2015 - october sacred lessons

8202019 2015 - October Sacred Lessons

httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 132S T J A M E S A D E L P H O T H E O S ndash T H E R I G H T E O U S amp J U S T A P O S T L E O F C H R I S T 2 3 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5 1

G r e e k O r t h o d o x P a t r i a r c h a t e o f A l e x a n d r i a amp A l l A f r i c aA r c h d i o c e s e o f G o o d H o p e

All Glory Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now and Foreverand unto the Ages of Ages AmenRemembering also our Most Holy Most Pure Most Blessed and Glorious Lady Mary Theotokos yetEver Virgin together with all the Saints And let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole Life to Christ our God Amen

1 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

Holy Protection ofour Ever Blessed All Holy Lady Theotokos( C O M M E M O R A T E D O N 2 8 O C T O B E R I N G R E E C E ndash N A T I O N A L ldquo O X I rdquo D A Y )

Also the Feast of St Ananias of the 70 Apostles of Christ ndash St Romanos the Melodist of

Emesa Syria ndash St Sava the Abbot of Vishera Monastery Novgorod ndash St Domninos of

Thessalonika ndash St Michael the Abbot amp 26 Hieromartyrs of Armenia - The Pillar with our

Lordrsquos Robe at Mtskheta Georgia ndash St John Koukouzelis the Hymnographer of Bulgaria ampMount Athos ndash St Gregory Domestikos of Great Lavra Mount Athos

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N O F T H E H O L Y P R O T E C T I O N ndash T O N E 1

T is Skepis Sou Parthene animnoumen tas haritas in os

fotoforon nefelin efaplis iper ennian ke skepis ton laon sounoeros ek pasis ton ehthron epivoulis se gar skepin keprostatin ke voithon kektimetha voontes si Doxa tismegaliis sou Agni Doxa ti thia skepi sou Doxa ti prosimas promithia Ahrante

T heotoke Aiparthene tin Agian Sou Skepin di is periskepis

tous is se elpizontas kratean to Ethni Sou katafiginedoriso oti os pale ke nin thavmastos imas esosas os noitinefeli ton laon Sou perivalousa Dio disopoumen se irininti politia Sou Dorise ke tes psihes imon to Mega Eleos

Of Thy Protection O Virgin we praise the benefits

which as Luminous Cloud Thou stretch out mostwondrously and Thou protect Thy people sothoughtfully from every plot of the enemies for asShelter Protector and Helper have we Thee as wecry out to Thee Glory to Thy Wonders O Pure OneGlory to Thy Shelter Divine Glory to Thyforethought for us O Undefiled One

Ever Virgin Theotokos Thy Holy Protection by which

Thou protects those who hope in Thee Thou hastgranted to Thy nation as a Mighty Shelter becauseas of old even now Thou miraculously Saved us byenveloping Thy people like a Spiritual CloudWherefore we implore Thee Grant Peace to Thycommonwealth and to our souls Great Mercy

F E S T A L K O N T A K I O N - T H E E V E R B L E S S E D T H E O T O K O S

P rostasia ton Hristianon akateskhinte mesitia pros tonPiitin ametathete mi Paridis amartolon Deiseon fonasalla profthason os Agathi is tin voithian imon tonPistos kravgazonton Si Tahinon is Presvian ke spefsonis ikesian i prostatevousa ai Theotoke ton TimontonSe

O Protection of the Christians unashamable Mediation tothe Creator Immovable despise not the pleadingvoices of those in sin but hasten O Good One to theAid of all who in Faith cry out to Thee speed up ThineIntercession and press on Thy Supplication OTheotokos who forever protects all those who honourThee

F E S T A L P R O K E I M E N O N ndash T H E O T O K O S rsquo M A G N I F I C A T - L U K E 1 ndash T O N E 3

M egalini i psihi mou ton Kyrion ke igalliase to pnevma

mou epi to Theo to Sotiri mou

O ti epevlepsen epi tin tapinosin tis Doulis Aftou

My soul Magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God

my Saviour

For He has regarded the low estate of His Handmaiden

T H E E P I S T L E O F S T P A U L T O T H E H E B R E W S 9 1 ndash 7Brethren the First Covenant had Ordinances of Divine Service and the Earthly Sanctuary A Tabernacle was prepared the

first part in which was the Lampstand and the Table and the Showbread which is called lsquothe Sanctuaryrsquo Behind the

Second Veil the part of the Tabernacle which is called the lsquoHoly of Holiesrsquo which had the Golden Censer and the Arkof the Covenant overlaid on all sides with gold in which were the Golden Pot that contained the Manna the Rod ofAaron that budded and the Tablets of the Covenant Above it were the Cherubim of Glory overshadowing the MercySeat Of these things we cannot these days speak in detail When these things had been prepared in the first part ofthe Tabernacle the Services were always performed by the Priests In the second part the High Priest went alone oncea year ndash not without blood which he offered for himself and for the peoplersquos sins committed in ignorance

T H E H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T L U K E 1 0 3 8 - 4 2 amp 1 1 2 7 ndash 2 8O NE G O O D TH I N G ndash H E A R I N G A N D F U L F I L L I N G G O D rsquo S W O R D

At that time He entered a certain village A woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house And she had a sistercalled ldquoMary rdquo who sat at Jesusrsquo Feet listening to His Word Martha was distracted with much serving She approachedand said ldquoLord dost Thou not care that my sister has left me to serve alone Therefore tell her to help merdquo Jesusanswered and said to her ldquoMartha Martha You are worried and troubled about many things One thing is neededldquoMary has chosen that good part which will not be taken away from herrdquo

As He spoke these things a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him ldquoBlessed is the Womb thatbore Thee and the Breasts that nursed Theerdquo He replied ldquoMore than that Blessed are those who hear the Word of Godand keep Itrdquo

F A T H E R D A M A S C E N E C H R I S T E N S E N True Christian Love is not just a feeling or a pleasant disposition of the soul It is a self-sacrificing ceaseless life-long act

of heroism unto death It is fiery yet dispassionate not dependent on anything - not on being loved in return or havinga kinship of blood One no longer thinks of receiving something for oneself One can be spat upon and reviled and yetin this suffering there is such a deep profound Peace that one finds it impossible to return to the lifeless state one wasin before the suffering One Blesses Life and all that is around one and this Blessing becomes Universal Such Love canonly come from God This is the only Love that Christ is truly interested in - the Love He came to Earth to show andteach humanity With this Love He gave up His Spirit on the Cross


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 2322 T H E H O L Y P R O T E C T I O N O F O U R L A D Y T H E O T O K O S ndash 1 amp 2 8 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5

T H E F E A S T O F T H E H O L Y P R O T E C T I O N O F O U R L A D Y T H E O T O K O S In the Church in Blachernae a suburb of Constantinople St

Andrew - a Fool for Christ - saw the Mother of GodThis took place around 0400 during the All Night VigilSt Andrew saw our Lady Theotokos in Heaven praying for

the worldSt Andrew then turned and asked his disciple St

Epiphanios ldquoDo you see the Queen and Lady prayingfor the worldrdquo

And St Epiphanios replied ldquoI see and I am stricken withfearrdquo

TOGETHER THEY WATCHED AS OUR EVER BLESSED LADY

THEOTOKOS FERVENTLY PRAYED AND WEPT WHICHCONTINUED FOR A LONG TIME BEFORE SHE ENTERED THE

HOLY SANCTUARY OF THE BLACHERNAE CHURCH AND

CONTINUED HER PRAYERSTHE ALL PURE MOTHER OF GOD THEN REMOVED HER VEIL which

shone as bright as lightning AND SPREAD IT OVER THE

ENTIRE WORLD St Andrew and St Epiphanios were most privileged to

experience such a Wondrous Holy Vision while theother Faithful worshippers remained totally unaware ofwas happening

Suddenly the Vision ceased and our Lady Theotokos andHer Protecting Veil were no longer visible

However THE GRACE OF THIS VISION REMAINED ndash and althoughIt was invisible to others at the time THE HOLY

PROTECTION OF OUR LADY CONTINUES TO AFFECT THE LIFE

OF THE FAITHFUL - not only of those who were presentat that time for it continues to work in us today

The Holy Protection as symbolised by our Ladyrsquos Veilcontinues unabated to Spiritually Protect the Faithfulthroughout the world

Who has not experienced the Grace-filled Protection of theAll Holy Theotokos in our Life

We have all ardently prayed with tears of sorrow before anIcon of the Most Holy Mother of God our Protectressour Patron Saint and our Most Holy Intercessor

There was a man who had been brought up by his piousmother to repeat the Salutation of the Archangel ldquoOVirgin Mother Hail Mary full of Grace the Lord iswith Theerdquo

In later years he dropped this pious customOne day he was talking with a Holy Monk who asked him

why he had abandoned the Prayer to our LadyTheotokos

The man replied ldquoI simply forgot about it You know how itisrdquo

And the Monk told him ldquoWell the Mother of God did notforget yourdquo 983072

And he went on to relate how that man had been in dangermany times but the Prayer on his lips had protectedhim

ldquoYou may not have been aware my Son but the Motherof God was always with you while you prayedrdquo

Unfortunately not everyone sees the Holy Protection of theMother of God - not everyone is aware of this constantHoly Protection

To feel - to know this - we need Faith

WE NEED TO LOOK UP TO HEAVEN AND TO ENGAGE IN SPIRITUALCONVERSATIONS

But for the most part we look down at the ground at themire of this life

We need to raise our gaze upwards - to see with the eyes ofFaith and - like St Andrew and St Epiphanios - see theGrace-Filled Actions of the Ever Blessed Theotokos inour Life

An unintelligent person while struggling to make progressalong the muddy paths of life who fails to lift up hishead believes that there is nothing but the mud

beneath his feetTo him we say ldquoLift up your eyes Look up And you will

see - not mud - but the shining magnificent Heavenabove yourdquo

Unbelievers think that there is nothing but the mire of this

worldly life - that there is only this physical world withall its corruption and death

And while travelling along this gloomy road they refuse tosee the beauty of the heavens

They cannot behold the Protecting Veil of the Ever BlessedTheotokos which is spread over the world

We need to SEE THE HEAVENSWe need to TEAR OUR GAZE FROM THE EARTH beneath our feetWe need to OPEN UP OUR HEART so that Divine Grace may

enter and dwell within usWe need to BE AWARE OF THE CONTINUOUS HOLY PROTECTION

AND FERVENT PRAYERS OF OUR BELOVED LADY - THE

MOTHER OF GOD

P LEASE N OTE T HE F EAST OF THE H OLY P ROTECTION OF OUR E VER B LESSED L ADY

T HEOTOKOS IS COMMEMORATED ON 1 O CTOBER IN THE R USSIAN O RTHODOX

C HURCH ALL OTHER S LAVIC CHURCHES AND ELSEWHERE H OWEVER THE

G REEKS HAVE TRANSFERRED THIS F EAST D AY TO 28 O CTOBER WHICH IS THEIRSECOND N ATIONAL D AY ndash O XI D AY - WHEN THEY RESISTED THE INVADING

I TALIAN A RMED F ORCES IN THE S ECOND W ORLD W AR IN 1940

T E M P T A T I O N S W I T H I N T H E H O L Y C H U R C H O F C H R I S T We are concerned with the Holy Church of Christ as lsquoidearsquo

as lsquoinstitutionrsquo as lsquoan organizationrsquo as a lsquoteachingrsquoWe are concerned with regard to the Holy Services and the

Choir the social and cultural groups and the lsquoReligiousInstructionrsquo and lsquoChurch-Tourismrsquo and so forth

It is not that these concerns are sometimes unimportant

But THERE IS ldquoONE THING NEEDFUL rdquo - THE P URIFICATION

OF THE HEART AND THE A CQUISITION OF THE H OLY

S PIRIT This is a deviation from the essence of the matter that

keeps those who are considered Believers ndash mostPriests and their Holy Flock equally ndash pagansWORSHIPPING THEMSELVES SEEKING THEIR OWN GLORY

They are ONLY CONCERNED WITH THEIR OWN POWER AND THEIR

OWN REPUTATION AND THEIR OWN HONOUR They are SATISFIED WITH ONLY THE OUTWARD FORM OF THE

WORSHIP OF G OD What is sought in any case - in the understanding of the

people - is NOT CHANGE OF HEART BUT RATHER SOME

PRACTICES AND THE KEEPING OF CERTAIN lsquo OBLIGATIONS rsquo AND

GIVING MERE LIP SERVICE

In what pertains to the exterior of the Church today it issometimes - but not always - gleaming by worldlystandards - SOULS GRAZING IN THEIR OWN IMPURITIES AND

LACK OF AWARENESS Is this not THE IDEAL CHURCH THAT THE DEVIL DESIRES AND

LORDS OVER Is this not A WORLDLY CHURCH THAT IS MERELY RITUALISTIC -

like a museum - NOMINAL lsquoC HRISTIANITY rsquo BUT WITHOUT

C HRIST AND WITHOUT H OLINESS AND WITHOUT T RUTH AND

WITHOUT G OD THE H OLY S PIRIT AND WITHOUT N EW L IFE -

FILLED WITH THE THOUGHTS OF THE WORLD AND THECONCERNS OF THE WORLD

Is this not the church that most people receive today andfor which they work

T HE DEVIL HAS SUCCEEDED in making people think that thisis lsquo THE lsquo TRUE rsquo AND DESIRABLE CHURCH OF MODERNITY rsquo

This is exactly A CHURCH AGAINST C HRIST And we - WITHOUT OUR ATTENTION TO H OLINESS - are

building it contentedly persistently and continuously A RCHIMANDRITE T HOMAS B ITAR - A BBOT OF S T S ILOUN THE A THONITE D OUMA

LEBANON

M E T R O P O L I T A N A N T H O N Y B L O O M

Every one of us is in the Image of God and every one of usis like a damaged Icon But if we were given an Icondamaged by time damaged by circumstances ordesecrated by human hatred we would treat it withReverence with Tenderness with Broken-heartednessWe would not pay attention primarily to the factthat it is damaged but to the tragedy of its beingdamaged We would concentrate on what is left ofits Beauty and not on what is lost of its Beauty

And this is what we must learn to do with regard toeach person as an individual but also ndash and this is

not always as easy ndash with regard to groups of peoplewhether it be a Parish or a Denomination or a Nation

We must learn to look and look until we have seen theunderlying Beauty of this group of people Only thencan we even begin to do something to call out all the

Beauty that is there Listen to other people andwhenever you Discern something that sounds truewhich is a Revelation of Harmony and Beautyemphasize it and help it to flower Strengthen itand Encourage it to live


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 332 S T D I O N Y S I O S T H E A R E O P A G I T E amp H I E R O M A R T Y R O F A T H E N S 3 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5 3


All Glory Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now and Foreverand unto the Ages of Ages AmenRemembering also our Most Holy Most Pure Most Blessed and Glorious Lady Mary Theotokos yet Ever Virgin together with all the Saints And let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole Life toChrist our God Amen

3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

St Dionysios the Areopagite amp Hieromartyr of Athens

Also the Feast of St Rustikos the Presbyter amp St Eleftherios the Deacon Disciples of St

Dionysios the Areopagite amp fellow Martyrs of Athens ndash St Dionysios the Recluse of Kiev CavesMonastery ndash St John the Chozebite Bishop of Caesarea Palestine ndash St Hesychios of Mount

Horeb

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N - S T D I O N Y S I O S T H E A R E O P A G I T E ndash T O N E 4

H ristotita ekdidahthis ke nifon en pasin Agathin

Sinidisin iroprepos endisamenos intlisas ek touskevous tis eklogis ta aporrita ke tin Pistin tirisas tonison dromon tetelekas Ieromartis Dionisie PresveveHristo to Theo Sothine tas psihas imon

Since Thou had been instructed in Uprightness

thoroughly and was Vigilant in all things Thou wasclothed with a Good Conscience as befitted one HolyThou drew from the Chosen Vessel IneffableMysteries and having kept the Faith Thou finished alike Course O Hieromartyr Dionysios Intercede with

Christ God that our souls be SavedF E S T A L K O N T A K I O N - S T D I O N Y S I O S T H E A R E O P A G I T E

T as Ouranious diavas pilas en Pnevmati Mathitefthis to

iper tris Ouranous fthasanti apostolo Dionisie tonarriton eploutisthis pasan gnosin ke katiigasas tous enskoti agnosias prin kathefdontas Dion KrazomenHeris Pater Pagkosmie

In spirit Thou passed through Heavens Gates

instructed by the Great Apostle who attained to theThird Heavens Heights and was made rich in allKnowledge of things beyond speech and then ThouO Dionysios Illuminated those who slumbered inthe darkness of their ignorance Hence we all cryout Hail O Universal Father

S E A S O N A L K O N T A K I O N - T H E E V E R B L E S S E D T H E O T O K O S

P rostasia ton Hristianon akateskhinte mesitia pros tonPiitin ametathete mi Paridis amartolon deiseonfonas alla profthason os agathi is tin voithian imonton pistos kravgazonton Si Tahinon is presvian kespefson is ikesian i prostatevousa ai Theotoke tonTimonton Se

O Protector of the Christians Unashamable Mediator tothe Creator Immovable despise not the pleadingvoices of those in sin but hasten O Good One to theAid of all of us who in Faith cry out to Thee speedup Thine Intercession and present Thy SupplicationO Theotokos who always protects all those whohonour Thee

P R O K E I M E N O N ndash P S A L M 1 4 9 ndash T O N E ( 7 ) V A R Y S G R A V E T he Saints shall rejoice in Glory

S ing unto the Lord a New Song

A C T S O F T H E A P O S T L E S 1 7 1 6 ndash 3 4S T P A U L P R E A C H I N G A T T H E A R E O P A G O S A T H E N S

In those days while Paul waited for them at Athens his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city wasgiven over to idols He reasoned in the Synagogues with the Judeans and with the Gentile worshippers and in themarketplace daily with those who happened to be there

Certain Epicurean and Stoic Philosophers encountered him and some said ldquoWhat does this babbler want to say rdquo Otherssaid ldquoHe seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods rdquo for he preached Jesus and the Resurrection to them

They took him to Aresrsquo Hill saying ldquoMay we know what this New Doctrine is of which you speak You are bringing some

strange things to our ears We want to know what these things meanrdquo All the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either telling or hearing somethingnew

Paul standing in the midst of the Areopagos said ldquoMen of Athens I perceive that in all things you are very religious - as Iwas passing through and considering the objects of your worship I even found an Altar with the inscription lsquoTo theUnknown Godrsquo The One Whom you worship without knowing ndash Him I proclaim to you

ldquoThe God Who made the world and everything in it - since He is Lord of Heaven and Earth - does not dwell in temples madeby hands nor is He worshipped with menrsquos hands ndash as though He needed anything since He grants to all life breath andall things He has made from one blood every Nation of mankind to dwell on all the face of the Earth and hasdetermined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings so that they should seek the Lord in the hopethat they might grope for Him and find Him although He is not far from each one of us

ldquoIn Him we Live and move and have our being as also some of you own poets have said lsquofor we are also His offspringrsquoldquoSince we are of the Offspring of God we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone something

shaped by art and manrsquos devising These times of ignorance God has overlooked but now He commands all mankindeverywhere to Repent for He has appointed a Day on which He will Judge the world in Righteousness by the Man WhomHe has Ordained He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the deadrdquo

Hearing of the Resurrection of the dead some mocked while others said ldquoWe will hear you again on this matterrdquo And Paul departed from among them Some men joined him and believed among them was Dionysios the Areopagite a

woman named lsquoDamaris rsquo and others with them

In free-thinking Athens St Paul moved beyond the Judaic

Synagogues and made open contact with the Gentilesin the public marketplaces

Both the Epicurean and Stoic Philosophers believed that

fulfilment could be achieved in this life throughemotional calmness or serenity and impassivity


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 4324 S T D I O N Y S I O S T H E A R E O P A G I T E amp H I E R O M A R T Y R O F A T H E N S 3 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5

However they sought their lsquoSpiritual Fulfilmentrsquo differently

for the Epicureans pursued pleasure while the Stoics

renounced it

St Paul consistently preached our Lord Jesus Christ from a

starting point that was familiar to his audience to the

Judeans he preached from the Old Testament while

to these Gentiles he used one of their own altars ndash one

dedicated to ldquothe Unknown Godrdquo to proclaim Christ

and His Divine Truth

St Paul emphasised

1 God is the Creator of all things visible and invisible ndash

in Heaven and on Earth

2

God is the Give of Life to His Creation3 God desires all people ndash being of one human nature ndash

to seek Him

4 Repentance of our sins is the only way we can be with

God

5 God is the Almighty Judge of all Creation

6 God the Father raised His Only Begotten Incarnate

Son our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead just as He

promises to Resurrect all mankind on the Eighth

Day ndash the Final Day the Day of Judgement and

the Beginning of Eternity

The Resurrection of the dead is the point at which some

Gentile Philosophers reacted negatively (These days

those of little or no Faith also react negatively)

However the other aspects of St Paulrsquos speech went

unchallenged

The Stoicsrsquo rejection of the Resurrection was due to their

belief that the body imprisoned the soul and was

unworthy of Salvation

However Christ has taught us clearly that both the body

and the soul are Sanctified through His Holy Mysteriesthree of which we partake regularly throughout our

Life in Christ

Therefore the body is indeed a Holy Temple of the Holy

Trinity and should always be treated with the utmost

respect never to be violently destroyed or disfigured

F E S T A L G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T M A T T H E W 1 3 4 4 ndash 5 4H I D D E N T R E A S U R E T H E P R I C E L E S S P E A R L O L D amp N E W W I S D O M

At that time our Lord spoke these Parables ldquoThe Kingdom of Heaven is like Treasure hidden in a field which a manfound and hid and for joy over it he went and sold all that he had and bought that field

ldquoAgain the Kingdom of Heaven is like a Merchant who sought beautiful pearls When he had found one pearl of greatprice went and sold all that he had and bought it

ldquoAgain the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind When itwas full they drew to shore and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels but threw the bad out

ldquoSo will it be at the end of the Age The Angels will come forth separate the wicked from among the Just and cast theminto the Furnace of Fire There will be wailing and gnashing of teethrdquo

Jesus said to them ldquoHave you understood all these Thingsrdquo They said to Him ldquoYes Lord rdquo He said to them ldquoThus everyScribe instructed concerning the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who brings out of his Treasure ThingsNew and Oldrdquo

And when Jesus had finished these Parables He departed from there And when He had come to His own country Hetaught them in their Synagogue

The Parable concerning the Treasure hidden in a field

illustrates those who unintentionally stumble onto our

Lord Jesus Christ and His Church ndash His Divine Wisdomand Truth ndash and receive Him with great eagerness

The Parable concerning the Pearl of Great Price

illustrates those who have been searching in their

hearts for God and His Divine Truth and have at last

found Him and His Holy Church ndash Life in Christ

The other Pearls represent all the various teachings andphilosophies of the world that have no real value

pertaining to our Eternal Salvation

These Great Priceless Treasures are hidden for they are

neither recognised nor valued by those who are

deeply immersed and distracted or misguided by

worldliness ndash human concepts that are limited and

misdirected

In both Parables the receiving of such great priceless

Treasure requires everything else to be sold ndash

everything else is exchanged for the possession of

such Wondrous Treasure ndash God and His Divine Truth

We must surrender all our preconceived ideas and self-

indulgent sinful lifestyle in order to receive Christ and

Eternal SalvationThe image of the dragnet gathering the good and

wicked together is similar to our Lordrsquos Parable of the

Wheat and the Tares

The Parable of the Dragnet further emphasises that even

those who have been gathered into His Holy Church

are also subject to His Final JudgementSt John Chrysostom pointed out that our Lord Jesus Christ

does not exclude the Old Testament but rather

praises it as a ldquoTreasurerdquo

Those who truly write speak or teach about the Kingdom

of Heave will draw from the Holy Unity of the Old and

the New Testaments ndash for both are God-Inspired and

thus Sacred ndash and the New Testament is the Fulfilment

of the Old which is indeed how St Matthew composed

his Holy Gospel

S T D I O N Y S I O S T H E A R E O P A G I T E amp H I E R O M A R T Y R O F A T H E N S

St Dionysios was Baptised by St Paul the Great HolyApostle to the Gentiles in Athens

St Dionysios grew up in a notable family of Athensattended philosophical school at home and abroad wasmarried and had several children and was a member ofthe highest court in Greece known as the lsquoAreopagos rsquo

After his Conversion to the True Faith St Paul made himBishop of Athens

Eventually St Dionysios left his wife and children toaccompany St Paul on his Missionary Journey

He went to Jerusalem specifically to visit the MostHoly Theotokos and wrote of their encounter in one ofhis books

Just like the other Holy Apostles St Dionysios was alsomysteriously conveyed to Jerusalem and present at HerDormition

Having witnessed the Martyrdom of St Paul in Rome StDionysios desired to be a Martyr as well

He went to Gaul accompanied by his Presbyter St Rustikosand St Eleutherios the Deacon to preach the HolyGospel

His persecution and suffering was equalled only by hissuccess in leading and converting many pagansto Christianity

In 96 St Dionysios St Rustikos and St Eleftherios werearrested and tortured before being beheaded during thereign of Emperor Domitian

St Dionysios head rolled a rather long way until it came torest at the feet of a Christian woman named lsquoCatularsquo who buried it honourably along with his body

Four Theological works are attributed to St Dionysios lsquoTheDivine Names rsquo lsquoThe Mystical Theology rsquo lsquoThe CelestialHierarchy rsquo and lsquoThe Ecclesiastical Hierarchy rsquo as well aseleven letters

S T D I O N Y S I O S T H E A R E O P A G I T E O N D I V I N E N A M E S

ldquoIf with the Lords Help we Cleanse our heart and uprootsin - Struggling for the Knowledge that is more Divineand seeing in our intellect things invisible to most peoplewe must not on this account be arrogant towardsanyone

ldquoFor an Angel being incorporeal is more Pure and full ofSpiritual Knowledge than any other created thing yet it

was an Angel who in exalting himself fell likelightning from HeavenldquoThus his pride was reckoned by God as impurityldquoBut those who dig up gold are known to allrdquo


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 5321 8 T H S U N D A Y A F T E R P E N T E C O S T ndash 2 N D O F S T L U K E ndash T H E G O L D E N R U L E O F C H R I S T - 4 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5 5



4 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

Tone 118 t h Sunday After Pentecost2 n d Sunday of St Luke ndash ldquoDo Unto Others rsquo

Also the Feast of S T H IEROTHEOS the Areopagite First Bishop amp Hieromartyr of Athens ndash

Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Kazan St Gurias First Archbishop of Kazan St Herman the

Archbishop amp St Barsanuphios Bishop of Tver Uncovering of Holy Relics ndash St Vladimir Yaroslavich of Nogorod ndash St Helladios St Onesimos amp St Ammon the Recluse of Kiev Near

Caves Monastery ndash St Dionysios amp his Faithful Disciples the Deacons St Gaius St Eusebios

St Chaeremon amp St Faustos of Alexandria Egypt ndash St Peter of Kapetolis Palestine amp

Damascus Syria ndash St Domnina amp her daughters St Vernike (Berenice) amp St Prosdoce of

Edessa Mesopotamia (Iraq) amp Syria ndash St Ammon of Egypt ndash St Paul the Simple of Egypt ndash St Adauktos amp St Callisthene

his daughter of Ephesos ndash St Stephen Siljianovitch of Serbia ndash St Evdemoz of Georgia ndash St Elena of Serbia ndash St Jonah ampSt Nektarios of Kazan

R E S U R R E C T I O N A P O L Y T I K I O N ndash T O N E 1

T ou lithou sfragisthentos ipo ton Ioudeon ke stratioton

filassonton to ahranton Sou Soma Anestis trimerosSotir Doroumenos to kosmo tin Zoin Dia touto eDinamis ton Ouranon evoon si Zoodota Doxa tiAnastasi Sou Hriste Doxa ti Vasilia Sou Doxa tiIkonomia Sou mone Filanthrope

While the stone was sealed by the Judeans and soldiers

stood on guard over Thine Undefiled Body Thou roseon the Third Day O Saviour Who gives Life to theworld For which cause the Heavenly Powers criedaloud to Thee O Giver of Life Glory to ThyResurrection O Christ Glory to Thy Kingdom Gloryto Thy Providence O Thou Who alone Loves mankind

