[Readingsandsaints] Readings and Saints

[Daily Orthodox Readings and Saints]

Scripture Readings and Saints for Tue Dec 4 2007

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1 Timothy 1:1-7
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our
Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,
2 To Timothy, a true son in the faith:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia-remain in Ephesus that you
may charge some that they teach no other doctrine,
4 nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause
disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith.
5 Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a
good conscience, and from sincere faith,
6 from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk,
7 desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they
say nor the things which they affirm.
Scripture Reading 1 of 4


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Hebrews 13:7-16  (St. Alexander)
7 Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to
you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it
is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which
have not profited those who have been occupied with them.
10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no
right to eat.
11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the
sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp.
12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His
own blood, suffered outside the gate.
13 Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His
reproach.
14 For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.
15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise
to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices
God is well pleased.
Scripture Reading 2 of 4


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Luke 20:27-44
27 Then some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection,
came to Him and asked Him,
28 saying: "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies,
having a wife, and he dies without children, his brother should take
his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.
29 Now there were seven brothers. And the first took a wife, and died
without children.
30 And the second took her as wife, and he died childless.
31 Then the third took her, and in like manner the seven also; and
they left no children, and died.
32 Last of all the woman died also.
33 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife does she become? For all
seven had her as wife.
34 Jesus answered and said to them, "The sons of this age marry and
are given in marriage.
35 But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the
resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage;
36 nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are
sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
37 But even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are
raised, when he called the Lord 'the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob.'
38 For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live
to Him.
39 Then some of the scribes answered and said, "Teacher, You have
spoken well."
40 But after that they dared not question Him anymore.
41 And He said to them, "How can they say that the Christ is the Son
of David?
42 Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: 'The LORD said to my
Lord, Sit at My right hand,
43 Till I make Your enemies Your footstool." '
44 Therefore David calls Him 'Lord'; how is He then his Son?
Scripture Reading 3 of 4


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Luke 12:32-40  (St. Alexander)
32 Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to
give you the kingdom.
33 Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags
which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail,
where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
35 Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;
36 and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he
will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may
open to him immediately.
37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will
find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and
have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.
38 And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third
watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.
39 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour
the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house
to be broken into.
40 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an
hour you do not expect.
Scripture Reading 4 of 4



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Glorification of the Priestmartyr Alexander Hotovitzky
The New Martyr of Russia Alexander Hotovitzky was born on February 11,
1872 in the city of Kremenetz, into the pious family of Archpriest
Alexander, who was Rector of the Volhynia Theological Seminary and
would later be long remembered in the hearts of the Orthodox
inhabitants of Volhynia as a good shepherd. Young Alexander received a
good Christian upbringing from his parents, who instilled in him love
for the Orthodox Church and for the people of God.
The future pastor was educated at the Volhynia Seminary and the St
Petersburg Theological Academy, from which he graduated with a
Master's degree in 1895.
After graduation from the Academy, he was sent for missionary service
to the Diocese of the Aluetians and North America, where he was
assigned to the position of reader at the newly-established St
Nicholas Orthodox Church in New York City. Following his marriage to
Maria Scherbuhina, a graduate of the Pavlovsk Institute in St
Petersburg, the Hieromartyr Alexander was ordained to the diaconate,
and soon after, on February 25, 1896, to the priesthood by Bishop
Nicholas (Ziorov) of the Aleutians, whom Father Alexander would always
later remember with gratitude and love.
The ordination took place at the diocesan cathedral in San Francisco.
In his address to the newly-ordained Father Alexander, Bishop Nicholas
explained his selection of the new priest for ordained ministry in
these words: "Your special sense of decency, your good upbringing,
your noble idealism, and your sincere piety immediately caused me to
look favorably upon you and compelled me to single you out among the
young people, with whom you used to visit me in St PetersburgI could
see that you had that special spark from God, which makes any service
an action truly done for God's sake, and without which a vocation
becomes soul-less and dead workYour first experience in preaching has
shown you the power of this kind of inspiration: you saw how the
people gathered around you and how attentively they stood and listened
at length to your discourses Why did these people listen to you rather
than going to hear other preachers? Clearly the spark which burns
within you attracts the hearts of these people like a magnet."
A week after his ordination, the young priest returned to New York to
assume the pastorate of the parish where he had previously served as
reader. From 1898 to 1907, the New Martyr Alexander served as a pastor
under the omophorion of Bishop Tikhon. Saint Tikhon, who, in the
tragic year of 1917, was to be elevated by Divine Providence to the
primatial see as Patriarch of Moscow, valued highly Father Alexander's
sincere piety, his gift of pastoral love, and his multifaceted
theological erudition. The spectrum of his activity in the United
States was quite broad and very fruitful. He was successful in
missionary service, primarily among Uniates newly-emigrated from
Galicia and Carpathian Rus. He was also one of the closest
collaborators of the Orthodox archpastors in America and represented
the Orthodox Church before American religious institutions and
meetings.
Father Alexander's missionary work was not without many temptations
and sorrows. Archbishop, later Metropolitan, Platon (Rozhdestvensky)
expressed gratitude for the Passion-bearer Alexander's labors in
America in an address delivered at the Divine Liturgy on February 26,
1914. Bidding farewell to Father Alexander, the Archbishop said, "One
morning, during the years we worked together, you came to my room and,
without saying much, unbuttoned your shirt, revealing a very large,
bluish, bloody abrasion on your chest. That wound from a fanatic, who
in a fit of rage attacked you wildly with a stick, followed the
meeting of Russian people at which you had encouraged your own ethnic
brother to renounce the pernicious Unia with Rome My entire being was
shaken to the core and I was profoundly moved, for before me at that
moment was a genuine example of witness for Christ."
