ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY THEN AND NOW: August 2014

August 31, 2014

Saints and Feasts of August

The Month of August in the Orthodox Church

Martyrology of the Month of August (Fresco)

First Sunday of August - Saints and Feasts of the First Sunday of August

1 - Saints and Feasts of August 1

What I Looked For and Found in the Orthodox Church

By His Eminence Metropolitan Nicholas

of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki

In the Church I met rare people, with virtue and authenticity, mature, cultured, true Christians, gentle souls. I met, dare I say, saints. I did not meet such people generally in my life. These Christians stood out differently from other people. I have to admit, I never saw signs or miracles. They were not needed.

August 30, 2014

Hieromartyr Kosmas the Aitolos (+ 1779) [1 of 2]

St. Kosmas Aitolos (Feast Day - August 24)

By Monk Moses the Athonite

The great Equal to the Apostles, the enlightener of the enslaved Nation, the wondrous, holy, glorious and beloved by the people Hieromartyr, was born in the village of Mega Dendron of Aitolia in 1714. Specifically he was from between the villages of Mega Dendron and Taxiarchae of the Trichonida Mountains in a district called Apokouro. His parents were from Epirus: "The parents of a pious son, by whom he was brought up and educated in the education and admonition of the Lord, as the Apostle says."

How One Is Led From Unbelief To Belief

By Elder Teofil Paraian

I don't know if anyone can say that they led someone else to faith by their own power.

I have followed cases, as much as I am able, where people were led to the knowledge of God back in the olden days and in our time now. As many cases as I was able to follow I learned from.

August 29, 2014

Saint John the Baptist Resource Page

September 5 - Holy Prophet Zechariah and his Wife Elizabeth

Holy Prophet Zechariah, Father of John the Baptist, Resource Page

The Cave Where Saint Elizabeth Hid With Saint John the Baptist and the Tomb of Saint Elizabeth

September 23 - Conception of Saint John the Forerunner

Conception of Saint John the Baptist Resource Page

January 6 - Theophany

Orthodox Theophany (Epiphany) Resource Page

January 7 - Synaxis of Saint John the Forerunner

Synaxarion of the Synaxis of the Honorable Forerunner and Baptist John

Synaxis of Saint John the Baptist: Epistle and Gospel Reading

Synaxis of the Holy Glorious Prophet Forerunner and Baptizer John (Sergei V. Bulgakov)

The Life of Saint John the Baptist (St. Sebastian Dabovich)

Synaxis of Saint John the Forerunner and Baptist (St. Nikolai Velimirovich)

Homily on the Synaxis of the Honorable Forerunner (Archim. George Kapsanis)

Homily on Saint John the Baptist (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

John is the Voice, Jesus is the Word (St. Augustine of Hippo)

Epithets of Saint John the Baptist in the Gospels (St. Andrew of Crete)

The Veneration of John the Forerunner (St. Theodore the Studite)

Homily on Christ's Highly Revered Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John (St. Gregory Palamas)

Repentance as the Path to the Lord (St. Theophan the Recluse)

The Testimony of John the Baptist (St. Theophan the Recluse)

Homily on the Disposition of Saint John the Baptist (St. Luke of Simferopol)

Isaiah's Prophecy of John the Forerunner (St. Nikolai Velimirovich)

Saint John, the Honorable Foreunner of the Lord (A Poem of St. Nikolai Velimirovich)

What Does the Honorable Forerunner Teach Us? (Archim. George Kapsanis)

Father John Kalaides and his Patron Saint John the Forerunner and Baptist

Saint John the Forerunner as a Model for our Lives

Genesis 24 and the Mission of John the Baptist

The Miracle of the Holy Forerunner John in Chios in 1740

The Orthodox Veneration of Saint John the Baptist

John the Baptist, the Greatest Among Servants and Prophets But Not the Master and Lord

Photios Kontoglou's Vivid Description of the Icon of Saint John the Baptist

February 24 - 1st and 2nd Finding of the Head of St. John the Forerunner

The First and Second Finding of the Honorable Head of John the Forerunner

1st and 2nd Finding of the Head of John the Baptist

A Summary of the First and Second Finding of the Head of John the Baptist

Sozomen's Account of the Discovery of the Head of Saint John the Forerunner

The First Location Where the Head of Saint John the Baptist Was Found

The Findings of the Head of Saint John the Baptist

May 25 - 3rd Finding of the Head of Saint John the Forerunner

Third Finding of the Honorable Head of Saint John the Baptist and Forerunner

Third Finding of the Honorable Head of Saint John the Baptist: Epistle and Gospel Reading

