On the 4th of September Our Holy Orthodox Church Commemorates the Holy Prophet Moses, the Seer of God, and Aaron. The Holy Hieromartyr Babylas, Bishop of Antioch.

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

On the 4th of September Our Holy Orthodox Church Commemorates the
Holy Prophet Moses, the Seer of God, and Aaron. The Holy HIeromartyr
Babylas, Bishop of Antioch.

Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn of the Prophets. Second Tone

As we celebrate the memory of Thy Prophets Moses and Aaron, O
Lord, through them we beseech Thee to save our souls.

Kontakion Hymn of the Prophets. Fourth Tone

WITH the divine and righteous Moses and Aaron, the Prophets
choir today rejoiceth with gladness, seeing their prophecy fulfilled
now in our midst; for Thy Cross, O Christ our God, whereby Thou
has redeemed us, shineth in the sight of all as the end and
fulfilment of that which they foretold in ancient times. By their
entreaties, have mercy upon us all.

THE PROPHET MOSES–whose name means "one who draws forth," or "is drawn from," that is, from the water–was the pinnacle of the lovers of wisdom, the supremely wise lawgiver, the most ancient historian of all. He was of the Tribe of Levi, the son of Amram and Jochebed (Numbers 26:59). He was born in Egypt in the 7th century before Christ. While yet a babe of three months, he was placed in a basket made of papyrus and covered with pitch, and cast into the streams of the Nile River for fear of Pharaoh’s decree to the midwives of the Hebrews, that all the male children of the Hebrews be put to death. Pharaoh’s daughter, became her adopted son, and was reared and dwelt in the King’s palace for forty years. Afterward, when he was some sixty years old, he fled to Midian, where, on Mount Horeb, he saw the vision of the burning bush. Thus he was ordained by God to lead Israel and bring it out of the land of Egypt. He led Israel through the Red Sea as it were dry land and governed the people for forty years. He wrought many signs and wonders (Miracles), and wrote the FIRST FIVE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, WHICH ARE CALLED THE PENTATEUCH. When he reached the land of Moab, he ascended Mount Nabau, on the peak called Phasga, and there, by Divine command, he reposed in the 16th century before Christ, having lived for some 120 years. The first two Odes of the Old Testament, "Let us sing to the Lord" and "Attend, O heaven, and I will speak," were written by him. Of these hymns, the first was chanted by the shore of the Red Sea as soon as the Isreelites had crossed it; the second , in the land of Moab, a few days before his repose. The HOLY HIGH PRIEST Aaron was the elder brother of the Holy Prophet Moses. He was appointed by God to serve as the spokesman of Moses before the people, and also before Pharaoh, in Egypt. Afterwards, in the wilderness, he was called to the ministry of the high priesthood, as narrated in the Book of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers in the Old Testament. The name Aaron means "enlightened."

SAINT BABYLAS was the twelfth Bishop of Antioch, being the successor of Zebrinus (or Zebinas); he was beheaded during the reign of the pagan Roman Emperor Decius, in the year A.D. 250, and at his own request was buried in the chains with which he had been bound. The Emperor Gallus (reigned 351-354 A.D.) built a church in his honor at Daphne, a suburb of Antioch, to put an end to the dymonic oracles at the nearby temple of Apollo. When Julian the Apostate came in ..362 A.D. to consult the oracle about his campaign against the Persians, the oracle (that is, the demon within it) remained dumb until at last, answering Julian’s many sacrifices and supplications, it told him "The dead prevent me from speaking." It told Julian to dig up the bones and move them. Julian, then, in the words of Saint John Chrysostom, "leaving all the other dead, moved only that Martyr." He commanded the Christians to take away Saint Babylas’ bones, which they did with great solemnity and triumph. When this had been done, a thunderbolt fell from heaven destroying with fire the shrine of Apollo, which Julian did not dare rebuild. Saint John Chrysostom preached a sermon on this within a generation after. [Resources: The Great Horologion]

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

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With sincere agape in Christ’s Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George

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