Saint Nicholas

St. Nicholas of Myra

Troparion of Saint Nicholas (Tone 4)   "The verity of your actions revealed you to your flock as a rule of faith, an icon of mildness, and a teacher of continence, O Father Bishop Nicholas; wherefore by humility you have achieved exaltation, and by poverty richness. Intercede with Christ to save our souls."   Holy Myrrh Streaming Icon of St. Nicholas

Celebrated on December 6th

 

   

   Coming to the city of Myra when the clergy and people of the province were in session to elect a new bishop, St. Nicholas was indicated by God as the man they should choose. This was at the time of the persecutions at the beginning of the fourth century. "As he was the chief priest of the Christians of this town and preached the truths of the faith with a holy liberty, the divine Nicholas was seized by the magistrates. He was tortured, then chained and thrown into prison with many other Christians. But when the great and religious Constantine, chosen by God, assumed the imperial diadem of the Romans, the prisoners were released from their bonds and with them the illustrious Nicholas, who when he was set at liberty returned to Myra."

 

   St. Nicholas was zealous in his duties as bishop and took strong measures against paganism: and one of the temples that he destroyed was that of Artemis, and the evil spirits fled howling before him. He was the guardian of his people in temporal affairs as well. The governor Eustathius had taken a bribe to condemn to death three innocent men. At the time fixed for their execution Nicholas came to the place, stayed the hand of the executioner, and released the prisoners. Then he turned to Eustathius and did not cease to reproach him until he admitted his crime and expressed his penitence. There were present on this occasion three imperial officers who were on their way to duty in Phrygia. Later, when they were back again on Constantinople, the jealousy of the prefect Ablavius caused them to be imprisoned on false charges and an order for their death was procured from Emperor Constantine. That night St. Nicholas appeared in a dream to Constantine, and told him with threats to release the three innocent men, and Ablavius experienced the same thing. In the morning the emperor and the prefect compared notes, and the three condemned men were sent for and questioned. When he heard that they had called upon the name of the Nicholas of Myra who had appeared to him, Constantine set them free, and sent them to the bishop with a letter asking him not to threaten him anymore, but to pray for the peace of the world.

 

   St. Nicholas died and was buried in his episcopal city of Myra, and by the time of Justinian there was a basilica built in his honor at Constantinople. When Myra and its great shrine finally passed into the hands of the Saracens, there was a great competition for his relics between two cities of Italy, Bari and Venice. Bari won and the relics were carried off under the noses of the lawful Greek custodians and their Mohammedan masters, and on May 9, 1087, were safely landed at Bari. At Myra, "the venerable body of the bishop, embalmed as it was in the good ointments of virtue, exuded a sweet-smelling 'myrrh,' which kept it from corruption and proved a health-giving remedy against sickness, to the glory of him who had glorified Jesus Christ, our true God." The transfer of the relics did not interrupt this phenomenon, and the "manna of St. Nicholas" is said to flow to this day.

 

   He is venerated as the patron saint of several classes of people, especially, in the east, of sailors and, in the west, of children. The first of these patronages is due to the legend that, during his lifetime, he appeared to storm-tossed mariners who had invoked his aid off the coast of Lycia, and brought them safely to port. Sailors in the Aegean and Ionian seas, following a common eastern custom, had their "star of St. Nicholas" and wished one another a good voyage in the phrase "May St. Nicholas hold the tiller." The legend of the "three children" gave rise to his patronage of children and various observance, secular and ecclesiastical, especially the giving of presents in his name at Christmas time. The deliverance of the three imperial officers naturally cause St. Nicholas to be invoked by and on behalf of prisoners and captives, and many miracles of his intervention are recorded in the middle ages.

 

" St. Nicholas, when discussed in his true form, truly gives the meaning of Christmas. This great wonder-worker humbled himself before his God and before mankind, by spreading joy to those less fortunate than him. He is a great example of how we, as Christians, should treat one another. Remember St. Nicholas during this Nativity season as a giver of Christ to all people. May his spirit and story show you all the true meaning of Christ’s birth: to save mankind!"

 

Paul Fuller

NAC Vice President

St. Michael Antiochian Orthodox Church

Louisville, Kentucky

 

Saint Paraskeva

Martyr Paraskeva

Troparion of St Paraskeva Tone 1   Ready for godliness, O namesake of preparedness, thou didst inherit as a dwelling a faith worthy of thy name. O prize-winning Paraskeva, thou dost pour forth healings and art interceding for our souls.
Martyr Paraskeva of	Rome Commemorated July 26

 

 

Living in Rome, the devout Christian couple, Politea and Agathon, prayed fervently for a child and God finally blessed them with a child.  They gave great honour to Friday, the day of our Lord Jesus Christ’s suffering.  When their daughter was born on that day, therefore, they named her Paraskeva, which translated from the Greek means “Friday.” In addition to a good education, she received a thorough religious training. When her parents died, she gave away her goods to the poor and, following the example of the holy apostles, began walking about the countryside preaching the Gospel and converting many people to Christ.  This took considerable courage, because at that time both Jews and Romans were persecuting Christians.

 

With her learning and strong faith, Paraskeva spoke persuasively and brought many people to forsake their pagan idols and commit themselves to the true God.  Her success as a missionary eventually brought her to the attention of the Emperor, Antoninus Pius.  He summoned Paraskeva to the palace, and when, in spite of various threats and coaxing, she refused to denounce her faith in Jesus Christ, she was put to the cruelest tortures. Finally she was thrown into a vat of boiling oil and pitch.  Seeing her standing in the vat as though it were a bath of fresh water, the Emperor asked if she had employed some magic to cool the oil.  In response, Paraskeva scooped up some of the boiling oil and tossed it towards the Emperor, telling him to test it himself. Some of the burning liquid splashed into his eyes and blinded them.  Screaming out in pain, the Emperor begged the servant of God to heal him. Paraskeva called aloud upon the name of the Lord, and instantly the Emperor regained his sight.  This miracle moved Antoninus to put a stop to the persecution of Christians throughout the empire, and Paraskeva resumed her preaching unhindered. Antoninus died in 161.  Under his successor, Marcus Aurelius, a plague broke out.  The Romans took it as a sign that their gods were angered by the soft treatment of the Christians, and another wave of persecution was unleashed against them. 

 

Paraskeva was heedless of any danger and continued her missionary labours, everywhere spreading the holy Gospel. In one city, the governor Asclepius threw her into a pit with a poisonous serpent, convinced the beast would kill her.  Instead, Paraskeva made the sign of the Cross over the serpent and he stiffened and split in two, as if slain by a sword.  As a result, Asclepius and those with him came to believe in the true God.

Again at liberty, the Saint resumed her preaching. In one city, she was brought to trial before the ruler, Tarasios, and began telling him about Jesus Christ.  Tarasios subjected her to various tortures, but when he saw that nothing would persuade her to deny Christ, he ordered that the saint's head be cut off with a sword.  She received her martyr's wreath in about the year 180.  The martyr's holy remains were later taken to Constantinople, where they were venerated by the faithful. Saint Paraskeva is venerated as a healer of the blind.

 

 

"Never knowing the story of St. Paraskeva, before today and reading it left me in awe. Blessed with her strong faith and love for the Lord, she spoke his words to believers and non-believers alike. When she was tested of her faith though many sick and cruel tortures, she stood by our lord Jesus Christ without hesitation. With the Lord by her side she over came the persecutions and inspired those to believe. To me this amazing story is a reminder of how our faith in Christ will guide and protect us though out our lives and how denying Christ, will never be the right answer. St. Paraskeva’s story will always be in my heart."

 

Teena Khoury

St. Antonios, Halifax

Can-Am Region

Saint Philothei

St. Philothei

 

Troparia to Saint Philothei (Tone 5) The Faithful of Athens and all the world honors Philothei the martyred nun and rejoices in her holy relics. For she has exchanged this passing life for the life that knows no end through her struggle and martyrdom; and she begs the Savior to have mercy on us all. Philothei’s feast is celebrated on February 19th. Translated, her name means "friend of God."

Philothei was born in 1550 Athens into a very affluent family. Her family was loving and caring as well as patient, and she was married to a young man and widowed before she was even sixteen. After returning to live with her parents, she took on an active position in the family as well as the church and city. She was only content when she was helping others, and this peace of mind drew her closer to God and the Church. Her family’s wealth assisted in her charitable work, and before she had reached adulthood she had earned the love and respect of the community.

After her family had passed away, Philothei became the sole owner of extensive wealth, but desiring to become a nun, she assigned control of her belongings to the care of others in order to move to an Orthodox convent. In the meantime her money continued helping the poor and also funded the building of several churches and nunneries in and around Athens. At her own convent, Philothei transferred the nuns’ interests from passive to active. She taught them to supplement their worship and devotions with crafts that could benefit the Church community. Her work set the example for the handiwork that has been the trademark of nunneries for years.

During this time in history, Turkish Moslems were holding Greece hostage, challenging Christianity. However, they became frustrated because their attempts at conversion were unsuccessful. They had hoped the mere pressure of their presence would lead to the gradual replacement of Christianity by their own Moslem faith. Eventually the Turks endeavored to discredit the many faithful Christian leaders in Athens, but this was also unsuccessful. Philothei and other spiritual leaders only gained stronger resolve and greater devotion to God.

When it became apparent that Islam could not reach the hearts of the Christian Athenians, the Turks deliberately chose Philothei as a target, not only because of her open defiance but because they considered her sex to be a weakness and hoped she would succumb to surrender more easily. However, she remained a faithful and strong guide for the Athenians. Enraged, the Turks began a brutal course of terrorism.

During a service in Saint Andrew church, one of the beautiful chapels erected by her magnanimity, Philothei and some of her friends were attacked. The women were brutally beaten with clubs and stones, then dragged into the street to be murdered in front of the devastated townspeople. Philothei was carried out alive from this barbaric scene, but yielded to her wounds and gave up the spirit on February 19^th, 1589.

Several miracles have been attributed to the Holy Martyr Philothei, mostly at the Cathedral in Athens and the Saint Andrew Church, still standing today and where her relics are enshrined. The many churches and nunneries she funded are still evident, and many organizations of women are named to honor this Athenian Saint.

 

"Saint Philothei’s story is an inspiration, especially in our world today. So often we get caught in the clutches of material things, but Philothei’s generosity and willingness to give everything up for God sets an example up for us all to follow. She truly was a "friend of God."

~Philothei Maria Papas-

Saint Sophia

SAINT SOPHIA

AND HER THREE DAUGHTERS

FAITH, HOPE AND AGAPE

Commemorated September 17^th

These holy Martyrs dwelt in Italy in the reign of Hadrian (117-138). They came of a rich and devout family and their mother Sophia brought them up in the Faith, Hope and Love of the names she had given them. Word of their admirable manner of life reached the Emperor who, hearing they were in Rome, sent soldiers to bring them before him. Considering their tender years, he was amazed at how steadfast in the faith Sophia’s daughters were, and thinking it was only by supporting one another that they were able to hold their own against him, he put them to the question separately.

Pistis (Faith), who was twelve years old, was brought in first. She boldly dismissed the tyrant’s flatteries and deprecated his shameless deeds and vain plots against the Christians. The infuriated Emperor had her stripped, mercilessly beaten and her breasts torn off, whence milk not blood flowed forth. The other tortures she endured were to no avail, for she was protected by the power of God. When, at last, they came to strike off her head, Sophia encouraged her to accept with joy the death that would unite her to Christ.

Elpis (Hope), who was ten years old, was brought in next. Confessing Christ as steadfastly as her sister, she was beaten and cast into a raging furnace, but its fire went out on touching her, in whom love of God burnt with a fiercer flame than material fire. After many other tortures, she too died by the sword, giving thanks to God.