Homily on the Third Finding of the Honorable Head of Saint John the Forerunner

The Location Where the Head of St. John the Baptist Was Found the Third Time

The Findings of the Head of Saint John the Baptist

June 24 - Nativity of Saint John the Forerunner

Nativity of Saint John the Baptist Resource Page

August 29 - Beheading of Saint John the Forerunner

Beheading of Saint John the Baptist Resource Page

Weekly Commemoration on Tuesday

Homilies on the Weekly Festal Cycle - The Third Day (Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Relics and Miracles of Saint John the Forerunner

The Relics of St. John the Forerunner and Baptist

The Skull (Head) of St. John the Baptist

Translation from Malta to Gatchina of a Portion of the Life-Creating Cross of the Lord, Together with the Philermos Icon of the Mother of God, and the Right Hand of Saint John the Baptist (1799)

The Incorrupt Right Hand of St. John the Baptist

Miracles of the Right Hand of St. John the Baptist

Testimony of an Athonite Monk Healed by the Right Hand of Saint John the Baptist

A Miracle of the Right Hand of St. John the Baptist in 2006

The Miracle of the Holy Forerunner John in Chios in 1740

Concerning a Merchant to Whom a Harlot Sold the Arm of St. John the Baptist

Relics Discovered in 5th Cent. Church on St. Ivan Island

Bulgaria Confirms Discovery of Relics of St. John the Baptist

Tensions Over Relics of Saint John the Baptist

Relics of John the Baptist Celebrated In Bulgaria

An Exchange of Insults Over Relics of John the Baptist

The Vatican Authenticates Bulgarian Relics of St. John the Baptist

Relics of John the Baptist Work the First Miracle

Bulgaria Looks to John the Baptist to Resurrect Flagging Economy

Bulgaria's Passion for John the Baptist: A Go-Nowhere Effort?

New Evidence Supports Authenticity of St. John the Baptist Relics

Bulgarian Bones Could Be John the Baptist's, Scientists Say

The Miracle of the Holy Forerunner John in Chios in 1740

Saint Conon the Baptizer

Three Miracles of Saint John the Baptist to Monks of Dionysiou Monastery

Two Wondrous Miracles of St. John the Forerunner in the Life of Elder Isaac of Dionysiou

St. John the Forerunner and the Multiplication of Bread at Dionysiou Monastery

Saint John the Baptist and the Monk Who Sought to Flee from Dionysiou Monastery

The Miracle of the Cutting of the Wine Cup

When Elder Bessarion of Dionysiou Saw Saint John the Baptist in a Vision

When Saint John the Forerunner Anointed Elder Bessarion of Dionysiou

A Stunning Revelation About Saint John the Baptist to Saint Gerasimos Mikragiannanitis

When Saint John the Baptist Appeared to Elder Eumenios Saridakis on a Boat and Covered Him

Saint John the Forerunner and the Paralyzed Sexton

Why Confessions Should Be Made Before Priests and Not Icons

An Icon of Saint John the Forerunner Gushing Myrrh in Chicago

"The Honorable Forerunner Saved Me!": A Miracle of Saint John the Baptist in the DR Congo

Shrines of Saint John the Forerunner

John the Baptist Reveals the Cave of Sapsa, Where He Was Visited by the Lord

The Church of Saint John the Forerunner at the Trullo in Constantinople

Commemoration of the Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John next to the Taurus

The Chapel of Saint John Pratsika in Patras

The Cave of Saint John the Forerunner in Tzuba

The Feast of the Beheading of St. John in Giona, Crete

Fire Destroys Monastery of St. John the Forerunner in Serres, Greece

Documentary: Monastery of Saint John Vazelonas in Pontus

Miscellany

"Cephalophore" and "Self-Cephalophore" Saints

A Rare Icon of Christ and John the Baptist Playing at the Jordan River as Children

The Attributes of the Honorable Forerunner and Baptist John

By His Eminence Metropolitan Hierotheos

of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

When the priest, my beloved brethren, does the dismissal of the Divine Liturgy and every other service, he commemorates after Christ various saints in the following order, namely the Panagia and Mother of Christ, the Honorable Cross, the Angels, the Honorable Forerunner and Baptist, the Apostles, the Martyrs, the venerable Fathers, the saints of the day and lastly all the saints. It thus seems clear that the Honorable Forerunner has a high position, between the Panagia and the Apostles. And this shows the great importance the Church gives to the person of the Honorable Forerunner.

