Vladika's Homilies

[Julianna]

I've done things different this week and posted it in the other thread and linked it here: http://euphrosynoscafe.com/forum/viewto ... =8619#8619

[Julianna]

October 20/November 2, 2003
Beloved Clergy and Parishioners in the Lord, Rejoice!
 
Greetings in Christ from Dormition Skete. We hope and pray that you are all well, advancing in the grace of God, day by day growing in love for God and each other.
 
SUNDAY OF THE TWENTIETH WEEK
The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians [§ 200].
     1  11Brethren, I make known to you the Gospel which was preached as good tidings by me, that it is not according to man; 12for I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but by a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13For ye heard of my manner of life at one time in Judaism, that according to excess, I used to persecute the Church of God, and was ravaging her. 14And I kept on advancing in Judaism beyond many contemporaries in mine own race, being more exceedingly a zealot ofthe traditions of my fathers. 15But when it pleased God, Who separated me from my mother's womb and called me by His grace, 16to reveal His Son in me, that I be preaching Him as good tidings among the nations, immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood, 17neither did I go up to Jerusalem to those who wereapostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and again returned to Damascus. 18Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Peter, and remained with him fifteen days; 19but of the other apostles I saw none, except Iakovos the brother of the Lord.
 
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 30]. At that time:
     7  11Jesus was going into a city which is called Nain; and a considerable number of His disciples were going with Him, and a great crowd. 12Now as He drew near to the gate of the city, behold, there was also being carried out one who had died, an only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a considerable crowd from the city was with her. 13And after the Lord saw her, He was moved with compassion toward her, and said to her, "Cease weeping." 14And He approached and touched the bier, and those bearing it stood still. And He said, "Young man, I say to thee, arise." 15And the dead man sat up and began to talk. And He gave him to his mother. 16And fear took hold of all, and they were glorifying God, saying, "A great prophet hath been raised up among us"; and, "God visited His people."
 
     In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.  Today, beloved faithful, we commemorate the holy Saints Matrona of Chios, Ignatios the New-Martyr of Mount Athos, and Gerasimos the New of Cephalonia.  Hearing their lives today, and hearing today's Scripture readings, we learn some very interesting facets of our Faith. 

     First of all, in the Gospel we read of the great compassion and love of our Saviour.  He saw the dead son of a widow, and Saint Luke says that our Saviour was moved to compassion.  He wasn't asked, He wasn't beseeched; His own love constrained Him to act.  If one thinks about the life of our Saviour, we come to the realization that He is always motivated by love.  So it is in this instance, when He raised this woman's son, and revealed the love which is indwelling in Him.  This love should be indwelling in all true Christians, or should I say, those Christians who live their lives in accordance with the Gospel. 

     Contrast this surpassing love of Christ with the misdirected zeal of the Apostle Paul when he was Saul.  He did not have the grace of God at that time.  He was a Pharisee, following the Pharisees, a hypocrite - being blinded by hatred.  So much hatred did he have, that he, according to his own words, "used to persecute the Church of God, and was ravaging her."  Yes, after consenting to the murder of Saint Stephen, he added yet another horrible act by continuing to persecute the Church from city to city.

     There can be no worse thing than to fight against Christ.  And this is what he was doing.  But God knew that he did this in blind ignorance.  So, when our Saviour at last revealed Himself to Saul, he had a choice to make.  Either he would continue in his unbridled, unloving persecution, and say that some demonic event happened to him; or he would realize that he had made a terrible mistake and repent and change his way of life.  Thank God he chose to repent, not only for his own soul's sake, but of course, to the glory of the Church.  After his baptism, he had to readjust and reevaluate his whole life.  He went into seclusion.  I am convinced he realized his actions were not those of a grace-filled soul. But now he has changed his whole outlook on life, and his whole mindset as a human being.  Before, as a Jew, he persecuted.  Now, as a Christian, he was to be persecuted.  He realized that Christ, and Christians, do not persecute, and yet they still conquer. 

     We see the same contrast in the lives of the saints we have today.  Saint Ignatios the New-martyr was a young boy when the Moslems came to his town of Zagora in Bulgaria looking for Christian men to forcibly conscript into their Christ-fighting army.  In the time of the Karageorge uprising, the Turkish army assembled all over Bulgaria to take men for their army to fight against Serbia.  They came to the house of Ignatius' father, George, to see if there was anyone there that they could take for the army. George was a strong man and well-grown, and they wanted to take him, but he said to them firmly: 'I cannot go to war against my fellow-Christians.' The furious Turks killed him on the spot.

     These are the conditions that the Christians had to live under during the Moslem occupation.  But Christians are Christians under whatever circumstances they live.  As we said above, they are persecuted, but do not persecute.  Now contrast the acts of these Moslems to the account we just heard in the life of Saint Matrona.  In the life of Saint Matrona, there is recounted this notable miracle.  Saint Matrona lived and settled on the island of Chios, during Byzantine times, and her relics proved to be a source of many miracles for many centuries.  About four hundred years later, this miracle occurred:    
 
     In Magnesia, there was a prominent Hagarene who contracted a disease that left the left side of his body paralyzed. The doctors prescribed numerous remedies for him, but they were unable to help him. Thus, he expended large sums of money to no avail. This Moslem, however, had a maidservant, a Christian named Mary, who saw him spending his property without any benefit. Then one day she said to him, "O master, I know a certain physician who, if thou wilt consult, shall restore thy health!" The maidservant Mary was referring to the holy and venerable Abbess Matrona. However, Mary did not indicate to her Hagarene master that the "physician" she was recommending was not among the living. Necessity enjoined the Hagarene to give credence to his maidservant's words, thus, he inquired the identity of this physician. She then informed him, saying, "In Chios, there is a Christian woman who cures every type of illness without herbs or drugs. Let us repair unto her that she may also heal thee." Persuaded by her words, he took Mary and his other servants to Chios.

     Once there, the infirm man had to be carried into the church of the saint. Upon his entry into the church, he asked for the "physician," because all the while he assumed that it was someone that was among the living. His maidservant then said, "Rest a little, and a woman shall come and certainly heal thee." Truly, O Christians, the evangelical words apply to the maidservant Mary: "O woman, great is thy faith [Mt. 15:28]!" Indeed, unwavering was Mary's faith in God and her devotion to Saint Matrona. Mary did not hesitate or fear by saying within herself, "I have brought my master a long way by land and by sea. If the saint rejects him, since he is an infidel, then I will hear the same words uttered to the Canaanite woman, 'It is not good to take the bread of the children, and to cast it to the little dogs [Mt. 15:26].' If, perchance, the saint does heal him, how will he deal with me later?"

     Indeed, Mary never hesitated or doubted in her actions or thoughts. Prayer was neither absent from her mind nor tears from her eyes. Thus, with courage and confidence, she said unto her master, "Rest and thou shalt find healing soon. " Thus, the Hagarene reclined and, with good hope of a therapy, he slumbered.

     Now what did Saint Matrona bring to pass? Behold, that very first night, she appeared to the sick man in a vision, and said unto him, "For the tears, prayers, and faith of my namesake, Mary, I shall cure thee. In the name of my Lord, rise and walk, and go to thy house in peace." The Hagarene was then quickly roused from his sleep, and found himself completely cured. Indeed, not a single trace of the ailment remained. Thus, the miracle-working Matrona delivered him from his illness. The Hagarene then left a great number of valuables to the church of the saint. He also emancipated his handmaid Mary and provided for her maintenance. Mary then resolved to remain and serve in the church for the remainder of her life. After leading a God-pleasing life, she reposed in the Lord.

     [Great Synaxaristes, October Volume, pp. 465-466, Copyright 2003 Holy Apostles Convent, all rights reserved.]
 
     From this account, we see the love which Christians are to have.  This brings us to the miracle (or lack of miracle) of Saint Gerasimos the New, whom we also celebrate today, which occurred in the late 1960's.  His relics remain incorrupt on the island of Cephalonia in Western Greece.  Every year, on this day, his relics would be taken on a procession through the main streets of the city.  Every year, there would be many healings of ill people or demonized people who were placed on the streets in front of his church when his relics were carried in procession over them.  People would come from all over Greece to lie down in the path of his relics on his feast day.  Then came the new era of apostasy in the mid 1960's.  The Greek Church, of course, was a key participant in this ecumenism.  The clergy in the late 60's decided to invite a Roman Catholic priest to participate in the procession.  After all, the Greek Church had now said that the papist church is just fine.  When the procession started in the usual manner, the relics of the saint were brought out, and a demonized person yelled out from underneath the relics, and pointed at the Roman Catholic priest, "Ahh, you brought my friend here!  You brought my friend!" and for the first time, there was not one single miracle performed on his feast day for any sick person.  The faithful heard this demonized person, and understood why God would not permit any miracles.  If God had permitted any miracles, the Roman Catholic could say that he was just as the Orthodox.  God would not deliberately mislead any soul into this type of deception. 

     These are but a few thoughts on the beautiful lives and Scriptural readings we had today.  Through the prayers of the holy saints we commemorate today, may God have mercy on us.
 
Monastery News:
 
     This week, thank God, we have finished the partitioning of the interior of the building.  Now this big space under a big roof has taken shape, and we see the rooms and offices which we had planned.  This week the plumbers will come, along with the electricians, to do their work.  We finally enclosed the building in time before the severe weather arrives.  We thank Benjamin Pugsley for his work in the construction.  We all, Vladyka, Father Peter, and Brother John, along with Benjamin, had a stressful twelve weeks or so being involved in this major project.   
 
     Father George has gotten a handle, we believe, on his asthma, but he will still have a doctor's appointment this week.

     Last week we mentioned the disaster in California with the wild fires. Some communities were completely destroyed with not one house remaining. The fires were approaching Running Springs where Father John lives and has his church of Saint Seraphim of Sarov. They were evacuated last week until this day, and we thank God that we can report that although the fires approached even to the backyard of Father's home, it did not cause any damage. The firefighters sprayed all the homes with special foam. There was not one home in Running Springs that was destroyed. It is unfortunate that more than 1,600 homes were lost, but we thank God that Father John and his family were spared the misery.
 
Please pray for:
 
     Our Vladyka Metropolitan Valentine, and Father Dionysios' daughter, Helen.
     Father Savvas. He is recovering from a hernia operation and will be having a knee operation soon.
 
Calendar of Events for Upcoming Week:
 
     Wednesday is the Apostle Iakovos, the Brother of the Lord.  Fish, oil and wine, is permitted if one so wishes.  We wish our many Iakovos' many years.
 
Crumbs from the trapeza table:
 
     Below is a beautiful portion from the life of Saint Philotheos, whom we commemorate tomorrow.
 
On the 21st of October, the holy Church commemorates our holy Father PHILOTHEOS, who struggled in asceticism on Mount Athos.
 
Philotheos, the divine and marvelous plant in the garden of Christ, was made to flourish during the 14th century in the city of Chrysopolis of Macedonia [now actually in modern-day Turkey]. His parents came from a province in Asia Minor, from the city of Elateia. For fear of the Islamic Hagarenes, they left their homeland and settled in Chrysopolis, where the father reposed. Having begotten two children, the mother remained in that foreign land with them. They were maltreated and reproached by their neighbors as foreigners and sojourners, since they had no kinfolk. They were dependent only upon divine help, since their lot was a difficult one: the widowed mother was in need and the children were orphans to be pitied.
At that time, there came a command to gather together all the children of the Christians. This was a customary practice with the Hagarenes. As a result, many children of Orthodox Christians became (alas!) instead of sons of God, children of the antichrist. When the children were rounded up, the two orphans of the widow were also taken. They were brought to the emir, who had them incarcerated in a dungeon. Now it was not according to the usual order of the Hagarenes to apprehend two siblings. Only one child per family was to be taken, and that was if they had six to ten children. Since however, the widow in this case was a stranger and had no human assistance, the Turks seized both children. That mother and distressed widow wept daily, inconsolable from the loss of her children and her husband. She also lamented over being a stranger in that land, bereft of human remedy. The much-anguished widow, having no other comfort than her hope in the most holy Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary, many times offered ardent supplications to the almighty and heavenly Queen to have mercy on her children. She prayed that they might be delivered from the hands of the profane, lest they should lose their souls in their captivity.

