martyr Lucian the Presbyter)

We all know that we must observe the fasts, yet we often fail to do so. Especially in recent times, many people do not even want to know about them; they eat whatever happens to be available and think nothing of it. In reality, however, this is by no means a trivial matter, for the book of ecclesiastical rules known as the Nomocanon states, for example: “He who eats meat or cheese during Great Lent, or on Wednesday or Friday, shall not receive Communion for two years” (Small Euchologion, Rule 85). It follows, therefore, that we bear a grave responsibility before God for violating the fasts and must consequently observe them strictly. But how can those who have almost entirely grown unaccustomed to fasting and have completely forgotten about it learn to observe the fasts? Know this, then, brethren who have grown unaccustomed to fasting: we have found a very powerful means of making you remember the fasts and observe them. If you will, we shall now bring this means to your attention.

The pagan emperor Maximian hated Christians so much that he even killed Christian children, like a second Herod. He would customarily order his soldiers to force into their mouths food forbidden by Christian law. The children, however, refused to eat it and were put to death for doing so. On one occasion, for example, two boys were brought before him. They were brothers, born to noble parents. At first, the emperor treated them affectionately and tried to win them over with kindness, hoping to persuade them to eat the remnants of food offered in pagan sacrifices. But the boys rejected the emperor’s kindness, categorically refused to taste the pagan food, and said to Maximian: “Our parents commanded us not to taste any food forbidden by Christian law, and they told us that whoever eats such food thereby provokes God to anger.”

After this, the emperor ordered them to be beaten with rods. Yet even after the beating, they still refused to taste the defiled food. Then one of the emperor’s close attendants said to him: “It would be a disgrace if even little children, who have only just come out of their swaddling clothes, could overcome the Roman emperor through their endurance. Hand them over to me, and I will show them how not to taste what you command.” The emperor handed the boys over to his attendant. The man ordered the hair to be shaved from the children’s heads, smeared mustard on them, and commanded that the children be placed in a bath heated to an intense temperature. The boys’ heads burned as though consumed by flames or scorched by lightning, and both brothers died amid such terrible torment. When the younger brother died first, the elder ran up to him and cried out: “You have conquered, my brother, you have conquered! God was your helper!” With these words, the elder brother too immediately fell and surrendered his spirit to the Lord.

This, then, is the powerful means we have found to make you who have grown unaccustomed to fasting remember the fasts and observe them. As you have just seen, this lesson is presented to us through the example of the ancient Church. Here before you are two helpless, solitary, defenseless boys who refuse, even in the face of terrible suffering, to defile themselves with food forbidden by Christian law! They endure torment and still refuse to taste it; they face death and remain faithful to the Lord to the very end. Will you, then, after this, make excuses that you have grown unaccustomed to fasting and cannot observe it? Will you complain about the weakness of the flesh, your upbringing, the society in which you move, exhaustion, or goodness knows what else? Oh, in view of this example, be ashamed of your complaints and begin to fast. Amen.

Questions for Discussion 46:

1. What was the social standing of the parents of the boys who were brought before Maximian, the pagan emperor?

2. According to the boys, what kind of food had their parents forbidden them to eat?

3. What did the children do when the emperor offered them food after they had been beaten with rods?

4. According to the elder brother’s words to his deceased younger brother, what had the younger brother done?

5. According to the elder brother, how had God helped his younger brother?

A Beneficial Account of the Miraculous Deliverance Accomplished on the Island of Chios by the Venerable Martyr Paraskevi (St. Athanasios Parios)

2026-10-14T17:38:31.604-04:00

We celebrate on the 14th of this month [October] the commemoration of the wondrous miracle performed on the island of Chios by the Holy Venerable Martyr and Victorious Athlete of Christ Paraskevi, in the year 1442 after Christ.

Verses

Paraskevi of old saved Chios
From submersion through her intercession before Christ.

Paraskevi displayed a great miracle,
Saving Chios from the onrush of the sea.

A Beneficial Account of the Miraculous Deliverance Accomplished on the Island of Chios by the Holy and Glorious Venerable Martyr Paraskevi, Who Checked the Onrush of the Sea and Turned It Back

By St. Athanasios Parios

It has been an ancient custom, originating in a commandment of God, to record the wondrous works of God for the benefit and instruction of those who come after us. Thus, we read in Holy Scripture how God commanded Moses, Joshua the son of Nun, and the other Prophets to write down the awesome and mighty wonders that He performed at that time, so that people might learn that there is a God in heaven who, by His almighty power, accomplishes such fearful and extraordinary works, and might thereby learn to fear Him and not disobey His divine commandments.

The ancient Prophets did this, and afterward the divine Apostles did likewise, as did the sacred Luke, who recorded the Acts and miracles of his fellow Apostles. After them, others recorded the divine wonders that God accomplished through His holy Martyrs and Venerable Ascetics. Thus, to this very day, the same holy and soul-saving custom has been preserved in the Church of Christ, and the miracles performed in various places by God, who saves souls and providentially governs all things, continue to be recorded.

Following the example of those who came before them, our predecessors likewise recorded the great and extraordinary miracle that the Holy and Glorious Venerable Martyr of Christ, Paraskevi, accomplished in Chios through divine power. The account is as follows.

In the year 1442 after Christ, when the Latin-minded John Palaiologos reigned, the emperor who had forcibly brought about the Union at Florence in Italy and thereafter strove to establish it everywhere, the compassionate Lord manifested great indignation against the island of Chios. It seemed as though He intended to submerge it in a partial deluge, in order to wash away the sins and transgressions of its inhabitants, which had provoked Him so greatly.

It was evening, and the fourteenth day of October was drawing near. On this day, our Holy Church celebrates the commemoration of the Holy Martyrs Nazarios, Gervasios, Protasios, and Celsus. A certain Hieromonk named Ambrosios went, according to custom, to chant Vespers at the church where he was carrying out his priestly duties, namely, the church of the Venerable Martyr Paraskevi, which is situated in the uppermost and farthest part of the Palaiokastro.

While the Hieromonk was chanting Vespers, rain began to fall so heavily, violently, and incessantly that it seemed not as though rain were falling, but rather as though rivers were pouring down. At the same time, there was a great crashing noise, and a terrifying tumult could be heard. Consequently, the Hieromonk could no longer make his way to his cell, but remained in his church. It seemed certain to him that this was divine wrath and that God intended to submerge the island. Seized with great fear, he began to pray there in the church, beseeching the compassionate Master to cease His anger and transform His righteous indignation into compassion and mercy toward His people. He did not yet know that the sea, too, had burst beyond its bounds and was surging furiously uphill toward the land in order to submerge the country.

As events subsequently revealed, that priest, the good Ambrosios, appears to have been a devout man who feared God and was truly a man of God—in other words, one worthy of beholding the mysteries of God. While praying there and entreating God throughout the night to abate His great anger, at a certain hour he lowered his stasidion and sat down to take a little rest from his great exertion. As he sat, he dozed off briefly. And behold, O the wonder! It seemed to him that the roof of the church had opened, and there, high above, was a most radiant cloud. Within it he saw a most venerable woman, her hands stretched upward toward the heavens in the posture and attitude of one praying.

When the Presbyter saw these things, he was afraid, and his heart trembled. And behold, a voice was heard addressing him and saying: “Ambrosios, do not be afraid. I am the Venerable Martyr Paraskevi; your homeland has been saved.”

When the devout Ambrosios saw and heard these things, he shook off even that brief sleep from his eyes, his heart filled with two utterly opposing emotions: fear and joy. He then began chanting Matins with even greater reverence. Meanwhile, day broke, and behold, people came from the lower parts of the town, for the rain had by then abated somewhat, and announced with fear and trembling that the sea had burst beyond its natural bounds and had reached as far as the Church of the Panagia called Eleimonitria. It appeared that the sea threatened to submerge the entire country because of the sins of its inhabitants. (The elders relate, on the basis of an ancient tradition, that the sea reached as far as [the church of] Christ and was surging upward with great force.)

Then the devout Ambrosios recounted his vision of Saint Paraskevi, and the account spread down into the town. Taking heart from the Saint’s promise, all the Christians placed their hope in God and the Venerable Martyr Paraskevi. They fell down in supplication before God and the Venerable Martyr Paraskevi, and, carrying the Saint’s icon in a communal procession and shedding fervent tears, they appeased the divine indignation through the acceptable intercessions of His victorious servant. Thus, the raging sea subsided and returned to its former place, and the city remained unharmed, in accordance with the declaration of the Venerable Martyr. In this way, having been delivered from the extreme danger of the most violent sea, the Christians glorified God and His Virgin Martyr servant, who had shown them great mercy through her bold and confident intercessions.

Since this benefaction was recognized as exceedingly great, the Christians of that time rightly and wisely decreed that the remembrance of that wondrous deliverance should be celebrated every year with a common feast and festival throughout the entire island. Thus, from that time onward, the commemoration of that great miracle has been observed on the aforementioned fourteenth day of October, with reverence and fervent devotion, to the glory of the Holy God and of the Venerable Martyr, our benefactress, Saint Paraskevi. Moreover, the Christians of that time did not merely bequeath to us, their successors, the observance of the annual commemoration of this miracle. To demonstrate the heartfelt reverence and love they had for the Saint, they also built a magnificent church dedicated to her honored name, that is, to Saint Paraskevi, down at the water’s edge. In a manner of speaking, they built it so that it might henceforth keep the sea’s fury in check, preventing it from surging forth again to harm its neighbor, and ensuring that it remain within the bounds originally set for it by God, the Creator of all things, who said: “Thus far shall you come, and no farther” (Job 38:11). That church remained standing for many years afterward, and many miracles and healings took place there, as the elders used to relate.

Beloved Christians, this is the account of the wondrous and extraordinary miracle performed by the Venerable Martyr Paraskevi, and this is the sacred subject of today’s feast. Therefore, as we commemorate that miracle, we ought to reflect that God is the same today as He was then, and that He has always hated and turned away from a lawless way of life. Those who trample upon the commandments of His holy gospel and perform the works of the apostate devil, He chastises by His decree, both here in this present life and in the life to come, with punishments that are unavoidable and endless. When we engage in such reflections and celebrate in this manner, we are led to sin less, keeping the fear of God dwelling in our souls. Our feasts then become acceptable to God, who rewards our reverence with His divine blessings.

Therefore, Christian brethren, let us strive to live as our Christian profession requires. Let us celebrate with fervent devotion and reverence this annual commemoration of the great benefaction bestowed upon Chios by the Venerable Martyr and victorious athlete of Christ, Paraskevi, so that she may continually intercede for us, we who stand condemned, before the compassionate Lord, to whom belong glory and dominion unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Encomium to our Venerable and God-bearing Father Symeon the New Theologian (St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite) - 2 of 5

2026-10-14T15:45:24.896-04:00

...continued from part one.

11. Secondly, we find that the divine Symeon attained the rank of the hired servants. For, just as those laborers who were hired by the Lord to work in the vineyard of His commandments bore the burden of the day and the scorching heat without complaint, in the hope of receiving their wages in the evening, as the parable in the Gospel according to Matthew declares (Matthew 20:1–16), so, too, did the venerable Symeon endure with great thanksgiving all the temptations and afflictions that befell him, whether from demons, from human beings, or from his own corrupted nature. For he hoped that, when evening came—that is, at the end of his life—he would receive from the Lord who had hired him a reward for his labor and toil multiplied many times over, indeed ten thousandfold, in the heavens. “When evening had come,” says the Lord of the vineyard to His steward, “call the laborers and pay them their wages” (Matthew 20:8).

And if Moses, in view of the reward that was to come, preferred the reproach of Christ to the royal treasures of Egypt, as Paul says, “esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he looked to the reward” (Hebrews 11:26), then, in like manner, the divine Symeon, in view of the recompense of the good things to come, preferred poverty to wealth, the humble habit of the monks to the rank of a spatharokoubikoularios, the company and conversation of his ragged elder to the company of emperors clothed in splendor, poor huts to imperial palaces, and humble legumes to the sumptuous dishes of the senators.⁶

12. Thirdly, the divine Symeon attained the rank of the friends of God for five reasons.

a) First, because he kept the divine commandments neither out of fear, like a slave, nor for the sake of a reward, like a hired servant, but solely out of friendship and love for God. For it is characteristic of true friends to keep the commandments of the one they love without wavering. If they transgress his commandments, they thereby violate their friendship with him and are no longer his friends but his enemies. Hence the Lord said: “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:14).

13. b) Secondly, because so many supernatural mysteries of God, so many sublime doctrines of theology and divine Scripture, and so many hidden meanings of the divine dispensation of the Incarnation and of the whole of creation were revealed to the divine Symeon. Since only the friends of God are deemed worthy to have such heavenly and mystical realities revealed to them, whereas no slave is granted this privilege, it follows that Symeon passed beyond the rank of slaves and ascended to the rank of the friends of God. Thus, it was fitting that he, too, should hear what the divine Apostles heard from the mouth of the Lord: “I no longer call you slaves, for a slave does not know what his lord is doing; but I have called you friends, because everything that I heard from My Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).

14. c) It is characteristic of love according to Christ and of divine eros to draw those who love out of themselves. Dionysios the Areopagite declares, on the one hand, “Divine eros is also ecstatic, not allowing those who love to belong to themselves, but rather to those whom they love.”⁷ On the other hand, Saint Isaac says, “The love of God is warm by nature. And when it falls upon someone without measure, it makes that soul ecstatic.”⁸

Who, then, can doubt that the divine Symeon also possessed this characteristic of divine love? Once his heart had been wounded by the sweetest arrows and darts of the love of Jesus, and his soul and all his inward parts had been kindled by the fire of divine eros, he was no longer in himself—no! Rather, he had become entirely outside himself. Thus, he thought of Jesus alone; he longed for Jesus alone; Jesus alone occupied his meditations. Jesus was the supreme object of his mind; Jesus was the delight of his tongue; Jesus was the sweet meditation and continual discourse of his heart; Jesus was his very breath.

At times, he would cry aloud⁹ those fervent, love-filled words of the Apostle Paul: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?” (Romans 8:35). At other times, he would utter the words of the bride who sings in the Song of Songs: “If you find my beloved, what will you tell him? That I am wounded with love” (Song of Songs 5:8).

15. Indeed, to use the Saint’s own words, as he himself burned with the inextinguishable flame of divine love, he addressed the following love-filled and fervent verses to Jesus Christ, bearing witness to his divine eros for Him:

How is it that You are a fire that gushes forth,
and yet You are water that refreshes?
How do You burn and sweeten,
and how do You abolish corruption?

How do You make men gods?
How do You bring light out of darkness?
How do You raise us from Hades?
How do You render mortals incorruptible?

How do You draw darkness toward the light?
How do You encompass the night?
How do You illuminate the heart all around?
How do You transform me completely?

How do You unite Yourself with human beings?
How do You make them sons of God?
How do You set them ablaze with longing for You?
How do You wound them without a sword?¹⁰

16. Consider, brothers, how a magnet draws toward itself the iron it attracts, and how the iron does not wish to be separated from it. In the same way, the divine Symeon had such great longing for God and Jesus Christ that, through the power of an exceedingly forceful attraction, He drew him to Himself and held him so firmly that He would not release him until He had brought him into that mystical treasury and chamber of his heart.

In this respect, Symeon likened himself to the bride who sings in the Song of Songs and speaks of her bridegroom: “I held him and would not let him go until I had brought him into my mother’s house and into the chamber of her who conceived me” (Song of Songs 3:4). Interpreting this passage, the learned Psellos said, “I held him within, in the very midst of my heart.”¹¹

The three Fathers—Gregory of Nyssa, Maximos, and the divine Neilos—interpreted it as follows:

“I did not cease seeking my beloved until I had brought him to dwell within the nous, which is the house of the Wisdom of God, the Cause of all things, who is like a mother. For the nous is capable of receiving Him by virtue of its likeness to Him. The nous is also His treasury, because, being created according to the image, it contains within itself the hidden treasures of that Wisdom.”¹²

17. To use a more fitting comparison, consider, brethren, red-hot iron. It is so completely united with the fire that it itself becomes another fire. Truly, our divine Father Symeon became such. For the thrice-blessed Saint was so thoroughly heated by the fire of divine love burning within his heart that he not only consumed all the worldly preconceptions and imaginings residing in the noetic part of his soul, and dried up all the passions of his heart, but even melted away the weight and density of his body, as though they were rust on iron. He transmuted his body and made it light and subtle as a spirit, as we read in his Life.¹³

For this reason, when the Saint prayed, he appeared to rise from the earth into the air, to a height of four cubits.

18. d) It is characteristic of divine love and divine eros that they do not allow those who love and are beloved to remain at rest and in silence. Instead, they compel them inwardly, from the heart, to speak of God and to praise the God whom they love and desire.

This is evident in John the Theologian, the beloved disciple of the Lord. Because he was filled with divine love, he also became filled with theology, according to that sacred hymn sung by the Church:

“O wonder of ecstasy and marvel of wisdom! For, being full of love, he also became full of theology.”¹⁴

Hence the divine John of the Ladder was moved to say in his Thirtieth Discourse: “The increase of fear is the beginning of love; the end of purity is the foundation of theology.” He also says, “Purity made its practitioner a theologian, strengthening through himself the doctrines of the Trinity.”¹⁵

I shall slightly alter these words of the divine Father and say, “The end of love is the foundation of theology,” and again, “Love made its practitioner a theologian.”

19. That this characteristic of divine love was present in extraordinary abundance in the Saint Symeon whom we celebrate is something I need not say myself. Even the stones and the wood ought to come forward, acquire a voice, and proclaim it to everyone.

For this divine Father possessed such overwhelming eros for God, and the furnace of divine love burned so fiercely within his soul, that the thrice-blessed Saint could not endure its flame and remain silent. Instead, he continually gave full expression both to the noetic lips of his heart and to the physical lips of his mouth. He conceived, composed, and proclaimed so many theological discourses on the Holy Trinity, so many erotic verses in praise of the God whom he loved, and so many sublime encomia of the transcendent Godhead. He was wholly filled with God, wholly transported beyond himself, and wholly transformed by the divine transformation.

To apply to this Saint the very expressive and glorious words of praise that Dionysios the Areopagite, that most eminent of theologians, spoke concerning the true Hierotheos, the heavenly bird—Symeon was “experiencing communion with the realities he hymned and proclaimed in his theology, and, in the judgment of all who heard him, saw him, and knew him, was considered God-possessed and a divine hymnographer.”¹⁶

20. Why should I say more? Through divine love, the gift of theology increased so greatly in the venerable Symeon, and in this respect he surpassed the other Saints and theologians of our Church to such an extent, that the whole world unanimously judged it right to bestow upon him this lofty title: that he should be called the New Theologian.

