| Friday of the First Week of Great Lent Let no one be deceitful, let no one harbor anger, let no one nourish poison in his soul, so that he might not receive Communion unto condemnation. —St. John Chrysostom On Friday of the first week of Great Lent, after the Vespers service with the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, a moleben canon is sung in church to the Holy Greatmartyr Theodore the Tyro and koliva is blessed in his honor—boiled wheat or rice with honey. This celebration was instituted after a certain event in Church history. Blessing the koliva. Photo: Patriarchia.ru In 362, the Greek Emperor Julian the Apostate in his desire to mock the Christians ordered that blood from sacrifices to idols be secretly sprinkled on all the food being sold at the markets of Antioch. The apostate wanted in this way to defile the faithful who had been fasting strictly during the first week of Great Lent. But Greatmartyr Theodore, who had been burned to death in 306 for his confession of the Christian faith, appeared in a dream to Bishop Eudoxius, told him about Julian’s command, and advised him to have Christians eat koliva for a week instead of the defiled food. At the end of the first week of Great Lent, all the members of Christ’s Church confess and receive Communion of the Holy Mysteries. The communicants first confess their sins in the Sacrament of confession before the cross and Gospels on the analogian. The cross and Gospels symbolize the invisible presence of God Himself, to Whom the penitent is really confessing. The priest is only a witness at this Sacrament. Seeing the person’s sincere repentance, the priest places his epitracheleon (stole) upon the penitent’s bowed head and reads the prayer of absolution, forgiving him his sins in the name of Jesus Christ Himself, and makes the sign of the cross over him. Having kissed the cross and Gospels, the person who has just confessed his sins receives the priest’s blessing to receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Hymns from the Triodion on Friday of the first week of Great Lent |
| Greatmartyr Irene of Thessalonica Commemorated on May 5/18 The holy Great Martyr Irene was born in the city of Magedon in Persia during the fourth century. She was the daughter of the pagan king Licinius, and her parents named her Penelope. Penelope was very beautiful, and her father kept her isolated in a high tower from the time she was six so that she would not be exposed to Christianity. He also placed thirteen young maidens in the tower with her. An old tutor by the name of Apellian was assigned to give her the best possible education. Apellian was a Christian, and during her lessons, he told the girl about Christ the Savior and taught her the Christian Faith and the Christian virtues. When Penelope reached adolescence, her parents began to think about her marriage. One day, a dove flew through the window carrying an olive branch in its beak, depositing it upon a table. Then an eagle swooped in with a wreath of flowers in its beak, and also placed it upon the table. Finally, a raven flew in carrying a snake, which it dropped on the table. Penelope was puzzled by these events and wondered what they meant. Apellian explained that the dove signified her education, and the olive branch stood for the grace of God which is received in Baptism. The eagle with the wreath of flowers represented success in her future life. The raven and the snake foretold her future suffering and sorrow. At the end of the conversation Apellianus said that the Lord wished to betroth her to Himself and that Penelope would undergo much suffering for her heavenly Bridegroom. After this Penelope refused marriage, was baptized by the priest Timothy, and she was named Irene (peace). She even urged her own parents to become Christians. Shortly after this, she destroyed all her father’s idols. Since Saint Irene had dedicated herself to Christ, she refused to marry any of the suitors her father had chosen for her. When Licinius learned that his daughter refused to worship the pagan gods, he was furious. He attempted to turn her from Christ by having her tortured. She was tied up and thrown beneath the hooves of wild horses so that they might trample her to death, but he horses remained motionless. Instead of harming the saint, one of the horses charged Licinius, seized his right hand and tore it from his arm. Then it knocked Licinius down and began to trample him. They untied the holy virgin, and through her prayers Licinius rose unharmed in the presence of eyewitnesses with his hand intact. |