Since that much-suffering mother kept entreating with piety and faith that her petition might be blessed, the almighty Mistress of creation hearkened, since she is merciful and compassionate. The widow's beloved children were delivered from their bonds in a most wonderful manner. By night, the Theotokos herself went to the dungeon. She appeared to the widow's children in the form of their own mother, and spoke to them: "Rise up, my beloved children, and follow me." Then the children, astonished at what they saw, rose up and joyfully followed her. By her word alone, the doors of the prison opened automatically. The Theotokos exited with the two children, and in a short time, they arrived during the hour of Orthros in Neapolis, at the monastery named for the Ever-virgin Mary. The Theotokos then turned to the youngsters and told them to remain there, saying, "Here you shall receive the holy Schema, my children, and submit yourselves to the elder and all the brotherhood; and I shall come again to see you, if you make progress." After she had uttered this, she bade them farewell and departed. The children, at the close of Orthros, venerated the hegumen and disclosed the matter to him. He, as one prudent and discerning, understood that divine power had saved them. He glorified the almighty God and handed over the children to a certain virtuous elder that he might teach them the sacred writings and the monastic condition. After some days, the boys were assigned as sacristans. They readily and eagerly served in the Church, applying themselves with such diligence that all were marveling at their excellent virtue. The brethren rejoiced at their prodigious advancement, especially that of Philotheos, who daily forced himself to outstrip all the brothers in obedience and humility.
In the meantime, the widow knew nothing concerning the welfare of her boys. After sufficient time, the good counsel entered her thoughts to receive the tonsure of a nun at a certain convent of consecrated virgins, where she could flee the tumult and confusion of the world. Her convent and the monastery were in close proximity, and the boys' abbot was also the nuns' spiritual father. The hegumen tonsured both Philotheos a monk and the widow a nun. She was given the name Evdokia, while Philotheos kept his name. The abbot, however, was unaware that Evdokia and Philotheos were mother and son. Mother Evdokia knew nothing of the great wonder wrought by the Theotokos Mary upon her sons. Thus, the sons served in the church of the Lord with diligence, and the mother progressed in all obedience and tireless service to the virgins of the sisterhood.

One day, therefore, when a great feast was being celebrated, all of the nuns went to the men's monastery. Among the sisterhood was the wondrous Evdokia, whom God well-pleased      to have present at the Divine Liturgy when one of the brethren summoned by name both sacristans. Mother Evdokia, in the meantime, was standing in the narthex. She heard the name "Philotheos" called, and her heart skipped a beat. She entered into the main church with the aim of carefully studying the faces of the sacristans. She straightway knew that these were her children and fainted from her joy. After a while, she came to herself and embraced them with tears, planting ardent and insatiable kisses upon them. She then asked them, "When and how were you released from captivity?" They answered, "Art thou now putting us to the test, O beloved mother of ours? Was it not thee who took us by our hands from the Ishmaelites? Didst thou not bring us here and command us to remain in this holy monastery, until thou shouldest come and see us again and see how we were faring?" She then was filled with wonder and came to understand the miracle. She kept glorifying God and offering up thanks to the almighty Queen who wrought such an awesome prodigy and did not despise her motherly entreaties and tears.

All of the brethren at the monastery, on hearing the astonishing miracle, were glad and rejoicing. Therefore, Mother Evdokia labored for God at the convent with even greater readiness than before, always giving thanks to her benefactress, who granted her desire and rescued her children from impiety. At the same time, the children, in like manner, struggled at the monastery, preserving the commandments of the Lord tirelessly and serving all the brotherhood.

[Great Synaxaristes, October Volume, pp. 536-538, Copyright 2003 Holy Apostles Convent, all rights reserved.]
 
     Below is a portion of the writings from Saint Gregory Palamas dealing with the holy day of Sunday.
 
     4. One day of the week you should `keep holy' (Exod.20 : : that which is called the Lord's day, because it is consecrated to the Lord, who on that day arose from the dead, disclosing and giving prior assurance of the general resurrection, when every earthly activity will come to an end. And you must not engage in any worldly activity that is not essential; and you must allow those who are under your authority and those who live with you to rest, so that together you may all glorify Him who redeemed us through His death and who arose from the dead and resurrected our human nature with Himself. You should bring to mind the age to come and meditate upon all the commandments and statutes of the Lord, and you should examine yourself to see whether you have transgressed or overlooked any of them, and you should correct yourself in all ways. On this day you should go to the temple of God and attend the services held there and with sincere faith and a clean conscience you should receive the holy body and blood of Christ. You should make a beginning of a more perfect life and renew and prepare yourself for the reception of the eternal blessings to come. For the sake of these same blessings you must not misuse material things on the other days of the week either; but on the Lord's day, so as to be constantly near to God, abstain from all activities except those which are absolutely necessary and which you have to perform in order to live. God thus being your refuge, you will not be distracted, the fire of the passions will not burn you, and you will be free from the burden of sin. In this way you will sanctify the sabbath, observing it by doing no evil deeds. To the Lord's day you should join the days dedicated to the great feasts, doing the same things and abstaining from the same things.
 
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.
 
In Christ,
 
+Bishop Gregory, and those with me

[Julianna]

October 27/November 9, 2003

Beloved Clergy and Parishioners in the Lord, Rejoice!
 
Greetings in Christ from Dormition Skete. We hope and pray that you are all well, advancing in the grace of God, day by day growing in love for God and each other.
 
SUNDAY OF THE TWENTY-FIRST WEEK
The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians [§ 203]. Brethren:
     2  16Knowing then that a man is not being justified by the works of the law, except through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, in order that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; because by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. 17But if, while we sought to be justified in Christ, we ourselves also were found sinners, is then Christ a minister of sin? May it not be! 18For if I build again these things which I destroyed, I constitute myself a transgressor. 19For I through the law died to the law, in order that I might live to God. 20I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ liveth in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh I live in faith, in that of the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself ! for me.
 
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 35]. The Lord said this parable:
     8  5"The one who soweth went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed indeed fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the heaven devoured it. 6"And other seed fell upon the rock; and having sprung up, it was dried up, because it had no moisture. 7"And other seed fell in the midst of the thorns; and the thorns, having  sprung up together, choked it. 8"And other seed fell upon the good ground; and having sprung up, it produced fruit a hundredfold." And after He said these things, He cried, "The one who hath ears to hear, let him hear." 9And His disciples were asking Him, saying, "What may this parable be?" 10And He said, "To you it hath been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables, that 'seeing they see not, and hearing they underst! and not [cf. Is. 6:9].' 11"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12"And those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil cometh and taketh away the word from their heart, lest after they believe they should be saved. 13"And those upon the rock are the ones who, whenever they hear, receive the word with joy; and yet these, who for a time believe, have no root, and in time of temptation withdraw. 14"And that which fell into the thorns, these are the ones who heard, and while they are going on their way, they are being choked by cares and wealth and pleasures of life, and do not bring fruit to perfection. 15"But that in the good ground, these are they who, after they hear the word with a noble and good heart, held fast and bore fruit in patience."
 
     In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.
     When we hear in the Holy Scriptures words and thoughts similar to what Saint Paul is telling us in this Epistle to the Galatians, "16Knowing then that a man is not being justified by the works of the law, except through faith in Jesus Christ," and, "19For I through the law died to the law, in order that I might live to God," we should not think as the Protestants do, that all that is necessary is faith, and that it is not necessary to live a pious and holy life.  No, it is necessary.  Both are necessary.

     When Saint Paul says, "I through the law died to the law," he meant to say that he correctly understood that the Law of the Old Testament was not intended to last forever, for Moses said that "The Lord thy God shall raise up to thee a Prophet of thy brethren, like me; Him shall ye hear [Deut. 18:15]." So that those who do not obey Him, transgress the law.  Now of course, he was referring to Christ.  Now this is very important, for it takes the foundation away for all present day Jewish practices or for their existence.  One may say, wasn't it prophesied that Moses and Elias will come and retrieve a remnant of the Jews?  And the answer, of course, is yes; but God intended that all should believe i! n Him.  The fact that Jews remain is due to disobedience, is due to lawlessness.

     Now in the Gospel we hear our Saviour speaking to the Jews a parable.  This is the very famous parable of the sower. Our Saviour, the Creator of the world, explains this parable to His disciples, and He tells them that, "To you it hath been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest in parables, that 'seeing they see not, and hearing they understand not [cf. Is. 6:9].'"  Why?  Because of their unbelief, they cannot comprehend God speaking to them. But because of the disciples' belief, they have the mysteries of the Kingdom revealed to them.  Oh what a curse it must be to have God speaking to you, and you do not know what He is saying!  I would like to think that if we were there, oh how we would listen to every syllable and every command, and follow them diligently. 

     How wonderful it is to know the will of God.  The parable now gives us another glimpse into His will.  It teaches us that He desires those who believe in Him to have a "noble and good heart," and to understand that when we follow the Lord our Saviour in an Orthodox way of life, we are going to encounter temptations, pitfalls, traps, malice of the evil one, and that He desires that we hold fast and with patience bring forth fruit. 

     Look at the other examples of those He puts before us.  He likens them to these expressions: the wayside, the rocks, and the thorns.  One hears the word of God, and is fascinated with it just for a short time.  Others accept the word of God, but at the first temptation that befalls them, they lose heart.  Others accept the word amid their thorns; that is, the pleasures and delights of life, all the distractions, the desires for the vain things which fight or opposes a holy life.  They do not wish to pray, to fast two thirds of the year, to restrain their passions, etc. and they let themselves be choked by the world. 

     Then our Saviour speaks of those who are His.  We are willing, for the future blessings, to be with Christ and His saints, to endure affliction not just for one week or a month, but for years.  Yes, until the end of our lives.  This is the way of life and may we all be deemed worthy to end our lives in this way. 

     How beautiful it is to read the lives of the saints and behold how they despised this present world and its pleasures; how they attracted the grace of God to themselves, and became sanctified vessels.  We read beautiful accounts of the lives of the saints this week, and I wish to share some of the readings which impressed us.  They are in the crumbs.
 
Monastery News:
 
     This past week, we started our regular schedule of Liturgies every day, except for Monday. 
     As far as the building construction is concerned, now that we're back on the schedule of sub-contractors, the work is going on a difference pace.  It is going according to their schedule.  Not much is getting done up there in a timely manner.  The plumber was here for one day, and the electrician was here for almost two days.  Father Peter was helping the electrician also, and working on the networking and telephone system plans.  Vladika traveled to Colorado Springs, and purchased plumbing and electrical supplies at a better price than what we could get here.
 
Please pray for:
 
Our Vladika Metropolitan Valentine, Father Savvas and his recover, and for Helen.
 
Calendar of Events for Upcoming Week:
 
The Feast of Saints Cosmas and Damian is on Friday.  You may have oil if you desire.
 
