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

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

THE LIFE OF SAINT JOHN MAXIMOVITCH (Part II)

In 1926, Metropolitan Anthony tonsured the newly graduated Michael as a monk. He, thereafter, ordained him hierodeacon in the Milkovo, Monastery, giving him the name John, after Michael’s own distant relative, Saint John Maximovitch of Tobolsk. Steeped in the finest family traditions was the young Monk John Maximovitch, or future Saint John Maximovitch of Shanghai and San Francisco.

In 1934, Hieromonk John was elevated to the rank of bishop. The elevation took place on the 28th of May. The young Hieromonk John was CONSECRATED BISHOP of Shanghai, far away, from home, to minister in a culture worlds apart from his own. In his sermon on being consecrated bishop, he mentioned his honorable parents: "From the first days when I began to become aware of myself, I wished to serve righteousness and truth. My parents kindled in me a striving to stand unwaveringly for the truth, and my soul was captivated by the example of those who had given their lives for it."

The blessed John of Shanghai entered his Diocese in November, on the Feast the Entrance of the Virgin into the Temple. Once there, he stood before a large cathedral as yet uncompleted. Here he was faced with a monumental challenge: to become the Archbishop of the Orthodox Church of Shanghai, and to preside over an inter-jurisdictional conflict that stubbornly resisted a peaceable resolution. Physically diminutive of stature, unimposing in person, the first thing he did was to establish contact with Serbs, Greeks, and Ukranians. Religious education received top priority, together with various charitable and philanthropic societies for his flock. The poor and needy, the orphan and widow, found his hand and went not away empty or uncomforted. Archbishop John desired to address problems involving children that were suffering from malnutrition, abuse, and trauma. He became both father and mother to the orphans.

Throughout his life, he was ever conspicuous for his modesty. He avoided gifts earmarked for himself. He never talked about his own successes and labors. Archbishop John, nevertheless, suffered from attempts of poisoning. There was other occasions, as well, when people, out of envy, attempted to poison the man of God. On one such occasion the God of the universe, by His Divine economy and wisdom, permitted this criminal act to occur. Thus, in the midst of illness, was the endurance of Vladyka’s godly soul revealed undisguised. When the blessed John began to weaken, the doctors doubted if he could live more than two months. Deeming him a hopeless case, they prescribed tha the convalesce at a resort in Tsandau. But Archbishop John did not wish to go there. He said, "Let Olga Ivanovna prepare my meals." No one else touched his food. In two months, the man of God recovered.

But once, after a Paschal Liturgy, he did not emerge from the sanctuary for an inordinate amount of time. He, finally, went forth but appeared as pale as a sheet. He then began to vomit forth some rose-colored matter. It was evidently the former contents of a wine bottle from which he rinsed the holy chalice after the Divine Liturgy. He had been poisoned by a certain priest, who afterward live in Los Angeles. Later, the same priest, on his deathbed from cancer, was visited by Archbishop John in the hospital, who released him from his sins. Thus, this priest repented of his sins before his death.

In San Francisco

The Cathedral parish at San Francisco, in 1962, was the largest in the Russian Church Abroad. A particular friend of Vladyka John was Archbishop Tikhon. On account of poor health, Archbishop Tikhon retired. While he was absent, the construction of the great cathedral ceased due to a vexing dispute that divided the Russian community. Thousands of Russians in San Francisco, who knew and remembered blessed John from his days in Shanghai, sent an urgent request to the Synod. They felt that he was the only hierarch capable of restoring unity and concord within the split parish.

Once again, on the Feast of the Entrance of the Virgin into the Temple, the 21st of November, in the year 1962, Archbishop John arrived in San Francisco, which was to be his last assignment. After the repose of Archbishop Tikhon, in accordance with the latter’s request, Vladyka John was appointed the ruling bishop of Western America with all the rights of a Diocesan bishop.

Some Miracles of Saint John

Documented miracles, antemortem and postmortem, reveal Saint Joh’s help and healing with every kind of problem, including: AIDS Virus, appendicitis, arthritis, asthma, automobile accidents resulting in massive injuries, blindness, blood clots in the lungs, bone fracture, brain disease, broken hip, burns, cataracts, cirrhosis of the liver, dangerous growths, diphtheria, eczema, emphysema, eye ailments, help in childbirth, hemorrhaging, infection, insomnia, internal bleeding, intestinal maladies, kidney ailments, leg crushed by weight of a car, leg ailments, lumps on chest, lung ailments, malformed brain, meningitis, mental health, neuralgia, obstructed bowel, paralysis, peritonitis, pneumonia, poisoning, seizures, stomach cancer, demonic possession, and countless more.

The Repose of Saint John in Seattle

While many expected Vladyka John to spend more years among them, he was preparing for death. On the very day of his repose, at the dismissal of the Divine Liturgy which he celebrated, he spent three hours in the altar praying. He emerged not long before his death, which occurred at 3:50 p.m. on June 19/July 2, 1966. He reposed in his room in the parish building next to the church, without preparatory signs of any illness or affliction.

The sad tidings spread speedily throughout the Orthodox world, leaving stunned mourners. Within twenty-four hours, the sacred body arrived in the San Francisco Cathedral–the very one of which Vladyka John had completed the construction. The vigil lasted four days. The funeral service was conducted on June 24/July 7th. The Saint’s body was interred in a small basement chapel under the altar. The resting place of Archbishop John became final in that cathedral. After his repose, the sepulcher became a place of pilgrimage–especially for those suffering from diverse afflictions. (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

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

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

+ Father George

Saint John, our holy father among the Saints, was an apostle, missionary, and miracle-worker. His life was an open book of piety, love, and ascetic labors. His conduct was a living example, instructing us how to love God and our neighbor. He had said, “Holiness is not simply righteousness, for which the righteous are accounted worthy to enjoy blessedness in the Kingdom of God, but it is rather such a height of Righteousness that men are so filled with the grace of God that it flows from them and out upon those who are in fellowship with them. Great is their blessedness! It proceeds from the vision of the glory of God! Being filled to overflowing, also, with love for men which proceeds from love for God, they become intercessors and defenders for them before God.

