| Relics of St. Nicholas ceremoniously greeted at Christ the Savior Cathedral Moscow, May 21, 2017 Photo: ria.ru A piece of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, brought today from Bari, Italy, have been delivered to Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral, where they were ceremoniously greeted by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, in concert with his brother bishops, hundreds of clergy, and thousands of faithful, reports RIA-Novosti . The event is a great joy for all faithful Russians, who have a great love and veneration for St. Nicholas. It is also a momentous occasion in that this is the first time that any part of the relics of St. Nicholas kept in Bari have left the cathedral in the 930 years they have been there. St. Nicholas reposed on December 6, 343, his relics being interred in Myra in Asia Minor, where they remained until 1087, when Italian sailors seized his relics in the confusion following Emperor Romanus IV’s defeat at the Battle of Manzikert at the hands of Alp Arslan of the Seljuk Turks. His relics arrived to Bari on May 9, 1087, where they remain to this day. The delivery of the reliquary was marked by the festive ringing of the bells of all of the capital’s more than 600 churches, including those of Christ the Savior Cathedral, and beginning with the rarely-used Ivan the Great bell tower in the Kremlin. Hundreds of clergy formed a corridor through which Pat. Kirill exited the church to proceed to the bus on which the piece of the relics of St. Nicholas were brought from Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport. Four bishops had the blessing of carrying the 40-pound, gold leaf-covered reliquary, in which was placed a rib of St. Nicholas, into the church. Photo: ria.ru The cathedral, which can hold 10,000 believers, was filled to capacity with Orthodox faithful from around Russia, and from neighboring countries where the faithful also have a great love and respect for the great Myra hierarch. The patriarch spoke of the immense veneration among the people for St. Nicholas. “The hierarch and wonderworker Nicholas, from the point of view of the veneration of the people in Rus’, was and remains the first saint. In practically every house both in the past, and in many Orthodox homes today, there are certain to be three icons: of the Savior, of the Mother of God, and of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker,” the primate said. |
| Researchers consider that the holy Apostle Peter arrived in Rome in the year 67. There he converted many people to Christ. In Rome he wrote the Second General Epistle to Christians who had converted from Judaism and paganism, and who lived in Asia Minor. The Lord informed him of his pending departure from earthly life: Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me. Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance (2 Pet. 1:14–15). From the beginning of the persecutions begun by Emperor Nero, the Apostle Peter’s disciples persuaded him to leave Rome, so that they would not lose their pastor. Peter consented out of his love for them. When he left the city, he met Jesus Christ on the ancient Appian Way. When Peter asked the Lord, “Whither goest Thou, Lord?” the Savior replied, “I am going to Rome, to be crucified again.” There is now a church on that place (Domine, Quo Vadis?), where is a copy of the stone upon which the Lord’s footprints remained. The original stone with the Lord’s footprints is in the Church of St. Sebastian in Rome. After returning from Rome, the holy Apostle Peter was imprisoned in the Mamertino Prision (Carcere Mamertino), which was situated on the slope of Capitolia Hill below the Church of St. Joseph the Bethrothed (San Giuseppe). From Mamertino prison the Apostle Peter was taken to the Vatican Hill, which is situated on the right bank of the Tiber River. Nero’s circus was located on the hill. Here the holy Apostle Peter received his martyric death. Here were fulfilled the Savior’s words in the Gospel of St. John to Peter about his death. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not. This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me (Jn 21:18–19). Just as his Teacher, the Apostle Peter was raised upon the cross, but out of humility asked that he be crucified upside down. Here, on Vatican Hill, he was buried by the holy Hieromartyr Clement of Rome and other disciples. Roman Christians preserved this place with great reverence. In 1941, when excavations were conducted in basement of the St. Peter’s Cathedral, a slab was found in that very place bearing the quite expressive inscription in Greek: “Peter is here.” |