S E A S O N A L K O N T A K I O N ndash T H E E V E R B L E S S E D T H E O T O K O S

P rostasia ton Hristianon akateskhinte mesitia pros tonPiitin ametathete mi Paridis amartolon deiseon fonasalla profthason os agathi is tin voithian imon tonpistos kravgazonton Si Tahinon is presvian ke spefsonis ikesian i prostatevousa ai Theotoke ton timonton Se

O Protection of the Christians unashamable Mediation tothe Creator Immovable despise not the pleadingvoices of those in sin but hasten O Good One to theAid of all who in Faith cry out to Thee speed up ThineIntercession and press on Thy Supplication OTheotokos who forever protects all those who honour

TheeR E S U R R E C T I O N G O S P E L 7 ndash J O H N 2 0 1 ndash 1 0

S T P E T E R amp S T J O H N W I T N E S S O U R R E S U R R E C T E D S A V I O U R rsquo S E M P T Y T O M B

P R O K E I M E N O N ndash P S A L M 3 2 ndash T O N E 1

Let thy Mercy O Lord be upon us

Rejoice in the Lord O you Righteous

S E C O N D E P I S T L E O F S T P A U L T O T H E C O R I N T H I A N S 9 6 ndash 1 1C H E E R F U L G I V I N G

Brethren He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully Let eachone give as he purposes in his heart ndash not grudgingly or of necessity ndash for a cheerful giver is Loved by God

God is able to make all Grace abound towards you that you ndash always having all sufficiency in all things ndash may have anabundance for every Good Work As it is written lsquoHe has dispersed abroad He has given to the poor HisRighteousness endures foreverrsquo May He Who supplies seed to the Sower and bread for food supply and multiply theseed you have sown and increase the Fruits of your Righteousness while you are enriched in everything for all

Liberality which causes Thanksgiving through us to GodThis passage of his Second Epistle to the Corinthians

concerning lsquocheerful givingrsquo is St Paulrsquos landmark

teaching on our Christian Stewardship for the

metaphor is not the giving of money but rather the

sowing of Spiritual Seed for a bountiful Harvest for the

Glory Honour and Worship of the Holy Trinity

The Holy Seeds that we must strive to constantly sow in

good fertile Spiritual Soil is provided by God Himself

Who gives us everything that we could possibly need

in order to make Good Spiritual Progress and to help

one another to do so as well

This Journey through our short preparatory period before

Eternity cannot be done alone and isolated

We all travel the same Path of Righteousness and need

each other to help us and to encourage us along the

Way

It is impossible for us to make even the slightest step

forward on our own ndash or through our own weak and

meagre efforts

God always grants us more than we need and in

Gratitude and Thankfulness for His Great Mercy and

unconditional Love we must share our Blessings with

each other ndash with cheerful giving ndash for certainly

whatever we give to others is returned lsquoa hundred

foldrsquo (and in a variety of ways)

H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T L U K E 6 3 1 ndash 3 6T H E G O L D E N R U L E O F C H R I S T ndash LO V E O F E N E M I E S amp M E R C Y T O O T H E R S

At that time our Lord Jesus Christ said ldquo and just as you want others to do to you you also must do to them as wellldquoAnd if you Love those who Love you ndash what credit is that to you For even sinners Love those who Love them And if

you do good to those who do good to you ndash what credit is that to you For even sinners do the same And if youlend to those from whom you hope to receive back what credit is that to you For even sinners lend to sinners inorder to receive as much in return

ldquoLove your enemies do good and lend ndash hoping for nothing in return And your Reward will be great and you will besons of the Most High for He is kind to the ungrateful and those who are evil


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 6326 1 8 T H S U N D A Y A F T E R P E N T E C O S T ndash 2 N D O F S T L U K E ndash T H E G O L D E N R U L E O F C H R I S T - 4 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5

ldquoBe Merciful ndash just as your Father also is Mercifulrdquo

T HIS IS THE G OLDEN R ULE OR G OLDEN C OMMANDMENT OF OUR

LORD AND S AVIOUR J ESUS C HRIST It is a minimum of Christian Virtue as it places our desire

for Goodness ndash ldquo the natural law of self-love rdquo as StCyril of Alexandria expressed it ndash as a basic standardof how to treat one another

It is but THE FIRST G REAT S TEP ON THE P ATH TO S PIRITUAL

P ERFECTION OF V IRTUE

ldquo be Merciful just as your Father (in Heaven) isMerciful rdquo expresses THE S PIRITUAL P ERFECTION THAT WE

MUST CONSTANTLY STRIVE FOR We must ALWAYS STRIVE FOR THAT PERFECT ABSOLUTE AND D IVINE

M ERCY THAT G OD HAS TAUGHT US instead of thatconditional judgement type of lsquoloversquo and lsquomercyrsquo that we prefer because it is lsquoeasierrsquo but which willultimately Condemn us Eternally

1 8 T H S U N D A Y A F T E R P E N T E C O S T ndash 2 N D S U N D A Y O F S T L U K E ndash T H E G O L D E N R U L E O F O U R L O R D J E S U S C H R I S T People like those who like them Being liked is intrinsically

rewarding It means we fit in it puts us in a good mood

and even props up our self-esteemSo we smile at those who smile at us we listen to those

who listen to us and we are interested in those who areinterested in us

And all of this as good as it feels and as right as it seemsis unrelated to Virtue the Spiritual Life and Holiness

It is just part of being human which entails maintainingsocial relationships that are in our own best self-interest

Psychologists call this lsquoegoistic altruismrsquoThat description is not particularly flattering but our

Lordrsquos description is even more humbling for He notesthat such love is exhibited even by the mostunscrupulous extortionists of His age who are usuallygrouped together with sinners and prostitutes

Loving those who love us may makes us feel good about

them and about ourselves but we should not deceiveourselves into thinking that therefore we are lsquogoodChristiansrsquo or lsquovirtuousrsquo people

We already have our reward for the love we give in so manyways

According to Saint John Chrysostom we are not only nodifferent from those corrupted despised Publicans (TaxCollectors) when we love only those who love us but weare also worse than they are when - instead of lovingour enemies - we despise them and hate them for wehave the Example of Christ Loving His enemies andpraying for them

We also have the Divine Commandment of our Lord JesusChrist to Love our enemies and to pray for them - yetwe disregard our Divine Law-giver in order to follow thepromptings of our passions and the whims of our will(Ref lsquoTO DEMETRIOS ON COMPUNCTIONrsquo )

Elsewhere Saint John Chrysostom noted that someChristians do not even manage to Love those who Lovethem

In which case he asks ldquois there even hope forSalvationrdquo

What the Sacred Father suggested that we do is to

ldquosubdue our thought rdquo (δασμάσωμεν ἡμῶν τὸν λογισμόν) which is much like a wild animal that

needs to tamed or controlled by a yoke so that it canwork with us instead of fight against us so that it canhelp us instead of hinder us (HOMILY 4 ON GENESIS )

In other words when a thought of enmity raises its hatefulhead we tame that thought saying NO and then

bringing to mind our Loving and Humble LordLord Jesus Christ have Mercy on me Lord Jesus Christ

have Mercy on him Lord Jesus Christ have Mercy onher (Whatever the case may be)

To subdue our thought Saint John Chrysostom alsoinstructs us ldquoto prepare our thought rdquo so that weldquolook at our enemies in a way that is tame rdquo whichimplies being ready to cooperate with them rather thanstruggle against them being flexible around themrather than rigid being gentle and meek rather thancallous and authoritarian (HOMILY 10 ON GENESIS )

It means opening our hearts to them by opening ourthoughts to the expansive Love of Christ from whichnothing can separate us - ldquoneither death nor life norAngels nor Principalities nor Powers nor thingspresent nor things to come nor height nor depth nor

any other creaturerdquo unless we separate ourselvesfrom Him by choosing not to Love our enemies(ROMANS 838-39)

Saint Ephraim the Syrian teaches us that loving those wholove you - the love of the Publicans - is the love of thedinner table to which friends are invited but notenemies

For the Saint to think of such love as though it were theLove of Christ is pure delusion

The Love that we Christians seek is ldquowithout hypocrisywithout blame without moral stain and withoutcomparison

ldquoIt bears all things and leads to every Good ThingldquoThe Lord showed it to us saying lsquothat one lays down

his life for his friendsrsquo for our Lord taught this anddid this laying down His own Soul not only for His

Friends but also for His enemiesldquoIndeed God so Loved the world that He gave His Beloved

Son for usldquoRegarding this Love the Apostle Paul - full of Divine

Love said lsquoLove does no ill to the neighbour doesnot render evil for evil insult for insult but is alwaysslow to anger is always kind is not jealous is notirritable does not take into account wrong doingsdoes not rejoice in injustice but rejoices with theTruth

ldquorsquoIt bears all things believes all things hopes all thingsendures all things

ldquorsquoSuch Love never failsrdquo (SAINT EPHRAIM THE SYRIAN ON

LOVEVOLUME 5 OF THE COLLECTED WORKS)

HTTPWWWPRAVOSLAVIERUENGLISH75530HTM

P A R T 4 - P S Y C H O L O G I C A L S I D E O F C O N S C I E N C E The study of the relationship of Conscience to the SpiritualAttributes of man is the domain of Psychology

Psychologists attempt to clarify two issuesa) Is Conscience an attribute of man with which he is born

or is it the result of learning and encountering lifesexperiences in the environment in which he develops

b) Is Conscience a result of the way our mind feelings andwill operate or is it an independent characteristic

In response to the first question closer examination ofmans Conscience convinces us that it is not the resultof learned attitude or physical instinct in us but has anunexplainable Higher Source

For example children develop Conscience before any adultteaching or modelling takes place

If physical instinct dictated to Conscience then it would

induce us to behave in a profitable or pleasurable wayHowever Conscience often induces us to do that which isunprofitable or unpleasant

In spite of the appearance that evildoers enjoy lsquothe goodlifersquo and virtuous people suffer Conscience tells us thata Higher Justice must exist

Eventually all have to receive their Just reward

The Universal presence of Conscience for many people isthe most convincing argument for Gods Existence andthe Immortality of the soul

Regarding the relationship of Conscience to other spiritualattributes of man with his mind feelings and free willwe observe that Conscience not only speaks of thatwhich is theoretically good or evil but she also obligesus to do good deeds and shun evil

Good deeds are followed by feelings of Joy and satisfactionwhereas deeds of evil produce shame fear andSpiritual Unrest

In all of these manifestations Conscience uncovers in usthe awareness of free will and responsibility

Of course reason alone cannot decide what is morally goodor evil

It bases its judgment on the observation of somethinglogical or illogical wise or foolish useful or uselessIt is a property of reason to select useful opportunities over

deeds of kindnessNevertheless something in us compels our reason to not

only search for profit as an abstract mathematicalcomputation but also to evaluate the moral value ofour intentions



Doesnt it follow then that if our Conscience influences ourreason she is independent from it and even above it

Considering how Conscience works through free will weobserve that free will can desire anything but thisability does not dictate to us what we must do

Human will as we know it often battles with demands ofmorality and attempts to free itself from its bondage

If Conscience were a product of the free will then no battlewould take place no conflict

But the voice of Conscience attempts to guide ourdecisions

We may not always fulfill her demands being free to

choose but we cannot ignore her voice and when we dothat we does not escape an inner punishment

Finally Conscience cannot be viewed as the product offeelings in the human heart

The heart craves pleasant sensations and avoids theunpleasant

But the rejection of moral demands often brings with it astrong Spiritual Conflict which tears the human heartapart

We cannot escape the outcome in spite of our desire andeffort

Therefore in spite of being enclosed and dwelling withinus shouldnt we concede that Conscience is anindependent and superior characteristic which directs

our reason will and heart with Divine Law(TO BE CONTINUED )

W H A T I S M O S T I M P O R T A N T B Y ARCHPR I E ST L E V L EBEDEV amp ARCH IMANDRITE ALEXANDER

P A R T 2 - W H E R E D O E S E V I L C O M E F R O M The Sacred Scriptures explain that the tragedy which

overtook the human race had its actual beginnings inthe World of the Angels perhaps even before theappearance of the physical Universe

One of the Highest Ranked Angels whom God creatednamed lsquoLuciferrsquo or lsquothe Daystarrsquo became puffed up withpride so that he thought he was the brightest mightiestand most beautiful of all the Angels that he had nofurther need of his Creator and was not obliged to serveHim

Lucifers goal was to make himself a kind of God - an object

of veneration for other AngelsTo this end he raised a rebellion in Heaven and persuaded a

certain segment of the Angelic Hosts to join himThus Lucifer who was later called lsquoSatanrsquo or lsquothe devilrsquo

(meaning lsquoa slandererrsquo) was the initiator of the veryworst of sins - pride and self-satisfaction - which serveas the basis for all other sins and vices

Lucifer planned to found a kingdom of free andindependent spirits separated from God

But this kingdom founded on the principles of sin was aclear failure and came to be known as lsquoHellrsquo or lsquotheAbyssrsquo

Instead of a promised Paradise it became a place ofimpenetrable Darkness and unending misery

It became so terrible that the fallen angels themselves - thedemons or devils - fear it and wish to escape from it as

from a most hideous and terrifying prison (LUKE 831) The devil was not content with having caused an

irreparable tragedy in the world of pure spirits byhaving founded his own wicked kingdom

Because he hated God and all that God created he decidedto bring evil to lsquothe Crown of Gods Creationrsquo -mankind

For this purpose he assumed the form of a serpent andtempted Adam and Eve to break Gods one DivineCommandment by eating the Forbidden Fruit (GENESIS 3)

Satan is a skilful seducer so he easily convinced them thatif they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good andEvil they would become All-Knowing and Mighty ndash justlike God

He deceived them with the same wicked ideas with whichhe had once deceived himself - the possibility of

becoming godlike easily and all at once without theCreator - and even in opposition to the Creator

Consequently mankind fell from Divine Grace and wasinfected with the same sins that had already ruinedLucifer disobedience caused by pride and self-love

In this way the tragedy of sin was passed down from theWorld of Angels to our physical world and as a resultour earthly life was filled with contradictions sorrowsand corruption

As a consequence of their Fall the first human beings losttheir unique Relationship with God

They were deprived of their perfect life in Paradise andthey became mortal

Worst of all the contagion of sin like a toxic liquid flowingfrom a contaminated fountain was passed on to theirdescendants so that all people would henceforth be

born with a damaged natureThe descendants of Adam and Eve being predisposed to

sin took the line of least resistance and began tocommit all sorts of evil acts hurting cheating and even

killing one anotherThis sinful way of life caused our consciousness to become

more and more darkened so that in time we lost thetrue conception of our God and Creator and we beganto worship our own handiwork in the form of variousidols both literal and figurative (such as greed worldlygoods luxury earthly fame and all kinds of fleshlypleasures)

The more mankind wallowed in wickedness the strongerthe devil became and soon that originator of evil cameto exercise a cruel mastery over mankind

Thus as time went on our beautiful world created by Godand represented by His highest creatures mankind whowas made in His own Image and Likeness sank into astate of evil ruled by enmity lies injustice sufferingand death

What was even worse mankind in our wretchedness provedto be completely helpless unable to cast off theshackles of sin and return to God and our formerperfect Relationship

The infernal serpent wished to make this once-beautifulGod-created world into a copy of Hell by skilfullymanipulating human weaknesses and passions

The only One Who could rescue us from this desperatestate of affairs was our Creator our Loving HeavenlyFather

When we became fully convinced of our own helplessnessand when we became Spiritually Mature enough toreceive a Saviour He sent into the world His EternalOnly Begotten Son Who while always remaining oneGod with the Father by the Descent of the Holy Spirittook flesh of the Very Purest and fairest of thedaughters of mankind - the Ever Blessed all Holy andPure Virgin Mary - and became a Man like us ineverything but without the ability nor inclination tocommit sin

The Purpose of His Coming among us was to Liberate usfrom the tyranny of Satan and from the oppression ofsin and to return us to the Righteous Path to SpiritualRenewal which would lead us back to God and EternalBlessedness

(TO BE CONTINUED)

E L D E R A M P H I L O C H I O S M A K R I S ndash F I X I N G O U R G A Z E O N H E A V E N We must have our gaze fixed on Heaven Then nothing

will shake usPlease put this Commandment into practiceCultivate Love towards the Person of Christ to such an

extent that when you pronounce His Beloved Nametears fall from your eyes

Your heart must really be aflame Then He will becomeyour Teacher He will be your Guide your Brotheryour Father and your Geron (Elder or SpiritualFather)

Love your Bridegroom Christ with all your heart andthen everyone will Love you and take care of you

The more we Love God the more we Love other peopleWe will Love them with holiness respect and refinement

as Images of GodThe Saints submitted to whatever God sent them with

childlike simplicity ldquoThat is the way Thou Wills it LetThy Will be donerdquo

When we lack Inner Warmth we will be frozen and coldeven in summer

When your heart is empty of Christ it will contain eithermoney property or people instead




The Grace of the All-Holy Spirit makes us send out RaysHowever other people must have a good receiver inorder to realise this

Innocence is greater than geniusNever ever give importance to anything earthly and

fleetingTake care of your Spiritual Union with God insteadOur deeds dear Brethren will not Save us ndash only Godrsquos

infinite Mercy will Save usSpiritual Bonds become unbreakable when they come

across a child-like spirit Innocence and SanctityAnd how must we picture Christ

We must always think of Christ with heartfelt Love anddevotion

It is like holding the photograph of a stranger in ourhands but since the person is unknown to us we willnot feel Love nor be moved by the image

However when we look at the image of those whom weLove our soul immediately leaps and cries out withLove

Leave all your concerns in the Hands of GodAsk for whatever you want - like a child speaking to its

Loving Father

E L D E R A M P H I L O C H I O S M A K R I S (+1970 )

C A R R Y I N G T H E C R O S S amp S U F F E R I N G I N H O P E Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ did not suffer so that

we would not have to He Suffered so that we couldhandle suffering with Him

In other forms of Christianity one is often told that Christsuffered and died so that we could be freed from asimilar fate A focus in Protestant Theology is Christappeasing the lsquoWrathrsquo of God the Father freeing usfrom a lsquo Rightful Punishmentrsquo

But for the Greek Fathers and Orthodox Christianity thefocus is largely on Christ as our Great PhysicianmdashGodWho suffers and dies so that He can wipe away our sinsCleanse us from defilement and Reunite us with theFather in Him

Rather than presenting a Trinitarian nightmare in which theFather and Son are at odds Orthodox Christologydeclares that Christ voluntarily lays down His Life forthe sake of the entire worldmdashand that this is theUnified Divine Will

In other words while we are sinners Christ dies for usOne of my personal Struggles is that of a severe and even

crippling empathyI have trouble disassociating myself from the sufferings or

experiences of others grafting their experiences intomy own

In these times of distress I can turn to Prayer petitioningGod for His Mercies But in these Prayers I catch myselfassuming that suffering is only a negative

While it might seem noble to ask for Godrsquos Deliverance weshould adjust our hearts and Prayers in light of theaforementioned ldquoChrist suffered so that we could

handle suffering with Himrdquo Better than praying for Deliverance from suffering we mustpray for Salvation through suffering

In the Christian context hope is inextricably linked withsuffering

R O M A NS 816 ndash 18 ldquoThe Spirit Himself bearswitness with our spirit that we are Children ofGod And if Children also Heirsmdashon the one handHeirs of God on the other hand Joint-Heirs ofChrist - if indeed we suffer with Him in order thatwe might also be Glorified together

ldquoFor I reckon that the sufferings of the present timeare not worthy in comparison to the futureGlory to be revealed in us

St Paul was referring to our ldquoadoptionrdquo which occurs duringthe Holy Mystery of Baptism

As Christians we are adopted into Godrsquos FamilyBut if we are to receive our Inheritance (as Godrsquos Children)

we are Called to suffer thereby becoming ldquo Joint-Heirs rdquowith the True Son of God

This St Paul explained is why we must willingly endure theinnumerable ldquosufferings of the present time rdquo byliving according to Hope

A falsehood spread throughout the broader ProtestantChristian world today is that God adopts us into HisFamily without anything expected of us

Or even worse we are promised a better life happinessand even material wealth or worldly success

However this is really the opposite of what Holy Scripturepromises us

St Paul reminded us that ldquowe were Saved by Hope rdquo(ROMANS 224)

Our Salvation is not realized immediately nor is it a lsquoflip ofthe switchrsquo in onersquos mental assent of Faith but israther a Journey that begins in our Holy Baptismand is Consummated on the Last Day ndash theEighth Day the beginning of Eternity andJudgement Day

And until that Day we are awaiting our True SalvationFrom the beginning of our Salvation Journey to the end is a

whole lifetime of trials temptations sufferingDiscipline Asceticism Struggle and Growth

Being ldquoSaved in Hoperdquo also means knowing in Whom weplace our trust

R O M A NS 8 35 ndash 37 ldquoWho shall separate us formthe Love of Christ Affliction or distress orpersecution or famine or nakedness or dangeror sword But in all these things we more thanconquer through the One Who Loved usrdquo

While we are almost guaranteed a life marked byldquoaffliction distress persecution famine nakednessdanger and sword rdquo we have assurance of Victorythrough the Love of Christ

Our Hope is in Him He is our Assurance just as He is TrueLife

Since we are guaranteed as much our Prayer should be tosee suffering transformed into Salvation

As St Paisios the Elder of Mount Athos said ldquoIn everytest let us say lsquoThank you my God because this wasneeded for my Salvationrsquordquo

Similarly Father Seraphim Rose said ldquoOnly Struggle alittle more Carry your Cross without complainingDonrsquot think you are anything special Donrsquot justify your sins and weaknesses but see yourself as youreally are And especially Love one anotherrdquo

When faced with Struggle or temptation We must ask God if we might Struggle a little more We must give Thanks to God that we are being provided

an opportunity for our Sanctification and Salvationin Him We must look to Christ as our Source of Strengthmdashas

One Who suffered everything yet without sin We must consider the Lives of the Saints who have

imaged Christ in their own StrugglesIn the end we must remember that Christ didnrsquot suffer so

that we wouldnrsquot have toHe suffered died and conquered Death-by-Death so that

we could handle suffering with HimCasting our lot with Christ is a Calling to suffering - a

Calling to carry our own Crossmdashwhether great or smallAnd through Christ through the Holy Mysteries of His

Church and through our own individual Struggle andAscesis we can live as Co-Heirs with Him - prepared forfuture Glory

A DAPTED amp EDITED BY MP ndash W RITTEN BY G ABE M ARTINI httpwwwpravoslavieruenglish72001htm

S T A M B R O S E O F M I L A N O N R E P E N T A N C E Let us then pass through the fires of youth and the glow of

early years let us pass through the waters let us notremain therein lest the deep floods shut us in Let usrather pass over that we too may say Our soul haspassed over the stream for he who has passed over issafe And lastly the Lord speaks thus If thou passthrough the water I Am with thee - the rivers shall notoverflow thee And the Prophet says I have seen thewicked exalted above the Cedars of Libanos and Ipassed by and lo he was not

Pass by things of this world and you will see that the high

places of the wicked have fallen Moses too passing bythings of this world saw a Great Sight and said I willturn aside and see this Great Sight for had he beenheld by the fleeting pleasures of this world he wouldnot have seen so great a Mystery


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 932 S T T H O M A S D I D Y M O S T H E H O L Y A P O S T L E O F C H R I S T - 6 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5 9


All Glory Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now and Forever and untothe Ages of Ages AmenRemembering also our Most Holy Most Pure Most Blessed and Glorious Lady Mary Theotokos yet Ever Virgintogether with all the Saints And let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole Life to Christ our God Amen

6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

St Thomas ldquoDidymosrdquo the Holy Apostle of Christ Also the Feast of St Innocent Metropolitan of Moscow Enlightener of the Aleuts amp Apostle to the

Americas ndash St Makarios the Monk Martyr of St Anne Skete Mount Athos ndash St Erotidos

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N ndash T O N E 3

A postole Agie Thoma Presveve to Eleimoni Theo ina

ptesmaton afesin parashi tes psihes imonO Holy Apostle Thomas Intercede with our Merciful God

so that He may grant Forgiveness of offences to oursoul

F E S T A L K O N T A K I O N ndash T O N E 4

O tis Thias Harito pepliromenos tou Hristou Apostolos ke

ipiretis Alithis en Metania ekravgaze ldquoSi mou iparhisTheos te ke Kyriosrdquo

Filled with Divine Grace the Apostle of Christ and servant

of Truth exclaimed aloud in Repentance ldquoThou artmy Lord and my Godrdquo

F E S T A L P R O K E I M E N O N ndash P S A L M 1 8 ndash T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4His voice has gone out into all the Earth

The Heavens declare the Glory of God

F I R S T E P I S T L E O F S T P A U L T O T H E C O R I N T H I A N S 4 9 ndash 1 6I N A L L T H I N G S W E M U S T S T R I V E T O I M I T A T E C H R I S T

Brethren God has set forth us the Apostles last as it were appointed to Death for we are made a spectacle unto theworld and to Angels and to men We are fools for Christrsquos sake but you are wise in Christ we are weak but you arestrong you are honourable but we are despised Even unto this present hour we both hunger and thirst and arenaked and are buffeted and have no dwelling-place And we labour working with our own hands Being reviled weBless being persecuted we suffer it being defamed we Entreat We are made as the filth of the world - theoffscourings of all things unto this day

I write not these things to shame you but as my Beloved Children I warn you Although you have ten thousand instructorsin Christ yet have you not many Fathers In Christ Jesus through the Gospel I have begotten you I beseech youtherefore - be imitators of me

Irony and sarcasm are bitter medicine which St Paul used onthis occasion with full force

The three parallel statements ldquo we are fools weakdishonouredrdquo were heaped upon each other in astinging series

The relative comfort of the Corinthians Christian Community was contrasted with the persecuted poverty-stricken anduncertain lifestyle of the Holy Apostles of Christ

They endured all kinds and degrees of humiliation ndash beingtreated as filth and even like the ldquooff-scourings rdquo ndash yetinstead of retaliating in a similar fashion ndash striking backin a similar manner at their persecutors ndash the Holy Apostles and Faithful Disciples of Christ responded withunconditional Divine Love ndash Agape

They endured all their humiliation and suffering for the PureJoy of serving our Lord and Saviour ndash thereby reconcilingthe fallen world to God

St Paul soothed the pain of his rebuke by reminding theFaithful of his Spiritual Fatherhood to them

The Holy Church of Christ is similar to any other family ndash withmaturing children who need parental guidance

As Struggling Disciples of Christ we who are the maturingchildren need our Spiritual Fathers to teach and guideus

St Paul urged us as Faithful Disciples of Christ to imitate himjust as he ceaselessly strove to imitate our Lord JesusChrist

T H E H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T J O H N 2 0 1 9 ndash 3 1The same day in the evening being the first day after the Sabbath and when the doors were shut where the Disciples were

assembled - for fear of the Judeans - Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them ldquoPeace be with you rdquo And

having said this He showed them His Wrists and His Side The Disciples were glad to see the LordJesus said to them again ldquoPeace be with you As the Father has sent Me I also send you rdquo And He breathed upon themand said to them ldquoReceive the Holy Spirit If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven them if you retain thesins of any they are retainedrdquo

Thomas one of the Twelve called ldquoDidymos rdquo was not with them when Jesus came The other Disciples therefore said tohim ldquoWe have seen the Lordrdquo He said to them ldquoUnless I see in His Wrists the print of the nails and put my hand into HisSide I will not believerdquo

And after eight days His Disciples were again inside and Thomas with them Jesus came ndash the doors being shut ndash andstood in their midst and said ldquoPeace to yourdquo He said to Thomas ldquoReach your finger here and look at My Wristsand reach your hand here and put it into My Side Do not be unbelieving but believerdquo

And Thomas answered and said to Him ldquoMy Lord and my Godrdquo Jesus said to him ldquoBecause you have seen Me youbelieved Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believerdquo

Many other Signs were done by Jesus in the presence of His Disciples which are not written in this Book These are writtenthat you may believe that Jesus is the Christ ndash the Son of God ndash and that believing you may have Life in His Name

Our Lord Jesus Christ commissioned His Apostles andDisciples to continue His Divine Mission on Earth by

granting them the Holy Spirit and His Authority to forgiveor retain the sins of others

Through this direct Consecration of His Holy Apostles andthrough the subsequent Apostolic Succession Christrsquos HolyPriesthood is communicated to His Bishop and Presbyters(Priests) of His Holy Church throughout the ages in onecontinuous unbroken line