I do not know whether this was because there was already another Theologian, Gregory, whom Symeon equaled not in expression and external learning, but at least in the precision of his theology, or because he was a second John the Theologian. In any case, without this supreme title, his proper name is neither pronounced nor recognized by anyone. Whoever utters the name Symeon is immediately compelled to utter the title of the New Theologian along with it and say, “Symeon the New Theologian.”

O exceptional grace of divine love! O wondrous privilege! O title worthy of heavenly praises!

21. What is wondrous is that the divine Symeon was moved to theology not only by divine love, as we have said, but that theology, in turn, moved his heart and rekindled it with divine love. Hence Saint Diadochos said:

“All the gifts of our God are exceedingly good and bestow every kind of goodness; yet nothing kindles us and moves our heart toward love for His goodness as much as theology.”¹⁷

For these two gifts—divine love and theology—have a natural tendency to give birth to one another, each in turn being born from the other.

Thus, one could see the venerable Symeon running along an endless, unceasing course and circle. The more he sought to satisfy his love for God through theology, the more his love was kindled; and the more his love was kindled, the more his theology increased. The more his theology increased, the more his love also grew. Thus, running and ascending from love to theology and from theology back to love, he never ceased.

22. e) The fifth and final characteristic of love, and of those who are truly beloved and friends, is that they sacrifice their lives and choose death out of love for their friends. As the Lord said, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13); and Solomon, for his part, declared, “Love is strong as death” (Song of Songs 8:6).

Since the venerable Symeon was ready to sacrifice his life and die, if necessity called for it, out of love for God—as is evident in many passages of both his Life and his writings—it follows beyond doubt that he ascended to the rank of the friends of God.

Furthermore, according to John of the Ladder, “He who loves the Lord has first loved his brother, for the second is proof of the first.”¹⁸ Therefore, since it has been demonstrated that the venerable Symeon loved God, it is undoubtedly established that he also loved his neighbor. Through these two first and great commandments, he fulfilled the whole Law and the Prophets.

Notes:

6. Compare Life of Saint Symeon, 3.1–17.

7. Dionysios the Areopagite, On the Divine Names, IV.13, PG 3, 712A.

8. Discourse 24, p. 104.

9. Compare Catechesis 1: On Love, Sources Chrétiennes 96, 228–234.

10. The Divine Hymns, “The Love Poems,” sixth group: “Quatrains demonstrating from this life his love for God,” Sources Chrétiennes 156, 204.

11. Michael Psellos, Commentary on the Song of Songs, PG 122, 600D.

12. Ibid.

13. Life of Saint Symeon, 5.70.

14. Doxastikon of Vespers in the service of the Saint, September 26.

15. John of the Ladder, Discourse 30, “On Love, Hope, and Faith,” §§12 and 14, PG 88, 1157C.

16. Dionysios the Areopagite, On the Divine Names, III.11, PG 3, 681D–684A.

17. Diadochos of Photiki, Gnostic Chapters, §67, in The Philokalia of the Sacred Neptics and Ascetics, vol. 1 (Athens, 1957), p. 255.

18. John of the Ladder, Discourse 30, “On Love, Hope, and Faith,” §15, PG 88, 1157C.

PART THREE

Saint Kosmas the Poet, Bishop of Maiuma, in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

2026-10-14T13:17:33.599-04:00

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. Saint Kosmas (685–c. 750 AD), who was probably born in Damascus, was orphaned at an early age and adopted by Sergius, the father of Saint John of Damascus. Sergius was wealthy and held a prominent position in public life as the financial administrator of the Arab caliph. Seeing that both boys had a natural inclination toward learning, Sergius engaged a highly learned and wise man, also named Kosmas, who came from Calabria, to teach them every branch of knowledge, both divine and human. Indeed, within a very short time, the two young men, John and Kosmas, learned grammar and philosophy, astronomy and geometry, as well as poetry and music, under their teacher Kosmas, and they became respected by all. Anyone wishing to understand the extent of their excellence in every field need only examine the writings they produced. After completing their studies, they went to the Lavra of Saint Savvas and became monks. The blessed John was ordained a presbyter by the Patriarch of Jerusalem, while the venerable Kosmas, after being earnestly entreated by the entire Synod of Bishops, was appointed Bishop of the city of Maiuma. Having conducted himself well and guided his flock along the saving paths of the faith, he reached an advanced age and then reposed in the Lord.

2. It is not easy to speak in prose about Saint Kosmas the Poet and Melodist, who composed not only hymns but also set them to music. For how can the prosaic nature of ordinary speech worthily praise “the harp of the Spirit, the divinely inspired lyre,” “the trumpet proclaiming the saving Passion of Christ, His miracles, and the Dormition of the All-Pure One,” “the spiritual composer of hymns,” or “the God-flowing spring”? How much more difficult is this when the works set to music by Saint Kosmas concern the Holy Trinity, the great feasts of our Master, and the Most Holy Theotokos!

Let us remember that the Nativity Canon, “Christ is born; glorify Him” («Χριστός γεννάται δοξάσατε»); the Theophany Canon, “The depths of the abyss He uncovered” («Βυθού ανεκάλυψε πυθμένα»); and the Paschal Canon, “By a wave of the sea” («Κύματι θαλάσσης»), are all his works. The Hymnographer who composed the hymns for his feast is fully aware of this reality: such an outstanding poet can be praised only by an equally great poet. And that poet is none other than David. One must possess something of the grandeur of the Prophet-King in order to render fitting praise to the divine hymns of Saint Kosmas: “Let us extol the spiritual composer of hymns with songs of David.”

Moreover, even his repose must be commemorated in a melodious manner: “Following your own laws, O blessed one, we have resolved to hymn your departure to the heights.” In other words, following your own practice, O blessed one — that is, expressing ourselves through hymns — we intend to sing the praises of your departure to God.

The Hymnographer does not know how to praise not only Kosmas’s compositions but also his holy life. In his perplexity, he takes refuge in the great figures of the Old Testament, its great Patriarchs — Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses — and even righteous Abel. “You sought to rival Abel in zeal,” he says, “offering the first fruits of your words as sacrifices of living creatures.” In other words, Kosmas, you sought to rival Abel because you offered the first fruits of your words to God as sacrifices, just as Abel offered the best of his flock.

Elsewhere, the Hymnographer says that Kosmas imitated Abraham, who willingly offered his son Isaac in sacrifice. Kosmas, too, sacrificed himself, like another Isaac, through the martyrdom of his conscience: “...sacrificing Isaac, as another willing offering, having imitated Abraham....”

We should not pass over the comparison between Saint Kosmas and Abel without comment. The Hymnographer’s observation that the Saint also offered the first fruits of his words to God signifies, on the one hand, his profound love for Him — God was his first priority — and, on the other, that ecclesiastical poetry and hymnody were not merely a secondary occupation for him. In addition to his pastoral duties, he devoted considerable time to hymning beautifully the Passion of the Lord, His miracles, the lives and conduct of the Saints, and especially the Most Holy Theotokos.

Saint Kosmas understood that it was not enough merely to proclaim the faith of Christ; it was also necessary to proclaim it in a manner that would make it more readily received by the faithful. This, after all, was one of the reasons the Church introduced poetry and hymnody into her worship. The reasons were primarily pastoral, not aesthetic. Both the content and the form therefore play a role in the presentation of the gospel. A tree is beautiful not only because of its fruit but also because of its foliage.

Here, if I may, I would like to share something I heard only a few days ago, which sheds further light on this truth. The well-known and eminent poet Yiannis Ritsos, whose religious or political convictions are not relevant here, once remarked in an old television broadcast that one of the reasons our Nobel Prize-winning poet Odysseas Elytis received the Nobel Prize in Literature was that the Swedes, like other Europeans, had become acquainted with his poetry through musical settings of his major works. One example was Axion Esti, set to music by Mikis Theodorakis, whose musical genius was beyond question. Music, in other words, became a bridge through which a vast audience could encounter poetry itself.

Something else mentioned in the synaxarion of Saint Kosmas—and also of his brother, Saint John of Damascus—is, I believe, of exceptional importance. Both became great and outstanding hymnographers and melodists. How did they reach such heights? Was it solely because of their natural talent, their artistic temperament, and their poetic character? Certainly these played a part. But had they not had their teacher, Kosmas of Calabria, also known as the Stranger, we cannot know whether they would have developed their gifts to the same extent.

In other words, the raw material was certainly there, but their teacher recognized it, cultivated it, and helped it flourish. This is an important observation because it highlights the role of a true teacher. A teacher is there not merely to impart knowledge but, above all, to discern the gifts of his students, to sense what lies within them, as we commonly say. It is a great blessing to find such teachers. This confirms a universally acknowledged truth: whatever happens in the world, and however far humanity advances in technology and invention, the teacher will always remain unique and irreplaceable. There is one reason above all: life (the student) encounters and is nourished by life itself (the teacher).

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: October 14

2026-10-14T09:06:10.828-04:00

The Month of October

Day 14

45. To Young Monks on Diligence in Their Work

(From the Life of Saint Nicholas Sviatosha)

To all of you young monks, your abbot or the older monks assign various obediences. How do you carry them out? We know that some of you fulfill them with patience and humility, laboring day and night. Others, however, do the opposite: they scarcely fulfill their obediences at all, remain idle, and, worst of all, give no rest to others either. They complain about the abbot, protest that the labors assigned to them are supposedly too burdensome, grumble, and cause many to stumble.

What can be said to such men for their instruction? How can they be turned away from idleness? How can they be trained in labor, humility, and patience? Let us say this: First, let lazy monks understand that if idleness is harmful in every station of life, it is altogether destructive for a monk. Second, let them remember that a young monk who wishes to be saved must completely renounce his own will and submit it without complaining to the will of his elders, who are experienced in the spiritual life. Third, in order to acquire the habit of diligence in labor and unconditional obedience, let lazy monks finally learn how the holy monks, who were a thousand times better than they, labored and how they regarded their own obediences.

Those who are lazy need not look far for examples of this last point. They can find many such examples in the monasteries of our own homeland. To begin with, we shall offer them one example ourselves, for their admonition.

Venerable Nicholas Sviatosha, son of David Sviatoslavich, Prince of Chernigov, renounced for God's sake the honor and wealth, fame and authority of his princely rank, and received the monastic tonsure at the Monastery of the Caves. How did he conduct himself in this state of life? “Above all,” it is said, “he made progress in obedience.”

Prince Nicholas initially worked for the brotherhood in the kitchen for three years. With his own hands he chopped firewood and carried it on his shoulders from the riverbank to the monastery. He was then appointed a watchman at the monastery gates, a position he held for another three years, never going anywhere except to church. Afterward, he was assigned to serve in the refectory, and he fulfilled this duty with the same complete zeal.

Finally, when Nicholas had honorably fulfilled all his obediences, the abbot and the brethren advised him to remain in his cell and practice stillness. He fulfilled this obedience as well. He planted a garden beside his cell, and throughout all the days of his monastic life he was never idle. He always had work in his hands and the Jesus Prayer on his lips. As his Life relates, no one ever saw him without something to do.

It should also be noted that throughout his entire life he contented himself with the common food of the brotherhood, while everything brought to him in recognition of his princely rank he distributed to the poor or offered to the monastery.

Take this to heart, you lazy monks! Here is a man of royal lineage who might perhaps have sat upon a royal throne. Yet, having become a monk, he worked for the brotherhood in the kitchen, chopped firewood, carried it on his own shoulders from the forest to the monastery, served as a watchman at the monastery gates, served in the refectory, and planted gardens. Throughout his entire monastic life, no one ever saw him idle; he was always occupied with work.

How, then, can you give yourselves over to laziness and foolish idleness? How can you grumble, complain, and cause others to stumble? After all, no one forced you to enter the monastery against your will; you came of your own accord. No one compelled you to make vows of humility, patience, obedience, and unceasing labor! You made these vows yourselves. Why, then, lie before God? Why make yourselves an object of ridicule for the devil?

This is wrong, very wrong, my brethren! Come to your senses and take up your work. Humble yourselves and learn to love obedience. Bring your flesh under control and crucify it, together with its passions and desires. Declare an uncompromising war against the enemy of our salvation, and fight him to the end.

Is this difficult? Then call upon the grace of God for help, for with it all things are possible. And know that this grace is stronger than even the strongest will. Amen.

Questions for Discussion 45:

1. Where did Saint Nicholas Sviatosha work for the brotherhood during the first three years, chopping firewood and carrying it to the monastery?

2. What position did Nicholas hold during the following three years, never going anywhere except to church?

3. What service was Nicholas assigned to perform, carrying out this duty with complete zeal?

4. What did Nicholas always have in his hands and on his lips throughout his monastic life?

5. What did Nicholas do with the things brought to him in recognition of his princely rank?

The Iveron Icon of Moscow: From the Resurrection Gate to the Mystery of Its Fate

2026-10-14T05:09:28.448-04:00

Among the most beloved icons of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Russian Orthodox Church is the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, venerated for centuries in a chapel beside the Resurrection Gates of Moscow, near Red Square. Known in Russian as the “Iverskaya,” the icon is associated with the celebrated Athonite image of the Mother of God called the “Portaitissa,” or “Gatekeeper,” which is kept at the Iveron Monastery on Mount Athos.

For generations, the Moscow icon was one of the capital’s principal objects of popular devotion. People from every walk of life came before it to pray, give thanks, and seek the intercession of the Mother of God. The chapel became a spiritual landmark of Moscow, and the icon’s reputation for miracles spread throughout Russia.

The history of this sacred image encompasses the spiritual relationship between Russia and the Holy Mountain, the religious life of imperial Moscow, the persecution of the Church under the Soviet regime, and the restoration of Orthodox life after the fall of Communism. It also includes a historical question that remains unresolved: what became of the celebrated icon that stood in the original Moscow chapel, and does that very image still survive?

Panagia Portaitissa icon at Iveron Monastery

The Athonite Portaitissa: The Gatekeeper of the Holy Mountain

The Commissioning of the Moscow Icon

The arrival of the Iveron Icon in Moscow took place during the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (1645–1676), when relations between the Russian Church and the monasteries of Mount Athos were especially important.

According to the traditional account, Archimandrite Pachomios, abbot of the Iveron Monastery, travelled to Moscow to collect alms for the Athonite monasteries. At that time, Nikon, the future Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, was abbot of the Novospassky Monastery. Having heard accounts of the miracles associated with the Athonite Portaitissa, Nikon asked Pachomios to arrange for a copy of the wonderworking icon to be painted and brought to Russia.

The commission was entrusted to the Athonite monk and iconographer Iamblichos Romanov, also known as Yamvlikh. The traditional account describes the icon’s creation as an undertaking accompanied by prayer, fasting, and ascetic discipline.

Before the work began, the monks gathered for an all-night service and sanctified water in the presence of holy relics. According to the account preserved in the Russian devotional tradition, this water was used in connection with both the original icon and the new wooden panel. It was also mixed with the pigments used by the iconographer. During the painting, Iamblichos maintained a strict fast, while the brotherhood supported his work through prayer and frequent divine services.

These details express the spiritual understanding within which the icon was produced. It was not regarded merely as an artistic reproduction, but as an image made with the prayers of the Athonite brotherhood and in reverent imitation of an icon already venerated as wonderworking.

The new icon was brought to Moscow in 1648. Its arrival established a lasting place for the Portaitissa in the religious life of the Russian capital.

October 13, 1648: The Icon Arrives in Moscow

On October 13, 1648, an Athonite copy of the celebrated Iveron Icon of the Mother of God arrived in Moscow. The icon had been painted by the Athonite monk Iamblichos Romanov at the request of Nikon, then abbot of the Novospassky Monastery and later Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. Archimandrite Pachomios, abbot of the Iveron Monastery on Mount Athos, had arranged for the icon to be produced and sent to Russia.

The image was solemnly received at the Resurrection Gates of Kitai-gorod, near the entrance to Red Square. Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, Patriarch Joseph, clergy, boyars, and a great multitude of people participated in the reception. The event established a lasting place for the Iveron Icon in the religious life of Moscow.

The feast commemorating this event is known as the Translation of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow. It is celebrated on October 13 according to the Julian calendar, corresponding to October 26 on the present-day Gregorian calendar.

The icon was initially associated with the Kremlin and subsequently with the Monastery of Saint Nicholas, known as Nikolai Bolshaya Golova. Its subsequent history has been described differently in historical accounts. According to one tradition, the original Athonite icon was eventually installed at Novodevichy Convent. Another account traces its movements through the Monastery of Saint Nicholas and associates it with the later Iveron Chapel at the Resurrection Gates. Modern ecclesiastical and art-historical sources distinguish the surviving 1648 icon at Novodevichy from the separate icon that became the celebrated shrine of the Moscow chapel.

The original Iveron icon that came to Moscow in 1648 from Mount Athos.

The 1648 Athonite Icon and the Icon of the Resurrection Gate

Although both images belonged to the tradition of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, the icon painted on Mount Athos in 1648 and the later wonderworking icon of the Resurrection Gate were distinct images. Their differences are important for understanding the history of the Moscow shrine and the subsequent development of the icon's representation in Russian Orthodox art.

The 1648 icon, painted by the Athonite monk Iamblichos Romanov, is preserved at Novodevichy Convent in Moscow. Measuring approximately 135 by 81 centimeters, it reproduces the Athonite Portaitissa while incorporating additional details. In the central composition, angels appear in the upper corners, and images of the twelve Apostles occupy oval medallions along the side borders. Greek inscriptions identify the image, and the wound on the right cheek of the Mother of God recalls the traditional account of the attack upon the original Athonite icon during the period of iconoclasm.

The icon that became the principal object of veneration at the Resurrection Gate was a separate copy. According to the Orthodox Encyclopedia, it was installed at the gate in 1669. Unlike the 1648 Athonite icon, it lacked the figures of angels in circles within the central field and the half-length figures of the Apostles along the borders. Its central image of the Mother of God and Christ nevertheless followed the same fundamental iconographic tradition.

The difference had consequences beyond the chapel itself. From the late seventeenth century onward, Russian copies of the Iveron Icon increasingly followed the appearance of the Moscow chapel image rather than the more elaborate Athonite icon of 1648. The absence of the angels and Apostles in many later Russian versions can therefore be understood in relation to the influence of the celebrated Resurrection Gate image.

The distinction also matters when considering the fate of the historic chapel icon. The icon preserved at Novodevichy is securely identified by its inscriptions as the work of Iamblichos Romanov, completed in 1648. The later chapel image, however, had its own history and was removed after the chapel's closure in 1929. Its precise identification among surviving icons remains disputed, with competing claims concerning the image now at the State Tretyakov Gallery and the one venerated at the Church of the Resurrection in Sokolniki.

