The Holy Feastday of the Transfiguration (Metamorphosis) of our Savior Jesus Christ

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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THE HOLY FEAST-DAY OF THE TRANSFIGURATION (METAMORPHOSIS) OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST ON MT. TABOR

Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn of the Transfiguration of Our Lord. Grave Tone

Thou was transfigured on the mountain, O Christ our God, showing to Thy disciples Thy glory as each one could endure. Shine forth Thou on us, who are sinners all, Thy Light ever-unending, through the prayers of the Theotokos. Light-bestower, glory to Thee.

Kontakion Hymn. Grave Tone

On the mount Thou was transfigured, and Thy disciples, as much as they could bear, beheld Thy glory, O Christ our God; that when they should see Thee crucified, they would know Thy Passion to be willing, and would preach to the world that Thou, in truth, art the Effulgence of the Father.

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Note: Such as the marvels, truly worthy of God, celebrated in this present feast, which is an image and prefiguring of the future state of the righteous, whose splendor the Lord spoke of, saying: "then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun" (St. Matthew 13:43). It is because of this that the Kontakion hymn of this Feast is said daily (when there is not a great feast) in the Service of the Typica in perpetual commemoration of the glory that will be the lot of the Saints. According to Tradition, the Lord's Transfiguration (Metamorphosis) came to pass forty days before His Crucifixion; this is why the Transfiguration is celebrated forty days before the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, September 14th.

Because of the Great Feast of the Holy Transfiguration of Our Lord, our Church allows the faithful Orthodox Christians to eat fish on August 6th.

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THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ON MT. TABO
By His Eminence Metropolitan of Nafpaktos, Greece HIEROTHEOS

Christ went up to Mt. Tabor in order to show the glory of His Divinity. This could also have taken place on a plain in a remote place. But why did He prefer the mountain?

In early times all the great events usually took place in a higher place, on high and low mountains, just as the pagans also used to do, who performed their sacrifices on the mountains. Christ showed the magnitude of His Glory on Mt. Tabor, for the manifestation of the deification (theosis) of human nature is the greatest event in the history of mankind.

Then, as Christ said, He came to seek the sheep that had gone astray, which was lost on the mountain. So Christ went up on the mountain to show that He had found the sheep that had gone astray and freed it from sin and the devil, that he was the true shepherd of men (Saint Gregory the Theologian).

Again, His going up on the mountain shows that all who want to see the glory of the divinity in the human nature of the Logos/Word must come out of lowness, leave the low things and go up high, that is to say, they must be purified of all earthly things that keep them bound to the earth.

Christ's Transfiguration (Metamorphosis) took place during the day. The Disciples saw two suns, sensory and noetic. In one of his troparia (hymns), Saint John of Damascus writes: "The visible sun was eclipsed by the rays of Thy Divinity when it saw Thee Transfigured on Mount Tabor, O my Jesus". That is to say, the sun of our senses was hidden and make to disappear by the rays of Christ's Divinity. Perhaps at first, they saw two lights, the created and the uncreated, as the Saints say who have such experiences, but when they saw a greater energy of the Divinity, they lost the sensory sun completely.  Saint Isaac the Syrian says that the Disciples on Tabor saw two suns "one in the sky as usual and one contrary to the usual"...

"...The Holy Fathers, speaking of the Transfiguration (Metamorphosis) of Christ and the partaking of Divine Glory, speak of the personal ascent on the Mount of the vision of God. It is the constant cry of the Church: "make Thine Everlasting Light shine forth also upon us sinners". And in a related prayer in the First Hour, we feel the need to ask Christ: "O Christ, the True Light, which illumineth and sanctifieth every man who cometh into the world! Let the Light of Thy Countenance be shown upon us, that in it we may behold the Light Ineffable". Continual ascent and development are needed. In the Church, we speak of man's development, not from the ape to man, but from man to God. And this "ecclesiastical theory" of development which the Church has, gives an understanding of life and satisfies all of man's inner problems and existential anxieties.

Saint Maximos the Confessor teaches that Christ is not shown to all in the same way, but to the beginners, He is shown in the form of a servant, while to those who are ascending the mountain of the vision of God He is shown "in the form of God"...