Agape (Love), the third of the sisters, was then summoned before the Emperor whom anger had maddened. She was only nine years old but of the same steadfast mind as her sisters. She was hung on a gallows and chained so tightly that her limbs were broken by the bonds. She was then thrown into a furnace, from which she was delivered by an angel, and finally, beheaded. Sophia rejoiced in spirit to see her daughters so gloriously making their way to the abodes of the righteous but, overwhelmed by earthly sorrow, she gave back her soul to God a few days later at their tomb. Their memories are celebrated on September 17.

 

This is by far one of my favourite stories of the Lives of the Saints.  We’ve all heard of thousands of saints and martyrs giving their lives to Christ and suffering in this world so that they could rejoice in the next.  But how many of them have been about children?  It’s so beautiful and inspiring to realize that kids our age (and younger!) have been just as zealous for God as the older great saints like St. Paul, St. Thekla and all the others!  Remembering this story helps me to try and carry the little ‘crosses’ in my life without complaining, whether it be the flu, a lot of homework, or even just being very tired.  “If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny Himself first and take up his cross and follow me.”  (XC)

 Alexa Younes

St. Raphael of Brooklyn

St. Raphael of Brooklyn New York

Troparion for St. Raphael, Bishop of Brooklyn (Tone 3) Rejoice, O Father Raphael, Adornment of the Holy Church! Thou art Champion of the true Faith, Seeker of the lost, Consolation of the oppressed, Father to orphans, and Friend of the poor, Peacemaker and Good Shepherd, Joy of all the Orthodox, Son of Antioch, Boast of America: Intercede with Christ God for us and for all who honor thee.
Burial site of St. Raphael at the Antiochian Village	Kontakion of Saint Raphael - Tone 3 Today the memory of blessed Raphael hath shone on us; For having received Christ’s call, he faithfully took up his cross and followed Him becoming a fisher of men. Let us cry aloud to him saying: Rejoice O Father Raphael!
Churches Founded by Saint Raphael   1. St. Nicholas Cathedral (Brooklyn, New York) - 1895   2. St. Nicholas Church of Canada (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) - 1899   3. St. George Church (Boston, Massachusetts) - 1900   4. St. George Church (Worcester, Massachusetts) - 1902   5. St. George Church (Kearney, Nebraska) - 1903   6. St. Mary (Dormition) Church (Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania) - 1904   7. St. George Church (Lawrence, Massachusetts) - 1904   8. St. Mary (Dormition) Church (Johnstown, Pennsylvania) - 1906   9. St. George Church (Glens Falls, New York) - 1906   10. St. Nicholas Church (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) - 1908   11. St. George Church (Vicksburg, Mississippi) - 1908   12. Archangel Michael Church (Beaumont, Texas) - 1908   13. St. George Church (Grand Rapids, Michigan) - 1908   14. St. George Church (Chicago, Illinois) - 1908   15. St. John of Damascus Church (Boston, Massachusetts) - 1909	16. St. George Church (Washington, D.C.) - 1909   17. St. George Church (Mexico City, DF, Mexico) - 1909   18. St. Simeon the Stylite Church (Ironwood, Michigan) - 1909   19. St. George Church (Michigan City, Indiana) - 1911   20. St. George Church (Charleston, West Virginia) - 1911   21. St. Nicholas Church (Cleveland, Ohio) - 1911   22. Archangel Michael Church (Geneva, New York) - 1912   23. Prophet Elias Church (La Crosse, Wisconsin) - 1912   24. St. George Church (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) - 1912   25. St. George Church (Macon, Mississippi) - 1913   26. St. George Church (Utica, New York) - 1913   27. St. George Church (New Kensington, Pennsylvania) - 1914   28. St. George Church (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) - 1914   29. St. Michael the Archangel (Monessen, Pennsylvania) - 1914   30. St. George Church (Toledo, Ohio) - 1914

 

    When I think of a saint, I usually think of someone born many centuries ago and who didn’t live in the country we’re all in now. With the story of saint Raphael Hawaweeny, Bishop of Brooklyn, my views dramatically change.

 

   

   

   

 

    "The life of saint Raphael changes the way I think about saints. It makes me see that saints were alive in the same century that I was born. So it raises the bar and takes away the excuse that we can’t live and strive for the life of a saint, because of the day and age we live in. Also many of us go to churches that Saint Raphael founded, we read the magazine he started, and many of us attend the camp where his body lies. He sets an example that we should try to follow. Even though he wasn’t a wonder worker, he was a true Orthodox Christian and had a zest for Christ, and for life. May he remember all of us in his prayers."

 

-Joey Abdallah-

In Syria, November 8, 1860, St. Raphael was born to Michael and Mariam Hawaweeny. Like all of us he attended elementary school. Unfortunately his father was not able to afford the tuition, so the Metropolitan of Homs recommended to Patriarch Hierotheos, of Antioch, that Rafla (Saint Raphael’s name given at his baptism) be accepted as a student of the Patriarchate to prepare for the priesthood. This preparation lead to his tonsuring as a monk on March 28, 1879. Fallowing his tonsuring he studied at the School of Theology at Halki. On December 8, 1885 he was ordained to the diaconate. By Bishop Slylvester, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1889. Only a month later he was raised to the position of Archimandrite. This humble man served the church in Russia for many years.November 2, 1895, Archimandrite Arrived in New York. Making several cross country journeys, seeking out the Arab-Americans of the country. Finding the lost sheep of the church he preformed marriages, baptisms, heard confessions, and celebrated Divine Liturgies in the homes of the faithful. Being the Sheperd of the Lost Sheep, he founded 30 churches across the United States, and became know as the Shepherd of the Lost Sheep In America. In December of 1901 Saint Raphael became the Bishop of Brooklyn and in 1904 the 1^st Bishop to consecrate the American soil. Saint Raphael also founded the Word magazine we read today. He died February 27, 1915 at the age of 55, from heart ailment. The wonderful man was berried in New York and then moved to the Antiochian Village Camp. March 29, 2000 his sainthood was proclaimed by the holy synod of the Orthodox Church in America. With all this said, Oh holy father Raphael pray unto God for us.

St. Seraphim of Sarov

St. Seraphim of Sarov

Troparion of St. Seraphim, Tone 4   Thou didst love Christ from thy youth, O blessed one, and longing to work for Him alone thou didst struggle in the wilderness with constant prayer and labor.  With penitent heart and great love for Christ thou wast favored by the Mother of God.  Wherefore we cry to thee: Save us by thy prayers, O Seraphim our righteous Father.   Kontakion of St. Seraphim, Tone 2   Having left the beauty of the world and what is corrupt in it, O saint, thou didst settle in Sarov Monastery.  And having lived there an angelic life, thou wast for many the way to salvation.  Wherefore Christ has glorified thee, O Father Seraphim, and has enriched thee with the gift of healing and miracles. And so we cry to thee: Rejoice, O Seraphim, our righteous Father.

The days of the commemoration of St. Seraphim are August 1 and January 15 (July 19 and January 2 by the church calendar).

 

 

St. Seraphim (born with the name Prohor Moshnin) was born in 1759 to a merchant family in Kursk. At the age of 10, he became seriously ill. During the course of his illness, he saw the Mother of God in his sleep, who promised to heal him. Several days later there was a religious procession in Kursk with the locally revered miracle-working icon of the Mother of God. Due to bad weather, the procession took an abbreviated route past the house of the Moshnin family. After his mother put Seraphim up to the miracle-working image, he recovered rapidly. While at a young age, he needed to help his parents with their shop, but business had little appeal for him.  Young Seraphim loved to read the lives of the saints, to attend church and to withdraw into seclusion for prayer.  At the age of 18, Seraphim firmly decided to become a monk. His mother blessed him with a large copper crucifix, which he wore over his clothing all his life. After this, he entered the Sarov monastery as a novice.

 

His taking of the monastic vows occurred in 1786, when he was 27 years old. He was given the name Seraphim, which in Hebrew means "fiery," or "burning." He was soon made a hierodeacon. He justified his name by his extraordinarily burning prayer. He spent all of his time, save for the very shortest of rests, in church.  Through such prayer and the labors of religious services, Seraphim became worthy to see angels, both serving and singing in church. During the liturgy on Holy Thursday, he saw the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, in the form of the Son of man, proceeding into the Church with the Heavenly host and blessing those praying. The saint could not speak for a long time after being struck by this vision.

 

In 1793, St. Seraphim was ordained a hieromonk, after which he served every day and received Holy Communion for a year. St. Seraphim then began to withdraw into the forest wilderness about five kilometers from Sarov Monastery. He achieved great perfection at this time. Wild animals — bears, rabbits, wolves, foxes and others — came to the hut of the ascetic. While living in this little hermitage of his, St. Seraphim once suffered greatly at the hands of robbers. Although he was physically very strong and was holding an axe at the time, St. Seraphim did not resist them. In answer to their threats and their demands for money, he lay his axe down on the ground, crossed his arms on his chest and obediently gave himself up to them. They began to beat him on the head with the handle of his own axe. Blood began to pour out of his mouth and ears, and he fell unconscious. They stopped beating him only when they had decided that he had died.  The only treasure which the robbers found in his cell was the icon of the Mother of God of Deep Emotion, before which he always prayed. When, after some time, the robbers were caught and brought to justice, the holy monk interceded on their behalf before the judge. After the beating, St. Seraphim remained hunched over for the rest of his life.

 

St. Seraphim took upon himself the feat of becoming an elder after a special vision of the Mother of God. He began to admit everyone who came to him for advice and direction. Many thousands of people from all walks of life and conditions began to visit the elder now, who enriched them from his spiritual treasures, which he had acquired by many years of efforts. Everyone saw St. Seraphim as meek, joyful, and pensively sincere. He greeted all with the words: "My joy!" To many he advised: "Acquire a peaceful spirit, and around you thousands will be saved." No matter who came to him, he bowed to the ground before all, and, in blessing, kissed their hands. He did not need the visitors to tell about themselves, as he could see what each had on their soul. He also said, "Cheerfulness is not a sin. It drives away weariness, for from weariness there is sometimes dejection, and there is nothing worse than that."

 

   "St. Seraphim is one of my favourite saints, because of his love and compassion for people.  Many times we grow impatient with one another and anger, hatred and envy all build up inside us, and we try to spread it around.  Life is really so simple, but we all have these expectations for everyone and we expect them to realize those expectations… and that’s why we have such impatience and anger and frustration against ourselves and each other.  Everyone is human; it’s inevitable that we are going to make mistakes no matter what.  St. Seraphim understood this and replaced expectations with compassion and love, and became like a child in his trustful and unquestioning acceptance of everyone.  Christ himself says, “Assuredly I say to you; unless you become as little children, you shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matt18:3)

 

Alexa Younes

Can-Am President

St. George Toronto, ON

St. Stephen the First Martyr

St. Stephen the First Martyr

Troparion (Tone 4)

Because of all you have endured for Christ our God, you have been given a royal crown, O First and Holy Martyr Stephen! You have put your persecutors to shame and have seen your Saviour enthroned at the right hand of the Father. Do not cease to intercede for the salvation of our souls.

The saint whose name leads all the rest who have sacrificed their lives for Jesus Christ is Stephen, the first martyr of Christendom because he would have been the last to deny him.

Stephen was one of the seven deacons of the original Church of Christ in Jerusalem, sharing his duties with six others - Philip, Prochoros, Nikanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas.