Thus, the 1648 icon and the historic Resurrection Gate icon should not be treated as interchangeable. The former preserves the appearance of an early Athonite copy; the latter became one of Moscow's most celebrated sacred images and helped shape the familiar Russian tradition of the Iveron Icon.

The Iveron Chapel at the Resurrection Gates

The Resurrection Gates occupied a prominent position at the entrance to Red Square and served as a ceremonial gateway to the heart of Moscow. The association of the gates with the Iveron Icon eventually gave rise to the name Iveron Gates.

According to the historical account preserved in the Orthodox Encyclopedia, a separate copy of the Iveron Icon was installed at the Resurrection Gates on May 19, 1669. The image was initially placed in a niche or beneath a shelter and was subsequently housed in a chapel. The chapel developed into one of Moscow's most important places of popular devotion.

The icon became known throughout Russia for the miracles attributed to it. Muscovites stopped before it to pray before undertaking important journeys, conducting business, or facing personal difficulties. The image was also carried to the homes of the sick, where prayers of supplication were offered. When the wonderworking icon was taken outside the chapel, another copy could be left in its place.

This practice is significant because several Iveron icons existed in Moscow, and more than one image was associated with the chapel over time. The surviving evidence does not permit every stage of their history to be reconstructed with certainty. It is therefore important to distinguish the Athonite icon painted in 1648 from the separate image that became the principal object of veneration at the Resurrection Gates.

The Icon During the Napoleonic Invasion of 1812

During the French invasion of Russia in 1812, the wonderworking icon was removed from Moscow and taken to Vladimir for safekeeping. Following the expulsion of Napoleon's forces, it returned to the capital and was restored to its place at the Resurrection Gates.

The icon subsequently became associated with commemorations of Russia's deliverance from the French invasion. Processions and services of thanksgiving expressed the faithful's gratitude for the protection they believed had been granted through the intercession of the Mother of God.

Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the chapel remained one of Moscow's best-known religious landmarks. Its location near Red Square brought it into the daily life of the capital, where people from different social backgrounds came to venerate the Iveron Icon.

The Gate and Chapel in 1929

The Soviet Persecution and the Destruction of the Chapel

The Soviet persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church brought an end to the chapel's historic presence at the Resurrection Gates. The chapel was closed in 1929, and the gates were demolished in 1931.

The fate of the chapel's celebrated icon remains disputed. Two principal identifications have emerged. One identifies the original chapel image with an Iveron icon preserved at the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Sokolniki. The other identifies it with a large seventeenth-century Iveron icon now held by the State Tretyakov Gallery.

The Tretyakov Gallery identification is supported by art-historical analysis, physical features of the panel, and comparison with a photograph of the chapel icon taken in 1929. The Sokolniki identification is supported by local tradition and testimony recorded in a Moscow government historical-cultural expert assessment published in 2022.

These claims cannot both refer to the same physical icon. The available evidence is insufficient to establish an uncontested chain of custody for either image. The responsible conclusion is that the precise identity of the historic chapel icon remains unresolved, although both candidates have evidence in their favor.

The uncertainty concerns the identification of the surviving panel, not the historical importance of the original shrine. The Iveron Chapel was unquestionably one of Moscow's principal places of Orthodox devotion, and its wonderworking icon occupied a central place in the religious life of the city for centuries.

The Tretyakov Gallery Icon

A significant scholarly investigation has identified a large Iveron icon in the State Tretyakov Gallery as a possible, and strongly supported, candidate for the original Moscow chapel image.

The icon measures approximately 143.8 by 107 centimeters and entered the gallery’s collection in 1933 without a recorded provenance. It was attributed by the art historian and restorer Nina Mnyova to a master of the Moscow Armoury workshops in the last quarter of the seventeenth century.

Several physical details support the proposed identification. The lower part of the painted surface displays characteristic losses consistent with prolonged veneration and repeated contact by worshippers. A metal runner at the bottom of the panel appears to have been designed to allow the icon to be placed in the special carriage used to transport it to services outside the chapel. Traces of fittings associated with rings and the lifting of the image also correspond to descriptions of the historic shrine.

Further evidence comes from a photograph of the chapel icon taken in 1929, shortly before the destruction of the shrine. Researchers have argued that the photograph corresponds to the Tretyakov Gallery image.

The scholarly discussion of Russian Iveron icons published by the Church Scientific Center Orthodox Encyclopedia presents these details as evidence supporting the identification. The Tretyakov Gallery’s own catalogue, however, continues to state that the icon’s provenance has not been established. The distinction is important: the proposed identification has substantial art-historical support, but its documented chain of ownership remains incomplete.

The Icon at the Church of the Resurrection in Sokolniki

A second identification concerns the Iveron Icon venerated at the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Sokolniki, Moscow. This church remained open during the Soviet period and became a repository for sacred objects transferred from churches and chapels that were closed or destroyed. The icon in Sokolniki was traditionally identified as the image transferred from the Iveron Chapel after its destruction. Yet that same account acknowledges that it is uncertain whether the icon is the original or a substitute copy.

A Moscow government historical-cultural expert report published in 2022 takes a firm position in favor of the Sokolniki identification. It records testimony from longtime Orthodox residents of Moscow who remembered the icon in the original chapel, including a woman whose uncle had served as the chapel’s warden. The report rejects the claim that the image in Sokolniki was merely a substitute. This testimony is significant, although it does not resolve the conflict with the art-historical identification proposed for the Tretyakov Gallery icon.

What Became of the Original?

The evidence does not justify declaring the historic Moscow Iveron Icon destroyed or lost beyond recovery. On the contrary, there are substantial reasons to believe that it may have survived the destruction of the chapel.

The Tretyakov Gallery icon is supported by material evidence, an old photograph, and art-historical analysis. The Sokolniki icon is supported by an enduring local tradition and eyewitness testimony recorded in a government heritage assessment. Yet the two identifications cannot both refer to the same physical panel, and the surviving documentary evidence does not conclusively settle the matter.

The most responsible conclusion is therefore that the historic icon’s fate remains disputed. The Tretyakov Gallery’s image is a particularly strong candidate, but the claim should not be presented as an uncontested fact. Nor should the Sokolniki identification be dismissed without acknowledging the testimony supporting it.

What can be stated with confidence is that the old chapel’s celebrated image belongs to the history of Moscow’s religious heritage and that its precise identification remains an important question for further research.

The Restoration of the Iveron Chapel in 1994–1995

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Resurrection Gates and the Iveron Chapel were reconstructed as part of the revival of Orthodox life in Moscow. Patriarch Alexei II consecrated the foundation stone in November 1994, and the restored structures were completed the following year.

For the reconstructed chapel, a new copy of the Athonite Portaitissa was painted on Mount Athos by Hieromonk Luke of Xenophontos Monastery and brought to Moscow in 1995. The chapel opened on October 12/25, 1995, on the eve of the feast in the Russian Orthodox calendar.

The icon now venerated in the chapel is this twentieth-century Athonite copy, not the seventeenth-century image whose fate remains uncertain. Its installation renewed the historic connection between Moscow and the Holy Mountain, restoring the Portaitissa to her traditional place beside the Resurrection Gates.

The Iveron Icon Today

The restored Iveron Chapel remains a place of prayer near Red Square. Services of supplication and the reading of the Akathist Hymn are celebrated before the icon, continuing a tradition of devotion that has endured through invasion, political upheaval, and religious persecution.

For centuries, the Iveron Icon was associated with the entrance to Moscow, and the Mother of God was venerated as the city’s heavenly protectress. The chapel’s reconstruction has revived this symbolism in the heart of the Russian capital.

Yet one question remains unresolved: what became of the celebrated icon that once stood in the original chapel? The Tretyakov Gallery icon has substantial art-historical evidence in its favor, while the identification of the Sokolniki icon is supported by local tradition and testimony recorded in a 2022 government report. Neither identification can be regarded as conclusively established.

This uncertainty does not diminish the historical importance of the shrine or the devotion it inspired. Rather, it leaves an open question in the history of Moscow’s religious heritage: whether the original wonderworking image has survived, and if so, where it is now preserved.

The story of the Iveron Icon is ultimately one of continuity through upheaval. Although the identity of the historic chapel icon remains disputed, the Portaitissa is once again venerated beside the Resurrection Gates, and the spiritual bond between Moscow and the Holy Mountain endures.

May the Most Holy Theotokos, the Portaitissa of the Holy Mountain and the beloved Iveron Mother of God of Moscow, continue to intercede for the faithful and protect all who approach her with faith.

Sources and Further Reading

1. S. Snessoreva, The Earthly Life of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Description of Her Holy Wonderworking Icons, section on the Iveron Icon. Read the source.

2. Filaret of Chernigov, Lives of the Saints, with Accounts of the Feasts of the Lord and the Theotokos and of Her Manifested Wonderworking Icons, October 13. Read the source.

3. Nun Cornelia (Rees), “The Portaitissa of Moscow,” OrthoChristian. Read the article.

4. “Russian Copies of the Iveron Icon,” Church Scientific Center Orthodox Encyclopedia. Read the art-historical discussion.

5. “The Iveron Icon of the Mother of God,” Church Scientific Center Orthodox Encyclopedia. Read the art-historical discussion.

6. State Tretyakov Gallery, “The Mother of God of Iveron.” Read the gallery catalogue entry.

7. Moscow Government, Act of State Historical-Cultural Expert Examination, September 28, 2022, concerning the Church of the Resurrection in Sokolniki. Read the report.

8. Orthodox Church in America, “Translation of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow.” Read the account.

9. Moscow Patriarchate, official article on the Iveron Icon.

10. Moscow Metropolitanate, report on the Iveron Icon.

The Iveron Icon of Moscow: From Mount Athos to Novodevichy Convent

2026-10-13T17:40:39.391-04:00

Among the most venerated icons of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Russian Orthodox Church is the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God, a copy of the celebrated Athonite wonderworking image known as the Portaitissa, or “Gatekeeper.” Brought from Mount Athos to Moscow in 1648, this sacred image became one of the most treasured spiritual possessions of the Russian capital. For centuries, it was preserved at the Novodevichy Convent, where it remains a focus of Orthodox devotion.

The history of this icon reflects the close spiritual relationship between Russia and the Holy Mountain, the devotion of the Russian Church to the Mother of God, and the perseverance of a sacred image through the upheavals of revolution and religious persecution.

The Athonite Portaitissa: The Gatekeeper of the Holy Mountain

The history of the Moscow icon begins at the Iveron Monastery on Mount Athos, where the original Portaitissa has been venerated for centuries.

According to Orthodox tradition, the icon appeared miraculously during the period of Byzantine iconoclasm in the ninth century, when the veneration of sacred images was opposed by imperial authorities. A pious Christian woman living near Nicaea in Asia Minor possessed the icon and attempted to protect it from those who sought to destroy it. According to the traditional account, a soldier struck the image with a weapon, and blood flowed from the wound inflicted upon the face of the Mother of God.

Fearing that the icon would be destroyed, the woman carried it to the sea and placed it upon the waters, entrusting it to the protection of the Theotokos. The icon floated away, standing upright upon the waves.

Many years later, the monks of the Iveron Monastery on Mount Athos witnessed the icon upon the sea, supported by a pillar of fire rising toward heaven. Unable to approach it, they turned to prayer. According to the tradition preserved at the monastery, the Mother of God appeared to the monk Gabriel the Georgian and instructed him to receive the icon. In obedience to her command, Gabriel walked upon the waters and brought the holy image ashore.

The monks carried the icon to their monastery and placed it within the church. Yet the following morning, they found it above the monastery gate. After returning it to the church, they discovered it once again at the entrance. The Mother of God then revealed to Gabriel that she did not wish the monks to guard her icon; rather, she herself would be their guardian and protectress.

The monks therefore placed the icon near the monastery entrance, where it became known as the Portaitissa, meaning “Gatekeeper.” Its association with the protection of the monastery became an enduring part of its identity, and accounts of its miracles spread throughout the Orthodox world.

The Commissioning of the Moscow Icon

The arrival of the Iveron Icon in Russia took place during the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov (1645–1676). At that time, the future Patriarch Nikon was the abbot of the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow.

According to the traditional account, Archimandrite Pachomios, abbot of the Iveron Monastery, had travelled to Moscow to collect alms for the Athonite monasteries. Having heard of the miracles associated with the Portaitissa, Nikon asked Pachomios to arrange for a copy of the wonderworking icon to be painted and brought to Russia.

The commission was entrusted to the Athonite monk and iconographer Iamblichos Romanov, whose name also appears in Russian sources as Yamvlikh or Iamvlikh. The painting was undertaken in a spirit of prayer and ascetic discipline. According to the account preserved in the Russian ecclesiastical tradition, the iconographer fasted strictly during the work, while the brotherhood supported the undertaking through prayer, all-night vigils, and Divine Liturgies.

Before the painting began, the monks gathered for an all-night service and sanctified water in the presence of holy relics. According to the traditional account, this water was used in connection with both the original icon and the new wooden panel and was mixed with the pigments employed by the iconographer.

These details express the spiritual understanding within which the icon was produced. It was not regarded merely as an artistic reproduction, but as a sacred image created through the prayers of the Athonite brotherhood in reverent imitation of an icon already venerated as wonderworking.

The iconographer's own inscription, preserved on the finished image, confirms his name and the year of its completion: 1648.

The Arrival in Moscow on October 13, 1648

On October 13, 1648, the newly painted icon was brought from Mount Athos to Moscow by Athonite monks. Its arrival was marked by a solemn reception at the Resurrection Gates of Kitai-gorod, near Red Square.

According to the ecclesiastical account, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and Patriarch Joseph led the welcoming procession, accompanied by clergy, boyars, and a multitude of people. The arrival of the icon made a profound impression upon the religious life of Moscow, establishing a lasting connection between the Russian capital and the Athonite monastery from which the image had come.

According to the account published by the Moscow Metropolitanate, the icon was initially placed in the Dormition Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin and subsequently in the domestic church of Tsarina Maria Ilyinichna Miloslavskaya. In 1654, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich took the icon on his military campaign. Following the campaign, he presented it to the Smolensk Cathedral of the Novodevichy Convent, where it remained for centuries. Some historical accounts differ concerning the icon's earliest movements and its relationship to the later Iveron Chapel at the Resurrection Gates, but its long association with Novodevichy Convent and its return there in 2012 are documented.

A separate copy of the Iveron Icon was commissioned for the Iveron Valdai Monastery and brought there in 1656. This was a different icon from the 1648 image preserved at Novodevichy. The Valdai copy subsequently disappeared after the Revolution and has not been found.

The Inscriptions and Distinctive Features of the Icon

The 1648 icon possesses particular historical importance because the inscriptions preserved on it identify its painter, the person who financed its creation, and the date of its completion.

Above the lower border of the icon is a gold inscription in Greek:

“I, Iamblichos Romanov, who dwell in the cells of Iveron, painted this with care. In the year 7156 (1648).”

Beneath it, directly on the projecting edge of the icon's recessed panel, is another Greek inscription in cinnabar:

“Through the care and at the expense of Pachomios, the Archimandrite of Iveron. In the year 1648.”

These inscriptions provide direct evidence for the icon's origin on Mount Athos and its completion in 1648. They also preserve the names of the Athonite monk responsible for the painting and the archimandrite who supported the undertaking.

The icon bears the inscription “Iveron Gatekeeper” above the head of the Mother of God and the word “Merciful” near her right shoulder. The wound on her right cheek recalls the traditional account of the attack upon the original Athonite icon during the period of iconoclasm. Images of the twelve Apostles appear along the margins.

According to the Russian Orthodox Church's published account, the Moscow icon is identical to the ancient wonderworking image in its dimensions and depiction. Its inscriptions and distinctive iconographic features make it possible to identify it as the celebrated 1648 copy from Mount Athos.

The Icon at Novodevichy Convent

The 1648 Iveron Icon was preserved at the Novodevichy Convent for approximately three and a half centuries. During this period, it became one of the convent's most treasured sacred objects and an important focus of devotion to the Mother of God.

In May 1654, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich took the Iveron Icon with him on his military campaign against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The campaign continued into 1655 and included the capture of Smolensk. According to the account published by the Moscow Metropolitanate, following the campaign the tsar presented the icon to the Smolensk Cathedral of Novodevichy Convent, where it became one of the convent's most treasured sacred objects.

In 1913, during the celebrations marking the three-hundredth anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, the icon was brought to the Metropolitan's Chambers at the Chudov Monastery in the Moscow Kremlin for public veneration.

The Russian Revolution of 1917 brought a period of persecution and upheaval for the Orthodox Church. Novodevichy Convent was eventually closed, and its buildings and treasures came under state control. The Iveron Icon was transferred to the collection of the State Historical Museum, where it remained after the convent ceased to function as an active monastic community.

Although the icon was no longer permanently accessible to the faithful at its historic home, it was preserved. Between 2008 and 2010, it was temporarily brought into a church on several occasions so that people could venerate it. It subsequently left the convent again when the State Historical Museum's branch there was withdrawn.

The Return of the Icon in 2012

After the revival of monastic life at Novodevichy Convent in 1994, efforts were made to restore the convent's historic sacred objects to their proper ecclesiastical setting.

In April 2012, Metropolitan Juvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna formally requested that the icon be returned to the convent. On May 6, 2012, the ancient Iveron Icon was returned to Novodevichy Convent in a ceremony attended by President Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. Under the arrangement with the State Historical Museum, the icon was made available to the Moscow Diocese for liturgical use.

The return marked the restoration of a sacred image that had been separated from its monastic home during the Soviet period. The icon was placed in the convent's Church of the Dormition, where the faithful could once again approach it for prayer and veneration.

Its return was not the discovery of a lost image, but the restoration of an icon whose whereabouts had been known since it entered the museum collection. The distinction is important: the 1648 icon had survived the closure of the convent and the upheavals of the twentieth century, even though it had spent decades outside its historic ecclesiastical setting.

The Iveron Icon Today

The Iveron Icon brought from Mount Athos in 1648 remains one of the important historical and spiritual treasures of the Russian Orthodox Church. Preserved at Novodevichy Convent, it bears witness to the centuries-old relationship between the Russian Church and the monastic communities of the Holy Mountain.

Its inscriptions preserve the names of Iamblichos Romanov and Archimandrite Pachomios, linking the icon directly to the Athonite brotherhood that commissioned and produced it. Its journey from Mount Athos to Moscow, its long preservation at Novodevichy, its transfer to the State Historical Museum during the Soviet period, and its return in 2012 form a distinct historical narrative.

The icon should not be confused with the separate Iveron copy sent to Valdai in 1656, which disappeared after the Revolution, or with the later wonderworking Iveron icon associated with the chapel at Moscow's Resurrection Gates. Each has its own history.