Before everything else and more than anything else, THE SAINT LOVED TO ABIDE IN PRAYER. He was constantly in an attitude of prayer. As an exceptional model of zeal and discipline, he strictly celebrated the cycle of divine offices every day. He conducted services not only in church, but even as a passenger in an automobile or an airplane. He could be in the city, or countryside, or forest, or mountains, but the services were his constant companion. He was inspired by them as one who abided in the Spirit. It was his joy to be in constant union with the heavenlies and engaged in noetic prayer. On one of many occasions when he delayed in coming out of the altar after Divine Liturgy, those who were waiting for him grew restless. One of them went to the side entrance of the sanctuary and whispered, “Vladyka,” we are waiting for thee!” A few minutes later he exited and said, “How difficult it is to tear oneself away from prayer and come back to earth!” He possessed the fear of God and loathed to offend our Savior Christ by means of his human weaknesses. He, therefore, engaged in ascetical contests that countered the infirmities and passions of the flesh. He restricted his rest, food, and drink. His fare consisted of tea at five o’clock at night. For forty years he only dozed or slept in a little chair–never a bed. He is also remembered for his scholarly works and sermons, but his favorite homilies theme was the lives of the Saints.

The heavily bearded and long-haired little man, in priestly black, was often seen walking barefoot. He had with him a large icon in a black case on his chest, hung by a strap about his neck. One of his legs was longer that the other, resulting in a slight limp due to the lack of prosthetic shoes. When he spoke, a seeming speech impediment could be detected. The impact on many of those who saw him for the first time–those who noticed him at all, that is–was to stare, and then to pretend not to stare. Yet, at the same time, the onlooker was induced to take in as much of his appearance as it was possible to do without seeming to do so.

The miracle-working and clairvoyant bishop endured poisoning and being haled into court on legal charges. But they had attempted to poison and to persecute in a court of law the wrong man. The wrong kind of man. For he was a man who knew who would visit him–even before the visitors arrived. He knew why they had come and what their sins were before they had opened their mouths. He was, therefore, not deceived by flattering lies and disingenuous self-portrayals. He could work miracles of healing and expel evil spirits. That such a man should be undeserving of the slightest accusation should go without saying, although such was sadly not to be the case. There was a certain glory even in his persecutions. The man of God whom we are praising is Archbishop John. People would one day come to know him after his repose as a humble and indefatigable bishop whose tomb would lie in a place of sanctity and honor, hidden deep within a subterranean sepulchre two stories beneath the main hall in the magnificent cathedral known as “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” in San Francisco. The exterior of this church was a monumental structure, with a soaring edifice adorned with five golden domes and crosses. Petitioners and pilgrims flowed in afterward. The spiritually and physically struggling would either write, or call, or visit in person, requesting and even begging tearfully–prayers from Archbishop John who had the ear of the Almighty God. At this point, they knew him as Blessed John of Shanghai and Beginnings.

The servant of God, Michael Maximovitch, was born in the village of Adamovka. This took place in the Province of Kharkov, in Southern Russia, on the 4th of June, in the year 1896. This child, in holy Baptism, was named after the Archangel Michael. His father’s name was Boris, a marshall of nobility. His mother, Glaphyra, was a devout and blessed. Boris’ father was a prominent landowner of the area. Glaphyra’s father was a doctor practising in Kharkov. Boris’ brother was rector of the University of Kiev. It appeared that a similar worldly career awaited the young Michael. He was the eldest child who had a positive influence on his four brothers and one sister. The quiet and gentle lad was sickly and had a poor appetite. Although he strived to be on good terms with all, he had no particular friends. He loved animals, especially dogs. Noisy children’s games did not agree with his general pensiveness.

Young Misha–his nickname or diminutive–loved to “play monastery.” He made toy forts into monasteries. As he matured, his religious fervor deepened. He preferred collecting icons and books on religion and history. Actually, he had a large library. His favorite books were those on the lives of the Saints. He did not keep the accounts to himself. He spoke of their feats with such enthusiasm to his siblings that they came to know both hagiography and history through him.

Misha was extremely patriotic. He loved Russia and her history. This love extended to all the Slavic and Orthodox people. In 1912, when the Serbs were betrayed by the Bulgarians, Misha’s righteous indignation was such that he removed the pictures of the Bulgarian king from the younger children’s scrapbooks. He sealed up the family phonograph record of the Bulgarian national anthem lest anyone should play it. The Maximovitch children also had a governess. She was a French Catholic who also heard the fifteen-year old Misha speak of Orthodoxy and her heros. By reason of his pious influence, the governess received Baptism and became an Orthodox Christian. Yearly, Misha participated in the procession, from Kharkov to the Ozeryansk Monastery, bearing aloft the wonderworking Theotokos Icon of Ozeryansk.

Michael was fortunate to graduate before its seizure by the detested Soviet political terrorist movement in 1917. The Maximovitch family was intensely loyal to Tsar Nicholas and his family. Hence, the days of the 1917 Revolution, when Michael came to the age of manhood, were days of grief and mourning. He was not afraid to keep the traditions of the Church amidst the rampant anti-Christian movement.

For such a man as he was to become, he could not root himself in that environment. The blood-drenched Communist yoke was about to sweep the black cloud of its ever-expanding shadow across the holy land of Mother Russia. A LAST IMPEDIMENT TO THE ADVENT OF THE ANTICHRIST WAS THE HOLY CHURCH. SHE WAS ABOUT TO BE DISLODGED BY THE DEVIL AND HIS MINIONS. There was to be no more Tsar to put a half to the Communists’s satanic advance. There was no leading light to guide and inspire multitudes that were not only oppressed but deluded as well. Most could not look to God with unquenchable faith beyond the more petty and burdensome aspects of their mundane lives.

In 1921, during the Russian Civil War, young Michael–together with his parents, brothers, and sister–was evacuated to Belgrade, where he and his brothers entered the University of Belgrade…Who could have known it? He was now a young student–together with his two brothers–at a university. His brothers chose different professions in which to invest their lives. One graduated as an engineer. Another studied law and served in the police department. By contrast, in 1924, Michael was ordained a Church Reader in the Russian Church in Belgrade by Metropolitan Anthony, who continued to exert influence over the young man. He graduated in 1925 in the faculty of Theology. (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

(To be continued)

___________
“Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!”
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

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

+ Father George

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

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

SAINT PAISIOS THE GREAT (Part II)

Upon reaching a profound old age, this great man of God was called b God to enter into the heavens, shining for as a brilliant star. After his spirit ascended into everlasting life and blessedness, his body was buried with honor by multitudes of monks. Not long afterward, the ever-memorable Paul, who was in the rank of the divine Paisios, also departed into everlasting life and to the glory of the Saints. Thus, their blessed souls found rest together, ever as in this life they shared hardships and labors in asceticism. Not only their souls are united in heaven but also their bodies are together in the earth. For even though they were separated and buried in different locations, a long time did not pass before they were united again and were buried in the same spot. This came about in the following manner, involving a miracle of no mean magnitude.