| Ss. Peter and Paul: Apostles at Antioch SOURCE: Ancient Faith Radio By Fr. Gregory Hallam Peter and Paul - Co-founders of the Church at Antioch ...their backgrounds could hardly have been more different. The ways in which they came to know Jesus were certainly in stark contrast. Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit the only feelings they would probably have held for each other - even after they ended up on the same side - would have been a mixture of mistrust and suspicion. However, God brought them together to be of one mind and heart in Christ. Peter, the Galilean fisherman, portrayed in scripture as a rough diamond, given to outbursts of temper and prey to what today might be described as setting his mouth in motion before his brain was in gear. In the Gospels, Peter does not always seem to be able to handle his own emotions. Yet Jesus had Peter’s future mapped out - ‘Upon this rock, I will build My Church’ ( Matthew 16:18 ). After the Ascension we see a very different Peter recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. Peter is now very much in charge; he preaches and teaches in the Temple, he heals the sick, he declares the Gospel of Christ before all nations ( Acts 2,3,4 and 5). Clement of Alexandria claimed that Our Saviour had entrusted Peter, James and John with a form of higher knowledge, perhaps this explains the change. Then there was Paul, the Roman citizen, the urbane cosmopolitan man of Tarsus in Asia Minor, trained as a Pharisee in the school of Gamaliel. Josephus, the Roman—Jewish historian, records that Gamaliel had urged his pupils not to persecute the Christians, reasoning that if there was nothing in what they preached it would all soon come to nothing, but if there was then it should be listened to. Gamaliel’s words fell on deaf ears where Paul was concerned. So zealous was he for the ideals of Jewish purity, in the best traditions of Judas Maccabeus and all the other Jewish folk heroes who followed him, that he saw Christianity as something which had arisen as yet another breakaway sect, diluting that same purity, which must be exterminated at all costs. |
| St. Basil the Great To the pen of St. Basil the Great belong commentaries on Sacred Scripture, a treatise on the Holy Spirit, epistles, sermons and rules for monastic life. He did much for the establishment of the order of the Liturgy, and wrote numerous prayers. The Church reveres him as a fighter for the purity of the faith, a great hierarch and theologian, calling him a " universal teacher. " Only on two other saints - John Chrysostom and Gregory the Theologian - is such a great honor bestowed. Source: www.fatheralexander.org/ January 14 (January 1) Hierarch Basil the Great is one of the Church’s most remarkable theologians. His influence on the fortunes of the Church spread far beyond the borders of his homeland and is still felt in our days. To the pen of St. Basil the Great belong commentaries on Sacred Scripture, a treatise on the Holy Spirit, epistles, sermons and rules for monastic life. He did much for the establishment of the order of the Liturgy, and wrote numerous prayers. The Church reveres him as a fighter for the purity of the faith, a great hierarch and theologian, calling him a “universal teacher.” Only on two other saints – John Chrysostom and Gregory the Theologian – is such a great honor bestowed. Basil the Great was a man of encyclopedic cast. A philosopher, philologist, orator, jurist, scientist and archaeologist, he possessed profound knowledge in astronomy, mathematics and medicine. “He was a ship, loaded with as much erudition as human nature can contain,” writes his contemporary, St. Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium (Konya, Turkey). Hierarch Basil the Great was born about the year 329 in Asia Minor, in the city of Caesarea (Kayseri), the administrative center of Cappadocia. He was born into a rich and notable family, which had given not a few righteous to be numbered among the choir of saints. Basil’s mother, Emmelia, was the daughter of a martyr who had suffered at the time of Diocletian’s persecutions, while the grandfather on his father’s side had hid in the thick forests of Pontus with his whole family during the course of seven years. |