The survival and return of the 1648 icon demonstrate the enduring importance attached to the preservation of sacred images in Orthodox life. For generations of Russian faithful, the Iveron Icon has been a source of consolation and a reminder of the Mother of God's protection and intercession.

May the Most Holy Theotokos, the Portaitissa of the Holy Mountain, continue to intercede for the faithful and protect all who approach her with faith.

Sources and Further Reading

The Moscow Patriarchate, “The Ancient Copy of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God Will Be Returned to the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow” (May 4, 2012). Read the announcement.
Moscow Metropolitanate, “The Iveron Icon of the Mother of God Returned to Novodevichy Convent” (May 6, 2012). Read the report.
Orthodox Church in America, “Translation of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow.” Read the account.
Novodevichy Convent, “The Iveron Icon of the Mother of God.” Read the monastery's account.
Iveron Valdai Monastery, “October 26: The Celebration of the Arrival of the Iveron Icon in Moscow in 1648.” Read the account.

Holy Martyrs Karpos, Papylos, Agathodoros and Agathonike in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

2026-10-13T15:04:15.996-04:00

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. These Holy Martyrs of Christ were physicians by profession and lived during the reign of Emperor Decius and under Valerius, proconsul of Asia. Saint Karpos was the Bishop of Thyateira, while Papylos was a deacon ordained by Saint Karpos. They were arrested by the governor because of their faith in Christ. When questioned, they confessed the name of their Master, Christ, before all. Because they refused to sacrifice to the idols, despite being compelled to do so, they were bound tightly to horses and made to walk in front of a chariot, thus being dragged toward Sardis. There they were hung on a wooden frame and scraped. At that time, Saint Agathodoros, who was a servant of the Saints and had been following them, was strengthened by an angel of God and also confessed Christ. As a result, he was hung up and beaten very severely with rods. Thus, through these blows, he surrendered his spirit to the Lord.

Saint Karpos, while hanging there, smiled. The governor then asked him:

“Why did you laugh, Karpos?”

“I saw the glory of my Lord and rejoiced,” he replied.

Papylos, meanwhile, was bound to four stakes and raised aloft, and they began throwing stones at him. Yet he remained unharmed by everything they did. After this, the Saints were led away together and dragged while lying on thorns, as they were beaten from above, with the intention of finally throwing them to the wild beasts as food. At that point, a lion, roaring and speaking with a human voice, prevented the persecutors from carrying out such cruelty. But they stopped up their ears and fastened the Martyrs to iron grates, then threw them into a blazing furnace. There, Agathonike, the sister of Saint Papylos, prayed and entered the furnace with them. However, a heavy rain fell and extinguished the fire, and the Saints remained unburned and unharmed. The persecutors then beheaded them with a sword.

2. Our Church never ceases, as it celebrates holy martyrs almost every day, to emphasize two principal points drawn from their martyrdom. First, their martyrdom is the path that leads to the crowning of the Saints. Christ Himself, who bestows the grace of martyrdom and strengthens the martyrs through every stage of their sufferings, also stands at the end, waiting with a crown in His hand to crown them as victors. Of course, this image is to be understood symbolically. The crown is the Lord Himself, His complete union with His own. Yet the Hymnographer draws this image chiefly from the Apostle Paul, who, toward the end of his life, noted that, after all he had endured and accomplished for the sake of the Gospel of Christ, “there is laid up for him the crown of righteousness, which the Lord God will award to him.”

The Hymnographer therefore presents the martyrdom of the Saints in precisely this way today: “Having completed the course of martyrdom, Karpos and Papylos, you received the crown of incorruption.” At the same time, however, this good Hymnographer reminds us that this path of martyrdom, which is crowned by the Lord, is not to be understood solely as a path of blood, but also as a path of ascetic struggle: “You gave wings to your minds toward the heavenly path, first through ascetic discipline and now through blood.”

This is precisely what the Fathers of our Church point out: ascetic discipline, as the struggle to keep the commandments of Christ, is in reality also a kind of martyrdom, the martyrdom of the conscience. And the person who undergoes this kind of martyrdom readily receives the grace of the other kind as well, martyrdom through the shedding of blood. Thus, no one is crowned by the Lord without passing through the course of martyrdom, whether through an ascetic life or through the shedding of blood. “Through many tribulations you must enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Second, through the martyrdom of the Saints on each occasion, our Church continually emphasizes that their martyrdom is Christian because, amid their torments, they preserved their love even for their enemies. The Hymnographer expresses this directly today: “Having taken up the saying of the Master, wise ones, you earnestly beseech Him on behalf of those who slay you.” You kept the word of the Lord, wise martyrs, that is, “pray for those who mistreat and persecute you,” and for this reason you pray to God on behalf of those who are killing you.

We have written this repeatedly: it is not martyrdom in and of itself that saves a martyr. Many have suffered terribly for many different reasons. Rather, it is martyrdom that possesses the grace of God, so that the martyr does not lose his love even for his enemies. Why? Because where there is love, there is God. When love is lost, even with a thousand justifications, His presence is lost as well.

Our ecclesiastical poet, however, offers many other points from which to contemplate the martyrdom of Saints Karpos and Papylos. For example, he cannot fail to mention Saint Karpos’s vision of God, nor the fact that God wished to give the persecutors an opportunity to repent by causing even the lions to speak with human voices. These are astonishing events, which show us very clearly that, in the face of the Saints’ martyrdoms, we find ourselves confronted with realities beyond the natural order, indeed, with the presence of the mystery of God.

Saint Karpos, then, was a beholder of God. His vision, in which he saw the glory of God at the very hour of his martyrdom, directly recalls Saint Stephen, the Holy Protomartyr and Archdeacon, whom the Hymnographer does not name explicitly. Just as Saint Stephen “saw the heavens opened and Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of the Father,” so too did Saint Karpos. This was a special blessing from God to the Martyr, intended both to strengthen him and to support us, the faithful. Our God is always present in whatever we endure. Even amid our sufferings, He enables us to smile. We saw this in Saint Karpos.

On the other hand, even wild beasts acquire a voice in order to serve God’s plan. Only “human beings” fail to see and understand. This episode also recalls how God instructed His prophet Balaam by causing a donkey to speak. On that occasion, however, the prophet obeyed. Sadly, in the martyrdom of the Saints, the “demonism” was so great that, although the persecutors heard the lions speaking, they simply stopped up their ears.

How exceedingly mild the prophet’s words sound when measured against the human condition: “Man was compared with the senseless beasts and became like them.” Human beings often become far worse than even the fiercest animals. Animals lack reason and will not be called to account for what they do; they act by instinct. But what of the human being?

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: October 13

2026-10-13T09:06:30.064-04:00

The Month of October

Day 13

44. In Time of Illness, One Should Seek Healing First from God, Not from a Physician

(The Sufferings of the Holy Martyrs Karpos and Papylos)

When illness befalls one of us, should we call upon a physician to deliver us from it, or not? We should, because the word of God also advises us to do so. “Honor the physician with the honor due to him, according to your need of him” (Sirach 38:1), it says; and elsewhere: “And give the physician his place” (Sirach 38:12).

Now for another question: should we call upon a physician as soon as illness strikes, or not? No. First of all, we must turn to God and beseech Him to heal us of our illness, and only then call upon a physician. Why? Because our life and death are in the hands of God. Consequently, only God can heal us, while the physician is merely an instrument in His hands. If God does not wish to have mercy on us, the physician will be unable to bring us any relief from our illness. Perhaps you would like proof of this? Very well. We shall gladly provide it.

Once, the wicked persecutor of Christians, Valerius, asked the martyr Papylos, “What is your profession?” Papylos replied, “I am a physician. But know this: I do not heal with herbs that grow upon the earth, but with medicines bestowed from above by God. These medicines not only heal the body but also cure the diseases of the soul.”

Then Valerius said, “There can be no genuine healing without the study of the medical science established by the learned men Galen and Hippocrates.”

Papylos replied, “Galen and Hippocrates can heal someone only when Christ, out of His ineffable mercy, grants healing to the sick person. Otherwise, all their science comes to nothing, and no one derives any benefit from it. But perhaps you would like to test the truth of my words in practice? Very well. Here, beside you, sits a man who cannot see with one eye. Let your physicians restore his sight. If they succeed, then I shall agree with you in everything and say not another word.”

Valerius said, “But is it even possible for anyone to heal him?”

Papylos replied, “He who calls upon Christ, the Healer of all diseases, can heal not only this man but all who are sick.”

“Well then,” said Valerius, “if that is so, make this man see now.”

Papylos replied, “I shall not be the first to do so. Let your physicians first test their power upon the man who has lost an eye, and after them I shall manifest the power of my Christ.”

The physicians assembled, prayed to their gods, offered sacrifices, and busied themselves, shouting throughout the entire day. Meanwhile, the sick man’s eye remained unhealed. “And it became,” says the account, “a spectacle worthy of laughter.”

When it was Papylos’s turn to approach the sick man, he raised his eyes to heaven, touched the blind eye with his hand, and made the sign of the Cross over it. Immediately, the eye opened, and the sick man was healed. At that moment, the man’s spiritual eye was opened as well as his bodily eye. As though awakened from sleep, he recognized the impotence of the vain gods, recognized the power of the true God, and became a Christian.

Now consider: did the science of Galen and Hippocrates help the man with the diseased eye? Did those people help him when God was not with them? Whatever they did, however frantically they busied themselves, however loudly they shouted, nothing came of it all. But as soon as Papylos called upon the merciful Lord, Valerius’s adviser immediately recovered his sight.

Therefore, brethren, when illness befalls you, turn first to God, not to a physician. Beseech the Lord with tears to heal you; repent of your sins; unite yourselves to the Lord through Communion in His most pure Mysteries; and, if you are able, give alms. Only then, having surrendered yourselves wholly to the good and all-perfect will of God, send for a physician.

Then, most likely, your physician will also be of help. And if he is not, at least this great consolation will remain for you: that you are dying at peace with God and with your own conscience. Amen.

Questions on Homily 44:

1. According to the holy martyr Papylos, what diseases does he heal with medicines bestowed from above by God?

2. Under what condition, according to Papylos, can Galen and Hippocrates heal someone?

3. Who, according to Papylos, can heal all who are sick?

4. After what did the eye of the sick man whom Papylos approached open?

5. What did the man healed by Papylos recognize, and what did he become?

Encomium to our Venerable and God-bearing Father Symeon the New Theologian (St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite) - 1 of 5

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In 1784, two years after the publication of the Philokalia, Saint Makarios of Corinth returned to Mount Athos and encouraged Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite to undertake the preparation of an edition of the writings of Saint Symeon the New Theologian (949–1022). With the assistance of Dionysios Zagoraios, who translated the texts into modern Greek, Nikodemos gathered the scattered manuscripts and published them together in 1790. He also composed a Service of Praise and an Encomium in honor of Saint Symeon, intended to be read on his feast day, October 12. In this Encomium, Saint Nikodemos praises Saint Symeon’s holiness, theological wisdom, and spiritual greatness, presenting him as a model of the life in Christ. The following is an English translation of this Encomium, presented here for the first time.

Encomium to our Venerable and God-bearing Father Symeon the New Theologian

By St. Nikodemos the Hagiorite

1. Today a common joy has dawned upon the whole world; today a mysterious gladness has shone forth upon the inhabited earth; today a spiritual rejoicing has seized the entire Church of Christ. For what reason? And why? Because of the joyous feast and splendid celebration of Saint Symeon the New Theologian.

For heaven above rejoices, and the entire triumphant Church of the Firstborn celebrates with all the orders of the Angels, with the assemblies of the Patriarchs and Forefathers, with the company of the Prophets, the choirs of the Apostles, the multitudes of the Martyrs, the throngs of Hierarchs and Theologians, the choirs of the Venerables, and the hosts of all the Righteous and Saints throughout the ages who are enrolled in heaven. For in their midst it possesses and enjoys the blessed soul and most divine spirit of the sacred Symeon, wholly radiant and full of light.

2. Likewise, the earth below rejoices, and the entire Orthodox Church still waging its struggle on earth celebrates with all the ranks of Patriarchs, Chief Hierarchs, Priests, monastics, Kings, senators, rulers, and all the peoples. For it possesses within itself, as treasures of great value, as precious jewels of stones, pearls, and gold, and as spiritual wealth, the divinely inspired, brilliantly luminous, and honey-flowing writings of Symeon, in which it delights and which it enjoys. Through this common joy of heaven and earth, the life-originating and All-Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the God of all, is glorified by those in heaven and those on earth. He bestowed grace upon His own Saint Symeon, glorified him, and magnified him, both while he was on earth, with so many supernatural and superhuman gifts, and after his departure to heaven, with so many ineffable glories of blessedness.

3. Therefore, let us also rejoice spiritually today, brethren. Let us clap our hands with hymns and spiritual songs, and let us praise the most august feast and joyous commemoration of our God-bearing Father Symeon. For he is not only righteous, and the commemoration of the righteous ought to be made with encomia, as Solomon said, “The memory of the righteous is accompanied by praises” (Proverbs 10:7), but he is also wise and a great theologian. The wise and theologians, likewise, ought to be praised, according to that same Solomon who says, “The mouth of the discerning man is praised by men” (Proverbs 12:8).

4. Let us also rejoice together with the Church of the Firstborn above, triumphant in heaven, sharing in its joy over the inexpressible glory and the inconceivable and ineffable blessings of blessedness, “which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man,” according to Paul (1 Corinthians 2:9). These are the blessings enjoyed today by the most God-like and light-formed soul of the sacred Symeon, which rejoices and is glad together with all the immaterial spirits of the blessed around the throne of the three-sunned Divinity.

5. Let us also rejoice together with the Orthodox Church below, which is still waging its struggle on earth, sharing in its joy over the spiritual treasures of the Saint’s writings, which it has enjoyed. Rather, brethren, let us ourselves also delight in these spiritual treasures and enjoy them by studying the words of the divine Symeon day and night, so that we may become like that scribe whom the Lord mentions in the Gospel, saying, “Therefore every scribe who has been instructed in the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old” (Matthew 13:52). By “new” He means the teachings of the New Testament, and by “old,” those of the Old Testament. These are found abundantly in the Saint’s writings and enrich those who read them.

Above all, let us gather beautiful flowers and fragrant roses from the meadows of the divine Scriptures and the writings of the sacred Fathers, that is, theological teachings and spiritual sayings. Having woven from them a very small crown, let us crown with it the theological summit of our sacred Father Symeon and dutifully praise his venerable magnificence, demonstrating that he passed through all the degrees and ranks of those who are being saved and attained the perfection possible for human beings.

6. All those who are being saved can be divided into six degrees and ranks.

The first degree is reached when someone keeps certain divine commandments out of fear of God and punishment, like a slave.

The second is reached when someone keeps the commandments of the Master for the reward of the Kingdom of Heaven, like a hired servant.

The third is reached when someone keeps certain commandments of the Lord solely out of love for God, like a friend.

The fourth degree, which is higher, is reached when someone attains the status of a son of God by grace, to whom the Kingdom of God is given as an inheritance, according to that apostolic saying, “And if a son, then an heir of God” (Galatians 4:7).

The fifth degree, which is higher still, is reached when someone is deemed worthy to become a brother of Christ. By virtue of this brotherhood, he also becomes a co-heir with Christ of the Kingdom of God, according to the Apostle’s words, “Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17).

The sixth degree, the highest of all, is reached when someone is deemed worthy to become a mother of Christ, according to the words of Christ Himself, who said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven is My brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:49–50).

Now, if we take a brief look at the life and writings of Saint Symeon, whose feast we celebrate today, we see that he passed through all these six degrees of those who are being saved and attained perfection.

7. FIRST, we see that this divine Father attained the degree and rank of slaves and that he kept all the commandments out of fear of the Lord. He attained the rank of slaves for two reasons.

a) It is characteristic of a slave of the Lord not to become angry or quarrel with others, as Paul says, “A slave of the Lord must not quarrel” (2 Timothy 2:24). Saint Symeon observed this. For we read in his Life that when those thirty unruly monks, having torn their monastic habits like Annas and Caiaphas, rushed against him with savage cries, this true slave of Christ did not become angry with them or engage in a quarrel. Instead, he displayed such great meekness that he looked upon those inhuman and beast-like men with a cheerful and most gracious countenance, smiling at them.

What is even more astonishing is that, although those hard-hearted and patricidal men broke the locks, fled outside the monastery, and scattered here and there, the Saint, as a meek slave and imitator of Jesus, did not rest until, through words and deeds, he softened their hard hearts and, like a true shepherd, brought the lost sheep back to their spiritual fold.

b) Whoever is a true slave of Christ does not show partiality toward persons or seek the approval of people. Rather, he speaks the truth impartially, with the sole aim of pleasing the Master, God. For this is characteristic of God’s slaves, as Paul confirms when he says, “If I were still pleasing men, I would not be a slave of Christ” (Galatians 1:10).

8. The Saint’s sacred Life shows us that Saint Symeon was impartial in precisely this way. Although that envious Stephen of Nicomedia and an entire synod of Chief Hierarchs opposed him, preventing him from celebrating his God-bearing Father Symeon the Devout as a saint, the Saint did not show regard for human persons or speak to please them. Far from it! He vigorously defended his position without regard for persons, as though standing before God.

He demonstrated not only through words that it was proper and just to honor and celebrate that God-bearing and Spirit-bearing elder of his, but also confirmed this through deeds. He celebrated his feast, venerated his holy icon, and honored him as a saint in truth with hymns and encomia in song.

That Saint Symeon kept the divine commandments and became wise out of fear of the Lord is also evident. For the fear of the Lord has the natural characteristic of hating and turning away from injustice, pride, insults, and every other evil and transgression of the divine commandments, as Solomon confirms: “The fear of the Lord hates injustice, insult, pride, and the ways of the wicked” (Proverbs 8:13).

9. Who, then, can deny that the sacred Symeon also had the fear of God deeply rooted in his heart and, for this reason, hated every passion, every sin, and every transgression of the divine commandments? This fear persuaded him to turn away from the love of pleasure, the love of glory, and the love of wealth. This fear made him abhor the flesh, the world, and the ruler of the world. This fear drove from his soul every cowardly fear arising from the passions and emboldened him to go alone, sit through the entire night among the tombs of the dead, and strive to impress deeply upon his imagination the remembrance of death, the remembrance of judgment, and the remembrance of punishment, and to see every beautiful and handsome face as though it were dead and ugly.