The ldquodoubtrdquo or rather ldquoincredulityrdquo of St Thomas is describedin our Orthodox Hymns as being ldquoBlessedrdquo for it was not a

doubt of resistance to Divine Truth but one thatdesperately desired a truthful answer ndash ldquo a doubt which

gave birth to Faithrdquo when the Truth was revealedIn our Hymns Christ says to St Thomas ldquoThy doubt will teach

My Passion and Resurrection to allrdquo And indeed it is affirmed that the incredulity of St Thomas ldquo

brought the hearts of believers to KnowledgerdquoSt Thomasrsquo search for absolute Truth led him to the clearest

Confession of Christrsquos Divinity by addressing our Saviouras ldquoMy Lord and my Godrdquo


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 103210 S T T H O M A S D I D Y M O S ndash T H E F A I T H F U L A P O S T L E amp D I S C I P L E O F C H R I S T - 6 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5

Our Lord Jesus Christ having Created us knows everythingabout us ndash even things that we have no realisation of

He knew that St Thomas always need to examine everyaspect of everything before accepting it as Truth so Henicknamed St Thomas ldquoDidymosrdquo - ldquothe Twinrdquo ndash for beinghabitually lsquodouble-mindedrsquo

Another Truth to take note of ndash although Christ invited StThomas to touch His Wounds His faithful Apostle did notactually need to do so having instantly realised the Truthof our Lordrsquos physical Resurrection

The word ldquohirasrdquo means both lsquohandrsquo and lsquowristrsquo but in fact theRoman executioners nailed their victims to the cross-barthrough the small gap between the many bones of the wrist which was strong enough to support the dead weight of the body

There is a corresponding gap between the bones of the footas well through which the crucifixion nails were driven

(This confirms the Holy Prophecy that not a Bone of ourSaviourrsquos Body was broken)

S T T H O M A S D I D Y M O S ndash H O L Y A P O S T L E O F C H R I S T O U R L O R D A N D O U R G O D

St Thomas was born in the Galilean city of Pansada and wasa humble fisherman

Having heard the Good Tidings of our Lord Jesus Christ StThomas had left everything in order to follow Him and

became one of His most Faithful Disciples ndash and is oneof the Twelve Apostles of our Saviour

After the Crucifixion and the Glorious Resurrection ofChrist St Thomas refused to accept the reports of theother Apostles that they had actually seen our Lordstating words that so many doubters would similarlyrepeat throughout the ages ldquoUnless I see in His Wriststhe print of the nails and put my finger into the printof the nails and thrust my hand into His Side I willnot believerdquo (JOHN 2025)

On the eighth day after the Resurrection our Lord againappeared in the midst of His gathered Apostles andinvited St Thomas to inspect and examine His Woundswhereupon he joyously Confessed ldquoMy Lord and my

Godrdquo (JOHN 2028)

St John Chrysostom commented ldquoSt Thomas being onceweaker in Faith than the other Apostles toiled throughthe Grace of God more bravely more zealously andmore tirelessly than them all so that he went preachingover nearly all the Earth not fearing to proclaim theWord of God to savage Nationsrdquo

Although some Icons depicting this Event are inscribedldquoThe Doubting Thomas rdquo this is incorrect and mostunfair

The original Greek inscription states ldquoThe Touching ofThomasrdquo

In Slavonic it declares ldquoThe Belief of Thomasrdquo However there was no need for St Thomas to touch the

pierced Wrists nor the Life-giving Side of our Lord forimmediately he no longer had any doubts whatsoeverwhich compelled his heartfelt Confession of Faith

Three days after the Dormition of the All Holy Ever BlessedTheotokos St Thomas arrived in Jerusalem anddesiring to pay his last respects Her sealed tomb wasopened and all the honourable witnesses saw that HerVenerable Sanctified Body was no longer there

During a Mystical Sacred Visitation our Lady Theotokospresented St Thomas with Her Zoni (Belt CinctureSash Girdle) which She had made and worn and whichhas proved to be a Miracle Working Holy Relic

St Thomas founded Christian churches in PalestineMesopotamia Parthia Ethiopia and India

Inevitably the Preaching the Holy Gospel of Christ earnedSt Thomas a Martyrrsquos death

After having converted many thousands of souls includingthe wife and son of the Prefect of the Indian city ofMeliapur St Thomas was arrested and imprisoned

After enduring hideous brutal tortures he was stabbed todeath with five spears ndash joyfully surrendering hisImmortal Soul to our Lord and our God Jesus Christand receiving a brilliant Crown of Victory

Various parts of his Holy Relics are reverently preserved inIndia in Hungary and on Mount Athos

St Thomas Holy Apostle of Christ ceaselessly Intercedewith our Lord for the Salvation of our souls

B L E S S E D A R E T H E P E A C E M A K E R S There is an urgent need for Peace in the Middle East and in

many other places throughout this tragic turbulent

war-torn worldWhat did Christ mean when He said Blessed are thepeacemakers for they shall become sons of God

St Gregory of Nyssa gives us some insight in one of hisSermons on the Beatitudes In commenting on being aPeacemaker he begins by reminding us how different weare from God Who is All Powerful while we are made ofclay

Yet God tells us if we become Peacemakers we will becomeHis sons This can only mean that we will become likeHim

ldquoa Peacemaker is a person who gives Peace to another butone cannot give to another what one does not possessoneself Hence the Lord wants you first to be yourselffilled with the Blessing of Peace and then tocommunicate it to those who have need of itrdquo

Being a Peacemaker concerns our own condition - are wepeaceful - do we have an Inner Peace to share We canonly give what we have to give

ldquoSurely Peace is nothing but a Loving Disposition towardsones neighbour What is the opposite of Love It is hateand wrath anger and envy harbouring resentment aswell as hypocrisy rdquo

It is obvious that wrath is against goodness No one whoexperiences the wrath of another person or countryregards it as good If we can free ourselves from ourown anger that leads to wrath we will move towardsPeacemaking but the passions that boil within us needto be eradicated first if we are to become like God

In addition to wrath there is an inner disposition that mayeven be worse because it is hidden - envy andhypocrisy

ldquoThe disease of envy and hypocrisy is cherished secretly inthe depth of the heart like a hidden flame whileexternally everything appears deceptively likefriendship It is like a fire that is hidden under

chaff For a time it smoulders and burns only what liesnear

ldquoThe flame does not flare up visiblybecause it is sovigorously compressed from within But a gust of windwill cause it to burst into a bright open flamerdquo

To become a Peacemaker we must rid ourselves of thedeadly hidden disease of envy for we cannot live withhypocrisy lurking within us and expect to lead othersto Peace while we have a battle raging within us that canflare up at any moment

By being open and harmonious with our feelings andactions we receive Gods Grace to act with Divine Power

Only then can we act with Love and lead others towardsPeace but any kind of malice hidden in our heartseparates and alienates us from God and His Love

We may even be contributing to the wrath we so muchdespise

Not only must we regard the needs of others by seeing their

goodness we need to address the warfare that isinherent in ourselves

ldquo one is called a Peacemaker par excellence whopacifies perfectly the discord between flesh and spiritin himself and the war that is inherent in nature so thatthe law of the body no longer wars against the law of themind but is subjected to the Higher Rule and becomesa servant of the Divine Ordinancerdquo

This is our True Challenge The passions of our body toooften dictate our actions The mind may say one thing

but the bodily passions take us in another directionThe Aim of the Orthodox Way of Life is to lift our way of

being so our higher nature is in control Not only are weReconciled with God in Repentance Prayer and the HolyMysteries but we thereby discipline ourselves as well as

by Fasting (Self-denial)

Life in Christ leads us to become Peacemakers and Childrenof God which is the only Way to achieve True DivinePeace in this world

httporthodoxwayoflifeblogspotcom


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All Glory Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now and Forever andunto the Ages of Ages AmenRemembering also our Most Holy Most Pure Most Blessed and Glorious Lady Mary Theotokos yet Ever Virgin together with all the Saints And let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole Life toChrist our God Amen

7 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

St Sergio amp St Bacchos the Great Holy Martyrs of Syria Also the Feast of St Polychronis the Presbyter amp Hieromartyr of Constantinople ndash St Julian the

Presbyter amp St Caesarios the Deacon of Terracina Italy ndash St Sergios the Obedient of Nurma

Mount Athos amp Kiev Near Caves - St Martinian the Aboot of Byeloezersk ndash St Pelagia the Virgin

Martyr of Tarsos Cilicia - 99 Hieromartyrs of Crete ndash St Joseph the Elder Wonderworker of

Khevi Georgia

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N ndash S T S E R G I O S amp S T B A C C H O S O F S Y R I A ndash T O N E 4

I Martyres Sou Kyrie en ti athlisi afton Stefanous

ekomisanto tis aftharsias ek Sou tou Theou imonShontes gar tin ishin Sou tous tyrannous kathilonethrafsan ke demonon ta anishira thrasi Afton tesikesies Hriste O Theos Soson tas psihas imon

Thy Holy Martyrs Sergios and Bachhos O Lord through

their sufferings have received Incorruptible Crownsfrom Thee our God For having Thy Strength they laidlow their adversaries and shattered the powerless

boldness of demons Through their Supplications O

Lord Save our soulsF E S T A L K O N T A K I O N ndash S T S E R G I O S amp S T B A C C H O S O F S Y R I A - T O N E 2

T on noun pros ehthrous andrios parataxantes tin pasan

afton apatin katelisate ke tin nikin anothen ilifotesMartyres panevfimi omofronos ekrazete lsquo Kalon keterpnon to sinine Hristordquo

Having courageously confronted the enemy You brought

an end to his guiles and received from on High Crownsof Victory O Illustrious Martyrs Sergios and Bacchoswith one heart You cried aloud ldquoHow good andpleasant it is to dwell with Christrdquo-

T H E E P I S T L E O F S T P A U L T O T H E H E B R E W S 1 1 3 3 ndash 1 2 2T H E F A I T H O F C E R T A I N I S R A E L I T E S amp T H E P E R F E C T I O N O F F A I T H

Brethren all the Saints through Faith - subdued Kingdoms worked Righteousness obtained Promises stopped themouths of lions quenched the violence of fire escaped the edge of the sword Out of weakness were made strong

became valiant in battle turned to flight the armies of the aliens Women received their dead Raised to life againOthers were tortured - not accepting deliverance so that they might obtain a better Resurrection Others had trials ofmockings and scourgings of chains and imprisonment They were stoned they were sawn in two tempted slain withthe sword They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins being destitute afflicted tormented ndash of whom the

world was not worthy They wandered in deserts and mountain in dens and caves of the EarthAnd all of these ndash having obtained a Good Testimony through Faith ndash did not receive the Promise - God having providedsomething better for us so that they should not be made Perfect apart from us

Therefore we also since we are surrounded by so great a Cloud of Witnesses let us lay aside every weight and the sin thatso easily ensnares us and let us run with Endurance the Race that is set before us looking unto the Author andFinisher of our Faith Jesus Who - for the Joy that was set before Him - endured the Cross despising the shame andhas sat down at the right Hand of the Throne of God

St Paul reminds us of all the Old Covenant Saints andHoly Martyrs who endured all kinds of brutalterrifying persecution but never renounced theirFaith in Almighty God ndash the One True Living AllPowerful and All Knowing God (as opposed to theman-made lifeless pagan idols and gods whoseemed to be as flawed and powerless as all humanbeings)

Those ancient Saints and Holy Martyrs did not have

anything to encourage them or to confirm GodrsquosDivine Truth and the Reality of His Eternal Existenceexcept their heartfelt inner personal conviction andabsolute trust in our real True Loving Provident and Almighty God Who never fails misguides nor deceivesus - Who always fulfils every one of His DivinePromises

The unshakable Faith of these ancient Saints and HolyMartyrs is indeed remarkable - so they are very goodexamples for us to imitate ndash especially when we are

confronted by our own daily problems temptationsand persecution

Nevertheless these Holy Forefathers of ours had to wait inHades until the Harrowing of Hades by our Lord andSaviour Jesus Christ Who has released us from theimprisonment of Death and Hades and has re-opened Paradise where His devout Righteous andFaithful People may rest in Peace until the Eighth Dayndash Judgement Day and the beginning of our Eternal

Life in Christ (or Eternal Death due to unrepentance ofour sins)

Thus they will be ldquomade Perfectrdquo with us who have all thenecessary Knowledge Teachings andCommandments that our Lord Jesus Christ hasrevealed and granted to us which we need to fulfiland obey

There is no justifiable excuse at all for refusing GodrsquosDivine Salvation

T H E H O L Y G O S P E L O F S T L U K E 6 4 6 ndash 7 1At that time our Lord Jesus said ldquoWhy do you call me lsquoLord Lordrsquo and not do the things of which I speak ldquoWhoever comes

to Me and hears My Words and does them I will show you whom he is likeldquoHe is like a man building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock When the flood arose the stream beat

vehemently against that house and could not shake it - it was founded on the rockldquoHe who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house upon the ground without foundation The stream beat

against it vehemently and immediately it fellldquoAnd the ruin of that house was greatrdquo When He concluded all His Sayings in the hearing of the people He entered Capernaum

Hearing the Holy Gospel of Christ our Lord and Saviour isnot enough for Salvation is based ndash not on hearingalone nor on Faith alone - but also on DOING

EVERYTHING THAT OUR LORD J ESUS C HRIST HAS TAUGHT AND

COMMANDED US TO FULFIL

I T IS USELESS TO BE ABLE TO QUOTE VERBATIM ndash CHAPTER AND VERSE

ndashH OLY S CRIPTURE WITHOUT FULLY UNDERSTANDING ALL

ASPECTS OF C HRIST rsquo S T EACHINGS AND C OMMANDMENTS AND

STRUGGLING WITHOUT FAIL TO IMPLEMENT THEM IN OUR

WORDS THOUGHTS AND DEEDS


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 123212 S T S E R G I O S amp S T B A C C H O S G R E A T H O L Y M A R T Y R S O F S Y R I A - 7 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5

This is what our Lord was warning us against ndash trying toexist without a firmly established Spiritual Foundationndash His Divine Truth

A LMIGHTY G OD HAS GIVEN US EVERYTHING WE COULD POSSIBLY

NEED FOR US TO MAKE GOOD S PIRITUAL P ROGRESS TOWARDS

OUR S PIRITUAL P ERFECTION AND E TERNAL LIFE but UNLESS WE

MAKE EVERY EFFORT OURSELVES AND ARE WELL ESTABLISHED IN

THE D IVINE T RUTH WE WILL MERELY DO lsquo LIP SERVICE rsquo OR GO

THROUGH lsquo EMPTY MEANINGLESS MOTIONS rsquo WITHOUT ACHIEVING

ANYTHING THAT G OD DESIRES FOR OUR S PIRITUAL P ERFECTION ndashie the Restoration of our Sacred Relationship withGod by means of His Holy Church all Her HolyMysteries and everything else required of us - thatR EGENERATE AND R ECONCILE US TO THE S PIRITUAL S TATE IN

WHICH H E CREATED US TO BE

S T S E R G I O S amp S T B A C C H O S T H E G R E A T H O L Y M A R T Y R S O F S Y R I A The Great Holy Martyrs St Sergios and St Bacchos of Syria

were appointed to high positions in the Roman Army byEmperor Maximian (284-305) who initially was

unaware that they were faithful ChristiansHowever those who were envious of them soon informedthe authorities of Emperor Maximian that his twotrusted Counsellors did not honour the pagan gods byoffering sacrifices to them which was considered to betreason - a crime against the state

When the Emperor was informed he decided to test theaccusations against them ndash knowing that their exaltedpositions always drew unjust jealously and maliciousslander so he ordered St Sergios and St Bacchos tohonour the Romans gods

However they courageously confessed their Faith in Christand with all due respect they explained to the Emperorthat they only worshipped and Glorified the One Trueand Living God

Immediately Emperor Maximian commanded that they be

stripped of all insignia of their military rank ndash beltsgold pendants rings etc Then in order to publiclyembarrass and humiliate them they were forced to puton feminine clothing before being led through the cityshackled with iron collars and chains around theirnecks

Encouraged and incited by the Roman authorities mobs ofpeople mocked and insulted them most cruelly as theywere dragged through the streets

This came to an end when they were once againsummoned to appear before the Emperor

With an assumed non-threatening manner EmperorMaximian tried to persuade them not to be ldquoswayed byChristian fablesrdquo but to merely renounce their

Christian Faith and show their good will by offeringsacrifices to the Roman gods ndash and to make hissuggestions more enticing he promised to reinstate

them so that they could enjoy a pleasant respectedlifestyle in Roman societySt Sergios and St Bacchos adamantly refused to renounce

their True Faith and they demonstrated the folly ofworshipping the lifeless powerless man-made lsquogodsrsquo

Emperor Maximian knew that it would be futile to tryforcing them to renounce Christ so he ordered them to

be taken to the Governor of eastern Syria namedAntiochos who was an obsessed sworn enemy of allChristians

Unknown to him Governor Antiochos had received hiscurrent influential position with the help of St Sergiosand St Bacchos and when they appeared before him hesaid to them ldquoMy Fathers and Benefactors Have pityon yourselves and also on me I do not want tocondemn my Benefactors to cruel torturesrdquo The Holy

Martyrs responded by saying ldquoFor us Life is Christ andto die is gainrdquo

Their obdurate determination frightened and enragedGovernor Antiochos

He ordered St Bacchos to be mercilessly beaten to deathwhereupon the Holy Martyr joyfully surrendered hissoul to our Lord

St Sergiosrsquo feet were was shod with iron sandals with sharpnails penetrating the soles which he was forced to wearwhile being sent on foot ndash being dragged behind theaccompanying Roman soldiers - to another city wherehe was Perfected by sword ndash ie beheaded by sword

May their memories be Eternal and by their IntercessoryPrayers may God grant us His Great Mercy

T E M P T A T I O N S A N D P E A C E O F M I N D W E ALL LONG FOR P EACE OF MIND ndashndasha mind that is not

continually tempted and one that does not feel bothered by many things

Peace of mind is a grand thing to gain But how to gain itOur Lord Jesus Christ tells us ldquoTake My Yoke upon you

and learn of Me for I Am Meek and lowly in heartand you shall find rest for your soulsrdquo (MATTHEW 1129)

T EMPTATIONS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN OUR S PIRITUAL

D EVELOPMENT FOR THEY HELP US DEVELOP THE S TRENGTH

TO OVERCOME THEM AND GROW SPIRITUALLY - THEREBY

AFFIRMING OUR F AITH

Elder Makarios tells us that WE CANNOT ACHIEVE PEACE OF

MIND EXCEPT BY BATTLING AGAINST TEMPTATIONS ldquoOurLord too fought suffered and sorrowed much beforethe time of His Death on the Cross He was reproachedvilified humiliated and tempted

ldquoAnd He laboriously built up for us a picture of His ownLife on Earth which all of us must strive to follow

ldquoWhen beset by temptations pray for your Courage andStrength to remain firm

ldquoRemember there is an Eternityrdquo (RUSSIAN LETTERS OF SPIRITUAL DIRECTION )

S T P A I S I O S T H E E L D E R O F M O U N T A T H O S ndash O N H O W T O A V O I D T E M P T A T I O N S

St Paisios the Elder of Mount Athos said to us ldquo The onlyway to avoid temptations is to make a alliance withthe devil

ldquoWhy are you smiling You dont like this solution ldquo Look let me explain

ldquo As long as someone is Struggling there will be temptationsand difficulties

ldquo And the more one tries to avoid temptation the morecontrary the devil becomes

ldquo But through temptations ndash if we use them correctly ndash we aregiven the opportunity to make our Life which sometimesis anti-evangelical Evangelicalrdquo

(St Paisios meant that we would become enthusiastic or zealous in

our Faith in Christ ndash in the Provident Love and Divine Grace ofAlmighty God the Holy Trinity ndash and thus eager and compelled

by our Love of God to share that Divine Truth with others Mp)

S T P A I S I O S T H E E L D E R rsquo S 8 P O I N T S F O R O U R S P I R I T U A L G R O W T H

1 You must take care of the Purification of your soul on adaily basis

2 You must acquire Divine Justice and not logic for onlythen the Grace of our Christ will come to you

3 Before you do something think if Christ wants you to -then act accordingly

4 You must perfectly practice Obedience so you may latertalk to others about the Virtue of Obedience

5 The no you say to people must be no and the yes

must be yes Do not pretend but say whatever youthink even if it hurts the other person - say it in agood manner however and also give someexplanations

6 You must have and maintain this Spiritual Dignity - always pay attention to what pleases your fellowMonks (or Christians) and not to what pleases yourself

7 Every d ay you should read a section from the NewTestament for the Purification of your soul

8 Do not look at what other people do - nor examine howand why they do it

Your own goal is the Purification of your soul and theperfect submission of your mind to Divine Grace

Do everything for the sake of your Goal - pray study sayhumbly the Jesus Prayer - being aware that youabsolutely need Gods Mercy In other words pay attention to your Spiritual Work


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All Glory Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now andForever and unto the Ages of Ages AmenRemembering also our Most Holy Most Pure Most Blessed and Glorious Lady Mary Theotokos

yet Ever Virgin together with all the Saints And let us commit ourselves and one another andour whole Life to Christ our God Amen

Tone 2 1 1 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

19t h

Sunday After Pentecost3 rd Sunday of St Luke ndash The Sower amp the Seed The Holy Fathers of the 7t h Ecumenical Council

Also the Feast of St Philip of the 7 first Deacons of the 70 Apostles ndash St Theophanos

the Confessor amp Hymnographer Bishop of Nicaea ndash St Theophanes the Faster of

Kiev Near Caves Monasteryndash Synaxis of the Holy Fathers of the Optina Monastery ndashSt Leonid St Makarios St Moses St Anthony St Hilarion St Ambrose St Anatole the

Elder St Isaac I St Joseph St Barsanuphios St Anatole the Younger St Nektarios St

Nikon and St Isaak II ndash St Zenaida (Zenais) amp St Philonilla of Tarsos Cilicia ndash The

Miracle of the Holy Icon of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in Beret ndash St

Ethelburga of East Anglia Founder of the Monastery of Barking Essex England


O te katilthes pros ton Thanaton i Zoi i Athanatos tote ton

Adin enekrosas ti astrapi tis Theotitos Ote de ke toustethneotas ek ton katahthonion anestisas pase eDinamis ton Epouranion ekravgazon Zoodota Hriste OTheos imon Doxa Si

When Thou condescended to Death O Life Immortal

Thou slayed Hades with the lightning flash of ThyDivinity When also Thou raised up the dead from thesubterranean abodes all the Powers of Heaven criedaloud O Life-giver Christ our God Glory to Thee

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N ndash H O L Y F A T H E R S - 7 T H E C U M E N I C A L C O U N C I L ndash T O N E 2

I perdedoxasmenos i Hriste O Theos imon O fostiras epi gis

tous Pateras imon themeliosas ke di afton pros tinalithinin pistin pantas imas odigisas Poliefsplahne DoxaSi

Supremely praised art Thou O Christ our God Who

established on earth our Fathers as Luminaries andthrough them to the True Faith all of us Thou hasGuided O Most Compassionate One Glory to Thee

S E A S O N A L K O N T A K I O N ndash T O N E

P rostasia ton Hristianon akateskhinte mesitia pros ton

Piitin ametathete mi Paridis amartolon deiseon fonasalla profthason os Agathi is tin voithian imon ton

Pistos kravgazonton Si Tahinon is Presvian ke spefsonis ikesian i prostatevousa ai Theotoke ton TimontonSe

O Protector of the Christians unashamable Mediator to

the Creator Immovable despise not the pleadingvoices of those in sin but hasten O Good One to the

aid of all of us who in Faith cry out to Thee hastenThine Intercession and present Thy Supplication OTheotokos who always protects all who honour Thee

R E S U R R E C T I O N G O S P E L 8 ndash J O H N 2 0 1 1 ndash 1 8O U R R E S U R R E C T E D LO R D J E S U S C H R I S T S P E A K S T O S T M A R Y O F M A G DA L A

F E S T A L P R O K E I M E N O N ndash H Y M N O F T H E T H R E E H O L Y Y O U T H S ndash T O N E 4

B lessed art Thou O Lord God of our Fathers

F or Thou art Righteous in all things that Thou hast done to us

T H E E P I S T L E O F S T P A U L T O S T T I T O S 3 8 - 1 5T H I N G S T H A T A R E G O O D A N D P R O F I T A B L E F O R F A I T H F UL D I S C I P L E S O F C H R I S T

My Child Titos this is a faithful saying and these things I want Thee to affirm constantly that those who have believed inGod might be careful to maintain Good Works These Things are Good and Profitable to mankind Avoid foolishdisputes genealogies contentions and strivings about the Law - they are unprofitable and useless Reject a hereticalman after the first and second admonition knowing that such a person is warped and sinning being self-condemned

When I send Artemas to Thee - or Tychikos - be diligent to come to me at Nicropolis for I have decided to spend the winterthere Send Zenas the Lawyer and Apollos on their Journey with haste that they may lack nothing Let our people alsolearn to maintain Good Works ndash to meet urgent needs ndash that they may not be unfruitful

All who are with me greet Thee Greet those who Love us in the Faith Grace be with Thee Amen

St Paul addressed his Disciple as ldquomy Child rdquo or ldquomySonrdquo because he was the Spiritual Father of StTitos

St Paulrsquos Epistles were crucial to the ancient Church ndash hisHoly Flock ndash and they are still crucial to our ownSpiritual Welfare Growth and Progress

St Paul urges us ndash as Faithful Disciples of Christ ndash toceaselessly maintain Good Works which are ldquoGoodand Profitablerdquo ndash of great physical and SpiritualBenefit ndash to us as well as to those who receive ourGood Works

We must always avoid useless religious arguments andcontentions because these are of no significantbenefit to anyone concerned

Each of us must apply the Divine Teachings andCommandments of Christ to our own lives ndash to our ownpersonal Spiritual Journey

St Paul was extremely aware that we are awaiting theConsummation of the Age to come and he knew

that we are already participating in theEschatological Community

The Holy Mysteries of Baptism and Chrismation are ourbeginning in the Life of Christ for these alone are ourRite of Passage towards a progressive Sanctified Lifeof Spiritual Renewal in Christ our Lord and Saviour

Those who are heretical or divisive pick and choosetiny bits of the Divine Truth which are usuallydistorted in order to suit their own concepts andpurposes These are misguided and alienate usfrom God due to our own egotistic wilfulness anddisobedience ndash our unwillingness to truly andproperly follow Christ which requires the essentialsincere Humility and Obedience

When anyone is determined not to accept Divine Truth or who chooses to reject Divine Truth Worship andpractises we must leave them to their own finaldestiny but continue to pray for them that they might wake up and Repent and return to Christrsquos Holy Path


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 143214 1 9 T H S U N D A Y A F T E R P E N T E C O S T ndash 1 3 T H O F S T L U K E ndash T H E S O W E R amp T H E S E E D 1 1 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5

Those who have apostatised have voluntarilyCondemned themselves and unless they areReconciled with God by Repentance-Confession andre-Chrismation they will enter an Eternal State ofSpiritual Death ndash permanent alienation from God andall His Goodness

We are cautioned about those who are heretical ordivisive for they pick and choose from the Divine Truthof God or they might even reject it outright

A sect consists of those who follow their ownerroneous egocentric arrogant and disobedientchoices ndash disobedient to the Divine Will of AlmightyGod and independent ndash alienated from ndash Holy

Tradition and Divine TruthThey maintain their own incomplete false erroneous

beliefs that result in immoral behaviour andultimately Eternal Condemnation and SpiritualDeath

They exist outside the Holy Church of Christ andindependent of His Holy Tradition Although they

might profess to do so they do not follow Christ as Heurged us to do

Divine Truth Teachings and Commandments areSpiritually Perfect infinitely Wise and Eternal

If we in our arrogance and egocentric pride changeeven the slightest ldquo jot or tittle rdquo of Divine Truth ndash theDivine Word of our Living God ndash It is no longer PerfectDivine Truth

Thus while Orthodox Christianity means Faithfully andObediently following every Footstep of Christ withouthesitation or doubt anything else is a mere imitationor shadow of His Divine Truth

Such incomplete or erroneous beliefs result in immoral

unsociable behaviourThose whose heart is open to Divine Truth will Rejoice as

their soul will naturally recognise and respond to It asbeing truly Divine ndash truly of God Himself