Crumbs from the trapeza table:
 
     This past week we were reading the life of Saint Artemios the Great-martyr.  He suffered greatly for our Saviour in the year 362.  During his martyrdom, the wicked Emperor Julian the Apostate devised a torture which was unheard of until that time.  He ordered that the saint be laid on a flat stone and that another enormous stone be put on him, so crushing his body like a thin board.  This indeed happened.  After a day with this enormous stone on him, everybody believed that he would be completely crushed.  With great shock, they came back and saw that he was still alive, praising God.  They took the stone away, and to their amazement, Saint Artemios was crushed thin as a board, and yet by the power of God, he was able to stand up and preach.  God showed him forth after his death to be a worker of miracles, especially helping those with hernias.  He became a healer and helper of those who call upon him! for this severe ailment.  Below is a miracle which occurred probably in Byzantine times, and is recorded with his life.

     There was a Christian who with fervent faith was offering oil and candles at the Church of Saint Artemios. On his way to the church, he passed by a certain tailor who asked him where he was going. "I am going to pray at the Church of Saint Artemios," said he reverently. After he had proceeded on his way a short distance, the tailor shouted mockingly after him: "Brother, when thou returnest from Saint Artemios, bring me back a hernia." He said this chuckling and deriding the saint who was highly acclaimed for his healing of hernias. The Christian continued on his way, taking no account of the tailor's silly talk and foolishness.

     After the Divine Liturgy at the church, the Christian departed for his house. As he was walking on the road, he sensed a rupture and protrusion from his lower regions. He then thought that this surely happened on account of the tailor's ridiculing and scoffing comment. By the time he reached the tailor's establishment, he was breathless and speechless from the pain.

     The Christian accused that tailor, and even showed him the protrusion. The tailor kept insisting that in no way did he wish him to suffer this, even though he uttered some nonsensical words worthy of laughter. The two of them came to a dispute over these words and began to wrangle. People in the vicinity were asking to learn the cause of their passionate row. Wishing to make known the excessive vengeance of the tailor, the angered Christian lifted up his garment and showed the onlookers the rupture he had suffered. O the wonder! He found that he was in health. The tailor, however, shouted aloud, "Woe is me!" He then revealed that he had just suffered a hernia. All the bystanders then observed the sudden protrusion. They were amazed that what the Christian suffered had been transferred to the tailor. Glory and thanks were offered to God and His Martyr Artemios. They were then saying to the tailor, "Be not grieved, brother. Righ! teous is the judgment of God; for thou didst receive that which thou didst ask. A rupture thou didst request, a rupture thou didst receive." In such a manner, God glorifies His servants in this present life, even as He glorified this saint, the Great-martyr Artemios, through whose holy intercessions may we be delivered from every danger and be accounted worthy of the kingdom of the heavens. Amen.
 
[Great Synaxaristes, September Volume, Copyright 2003 Holy Apostles Convent, all rights reserved.]
 
This week also we read the life of Saint Fermilian, who was a contemporary of Saint Cyprian of Carthage.  In his life is put this beautiful letter to Saint Cyprian which teaches about Holy Baptism, and how it is a unique possession of only the Orthodox Church.  He refutes Pope Stephan, who had an ecumenical mentality and thought that the mysteries of heretics had grace.
 
     "Firmilian to Cyprian, his brother in the Lord, greeting:
     "Though we are separated by very vast regions, you are joined with us in inclination and spirit. This whole thing has been accomplished through the divine unity. For since the Lord, Who dwells in us, is One and the same, He joins and unites His own everywhere in the bond of unity....Now they who are in Rome do not observe, in all respects, those things which were handed down from the beginning and in vain do they pretend the authority of the apostles. Regarding the days of Pascha to be celebrated and many other mysteries of divine matters, there are some diversities among them. All things there are not observed equally which are observed in Jerusalem. Many things vary according to the diversity of places and of men. Yet, on account of this, there has been no withdrawal at all from the peace and unity of the catholic Church. Now Pope Stephen has dared to do this, breaking the peace against you,...even disgracing Peter and Paul, as if they thems! elves, who, in their Epistles, denounced heretics and warned us that we should avoid them, handed this down. Thus, it appears that this is a human tradition which justifies heretics and maintains that they have Baptism which belongs only to the Church alone....

     "In short, those who do not hold the Father, the true Lord, cannot possess the truth either of the Son or of the Holy Spirit. Heretics who have torn themselves from the Church of God can have no power or grace, since all power and grace have been appointed in the Church. He is a stranger to the spiritual and divinizing sanctity. All of this, a while ago-in Iconium, which is a place in Phrygia-we confirmed when we were assembled together with those who came together from Galatia and Cilicia and nearby regions.

     "Since Stephen and those who agree with him contend that the remission of sins and a second birth can proceed from the baptism of heretics-among whom even they themselves confess that the Holy Spirit is not present-let them consider and know that there cannot be spiritual birth without the Spirit.... Why is it that, when we see the Apostle Paul baptizing his own disciples again after the baptism of John, we hesitate to baptize those who come to the Church from heresy after their unlawful and profane baptism, unless Paul was inferior to the bishops of these times that they, indeed, through the imposition of hands alone, can give the Holy Spirit to the heretics who come, but Paul was not fit to give the Holy Spirit by the imposition of hands to those baptized by John the Baptist, unless he had first baptized them with the Baptism of the Church!

     "It is also absurd for them to think that it is not necessary to inquire who it is who has baptized, because he who has been baptized may have received grace by the invocation of the Trinity of names of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. This, then, will be the wisdom which Paul writes is in those who are mature [1 Cor. 2:6], that he who is mature in the Church and wise may either defend this or believe that this bare invocation of names suffices for the remission of sins and the sanctification of Baptism, since they, doubtless, avail when both he who baptizes has the Holy Spirit and Baptism itself is not conferred without the Spirit. But they say that whoever in any way is baptized outside the Church may obtain grace by his disposition and faith. This in itself, without doubt, is ridiculous-as if either a depraved mind could draw to itself from the heavens the sanctification of the just, or a false faith could draw to itsel! f the truth of the believers. Not all who invoke the name of Christ can be heard and can gain their request for any grace. The Lord Himself makes this clear [Mk. 13:6]. There is no difference, finally, between a false prophet and a heretic. For, as the former deceives in the name of God or of Christ, so the latter deceives in the Mystery of Baptism. Each strives by a lie to deceive the wills of men....

     "It follows, then, that if the baptism of heretics can have the regeneration of the second birth, they who are baptized among them must not be considered heretics. But if the Spouse of Christ, that is, the catholic Church, is one, it is she herself alone who generates sons to God. For there are not many spouses of Christ, since the apostle says, 'For I betrothed you to one Husband, in order to present you as a pure virgin to the Christ [2 Cor. 11:2].' And, 'Hearken, 0 daughter, and see, and incline thine ear; ... and the King shall greatly desire thy beauty [Ps. 44:9, 10].' And, 'Come from Libanus, O bride, thou shalt come and pass from the top of Faith [Song 4:8].' And, 'I am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse [Song 5:1].' But the synagogue of the heretics is not one with us, because the Spouse is not an adulteress and a fornicator.

     "Christ our Lord, manifesting that His Spouse is one and declaring the mystery of His unity, says, 'The one who is not with Me is against Me; and the one who gathereth not with Me scattereth [Lk. 11:23].' For if Christ is with us, but the heretics are not with us, certainly, the heretics are against Christ; and if we gather with Christ, but the heretics do not gather with us, without doubt, they scatter. Those not in the ark with Noah perished. So now, also, whosoever is not in the Church with Christ shall perish outside, unless they are converted to the only and life-giving font of the Church through penance....

     "Very many of us, coming together in Iconium, have diligently investigated and confirmed that every baptism which is administered outside the Church must be completely repudiated....It has been written: 'Do thou abstain from strange water, and drink not of a strange fountain [Prov. 9:18].' For when you are in communion with the baptism of the heretics, what else do you do but drink from their whirlpool and filth, so that you yourself, having been purged by the sanctification of the Church, become tainted with the contacts of the sins of others?"

     Then, in his letter, Bishop Firmilian speaks to those who accept so-called mysteries outside of the Church: "'A false witness shall not be unpunished [Prov. 19:5].' Do you not fear the judgment of God? Nay, rather, you are worse than all the heretics. For even after they have recognized their error and have come to you to receive the true light of the Church, you, rather, help maintain the errors of those who come and obscure the light of ecclesiastical truth, by piling up the darkness of heretical night. Indeed, although they confess that they are in sins and have no grace and are therefore coming to the Church, yet you take away from them the remission of sins, which is given in Baptism, as long as you say that they are already baptized and have gained the grace of the Church outside the Church. You who do this have denied to the thirsting the drink of the Church, and have been a cause of death to those desiring to live. Do you not perce! ive that their souls will be required at your hands when the day of judgment comes; and, in addition, you are angry!

     "See with what ignorance you dare to reprehend those who are struggling for the truth against falsehood. Do not be deceived, since, indeed, he who has made himself an apostate from the communion of ecclesiastical unity is truly a schismatic. For while you think that all may be excommunicated by you, you have excommunicated yourself alone from all."

     Bishop Firmilian then concludes: "As far as Stephen is concerned, let us leave him.... For he is not ashamed to show patronage to such men against the Church and to destroy the brotherhood for the sake of supporting the heretics, and to say, in addition, that Cyprian is a false Christ and a false apostle and a treacherous laborer. Knowing that he is all these things himself, he has taken the initiative in charging to another, through lying, those faults which he himself deservedly ought to hear. We all trust that you are well with all of us, with all who are in Africa, the bishops and all the clerics and the whole brotherhood, that we may have those who are unanimous and agreeing perpetually united with us even from afar."

     Saint Firmilian mentioned by Saint Basil, Archbishop of Caesarea in his work, On the Holy Spirit, wherein he refers to the works of Firmilian, but they are no longer extant. Saint Basil, indeed, mentions him again in his Canon I, naming him "among the best of ancient authorities-our own Firmilian."
    
[Great Synaxaristes, September Volume, Copyright 2003 Holy Apostles Convent, all rights reserved.]
 
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.
 
In Christ,
 
+Bishop Gregory, and those with me.

[Julianna]

November 3/16, 2003

Beloved Clergy and Parishioners in the Lord, Rejoice!
 
Greetings in Christ from Dormition Skete. We hope and pray that you are all well, advancing in the grace of God, day by day growing in love for God and each other.
 
SUNDAY OF THE TWENTY-SECOND WEEK
The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Galatians [§ 215]. Brethren:
     6  11See with what size letters I am writing to you with mine own hand. 12As many as wish to make a good show in the flesh, these constrain you to be circumcised, only that they may not be persecuted for the Cross of Christ. 13For not even they themselves who are circumcised keep the law, but they wish you to be circumcised, in order that they might boast in your flesh. 14But may it not be for me to boast, except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom the world hath been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision hath any strength, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. 16And as many as walk by this rule, peace be upon them and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.
     17Henceforth, let no one be giving me troubles, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.
     18The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.
 
SUNDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 83]. The Lord said:
     16  19"There was a certain rich man, and he was clothing himself in purple and fine linen, making merry in splendor every day. 20"And there was a certain beggar, by name Lazarus, who was full of sores and was cast toward his gateway, 21"and was desiring to be fed from the crumbs that were falling from the table of the rich man; yea, even the dogs, which came were licking his sores. 22"And it fell due for the beggar to die and for him to be carried away by the angels into the bosom of Abraham; and the rich man also died, and was buried. 23"And in Hades, being in torments, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham from afar, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24"And he cried aloud and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he might dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am suffering pain in this flame.' 25"But Abraham said, 'Child, be mindful that thou didst have rendered to thee thy good things! in thy life, and Lazarus likewise the bad things; but now, here, he is being comforted and thou art suffering pain; 26"'and besides all these things, between us and you a great chasm hath been firmly fixed, so that those wishing to pass through from this place to you are not able, nor may they pass through from that place to us.' 27"And he said, 'I beg thee then, father, that thou wouldest send him to the house of my father, 28"'for I have five brothers, in order that he may bear witness to them, lest they also should come to this place of torment.' 29"Abraham saith to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.' 30"But he said, 'By no means, father Abraham; but if one from the dead should go to them, they will repent.' 31"And he said to him, 'If they hear not Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if one should rise from the dead.'"
 
     In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.
We are putting in this weeks sermon the address to the ROCOR laity and lower clergy because of the upcoming events that are happening in this jurisdiction under Metropolitan Laurus.
    

AN ADDRESS TO THE MEMBERS OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH ABROAD (LAURUS)
By Bishop Gregory of Denver and Colorado
 
     I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, asking that His mercy be with you. In the spirit of love, I am writing to you in this time of crisis, hoping that you will receive my words in that same spirit.
 
     As you know, in this coming month, the ROCOR bishops under Metropolitan Laurus are meeting to discuss the future "reunification" of the Russian Church (as if the Russian Church has been divided.) This is a time when a final decision has to be made by the God-loving faithful and clergy of the ROCOR who wish to uphold the Orthodox traditions of the glorious First-Hierarchs Metropolitans Anthony, Anastassy, and Philaret. I hope and pray that you, my friends in the ROCOR, will not be deceived.
 
     The ROCOR bishops and many of the clergy are attempting to cleverly mislead the faithful to follow them into a tragic and destructive sin. They are telling you that the Moscow Patriarchate (MP) has repented and has met all of their requirements to accomplish the "reunification" of the Russian Church. Archbishop Mark has openly worked for this union for over a decade, and now in his recent interview with "Nezavisimaya Gazeta/religii", has said that there is no obstacle in the way of union, yet this union itself will be an obstacle to your salvation if you follow him and Metropolitan Laurus. The MP has not repented, and I believe cannot repent of its irreversible course. They do not believe in repentance; otherwise, they would have done so long ago. This is the institution, not founded by God, but founded by Stalin; therefore, it is rightly called "the Soviet Church". The true Orthodox Church of Russia, because of the persecutions of t! he godless government, was forced into the Catacombs and Abroad. What remained visible in Russia throughout these decades is the present-day MP, headed by bishops who are communists. Has anything changed? Do not be deceived if they tell you: "yes". This is a lie.
 
     This is the same MP that persecuted the New Confessors of Russia and caused their martyrdoms. This is the same MP that fell under the anathema of St. Patriarch Tikhon and the All-Russian Council of 1917-18. This is the same MP that was anathematized by the Russian Catacomb Church, whose New Martyrs, e.g. St. Andrew, Archbishop of Ufa, said:

     "All followers of the lying Metropolitan Sergei are themselves filled with lies and evil and have fallen away from the truth of Christ, they have fallen away from Christ's Church" (M. Zelenogorsky, The Life and Work of Archbishop Andrew," p. 216).

     This is the same MP about which our Metropolitan Anthony and the whole ROCOR episcopate declared: "Metropolitans Sergius and Evlogius ...have now fallen away from the saving unity of the Church and have joined themselves to the enemies of Christ and of the holy Church" ("Open Epistle", signed by all the bishops; July 28 O.S., 1928, No. 892). This is the same MP, which is now headed by the Communist Patriarch Alexei II [KGB code-name: "Drozdov"]. Let no one deceive you to think that he leads the MP in confessing the truths of Orthodoxy. As if the heresy of Sergianism was not enough, they have also become the leaders in the heresy of Ecumenism. They will never change course and break communion with all the heretical, pseudo-Orthodox Patriarchates of "World Orthodoxy", as did St. Metropolitan Philaret. You should bear in mind the holy words of St. Theodore the Studite, who said that "not only heretics, but also those who have ! communion with them, are enemies of God" (Epistle to Abbot Theophilus).
 
     This is the same MP that persecuted and has caused misery and hardship to millions in Russia and continues to do so to this very day. Our Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church (ROAC) has suffered over 75 acts of arson, vandalism, beatings, and other kinds of violence within the past two years alone. The MP cannot tolerate the fact that 400 churches have united under Metropolitan Valentine, about 200 from the MP and 200 from the Catacombniks. Therefore, they have slandered and fabricated false charges and trials against our Metropolitan Valentine to the end that they may destroy the Church by imprisoning him and even causing his death. We know this is instigated by the MP because the Prosecutor openly declared to Metropolitan Valentine before many witnesses that, if he would return to the MP, all charges would be dropped and cases dismissed.

The time has come for the followers of Metropolitan Laurus to make a crucial decision: (1) to be in communion with false shepherds and enemies of Christ, or (2) to search for and seek the true shepherds of the Russian Church. In my mind, and, I believe, in the eyes of God also, there is only one answer - ROAC, where God has preserved a Synod of 13 canonical and right-believing hierarchs. Our Savior, in His providence, has kept for Himself a remnant of true confessing bishops. This cannot be said of Metropolitan Laurus and his synod who are about to commit another betrayal. This cannot be said about Metropolitan Vitaly, who in all honesty, is the cause of the ruin of the ROCA and admits it, in that he now declares heretical all the wrong actions in which he himself participated in the past. He has also started a new Synod on a foundation of canonical disorder. When it comes to the Faith, there is no allowance for a Bishop to make an error. Orthodoxy must be maintained, i! n all its purity, at all times.

The true confession of Faith of the much-suffering Russian Church is maintained only by the Synod of Metropolitan Valentine, which is a true offspring of the confessing Russian Orthodox Church Abroad and which has and will always continue to condemn Sergianism, Ecumenism, Modernism, Masonry, and all other demonic inventions, which are opposed to Christ. You should know that Metropolitan Valentine, myself, and all the other hierarchs of the Russian Church are willing to help you in every way we can. All your spiritual needs will be met by uniting yourself to those who love and sacrifice themselves for Christ. We will suffer with you, if need be, and as good shepherds of Christ, we will not deny Him or betray you.

May God help you to follow His will in this matter.

I pray for your good guidance, and remain your friend in Christ,
+Bishop Gregory of Denver and Colorado
November 1/14, 2003 Ss Cosmas and Damian
Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church
http://www.ROACAmerica.orghttp://www.ROACAmerica.org
BishopGregory@starband.net
 
 
Monastery News:
 
Last week we neglected to inform our faithful about the end of the ordeal in Southern California concerning the wildfires, which were threatening to engulf the city of Running Springs in which Fr. John Claypool has his Church of Saint Seraphim of Sarov. Now that the fires have ceased, Running Springs is being called the miracle city. Officials are at a loss for any other words to explain why the city wasn't at least damaged or partly destroyed. So they are calling it the miracle city. Here is Fr. John's email sent to us the day after the fires were extinguished.
 

Dear Vladyka,
 
Bless me, please...
 
We are finally home after 15 days. We are still under a 'voluntary evacuation' until further notice and the mountain is open to residents only. It took us four hours to drive up to our home. There are police everywhere and firefighters are still working the area. All day we heard the gigantic helicopters flying over. The ground is damp and in spots, covered with a goo like gel. In our area there is no smell of fire. As a matter of fact, you cannot see any fire damage from our home, but less than 2 football fields away it is a shock to the eye to see the devastation of the fire. It seems to go on forever. It is only a miracle from God that our home was spared. There is no logical reason Running Springs did not burn. Our neighbors' homes smelled of smoke inside, but ours did not. The fire cut a path around our house. Almost a million acres were burned and thousands of homes destroyed and many people lost their lives. All the fires were arson.
 
The miracle was awesome. So many things happened, some little, some large. It will take days to think them all out and thank God for each.
 
Vladyka knew when the fire was about to overrun our house and prayed with the monks in the Cathedral. I watched in horror on TV as the firefighters were on our street and I could see the fire behind their backs. A fire captain being interviewed said that the fire was headed for Running Springs and on to Big Bear Valley, but within a few more minutes the fire had laid down in a ravine behind our home. The weather dropped below freezing and it soon started to snow. Literally the day before it was 90 degrees in Running Springs. The next day humidity went from 10% to 70%, from a high pressure system to a low pressure system and the temperature the next day never got above 42 degrees. It snowed or rained for the next three days. The fire is now fully contained and the fire danger is 'low'. People returning to the mountains seem stunned everything seems surreal.
 
Thank you Vladyka and everyone who prayed.
Glory to God for all things....
 
John, priest

 
+++++++++++++++++++++
 
Saturday Fr. Dionysios and Fr. Photius traveled to Pennsylvania and baptized Thomas P-++++++++++. He lives in Buffalo. He was a member ROCOR for many years and has been denied Holy baptism because his priest had the erroneous mindset that Protestant baptisms are acceptable in the Orthodox Church.
 
This week work continued with the plumbers and electricians at their pace. Here one day and some place else another day. Hopefully they will be done this week and we can have the building inspectors come.
 
Please pray for:
 
Our Vladika Metropolitan Valentine, Father Savas who will be having a ankle operation on Friday, and handmaid of God, Helen.
 
Calendar of Events for Upcoming Week:
 
Friday will be the feast of the Synaxis of the Bodiless Powers (Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, etc.) Fish, Oil and Wine if you wish.
 
Crumbs from the trapeza table:
 
THE HOLY UNMERCENARIES KOSMAS AND DAMIAN OF ASIA
 
     A certain Christian old man fell so gravely ill from dropsy that he was awaiting death. He, however, heard of the miracles of the holy unmercenaries which were daily occurring in their church. He besought his relatives to bear him aloft on his bed to the church. They did so and placed him before the icon of the saints. The old man lay there for many days without receiving the benefit he desired. He did not see that the reason the saints had not healed him was so that they might put his faith to the test. In the meantime, the old man was observing other sick folk entering and being healed, while he lay there for days uncured. Instead of showing patience and increasing his entreaty before the saints, that old man began blaspheming the saints. He complained that they overlooked him. From his lack of faith, he then sent a message to his kin that they come and collect him. "Take me that I might go at least to my own house and die," said he.! They came and took him away on his bed. As they walked and conveyed him on the road, which was some distance from the village, they passed by a place that was wooded and had water, where they might refresh themselves a little. As they all sat about in that place, from the exertion of transporting the old man, they dozed off. The old man though, from his pain, was unable to sleep. He just lay there wide awake.

     It was then that the holy Unmercenaries Kosmas and Damian appeared before the ailing old man. They took the form of travelers passing by, who spoke to him and said, "What aileth thee, O man, that thou art sick; and where art thou going?" The old man replied, "My sickness you can see for yourselves, because it is evident. I am going to my house that I might die near my children." The holy ones responded, "Why dost thou not go to the Church of the Holy Unmercenaries, which is close by that thou mightest be healed? Hast thou not heard how sick people are coming from five and ten days' journey on the road and being cured?" He answered, "Aye, I also went and have just now come from there, but I did not receive one bit of help for myself. People are speaking falsely when they say that the holy unmercenaries are wonder-workers. Look at me. They were not able to heal me." The saints said, "Cease blaspheming, ! O man, the power of the Christ and the grace of the holy unmercenaries. Now only listen to us. Return to the church and thou shalt see the power of the Christ." The sick man said, "And who shall bring me thither again? These people here shall become indignant, for they have already brought me there and back here." The saints said, "Leave them indeed to take their rest. We, for the love of Christ, shall carry thee."