Through Father Alexander's efforts, Orthodox parishes were established
in Philadelphia, Yonkers, and Passaic as well as other large and small
towns throughout North America. The parishioners of these churches
were cradle Orthodox whom fate had brought to the New World, as well
as Carpatho-Russians converted from the Unia and former Protestant
converts to the Orthodox Church.
An important contribution to the witness of the truth of Orthodoxy
before heterodox American society was made by the American Orthodox
Messenger, which was published in English and Russian under Father
Alexander's editorship. Articles by the editor regularly appeared in
this journal.
The New Martyr Alexander actively participated in the establishment of
an Orthodox diocesan mutual aid society and at various times, he
served as treasurer, first secretary, and president of this
organization. The society provided material aid to Austrian
Carpatho-Russians, Macedonian Slavs, Russian troops in Manchuria, and
to Russian prisoners of war in Japanese camps.
Father Alexander also took upon himself the ascetical burden of
constructing the architecturally remarkable and majestic St Nicholas
Cathedral in New York to replace the small parish church. The
cathedral was to become an adornment of the city. He visited Orthodox
communities throughout America soliciting funds for the construction
of the Cathedral. In 1901, he also traveled to his homeland, Russia,
for this purpose. In the annals of St Nicholas Church, which in 1903
became the diocesan Cathedral, it is recorded that, "This Cathedral
was established and constructed in the City of New York in North
America, under the supervision and through the efforts and labors of
the most honorable Archpriest Father Alexander Hotovitzky in the year
of Our Lord 1902."
On February 26, 1906, Orthodox America celebrated the tenth
anniversary of priestly service of Archpriest Alexander, one of its
most remarkable pastors. Bishop Tikhon greeted the jubilarian with
these words: "As you remember your ordination as a priest of God at
this anniversary, you are doubtless unwillingly contemplating how you
have used your God-given talents, and asking yourself if the Grace of
God was bestowed on you in vain and how far you have advanced on the
path of moral perfection. As you judge yourself in this way, you are
at the same time the judge and the accused. In order for a judgment to
be fair, the testimony of onlookers, the witnesses, must be heard. Now
they are speaking before you - listen to them. Thanks be to the Lord!
We just heard their eloquent and heartfelt testimony praising you. For
myself as your superior, I can testify that you have proven to be
trustworthy, and have justified the expectations which were hoped for
at your ordination."
The sacrificial and dedicated pastoral service of the New Martyr
Alexander in America was concluded on February 26, 1914, exactly
eighteen years after his ordination to the priesthood. In his farewell
address, Father Alexander said, "Farewell, American Orthodox Rus - my
dear Mother, the Holy American Church. I, your ever-grateful son, bow
filially to the ground before you. You gave birth to me spiritually,
you nurtured me, from your depths you inspired me by your strength.
Through the shining witness of your founders, through the enlightened
apostolic teachings of your preachers, through the fervor of your
faithful flock, you have given me the greatest possible joy - to be
your son."
>From 1914 to 1917, Father Alexander served as a priest in Helsinki,
Finland, where the majority of the population was Protestant. Although
Finland was then part of the Russian Empire, the Orthodox clergy there
had to exert great efforts to protect the Orthodox Karelians from the
proselytic expansionism of the Finnish Lutherans. In Finland, the New
Martyr Alexander was a loyal, active, and dedicated assistant to his
archpastor - Sergius (Stragorodsky), the future Patriarch.
In August 1917, Archpriest Alexander was transferred to Moscow and
assigned as assistant pastor of Christ the Savior Cathedral. Here he
was again under the direct guidance of Saint Tikhon, with whom he had
already been closely associated in America.
The Passion-bearer Alexander participated in the deliberations of the
Church Council of 1917-18. When the Council discussed the drafting of
a message to the Orthodox flock concerning elections to the State
Council, he stated that, as the fate of Russia was at stake, the
Church and the Council in particular should not shy away from the
struggle to save the nation. Speaking about the efforts of the Council
to upbuild the Church, he outlined his preliminary plans for order and
healing in the internal life of the Church and stated with some
bitterness, "It seems as if there were builders who were furiously
preparing blueprints, plans and so forth for the construction of an
edifice and at the same time were calmly observing the destruction
brick by brick of this edifice by enemies."
During the difficult years of the Civil War, the New Martyr Alexander
collaborated closely with StTikhon in the administration of the Moscow
diocese. In 1918, under the spiritual leadership of the rector, Father
Nicholas Arseniev, and the assistant pastor, Father Alexander, a
brotherhood affiliated with Christ the Savior Cathedral was
established. As its first activity, the brotherhood issued an appeal
to the Orthodox flock, which Father Alexander helped write.
This document stated, "People of Russia! Christ the Savior Cathedral,
the adornment of Moscow, the pride of Russia, the joy of the Orthodox
Church has been condemned to slow destruction. This glorious monument
to the great exploits of Russian warriors, who gave their lives for
their native land and the Holy Orthodox Faith, has been denied state
supportPeople of Russia! Will you really surrender this wonderful
church of the Savior to mockery? Is it really true, as is claimed by
the persecutors of the Holy Church, that the people of Russia no
longer need holy things - Churches, sacraments, services, because all
this is outdated and superstitious? Respond, you faithful! All of you,
respond as one! Rise up and protect your holy things! May the generous
and well-intentioned donations of the rich be added to the precious
pennies of the faithful poor. Moscow, you are the heart of Russia!