After the repose of Saint Paisios the Great, the divine Paul retires into the Inner Desert. Shortly thereafter, he also reposed and was buried with honor and respect. Meanwhile, upon hearing about the death of the great desert father, Saint Paisios, our Abba (Father) Isidore embarked on a ship. He sailed and went to the place where the holy relics of Saint Paisios were laid to rest. Isidore received them with great honor, placing them in a chest which he had prepared. For to him the Saint’s holy relics were more precious and valuable than any treasure. He transported the holy relics to the ship, returning home so that he could enrich his country of Pisidia. After Father Isidore and his companions made a voyage over a significant part of the sea, chanting hymns with much joy, they came opposite the desert where the sacred relic of the Venerable Paul was laid to rest. The ship, which had been going parallel with the shore, now came to a halt. Its movement was being miraculously counteracted, as if it were anchored. But then it suddenly began traversing the waves, setting its own course as if it were possessed with life and reason of its own. The ship kept pointing in the direction of the desert, where Saint Paul’s holy relics lay; for the holy Paisos always preferred the company of Saint Paul.

The men of the ship made haste to steer the ship in its original direction. Try as they might, even after two days, they failed. Then they knew that the ship’s resistance to their maneuvering was from God. The vessel simply held its position. They did not know what to do. They, therefore, decided to yield up the navigation to the ship and let her pilot herself. In turn, she was steered with invisible hands. The ship sailed along and then moored herself on land, as if she were waiting to receive sacred cargo. Those on board, witnessing all these supernatural activities, were filled with considerable bewilderment and sorrow. But at that time, they espied descending onto the shore, an elder. He was one of the renowned fathers of this desert. His name was Jeremias. He addressed the men in the ship, saying, “Why, O men, do you fight against the ineffable miracle, while you see that it is above nature? The Great Paisios has called his friend and fellow-ascetic Paul. He wishes to have his honorable relics brought back and placed with his own, that is why he has brought the ship to anchor here. Therefore, disembark promptly and search for his precious relics. Upon discovery, convey him back with you. so that the honorable relics of the two Saints can be interred together.”

Then our honorable Abba Isidore and his followers began roaming the desert, searching for the holy relics of the divine Paul. Upon recovering his holy relics, they were brought to the ship, where they kept it as a brilliant treasure more valuable than gold and precious stones. But then–lo, the miracle!–those two holy fathers, Saints Paul and Paisios, became as two rudders. They piloted the ship throughout the entire trip, guarding her from every obstacle until she arrived safely at Pisidia. The great Isidore brought the two precious holy relics to the Monastery which he had erected. A procession was formed, escorting the holy relics with hymns and standards. All those who were possessed by demons or who suffered from an manner of sickness were healed by merely touching the holy relics. It is not possible to enumerate the extraordinary wonderworkings (miracles) that God energized through them, from that time and henceforward. “And I, the humble John, have written all these things, which have come to pass, to the glory of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of the ages. Amen. (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

__________
“Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!”
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

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

+ Father George

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Lord, God, and Savior JESUS CHRIST,

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

ON THE 19th of June, the Holy Church Commemorates Our
God-bearing Father PAISIOS the Great.

Saint Paisios, the holy ascetic, was born in Egypt in 300 A.D. He was the child of parents who were pious and virtuous, possessed of noble and Christian ideals. They had seven children who resembled them in their ways and virtues. Their material wealth was enough not only to supply their own needs but also to provide for the needs of others. For as long as they distributed their possessions among the poor, so much more had God reimbursed them and multiplied their substance. However, after the death of the father, the burden of caring for the family fell solely to the mother. The one child whom she had to care for most was Paisios, for he was the youngest of the seven.

The task of caring for the family caused sorrow for the mother, until one night an Angel of God appeared to her and said, "God, Who is the Father of orphans, has sent me to tell thee the following: "Thou shouldest not to grieve inordinately over the burden of caring for thy children; for the task is not thine alone but God’s as well. Therefore, do not despair. But rather, dedicate one of thy sons to God; and, through him, the name of the Lord will be blessed to all ages." After she heard this, she answered, "All my children belong to God. May He receive whomever He chooses!" The Angel then took Paisios by the hand and said to her, "He is the one most pleasing to God." The mother remarked, "But he is not ready to serve God." Take, therefore, one of the older ones–whoever is most worthy." And the Angel said to her, "O most worthy of women, thou claimest that Paisios is not yet capable to serve God because of his age. Know this, that the strength of God is usually manifested through the weak ones. This one, the youngest of all, is the chosen of God. It is he who is foreordained to glorify the Lord’s name one day." After saying these things, the Angel departed. The woman awoke from her sleep, being astonished by the Divine command. She glorified God by these words: "MAY THE MERCY OF GOD VISIT US AND ALSO HIS SERVANT PAISIOS!" This utterance and many other similar things, she spoke, praising and glorifying God. Then she took the child and dedicated him to God.

Paisios grew in Divine grace because he possessed the fear of God. As his age increased and his heart and his heart was filled with the love of God, he contemplated the Monastic Life. When he reached the proper age to work, he was instructed by Divine grace in the Commandments of God. He, thereupon, departed into the desert as an innocent lamb. He came to the great Abba (Father) Pambo, the shepherd OF THE RATIONAL FLOCK OF CHRIST AT Mount Nitria, who also possessed THE GIFT OF PROPHECY. He foretold everything that was to happen to Paisios. Abba (Father) Pambo received the young man with great joy. He, at once, clothed him with the HOLY SCHEMA OF THE MONKS. Now because Paisios was a chosen vessel, he, through Divine grace, attained to every virtue. At first, he achieved PATIENCE, AND OBEDIENCE, performing all the tasks that his elder had instructed him to do. Later, he subjected himself to many more hardships and toils, ever striving TO ACHIEVE PERFECTION.

Abba (Father) Pambo instructed Paisios to be on his own and contemplate Divine things and ponder upon the Magnificence and Glory of God. Following his instructions, he went three years without gazing into anyone’s face. Young Paisios’ main preoccupation was TO READ THE DIVINE SCRIPTURE AND TO STUDY SPIRITUAL MATTERS, which were like refreshing streams that revived his soul. He also began to recite versus from the Psalms of king David, such as the following: "THY WORDS ARE SWEET IN MY MOUTH, SWEETER THAN HONEY TO THE TASTE" (Psalm 118 (119).

