November 16 - Holy Apostle Matthew the Evangelist

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 NOVEMBER 16th OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH COMMEMORATES THE FEAST DAY OF THE HOLY APOSTLE MATTHEW THE EVANGELIST

Matthew the son of Alphaeus was at first a tax-collector, and it was as such that the Lord saw him in Capernaum and said to him: "Follow me!" Leaving everything, he followed Him (St. Matthew 9:9). After that, Matthew prepared a feast in his house, and there provided an opportunity for the Lord to voice some great truths about His coming to earth. After receiving the Holy Spirit, Matthew preached the Gospel among the Parthians and Medes and in Ethiopia, the land of the negroes. In Ethiopia, he consecrated as bishop one Plato, a follower of his, and himself withdrew to prayerful solitude on a mountain, where the Lord appeared to him. Matthew baptized the wife and son of the prince of that land, at which the prince was greatly enraged and sent a guard to bring Matthew before him for trial. The soldiers went off, but returned to the prince, saying that they had heard Matthew's voice, but had been unable to set eyes on him. The prince then sent a second guard. When this guard drew near to the Apostle, he shone with a heavenly radiance so brilliant that the soldiers were unable to look at him, but threw down their weapons in terror and returned home. The prince then went himself. When he approached Matthew, such radiance shone forth from the Saint that the prince was blinded on the instant. But the Apostle had a kind heart: he prayed to God and the prince's sight was restored--unfortunately, only on the physical plane, his spiritual eyes remaining closed. He seized Saint Matthew and put him to harsh tortures, twice lighting a fire on his chest, but the power of God kept him alive and unharmed. Then the Holy Apostle prayed to God and gave his spirit into His hands. The prince commanded that the martyr's body be put into a leaden coffin and cast into the sea. The Saint appeared to Bishop Plato and told him where to find his body in its coffin, and the bishop went and brought them back. Seeing this new marvel, the prince was baptized and received the name, Matthew. He then set aside all earthly vanity and became a priest, serving the Church in a manner pleasing to God. When Plato died, the Apostle Matthew appeared to this Matthew and counseled him to accept the episcopate. So he became a bishop and was a good shepherd for many years until God took him to His immortal Kingdom. Saint Matthew the Apostle wrote his Gospel in Aramaic, and it was very soon translated into Greek. It has come down to us in Greek, the Aramaic original being lost. Of this Evangelist, it is said that he never ate meat, but fed only on vegetables and fruit.

FOR CONSIDERATION

Does the Lord's commandment about unceasing prayer (St. Luke 18:1) apply only to monks and nuns, or to all Christians? If it applied only to monks, the Apostle would not have written to the Christians in Salonica: "Pray without ceasing" (I Thessalonians 5:17). The Holy Apostle, then, reiterates the Lord's command word for word and gives it to all Christians without distinction of monk or layman. Saint Gregory Palamas lived for some time as a young man in a Monastery in Veroea. There lived in those parts a well-known ascetic, the Geronda (Elder) Job, who was venerated by all. It happened at one time that Saint Gregory, in the elder's presence, quoted the holy Apostle's words, asserting that unceasing prayer was a necessity for all Christians, not only for monks. The elder Job replied to these words, saying that unceasing prayer is a necessity only for monks, and not for Christians. Saint Gregory, being a young man, ceded the argument, not wishing to quarrel, and withdrew in silence. When Job had returned to his cell and was standing in prayer, an Angel of God appeared to him in great heavenly glory and said to him: 'Old man, don't doubt the truth of Gregory's words; he spoke truly. So, hold your peace and advise others to do the same.' Thus, then, both the Apostle and the Angel underlined the commandment that all Christians must pray to God without ceasing. If not unceasingly in church, then unceasingly in every place and at every time, in the depths of your heart. If God does not for a moment tire of giving us good things, how can we tire of thanking Him for these good things? If he is constantly thinking of us, why do we not think constantly of Him? (Source: The Prologue from Ochrid)

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DIVINE SERVICES FOR THE FEAST OF THE HOLY APOSTLE MATTHEW ON SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 16th:

Orthros (Matins) at .......................................9:00 a.m.
Divine Liturgy at..........................................10:00 a.m.
Place of worship: Saint Nektarios Chapel

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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

Nativity Fast Begins November 15

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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TODAY--NOVEMBER 15th THE ORTHODOX CHURCH BEGINS THE 40-DAY NATIVITY FAST

According to our Holy Orthodox Christian Tradition today, November 15th, we commence the 40 day Nativity Fast, one of four seasons of the ecclesiastical year during which we, the Orthodox Christians, are summoned to intensify our spiritual lives through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (charity). We are guided by our Holy Church, to observe a fast as we prepare for the coming of the Son of God in the flesh (Incarnation).