This fear persuaded the divine Symeon to go and shut himself inside that small, tomb-like cell mentioned in his Life,[1] where he would remain quiet, separating his mind from the distractions and wandering thoughts of the world, and contemplating the future restoration of all things. For he had heard Saint Isaac say, “The fear of God is the beginning of virtue. It is said to be the offspring of faith, and it is sown in the heart when the mind withdraws from the distractions of the world, gathering its thoughts, which wander because of distraction, through meditation on the future restoration.”[2]

This fear urged him to keep all the commandments of the Lord and, through observance of the commandments, to cleanse his flesh of the passions. For he had heard Gregory the Theologian say, “Where there is fear, there is observance of the commandments; and where there is observance of the commandments, there is purification of the flesh, which removes the cloud that lies before the soul and prevents it from seeing the divine ray clearly.”[3]

10. To put it briefly, this fear strengthened him to endure every affliction, to remove from his soul the passion of insensibility, and to feel true life in his heart. For all these things are the result of divine fear, according to Saint Isaac, who says, “One must endure affliction for the sake of the fear of God,” and, “The fear of God is the beginning of a man’s true life.”[4]

Through all these things, the fear of God enabled this man of blessed memory to attain the blessedness of the one who fears the Lord, as David said: “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord; he will greatly delight in His commandments” (Psalm 111:1).

Since the fear of God also naturally becomes the beginning of divine wisdom and bestows instruction and wisdom upon the God-fearing person, as David confirms the former when he says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 110:10), and David’s son Solomon confirms the latter when he says, “The fear of the Lord is instruction and wisdom” (Proverbs 15:33), who can doubt that the fear of God brought these good things also to our Venerable Father Symeon?

Therefore, if you read the Life of Symeon,[5] and see how he was prudent and discerning from childhood and hated every disorder, how he progressed in his studies, and how, without having studied philosophy and theology, he nevertheless philosophized and theologized, know that the fear of God was the beginning, support, and foundation of all the divine wisdom of this great Father.

Notes:

1. Niketas Stethatos, Life and Conduct of Our Father among the Saints, Symeon, Priest and Abbot of the Monastery of Saint Mamas of Xerokerkos, edited by P. Irénée Hausherr, S.J., in Orientalia Christiana XII, 45 (1928), p. 11. (Hereafter, references to the Saint’s Life will refer to the above edition.)

2. Our Venerable Father Isaac the Syrian, Discourse I, “On Renunciation and the Monastic Life.”

3. Gregory the Theologian, Oration on the Holy Lights, 8, Migne, Patrologia Graeca 36, 344A.

4. Discourse I, pp. 2–3.

5. Life, 2, 10–20.

PART TWO

Holy Martyrs Probos, Tarachos and Andronikos in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

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By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. These Saints lived when Diocletian was consul in Rome and Flavian was governor. Tarachos was advanced in age, Roman by birth, and a soldier by profession. Probos was from Side in Pamphylia, while Andronikos was from the city of Ephesus in Ionia. During the persecutions that had broken out against the Christians at that time, all three were arrested.

They crushed Tarachos’s jaws and neck with stones, burned his hands with fire, and suspended him on a wooden frame amid suffocating smoke. Next, they poured vinegar into his nostrils and seared his breasts with red-hot spits. They cut off his ears with a razor, flayed his head, and threw him to the beasts. Finally, after cutting him into pieces with a knife, he offered his soul to God.

The valiant Probos was first beaten with rawhide thongs. Then they burned his feet with red-hot irons and suspended him on a wooden frame. There they seared his back and sides with red-hot spits, and pierced his shins with other spits. Finally, after cutting him to pieces with knives as well, he reached his blessed end.

The divine Andronikos was suspended on a wooden frame, his shins slashed with sharp irons, and his sides pierced through. Then the executioners rubbed salt into his wounds, cut off his tongue and lips, and, after cutting nearly his entire body to pieces with knives, he too surrendered his spirit into the hands of God.

2. We think that if a film were made depicting the martyrdom of these three holy martyrs, admission would be prohibited to minors. Even reading about the tortures they endured shocks every human soul that retains even the slightest trace of humanity and sensitivity, as we say. The terrible executioners of Diocletian, the most ruthless of all the emperors who persecuted Christians, must have exhausted their imaginations in devising all these punishments for the holy martyrs. What did they not use in their efforts to break the martyrs’ resolve and punish their “insolence”? They refused to obey the emperor’s orders and would not acknowledge him as a “god.”

All this revealed, on the one hand, the demonic nature of the persecutors. Only instruments of the devil, guided by him, could do such things. On the other hand, it revealed the grace-filled strength possessed by the martyrs of Christ. Only someone who possesses His grace can endure such terrible and numerous tortures and yet continue, as we shall never tire of emphasizing, to love even his enemies! As the Apostle Paul bears witness: “For unto us it is given not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake” (Philippians 1:29).

This grace of Christ was active in the hearts and bodies of the holy martyrs. It gave them the strength to endure their sufferings without diminishing their love. This is the “secret” of the life of every Christian martyr, and indeed of every Christian. No one can be a Christian without living by this grace, whether in peaceful times or in an age of persecution. We mean that if someone claims to be a Christian but does not live by the grace of love for God and for his fellow human being, even his enemy, then he is not a Christian. He belongs to those commonly described as “Christians on paper.”

It should be self-evident by now that it is not the name or title that makes someone a Christian, but the way one actually lives. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of God, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven,” the Lord said (Matthew 7:21). A Christian is one whose heart burns with the love of Christ. His life is devoted to Him, and from Him he receives the strength to overcome every adversity. How did the Apostle Paul put it? “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or danger, or the sword? … Nothing shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:35, 39).

This is what the Hymnographer of the three holy martyrs emphasizes today. Their greatness, their heroism, and their unconquerable resolve can be explained only by their ardent love for Christ:

“Burning with longing for Christ, O glorious victorious martyrs, you proved unconquerable. Neither the sword, nor the furnace, nor the fury of tyrants, nor the torments of punishment, nor death could frighten you.”

The truth that there can be no Christian life without the love of Christ at work in the Christian’s heart and body also provides the criterion for our own age. What has always been true remains true today, because the word of God is eternal. Our faith does not change with the passage of time or with external changes in society. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

What does this mean? Amid life’s difficulties, its frequent tragedies, and one setback after another, a Christian cannot find an excuse to deny Christ, that is, to deny love for God and for his fellow human being. There is no justification, no pretext, for grumbling against God, blaspheming Him, or blaspheming His image, which is every human being. Nor can we be ready to cast into the fire anyone who perhaps creates a problem for our comfortable way of life.

We emphasize this: love for our enemies and persecutors is the defining characteristic of our Christian life. Perseverance in this love is the only thing that attunes us to our God. Just as we cannot tune in to a television or radio station without tuning to the frequency on which it broadcasts, so we cannot tune in to God, to experience Him in our very being, unless we attune ourselves to where He broadcasts. And our God continually and ceaselessly broadcasts love, for “God is love” (1 John 4:8).

If we do not understand this, then at the very least we should have the realism to acknowledge that we are not living as Christians. But in that case, “To whom shall we go?” Who else has “the words of eternal life” (John 6:68)?

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: October 12

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"The Flight of the French from Moscow on October 12, 1812" (originally illustrated by artist D. Scotti)

The Month of October

Day 12

43. Homily on the Occasion of the Cross Procession Around the Kremlin

(Commemorating the Expulsion of the French from Moscow, October 12)*

Today, a cross procession is held in Moscow around the Kremlin in memory of the French abandonment of Moscow in 1812. On this ever-memorable day, as we recall both the disastrous and the glorious period in the history of our homeland, the following words of Chrysostom, the Ecumenical Teacher, naturally come to mind:

“Let us not be discontented, but rejoice in our sorrows, for they are medicines beneficial to our wounds. Although bitter on the one hand, they are sweet on the other. Let us be grateful to God even for our afflictions, for He does not send them without reason, but accomplishes through them what is beneficial for our souls.” (Prologue, August 7)

These words naturally come to mind today because we believe that nothing could better demonstrate their truth than the events of that ever-memorable year of 1812, which we commemorate today. Indeed, consider first the beginning of the Patriotic War. We surrendered Smolensk to the enemy, and then, following the Battle of Borodino, we abandoned Moscow itself.

Consider what could seemingly have been more terrible than our situation at that time. It appeared that such a calamity had never before befallen any nation, and even today its memory invariably evokes a painful sense of unbearable shame and grief. What, then, must it have been like at the time? If we consider only the inhabitants of Moscow, we can say with certainty that most of them must have thought that their final hour had come, if not the last day of the world itself.

Indeed, what could have been more sorrowful than their fate? “Flee!” they were shouting from every direction. “Flee! Save yourselves, whoever can! The enemy is at your walls, and he will spare no one!” And so everything fell into confusion: people collided with one another, cried out, and fled. Meanwhile, Moscow itself, with its churches of God, went up in flames, as did the villages and hamlets surrounding it. Yes, the situation was terrible.

But what, nevertheless, came of it? “First,” says Alexander the Blessed, “with the shedding of Russian blood, the spirit of courage increased in Russia; with the burning of her cities, love for the fatherland was kindled; with the destruction and desecration of the churches of God, faith was strengthened within her, and an irreconcilable desire for vengeance arose. The army, the dignitaries, the nobility, the clergy, the merchants, and the people—in a word, all ranks and classes of the state—without sparing either their property or their lives, became one soul, a soul both courageous and devout, burning as much with love for the fatherland as with love for God.” (Manifesto)

Thus, this terrible situation strengthened above all four virtues in our ancestors: faith in God, love for God, love for the fatherland, and courage. With these virtues, no force could frighten us, and no obstacle seemed insurmountable. And so we defeated our enemies.

Their defeat was the second outcome of our terrible situation. Indeed, “one part of our enemies, having drenched the earth with blood, fell and covered the fields of Moscow, Kaluga, Smolensk, Belarus, and Lithuania. Another part was captured in numerous battles, together with many of their commanders and generals. The remainder, fleeing in haste and overtaken by frost and hunger, littered the road from Moscow to the borders of Russia with their bodies” (Manifesto). Their leader himself fled from us in disgrace.

Could anyone have imagined that this would ever happen? Could anyone have imagined it when even our soldiers, leaving Moscow, wept and sobbed like little children? And yet it happened.

Finally, something else emerged from our terrible situation: our shame was transformed into great glory. Having defeated our enemies, we entered their lands, our sovereign was honored above all the kings of the earth, and the nations oppressed by the proud conqueror were liberated by us.

Through us, the dawn of peace also shone over Europe. Kingdoms were restored, and the earth was renewed as though after a flood. At the same time, our homeland arose with the joyful conviction that God had chosen it as an instrument of His Providence and, through it, as an eloquent speaker of that great age expressed it, “brought the thunder of battles to an end, halted the streams of blood, restored their thrones to kings, freedom to nations, and established peace and tranquility everywhere.” (From Archbishop Augustine’s sermon on the peace with France.)

And so, where there had been weeping in the evening, joy reigned by morning. In the renewed Russian capital, within the sacred, columned walls of its ancient churches, the triumphant proclamation resounded: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace!”

Now, brethren, we believe you will agree with us that the truth of the words of Chrysostom quoted above is best demonstrated by the events of that ever-memorable year of 1812. That year showed with unmistakable clarity that sorrow truly is a medicine beneficial to our wounds, and that the Lord sends us afflictions not without reason, but accomplishes through them what is beneficial for our souls.

If this is so, then in our own lives, when we encounter sorrow and affliction, let us hold firmly to the words of the Ecumenical Teacher and remain steadfast in adversity, like a rock. Finally, let us never forget that, in God’s providence, everything is ordered with wisdom, including hardships and sorrows, and that everything serves our salvation and our blessedness. Amen.

Questions for Discussion 43:

1. According to Chrysostom, what should we do when we experience sorrow?

2. According to Chrysostom, what are sorrows?

3. What does God accomplish through afflictions, which He sends us not without reason?

4. According to Alexander the Blessed, what was strengthened through the destruction of the churches of God?

5. What four virtues were strengthened by Russia’s terrible situation during the war against the French in 1812?

Source: The Cheti-Minei: Homilies for Every Day of the Year (Book 1: September, October, November) by Archpriest Viktor Guryev. Publication of the Russian Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos, 1896. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Translator's Note:

* October 12 is historically celebrated in Russia as a major date commemorating the victory over Napoleon’s forces, culminating in the consecration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.

While Napoleon’s Grande Armée did not officially begin its physical evacuation from the city until October 7/19, 1812, October 12/24, 1839 was the day the iconic cathedral was fundamentally founded and its construction blessed to immortalize the expulsion of the French from Russian soil.

The historical timeline of the expulsion and its commemoration includes the following key milestones:

• September 2/14, 1812: Napoleon enters Moscow. Instead of finding a city ready to negotiate peace, the French find it abandoned, emptied of supplies, and intentionally set ablaze by Russian patriots.

• October 6/18, 1812: The Russian army defeats French Marshal Murat at the Battle of Tarutino, signaling a major shift in the initiative.

• October 7/19, 1812: Unable to secure a peace treaty and facing a harsh winter without supplies, Napoleon formally orders the retreat and the evacuation of Moscow begins.

• October 12/24, 1812: The brutal Battle of Maloyaroslavets forces Napoleon's army to abandon their planned southern retreat route and forces them back onto a completely devastated path out of the country.

Following the final expulsion of the French from Russia, Tsar Alexander I signed a manifesto declaring his intention to build a magnificent cathedral to thank Divine Providence and honor the sacrifices of the Russian people. On October 12, 1839, the ceremonial laying of the cornerstone and blessing of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior took place in Moscow, securing October 12 as a foundational date of national remembrance for the Patriotic War of 1812.

Homily on the Fourth Sunday of Luke: On the Good Sower (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

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Homily on the Fourth Sunday of Luke: On the Good Sower

By Archimandrite George Kapsanis,
Former Abbot of the Sacred Monastery of Gregoriou, Mount Athos

(Delivered in 2001)

Today’s parable is our Lord’s most beautiful parable concerning the Good Sower, who sows the seed, whose fruitfulness or ultimate loss depends on the soil on which it falls. This parable prompts us to reflect on our responsibility concerning what kind of soil we ourselves are.

That is, whether we offer ourselves to God as good soil, into which His word can fall and bear fruit “thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold,” or whether, on the contrary, because of our passions, our indifference, and the cares of this life, the word of God falls and is heard by us but bears no fruit. It is lost.

Once again, we see that our salvation is the result of synergy. God works our salvation, but we too must cooperate. God sows His word, but we must be ready to hear the word of God and bear fruit, as the holy Evangelist characteristically says, “with patience.”

This word, “with patience,” is of great importance, because it is not easy for someone to make the word of God bear fruit within him. It requires patience and struggle. It requires a daily struggle. And when a person loves God, he wants to undertake this struggle. He wants to offer himself to God; he wants to be fertile soil in which the word of God will fall and bear fruit.

Let us not forget this. God wills it, but He also awaits our response. He awaits our own “I will.” God acts, but He also awaits our cooperation.

Herein lies the great responsibility of us all. We must not forget this. We heard it today, but let us not forget it. Let us ask God to help us remember it every day: whether we receive the word of God and whether we make it bear fruit.

On this occasion, I would also like to say that we must study the word of God, so that we may know what this word of God is. Certainly, when we attend church, the sermon is heard in the churches we visit, but that is not enough. Saint John Chrysostom, whose most beautiful homily we read today, says elsewhere that Christians must study the Scriptures and that “it is impossible to be saved without reading the Scriptures.”

The Holy Fathers whom we celebrate today, those of the Holy Seventh Ecumenical Synod, are the ones who, through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, established that Orthodox Christians should venerate icons, not as God—for worship belongs to God alone—but with honor. The honor “passes to the prototype.” We do not honor the wood, but the one depicted upon it, namely Christ, the Panagia, and the Saints.

Thus, the Holy Fathers established the veneration of icons, because the Gospel is depicted in these icons. Indeed, the Greek word zographos (“painter”) derives from the expression zoēn graphō, meaning “I write life.” The true Life is Christ. Those who depict Christ and the Saints depict the true Life, and for this reason they should also be called zographoi.

We also have icons, which are themselves a Gospel depicted in images. Let us therefore look upon the icons and once again raise our minds to heavenly and spiritual things.

But once again, you see what the devil has managed to accomplish even today. He has filled the world with sinful images. People look at these instead of looking at the icons of the Saints. The wretched things shown on television and through other mass media, which are means of darkening people’s minds, have filled our eyes, our very being, and our souls with images that are anything but worthy of human dignity. And so people forget the icons of Christ and the Saints.

Look, now we are inside the refectory. This refectory is adorned with sacred iconography. As we look here at all the Saints depicted in the refectory, we see those who became imitators of Christ. Every Saint we see is another Christ, an imitator of Christ. And we too say to ourselves: therefore, the purpose of our life is for us also to become Christs, that is, to become gods by grace. In this way, our life is gradually elevated. Even if we are still subject to the passions and are sinners, little by little we come to see that we must overcome our sins and passions and become like Christ, who is the Author and Perfecter of our faith.

These, then, beloved brothers, are the things I wished to share. Both you and we—all of us—need the word of God. May the word of God fall into our hearts. May our hearts be fertile, and may the word of God bear spiritual fruit. Always to the glory of God. Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Luke (St. Cleopa of Sihastria)

2026-10-11T12:58:11.909-04:00

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Luke,
or Twenty-First Sunday After Pentecost

On the Sowers of the Word of God

“The sower went out to sow his seed” (Luke 8:5).

By St. Cleopa of Sihastria

Beloved faithful,

The Sower in today’s Gospel parable is none other than our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ Himself. He came forth from the bosom of the Father, as He Himself said: “I came forth from God” (John 17:8), and came to earth to sow the seed of His word. The field in which He sowed the seed of the Holy Gospel is this world, which He created, as He said in another parable: “The field is the world” (Matthew 13:38).

From this parable we see that only one-quarter of the field, that is, of the world, was good soil. Having received the seed of the word of God, this soil grew and yielded a hundredfold (Matthew 13:23). The other three parts of the field were a road trampled by people (Matthew 13:4), rocky ground, and soil overgrown with thorns (Matthew 13:22). When the good seed of the word fell upon them, it bore no fruit but was lost.

Although “God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4), who is to blame that only one-quarter of the world is represented by good soil, receiving the seed of the word of life and bearing fruit a hundredfold? The entire blame for this lack of fruitfulness lies not with God, but with the human being who, through the disordered state of his soul, prevents the seed of the divine word from growing and bearing fruit. We must know that God created the human being with free will. He does not force open the doors of human hearts; He merely knocks at their doors, as it is written: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).