It was the function of the deacons to assist much as they do today in such matters as communion but with the additional responsibility of spreading the new faith and at the same time being ever on alert for the imminent danger that came with being a Christian in those early days.

Before entering the service of Christ, the young Stephen had studied under the renowned rabbinical tutor Gamaliel, who had been the mentor of the great St. Paul.

Not unlike Paul he was a qualified religious scholar who once sought to discredit the Saviour, until he came to know Jesus Christ and to embrace him as Paul did in that dramatic confrontation on the road to Damascus.

The full attention he had been giving to the Law of the ancient covenant he now directed to the new faith with zeal equal to that of those who enjoyed the company of the Messiah. There was no hint that he would be the very first casualty in the cause of the Nazarene, but each and every one of the missionaries was aware of the danger involved and chose to ignore it in their anxiety to serve.

Stephen seems to have confined his missionary work and preaching to the city of Jerusalem, the city in which he had prepared himself under the Pharisee Gamaliel for quite another career.

Well versed in the Scriptures, he used the Old Testament to full advantage in promoting the Messiah, citing the passages that were ample evidence out of the mouths of the ancient prophets of God that a Saviour would be born and that the Saviour was among them even now in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

It was with considerable anger and frustration that the men who had studied with him under Gamaliel now viewed the defector from their ranks, being particularly piqued when Stephen boldly challenged them in the synagogues.

He must have done this several times and, in all probability, been unceremoniously ushered from the premises more than once, but there came an occasion when he addressed himself to an extremely hostile Council of elders whose anger drove them to more than just having Stephen put out.

The mob that turned on Stephen worked itself into such a feverous pitch that by the time he had been seized and dragged into the street a cry went up for his blood and grew into a crescendo demanding his death. Dragged to the gates of Jerusalem and stoned him to death.

The gallant young Stephen died a brutal death at the hands of those with whom he had grown up. In the Book of Acts there is an account that Paul was among the onlookers who made no effort to save Stephen.

The early Christians buried Stephen in a small chapel in Jerusalem, which was dedicated to his memory and was known as the chapel of St. Stephen the Protomartyr (First Martyr).

The glorious story of Saint Stephen the first martyr amazed me on how a man so strong a believer proved it so well and was stoned for what he believed. St. Stephen was a strong man indeed. He did not die in vain either, he died for his beliefs and for trying to steer the Jewish religion and others towards Jesus Christ and his beliefs. It also amazed me how he felt no pain when being stoned but beheld the glory of God.

from Orthodox Saints, vol 4, by Fr George Poulos, Holy Cross Orthodox Press

Compiled by David Allen, Teen SOYO President, Sts. Peter & Paul, Charlottetown

St. Thekla

 St. Thekla

Troparion to St. Thekla

 

 

by the hand of Nicholas Papas

St. Thekla Chapel at the Antiochian Village

 

Saint Thekla was born into a prosperous pagan family in the Lycaonian. When she was eighteen years old and was promised to a young man named Thamyris. This is when Saint Paul the Apostle and Saint Barnabas arrived in the city. Thekla’s mother Theokleia prohibited her from joining the crowds that gathered to hear Paul preach. But Thekla found that if she sat near her bedroom window she could hear every word.

 

While listening to his words, she was very touched by his call to chastity. As it became apparent that Thekla was becoming interested in the new Faith, Theokleia and Thamyris went to the governor of the city and complained about Paul and his preaching. The governor had Paul imprisoned to calm them.

 

When Thekla learned of Paul’s arrest, she secretly went to the prison, and using her gold bracelets to bribe the guard, she was able to see him in the cell. As soon as she entered, she knelt before him and kissed the chains that bound his hands and feet. She remained there for a long time listening to his message of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

 

Theokleia and Thamyris were concerned of Thekla’s long absence and asked her servant if she knew where she was. The servant told them that Thekla had gone to visit an imprisoned stranger and they immediately knew she was with Paul. They went straight to the governor and demanded immediate judgment. After the governor scorned Paul for the disturbances he had caused in the city, he had him stoned and expelled from the city. The governor then cautioned Thekla for her foolishness and commanded her to return home with her mother and fiancé. When Thekla announced that she would vow to remain a virgin for the sake of Christ, her mother became very angry and asked the governor to threaten Thekla with severe punishment. The governor went along with her mother’s wishes and ruled that Thekla was to be burned at the stake unless she gave up her faith in Christ.

 

When Thekla refused, she was immediately punished. As she was tied to the stake, she saw a vision of Jesus Christ that gave her strength to face the flames. The fire was lit, but as the flames came near Thekla a thunderstorm suddenly hit and put the fire out. The governor was embarrassed and released Thekla by banishing her from the city.

 

Just outside of the city, she joined Paul and told him about her miraculous escape from punishment. Paul and Thekla left from that region and traveled to Antioch in Syria. As they entered the city, a young man tried to seduce Thekla because she was "beautiful". But Thekla fought him off and humiliated him in front of all his friends. He demanded that she is punished and the governor agreed. So he put her in an arena to face wild beasts. Thekla’s only reply was that she would be able to preserve her virginity until her death. When Thekla was taken to the arena, a lioness was set free to attack her. But in awe, the lioness approached Thekla and sat tamely at her feet. A bear was then released, but as it came closer to Thekla, the lioness killed it. A large lion was then released and the lioness protected her by giving up his own life. Much more happened, but as she departed Antioch, Tryphaena gave her gold and precious jewels. Tryphaena is the house Thekla stayed at for about a week speaking of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

 

Thekla left to rejoin Paul and told him all that happened. She asked that she might be permitted to spend the remainder of her life as an ascetic. Paul blessed her and she left leaving the jewels with Paul to give to the poor.

 

Thekla traveled to Syria to live her life in solitude and prayer. A young man tried to harass her while she was in a canyon, but she prayed as always and believed in God. The mountain miraculously split open allowing her to escape through a narrow passage.

 

Thekla continued her life of asceticism and peacefully fell asleep in Christ at the age of 90. Shortly after her death a community of virgins went to live in her mountain cell, building a small chapel to enshrine her body. Because of her many sufferings for the Faith, the Church counts her as a

"Protomartyr". And because she converted so many people to Christianity, she is also known as an "Equal-to-the-Apostles."

 

" I am often reminded of Saint Thekla when I scared, which is way too often. I am very paranoid of dark forest, scary situations of any sort, and of just too many thing. I fail to find the courage and faith in God to overcome my fears and paranoia’s. These are simple and very small details compared to Saint Thekla’s life. She faced much more difficulties than mine, of course, but she is our model to look up to. Please think of Saint Thekla throughout your days and how she relates in your life!"

 

-Nicol Zabak-

   O glorious Thekla, companion of Paul the divine, you were enflamed with the love of your Creator, by the teaching of the divine preacher. You despised the passing earthly pleasures, and offered yourself to God as an acceptable and pleasing sacrifice, disregarding all suffering. Intercede with Christ your Groom to grant us His great mercy.

Zacharias the Prophet

Zacharias the Prophet

 

        The prophet Zacharias was the son of Barachias, a priest of the Old Testament.  He performed the priest’s office in Jerusalem during the reign of Herod, and was of the daily course of Aiba.  His duty was to burn incense in the temple, while performing the priest’s office before God. 

 

On one occasion, a large crowd of people was gathered to pray when an angel of the Lord appeared before him, standing on the right side of the altar.  When Zacharias saw him he was afraid, but the angel spoke to him saying, “Fear, not Zacharias,” and comforted him by assuring him that his prayer was well pleasing to God and it had inclined God to a great act of mercy:  He visited Zacharias’ wife Elizabeth and loosed the bonds of her barrenness.  She would give birth to a son who shall be called John, whose name signifies grace.  His birth would make a multitude of people rejoice.  Furthermore, the angel said that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb and that he would turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 

 

When Zacharias heard the word of the angel, he did not believe what he had been told, for Elizabeth was barren and they were both old.  Zacharias said to the angel, “Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is well stricken in years.”  The angel answered, “I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings.  And, behold, thou shall be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things be performed, because thou believes not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.”  Zacharias waited in the altar as he spoke with the angel causing the people to wonder.  When he came out he could not speak, and the people understood that he had seen a vision in the temple.  He departed for his own house in Hebron, a city of Judah.

 

Then the prophecy was fulfilled and John was born from Elizabeth.  After Zacharias had written John’s name on a writing tablet, his mouth was opened and his tongue was immediately loosed, and he spoke, praising God and was filled with the Holy Spirit. 

 

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem and the Magi came from the East, they told Herod of the newborn king. Herod sent soldiers to slay all the children in Bethlehem, and remembering John, for he had been informed of all that had occurred at John’s birth, since everyone who lived in the country spoke of the wonder, Herod laid up all he had in his heart concerning John, saying, “What manner of child shall this be?  Will this child be the King of the Jews?”  He decided to kill John and sent executioners to Zacharias’ house.  The executioners did not find John there and the slaughter of children began.  When Elizabeth heard these cries and the reason for them, she took John and fled into the mountains.  At this time Zacharias was serving as a priest in Jerusalem.  When she saw soldiers drawing near, she prayed to God and cried out to the rocky mount nearby and said, “O mountain of God, receive a mother and her child!” Immediately the mountain was split and she entered hiding herself and John from the executioners.  The soldiers returned to Herod, having not found the child, and Herod sent word to Zacharias in the temple saying, “ Surrender your son John to me.”  Saint Zacharias replied, “I serve the Lord God of Israel.  As for my son, I do not know where he is.”

 

Herod was enraged and sent word to Zacharias again ordering that he be killed if he did not surrender his son.  The executioners made haste and demanded of Zacharias, “Where have you hidden your son?  Give him to us and obey the King’s command!  If you do not give us your son, you shall be put to death immediately.”  Saint Zacharias replied, “You will kill my body, but the Lord will receive my soul.”  The executioners straightway fulfilled Herod’s command and fell upon Zacharias between the temple and the altar.  His blood was spilt on the floor and became hardened like rock as a testimony against Herod and a witness to his eternal condemnation.  He is remembered on the 5^th of September.

"St. Zacharias is one of those saints that is easily overlooked. Of course everyone has heard of him, and most everyone knows about how he was unable to speak until the birth of John, because of his unbelief.  However, few know how his story ends.

I like St. Zacharias because he is a saint all of us can relate to.  He had his moments of doubt just like all of us do. Yet he was still canonized a saint and was still a martyr.  Reading his story helps me to realize that to be a saint one doesn’t have to be perfect, you just have to be willing to obey the will of God.  We all have the moments that we doubt but our sin will be forgiven and we can overcome the sin by doing God’s will, whether we are sure or not of how it will come out.  St. Zacharias is a perfect example of this, and I believe that this is what led to his being chosen as one worthy to die so that God’s will would be fulfilled."

Beth Ann Baker

St. Peter’s, Jackson, Mississippi

Southeast Region

1st Ecumenical Council

Commemoration of the 1st Ecumenical Council in Nicea

325

May 29

NOTE:  It is important to know that a few years before the First Ecumenical Council met, in 319, the Arians proclaimed that “There was a time when the son was not”.  They were suggesting that Jesus was not God when he was a child, but rather a creature.  This powerful statement split the church in two. 

In 325 AD, Constantine the Great was emperor of Rome.  He had recently legalized Christianity, so the religion was flourishing.  Because Christianity was no longer being persecuted, the Christians began to settle and live together.  Unfortunately there were still quarrels among the Christians, which upset Constantine.   