Paisios was seized by Divine zeal and strengthened by the Holy Spirit for a much higher way of spiritual life. He fasted throughout the seek, partaking of food only on Saturdays. His fare consisted of a little bread and salt. During the other days of the week, instead of partaking of edible bread, he lived on a much different type of bread, THE SPIRITUAL WORD OF GOD. Paisios would read the Holy Scripture and recite the prophecy of the sublime Jeremiah, who, they say, appeared often to him. The Prophet interpreted for Paisios the hidden meanings of the prophecies, inspiring him with love for the future rewards promised to us by God.

One day, as the hallowed Paisios sat in his cave glorifying God, our Savior appeared before him saying: "PEACE BE UNTO THEE, MY BELOVED SERVANT PAISIOS." At this Theophany, Saint Paisios became terrified and stood on his feet saying, "BEHOLD THY SERVANT, O LORD! WHAT IS THE REASON FOR THY CONDESCENSION TO ME?" The Lord answered, "DOST THOU SEE THE LENGTH AND BREATH OF THIS DESERT? ONE DAY, I SHALL FILL IT THROUGH THY PERSON WITH MONKS WHO WILL GLORIFY MY NAME." The chosen man of God, Paisios, then fell to his knees, saying, "O MASTER AND LORD, ALL SUBMIT TOTHY POWERFUL HAND, SO THAT ALL THINGS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THY WILL CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED. BUT I BEG THY DIVINE GOODNESS, HOW SHALL SO MANY SOULS SURVIVE IN THIS DESERT? AND HOW SHALL THEY PROVIDE FOR THEIR NEEDS?" The Savior replied, "BELIEVE ME, MY SON, THAT IF THOSE WHO WOULD LIVE HERE SHOULD HAVE LOVE AMONG THEMSELVES, WHICH IS THE MOTHER OF ALL VIRTUES, AND SHOULD THEY KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS, I WILL CARE FOR THEM AND PROVIDE FOR THEIR NEEDS." Then the righteous Paisios spoke to Him again, saying, "Once more, I shall entreat Thy goodness. How shall they be delivered from evil temptations?" And the Savior remarked, "IF THEY KEEP, AS IT TOLD THEE, MY COMMANDMENTS WITH HUMILITY AND RIGHTEOUSNESS AND MEEKNESS OF HEART, NOT ONLY I LIBERATE THEM FROM THE ASSAULTS OF THE ENEMY AND FROM HIS EVIL SNARES BUT ALSO SHALL I MAKE THEM INHERITORS OF THE KINGDOM OF THE HEAVENS." The Savior, having said these things, ascended with glory into the heavens. The Venerable Paisios was seized with fear in himself, marvelling at Christ’s condescension to him.

Amidst these Wonders, what does THE ENVIOUS AND MAN-HATING ENEMY MACHINATE? Observing that the divine Paisios was escaping all his SNARES with ease and remaining safe from his assaults, he growled in anger and clenched his teeth. Since Satan was unable to approach Paisios himself, ON ACCOUNT OF THE GRACE THE MAN OF GOD HAD RECEIVE FROM CHRIST, the evil one attempted to defeat him SUBTLY IN ANOTHER MANNER. He attempted to beguile him and strip him of THE VIRTUE OF POVERTY AND NON-POSSESSIVENESS. With divine grace withdrawn, Satan thought that it followed that he could then draw closer and inflict A FATAL WOUND DECISIVELY. He, consequently, appeared to a wealth nobleman of Egypt IN THE FORM OF AN ANGEL, saying to him, "Go to the Inner Desert. Thou shall find a man, named Paisios. Though impoverished in this world’s wealth, yet he is enriched and adorned by many virtues. He is a true vessel of Divine grace. Show him due respect. Offer him a generous sum of money that he may distribute it among the monks who are struggling there." The wealthy man, not knowing of the demonic scheme, gathered a large sum of silver and gold and came to the Saint.

But God revealed to his servant the connivance of the devil and THE TRAP LAID FOR HIM BY MEANS OF THE DONATION OF THE NOBLEMAN. The Righteous father, therefore, rose up at once and went to meet the nobleman. At once, as the nobleman saw the ascetic, he asked him, "Who is Paisios? How can he be found?" Paisios asked him, "Why dost thou seek him?" The nobleman replied, "I have brought him silver that he may distribute it as alms among the monks. Paisios said to him, "Forgive us, O Christ-;loving man, because we have not the least need of money as we wish to dwell in this desert. Take the money and go in peace. Cease grieving, God would still accept thy contributions, if the silver which thou hast brought for the monks were to be distributed among the poor. In the villages of Egypt there are many needy people, orphans, and widows. If thou will show them mercy, thou shall receive a manifold reward from God. The nobleman obeyed the words of the Saint, and he returned to Egypt. (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

(To be continued)

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

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

+ Father George

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Lord, God, and Savior JESUS CHRIST,

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

The Veneration of Holy Relics in the Orthodox Christian Holy Tradition

In giving veneration to the Saints of God who have departed with their souls into heaven, the Holy Church at the same time honors the holy relics of the Saints of God which remain on earth.

In the Old Testament there was no veneration of the bodies of the righteous, for the righteous themselves were still awaiting their deliverance. Then also the flesh (of the dead) in itself was considered unclean.

In the New Testament, after the Incarnation of the Savior, there was AN ELEVATION NOT ONLY FOR THE CONCEPTS OF MAN IN CHRIST, BUT ALSO OF THE CONCEPT OF THE BODY AS THE DWELLING PLACE OF THE Holy Spirit. The Lord Himself, the Logos/Word of God, was incarnate and took upon Himself a human body, Christians ARE CALLED TO THIS THAT NOT ONLY THEIR SOULS BUT ALSO THEIR BODIES, SANCTIFIED BY Holy Baptism, SANCTIFIED by the reception of the Most Pure Body and Blood of Christ, might become TRUE TEMPLES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you?" (1 Corinthians 6:19). And therefore THE BODIES OF CHRISTIANS WHO HAVE LIVED IN A RIGHTEOUS LIFE OR HAVE BECOME HOLY THROUGH RECEIVING A MARTYR’S DEATH, ARE WORTHY OF SPECIAL VENERATION AND HONOR.