| Marina Uchaneishvili relates: “It was in the 1990s. I went to see a dentist and he extracted my tooth, which had caused a problem. I followed all the doctor’s prescriptions, but towards evening the sore in my mouth started bleeding. The situation was becoming more aggravated. A real hemorrhage began. I panicked. By three in the morning my father drove me to the hospital. A surgeon examined my sores and resolved to put in stitches. ‘If we don’t do it, you may die of loss of blood. The bone can already be seen,’ he said. Whether the doctor seemed too harsh to me or I simply got frightened, I jumped up and refused the operation. Both my dad and the surgeon implored me not to refuse, but I went back home. At home, my mom saw me and got scared. The bleeding was becoming more and more intense. My mother told me: ‘But you believe in God. You can be healed if you pray.’ I asked her to bring me icons of Greatmartyr Panteleimon, Greatmartyr Marina (my patron-saint), and St. Seraphim of Sarov from our icon corner. I pressed them to my breast, but for some reason I started praying to St. Seraphim with a particular zeal. The first thing that I felt was extraordinary warmth and love, overwhelming me. Tears began to stream from my eyes. My soul had never been so filled and my heart had never felt such comfort before. I heard my mom reading ‘the Mother’s Prayer’ and was speechless with fear. At the same time I felt that the bleeding inside my mouth had stopped and the bowl for spitting was not needed any more. “This happened at five o’clock in the morning. I slept so sweetly, as never before. I woke up just before noon. And I discovered that my sore had completely healed. My mother was amazed and recounted this story to all our friends: ‘People, you can’t imagine how St. Seraphim of Sarov has miraculously helped us!’” Comments taken from Georgian forums Marta: St. Seraphim of Sarov I would like to tell you about a miracle that St. Seraphim of Sarov worked very recently. Ulcers suddenly developed on the legs of one parishioner of St. George’s Church in Kutaisi. The woman received medical advice more than once, but doctors were unable to help her. So she read daily the Akathist to St. Seraphim while standing at home and lit candles as soon as the aches returned. |
| After some time Abbas resolved to convert Ketevan to Islam, and he announced his intention to marry her. He asked that his proposal be conveyed to her the same day she was informed of the fate of her grandsons. As a condition of their marriage, Abbas insisted that Ketevan renounce the Christian Faith and convert to Islam. In the case of her acquiescence, Imam Quli-Khan was to respect and honor her as a queen, and in the case of her refusal, to subject her to public torture. The alarmed imam begged the queen to submit to the shah’s will and save herself, but the queen firmly refused and began to prepare for her martyrdom. (According to one foreign observer, her steadfastness delayed the Islamization of the Georgians in Persia: “In the course of a conversation at the court of Shah Abbas, where a young and recently converted Georgian was present, the question arose as to why it was that, while all young Georgians were forced to embrace Islam, their mothers were not. The explanation given by one of those present was that since the Queen would not change her faith Georgian mothers likewise refused.” (Z. Avalishvili, “Teimuraz I and His Poem ‘The Martyrdom of Queen Ketevan,’” Georgica [vol I, no. 4/5, 1937] pp. 22.) Queen Ketevan was robed in festive attire and led out to a crowded square. Her persecutors subjected her to indescribable torment: they placed a red-hot copper cauldron on her head, tore at her chest with heated tongs, pierced her body with glowing spears, tore off her fingernails, nailed a board to her spine, and finally split her forehead with a red-hot spade. St. Ketevan’s soul departed from her body, and the executioners cast her mutilated body to the beasts. But the Lord God sent a miracle: her holy relics were illumined with a radiant light. A group of French Augustinian missionary fathers, who had witnessed the inhuman tortures, wrapped Queen Ketevan’s body in linens scented with myrrh and incense and buried it in a Catholic monastery. Some time later the holy relics of Great-martyr Ketevan were delivered to her son, Teimuraz, King of Kakheti. |
| A portrait of elder Arsenie (Boca) is “weeping” in Vaslui, Romania Vaslui, May 13, 2015 Residents of the Romania’s Vaslui county are convinced that late Hieromonk Arsenie (Boca; 1910-1989, a prominent elder and confessor) is truly working miracles. According to the Moldova Ortodoxa portal, his portrait, brought from the Prislop Monastery, has been “weeping” for already many days. The faithful believe they are witnesses of a miracle and are praying hard. Opinions differ whether it is a good or a bad sign, but more and more people are coming to a conclusion that “the saint of Ardeal” (Ardeal, or Transylvania, a large tableland region of northwestern Romania) is weeping because of our sins. Dozens of people are queueing up in order to venerate the image of Fr. Arsenie (Boca). However, this is taking place not in Prislop where the holy elder rests, but in the Puscasi village of county Vaslui. A local resident bought a reproduction at the monastery and brought it home right on the feast of Greatmartyr George. He placed it under the crucifixion inside a small chapel in front of his house and several days later, according