Constantine liked getting involved with the Church’s matters, and after creating the first of many laws, which gave liberty to Christians, he was called to resolve a quarrel between the Africans and the complaining Donatists.  One of the Donatists was a priest named Arius from Alexandria, Egypt.  He had been proclaiming for years that Jesus had not always been God (see note above).  He was a crafty and intelligent man who tried win over many followers and sway them from the Church’s beliefs.  Bishop Alexander (of Alexandria) excommunicated Arius to rid him from the Church.  Constantine tried to settle the quarrel between the two, but realized it would take a great deal of time and effort.   

Constantine called together a council of all the bishops in the land to settle the dispute as to whether or not Jesus was always God.  So in 325 AD, 319 bishops, many clergy, some laity, and even some heathen philosophers met in Nicea, Bithynia.  (1,800 bishops had been invited to attend but due to poor traveling conditions, only 319 showed)  In general, the bishops were simple men who had never had to argue about their beliefs before.  Their purpose was to present the beliefs that had been passed down and to put them together.  One simple bishop was approached by a philosopher who tried to argue against Christianity.  The bishop, who had no arguing experience, simply stated his creed (his beliefs) which eventually converted the man.  At one point during the council, Bishop Alexander of Alexandria was speaking about the Trinity.  Arius found something confusing about what he said and began arguing.  Arius’ argument was very logical until he stated, “If the Father begat the Son, then he who was begotten had a beginning in existence, and from this it follows there was a time when the Son was not."  Alexander saw the trouble that was to arise and the arguing that was to take place over this new heresy.  One of his deacons, Athanasius, immediately took charge in combating Arius over this issue to strike down the falsehoods.  Athanasius could not be a judge at the council, but he was allowed to speak in front of the clergy.  Alexander and Athanasius tried to get Arius to recognize his heresy by talking with him, begging with him, and even getting a petition of all the bishops against him to get him to change, though he refused.  Eventually Athanasius outwitted Arius and eventually the heretic was condemned.  Bishop Hosius came up with the idea to write down a creed of the beliefs they agreed on.  This is what they wrote:

"We believe in one God. The Father Almighty. Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages. Light of Light; true God of true God; begotten not made; of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man. And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried. And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; whose Kingdom shall have no end."

The fathers of the council are always commemorated on the Sunday after the Ascension. 

 

Archangel Michael

Archangel Michael

Archangel Michael September 6th, Miracle at Chonae,    Troparion (Tone 4) Michael Prince of the armies of heaven, thou didst over-shadow the Church like a cloud raining waters of immortality. Thou didst preserve it as another ark and turn rivers aside with thy spear, to the glory of the Faith and the rejoicing of the faithful.

November 8th, Synaxis of the Holy Archangels Michael & Gabriel & all the Bodiless Powers,   Troparion (Tone 1) Let us praise Cherubim, Seraphim, Thrones, Powers, Authorities and Principalities, Dominions, Archangels and Angels for they are the Bodiless ministers of the Unoriginate Trinity and revealers of incomprehensible mysteries. Glory to Him Who has given you being; glory to Him Who has given you light; glory to Him Who is praised by you in thrice-holy hymns.

 

To the angel who had redeemed me from all evil. (Geneses 48:16)

    God created the angels to serve Him, and also to serve the human beings who were created in His Image, and according to His Likeness. "He Makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire." (Hebrews 1:7)
   

   The word "Michael" is a Hebrew word which means "who is like God." It seems that all angels were created holy, but after a period of probation some fell from their state of innocence, due to a deliberate self-determined rebellion against God. We do not know the time of their fall, but it is clear that it occurred before the fall of man, for Satan deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden.
   

   "And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought. But they did not prevail, nor was a place for them in heaven any longer." (Revelation 12:7-8) Scripture also shows that good angels will continue in the service of God in the future age, while evil angels will have their part in the lake of fire. (Matt. 25:41)
Another encounter happened between the Archangel Michael, and the devil. "Yet, Michael the Archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" (Jude 1:9)

  
    Therefore, since God gave the Archangel Michael the responsibility to defeat Satan and his evil angels, Michael ought to be present during the resurrection of the Lord, the event that crushed Satan and completed Michael's work. He had to announce the victory of the Lord over the evil powers, and his own joy to see the Devil bound by the blood of Jesus who was rising victoriously from the tomb. In other words, Michael's mission was a temporary one, until the cross of Jesus crushed Satan completely.
   

   "And behold there was a great earthquake for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen." (Matt. 28:1-6)

 

Taken from St. Anthony's Website.

 

   "Archangel Michael is the man, or the angel, I should say. He is my patron saint, which already makes him important to me. But the fact that he was given the responsibility to crush 'satan and his evil angels,' inspires me. I want to crush him the same way Michael did; Satan's goal is to push us as far away as he can from God. We all can crush satan by just following the teachings of Christ."

 

-Randy Bahbah-

NAC Web Designer

St. George Houston, TX

To Michael the leader among all the heavenly hosts.

 

To the Archangel who fought Satan and his followers until there was no place for them in heaven an longer.

 

To the holy Angel who rolled the stone away from the tomb, and announced the resurrection.

 

To the faithful intercessor who prays on our behalf day and night, remember us in front of the throne of God.

 

Amen

 

Martyr Maria

New Martyr Maria

Healer of Depression

Troparion To New Martyr Maria, Tone 4   O our blessed Mother Maria, who didst bear the cross of illness so meekly and humbly, with such sobriety and prayer that God granted thee the gift of the consolation. Pray for us sinners who know not how to repent, that God may grant us His great mercy. Commemorated on January 26

The revolution of 1917 found Matushka Maria on her sickbed. After suffering encephalitis (inflammation of the brain), she entered the condition of the so-called Parkinson’s Disease: her whole body became, as it were, chained and immovable, her face anemic and like a mask. She could speak, but she began to talk with a half-closed mouth, through her teeth, pronouncing slowly and in a monotone voice. She was in constant need of help and careful looking after. Usually this disease proceeds with sharp psychological changes (irritability, a tiresome stubbornness in repeating stereotyped questions, an exaggerated egoism, manifestations of senility, and the like), as a result of which such patients often would end up in psychiatric hospitals. But Mother Maria, being bedridden, not only did not degenerate physically, but revealed completely extraordinary features of personality and character, not characteristic of such patients; she became extremely meek, humble, submissive, undemanding, concentrated in herself; she became engrossed in constant prayer, bearing her difficult condition without the least murmuring.

As if as a reward for this humility and patience, the Lord sent her a gift: consolation of the sorrowing. Completely strange and unknown people, finding themselves in sorrows, grief, depression, and despondency, began to visit her and converse with her. And everyone who came to her left consoled, feeling an illumination of their grief, a pacifying sorrow, a calming of fears, a taking away of depression and despondency. The news of this extraordinary nun gradually spread far beyond the boundaries of the city of Gatchina.

"Depression is a spiritual cross," she stated. "It is sent to help the penitent who does not know how to repent, that is, who after repentance falls again into the earlier sins….And therefore, only two medicines can treat this sometimes extremely difficult suffering of the soul. One must either learn to repent and offer the fruits of repentance; or else bear this spiritual cross, one’s depression, with humility, meekness, patience, and great multitude to the Lord, remembering that the bearing of this cross is accounted by the Lord as the fruit of repentance….And after all, what a great consolation it is to realize that your discouragement is the unacknowledged fruit of repentance, an unconscious self-chastisement for the absence of the fruits that are demanded….From this thought one should come to contrition, and then the depression gradually melts and the true fruits of repentance will be conceived…"

About 1930 Maria was arrested. She was accused of counter-revolutionary propaganda and of participating in a counter-revolutionary organization, according to paragraphs 10 and 11 of Article 58 (of the Soviet criminal code). The "politico-religious crime" of Maria was deepened by her refusal to recognize Metropolitan Sergius after his famous Declaration of 1927, which led to a schism in the Russian Church. She was dragged by her arms, which were twisted behind her back, along the floor and ground from her bed to the truck by two Chekists…Swinging her much-suffering, paralyzed body, the Chekists threw it into the truck and took her away. She died in the hospital and her body was not given over. God give rest to her meek soul! Holy New Martyr Maria, pray to God for us!

"New Martyr Maria especially struck me when I first read about her because not many people know about her; yet, everyday we get down about things and start looking to the negative side of life. But in the big scheme of things, we shouldn’t worry about the little things in life and focus on God. Martyr Maria had amazing strength and we should look and pray to her when we are feeling down in any situation!!"

-Nicol Zabak-

Prophet Elias

 Holy Prophet Elias (Elijah)

 Troparion Tone 4

 O angelic of body, pillar of the prophets and their cornerstone, the forerunner of the Second Coming of Christ, the venerable and glorious Elias, you sent grace from on high to Elisha to dispel sicknesses and purify lepers.  Wherefore, he overflows with healing to those who honor him.

 

Comemorated July 20

 A man who saw God, a wonderworker and zealot for faith in God, Elias was of the tribe of Aaron, from the city of Tishba, whence he was known as  "the Tishbite."  When Elias was born, his father Sabah saw angels of God around the child, swaddling it with fire and feeding it with flames.  This was a foreshadowing of Elias’ fiery character and his God-given fiery powers.  He spent his whole youth in prayer and meditation, withdrawing often to the desert to ponder and pray in tranquility.  

The prophet Elias came into the greatest conflict with the Israelite king, Ahab, and his evil wife Jezebel, for they worshipped idols and turned the people from the service of the one, living God.  On top of this, Jezebel, being a Syrian, persuaded her husband to build a temple to the Syrian god, Baal, and appointed many priests to the service of this false god.  Elias performed  many miracles by the power of God: he closed the heavens, that no rain should fall for three years and six months; called down fire from heaven to consume the sacrifice to his God, while the priests of Baal were unable to do this; brought rain from the heavens at his prayers; miraculously multiplied corn and oil in the widow’s house at Zarephath, and restored her dead son to life; prophesied to Ahab that the dogs would lick up his blood, and to Jezebel that the dogs would devour her--which came to pass; and performed many other miracles and foretold many events.  

He talked with God on Horeb, and heard His voice in the calm after the great wind.  At the time of his death, he took Elisha and appointed him his heir as a prophet; he parted the Jordan with his mantle and was finally borne to heaven in a fiery chariot drawn by fiery horses.  He appeared, together with Moses, to our Lord Jesus Christ on Mount Tabor at the Transfiguration.  At the end of the world, Elias will appear again, to break the power of the antichrist (Rev. 11).

"I chose to write about the life of the great prophet, Elijah (Elias).  His story is extremely rare among God’s chosen saints, because Elias was taken to heaven in a fiery chariot.  Orthodox tradition teaches that only two people throughout history were taken to heaven soul and body, the Virgin Mary and Prophet Elias.  I love hearing about his zeal for God as he fought against the rulers and their pagan gods.  He is truly a great inspiration for all of us!"

Paul Fuller

Source:  The Prologue from Orchid. Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic.  Birmingham B30 1QE, England:  Lazarica Press, 1986.  Book 3, Pg. 86-87

Saint Anthony

Troparion (Tone 2)
Thou didst follow the ways of zealous Elijah, and the straight path of the Baptist, O Father Anthony. Thou didst become a desert dweller and support the world by thy prayers. Intercede with Christ our God that our souls may be saved.

January 17th

St. Anthony was born into a wealthy family. When his parents died, he and his sister shared their wealth. Since his sister was a minor, he made sure she was cared for and then gave away all his portion of the inheritance to the poor and went into the desert to live the life of asceticism as a monk. St. Anthony took to heart the words of the Lord: “If you desire to be perfect, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow me" (Mark 10:21). Many people imitated his example and went and lived close to him, thus "populating the desert." St. Anthony is considered the Father of Orthodox Monasticism, for his kind of monasticism, that of "living alone with God as his only companion", remained the most cherished monastic ideal for the monks of the Christian Orthodox Church throughout the ages.