"...In conclusion, we must say that the Transfiguration (Metamorphosis) of Christ is the central event in Christ's life, but also a fundamental point in the life of man. Therefore it must be analyzed not with beautiful, moral thoughts and sentimental effusions, but in the framework of orthodox theology. Moreover, we live in the Church and are trying not simply to become good people, but to be gods by grace. The life of the Church and Orthodox Theology summon us to this height. (Source: The Feasts of the Lord.  An Introduction to the Twelve Feasts and Orthodox Christology)

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DIVINE SERVICES ON AUGUST 6TH - FEAST OF HOLY TRANSFIGURATION:

Orthros at 9:00 a.m.
Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" -- Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

Sermon on the Holy Transfiguration (Metamorphosis) of Our Savior (Part II)

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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SERMON OF ON THE HOLY TRANSFIGURATION (METAMORPHOSIS) OF OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST (Part II)
By Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, Greece

That same Inscrutable Light shone and was mysteriously manifest to the Apostles and the foremost of the Prophets at that moment, when [the Lord] was praying. This shows that what brought forth this blessed sight was prayer, and that the radiance occurred and was manifest by uniting the mind with God, and that it is granted to all who, with constant exercise in efforts of virtue and prayer, strive with their mind towards God. True beauty, essentially, can be contemplated only with a purified mind. To gaze upon its luminescence assumes a sort of participation in it, as though some bright ray etches itself upon the face.

Even the face of Moses was illuminated by his association with God. Do you not know that Moses was transfigured when he went up to the mountain, and there beheld the Glory of God? But he (Moses) did not effect this, but rather he underwent a transfiguration. However, our Lord Jesus Christ possessed that Light Himself. In this regard, actually, He did not need prayer for His flesh to radiate with the Divine Light; it was but to show from whence that Light descends upon the saints of God, and how to contemplate it. For it is written that even the Saints "will shine forth like the sun" (St. Matthew 13:41), which is to say, entirely permeated by Divine Light as they gaze upon Christ, divinely and inexpressibly shining forth His Radiance, issuing from His Divine Nature. On Mount Tabor, it was manifest also in His Flesh, by reason of the Hypostatic Union (i.e., the union of the two perfect natures, divine, and human, within the Divine Person (Hypostasis) of Christ, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity). The 4th Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon defined this Hypostatic union of Christ's two natures, divine and human, as "without mingling, without change, without division, without separation."

We believe that at the Transfiguration (Metamorphosis) He manifested not some other sort of light, but only that which was concealed beneath His fleshly exterior. This Light was the Light of the Divine Nature, and as such, it was Uncreated and Divine. So also, in the teachings of the Holy Fathers, Jesus Christ was transfigured on the Mount, not taking upon Himself something new nor being changed into something new, nor something which formerly He did not possess. Rather, it was to show His Disciples that which He already was, opening their eyes and bringing them from blindness to sight. For do you not see that eyes that can perceive natural things would be blind to this Light?

Thus, this Light is not a light of the senses, and those contemplating it do not simply see with sensual eyes, but rather they are changed by the power of the Divine Spirit. They were transformed, and only in this way did they see the transformation taking place amidst the very assumption of our perishability, with the deification (theosis) through union with the Logos/Word of God in place of this.

So also she who miraculously conceived and gave birth recognized that the One born of her is God Incarnate. So it was also for Symeon, who only received this Infant into his arms, and the aged Anna, coming out [from the Jerusalem Temple] for the Meeting (Presentation to the Temple), since the Divine Power illumined, as through a glass windowpane, giving light for those having pure eyes of the heart.

"...It is clear that the Light of Tabor was a Divine Light. And the Evangelist John, inspired by Divine Revelation, says clearly that the future eternal and enduring city "has no need of the sun or moon to shine upon it. For the glory of God lights it up, and the Lamb (Christ) will be its lamp" (Revelation 21:23). Is it not clear that he points out here that this [Lamb] is Jesus, Who is divinely transfigured now upon Tabor, and the flesh of Whom shines is the lamp manifesting the glory of divinity for those ascending the mountain with Him?

Saint John the Theologian also says about the inhabitants of this city: "they will not need light from lamps, nor the light of the sun, for the Lord God will shed light upon them, and night shall be no more" (Revelation 22:5)...