"Let us fast an acceptable and very pleasing fast to the Lord. True fast is the estrangement from evil, temperance of tongue, abstinence from anger, separation from desires, slander, falsehood, and perjury. Privation of these is true fasting.

One of the longest established disciplines of the human body is that of fasting. Among pagan religions, Judaism and Christianity fasting is considered an important element of religious practices. Fasting (Gk. nesteia) literally means a total abstention from food for a certain period of time. It also means abstention from such pleasures as celebration of birthdays and marriages and, as developed later in the Christian era, even church festivals. Fasting appears early as an act of devotion among the Jewish people, but without the formalized rules developed later. Even in the early Christian Church fasting was practiced among many, but not according to rules. Fasting generally was considered "a work of reverence toward God."

The New Testament does not record the special dates and days of fasting nor specific methods of fasting. The Jewish people could fast on Monday and Thursday, but it was not compulsory. The first Christians instituted feasts and fastings after Jewish patterns, but the interpretation of their fastings was different.

The origin of fasting in the Christian Church is to be found in many sources. The first Christians inherited the practice of fasting from the Jews. Fasting also has pagan origins. The Church usually tried to replace pagan fastings and feasts by giving Christian meaning to those observances through worship in the True God, moral uprightness, fasting, prayer and repentance. Fasting was developed as a meritorious work before God. Fasting became an obligatory practice among monks and nuns, who kept strict fastings in the assumption that their fastings would support their concept of virginity. Fasting was included in the vows of the first Christian monks.

The fact that fasting was not determined in specific days and certain foods originally, indicates that fasting in itself, for the sake of fasting, was not considered as such.: "when He fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterwards ahungered" (Matthew 4:2); the second time when Christ admonished the Disciples on fasting versus hypocrisy in the Sermon on the Mount:

"Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for the disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They, have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; that thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly" (St. Matthew 6:16-8; cf. Isaiah 58:5)

The Lord does not refer to specific days, foods or complete abstention from foods. Christ does not refer to them as not having been fixed either, nor does He mention days and foods, because they were known to the people of that time. Here Christ refers to fasting as a sincere attitude of deep humility and repentance, with discipline and vigorous uprightness, all to be held in secrecy, as quoted above (cf. Matt. 6:4,6).

Fasting, compared to other Christian activities, is a means, not an end in itself. Nevertheless, it is the only practice that has to do with the nutrition of the body, having a direct effect upon its physical nature, which in turn affects spiritual well-being as well. This is why the Church at the beginning of the Christian era adopted the practice of fasting, establishing procedures of duration and specific types and quantities of food. During these specific days of fasting, the faithful either abstained from foods entirely or would take only a certain amount of bread and water (xerophagia). New Testament references state attitudes and principles of fasting, but not pertaining to specific days of foods.

Peter the Martyr in his Sermon on Penitence mentions the two fixed fast days of the week. From his writings, the Sixth Ecumenical Synod adopted as a canon of the Church that:

"Wednesday is to be fasted, because then the Jews conspired to betray Jesus; Friday, because He then suffered for us. We keep the Lord's Day as day of joy because then our Lord arose.

Fasting has remained an act of dedication to the Will of God which reflects piety in prayers and alms-giving (charity) and especially in self-control and self-determination according to the Holy Scripture.

Fasting before Christmas is for 40 days, from November 15 through December 24th, during which period fish may be eaten. It is important to note that fasting as an observance and dedication to the Will of God presupposes a healthy body strong enough to endure the bodily effects of fasting. For those who are ill or weak in body, fasting may be regulated in terms of duration and selection of certain foods in order to retain their health and fulfill their obligations at work and at home.

Children should be instructed as to the purpose and meaning of church observances such as the procedures of fasting. Children should be taught the ideals of abstention from foods and from iniquities and their relationship to prayer, alms-giving, self-control, and love. Children of sound health should fast. The main purpose of children fasting is to make them aware that fasting is a dedication and pledge to obey the principles of faith in Christ. Infants are not required to fast.

Saint Clement of Alexandria ( 150-215 A.D.), a great theologian, wrote in his Selection from the Prophets:

"Fasting is abstention from foods according to the meaning of the world, but the food does not make us either more just or more unjust. Yet, in its mystical meaning it declares that as the life of each one depends upon food, total abstention is the sign of death. Thus we ought to abstain from worldly things, for we would die as far as worldly matters are concerned, and after that, when we partake of food of divine nature, we will live in God. Above all, total abstention empties the soul of matter, and presents the soul pure and nimble to the body according to the divine words. Then, on the one hand, worldly nourishment consists of temporal life and iniquities, while divine nourishment is faith, hope, love, patience, knowledge, peace, prudence as our Lord said in Matthew: 'Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled" (5:6), where truly He attributes this longing to the soul and not to the body."