T H E H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T L U K E 8 5 - 1 5T H E S O W E R amp T H E S E E D

At that time our Lord spoke this Parable ldquoA Sower went out to sow His Seed And as He sowed some fell by thewayside and it was trodden down and the birds of the air devoured it And others fell on rock and as soon as theysprang up they withered away for lack of moisture And others fell among thorns which sprang up with them andchoked them And others fell on ground that was good sprang up and yielded a crop a hundredfoldrdquo

His Disciples asked Him saying ldquoWhat does this Parable meanrdquo He said ldquoTo you it has been given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God but to the rest it is given in Parables

so that lsquo seeing they may not see and hearing they may not understandrsquo

ldquoNow the Parable is this The Seed is the Word of God Those by the Wayside are the ones who hear Then the devilcomes and takes away the Word out of their heart lest they should believe and be Saved The Seed that falls on therock are those who when they hear receive the Word with Joy and having no root they believe for a while and intime of temptation fall away The Seed that falls among thorns are those who when they have heard go out andare choked with cares riches and pleasures of life and bring no Fruit to maturity The Seed that falls on goodground are those who ndash having heard the Word with a noble and good heart ndash keep it and bear Fruit with Patiencerdquo

Having said these things He cried ldquoHe who has ears to hear ndash let him hearrdquo

A S THE SOWER IN THIS P ARABLE OUR LORD AND S AVIOUR JESUS

CHRIST FULFILS THE ANCIENT PROPHECY OF ST ISAIAH T HE BOOK OF I SAIAH ldquoas rain comes down or snow

from Heaven and does not return until itsaturates the Earth and it brings forth andproduces and gives Seed to the Sower andBread for food so shall My Word be ndash whateverproceeds from My MouthldquoIt shall not return until It accomplishes whatever

I Willed and I shall prosper Thy Ways and MyCommandments For Thou shall go forth withGladness and shall be taught with Joy for themountains and hills shall exult to receive Theewith Joy and all the trees of the field shallapplaud with their branches

ldquoInstead of the broom tree shall come up as thecypress and instead of the nettle shall comeup the myrtle and the Lord shall be for aName and for an Everlasting Sign and Heshall not failrdquo

ldquoMy Word rdquo is THE HOLY GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST which ACCOMPLISHES GOD THE F ATHERrsquoS DIVINE W ILL

There are times that the preaching of the Holy Gospelseems to bear no Fruit but G OD IS AT WORK WHETHER OR

NOT WE SEE VISIBLE RESULTS While some might teach that we are permanently Saved

at the moment we profess our Faith in Christ ndash aconcept that is unacceptable to the Orthodox Churchof Christ ndash THE DIVINE TEACHING OF OUR S AVIOUR IS

ABSOLUTELY CLEAR THAT IT IS INDEED POSSIBLE TO ldquo BELIEVE FOR

A WHILE rdquo AND THEN ldquoFALL AWAY rdquo THE HOLY MYSTERIES OF CHRISTrsquoS HOLY CHURCH ARE NOT

OBSCURE CONCEPTS BUT THE PRESENCE OF THE KINGDOM

OF GOD WHICH CANNOT BE DEFINED

A N UNWILLINGNESS TO UNDERSTAND Christrsquos profoundly WiseParables IS DUE TO A REJECTION OF HIS ETERNAL KINGDOM

ldquoIf the blindness were natural it would have beenproper for God to open their eyes but because itwas a voluntary and self-chosen blindness He doesnot overthrow their free willrdquo

For by doing so would have been not only to ldquo noadvantage for them but an even greaterCondemnationrdquo (ST JOHN CHRYSOSTOM)

Unless we ndash as Orthodox Christians ndash continue to LEARN ALL THE DIFFERENT FACETS OF OUR BEAUTIFUL F AITH AND PUT

THEM INTO PRACTISE we too shall fall away from GodrsquosTruth and become ensnared in the evil onersquos deadlytraps

If all we had to do was to declare our belief in our LordJesus Christ in order to receive Eternal Life there would be no need for the Holy Church with all itsDivine Mysteries and Divinely Inspired TrueTeachings ndash as well as everything else that makes upour Life in Christ while on Earth

We could then all simply Repose for there would be nofurther Purpose for our unique lifespan which Godgrants each of us knowing how much time we needto achieve our best Spiritual Condition

I F IT WAS AS EASY AS THAT DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT OUR LORD

J ESUS C HRIST WOULD HAVE OFFERED H IMSELF AS OUR

U LTIMATE BLOOD S ACRIFICE OR THAT ALL THE S AINTS ANDH OLY M ARTYRS WOULD HAVE SUFFERED UNNECESSARILY If it was as easy as that our Lord Jesus would not have

spent the three years of His Public Ministry trying toteach us everything necessary for Eternal Life ndash evenRETURNING TO US IN H IS R ESURRECTED S TATE TO SHOW US AND

TO CONFIRM H IS T RUTH - AND TO GIVE US H IS FINAL

C OMMANDMENTS THAT BENEFIT AND DEVELOP OUR IMMORTAL

SOUL

1 9 T H S U N D A Y A F T E R P E N T E C O S T ndash 3 R D S U N D A Y O F S T L U K E ndash T H E S O W E R A N D T H E S E E D In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy

SpiritThis Sacred Lesson concerning our Lord Jesus Christrsquos

Parable of ldquoThe Sower and the Seedrdquo is one of His mostsignificant and clearest Divine Teachings

The Sower is the Lord our God ndash our Lord Jesus Christ Whospreads His Divine Truth everywhere ndash and the Seed isHis Divine Truth that requires us to be receptive andeager to receive and fulfil everything that It requires ofus

The different kinds of surfaces on which the Seed fallsrefers to the variety of people who hear but who reactdifferently to His Divine Truth

First it is quite clear that Christ did not speak about howdifficult it is for us to be Spiritually Fruitful

Instead He described the conditions of SpiritualFruitfulness

This is contrary to the first impression that we might havewhen we hear about paved roads rocks thorny patchesand dead fruits

Every kind of ground ndash or of mankind ndash is good unless wetransform it into a road we compact and harden it likerock or we allow thorns to overgrow it

The problem then does not lie in the nature of the groundfor the wayside has at its base good soil but it has

been hardened to make a solid path for everyone towalk on and not to be fruitful



The same conditions apply to that of rockAnd when using this example our Lord Jesus expressed

our human attitude towards the cultivation of HisDivine Word

He described all the causes that lead to the barrenness orinfertility of our own cultivated ground (of our soul)

Upon hearing this Parable the first question that comes tomind should be ldquoHow can I be good fertile ground ndashunlike the barren hard and thorny conditions of thewayside and the rocksrdquo

To achieve a good fertile heart and soul the first essentialcondition is for us not to be like the hard downtrodden

wayside that is walked over by everyoneWe do not need to be trodden down without restrictionsand prohibitions being open to everyone andeverything attacked and pecked at by the numerouslsquobirds of the airrsquo ndash without any worthy place for theWord of God to abide

How numerous are those Christians who lead the way toodd heretical ideologies being themselves a path to allstrange wicked currents

Who monitors whatever come and goes through them ndash allthe policies ideas plans and temptations

Observe how Christians follow the media accepting all theideas comments and allurements they see hear andspeak ndash without testing rejecting or at the very leastpurifying them

We ought to judge all these modern day concepts in the

True Divine Light of the Holy Gospel of ChristWho effectively judges in the Divine Light of the Holy

Gospel all the lsquoeducationalrsquo programmes or politicalideologies that are presented to us at school atuniversity in our homes through the various media ndash

bombarding us by every means possible andeverywhere

We are all susceptible to the domination and indoctrinationof authority by those with whom we have a casualacquaintance or close relationship or of any popularcurrent or temporary ideology ndash swayed and influenced

by worldly opinions fashions and addictionsIt is as though we do not possess the basic fertile ground

for the cultivation of a good steadfast and True FaithThe True and Faithful Christian who focuses solely on the

Divine Truth and Wisdom ndash the Teachings and

Commandments ndash of our Lord Jesus Christ is self-isolated because we cannot nurture our Faith withoutmaking good Spiritual Progress

Being firmly founded in Christ we regard all ideas andideologies in the Divine Light of Godrsquos Truth andTeachings ndash correcting or rejecting them

As Faithful Disciples of our Lord Jesus we shine the Lightof His Holy Gospel on everything that is in our heartand mind

This is what it means to be Spiritually Watchful ndash keeping aHoly Vigil and constantly being alert to Divine Truthand Wisdom ndash avoiding all threats and stumbling blocksthat try to separate us from God and His Goodness

This is when the Divine Seeds of the Divine Sower are beingcultivated in the good fertile ground of our heart andsoul

In the True Divine Light of Christ in Whom we strive tolive every moment of the day we examine and beholdeverything to which we are exposed whether by wordthought or deed

Christrsquos Divine Word is cultivated in our fertile ground ofheart and soul for it has been created uniquely for thisPurpose and not for anything else

The Divine Love that is sown in our heart and soul is muchmore precious and resistant to the pounding feet ofinnumerable passersby or the pecking of the birds yetwe must be ever Watchful and Alert

The second condition is to avoid being as hard as rockdealing with the Word of God in a superficial mannerand practising our True Faith without its Divine LovingEssence

We ought not to worship in a mere habitual mannermindlessly and unconsciously going through theoutward forms of worship thereby making emptygestures of no Spiritual Value or worth

This only results in being Pharisaic (hypocritical) in ourworship and going through Liturgical Rites without anySpiritual Depth - being insignificant and superficial

Any words thoughts or deeds that do not have SpiritualDepth in Christ remain superficial and - having noroots nor receiving any Spiritual Nourishment - theDivine Seed within us soon perishes

Many people love Christianity but sadly they are impioustowards Christ His All Pure Holy Mother the Saints theHoly Mysteries andor many other essential SpiritualTreasures of His Holy Church

Orthodox Christianity ndash ie the True Teaching of Christ ndashdiffers from all other religions in that it is not a religionof Law nor of a Book but is actually LIFE IN CHRIST ndashie having Christ at the very centre of our Life

Christian Life is our personal intimate Encounter with ourLord JesusSt David the Royal Psalmist and Holy Prophet expressed it

clearly ldquoI looked to the Lord at all timesrdquoSt Paul the Great Apostle to the Gentiles proclaimed ldquoIt is

not I who live but Christ Who Lives in merdquoFurthermore at our Holy Baptism we actually PUT CHRIST

ON ndash thus WE LIVE IN CHRISTIn every Virtue and at every moment we ought to meet

ChristIn the Holy Gospel we do not read lsquostoriesrsquo but we MEET

CHRISTIn Almsgiving and in Charity (Love) we do not merely give

to the poor and destitute but we SHARE IN CHRISTrsquoSNEEDS

In our Prayers we do not recite nor chant but we SPEAK

DIRECTLY TO CHRISTThe depth of Christianity is Prayer ndash our Meeting with our

Lord Jesus and the Holy Trinity God the Father the Sonand the Holy Spirit

Christian Life is a Life of PrayerPrayer is not merely a recitation of written words and

paragraphs that we mindlessly read at home in privateor in Church

Prayer is having our mind continuously in the DivinePresence of Christ ndash meeting Him everywhere

Christians (ie Disciples of Christ) and Christ (our DivineTeacher) are continuously in an alive Encountereverywhere and always

If we do not reach this depth of our Holy Relationship withour Lord we remain superficial in our Prayers

If Christ is not the Objective of all our actions in this

temporary life ndash ie in our Life of Prayer ndash we will afterall deal with life superficially as well

Christianity as lsquojust a religious viewrsquo is not worthy of oursacrifices unless we enliven it with our Living Christ asSt Paul did

Christ is not the Founder of a sect Who died but He is ourLiving Resurrected Lord and Saviour ndash now and forever

By Enlivening our existence we will not find any fear orpain when the Love of Christ encompasses us

At that time the Divine Seeds will reach a depth that willnot be affected by the burning midday sun and we willknow how to face all the difficulties and challenges ofthis temporary lifespan

We will bear much FruitSo the measure of a profound Life in Christ is to Transform

everything from its shallow perspective to PrayerThe third condition is that we ought not to mix the Seeds of

Divine Truth with the piercing thorns of the fallenworld

We must separate the world from our Faith in our TriuneGod and our Life in Christ

The thorn infested ground is like those who profess to LoveGod and His Church very much as well as the world

Cultivated crops cannot flourish among thorns and aresoon choked to death

The pleasures of the world distract us and prevent us fromkeeping the Commandments and Teachings of theWord for we cannot serve two masters at the sametime

In addition it is hypocritical and impossible to truly lovetwo things that are diversely different and utterly

incompatible with each otherThe ideologies of this age erroneously claim that we canaccommodate both the Love of God and the lusts of theflesh ndash eg the Love of the Word ndash Divine Truth - andgreed or the Love of the poor and selfishness or Livingin Christ and striving for Virtue while also self-indulging in all the wicked vices debaucheries andmaterialism



The fallen world tries to convince us that we can cultivatethe Divine Seeds of Truth even while beingoverwhelmed enslaved and dominated by the chokingthorns of wickedness and Spiritual Death

Such philosophy is outright evil and deceitful for it falselydeclares that we can worship two gods at the sametime

Our True Living Providential and Loving God is a BurningFire that does not befriend nor accept this darkSpiritually Dead age of lies and deception

The most significant issue concerns the Fertile NourishingSpiritual Condition and Welfare of our heart and soul

and making every effort to avoid or to pluck out anderadicate our deadly passionsIs our heart and soul excellent fertile ground ready to

receive the Good Seeds of God or is it choked driedout and malnourished by the thorns of our enslavingpassions and fleshy desires

Fasting is important for the control and discipline of ourphysical and Spiritual Desires for our heart cannot becut in two ndash and our Lord Jesus Christ tells us clearlyldquo I desire all your heart

The third condition requires Fasting for the good of our body and soul ndash for us to remain focussed on our Life inChrist

By Vigils Fasting and Prayers you have receivedHeavenly Gifts (that is Seeds) and borne Fruit ahundredfold

Keeping Vigils Fasting and Prayers are the necessary tillingand preparing of our fertile land ndash making it ready toreceive Christrsquos Divine Seeds of Truth and Wisdom

Vigils Fasting and Prayers are the only means whereby weare able to pulverise and soften a hard paved andunfruitful wayside and smash into fine pieces the

hardness of our stubborn sinful hearts and finally topluck out and remove every last thorny invader fromour Life in Christ

And in conclusion let us really hear our Lord as He soloudly exclaimed He that hath ears to hear let himhear

Amen

M ETROPOLITAN P AUL Y AZIGI - O RTHODOX C HURCH O F S YRIA K IDNAPPED A ND M ARTYRED FOR THE LOVE OF C HRIST OUR LORD S AVIOUR AND G OD

P LEASE K EEP H IM I N Y OUR P RAYERS HTTP WWW ALEPPORTHODOX ORG FILES WRITINGS - EN LUKE 04-7-1PDF

C O N S C I E N C E ndash G O D rsquo S V O I C E I N M A N K I N D - B I S H O P A L E X A N D E R ( M I L E A N T )P A R T 4 ndash P R E S E R V A T I O N O F A C L E A R C O N S C I E N C E

Guard your heart more than anything you treasure for it is the Source of Life (PROVERBS 423)With these words Holy Scripture calls us to preserve our

moral cleanlinessBut what hope can a sinner have with an uncleanConscience Is he forever doomed

Fortunately notIn contrast to other religions the great privilege offered by

the Christian Faith is the fact that it opens a Path andgives the means for a complete Cleansing ofConscience

This Path exists in the Repentance of ones sins and in asincere desire to turn our life around for the better

God forgives us because of His Only Begotten Son Who onthe Cross brought Cleansing Sacrifice for our sins

In the Holy Mystery of Baptism and then in the HolyMysteries of Confession and Communion God Cleansesour Conscience hellipfrom evil doing (HEBREWS 914)

That is why the Church places such great significance onthese Holy Mysteries

Moreover the Church of Christ through Her Teaching andthe Grace of the Holy Spirit abiding in Her enables theFaithful to Perfect themselves morally and make theirConscience more Discerning and sensitive

This is one of the High Goals of our Christian Life as JesusChrist said in His wonderful Sermon on the MountBlessed are those whose hearts are Pure They shallsee God (MATTHEW 58)

Through a clear Conscience - as through a clear crystal -Gods Light enters our soul and permeates its everycorner

As long as this Divine Light remains in us it Guides our

thoughts Elevates our feelings Strengthens our willand Helps us in every good undertakingThrough this Blessed Illumination many Christians become

Instruments of Gods ProvidenceWhen this happens a Christian not only enjoys Spiritual

Blessings but also becomes an Instrument of Salvationto others

Church history illustrates this with innumerable examplesin the Lives of its Saints like St Seraphim of Sarov StJohn of Kronstadt Elder Ambrosy of Optina St Hermanand St Innocent of Alaska Blessed St Xenia ofPetersburg Archbishop John of San Francisco[Maximovich] and others who Saved so many souls

In conclusion a clear Conscience is a Well-spring of allDivine Blessings

People with clean hearts enjoy Inner Peace - they are gentleand benevolent

It seems that already in this temporary life filled withtrials and turmoil God gives them a Foretaste of theKingdom of Heaven

As St John Chrysostom puts it Not fame and wealth notgreat power and physical strength not a magnificenttable and elegant clothing not any other humanadvantage can bring True Happiness

ldquoThis comes only from Spiritual Health and a clearConscience

S T P A I S I O S T H E E L D E R O F M O U N T A T H O S ndash O N T H E L E T T E R O F T H E L A W I once asked someone What type of warrior do you

consider yourself to be Christs Warrior ortemptations warrior Are you aware that the evil oftemptation also has its own warriors

A Christian must not be fanatic he must have Love for and be sensitive towards all people Those whoinconsiderately toss out comments even if they aretrue can cause harm

I once met a Theologian who was extremely pious but whohad the habit of speaking to the (secular) people aroundhim in a very blunt manner His method penetrated sodeeply that it shook them very severely He told meonce During a gathering I said such and such a thingto a lady But the way that he had said it had crushedher

I said to him you may be tossing golden crowns studdedwith diamonds to other people but the way that youthrow them can smash heads not only the sensitive onesbut the sound ones also

Lets not stone our fellow-man in a so-called lsquoChristianmannerrsquo Those who - in the presence of others - check

someone for having sinned (or speak in an impassionedmanner about a certain person) are not moved by theSpirit of God They moved by another spirit

The way of the Church is LOVE which differs fromthe way of the legalists She sees everything withtolerance and seeks to help each personwhatever he may have done however sinful hemay be

I have observed a peculiar kind of logic in certain piouspeople Their piety is a good thing and theirpredisposition for good is also a good thing however acertain Spiritual Discernment and amplitude is required

so that their piety is not accompanied by narrow-mindedness or strong-headedness Someone who istruly in a Spiritual State must possess and exemplifySpiritual Discernment otherwise he will forever remainattached to the letter of the Law which can be quitedeadly

A person who begins to do something with a good intentionand eventually reaches an extreme point lacks TrueDiscernment His actions exemplify a latent type ofegotism that is hidden beneath this behaviour he isunaware of it because he does not know himself thatwell which is why he goes to extremes

Quite often people begin with good intentions but lookwhere they may find themselves This was the case withthe lsquoicon-worshippersrsquo and the lsquoiconoclastsrsquo of the past

both cases were extremes The former had reached thepoint of scraping off icons of Christ and placing the

scrapings into the Holy Chalice in order to improveHoly Communion the latter on the other hand burnt

and totally discarded all Icons That is why the Churchwas obliged to place the Icons in higher places out ofreach and when the dispute was over lowered themso that we can venerate them and thus confer theappropriate honour to the persons portrayed therein


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 17322 0 T H S U N D A Y A F T E R P E N T E C O S T ndash 4 T H O F S T L U K E ndash T H E 7 0 A P O S T L E S 1 8 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5 17


All Glory Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now andForever and unto the Ages of Ages AmenRemembering also our Most Holy Most Pure Most Blessed and Glorious Lady Mary Theotokos yetEver Virgin together with all the Saints And let us commit ourselves and one another and our whole Life to Christ our God Amen

Tone 3 1 8 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

20t h

Sunday After Pentecost 4 t h Sunday of St Luke The 70 Apostles of Christ

Also the Feast of S T LUKE THE E VANGELIST P HYSICIAN amp I CONOGRAPHER OF THE 70 A POSTLES OF

C HRIST ndash St Marinos the Elder of Anazarbos Cilicia ndash St Julian the Hermit of

Mesopotamia ndash St Joseph Igumen amp Wonderworker of Volokolamsk ndash St James the

Deacon of York England ndash St Peter of Cetinje Montenegro - St David of Serpukhov

Disciple of St Paphnutios of Borov


E vfrenestho ta Ourania agaliastho ta epigia oti epiise

Kratos en Vrahioni Aftou O Kyrios Epatise to Thanatoton ThanatonPrototokos ton nekron egeneto Ek kiliasAdou errisato imas ke pareshe to kosmo to Mega Eleos

Let the Heavens rejoice and let the earth be glad for the

Lord has shown Strength with His Arm He hastrampled down Death by Death He has become theFirst-born of the dead from the womb of Hades Hehas delivered us and to the world He has grantedGreat Mercy

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N - S T L U K E ndash H O L Y A P O S T L E amp E V A N G E L I S T O F C H R I S T - T O N E 3

A postole Agie ke Evangelists Louka presveve to eleimoni

Theo ina ptesmaton afesin paraskhi tes pishes imon

O Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke intercede with our

merciful God to grant remission of faults to the soulsof all of us

S E A S O N A L K O N T A K I O N ndash 2 1 S E P T E M B E R U N T I L 8 N O V E M B E R


Piitin ametathete mi Paridis amartolon deiseon fonasalla profthason os agathi is tin voithian imon tonpistos kravgazonton Si Tahinon is presvian kespefson is ikesian i prostatevousa ai Theotoke tontimonton se

O Protector of the Christians unashamed Mediator to the

Creator Immovable despise not the pleading voices ofthose in sin but hasten O Good One to the aid of allwho in Faith cry out to Thee hasten ThineIntercession and present Thy Supplication OTheotokos who always protects those who honourThee

R E S U R R E C T I O N G O S P E L 9 - J O H N 2 0 1 9 ndash 3 1 O U R R I S E N L O R D B E S T O W S H I S A U T H O R I T Y T O F O R G I V E S I N S U P O N H I S A P O S T L E S

F E S T A L P R O K E I M E N O N ndash P S A L M 1 8 ndash T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4 H is Voice has gone out into all the Earth

T he Heavens declare the Glory of God

E P I S T L E O F S T P A U L T O T H E C O L O S S I A N S 4 5 ndash 1 1 amp 1 4 - 1 8 T R U E S P I R I T U A L I T Y F O R T H E W O R L D

Brethren Walk in Wisdom toward those who are outside Redeeming the time Let your words always be with Graceseasoned with salt that you may know how you ought to answer each one

Tychicos a Beloved Brother Faithful Minister and fellow servant in the Lord will tell you all the news about me For thisvery purpose I am sending him to you that he may know your circumstances and comfort your heart with Onesimos aFaithful and Beloved Brother who is one of you They will make know to you all things that are happening here

Greetings from Aristarchos my fellow prisoner and Mark the cousin of Barnabas about whom you received instructionsIf he comes to you welcome him - and Jesus who is calledrsquo Justosrsquo These who are of the circumcision are my onlyfellow workers for the Kingdom of God - having proved to be a comfort to me

Greetings from Luke the Beloved Physician and Demas Greet the Brethren who are in Laodicea and Nymphas and theChurch that is in his house

And when this Epistle is read also in the Church of the Laodiceans that you likewise read the Epistle from Laodicea Andsay to Archippos ldquoSee to the Ministry which you have received in the Lord that you may fulfil itrdquo

This salutation by my own hand ndash PaulRemember my chainsGrace be with you Amen

St Paul expected the Church to be at corporate Prayeroften

Not only are the Holy Apostles to speak the Mystery ofChrist but every member of the Church is to speak with Grace so as to answer those who seek the TrueFaith ndash those who seek Divine Truth

St Tychicos was the courier of this Epistle of St Paul to theChurch in Colossae in Ephesos and to St Philemon

St Paul expected his Epistles to be read to all the variouschurches which he and other Apostles hadestablished

Colossae and Laodicea are less than 15 miles apartSt Paulrsquos Epistle that was to come from the Church in

Laodicea is probably the Epistle of St Paul which we

know as ldquoEphesians rdquo

T H E H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T L U K E 1 0 1 6 ndash 2 1O U R LO R D J E S U S C H R I S T I N S T R U C T E D H I S 7 0 A P O S T L E B E F O R E H E S E N T T H E M O U T

At that time our Lord said to His Apostles ldquo he who hears you hears Me and he who rejects you rejects Me and hewho rejects Me rejects Him who sent Merdquo

The Seventy returned with Joy saying ldquoLord even the demons are subject to us in Thy Namerdquo He said to them ldquoI sawSatan fall like lightning from Heaven Behold I give you the Authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 183218 2 0 T H S U N D A Y A F T E R P E N T E C O S T ndash 4 T H O F S T L U K E ndash T H E 7 0 A P O S T L E S 1 8 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5

over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you Do not rejoice in this ndash that the spiritsare subject to you ndash Rejoice instead that your names are written in Heavenrdquo

In that hour Jesus Rejoiced in the Spirit and said ldquoI thank Thee Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that Thou hashidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes Yes Father for so it seemedHonourable in Thy Sightrdquo

Divine Judgement is most severe for those who rejectChrist after experiencing His Divine Grace

In contrast those who have never known Christ due togenuine ignorance are without sin in that regard

JOHN 15 22-24 ldquoIf I had not come and spoken tothem they would have no sin but now they haveno excuse for their sin He who hates me hates

My Father also If I had not done among themthe Works that no one else did they would haveno sin but now they have seen and also hatedboth Me and My Fatherrdquo

Rebellion against God reveals several things While Union with Christ brings Joy Truth and Peace it

also brings persecution because the fallen worldhates Love and Truth

The fallen world hates Christ therefore it also hates all who try to become Christlike

The fallen world hates Christ because it neither knowsnor desires to know God the Father

Hatred for our Lord Jesus Christ is irrational andunreasonable for Christ brings Love and Mercy ThusChrist is hated without any justifiable cause

Consequently they are Judged by their God-givenconscience (

ROMANS 2 12 ndash 16 ldquo for as many as have sinnedwithout Law will also perish without Law andas many as have sinned in the Law will be

judged by the Law (for not the hearers of the Laware Just in the Sight of God) but the doers of theLaw will be Justified For when Gentiles who donot have the Law by nature do the things in theLaw these although not having the Law are alaw to themselves who show the Work of the Lawwritten in their heart their conscience alsobearing witness and between themselves theirthoughts accusing or else excusing them) in theDay when God will Judge the secrets of mankindby Jesus Christ according to my Gospelrdquo

Our Lordrsquos Words ldquoI saw Satan fallrdquo reveal to us Hisdescription of that major Event when Satan and his

demons were expelled from Heaven andpermanently exiled from Divine Grace and all GodrsquosGoodness which happened before the Creation ofthis world and of mankind

Satan had expressed his rebellious will and egocentricpride five times when he declared his own plans torule over Heaven desiring to overthrow Almighty God

Isaiah 14 12 ndash 15 rdquo how you are fallen O Lucifer whorose up in the morning He who sends for all theNations is crushed to the Earth For you said in yourmind lsquoI will ascend into Heaven I will place my

throne above the stars of heaven I will sit on a loftymountain on the lofty mountains towards the NorthI will ascend above the clouds I will be like theMost Highrsquo But now you shall descend to Hades tothe foundations of the Earthrdquo

REVELATION 12 7 ndash 12 ldquo war broke out in Heaven

Michael and his Angels fought with the dragonand the dragon and his angels fought but theydid not prevail nor was a place found for themin Heaven any longer So the great dragon wascast out that serpent of old called the Devil andSatan who deceives the whole world He wascast out to the Earth ndash and his angels were castout with him Then I heard a loud Voice sayingin Heaven ldquoNow Salvation and Strength and theKingdom of our God and the Power of His Christhave come for the accuser of our Brethren who

accused them before our God day and night hasbeen cast down And they overcame him by theBlood of the Lamb and by the word of theirtestimony and they did not love their lives to thedeathrsquordquo

When our Lord used the term ldquobabes rdquo He was referring tothose who are simple uncomplicated and thus pureof spirit