     The two holy unmercenaries then took up the wooden bed. They returned the old man to the church, and placed him before their icon. Then they disappeared. With the passage of some hours, the relatives of that old man awakened. Finding neither him nor his bed, they turned back to the church and discovered him. When night had fallen, the holy unmercenaries appeared to the old man. They were holding a sword in their hands. Kosmas then said to Damian, "Cleave the belly of the old man with a mighty blow, for he is a blasphemer." It then appeared to the old man that the sword came down and split open his lower belly from the navel downwards. Out of his intense fear, the sleeping old man was roused. Indeed, he observed that his belly was divided, as though a vein were opened in blood-letting. Forthwith, much foul material and ill-smelling fluids poured out. As a result, his body thinned, returning to his original weight and form. Not only was ! he healed of dropsy, but also the sword wound to his belly was completely healed toward the second night. Thus, the old man returned to his house, walking and glorifying God.
    
From The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church, October Volume, pp. 7-8, Copyright 2002 Holy Apostles Convent, used with permission, all rights reserved.
    
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.
 
In Christ,
 
+Bishop Gregory, and those with me.

[Julianna]

November 10/23, 2003

Beloved Clergy and Parishioners in the Lord, Rejoice!
 
Greetings in Christ from Dormition Skete. We hope and pray that you are all well, advancing in the grace of God, day by day growing in love for God and each other.
 
SUNDAY OF THE TWENTY-THIRD WEEK
The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Ephesians [§ 220]. Brethren:
     2  4God, Who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with the Christ-by grace have ye been saved- 6and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, 7that He might show forth Himself in the ages which are coming the surpassing wealth of His grace in kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace are ye saved through faith, and this not of yourselves; the gift is of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10For we are His work, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, in order that we should walk in them.
 
SUNDAY OF THE SIXTH WEEK
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 38]. At that time:
     8  26Jesus and His disciples sailed down to the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. 27And after He went out upon the land, there met Him a certain man out of the city who had demons for a long time, and had not put a garment on himself, and was not abiding in a house but in the sepulchers. 28And after he saw Jesus and cried out, he fell down before Him and with a loud voice said, "What is it to me and to Thee, Jesus, Son of God the Most High? I entreat Thee, do not begin to torment me." 29For He was commanding the spirit, the unclean one, to come out from the man. For many times it had seized him; and he was kept bound with chains and fetters. And breaking through the bonds, he was driven by the demon into the wildernesses. 30And Jesus asked him, saying, "What is thy name?" And he said, "Legion," because many demons entered into him. 31And he besought Him that He would not command them to go away into the abyss. 32Now there was there a herd of considerable swine being fed on the mountain. And they besought Him that He would permit them to enter into those. And He permitted them. 33And the demons went out from the man and entered into the swine; and the herd rushed down the cliff into the lake and were drowned. 34And after they who fed them saw what had taken place, they fled and went away and brought back tidings to the city and to the country. 35And they went out to see what had taken place. And they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and of a sound mind; and they were afraid. 36And they who saw related to them how the one who had been possessed by demons was made well. 37And the whole multitude of the country round about the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were constrained with great fear. And He embarked into the ship and turned back. 38Now the man from whom the demons had gone out was entreating Him to be with Him. But Jesus dismissed him, saying, 39"R eturn to thy house, and go on relating how much God did for thee." And he departed, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus did for him.
 
     In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

     Today we heard the beautiful, God-inspired words of Saint Paul in his Epistle to the Ephesians.  He is explaining to us the divine dispensation, and although he says it more beautifully, let me repeat it in my words, and expand it as I do sometimes.  []

     We say of God the Father that He is merciful-for that is His characteristic; and does that not also mean that He is loving?  Of course it does.  So because of His great love for us His creatures - even though we disobeyed Him, and wished to obey the devil instead, even though we did this, God still loved us.  We had become dead because of our obedience to the devil, yet through Christ He made us to live again.  Because we believe in Christ, He raised us up together with Christ to a new life.  Do we not see this happening every day when people are born through Holy Baptism in the Church?  Truly, Baptism is one of the greatest Mysteries and blessings and miracles which God grants to a human soul.  And this is all free!  Not through our works, other than our belief in Orthodoxy, is this great grace given us.  By this grace we are saved.  By the Holy Spirit which God has given us through Holy Baptism, through faith, not because of any deed that - to use a Western word - "merits" salvation.  If we did something that would make us attain to salvation, it would give an occasion for us to boast, by saying, "Look what I have accomplished!"  This is not possible.  Faith, yes, is indeed necessary, because every creature should know his Creator.  It is not something to boast about, as if we have attained it.  It is something that we are required to do, just like eating and breathing.  If we don't eat or breathe, we die.  If we don't know our Creator, we die.  Now after we know our Creator, and come to this perfect knowledge of His will, of course God looks for our good works because of all that has been given us.  Doesn't a rich man use his wealth to accomplish things he could not otherwise do if he was poor?  So we, who have been given the great grace of the knowledge of God, and renewal by the Holy Spirit, and have become new creatures, are expected to walk differently than those wh o are graceless in the knowledge of God and are imbedded in the works of evil, and have remained in the fallen state.

     So we see that God's gift is exactly that, and it is wonderful.  To impress upon us our Saviour's philanthropy (love for man), we heard the Holy Gospel about this miserable and wretched man who had a multitude of demons, was naked, and lived outside in the tombs.  He was in a miserable state, and only God knows why the demons possessed him.  Only God knows what sins he committed, or why this was permitted to befall him.  The effect, though, was manifest to all that he was in the lowest state that a human being could be in while still living on this earth.

     Now he meets the Saviour of the world, the One Whose love is immeasurable, Whose life is sinless, and Whose power is almighty.  What would happen when these two men met?  Of course, He Who is merciful and loving and rich, bestows a free gift upon him, just as He bestows a free gift upon all of us.  He freed this man of his demonic possession, and restored him to his proper nature.  The people who came later and saw him beheld him "sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and of a sound mind."  He was doing what was natural for all of us.  He was fascinated by his Creator.  He wanted to stay with Him.

     Now over the years we have spoken in previous sermons about the people of the Gadarenes, how they were living in disobedience to the Law, and therefore told the Lawgiver to depart from them.  I wish now to not dwell on this again, but to pass over to the topic of the monastery of Docheiariou on Mount Athos.

     The past few days we celebrated the feast day of the icon of the Mother of God, "Quick to Hear", which is in the monastery of Docheiariou.  We also commemorated the Feast of the Synaxis of the Archangels, and the great miracle which they performed for that monastery. The account goes like this:

     A miraculous event occurred in the monastery of Docheiariou in the time of Blessed Neophytus, the nephew of St Euthymius, the monastery's founder. When after Saint Euthymius' death, Abbot Neophytus began to build a new, bigger church to St Nicolas the Wonderworker, he ran out of funds and prayed to God for help, and God helped him in a strange way. Near the monastery of Docheiariou there lay a peninsular called 'Longos'. On this peninsular, Neophytus had a patch of monastic land, near which there was a stone statue of a man. On the sculpture was written: 'He who smites me on the head will find much gold.' Many had struck at the statue's head but had found nothing. Neophytus sent a novice, Basil, off on some task on this peninsula. This Basil was standing one day in front of the statue, ruminating on the mystery of this inscription. At that moment, the sun came out and the statue's shadow was thrown to the west. Basil took a stone and smote the head of the shadow, then began to dig there, finding a metal pot of gold. He immediately got on his boat, returned to the monastery and told Abbot Neophytus. The abbot told three trusted monks to go with Basil in the monastery's boat and bring the gold. The monks set off, loaded the gold into the ship and started for home. When the monks saw the gold, the devil put it into their heads to keep the gold for themselves and they listened to their evil thoughts.

     The three older monks, deluded by the devil, bound Basil with cords, tied a large rock round his neck and threw him into the sea. When Basil had sunk into the depths of the sea, the Archangels Michael and Gabriel suddenly appeared to him in the form of two resplendent youths and, taking hold of him, carried him to the church at Docheiariou, depositing him in front of the Royal Doors of the locked church. When the monks went into the church for the service, there they found Basil lying bound before the altar, soaking wet with the rope and the rock. The abbot questioned him, and learned of what had happened to him. The three monks then arrived after they had hidden the gold.  They told the abbot that Basil was lying, there was no gold, and that he was ashamed to come back to the monastery, and ran away.  The whole brotherhood surrounded the three unmonkish monks, and brought them into the monastery and presented Basil, the rope, and the rock with which they had attempted to murder him.  Seeing Basil alive, they were thunder struck. The abbot punished them fittingly after they confessed and brought back the gold.  They were also expelled from the monastery. The gold was used to complete the church. He dedicated it, not to St Nicolas, but to the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, as was fitting.

     I had an occasion to visit the Holy Mountain in the early eighties.  Docheiariou was at the top of my list to visit because the frescoes in this catholicon church are magnificent.  Docheiariou is located on the south side of the peninsula, and it has the tallest church on the Holy Mountain.  When one is inside, and the wind is blowing, you get this eerry feeling that although this church has been standing for six hundred years, it could come down any minute now!!!  []   I had visited it on previous visits to the Athos, and taken quite a lot of photographs of their frescoes, but for someone like me, you can never take enough.  On previous occasions, I was even permitted to move some furniture so as to take pictures of icons that were behind the stasidia.  In the narthex, they have the most famous icon of the Root of Jesse.  It must be approximately twenty feet wide by at least three stories high.  In the exonarthex, they had on the north side the very well preserved and famous fresco of the Dormition of Saint Ephraim the Syrian.

     On one occasion, I had Father Luke accompanying me.  He was a monk that joined the monastery here in 1981 from Platina.  We entered the Docheiriou, and the guest master had us sign the necessary papers, and we asked just to spend the night.  At that time, this monastery, as it is today, commemorated the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.  Because we look like Athonite monks, very few questions are asked us.  If they ask us where we are from, we usually said from Prophet Elias, which was a monastery that was inhabited by monks of the Russian Church Abroad.  On this occasion, the guest master was very inquisitive, and asked us more questions.  "Are you with Metropolitan Philaret?"  "Yes," we answered.  If we gave this response to zealot monks on the Holy Mountain, they immediately would look upon us as brothers in Christ.  Not so with those who commemorate Patriarch Demetrios.  The next question from this guest master, who spoke perfect English with a British accent, was, "Do you know Metropolitan Philaret?"  We said, "Of course."  "Do you accept Anglican Orders?"  I, thinking I am speaking to an "Orthodox" monk, said, "Of course not!"  Then he disappeared for a while, and someone came back to lead us to our rooms. The next day, we stayed for the noon meal, with the intention of walking along the coast and then inland to the next monastery, which was Zographou, and then catching the boat the following day to leave the Holy Mountain and go back home.

     A monastic practice is that schismatics and heretics do not eat at the same table as the monks in the monastery.  To our surprise, but not to our sorrow, we were placed on another table, as if we were not Orthodox.  The monks started eating, and we were given our food separately.  I blessed our food discretely, and then proceeded to eat.  As we were eating, we saw the monks looking at us and chuckling. We thought nothing of it.  After the meal, we gathered our belongings and set out to the next monastery as planned.  Then when we were a half hour away, we both started getting pains in our abdomens.  The pain increased in both of us, so much so that we could not walk any more.  We understood that they had poisoned us.  I do not know how we made it to the next monastery.  When we entered there, we told them that we had severe pain after a meal at Docheiariou.