The Holy Orthodox Church in all times, following Holy Tradition, has shown HONOR TO THE HOLY RELICS. The honor has been expressed: (a) in the reverent collection and preservation OF THE REMAINS OF THE SAINTS OF GOD, AS IS KNOWN FROM ACCOUNTS EVEN OF THE SECOND CENTURY, and then from the testimonies of latter times; b) in the solemn uncovering and translation of holy relics; c) in the building over them of churches and altars; d) in the establishment of feasts in memory of their uncoverning or translation; e) in the pilgrimages to holy tombs, and in adorning them; f) in the constant rule of the Church to place relics of holy Martyrs at the dedication (consecration) of altars, or to place holy relics in the holy ANTIMENSION UPON WHICH IS PERFORMED THE DIVINE LITURGY.

This very natural honor given to the holy relics and other remains of the Saints of God has a firm foundation in the fact that God Himself has deigned to honor and glorify them by innumerable signs and miracles–something for which there is testimony throughout the whole course of the Church’s history.

Even in the Old Testament, when Saints were not venerated with a special GLORIFICATION AFTER DEATH, there were signs from the bodies of the Righteous. Thus, the body of a certain dead man, after being touched to the bones of the Prophet Elisha in his tomb, IMMEDIATELY CAME TO LIFE, AND THE DEAD MAN AROSE (IV Kings 13:21). The body of the holy Prophet Elijah was raised up alive into heaven, and the mantle of Elijah, which was left by him to Elisha, PARTED BY ITS TOUCH THE WATERS OF THE RIVER JORDAN FOR THE CROSSING OF THE RIVER BY ELISHA.

Going over to the New Testament, we read the Book of the Acts of the Apostles that handkerchiefs and belts ("aprons") from the body of the Apostle Paul WERE PLACED UPON THE SICK, AND THE DISEASES OF THE SICK WERE CURED, AND EVIL SPIRITS DEPARTED FROM THEM (Acts 19:12). The Holy Fathers and Teaches of the Church have testified before their hearers and readers OF THE MIRACLES OCCURRING FROM THE REMAINS OF THE SAINTS, AND OFTEN THEY HAVE CALLED THEIR CONTEMPORARIES TO BE WITNESSES OF THE TRUTH OF THEIR WORDS. For example, Saint Ambrose says in his homily AT THE UNCOVERING OF THE HOLY RELICS OF SAINTS GERVASIUS AND PROTASIUS: "You have known and even seen yourselves many who have been DELIVERED FROM DEMONS, AND EVEN MORE OF THOSE WHO HAD NO SOONER TOUCHED THE GARMENTS OF THE SAINTS WITH THEIR HANDS THAN IMMEDIATELY THEY WERE HEALED OF THEIR INFIRMITIES. The MIRACLES of antiquity have been renewed from the time when, through the coming of the Lord Jesus, there has been poured out upon the earth a most abundant grace! You see many WHO HAVE BEEN HEALED AS IF BY THE SHADOW OF THE SAINTS. This was witnessed by believers who "brought the sick out into the streets and had them on beds and couches, that least THE SHADOWOF PETER PASSING BY MIGHT FALL ON SOME OF THEM…BRINGING SICK PEOPLE AND THOSE WHO WERE TORMENTED BY UNCLEAN SPIRITS, AND THEY WERE ALL HEALED" (Acts 3:14-16). How many garments, laid upon the sacred remains and from the mere touching BECOMES A SOURCE OF HEALING, DO BELIEVERS ENTREAT FROM EACH OTHER! All strive at least a little touch (them) and the one who touches BECOMES WELL." Similar testimonies may be read in Saint Gregory the Theologian, Saint Ephraim the Syrian, Saint John Chrysostom, Blessed Augustine and others.

Already from the beginning of the Second Century there is information ON THE HONOR GIVEN BY CHRISTIANS TO THE REMAINS OF SAINTS. Thus, after describing the Martyr’s death of Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer, Bishop of Antioch, a person who witnessed this death states that "OF WHAT REMAINED FROM HIS BODY (HE WAS TORN TO PIECES BY BEASTS IN THE CIRCUS), only the firmest parts were taken away to Antioch and placed in a linen AS AN INVALUABLE TREASURE OF THE GRACE WHICH DWELT IN THE MARTYR, A TREASURE LEFT TO THE HOLY CHURCH." The residents of the cities, beginning Rome, RECEIVED THESE REMAINS IN SUCCESSION AT THAT TIME, AND CARRIED THEM ON THEIR SHOULDERS, as Saint John Chrysostom later testified, "to the present city (Antioch), PRAISING THE CROWENED VICTOR AND GLORIFYING THE STRUGGLER." Likewise, after the Martyr’s death of Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, and the burning of his body by the Proconsul, the Christians "GATHERED THE BONES OF SAINT POLYCARPOS AS A TREASURE MORE PRECIOUS THAN PRECIOUS STONES AND PURER THAN GOLD, AND PLACED THEM…FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE DASY OF HIS MARTYRIC BIRTH, AND FOR THE INSTUCTION AND CONFIRMATION OF FUTURE CHRISTIANS."

The REMAINS of the Saints (Greek, ta LEIPSANA), meaning what is "left") ARE REVERED WHETHER OR NOT THEY ARE INCORRUPT, OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE HOLY LIFE ON THE MARTYRIC DEATH OF THE SAINT, AND ALL THE MORE WHEN THERE ARE EVIDENT AND CONFIRMED SIGNS OF HEALING BY PRAYER TO THE SAINTS FOR THEIR INTERCESSION BEFORE GOD. The Church Synods many times (for example, the Moscow Council of 1667) have forbidden the recognition of the reposed as Saints solely by the sign of the incorruption of their bodies. But of course the INCORRUPTION OF THE BODIES OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS ACCETPED AS ONE OF THE Divine signs of their SANCTITY.