Infants are the standard of Faith whereby adults receivethe Kingdom of God and not the other way around

ldquo A little child is not arrogant He does not despiseanyone He is innocent and guileless He does notinflate himself in the presence of important peoplenor withdraw from those in sorrows Instead he livesin complete simplicityrdquo (S T T HEOPHAN )

Such people have simple sincere Faith and completely

open receptive hearts and souls that welcome theIndwelling of the Holy Trinity

2 0 T H S U N D A Y A F T E R P E N T E C O S T ndash 4 T H O F S T L U K E ndash T H E 7 0 A P O S T L E S O F C H R I S T The title lsquoApostlersquo [lsquoApostolos rsquo in Greek] means someone

who is specifically sent to fulfil a significant MissionThis title can apply to both men and Holy Angels of God

and it has many interesting facetsThe Seventy Apostles of Christ were sent out by our Lord as

His Messengers or lsquoAngels rsquo ahead of HimThere are numerous other references to men as being

Messengers or Angels sent from God

S T D AVID the Royal Psalmist amp Holy Prophet of God 1

SAMUEL 299 2 SAMUEL 1417-20 1927

S T H AGGAI the Holy Prophet of God HAGGAI 113 T HE H OLY P ROPHETS 2 CHRONICLES 3615 - 16 T HE P RIESTS MALACHI 27 S T J OHN THE B APTIST MALACHI 31 MATTHEW 1110 MARK 12

LUKE 727

S T P AUL the Apostle to the Gentiles GALATIANS 414 S T P AUL rsquo S FELLOW A POSTLES 2 CORINTHIANS 823 T HE B OOK OF M ALACHI ldquoMalachi rdquo means ldquoMy Angelrdquo

Our Lord Jesus Christ told His 70 Apostles ldquo he whohears you hears Me and he who rejects you rejectsMe and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Merdquo

S T C YRIL OF A LEXANDRIA commented ldquo C HRIST ENTRUSTED

H IS W ORDS ( T EACHINGS ) TO THEM that THOSE - WHO IN

ANYTHING RESIST OR VENTURE TO REJECT THEM - MAY BE

CONDEMNED ldquoWhen they are rejected He assumes then that IT IS H E W HO

SUFFERS THIS and then again He shows that THE GUILT ofthis wickedness a s BEING COMMITTED AGAINST H IM MOUNTS UP TO G OD THE F ATHER

ldquoSee therefore with the eyes of the mind to HOW VAST A

HEIGHT H E RAISES THE SIN COMMITTED BY MANKIND IN

REJECTING H IS S AINTS

ldquoWhat a wall He builds around them How great security Heestablishes for them H E MAKES THEM SUCH AS MUST BE

FEARED and in every way plainly provides for their beinguninjuredrdquo

I F SUCH WORDS APPLY TO THE S EVENTY ( LESSER ) H OLY

A POSTLES OF C HRIST WHO ACTED AS M ESSENGERS OF

G OD HOW MUCH MORE DOES IT APPLY TO THE H OLY

A NGELS AND A RCHANGELS OF G OD S T S TEPHEN THE D EACON AND P ROTO martyr accused the

Sanhedrin of doing just that ldquo WHICH OF THE

P ROPHETS DID YOUR F ATHERS NOT PERSECUTE Andthey killed those who foretold the Coming of the Just One of Whom you now have become thebetrayers and murderers ndash you who have receivedthe Law in Ordinances of Angels and have not keptitrdquo (ACTS 7 52-53)

S T P AUL mentioned the same thing ldquoWhy therefore theLaw It was added until the Seed should come toWhom it has been Promised ndash being Ordainedthrough Angels by the Hand of a Mediator rdquo (GALATIANS 319 amp HEBREWS 22)

S T B ASIL THE G REAT interpreted lsquothe Mediatorrsquo as beingSt Moses the ancient Patriarch since the peopleasked him to speak to God rather than have Godspeak directly to them (EXODUS 2019)

This implies that the A NGELIC INVOLVEMENT IN THE G IVING OF

THE L AW ON M OUNT S INAI was the very loud trumpetsound that grew louder and louder LEADING UP TO THE

V OICE OF THE L ORD ldquoSPEAKING WITH THUNDER rdquo (E XODUS

19 16-19)

The Lightning and some the Thunder may have also beenH IS H OLY A NGELS who SURROUND OUR L ORD G OD

WHEREVER H E GOES



T HUS TO SET ASIDE THE L AW WHEN IT HAD BEEN O RDAINED

BY THE H OLY A NGELS OF G OD AND GIVEN TO THEM BY

A LMIGHTY G OD IS A VERY SERIOUS MATTER

A NOTHER HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT MATTER IS ALLUDED TO WHEN OUR L ORD MENTIONED THE A NGEL rsquo S ROLE IN

REGARD TO THE H OLY P ROTECTION OF CHILDREN usingthe illustration of a Shepherd and concluding thatH E DOES NOT WISH THE INNOCENT TO PERISH (MATTHEW

18 10 ndash 20)

Concerning Brethren sinning against Brethren our Lordinstructed us to ALWAYS CONFIRM EVERY DISAGREEMENT

WITH AT LEAST TWO OR THREE RELIABLE WITNESSES

If stubborn sinners refuse to Repent the Church was toregard them like ldquo heathens and Tax Collectorsrdquoand THE MATTER WOULD BE BOUND IN H EAVEN AS IT WAS ON

E ARTH (MATTHEW 1815-18)

Although our Lord spoke of human witnesses THERE

ARE ALWAYS THE A NGELIC WITNESSES WHO CONFIRM

EVERYTHING IN H EAVEN ndash AND THE B OOKS OF L IFE IN

H EAVEN RECORD THE DEEDS OF ALL MANKIND A S THE S EVENTY A POSTLES OF C HRIST WENT ABOUT THEIR

S ACRED M ISSION A NGELIC ACTIVITY ACCOMPANIED THEM FOR THEY HAD BEEN GRANTED P OWER TO H EAL the sickwhich included casting out demons (LUKE 10 9 amp 17)

Since all sickness has something to do with demons THEY

ENCOUNTERED DEMONIC ACTIVITY EVERYWHERE THEY WENT When they returned triumphantly because the demons had

been subjected to them in the Name of Christ OUR L ORDRESPONDED WITH H IS W ORDS OF CAUTION ldquoI saw Satanfall like lightning from Heavenrdquo

St Paul had referred to Satan as ldquothe prince of the power ofthe air rdquo so FOR THE E VIL O NE TO HAVE FALLEN FROM

H EAVEN DID NOT MEAN THAT HE FELL FROM THE A BODE OF

G OD for the First Century concept of Heaven placedAlmighty God in the Third Heaven whereas H ISCREATIONS SUCH AS THE ATMOSPHERE CLOUDS SUN ETC

REPRESENT THE F IRST AND S ECOND H EAVEN (EPHESIANS 22 amp

2 CORINTHIANS 122)

Therefore BEING A CREATURE OF G OD S ATAN MUST HAVE

FALLEN FROM THE F IRST OR S ECOND H EAVEN AND NOT FROM

THE T HIRD H EAVEN O UR L ORD SUMMARISED THE 70 A POSTLES rsquo H OLY M ISSION by

telling them that He had granted them ldquo the Authority

to trample on serpents and scorpion and over all thepower of the enemyrdquo

S T C YRIL OF A LEXANDRIA commented that C HRIST HAD

SAID THAT TO THEM IN ORDER THAT THEY MIGHT NOT BE

CARRIED AWAY BY SIMILAR IGNORANCE TO THAT OF THE

J UDAIC LEADERS WHO REGARDED H IM AS A MERE MAN ndash NOT UNDERSTANDING THE G REAT D IVINE M YSTERY OF

C HRIST rsquo S I NCARNATION St Cyril confirmed that for Satan to ldquofall like lightning rdquo

means that SOMETHING ESSENTIAL HAD DRASTICALLY

CHANGED ON E ARTH

S ATAN WAS OVERTHROWN AND IS CAST DOWN AND PUT

UNDER THE FEET OF THE F AITHFUL C HRISTIANS ldquoFor Satan to fall like lightning means that he was cast

down from on High to Earth - from overwhelming

pride to humiliation from glory to contempt fromgreat power to utter weakness

ldquoBefore the Coming of Christ he possessed the world - allwas subject to him and there was no man able to escapethe meshes of his overwhelming might He wasworshipped by everyone - everywhere he had templesand altars for sacrifice and an innumerable multitudeof worshippers

ldquoBut because the Eternal Only-Begotten Word of God hascome down from Heaven he has ldquofallen likelightningrdquo For he who of old was bold and haughtyand who vied with the Ineffable Glory of Deity - he whohad as worshippers all who were in error - is putunder the feet of those who worshipped Him

ldquo He has suffered a great and terrible overthrowrdquoT HE H OLY A NGELS OF G OD ALSO HAD A HAND IN S ATAN rsquo S

DEFEAT for as St David the Royal Psalmist wrote P SALM 10320 ldquoBless the Lord you His Angels mighty in

Strength who perform His Word obeying theVoice of His Word Bless the Lord all you HisHosts you who serve Him doing His Willrdquo

P SALM 1044 ldquoHe makes His Angels spirit ndash HisMinisters Flaming Firerdquo

T HE TERM ldquoM INISTERS rdquo (Hebrew lsquoSharathrsquo = lsquoto serve in the

Temple rsquo) IMPLIES L ITURGICAL W ORSHIP S T P AUL had elaborated on this quoting both Psalm 103

and Psalm 110 ldquoBut to which of the Angels has Heever said lsquoSit at My Right Hand until I make Thineenemies Thy footstoolrsquo

ldquo Are they not all Ministering Spirits sent forth forService for those who will inherit Salvation rdquo (HEBREWS 113 - 14)

T HE WORD ldquoM INISTERING rdquo (Greek lsquoLeitourgikos = lsquoto serve in the

Temple rsquo) ALSO IMPLIES A L ITURGICAL W ORSHIP T HE A NGELS SEE THEMSELVES AS OUR FELLOW SERVANTS

After S T J OHN THE B ELOVED A POSTLE OF C HRIST HAD

EXPERIENCED A SERIES OF INCREDIBLE V ISIONS hisinclination was to fall down and worship the Angelwho had shown him all these things

The Angel (probably St Gabriel the Archangel and Bearer of Good

Tidings) corrected him saying ldquoSee that you do not dothat I am your fellow servant and of your Brethrenthe Prophets and of those who keep the Words of thisBook Worship Godrdquo (REVELATION 229 amp 1910)

T HE A NGELIC H OSTS OF G OD ARE CONSTANTLY INVOLVED IN

THE CEASELESS S PIRITUAL W ARFARE THAT WAGES

UNABATED AGAINST ALL HUMANITY as the Divine Word- the Divine Truth -goes out into this fallenSpiritually Dark world

Some are involved in disputes with Satan while others have

the most Sacred Duty of the care and oversight ofchildren (JUDE 19)

Our Lord Jesus severely warned everyone ldquoTake heedthat you do not despise one of these little ones forI say to you that in Heaven their Angels always seethe Face of My Father Who is in Heavenrdquo (MATTHEW

1810)

ldquoA NYONE DISRUPTING ( OR PREVENTING ) THE W ORD BEING

PLANTED IN A CHILD WOULD BE BETTER OFF IF A

MILLSTONE WAS HUNG AROUND HIS NECK AND HE WERE

DROWNED IN THE DEPTH OF THE SEA ldquo(MATTHEW 186)He clearly stated ldquoit is not the Will of your Father Who

is in Heaven that one of these little ones shouldperishrdquo (MATTHEW 1814)

T HE H OLY A NGELS ENCOURAGE ALL HUMAN BEINGS TO SEEK

THE L ORD and IN THE BATTLE FOR MANKIND rsquo S SOULS THE A NGELS PREVENT US FROM BEING TEMPTED BEYOND

WHAT WE ARE ABLE TO RESIST AS WELL AS PROVIDING

WAYS OF ESCAPE FOR US (1 CORINTHIANS 1013)

Because the Angels behold the Glory of God all the timethey have an advantage over us for it is easy for themto believe and obey whereas for us it is more difficult

because WE ARE ASKED TO BELIEVE WITHOUT HAVING SEEN Thus our Lord Jesus encourages us with His famous

admonition ldquoBlessed are those who have not seen and yet have believedrdquo (JOHN 2029)

When the Seventy Apostles returned after having thedemons obey them IT BECAME EASY FOR THEM TO BELIEVE

However OUR L ORD PUT ALL THIS INTO THE RIGHT

PERSPECTIVE ldquoDo not rejoice in this ndash that thespirits are subject to you ndash Rejoice instead that your names are written in Heavenrdquo

T HE REAL G LORY IS HAVING ONE rsquo S NAME WRITTEN IN THE B OOK

OF L IFE Other books exist that also record the deeds or works of all

mankind and as EACH CHILD AND EACH ADULT HAS THEIR

OWN G UARDIAN A NGEL then THERE ARE INNUMERABLE

WITNESSES TO ALL OUR WORDS THOUGHTS AND DEEDS

SPANNING OUR ENTIRE LIFE

N OT EVERYONE WHO WAS ALLOWED TO WORK M IRACLES HAS THEIR NAME WRITTEN IN H EAVEN however for asour Lord said ldquoMany will say to Me in that daylsquoLord Lord have we not prophesied in Thy Namecast out demons in Thy Name and done manyWonders in Thy Namersquo and then I will declare tothem lsquoI never knew you Depart from Me you who

practice lawlessness rsquordquo (MATTHEW 722-23)S T C YRIL OF A LEXANDRIA explained ldquoTo rejoice solely in the

fact that they were able to work Miracles and crushthe heads of demons was likely to produce in thempossibly the desire also of vainglory - and theneighbour of this passion constantly is pride



ldquoMost usefully therefore does Christ rebuke the firstboasting and quickly cuts away the root that hadsprung up in them of the love of glory

ldquoThus He imitates a Good Sower Who immediately when Hesees a Thorn springing up in His Garden tears it up witha hoe before it strikes its root deeprdquo

Our Lord Jesus addressed His Father ldquoI thank TheeFather Lord of Heaven and Earth that Thou hashidden these things from the wise and prudentand revealed them to babes Yes Father for so itseemed Honourable in Thy Sightrdquo

B Y REJOICING IN THE H OLY S PIRIT OUR S AVIOUR WAS REJOICING

IN THE W ORKS AND M IRACLES THAT WERE PERFORMED BYG OD THE H OLY S PIRIT

St Cyril of Alexandria believed that THE S EVENTY A POSTLES

WERE TRULY E NLIGHTENED BY THEIR E XPERIENCE ldquoKnowing that those who had been sent by Him had

benefited a great deal and that they had themselveslearnt His Glory by Experience He was full of Joy orrather of Exultation

ldquoBeing Good and Loving to mankind and wishing that allshould be Saved He found the cause of His Rejoicing

1 in the conversion of those who were in error 2 in the Enlightenment of those who were in Darkness 3 in the answer of the understanding and the

acknowledgment of His Glory for those who hadbeen without Knowledge and without Instructionrdquo

St Cyril also pointed out that WHEN OUR L ORD EXPRESSED H ISGRATITUDE THAT H IS F ATHER HAD REVEALED THESE THINGS

TO lsquo BABES rsquo H E DID NOT IMPLY THAT H IS S EVENTY A POSTLES

WERE lsquo INFANTS rsquo ( immature ) BUT THAT THEY WERE ldquoof aninnocent and guileless mind and as simple (innocent)as children regarding wickednessrdquo

S T P AUL said that thereby ldquoHe made known to us theMystery of His Will according to His Good Pleasurerdquo (EPHESIANS 19)

He said this was ldquothe unsearchable Riches of Christwhich from the beginning of the ages has been hiddenin God Who created all things through Jesus Christ rdquo (EPHESIANS 38 9)

ldquoThis (Divine) Mystery which has been hidden from agesand from generations has now been revealed to HisSaints where the Mystery is Christ in us - the Hope ofGlory rdquo (COLOSSIANS 126 - 27)

This is foolishness to the wise of this world (because the

recipients of the Mystery take up their Crosses and dielike their Master did)To the Angels all this is fascinating for they are always

looking into human affairs and there is Joy amongthem when one sinner Repents ((LUKE 1510 amp 1 PETER 112)

Y ET THE H OLY A NGELS OF G OD ARE NOT INFORMED OF OUR

L ORD rsquo S P LANS While they carry the souls of the Righteous to Paradise and

they will gather together the Elect from the four windsfrom the farthest part of Earth to the farthest part ofHeaven THEY DO NOT KNOW THE D AY NOR THE H OUR whenthey will need to do so (MATTHEW 2436)

E VEN S ATAN WITH ALL HIS SLY CLEVERNESS DID NOT

UNDERSTAND THE W ISDOM OF G OD IN A M YSTERY - forIF HE HAD UNDERSTOOD HE WOULD NOT HAVE

CRUCIFIED THE L ORD OF G LORY (1 CORINTHIANS 27- 8)

HTTPS WWW STATHANASIUS ORG SITE ASSETS FILES 3460STUDY _06_11_15 B PDF

S P I R I T U A L W A R F A R E IO UR S PIRITUAL L IFE IS OUR CONTINUAL S TRUGGLE AGAINST OUR

SELF - OPINION AND PROUD MINDEDNESS It is a Struggle aimed at BREAKING OUR STUBBORN FREE

WILL so that we can DEDICATE OURSELVES TO G OD andLive in a manner where we ONLY OBEY H IS D IVINE

W ILL We have to shift from a worldly orientation to one that is

ORIENTED TOWARDS G OD S K INGDOM It is a shift from a world filled with temptation and evil

to one that is oriented only to DOING G OOD Our great Task is TO TAME OUR INTELLECT AND FREE IT so we

can be DIRECTED BY D IVINE G RACE It is AN I NNER S TRUGGLE INVOLVING OUR OUTER ACTIONS

It is A B ATTLE OF GRAND PROPORTIONS CALLED lsquoS PIRITUAL

W ARFARE rsquo S T T HEOPHAN THE R ECLUSE teaches us that THE ATTACKS WE

MUST DEAL WITH ARE SOUL - RELATED AND BODILY POWERS

1 I N THE BODY the source of passions is pleasing thefleshThere is sexual lust gluttony love ofpleasure sloth comfort adulterous feelingsloquacity absent-mindedness restlessnesswilfulness in everything unseemly laughter idletalk sleepiness daydreaming craving the pleasantand all manner of pleasing the flesh in lust

2 I N SOUL a I N THE MENTAL PART ndashndashopinion exclusive belief in

ones own intellect criticism attacking the Mindof God doubts puffing up and arrogancecuriosity mental plundering straying thoughts

b) b I N THE SENSUAL PART ndashndashpassions that shatter Peace

and Tranquillity of heart or various kinds ofpleasantness and unpleasantness wrath envyhatred anger revenge judgement contemptvain glory ambition pride boredom sadnesssorrow depression joy cheerfulness fearshopes expectation

How do we get at the root of these This is our challengeSt Theophan says that THE SOURCE OF ALL THESE

PASSIONS IS SELF LOVE At their root are pleasure covetousness and prideThe way to conquer them is to cut off pleasure by

self-directed wrath covetousness withunacquisitiveness and pride with Humility

The main challenge is to maintain an awareness of theattacks so we can counteract them

T HE MAIN ENEMY IS OUR THOUGHTS O UR ACTIONS ARE ALWAYS PRECEDED BY A THOUGHT This is the battle groundThe pattern of our actions is the onrush of thoughts

contemplation delight in it desire passion attractionresolve and then the deed

Therefore all the Ascetics attention should be directed

inside himselfndashndashat thoughts desires passions andattractions

ldquoIt should be most of all incidentally be directed atthoughts for the heart and the will are not so mercurialas thoughts and passions and desires rarely attackthemselvesndashndashthey are most often born of thoughts

ldquoFrom this we can make a rule CUT OFF THOUGHTS AND YOU

WILL CUT OFF EVERYTHING The battle ground has been identified

( TO BE CONTINUED ) E DITED amp ADAPTED BY MP ldquoP ATH TO S ALVATION rdquo BY S TT HEOPHAN THE R ECLUSE ndash WWW ORTHODOXWAYOFLIFE BLOGSPOT COM

C O N S C I E N C E T HERE IS NO W ITNESS SO DREADFUL NO ACCUSER SO TERRIBLE

AS THE C ONSCIENCE that dwells in the heart of every man (POLYBIUS C 208-126 BC HISTORY BK XVIII 43)

D O NOT TREAT YOUR C ONSCIENCE WITH CONTEMPT FOR IT

ALWAYS ADVISES YOU TO DO WHAT IS BEST It sets beforeyou the Will of God and the Angels it Frees you fromthe secret defilements of the heart and when youDepart this life it grants you the Gift of Intimacy with

God ST MAXIMOS THE CONFESSOR ST MAXIMOS THE CONFESSOR ST MAXIMOS THE CONFESSOR ST MAXIMOS THE CONFESSOR

A FTER G OD LET US HAVE OUR C ONSCIENCE AS OUR M ENTOR

AND R ULE IN ALL THINGS so that we may know which way

the wind is blowing and set our sails accordingly ST JOHNST JOHNST JOHNST JOHN

OF THE LADDER OF THE LADDER OF THE LADDER OF THE LADDER H E WHO LIVES IN EVIL IS PUNISHED IN H ELL PREMATURELY BEING

PIERCED BY THE C ONSCIENCE ST JOHN CHRYSOSTOM ST JOHN CHRYSOSTOM ST JOHN CHRYSOSTOM ST JOHN CHRYSOSTOM T HE C ONSCIENCE SHOULD NOT BE EVADED SINCE IT TELLS US

INWARDLY HOW TO L IVE IN C ONFORMITY TO G OD rsquo S W ILL and by SEVERELY CENSURING THE SOUL WHEN THE MIND HAS

BEEN INFECTED BY SINS and by ADMONISHING THE ERRING

HEART TO R EPENT it provides welcome C OUNSEL AS TO

HOW OUR DEFECTIVE STATE CAN BE C URED ST PHILOPHEOS OF SINAI ST PHILOPHEOS OF SINAI ST PHILOPHEOS OF SINAI ST PHILOPHEOS OF SINAI


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 2132S T G E R A S I M O S T H E N E W A S C E T I C amp W O N D E R W O R K E R O F C E P H A L O N I A - 2 0 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5 21


All Glory Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now and Foreverand unto the Ages of Ages AmenRemembering also our Most Holy Most Pure Most Blessed and Glorious Lady Mary Theotokos yetEver Virgin together with all the Saints And let us commit ourselves and one another and our wholeLife to Christ our God Amen

2 0 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

S t G e r a s i m o s t h e N e w A s c e t i c o f C e p h a l o n i a( TH E UN C O V E R I N G O F H I S I N C O R R U P T HO L Y R E L I C S )

Also the Feast of St Artemios of Antioch ndash St Artemios the Righteous Child Martyr of

Verkhol ndash St Matrona of Chios

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N O F S T G E R A S I M O S O F C E P H A L O N I A ndash T O N E 1

Let us praise Divine Gerasimos the Protector and

Champion of Orthodoxy an Angel in the flesh and aGod-Inspired Wonder-Worker He received from Godthe Gift of Healing and grants Cures to those whohonour him

F E S T A L K O N T A K I O N ndash S T G E R A S I M O S O F C E P H A L O N I A ndash T O N E 3

Today the Island of Cephalonia calls upon multitudes of

Orthodox to praise Godly Gerasimos the Boast ofOrthodoxy ndash its Defender and Champion

S E A S O N A L K O N T A K I O N O F T H E E V E R B L E S S E D T H E O T O K O S


Piitin ametathete mi Paridis amartolon deiseon fonasalla profthason os agathi is tin voithian imon tonpistos kravgazonton Si Tahinon is presvian ke spefsonis ikesian i prostatevousa ai Theotoke ton TimontonSe

O Protector of the Christians Unashamable Mediator to

the Creator Immovable despise not the pleadingvoices of those in sin but hasten O Good One to theAid of all of us who in Faith cry out to Thee speed upThine Intercession and present Thy Supplication OTheotokos who always protects all those who honourThee

P R O K E I M E N O N ndash P S A L M 1 4 9 ndash T O N E ( 7 ) V A R Y S G R A V E

T he Saints shall Rejoice in Glory


T H E E P I S T L E O F S T P A U L T O T H E G A L A T I A N S 5 2 2 ndash 6 2

T H E H O L Y S P I R I T amp H I S D I V I N E F R U I T S Brethren the Fruit of the Holy Spirit is Love Joy Peace Longsuffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness

Temperance Against these there is no Law Those who are Christrsquos have crucified the flesh with its affections andlusts If we live in the Spirit (we must) walk in the Spirit Let us not be desirous of vain glory provoking one anotherenvying one another

Brethren if a man be overtaken by error you who are Spiritual must restore him in the Spirit of Meekness consideringyourselves lest you also be tempted Bear one anotherrsquos Burdens and so fulfil the Law of Christ

St Paul reminds us of the wonderful Spiritual Fruit that isgranted by the Holy Spirit to those who striveceaselesslessly all of which help us to deal with ourdaily problems and Spiritual Contests that confront usall

Every on of these Divine Fruits promotes and nurtures ourRelationship with God and with each otherThe only Gift and Fruit of the Holy Spirit that we require

for our Eternal Life ndash as well as a successfultemporary preparatory lifespan is LOVE for Love or Agape NEVER FAILS

Furthermore unless we strive with all our might toachieve True Agape we will not be worthy citizens ofthe Heavenly Kingdom of Love

Our entire Judgement is based on that unconditionalHoly Divine and Absolute Love of God and our fellowmankind for whatever we do for them will be donefor us a hundredfold

Thus it benefits us immensely if we do achieve Agape and treat one another with pure virtuous heart andsoul

Theosis Deification or Spiritual Perfection means that one

possesses the greatest of all Holy Virtues - True Love ndashthat Divine Perfect Agape

This short lifespan which prepares us for Eternity shouldbe spent striving to get our Immortal soul to controlour wilful selfish and arrogant flesh because we allneed to return to God Who created us as His PerfectCreatures of Love

If we do not learn to control the demands of ourundisciplined flesh we will develop lsquofleshy souls

A fleshy soul is dominated and controlled by our physicalpassions that stifle and deaden our conscience andconsequently alienate us from God and all His Divine

Goodness and Love A fleshy soul means that we are in a state of SpiritualDeath

Unless we truly acknowledge and expose our sinseradicating them through a concerted effort ofRepentance-Confession we cannot return to ournatural Spiritual State - Spiritual Life in Christ ndash andreturn to our close intimate Relationship with Almighty God and all His Goodness

St Paul reminds us that we are trying to Live in Christ ndash toLive according to the Divine Will of God the Father bymeans of the Power and Energy of the Holy Spiritthrough the Teachings and Commandments of Christ

This is Spiritual Life which we must nurture protect andgrow until our last breath for whatever condition wedepart this life we will remain unchanged in the nextndash ie in Eternity

Thus we must strive to remain in Spiritual Life and avoidat all cost falling into a state of Spiritual Death

We must immediately correct ourselves as soon as wehave fallen into sin - and we must encourage eachother to stay close to the Lord our God by means ofour Spiritual Endeavours

We must avoid provoking each other or doing anythingthat will endanger our Brethren in Christ who might


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 223222 S T G E R A S I M O S T H E N E W A S C E T I C amp W O N D E R W O R K E R O F C E P H A L O N I A - 2 0 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5

be discouraged disheartened or disturbed by ourcareless inconsiderate words thoughts and deeds

We must gently guide and correct one another ndash always with Love Kindness and Compassion therebybearing each otherrsquos lsquoburdensrsquo but never being a

lsquoburdenrsquo to others by taking advantage of their goodnature or kindness of heart

We must ensure that whatever we do it is according tothe Divine Truth Teachings and Commandments ofour Lord Jesus Christ

S T G E R A S I M O S T H E N E W A S C E T I C amp W O N D E R W O R K E R O F C E P H A L O N I A Saint Gerasimos the New Ascetic of Cephalonia was born in

the village of Trikkala in the PeloponessosAs a young adult he became a Monk on the island of

ZakynthosOn the Holy Mountain _ Mount Athos - he became a

Schemamonk and studied with the Ascetics of Mount

AthosSt Gerasimos received a Blessing from the Holy Elders to goto Jerusalem to worship at the Life-bearing Tomb of ourLord and Saviour