to the evidence of the faithful, tears appeared on the elder’s eyes on the portrait. “I said to my neighbor: Aurica, the left eye on the icon, brought by Claudiu, has started shedding tears. These are tears indeed… I have not told anybody yet – and they would have never believed anyway,” said one of the village residents. Another lady says nearly the same: “For all my life – and I am already 70 – I have not seen such a miracle before”. The third one assures she never takes anything on trust, but this time she became convinced: “Even when I was told that someone had allegedly cut down a tree and discovered something miraculous, I did not believe. But now I have seen a miracle with my own eyes”. Some believe that now the faithful should fast and pray zealously, as the Lord is sending the people a message through this miracle. “Today our Heavenly Father is pointing to the fact that human beings have become corrupt,” states another villager. “May it be a good sign?” a reporter of a local channel asked him. “Eh, I wish it could be so. But when the Mother of God or someone else is weeping, it is not good,” he replied. 14 мая 2015 г. Смотри также Комментарии Мы в соцсетях Подпишитесь на нашу рассылку |
| A procession of the cross from Russia reaches Donetsk Donetsk, April 17, 2015 On April 16, 2015, a cross procession from Russia arrived at the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in the city of Donetsk. Participants of the procession, “For restoration of peace in the lands of Donbass”, brought a memorial cross with portions of saints’ relics with them, reports Donbass Pravoslavny. With the blessing of Metropolitan Hilarion of Donetsk and Mariupol the relics at the cathedral were received by Bishop Varsonofy (Barsanuphius) of Novoazovsk, Vicar-Bishop of the Donetsk Diocese, as well as the city clergy. A Paschal service of intercession was celebrated in front of relic-crosses and all the worshippers venerated the holy objects. According to the event’s organizers, the procession of the cross was held with the blessing of Schema-Archimandrite Iliy (Nozdrin). A small portion of the Precious Wood of the Life-Giving Cross of Christ is embedded in a specially made cross, while portions of relics of several dozens of saints are inside a reliquary made in the form of an ancient cross. With the blessing of Schema-Archimandrite Iliy, the cross procession started in March this year – on the Sunday of the Cross during the Lenten fast. “Orthodox believers – Russians and Ukrainians alike – set their hopes on the help of God in resolution of the present military conflict and the genuine reconciliation of the opposing parties. The main thing is that people should not die, that peace should be maintained, and that the conflict — imposed from outside – should not grow into a global war that may lead to a catastrophe for both of our nations,” noted Hieromonk Makary (Macarius) from the Skete of Greatmartyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki, who accompanied the cross procession. 21 апреля 2015 г. Смотри также Комментарии Мы в соцсетях Подпишитесь на нашу рассылку |
| Chechnya leader gives priests cars and salaries Grozny, March 14, 2014 First deputy chairman of the Chechen government administration Dmitry Kashlyunov has handed over car keys to three Orthodox priests, reports Interfax-Religion . Rector of the Church of Holy Archangel Michael in Grozny Priest Gregory Kutsenko, Cleric of the Shelkovskaya parish of Holy Greatmartyr Barbara Fr. Sergy, and Rector of the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Naurskaya Stanitsa Hieromonk Ambrose (Marchenko) were given new Lada Priora cars by order of the republic " s president Ramzan Kadyrov, reports the Chechen head " s press service. " These cars are being allotted for operative settlement of believers " issues and meeting of church needs, " D. Kashlyunov said. Moreover, R. Kadyrov has made a decision to fix salaries for clergy. The means will be assigned from non-budgetary sources. It has not been specified how much the salaries will be. Furthermore, housing problems of each priest have been fully solved, the message reads. 17 марта 2014 г. Смотри также Комментарии Andrea Rae 20 января 2015, 00:00 Is there a way to contact the priest at the Orthodox Church in Grozny? Thank you Мы в соцсетях Подпишитесь на нашу рассылку |