While in the desert, St. Anthony preoccupied himself with prayer and study. Before teaching himself how to read and write, it is said that he memorized most of the Sacred Scriptures simply by having other monks read God's Word to him!

St. Anthony was committed to refining the rules of monasticism and to establishing a number of monasteries throughout Egypt and the surrounding region. Soon his fame spread throughout the East, and those who thirsted for spiritual fulfillment constantly sought his wise counsel. Once when a number of Greek philosophers tried to test him and impress him with their knowledge, he posed this profound question to them: "Which is older: the book, or the wisdom it contains?” St. Anthony used to say "Learn to desire humility, for that will cover your sins. All sin is hateful to God, but the most hateful of all is pride of heart. Do not consider yourself learned or wise, or all your toil will be lost and your ship will arrive empty at the shore…If you have great power, threaten no man with death; know that according to nature you also are subject to death and that each soul takes off its body as its final clothing."

Because of the great respect that the entire Church had for him, St. Anthony was invited to attend the First Ecumenical Council in Nicea in 325 A.D. Although he held neither title nor power, he was called upon to give a defense of the Orthodox faith concerning the Divinity of Christ against the Arian heresy.

St. Anthony died in 356 A.D. at the age of 105 in his beloved desert monastery.

"I never really paid attention to St. Anthony it wasn’t until a little while ago I read his story. I never knew what made him great or what was it that made him a Saint. But now I know what made him so close to god! See everyone wants to be perfect and no one knows how.

Everyone thinks that it all comes in your skills good grades and the polite manner. But now I know that perfect isn’t really the skills or the talent perfect is gods doing feeding god when he was hungry, clothing god when he had no clothes helping him when he was helpless.

In our eyes St. Anthony was just feeding the hungry giving to the poor but in gods eyes St. Anthony was feeding god clothing god and helping god when he needed help and that’s what I think made him the honorable and holy Saint that he is today."

Nicole Khoury

St. Antonios, Halifax

Can-Am Region

Saint Babylas

 St. Babylas

Troparion in Tone 4 In your manner a participant, And in Your throne a successor of the Apostles. You did discover action an entrance into visions, O Inspired one of God! Therefore directing the Word of Truth, You did suffer for the faith even unto blood. O Bishop and Martyr Babylas, Pray to Christ our God That our souls may be saved.
Comemorated on September 4th	Kontakion in Tone 4 O Holy Bishop and Martyr Babylas, You stored the great mysteries of the faith in your heart and preserved them there, And as a faithful servant of Christ, You had no fear of the enemy: Therefore be a guardian also for us!

The lives of the saints are truly incredible.  To think that someone would literally "give up their life" for something they believed in; now that is true love.  The same love saints portray through their acts of martyrdom, Christ displayed to us through His death on the cross.   I am extremely touched by stories of saints who willingly died for Christ, the Lamb,  who sacrificed Himself for our sakes.
         The beloved Saint Babylas, the Patriarch of Antioch, is one of the many Holy Martyrs who reminds us that nothing of this world is good.  The only true "good" gift comes from Christ, alone. 
       Holy bishop Babylas was elected Patriarch of Antioch in the year 237.  He was beyond doubt a good shepherd, who continually took care of the widows and orphans who lived in his Patriarchate.  During this time, the governor of Antioch was a pagan named Numerian.  He was very malicious, committing many cruel acts and murdering many people.   Numerian also hated all followers of Christ.
      Numerian decided to go into the Christian church in Antioch and mock it.  The holy patriarch, Babylas, met him at the gate, and prohibited him to enter the church.  The governor then became enraged and sent soldiers to arrest Saint Babylas. 
       At that time, there were three young orphans living in the house of the patriarch.  These young boys were arrested also with Saint Babylas.  They were brought before the governor, and he demanded that Saint Babylas make a public apology for refusing to allow him into the church.  The patriarch not only refused to do this, but instead, told the Numerian to give up his sinful way of life.  This obviously angered Numerian and he ordered that the saint be beaten and tortured.  Numerian also tried to get the three boys to renounce Christ by bribing them with "all kinds of good things."  They all refused, and declared, "We are followers of Christ, and we will be happy to die for Him.  You do not have any good things to give us, for all good things come only from Christ." 
      The governor became completely outraged.  He had Patriarch Babylas and the three young boys beaten and persecuted so terribly that all four of them died from the extreme agony. 
       Once again, Saint Babylas and the three young boys remind us of how we should strive to live for Christ.  In Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans he says, "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).  "Neither DEATH nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing shall be able to SEPARATE us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).  I think these verses wonderfully depict that NOTHING in this world; tribulation, distress, or persecution; can separate us from the love of Christ. 
      It is very apparent that Saint Babylas knew this, and with that knowledge, he put his faith in Christ.  We, as Orthodox Christians, need to be continually reminded to keep the steadfast faith in our Lord and to strive to be like Christ, just as the saints. 

      

   

   

    

   

    

   

    

- Jessica Makdsi -

SWR Treasurer

St. Michael Beaumont, TX

Saint Barbara

St. Barbara

Troparion (Tone 8) Let us honor holy Barbara, Destroying the snares of the enemy, she escaped from them like a bird with the help of the Cross as a weapon.
St. Barbara is Celebrated  on December 4th	Kontakion of Great Martyr Barbara Tone 4     Great Martyr Barbara, thou didst follow Him Who is praised in Trinity, having abandoned the idols' shrines. Thou didst strive in the midst of the arena not shrinking from the tyrants' threats. Thou didst cry out in a strong voice, I worship the Trinity, the One Divinity.

One such heroine, named Barbara, lived in the city of Heliopolis in the beginning of the third century. She was a lovely and intelligent girl and the daughter of Dioscorus, who was a wealthy nobleman and a pagan. To protect his young daughter, Dioscorus built a magnificent tower for her to live in to keep her safe. He didn't care how much he spent on her he gave her the best of food, clothing, servants and teachers, but forbade her to have friends and even speak to anyone without his permission. Barbara was a bright and intelligent girl and who was obedient to her father's wishes and remained in the tower, without complaint, even during his frequent business trips.

Dioscorus's intentions were simple - he wanted to surround his daughter with the greatest comforts and a lot of attendants focused on teaching her how to worship the pagan gods. He felt that by keeping her away from the world, she was sure to grow up and be a pagan worshipper.

Yet, his plan failed. Although she had no 'human' teacher to bring her to the knowledge of God's existence, Barbara's mind, heart and soul were opened by the grace of God to feel His presence. Secretly, she was able to meet with some Christians who told her about Christ and His teachings. Convinced of the Truth concerning Jesus, she became a Christian whose love for God inspired all who her of heard.

Her father, became suspicious that his daughter, despite his extreme efforts, had become a Christian. While angry, he delivered her to Marcian, the Roman prefect, to torture her until she denied Christ. Young Barbara was stripped and struck with whips and clubs until she was standing in a pool of her own blood. To increase the pain, the soldiers rubbed vinegar into her wounds. Through all this, Barbara stood firm in her faith and would not deny Christ.

She was then thrown into prison and ordered to return the following day. While in her cell Barbara knelt in prayer to ask God to continue to grant her the strength that she needed to remain faithful, and as she prayed her heart was filled with heavenly joy and her wounds were completely healed. When she was brought in front of Marcian the following day he was amazed to see that her wounds had healed and demanded her to deny Christ. Her refusal angered the prefect who ordered her body to be hung on a stake and ripped with iron claws, they burned her wounds with hot irons and beat her head with spiked clubs. Yet through it all, Barbara found consolation in prayer. Frustrated at not being able to break Barbara's faith he ordered her to be taken out of the city and killed.

Dioscorus, who watched his daughter being tortured, was so angry he offered to execute Barbara himself and led his daughter out of the city and killed her with his own sword. He was quickly punished for his actions he was hit with a bolt of lightning - killing him instantly. 

"Saint Barbara is an inspiration to me. She is my patron saint and I look up to her and ask her to always have intercession for my soul. She makes me think to myself...'I should not deny Christ.' Is our everyday actions reveling Christ inside of us? One thing that I learned from her is that being a witness to other people can help lead them to Christ. Through her intercessions O Lord, Have mercy upon us and save us. Amen."

-Dolly Bahbah-

SWR President

St. George Houston, TX

Saint Christopher

 Great Martyr Christopher

Troparian of St Christopher    Tone 4   In beautiful garments woven from thy blood thou dost stand before the King of Heaven.   For thou dost chant the Thrice-holy hymn with Angels and Martyrs.  By thy supplications save thy servants.

 

A great wonderworker, he is especially venerated in Spain.  His help is invoked particularly against infectious illnesses and great pestilence.  He was martyred for Christ and glorified in 249.  According to tradition, St. Christopher died a martyr in Lycia during the reign of Decius, a Roman Emperor who conducted the first systematic persecution of Christians. Very little is known about Christopher's life, but many legends have developed around his name. 

One of the most popular legends describes the saint as a tall man of tremendous strength who made a living carrying people across a raging river. One day his passenger was a child who grew so heavy as they crossed the river that he feared they would both drown. Christopher was amazed that such a small child could overcome someone so mighty as himself. The child then revealed that he was Christ, and the heaviness was caused by the weight of the world which he bore. The name "Christopher" means "Christ-bearer", and it is no surprise that he is often depicted as carrying a child, who, in turn, is carrying a globe.

 

 

"Although so little is known about the life of St. Christopher, there is so much to be gathered even from his experience carrying Christ across the river.  We all bear and are called to bear and to “put on” Christ by taking up the crosses in our lives that He has given to each of us.  St. Christopher bore his cross and eventually suffered martyrdom for the faith, fulfilling the commandment of Christ, “He who does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of me.”  (Matt 10:38) 

Happy Feast Day to all who bear the name Christopher and may we all learn to carry Christ as he did!"

           

Elysia Younes

 

St. George, Toronto

Saint Ephraim

St. Ephraim the Syrian

Kontakion (Tone 2) Ever forseeing the hour of reckoning thou didst bewail thy sins with tears of compunction O Ephraim and thou wast active in works as a teacher O Saint. Therefore O father of all the world thou didst rouse the indifferent and easy-going to repentance.
	Prayer of St. Ephraim O Lord and Master of my life,Take from me the spirit of sloth, despair, lust of power and idle talk. But give rather the spirit of chastity, meekness of mind, patience and love to Thy servant. Yea O Lord and King, grant me to see my own transgressions and not to judge my brother, for blessed art thou unto ages of ages.  Amen.

 

St. Ephraim was born early in the fourth century in the ancient city of Nisibis in Mesopotamia, where the Roman Empire bordered on the Persian Kingdem. At one

time Mesopotamia belonged to Syria and for this reason St. Ephraim is known as "the Syrian." He was born of Christian parents before the Edict of Milan was issued

(313), establishing official toleration of religion, and, as he later wrote, his ancestors "confessed Christ before the judge; I am related to martyrs."

 

When he was still a baby, his parents had a prophetic dream: from the boy's tongue sprang a lush vine which produced abundant clusters of grapes. The more the

birds ate the fruit, the more it multiplied. Later it was revealed that these clusters were his sermons, the leaves of the vine--his hymns. 