Preserve your holy shrine - your golden-domed Church of the Savior!"
In response to this appeal, Orthodox inhabitants of Moscow joined the
brotherhood of Christ the Savior Cathedral, and gave their alms to
support the majestic church.
Pastoral service at that time was accompanied by much grief and
danger. In May 1920 and November 1921 Father Alexander was arrested
for brief periods. He was accused of violating the decrees concerning
the separation of the Church from the state, and the school from the
Church, by holding church school for the children.
In 1922, the Church was subjected to harsh tribulations when, under
the pretext of helping the starving, ecclesiastical treasures
including sacred vessels, icons, and other holy things were violently
confiscated by the state. Heeding the appeal of Her holy primate, the
Orthodox Church made generous donations to assist the starving.
However, when Saint Tikhon issued a statement to his flock throughout
Russia forbidding the cooperation of the clergy in surrendering sacred
vessels for non-ecclesiastical use based on canon law, a slanderous
campaign against the Church was begun in the press, Her primate was
arrested, and a wave of court cases took place throughout Russia, in
which servants of the Lord's altar were accused of
counterrevolutionary activity. During these trials many faithful
servants of the Church of Christ were sentenced to death and shed
their blood as hieromartyrs and martyrs.
During this difficult time for the Church, Father Alexander was
unwaveringly guided by the statements of the Holy Patriarch to his
flock and also followed his directives. Funds to assist the starving
were collected at Christ the Savior Cathedral. At the same time,
measures were undertaken to protect the sacred objects of this church.
Meetings of the clergy and parishioners of Christ the Savior Cathedral
were held at Father Alexander's apartment in order to draft a
resolution of the general parish meeting concerning the state decree.
A draft of the resolution, prepared by Father Alexander, protested
against the violent confiscation of church valuables. A general
meeting of parishioners was convened on March 23, 1922 at Christ the
Savior Cathedral, presided by Archpriest Nicholas Arseniev. Father
Alexander had already been arrested. This meeting adopted the final
text of the resolution, which demanded guarantees from the state that
all donations be used to save the lives of the starving. The
participants in the meeting protest the poisonous publications against
the Church as well as insults against the hierarchy. The drafting of
this document was deemed by the authorities to be criminal
counterrevolutionary activity.
After two court cases against the Church, in Petrograd and Moscow,
which resulted in the executions of hieromartyrs and martyrs, a new
highly visible trial of clergy and laity began in Moscow on November
27, 1922, during which they were accused of supposedly "attempting to
retain in their hands possession of church valuables and, through the
resulting starvation, to topple the Soviet regime."
On trial in this case were 105 clergy and laity. Among the main
defendants were Archpriest Sergius Uspensky, dean of the second
district of forty church in Prechistenka, Archpriest Nicholas
Arseniev, dean of Christ the Savior Cathedral, Archpriest Alexander
Hotovitzky, assistant pastor of this Cathedral, Ilya Gromoglasov,
priest of Christ the Savior Cathedral, Lev Evgenievich Anohin, warden
of this Cathedral, and Archpriest Simeon Golubev, rector of St John
the Warrior Church.
The most significant part of the indictment submitted to the Court
concerned the activity of the clergy and laity of Christ the Savior
Cathedral. The indictment stated, "The main organizers and leaders of
this criminal activity were Priest Hotovitzky, chairman of the council
of parishes in this area, Priest Arseniev, rector of the Cathedral,
Priest Zotikov, Priest Gromoglasov, former lawyer Kayutov, former
deputy minister Shchepkin, the merchant Golovkin, and engineer Anohin.
When the decree of the Supreme Central Executive Committee concerning
the confiscation of church valuables was issued, they began their
preliminary activities under the leadership of the priest Hotovitzky,
who repeated secretly gathered the above named people at his apartment
in order to plan with them the measures which they proposed to enact
to achieve their criminal intentions."
The case was in court for two weeks. After the detailed indictment was
read, questioning of the defendants began. Father Alexander remained
cool and calm during the questioning as he tried to protect the other
defendants. He did not admit any guilt, stating, "I consider that it
is not counterrevolutionary to ask for a corresponding amount of metal
in return for church valuables."
Following the interrogation of all the defendants and witnesses, at
the Court session on December 6, the later infamous, sinister
prosecutor Vishinsky delivered the concluding statement for the
prosecution. He asked the court for a sentence of capital punishment
for thirteen defendants including Archpriests Alexander Hotovitzky,
Nicholas Arseniev, Sergius Uspensky, Priest Ilya Gromoglasov, Abbess
Vera (Pobedinskaya) of the Novodevichy Women's Monastery and L.E.
Anohin. Vishinsky requested that the other defendants be sentenced to
prison terms of varying length.
On December 11, defendants were given an opportunity to say a final
word to the court. In his comments, Father Alexander attempted, first
of all, to obtain the court's leniency and mercy for his brother
clergy, "I direct your attention to those who were at the meeting in
my apartment: some of them are old and the others are very young and
guilty of nothing. This was a completely ordinary meeting, it was not
counterrevolutionary and it cannot by any means be characterized as a
shady plot."