Saint Isidore, a great teacher of the Church, says: "Fasting in respect of food is of no benefit for those who fail to fast with all their senses; for whosoever is successfully waging his battle must be temperate in all things."

Saint John Chrysostomos (345-407 A.D.) said that the purpose of fasting is to prepare for partaking of the Holy Eucharist and for the Christian solemn celebrations. Saint John taught many times that fasting is not merely the abstention from certain foods, but mainly an abstention from evil doings.

Saint John Chrysostomos also warns against hypocritical fasting:

"It is possible for one who fasts not to be rewarded for his fasting. How? When indeed we abstain from foods but do not abstain from iniquities -- when we do not eat meat, but gnaw to pieces the homes of the poor - when we do not become drunkards with wine, but we become drunkards with evil pleasures; when we abstain all the day, but all the night we spend in unchastened shows. Then what is the benefit of abstention from foods, when on the one hand out deprive your body of selected food, but on the other offer yourself unlawful food?"

Fasting Guidelines: Nativity Fast

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays of this fast are strict fast days. On these days we abstain from meat, dairy, fish with backbones, fowl alcoholic beverages, and olive oil.

Tuesdays and Thursdays of the fast are Wine and Oil days. On these days the fasting discipline is relaxed a bit to permit wine and olive oil.

Saturdays and Sundays of the Fast are fish, wine, and olive oil days. On these days the fast is relaxed even more to permit fish with backbones in addition to wine and olive oil.

Foods that are permitted on all days are vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and shellfish. (Source: On Fasting from Iniquities and Foods by Fr. George Mastrantonis)

My God bless you all!

With agape in Christ,

+Father George

Holy Apostle Philip - November 14

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

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ON THE FOURTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH COMMEMORATES THE HOLY APOSTLE PHILIP  

From Metaphrastes, The Great Collection of Readings compiled by the blessed Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow.

By the sea of Galilee, near Chorazin and Capernaum, stands the town named Bethsaida in the Hebrew tongue means "House of Fishermen," and many fishermen lived there. Three Apostles were born there: Peter, Andrew, and Philip. Peter and Andrew were fishermen and followed that occupation until called by Christ, but Philip was given an education by his parents. He was educated in the Sacred Scripture and knew well the prophecies concerning the longed-for Messiah, which he often read, and thus was smitten with love for Him Whom he did not yet know and filled with the desire to behold the face of Him Whom he had not seen. At that time, Philip was unaware that He Whom many desired to see but had not seen had already appeared upon the earth.

While Philip thus burned with love for the Messiah, Christ entered the land of Galilee and there came upon him, as the holy Evangelist John writes: "Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow Me." Philip heard the Lord's summons not merely with his bodily ears but with those of his heart as well. He straightway believed in Him as the True Messiah, promised by God through the Prophets, and followed Him. Witnessing the Lord's All-Holy Way of life, Philip sought to emulate His poverty.  Moreover, Philip was instructed by Christ in divine wisdom, which later enabled him to prevail over the foolish reasoning of the heathen (pagans).

Philip rejoiced to find a treasure, the value of which surpassed the whole world, but he did not wish to hoard it for himself alone: he wanted others to share in the riches he had found.  When he met his friend Nathanael, he joyously announced to him: "We have found Him, of whom Moses in the Law, and the Prophets, did write: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph!"

Hearing this, Nathanael doubted whether the Messiah the King of Israel, could spring from such undistinguished parentage or come from such an insignificant town, and said, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?"

Philip did not enter into a lengthy explanation but counseled Nathanael to come and look for himself. "Come and see," said Philip, for he knew that if Nathanael saw Jesus and heard Him speak the word of salvation, he would immediately recognize Him as the Messiah. And, indeed, it was as he had anticipated. Philip led Nathanael to Jesus, and when the Lord, Who tries the hearts and reins of men, saw Nathanael approaching, He said of him, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!"

Hearing these words, Nathanael was amazed and said to Jesus, "Whence knowest Thou me?" You have never seen me before, neither have I seen You. How then do You know me?"

The Lord replied, "Before that Philip called thee when thou was under the fig tree, I saw thee." For while Nathanael was sitting beneath the fig tree, he was thinking of the divine Messiah, the Hope, the Joy of Gladness of God's faithful servants. At that moment the All-Seeing eye of God looked down on Nathanael, and the Lord granted him compunction of heart and warm tears.