 

Remember not O Lord the sins of my youth. (Ps. 25:7)  Judging from his youth, however, one could never have guessed his future greatness. In spite of his parents' having educated him in Christian precepts, he was impetuous and even rather wild, like an unruly colt which resists the bridle: "I would quarrel over trifles, acted foolishly, gave in to bad impulses and lustful thoughts.  My youth nearly convinced me that life is ruled by chance. But God's Providence brought my impassioned youth to the light of wisdom." He relates the story of his conversion:

 

"One day my parents sent me outer town and I found a pregnant cow feeding along the road. I took up stones and began pelting the cow, driving it into the woods till

evening when it fell down dead? During the night wild beasts ate it. On my way back, I met the poor owner of the cow. 'My son,' he asked, 'did you drive away my cow?' I not only denied it, but heaped abuse and insult upon the poor man."

 

A few days later he was idling with some shepherds. When it grew too late to return home, he spent the night with them. That night some sheep were stolen and the boy was accused of being in league with the robbers. He was taken before the magistrate and cast into prison. In a dream an angel appeared to Ephraim and asked him why he was there. The boy began at once to declare that he was, innocent. "Yes," said the angel, "you are innocent of the crime imputed to you, but have you forgotten the poor man's cow?"

 

When Ephraim saw the tortures to which criminals were subjected, he became terrified. He turned to God and vowed that he would become a monk if God would spare him such a cruel ordeal. The magistrate, however, just laughed at the youth's tears and ordered that he be stretched on the rack.

 

But just then a servant came to announce that dinner was ready. "Very well," said the magistrate, "I will examine the boy another day." And he ordered him back to prison. Providentially, the next time the magistrate saw Ephraim, he thought he had been punished enough and dismissed him. Although he was spared the rack, Ephraim had learned his lesson and, like the Prophet David, he entreated the Lord to overlook his youthful folly. True to his vow, upon his release he went straightway to the hermits living in the mountains where he became a disciple of St. James (Jan. 12), who later became a great bishop of Nisibis.  Born again in repentance, Ephraim began to train as an athelete of virtues, exorcizing himself in the study of the Holy Scriptures and in prayer and fasting. The passionate and wayward youth was transformed into a humble and                         contrite monk, weeping day and night for his sins and entirely surrendered to God. Ephraim's earnest resolve pleased the Lord Who rewarded him with the gifts of wisdom; grace flowed from his mouth like a sweet stream, in fulfillment of his parents' dream.

 

In spite of the gifts which God so lavishly bestowed upon him, St. Ephraim remained deeply humble. He even feigned madness so as to avoid being consecrated bishop and the glory that attends that position. Doubtless, his humility was guarded by the remembrance of the sins of his youth and by his contrite spirit which followed upon this remembrance. But while tears of repentance constantly flowed from his eyes, Ephraim's face was bright and shone with joy. As St. Gregory writes: "Where

Ephraim speaks of contrition, he lifts our thought to the Divine goodness and pours cut thanksgiving and praise to the Most High."

 

On January 28, 373, after a brief illness, St. Ephraim reposed from his labors and was received into the heavenly habitations. The citizens of Edessa called him a "lyre of the Holy Spirit." Now, centuries later, his works still sing to the soul, inspiring it with the sweet fruit of repentance. 

 

I didn’t know too much of St. Ephraim until I read his life story.  I think that he’s a good example for all those people who think that they were too bad as children to ever turn their lives around.  It is also a good thing for us to see that we can still turn our lives around, even when we do bad things. 

Matthew Kakish~

Saint George

The Holy and Great Martyr George the Trophy Bearer

Troparion of St George    Tone 4 As the deliverer of captives and defender of the poor, healer of the infirm and champion of kings, victorious great martyr George intercede with Christ our God for our souls salvation.
	Commemorated on May 6 and Nov.16  (23 April and 3 November according to the Church Calendar)

 

The great martyr George was the son of wealthy and pious parents, who raised him in the Christian faith. He was born in the city of Beirut at the foot of the Lebanese mountains.

Having entered military service, George stood out among the other soldiers by virtue of his mind, valor, physical strength, military bearing and beauty. Having quickly attained to the rank of millenary, an officer in the Roman army in charge of a thousand or more soldiers, Saint George became a favorite of the Emperor Diocletian.

 

Diocletian was a talented ruler, but a fanatical adherent of the Roman gods. Having set for himself the goal of reviving dying paganism in the Roman Empire, he went down in history as one of the cruelest persecutors of Christians.

 

Once, when he heard in a court the inhuman sentence concerning the annihilation of Christians, Saint George became inflamed with compassion for them. Foreseeing that sufferings were also awaiting him, George distributed his property to the poor, freed his slaves, appeared before Diocletian and, having revealed himself as a Christian, denounced him for cruelty and injustice. George's speech was full of powerful and convincing objections against the imperial order to persecute Christians.

 

After futile persuasions to deny Christ, the Emperor ordered that the saint be subjected to various tortures. Saint George was confined in a dungeon, where they placed him supine on the ground; his legs they confined in stocks, and on his breast they placed a heavy stone. But Saint George manfully endured the sufferings and glorified the Lord. Then George's torturers began to refine their cruelty. They beat the Saint with ox hide whips, subjected him to the wheel, threw him into quicklime and forced him to run in shoes with sharp nails inside. The holy Martyr endured everything patiently. Finally, the Emperor ordered the Saint's head to be cut off. Thus, the holy sufferer departed unto Christ in Nicomedia in 303 AD.

 

The great ­martyr George, for his manliness and for his spiritual victory over the torturers, who could not force him to renounce Christianity, and likewise for his wonderworking assistance to people in danger is additionally called the "Trophy bearer". The relics of Saint George the Trophy bearer were placed in the Palestinian city of Lydda, in the church that bears his name, while his head was preserved in Rome, in the church that is also dedicated to him.

 

On icons, the great martyr George is depicted sitting on a white horse and smiting a dragon with a spear. This depiction is based on tradition and relates to the posthumous miracles of the holy great martyr George. It is said that not far from the place where Saint George was born in the city of Beirut, in a lake lived a dragon which frequently devoured people of that locale. What kind of beast that was, a python, crocodile or large lizard is not known.

In order to appease the wrath of that dragon, the superstitious inhabitants of that locale began regularly by lot to give up to it a youth or maiden to be eaten. Once the lot fell on the daughter of the ruler of that locale. They took her to the shore of the lake and tied her up where she began to await in terror the appearance of the dragon.

 

When the beast began to approach her, suddenly a radiant youth appeared on a white horse who smote the dragon with a spear and saved the maiden. This youth was the holy great martyr George. By such a miraculous appearance he caused the extermination of youths and maidens to cease in the environs of Beirut and converted to Christ the inhabitants of that country, who until then were pagans.

 

"I had never really heard the true story of St. George the Trophy Bearer. Though he is the patron saint of my church, the stories about St. George slaying the dragon seem to be predominant and muffle the tales of his other heroic actions. The story of St. George is enlightening and equally interesting."

Kaitlyn Bishara

Can-Am SOYO Secretary

 

St. George, Niagara Falls

Saint John Chrysostom

Saint John Chrysostom
Archbishop of Constantinople

Patron Saint of Teen SOYO

Troparion to St. John (Tone 8) Grace like a flame shining forth from thy mouth has illumined the universe, and disclosed to the world treasures of poverty and shown us the height of humility. And as by thine own words thou teachest us, Father John Chrysostom, so intercede with the Word, Christ our God, to save our souls.	In his hands is a scroll which reads: "I will not speak of thy mystery to thine enemies." This icon commemorates St. John Chrysostom's contribution to the development of the Liturgy. The Liturgy celebrated on most Sundays bears his name.
	by the hand of Nicholas Papas

Our Father Among the Saints, John Chrysostom

 (taken from the November 1998 issue of Cornerstone)

 

    The legion of saints of the Church is comprised of men of extraordinary ability whose talents may have been dissimilar but many of whom seem to have shared a common genius for oratory. Yet out of this vast assembly of eloquent speakers, whose reputation might have rested on their gift of expression alone, the one for whom the title "Chrysostom" (in Russian, "Zlatoust"), or "golden-mouthed" was reserved, was John of Antioch, known as St. John Chrysostom, a great distinction in view of the qualifications of so many others.

 

    Endeared as one of the four great doctors of the Church, St. John Chrysostom was born in 347 in Antioch, Syria and was prepared for a career in law under the renowned Libanius, who marveled at his pupil's eloquence and foresaw a brilliant career for his pupil as statesman and lawgiver. But John decided, after he had been baptised at the age of 23, to abandon the law in favour of service to the Saviour. He entered a monastery which served to educate him in preparation for his ordination as a priest in 386 AD. From the pulpit there emerged John, a preacher whose oratorical excellence gained him a reputation throughout the Christian world, a recognition which spurred him to even greater expression that found favour with everyone but the Empress Eudoxia, whom he saw fit to examine in some of his sermons.

   

    When St. John was forty-nine years old, his immense popularity earned him election to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, a prestigious post from which he launched a crusade against excessiveness and extreme wealth which the Empress construed as a personal affront to her and her royal court. This also gave rise to sinister forces that envied his tremendous influence. His enemies found an instrument for his indictment when they discovered that he had harboured some pious monks who had been excommunicated by his archrival Theophilos, Bishop of Alexandria, who falsely accused John of treason and surreptitiously plotted his exile.

 

    When it was discovered that the great St. John had been exiled by the puppets of the state, there arose such a clamour of protest, promising a real threat of civil disobedience, that not even the royal court dared to confront the angry multitudes and St John was restored to his post. At about this time he put a stop to a practice which was offensive to him, although none of his predecessors outwardly considered it disrespectful; this practice was applauding in church, which would be considered extremely vulgar today, and the absence of which has added to the solemnity of Church services.

 

    St. John delivered a sermon in which he deplored the adulation of a frenzied crowd at the unveiling of a public statue of the Empress Eudoxia. His sermon was grossly exaggerated by his enemies, and by the time it reached the ears of the Empress it resulted in his permanent exile from his beloved city of Constantinople. The humiliation of banishment did not deter the gallant, golden-mouthed St. John, who continued to communicate with the Church and wrote his precious prose until he died in the lonely reaches of Pontus in 407.

    

    The treasure of treatises and letters which St. John left behind, included the moving sermon that is heard at Easter Sunday services. The loss of his sermons which were not set down on paper is incalculable. Nevertheless, the immense store of his excellent literature reveals his insight, straightforwardness, and rhetorical splendour, and commands a position of the greatest respect and influence in Christian thought, rivaling that of other Fathers of the Church. His liturgy, which we respectfully chant on Sundays, is a living testimony of his greatness.

 

    The slight, five-foot St. John stood tall in his defiance of state authority, bowing only to God and never yielding the high principles of Christianity to expediency or personal welfare. In the words of his pupil, Cassia of Marseilles, "It would be a great thing to attain his stature, but it would be difficult. Nevertheless, a following of him is lovely and magnificent."

 

    It is impossible to cover the entire life of St John Chrysostom in a few pages. However apart from providing a very brief outline of his life, we have included a little more information about his life as a monk and as Patriarch of Constantinople. 

Chrysostom as a Monk (AD 374-381)

    After the death of his mother, Chrysostom fled from the seductions and tumults of city life to the monastic solitude of the mountains south of Antioch, and there spent six happy years in theological study and sacred meditation and prayer. Monasticism was to him (as to many other great teachers of the Church) a profitable school of spiritual experience and self-government. He embraced this mode of life as "the true philosophy" from the purest motives, and brought into it intellect and cultivation enough to make the seclusion available for moral and spiritual growth.