The lengthiest final comments were delivered by the professor and
priest Ilya Gromoglasov. This defendant attempted to gain the favor of
the court by expounding on his former opposition to the Holy Synod.
Concerning the conclusions of the prosecution, he said that he "knew
nothing of the criminal organization headed by Hotovitzky."
On December 13, the verdict of the revolutionary tribunal was
announced. It was milder than the bloodthirsty verdicts delivered at
previous trials held in Petrograd and Moscow in conjunction with the
confiscation of church valuables. Each of the main defendants - Abbess
Vera (Pobedinskaya), Archpriest Sergius Uspensky, and Archpriest
Alexander Hotovitzky were sentenced to ten years in prison, the
confiscation of their personal property and the deprivation of their
civil rights for five years. The others were sentenced to lesser terms
of imprisonment. Appeals for pardon, made by those who were sentenced
to the longest terms of imprisonment, including that of Archpriest
Alexander, were rejected by the presidium of the Supreme Central
Executive Committee on February 16, 1923.
After the holy Patriarch Tikhon resumed his administration of the
Church and made several statements regarding loyalty to the
governmental authorities, many hierarchs, clergy, church leaders and
laity, who had previously received sentences from the judiciary in
conjunction with the confiscation of church valuables, were granted
amnesty. Father Alexander was among those freed in October 1923.
Following his liberation, he was not assigned to a parish but served
by invitation at various churches in Moscow.
He remained free for only a short time. Already on September 4, 1924,
E. Tuchkov, head of the 6th section of the Department of State
Political Management, compiled a list of thirteen clergy and church
leaders of Moscow and recommended that they be subjected to
administrative exile. The New Martyr Alexander, who was included in
the list, was characterized as follows in this document, "A priest and
preacher with a post-graduate education, very active, zealous and
influential among the Tikhonites. His outlook is anti-Soviet."
On September 9, 1924, the New Martyr Alexander was subjected to an
interrogation. "In my religious convictions," he said at that time, "I
consider myself to be a Tikhonite. My relations with the Patriarch are
intimate rather than just strictly administrative, but lately, I have
avoided meeting with Patriarch Tikhon, as I felt that this might
inconvenience him due to my conviction in conjunction with the
confiscation of church valuables. I have never expressed an opinion
concerning the restoration of the former government and such a thought
has not even crossed my mind."
By a decision of a special meeting of the administration of the
Department of State Political Management, the New Martyr Alexander was
exiled to the Turuhan region for a period of three years. His already
failing health was further weakened by his sojourn in the far north.
Following his return from exile, Father Alexander was raised to the
rank of protopresbyter and became one of the closest assistants of the
Deputy Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal Throne, Metropolitan (later
Patriarch) Sergius, who knew him well since the time of his service in
Finland.
In the 1930s, Protopresbyter Alexander served as rector of the Church
of the Deposition of the Robe on Donskoy Street. One of the
parishioners of this church recalls, "In 1936, Father Alexander did
not preach, as he was apparently forbidden to do so. In 1936-7, I was
present many times when Father Alexander served. He was a tall,
gray-haired priest with gentle facial features, who looked extremely
intelligent. Gray, trimmed hair, a small beard, very kind gray eyes, a
high-pitched, loud tenorpronounced exclamations distinctly and with
inspirationHis appearance reminded me of many priests who were exiles
from the western regionsFather Alexander had many parishioners who
greatly revered himEven today, I remember Father Alexander's eyes. It
seemed as if his glance penetrated your heart and embraced it with
affection. I had the same feeling when I saw the holy Patriarch
TikhonThe same light also shining in Father Alexander's eyes was
testimony of his sanctity."
In the fall of 1937, the New Martyr Alexander was arrested again. The
documentary evidence about him at our disposal ends with this;
however, a majority of oral reports testify to his death as a martyr.
The Orthodox Church in America, on whose territory Protopresbyter
Alexander served as a priest until 1914, venerates him as a
passion-bearer, whose life as a confessor ended with sufferings for
Christ. The place of his burial is unknown.
The Church of Russia also commemorates St Alexander on August 7, along
with the Archpriests Alexei Vorobiev, Michael Plishevsky, John
Voronets, the priests Demetrius Milovidov, and Peter Tokarev, the
deacon Elisha Sholder, and Igumen Athanasius Egorov.
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Greatmartyr Barbara at Heliopolis, in Syria
The Holy Great Martyr Barbara lived and suffered during the reign of
the emperor Maximian (305-311). Her father, the pagan Dioscorus, was a
rich and illustrious man in the Syrian city of Heliopolis. After the
death of his wife, he devoted himself to his only daughter.
Seeing Barbara's extraordinary beauty, Dioscorus decided to hide her
from the eyes of strangers. Therefore, he built a tower for Barbara,
where only her pagan teachers were allowed to see her. From the tower
there was a view of hills stretching into the distance. By day she was
able to gaze upon the wooded hills, the swiftly flowing rivers, and
the meadows covered with a mottled blanket of flowers; by night the
harmonious and majestic vault of the heavens twinkled and provided a
spectacle of inexpressible beauty. Soon the virgin began to ask
herself questions about the First Cause and Creator of so harmonious
and splendid a world.
Gradually, she became convinced that the souless idols were merely the
work of human hands. Although her father and teachers offered them
worship, she realized that the idols could not have made the
surrounding world. The desire to know the true God so consumed her
soul that Barbara decided to devote all her life to this goal, and to
spend her life in virginity.