God is perfectly righteous and perfectly holy, and He does not wish to save anyone by force, but willingly. From the moment of creation, He crowned the human being with free will, as Holy Scripture testifies: “For You, O Lord, have crowned us with the shield of Your good will” (Psalm 5:12). Likewise, the Holy Apostle Paul says that God left the human being in the hands of his own counsel (Ephesians 1:11), that is, free to choose. And if a person freely performs good works, then he is loved by God, as it is written: “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Otherwise, there would be neither eternal reward nor eternal punishment for sins if God compelled the human will toward good, or if He allowed the devil to tempt a person beyond his strength. The Holy Apostle Paul has shown us this truth, saying: “God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, so that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Therefore, my brethren, all the blame for the failure of the word of God to bear fruit in the human heart lies with the person who, of his own free will and because of his unbelief, turns his heart into a road trampled by people, rocky ground, or soil overgrown with thorns. Of his own free will, a person chooses life or death, hell or Paradise. The word of God is represented by seed because, just as seed is cast into the earth in order to bear fruit, so the word of God is sown in human hearts so that it may bear fruit. And just as seed grows and produces a harvest for bodily nourishment—such as wheat, barley, corn, and the produce of other plants and trees—so the seed of the word of God, when sown in good soil, yields spiritual and imperishable nourishment.

And just as seed does not bear fruit wherever it is sown, but only in good soil, so the word of God does not bear fruit in the heart of every person, but only in the heart of one who is good soil, that is, one who receives the word of life with faith and puts it into practice, as the great Apostle Paul also says: “Faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6).

Only this spiritual field can yield a hundredfold harvest for God.

Beloved faithful,

I have shown you that the true Sower of the word of God is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Himself. But we must also know that, from the beginning of creation, God has sent many sowers of His word into the world. These include the Patriarchs, Apostles, Evangelists, Hierarchs, Confessors, Martyrs, and a great multitude of preachers and teachers who have proclaimed and sown the word of God in the hearts of men.

But have all those who proclaimed the word of God possessed the same power to persuade the hearts of men? We answer that all were granted the gift and power to awaken the minds and hearts of men to the true faith in God. Some proclaimed the word chiefly through their preaching, while others strengthened their preaching with many great miracles. For example, about three thousand souls believed when the Apostle Peter preached, because they were astonished to hear him speaking in different languages. About five thousand people believed when the same Apostle Peter preached a second time, because they saw a man who had been lame from his mother’s womb healed and walking on his own feet.

Men and women in Samaria believed when the Apostle Philip preached, because many who had unclean spirits, as well as those who were paralyzed, were healed. The proconsul Sergius Paulus on the island of Cyprus believed when the Apostle Paul was preaching, because he saw him immediately strike the sorcerer Elymas with blindness. Truly, signs and miracles helped and strengthened the Apostles’ preaching, as the Evangelist Mark also testifies, saying: “And they went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the signs that followed” (Mark 16:20).

We see, however, that many believed without witnessing miracles. What miracle did the Ethiopian eunuch, an official of the powerful Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, witness when the Apostle Philip explained the words of the Prophet Isaiah to him and proclaimed Jesus Christ to him? He witnessed no miracle, yet, upon hearing the Apostle Philip’s explanation, he immediately believed and was baptized. What miracles did the people of Pisidian Antioch witness when the Apostles Paul and Barnabas came and taught them the faith in Christ? None. Yet the Gentiles there rejoiced when they heard the preaching, received the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed to eternal life believed. The people of Iconium witnessed no miracles either when the same Apostles, Paul and Barnabas, entered their synagogue and spoke the word of God; nevertheless, a great multitude of Jews and Greeks believed. The Athenians witnessed no miracles, yet they believed through Paul’s preaching—Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and others with them. What miracles did Saint John the Baptist perform when he preached and said, “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2)? None. Yet people from all Jerusalem and the surrounding region of the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins (Matthew 3:5–6).

Let us ask ourselves: by what means and through what power did this divinely inspired Prophet draw such a multitude of people to repentance? As I have already said, he performed no miracles, nor did he employ grand rhetoric or philosophy to convert those who came to him. Instead, he addressed them in a few brief words: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” What, then, was the spiritual power, the magnet that drew all Jerusalem and the entire region surrounding the Jordan to him in the wilderness? It was the angelic and wholly holy life of Saint John the Prophet and Baptist. Through a way of life that surpassed ordinary human standards, he filled the multitude with astonishment and wonder.

Upon hearing of his extraordinary life, people would say to one another: “Come and see a great prophet who has appeared in the wilderness! Come and see a man who surpasses ordinary humanity, unlike anyone who has appeared among men until now. Come and see a holy man, clothed in camel’s hair and girded with a leather belt, who feeds only on the shoots of trees and the bitter honey made by wild bees in the caves of the wilderness” (Mark 1:6). “Come and see and hear from this most extraordinary Prophet how he calls everyone to repentance and proclaims that ‘the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’” (Matthew 3:2).

Thus, hearing these things from one another, people hurried and hastened to the Jordan to see such a holy man and great Prophet. Those dressed in silk and costly garments came to see the man clothed in camel’s hair. Those who owned palaces and slept in soft, expensive beds came to spend time outdoors beneath the clear night sky and under the scorching sun by day, sleeping on mats and even on the sands and gravel banks of the Jordan. They willingly embraced what was unfamiliar to them, with great love and reverence, simply to witness the exceedingly austere and wondrous life of the divinely inspired John the Baptist, the Forerunner of the Lord. The wonder of seeing him made them forget the fatigue of their exhausting journey. One of the Holy Fathers rightly said: “Virtue is far more worthy of honor than wealth, and a tranquil life is more glorious than an abundance of gold!” (The Philokalia, vol. I, p. 172).

Truly, my brothers, those who sow the word of God—that is, the priests—must possess not only the art of speaking well and knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, but also practical wisdom, meaning that they must live according to the teaching of the Gospel. Even if we ourselves find it difficult, in our weakness, to put into practice what they teach, let us at least pray to the good God to grant us a small share in the efforts of those who strive for salvation.

Some of the divine Fathers, wishing to teach us that we must also preach to others through the way we live, said: “Be silent, and let your deeds speak” (Saint Nilus the Ascetic, ch. 28). Another said: “Reprove and teach others through the power of your deeds, not through much speaking” (The Philokalia, vol. X, 1981).

Saint Isaac the Syrian, showing us that preaching through one’s way of life is far greater than speaking without putting one’s words into practice, says: “The word that proceeds from action is one thing; the fine word unsupported by the skill of putting it into practice is another.”

The shepherds of the Church—the priests and bishops—ought to proclaim the word of God in three ways: they must preach with their mouths, write with their hands what serves for instruction and spiritual edification, and, thirdly, proclaim Christ through their own lives by performing good works.

These, in brief, are the duties of the shepherds of the Church of Christ. Let me now speak of the duties of those who hear and receive the word of God through the mouths of hierarchs and priests who have the Church’s blessing to preach the word of God in the world.

The first duty of our faithful is not to judge the priests of the Church who have been ordained and appointed by the local Bishop as canonical ministers and preachers of the word of God, so long as they preach the true faith and the truth of the Holy Scriptures, even if, as human beings, some have their own shortcomings and weaknesses. Who does not know from the Holy Gospel how deceitful, dishonest, envious, proud, and hypocritical the scribes, chief priests, and Pharisees were in the time of our Savior? For this reason, God the Word Himself repeatedly threatened them with woes (Matthew 23:13–29). Yet He did not permit the people to judge them, but said to them: “All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do” (Matthew 23:3).

We must understand, however, that neither the priest’s holiness is what causes the word of God to bear fruit, nor are his wickedness or sins what prevent his word from bearing fruit. For example, if a farmer carries good seed in his sack—whether wheat, corn, barley, or some other crop—and he happens to be a drunkard or guilty of other sins, what prevents his seed from bearing fruit when it is sown in good soil?

Likewise, nothing prevents the word of the Lord from bearing fruit when it is sown in good soil, even if the priest has certain sins or human weaknesses. Whoever possesses a well-disposed soul and receives the word of God with faith will bear fruit a hundredfold, even if he receives the word of the Lord from a sinful shepherd. Therefore, one of the Holy Fathers said: “When you hear a beneficial word, do not judge the one who speaks it, lest you lose not only the benefit of the word but also the fruit that comes through faith.”

Beloved faithful,

Therefore, if a teacher sows the good seed of the word of God and teaches the dogmas of the true faith and the divine laws established by the Orthodox Church, listen to him with great faith and reverence, and you will receive great benefit. There is no need to make his personal life the immediate object of scrutiny. But if we discover that the preacher is a sectarian who sows the soul-damaging weeds of heresies and sectarian teachings, having strayed from the true faith, then we must close our ears and flee from such preachers as we would from wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing and from venomous serpents. Through their preaching, they sow weeds in the field of Christ and spread poison among souls that are not firmly grounded in the truth of the true faith.

As we can all see, all kinds of sowers and preachers have appeared today in God’s field, which is this world, but not all of them sow the pure and true seed of the word of God. Some sow the weeds of the enemy (Matthew 13:39), while others sow heresies, mixing the word of the Lord with the accursed seeds of deception and sectarian error. Therefore, my brothers, I beg you to be extremely careful. Do not receive advice and instruction from just anyone who speaks, but only from the ministers of the Church of Christ.

Remember the teaching of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John, the great Theologian, who counsels us, saying: “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). If you happen to hear such preachers and false prophets—that is, sectarians—do not listen to them. Leave them and hasten to your own priests and to all those skilled in the Holy Scriptures, who are true sons of the Orthodox Church. Seek their explanation and instruction, so that they may enlighten you and guide you toward Christ. Ask the advice of priests who have studied and know the Holy Scriptures, lest you fall prey to wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing and to false prophets who, according to the Lord’s word, “will deceive many” (Matthew 24:11).

Pay attention also to the words of the Holy Scriptures, which teach us: “Good counsel will preserve you, and sound understanding will protect you” (Proverbs 2:11). And again, as it is written: “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but there is safety in an abundance of counselors” (Proverbs 11:14).

Let us seek the advice of priests and monks whenever we have a question or do not understand what we read or hear. It is a sign of great pride not to seek counsel when we are perplexed and unable to understand the Holy Scriptures. Remember what happened to the eunuch, the high official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was returning home from Jerusalem. As he sat in his chariot, he was reading the Prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to the Apostle Philip, “Go near and join yourself to this chariot.” Philip ran up, heard him reading the Prophet Isaiah, and asked him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” Then he invited Philip to come up and sit with him in the chariot and explain what he did not understand (Acts 8:27–31). Therefore, my brothers, know that the Holy Scriptures contain passages that are mysterious, obscure, and difficult to understand. If someone reads or hears them without a guide to help him understand, he can easily fall into error and depart from the bosom of the Church of Christ.

My brothers, the Holy Scriptures are like a bottomless sea of God’s wisdom. Anyone who wishes to cross such a sea without knowing how to swim will become lost in it and, instead of gaining benefit, may lose the salvation of his soul. Therefore, do as the eunuch of Candace, whom I mentioned above, did: ask the priests whenever you do not understand the depths of the Holy Scriptures.

This very thing has caused many thousands of souls to stray from the truth and fall into heresies and various sects: they have wished to rely on their own understanding and interpret the Holy Scriptures independently. Saint John Cassian the Roman says: “Whoever wishes to be saved must travel by way of asking questions” (The Philokalia, vol. IV, p. 135).

Therefore, pray with faith to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the Christian Church, that He may appoint good priests and hierarchs to lead His Church. Then ask Him to provide good seed, that is, wise words filled with grace for all the priests who shepherd you. And may God grant you the gifts of wisdom, meekness, humility, the true faith, and obedience, so that you may put into practice what Christ teaches you through the priests, the Holy Fathers, and the Holy Scriptures. Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Homily on the Fourth Sunday of Luke (St. Justin Popovich)

2026-10-11T12:22:28.443-04:00

Homily on the Fourth Sunday of Luke

21st Sunday after Pentecost

Luke 8:5–15

By St. Justin Popovich

(Delivered in 1964 at the Ćelije Monastery)

[Editorial Note: This sermon by Saint Justin Popovich has been translated from a Serbian transcription of an audio recording. The transcription contains passages that are unclear or missing, and the surviving recording ends before the sermon is complete. These gaps have been retained in the translation; no attempt has been made to reconstruct the missing words.]

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

A brief Gospel, a brief parable of the Savior, and yet the whole world is contained within it, all human labor is contained within it, and the entire destiny of the world is contained within it. Today’s Holy Gospel contains the whole history of Christianity and the entire history of every Christian individually. This world is God’s field for heavenly seed; the chief Sower is the God-man, the Lord Christ, who sows the heavenly, divine truths. Three-quarters of the seed perish; only one-quarter succeeds. Why? Because of the soil, because of the ground, because some seed falls on stony ground, some among thorns, some beside the road, and some on good soil (Luke 8:5–8). The Gospel is yours, the Gospel is mine, and undoubtedly the Gospel belongs to everyone. What is happening to the seed? Pay attention: you are a human being, which means that you are an earthly field for heavenly seed. Where has it fallen? Has it fallen among thorns, on stony ground, beside the road of your soul, or on good soil? The seed falls beside the road of a person’s soul when that person receives Christ’s teaching and listens to it but pays no attention to it, does not care about it, and leaves it there at the edge of the soul, where the racecourse of various temptations lies, where the racecourse of the sins of this world and of Satan, the ruler of this world, lies. What happens then? The Savior explains it to us, telling us the sad story of this seed: “Those are the people who hear the word of God, but afterward the devil comes and takes the word away from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved” (Luke 8:12). “Indeed, truth …” (Some words on the tape are unclear.—Transcriber’s note.) This means that he is here in the world around us; he prowls around us. No, he roams the earth and walks about, as he declares … (Same note as above.) when he is asked about the righteous Job: “I have been going to and fro on the earth, and walking up and down on it” (Job 1:7).

Behold, he comes to you, to your soul, and watches what you do with the truth of Christ that is within your soul, what you do with His teaching. Do you read the Gospel? Do you listen to the Gospel? Do you preach the Gospel in the Churches of Christ throughout this world? What do you do with it? What do you do with that seed, with those truths of Christ? Behold, the devil now roams around you and your soul in order to steal the seed of Christ that is within you. You read the Gospel and hear how the Savior commands us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). … (Same note as above.) What will you do with this commandment? Has the devil not stolen it? Has he not come and taken this teaching from your mind, so that you do not even remember prayer? Or, if you do remember it, do you perform it perfunctorily, out of habit, without involving yourself, your heart, and your soul? What has become of that truth of Christ within your soul? What has become of that seed? What will you do with it? Has the devil not stolen it and carried it away from you? Woe to you! You keep those great and holy truths of Christ beside the road of your soul rather than bringing them into your soul. You do not dig, plow, or search the depths of your soul so that the seed of Christ’s truth may take root there, germinate there, spring up and grow, develop, and bear abundant fruit. There is no corner of your soul into which the devil and his demons do not peer and which they do not lay waste, stealing everything that has been sown in your soul from heaven.

Pay attention, O man, pay attention! You will one day have to give an account. Your soul is God’s field, and no one but God should dwell within it. Take care that the devil does not gain dominion over your soul. Bring everything that belongs to Christ, all the heavenly treasures He gives and offers you, into the most sacred chambers of your soul, into its deepest recesses. Bring Christ there, into the very center of your soul, where the devil can never penetrate, and then … (Same note as above.)—how could the devil take the word of God from your heart? Does your heart have no door? Is your heart not closed, but instead left open to the devil, to … (Same note as above.) to sins and all his evils? Woe to you, brother and sister! Shut the gate of your heart against him, that dark and black enemy of God, that dreadful thief and robber who steals everything belonging to Christ from the human heart if a person does not remain watchful, does not pray, and does not keep guard over the soul.

Do you know what happens to the seed that falls on stony ground? “Those are the people who receive the word of God with joy, but have no root; they believe for a time, temporarily, and when tribulations come, when temptations come, they fall away” (Luke 8:13). A soul that has not been plowed and plowed again by the plow of repentance, that has not had the fallow ground of its soul broken up, dug over, and furrowed, cannot allow the seed of divine truth—which the Lord sows in that soul, sowing it through His Apostles, through His Saints, and through His Gospel—to penetrate deeply. The seed falls on stone, on the surface, and cannot send down its roots or break through the stone of insensitivity, the stone of hardened evil, the stones by which a person becomes hardened through habit, through bad habits. You, too, receive Christ’s teaching with joy, but only temporarily. When temptation comes, when a stumbling block appears, everything disappears from your soul; everything perishes. You have lived as a Christian, but you must first prepare your soul for this heavenly seed. How, you may ask? Through the holy virtues of the Gospel: practice them and live according to them.

You know the commandment concerning fasting. It is heavenly teaching, heavenly seed, the divine seed of Christ’s Gospel, when you fast in accordance with the Gospel. Fasting takes root in your soul; it establishes faith deeply throughout all the strongholds of the soul. Fasting carries every virtue throughout your entire body and your entire soul. Then the stones within your soul crumble, become smaller, break apart, and turn into fine soil, and the seed of heavenly truth germinates and grows within you. But if you allow your soul to remain stone against the truth of Christ, woe to you! Your soul falls away from the Lord—and where does it fall? Into the arms of the devil. And where does he take our souls? Where? Into the dark and accursed hell!

When the seed “falls among thorns”—the thorns of our bad habits, the thorns of our passions and evils … (Same note as above.)—the thorns represent those among whom the seed of heavenly truths falls. They hear the word of God, but because of the cares of wealth and the pleasures of this world in which they spend their lives, the thorns grow luxuriantly and choke the heavenly seed in your soul, choking you entirely (Luke 8:14).

No, faith is like a mustard seed, says the Savior. Evangelical love is like a mustard seed; evangelical fasting is like a mustard seed; evangelical prayer is like a mustard seed; evangelical meekness, evangelical humility, evangelical patience, and all the virtues of the Gospel—all these virtues are like mustard seeds. They are all small and insignificant, and they are all sown in your soul. Pay attention to what you do with these holy seeds! Every impure thought that arises in your soul—tear it out … (Same note as above.) the heavenly seed. Every sin in which you live, if you do not confess it and cast it out of yourself, turns into a thicket of thorns. Every passion that destroys you, every pleasure that carries you away, every pleasure of this world that lays waste to your soul—behold, a thicket of thorns, a thicket of thorns, a thicket of thorns that … (Same note as above.) the seed of Christ’s Gospel virtues.

What has become of that wondrous lily within your soul? Behold, hatred has crept into your soul, hatred that … (Same note as above.) brings this about, and yet you do not fight against it. It becomes like a thicket of thorns, like a weed, and gradually and little by little drives the seeds of Christ’s divine, heavenly love out of your soul. The thorns of hatred grow and grow terribly because you do not fight against them, and the divine seed of Christ’s love disappears … (Same note as above.)