"...But let us not tire our attention with the furthermore interpretations of the words of the Gospel. We shall believe thus, as those same ones have taught us, in the words of a Prophet, are known to God alone and His perpetual proximity. Let us, considering the Mystery of the Transfiguration (Metamorphosis) of the Lord in accord with their teaching, strive to be illumined by this Light ourselves and encourage in ourselves love and striving towards the Unfading Glory and Beauty, purifying our spiritual eyes of worldly thoughts and refraining from perishable and quickly passing delights and beauty which darken the garb of the soul and lead to the fire of Gehenna and everlasting darkness. Let us be freed by these by the illumination and knowledge of the incorporeal and ever-existing Light of our Savior transfigured on Tabor, in His Glory, and of His Father from all eternity, and His Life-Creating Spirit, Whom are One Radiance, One Godhead, and Glory, and Kingdom, and Power now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. (Source: Orthodox Heritage)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" -- Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

Sermon on the Holy Transfiguration (Metamorphosis) of Our Savior

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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SERMON ON THE HOLY TRANSFIGURATION (METAMORPHOSIS) OF OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST
By Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, Greece

For an explanation of the present Feast and understanding of its truth, it is necessary for us to turn to the very start of today's reading from the Gospel: "Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, and led them up onto a high mountain by themselves" (St. Matthew 17:1).

First of all, we might start by asking when the Evangelist Matthew began his six-day count? What kind of day was it? What does the preceding statement indicate, where the Savior, in teaching His Disciples, said to them: "For the Son of Man shall come with His Angels in the glory of His Father", and further: "Again I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death, until they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom" (St. Matthew 16:27-28)? That is to say, it is the Light of His own forthcoming Transfiguration (Metamorphosis) which He terms the Glory of His Father and of His Kingdom.

The Evangelist Luke points this out and reveals this more clearly saying: "Now it came to pass about eight days after these words, that He took Peter and John and James, and went up the mountain to pray. And as He prayed, His countenance was altered, and His raiment became a radiant white" (St. Luke 9:28-29). But how can the two be reconciled, when one of them speaks definitively about the interval of time as being "eight days" between the sayings and the manifestation, whereas the other (says) "after six days"?

There were eight on the mountain, but only six were visible. Three, Peter, James and John, had come up with Jesus and they saw Moses and Elias standing there and conversing with Him, so altogether there were six of them. However, the Father and the Holy Spirit were invisibly with the Lord: the Father, with His Voice testifying that this was His Beloved Son, and the Holy Spirit shining forth with Him in the radiant cloud. Thus, the six are actually eight, and there is no contradiction regarding the eight. Similarly, there is no contradiction with the Evangelists when one says "after six days," and the other says "eight days after these words".

"...But where the Evangelists seem to contradict one another, they actually point out to us something great and mysterious. In actual fact, why did the one say "after six days," but the other, in ignoring the seventh day, have in mind the eighth day? It is because the great vision of the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord is the mystery of the eighth day, i.e., of the future age, coming to be revealed after the passing away of the world created in six days.

About the power of the Divine Spirit, through Whom the Kingdom of God is to be revealed, the Lord predicted: "There are some standing here who shall not taste death, until they have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom" (St. Matthew 16:28). Everywhere and in every way the King will be present, and everywhere will be His Kingdom, since the advent of His Kingdom does not signify the passing over from one place to another, but rather the revelation (apokalypse) of its power of the Divine Spirit. That is why it is said, "come in power." And this power is not manifest to simple ordinary people, but to those standing with the Lord, that is to say, those who have affirmed their faith in Him like Peter, James and John, and especially those who are free of our natural abasement. Therefore, and precisely because of this, God manifests Himself upon the Mount, on the one hand coming down from His heights, and on the other, raising up from the depths of abasement, since the Transcendent One takes on mortal nature. Certainly, such a manifest appearance by far transcends the utmost limits of the mind's grasp, as effectualized by the power of the Divine Spirit.