| St Gregory the Wonderworker of Neocaesarea Commemorated on November 17/30 Saint Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea, was born in the city of Neocaesarea (northern Asia Minor) into a pagan family. Having received a fine education, from his youth he strived for Truth , but the thinkers of antiquity were not able to quench his thirst for knowledge. Truth was revealed to him only in the Holy Gospel, and the youth became a Christian. For the continuation of his studies St Gregory went to Alexandria, known then as a center for pagan and Christian learning. The youth, eager for knowledge, went to the Alexandrian Catechetical School, where the presbyter Origen taught. Origen was a famous teacher, possessing a great strength of mind and profound knowledge. St Gregory became a student of Origen. Afterwards, the saint wrote about his mentor: “This man received from God a sublime gift, to be an interpreter of the Word of God for people, to apprehend the Word of God, as God Himself did use it, and to explain it to people, insofar as they were able to understand it.” St Gregory studied for eight years with Origen, and was baptized by him. The ascetic life of St Gregory, his continence, purity and lack of covetousness aroused envy among his conceited and sin-loving peers, pagans that they were, and they decided to slander St Gregory. Once, when he was conversing with philosophers and teachers in the city square, a notorious harlot came up to him and demanded payment for the sin he had supposedly committed with her. At first St Gregory gently remonstrated with her, saying that she perhaps mistook him for someone else. But the profligate woman would not be quieted. He then asked a friend to give her the money. Just as the woman took the unjust payment, she immediately fell to the ground in a demonic fit, and the fraud became evident. St Gregory said a prayer over her, and the devil left her. This was the beginning of St Gregory’s miracles. Having returned to Neocaesarea, the saint fled from the worldly affairs into which influential townsmen persistently sought to push him. He went into the desert, where by fasting and prayer he attained to high spiritual accomplishment and the gifts of clairvoyance and prophecy. St Gregory loved life in the wilderness and wanted to remain in solitude until the end of his days, but the Lord willed otherwise. |
| St. Irenaeus of Lyons Commemorated August 23/September 5 On 23 August of every year the Church celebrates the memory of an important saint and bishop of the second century Christian Church. St. Irenaeus was bishop of Lyons (Lugdunum) in the second century. Born c.a. 130 A.D.(1), he was to become an outstanding theologian and ecclesiastical leader; a true witness and propagator to the apostolic faith and apostolic tradition. He was an ecumenical man who, even though wrote against Gnosticism and Marcionism(2) always stressed unity. He was most probably born in Smyrna (3) but migrated to Gaul where he spent the mature years of his life and where he eventually died a martyr c.a. 202 A.D. Irenaeus received a liberal education, becoming acquainted with both Holy Scripture and Greek philosophy and literature. He was greatly influenced by St. Polycarp from whom he received the seeds of the true apostolic tradition. Writing to the Roman presbyter Florinus, Irenaeus reveals this influence: " For while I was still a boy I knew you [Florinus]...in Polycarp's house... I remember the events of those days more clearly than those that happened recently... I can speak of the place that St. Polycarp sat and disputed, how he came in and went out... the discourses which he made to the people... how he reported his influence with John and with the others who had seen the Lord. " (4) It is beyond doubt that Irenaeus was also well acquainted with Greek thought. He was very familiar with the writings of Greek apologists such as Justin Martyr (5) and Athenagoras whose works he sought to explain to the Greek-speaking world. Irenaeus left Asia Minor and went to Gaul. He probably accompanied St. Polycarp to Rome in 155 A.D. and then continued to Lyons. Lyons was a great commercial city. It was " the country in which the arena was crowded with people... famous and held in higher repute than any in the land.' (6) It was situated on the Rhone River and was the centre of the Roman road system for Gaul. |