Revering holy relics, we believe not in the power of the might of the remains of the Saints in themselves, but RATHER IN THE PRAYERFUL INTERCESSION OF THE SAINTS WHOSE HOLY RELICS BEFORE US AROUSE IN OUR HEARTS A FEELING OF THE NEARNESS TO US OF THE SAINTS OF GOD THEMSELVES, WHO ONCE WERE THESE BODIES. (Source: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology)

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

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

+ Father George

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

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

THE LORD’S PRAYER
By Saint Theophylact

Matthew 6:9-13

v.9 In this manner, therefore, pray ye: "Our Father Who art in the
heavens." A vow is different from a prayer. A vow is a promise made to God, as, for example, when one vow to abstain from wine, etc. But prayer is a petitioning for good things. By saying "Father", the Lord shows you of what good things you have been deemed worthy, having become a son of God. By saying, "in the heavens" He has revealed to you your fatherland and your paternal home. For if you desire to have God as your Father, then look toward heaven and not toward earth. And you must not say, "My Father", but "Our Father", regarding all men as brothers of one and the same Father. "Hallowed be Thy Name." This means, Make us holy, so that Thou mightest be glorified through us. For just as God is blasphemed through me, so also is He hallowed through me, that is, He is glorified as the Holy One.

v.10 "Thy Kingdom come." This refers to the Second Coming. He whose clean conscience renders him bold prays that the resurrection and the judgment will come. "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Just as the Angels do Thy will, the Lord says, so also grant us to do the same.

v.11 "Give us this day our daily bread." By the word "daily" He means what is sufficient for our existence, our essence, and our sustenance. Thus He teaches us not to worry about tomorrow. "Bread for our essence" is also the Body of Christ, of Which we pray that we may partake without condemnation.

v.12 "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors." Because we sin even after our baptism, we beseech Him to forgive us. But forgive us as we forgive others: if we remember wrongs, God will not forgive us. God takes me as the pattern He will follow what: I do to another, He does to me.

v.13 "And lead us not into temptation." We humans are weak and therefore we should not throw ourselves into temptations. But when we have fallen into temptation, we should pray that we not be swallowed up by it. For he who has been led into temptation is the one who has been swallowed up and defeated by temptation. But it is different for him who merely fell into temptation, and then conquered it. "But deliver us from the evil one." He did not say, evil men, for it is not they who do us harm, but the devil. "For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory unto the ages. Amen." Here He emboldens us, for if our Father is KIng, powerful and glorious, then certainly we too will defeat the evil one and we will then be made glorious.

___________

v.14 "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." Again He teaches us not to remember wrongs. He reminds us of the Father so that we might revere Him, since we are the children of such a Father, and not act as fierce beasts, refusing to forgive.

v.15 "But if ye forgive not men their transpasss, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." God, Who is meek, abhors nothing more than cruelty.

_________

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

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

+ Father George

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

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST1 HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

The Antichristian Movement is like a Vortex that Threatens the
Future of Humanity.

For a number of years, we have heard and read about the danger of ‘climate change’. "Climate Change" and "Global Warming" are often used interchangeably. Climate change is a long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to define earth’s, local, regional, and global climates." We have been told that the "changes are driven by human activities, particularly fossil fuel burning, raising earth’s surface temperature." Of course, there is much debate among scientists and other experts on the subject. Not everyone agrees and not everyone is on board with the above statement. The discussion and disagreement will probably continue for many years to come.

However. I am not qualified to speak or write on the subject. What I would like to write about is the current antichristian movement that threatens, in my opinion, the future of humanity. A vortex is a huge storm, a whirlwind that is extremely destructive and may annihilate everything in its path. This antichristian movement seeks the destruction of the Christian Faith and its adherents. We know it as persecution against Christians. Christianity has known many such prosecutions over its two-thousand-year history. Under the pagan Roman Empire and its emperors, Countless Christians, men, women, and children suffered martyrdom for the sake of Christ. Paganism sought to erase Christianity from the face of the earth. Needless to say, it did not happen then and it will never happen now or in the future.

Atheism is a declaration of war on God. We have seen it in paganism as well as communism or any totalitarian society and government. The one-world global society rejects Jesus Christ and the existence of God and seeks to obliterate any kind of belief or religion. It is to create a void that despots or dictators will fill. The one-world government would rule absolutely and all of humanity will be enslaved once again. Christianity presents an obstacle to those in power and their plans that seek world domination and therefore, it must be removed, and all its followers must be silenced, killed, or imprisoned for life. We witnessed this antichristian policy in the Soviet Union for 74 years. Christian churches were demolished and replaced with swimming pools. Christian bishops, Clergy, monks and nuns, and Christians, in general, were placed in concentration camps in Syberia. Millions of Christian men, women, and children suffered and were killed by the atheists and communists. The Christian icon of Christ in the homes of the Russian Orthodox Christians was replaced with a picture of the dictator and tyrant Stalin. It is said that approximately 30 to 35 million Russian citizens lost their lives both in world war II and under communism.

Therefore history repeats itself once again. As before, even now, persecution of Christianity and the Christian people is quite blatant and deliberate. The persecutors are found mostly in the once known as "The Christian West." The "Christian West" encompasses all of Western Europe, Northern Europe, the U.S.A., England, Canada, South and Central America, etc. Historically Europe has been the center and "cradle of Christian Civilization". Europe has a rich culture, especially a number of Apostles who spread the Faith in various European countries, Saints, and Martyrs who gave their life for the sake of Christ over decades.

As Christians, we believe, of course, that the persecutions have always been against Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. Persecution of Christ began from the time of His birth until He Ascended into Heaven and soon after continued against His Disciples and followers. However, Christianity, no matter how severe and horrific the persecutions were, spread throughout the Roman Empire and eventually all over the world. From Twelve Fishermen, Christians now number over two and a half billion Christians in the world. Christianity is not diminished but continues to grow. The Son of God, Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ did not come to earth from heaven to start a new religion but as Godman to REVEAL GOD’S HIS WILL TO ALL OF MANKIND AND SAVE HUMANITY FROM EVIL AND DEATH. His Divine Message was, is, and ever shall be ONE OF AGAPE (LOVE). Why would someone object to love? Unless he is evil and teaches hatred and desires the destruction of the human race. This has come to a battle between the God of agape (love) and the Evil One the founder of hatred and the enemy of love.

As Orthodox Christians, we pray: "Holy God! Holy Mighty! Holy Immortal! Our God is Holy, Mighty, and Immortal and there is no greater power than His. He is our Creator and universe. There is no power anywhere that can compare with God’s power. He is everywhere and fills all things, the treasury of blessings and the Giver of life. He is the only hope of humanity and the world and will never abandon either one or allow evil to take charge of that which He has created. He gave His life and He shed His Precious Blood on the Cross to save humanity and to prove to us how much He loves us. What human tyrant ever sacrificed his life for the good of humanity? Instead, history reveals how every tyrant is responsible for their cruelty and for the death of millions of people. Human tyrants are always known for their obsession with power, wealth, and control of mankind.