Although he knew his Teacher to be the most perfect of men, Philip, like the other disciples, still understood only partially that He was also perfect God. The Lord went o the far side of the Sea of Tiberias, followed by a crowd of five thousand men. Wishing to feed the multitude in a miraculous way, he asked Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" Jesus said this to test Philip and to lead him to an understanding of Who He was, to induce him to feel shame because of his lack of faith, and correct himself. But Philip did not understand Christ to be Omnipotent, nor did he say, "O Lord, You can accomplish whatever You wish: it is not necessary for You to ask this question. If it is Your will, all are satisfied immediately, for "when Thou openest Thy hand, all things shall be filled with goodness."

Philip continued to regard his Lord as a mere man and wavered in his understanding of Him as God. He considered how difficult it would be for food to be provided for such a great crowd of people by human means, and said, "Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little? To this, he and the other disciples added, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals." But when Philip saw how the Lord divided the five loaves and two fishes among the five thousand men and that all the people received from His hand sufficient food and were satisfied as if from an inexhaustible granary, he was humbled because of his evident lack of faith. Thereafter, his faith grew much stronger, and together with the other disciples, he glorified the power of God in Christ Jesus.

Philip was deemed worthy by the Lord to be chosen as one of the Twelve Apostles, and as such, became Christ's close companion. Once, on a feast day, certain Greeks came up to Jerusalem. Unable to gain access to Jesus because they were unbelieving pagans, they sent to Philip and entreated him, saying, "Sir, we would see Jesus!" Philip first told Andrew of this, and together they made bold to tell Jesus of the Greeks desire, rejoicing that even pagans sought to see and hear their Lord and Teacher. It was at that time that Philip heard the Lord's wondrous teaching and prophecy concerning the Gentiles, who would come to believe in Him after His death. Except "a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die," said Jesus, "it abideth alone, but if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit." By this Christ meant: "While I am still living on earth, only a portion of the house of Israel believes in Me, but when I die not the house of Israel alone but many of the Gentiles too shall come to have faith."

At another time, after the Mystical Supper, Philip boldly questioned the Lord concerning His Divinity and entreated Christ to reveal the Father through His own person, saying, "Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us." Saint Philip's request brought much benefit to the Church, for it we have learned that the Son is one of one essence with the Father, and the mouths of the heretics are stopped who deny the consubstantiality of the Father and Son. The Lord answered Philip, "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father, and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?" "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?" This reply taught Philip, and through him, the whole Catholic and Apostolic Church, to believe correctly in the equality of the divinity of the Father, and the Son, and contradicts the blasphemer Arius, who declared that the Son of God is not the Creator, but a creature.

After the voluntary Passion and Resurrection of the Son of God, Saint Philip, together with the other Apostles, beheld the Lord in his glorified body, now made immortal. The resurrected Christ bestowed His peace and blessing upon Philip, who also witnessed His Ascension. Later, Philip was present at the descent of the Holy Spirit and became a preacher of Christ among the Gentiles, it being his lot to proclaim the Gospel to the inhabitants of Asia Minor. First, however, he preached in Galilee, where he was met by a woman, lamenting inconsolably, who bore in her arms her dead son. The preacher of Christ took pity on the woman and stretching forth his right hand over the dead child declared, "Christ, Whom I preach, commands you to arise!" The child straightway returned to life, and the mother, seeing her son raised from the dead and restored to her in perfect health, fell at the Apostle's feet. She thanked him for raising her son, asked Baptism of him, and professed her belief in Christ the Lord, Whom Philip preached. After baptizing both mother and son, the Apostle set off for other lands.

The Apostle preached in Greece, where he worked numerous miracles, healed the sick, and resurrected a dead man through the power of Christ.

Having passed through Syria and the Taurus Mountains, he entered Asia Minor, coming to Lydia and Mysia. While traveling through these regions, he turned the heathen living there to God. He was joined by the holy Apostle Bartholomew, who had been preaching in neighboring cities and was sent by God to assist Philip. Philip's sister, the maiden Mariamne, also joined him, and the three Saints began to labor together for the salvation of men. They traversed all the cities of Lydia and Mysia proclaiming the Gospel and endured many afflictions at the hands of the unbelievers. They were beaten, imprisoned, and stoned, but in their tribulations, they were preserved by the grace of God, Who enabled them to continue to perform their appointed task of preaching the Gospel.

Finally, the holy Apostles were condemned by the pagan Governor to be crucified. First, they took the holy Apostle Philip, bored holes through his ankle bones, slipped cords through them, and crucified him head-downward. Philip was suspended from a tall cross set opposite the portals of the viper's temple, and the people stoned him as he hung there. Then they crucified Saint Bartholomew directly to the wall of the temple. Suddenly a mighty earthquake struck and the earth split apart, swallowing the Governor, all the pagan priests, and a multitude of the impious citizens as well.