| St. Triduana (also Triduna, Tradwell), one of the most venerated female saints of Scotland, lived between the fourth and the eighth centuries. Despite the fact that Scottish people from the mainland and the isles off the Scottish shores used to make pilgrimages to the holy sites associated with the venerable woman over the centuries, almost no concrete details of this saint’s life survive. According to the most popular legend, St. Triduana was a holy virgin born in the city of Colossae in Phrygia in Asia Minor in the fourth century. Later she became a nun and together with several fellow-sisters and the saintly Bishop Regulus of Patras in Greece travelled to Scotland where they brought a part of the relics of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called. In Scotland St. Triduana led an ascetic life together with two other holy anchoresses at a spot called Roscoby in the former region of Forfarshire (now the council area of Angus). Beloved and venerated by everybody, St. Triduana healed people who came to her of eye infections. According to one legend, a local king named Nechtan fell in love with the beautiful Triduana. Having learned that the king loved her for her fine eyes, the virgin tore them out and gave them to the King. It is a late legend, but the truth is that Christians did believe that the Lord bestowed on her the ability to heal blindness. The holy maiden of God Triduana reposed in the village of Restalrig near Edinburgh (now a village within the city of Edinburgh) where she spent the final years of her life. The holy relics of this saint were venerated at the site of her death in Restalrig though some of her relics may have been kept in Aberdeen as well. Near her church at Restalrig there existed a famous holy well of St. Triduana which cured all sorts of eye complaints. Numerous pilgrims came to her shrine at Restalrig throughout the Middle Ages. During the Scottish Reformation the shrine was destroyed in 1560. The parish Church of St. Margaret and Chapel of St. Triduana in Restalrig, Edinburgh |
| The Eastern Orthodox Christian churches dedicate Dec. 6 each year to the honor and memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. St. Nicholas is a wonderful and very well-known saint from the late third century and early fourth century. Of course, he is the historical figure on whom all the stories of Santa Claus are based. St. Nicholas was born in the Greek village of Patara which is now in Turkey. He was born of very wealthy Christian parents in a time when Christians were persecuted greatly for their faith. Nicholas’ parents, however, vowed to dedicate him to the service of God. From a very young age he was educated in the Holy Scriptures and lived a life of devotion to his faith. His uncle was the bishop of Patara and recognized early on that Nicholas was called of God. He was ordained a priest while still a young man. Nicholas was very committed to his ministry and loved by all his flock. He suffered with great perseverance under the persecution of the Roman government of the time and was imprisoned. Eventually, when he was released from prison, Nicholas was made bishop of Myra in Lycia (southern coast of the Asia Minor). When Nicholas’ parents died he was left an inheritance of their great wealth. He decided to give away all this wealth to those who were in need. He often gave his help to others striving to stay anonymous. Nevertheless, his loving generosity became legendary even in his own time. Throughout the centuries since St. Nicholas lived, many stories and legends have sprung up relating his miraculous compassion. According to Orthodox tradition, Nicholas died at a very old age on Dec. 6 AD 343 in Myra. In Orthodox Christianity, the honor and commemoration of saints of the caliber of St. Nicholas is a very important part of our spiritual life. These heroes of the faith inspire us and give us wonderful examples of how we should dedicate ourselves to our faith in God. Their lives also encourage us to be Christ-like. Keeping their memory alive also helps to remember that, according to our faith, the saints of old did not cease to exist, but still live on in a mysterious way in the heavenly realm. While we do not believe they are omnipresent or that they are magic, we do believe that we have a mystical communion with them through Christ, and that the power of God is present in their memory just as it was in their godly lives. |