Thus, the Light of the Transfiguration (Metamorphosis) of the Lord is not something that comes to be and then vanishes, nor it is subject to the sensory faculties, although it was contemplated by corporeal eyes for a short while upon an inconsequential mountaintop. But the initiates of the Mystery, (the disciples) of the Lord at this time passed beyond mere flesh into spirit through a transformation of their senses, effectualized within them by the Spirit, and in such a way that they beheld what, and to what extent, the Divine Spirit had wrought blessedness in them to behold the Ineffable Light.

Those not grasping this point have conjectured that the chosen from among the Apostles beheld the Light of the Transfiguration of the Lord by a sensual creaturely faculty, and through this they attempt to reduce to a creaturely level (i.e., as something "created") not only this Light, the Kingdom and the Glory of God, but also the Power of the Divine Spirit, through Whom it is meet for Divine Mysteries to be revealed. In all likelihood, such persons have not heeded the words of the Apostle Paul: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love Him. But to us, God has revealed them through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

So, with the onset of the Eighth Day, the Lord, taking Peter, James, and John, went up on the Mount to pray. He always prayed alone, withdrawing from everyone, even from the apostles themselves, as for example when with five loaves and two fish He fed the five thousand men, besides women and children (St. Matthew 14:19-23). Or, taking with Him those who excelled others, as at the approach of His Saving Passion, when He said to the other disciples: "Sit here while I go over there and pray" (St. Matthew 26:36). Then He took with Him Peter, James, and John. But in our instance right here and now, having taken only these same three, the Lord led them up onto a high mountain by themselves and was transfigured before them, that is to say, before their very eyes.

What does it mean to say: "He was transfigured?" asks the Golden-Mouthed Theologian (St. John Chrysostomos). He answers this saying: it revealed something of His Divinity to them, as much and insofar as they were able to apprehend it, and it showed the indwelling of God within Him." The Evangelist Luke says: "And as He prayed, His countenance was altered" (St. Luke 9:29); and from the Evangelist Matthew we read: "And His face shone as the sun" (St. Matthew 17:2). But the Evangelist said this, not in the context that this Light be thought of as subsistent for the senses (let us put aside the blindness of mind of those who can conceive of nothing higher than what is known through the senses). Rather, it is to show that Christ God, for those living and contemplating by the Spirit, is the same as the sun is for those living in the flesh and contemplating by the senses. Therefore, some other Light for the knowing the Divinity is not necessary for those who are enriched by Divine gifts. (Source: Orthodox Heritage)

(To be continued)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" -- Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

Most Holy Theotokos Save Us

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS (MOTHER OF GOD) SAVE US

[Holy Dormition (Koimisis) of the Theotokos - August 1-15)

THE SERVICE OF THE SMALL PARAKLESIS (SUPPLICATION) TO THE MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS
(The service of the Small Paraklesis is chanted in times of distress and sorrow of soul and during the first fourteen days of August.)

Priest: Blessed is our God always, now and forever and to the ages of ages.

People: Amen.

Psalm 142

O Lord, hear my prayer, give ear to my supplications in Your truth...

Tone 4

God is the Lord; and has revealed Himself to us, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.

Vs. 1. Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Holy Name.

God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us; blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord.

Vs.2. All the nations have surrounded me, but in the Name of the Lord, I have overcome them.

God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us; blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord.

Vs.3. This has been done by the Lord, and it is wonderful in our eyes.

God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us; blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord.

Tone 4

To the Theotokos, let us run now most fervently, As sinners and lowly ones, Let us fall down in repentance, Crying from the depths of our soul: Lady, come and help us; Have compassion upon us; Hasten now for we are lost In the host of our errors; Do not turn your servants away, For you alone are a hope to us. Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

(Repeat the above or the Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn of the church.)

Now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen

O Theotokos, we shall never be silent, Of your mighty acts, all we the unworthy; Had you not stood to intercede for us Who would have delivered us, From the numerous perils? Who would have preserved us all Until now with our freedom? O Lady, we shall not depart from you;

For you always save your servants, From all tribulation.

Then we read: Psalm 50[51]

Have mercy on me, O God, according Your great mercy...

Most Holy Theotokos save us.

With many temptations surrounding me, Searching for salvation, I have hastened unto you; O Mother of the Logos/Word, and Ever-Virgin, From all distresses and dangers deliver me. Most Holy Theotokos save us.