While hanging on the cross Saint Philip prayed to the Lord for his enemies, asking that He remit their sins and illumine the eyes of their minds with the knowledge and understanding of the truth. The Lord heard his supplication and straightway commanded that the earth open and spew forth alive all those whom it had swallowed, save the Governor and the pagan priests. The people confessed and glorified the power of Christ with a mighty voice, asking for Baptism. They began to remove Saint Philip from the cross but found that he had already surrendered his holy soul into God's hands, so they brought down his holy body. The holy Philip's sister, the pure virgin Saint Mariamne, who witnessed the sufferings and death of her brother, lovingly embraced and kissed his body when it was taken down from the cross, rejoicing in spirit because he had finished his course well.

Holy Apostle Bartholomew baptized all who believed in Christ, appointing Stachys as their Bishop. At the site where the Apostle was crucified, a grapevine grew up in three days as a sign that since Saint Philip's blood was shed for Christ, he rejoices forever in the Kingdom of heaven.

Unto our God be glory for all this, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. (Source: The Great Collection of The Lives of the Saints)

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DIVINE SERVICES FOR NOVEMBER 14TH:

Orthros (Matins) at 9:00 a.m.
Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.
Place of worship: Saint Nektarios Chapel

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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

Saint John Chrysostom - November 13

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 THE 13th OF NOVEMBER, THE HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH COMMEMORATES OUR HOLY FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS, JOHN CHRYSOSTOM ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE

Saint John Chrysostom (the Golden-mouth), Archbishop of Constantinople, was the great beacon and grandiloquent of the inhabited world. He hailed from the great city which bore the honorary title of "Queen of the East," that is, Antioch in Syria-Coele. He may have been born as early as A.D. 347 or as late as 354, and was the scion of the distinguished and high ranking military officer (stratelatos) Secoundos and his wife Anthousa. His father, of unknown descent, was in the imperial army corps of Syria, which was headquartered in Antioch. According to Chrysostom, the stratelatos came third after the consul and hyparch. His mother, a young patrician of pure Hellenic (Greek) descent and of exemplary memory, shines brilliantly with her contemporaries Makrina, Nonna, and Emmelia,, who helped rear the two great hierarchs (bishops) of the Church, Saint Basil and Saint Gregory, Saint John clearly states that his mother was already a Christian at his birth. Both parents received holy Baptism and became Christians in that Church which was the first and oldest Christian community after the one in Jerusalem. Of his childhood home we know that he has an older sister, whose name is unknown to us.

From the Saint's early childhood he manifested a great love and devotion for learning and study. Not much time passed before his father reposed, leaving his mother a widow at scarcely twenty-two years of age. Since she was resolved upon keeping her marriage bed undefiled, a major consolation in her widowhood was her young son.

For her part she spoke to her son about the teachings of the Holy Bible, in order to secure his heart and mind against the deception of profane knowledge. Thus, together with her determination that her son should receive the best education, she also instilled in him a love for piety and continence. He was gifted even as a boy, so she did not delay in arranging for his further education. She sent him to study with Libanios the sophist, who was first classical scholar and rhetorician of his age, and Andragathion the philosopher.  

In the time that John lived, Greek classicism and Hellenic Christianity still coexisted. In a short time, John passed through all the wisdom of the Greeks and of the Christians. The linguistic education of John was confined to Greek alone. He never learned Latin, which Libanios himself never understood, though the language was taught in his school.

At length, John became expert in skills of logic, rhetoric, and every kind of knowledge. After he completed his studies, he was still undecided regarding whether to take up the Monastic conduct of life, for which he was gradually fostering a stronger desire and love. The Saint had grown up to the midst of those battling the Church--pagans, Jews, and Arians (heretics). All this served to create in him a strong and sincere conviction for True Orthodoxy.

Now the Saint had a certain friend and classmate, named Basil (not the Great Basil, who was some eighteen years his senior), who also was from Antioch. Basil, too, counseled his friend that they should become monks together. John still delayed, and he explains his feelings to us in his own words, in his Treatise on the Priesthood.

Saint John first entered the rank of catechumen. When he became twenty-one years old (369-370 A.D.), he was baptized. His receiving Baptism such an age of maturity was not on account of negligence on his mother's par or his. It was the tradition of most Christians at that time to put off the laver of regeneration for fear of forfeiture later. Nonetheless, bishops even from that time were speaking out repeatedly against this procrastination in receiving holy Baptism.

Palladios writes: "After Chrysostom was baptized, he spent about three years in association with Patriarch Meletios, by whom he was ordained a Reader." Palladios further remarks, "From this time on, he neither swore, nor defamed anyone, nor spoke falsely, nor cursed, nor even tolerated factious jokes."