     The monks told us that there was a big controversy on the Holy Mountain regarding the acceptance by the monastery of Docheiariou of an Anglican priest in his orders!  Patriarch Demetrios gave his "blessing" for the monastery to receive this person and just have him start serving as one of the hieromonks of the monastery.  This was an "ecumenical gesture" that the Patriarch made to the Anglican Church.  The monastery made him the guest master also because he spoke many languages.  Then everything made sense.

     Now I brought all this up to point to the fact that practically all the holy places of Orthodoxy have been usurped by those who have fallen away from the Faith.  For example, in Docheiariou they have a monument to the glory of Orthodoxy, which is that church.  They have the miraculous icon of the "Quick to Hear".  They have the holy spring of the archangels.  They have a large portion of the True Cross, the holy relics of Saint Euthymious and Neophytos, the founders, the skull of Saint Dionysios of Mount Olympas, and many other relics and treasures of the Church.

     But what good are all of these if one does not have the Faith?  Christ told us to keep the Faith, not the treasures!  So those people who are confused because, for example, the ROCOR has the Kursk Root icon of the Virgin Mary, and the relics of Saint John of Shanghai, etc, etc, are not thinking well.  The Virgin Mary and Saint John of Shanghai would never want us to fall into heresy just because the miraculous icons or the relics of the saints were in the hands of heretics. 
 
Monastery News:
 
     On Saturday, our Church gave birth to a new member through Holy Baptism.  Symeon Nectarios Gates received the great Mysteries of the Church and is now a member of the monastery.  He is thirty-six years old, a Canadian citizen, who in the last five years has been trying to pay off his student loans.  Having accomplished this, he decided to become a monk.  Please pray that God grant him the endurance to accomplish this great feat.

     The building project has been progressing.  The plumbing and electrical phase has been completed.  That is, the electrical wiring and the rough in for the plumbing has been done.  The telephone and computer lines have been installed by our expert in-house deacon.  The insulators are there working now, and if everything goes on schedule, sheet rock should at least be delivered by the end of the week.
 
Please pray for:
 
Our Vladika Metropolitan Valentine, Father Savvas, that he has a quick recovery from his operation on his knee, because of a torn medial meniscus, and Father Dionysios' daughter, Helen. 
 
Calendar of Events for Upcoming Week:
 
     Wednesday is the Feast of St. John Chrysostom.  You may have fish, oil and wine if you desire.

     This week we start the Nativity Fast.  It begins on Friday.  During this fast, Wednesdays and  Fridays we abstain from meat, dairy products, oil, wine, fish, and shellfish - unless, of course, a big feast falls on a Wednesday or Friday, and it then becomes like all the other days during this fast.  All the other days we abstain from meat and dairy.  Everything else is permitted.

     The fast becomes a little more strict towards the end, as we approach the Feast of the Nativity.

     To inspire us before we start the fast, here is a quote from Saint Symeon the New Theologian, which will wet your appetite to indulge yourselves in abstinence.  "It is impossible to fill the body to satiety with food, and at the same time have spiritual enjoyment of mental and divine blessings.  For as much as a man panders to his belly, in the same measure he deprives himself of spiritual blessings; conversely, in proportion, as he keeps his body lean, he will be filled with spiritual food and consolation."
 
Crumbs from the trapeza table:
 

1. 'You shall not be unchaste' (Exod. 20:14), lest instead of being united to Christ you become united to a prostitute (cf. i Cor. 6:15), severing yourself from the divine body, forfeiting the divine inheritance and throwing yourself into hell. According to the law (cf. Lev. 21: 9), a daughter of a priest caught whoring is to be burnt, for she dishonours her father; how much more, then, does the person who defiles the body of Christ deserve endless chastisement. If you are capable of it, embrace the path of virginity, so that you may become wholly God's and may cleave to Him with perfect love, all your life devoting yourself undistractedly to the Lord and to what belongs to Him (cf. i Cor 7: 32), and in this way anticipating the life to come and living as an angel of God on earth. For the angels are characterized by virginity and if you cleave to virginity you emulate them with your body, in so far as this is possible. Or, rather, prior to them you emulate the Father who in virginity begot the Son before all ages, and also the virginal Son who in the beginning came forth from the virginal Father by way of generation, and in these latter times was born in the flesh of a virginal Mother; you likewise emulate the Holy Spirit who ineffably proceeds from the Father alone, not by way of generation, but by procession. Hence if you practise true chastity in soul and body you emulate God and are joined to Him in imperishable wedlock, embellishing every sensation, word and thought with virginal beauty.

     If, however, you do not choose to live in virginity and have not promised God that you will do this, God's law allows you to marry one woman and to live with her alone and to hold her in holiness as your own wife (cf. i Thess. 4: 4), abstaining entirely from other women. You can totally abstain from them if you shun untimely meetings with them, do not indulge in lewd words and stories and, as far as you can, avoid looking at them with the eyes of both body and soul, training yourself not to gaze overmuch upon the beauty of their faces. For 'whoever looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart' (Matt. 5: 28), and in this way he is impure before Christ who sees his heart; and the next step is that he commits shameless acts with his body also. But why do I speak of fornication and adultery and other natural abominations? For by looking overfondly on the beauty of bodies a person is dragged down unrestrainedly into lascivious acts contrary to all nature. Thus, if you cut away from yourself the bitter roots, you will not reap the deadly harvest but, on the contrary, you will gather the fruits of chastity and the holiness which it confers, and without which 'no one will see the Lord' (Heb. 12 : 14).
 
Another crumb about the Archangels.
 
     The great Archangel Michael, seeing the downfall of the angels, knew the reason for their [demons] ouster. With the obedience and loyalty of a dutiful servant to his Master and God, he safeguarded his own glory and honor that were bestowed by God, as well as the glory of the other angelic powers. Thereby, for his loyalty and gratitude, he was appointed, by the Almighty, chief among the angelic powers. Because he summoned together and united the angelic powers as he proclaimed to them, "Let us attend! Let us stand well! Let us stand with fear"; that is, let us perceive the fate of the fallen demons due to their arrogance who not long ago were as us, and let us perceive what is God and what is an angel. For the former is the Creator and Lord of the angels, and we are servants and creatures of His. Thus, he praised and exalted the King of the universe as he chanted with all the angels the divine hymn: "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth, heaven and earth are full of Thy glory." We have been handed down this mystery from an ancient tradition and celebrate this day, calling it the Synaxis of the Angels, or oneness of mind and/or unity of purpose.

     After saying all this, Saint John of Damascus writes that "the devil and the demons have no power or strength against anyone except what God in His dispensation has conceded to them, as for instance, against Job and those swine that are mentioned in the Gospels. But when God has made the concession they do prevail, and are changed and transformed into any form whatever in which they wish to appear.

     "Of the future, both the angels of God and the demons are alike ignorant; yet they make predictions. God reveals the future to the angels and commands them to prophesy, and so what they say comes to pass. But the demons also make predictions, sometimes because they see what is happening at a distance, and sometimes merely making guesses. Hence much that they say is false, and they should not be believed, even although they do often, in the way we have said, tell what is true; besides, they know the Scriptures.

     "All wickedness, then, and all impure passions are the work of their mind. But while the liberty to attack man has been granted to them, they have not the strength to overmaster anyone; for we have it in our power to receive or not to receive the attack. Thus, there has been prepared for the devil and his demons, and those who follow him, fire unquenchable and everlasting punishment.

     Note, further, that what in the case of man is death is a fall in the case of angels.  For after the fall there is no possibility of repentance for them, just as after death there is for men no repentance.
 
From The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church, Copyright 2003, Holy Apostles Convent, all rights reserved.
 
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.
 
In Christ,
 
+Bishop Gregory, and those with me.

[Julianna]

November 17/30, 2003
Beloved Clergy and Parishioners in the Lord, Rejoice!
 
Greetings in Christ from Dormition Skete. We hope and pray that you are all well, advancing in the grace of God, day by day growing in love for God and each other.
 
SUNDAY OF THE TWENTY-FOURTH WEEK
The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Ephesians [§ 221]. Brethren:
     2  14Christ is our peace, the One Who made the both one, and broke down the middle wall of the hedge, 15having abolished by ordinances the enmity-the law of the commandments-in His flesh, in order that He might create in Himself the two into one new man, making peace, 16and might thoroughly reconcile them both in one body to God through the Cross, having slain the enmity by it. 17And He came and preached the good tidings, peace to you who were afar off and to thosewho were near. 18For through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then ye are no longer strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens of the saints and of the household of God, 20who were built up on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the cornerstone, 21in Whom every! building, being joined together, increaseth to a holy temple in the Lord, 22in Whom ye also are being built up together for a dwelling place of God in theSpirit.
 
SUNDAY OF THE SEVENTH WEEK
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 39]. At that time:
     8  41A certain man came to Jesus, whose name was Jairos, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell at the feet of Jesus and besought Him to come into his house, 42for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. But as He was going, the crowds were pressing closely upon Him. 43And a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who expended her whole living on physicians and could not be cured by anyone, 44came behind Him and touched the fringe of His garment. And immediately the flow of her blood stanched. 45And Jesus said, "Who is the one who touched Me?" But when all denied it, Peter said, and those with him, "Master, the crowds compass Thee and press Thee tightly, and sayest Thou, 'Who is the one who touched Me?'" 46And Jesus said, "S! omeone touched Me; for I know that power went forth from Me." 47And after the woman saw that she did not escape notice, she came trembling; and having fallen down before Him, she declared to Him before all the people for what cause she touched Him, and how she was healed immediately. 48And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good courage; thy faith hath made thee well. Go thou in peace." 49While He is yet speaking, someone cometh from the ruler of the synagogue'shouse, saying to him, "Thy daughter hath died; do not be troubling the Teacher." 50But after Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Cease being afraid; only keep on believing, and she shall be made well." 51And after He entered into the house, He did not allow anyone to go in, except Peter and Iakovos and John, and the father and the mother of the girl. 52And all were weeping and beating their breasts. But He! said, "Cease weeping; she did not die, but sleepeth." 53And they kept on laughing scornfully at Him, knowing that she did die. 54But He put them all outside and took hold of her hand and called, saying, "Girl, arise." 55And her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that something be given to her to eat. 56And her parents were amazed. And He gave orders to them to tell no one what took place.
 
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     It has been so busy here this weekend that we could not get the sermon out, so we are sending out a section on the Entry of the Virgin Mary taken from the Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church.
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On the 21 of November, the holy Church commemorates the Entrance of the VIRGIN MARY into the Temple.

     "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah [Jer. 38:3132]." In the hymns at Vespers of the feast, we chant: "Thou, O Virgin Mother of God, art she whom the prophets proclaimed. Thou art the glory of the apostles and the pride of martyrs, the restoration of all who dwell on earth: for through thee we are reconciled to God."