The fame of her beauty spread throughout the city, and many sought her
hand in marriage. But despite the entreaties of her father, she
refused all of them. Barbara warned her father that his persistence
might end tragically and separate them forever. Dioscorus decided that
the temperament of his daughter had been affected by her life of
seclusion. He therefore permitted her to leave the tower and gave her
full freedom in her choice of friends and acquaintances. Thus Barbara
met young Christian maidens in the city, and they taught her about the
Creator of the world, about the Trinity, and about the Divine Logos.
Through the Providence of God, a priest arrived in Heliopolis from
Alexandria disguised as a merchant. After instructing her in the
mysteries of the Christian Faith, he baptized Barbara, then returned
to his own country.
During this time a luxurious bathhouse was being built at the house of
Dioscorus. By his orders the workers prepared to put two windows on
the south side. But Barbara, taking advantage of her father's absence,
asked them to make a third window, thereby forming a Trinity of light.
On one of the walls of the bath-house Barbara traced a cross with her
finger. The cross was deeply etched into the marble, as if by an iron
instrument. Later, her footprints were imprinted on the stone steps of
the bathhouse. The water of the bathhouse had great healing power. St
Simeon Metaphrastes (November 9) compared the bathhouse to the stream
of Jordan and the Pool of Siloam, because by God's power, many
miracles took place there.
When Dioscorus returned and expressed dissatisfaction about the change
in his building plans, his daughter told him about how she had come to
know the Triune God, about the saving power of the Son of God, and
about the futility of worshipping idols. Dioscorus went into a rage,
grabbed a sword and was on the point of striking her with it. The holy
virgin fled from her father, and he rushed after her in pursuit. His
way became blocked by a hill, which opened up and concealed the saint
in a crevice. On the other side of the crevice was an entrance leading
upwards. St Barbara managed then to conceal herself in a cave on the
opposite slope of the hill.
After a long and fruitless search for his daughter, Dioscorus saw two
shepherds on the hill. One of them showed him the cave where the saint
had hidden. Dioscorus beat his daughter terribly, and then placed her
under guard and tried to wear her down with hunger. Finally he handed
her over to the prefect of the city, named Martianus. They beat St
Barbara fiercely: they struck her with rawhide, and rubbed her wounds
with a hair cloth to increase her pain. By night St Barbara prayed
fervently to her Heavenly Bridegroom, and the Savior Himself appeared
and healed her wounds. Then they subjected the saint to new, and even
more frightful torments.
In the crowd where the martyr was tortured was the virtuous Christian
woman Juliana, an inhabitant of Heliopolis. Her heart was filled with
sympathy for the voluntary martyrdom of the beautiful and illustrious
maiden. Juliana also wanted to suffer for Christ. She began to
denounce the torturers in a loud voice, and they seized her.
Both martyrs were tortured for a long time. Their bodies were raked
and wounded with hooks, and then they were led naked through the city
amidst derision and jeers. Through the prayers of St Barbara the Lord
sent an angel who covered the nakedness of the holy martyrs with a
splendid robe. Then the steadfast confessors of Christ, Sts Barbara
and Juliana, were beheaded. Dioscorus himself executed St Barbara. The
wrath of God was not slow to punish both torturers, Martianus and
Dioscorus. They were killed after being struck by lightning.
In the sixth century the relics of the holy Great Martyr Barbara were
transferred to Constantinople. Six hundred years later, they were
transferred to Kiev (July 11) by Barbara, the daughter of the
Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnenos, who married the Russian prince
Michael Izyaslavich. They rest even now at Kiev's St Vladimir
cathedral, where an Akathist to the saint is served each Tuesday.
Many pious Orthodox Christians are in the habit of chanting the
Troparion of St Barbara each day, recalling the Savior's promise to
her that those who remembered her and her sufferings would be
preserved from a sudden, unexpected death, and would not depart this
life without benefit of the Holy Mysteries of Christ.
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Martyr John of Damascus
Saint John of Damascus was born about the year 680 at Damascus, Syria
into a Christian family. His father, Sergius Mansur, was a treasurer
at the court of the caliph. John had also a foster brother, the
orphaned child Cosmas (October 14), whom Sergius had taken into his
own home. When the children were growing up, Sergius saw that they
received a good education. At the Damascus slave market he ransomed
the learned monk Cosmas of Calabria from captivity and entrusted to
him the teaching of his children. The boys displayed uncommon ability
and readily mastered their courses of the secular and spiritual
sciences. After the death of his father, John occupied ministerial
posts at court and became the city prefect.
In Constantinople at that time, the heresy of Iconoclasm had arisen
and quickly spread, supported by the emperor Leo III the Isaurian
(717-741). Rising up in defense of the Orthodox veneration of icons
[Iconodoulia], St John wrote three treatises entitled, "Against Those
who Revile the Holy Icons." The wise and God-inspired writings of St
John enraged the emperor. But since the author was not a Byzantine
subject, the emperor was unable to lock him up in prison, or to
execute him. The emperor then resorted to slander. A forged letter to
the emperor was produced, supposedly from John, in which the Damascus
official was supposed to have offered his help to Leo in conquering
the Syrian capital.
This letter and another hypocritically flattering note were sent to
the Saracen caliph by Leo the Isaurian. The caliph immediately ordered
that St John be removed from his post, that his right hand be cut off,
and that he be led through the city in chains.