Although the exact date is not left to us, his beloved mother was taken to the abodes of the righteous while still in her forties. After her funeral, John lost no time distributing his worldly goods to the poor and setting free the servants of his mother's household. He was now free to exercise his chosen conduct of life, John chose a Monastery, and indeed one of the poorest, where he underwent the greatest hardships and was garbed with the rason (cassock). Here the Saint unceasingly meditated upon the Sacred Scripture and expounded upon them to the benefit of the listeners. John applied his mind to the reading the sacred scripture, and frequented the church with great assiduity.

In the Monastery John preserved unceasing prayer while also practicing the other virtues, so that he became an example to the others. In humility, who surpassed him? Daily, he had the custom of visiting the sick of the Monastery. By his sweet words, he gave them comfort and encouragement. Never in his life did he swear, and he cautioned others to observe this habit. He never condemned or cursed anyone. He never told a lie or spoke idly. He would accept neither the idle chatter of others nor laugh at anyone.

The entire brotherhood of the Monastery considered him a Saint. They said that he scarcely partook of sleep, and they described how he had rigged a rope to hang from the ceiling to help keep him upright, but that he would take a little nap for the sake of his human nature. He wrote three treatises on the Monastic life: Comparison Between a King and a Monk: Against the Enemies of Monasticism and To the Lapsed Monk Theodore.

The Saint dwelt four years in the Monastery, living a life of virtue and wonderworking among the brethren. He wished to flee, however, the praise of the people, and withdrew into a desolate place where he practiced the ascetic life for two years. It is believed that on a mountain height near Antioch, probably on Mount Sylpios, he withdrew to a cave. He fled there in order to abide undisturbed and unknown. He spent his time learning the New Testament entirely by heart. He had no light and bedding. Most of the time he went without sleep. When the force of nature compelled him to rest, even then it was in a sitting position. John did not have a table, chair, or any other thing, which might serve as a comfort. His only sustenance was a biscuit and water, brought by an acquaintance of his. He endured the chilly nights and the burning heat of the day, as though he were stone. The two years that he spent away from society caused serious impairment of his health, which was to plague him until his repose. Due to his immoderate austerity, together with the cold and the lack of a proper diet, he developed a severe abdominal condition. He was also disturbed with insomnia and by a rush of blood to the head. Moreover, he suffered much distress and misery, and bore with great pain in his kidneys. Now this came about because he was a man of flesh and blood, and God permitted His servant to fall ill. On account of his health declining to such an alarming state, he was constrained to descend to his homeland of Antioch, lest he should endanger his life. This was in accordance with God's economy, to place the light upon the lampstand to shine throughout the world. Thanks to his friends and under their care, they slowly restored his broken physical health to a satisfactory condition. He was then able to resume his duties as a Church Reader.

Patriarch Meletios, who had baptized him, received him with joy and though to ordain him to the Diaconate. Chrysostom, as a deacon, busied himself serving and teaching Deacons at that time also had the responsibility of catechizing the catechumens. During this period Chrysostom had developed dynamic literary pursuits. It is believed that as a Deacon he penned his Treatise on the Priesthood, Concerning Virginity, On Contrition of Heart, Consolatory Letter to a Young Widow, and Stageirios.

Ordination to the Priesthood

Patriarch Flavian was once praying in his cell when he beheld an Angel of the Lord, who said to him, "Go to the Monastery where John abides, and bring him into the church of thy Patriarchate, so as to ordain him to the priesthood, because he is an elect vessel of habitation for God, as the Apostle Paul, and in the future he shall enlighten al the inhabited world." That very night the same Angel also approached the Saint while praying, and spoke to him, saying, "Tomorrow, when Patriarch Flavian comes and seeks you, straightway go with him, for it is God's Will that you thou receivest the priesthood." The Saint knew indeed that this was a vision from God; yet he said to the Angel, "I am not worthy, Holy Angel, for such a ministry, because it is above my power, only excuse me." The Angel replied, "Those things that God wills to accomplish, what man is able to make them go a different way?" Thus the Saint hearkened to the Angel's counsel. (The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

(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

The Celebration of the Feastday of the Patron Saint of the Parish

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,
Christ is in our midst! He was, is, and ever shall be.

Once a year the local Orthodox parish commemorates, celebrates, and honors its Patron Saint. It is a solemn Christian festival at which time the members of the local church express their devotion and thanksgiving to their beloved Saint who intercedes and protects them throughout the year.

Visiting our Women's Monastery of Saint John Chrysostomos in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin sometime ago I saw a number of our Greek Orthodox Christians working very hard throughout the Monastery. Some were working inside the kitchen, others in the church and still others the grounds. I approached one of them and thanked him for his kindness to the nuns of the Monastery. The man turned to me respectfully and said, "Father thank you for your kind words, however, although I love and respect Gerondisa Melania and our dear nuns the work that I do is not for them but for the Saint, the Patron Saint of the Monastery, Saint John Chrysostom."