 

    He gives us a lively description of the bright side of this monastic life. The monks lived in separate cells or huts, but according to a common rule and under the authority of an abbot. They wore coarse garments of camel's hair or goat's hair over their linen tunics. They rose before sunrise, and began the day by singing a hymn of praise and common prayer under the leadership of the abbot. Then they went to their allotted task, some to read, others to write, others to manual labour for the support of the poor. Four hours in each day were devoted to prayer and singing. Their only food was bread and water, except in case of sickness. They slept on straw couches, free from care and anxiety. There was no need of bolts and bars. They held all things in common, and the words of "mine and thine," which cause innumerable strife in the world, were unknown among the brethren. If one died, he caused no lamentation, but thanksgiving, and was carried to the grave amidst hymns of praise; for he was not dead, but "perfected," and permitted to behold the face of Christ. For them to live was Christ, and to die was gain.

 

    Chrysostom was an admirer of active and useful monasticism, and warns against the dangers of idle contemplation. He shows that the words of our Lord, "One thing is needful"; "Take no anxious thought for the morrow"; "Labour not for the meat that perisheth," do not inculcate total abstinence from work, but only undue anxiety about worldly things, and must be harmonised with the apostolic exhortation to labour and to do good. He defends monastic seclusion on account of the prevailing immorality in the cities, which made it almost impossible to cultivate there a higher Christian life.

 

Chrysostom as Patriarch of Constantinople (AD 398-404)

    After the death of Nectarius towards the end of the year 397, Chrysostom was chosen, entirely without his own agency and even against his remonstrance, archbishop of Constantinople. He was hurried away from Antioch by a military escort, to avoid a commotion in the congregation and to make resistance useless. He was consecrated Feb. 26, 398, by his Theophilus, patriarch of Alexandria, who reluctantly yielded to the command of the Emperor Arcadius.

 

    Constantinople, built by Constantine the Great in 330, on the site of Byzantium, assumed as the Eastern capital of the Roman empire the first position among the Episcopal sees of the East, and became the centre of court theology, court intrigues, and theological controversies.

 

    Chrysostom soon gained by his eloquent sermons the admiration of the people, of the weak Emperor Arcadius, and, at first, even of his wife Eudoxia, with whom he afterwards waged a deadly war. He extended his pastoral care to the Goths who were becoming numerous in Constantinople, had a part of the Bible translated for them, often preached to them himself through an interpreter, and sent missionaries to the Gothic and Scythian tribes on the Danube. He continued to direct by correspondence those missionary operations even during his exile. For a short time he enjoyed the height of power and popularity.

 

    But he also made enemies by his denunciations of the vices and follies of the clergy and aristocracy. He emptied the Episcopal palace of its costly plate and furniture and sold it for the benefit of the poor and the hospitals. He introduced his strict ascetic habits and reduced the luxurious household of his predecessors to the strictest simplicity. He devoted his large income to benevolence. He refused invitations to banquets, gave no dinner parties, and ate the simplest fare in his solitary chamber. He denounced unsparingly luxurious habits in eating and dressing, and enjoined upon the rich the duty of almsgiving to an extent that tended to increase rather than diminish the number of beggars who swarmed in the streets and around the churches and public baths. He disciplined the vicious clergy and opposed the perilous and immoral habit of unmarried priests of living under the same roof with "spiritual sisters." This habit dated from an earlier age, and was a reaction against celibacy. Cyprian had raised his protest against it, and the Council of Nicea forbade unmarried priests to live with any females except close relations.

    

    Chrysostom's unpopularity was increased by his irritability and obstinacy. The Empress Eudoxia was jealous of his influence over Arcadius and angry at his uncompromising severity against sin and vice. She became the chief instrument of his downfall.

    

    The occasion was furnished by an unauthorised use of his Episcopal power beyond the lines of his diocese, which was confined to the city. At the request of the clergy of Ephesus and the neighbouring bishops, he visited that city in January, 401, held a synod and deposed six bishops convicted of shameful simony. During his absence of several months he left the Episcopate of Constantinople in the hands of Severian, bishop of Gabala, an unworthy and adroit flatterer, who basely betrayed his trust and formed a cabal headed by the empress and her licentious court ladies, for the ruin of Chrysostom.

 

    On his return to Constantinople he used unguarded language in the pulpit, and spoke on Elijah's relation to Jezebel in such a manner that Eudoxia understood it as a personal insult. The clergy were anxious to get rid of a bishop who was too severe for their lax morals.

 

    "St. John Chrysostom is an awesome saint for when you need energy and courage! Let’s face it, things aren’t always what they seem… take a look: you got a bishop who’s about 5 feet tall, kind of old, and telling off an empress! Now THAT takes more than just courage! He had absolutely no fear of anyone except God, cause I mean… he stood up to some pretty powerful characters and reproached their actions if they went against the laws of God and the Church. Also, I’m sure we all know him best for the Divine Liturgy that he wrote, but there were so many more sermons, writings and homilies that he compiled. It’s said that a monk passed by St. John’s cell and he saw John writing at a desk, and an angel was whispering what to write in his ear. So as you can see, he was an incredible saint!

    I think of St. John whenever I need strength to stand up to people concerning what’s right and wrong. As a teenager, many situations arise where immorality is involved, and I find it hard to criticize others regarding that. Knowing what St. John confronted in his life helps me realize that it’s not important what others think of you… the only thing that matters is what God thinks of you."

 

"If anyone is ashamed of me before man, I will be ashamed of him before my Father who is in heaven." (XC)

 

-Alexa Younes-

Can-Am Regional President

St. George Toronto, ON

Saint John Climacus

Saint John Climacus

St. John Climacus

 

Born in the sixth century, John spent the first sixteen years of his life in Palestine, the ancient Holy Land of his birth whose traditions he respected and whose Christian heritage is cherished.  His early ambitions were realized when he went to the monastery of St. Catherine at Mt. Sinai, the oldest Christian monastery in the world.  There he became one of the most scholarly monks in Christendom.  The site of St. Catherine’s was conducive to prayer and meditation, for there the scene of the burning bush took place and there Moses received the word of God himself.  Moreover, to this place the grieving St. Helen, mother of St. Constantine the Great, came on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land some three hundred years before.

John is remembered not only as the author of the masterful “Ladder of Perfection,” but also as the originator of hesychasm, the divine quietness that leads one to God through constant prayer, the prayer which has come to be known as the pure or intellectual “Jesus Prayer.”  Regarding this John wrote: “ Let the remembrance of Jesus be present with each breath, and then you will know the value of hesychia.”  He continued to champion this doctrine which found eager support among Christian thinkers, chief among them was St. Gregory Palamas, whose sponsorship brought about official Church recognition of hesychasm in the fourteenth century.

For more than seventy years, John of the Ladder practiced what he preached in the confines of his desert monastery.  He achieved such a reputation for piety and wisdom that men from all walks of life were drawn to his side and came from all over the east to make a pilgrimage to his retreat.  From John’s strong faith and fervent prayer came the power of healing through the divine intervention of the Jesus.  If nothing else, St. John’s visitors would leave him with a serenity which they had never before experience and with a sense of fulfillment that would last a lifetime.

 

One of the Christendom’s finest figures, he died on March 30 at the age of eighty-six.  His feast day is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent.

 

Back copy from Orthodox Saints written by George Poulos, published by Holy Cross Orthodox Press.

"St. John gives me strength in the times that I appear weak (because I always am).  He reminds me why I am here on Earth and what my purpose is and keeps me on track so that I do not get too caught up school or any one thing.  He inspired people just by his actions, not by words, and that to me says a lot and is powerful."

Nicol Zabak

Saint Katherine

 

Holy Great Martyr Katherine

 

Troparion (Tone 5)

 

Let us praise Katherine the radiant bride of Christ, guardian of Sinai, our helper and supporter. By the power of the Spirit, she silenced the arrogance of the ungodly. Crowned as a martyr, she now implores great mercy for all.

  

The Holy GreatMartyr Katherine was the daughter of Constus, the governor of Alexandria in
Egypt, during the reign of the emperor Maximian (305-313). Living in the capital, Katherine received a most splendid education, having studied the works of the finest philosophers and teachers. Young men from the most worthy families of the empire sought the hand of the beautiful Katherine, but none of them was chosen. She declared to her parents that she would only enter into marriage with someone who surpassed her in reputation, wealth, beauty and wisdom.

 

 

Katherine's mother, a secret Christian, sent her for advice to her own spiritual father -- a saintly elder pursuing prayerful deeds in solitude in a cave not far from the city. Having listened to Katherine, the elder said that he knew of a youth, who surpassed her in everything, such that "His beauty was more radiant than the shining of the sun, His wisdom governed all creation, His riches were spread throughout all the world ". The image of the Christ produced in the soul of the holy maiden an ardent desire to see Him. In parting, the elder handed Katherine an icon of the Mother of God with the God-Child Jesus on Her arm and bid her to pray with faith to Mary to show her a vision of Her Son.

 

 

Katherine prayed all night and was able to see the Most Holy Virgin who told Her Divine Son to look upon the kneeling of Katherine before Them. But the Child turned His face away from her saying that He was not able to look at her because she was ugly, of shabby lineage, beggarly and mindless like every person -- not washed with the waters of holy Baptism and not sealed with the seal of the Holy Spirit. Katherine returned again to the elder deeply saddened. He lovingly received her, instructed her in the faith of Christ, admonished her to preserve her purity and integrity and to pray unceasingly; he then performed over her the sacrament of holy Baptism. And again Saint Katherine had a vision of the Most Holy Mother of God with Her Child. Now the Lord looked tenderly at her and gave her a ring -- a wondrous gift of the Heavenly Bridegroom.

 

 

At this time the emperor Maximian was himself in
Alexandria for a pagan feast day. Because of this, the feast was especially splendid and crowded. The cries of the sacrificial animals, the smoke and the smell of the sacrifices, the endless blazing of fires, and the bustling crowds at the arenas filled
Alexandria. Human victims also were brought -- because they chose to die in the fire rather than deny Christ under torture. The Saint's love for the Christian martyrs and her fervent desire to lighten their fate impelled Katherine to go to the emperor-persecutor Maximian. 

 

 

Introducing herself, the saint confessed her Christian faith and with wisdom denounced the errors of the pagans. The beauty of the maiden captivated the emperor. In order to convince her and show the superiority of pagan wisdom, the emperor gave orders to gather 50 of the most learned men of the empire, but the Saint got the better of the wise men, such that they themselves came to believe in Christ. Saint Katherine shielded them with the sign of the cross, and they bravely accepted death for Christ and were burnt by order of the emperor.

 

 

Maximian, no longer hoping to convince the saint, tried to entice her with the promise of riches and fame. Having received an angry refusal, the emperor gave orders to subject the saint to terrible tortures and then throw her in prison. The Empress Augusta, who had heard much about Katherine, wanted to see her. Having succeeded in convincing the military-commander Porphyry to accompany her with a detachment of soldiers, Augusta went to the prison. The strong spirit of Saint Katherine, whose face glowed with Divine grace, impressed the empress. The holy martyr explained the teachings of the Christians to the people and they believed and were converted to Christ.

 

 

On the following day they again brought the her to the judgment court where, under the threat of being tortured on a wheel of spikes and nails, they urged that she recant from the Christian faith and offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. The saint steadfastly confessed Christ and she herself approached the wheel; but an Angel smashed the sharp tools, which broke up into pieces that hit pagans who were passing by.  Having beheld this wonder, the empress Augusta and the imperial courtier Porphyry with 200 soldiers confessed their faith in Christ in front of everyone, and they were beheaded. Maximian again tried to entice Saint Katherine, proposing marriage to her, and again he received a refusal. She confessed her fidelity to the Heavenly Bridegroom Christ, and with a prayer to Him she herself put her head on the block under the sword of the executioner and was beheaded. 