August 28, 2014

A Conversation With Elder Ephraim of Arizona

The following conversation was recorded by monastic spiritual children from Greece of Elder Ephraim of Arizona, formerly of Philotheou, who visited him in May 2014 at the Sacred Monastery of Saint Anthony the Great in Arizona.

August 27, 2014

When the Panagia Wept Before World War I and World War II in Rhodes

By John Sanidopoulos

Panagia Katholiki was built over the ruins of an ancient Byzantine church, and according to an inscription over the door of the narthex it was built in 1839. The epithet "Katholiki" implies that she is universally venerated.

Last week a strange phenomenon took place in Kremasti, Rhodes in the Cathedral of Panagia Katholiki a few days before its feast, which celebrates annually on August 23rd in honor of the Apodosis of the Dormition of the Theotokos. An oil lamp hanging in front of the icon of the Panagia began to swing without ceasing, causing hundreds of Rhodians and beyond to come and witness the strange phenomenon and venerate the Panagia.

The Life and Lore of Saint Phanourios

St. Phanourios the Great Martyr and Newly Revealed (Feast Day - August 27)

By Dr. Helen Rossidou-Koutsou (Philologist - Byzantinist)

Little and vague is our knowledge from written tradition concerning the life of Saint Phanourios (as shown by his synaxarion).

His holy icon was found accidentally on August 27th sometime after 1350, in the ruins of a church in Rhodes. Since then it was established to celebrate the Saint on the day of the discovery of his icon.

August 26, 2014

Pouqueville on Greek Fasting Practices in 1798

Francois Pouqueville in front of Ioannina (Collection du Chateau de Versailles)

When Francois Pouqueville was held hostage by the Turks in Ottoman Greece in 1798, he gained the respect of the Turks and Greeks alike as a physician, treating and curing the people who were unaware of French medical techniques. One of the practices of the impoverished and enslaved Greeks that made him question their sanity was their rigorous faithfulness and honor of the fasts of the Orthodox Church, despite having practically nothing to eat otherwise. The following is taken from his book Travels in Greece and Turkey (ch. 12):

August 25, 2014

Thoughts and Opinions on Peace from Orthodox Christian Youth

The Association of Orthodox Youth of the Sacred Metropolis of Ierissos, with the prayers of His Eminence Metropolitan Theoklitos, organized the 12th Functional Youth Meeting at the Sacred Shrine of Megali Panagia in Halkidiki, titled "Peace in our Troubled World", in August 2014.

There they studied peace with God, peace with themselves, peace with others and peace in the Church. There were also extensive discussions.

Some thoughts and opinions were very important. We have written them down, offered them and distributed them for the youth of our age.

August 24, 2014

Sunday as the Lord's Day According to St. Kosmas the Aitolos

Sacred Metropolis of Gortynos and Megalopoleos

Dimitsana - Megalopolis

Sunday 24 August 2014

A Sermon of the Metropolitan

1. Today, my Christian brethren, the 24th of August, our holy Church celebrates the memory of a great Saint, that of the Holy Hieromartyr and Equal to the Apostles Kosmas the Aitolos. He was an Athonite Hieromonk who was pained when he heard that many Christians in our enslaved Greek nation were uncatechized, and thus they changed their beliefs. This is why, with the blessing of his Elder, he left the Monastery and went on an apostolic journey, which brought him to be martyred for the love of Christ.

The Panagia is Making Her Presence Known in Rhodes

On Wednesday, 20 August 2014, Orthodox faithful in the Sacred Church of Panagia Katholiki in Kremasti, Rhodes were speaking of a miracle they all witnessed.