Assaults of the passions have shaken me, My soul to its limits Has been filled with much despair; Bring peace, O Maiden, in the calmness, Of your own Son and your God, All-blameless One. Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

To God and the Savior you've given birth; I ask you, O Virgin, From the dangers deliver me; For now, I run to you for refuge, With both my soul and my reasoning.

Now and forever, and to the ages of ages, Amen.

Diseased is the body and the soul; Deem me truly worthy Of divine guidance and your care; For you alone are God's Mother, As the good and the birthgiver of the Good.

(To be continued)

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Orthodox Christians begin and end the liturgical year with celebrations dedicated to the Ever-Virgin Mary, who we venerate as the Theotokos. On September 8th, the end of the first week of the new year, we commemorate her Nativity or birth; on August 15th, we close the year with the feast of her Koimisis (Dormition), her "falling asleep" and Metastasis (Translation) to heaven.

When Orthodox Christians are in need of immediate and sure help, they turn to the Ever-Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, who has saved our fellow Orthodox Christians in various counties numerous times over the centuries who faced attacks and hostility from non-Christians.

Orthodox Christians pray to the Mother of God with tears for our brothers and sisters in Christ who in danger and persecution. The Theotokos has performed many miracles. For many centuries, Syrian Christians have been graced with the Saidnaya holy icon of the Mother of God, kept in the Monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God in the village of Saidnaya. Countless miracles have been wrought through prayer before this holy icon, but we recount here one that happened as recently as the year 2004. It is a story that, if it had not been broadcast on the major TV channels in the Middle East, would certainly be hard to believe, even after reading about her intercessions throughout the Christian East. Here is an account of that miracle compiled by Archmandrite Nectarios Serfes:

In December 2004 a Saudi Arabian Arabian man, a Moslem, appeared before several news agencies to relate the following incredible event he experienced and which changed his life (this story appeared on TV, the Internet, radio, and was circulated in newspapers, magazines, and pamphlets throughout Saudi Arabia, Syria, Palestine, and evidently in all neighboring countries.

Some years ago, this man married a Moslem woman who was very rich, but sterile. As the years passed, and despite all their efforts and significant medical expenses with many doctors, they remained childless. The man's parents suggested to him that he marry a second woman while upholding his initial marriage (as the local laws permit up to four concurrent marriages).

Being exhausted, worried, and downhearted, he did not accept his parents' advice but rather chose to vacation with his wife in Syria. There they hired a limousine with a driver who would serve as a tour guide for all their site-seeing excursions throughout Syria. As the vacation progressed, the driver noticed that the Saudi Arabian couple was experiencing bitterness, pain, and grief. Having gained familiarity with the couple, the driver cautiously asked them why they appeared to be so unhappy--was it perhaps because he was not conducting the tour to their satisfaction?

The couple confided to the driver that the source of their unhappiness was their inability to have children. The driver who was also a Moslem then told them that in Syria the Christians, specifically the Orthodox Christians, have a monastery named Panagia Saidnaya (Arabic word meaning Our Lady) and that many people who can't have children take refuge in Her Miracle-Working Icon. They go to the monastery, and there they are given to eat the wick from the lamp which burns before the miraculous icon.  And then the "Mary" of the Christians grants them, according to their faith, what they wish.

 Becoming excited, the Saudi Arabian and his wife asked the driver to take them to the "Saidnaya" monastery of "The Lady of the Christians" and said that if we have a child, then I will come back and I will give you 20,000 U.S. dollars, and I will give the monastery 80.000. So they went to the monastery and did as they were instructed. Later they returned to their homeland and after some time, his wife was found pregnant. In nine months she gave birth to a charming baby boy. It was truly a miracle of Our Lady Theotokos.

Now, as soon as his wife gave birth, the Saudi Arabian man wanted to return to Syria to uphold the promises he had made. Upon his return, he called the same driver and asked to be picked up at the Damascus airport. But the driver was cunning and wicked and he persuaded two of his friends to go to the airport with him to pick up the rich Saudi Arabian man, to take his money and kill him. So they picked up the rich man at the airport and he, as they drove, without realizing that they had planned to kill him, told the friends of the driver that he would give them also 10,000 US dollars each.