| The Foolishness of the Cross Source: Notes on Arab Orthodoxy We nailed ourselves to the cross once and for all in order to say that we renounce everything that the world has to give, to say that we are needy for the grace of our Lord and not needy for the wealth of this world. Metropolitan George (Khodr) of Mount Lebanon 17 September 2014 The cross has many meanings, but I will attempt to summarize the most important among them from what the Apostle Paul wrote in his First Letter to the Corinthians, part of which we read today. The apostle found himself in Greece before a great civilization. He was confronted with beautiful sculpture and architecture in Athens, as he was likewise confronted with the widespread philosophical school there, in the public square, the Areopagus, under that great hill in the heart of the city. The scholars spoke and the rhetors addressed the apostle and did not accept him. He headed for Corinth, to the laborers in the port, and these poor and neglected people accepted the faith from him, so Paul realized that no one would believe if he completely held to his intellect, if his intellect did not submit to the Gospel of Christ. Likewise, the Jews expelled him from all their synagogues, as he would frequent their gatherings in Asia Minor and Greece. They expelled him because they despised the Crucified One. The Jews sought signs from heaven and miracles. Moses had trained them and they thought that God makes Himself manifest and magnifies Himself through natural miracles. The Jews thought that God is a mighty and brutal tyrant and Plato thought that the gods are beautiful. In Jerusalem they were attached to might and in Athens they were attached to reason and beauty. Along came Paul, the laborer, the tent-maker who had not read all of Greek philosophy and who was weak in the body, prone to illness as we may deduce from his Letter to the Galatians. He comes before the entire world and says, “The word of the cross to those perishing is folly”, foolishness, madness because people do not seek a crucified god. Some of them seek a dominant god, and God does not dominate over them. Others seek a brilliant, beautiful god, but God was not beautiful upon the wood of the cross. Some seek a sign and others seek wisdom, and that is a rational mindset, but for we who are saved, Christ is God’s power and God’s wisdom. God comes and dwells among the poor. He rejects cruelty. He rejects it forever. He challenges the powerful. He constantly challenges them. He challenges those who are proud of their beauty, their knowledge and their gifts. Christ destroys our delusions and kills our vainglory. We have lived in this Middle East for over fourteen centuries and our glories are in the blood of our martyrs, in worship, and in the strong theology by which we speak of God. |
| The Holy Martyr Photina (Svetlana) the Samaritan Woman The Holy Martyr Photina (Svetlana) the Samaritan Woman, her sons Victor (named Photinus) and Joses; and her sisters Anatola, Phota, Photis, Paraskeva, Kyriake; Nero " s daughter Domnina; and the Martyr Sebastian: The holy Martyr Photina was the Samaritan Woman, with whom the Savior conversed at Jacob " s Well (John. 4:5-42). Kontakion – Tone 8 The Samaritan Woman came to the well in faith; She saw You, the Water of Wisdom, and drank abundantly She inherited the Kingdom on High and is ever glorified! The Holy Martyr Photina (Svetlana) the Samaritan Woman, her sons Victor (named Photinus) and Joses; and her sisters Anatola, Phota, Photis, Paraskeva, Kyriake; Nero’s daughter Domnina; and the Martyr Sebastian: The holy Martyr Photina was the Samaritan Woman, with whom the Savior conversed at Jacob’s Well (John. 4:5-42). During the time of the emperor Nero (54-68), who displayed excessive cruelty against Christians, St Photina lived in Carthage with her younger son Joses and fearlessly preached the Gospel there. Her eldest son Victor fought bravely in the Roman army against barbarians, and was appointed military commander in the city of Attalia ( Asia Minor ). Later, Nero called him to Italy to arrest and punish Christians. Sebastian, an official in Italy , said to St Victor, “I know that you, your mother and your brother, are followers of Christ. As a friend I advise you to submit to the will of the emperor. If you inform on any Christians, you will receive their wealth. I shall write to your mother and brother, asking them not to preach Christ in public. Let them practice their faith in secret.” St Victor replied, “I want to be a preacher of Christianity like my mother and brother.” Sebastian said, “O Victor, we all know what woes await you, your mother and brother.” Then Sebastian suddenly felt a sharp pain in his eyes. He was dumbfounded, and his face was somber. For three days he lay there blind, without uttering a word. On the fourth day he declared, “The God of the Christians is the only true God.” St Victor asked why Sebastian had suddenly changed his mind. Sebastian replied, “Because Christ is calling me.” Soon he was baptized, and immediately regained his sight. St Sebastian’s servants, after witnessing the miracle, were also baptized. |
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