That same evening, they returned the severed hand to St John. The
saint pressed it to his wrist and prayed to the Most Holy Theotokos to
heal him so that he could defend the Orthodox Faith and write once
again in praise of the Most Pure Virgin and Her Son. After a time, he
fell asleep before the icon of the Mother of God. He heard Her voice
telling him that he had been healed, and commanding him to toil
unceasingly with his restored hand. Upon awakening, he found that his
hand had been attached to his arm once more. Only a small red mark
around his wrist remained as a sign of the miracle.
Later, in thanksgiving for being healed, St John had a silver model of
his hand attached to the icon, which became known as "Of the Three
Hands." Some unlearned painters have given the Mother of God three
hands instead of depicting the silver model of St John's hand. The
Icon "Of the Three Hands" is commemorated on June 28 and July 12.
When he learned of the miracle, which demonstrated John's innocence,
the caliph asked his forgiveness and wanted to restore him to his
former office, but the saint refused. He gave away his riches to the
poor, and went to Jerusalem with his stepbrother and fellow-student,
Cosmas. There he entered the monastery of St Sava the Sanctified as a
simple novice.
It was not easy for him to find a spiritual guide, because all the
monks were daunted by his great learning and by his former rank. Only
one very experienced Elder, who had the skill to foster the spirit of
obedience and humility in a student, would consent to do this. The
Elder forbade John to do anything at all according to his own will. He
also instructed him to offer to God all his labors and supplications
as a perfect sacrifice, and to shed tears which would wash away the
sins of his former life.
Once, he sent the novice to Damascus to sell baskets made at the
monastery, and commanded him to sell them at a certain inflated price,
far above their actual value. He undertook the long journey under the
searing sun, dressed in rags. No one in the city recognized the former
official of Damascus, for his appearance had been changed by prolonged
fasting and ascetic labors. However, St John was recognized by his
former house steward, who bought all the baskets at the asking price,
showing compassion on him for his apparent poverty.
One of the monks happened to die, and his brother begged St John to
compose something consoling for the burial service. St John refused
for a long time, but out of pity he yielded to the petition of the
grief-stricken monk, and wrote his renowned funeral troparia ("What
earthly delight," "All human vanity," and others). For this
disobedience the Elder banished him from his cell. John fell at his
feet and asked to be forgiven, but the Elder remained unyielding. All
the monks began to plead for him to allow John to return, but he
refused. Then one of the monks asked the Elder to impose a penance on
John, and to forgive him if he fulfilled it. The Elder said, "If John
wishes to be forgiven, let him wash out all the chamber pots in the
lavra, and clean the monastery latrines with his bare hands."
John rejoiced and eagerly ran to accomplish his shameful task. After a
certain while, the Elder was commanded in a vision by the All-Pure and
Most Holy Theotokos to allow St John to write again. When the
Patriarch of Jerusalem heard of St John, he ordained him priest and
made him a preacher at his cathedral. But StJohn soon returned to the
Lavra of St Sava, where he spent the rest of his life writing
spiritual books and church hymns. He left the monastery only to
denounce the iconoclasts at the Constantinople Council of 754. They
subjected him to imprisonment and torture, but he endured everything,
and through the mercy of God he remained alive. He died in about the
year 780, more than 100 years old.
St John of Damascus was a theologian and a zealous defender of
Orthodoxy. His most important book is the Fount of Knowledge. The
third section of this work, "On the Orthodox Faith," is a summary of
Orthodox doctrine and a refutation of heresy. Since he was known as a
hymnographer, we pray to St John for help in the study of church
singing.
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St John the Bishop of Polybotum
Saint John, Bishop of Polybotum (in Phrygia), was known as a denouncer
of the heresy and impiety of Emperor Leo the Isaurian. St John opposed
Leo for his iconoclasm, and taught his flock the Orthodox doctrine of
the veneration of icons.
The saint died at the beginning of the eighth century. The Lord
granted him the gift of healing the infirm and casting out evil
spirits.
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Martyr Juliana at Heliopolis, in Syria
Saint Juliana, a virtuous woman of Heliopolis, was in the crowd when
St Barbara was tortured. Her heart was filled with sympathy for the
voluntary martyrdom of the beautiful and illustrious maiden. Wishing
to suffer for Christ, Juliana denounced the torturers in a loud voice,
and they seized her.
For a long while they tortured both holy martyrs: they raked and tore
their bodies with hooks, and then led them naked through the city
amidst derision and jeers. Through the prayers of St Barbara the Lord
sent an angel who covered the nakedness of the holy martyrs with a
splendid robe. The steadfast confessors of faith in Christ, Sts
Barbara and Juliana, were then beheaded.
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St Gennadius the Archbishop of Novgorod
Saint Gennadius, Archbishop of Novgorod, was descended from the Gonzov
family and was, in the testimony of contemporaries, "dignified,
intelligent, virtuous and learned in the Holy Scripture." His was made
a monk at the Valaam monastery, under the spiritual guidance of St
Sabbatius of Solovki (September 27). From the year 1472, he was
Archimandrite of the Chudov (Miracle of the Archangel Michael)
monastery in Moscow. Zealous for celebrating divine services according
to the Typikon, he and Bassian, Archbishop of Rostov, and later his
successor Joasaph, fearlessly rose up in defense of the ancient Rule
during a dispute about moving "like the sun" (from east to west) at
the consecration of the Dormition cathedral in Moscow during the years
1479-1481.