After visiting many Holy Sites in Jerusalem Mount SinaiAntioch Damascus Alexandria and Egypt he returnedto Jerusalem where he became a Lamp-lighter at theHoly Sepulchre of our Lord in the great Holy Church ofthe Resurrection

St Gerasimos was ordained a Deacon and then a Priest bythe Patriarch of Jerusalem Germanos (1534-1579)

He steadfastly maintained the Discipline of an Ascetic andseeking solitude he withdrew to the Jordan where hespent forty days without respite

Having received the Patriarchrsquos Blessing for a Life ofSilence St Gerasimos withdrew to Zakynthos in

solitude subsisting only on vegetation

After five years he was Inspired to go the island ofCephalonia where he lived in a cave

He restored a church at Omala and he founded a womenrsquosMonastery where he lived in constant Toil and Vigil forthirty years

He prayed on bent knees and stretched out on the ground

For his Exalted Life of Spiritual Struggle St Gerasimos wasgranted a Miraculous Gift the ability to Heal the sickand cast out unclean spirits

At 71 years of age the Venerable Holy Father knew that hewould soon die

He gave his Blessing to the Nuns and Peacefully Fell Asleepin the Lord on 15 August 1579

Two years later his grave was opened and his Holy Relicswere found fragrant and incorrupt with a MiraculousHealing Power

Since the Feast of the Dormition falls on 15 August StGerasimos is Commemorated on 16 August and todayrsquosFeast Commemorates the uncovering of his IncorruptHoly Relics in 1581

St Gerasimos continues to work many Divine MiraclesMay his memory be Eternal and may he ceaselessly

Intercede with our Saviour for the sake of our soulsN U R T U R I N G T H E S E E D O F G R A C E

Grace that we receive from God needs to be nurtured inorder for it to grow - Illuminating our body and soul

We receive Divine Grace like a tiny fertile Seed for whichwe must create the right conditions for it to grow withinus

To do this the Church has provided us with many toolsand exercises as St Theophan the Recluse explained

Fasting Labour Vigils Solitude leaving the worldguarding the senses reading Holy Scripture and ( the

writings and Lives of our ) Holy Fathers going to Churchfrequent Confession and Communion Vows and otherActs of Piety and Virtue - all of this together - or singlyin predominant aspects - can be found in almost every

Life of the Holy Fathers(PATH TO SALVATION)

These are all free Acts that come from our consciousnessSuch actions need to be repeated so the Benefits can

become permanent - a Way of Life

Whoever lives in a worldly way is servile to the customs andspirit of the world

ldquoBut whoever goes into this world fresh ( unprepared or

inexperienced) inevitably absorbs its spirit and soonbecomes like everyone else for these customs are theelements that foster in us the spirit of sin passions andtheism for the customs themselves are nothing otherthan passionate issuancesrdquo

For this reason we have exercises for our mind our will andour heart as St Paisios the Elder of Mount Athos said

Holy Asceticism - together with its great Faith - in a burstof Love for God brings us to True Joy

ldquoWe are happy to live for our heart flutters Glorifyingour God of Benefactions

ldquoWe are also happy to die for we thus get close to Godagain and will continue there our Doxology (PRECIOUS

VESSELS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT)

F I R S T S T E P S I N N U R T U R I N G G R A C E - F E A R O F G O D What is meant by Fear of God CS Lewis described it in his book lsquoThe Problem of Painrsquo

and stated that Fear of the God is not a fear that onefeels for a ravenous tiger or even a terrifying ghost

The Fear of God is filled with intense Awe in which wefeel wonder and a certain shrinking or a senseof inadequacy to cope with such a visitant of orprostration before itrdquo

It is a Fear that comes forth out of Love for the Lord ourGod

St Theophan tells us - as do many other Church Fathers -that having this Fear is the first stepIt is a feeling that comes with our first Encounter with

God where we know without doubt that He existsT HE F EAR OF G OD IS THE BEGINNING OF F AITH WHICH IS

NECESSARY FOR D IVINE G RACE TO WORK WITHIN US To nurture this Fear of God Prayer combined with the

reading of Orthodox Spiritual Books is recommendedInstead of filling our mind with the endless content of the

TV we must give up some of this time and rather maketime at the beginning of the day for Prayer and readingof Spiritual Books including Holy Scripture

ldquoThis reading - with Prayer preceding - strengthens oursoul and gives us Spiritual Strength for the entire day

ldquoDoctors tell us not to leave the house with an emptystomach

ldquo With respect to the soul this is similarly fulfilled byMorning Prayer and reading for then our soul issuitably nourished and ready for the business ofthe dayrdquo (THE SPIRITUAL LIFE)

To help this process he suggests we KEEP A NOTEBOOK IN

WHICH TO WRITE DOWN THE THOUGHTS THAT WE HAVE AS WE

READ THE H OLY G OSPEL AND OTHER S PIRITUAL W RITINGS This helps to keep us focused on the reading material and

nurtures our thoughts that are stimulated by itOne of the challenges with such Reading and Prayer is that

often thoughts overtake our concentrationIt is almost like an involuntary distraction which seems to

come from nowhere uninvitedThe main problem comes when we do not take action to

deal with themSt Theophan advises ldquoas soon as you notice yourthoughts wandering off immediately put them backin their placerdquo

P RAYER AND READING OF S PIRITUAL W RITINGS ARE AN ESSENTIAL

PART OF OUR S PIRITUAL D EVELOPMENT The Key is to make choices to provide time for this new

activityWe need to get up at least 30 minutes earlier in the

morning which means we have to go to bed thirtyminutes earlier in the evening and give up someactivity

When our desire for Divine Grace is strong enough we will be able to act on it and make the necessary changes

O UR LAZINESS IS OUR WORST ENEMY

A DAPTED amp EDITED BY MP C OMPILED BY F ATHER D EACON C HARLES J OINER OF S T G EORGE G REEK O RTHODOXC ATHEDRAL G REENVILLE S OUTH C AROLINA USA






2 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

S t J a m e s A d e l p h o t h e o s t h e J u s t( R I G H T E O U S S O N O F S T J O S E P H T H E B E T R O T H E D amp H I S L A T E W I F E S A L O M E S I S T E R O F S T A NN A )

Also the Feast of St James Borovichi Wonderworker of Nogorod ndash St Ignatios Patriarch ofConstantinople ndash St Elisha of Lavreshev Belorus

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N O F S T J A M E S A D E P H O T H E O S amp H O L Y A P O S T L E ndash T O N E 4

O s tou Kyriou Mathitis anedexo Dikee to Evangelion os

Martis ehis to aparatrepton tin parrisian osAdelfotheos to Presvevin os Ierarthis Iketeve Hristonton Theon Sothine tas psihas imon

As the Disciple of the Lord Thou undertook the Work of

the Gospel O Righteous One as Martyr Thou possessthe Steadfastness as Brother of God the Confidenceas Hierarch to be an Intercessor Intercede with Christour God for our souls to be Saved






P R O K E I M E N O N P S A L M 1 8 ndash T O N E ( 8 ) P L A G A L 4H is Voice has gone out into all the Earth


E P I S T L E O F S T P A U L T O T H E G A L A T I A N S 1 1 1 ndash 1 9T H E C A L L I N G amp C O N V E R S I O N O F S T P A U L B Y O U R L O R D J E S U S C H R I S T

Brethren I certify that the Gospel which was preached by me is not according to mankind For I neither received it from

man nor was I taught it but It came to me through the Revelation of Jesus Christ You have heard of my former conduct in Judaism ndash how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure and tried to

destroy Her And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own Nation being moreexceedingly zealous for the traditions of my Fathers

When it pleased God Who separated me from my motherrsquos womb and Called me through His Grace to reveal His Son inme so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood nor did I go upto Jerusalem to those who were Apostles before me but I went to Arabia and returned again to Damascus

After three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter and remained with him for fifteen daysThe other Apostles I did not see except James the Brother of our Lord

A POSTOLIC TRADITION IS GROUNDED IN DIVINE REVELATION FROM

OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST Just as the Twelve Apostles were C ALLED BY CHRIST

so was St Paul

Just as the Twelve RECEIVED THE HOLY GOSPEL

DIRECTLY FROM CHRIST so did St Paul Just as the Twelve STOOD TOGETHER AS ONE so St Paul

entered their UNITY IN CONSENSUS AND MUTUAL

SUBMISSION

PEOPLE ARE C ALLED BY GOD not according to their formerconduct ndash whether good or bad - but BY DIVINE

GRACEST P AUL WHOM GOD C ALLED IN MERCY RECEIVED DIVINE GRACE

FROM ST A NANIASrsquo HANDS AND THE BLESSED W ATERS OF HOLY

B APTISMThe words ldquo separated me from my motherrsquos womb rdquo

refer not to St Paulrsquos physical birth but to GODrsquoS DIVINE

C ALL TO A POSTOLIC MINISTRY BEFORE HE WAS BORN As with St Paul GODrsquoS INTENTIONS FOR PEOPLE MAY LIE HIDDEN

FOR MANY YEARS As a True Apostle of Christ ST P AUL SUBMITTED HIMSELF TO THE

CHURCH AND HER HOLY A POSTLES RATHER THAN ELEVATING

HIMSELFSt Paul knew that his ENCOUNTER WITH OUR LORD JESUS

CHRIST HIS INSTRUCTION IN THE HOLY GOSPEL AND HIS C ALL

TO A POSTLESHIP WERE HIGHLY UNUSUAL

IN ALL PRIVATE REVELATIONS THE ONLY OTHER W ITNESS IS

A LMIGHTY GOD HIMSELFHowever ST P AUL KNEW THAT HE HAD TO TEACH THE SAME HOLY

GOSPEL AS THE OTHER A POSTLES OF CHRISTldquoJames rdquo refers to ST J AMES THE JUST THE FIRST BISHOP OF

JERUSALEM AND AUTHOR OF THE EPISTLE OF ST J AMESTHE TERM ldquoBROTHERrdquo IS ALSO A REFERENCE TO A COUSIN OR CLOSE

MALE RELATIVE ST J AMES WAS THE ELDEST SON OF ST JOSEPH THE BETROTHED AND

HIS LATE WIFE S ALOME (a sister of St Anna the mother ofthe Blessed Virgin) and therefore a COUSIN TO

THEOTOKOS AND OUR LORD

ST J AMESrsquo DEEP LOVE ACCEPTANCE AND DEVOTION TO OUR

LORD JESUS SINCE HIS BIRTH ARE BELIEVED TO BE THE

REASON FOR HIS HONOURABLE TITLE OF BEING OUR LORDrsquoSBROTHER

According to some he was the only one of St Josephrsquossons who was quite willing to share his inheritance with Christ and the first to fully accept our LadyTheotokos (their younger cousin) into their familyfrom the beginning Soon they all grew to Love andadore them

In accordance with Mosaic Law adopted children weresupposed to have equal rights to inheritance butoften this proved problematic due to human greed orother motivations

T H E H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T M A T T H E W 1 3 5 4 ndash 5 8T H E N A Z A R E N E S rsquo R E J E C T I O N O F C H R I S T O U R S A V I O U R

At that time when our Lord Jesus had gone to His own country He taught them in their Synagogue so that they wereastonished and said ldquoWhere did this Man get this Wisdom and this Power Is this not the Carpenterrsquos Son Is not His


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 243224 S T J A M E S A D E L P H O T H E O S ndash T H E R I G H T E O U S amp J U S T A P O S T L E O F C H R I S T - 2 3 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5

Mother called lsquoMaryrsquo And His Brothers ndash lsquoJames Joses Simon and Judasrsquo And His Sisters ndash are they not all with usldquoWhere then did He get all these Thingsrdquo And they were scandalised by Him

Jesus said to them ldquoA Prophet is not without Honour except in his own country and in his own houserdquoAnd He did not do many Powerful Things there because of their unbelief

THE PEOPLE OF N AZARETH REFUSED TO BELIEVE THAT A C ARPENTERrsquoSSON W HO WAS ONE OF THEIR OWN COULD HAVE SUCH DIVINE

W ISDOMTHEY STUBBORNLY REFUSED TO BELIEVE OR EVEN THINK THAT THE

MESSIAH WOULD BE FROM THEIR OWN PEOPLEST JOSEPH THE BETROTHED HAD SEVEN CHILDREN FROM HIS

PREVIOUS MARRIAGE TO HIS LATE WIFE S ALOME (sister of St Anna) 4 sons James Jude Simon and Joses and 3

daughters ndash Salome (the mother of St James and StJohn the Divine and Beloved Apostle of Christ) Estherand Martha or Lydia or Thamar or Assia [name isuncertain]

H AVING BEEN ELECTED BY THE TEMPLE PRIESTS THROUGH DIVINE

GUIDANCE TO PROTECT THE E VER BLESSED V IRGIN M ARY WHO

HAD TAKEN A S ACRED V OW OF CELIBACY ST JOSEPH [HER

ELDERLY - OVER 80 YEARS OLD - UNCLE BY MARRIAGE]

PROVIDED HER AND HER FIVE VIRGIN COMPANIONS WITH A SAFE

HAVEN and his Paternal ProtectionTHE S ANCTITY OF HER BETROTHAL TO ST JOSEPH FURTHER

PROTECTED HER AGAINST SCANDAL As far as Hebrewsociety and Mosaic Law were concerned they werelegally ldquohusband and wife ldquo - ESSENTIAL FOR THE

LEGALITY OF CHRISTrsquoS BIRTHE VEN IN HIS OWN HOME TOWN N AZARETH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

WAS NOT ACCEPTED AS THE MESSIAH BUT REJECTED IN THEIR ENVY AT HIS GREAT W ISDOM AND ALTHOUGH THEY COULD

FIND NO FAULT IN HIS W ORDS AND MIRACLES THE N AZARENES

DISMISSED HIM ON THE BASIS OF THE SOCIAL UNIMPORTANCE OF

HIS F AMILYIt is further proof of our Lordrsquos infinite Humility that HE DID

NOT EVEN TRY TO CONVINCE THEM OF HIS TRUE IDENTITY - It was not essential to mankindrsquos Salvation which wasthe entire Purpose of the Incarnation of the Son of God

T H E E T E R N A L I N S P I R E D W I S D O M O F E L D E R A R S E N I E ( P A P A C I O C ) O F R O M A N I A Elder Arsenie (Papacioc) of Romania of Blessed Memory was part of the great generation of Confessors for Christ who had suffered much while

imprisoned for their Faith under the atheist [communist] regime of the East His words although not academic but rather simple and down

to Earth have great Authority as they are spoken from an Experience of Suffering and with a burning Love for God and for everyone

O N H U M I L I T Y The humble man never acknowledges himself as such

for he would not be humble Humility is the only Power that can free the humansoul and the Nations

There is only one way to follow Humility Christ was Humble then who are we not to be hellip Do you wish to overcome evil Humble yourself and do

not judge Then you will be Free Humility leads you to God but Love tastes God Humble yourself for Grace to abound in you Humility is the Blood of Life One cannot be Saved

without it Man can never say ldquoI am humblerdquo Humility is the art of descending into yourself and

remaining there Sometimes Grace abandons you so you may humble

yourself before God

O N P R A Y E R God is very rich And Hersquos awaiting us hellip He waits for

us to ask Wherever you are and whenever yoursquore tempted pray

and do not be discouraged

Anyone who wants to acquire the Gift of Prayer mustkeep silent and pray

We speak so much about Prayer Its the one thing thatcannot be discussed but practiced

A deep silence is a deep Prayer And a deep Prayer islike a deep silence

Every moment is a time [in Eternity] and every sigh can become a Prayer

We must not cease to pray even with the mind

If you pray you are always present in you

O N W O R L D L Y W I S D O M It is difficult for the intellectual to live a Life of

Prayer God is not revealed to the sharp mind but to the

humble pure heart that is constantly open to Him The Philosophers have only created some notions but

they did not solve any problem Intelligence and education have no value if they are

not in the Service of Love

O N T H E C H U R C H Salvation exists only in Christ and His Orthodox

Church If you are Orthodox you ought to hold tight to Her

Teachings - if not you will fall into heresy

We cannot renounce even an iota from the OrthodoxTruth This is a great matter that concerns God

Such it was with the fall of Catholicism Personally Ino longer consider it a church but a governmental body with a clerical name

A B O U T S A T A N To the devil we donrsquot need to give explanations We cannot talk about the devil without speaking about

God In Godrsquo Creation the devil is tolerated Do you believe that the devil is free No He is the most

bound for he is not in Christ hellip So do not be afraidof him He is tolerated - not a power

It is a great mistake to enter into conversation with thedevil We ought to converse only with God

If you want to drive him away say ldquoLord Jesus Christhave mercy on merdquo and speak to God The Powerof His Name will rid you of him It suits the devil to

enter into a dialogue for it means that youacknowledge him Thus through Prayer we ignorehim

If we first address the issue of Hell then we ignoreHeaven

Walking on a wrong pathmdashsinning - means Hell Pride is a devilish state an absolutely diabolical one No other passion brings us closer to the resemblance

of the devil than does pride If you do not listen to those whom God has appointed

for you it is easily understood that you wouldrather obey Satan

Lucifer fell hopelessly The greatest Fall and with onlytwo words ldquoI amrdquo

Indirectly the devil confesses God through temptations There is no relationship between good and evil Our

Saviour says ldquoGive Me your whole heartrdquo But thedevil says ldquoI only need one of your fingersrdquo Yetthrough it soon he will take over your whole beingThe whole you

Sin brings Humility So it is understood that the devilplays an indirect ldquorolerdquo in our Salvation for hereveals our infirmities and by this helps us to growIf he would realize how much help he is to ourSalvation he would trouble us lesshellip

Whatever may be the reason for your sorrow it isonly from demons The Grace of God does notcome where there is grief or sadness because youwould not know what to do with it and would wasteit

S T J O H N O F K R O N S T A D T ndash M Y L I F E I N C H R I S T Watch your heart during all your lifemdashexamine it listen

to it and see what prevents its Union withour Most Blessed Lord

Let this be for you the science of all sciences andwith Godrsquos Help you will easily observe what

estranges you from God and what draws you towardsHim and Unites you to HimIt is the evil spirit more than anything else that standsbetween our heart and God - he alienates us from Godby various passions or by the desires of the flesh by thedesires of the eyes and by worldly pride


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 25322 1 S T S U N D A Y A F T E R P E N T E C O S T ndash 5 T H O F S T L U K E ndash T H E G A D A R E N E D E M O N I A C ndash 2 5 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5 25


All Glory Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now andForever and unto the Ages of Ages AmenRemembering also our Most Holy Most Pure Most Blessed and Glorious Lady Mary Theotokos yet Ever Virgin together with all the Saints And let us commit ourselves and one another andour whole Life to Christ our God Amen

T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

2 1 s t S u n d a y A f t e r P e n t e c o s t5 t h S u n d a y o f S t L u k e ndash G a d a r e n e D e m o n i a c

Also the Feast of St Luke the Evangelist amp of the 70 Apostles of Christ ndash St Marcian amp St

Martyrios Notaries of Constantinople ndash St Marytios the Deacon amp St Martyrios theRecluse of Kiev Far Caves Monastery ndash St Anastasios the Fuller of Salona Dalmatia ndash

St TabithaDorcas the Widow of Joppa raised from Death by St Peter the Apostle


T o fedron tis Anastaseos Kirigma ek tou Angelou

Mathouse e tou Kyriou Mathitrie ke tin Progonikinapofasin aporipsase tis Apostolis kafhomene elegon

Eskilefte O Thanatos igerthi Hristos O Theosdoroumenos to kosmo to Mega Eleos

When the Women Disciples of the Lord had learnt from

the Angels the Glad Tidings of the Resurrection thathad cast away the Condemnation of their Forefather

they spoke exultingly to the Apostles Death is nomore Christ-God is Risen granting to the world GreatMercy

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N ndash H O L Y M A R T Y R S

I Martyres Sou Kyrie en ti Athlisi Afton Stefanous

ekomisanto tis aftharsias ek Sou tou Theou imonShontes gar tin ishin Sou tous tyrannous kathilonethrafsan ke demonon ta anishira Thrasi Afton tesIkesies Hriste O Theos Soson tas psihas imon

Thy Martyrs O Lord were worthily awarded by Thee

Crowns of Incorruption in that they Contested forThee our Immortal God Since they possessed ThyPower they defeated the tyrants dashing the demonsrsquopowerless displays of defiance O Christ God at theirFervent Entreaties Save our souls



Piitin ametathete mi Paridis amartolon deiseon fonasalla profthason os agathi is tin voithian imon ton

pistos kravgazonton Si Tahinon is presvian ke spefsonis ikesian i prostatevousa ai Theotoke ton timonton Se

O Protection of the Christians unashamable Mediation to


Aid of all who in Faith cry out to Thee speed up ThineIntercession and press on Thy Supplication OTheotokos who forever protects all those who honourThee

R E S U R R E C T I O N G O S P E L 1 0 - J O H N 2 1 1 - 1 4 OU R RE S U R R E C T E D L O R D J E S U S S E R V E S B R E A K F A S T T O H I S E L E V E N A P O S T L E S

P R O K E I M E N O N ndash P S A L M 1 0 3 ndash T O N E 4H is Voice has gone out into all the Earth


T H E E P I S T L E O F S T P A U L T O T H E G A L A T I A N S 2 1 6 ndash 2 0H A V I N G P U T O N C H R I S T W E N O W L I V E I N C H R I S T

Brethren knowing that a man is not Justified by the Works of the Law but by Faith in Jesus Christ even we have believedin Christ Jesus that we might be Justified by Faith in Christ and not by the Works of the Law for by the Works of theLaw no flesh shall be Justified If while we seek to be Justified by Christ we ourselves also are found to be sinners isChrist therefore a Minister of sin Certainly not

If I build again those things that I destroyed I make myself a transgressor I - through the Law - die to the Law so that Imight Live in God I have been crucified with Christ It is no longer I who live but Christ Lives in me The Life that Inow Live in the flesh I Live by Faith in the Son of God who Loves me and Who gave Himself for me

S T P AUL GIVES THE CONTENT OF THE T RUE G OSPEL bycontrasting it with the false doctrines of theJudaizers

T HE S OURCE OF J USTIFICATION IS F AITH not the works of theOld Covenant Law

Works of the Law deal with mankind in our fallen state ndashin our corrupted state (ie a state of Spiritual Death)

F AITH lsquo CRUCIFIES rsquo OUR CORRUPT CONDITION AND DEALS WITH OUR

N EW BEING IN C HRIST (ie we abandon our old fallencorrupt nature and take on a Regenerated Newand Sanctified nature in Christ at our Baptism andChrismation)

Works of the Old Covenant Law begin with mankindrsquos

actions while F AITH BEGINS WITH G OD rsquo S D IVINE A CTIONS E VERY W ORK OF F AITH IS THE COMBINED A CTION OF G OD AND US

for it is AN ESSENTIAL S YNERGY ndash a Holy Cooperationbetween us and God ndash between Divine Will andhuman will

T HIS F AITH AND THESE A CTIONS HAVE THEIR S OURCE AND

F ULFILMENT IN G OD ndash in our Lord and Saviour JesusChrist

W E EXPERIENCE THESE AMAZING F AITH AND A CTIONS THROUGH

OUR U NION WITH THE H OLY T RINITY ndash God the FatherGod the Son and God the Holy Spirit in WhoseNames and by Whose Power and Authority we areBaptised and Chrismated

G OD THE H OLY S PIRIT GRANTS US H IS P OWER AND E NERGY FOR

THE ONGOING LIFE OF R IGHTEOUSNESS IN C HRIST ndash the wonderful Life of Blessing Great Mercy and infiniteLove

T HE ANCIENT P ATRIARCH A BRAHAM IS OUR H OLY F ATHER OF

F AITH AND OF THE BLESSINGS OF G OD THE H OLY S PIRIT However the Judaizers who have based their

Righteousness on the works of the Law have

received Condemnation ndash not the Blessings of theHoly Spirit

T HE STATUS CONFERRED BY R IGHTEOUSNESS IS H OLY S ONSHIP forWE BECOME ADOPTED C HILDREN OF G OD THROUGH OUR

U NION WITH G OD I NCARNATE T HE S OURCE OF S ONSHIP IS G OD ndash not humanity


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 263226 2 1 S T S U N D A Y A F T E R P E N T E C O S T ndash 5 T H O F S T L U K E ndash T H E G A D A R E N E D E M O N I A C ndash 2 5 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5

S ONSHIP IS A D IVINE P ROMISE ndash not achieved by humandeeds and it is ATTAINABLE ONLY BY OUR F AITH ndash not byour works ndash not by any effort we may make

G OD INTRODUCED THE W ORKS OF THE L AW IN ORDER TO PROTECT

HUMANITY against the evil wiles of the devil and hisdemons who ceaselessly our Spiritual Death anddestruction

The Old Covenant Laws were to protect us until the timeof Divine Sonship when our Union with the EternalOnly Begotten Son of God became possible

T HE P URPOSE OF H OLY S ONSHIP IS FOR US TO BECOME G ODLIKE

AND TO ENTER H EAVEN Faith in Christ is parallel to the works of the Law and

can be translated as ldquothe Faith of Jesus Christrdquo which is the Holy Gospel

As the Source of works is the Law so THE S OURCE OF F AITH

IS C HRIST ndash His Beliefs His Trust His Obedience thatJustifies us not our Faith as such

C HRIST rsquo S F AITH IS SEEN IN H IS ENTIRE LIFE ON E ARTH not inmerely a few of His crucial Works

W E ARE J USTIFIED BY C HRIST AND IN C HRIST for ourJustification is not simply legal but actual ndash effectedby our real personal Union with Christ in HisGlorified human Nature

The fact that we can still be sinners clearly shows thatTHIS H OLY U NION NEVER TAKES AWAY OUR FREE WILL and italso explains how some chose to defect to Judaism

St Paul destroyed THE WORKS OF THE L AW in the sense thatthey PROVED TO BE INEFFECTUAL FOR OUR E TERNAL

S ALVATION The real transgressors are those who try to reinstate the

Old Covenant LawW E DIE THROUGH THE L AW ndash not bypassing or dishonouring

it but by RECOGNISING THAT IT IS H OLY that WE DESERVE

ITS C ONSEQUENCE WHICH IS D EATH W E VOLUNTARILY DIE TO THE L AW THROUGH OUR D EATH WITH

C HRIST for being crucified with Him through our

Holy Baptism WE COME ALIVE TO THE D IVINE E TERNAL

L AW OF THE H OLY S PIRIT which Perfects the intention ofthe Old Covenant Law

T HERE IS NO CONTRADICTION BETWEEN THE O LD C OVENANT L AW

AND THE N EW C OVENANT G OSPEL FOR THE L AW IS ldquo H OLY

AND J UST AND G OOD rdquo (ROMANS 712)

However the Law is weak and obsolete for it isFulfilled in the Holy Gospel ndash in our Lord andSaviour Jesus Christ Himself (ROMANS 8 3 ampHEBREWS 8 13)

T H E H O L Y G O S P E L O F S T L U K E 8 2 6 ndash 3 9T H E G A D A R E N E D E M O N I A C

At that time when our Lord stepped out on the land there met Him a certain man from the city who had been demon-possessed for a long time And he wore no clothes nor did he live in a house but in tombs

Beholding Jesus he cried out fell down before Him and with a loud voice said ldquoWhat have I to do with Thee Jesus Son of

the Most High God I beg Thee ndash do not torment merdquo He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the manFor many years it had possessed him and he had been kept under guard bound with chains and shackles And he had

broken the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wildernessJesus asked him ldquoWhat is your name rdquo He replied ldquoLegionrdquo for many demons had entered him And they begged Him

not to Command them to go out into the Abyss A herd of many swine were grazing on the mountain and they begged Him to permit them to enter them And He permitted them The demons went out of the man and entered theswine and the herd ran violently down the steep incline into the lake and drowned

Seeing what had happened those who herded them fled and told it in the city and in the country Having gone out to seewhat had occurred they went to Jesus and they found the man cleansed of the demons sitting at the Feet of Jesus ndashclothed and in his right mind - and they were afraid Those who had beheld it told them how the demoniac had beenHealed And the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them for greatfear had seized them

He (Jesus) got into the boat and returned The man from whom the demons had departed wanted to stay with HimSending him on his way Jesus said ldquoReturn to your own house and tell everyone what Great Things have been donefor you by Godrdquo And after departing the man proclaimed throughout the whole city what Great Things had been donefor him by Jesus