More specifically and according to what has so far become known, a tall woman dressed in the black of an employee at a security company entered the church on Wednesday night. She went to the central oil lamp hanging before the icon of the Panagia and gave it a swing, then she left the church and disappeared without being noticed by those in attendance.

August 23, 2014

Icon of St. Innocent of Moscow Begins Weeping at Khabarovsk Orthodox Seminary

On August 20th a strange phenomenon was witnessed in Khabarovsk when it was observed that the icon of the patron of the Theological School in the region, Saint Innocent (Veniaminov) of Moscow and missionary to Alaska, began weeping. This icon is in the chapel of the seminary.

August 22, 2014

The Unique Fresco of the Smiling Panagia in Cappadocia

A unique fresco from the 11th century in the Central Anatolian Gumusler Monastery, also called Eski Gumus (Old Silver) Monastery, depicts the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child smiling. This famous rock-cut Monastery was only rediscovered in 1963 and the smile may have been added during the restoration process.

The Place of the Theotokos in the Orthodox Church (2 of 2)

...continued from part one.

Question: The Fathers, speaking the language of theology with inspiration, have established "She Who is Wider Than the Heavens" (Πλατυτέρα των Ουρανών) as being between that which is created and that which is uncreated. What does this mean?

August 21, 2014

That the Qualities of the Soul Exist by the Grace of God

By St. John of Damascus

The soul, accordingly, is a living essence, simple, incorporeal, invisible in its proper nature to bodily eyes, immortal, reasoning and intelligent, formless, making use of an organized body, and being the source of its powers of life, and growth, and sensation, and generation, nous being but its purest part and not in any wise alien to it; (for as the eye to the body, so is the nous to the soul); further it enjoys freedom and volition and energy, and is mutable, that is, it is given to change, because it is created.

The Place of the Theotokos in the Orthodox Church (1 of 2)

The following is taken from an interview on a Cypriot radio station in May of 1989 with Archimandrite Vasilios of Iveron.

Question: A famous hymn of our Church calls the Panagia "heaven": "She showed herself to be the heaven and temple of divinity" (Αὕτη γὰρ ἀνεδείχθη οὐρανὸς καὶ ναὸς τῆς θεότητος). Fr. Vasilios, would you like to discuss a little the place of "She Who is Wider Than the Heavens" (Πλατυτέρα των Ουρανών) in our Orthodox Church?

August 20, 2014

Eldress Anastasia and the Monastery of Our Lady of the Angels in Kerkyra

The Monastery of Our Lady of the Angels is in the village of Riglades in the southern part of the island of Corfu (Kerkyra).

An inscription in the Monastery indicates it was constructed in 1656, but sources say it was built between 1696-1700 by the family of Barlaam Kapodistrias to honor the Panagia who saved his sons from drowning.

Homily on the Prophet Samuel, the Fruit of Noetic Prayer (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Holy Prophet Samuel (Feast Day - August 20)

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The person of the Prophet Samuel, who we celebrate today, holds a great place in the Old Testament, as well as in the Church of Christ. He is one of those people who paved the way for the incarnation of the Son and Word of God and was obedient in all things to the will of God throughout his life. In today's homily we will highlight some points of his life.

"The Seer: The Life of the Prophet Samuel and its Relevance Today" (New Book by Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

The Seer describes the life and work of the Prophet Samuel, called ‘the Seer’ and ‘the man of God’ by his contemporaries, who lived in the period of the Old Testament and is a saint of our Church (Aug. 20).

The author examines the fascinating life of the Prophet and uses events from it to illustrate the relationships between parents and children, spiritual fathers and their disciples, and rulers and those they rule from a theological perspective.

August 19, 2014

An Eye-Witness Testimonial About the Annual Bright Cloud of Mount Tabor

Every year on August 6th according to the Julian Calendar followed by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem, a bright cloud descends on Mount Tabor during the All-Night Vigil Service for the Feast of the Holy Transfiguration of Christ.

The following testimony comes from an older couple who travelled to the Holy Land a few years ago, and the husband was moved when he recounted his experience on Mount Tabor.

Saint Kosmas Aitolos Honored in the Village of Tsouka Where He Preached

To celebrate the 300th anniversary of the birth of the great missionary and martyr St. Kosmas the Aitolos, the village of Tsouka in western Fthiotida took the opportunity to honor him on Sunday August 17th.