On the way home I kept on thinking of his words. I thought how many of my parishioners back at Saint Andrew think and feel the same way. How often do they think of the Holy Apostle Andrew and what he does for all of us? The name of the church is not just a label on the building. Our Saints, "the friends of Christ" are living Saints who are constantly praying to our heavenly Father for our salvation, guidance, and protection. "Since we surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God" (Hebrews 12:1-2).

We all know that on the 30th of November we commemorate the holy Feast of the Holy Apostle Andrew. But how do we honor our beloved Saint? How do we prepare to celebrate this holy day? Our Orthodox Tradition calls that we, the faithful, assemble with fervent faith, with humility, and with a contrite heart to worship our Lord and thank Him for blessing us with one of His greatest Apostles, and keeping us safe from evil, sickness, and suffering. 

A person of faith feels deep down the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ when we worship as well as our beloved Saint Andrew. We are never alone to face the spiritual battle and threats against us.

The feast-day luncheon is more of an opportunity for us to share with each other the many blessings of God. To recall the many miracles which we have witnessed over the years performed by the Holy Apostle Andrew. To feel the brotherly and sisterly love which we share throughout the year. The wonderful days of working together as friends of Christ and of one another. As an Orthodox Christian family, we have much in common spiritually and our bond is strong and real.

Let us prepare spiritually through the Mysteries (Sacraments) to celebrate this most holy day, the feast of our beloved Saint, and let us continue with devotion, love, reverence, and humility to honor him by remaining faithful to the One and Only Savior of the world.

With agape in His Divine Diakonia,

+Father George

The Feastday of our Holy Father Saint Nektarios of Pentapolis (Part IV)

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,

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THE LIFE OF OUR HOLY FATHER NEKTARIOS BISHOP OF PENTAPOLIS THE WONDERWORKER (Part IV)

When Saint Nektarios settled in Aegean, he took on many concerns and cares. He exhibited zeal and courage that the work might be accomplished with the help of God. Who can recount the labors, toils, and struggles which he undertook at all hours of the day and night so that the august Women's Monastery might succeed and grow? As a loving and compassionate father, he sought to cultivate and implant in their souls the fear of God, reverence, and compunction. He also desired to instill the nuns with love for one another and obedience in imitation of Christ.

The Saint himself served as a priest for the Women's Monastery. All kinds of manual labor filled his day. His asceticism was extreme, as he utterly mortified his flesh and thoughts to the things of the world. In the evenings, he engaged in writing edifying books for the Christians who were still in the world, including, but not limited to, Christian Ethics; Concerning Care of the Soul; Concerning Confession; Concerning the Ever-Virgin Mary Theotokos; Concerning Memorial Services; Concerning the Mysteries (Sacraments); Concerning Repentance; Concerning the Saints of God; Concerning the Seven Ecumenical Synods; The Gospel Story; The Psalter in Verse, and many other titles. Two Studies: I-Concerning the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church; II-Concerning Sacred Tradition. He speaks of the deviations of the Protestants from the Church. "They reject unwritten Sacred Tradition and the visible Church of Christ." He opposed in a masterful way the Papal doctrines of both purgatory and infallibility in his publication, Priest's Manual.

The Saint conducted an altogether spiritual manner of life, ever practicing the Jesus Prayer. His countenance radiated sweetness and serenity, evincing the presence of the grace of the Holy Spirit. His manner of life, as a servant and friend of God, provided sufficient proof of the indwelling gifts of the Spirit.

On many occasions, when guests (pilgrims) were coming, the elderly Nektarios was seen out in the field wearing his tattered and shabby work cassock (raso). None of the pilgrims imagined that the laborer in the field was the bishop.

In 1912, the Saint published a two-volume masterpiece, entitled The History of the Reasons Behind the Schism: About its Perpetuation, and Whether There Exists a Possibility of Uniting the Churches of the East and the West.

In the meantime, the Women's Monastery flourished. Girls and women from every background wished to join. Just as the Women's Monastery was being built up and thriving, and the donors honored their pledges, it was then that Metropolitan Theokletos Menopoulos withdrew his promise to officially recognize the Monastery. On the contrary, he now threatened to dissolve it.

After he had written a letter to the metropolitan, he was resolved to consign the entire matter to the Theotokos. He implored her protection and intervention, "at least for the sake of the nuns' simple souls, which I believe to be more worthy than our supposedly trained souls."