 

 

"This is an amazing story.  Saint Katherine was so lucky to have such a strong faith in God and best of all she never denied her belief and her Christian faith.  I hope in the hard word that we live in always remember to live in Christ word and hope never to deny Christ at any moment of out life.  Maybe we all do sometimes without realizing, but always hope that Christ will guide us back on the right track."

 

 

Michael Haddad

 

Teen SOYO President

 

St. Antonios, Halifax

 

 

Saint Mary of Egypt

St. Mary of Egypt

Troparion, Tone 8 In thee, O Mother, was exactly preserved what was according to the divine image. for thou didst take the cross and follow Christ, and by thy life, didst teach us to ignore the flesh, since it is transitory, but to care for the soul as an immortal thing. Therefore, thy spirit, St. Mary, rejoices with the Angels.
	St. Mary is pictured above with Priest Zosimas. Zosimas was a certain elder in one of the monasteries of Palestine, a priest of the holy life and speech, who from childhood had been brought up in monastic ways and customs.   St. Mary of Egypt is celebrated April 1st and the 5th Sunday of Great Lent

  

   

   

One day she saw the crowds of pilgrims preparing to go to Jerusalem, to celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. She went along, announcing to her fellow travelers, "I have a body and that will serve as both fare and food for me." The trip was an eventful one, as Mary explored the outer limits of lust and passion with her companions (both those who were willing and those who were not). In Jerusalem, when the day of the Feast came around, Mary too set off for the church, drawn by the energy of the crowds thronging to venerate the True Cross. At the doors of the church, at its very threshold, Mary was driven back "by some kind of force." Trying with all her might, she could not enter, although those around her went in with no difficulty at all. Then she understood: it was her own self that prevented her entrance, the sinfulness of her life that held her captive outside the church. Praying fervently to the Virgin Mary, with her heart open and clear, Mary begged forgiveness and again sought entry at the church.Guided then by a vision of the Theotokos, Mary left at once for the desert beyond the Jordan River, for there, her vision told her that she would find rest. On the way, she stopped at a church built on the river banks; there she receiving baptism, and partook of the Eucharist in that church. From there, she came to the desert, led still by the vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The desert became her home, the place where she found her rest. Her conversion and turn to the life of solitude were unknown to any other living being, until after forty-eight years the priest Zosimas came and found her. When Zosimas first found Mary he did not know who she was, and she had never seen him. But she knew him before he had even spoken to her, and addressed him by name, "Father Zosimas, forgive me." The priest was struck with dread: was she an angel? Mary, for her part, was alarmed because of her nakedness, and begged him to lend her his cloak so that she could stand in modesty before him.He was alternately terrified and wonderstruck as he watched and listened to her. She knew all about him - about his life as a priest and the monastery in which he lived, and she clearly understood it all better than himself. When she prayed she levitated. Although illiterate and unschooled in Christianity (she had, after all, fled to the desert as soon as she converted) she was able to quote scriptural proofs for her teachings. But most of all, there was the enormity of her story. Zosimas drew out from her (much against her will) the details of her former life and her conversion; and he questioned her closely on the hardships of her desert life through those many years. She described her harlotry openly, as well as her life in the desert; how hard it had been, the suffering from cold and heat, hunger and thirst, temptation, longing for company and comfort; and yet her determination to live out her repentance in a manner suitable to her sin. She did not see, though Zosimas could, that she had attained a degree of sanctity that could only be measured by the degree of sinfulness she had known. For unlike him, she had no illusions about her accomplishments. She knew only the truth of God, and her love for Him.

    Then she asked a favor, for she understood that the Lord had sent Zosimas for a purpose. She asked him to return to his monastery and tell no one about her, but in a year's time return to her on Holy Thursday, the night of the Last Supper, and bring her the Eucharist, of which she had not partaken of since her conversion many years ago. Reluctantly, Zosimas left her presence in the desert for the monastery. At last he returned at the appointed time, yearning for her presence. She came to him, walking on water to cross the Jordan while he again gave way to awe. As he knelt to reverence her she reproved him saying, "What are you doing, Father Zosimas, you who are a priest of God and carrying the holy mysteries?" And at once he obeyed her, resuming to his priestly duties with fumbling fervor. Mary received the life-giving gifts of the sacrament, groaning and weeping with her hands held up to heaven, and she cried out, "Lord now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word: for my eyes have seen your salvation."Again she sent him away, to return again the following year at the same time. But when the time came and Zosimas hastened on his journey, he found his beloved guide dead, with a letter to him written in the sand beside her body. From this he learned that she had died within an hour of receiving the sacrament the previous year - the fulfillment of her hope. He learned, also, for the first time her name: she signed herself "Mary the sinner." Grieving and marveling, Zosimas buried the holy woman helped by a lion who came to venerate the body of the saint. Then, he went back to the world to give the gift of her story to others, just as she had given it to him.

   

    "The story of the life of Saint Mary of Egypt is extremely dear to my heart. This story leaves me with a great hope and understanding that some day, by the grace of God, I too can be saved, although I am unworthy. Her story is nothing short of God’s miraculous work. The sinner knows the heart of the saintly monk, in which a humble woman gives blessing to the worthy priest because he has seen that her own gifts of the Spirit exceed the ranks of ecclesiastical office. Sanctity is found outside the monastery more than within. The desert, the place of death, becomes the place of life. The peace of God's kingdom is restored as the lion and the man become partners in piety. It is a breathtaking story, and it moves me accordingly."

Paul Fuller

    The story of Mary of Egypt is remembered and cherished throughout Christendom, east and west. In the Orthodox church, however, we remember her twice each year. The first time, her feast day, is our gift to her: we remember what she did, who she was, and who she became. The second time, on the fifth Sunday of Lent, is her gift to us: the gift of her story at the moment when we ourselves must enter the inner desert of our hearts. For what does Lent mean for us? It is that time when we must face ourselves, and face ourselves in the presence of God. Who are we? What do we live for? We fast, pray, repent, and confess. It is hard and we get lost in the wilderness. And we cannot escape the truth of who we are. At this point in Lent, we prepare for Holy Week. And before we can rejoice, we must complete our full sojourn in the desert.

Saint Maximos

Our Holy Father St. Maximos the Confessor

Troparion, Tone 3 Through thee the Spirit poured forth streams of teaching for the Church; thou didst expound God the Word's self-emptying, and shine forth in thy struggles as a true Confessor of the Faith; Holy Father Maximos, pray to Christ our God to grant us His great mercy.   Kontakion, Tone 8   O faithful, let us acclaim the lover of the Trinity, great Maximos who taught the God-inspired Faith, that Christ is to be glorified in two natures, wills and energies: and let us cry to him: Rejoice, O herald of the Faith.

 

A mighty spiritual giant who was broken by nothing and no one, and whose image does not fade with time, Venerable Maximos the Confessor is a faithful indicator, even till now, of how one may follow after Christ by that path by which he himself so faithfully followed the Lord. 

 

St. Maximos the Confessor was born in 580, a citizen of Constantinople and a nobleman. He became a high-ranking courtier at the court of the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius, and later became a monk and the abbot of a monastery not far from the capital.  He was the greatest defender of Orthodoxy against what was called the Monothelite heresy, which developed from the heresy of Eutyches, i.e., as Eutyches asserted that there is only one nature in Christ, so the Monothelites asserted that there is only one will in Him - the Divine. This heresy was diametrically opposed to the long accepted Orthodox doctrine that Christ had two wills - the Divine and the human. St. Maximos resisted this assertion and found himself in opposition to both the Emperor and the Patriarch. Emperor Constans II, the successor to the Emperor Heraclius, issued his infamous "Typus" Declaration, formally accepting the Monothelite teaching as official dogma.

 

But St. Maximos was fearless and persevered to the end in proving that there are in the Lord two wills and also two natures.  By his efforts, one Council in Carthage and one in Rome stood firm, and both these Councils anathematized the Monothelite teaching. St. Maximos' sufferings for Orthodoxy went beyond description: he was tortured by hierarchs, spat upon by the masses, beaten by soldiers, persecuted, imprisoned, until finally, with his tongue cut out and one hand cut off, to keep him from speaking or writing, he was condemned to exile for life in Skhimaris. But his faithful assistant, St. Anastasios, continued his work of writing in defence of Orthodoxy after these events.

 

A profound theologian of his time and a strict defender of Orthodoxy, Maximos successfully demonstrated the incorrectness of the Monothelite heresy, for the enemies of the church persecuted him many times.

 

Venerable Maximos' arguments in behalf of Orthodoxy were so powerful that, after a public debate on the faith with Pyrrhus, the Monothelite Patriarch of Constantinople, the latter renounced the heresy in 645.

 

The heretics often went from urging and appealing Maximos, to threatening, abusing and beating him. Venerable Maximos was sent into exile several times and called back to Constantinople each time. On one occasion, St. Maximos was called back, and the imperial grandees, Troilus and Sergius, subjected him yet again to interrogation. They began to accuse St. Maximos of pride for esteeming himself as the only Orthodox who would be saved and for considering all others to be heretics who would perish.

 

To this the saint replied, "When all the people in Babylon were worshipping the golden idol, the Three Holy Youths did not condemn anyone to perdition. They did not concern themselves with what others were doing, but took care only for themselves, so as not to fall away from true piety. In precisely the same way, Daniel also, when cast into the den, did not condemn any of those who, in fulfilling the law of Darius, did not want to pray to God; but he bore in mind his duty, and desired rather to die than to sin and be tormented by his conscience for transgressing God's Law. God forbid that I, too, should condemn anyone, or say that I alone am being saved. However, I would sooner agree to die than, having apostatized in any way from the right faith, endure the torments of my conscience."

 

Then Troilus and Sergius pointed out to St. Maximos that the whole Christian world recognized the Monothelite Patriarch of Constantinople as legitimate, that all the Eastern Patriarchs and their locum tenentes were in communion with him, and that the plenipotentiary representatives of the Roman Pope would serve with the Patriarch and commune with him. Thus, he was the only one remaining in the whole world who did not recognize the Patriarch.

 

The St. answered, "If even the whole universe should begin to commune with the Patriarch, I will not commune with him. For I know from the writings of the holy Apostle Paul that the Holy Spirit will give over to anathema even the angels, if they should begin to preach any other gospel, introducing anything new."

 

Venerable Maximos remained unshaken in his religious convictions. Finally, they cut off his right hand and tongue, so that he could not proclaim or defend the truth, either by word or pen. They then dispatched him to confinement in Lazov, a region of Mingrelia in the Caucasus. Here his faithful assistant St. Anastasios continued his work of writing in defense of Orthodoxy.  Venerable Maximos died on August 13, 662, foreknowing his approaching death.

 

St. Maximos was a true defender of Orthodoxy against the Monothelite heresy, which was opposed to the long accepted Orthodox doctrine that Christ had two natures - the Divine and the human.  This left St. Maximos opposed to both the Emperor and the Patriarch, which was not a concern to him since he fearless and determined to prove that the two wills did in fact exist.  For this he was criticized and ridiculed as well as tortured by hierarchs, spat upon by the people, beaten by soldiers, persecuted, imprisoned, until finally, with his tongue cut out and one hand cut off, to keep him from speaking or writing, he was condemned to exile for life.  St. Maximos refused to give up his beliefs and finally, his right hand and tongue were cut, so that he could not proclaim or defend the truth, either by word or pen, however his faithful assistant St. Anastasios continued his work of writing in defence of Orthodoxy. 

 

Venerable Maximos the Confessor is a faithful indicator, even until now, of how one may follow after Christ by that path by which he himself so faithfully followed the Lord and upheld the truth.

 

Jennifer Wihbey

 

St. George, Toronto