You allow that little grain of prayerfulness and prayer to be broken apart, and you permit laziness to overtake you during prayer, or you find countless excuses: “Well, I will pray later; I will pray this evening; I will pray tomorrow.” You avoid prayer and put it off, while the mustard seed of faith … (Same note as above.) waits for what? For your heart, your zeal, your eagerness to bring yourself to prayer and plant the mustard seed of prayer in your soul, to water it with your tears, and to warm it with your fervor and zeal. The thorns of habit grow luxuriantly and choke everything belonging to Christ within your soul. Indeed, the most dreadful enemies of human beings in this world, and of the human soul, are the evils of the entire world—the evils of the entire world. An example is provided by earthly pleasures, which, like thorns, choke everything divine within us, so that nothing divine reaches maturity. Everything perishes, and our soul perishes with it. Such is the sad history of three-quarters of the seed of divine truths.

But what happens to “the seed that falls on good soil”? The Savior tells us: “These are those who receive the word of God and keep it in a good and pure heart, and bear fruit with patience.” Here, then, are the virtues: goodness, purity of heart, and patience. This is the soil in which the heavenly seed of Christ’s teaching thrives. A “good and pure” soul, the Savior says, bears fruit a hundredfold, or sixtyfold, or thirtyfold. This is the truth that must be realized in them, in our lives, in our souls, and in this world … (Same note as above.) by each one of us through this wondrous truth of Christ.

Let us examine ourselves. Test whether you have a good heart. When sins frequently visit your heart, does the word of God grow within it? Does God’s truth grow and develop within it? Does the goodness of God, which is contained in His truths, spread throughout your heart, take possession of it, and gain dominion over it? If so, then you have a good heart. But if you do not guard your heart, if the doors of your heart remain open and various temptations and sins come and go within it, while you tolerate them and do not fight against them, then your heart gradually loses the divine goodness within it and becomes filled with the evil of this world, with the evil of every sin—and behind every sin stands the devil. A heart that has preserved its goodness must become a nursery for the goodness of Christ. Be watchful; keep guard over your heart. Do not allow it to fall into sin! Yet, because of our own error, sin is within us. Let us strive to cast it out of ourselves, out of our hearts, as quickly as possible. How? Through repentance and confession. Do not allow sin to enter you. Be careful! You are allowing the greatest enemy of your life—the enemy of your soul, the enemy of your eternity—to enter! Rise up against it; fight against it; do not surrender, for sin leads nowhere except into the eternal kingdom of darkness and evil. Examine whether your heart is pure.

The Holy Fathers answer and say: “A person has a pure heart when he practices all the virtues of the Gospel and lives according to the commandments of the Savior.” This is the fruit of practicing the Savior’s commandments. The first fruit is our faith. Faith is a divine power that cleanses the heart of deception and of the dominion of service to false gods. Faith cleanses your heart of every impurity. Holy evangelical love cleanses your heart of every defilement, of every impurity. What is hatred? What is hatred? It is pus, impurity, stench. For “whoever hates his brother remains in death” (1 John 2:9). And what is death but stench? The same is true of anyone who hates his brother.

There you have it, brethren: all these truths concern us, and we must believe in ourselves. Let us look at what we have done with the seed of Christ’s teaching in our souls. Let us strive to make it all flourish in our pure hearts through great patience. Every virtue requires great patience—faith, prayer, hope, and fasting. Nothing happens without patience … (The sermon is unfinished, probably because the tape ended.—Transcriber’s note.)

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Holy Apostle Philip of the Seventy in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

2026-10-11T11:50:25.399-04:00

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

1. Saint Philip the Deacon, distinct from Philip the disciple of the Lord, came from Caesarea in Palestine. He was married and had four daughters, all four of whom were prophetesses in the Church. The Evangelist Luke mentions him on several occasions in his second book, the Acts of the Apostles. He was appointed by the Holy Apostles as a Deacon of the Church, to serve the needs of the Christians, together with Saint Stephen and the other deacons. After the persecution that broke out following the death of Saint Stephen, he went to Samaria, where he preached and instructed many in the Christian faith, including Simon the Magician, whom he baptized. The Evangelist Luke also recounts the incident in which Philip was carried away by an angel so that he could approach an Ethiopian official. Finding the official reading the Prophet Isaiah, Philip catechized him and baptized him. Then, having once again been led by an angel of the Lord to the city of Azotus, he enlightened its inhabitants through his preaching. He subsequently arrived at Tralles in Asia Minor. There, alongside his preaching, he performed many miracles, founded a church, and finally departed to the Lord.

2. It is remarkable that the Evangelist Luke chose to devote several verses of the Acts of the Apostles to the Apostle Philip, one of the Seventy Disciples of the Lord and one of the seven deacons of the early Church, rather than, for example, to Philip the Apostle, one of Christ’s Twelve, or to the Apostle Nathanael, or to other Apostles — apart, of course, from the Apostle Peter and, especially, the Apostle Paul, who came later. This indicates that Deacon Philip was a figure whom one could not easily overlook or fail to take seriously. Indeed, the episodes preserved from his life confirm this assessment. On the one hand, we see him acting in ways reminiscent of the great Apostles: with intense missionary zeal, eloquence, the performance of miracles, guidance by angels, and the founding of churches. On the other hand, his entire family also had a distinctive presence in the Church. His daughters in particular, whom Saint Luke mentions, were “virgins who prophesied,” meaning that they were dedicated to God and possessed the gift of prophecy, and thus the ability to prophesy and teach the people.

Our Church’s Hymnographer frequently refers to the gift of eloquence possessed by Saint Philip the Deacon. This was a gift through which, as we have seen, the Spirit of God sent him on various missions to instruct and persuade not only ordinary people but also educated and high-ranking individuals. The episode involving the Ethiopian official provides a small example of this truth. Indeed, a hymn from the third ode of the Matins canon is particularly revealing in this regard: “By your honey-sweet words, O divinely inspired Philip, you persuade those who have been driven far away by ignorance to flee the soul-destroying poison and to receive the grace that brings salvation.”

Saint Philip’s speech was so persuasive that people accepted the faith of Christ. The Hymnographer, however, also employs a particularly beautiful expression that highlights the Saint’s exceptional eloquence: “honey-sweet words.” When the Saint spoke about Christ, he did so in such a way that his words seemed to flow like honey. We should understand that the sweetness of his words lay not only in their content but also in their form and in the manner in which he expressed himself. Of course, he always proclaimed Christ — as the Hymnographer says elsewhere, “proclaiming the glory of the Word” — that is, recounting the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ as both God and man, and confirming this proclamation through miracles, “with awesome signs.” Yet he did so with eloquence, in a calm manner accessible to the people he addressed.

Saint Philip thus provides an enduring example for all time. The word of our Church and its instruction of the people must always possess these two qualities. First, they must proclaim Jesus Christ as our God who became man, who was crucified and rose from the dead for the sake of humanity. As the Apostle to the Gentiles says: “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” Second, the Christ whom the Church proclaims must be presented not in an authoritarian manner, nor through preaching in the negative sense of the word — that is, in a dry, schoolmasterly fashion — but like a gentle breeze, like honey that delights not the ears but the hearts of people. This is the manner later taught by the Three Great Hierarchs, the patrons of education, who are themselves described as “honey-flowing rivers of wisdom.”

We do not believe, therefore, that it was by chance that the Spirit of God made such extensive use of Saint Philip in proclaiming the faith of Christ. In other words, God makes use of people’s particular gifts to accomplish His work, choosing each time those whose gifts are suited to the task at hand. Saint Philip, then, was among those especially endowed by God, and he devoted his entire self to His service.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: October 11

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The Month of October

Day 11

42. The Lord Sometimes Works Miracles through Holy Icons Even for Unbelievers, in Order to Make Unbelievers Believers

(The Account of the Miracle That Occurred through an Icon of Our Lord Jesus Christ)

The Lord works miracles through holy icons not only for believers but sometimes for unbelievers as well. Why does He work miracles for the latter? Know, brethren, that in His infinite love He does so in order to make unbelievers believers as well, and to bring those who are not of His fold into His fold. How can this be demonstrated? It can be shown by the following wondrous event, which took place in the early centuries of Christianity in the city of Berytus, as Saint Athanasios the Great relates.

In the city of Berytus, a Christian lived in a house situated among the dwellings of Jews, and he had an icon of the Lord Jesus Christ. After some time, he moved to another house, and, leaving the aforementioned icon in the old one, offered the dwelling to a Jew. The Jew moved in, but, by a special dispensation of God, he was unable to see the icon of Christ the Savior. One day, however, a friend came to dine with him. During the meal, the friend glanced at the wall, saw the image of Christ upon it, and was astonished.

“How could you,” he exclaimed to his host, “being a Jew, allow yourself to have an image of the Nazarene in your house?”

The host began to assure him under oath that until then he had never seen the icon and that this was the first time he had laid eyes on it. His guest did not believe him and, upon leaving, told the entire Jewish assembly what had happened.

The following day, the Jews gathered at the house of the man who had the icon. They carried it out of the house and, placing it in the midst of their assembly, said, “Just as our fathers mocked Jesus, so now we, in our turn, shall mock Him.” They began to spit upon the icon and to strike the image of Christ’s face on both sides. Then they said, “Our fathers nailed Jesus to a tree, and now we, too, shall nail Him.”

With these words, they drove nails through the image of the Savior’s hands and feet. They brought a sponge soaked in vinegar to His lips, and finally one of the Jews struck His side with a spear.

But, O horror! As soon as the icon was pierced with the spear, blood and water immediately flowed from it, and the Jews were struck with amazement. When they had somewhat recovered themselves, they said, “Let us bring here the blind, the lame, and the demon possessed, and anoint them with the blood of Christ. If they are healed, we shall believe that Christ is truly the Son of God.”

And they did exactly as they had said. What happened? Those who were anointed with the blood that had flowed from the icon were healed: the blind received their sight, and the demons departed from those who were possessed. News of this immediately spread throughout the entire city, and a countless multitude of people flocked to the icon, bringing the sick, the paralyzed, lepers, those with withered limbs, and those who could only crawl. All these unfortunate people received healing.

Then all the Jews living in Berytus believed in our Lord Jesus Christ, and all those who had formerly been Jews fell before the icon and cried out with one voice: “Glory to You, O Christ, Son of God, for working such great miracles! Glory to You, O Christ, whom our fathers crucified! We now believe in You. Receive us as we fall down before You, O Master!”

All the Jews of that city—men, women, and children—went to the bishop and earnestly implored him to grant them Holy Baptism without delay. The bishop, of course, did not hesitate to fulfill their request.

Thus, it is beyond doubt that the Lord works miracles through holy icons for unbelievers in order to make them believers as well and to bring them into His fold. But what, then, should we learn from the account just related? First, we should recognize and learn to appreciate God’s infinite love for the human race, through which He desires all people, without exception, to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Second, when we witness miracles wrought through holy icons, we should learn to approach them with reverence and venerate them, and, as we gaze upon them, to raise our souls to those depicted therein and to the Prototype of all perfection and every form of holiness: God in Three Persons.

What else, finally, should we learn from this account? We should constantly remember that, although the ways of God’s Providence are inscrutable, they nevertheless always lead us toward our salvation and blessedness. Amen.

Questions for Discussion 42:

1. Why was the Jew unable to see the icon of the Lord Jesus Christ that the Christian had left in the house where he had formerly lived?

2. What flowed from the icon when the side of Jesus Christ was pierced with a spear?

3. On what condition did the Jews say they would believe that Christ was truly the Son of God?

4. What did those who had formerly been Jews ask of Jesus Christ when they fell before the icon and cried out with one voice?

5. What does the Lord desire, in His infinite love for the human race?

The History of the 26 Martyrs, the Watchtower, and the Cenotaph Memorial of Zographou Monastery

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The history of Mount Athos is filled with accounts of spiritual endurance, but few chapters are as gripping as the sacrifice traditionally associated with Zographou Monastery in the late thirteenth century. It was a time of immense political and religious upheaval. Roman Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, seeking military and political alliances with the West to strengthen his empire, pursued the Union of Lyons in 1274. The union recognized papal primacy and provoked strong opposition among many Orthodox clergy, monastics, and laypeople. The monastic communities of Mount Athos became prominent in the resistance to the union, unwilling to accept what they regarded as a compromise of the Orthodox faith.

According to the traditional account, a force of men seeking to enforce the union arrived at Zographou. The monks had been forewarned by a miraculous voice from the monastery’s vineyard, where an icon of the Mother of God announced the impending danger. The icon, known as the Proangellomeni (“She Who Foretells”) or the Akathist Icon, is venerated in connection with this event. The monastery’s abbot, Thomas, ordered those brothers who feared the approaching trial to seek safety in the surrounding wilderness.

Abbot Thomas himself, together with his fellow monks and four laymen, remained at the monastery. They took refuge in the stone watchtower, prepared to face whatever might come. When the attackers arrived, those inside refused to yield and denounced the union from the tower. In response, according to the traditional narrative, the attackers piled wood around the base of the structure and set it ablaze. The tower became the place of the martyrs’ fiery death.

Among the ruins, the returning monks found the miraculous Akathist Icon of the Mother of God, also known as the Proangellomeni, whole and untouched by the flames. The preservation of the icon became an enduring part of the monastery’s memory of the martyrdom, linking the steadfast confession of the monks with the protection and intercession of the Mother of God.

The traditional account also remembers Parthenios, the monastery’s ecclesiarch and sacristan, who survived the initial burning of the tower. Having fallen from the burning structure, he was found alive and cared for by the returning monks. Before his death, thirty days later, on November 10, he recounted what had taken place inside the tower. His testimony was understood to have preserved the memory of the martyrs and their final confession.

The martyrs are commemorated as a company of twenty-six: Abbot Thomas, twenty-one other monastics, and four laymen whose names have not been preserved in the traditional account. Among the named monastics are Barsanuphios, Cyril, Micah, Simon, Hilarion, James, Job, Cyprian, Savvas, another James, Martinian, Kosmas, Sergius, Menas, Joasaph, Ioannikios, Paul, Anthony, Euthymios, Dometian, and Parthenios. Parthenius, who survived the initial burning and died later from his injuries, is counted among the twenty-six rather than as an additional martyr.

For centuries, the ruined and charred remains of the medieval watchtower stood in the northwestern corner of the monastery courtyard, preserving the memory of the place associated with the martyrs’ death. By 1873, however, the structure had deteriorated. According to the account preserved by the monastery, its remaining walls were dangerously unstable and threatened the adjoining northern building. The monks therefore decided to dismantle the ruins. Determined that the site of the martyrdom should not be forgotten, they resolved to erect a memorial on the place where the tower had stood. The monument was completed in the same year.

The cenotaph was designed as a carved stone memorial, and an icon of the twenty-six martyrs was placed within its frame. A vigil lamp was also associated with the monument and the continuing veneration of the martyrs. Most importantly, an inscription was carved into the stone to preserve the monastery’s understanding of the event. It reads:

“On this site of the former tower, the holy 26 venerable martyrs of Zographou, for the faithful confession of the Orthodox faith, were burned by the Latins under the pious Bulgarian Tsar John the Great, during the reign of the Greek Emperor Michael Palaiologos, who fell away from the Orthodox Eastern Church, and in the time of the Latin-minded Patriarch John Bekkos, in the year 1276 from Christ, on the 10th day of October.”

The inscription is more than a dedication to the dead. It presents the martyrdom as a confession of Orthodox faith under political and ecclesiastical pressure, naming the rulers and patriarch associated with that period. Its reference to the Bulgarian Tsar John the Great,* who according to tradition built the tower in which the 26 Martyrs were burned to death, as well as its date of 1276, belongs to the monument’s own historical testimony and is important to any account of how the monastery commemorated the martyrs. The inscription remains a striking link between the medieval narrative and the nineteenth-century memorial.

The spiritual significance of the new monument was further emphasized by a remarkable event traditionally associated with its consecration in October 1873, on the eve of the martyrs’ feast. According to the account preserved by the monastery, the brotherhood and numerous hermits and visitors from neighboring sketes had gathered for an all-night vigil. The night was dark and moonless, and the monastery courtyard lay in silence.

At midnight, while the clergy were chanting the Life and Suffering of the Holy Zographou Martyrs, a pillar of fire appeared in the sky above the church. The light illuminated the monastery and its surroundings so brightly that even small objects could reportedly be distinguished. After remaining above the church for several minutes, the fiery column moved over the newly erected memorial. It then rose into the sky and changed into a radiant ring resembling a crown, appearing above the cenotaph and the place where the tower had stood. The phenomenon was said to have lasted approximately fifteen minutes. The monks and visitors who witnessed it understood the event as a heavenly sign glorifying the martyrs and confirming the spiritual significance of their memorial.

Today, the memory of the twenty-six venerable martyrs remains woven into the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church. Their annual commemoration is on October 10. Additionally, they are collectively remembered on the second Sunday after Pentecost, taking their rightful place in both the Synaxis of All Bulgarian Saints and the Synaxis of All Saints of Mount Athos. During these feast days, the holy relics of the martyrs, which are carefully preserved within the monastery, are brought forth for the faithful pilgrims to venerate. At Zographou, the cenotaph continues to mark the place traditionally identified with their martyrdom. It stands as a memorial to a community whose members, according to the Church’s tradition, chose death rather than abandon their confession of the Orthodox faith.

Note:

* The 1873 monument inscription references the event occurring under the reign of "the pious Bulgarian Tsar John the Great" (цар Йоан Велики). This creates a known chronological paradox for modern historians. Tsar Ivan Asen II (traditionally stylized in ecclesiastical texts as John the Great) died in 1241—several decades before the 1276 raid. Historical records indicate that the Bulgarian throne in 1276 was actually occupied by Tsar Constantine Tikh Asen. Secular and Church historians believe the late 19th-century monastic builders either relied on a medieval manuscript copy with a blended timeline or used "John the Great" as an idealized, honorific concept celebrating the apex of the Second Bulgarian Empire. The inscription remains preserved in its original translated phrasing to reflect the physical reality of the monument.

After the Bulgarian army defeated the Epirus ruler Theodore Komnenos at the Battle of Klokotnitsa (9 March 1230), much of the land in the area of the Halkidiki peninsula, where Mount Athos is located, came under the rule of the Bulgarian tsar Ivan Asen II. He visited Mount Athos and generously endowed the Athonite monasteries, issuing charters reaffirming their privileges. Today, the Vatopaidi Monastery’s archive preserve the gift charter that Ivan Assen gave to it. A similar document was given to the Zographou Monastery. The charter has not been preserved, but a golden seal with the ruler’s image has been preserved. Also in an early copy of the Life of the Holy Twenty-Six Venerable Martyrs it is mentioned that the tower in which they burned was built by the same powerful tsar. The oral tradition of the monastery has preserved the memory of the benefactions he did, and his image is depicted, along with the other donors of the Zographou Monastery, in the outer narthex of the Katholikon.