     The Feast of the Entrance of the Virgin Mary into the Temple is not among the most ancient festivals of the Church. Nonetheless, it must have been instituted earlier than the seventh century, since Saint Andrew of Crete (ca. 660-740) had known about it. Saint Tarasios (d. 806), the patriarch, introduced it at Constantinople a century later. The festival blossomed forth from the Tradition of the Church, which made use of the apocryphal source, the Protoevangelium, in order to emphasize the fulfillment of the œconomy of the Creator and the self-consecration of the chosen Virgin to a life in the service of God. The Church breaks the silence of the canonical Gospels that we may behold the incomprehensible ways of providence which prepared Mary, the receptacle of the Logos and the Mother predetermined before the ages. She who was preached by the prophets is now introduced into the Holy of Holies, like a hidden treasure of the glory of God. God has ! sanctified all things by her entry and has made God-like the fallen nature of mortal men.
     The Virgin Mary's Parents, the Righteous Joachim and Anna

     The Righteous Joachim and Anna, the Virgin's parents, had been married fifty years when they produced their much-desired offspring. Moreover, the elderly couple fully intended to dedicate and consecrate their offspring, male or female, to the temple and service of God. Thus, when the child reached two years of age, Joachim said to Anna, "Let us take her up to the temple of the Lord, that we may pay the vow that we have made, lest the Lord should depart from us or, perchance, the Lord send us someone to warn us that we have been too long in paying our vow because our 'offering' has not yet been received. " But Anna said, "Let us wait for her third year, so that our daughter might not be at a loss to know her father, and also that she might not look for us." Therefore, Joachim conceded and said, "So let us wait."'

     Much of both the poetic imagery and iconography of this feast, which are used liturgically, are derived from the following passage of the Protoevangelium: "When the child reached her third birthday, Joachim said, `Let us invite the daughters of the Hebrews that are virgins. Let each maiden take a lamp and stand with the lamps burning, that the child might not turn back and then her mind would be set against the temple of the Lord.
     The Entrance into the Temple

     Thus, her parents departed their home and went up to the temple with an escort of young maidens. Upon arriving, they then put off Mary's traveling clothes and arrayed her with garments that were neater and cleaner - indeed, clothes befitting a queen. Now there were fifteen steps at the temple that led from the Court of the Women to that of the men. The significance of the number fifteen, to the Jews, was that it corresponded to the fifteen Psalms of Degrees [Ps. 119-133, LXX]. The temple had been built on a mountain, so that the altar of burnt offering could not be reached except by steps. On one of these steps, they placed the little maiden Mary. Then the whole company ascended into the temple of the Lord; the maidens bearing lamps and singing psalms. And Mary, without anyone leading her or lifting her, ascended the steps one after the other.

     The Virgin's father, Joachim, was bright with joy and kept feast with Anna. Now Anna, truly blessed by God's grace, led with gladness into the temple of the Lord the pure and Ever-virgin, who is full of grace. And Anna called the young maidens to go before her, lamps in hand. "Go, child," she said, "to Him Who gave thee unto me; be unto Him an offering and a sweet smelling incense. Go into the place that none may enter: Learn its mysteries and prepare thyself to become the pleasing and beautiful dwelling-place of Jesus Who grants the world great mercy."'

     Entering the temple with virginal glory, she is compared to that area of the temple known as the holy of holies. Thus, in hymns we can hear Saint Andrew of Crete chant, "Thy wise parents, O undefiled one, brought thee, who art the `Holy of Holies,' as an offering to the house of the Lord, there to be reared in holiness and made ready to become His Mother."
     As the icon of the feast depicts, the Righteous Joachim and Anna, rejoicing in spirit, offered their daughter in the temple of the law that she might make her dwelling therein. "The virgins that follow after her shall be brought unto the King; those near her shall be brought unto Thee. They shall be brought with gladness and rejoicing, they shall be brought into the temple of the King [Ps. 44:14, 15]."

     The Words of the Prophets are Fulfilled

     The High Priest Zacharias, the husband of Anna's niece Elisabeth, was the future father of Saint John the Baptist. When he beheld the Virgin's approach, he rejoiced in the Spirit, and said, "Mary, the Lord God has magnified thy name to all generations and, by thee, to the very end of time, the Lord will show His redemption to the children of Israel. "The High Priest Zacharias unites in his person two traditions - priestly and prophetic. Rejoice, Mary, preaching of the prophets and the fulfillment of their words! The prophets prophesied of thee and have thee as their boast.

     Jacob foresaw thee as the "ladder": "Behold a ladder fixed on the earth whose top reached to heaven, and the angels of God ascended and descended on it [Gen. 28:12]." Thus will the Lord desire to descend upon thee and become incarnate, and thereby men will be able to ascend to heaven. The golden urn of manna, that Moses gave command to be laid up so that future generations might see the bread with which the Hebrews were fed in the wilderness [Ex. 16: 32-33], also prefigured thee. Thus thou wilt give flesh to the heavenly Bread that will nourish the race of the anointed ones. The dry rod of Aaron was a sign of thee, in that, without water, it budded [Num. 17:8]. In like manner wilt thou, without seed from man, virginally, give birth to God, for this is His will. The fleece of Gedeon (Gideon) prefigured thee, for as rain came down upon the fleece, without anyone's knowledge [Judg. 6:37-38], thus does God desire ! to condescend to put on flesh of thee - and not even the angels will understand how He would become incarnate. Let us, therefore, magnify the radiant cloud [Is. 19:1].

     The Prophet David wrote: "He shall come down like rain upon a fleece, and like rain-drops that fall upon the earth [Ps. 71:6]." The same prophet and king called thee "Queen," and uttered: "At Thy right hand stood the Queen, arrayed in a vesture of inwoven gold, adorned in varied colors [Ps. 44:8]." David the prophet, who is of thine own tribe, clearly foresaw and uttered: "Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thine ear; and forget thine own people and thy father's house, and the King shall greatly desire thy beauty [Ps. 44:9, 10]."

     Solomon remarked that thou art precious and honorable above all women, and said, "Many daughters have obtained wealth, many have wrought valiantly; but thou hast exceeded, thou hast surpassed all [Prov. 29:29]." Saint George of Nikomedia (d. after 880) here chants, "Solomon, foreseeing how thou wast to receive God, spoke of thee in dark sayings as the gate of the King and the living fountain sealed [Song of Songs 4:12], from which came forth untroubled waters unto us."

     Esaias called thee "virgin" and uttered: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive in the womb, and shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Emmanuel [Is. 7:14]." Ezekiel forecalled thee "gate" and said: "This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no one shall pass through it [Ez. 44:2]." The gate spoken of by Ezekiel also foretells that just as the great King enters and exits, He will again close the gate. Thus the great King desires to be born. He will leave thee virgin, just as thou art now.

     Daniel called thee "mountain" when he said: "A Stone was cut out of a mountain without hands [ Dan. 2:34]. " The mountain beheld by Nebuchadnezzar and interpreted by Daniel also foreshadowed thee. The Stone cut out of the mountain without human hands smote the image to powder. In like manner, without the will of man, the King of heaven and earth, of His own will, shall take flesh, that He might shatter all the kingdoms of the world and proclaim the everlasting kingdom of heaven.

     Other types in the Old Testament of the Virgin-mother may be found in Prophet Abbakoum, who calls her the mountain overshadowed [Hab. 3:3]. The Prophet Zacharias, in a vision, beheld the Virgin as, a gold seven branched lampstand [Zach. 4:2], with its spiritual light shining in the world. The high priest Zacharias then said, "Enter into the Holy of Holies, for thou art much purer than I. O Mistress, once a year I enter therein, but thou, sit and abide forever. For thou art the Temple of God; therefore, remain in the temple. Thou art the vessel of the Holy Spirit, enter thou into the elect place. Wait therein until thou art vouchsafed to be the worthy vessel of the All-Holy Spirit. Rejoice and dance, for angels desire to minister unto thee!"

     The Virgin Is Led Up

     Then Zacharias turned to Mary's parents and said, "O blessed and grace-filled couple, rejoice and be glad, for thou hast been vouchsafed to become the parents of such a daughter. You have surpassed our forefathers and fathers, in that you have given birth to the Queen of the universe, and you will receive glory from both God and men!" This and many other things were uttered by Zacharias before both parents and their daughter.

     Then Anna spoke: "Receive our daughter, O high priest; indeed, much rather, let God receive her. Take her into the temple, for that is where she, the temple of God, must be and dwell. She is holy, and in a pure place she is to abide. Therefore, into the hands of God is she surrendered. O Zacharias, take my daughter and dedicate her to the temple, for this is what I vowed." The priest answered her, saying, "Truly this work has been accomplished in full measure. I perceive that this is a thing wholly strange: for into the house of God I see her led, the one who wondrously surpasses the sanctuary in grace!"

     Anna, filled with the Spirit, answered, "Take her whom the prophets of God proclaimed in the Spirit, and lead her into the holy temple, there to be brought up in reverence, that she may become the divine 'throne' of the Master of all, His 'palace,' His resting place, and His dwelling filled with light.

     Zacharias then set her down upon the third step of the altar, and the Lord God sent grace upon her; and she danced with her feet, and all the house of Israel loved her. The Virgin of the Lord then went up all the steps one after another, without the help of any to lead or lift her. It was evident from henceforth that she was of perfect age because she walked with a step so mature and she spoke so perfectly. The Church chants, "Three years old in the flesh and many years old in spirit. Therefore, let us praise in hymns the child by nature who was shown forth as a mother beyond nature.

     The parents then, after offering up their sacrifice (according to the custom of the law), left the Virgin with other maidens in the apartments of the temple to be brought up therein. Mary's parents then went down marvelling and praising the Lord God, because the child did not turn back. They then returned to their home. And Mary was in the temple of the Lord, as if she were a dove that dwelt there.

     For the next seven years, the parents of the little Virgin visited her often until they reposed, leaving her an orphan. Bishop Nikolai Velimirovic (1956) records that the Righteous Joachim was eighty years old and the venerable Anna was seventy-nine years old when they reposed in peace.
    
     Excerpted from The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church, Holy Apostles Convent, 2003; pp. 788-794.
 
Monastery/Church News:
 
Tuesday, December 2, 2003, on the anniversary of Vladyka Gregory's consecration to the episcopacy, Archpriest Michael Maklakov was received into ROAC and concelebrated the hierarchal Liturgy with Vladyka and the monastery clergy.
 
Father Michael was born in 1953 and, as a Roman Catholic, studied Philosophy for one year at the Pontificia Universita Urbaniana, in Rome, Italy. He converted to Orthodoxy and was baptized in 1975 at Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, where he also studied theology for one year. He completed his preparation for the priesthood as a private student of Archbishop Andrei (Rimarenko) at Novo Diveevo Convent, New York and took his final exams with Saint Metropolitan Philaret (Voznesensky).
 
Father Michael was ordained to the holy Diaconate in 1982 by Bishop Gregory (Grabbe), and to the holy Priesthood in the same year by Metropolitan Philaret. He left the Russian Church Abroad in those very confusing years when Metropolitan Vitaly began to tolerate ecumenical tendencies among the clergy and permit canonical disorders into the life of the Church. Father Michael has returned to the true Russian Orthodox Church from the Greek Matthewite group.
 
Father Michael now lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana and will offer his service to the Church in any way he can. We wish to congratulate Father Michael and pray that the blessing of God be upon him.
 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
Father Dionysi will be moving to Colorado with his family on the Feast of the Entrance of the Virgin, and is scheduled to arrive on Sunday.  The lease on his house has expired and the expense of remaining in Virginia was more than could be met by his present work. With the help of many parishioners, we believe that he will be able to find sufficient employment and lodging for his family in Colorado Springs. Please pray for their safe travel.  Pretty soon the Church of Saint Basil of Kineshma will be relocated in Colorado Springs.
 
This week the dry wall installers are supposed to start.  Last week approximately two hundred feet of 4'x12'x 5/8" sheets of dry wall/sheet rock were carried into the building and dispersed throughout the rooms.  Another 113 are needed, and will be brought up this week for the dry wall crew to install.  Insulation in the exterior walls is complete, as well as most of the interior walls for sound.
 