These men, still not satisfied, deviated from the route to the monastery and went to a deserted place, proceeded to slay the Saudi Arabian man, and to cut off his head and other parts (hands and legs) of his body into pieces. Blinded by passion and overcome by the horrific act that they just committed, they put the man's remains in the trunk of the car rather than just leaving him there. After taking his money, watch, and all that he had, they proceeded to find another deserted place to discard the remains.

Then, on the National highway, their car broke down and stopped in the middle of that road. The three men got out to determine why the engine had stalled. Then a passerby stopped to help them but they, afraid that their terrible act would be discovered, pretended that they did not need any help. But as the passerby motorist was leaving, he noticed blood dripping from the rear of the vehicle and he called the police to investigate, because the scene and the three men looked suspicious. The police came and saw the blood under the care and on the pavement, so they ordered that the trunk be opened.

Well, when they opened the trunk, lo and behold, the Saudi Arabian man lifted himself out, obviously and amazingly alive and in good health, saying to them "Just now this Panagia finished stitching my neck, right here (showing them the area of his Adam's apple), after first stitching up the rest of my entire body". Seeing this, the three criminals immediately lost their minds, becoming as if mad. The police handcuffed them, and as they were being taken away to an asylum for the insane, the criminals started raving that it could not be possible that the Saudi Arabian man whom they killed, beheaded, and dissected could yet be alive.

The Saudi Arabian went to a medical facility to undergo examination by doctors and medical examiners who confirmed and attested that the stitching was done very recently, thereby validating the miraculous event. The stitches were, and still are, obvious. When the Saudi Arabian came out of the car's trunk, he had the appearance, literally, of just having been refabricated (put back together) to which he continuously confessed that the Panagia had rejoined his body and resurrected him with the help of her Son.

Immediately after this, the Saudi Arabian called his relatives to come to Syria. They all went together to the monastery of Panagia Saidnaya and offered up prayers, praises, and glorification, and instead of the initially promised gift of $80.00 he gave $800.00 to the monastery of the Theotokos.

Today, as this man relates the details of that overwhelming miracle, he starts his narration with, "When I was a Moslem this happened to me", thus indicating he is no longer a Moslem, nor is his family. The miracle stunned with awesome surprise the entire Arabic/Moslem nation and all of the Middle East.

Let us Orthodox Christians never neglect to pray to the Mother of God for protection against all evil. And let us witness to those Christians who are not Orthodox, who do not revere and pray to God's Most Holy and Ever pure Mother, that she is indeed our Protectress in times of need.

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" -- Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

The Holy Feast of the Transfiguration (Metamorphosis) of the Savior (August 6)

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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ON AUGUST 6TH OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH COMMEMORATES THE HOLY TRANSFIGURATION (METAMORPHOSIS) OF THE SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST

"Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter, James, AND John his brother, and He brought them up into a high mountain by themselves. [There], He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and Elias (Elijah) appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter then said to Jesus, 'Lord, it is good for us to be here! If you want, let us make three tents here: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elias (Elijah).' While Peter was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them. And behold, a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him.' When the disciples heard it, they fell on the faces and were very afraid. Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid.' Lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, except Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus gave them this order: 'Do not tell anyone what you saw, until the Son of Man has risen again from the dead" ( St. Matthew 17:1-9).