Elder Hatziflourentzos Patsias of Milia (+ 1969)

2026-10-10T17:27:25.647-04:00

Pappou Hatziflourentzos (Flourentzos Michael Patsias, “Hatzimounas”): The Glory of Milia

By Antonis Antoniou

Elder Hatziflourentzos was born in the village of Milia, in the Famagusta district of Cyprus, in 1901. His faith in and love for God were great. His exceptionally ascetic way of life and prophetic words made him seem like a madman. He never attended school and, for a large part of his life, did not know how to read. At first, he made no effort in the spiritual life and lived an ordinary worldly existence. Then, however, a seemingly insignificant incident became the occasion for his soul to be enlightened and filled with divine longing for our Lord and for every spiritual virtue.

When he was about forty years old, moved by divine zeal, he began cautiously to examine and study the sacred books of the Church. Before long, he had learned to read. He worked as a farmer and livestock breeder, and later took up various other occupations, including that of a mason and a farrier. He married a quiet woman from Milia named Annezu, and together they had six children: five sons and one daughter.

In 1945, he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, from which he received the name Hatzis. After he had married off three of his six children, his divine longing led him first to the Monastery of the Apostle Barnabas near Varosha and later to the Monastery of Stavrovouni, where he wished to become a monk. The abbots of both monasteries, however, refused to receive him because he was married and still had unmarried children.

His life was ascetic, marked by continual fasting and prayer. Each day, he ate nothing more than a few wild greens and some bread, giving thanks to God. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, he abstained entirely from food and drink. He ate no cooked food, not even food prepared with oil, preferring fruit instead. He maintained an exceptionally strict fast, despite sleeping very little and having a great deal of work to do.

He paid no attention to the hardships of life, saying, “Christ endured so many sufferings for us, and are we going to complain?” He received the Body and Blood of Christ very frequently. He considered himself a sinner and always maintained a humble disposition. He greatly loved giving alms and regularly helped anyone in need with their work in the fields, never accepting payment. Indeed, after the work was finished, he would gather everyone together and they would read the Apodeipnon (Compline).

At home, he slept on the floor, and he would wash the hands of those who came to visit him. Prayer was his principal work. At night, the elder kept vigil in prayer, sleeping very little. As his children recount, there were countless occasions when they saw or heard him weeping as he prayed.

Very often, after leaving church, he would visit the homes of fellow villagers or people in neighboring villages and speak to them zealously about Christ. His own life was the greatest example of the things he taught. His outward appearance was always simple, and he never had any material possessions to display.

Every day, he went to the churches in his village and to other churches in the surrounding area. He helped the priests carry out their sacred duties and took care to maintain the proper appearance and order of the house of our Lord.

Because of his great love for God, the Lord granted him the gift of foresight. Many years before the Turkish occupation of Cyprus took place, he foretold it. He admonished his fellow villagers and others, revealing to them many evils that would come to pass. He had a personal experience of the Uncreated Light. Through his tearful prayer, calamities were averted. Finally, he foretold his own death and prepared for it by observing an absolute fast for fifteen whole days.

He was also deemed worthy to endure much mockery for the love of Christ and to bear the stigma of being considered a “fool” for His sake.

Pappou Hatziflourentzos reposed peacefully in the embrace of our Panagia at the Monastery of the Panagia of Avgassida on October 10, 1969, after receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord following the celebration of the Holy Unction.

May we have his blessing.

Who Was Pappou Hatziflourentzos?

By Giota Paraskeva-Hatzikosta

He was born in Milia, in the Famagusta district of Cyprus, in 1901, to Michael Patsias and Tzyrka (Kyriakou), née Hatzirousou, devout farmers. He was the third of their six children. He lived an ordinary worldly life. He never attended school and remained illiterate for much of his life. When he was about forty years old, he began cautiously examining and studying the sacred books of the Church. In this way, little by little, he learned to read. He worked in farming and animal husbandry, as well as in various other occupations.

He married Annezu, a kind-hearted adopted girl. Together they had five sons and one daughter. While he was still engaged to be married, an incident occurred that led him to search deeply within himself. One day, he was working alongside his future father-in-law. He worked with great speed, self-confidence, and spontaneity. Seeing the proud and outgoing manner in which he worked, his father-in-law rebuked him severely. He lowered his head and said nothing. Yet he understood that something in his life had to change. This was the beginning of his repentance, the true transformation of his mind. He turned inward and began cultivating his soul. Gradually, he learned to carry out every task with great care. Later, he came to regard his work as a monk’s handiwork, performing it in prayer so that it might be sanctified and brought to a fruitful conclusion.

In 1945, he received the name Hatzis after making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This pilgrimage marked the beginning of a new way of life. Hatziflourentzos underwent a blessed transformation of character, for it seems that there he was overshadowed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Like a sunflower, he began turning himself entirely toward God.

He lived in continual prayer. As he prayed, he wept copiously. The gift of tears gave Hatziflourentzos what the Fathers call “joy-producing mourning,” that sorrow mingled with joy. His weeping was blended with the sweetness of honey, for through his tears and humility, God deemed him worthy to pass through the shadowed land of the passions and reach the bright, open clearing of purity of soul. There he encountered a consolation unknown in this world, a consolation that transcended the limits of sorrow. He experienced this joy of tears, and within it he was able to behold the Lord. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4).

Through the power of his prayer, he rendered mines harmless and silenced the barrels of guns, so that human lives would not be lost. The fiery river of his supplication besieged the throne of God, and the laws of nature were set aside…

He practiced the strictest fasting, despite sleeping very little and having much work to do. He received the Body and Blood of Christ very frequently. He considered himself a sinner and always maintained a humble disposition. He helped anyone in need with work in the fields, never accepting payment. When the work was finished, he would gather the farmers together and they would read the Apodeipnon (Compline). Every day, he visited the churches in his village and other churches in the surrounding area, where he helped the priests celebrate the services and took care to maintain the proper order and beauty of the churches. The Lord also deemed him worthy of receiving the gift of foresight.

He prophesied the Turkish invasion and occupation. He admonished his fellow villagers and others, revealing to them many evils that would come to pass. He had a personal experience of the Uncreated Light. Through his tearful prayers, calamities were averted. Finally, he foretold his own death and prepared for it by observing an absolute fast for fifteen whole days. He endured much mockery for the love of Christ, and many of his fellow villagers considered him mad. Grandfather Hatziflourentzos reposed peacefully at the Monastery of the Panagia of Avgassida on October 10, 1969, after receiving the Holy Gifts.

Pappou Hatziflourentzos traveled many miles on his old Ralie 18 bicycle through rain and wind, beneath the blazing sun and in the damp. He passed through wooded areas and mountain passes, climbed steep hills, and crossed plains and great towns, weary yet indefatigable, to warn people and preach repentance. With his prophetic insight, he saw the dark cloud approaching ominously and hurried to reach people in time, hoping that the calamity might somehow be averted. He saw the northern shores darkening with enemy ships and the Turks advancing relentlessly, spreading destruction and terror… And farther still, he saw the stony years of exile, prosperity, and crisis, extending all the way to the liberation of Cyprus and even the recovery of Constantinople.

Pappou Hatziflourentzos was an unadulterated, sincere, and authentic Romios of Cyprus, formed by the island’s centuries-old tradition of holiness. He was a grain-bearing ear, rich in virtue, cultivated by God in the great plain of the Mesaoria, watered by the streams of his tears and refreshed by the dew of the Holy Spirit, so that he might nourish the people of the Lord in times of famine.

He was a lamp of prayer and supplication, burning continually before the holy icons; a stylite who ceaselessly beseeched the Panagia; a fiery pillar of spiritual strength and love for God; an ocean of tears that besieged Divine Mercy day and night.

Some of His Prophecies

“There will come a time when you will run like camels, afraid even to look behind you. All of Cyprus will be dressed in black, and you will be searching for the smallest cave, the smallest hole into which you can crawl. A great calamity will come. You will leave, but I will remain. There will come a time when the black that covers Cyprus will be absent. People of another faith will desecrate our churches. Flocks of animals will enter them. Repent, for the hour has drawn near!”

“You will be delayed a little before you return. When you do return, that will be when your tears begin. Then God will grant understanding to the world, so that people may recognize the right path. Through their good deeds, many Turks will become Christians. At that time, this Panagia will make even the stones Christians, not only human beings. The fear of God will come upon the world. People will walk with their heads bowed. Cyprus will be liberated on its own, without anyone helping it.”

“If the world does not understand and turn toward God, a great crisis will come. Hotels will close, and houses will remain unfinished, standing on their columns. A time will come when they give you money with one hand and take it away with the other.”

“They will go all the way there to sign an agreement, but in the end they will not sign it. Satan will ‘board the ship’ [that is, he will put obstacles in the way], and they will not sign the documents. Partition will not take place. The problem, however, will resolve itself. Turkey will go to Mecca to bow down.”

“There will come a time when only three people will be able to liberate Cyprus. And Cyprus will be liberated on its own, without anyone helping it. Cyprus was suddenly seized on an occasion [that is, it was conquered unexpectedly], and on an occasion, just as suddenly, it will be liberated. But how this will come about is known only to God.”

“Their time will come, too, when they will take back what they lost [Constantinople and other places]. God is not in a hurry.”

A Fragment of the Honorable Head of Saint John the Forerunner Returns to Constantinople After 822 Years

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On Friday, October 9, 2026, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew visited the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady in Amiens, France, where he was warmly received by the Bishop of Amiens, Gérard Le Stang. Accompanied by Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon, Metropolitan Dimitrios of France, Bishop Ambrosios of Sinope, and the Grand Ecclesiarch Aetios, Director of the Patriarchal Private Office, the Ecumenical Patriarch venerated the sacred relic of the head of Saint John the Forerunner, which has been preserved in a special chapel within the cathedral.

During the visit, Bishop Gérard Le Stang presented Patriarch Bartholomew with a fragment of the sacred relic. According to the announcement of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the fragment will be placed for veneration by the faithful at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in Constantinople, in the Phanar. Thus, a portion of a relic that had been preserved in France since the early thirteenth century is returning to the city from which it was taken during one of the most tragic episodes in its history.

The event is particularly moving because of the identity of the Saint whose relic has been involved in this historic exchange. Saint John the Forerunner, the Prophet and Baptist of Christ, occupies a unique place in the life of the Orthodox Church. He prepared the way for the Lord, proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God, baptized Christ in the Jordan, and bore witness to the truth even unto martyrdom. His sacred relics have been venerated by Christians throughout the centuries, and the history of the Honorable Head is closely connected with the piety of Constantinople.

The Relic’s Journey from Constantinople to Amiens

According to the historical account preserved by Amiens Cathedral, the relic of the head of Saint John the Baptist was brought to France by Walon de Sarton, a canon associated with Picquigny in the region of Picardy. Walon had participated in the Fourth Crusade, during which Constantinople was captured by the Latin crusaders in April 1204.

The conquest of Constantinople was a catastrophe for the Byzantine Empire and its capital’s churches and monasteries. Sacred objects, relics, and other ecclesiastical treasures were removed from the city and carried to the West. Among the relics that subsequently arrived in Western Europe was the head of Saint John the Baptist preserved at Amiens.

The cathedral’s historical documentation relates that Walon de Sarton discovered the relic in the Church of Saint George of the Mangana district of Constantinople. He brought it to France, where it was presented to Richard de Gerberoy, Bishop of Amiens, on December 17, 1206. The relic became one of the cathedral’s most treasured possessions and attracted the veneration of generations of pilgrims.

The relic’s arrival was of such importance to Amiens that the cathedral developed a special place for its preservation and veneration. Its fame became inseparable from the history of the cathedral and the religious life of the city.

The Honorable Head of the Forerunner

The head of Saint John the Forerunner has a long and complex history in Christian tradition. The Gospel accounts relate that Saint John was imprisoned by Herod Antipas and beheaded at the request of Herodias and her daughter. His disciples took his body and buried it, while the subsequent history of his head became the subject of ancient ecclesiastical traditions concerning its concealment, discovery, and transfer.

Orthodox tradition commemorates the First and Second Findings of the Honorable Head on February 24 and the Third Finding on May 25. The latter is associated with the discovery of the relic at Comana and its transfer to Constantinople during the reign of Emperor Michael III, following a revelation to Patriarch Ignatios. These commemorations testify to the enduring importance of the Forerunner’s relics in the liturgical life of the Church.

The history of the relic at Amiens belongs to a later chapter: the dispersal of sacred treasures from Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade. The relic preserved there is identified by the cathedral as the head or face of Saint John the Baptist. The cathedral’s heritage documentation describes its long history of veneration, the successive reliquaries that housed it, and the survival of the relic through the upheavals of the French Revolution.

The relic is currently preserved in a crystal reliquary beneath a protective covering, within the cathedral’s treasury. Its presence in Amiens has made the cathedral an important destination for those seeking to venerate a relic traditionally associated with the Forerunner.

A Fragment Returns to the Phanar

The presentation of a fragment to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew marks a new chapter in the history of this sacred relic. The fragment is to be placed for veneration at the Patriarchal Church of Saint George in the Phanar, the historic seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The significance of the event extends beyond the physical return of a relic. It recalls the profound historical and spiritual connections between Constantinople and the Christian communities of the West, while also bringing to mind the painful circumstances under which many sacred objects left the Byzantine capital during the Fourth Crusade.

The year 1204 remains a watershed in the history of Constantinople. The conquest and sack of the city caused extensive destruction and the removal of countless ecclesiastical treasures. The arrival of the relic at Amiens in 1206 belongs to this wider history of the transfer of sacred objects from the East to the West. More than eight centuries later, the presentation of a fragment to the Ecumenical Patriarch provides a tangible reminder of that history and establishes a new connection between the two Churches.

The return should be understood precisely: the entire relic preserved at Amiens has not been transferred to Constantinople. Rather, a fragment has been presented to Patriarch Bartholomew for veneration at the Patriarchal Church. The principal relic remains associated with Amiens Cathedral, where it has been preserved for more than eight centuries.

A Witness to the Enduring Veneration of Saint John

For Orthodox Christians, the event is an occasion to remember the Honorable Forerunner and the place his witness occupies in the life of the Church. Saint John’s call to repentance, his fearless proclamation of the truth, and his preparation of the way for Christ remain central to the Church’s spiritual life. His relics, wherever they are preserved, recall the continuity of Christian veneration across generations and geographical boundaries.

The fragment’s return to Constantinople also evokes the historical memory of the city itself: a center of Orthodox Christianity whose churches and monasteries once safeguarded an immense treasury of sacred relics. The presentation of this fragment does not undo the events of 1204, but it offers a meaningful link between the city’s past and present.

Homilies from the Menaion for Every Day of the Year: October 10

2026-10-10T13:04:04.366-04:00

The Month of October

Day 10

41. To Brothers and Sisters Who Live Together Without Their Parents

(From the Life of the Holy Martyrs Eulampios and Eulampia)

We often see some of you, young men and maidens, who have lost your parents and live together as orphaned brothers and sisters, without outside help or support. How, then, should you conduct yourselves, you brothers and sisters who have lost your parents and live together? First of all, you should love one another and live in peace and harmony, remembering that peace and harmony form the foundation of family happiness. You should then learn the holy faith and the rules of a pious life. Finally, advancing from strength to strength, you should also strive to excel one another in steadfast faith, firm hope, and ardent love for the Lord. Yes, you should attain this as well, for virtuous emulation leads to perfection.

But how can you attain this? Through imitation of the Saints, for they too can offer you salutary lessons in this regard. Which Saints, you may ask, should we imitate in order to learn this virtuous emulation? For now, at least, learn from the Holy Martyrs Eulampios and Eulampia, a brother and sister by birth. Their emulation in the Lord is remarkable.

The young man Eulampios and his sister, the maiden Eulampia, as we may gather to some extent from their Life, had already lost their parents and were living together before suffering for Christ. Their emulation in the Lord was manifested in the following way. When the young man Eulampios, after enduring the first terrible tortures, was being led away to undergo further torments, his sister suddenly appeared at the place of execution and, turning to her brother, cried aloud: “Did not the same mother give birth to us? Were we not nourished at the same breast? Were we not taught to believe in the same God? Why, then, as you suffer for Christ, do you deprive me of the same portion? Why did you not inform me beforehand, so that I too might endure all the torments with you from the very beginning? No! I too wish to die for Christ just as you do. Let all the torturers know that I am a Christian and that I am ready to die for Christ.”

Then Eulampia turned to the judge and said: “Listen and learn who I am: I am Christ’s servant, and Christ is my life and the joy of my soul. Him alone do I love, and to Him alone do I wish to offer myself as a sacrifice. Prepare the fire, release the wild beasts, set up the wheels of torture, sharpen the swords, devise whatever torments you wish, and torture me for the sake of my Christ. I am ready to endure everything, just as my beloved brother is!”

Hearing this, the torturer ordered the Saint to be struck violently in the face, and blood flowed abundantly from her nose and mouth. But then Eulampios too demonstrated his zeal for the Lord and began to encourage and console his sister. When the torturer ordered both him and Eulampia to be cast into a boiling cauldron, and Eulampia showed signs of fear and doubt, Eulampios said to her: “Do not be afraid, sister. Take courage, and you will behold the help of God!”

After this, she went fearlessly, and even joyfully, to endure all the torments, bearing everything without complaint together with her brother. “And thus,” the conclusion of their Life declares, “Saint Eulampios, having completed the struggle of martyrdom together with his sister, went with her to Christ, the Author of the contest, to receive from Him the crown of righteousness.”

Here is the highest degree of virtuous emulation between a brother and sister! Here is a great example of mutual love and mutual support in times of affliction; here are faith, hope, and love for the Lord that inspire wonder! Oh, if only you too, brothers and sisters who live together, would make at least some effort to bring forth in one another those great qualities of the soul displayed by the Holy Martyrs! Then you too would learn to glorify the Lord even in affliction. Then, even amid misfortunes, you would remain steadfast, unshaken as a rock. Then, living with God and in God, even if you were to walk through the shadow of death, you would not fear evil, for God would be with you! Oh, may the Lord grant you a greater measure of the holy zeal possessed by Eulampios and Eulampia. Amen.

Questions for Discussion 41:

1. What forms the foundation of family happiness?

2. To what does virtuous emulation in demonstrating steadfast faith, firm hope, and ardent love for the Lord lead?

3. According to the words of the Holy Martyr Eulampia to the judge, who is Christ to her?

4. Under what condition, according to the words of the Holy Martyr Eulampios to his sister before they were cast into the boiling cauldron, would his sister behold the help of God?

5. What will we learn if we make at least some effort to bring forth in one another those great qualities of the soul displayed by the Holy Martyrs Eulampios and Eulampia?