The Saint waited for a reply from Metropolitan Theokletos but receive none. He wrote again in June of 1914 and received a reply three months later in the form of Protocol Number 1363, demanding a written account and detailed report of the Monastery's inhabitants, finances, and donations. The Saint forwarded a reply in October of 1914, reminding the Metropolitan that he had knowledge of the Monastery, and that it was not a new institution. He then informed the Metropolitan that the accounting of the monetary deposits in the Monastery treasury would be forthcoming from the Gerondissa (Abbess), who would submit a detailed list of receipts and expenditures.

Before the sea blockade created by the Allies during World War I, the nuns, foreseeing a dread future of hunger, wished to store extra wheat and other supplies. The holy spiritual father, however, strenuously forbade them, saying, "If you do that which you propose, we shall by all means starve." They obeyed the Saint, and during those difficult times, they ate and were satisfied. They were able to provide for themselves through their harvest and donations. Indeed, not only the sisterhood but also all those who hastened to the Monastery during the period were fed. This indicated the grace and blessing of the Saint.

Many are the miracles wrought and the wonders seen which took place while he was living, so that the people of Aegina considered him their protector and patron, openly acknowledging his miracle-working power which he received from God.

The Saint's health was deteriorating. On account of terrible pain, he was left without sleep, yet he mustered all his strength to perform Orthros (Matins) and Divine Liturgy. In 1919, a friend brought a doctor to the Monastery to examine the holy man. The physician counseled immediate admittance into a clinic staffed with urologists. He disclosed that the bishop would probably require surgery and therapy. He responded, saying, "We shall see if it is God's will."

His repose was also revealed beforehand to the nuns. One of them heard a voice, saying, "The father is coming to dwell in the heavenly tabernacles." Another nun beheld a beautiful palace in her dream. She asked a splendid youth, "To whom does this palace belong?" He answered, "It belongs to Nektarios." She marveled and asked, "When did the holy man find such a place, being he is a poor man?" The youth replied again, "It is that of Nektarios." Thus God glorifies those who glorify Him.

Soon thereafter, Metropolitan Nektarios was admitted to an Athens hospital, the Aretaieion. He was brought in by two nuns. The hospital personnel was somewhat surprised to observe the humility and simplicity of the former Metropolitan and Dean, for they presumed that he was a simple elderly monk. When the holy man entered his room, which was for indigent patients, there were four beds, of which two were occupied. The bed next to Metropolitan Nektarios was occupied by a man who was paralyzed from the waist down, having suffered an accident by falling off a cliff while on horseback. The other patient suffered from a urological ailment as did Saint Nektarios. After fifty pain-filled days in the hospital, Saint Nektarios, then 74 years old, was heard by Mother Ephemia uttering these last words from his lips: "Art Thou speaking to me, O Lord?" The holy man of God then surrendered his soul into the hands of the Lord on the 8th of November, 1920, at midnight. A sweet-smelling fragrance thereupon permeated the hospital room. The nurse who prepared the dead came and was preparing the holy body of the Saint with the assistance of the nun. They removed his old woolen undershirt and, for the sake of convenience, temporarily laid it upon the paralyzed man's bed. Suddenly, O the wonder! The previously paralyzed man began moving his legs so that he was able to stand and walkabout. He then gave glory to God, shouting, "I am cured! The undershirt had miraculous power!" The fragrant holy relics were later transferred to the hospital Chapel and then transported by automobile to the Church of the Holy Trinity in Piraeus. The holy relics were seen by many and the Saint's hair and beard were filled with a myrrh-like fluid, which the people were daubing with handkerchiefs and cotton. Public veneration lasted for three days, while the holy relics continually poured forth the sweet scent of myrrh. The Saint was interred beside the pine tree that he loved, adjacent to the Church.

The Rizarios School donated the tombstone. The Saint often appeared to the nuns, counseling them. It was necessary to better arrange the Saint's quickly devised grave. He was exhumed after five months and found to be incorrupt, as were the lemon flowers that had been placed in his coffin. The myrrh-like fragrance continued to pour forth from his holy relics. Since many were saying that he was a Saint and that the Church authorities ought to be notified. However, after 18 months the holy relics were again exhumed and found to be both incorrupt and fragrant.

Men of science and medicine have testified to the many miracles wrought by Saint Nektarios. Countless miracles have been reported in Australia, Canada, England, Europe, South Africa, and the United States. The Saint even now, as when he was alive, is indefatigable in his working benefactions for those in need and suffering, always to the glory of God.

Thus, we beg the intercession of the holy hierarch and miracle-worker Saint Nektarios, who has much boldness before Christ, to preserve and protect Orthodox Christians from the inroads of heresy, from which, in his lifetime, he strenuously sought to safeguard the faithful. We, therefore, glorify this true lover of virtue, who appeared in recent times, as a wonder-worker of all kinds of diseases and a deliverer in every situation and a champion for those in need, and beg his intercessions before the Master Christ.

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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