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In the third year of His earthly ministry, the Lord Jesus spoke more frequently to His disciples of His coming Passion but linked it always with His glory after His suffering on the Cross. That His coming suffering should not utterly shatter His disciples so that they fall away from Him. He, the All-Wise, decides to show them before His Passion, something of His Divine Glory. He, therefore, taking Him Peter, James and John, went by night onto Mount Tabor and was there transfigured before them. 'And His face shone as the sun, and His raiment became white as snow', and there appeared beside Him Moses and Elias, the great Prophets of the Old Testament. And the disciples saw and were amazed, and Peter said: 'Lord, it is good for us to be here; if Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles: one for Thee, one for Moses and one for Elias.' While Peter was still speaking, Moses and Elias disappeared and a bright cloud came and overshadowed the Lord and the disciples, and a voice came out of the cloud: 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him.' Hearing this voice, the disciples fell prostrate on the ground as though dead, and remained thus lying in fear until the Lord came to them and said: 'Arise, and be not afraid' (Matthew 17). Why did the Lord take only three disciples with Him onto Tabor, and not all of them? Because Judas was not worthy to behold the Divine glory of the Master Whom he was to betray, and the Lord did not want to leave him alone at the foot of the mountain, that the betrayer should not thus work his betrayal. Why was He transfigured on the mountain and not in the valley? That He might teach us two virtues: Love of toil and pondering on God. To climb to the heights involves toil, and the heights represent the heights of our thoughts: pondering on God. Why was He transfigured at night? Because the night is more fitted to prayer and meditation than the day, and because the night covers all earthly beauty with darkness and reveals the beauty of the starry heavens. Why did Moses and Elias appear? To shatter the Jewish fallacy that Christ was one of the Prophets--Elias, Jeremiah or one of the others. This was why He revealed Himself as King over the Prophets, and why Moses and Elias appeared as His servants. Up to this moment, the Lord had many times shown His Divine power to His Disciples, but on Tabor, He showed them His Divine Nature. This vision of His Divinity and the hearing of the heavenly witness to Him as the Son of God must have been of support to the Disciples in the days of the Lord's suffering, for the strengthening of steadfast faith in Him and His final victory.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Why did the Lord not reveal His Divine glory on Tabor before all the disciples, but only before the three? First, because He Himself had given the Law through Moses: 'At the mouth of two witnesses or...of three, shall the matter be established' (Deuteronomy 19:15). Three, witnesses were, then, enough. There was, though, a special reason for choosing these three disciples.  The three of them represented the three virtues: Peter--faith, for he was the first to proclaim his faith in Christ as the Son of God; James--hope, for it was with hope in the promise of Christ that he was the first to lay down his life for the Lord, being the first killed by the Jews; John--love, for he lay on the Lord's breast and stayed beneath the Lord's Cross till the end. God is not the God of the many but the God of the chosen: "I am the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob'. God has often valued one faithful man more highly than a whole people. On several occasions, He intended to exterminate the Jewish people, but, at the prayers of righteous Moses, He left the people alive. God hearkened to Elias more than to all the royalty of the faithless Ahab. At the prayers of one man, God often saved both towns and men. Thus the sinful town of Ustiug would have been destroyed by fire and hail if the one righteous man in it, Saint Procopius the Fool-for-Christ (see July 8th) has not saved it by his prayers. (Source: The Prologue from Ochrid)

(To be continued)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" -- Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

"The Garden of the Theotokos"

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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HOLY MOUNTAIN (MOUNT ATHOS): "GARDEN OF THE THEOTOKOS."

The Holy Mountain or Mt. Athos is known as "The Garden of the Theotokos." According to our Orthodox tradition, the Theotokos was invited by Saint Lazarus to visit him on the island of Cyprus. Because of a severe storm, the ship was thrown off course and landed on the coast of Mount Athos, at the location of a pagan temple. As the Panagia went to shore, the pagan inhabitants came out to meet her not knowing who she was. The "highly favored one" and the "blessed...among women" converted them to Christianity. The Theotokos fell in love with the beauty of the land, so much so that she requested from her Son and God to grant her this place for herself. Her prayer and supplication was granted and before the Theotokos left she blessed the people and announced that Athos was hers.

The monks consider the Theotokos as the Gerondisa (Abbess) of the Holy Mountain. There approximately twenty-two monasteries on the Holy Mountain and approximately 2,000 monks. Since the Holy Mountain was granted to her by our Lord and out of respect for the Holy Gerondisa of the Mount, no other woman may visit or step foot on it. There are accounts that the Theotokos has appeared to a number of monks over the centuries and continues indeed to be the patron and its protector. Saint Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki, in his Life of Saint Peter the Athonite" records the Ever-Virgin's words and promise that those living on the "mountain that I have chosen out of all the earth."