The Almighty God will never allow a world without Him. Our Blessed Heavenly Father will continue to lead, guide, and nurture His world and the human race. It would be cataclysmic for humanity to lose sight of God and act without Him. But with genuine humility and faith we supplicate Him: "Cast me not Thy servant from Thy presence and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free spirit… (Psalm 51). Without Christ humanity would revert back to paganism, satanism, and idolatry. The world would fall into a deep darkness.

Keep your sights on our Lord Christ and take courage and remain steadfast in your faith in Him. The Apostolic preaching understands salvation in three tenses: (a) past we have been saved, IN BAPTISM; (b) present: WE ARE BEING SAVED, working out our salvation in cooperation with God [Philippians 2:12-13) and (c) FUTURE: WE SHALL BE SAVED at the Judgment. Saint Paul in his First Epistle to Timothy warns us and says, "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commending to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth" (4:1-3). This is a warning to all Christians to reject evil in all forms and thereby to maintain a loving heart toward God. The Christian needs not be distracted by the cares of this world and instead deepen His communion with God.

"Climate Change" may be a serious concern for many people and how it may affect the weather, however, as Orthodox Christians, we must be concerned about the moral change that is taking place at this time that threatens the salvation of humanity. There is a different kind of pollution that is plaguing the world and is damaging both the soul and body. Children are affected more so than anyone else that is exposed to it. We must protect our families and especially all the innocent children that cannot defend or protect themselves. We witness how the current technology is used to undermine all Christian values taught to them by their parents. We see how they are indoctrinated both online and in schools. Everything evil that is thrown at them creates fear, confusion, and distress. They are told that they are not what God created them to be, a boy or a girl. They are commanded not to trust their parents and keep secrets from them. And governmental authorities claim that they have a say so as well and they share parental privileges. The children are corrupted, disfigured, and mangled, and the sinister authorities attempt to drive them away from family and God. Is that not a vortex of destruction and evil? There are countries today that not only make every effort to pollute their own country but now the same countries are exporting their pollution, poison, and evil to destroy other counties around the world.
The threat is real and we must take it very seriously and see things as they are and not be complacent or indifferent. Our prayers to Our Savior must be intensified and seek also the holy intercessions of the Mother of God and of All the Saints.

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

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

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

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

Jesus Christ is the Physician of our souls and bodies.

No one can deny seeing man’s emotional, physical, psychological, and most important spiritual condition is in need of healing. Man needs to be cured of this fatal illness. He needs to be admitted to the hospital but not just any hospital. For the Christian, the hospital is the Church and it is there where he will find the great Physician Who will administer to him the Divine Medicine for his cure. It is there where those ailing will find the true therapy. It is there where he will find purification and cleansing of all infirmity and grime.

The practicing Orthodox Christian understands that one very significant purpose why he or she attends the Divine Liturgy and the other divine services in the Church is to personally see the Physician, our Lord Jesus Christ Who is present at all times. Our appointment is with Him. The Divine Medicine He offers to us is His Holy Body and Precious Blood of which there is no greater medicine. It is given for the remission of sins and life eternal. This Divine Medicine is not only therapeutic but through the grace of God, the believer becomes one with Him and with all other faithful who also receive it. This act of our Lord Christ is first and foremost a therapeutic one. It is He Who restores all those who approach Him with faith and humility and Who restores us and cures us.

Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ knowing how often we fall and sin established His Church to be used as a place of healing. We who attend the divine services know that we need healing otherwise, we shall die. No Orthodox Christian attends the Divine Liturgy to observe a theatrical performance and to be critical of the performers, the priest, the choir, the chanters, etc. The Church is not there to entertain us or to make us fill good and happy. We are there to be touched by God the Holy Spirit and seek His healing energy, His Divine grace. However, no one is compelled to either see the Physician or to be admitted to His Hospital, the Church. Our Lord simply exhorts us to seek to be cured. Every believer is cured by the energy of God Whose Source is uncreated and revealed "in the person of Jesus Christ. Another important point to be aware of is that this Divine Energy of Christ from which comes a person’s cure is granted freely and out of His Love.

What a person confronts today and what is up against is enormous and complicated. The problems are spiritual, moral, psychological, emotional, social, and intellectual. However, Our Lord reminds us that "The things which are impossible with men, are possible with God" (Luke 18:27). Jesus also says to us, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes" (Mark 9:23) because of God’s power released through faith. Therefore, personal faith is necessary and is expected by God for healing to take place. Christ honors the faith of the person and will increase faith when we sincerely desire of Him. Most of our illnesses are caused by our sinfulness which attacks our body and soul very much like cancer does. Those who have suffered from cancer and survived know how devasting and painful it is to go through it. Also, how difficult it is to recover from it. We must also understand that since our Lord Jesus Christ is the Physician that we are the patients. As patients, we trust Him implicitly and completely, our life is in His Divine hands.

Our healing depends also on our cooperation with the Physician and our listening and obedience to His guidance and advice on how well we implement it in our lives. Living within the Spiritual Hospital, the Church, by grace, a believer must first cleanse his/her heart of the PASSIONS (Πάθη), in order to attain Divine illumination and be deified and attain union with our Creator Who will bestow upon us salvation. We must come to our senses and admit before God and man that we are ill. Denial is not an option for any of us. We must not allow pride or ego to resist and ignore the reality of how critical our condition is. Repentance is absolutely necessary for our complete spiritual healing. It was said by one, that it is not the sin that condemns one, but the unwillingness to repent of it. The Holy Apostle Peter in his sermon at Solomon’s Porch taught, "REPENT therefore and be CONVERTED, that your sins may be BLOTTED OUT, so that time of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, Who was preached to you before" (Acts 3:19). Repentance and Conversion (METANOIA) means a thorough change of heart and mind, WHICH IS ESSENTIAL FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

Our Merciful and Loving God desires that we all come to the knowledge of truth and be saved. We define Orthodox Christian spirituality as PURIFICATION, ILLUMINATION, AND DEIFICATION (THEOSIS) which are results of the Uncreated energy of God. These three stages of perfection are mentioned by the Holy Fathers of the Church. It is only by the grace of God can these three stages be attained. A believer will confront many obstacles and challenges before he or she reaches his or her goal. Our enemy, the evil one, will make it very difficult and will make a deliberate attempt to sabotage our every effort. We need to be prepared for it and be determined to fight "the good fight", and win the battle. Our spiritual warfare never ceases until we are longer living. Let us renew the purity which has been divinely bestowed upon us "through faith in what we have heard" (Galatians 3:2) and let us restrain from doing evil and let us fear God Who holds us accountable for our every thought, desire, and deed believing in the coming "dread day" of judgment.