We (Father Peter and his guardian angels) have been working these past four years on incorporating The Orthodox New Testament into a computer program.  It is finally completed and ready for marketing.  It has the complete text of both volumes, including all of the endnotes, and all of the icons, most in full color.  This is a research program which is a great tool for any Orthodox Christian who wishes to study the Scriptures and the Church Fathers.  Below is a link with more information about it.
 
http://www.buenavistaco.com/GOC/DSSOFTW ... sement.htm
 
Our parishioners are entitled to receive a 30% discount on this software.
 
Please pray for the health of:
 
     Our Vladika Metropolitan Valentine. 
     Father Savva, who is recovering nicely from his knee surgery.
     Father Dionysios' daughter, Helen. 
     The health of the servant of God Leo, one of our prisoners in Florida, who is going in for some medical tests.
     The health of our catechumen Iakovos Grantham, who is also having medical tests.
 
Calendar of Events for Upcoming Week:
 
     Thursday is the Feast of the Entrance of the Virgin into the Temple.  This is a major feast of the Church.  We wish everybody the blessings and protection of the Virgin Mary.
 
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.
 
In Christ,
 
+Bishop Gregory, and those with me.

[Julianna]

November 24/December 7, 2003

Beloved Clergy and Parishioners in the Lord, Rejoice!
 
Greetings in Christ from Dormition Skete. We hope and pray that you are all well, advancing in the grace of God, day by day growing in love for God and each other.
 
The Reading is from the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Ephesians [§ 224]. Brethren:
For Gk. usage, see Eph. 4:1-7; for Sl. usage, see Eph. 4:1-6.
     4  1I, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling in which ye were called, 2with all humility and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, 3giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye also were called in one hope of your calling; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, Who is over all, and through all, and in you all. 7But to each of us was given grace according to the measure of the gift of the Christ.
 
SUNDAY OF THE EIGHTH WEEK
The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke [§ 53]. At that time:
     10  25A certain doctor of the law came to Jesus, tempting Him, and saying, "Teacher, by having done what shall I inherit eternal life?" 26And He said to him, "In the law what hath been written? How readest thou?" 27And he answered and said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind [cf. Deut. 6:5; 11:13]; and thy neighbor as thyself [cf. Lev. 19:18]." 28And He said to him, "Thou didst answer rightly; be doing this, and thou shalt live." 29But he, wishing to justify himself, said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 30And taking it up, Jesus said, "A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, who both stripped him and laid blows upon him, and went away, leaving him, as it happened, half-dead. 31"Now, by a coincidence, a certain priest was going down on that road. And having seen him, he passed ! by on the opposite side. 32"And in like manner also a Levite, having come to be by the place, came and saw him, and passed by on the opposite side. 33"But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came down to him; and having seen him, he was moved with compassion. 34"And he drew near and bound up his wounds, pouring over oil and wine; and he put him upon his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35"And on the morrow, after he came forth, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, 'Take care of him; and whatsoever thou shalt spend besides, on my coming back, I will repay thee.' 36"Which then of these three seemeth to thee to have proved to be a neighbor of the one who fell among the robbers?" 37And he said, "The one who rendered mercy in dealing with him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go on thy way, and be thou doing in like manner."
 
     In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

     This past week, our Metropolitan Valentine issued a statement regarding the planned union of the ROCOR (Laurus) with the Moscow Patriarchate.  Our Father Michael translated it from the Russian, and we are enclosing it in this week's mailing.
 
    
Appeal of the First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church, Metropolitan Valentin in connection with the negotiations which took place between the ROCOR(L) and the ROC(MP) in Moscow between November 17-21, 2003
 
     The most precious thing for us in this life, undoubtedly, is our soul, which is not worth even the entire world with all of its joys. Eternal life with God or eternal death-this is the end of our earthly sojourn. The path of sorrows and persecutions for the name of Christ is exactly what the Lord Himself promised to His little flock. Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth away to destruction, and many are they who enter through it.
 
     Over the course of several days, we have all been witnesses of the meetings between the representatives of the Church Abroad and the leadership of the Moscow Patriarchate (MP). This event has taken place not by accident, but is the result of a long preparation. It cannot fail to evoke sorrow in the hearts of true Orthodox Christians. For many, it has already become evident that the leadership of the Church Abroad went to the negotiations with the ROC MP, having been attracted to them by the idea of a political unification. They did not know what the MP was from within, they did not know what we the faithful living in Russia know. We know what it is that hides there behind the showy façade of their "religious revival" and golden cupolas.
 
     It is naïve to think that the time of the totalitarian atheistic regime has passed into history and that everything has changed. An evil tree does not bring forth good fruit; and repentance, even if it has taken place in great secrecy between the ROCOR(L) and the MP, has not washed away sins. The sin of Sergianism, the sin of the heresy of ecumenism, the sin of betrayal of the truth, the sin of corruption and hypocrisy, have not disappeared! In order to be convinced of this, it is enough to remember the entire Soviet itinerary, worked out by the atheists, by which the Moscow Patriarchate unswervingly and pompously marched, along with her hierarchs.
 
     From the writings of the holy Fathers it is known that pious lay people, elders, zealous pastors and teachers, priests and missionaries do not by themselves make up the Church, which, according to the words of St. Cyprian of Carthage, is found in the Orthodox episcopacy: "Where the bishop is, there is the Church." No matter how many lay people enter the MP, they can never turn her into the Church of Christ, for: "as is the episcopacy, so is the Church."
 
     At the present time, the collective confession of the entire episcopacy of the ROC MP must not be recognized as Orthodox because not one of the ROC MP's unions with the heretics (Balamand and Chambesy) has been condemned by them. Prayers with the heterodox continue even until now. The MP takes part in all ecumenical projects, and the hierarchs of the MP continue to conduct blasphemous "divine services." The fidelity of the MP to the ecumenical movement was confirmed by the 1994, 1997, and 2000 sobors of the full Synod of Bishops. It is superfluous to say that the Moscow Patriarchate does not now, nor ever has, condemned Ecumenism or Sergianism.
 
     During the past few days, in Moscow, and in front of the whole world, at the same time as they are receiving the delegation of the Church Abroad, the MP hosted an ecumenical conference, laughing in the face of those who are still hoping for the repentance of the MP.
 
     The entire world was witness to the hierarchs of the ROCOR praying together with Alexei II and with members of his synod. Having concluded an ecumenical prayer with unrepentant heretics, the ROCOR has shown itself to be in violation, not only of the Apostolic and Conciliar Canons, but even of its own anathema against the heresy of Ecumenism, which had been promulgated by the Synod of Bishops of the ROCOR in 1983. At that time, the Church Abroad stood for keeping and defending the true teaching of the Faith. At that time, the voice of the ROCOR was a ray "of the light of Truth" in the windowless darkness of the ecumenists' lies, in which almost all of the nations of the world are drowning. Now, however, the hierarchs of the ROCOR are asking for forgiveness for having done so from the main violators of the rules of the Apostles and of the Holy Fathers-the MP! Today, we see the disgraceful end of the ROCOR, once presaged by the ever-memorable! Bishop Gregory (Grabbe).
 
     We call upon all who are zealous for the purity of Orthodoxy to strengthen their prayers for the enlightenment of the errant and for their return to the path of the Truth. Today, the MP is uniting with the ROCOR, tomorrow it will be with the Vatican, as already done by the Ecumenical Patriarchs Athenagoras, Dimitrios, and Bartholomeos. It will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than it will be for them.
 
Lowly Valentin,
Metropolitan of Suzdal and Vladimir
First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Autonomous Church
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
     Vladika was asked some questions last week.
 
1. About tears, is it alright to weep?
 
     Of course it is alright to weep.  In fact, it is a virtue.  Weeping over one's sins, or the sins of others, or our fallen state, or because of the sufferings of Christ and the Saints, etc. are all good tears.  Tears of this kind which are done in private, one can be sure will be pleasing to God.

     Tears over our sufferings, the loss of glory, money and other material goods, are not wholesome tears.

     We should always try to conceal our tears.  Our Saviour said, blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.  There is always a secret or subtle consolation that comes after one has had an experience of compunction.  This is from God.
 
2. If we are invited somewhere on a fast day, and they give us non-fasting food, is it alright to eat it?
 
     This question is often asked, ostensibly because someone does not want to hurt the feelings of the host.  These feelings are unsubstantiated, and there is no automatic guarantee that if we abstain from non-fasting foods, that we will thereby insult or hurt the feelings of the one who invited us. It is better for us to believe that if someone is going to be offended, that we should offend men rather than offend God.

     So the answer is, no.  We do not break the fast because we have non-fasting food before us.  We should have been more diligent to explain beforehand that we are Orthodox Christians, and therefore, because we are in a fasting period, or it is a fast day, therefore we are not allowed to eat certain foods.  Also, we should not have our conscience rebuke us because we have broken the Canons of the Apostles and other Councils.  We can always say, "I'm not very hungry.  The bread and the salad are sufficient for me today."  (Provided they are permissible.)  [] 
    
Monastery News:
 
     Building Project progress:  This past week was quite productive, although it started only on Tuesday and ended on Saturday.  All the sheet rock / dry wall is now hung.  Three hundred and fourteen sheets were delivered here, and four were not used.  All the insulation is now installed.  This Monday the heating system will be installed.  It will take three days to put the furnace in.  Then heat can be put into the building, and another crew of dry-wallers will come in to finish the dry wall by putting up tape and covering the joints.  Hopefully this will be done this week.

     Father Dionysi has arrived in Colorado, as of this writing, and is expected to be in Colorado Springs Monday morning. 
 
Please pray for:
 
     For the health of our Vladika Metropolitan Valentine.

     Father Savva had a complication.  A blood clot developed due to his knee surgery.  But thank God, through all of your prayers, the blood clot dissolved.  It did, however, cause some damage so that Father has to go to therapy for a short time.  He sounds very well, however, on the phone, but please keep him in your prayers.

     Father Dionysios' daughter, Helen.

     The servant of God Dionysi, who is also recovering from an illness.

     The handmaid of God Ioanna, for her health.
 
Calendar of Events for Upcoming Week:
 
     This Wednesday is the Feast of the Virgin Mary's Kursk Root icon. 
 
Crumbs from the trapeza table:
 
Saint Gregory Palamas, from the Philokalia:
 

1. 'You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain' (Exod. 20 : 7), swearing an oath falsely because of some worldly thing, or out of human fear, or shame, or for personal gain. For a false oath is a denial of God. For this reason you should not take an oath at all (cf. Matt. 5 : 34). Avoid oaths altogether, since through an oath a man forswears himself, and this estranges him from God and numbers him among the wrongdoers. If you are truthful in all your words, that will convey the certainty of an oath. Should you, however, bind yourself with an oath - something to be deprecated - you must fulfil it as a legal obligation, provided it involves something permitted by the divine law; but you should hold yourself at fault because you swore at all, and by acts of mercy, supplication, grief and bodily hardship you should ask Christ's forgiveness, since He said you should not swear oaths. If, on the other hand, you take an oath that involves something that is unlawfu! l, beware lest on account of your oath you do what is wrong and are numbered with Herod, the prophet-slayer (cf. Matt. 14 : 7-9). And when you have put that unlawful oath behind you, make it a rule never again to take an oath, and with tears ask more intensely for God's forgiveness, using the remedies already mentioned.

Through the prayers of our holy fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us and save us.  Amen.
 
In Christ,
 
+Bishop Gregory, and those with me.