In 1483 St Gennadius began construction of a stone church at the
Chudov monastery in honor of St Alexis, Metropolitan of Moscow
(February 12), the founder of the monastery. On December 12, 1484 St
Gennadius was consecrated as Archbishop of Novgorod. Already in
Novgorod, but still honoring the memory of St Alexis, Gennadius did
not cease to concern himself with the construction of the church, even
contributing silver for the completion of this temple.
The time of holy Archbishop Gennadius as hierarch at Novgorod
coincided with a terrible period in the history of the Russian Church.
In 1470, Judaizing preachers, who traveled to Novgorod in the guise of
merchants, had already begun to plant the weeds of heresy and apostasy
among the Orthodox.
The first reports about the heresy reached St Gennadius in the year
1487. Four members of a secret society, in a state of intoxication,
opened up and told the Orthodox of the existence of the impious
heresy. As soon as it became known to him, the zealous archpastor
immediately began an inquiry and with deep sorrow became convinced
that the danger was a threat not only to local Novgorod piety, but
also in Moscow, the very capital of Orthodoxy, where the leaders of
the Judaizers had journeyed in 1480.
In September 1487 he sent to Metropolitan Gerontius at Moscow all the
material from the inquiry, together with a list of the apostates he
had discovered, as well as their writings. The struggle with the
Judaizers became the main focus of St Gennadius' archpastoral
activity. In the words of St Joseph of Volokolamsk (September 9),
"this archbishop, angered by the malevolent heretics, pounced upon
them like a lion from out of the thicket of the Holy Scriptures and
the splendid heights of the prophets and the apostolic teachings."
For twelve years St Gennadius and St Joseph struggled against the most
powerful attempts of the opponents of Orthodoxy to alter the course of
history of the Russian Church and the Russian state. By their efforts
the Orthodox were victorious. The works of Gennadius in the study of
the Bible contributed to this victory. The heretics in their impious
cleverness used texts from the Old Testament, but which were different
from the texts accepted by the Orthodox. Archbishop Gennadius
undertook an enormous task: bringing the correct listings of Holy
Scripture together in a single codex. Up until this time Biblical
books had been copied in Russia, following the example of Byzantium,
not in their entirety, but in separate parts - the Pentateuch (first
five books) or Octateuch (first eight books), Kings, Proverbs, the
Psalter, the Prophets, the Gospels, the Epistles, and other
instructive books.
The holy books of the Old Testament in particular often were subjected
to both accidental and intentional errors. St Gennadius wrote about
this with sorrow in a letter to Archbishop Joasaph: "The Judaizing
heretical tradition adheres to the Psalms of David, or prophecies
which they have altered." Gathering around himself learned and
industrious Biblical scholars, the saint collected all the books of
the Holy Scripture into a single codex, and he gave his blessing for
the Holy Books which were not found in manuscripts of the traditional
Slavonic Bible to be retranslated from the Latin language. In 1499 the
first complete codex of Holy Scripture in Slavonic ("the Gennadius
Bible," as they called it after its compiler) was published in Russia.
This work became an integral link in the succession of Slavonic
translations of the Word of God. From the God-inspired translation of
the Holy Scripture by Sts Cyril and Methodius, through the Bible of St
Gennadius (1499), reproduced in the first printed Bible (Ostrozh,
1581). The Church has maintained a Slavonic Biblical tradition right
through the so-called Elizabethan Bible (1751) and all successive
printed editions.
Together with the preparation of the Bible, the circle of church
scholars under Archbishop Gennadius also undertook a great literary
task: the compilation of the "Fourth Novgorod Chronicle." Numerous
hand-written books were translated, corrected and transcribed,
bringing the Chronicle up to the year 1496.
Dositheus, the igumen of the Solovki monastery who was at Novgorod on
monastery matters, worked for several years with St Gennadius
compiling a library for the Solovki monastery. It was at the request
of St Gennadius that Dositheus wrote the Lives of Sts Zosimas (April
17) and Sabbatius (September 27).
The majority of the books transcribed with the blessing of the
Novgorod hierarch (more than 20), were preserved in the collection of
Solovki manuscripts. Ever a zealous advocate for spiritual
enlightenment, St Gennadius founded a school for the preparation of
worthy clergy at Novgorod.
The memory of St Gennadius is preserved also in his work for the
welfare of the Orthodox Church.
At the end of the fifteenth century many Russians were concerned about
the impending end of the world, which they believed would take place
at the end of the seventh millenium from the creation of the world (in
1492 A.D.). Therefore, in 1408, it was decided not to compute the
Paschal dates beyond the year 1491. In September 1491, however, the
Archbishops' Council of the Russian Church at Moscow, with the
participation of St Gennadius, decreed that the Paschalion for the
eighth millenium be calculated.
Metropolitan Zosimas at Moscow on November 27, 1492 "set forth a
cathedral Paschalion for twenty years," and asked Bishop Philotheus of
Perm and Archbishop Gennadius of Novgorod each to compile their own
Paschalion for conciliar review and confirmation on December 21, 1492.
St Gennadius finished calculating his Paschalion, which in contrast to
that of the Metropolitan, extended for seventy years. It was
distributed to the dioceses, with the approval of the Council, as the
accepted Paschalion for the next twenty years. Included with the
Paschalion was St Gennadius's own commentary upon it in an encyclical
entitled, "Source for the Paschalion Transposed to the Eight
Thousandth Year."