_____________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Divine and Victorious Diakonia (Ministery),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

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

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

ON THE 14th OF JUNE, OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHURCH COMMEMORATES
THE HOLY PROPHET ELISSAIOS (ELISHA).

Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn of the Prophet. Fourth Tone

The incarnate Angel, and the Prophets’ summit and boast, the second forerunner of
the coming of Christ our God, Elias, the glorious, from above sent down his grace
upon Elisseus; he doth cast out sickness and doth also cleanse lepers; and unto all
that honor him, he poureth forth streams of cures.

Kontakion Hymn. Second Tone

A PROPHET of God didst thou become when worthily thou hadst been
vouchsafed a double portion of God’s grace as Elias’ true companion,
O Elisseus, divinely-blest; and with him, thou unceasingly entreatest
Christ God on behalf of us all.

Prophet ELISSAIOS (ELISHA), the holy Prophet and namesake of "God is salvation." Elissaios was born in Galgala (Gilgal) which is eastward of Jericho. Elissaos (Elisha) was from the town of Abel-me-oul and the son of Sahat and had been a husbandman. In the year 908 B.C., at God’s command, the Prophet Elias anointed him to be Prophet in his stead. At Galgala there was a golden calf that was paid homage to by the benighted. On the birth of Elissaios, the demons inhabiting the idol were divinely compelled to cry out with such a great sound that it was heard in Jerusalem. The high priest of the Temple of God, also, contemplated the two stones that he wore on his breast. One stone was named Manifestation and the other Truth. He, moved by the Spirit of God, prophesied: "Today there is born a Prophet for Jerusalem who shall destroy the grave images and shatter the molten idols.

The lad grew and was strengthened in spirit until the day o his showing forth to Israel. Now Elissaios was plowing with oxen. There were twelve oxen under the yoke. The mighty Prophet Elias passed by Elissaios and cast his mantle upon him. Elissaios left the cattle, and he ran after Prophet Elias and said, "I will kiss my father, and follow after thee." And Prophet Elias said, "Return, for I have done a work for thee." Elisssaios, thereupon, returned from following him. Elissaios took a yoke of oxen. He slew the oxen and cooked them using the wooden plow and the other instruments of husbandry as firewood and gave the oxen as food to the people, and they ate. Elissaios then arose. He followed Prophet Elias, to whom he ministered.

Prefigurations of Baptism

Now it came to pass that the Lord was going to take Prophet Elias with a whirlwind, as it were, into heaven. Elias and Elissaios, thereupon, went out of Galgala, Prophet Elias said to Elissaos, "Stay here, I pray thee. For God has sent me to Bethel. Elissaios said, "As the Lord lives and thy soul lives, I will not leave thee." So the two came to Bethel in Southern Judaea. Prophet Elias and Elissaios stood together and then smote the water. The waters were divided on this side and on that side. In this manner did Prophet Elias and Elissaios pass over on dry ground. While the two men were crossing, Prophet Elias said to Elissaios, "Ask what I shall do for thee, a double portion of thy spirit upon thee." Elissaios said, "Let there be, I pray thee, a double portion of thy spirit upon me." Prophet Elias commented, "Thou hast asked a hard thing. If thou shall see me when I am taken up from thee, then shall It be so to thee; and if not, it shall not be so."

As they were going along and talking–behold!–a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, separated both of them. Prophet Elias was taken up in a whirlwind as it went into heaven. Elissaios was accounted worthy to behold this. He cried out, "Father, father, the chariot of Israel, and the horseman thereof!" After that, Elissaios saw Prophet Elias no more. Elissaios then took hold of his garments, and rent them into two pieces. But Elissaios took up the mantle of Prophet Elias, which fell from off Elias and upon himself. When Elissaios received his teacher’s mantle and the grace of his Prophetic spirit twofold, he demonstrated whose disciple he was through the miracles he wrought and through all that is related of him in the Fourth Book of Kings. Therefore, Elissaios returned. He stood upon the brink of Jordan. He took the mantle of Prophet Elias and smote the water, saying, "Where is the Lord God of Elias?" The waters then divided hither and thither, and Elissaios went over. The sons of the Prophets, those from Jericho, who were standing on the opposite side, observed Elissaios. They exclaimed, "The spirit of Elias has rested upon Elissaios." They went forth to meet Elissaios. They did obeisance (prostrated) to him to the ground.

The Holy Church chants: "The river Jordan once turned back before the mantle of Elissaios, left by Elias who had been taken up into heaven. The waters were divided, so that the stream became a dry path before him, forming a true figure of the Baptism, whereby we pass over the changeful course of life. Christ has appeared in the Jordan to sanctify the waters."

Prophet Elissaios (Elisha) performed many miracles and touched the lives of many. He departed full of days and was buried in Samaria about the year 839 B.C. But even after his death, God glorified him; for after the passage of a year, when some Israelites were carrying a dead man for burial and suddenly saw a band of Moabites, they cast the dead man on the grave of the Prophet. No sooner had the dead man touched the Prophet’s bones, than he came to life and stood on his feet (IV Kings 13:2-23). Mentioning this, Jesus the Son of Sirach, says, : He did wonders (miracles) in his life, and at his death, his works were marvelous" (Ecclus. 48:14). It is because of such marvels that the faithful have reverence for the holy relics of the Saints. His name means "God is savior." (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

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



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

+ Father George

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

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

“FIGHTING AGAINST GOD”

“A pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law said”, regarding
the Apostles, “…Now I tell you: stay away from these men and
leave them alone. If this plan or work is of human origin, it will
be overthrown. But if it of God, YOU CANNOT OVERTHROW IT,
AND YOU WILL FIND YOURSELVES FIGHTING AGAINST GOD”
[Acts 5:33-39].

Is humanity “fighting against God?” Historically we witness mankind resisting God’s love to save it. A perfect example of His love, of course, is sending His Only-begotten Son, to save man and revealed to him the Gospel of salvation. The Godman, Jesus Christ, taught: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.’ but I tell you: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you! Pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father Who is in heaven. For He makes His sun to rise on the evil and good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust. And so, if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? Therefore, be perfect, just as your Father in Heaven is perfect” [Matthew 5:43-48).