The Gadarene Demoniac had suffered demonicpossession ldquo for a long time rdquo

To add to his degradation and misery the demoniac wasnaked and lived amongst the tombs ndash among thedead - having escaped the ldquochains and shacklesrdquo with which he had been constrained ndash and havingbroken them it also indicated that he was extremely violent ndash a danger to himself and to others

DEMONS WITHOUT FAIL IMMEDIATELY RECOGNISE OUR LORD

JESUS CHRIST AS THE ETERNAL ldquoS ON OF THE M OST H IGH

G OD rdquoThey know and fear that their power to torment mankind

will soon end when THEY WILL BE BANISHED TO THE OUTER

D ARKNESS THE A BYSS OR HELL WHICH HAS BEEN PREPARED FOR

THEM AND ALL THOSE WHO HAVE CONDEMNED THEMSELVES When forced to reveal his true identity the demon

declared himself to be ldquoLegionrdquo which inferred the wretched manrsquos POSSESSION BY MANY DEMONS

Although their spiteful malice against us is oftenoverwhelming and unbearable S ATAN AND HIS DEMONS

CAN DO NOTHING AT ALL AGAINST THE DIVINE W ILL OF

A LMIGHTY GODBecause in Truth THEY ARE POWERLESS TO DO WHATEVER THEY

DESIRE they besought the permission of Christ to enterthe large (forbidden) herd of swine which grazed onthe steep mountain slope

INSTANTLY THE SWINE WENT BERSERK AND STAMPEDED OVER THE

CLIFFS INTO THE SEA BELOW AND PERISHED which clearlyshows us how THE MAN HAD IN FACT BEEN PROTECTED BY

GOD ALL THE TIMEDIVINE GRACE AND LOVE PREVENTED THE WRETCHED DEMONIAC

FROM BEING KILLED by the demons who had possessed

him all those years Although some may believe that the presence of those

large herds of swine indicated a Gentile populationsince OUR LORD FORBADE HIS DISCIPLES TO GO TO THE

GENTILES and was Himself reluctant to seek them outTHE G ADARENES PROBABLY WERE JUDEANS WHO WERE ENGAGED

IN SINFUL MATTERS

In addition THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ENTIRE HERD OF SWINE

REVEALSit was UNLAWFUL FOR THE JEWISH G ADARENES TO OWN AND TO

EAT PORK THE INCOMPARABLE VALUE OF HUMAN BEINGS whose Salvation is

worth every sacrifice while animals are a venerable part of Creation MANKIND

IS OF FAR GREATER VALUE AND SIGNIFICANCECHRIST REMOVED A SOURCE OF SIN for swine herding was AN

ABOMINATION TO THE OLD COVENANTDEMONS HAVE NO POWER OVER DIVINE CREATION AND ARE

STRICTLY SUBJECT TO THE DIVINE W ILL OF A LMIGHTY GOD ndashthat is why they could only enter the forbidden swineat the Command of Christ Who is God Himself

A LL HUMAN BEINGS ndash INFINITELY LOVED BY GOD ndash ARE PROTECTED

UNDER HIS DIVINE PROVIDENCE Otherwise the man would

have been killed long ago by the demons whoobsessively hate us and ceaselessly seek our EternalDeath ndash to suffer all the permanent torments of beingalienated from God and all His Divine Goodness

THE MAGNITUDE OF THE ECONOMIC LOSS OF THOSE LARGE HERDS OF

SWINE COULD REMAIN AS A SIGN FOR THE HARD-HEARTED

(SPIRITUALLY STUBBORN) PEOPLE who had fled to thatregion

F A T H E R A L E X A N D E R E L C H A N I N O V

ldquoYou cannot cure the soul of others or lsquohelp peoplersquo withouthaving changed yourself You cannot put in order theSpiritual Economy of others so long as there is chaos in

your own soul You cannot bring Peace to others if youdo not have it yourself Often we help other people notby a series of conscious acts directed upon their soul but

rather by influencing them through our Spiritual Giftswithout ourselves seeing or knowing how we do so

ldquoSt Anthony the Great asked a visitor who said nothing atall lsquoWhy do you not ask me anythingrsquo and the otheranswered lsquoIt is enough for me to look at you HolyFatherrsquordquo



2 1 S T S U N D A Y A F T E R P E N T E C O S T ndash 5 T H S U N D A Y O F S T L U K E ndash T H E G A D A R E N E D E M O N I A C Our Lordrsquos entry into the country of the Gadarenes was a

testimony that He came into this world to seek andSave the darkened and fallen nature of humanity

because the situation cannot remain like thisHuman beings should not live with a fearful and darkened

heart but in Joy in Love and in the Divine LightLiving in the Divine Light is to know the Ultimate Goal of

our lifeThe Purpose of our life is to become Holy and Perfect in

Love (Agape )St John said ldquothe person who fears is not Perfected in

Love but Perfect Love casts out fearrdquo (1 JOHN 418)This means reaching a state of mind where we can Love andGlorify God because He is our Creator and He createdeverything Good - to give ourselves entirely to God andhave Victory over Death

This right state of mind occurred immediately after ourLord Jesus Healed the demon-possessed Gadarene whowas seen lsquorsquositting at the Feet of Jesus clothed and inhis right mindrsquorsquo (Luke 835)

ldquoThe man from whom the demons had departed wanted tostay with Himrdquo but our Lord sent him away on aMission lsquoldquoReturn to your own house and tell everyonewhat Great Things have been done for you by Godrdquo

Everyone - with the exception of our Saviour - was afraidThe demoniac was afraid and the townspeople wereafraid and even after the demoniac was Healed the

townspeople were still afraidWhat causes fear What frightens people Is it facing

death Is it their lack of knowing the Purpose of lifewhich is to Love God and His Creation in Jesus Christ

Our Lord Jesus said lsquorsquoLight has come into the world andmen loved Darkness instead of Light lest their deedsshould be exposedrsquorsquo (JOHN 319)

In other words they avoided the Divine Light ndash Divine Truth- lest their lack of love be exposed

Socrates said lsquorsquoWe can easily forgive a child who is afraid ofthe dark the real tragedy of life is when men are afraidof the lightrsquorsquo

People are so caught up in running from the things thatfrighten them that they miss the point and message oflife

People fear poverty starvation cancer and crime

People even fear Truth and Honesty or being upright withthemselves and pure in heart thinking to themselvesldquoWhat if people knew how I really feel - who I really amSurely they would not like merdquo

Fear involves pain and sufferingThis is why it concerns itself with movement - the fight and

flight response - doing anything to avoid the fearTherersquos a primal part of us that instinctively feels scared

when we perceive a threatIf we are not self-aware and if we do not learn to challenge

ourselves that fear can manifest in all kinds of limitingemotions and actions

Fear can keep us from getting to know people who could bekindred spirits despite an appearance that mightsuggest otherwise

Fear can prevent us from taking smart risks that could helpus reach our dreams

Fear can even bind us in depression and anxiety convincingus that the world is full of suffering when often ourown interpretation of circumstances creates andillusion of fear

Ultimately all of the little fears come from one big fear -the fear of death

If people are sensitive enough to ldquobelieve in their heartsthat God has raised Jesus Christ from the deadrdquo theyalready rejoice because they know that in Jesus ChristLife comes through Death (ROMANS 109)

We need to die to our life in order to allow Christrsquos Life toLive in us if we are to overcome Death

Our Lord Jesus said rdquo whoever desires to save his lifewill lose it but whoever loses his life for My sake will

Save itrdquo (LUKE 925) Consequently our Lord Jesus Christ calls us to dosomething quite different to what we are used to doingwith fear in our lives

He invites us not to run away from fear not to run awayfrom Death

His Holy Gospel calls us to follow His Example and to Lovethe Divine Light of Truth

Christ our Saviour said lsquorsquoI Am the Light of the world Hewho follows Me shall not walk in Darkness but havethe Light of Lifersquorsquo (JOHN 812)

Our Compassionate Lord did not run away from thedemoniac He met him Face to face

Neither did He run away from Golgotha He met Death Faceto face

Courageous people are not those who have not experiencedfear but those who know it intimately and who do notlet it rule them

Courageous people do not become slaves to fear They

know that in dying with Christ they shall LivelsquorsquoI Am the Resurrection and the Life He who believes inMe though he may die he shall Live rsquorsquo He Promised us(JOHN 1125)

The Fruits of Faith are Courage Joy and Peace which leadus into the Love of God

Then we do everything for this Love - we Live in Christ andChrist lives in us and Death becomes Life

The Lord invites us to leave our fears behind and come toHim as we are - even if we are confused sick or dead

With a single personal Encounter with our Lord we becomecompletely different

From being enslaved and dominated by demons enslaved by fear and living naked and fiercely insane among thedead the demoniac became a humble witness andservant of the Most High God who sat quietly and

peacefully at his Saviourrsquos Feet lsquoclothed and in his rightmind rsquo (LUKE 835)

But how is it that our Lord made His Presence known to agreat multitude of people through this Divine Miracleyet He was rejected by them

The Gadarenes had literally rejected God from their life because their hearts were insensitive stubborn and ashard as rock

Their hearts were dead to the Word and Son of God becauseHe was a threat to their ego and He challenged theirview of themselves

This is why in ldquoseeing they could not see and hearingthey could not understandrdquo (LUKE 810)

The demons immediately recognised and acknowledgedour Lord Jesus as the ldquo Son of the Most High Godrdquo

because they are bodiless spirits ndash the fallen angels

who together with Satan had been banished andrejected from Heaven

The Gadarenes sinned They missed the entire significanceof what had occurred to one of their own people andthey utterly alienated themselves from the Love ofChrist

By accepting and responding to His Love they could have become gods by His Divine Grace ndash and they would have been in their right mind but they were also enslaved bysin and instead of welcoming Christ ndash the very Light ofLife itself ldquothe whole multitude of the surroundingregion of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from themfor great fear had seized themrdquo

They freely chose Spiritual Death by preferring their ownselfish sinful lifestyle that would ultimately Condemnthem for all Eternity

Their hearts were certainly not pure neither were theyupright with themselves

They saw that there was something Powerful andExtraordinary about our Lord Jesus which went againsttheir wicked debauched mode of life

The Gadarenersquos main concern was centred on this shorttemporal life and their useless material possessions

Without realising that they had rejected the greatestTreasure of all ndash being with Christ ndash they chose deadunprofitable things that had nothing to do withEternity

Christ our God delights in enriching His Faithful withEternal Joy ndash for this is our Faith and our PricelessTreasure

Christ is Paradise - and Paradise begins here and now

Let us fight against fears coldness hardness of heart andarrogance that rejects our Benevolent andCompassionate Lord God from our homes and ourhearts

We must make every effort to welcome and enter the Lightof Christ ndash and do everything possible to remain in HisDivine Presence just like the Healed Gadarene who somuch wanted to stay with Him



However due to our Lordrsquos profound Compassion for allunrepentant sinners He sent him back to his family totestify to the Great Mercy of Almighty God so that theywould realise what they so sadly lacked and would thenRepent and be Saved

A personal Encounter with our Beloved Lord Jesus Christ is such an

extraordinary Spiritual Experience that we become utterly

different and are compelled to share His Divine Truth Love and

Reality with everyone else so that they too might also receive

that indescribable Joy Love and Peace that comes only from such

a Blessed Divine Presence mp

Blessed indeed are those who hear the Lordrsquos Voice callingin their heart and who have the Courage to follow Himand make Him the centre of their being by acceptingand Loving Him

May we all experience this realisation and also proclaimhow much our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has donefor us and joyfully proclaim lsquoChrist is Risen from thedead trampling down Death by Death and on those inthe tombs bestowing Lifersquo

HTTP MODEOFLIFE ORG SUNDAY - OF - LUKE - THE - GADARENE - DEMONIAC -

LK -826-39

S P I R I T U A L W A R F A R E I I - P R E P A R A T I O N Once we are well aware of our sinfulness (the sign of a

mature Seeker of God) we can then seek to anticipatethe Battles we will encounter during the coming day

Our sinfulness is often triggered by our interactionsencountered in the activities of our daily life

When we know we will be facing situations where we oftenfind ourselves falling into a sinful activity we need toprotect ourselves and prepare for these Battles

St Theophan the Recluse recommends ldquoAt the beginningof each day sit and go over all possible meetings andoccurrences and all the possible feelings andmovements that they could cause

This can be a routine activity at the end of your MorningPrayers

Mentally go through the day and the situations you are

likely to encounterThink about how you can deal with those situations where

you know it will be difficult for youndashndashespeciallysituations where you may be tempted with lust oranger

Predetermine the best approach if temptations do ariseThink about how you will fight it off or will it be betterfor you to avoid the encounter

When we have a weakness it is often best to predetermine away to walk away physically from the situation

As you enter into the trials of the day remember you havesome important Weapons

Both of these give us great aid The Jesus Prayer which we can pray at any time (if we

make it part of our regular Prayer Rule) Even more Powerful is the Sign of the CrossAs we enter into a situation where we know we are facing

temptation make the Sign of the Cross and prayquietly Lord Jesus Christ Son of God have mercy onme a sinner

By being vigilant and aware of the potential battles you willface you can begin to change the way you live your lifetransforming it into an Orthodox Way of Life

Become a proactive Spiritual Warrior

( TO BE CONTINUED ) E DITED amp ADAPTED BY MP ldquoP ATH TO S ALVATION rdquo BY S T T HEOPHAN THE R ECLUSE ndash

WWW ORTHODOXWAYOFLIFE BLOGSPOT COM

E L D E R A R S E N I E ( P A P A C I O C ) O F R O M A N I A - O N M O N A S T I C I S M amp T H E M O N A S T I C L I F E

The Monastic Life cannot be defined by any quote Nophilosophical word can explain Monasticism TheMonastic Life ishellip an Entry into Paradise

It is no small thing to serve Christ and His Pure Motheryour whole life

If we give ourselves up to God He will not abandon us

Monks are not Perfect but they are in the makingT HE C ROSS OF THE M ONK IS CUTTING OFF HIS OWN WILL to giveup what he likes to carry what is not convenient

The Coenobitic [Communal] Life of RENOUNCING YOUR WILL IS

A G REAT W ORK IN G OD rsquo S C REATION Cutting off his will should be the main focus of the Monk

and not Solitude where he can do what he wants andnot to receive a Reward I F YOU EVADE O BEDIENCE YOU

HAVE STRAYED AND CANNOT GROW I F YOU DO NOT OBEY YOUR S PIRITUAL E LDER YOU WILL BE

ENSLAVED The state of DISOBEDIENCE IS DIABOLIC Wherever you are KEEP VIGILANT then you will live like

being in the desert hellip Y OU NEED TO KNOW HOW TO LIVE AS

A H ERMIT WHILE [ PHYSICALLY ] BEING IN THE MIDST OF THE

WORLD

We cannot talk about Hesychasm while having cakes on thetable

There is no Hermitage if you do not carry the pain of the[whole] world in your heart

R ENOUNCING THE WORLD CAN ALSO TAKE PLACE IN THE SOUL OF

THE LAYMAN Holy Scripture applies to everyone Theentire world received the Commandments

Entrance into a Monastery is an Entrance into Heaven andleaving the Monastery is leaving Paradise

No school can compare to Monastic Training

In the Monastery ONE IS SEPARATED FROM HIS HUMANPERSONALITY TO ENTER INTO THE A NGELIC R EIGN It meansthat BY LOSING YOURSELF YOU ARE AWAKENED

If one wishes to embrace the Monastic Life you cannot do itfor the sake of the Monastery but YOU OUGHT TO

BECOME ldquo THE M ONASTERY rdquoT HERE IS NO G RACE WITHOUT THE A BBOT rsquo S B LESSING hellip if I

have a Joy at my age [94] it is because I did not do onething without a Blessing

Satan hates Monasteries the most He is able to engage thewhole world against you (persuading them ) not to enterthe Monastery When you decide to go do not look

backOne cannot enter a Monastery for any other reason than the

Spiritual Life hellip O NLY AFTER YOU HAVE DIED TO YOURSELF THEN COME TO THE M ONASTERY

I T IS NO SMALL OR INSIGNIFICANT THING TO LIVE IN AM ONASTERY CONFIDENT IN YOUR P URPOSE AND WITHOUT

MURMURING

S T N E K T A R I O S O F A E G I N A

Brothers and Sisters our All-Merciful God desiresHappiness for us both in this life and in the Life tocome

To this end He established His Holy Church so that Shemight Cleanse us from sin Sanctify us Reconcile uswith Him and give us a Heavenly Blessing

The Embrace of the Church is always open to usLet us all hasten to Her more quickly - we whose

Conscience is burdenedLet us hasten and the Holy Church of Christ will lift the

weight of our burdens give us Boldness before Godand fill our hearts with Happiness and Blessedness

S T S E R A P H I M O F S A R O V

We cannot be too gentle too kind Avoid even to appearharsh in our treatment of each other

Joy - radiant Joy - streams from the Face of Him Who gives

and kindles Joy in the heart of those who receiveAll Condemnation is from the devil Never

condemn each other We condemn others only because we ignore or avoid knowing ourselves

When we gaze at our own failings we see such a swampthat nothing in another can equal it That is why weturn away and make much of the faults of others

Instead of condemning others strive to reach Inner PeaceKeep silent refrain from judgement This will raise youabove the deadly arrows of slander insult and outrageand will shield your glowing hearts against all evil


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 2932S T D I M I T R I O S T H E M Y R R H - S T R E A M I N G M I R A C L E W O R K E R O F T H E S S A L O N I K A - 2 6 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5 29



2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

St Dimitrios the Myrrh-streaming Wonderworkeramp Great Holy Martyr of Thessalonika

Also the Commemoration of the Great Earthquake in Constantinople ndash Feast of St

Theophilos of Kiev Caves Monastery ndash St Lupos Faithful Servant of St Dimitrios ofThessalonika ndash S Athanasios of Medikion Monastery ndash St Demetrios of Basarvov Bulgaria

ndash St Joseph of Dionysiou Monastery Mount Athos ndash St Demetrios of Tsilibinsk

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N O F T H E G R E A T E A R T H Q U A K E

O epivlepon epi tin gin ke pion aftin tremin Rise ims tis

foveras tou sismou apilis Hriste O Theos imon kekatapempson imin plousia ta Elei Sou Presvies tis

Theotokou Mone Filanthrope

Thou Who surveys all of the Earth and causes her totremble deliver us all from the frightful fear of thequake O Christ our God and bestow upon us Thy

Mercies abundantly by the Intercessions of theTheotokos O only True Friend of mankind

F E S T A L A P O L Y T I K I O N O F S T D I M I T R I O S O F T H E S S A L O N I K A ndash T O N E 3

M egan evrato en tis kindinis se ipermahon i ikoumeni

Athiofore ta theni tropoumenon Os oun Lieou kathilestin eparsin en to stadio tharrinas ton Nestora outosAgie Megalomartis Dimitrie Hriston ton Theon iketevedorisasthe imin to Mega Eleos

Verily the inhabited world found Thee a great Comfort

in Tribulations and a Conqueror of Nations O Fight- bearing One Wherefore as Thou demolished thearrogance of Lahosh and on the battlefield heartenedNestor beseech O Saint Demetrios Christ God togrant us His Great Mercy



Piitin ametathete mi Paridis amartolon Deiseon fonasalla profthason os Agathi is tin voithian imon tonPistos kravgazonton Si Tahinon is Presvian ke spefson

is Ikesian i Prostatevousa Ai Theotoke ton TimontonSe


the Creator Immovable despise not the pleadingvoices of those in sin but hasten O Good One to theHelp of all of us who in Faith cry out to Thee speed

up Thine Intercession and press on Thy SupplicationO Theotokos who always protects all those whohonour Thee

T H E H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T L U K E 2 1 1 2 ndash 1 9S I G N S B E F O R E E T E R N I T Y

At that time our Lord Jesus said to His Disciples ldquo Beware of men they will lay hands on you and persecute youdelivering you up to the Synagogues and prisons You will be brought before Kings and Rulers for My Namersquos sakeIt will turn out for you as an occasion for Testimony Settle it therefore in your heart not to meditate beforehandon what you will answer I will give you a mouth and Wisdom that all you adversaries will not be able to contradictor resist

ldquo You will be betrayed even by parents and relatives and friends and brothers And they will put some of you to deathAnd you will be hated by all for My Namersquos sake And not a hair of your head shall be lost

ldquo By your Patience possess your soulrdquo

P R O K E I M E N O N ndash P S A L M 6 3 ndash T O N E ( 7 ) V A R Y S G R A V E T he Righteous shall be glad in the Lord

H ear O God my voice

T H E S E C O N D E P I S T L E O F S T P A U L T O S T T I M O T H Y 2 1 ndash 1 0T R A N S M I T T I N G T H E F A I T H

Timothy my Son be Strong in the Grace that is in Christ Jesus And the things that you have heard from me among manywitnesses commit to Faithful men who will be able to teach others also

You therefore must endure hardship as a Good Soldier of Jesus Christ No one engaged in Warfare entangles himself withthe affairs of this life that he may please Him Who enlisted him as a Soldier Anyone who competes in athletics is notCrowned unless he competes according to the Rules The hardworking Farmer must be the first to partake of thecrops

Consider what I say May the Lord grant you Understanding in all thingsRemember that Jesus Christ of the Seed of David was raised from the dead according to my Gospel for which I suffer

trouble as an evildoer - even to the point of chains - but the Word of God is not chainedTherefore I endure all things for the sake of the Elect ndash that they also may obtain the Salvation which is in Christ Jesus

with Eternal Glory

St Paul established a clear chain of Faithful Witnesses to Oral

Tradition Christian Tradition is for all Believers Christian Tradition is ldquoCatholicrdquo ndash Universal Christian Tradition belongs to the entire Holy Church of

Christ Christian Tradition is to be most carefully preserved in

Divine Truth and Spiritual Perfection

Christian Tradition is to be passed down to all

generations ndash without any hindrance without anychange and without incorrect interpretationsThis stands in clear contrast to the elitism of the major

religions of the 1st century Roman world including

Gnosticism and the various lsquomysterious religionsrsquoFaithful Ministry requires discipline Obedience Self-denial Spiritual Struggle


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 303230 S T D I M I T R I O S T H E M Y R R H - S T R E A M I N G M I R A C L E W O R K E R O F T H E S S A L O N I K A - 2 6 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5

Our icons models or examples are soldiers athletes andfarmers who constantly strive with all their being to

achieve their goals

H O L Y G O S P E L A C C O R D I N G T O S T J O H N 1 5 1 7 ndash 1 6 2T H E U N R E A S O N A B L E I L L O G I C A L amp U N J U S T H A T R E D O F T H E F A L L E N W O R L D

At that time our Lord Jesus Christ said to His Disciples ldquoThese things I command you so that you Love one anotherIf the world hates you you know that it hated Me before it hated you If you were of the world the world wouldlove its own Yet ndash because you are not of the world ndash for I chose you out of the world ndash the world hates you

ldquoRemember the Word I spoke to you lsquoA servant is not greater than his Masterrsquo If they persecuted Me they will alsopersecute you If they kept My Word they will keep yours also But all these things they will do to you for MyNamersquos sake for they do not know Him Who sent Me

ldquoIf I had not come and spoken to them they would have had no sin Now they have no excuse for their sin Those whohate Me hate My Father also If I had not done among them the Works that no one else has done they would have

no sin Now they have seen and yet hate both Me and My Father Yet this happened so that the Word might befulfilled which is written in their Law lsquoThey hated Me without causersquoldquoWhen the Comforter comes Whom I shall send to you from the Father ndash the Spirit of Truth ndash Who Proceeds from the

Father - He will Testify of Me And you also will bear Witness for you have been with Me from the beginningldquoThese things I have spoken to you so that you should not be made to stumble They will expel you from the

Synagogues But the Hour is coming when whoever kills you will think that he offers service to Godrdquo

The term ldquoWorldrdquo is used in several distinct ways in HolyScripture

In some cases it refers to all that is glorious beautiful andRedeemable in Godrsquos wondrous Creation

At other times it refers to that which is finite in contrast tothat which is Eternal

In still other instances ndash as in this case ndash it indicates allthat is in rebellion against the Lord our God

JOHN 823 ndash ldquo(Christ) said to the Judeans lsquoYou are frombeneath I Am from Above You are of this world

I Am not of this worldrdquoThe rebellion of this fallen world against God revealsseveral aspects

1 While Union with Christ brings us His Love Truth andPeace it also brings us persecution because the world hates Love and Truth

2 The world hated Christ so therefore it hates all who tryto be Christ-like ndash ie Christian

3 The world hates because it neither knows nor desiresto know God the Father

4 Hatred for our Lord Jesus Christ is utterly irrationalillogical and unreasonable for He brings allhumanity His infinite Divine Love and GreatMercy

Consequently as prophesied so many centuries beforeour Great Saviour is ldquohated without a cause rdquo

With respect to Godrsquos Working Salvation in our world God

the Son sends our Divine Comforter ndash God the HolySpirit from the Father

With respect to the Divine Nature the Holy Spirit EternallyProceeds from God the Father exclusively

In other words God the Holy Spirit receives His EternalExistence ONLY from God the Father

In conformity with our Lord Jesus Christrsquos Words theNicene-Constantinopolitan Creed Confesses belief

ldquo in the Holy Spirit ndash the Lord ndash the Giver of Life WhoProceeds from the Fatherrdquo

While God the Son is Begotten of God the Father alonethe Holy Spirit Proceeds from God the Father alone

The Source ndash the Fountainhead ndash of both Persons of Godthe Son and God the Holy Spirit ndash is God the Father

Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us these DivineRevelations to teach us and to reveal His Eternal Absolute and Perfect Truth so that we will understandthem fully and are able to differentiate between His

Divine Truth and manrsquos flawed limited and erroneousideas that are utterly imperfect often heretical andcompletely wrong

Our Lord God does not want us to be deceived andmisled by Satanrsquos lies and deceptions that can causeour Fall from Divine Grace Spiritual Death confusionfrustration and alienation from God and all HisGoodness

Knowledge is indeed power ndash so we must always measureeverything we see hear or think by the Divine TruthTeachings and Commandments of Christ our Saviour Who never fails us at all

Finally our Lord Jesus Christ clearly warns us that we willbe persecuted by self-deluded slaves of Satan who will be convinced that they are serving the Divine Willof Almighty God

Tragically however they are serving the evil one and

certainly not our Loving Peaceful andCompassionate Lord God

As faithful Disciples of Christ we must always be ready toface animosity and persecution confident in our Faithand knowing that God will Deliver us from the evilone and his deadly machinations

T H E E T E R N A L I N S P I R E D W I S D O M O F O U R H O L Y C H U R C H F A T H E R S

983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109

What have we done What have we done Christ has left usWe have driven Him away Our hatreds our pride ourpharisaical self-sufficiency have driven out the HolySpirit of the Gospel And Christ has gone Christ hasgone

Oh how satisfied we are with ourselves We are lsquothe Purersquowe possess the Truth and yet we condemn others

But life and history go on They are knocking at the doorsof the Church and putting ultimate questions to us

Everything is changing The scientific revolution isadvancing it is modifying and not only ourenvironment but ourselves our education ourrelationship between the sexes our psychology andtomorrow perhaps our heredity and character as well

Not that science and technology necessarily build a worldwithout God as is sometimes said But they force usand they will force us more and more to ask where allthis is going - what is the meaning of it all What is themeaning of our own life

What is most lacking among us of the Church is the Spiritof Christ Humility Selflessness an open welcome thecapacity of seeing the best in others

We are afraid - we want to hang on to what is over anddone with - because we are used to it We want to

be right over against the others and under a

language of conventional humility we hide the spirit ofpride and power

We carry on apart from life We have made the Church intoan lsquoorganizationrsquo - just like all the others We have putall our energy into setting it up and now we put all ourenergy into keeping it going And it works more or less -rather less than more - but it works Only it works like amachine and not like Life ndash not Life in Christ

D I A D O CH O S O F P H O T I KEacute ( C 400- BE F O R E 486)

Anyone who Loves God in the depths of the heart hasalready been Loved by God

In fact the measure of our Love for God depends upon howdeeply aware we are of Godrsquos Love for us

When this Awareness is keen it makes us long to beEnlightened by the Divine Light and this longing is sointense that it seems to penetrate our very bones