In his theological explanation of the Paschalion, based upon the Word
of God and the holy Fathers, the saint wrote: "It is proper not to
fear the end of the world, but rather to await the coming of Christ at
every moment. For just as God might deign to end the world, so also
might He deign to prolong the course of time."
No one knows when the world created by God will end, "not even the
angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father "(Mt. 24:36).
Therefore, the holy Fathers, inspired by the Holy Spirit, explained
the cycle of years from the creation of the world precisely as a
cycle. "This occurs in a circular motion, not having an end." The
saint contrasts the heretical methods of calculating the times with
the way hallowed by the Church, a constant spiritual sobriety. St
Gennadius expounded on the theological fundamentals of the Paschalion.
He explained that on the basis of the cycle of years from the world's
creation, it is possible to determine a Paschalion for the future, as
may be required. The Paschalion of St Gennadius, by his own testimony,
was not something new that he created, but rather was based on a
former tradition; in part, on the basis of the Paschalion for
1360-1492 under St Basil Kalika, Archbishop of Novgorod (July 3).
In 1539, under Archbishop Macarius of Novgorod, a Paschalion was
compiled for the eighth millenium, based on the principles of the
Paschalion of St Gennadius.
A prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos, which he composed in 1497, also
demonstrates his deep spiritual life and prayerful inspiration. In
addition to his letters to Metropolitans Zosimas and Simon, to
Archbishop Joasaph, to Bishops Niphon and Prochorus, and a letter to
the 1490 Council, Archbishop Gennadius also wrote a church "Small
Rule" and the "Tradition for Monks," who live according to the
monastic Rule of skete life.
Leaving his archpastoral service in 1504, the saint lived in
retirement at the Chudov monastery, where he peacefully fell asleep in
the Lord on December 4, 1505. In the Stepen-Ranks book we read:
"Archbishop Gennadius served as archbishop for nineteen years,
beautifying the churches, improving the behavior of the clergy, and
proclaiming the Orthodox Faith among the heretics. Then he lived at
Moscow for a year and a half at the Chudov monastery, dedicated to the
Miracle of the Archangel Michael and to St Alexis the Metropolitan and
wonderworker, where he had been Archimandrite, and then he fell asleep
in the Lord."
The holy relics of St Gennadius were put into the church of the
Miracle of the Archangel Michael at Chonae (September 6), in that
place particularly venerated by him, where the relics of St Alexis,
Metropolitan of Moscow rested. St Gennadius is also commemorated on
the third Sunday after Pentecost, when the Church remembers all the
Saints who shone forth at Novgorod.
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Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar
The Hieromonk Seraphim, Bishop of the Phanar was from the village of
Bezoula, Agrapha diocese in Greece. He lived in asceticism at first as
a monk at the Monastery of the Most Holy Theotokos at Koronis, and
later was chosen as bishop of the Phanar and Neochorion. For his
refusal to accept Islam, he was beaten and impaled by the Turks in
1601. His head is at the monastery at Koronis and has been glorified
by numerous miracles.
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Icon of the Mother of God of Damascus
The Damascene Icon of the Mother of God, by ancient tradition, was
painted by St John of Damascus in gratitude to the Theotokos for the
miraculous healing of his right hand, cut off through the perfidy of
Emperor Leo the Isaurian. This icon is also known as "Of the Three
Hands" Icon of the Mother of God (June 28, and July 12).
In the ninth century in the time of the Iconoclasts, St John of
Damascus (December 4) was zealous in his veneration of holy icons.
Because of this, he was slandered by the emperor and iconoclast Leo
III the Isaurian (717-740), who informed the Damascus caliph that St
John was committing treasonous acts against him. The caliph gave
orders to cut off the hand of the monk and take it to the marketplace.
Towards evening Saint John, having asked the caliph for the cut-off
hand, put it to its joint and fell to the ground before the icon of
the Mother of God. The monk begged Our Lady to heal the hand, which
had written in defense of Orthodoxy. After long prayer he fell asleep
and saw in a dream that the All-Pure Mother of God had turned to him
promising him quick healing.
Before this the Mother of God bid him toil without fail with this
hand. Having awakened from sleep, St John saw that his hand was
unharmed. In thankfulness for this healing St John placed on the icon
a hand fashioned of silver, from which the icon received its name "Of
Three Hands." (Some iconographers, in their ignorance, have mistakenly
depicted the Most Holy Theotokos with three arms and three hands.)
According to Tradition, St John wrote a hymn of thanksgiving to the
Mother of God: "All of creation rejoices in You, O Full of Grace,"
which appears in place of the hymn "It is Truly Meet" in the Liturgy
of St Basil the Great.
St John Damascene receivedmonasticism at the monastery of St Sava the
Sanctified and there bestowed his wonderworking icon. The Lavra
presented the icon "Of Three Hands" in blessing to St Sava, Archbishop
of Serbia (+ 1237, January 12). During an invasion of Serbia by the
Turks, some Christians who wanted to protect the icon, entrusted it to
the safekeeping of the Mother of God Herself. They placed it upon a
donkey, which without a driver proceeded to Athos and stopped in front
of the Hilandar monastery. The monks put the icon in the monastery's
cathedral church (katholikon). During a time of discord over the
choice of igumen, the Mother of God deigned to head the monastery
Herself, and from that time Her holy icon has occupied the igumen's
place in the temple. At the Hilandar monastery there is chosen only a
vicar, and from the holy icon the monks take a blessing for every
obedience.
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