| Exhibition of Russian Orthodox icons opens in Brazil Rio de Janeiro, February 26, 2015 An exhibition of Russian Orthodox icons has opened in Rio de Janeiro, reports RIA-Novosti . Several dozen icons are exhibited in the ancient mansion in the city center, where in the 19th century the residence of the imperial Brazil’s defense minister was located and today the Academy of philosophy of Brazil is situated. “We are happy to have this opportunity to acquaint the Brazilian public with this very significant part of the cultural and religious heritage of Russia – Orthodox icons,” said consul general of the Russian Federation to Rio de Janeiro Andrei Budayev opening the exhibition. The exposition has been organized by the Russian Federation’s consulate general to Rio de Janeiro together with the parish of Holy Greatmartyr Zinaida (of the Moscow Patriarchate) in Rio de Janeiro and the Brazil Academy of Philosophy. Visitors can see more than 30 works of Russian iconography. “We have done our best to show examples of the most important and venerated icons in Russia: those of St. Vladimir, the Baptizer of Russia, St. Andrew the First-Called as well as copies of wonder-working icons of Holy Theotokos,” related Priest Vasily Gelevan, Rector of the St. Zinaida’s Church, to RIA-Novosti . According to the organizers, the icons will be displayed till the end of April, but the exhibition may extend till the end of June should visitor interest demand. 28 февраля 2015 г. Смотри также Комментарии Мы в соцсетях Подпишитесь на нашу рассылку |
| Head guard of the Sumy diocesan administration severely beaten Sumy, the Ukraine, October 23, 2015 “A serious crime was committed on the night of October 22, 2015. Head guard of the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral and the Sumy diocesan administration A.P. Borisenko was severely beaten,” Archbishop Evlogy of Sumy and Akhtyrka reported on his Facebook page . Anatoly Borisenko – photo from his personal page in a social network. “The culprits, in all probability, wanted to penetrate into the cathedral and the diocesan administration. Anatoly managed to push the alarm button for which he obviously was brutally battered. The police officers who arrived on the scene of the crime, where Anatoly lay in a pool of blood, said immediately and off the shoulder that the victim had ‘simply been drunk.’ But the medical examination concluded that there was no alcohol in his blood.” It has also been reported that secretary of the Sumy Diocese Archpriest George Taraban met with heads of the law-enforcement agencies of the Sumy region and the regional center and expressed his concern over the regular offenses against Orthodox believers. Now the delinquent has been detained. The investigation is going on. The victim underwent serious surgery lasting many hours, but he still remains in a critical condition. On October 22 Archbishop Evlogy visited Anatoly, who is currently in the recovery ward of the city hospital. His Eminence prayed over the sufferer and blessed him with the miracle-working Icon of the Mother of God of Korsun along with the icon of the Holy Greatmartyr and Healer Panteleimon, reports Portal-pravoslavie.sumy.ua . Prior to the operation a priest of the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral administered the sacrament of Unction to Anatoly. 26 октября 2015 г. Рейтинг: 2 Голосов: 1 Оценка: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Смотри также Комментарии Новые материалы Выбор читателей Мы в соцсетях Подпишитесь на нашу рассылку |
| Next, the saint went to the city of Callinicus, or Callinicum (possibly on the Euphrates River in Syria). The ruler of that place was King Numerian, the son of Sebastian. When she began to teach about Christ, she was arrested and tortured by the pagan authorities. She was placed into three bronze oxen which were heated by fire. She was transferred from one to another, but miraculously she remained uninjured. Thousands of idolaters embraced Christianity as a result of this wondrous event. Sensing the approach of death, Numerian instructed his eparch Babdonus to continue torturing the saint in order to force her to sacrifice to idols. Once again, the tortures were ineffective, and many people turned to Christ. Christ’s holy martyr then traveled to the city of Constantina, forty miles northeast of Edessa. By 330, the Persian king Sapor II (309-379) had heard of Saint Irene’s great miracles. To prevent her from winning more people to Christ, she was arrested, beheaded, and then buried. However, God sent an angel to raise her up again, and she went into the city of Mesembria. After seeing her alive and hearing her preach, the local king was baptized with many of his subjects. Wishing to convert even more pagans to Christianity, Saint Irene went to Ephesus, where she taught the people and performed many miracles. The Lord revealed to her that the end of her life was approaching. Then Saint Irene left the city accompanied by six people, including her former teacher Apellian. On the outskirts of the town, she found a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. After making the Sign of the Cross, she went inside, directing her companions to close the entrance to the cave with a large stone, which they did. When Christians visited the cave four days later, they did not find the body of the saint. Apellian returned after only two days, and found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. Thus did God glorify Saint Irene, who loved Him and devoted her life to serving Him. Although many of these miracles may seem improbable to those who are skeptical, nothing is impossible with God. |
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