The Holy Mountain, the holy Garden of Panagia, is blessed with numerous holy and miraculous icons of the Theotokos. Here are some of the most well known:

Axion Estin (It is truly meet...) is the name given to the holy icon of the Ever-Virgin Mary before which, according to holy tradition, the hymn of Axion Estin...was revealed by the Archangel Gabriel. Appearing in the guise of an ordinary monk, he sang the hymn and then wrote it with his finger on a roof tile. The entire hymn is chanted in every Divine Liturgy following the Exairetos Tis Panagias, Achrantou...and the invocation of the Holy Spirit to come upon him, the priest, and upon the Precious Gifts (the Consecration of the Holy Gifts).  The entire hymn is: It is meet indeed to bless Thee, the Ever-blessed and Most Pure and Mother of our God. Thee that art More Honorable than the Cherubim, and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, who without spot of sin didst bear God the Logos/Word; Thee, verily the Mother of God, we magnify.

The holy icon of the Portaitissa, our Lady of the Gate. It is found at the monastery of Iviron. Tradition has it that the holy icon escaped iconoclasm (breaking-up of icons) during the reign of Theophilos (829-842 A.D.) and floated upon the sea of its own power to Mt. Athos where it appeared alight as a pillar of fire. It was retrieved by the monks and it was placed first in the Katholikon of Iviron monastery but moved of its own volition to a place over the entrance gate of the monastery. This occurred three times. Finally, the Theotokos manifested herself to Father Gabriel advising him that a chapel be built for the holy icon next to the gate. Panagia's reasoning was as she explained, "For I have not come here for you to guard me, but for me to guard you." Therefore, a chapel was built, and the holy icon became known as Our Lady of the Gate (Portaitissa).

The holy icon of Tricherousa, our Lady three-handed, found at the Monastery of Chilandar. The holy icon is said to also date from the period of iconoclasm. According to the Athonite tradition it belonged to Saint John of Damascus, a hymnographer of the Church, whose hand had been cut off by the Caliph but was subsequently restored by the Theotokos upon Saint John's supplication to her to restore his hand. In gratitude, Saint John had a silver hand attached to the holy icon. The holy icon reached Mt. Athos in 1371. In a dispute over the election of the Egoumenos (Abbot) the holy icon miraculously relocated itself from its original place in the chancel of the Kathollikon, and positioned itself above the Egoumenos (Abbot's) throne. This happened three times, and in a vision to a hermit, our Lady explained that in order to settle the dispute over the new Egoumenos, she henceforth would assume the role of the Egoumenos. To this day the Egoumeno's throne is occupied by the holy icon of the Tricherousa, and the monks elect only a deputy Egoumenos.

Holy Zonee, or Girdle of the Mother of God, is regarded as the only surviving holy relic of her earthly life. The belief is that the Theotokos herself made it. It is made of camel's hair and is now in three pieces. According to tradition, the Ever-Virgin Mary gave the zonee (girdle) to the holy Apostle Thomasa the moment of her Metastasis. The holy relic was brought from Jerusalem to Constantinople in the 4th century. The zonee was a source of miracles and brought healing to the faithful. Over time it changed hands several times. It was given to the monastery of Vatopedi by the Serbian prince Lazarus (1372-89). There, it has performed many miracles, specifically by healing barren women.

There are, of course, other holy icons of the Theotokos on the Mt. Athos monasteries, such as:

The Koukoyzelissa at the Great Lavra

The Phoveraprostasia at Koutloumousiou Monastery

The Gerontissa at Pantokrator Monastery

The Glykophilousa at Philotheou Monastery

The Gorgoypekousa at Dochiasiou Monastery

The Myrovlitousa at Dionysiou Monastery

Some of the monasteries are dedicated to the Theotokos and events of her holy life: Vatopedi and Philotheou Monasteries to the Evanggelismos (Annunciation); the monastery of Chilandar to the Ypapanti (Presentation); and Iviron to the Koimisis (Dormition) of the Theotokos

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Kontakion. Tone 2 (Paraklesis or Supplication service to the Theotokos)

A protection of Christians unshamable, Intercessor to our Holy Maker, unwavering, Please reject not the prayerful cries of those who are in sin. Instead, come to us, for you are good; Your loving help bring unto us, Who are crying in faith to you: Hasten to intercede And speed now to supplicate, As a protection for all time, Theotokos, for those who honor you.

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Paraklesis (Supplication) Service to the Theotokos on August 1st will be conducted at Saint Andrew at 7:00 p.m.

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George