We lose all consciousness of ourselves and are entirelyTransformed by the Love of God and while we live inthis life we do not live in it for although we still inhabitour body we constantly leave it in spirit for the Love that

draws us to GodOnce the Love of God has released us from self-love theflame of Divine Love never ceases to burn in our heart

and we remain United to God by an IrresistibleLonging




All Glory Honour and Worship to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit now and Forever and unto the Ages of Ages AmenRemembering also our Most Holy Most Pure Most Blessed and Glorious Lady Mary Theotokos yet Ever Virgin together with all the Saints And let us commit ourselves and one another andour whole Life to Christ our God Amen

1 O c t o b e r amp 2 8 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


Also the Feast of St Terrence St Neonilla St Sarbelos St Photios St Theodoulos St

Hierax St Nitos St Vele and St Eunice (their children) of Syria amp Carthage ndash St Stephen

the Hymnographer of St Savvas Monastery ndash St Arsenios of Pech Zhicha Monastery amp

Serbia ndash St Paraskeva of Iconium ndash St Job Abbot amp Wonderworker of Pochaev ndash StDemetrios Metropolitan of Rostov ndash St Nestor of Kiev Caves (not the Chronicler) ndash St

Afrikanos St Maximos amp St Pompeius amp fellow Martyrs of Carthage ndash St Kyriakos

Patriarch of Jerusalem (a former Jew who revealed to Empress Helen the location of

the Life-giving Cross of Christ) ndash St John the Chozebite Bishop of Caesarea Palestine

ndash St Neophytos of Urbanisi Georgia ndash St Athanasios 1 the Younger Patriarch of

Constantinople ndash St Arsenios of Cappadocia









Thou protects those who hope in Thee Thou hastgranted to Thy nation as a Mighty Shelter becauseas of old even now Thou miraculously Saved us byenveloping Thy people like a Spiritual Cloud

Wherefore we implore Thee Grant Peace to Thycommonwealth and to our souls Great Mercy



Piitin ametathete mi Paridis amartolon Deiseon fonasalla profthason os Agathi is tin voithian imon tonPistos kravgazonton Si Tahinon is Presvian ke spefsonis ikesian i prostatevousa ai Theotoke ton TimontonSe


the Creator Immovable despise not the pleadingvoices of those in sin but hasten O Good One to theAid of all who in Faith cry out to Thee speed up ThineIntercession and press on Thy Supplication OTheotokos who forever protects all those who honourThee






my Saviour



first part in which was the Lampstand and the Table and the Showbread which is called lsquothe Sanctuaryrsquo Behind theSecond Veil the part of the Tabernacle which is called the lsquoHoly of Holiesrsquo which had the Golden Censer and the Arkof the Covenant overlaid on all sides with gold in which were the Golden Pot that contained the Manna the Rod ofAaron that budded and the Tablets of the Covenant Above it were the Cherubim of Glory overshadowing the MercySeat Of these things we cannot these days speak in detail When these things had been prepared in the first part ofthe Tabernacle the Services were always performed by the Priests In the second part the High Priest went alone oncea year ndash not without blood which he offered for himself and for the peoplersquos sins committed in ignorance

THIS IS A DESCRIPTION OF THE MOSAIC T ABERNACLE WHICH

PREFIGURED THE HEAVENLY A LTARThis passage is read during the Great Feasts of our Lady

Theotokos and Advent (before the Feast of the Nativityof Christ) in order to describe the Great Holy Mysteryof the Incarnation of the Eternal Son of God

THE E VER BLESSED E VER V IRGIN M ARYrsquoS W OMB WAS PREPARED TO

BE THE HOLY T ABERNACLE OF CHRIST ndash THE VERY D WELLING

PLACE OF THE LORD OUR GOD A most important detail in St Paulrsquos Epistle to the Hebrews

concerns THE INNER V EIL ndash THE SECOND V EIL ndash WHICH

SEPARATES THE HOLY PLACE ndash THE HOLY S ANCTUARY ndash FROM

THE MOST HOLY PLACE ndash THE HOLY OF HOLIES OR THE HOLIEST

OF A LL WHICH CONTAINED THE MYSTERIOUS A RK OF THE

COVENANT AND INTO WHICH ONLY THE HIGH PRIEST COULD

ENTER ON ONLY ONE DAY A YEARThe Inner Veil forms THE LOCUS OF THE LITURGICAL PRACTICE

OF THE OLD COVENANT and reveals its imperfection ndash forthe people could not draw close to God and the HighPriest could only enter the Holy of Holies once a yearfor his own sins as well as those of the people

At His Death on the Cross OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST RESOLVED

OUR ALIENATION AND ESTRANGEMENT FROM GOD (MATTHEW2751)

THE A RK OF THE COVENANT CONTAINED ALL THE PRECIOUS HOLY

RELICS OF THE OLD COVENANT AND OF ISRAEL ndash THE GOLDEN

POT OF M ANNA A ARONrsquoS ROD AND THE STONE T ABLETS OF THE

MOSAIC L AW given to the ancient Patriarch by GodHimself


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 3232

GOD IS ENTHRONED UPON THE CHERUBIM hence Godrsquos Thronein the midst of Israel ndash the Mercy Seat ndash had a Cherubdepicted on each side

THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN HOLY A LTAR IS ALSO FLANKED BY

DEPICTION OF THE CHERUBIMTHESE REPRESENTATIONS along with the images of the Holy

Cherubim on the Inner Veil and the beauty anddetailed workmanship of everything that was madefor the Holy Tabernacle SERVED AS THE FIRST HOLY ICONS

OF THE OLD COVENANT (EXODUS 2631)

This and various other passages PUT TO REST THE FEAR THAT

THE SECOND DIVINE COMMANDMENT OF GOD PROHIBITS ALL

IMAGERY (EXODUS 20 4 ndash 6)

God the Father and God the Holy Spirit cannot berepresented or depicted because their Divine Natureis unknowable and hence cannot be depicted

Their Eternal Unity and Presence with Christ is usuallydepicted as two differently coloured shapes behind theFigure of our Lord such as in the Holy Icon of theTransfiguration

The depiction of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit asan Old Man and a White Dove is a modern westerninfluenced heresy because the Persons of the HolyTrinity may only be depicted as three identical ldquoAngelsrdquosuch as at the Oaks of Mamre ndash ldquothe Hospitality ofAbrahamrdquo

They NEVER manifested visibly at any other time and ourLord Jesus Christ clearly told His Disciples that whoeverhas seen Him has also seen His Co-Eternal Co-Essential

Father (and thus also the Holy Spirit) mp

However God the Son ndash our Lord and Saviour Jesus

Christ - can be depicted according to His Incarnation

for He is God-Man and thus His human Nature canand is imaged

Furthermore Christ left a photographic image upon Hisdiscarded burial clothes ndash on the inner Face Cloth which He left neatly folded - and on the long Shroud which were both left in His Empty Tomb after HisGlorious Resurrection

When St Peter and St John entered the Empty Tomb they were immediately amazed by the Precious Holy Relicsthat had been left behind

In many churches the Holy Icon of Christ Not Made byHands is depicted being held aloft by two Cherubimsituated over the Royal Gates of the Iconostasion

While Priests were allowed to enter the Holy Place dailyonly the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies onthe one Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)

The High Priest entered the Holy of Holies carrying theblood of sacrificed animals for the atonement of hisown sins as well as those of the people

This annual Blood Sacrifice reveals the imperfection andtemporary status of the Old Covenant for only oneman could enter into Godrsquos Divine Presence ndash but notcontinually ndash and only to repeat the annual SacrificialOffering for his and the peoplersquos sins

Furthermore that Blood Sacrifice dealt entirely withmaterials from this age which are imperfect andimpermanent ndash which cannot begin a participation inthe Age to come

In addition that imperfect Atonement Offering dealtmainly with the outer being for it was superficial andcould not purify mankindrsquos heart mind or soul ndash let

alone Restore our fallen human nature




THESE VERSES ARE READ ON MOST OF THE GREAT FEASTS OF OUR

L ADY THEOTOKOS ldquoM ARY rdquo AND ldquoM ARTHA rdquo ARE THE SISTERS OF ST L AZAROS (who

had been dead for four days and whom our LordJesus Christ had resurrected)

OUR LORD JESUS DID NOT REBUKE ST M ARTHA FOR SERVING BUT

RATHER FOR COMPLAINING AND FOR BEING SO DISTRACTED WORRIED AND TROUBLED BY SO MANY DIFFERENT THINGS THAT

SHE PROBABLY NEVER HEARD A W ORD THAT HE SPOKEInstead of listening to what He was saying even while

busy with her serving ST M ARTHA WAS FOCUSSED ON HER

OWN SELFISH NEEDS AND CONCERNSIn following our Lord Jesus Christ WE SERVE IN ORDER TO

FACILITATE THE SPREAD OF HIS HOLY GOSPEL (ACTS 6 1 ndash 4)

In the second portion of todayrsquos Sacred Lesson CHRIST

CORRECTS THE WOMAN who shouted from the gatheredcrowd ndash NOT BY DENOUNCING HIS A LL PURE MOTHER BUT

BY EMPHASISING HER HUMILITY AND OBEDIENCE WHICH

EPITOMISED HER UNSHAKABLE F AITH

A LL HUMANITY IS BLESSED BY GOD WHEN WE HEAR THE W ORD OF

GOD AND ldquoKEEP ITrdquo

W E ARE BLESSED WHEN WE HEAR AND ACCEPT THEDIVINE TRUTH AND W ISDOM AND APPLY IT TO

OURSELVES ndash our own lifestyle words thoughtsand deeds

W E ARE BLESSED WHEN WE APPLY ALL GODrsquoSCOMMANDMENTS AND TEACHINGS TO OUR WORDS THOUGHTS AND DEEDS

The Greek word lsquomenoungersquo ndash which is rendered in thistranslation as ldquo more than that rdquo is actually ldquoYesindeedrdquo (REFER TO ROMANS1018)

This particular word therefore CORRECTS BY AMPLIFYING ndash

NOT BY NEGATING

E L D E R C L E O P A O N T H E V E N E R A T I O N O F O U R E V E R B L E S S E D A L L H O L Y L A D Y T H E O T O K O S

The Veneration that we render unto Her is called lsquohonorificand reverentialrsquo as She is the Mother of our Lord JesusChrist - having not only a Spiritual Relationship with

Him as happens with other Saints but also a physicalUnion with HimBeing elevated by God higher than the other Holy Saints

and Heavenly Hosts those in Heaven and on EarthVenerate Her as Archangel Gabriel had done at theAnnunciation and in similar manner so had HerMotherrsquos sister St Elizabeth (Mother of St John theBaptist)

The Holy Virgin Herself prophesied by the Holy Spiritldquohenceforth all generations shall call me BlessedFor He Who is Mighty has done Great Things withme (LUKE 148-49)

Consequently the Honour rendered to Her is according tothe Divine Will of God

Our prayers to Her such as Most Holy Theotokos Saveus or We have no other hope beside Thee do not

deny the Uniqueness of Christ as the Mediator of ourSalvation yet neither are we indifferent to therendering of any sort of help related to our

threats illness temptations etcAlthough only God can Save us we can also ask our Holy

Mother Mary to Save or Redeem us by Her Intercessory

Prayers and through Her Watchfulness over usWhen we ask our Lady Theotokos to Save us we are notasking Her for the forgiveness of sins and other aspectsof our Eternal Salvation that only God can grant us butwe mean that we need Her to Intercede with Christ onour behalf for She is a constituent part of our Worshipof Her Divine Son and God Who chose Her and BlessedHer as His Mother

Holy Scripture often referred to Her Genesis 315 ndash Isaiah 713 ndash Luke 128 ndash Luke 140-43 ndash

Luke 251 ndash John 23-10 ndash John 1926-27Furthermore She will be standing at the right hand of the

Throne of Her Son at the Last Judgement How can we not honour the Mother of God when even the

Holy Archangel of God St Gabriel esteemed Her worthyof honourable Veneration

How can we not venerate the Theotokos who is the Churchof the King of Glory and is Glorified above theHeavens since She bore in Her Womb God Whose


httpslidepdfcomreaderfull2015-october-sacred-lessons 2322 T H E H O L Y P R O T E C T I O N O F O U R L A D Y T H E O T O K O S ndash 1 amp 2 8 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5

T H E F E A S T O F T H E H O L Y P R O T E C T I O N O F O U R L A D Y T H E O T O K O S In the Church in Blachernae a suburb of Constantinople St

Andrew - a Fool for Christ - saw the Mother of GodThis took place around 0400 during the All Night VigilSt Andrew saw our Lady Theotokos in Heaven praying for

the worldSt Andrew then turned and asked his disciple St

Epiphanios ldquoDo you see the Queen and Lady prayingfor the worldrdquo

And St Epiphanios replied ldquoI see and I am stricken withfearrdquo

TOGETHER THEY WATCHED AS OUR EVER BLESSED LADY

THEOTOKOS FERVENTLY PRAYED AND WEPT WHICHCONTINUED FOR A LONG TIME BEFORE SHE ENTERED THE

HOLY SANCTUARY OF THE BLACHERNAE CHURCH AND

CONTINUED HER PRAYERSTHE ALL PURE MOTHER OF GOD THEN REMOVED HER VEIL which

shone as bright as lightning AND SPREAD IT OVER THE

ENTIRE WORLD St Andrew and St Epiphanios were most privileged to

experience such a Wondrous Holy Vision while theother Faithful worshippers remained totally unaware ofwas happening

Suddenly the Vision ceased and our Lady Theotokos andHer Protecting Veil were no longer visible

However THE GRACE OF THIS VISION REMAINED ndash and althoughIt was invisible to others at the time THE HOLY

PROTECTION OF OUR LADY CONTINUES TO AFFECT THE LIFE

OF THE FAITHFUL - not only of those who were presentat that time for it continues to work in us today

The Holy Protection as symbolised by our Ladyrsquos Veilcontinues unabated to Spiritually Protect the Faithfulthroughout the world

Who has not experienced the Grace-filled Protection of theAll Holy Theotokos in our Life

We have all ardently prayed with tears of sorrow before anIcon of the Most Holy Mother of God our Protectressour Patron Saint and our Most Holy Intercessor

There was a man who had been brought up by his piousmother to repeat the Salutation of the Archangel ldquoOVirgin Mother Hail Mary full of Grace the Lord iswith Theerdquo

In later years he dropped this pious customOne day he was talking with a Holy Monk who asked him

why he had abandoned the Prayer to our LadyTheotokos

The man replied ldquoI simply forgot about it You know how itisrdquo

And the Monk told him ldquoWell the Mother of God did notforget yourdquo 983072

And he went on to relate how that man had been in dangermany times but the Prayer on his lips had protectedhim

ldquoYou may not have been aware my Son but the Motherof God was always with you while you prayedrdquo

Unfortunately not everyone sees the Holy Protection of theMother of God - not everyone is aware of this constantHoly Protection

To feel - to know this - we need Faith

WE NEED TO LOOK UP TO HEAVEN AND TO ENGAGE IN SPIRITUALCONVERSATIONS

But for the most part we look down at the ground at themire of this life

We need to raise our gaze upwards - to see with the eyes ofFaith and - like St Andrew and St Epiphanios - see theGrace-Filled Actions of the Ever Blessed Theotokos inour Life

An unintelligent person while struggling to make progressalong the muddy paths of life who fails to lift up hishead believes that there is nothing but the mud

beneath his feetTo him we say ldquoLift up your eyes Look up And you will

see - not mud - but the shining magnificent Heavenabove yourdquo

Unbelievers think that there is nothing but the mire of this

worldly life - that there is only this physical world withall its corruption and death

And while travelling along this gloomy road they refuse tosee the beauty of the heavens

They cannot behold the Protecting Veil of the Ever BlessedTheotokos which is spread over the world

We need to SEE THE HEAVENSWe need to TEAR OUR GAZE FROM THE EARTH beneath our feetWe need to OPEN UP OUR HEART so that Divine Grace may

enter and dwell within usWe need to BE AWARE OF THE CONTINUOUS HOLY PROTECTION

AND FERVENT PRAYERS OF OUR BELOVED LADY - THE

MOTHER OF GOD

P LEASE N OTE T HE F EAST OF THE H OLY P ROTECTION OF OUR E VER B LESSED L ADY

T HEOTOKOS IS COMMEMORATED ON 1 O CTOBER IN THE R USSIAN O RTHODOX

C HURCH ALL OTHER S LAVIC CHURCHES AND ELSEWHERE H OWEVER THE

G REEKS HAVE TRANSFERRED THIS F EAST D AY TO 28 O CTOBER WHICH IS THEIRSECOND N ATIONAL D AY ndash O XI D AY - WHEN THEY RESISTED THE INVADING

I TALIAN A RMED F ORCES IN THE S ECOND W ORLD W AR IN 1940

T E M P T A T I O N S W I T H I N T H E H O L Y C H U R C H O F C H R I S T We are concerned with the Holy Church of Christ as lsquoidearsquo

as lsquoinstitutionrsquo as lsquoan organizationrsquo as a lsquoteachingrsquoWe are concerned with regard to the Holy Services and the

Choir the social and cultural groups and the lsquoReligiousInstructionrsquo and lsquoChurch-Tourismrsquo and so forth

It is not that these concerns are sometimes unimportant

But THERE IS ldquoONE THING NEEDFUL rdquo - THE P URIFICATION

OF THE HEART AND THE A CQUISITION OF THE H OLY

S PIRIT This is a deviation from the essence of the matter that

keeps those who are considered Believers ndash mostPriests and their Holy Flock equally ndash pagansWORSHIPPING THEMSELVES SEEKING THEIR OWN GLORY

They are ONLY CONCERNED WITH THEIR OWN POWER AND THEIR

OWN REPUTATION AND THEIR OWN HONOUR They are SATISFIED WITH ONLY THE OUTWARD FORM OF THE

WORSHIP OF G OD What is sought in any case - in the understanding of the

people - is NOT CHANGE OF HEART BUT RATHER SOME

PRACTICES AND THE KEEPING OF CERTAIN lsquo OBLIGATIONS rsquo AND

GIVING MERE LIP SERVICE

In what pertains to the exterior of the Church today it issometimes - but not always - gleaming by worldlystandards - SOULS GRAZING IN THEIR OWN IMPURITIES AND

LACK OF AWARENESS Is this not THE IDEAL CHURCH THAT THE DEVIL DESIRES AND

LORDS OVER Is this not A WORLDLY CHURCH THAT IS MERELY RITUALISTIC -

like a museum - NOMINAL lsquoC HRISTIANITY rsquo BUT WITHOUT

C HRIST AND WITHOUT H OLINESS AND WITHOUT T RUTH AND

WITHOUT G OD THE H OLY S PIRIT AND WITHOUT N EW L IFE -

FILLED WITH THE THOUGHTS OF THE WORLD AND THECONCERNS OF THE WORLD

Is this not the church that most people receive today andfor which they work

T HE DEVIL HAS SUCCEEDED in making people think that thisis lsquo THE lsquo TRUE rsquo AND DESIRABLE CHURCH OF MODERNITY rsquo

This is exactly A CHURCH AGAINST C HRIST And we - WITHOUT OUR ATTENTION TO H OLINESS - are

building it contentedly persistently and continuously A RCHIMANDRITE T HOMAS B ITAR - A BBOT OF S T S ILOUN THE A THONITE D OUMA

LEBANON

M E T R O P O L I T A N A N T H O N Y B L O O M

Every one of us is in the Image of God and every one of usis like a damaged Icon But if we were given an Icondamaged by time damaged by circumstances ordesecrated by human hatred we would treat it withReverence with Tenderness with Broken-heartednessWe would not pay attention primarily to the factthat it is damaged but to the tragedy of its beingdamaged We would concentrate on what is left ofits Beauty and not on what is lost of its Beauty

And this is what we must learn to do with regard toeach person as an individual but also ndash and this is

not always as easy ndash with regard to groups of peoplewhether it be a Parish or a Denomination or a Nation

We must learn to look and look until we have seen theunderlying Beauty of this group of people Only thencan we even begin to do something to call out all the

Beauty that is there Listen to other people andwhenever you Discern something that sounds truewhich is a Revelation of Harmony and Beautyemphasize it and help it to flower Strengthen itand Encourage it to live





3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5




Horeb



































renounced it







St Paul emphasised



2


to seek Him


God











unchallenged






Life in Christ
























misdirected









Wheat and the Tares











his Holy Gospel






















4 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5









































Way



meagre efforts






























































































































(TO BE CONTINUED)























Loving Father



















































6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5




































































































7 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5





Khevi Georgia













































































































Tone 2 1 1 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

19t h



























































































SOUL


























































































Amen












































Tone 3 1 8 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

20t h













































































SAMUEL 299 2 SAMUEL 1417-20 1927


LUKE 727
























19 16-19)


WHEREVER H E GOES








18 10 ndash 20)

















2 CORINTHIANS 122)












CHANGED ON E ARTH



























1810)



































































































2 0 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

















































































































2 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5























so was St Paul




SUBMISSION

























































yourself before God











































T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING





















3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5




Horeb



































renounced it







St Paul emphasised



2


to seek Him


God











unchallenged






Life in Christ
























misdirected









Wheat and the Tares











his Holy Gospel






















4 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5









































Way



meagre efforts






























































































































(TO BE CONTINUED)























Loving Father



















































6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5




































































































7 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5





Khevi Georgia













































































































Tone 2 1 1 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

19t h



























































































SOUL


























































































Amen












































Tone 3 1 8 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

20t h













































































SAMUEL 299 2 SAMUEL 1417-20 1927


LUKE 727
























19 16-19)


WHEREVER H E GOES








18 10 ndash 20)

















2 CORINTHIANS 122)












CHANGED ON E ARTH



























1810)



































































































2 0 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

















































































































2 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5























so was St Paul




SUBMISSION

























































yourself before God











































T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING





















renounced it







St Paul emphasised



2


to seek Him


God











unchallenged






Life in Christ
























misdirected









Wheat and the Tares











his Holy Gospel






















4 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5









































Way



meagre efforts






























































































































(TO BE CONTINUED)























Loving Father



















































6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5




































































































7 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5





Khevi Georgia













































































































Tone 2 1 1 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

19t h



























































































SOUL


























































































Amen












































Tone 3 1 8 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

20t h













































































SAMUEL 299 2 SAMUEL 1417-20 1927


LUKE 727
























19 16-19)


WHEREVER H E GOES








18 10 ndash 20)

















2 CORINTHIANS 122)












CHANGED ON E ARTH



























1810)



































































































2 0 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

















































































































2 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5























so was St Paul




SUBMISSION

























































yourself before God











































T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING





















4 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5









































Way



meagre efforts






























































































































(TO BE CONTINUED)























Loving Father



















































6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5




































































































7 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5





Khevi Georgia













































































































Tone 2 1 1 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

19t h



























































































SOUL


























































































Amen












































Tone 3 1 8 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

20t h













































































SAMUEL 299 2 SAMUEL 1417-20 1927


LUKE 727
























19 16-19)


WHEREVER H E GOES








18 10 ndash 20)

















2 CORINTHIANS 122)












CHANGED ON E ARTH



























1810)



































































































2 0 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

















































































































2 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5























so was St Paul




SUBMISSION

























































yourself before God











































T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING




































































































































(TO BE CONTINUED)























Loving Father



















































6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5




































































































7 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5





Khevi Georgia













































































































Tone 2 1 1 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

19t h



























































































SOUL


























































































Amen












































Tone 3 1 8 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

20t h













































































SAMUEL 299 2 SAMUEL 1417-20 1927


LUKE 727
























19 16-19)


WHEREVER H E GOES








18 10 ndash 20)

















2 CORINTHIANS 122)












CHANGED ON E ARTH



























1810)



































































































2 0 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

















































































































2 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5























so was St Paul




SUBMISSION

























































yourself before God











































T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING




























Loving Father



















































6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5




































































































7 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5





Khevi Georgia













































































































Tone 2 1 1 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

19t h



























































































SOUL


























































































Amen












































Tone 3 1 8 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

20t h













































































SAMUEL 299 2 SAMUEL 1417-20 1927


LUKE 727
























19 16-19)


WHEREVER H E GOES








18 10 ndash 20)

















2 CORINTHIANS 122)












CHANGED ON E ARTH



























1810)



































































































2 0 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

















































































































2 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5























so was St Paul




SUBMISSION

























































yourself before God











































T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING





















6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5




































































































7 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5





Khevi Georgia













































































































Tone 2 1 1 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

19t h



























































































SOUL


























































































Amen












































Tone 3 1 8 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

20t h













































































SAMUEL 299 2 SAMUEL 1417-20 1927


LUKE 727
























19 16-19)


WHEREVER H E GOES








18 10 ndash 20)

















2 CORINTHIANS 122)












CHANGED ON E ARTH



























1810)



































































































2 0 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

















































































































2 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5























so was St Paul




SUBMISSION

























































yourself before God











































T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING











































































7 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5





Khevi Georgia













































































































Tone 2 1 1 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

19t h



























































































SOUL


























































































Amen












































Tone 3 1 8 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

20t h













































































SAMUEL 299 2 SAMUEL 1417-20 1927


LUKE 727
























19 16-19)


WHEREVER H E GOES








18 10 ndash 20)

















2 CORINTHIANS 122)












CHANGED ON E ARTH



























1810)



































































































2 0 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

















































































































2 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5























so was St Paul




SUBMISSION

























































yourself before God











































T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING
























































































Tone 2 1 1 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

19t h



























































































SOUL


























































































Amen












































Tone 3 1 8 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

20t h













































































SAMUEL 299 2 SAMUEL 1417-20 1927


LUKE 727
























19 16-19)


WHEREVER H E GOES








18 10 ndash 20)

















2 CORINTHIANS 122)












CHANGED ON E ARTH



























1810)



































































































2 0 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

















































































































2 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5























so was St Paul




SUBMISSION

























































yourself before God











































T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING
































































SOUL


























































































Amen












































Tone 3 1 8 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

20t h













































































SAMUEL 299 2 SAMUEL 1417-20 1927


LUKE 727
























19 16-19)


WHEREVER H E GOES








18 10 ndash 20)

















2 CORINTHIANS 122)












CHANGED ON E ARTH



























1810)



































































































2 0 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

















































































































2 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5























so was St Paul




SUBMISSION

























































yourself before God











































T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING































































































Amen












































Tone 3 1 8 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

20t h













































































SAMUEL 299 2 SAMUEL 1417-20 1927


LUKE 727
























19 16-19)


WHEREVER H E GOES








18 10 ndash 20)

















2 CORINTHIANS 122)












CHANGED ON E ARTH



























1810)



































































































2 0 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

















































































































2 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5























so was St Paul




SUBMISSION

























































yourself before God











































T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING





















Tone 3 1 8 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

20t h













































































SAMUEL 299 2 SAMUEL 1417-20 1927


LUKE 727
























19 16-19)


WHEREVER H E GOES








18 10 ndash 20)

















2 CORINTHIANS 122)












CHANGED ON E ARTH



























1810)



































































































2 0 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

















































































































2 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5























so was St Paul




SUBMISSION

























































yourself before God











































T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING




















































SAMUEL 299 2 SAMUEL 1417-20 1927


LUKE 727
























19 16-19)


WHEREVER H E GOES








18 10 ndash 20)

















2 CORINTHIANS 122)












CHANGED ON E ARTH



























1810)



































































































2 0 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

















































































































2 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5























so was St Paul




SUBMISSION

























































yourself before God











































T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING
























18 10 ndash 20)

















2 CORINTHIANS 122)












CHANGED ON E ARTH



























1810)



































































































2 0 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

















































































































2 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5























so was St Paul




SUBMISSION

























































yourself before God











































T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING



























































































2 0 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5

















































































































2 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5























so was St Paul




SUBMISSION

























































yourself before God











































T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING


























































































2 3 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5























so was St Paul




SUBMISSION

























































yourself before God











































T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING
















































yourself before God











































T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING





















T o n e 4 2 5 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5








































































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING







































































IN SINFUL MATTERS































































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING





























































































LK -826-39
































WORLD















MURMURING


















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING





















2 6 O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5


































with Eternal Glory












achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING




















achieve their goals




































983120 983105983124983122983113983105983122983107983112 983105983124983112983109983118983105983111983119983122983105983123 983113 983119983110 983107 983119983118983123983124983105983118983124983113983118983119983120983116983109





















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING




















































my Saviour









































































NOT BY NEGATING



































































NOT BY NEGATING

















2015 - october sacred lessons

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