200 People Baptized Orthodox in the Nyamazi River of Rwanda

Georges Mana

August 18, 2014

Ierapostoli

News from the Orthodox Diocese of Burundi and Rwanda:

Today on 17th August 2014, His Grace Bishop Innocentios Byakatonda has baptized 200 people in the Nyamazi River located in the Kirehe District of the Eastern Province of Rwanda. After the baptism His Grace Bishop Innocentios conducted the Divine Liturgy in that valley where over 800 people were present.

August 18, 2014

Rocket Dropped in Orthodox Church in Ukraine Does Not Explode (photos)

Porphyry D. Staphyla
August 17, 2014
Dimpe News

On the night of the 16th into the 17th of August, the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in the town of Mospyne in the region of Dontesk was hit by a rocket 1.5 meters in length by a Grad missile launcher. It entered the church after a strange orbit.

First Divine Liturgy Since 1922 Takes Place in the Last Surviving Orthodox Church in Smyrna

Stratis Balaskas
August 18, 2014
Amen.gr

A historic moment was experienced on Sunday morning in Smyrna (Izmir) for those who attended the first Divine Liturgy since 1922 in the renovated Church of Saint Boukolos (Ayavukla). This church is dedicated to the patron saint of Smyrna and is the only Orthodox Christian Church to not burn in the catastrophe of 1922. It is located in the district of Basmane and was recently renovated by the City of Izmir. From 1922 until the renovation it was used as a warehouse then as a classical music concert hall and opera house, and later initially as an archaeological museum and then as a repository of antiquities, until it was repaired.

Saints Floros and Lavros as Models for our Lives

Sts. Floros and Lavros (Feast Day - August 18)

By Protopresbyter Fr. George Papavarnavas

Saints Floros and Lavros were twin brothers. They entered life on the same day and they also departed it on the same day, after giving their testimony for Christ and sealing it with the blood of their martyrdom. They lived in the first Christian centuries during a period of persecution, however it is unknown exactly when. They came from Byzantium and were catechized in the faith of Christ by Saints Proclus and Maximus, who were also martyred for Christ. Also, from these Saints they were also taught the art of stonemasonry, which they practiced and made their livelihood with. After the martyrdom of their teachers they left for Illyria and settled in the city of Ulpiana, where they continued practicing their trade. The prefect admired their skills and gave them a blueprint and the required money to build a temple to idols. The Saints distributed the money to the poor and when they built the temple - by the Grace of God and with the help of an angel, who helped and served them - they demolished the idols with the poor, and they consecrated the temple and dedicated it to the worship of the true God.

August 17, 2014

Fr. John Romanides Resource Page

"My good friend, the most pious Presbyter John Romanides, is not an ordinary theologian. He learned theology in two or three Universities and with the help of asceticism which illumined his soul. He knows four languages and is deeply educated. He is literally a monk, fed by the Holy Fathers and the holy liturgical life of the Orthodox Church, singing hymns to God 'seven times a day'."

- Elder Theoklitos Dionysiatis (Athonite Flowers, 1962)

"Take every class you can from Fr. John Romanides. He teaches the truth."

- Elder Aimilianos of Simonopetra (advice to a theology student)

HIS LIFE AND THOUGHT

Theology in Greece in the 1960's

Eldress Eulambia Romanides (+ 1980)

Saint Paisios the Athonite and the Clairvoyant Eldress Eulambia Romanides

Father John Romanides: His Life and Legacy

Fr. John Romanides: The Theologian of Empirical Theology

Fr. John Romanides as a Professor of Dogmatics at Holy Cross School of Theology in Boston (1 of 8)

Fr. John Romanides as a Professor of Dogmatics at Holy Cross School of Theology in Boston (2 of 8)

Fr. John Romanides as a Professor of Dogmatics at Holy Cross School of Theology in Boston (3 of 8)

Fr. John Romanides as a Professor of Dogmatics at Holy Cross School of Theology in Boston (4 of 8)

Fr. John Romanides as a Professor of Dogmatics at Holy Cross School of Theology in Boston (5 of 8)

Fr. John Romanides as a Professor of Dogmatics at Holy Cross School of Theology in Boston (6 of 8)